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Post by Rift on Nov 15, 2023 19:50:08 GMT -7
Stark was once again only half listening, his mind already revising his previous plan of using the restored and slightly upgraded MK. 1 armor. If Evil Me comes from a point in time that I haven't even established the Avengers, then he's probably only rocking something along the lines of the Mark II. Maybe even had the gold paint job still. And that means even with the minor upgrades and improvements I've made to my own Mark I, he may even have the edge considering the Darkhold tends to have...unexpected effects. Worse yet maybe we are even. I hate fair fights and avoid them at all costs if possible. So there has to be something I can do to not even the playing field, but surpass him without going so high tech that it defeats the purpose and gives him the advantage, he thought. It was distressing to not just be able to use his most advanced armors. Under normal circumstances Extremis would allow him to run circles around most terrestrial based tech, especially against a copy of his own now severely outdated armor. The realization that he'd grown to rely on that technological edge to instantly surpass most of his opponents was one that bothered him. Still, this was an interesting exercise and he did love a challenge. "I wonder if he's clean shaven. I mean Mirrorverse usually has mustachioed and goateed copies, but I'm already rocking the look," he said randomly. "Or does that make me the Evil! Iron Man? Meh, Star Trek is overrated anyway. Stupid analogy." Turning his attention back to Gwen he said, "Okay, I get home and I have to hit the garage. Something old, something new, it'll be like an anniversary present I'll use to kick my own ass. Then again, might just be easier to throw some bourbon at him and call it a day. Good to know we don't have to worry about the team, though I do wonder why Carol would be so unlikeable? I mean if it follows my timeline she wouldn't be Captain Marvel yet and while she's rough around the edges she far from an uber bi-- er, mean person. Hold that thought." As he considered other possibilities, armors designs he could base the new one off of and weapons and systems that would have to be pared down or eliminated outright, another thought occurred to him. "So, you have plenty of boomsticks, but the ability to carry all of them, not be slowed down, and also not get turned into Swiss cheese by a bunch of armors acting out a John Carpenter script is another thing. Unless you are bulletproof or have a healing factor because you are secretly Deadpool's little sister. Are you? Are you?" he teased. Turning to glance at the wall once more he spoke seemingly to the air. "Limited exoskeleton with a shield generator. Nothing too fancy, but adds protection and mobility for a one-off mission. Probably have something like that in mothballs from when I was selling designed to Nicky..."
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""Where There Is Breath, There Is Hope""
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Post by John Kilroy on Nov 17, 2023 15:04:50 GMT -7
"Err, carrying stuff has never really been an issuer with me before. I've just always had stuff on me. Maybe it's toon physics or something." she couldn't help but wince when he asked her if she was Deadpool's little sister. Yes it was only in a teasing manner but she couldin't help but cringe. "The only reason why I'm even refered to as Gwenpool is because my last name is Poole, so the the person that made my costume misunderstood me. I don't even read Deadpool. He's too "LOL random meme." kind of thing and look it's not that I actually hate Deadpool as a person. It's just..." She went to her comic shelf and grabbed a Gwenpool Comic she grabbed from an alternate universe. She flipped to a random page. "I don't mind breaking the fourth wall and making pop culture references. I just don't want to end up like this. I mean the dab? This Meme was already dated by the time this comic came out."
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" That'd be me. The Spider-Man of tomorrow, here to save today... "
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Post by Rift on Dec 10, 2023 11:27:35 GMT -7
Tony looked at the image, unsurprised that the girl would have collected a comic about herself (he had to admit he had a few of the ones he'd licensed framed back at his California residence) nor that she'd of picked it up from another dimension all together. The image itself though? That was another matter. Dear Lord, it is like Deadpool has a daughter or a little sister. I mean I know some of the comics back home about yours truly may show me as being built like Thor or exaggerate things regarding my adventures making me more of a suave spy sort than I am, but this? This is outright character assassination. Makes me wonder if I shouldn't contact Jen and ask her about cross-dimensional lawsuits. Doubt it is possible, but at the rate these alternate places are piling up it's at least worth looking into, he thought. "Yeah. No. Don't do whatever that is. Ever," he said, shaking his head. "The world can barely tolerate one living cartoon character in Wade, we really don't need Deadpool: Barbie Edition." Giving the image one more look before handing the comic back to her, he sighed. I can figure out alien technology, design new energy sources, and bend quantum physics on its metaphorical ear, but I cannot for the life of me stay up to date with these fads and slang and whatever the hell the dab was supposed to be. My God I sound like Rogers, he thought. "Okay, so no need to cook up a suit for you and more time in the garage for what I have churning over now. Probably better that you don't have power armor anyway considering what is happening over there with evil me. Speaking of which since this is me or a version of and he's out of his mind...more so than I usually am anyway, we can't just rush headlong into this. I get that you have plenty of pew pews and some training, but that and your portal gun...we have to come up with something less generic than that...anyway not for nothing but this is me we are talking about. Evil me. We need to proceed with caution, meaning if I tell you to book or that you are on crowd control or even just civilian evacuation, don't argue. Oh and don't touch anything that looks like it could be part of the evil book. Or part of an evil armor. Or like it can explode. Basically, we don't know how much tech has been infected by this Darkhold ichness, yes I'm calling it ichness, and I don't want you to get eaten by a toaster or something."
