JLA Watchtower (Archive)

Zeus' balls, godsdammit.

How does one miss a massing robot army?

He's supposed to be the defender of this country. The 'land of heroes' isn't rich with them anymore, the way America, or even England are, leaving it to him. And usually, Aristides Demetrios' shoulders are big enough to carry the load. He's handled everything from divine olympian incursions to monsters of legend. But detective work? Not his strong point. Not even remotely.

But an entire robot army? This is a new low. Today though, he makes up for that.

The Olympian finally got wise to the presence of something unusual in his country. Using the vision of Lynkeus, his version of x-ray vision, it didn't take him long to find the problem. Several minutes of cursing in seventeen languages later, a golden streak is making its way towards the robot factory... and its not happy.

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Arisia is ready to go. She's been where they're going and now that she knows there are other Lanterns there, she has a decent idea of where they should be. At least she thinks she does.

Turning, she looks toward Hal, waiting for him to lead the way.

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Hal looks around, to make sure the others are ready to go.

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The Big Vik is ready. He's on science detail as well as head-crackin' patrol. Gotta keep one of these poozers intact for study.

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"This is all of us, right? Everyone else is topside?" Arisia looks around and then smiles. Having Hal and Kilowog here... It is very comfortable for her. Most of the family she's built for herself is here. Going into danger is easy when they're with her.

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The golden streak is becoming more and more visible. As capable as he is of stealth and even nigh-invisibility, Aristides typically doesn't bother. The Manhunters likely know he's coming already - which is fine by the Man of Myth.
Likely not going to be long before the Lanterns notice him either, as he charges the installation.

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It doesn't escape Kilowog's notice.

"Hold up, poozers - what the hell is that?"

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Arisia scans the streak for a few moments and frowns, "Humanoid... I don't think it is a Manhunter but... Who knows right now. I..." Arisia looks over her shoulder.

"They're coming."

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The Manhunters have indeed become aware of the group massing against them and quickly begin to assemble their base for the attack. There dream of victory is soon to be made a reality.

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"They're coming. Let's go before they have more time to get themselves put together." Arisia turns, begining to form a shield in front of her.

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Proving that he is, most distinctly, not a Manhunter, Olympian rockets to the base, the golden cloaked figure crouching and smashing both hands into the ground, right through the stone and hidden metal 'roof' of the underground complex, tearing it upwards as if it were paper. "Come out robots." commands the figure through the voice of Orpheus, lending the command both much more volume, and far more authority than any normal man could muster. "There is only destruction for you here."

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"Poozer's on our side, at least!"

Kilowog makes a sweep around - tempted to just dive into the place and start swingin', but no sense letting them surround him in a confined space. Get a little room, THEN crack the craniums.

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Their base breeched by the strange creature of gold the Manhunters move into action. Swarms of them pouring from the interior in an effort to confront and destroy their enemies.

Spotting Kilowog floating, several of the Manhunters break off their formation and engage him with blasts of red energy, while one of them in the center of the group attempts to wrap a tendril of red energy around his ring arm.

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Kilowog cracks his knuckles, and a smirk plays across his face. Instead of true evasive action, he throws up a shield around himself to fend off the red energy - and he dives STRAIGHT at the guy trying to snag his ring, aiming to punch that toaster's head clean off.

He likes it up close and personal.

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The Manhunters split there formation then, flying in an outward direction while Kilowog engages the one. Then just as quickly they turn around and zoom in on them. Burying him in the middle of their group while they lash out with metallic limbs.

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And that's when the protective field around him suddenly lashes out with violently nasty buzzsaws in every direction, hoping to shear off those limbs while he continues to pound the living hell out of his chosen toaster.

He trains Green Lanterns. He knows every trick in the book. The Big Vik is nobody's pushover, and it's been too long since he's been in a real donnybrook.

He knows he's got a mission - take one of these things intact. But there's a hell of a lot of 'em that need to be smashed to shit first.

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The Manhunters in close are unable to avoid the buzzsaws that cut through their metallic armor to the delicate equipment underneath. The next group however has learned their lesson and engages Kilowog from a distances, blasting him with concentrate amounts of pure red energy.

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He shakes some fist-scrape off his fingers from crushing the face of the first toaster he got his hands on, and now he throws up a shield to fend off the red energy as his eyes rove over the field to pick his next target.

Then, screw it. Every damn ONE of 'em's his next target.

With a series of loud CH-CHOOOMM!s, unbridled energy blasts come firing right back out, meeting the red energy head on and - oh, damn, this is a good idea - trying to force a bond with it. OutWILL these toasters and turn their own energy back on each one of 'em, bonded with the green to make it punch that much harder.

This ain't easy, but it's WAY too good an idea not to try.

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For a brief moment red and green energy clash midair as a battle of wills takes place. The green will of a truly sentient being verus the artifical will of a created robot. In the end, true will will always win out and the green light edges closer to the respective Manhunters. The battle raging until one by one they are destroyed by the green blasts.

