Jonathan Charles Randolph had always felt he didn't get as much publicity as he deserved. He was a grade-A supervillain; the Lord of Iron. He once used the Statue of Liberty to rob a bank in New York, for god's sake! As soon as you attached two pieces of metal together, whether it was a bridge, a statue, a sattelite dish, or really anything, he could grab it, control it, and turn it into his own personal toy.
But no. That damned titan, Spike, had stopped the Liberty Robbery cold. And when he'd tried the same thing using the golden gate bridge, slithering it along like a giant snake, Lightning had come by to stop him, and just vibrated right through the damned metal. He was a terror! An incredibly powerful, unstoppable force of nature!
And some jumped up toaster had turned him into a puppet!? Was he going to get dragged out of this war on a stretcher after only destroying a handful of machine tanks, and a few hundred of its lesser forms? Hell no!
The Lord of Iron, still in horrific pain, blood leaking down his back and the nonfunctional controller still attached to his shoulder, clenched his fist... and grabbed hold of the frame of the statue. Using his power to sieze control of the very wires in his body, he reconnected damaged nerves in a way they were never meant to be, restored full control of his own flesh as if he were the puppetmaster as he secured his grip on the statue as well. Whatever artist had made it, he'd modified it; adding a few armor plates and welding the anchor chains onto it with the help of some army engineers. He'd never showed these simple worms the full extent of his power; and now, to conquer this pathetic machine, he would finally reveal the true might of the Lord of Iron!
***
Eyeball stared up at the limply standing statue... he had already been concerned about their hope against this machine... but seeing the Lord of Iron beaten, and within the first hour of real fighting?
To say that seeing the Lord of Iron brought low so rapidly damaged morale would be an understatement. Whatever he might feel himself, he was truly one of the most dangerous men on the planet, rightly feared, hated, and respected by his rivals and enemies the world over. Eyeball could see fear in the eyes of some of the other villains... and soldiers. They'd likely been assuming that the Iron Lord would do most of the heavy lifting on this fight, and they could coast through, get some kills, earn some bounties. But... seemingly, he was done. Dead, disabled... did it matter?
Then the statue reached down, grabbing hold of a power line... and lifting it up, pulling it taut. No-one but Emerald could hear the maniacal laughter thanks to the EMP shorting out his loudspeaker; but as the Lord of Iron took control of the full power grid, every cable, every tower connected to it he could reach, he strained his power to his utmost; reaching out several miles..
And suddenly wires snapped free from poles, snaking around machines. Steel support structures lifted off, twisting, spearing those that were nearby. It was amazing to watch; and Eyeball almost stood up to get a better view before his foresight predicted a bullet to the helmet for his troubles. Everywhere he looked, he could see the lines lashing out, entangling machines, crushing them, tossing them about. It was growing less effective as the machines started cutting power lines to free themselves... but the network was so vast and interconnected that there were still more lines to reach more and more targets.
For the next half-hour, the villains and soldiers advanced through Mexicali, street by street; leaving shattered machines behind, with their targets being pushed out of cover, shattered, broken, tossed into the air, by a living network of wires that turned what would have been a brutal, murderous advance into... not a cakewalk. They still took casualties. Eyeball could see men and women getting taken out, Butcher took a few rounds in his chest without seeming to care.. But as they reached the south side of Mexicali, a growing sense of optimism formed.
Hell, the Lord of Iron wasn't the only heavy hitter on their side. Why was he so worried? There were probably half a dozen metas on the US side that could work together and handle the whole issue.
***
Tai and Yue continued their steady walk northward after being dropped off by armored car; flanked by a few tanks, squads of soldiers; the tanks a rarity, here. The party had been able to easily; albeit uncomfortably; load hundreds of thousands of people onto ships to get here. Tanks, though? Only a few had made it, so far... so of course, here they were, protecting the most valuable assets in the field.
After a sniper team advanced, checked the hillside and made certain no machines were present, the twins advanced to the next hilltop, looking out over the verdant fields of southern mexico. Yue reached forward, raising her hand, yawning and patting her mouth with the other. "Lets get this over with. You take left, I take right?"
Tai looked out ahead, over the small town off in the distance... and sighed. "Yes, sister. I'll take left. For the people." She nodded, smiling. "For the middle kingdom."
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The two both raised an arm; the soldiers accompanying them by now used to the red-blue glow as intense, impossible heat, and equally intense electrical power built up... and then were released in another wave. While they skipped over the empty countryside, any forests, cities, or even rocks that could hide machines were being blasted apart. China would come here, in the years to come, and establish this place as a new colony; the ashes of these forests would fertilize the fields of the New Kingdom.