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Post by John Kilroy on Dec 11, 2023 0:02:14 GMT -7
"I guess I'll have to see if I can fall 50 feet and leave an imprint without getting hurt or see if I can blow myself up like a balloon. It'd be cool to be able to gently float off the ground. Although considering the internet is a thing I might end up creating a monster."
Her eyes then widened and she went to the closet and grabbed a folder. In it was a hyper realistic digital drawing. "Heyyyy. Would you be willing to create something like this? it doesn't have to be super high-tech...I just really want a much better-looking costume. PLEASSSSE? I can pay you for the trouble. like millions or even billions if you want"
Yes this was desperate on her part. Yes it was pitiful...but she REALLY disliked her costume. For exactly the reason Tony mentioned. It was Deadpool: Barbie edition. She was entirely satisfied with Tony's plan. "I figured that'd be the plan my pew pews can buy time and even hit hard if we are desperate but you would have to be the main heavy hitter."
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" That'd be me. The Spider-Man of tomorrow, here to save today... "
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Post by Rift on Dec 15, 2023 14:29:45 GMT -7
Tony paused for a moment as he took in the photo. It was not lost on him that the girl had some confidence, asking him to up and design gear for her after having only just met. That takes some moxie. That sounds like a good and proper Cap approved word. Then again she hops dimensions, wants to go save one that she has no connection to, and decided the best way to do this was to recruit a founding member of the Avengers so that shouldn't come as a surprise, he thought. Plus you are the one who brought up how to keep her alive during all of this.Handing the image back to her he shrugged. "We'll see. I mean you are an interdimensional...visitor sounds nicer than stowaway and if you are going to stay in...what was it you called it? MRH-616? Home. If you are going to be a regular resident of my home dimension and remain unregistered I can't exactly go around handing out Stark Tech to what would technically be a criminal." He let that hang in the air for a moment before smirking. "But, a joint dimensional operation intended to stop a dangerous unknown from potentially spreading to the home dimension? That might require some cooperation. And while I won't include all the bells and whistles, can't actually, some protective gear worthy of a S.H.I.E.L.D. operative that serves to make sure my partner on this doesn't look like Cheerleader Deadpool? That can work. Consider it done. If anybody understands not just doing things but doing them with style and for simple aesthetic reasons, it's me." Thinking for a moment, he added "But first things first. I want to know, why is this so important to you? Not the gear, I get that because I too like the be the Belle of the Ball whenever I head into a fight, but why this fight? Not your dimension. Not a place even aware of you. So why pick this fight? Is it just because you are using an extreme example to try and, uh, save me from whatever horrible fate you think is awaiting me due to some semi-omnipotent 'writers' or is there something else driving this? A chance to prove yourself maybe? I mean if you are intent on convincing anyone, yourself included that you can hang with the heroes you've read about there has got to be easier ways."
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Post by John Kilroy on Dec 15, 2023 16:32:17 GMT -7
Gwen let out a sigh "it's probably not what you think. I have my share of trama and blood on my hands, and yes I do want to help avoid the bad future that is modern marvel comics but, that's not what drives me. This will probably sound stupid. When I was a little kid, I saw a movie I probably shouldn't have. It was called "Drag Me To Hell" I don't know if you've seen it. It was about a woman who worked at a bank she serviced this old Romanian woman who was a gypsy stereotype. She begs the main character for an extension despite the fact that the main character has already given as many as she can, after she is refused the old woman curses the main character and condemns her to hell and the whole thing is just a giant "black comedy" torture fic until she's dragged into hell screaming and begging for help. I balled for three hours straight and I had nightmares every night for a month.
