blasto, meet official opinions on self-replicating minions

[peterxy]

The PRT catches wind of a strange increase in disappeared domestic animals in the downtown area. Given that the people who live there are the rich and powerful, this is clearly a problem that needs to be investigated and solved immediately. The PRT, of course, agrees that this is of utmost importance, and not just because of precedent about mass abductions of pets, of course not, why would you think that, they are so very worried about Fido, even Scion recognizes the merits of rescuing lost pets.

(Lorica's asked to maybe keep a few more eyes there than she has been.)

Comments

[mxglam]

It is, apparently, a chemical substance that reacts to the monkeys' pheromones. Glam invents a bullshit detector that uses the chemical, and starts outfitting bots with it.

[thinkering]

And bots - those that can be spared from the gradually shrinking fight with the trees - go on a Blasto hunt.

[peterxy]

There seem to be a few pockets of faint pheromones in some localized spots, including a few that are other hives similar to the giant tree they just found. These hives seem to be mostly content in just existing, at least for now.

[thinkering]

Bots monitor them and notify the others so Windflower can be sent in to kill them. That all?

[peterxy]

Yyyy- no. There's a trail, more recent and concentrated, leading Northwest...

[thinkering]

Cloak-and-follow-follow-

[peterxy]

-warehouse!

(Brockton Bay sure does seem to have a lot of those, doesn't it?)

There is a much stronger cloud of the pheromones around it. Not like they were actively spread on it, but more like someone has been using them for a while and they've formed a cloud around the building.

[thinkering]

The bot notifies everyone of this situation.

[acanofworms]

"Approach carefully, watch all exits, avoid detection. Drupe, go to that building. Glam, focus there."

[mxglam]

"Copy that," says Glam, who loves saying this kind of thing.

[thinkering]

"What about me?" asks Windflower.

"Don't have a kill order on Blasto. Yet," Lorica tells her. "Hang back and kill trees."

[mxglam]

Glam creates a few more bots around the building, as well as a couple of copies.

"...if those monkeys could camouflage like that, so can I," they say, and their bots get nigh-invisible, too, as well as the two copies they conjure there.

[thinkering]

"Ha. Thank you Glam." Camo bots can approach a leeeeetle closer.

[peterxy]

Boarded up windows, but through the cracks bits of a lab very similar to the one they first found Blasto in can be seen.

[thinkering]

Bots relay images to interested parties.

[acanofworms]

"Surround the building with bots, make sure no exit is unwatched. Wait for Drupe to arrive, Dauntless and Velocity should go, too, for mobility in case Blasto tries to es cape. Glam I want your entire attention there when not looking at Windflower's barriers."

[mrdauntless]

"Acknowledged."

[mxglam]

"Copy that."

[thinkering]

Bots converge and swarm as directed, though they keep eyes on the barriers too.

[mrdauntless]

And presently the extant heroes have arrived.

"In position," Dauntless says from a position of cover.

[acanofworms]

"Drupe, as soon as you're ready to contain the hybrids, give the others a signal. Glam, block all windows with something sturdier than the boards if you can, and irrespective of that when Drupe gives the signal I want you inside through all exits. You like theatrics, figure out a way to make sure Blasto doesn't even think escape's an option. Dauntless and Velocity, you two are to stay outside and watch the exits, listen for Lorica's bots' instructions on the comm, if anything tries to escape you go after it."

[thinkering]

Various acknowledgments.

"Ready," Drupe says.

[mxglam]

"I'm gonna give the building a black square hat so that all windows are covered by the same thing," Glam announces, because it's only good and proper to inform your team of your tactical maneuvers, of course.

Said hat appears! And before Blasto's hybrids or the Tinker himself can react to the sudden extra measure of darkness, Sadde has two muscled copies tear the garage door apart and one smaller-but-still-brutish copy for each of the other two doors do the same, opening the way for Lorica's bots.

The interior is much the same as the first lab was, except much better outfitted, with much more expensive material and tools. The warehouse has a second floor of metal walkways that's mostly unused, and several hybrids inside various vats. The only macaque ones are a couple of helpers with lab coats, and the extant hybrids are huge bears simultaneously very similar and very different than the ones the hybrids fought earlier. There are several of those - apparently Blasto doesn't want a repeat performance of the last time.

[thinkering]

Bots flood in and assess the place and shine some lights on anything that moves or looks like it might start.

[mxglam]

Blasto gets over his shock and starts moving-

"Kill order!" Glam makes their copies say at the same time. Blasto freezes, and a new copy appears out of the doorway. The hybrids don't do anything without Blasto's signal, but look very aggressive at the sudden bots and copies. "You do anything and you get one," Glam elaborates, and Blasto sags a little.