dollpocalypse | Project Pegasus New York Facility, Thursday Afternoon

Ben	Ben stepped over some rubble as he looked around the facility with professional interest. "I've seen worse." That...was really not helping, Ben.
Topher	Topher had not seen worse. "This is really creepy," he announced. Helpfully.
Billy	Billy...well, he'd seen equally bad, but that wasn't making him feel much better at the moment. "It's definitely not what I was expecting," he said. "I thought there'd be more, you know, people around."
Ben	"Let's keep looking," Ben said ~~like a dumbass~~, heading further into the building. "Maybe we'll figure out why Tony had an alert go off when this place went off the grid."
Topher	"It's really..." Topher prodded a bit of rubble with his foot. "Echoey." Totally a scientific observation.
Billy	"I can't imagine what could cause damage like this." Actually, he could think of a bunch of scenarios, but none of them were good. "Hopefully, it was this deserted when it got taken out."
Ben	"Or it was being deserted really rapidly when this was happening," Ben said, checking his belt for his lightsaber. He had a bad feeling about this place. That wasn't stopping him from looking around, of course. If he stopped what he was doing for every bad feeling, his life would have been a lot ~~less scarring~~ less interesting.
Technovore	If he stopped and thought about things, he'd also no longer be allowed to be called a Skywalker. So... There was noise, metal against concrete in a rhythmic pattern like an animal running. Whatever it was, it was moving fast and sticking to the shadows of rubble.
Topher	"OH MY GOD IT'S A GIANT RAT." Settle, Topher. Settle.
Billy	"I don't think rats make that kind of noise," Billy said, but he was already moving closer to Topher and looking towards the noise, trying to decide what it was instead.
Ben	Ben's lightsaber was out and lit in a heartbeat. "No, that's definitely not a rodent," he said. "It's more metallic." Beat. "Unless the rodents are now wearing body armor." Thank you. Very helpful.
Technovore	"Consume." Wasn't that terribly reassuring? The noise suddenly stopped for a moment before there was a heavy thud behind them where something landed. "Consume."
Topher	That was... not a giant rat. "Holy. Shit." Ben, Topher was just going to be hiding behind you now. Without putting on the gauntlet or anything, like a normal person might.
Billy	Billy had been practicing his magic enough that it was instinct now for defending himself and others to involve a blue flash as he spelled himself into costume. It wasn't subtle, but they seemed to be beyond that at the moment. "Get back," he said quickly, like that would help when he couldn't see what they were getting away from. Why did creepy things have to be so creepy?
Ben	"What does everything I meet always want to eat me?" Ben bitched under his breath as he took a few steps back, eyes darting from side to side as he tried to figure out if there were others around.
Technovore	"Get. Back," it repeated, taking a step forward almost curiously. "Everything. Meet."
Topher	"Ben..." Yes, Ben, you had the great honor of being clung to now. Blame the badass vibe.
Billy	Okay, the mimicking was even creepier, but at least it gave them an idea of what area to avoid. Assuming there weren't more of these things skittering around, of course. "We really won't taste that good, honest," he said, still looking around. "You should find better food!"
Ben	Ben rolled his shoulders a bit to declingify Topher in case he needed to move quickly. "We're not here to hurt you," he tried. "We're just looking for a friend." He was a Jedi. Jedi negotiated first.
Technovore	"Analyzing: Non-consumable. Carbon. Hydrogen. Oxygen." Yes, it managed to sound disappointed by them being organic. "Unknown technology. Consume. Integrate." That sounded good, right?
Topher	Topher squinted at it. Still peeking his head over Ben's shoulder, he ventured, "It almost looks... familiar." That was... weird. "You don't know Tony Stark, do you?" he asked it hopefully. Liiiike an idiot.
Billy	Billy probably should have taken a step back as the thing took a step toward them, but "non-consumable" gave him enough hope to have him hold his ground for now. "He's our friend. He's like us. We think he might be here."
Ben	Ben's grip on his lightsaber tightened. "No eating the unknown technology, buddy."
Technovore	"Consume," it repeated, crouching down to be at eye level with them before roaring. Like nails on a chalkboard. And then, damned with formalities, charged to devour the lightsaber and devices the weakest carbon based being held. Sorry, Topher.