Suddenly, a ball of green and red energy ignites near one of the Manhunters blinding those around it. When it clears there is a moment of confussion. The Manhunter is still standing. Why? His faceplate is open revealing the Green Lantern battery that absorbed the energy underneath.

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"Heh. Looks like ONE o' you poozers got smart."

Suddenly, the Big Vik is off his feet and charging at the open-face toaster, rearing his gigantic fist back.

"Too bad smart'll get ya nothin' if your noggin's rollin' inta the Aegean."

The fist comes forward hard, hoping to use the surprising speed before the Manhunter can react. But this is the 2.0 batch, they might be upgraded more'n' he thought.

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The Manhunters don't hang back for a second once their base has been breeched. Immediately, they send a force of four Manhunters down the hall way to meet the threat. Engaging him as they walk with blasts of dark red energy.

"No Man Escapes."

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This draws a wide grin from the massive man. His fists flex into fists, his eyes narrow.
"Who said anything about escaping?"
The blasts hit - and, to his suprise, he feels them, they even hurt. Enough of them, they might just be able to bring him down. But he has no intent of giving them that kind of opportunity.
Forging ahead right through the barrage, the Olympian rushes his foes, picking up speed and swinging for the nearest Manhunter.

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The Manhunter he aims for is unable to avoid the speed of his blow and takes the hit fully, its metal chestplate crumpling underneath the massive energy.

They do not back down from the threat as their comrade falls however. With him in close metallic arms begin to rain blows down up him. While a Manhunter still some distance away guides its red energy through its companions.

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The blows, all things considered, don't seem to bother him much. While these things are strong, the invulnerability of Kaineus has taken worse for him. The red energy is a different matter - with their power source, that's going to wear on him.
One arm lashes out to try and grab at the neck of one of his assailants, crushing the metal inwards, and using the body as a shield - after all, his skills include those of some of the greatest shieldmen of all time, trying to block the worst of the blast while he trades blows with those still close to him.

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The red energy continues to strike the Manhunter shield in the back, seemingly as if the Attacking Manhunter was caught in autodrive, when suddenly his plan comes to fruition and the Manhunter in his hands explodes outward from the damage.

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The explosion clears a little more space to maneuver, and figure out his situation. Using the brief respite, Olympian slams his fists outwards towards the walls, then down at the floor, trying to start collapsing at least this section of the base.
After all, he's quite sure he can survive a cave in unscathed. He's not so sure about the robots, and any he can either trap in here, away from the Lanterns, or, better to his mind, trap inside with himself, the more room it gives the GLs, and the less he has to worry about robots getting away.

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The Manhunters move completely around Arisia in their formations. They are choosing to engage the remaining Green Lanterns, while ignoring her. As one flies past a comment drifts through the air.

"We have no need to fight you, we defeated you so easily once. You are nothing to us."

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Arisia has no problem if they give her a better target by passing her by. Aiming at one of them, she sets up a wall right in front of the Manhunter flying toward it. How agile are they? Can they avoid the Manhunter pile-up?

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The Manhunter engages in an immediate nose dive until it reaches the bottom of the wall and then resumes its course. While several more behind it erect red walls around Arisia, not in an attack but as a mere hinderance while they continue to ignore her.

"You are nothing. Don't get involved, if you do Hal or Kilowog will just have to come and rescue you, again."

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It almost works.

But who rescued her damned self?

Who rescued /KYLE/?

Yeah. Her. That's right.

And with that thought, Arisia starts creating Manhunter seeking missles, all of them streaking off from her and her ring like arms of a firework explosion.

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When the first Manhunter explodes from the missile attack they change their course and swarm at her moving to bury her small farm underneath their seemingly endless numbers.

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Arisia lets out a short yelp of surprise. Her shields hold strong as she is swarmed by the Manhunters. She leaves an image of herself in the shields even as she teleports herself out of them, a little futher away from the Manhunters, firing off another barage of missiles.

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The Manhunter again move to dogpile her. Their Internal Combat Logic processors have identified that while she might match them on the level of will she could never match them in physical force.

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That's Hal appears at her back, creating a spiked shield of green energy around the two of them.

"Care for a hand?"

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They're right. She can't.

She doesn't have to. Her will just has to be stronger then their physical force as well. Arisia holds her shields tightly, as she continues the barage, making them explode.

And then Hal is there and she smiles, "From you? Anytime."

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The Manhunters were not expecting the attack from behind and the dogpile around Arisia begins to scatter. With a couple of there number destroyed and the possiblity of the others ever present they erect a red box around themselves. Trapping themselves and the two Green Lanterns inside, and slowly draining the air from the inside.

While two of the Manhunter's face shields open, the remaining number attempt to latch onto the Green Latern's limbs to bring the rings close enough for draining.

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Good. Their faces are exposed.

Two of the spines of the shield extends, aiming to impale the Manhunters through their unarmored faces.

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