The armored car pulled up beside them once again; and the two climbed aboard, to wait for the dust and smoke to settle before they moved on. Each time they did, it seemed to take longer; as they continued their steady advance, and left steadily more of the country devastated. Each time, a warning was sent out to the human inhabitants to evacuate beforehand; soldiers checked the refugees to ensure no Pale Ones made it through; though the refugees were increasingly hostile. Yelling profanity and cursing at the chinese soldiers as they abandoned their lands.
Fortunately, few remained behind; as the car pulled to a stop in the ruins of a village, another forest visible up ahead in the distance, the twins climbed out; few skeletons nearby. Too many... but not as many as there could be. Tai absently stepped forward, examining an antique well at the center of the ruined village. "Our mother used to gather water from a well much like this."
Yue sighed, shaking her head. "And still would be, if we hadn't been born as we are. Come, brother. Why are you looking at an old well?"
Tai walked up to the edge. "In theory, if you'd dropped into the well before the fire washed over the village, you might have survived. Perhaps we should check for survivors; and even cleanse them, just in case, if we find none?"
Yue rolled her eyes. "Fine. Go ahead. Waste your time boiling some water."
***
As Eyeball walked along a Mexicali street, relaxed for the moment; according to the Army, they'd cleared the city of Machines, and the civilian population had suffered minimal casualties; apparently neither side intent on wiping out noncombatants, surprisingly enough. Aside from the fact that every bank and business had been completely cleared out of money, and all the power wires torn from their poles, it seemed as if this place could be fixed up fairly swiftly; weeks, rather than years, at least. Hopefully the entire country would be like this; it'd be amazing if they could simply wipe out the machines, hold a new election, and have a fresh, rebuilt, mexican government.
Tracking around with a breach camera grenade loaded; a nicer, higher-end version he'd made with improved reliability and penetration; he swept buildings for hidden machines... and just happened to notice... if he shot the street, right there... he'd reveal a tunnel. A long tunnel leading downward, with... bolts mounted to the wall. Too steep an angle to walk, nothing a human could climb. Ahh... fuck. And Butcher wouldn't fit down there.
He tapped his helmet. "Cobalt. This is Eyeball. Grab some rope and a couple of climbing harnesses, and notify the army. We've got at least one hidden tunnel whose cap looks like a perfect match for the sidewalk. We need to sweep the whole city for these things, and find out whats in them."
According to the camera.. or what it would show if he blasted through the cap... it was a 50-foot deep hole, with a wide open cave at the bottom; clearly a natural cave, with an ancient stream passing through. But... artificial lights. Either this was a cartel drug smuggling hole, or the machine has built itself some redoubts for when things went bad.
***
"Are you seriously going to drop into that damn murder-hole!?" Emerald crossed her arms, glaring at Eyeball. Around him, a handful of soldiers were preparing climbing gear and a winch, Cobalt was checking over his own bandolier to see which grenades and bullets he had left, and, so far, the patch of sidewalk was sitll intact, immaculate; nobody asked how Eyeball knew there was something under it.
"Yep. Could be a machine manufacturing facility down there. Could be an army of killer robots. Could be just about anything. Not on any city maps, very cleverly hidden..." If not for Eyeball nobody would even know it existed, the connection to the sidewalk appeared seamless. "Whatever it is, we need to know about it. And I'm probably the best candidate to find out."
She shook her head. "And what if its a trap? You set foot down there and boom?"
"I can spot traps better than anyone. And I'll be sending drones down first... and into the tunnels as well. Honestly, ideally, I'll be able to spot the machines, figure out whats going on, and get back without them even knowing. I'm perfect for this job, and I'll have backup."
Emerald sighed... and stepped up closer, giving him a quick hug. "Okay. Be a badass. Go destroy them all. You still gotta explain what's going on with that Fade guy."
He glanced at the soldiers who'd volunteered for the mission; a couple of class-C metas, technically only Corporals, Brees and Kin; Brees was a walking brick, bullet resistant, strong, tough; not as tough as Butcher, but then, only 6'2. Kin on the other hand was a regenerator; and also, apparently, could grow spines from his body at will, either for stabbing or throwing. Granted... they weren't as good as bullets, so limited utility.
Still; all of them could take a bullet and keep going. So good for this job. Hell... Eyeball hadn't really tested himself that much since his recent encounter with Fade. He might qualify as a class D or C by now. "Alright, gentlemen. Kin and Cobalt are the most likely to survive any traps we run into."
Eyeball cracked his neck, checked his ammunition to ensure he was loaded up, and glanced at Cobalt. "Alright, man. You go first, just in case, but listen close. If I tell you to stop, stop. Immediately. I'll be feeling out below us as we go, and its possible... but unlikely... the bot might have a trap that can hurt even you. Kin... you got our six. Just listen close."
The winch was set into place on the sidewalk...and Jason stomped on the fake sidewalk piece. The circular hatch at the top of it spun in place, revealing the long tunnel into darkness. Cobalt tied on the rope to his harness; and started to descend, falling into the abyss.