Topher	Topher took a few steps backward, which had the idiotic effect of creating distance between himself and Ben, and hugged his gauntlet to his chest. "Um," he protested weakly. Aaaaand this was why he needed to hang out with superheroes all the time.
Billy	"Hey!" Billy yelled, throwing a blast of lightning at the creature, hoping to at least distract it if not stop it in its tracks. Sorry Ben, but negotiating seemed to be off the table.
Ben	Ben was temporarily distracted by Billy's use of (what he thought of as) Force-lightning, which meant that the lightsaber blow he tried on the creature wasn't nearly as effective as it normally would have been.
Technovore	Technovore cared not for your issues, Ben! But it did rear back at the lightning, shrieking as it did. The bit of arm that Ben did manage to slice off (DAMN IT, SKYWALKERS) fell to the ground, still for only a moment before seeming to writhe as the shape desolidified and wormed back to the creature in question.
Topher	"...it regenerates," Topher observed, eyes huge as he swallowed and inched closer to Ben again. "Awesome." It wasn't awesome.
Billy	"Crap. Crap crap crap," Billy said, as close to swearing as he really got. He moved away from Ben and Topher and shot another bolt of lightning at the creature - sorry, Ben - trying to distract it so the guys could strike from behind. Or, so Ben could, at least.
Ben	"Not that awesome," Ben said, flipping over the creature's head (sorry to leave you alone, Topher...) and trying to stab it from behind.
Technovore	It froze up at the lightning again, making another pained noise. Then, lashed out at the fleshy little creature that was trying to electrocute it with one massive clawed hand. Where Ben's lightsaber struck, the metal burned away. What remained did not hesitate to surge forward onto the handle of the weapon. "Consume. Integrate technology."
Topher	Topher whimpered and scampered to hide behind Billy. Ben had been preferable, but. Last resort. And now he was going to finally get that gauntlet on, yeah.
Billy	Hiding behind Billy might have been a better idea before the creature took a swipe at him, because Billy was scrambling backwards, trying to figure out what to do next, and there might well have been a collision if Topher wasn't paying enough attention.
Ben	Ben was too busy yanking on his lightsaber hilt to notice what happened to Topher. "Give. It. Back," he grunted.
Topher	Ow. Bumping was ow. So that would just be Topher fumbling to get the gauntlet on the rest of the way despite being jostled, and... yeah, he hadn't been prepared for that recoil at all. Judging from how he was now sprawled on the floor. Oops.
Billy	"Topher!" Billy yelled, running to his side, the creature temporarily forgotten among guilt and concern. "Are you okay?"
Technovore	The area shot by the repulsor blast disappeared before more surged in to take it's place. But it was enough force it to release the lighsaber. So they had that going for them. Which was nice. It roared again, ignoring Ben in favour of going after that gauntlet.
Ben	"Incoming!" Ben yelled, jumping onto the thing's back to try to slow it down.
Topher	Well, Topher was holding a gauntlet that could apparently create blasts strong enough to knock him into a wall. So, you know. "Yeah, 'm okay," Topher said, wincing as he got to his feet. Then more to the gauntlet than anyone else: "Tony, what the hell." And then he looked up and his eyes went wide. "...oh, fuck."
Billy	Between Topher's expression and Ben's yell, it only took a second for Billy to decide what they needed to do. "We have to get out of here!" he said, grabbing Topher's arm and dragging him along, whether he was ready for that or not. "Ben! Get down!"
Ben	"I'll give you a ten count and then jump," Ben promised, thinking that Topher could probably use all the headstart he could give him.
Technovore	The creature shrieked, rearing back as it tried to throw Ben off it's back. With that failing, it was going to try assimilating that lightsaber of his again. Oh dear.
Topher	Right, no need to worry about Billy having to drag him -- Topher scrambled right along with him. He was pretty terrible at running. Like, really bad.
Billy	Lucky for Topher, Billy wasn't letting go of his arm as they ran, trying to make sure he kept up. He was trusting Ben and his skills for the moment, counting in his head and not looking back.
Ben	"Nine...ten," Ben counted, giving his lightsaber another yank. "And this is still mine," he muttered, flipping off the thing and racing for the exit.
Harchov	Behind them there was another roar and the sound of metal on concrete once again as it chased after the trio down the long hallway. Before Billy could get too far a hand reached out of one of the doorways, yanking him (and subsequently Topher) into the room.
Billy	After nearly getting eaten, Billy was automatically on the defensive, and tried to hit whoever had grabbed him without letting go of Topher. "Hey! Get off!"
Harchov	NOT IN THE FACE! "Tell me you are not alone! Tell me you brought help!"
Topher	Meanwhile, Topher was just panting. Panting so much. Running, why did you hurt so bad? "Wha--?" Oh, okay, speaking wasn't happening. Just kidding, then.
Ben	"How much help are you talking about?" Ben asked. "At home, three's considered a pretty good number." If two of them were Jedi...
Harchov	The man looked from one teenage boy to the next before all that hope in his face crumbled. "We're doomed." So cheerful this one.
Billy	"Hey!" Don't make Billy want to hit you again, strange man. "We can help, as long as you're not on the side of that metal thing out there," he said. "Who are you?"
Topher	Still panting, Topher waved a hand to indicate that he seconded that question. HIS SIDES. THEY BURNED SO BAD.
Ben	"In through your nose, out through your mouth," Ben recommended. "Also," he said, looking at the man. "Hey. We're really good at helping!" Well, two of them were.
Harchov	"My name is Anton Harchov," he said, Russian accent heavier as he seemed more afraid. "I am--I was the head of this facility. That thing is a computer virus called Technovore." That wasn't familiar or anything. "It has--it can't be stopped."
Billy	"Sure it can be stopped," Billy said optimistically. "There has to be some way to destroy it. Every virus can be taken out somehow." Granted, most computer viruses he'd seen were inside the computers, but still...
Topher	It appeared Topher was done wheezing for now. Instead, he was staring in horror. "But -- that's To--"
Ben	Ben's hand clapped over Topher's mouth before he could finish the word. "Totally terrible," he amended. "It tried to eat my weapon twice!" Beat. "And Topher too."
Harchov	Something slammed against the wall of the room, causing Harchov to take a step back. "It's the nanotechnology we were working on. It has mutated past anything imaginable."
Billy	Billy's eyes got a little wide at the noise. "It keeps wanting to consume things. Technological things," he said. "I take it that wasn't part of the design?"
Topher	Muffled by Ben's hand, Topher announced, "I sincerely hope not!" It was only barely intelligible. So.
Ben	"What have you tried to make it stop?" Ben asked, frowning. Negotiating hadn't done anything.
Technovore	Before their new Russian friend could respond, the wall cracked with another thud. Another thud throw concrete out at them as Technovore clawed it's way in after them. "Consume. Consume." Sorry, were you guys talking to Harchov? He was running the hell away now.
Billy	"Hey!" Billy yelled after Harchov's retreating figure. He was so hitting that guy again if they managed not to get eaten. On that front, he moved to try to keep Topher between him and Ben. It seemed like the safest position for all of them, really. "We are not food," he said forcefully. "Back off."
Topher	Topher whimpered and held the gauntlet protectively to his chest. Like that was going to help anything.
Ben	"And neither is my lightsaber," Ben added, brandishing it. "All in favor of following the Russian guy's plan...run like hell."
Technovore	"Integrate. Adapt. Evolve," it hissed, crouching for a moment before shoving past Ben and Billy to swarm around the gauntlet, taking Topher with it if he didn't let go.
Billy	Billy tried to scramble back onto his feet after being knocked away, but ow, that had sucked. "Topher, run!" he said, hoping that just this once, he could manage to do that.
Topher	Noooot so much with the running. More with the gulping and being rooted to the spot. Though that gauntlet was inching away from his chest now. Look, Topher really liked his hands, okay? They were all... useful and stuff.
Ben	"Drop the gauntlet," Ben commanded, reaching into the Force to give Topher a good shove toward the door.
Topher	Right! Fleeing now! Fleeing that was more like... shuffling rapidly. But fleeing all the same. "I can build him a new one!" he blurted out on his way to the door over the sounds of metal clanging in the background, more as a comfort to himself than to anyone else. Sure you could, Topher. Sure you could.
Technovore	"Adapting," it hissed behind them, hands glowing like the repulsor gauntlets as it finished intigrating the armor into itself. “Connecting: Iron Man Armor Exosuit Version 3.1. Tracing Signal.”