She... she was innocent. That woman didn't do anything to deserve what happened to her. She was begging help... and no matter how much I screamed and held my hand to the screen vainly trying to grab her hand... of course I couldn't do anything, it was just a movie. But I learned something about myself. I can't standbye and watch people helplessly suffer. I don't do this stuff because I'm driven by some sort of guilt or because I'm trying to make up for some past mistake. Though I'd be lying if I didn't admit that there was a little bit of that. But I'm not like Spider-Man where I'm driven by guilt to live by some sort of philosophy that makes a good slogan on a T-shirt. I do it because I can. Because I want to, because I don't want to stand by and do nothing as I see someone get dragged into Hell when they didn't deserve it. not when I can do something about it or at least try. And I get it. I can't save everyone all the time I know that and frankly unlike you I'm not trying to. But that doesn't stop me from trying to save those that I can. Because if I don't....who will? And before you ask. Yes if I saw some Innocent get dragged into a hell portal I'd jump down it after said person and I'd be locked and loaded before I even hit the ground."
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Post by Rift on Dec 16, 2023 12:59:09 GMT -7
Stark listened to her explanation and it was definitely not what he expected. In his experience the vast majority of costumed do-gooders were in the life thanks to some personal trauma or overwhelming guilt. Spider-Man's mantra and his adherence to it was born of tragedy and guilt over not doing the right thing when he could have. Banner was a guilt-ridden basket case well before the gamma bomb and his creation of it came into play. Then there was Tony himself, the billionaire weapons designer who helped make the world a far more dangerous place in the name of making even more money. He didn't like to think about it, but everything he did up to the present was based on the lessons he learned in that cave, watching his inventions used to harm the world and threaten the future rather than advance humanity. He was a better person or so he hoped, one willing to take responsibility for his actions rather than dodge them, but it all stemmed from his imprisonment and what came next. Gwen here didn't seem to be like him or any of the other walking therapy cases that cloaked themselves in spandex, power armor, or living alien goo. No, she was trying to do the right thing for no reason other than it was the right thing. It was all very...Rogers. "Huh. Movie analogy aside you are definitely not like Deadpool. A bit star spangly if I might say, but okay. Good to know that this isn't some personal vendetta or attempt at making up for some mistake, trauma, or insert buzzword of your choice. Because trust me, been there, and it rarely ever turns out the way you hope. One fight doesn't make up for past sins so you throw yourself into the next and the next each more dangerous than the last in some attempt to punish yourself for things that either you are not guilty of by anyone's standards other than your own or in some fruitless attempt to be forgiven for the unforgivable. Not a good look especially when religion, therapy, or some form of counseling are cheaper and less, shall we say, life threatening?" Feeling a bit more confident about the course of action he'd committed to almost from the moment he stepped through the portal at the diner, he nodded. "Okay then. We have a plan which of course means things will go belly up as soon as we arrive. But what the hell? We'll go hop to a horror dimension and kick my ass. What could possibly go wrong?" You know, common sense would say I should contact Doc Strange or Brother Voodoo or someone who knows about this spooky mumbo jumbo before going through with this. But when have I ever been accused of having common sense? he thought.
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Post by John Kilroy on Dec 18, 2023 1:42:12 GMT -7
Gwen grinned. "hey that's good advice...you should follow it. I'll also add that you can't lose yourself trying to please everyone. I would not say that you've done unforgivable things. I would say that your biggest character flaw is still what drives you, and no I'm not talking about your history with booze I'm talking about the fact that You're a big-brained Ideolog that thinks it's your job to save the world from itself. The difference now is instead of peace through superior firepower or as you used to put it "carrying the bigger stick" your new avenue is peace through being Big Brother but hey I guess it's better to die being suffocated by your mother than to die in ball of fire huh?" she did not hide her sarcasm nor did she pretend to. "Sorry, not sorry. I'm not going to pull my punches with you. You're a big boy you can rebut for yourself."Again she couldin't help but grin. "Trust me it's best not to give them any ideas. All I can tell you is that two major players are watching over the board. One loves horror. the other guy doesn't mind going dark but doesn't sad endings, even the bittersweet kind. So who knows where this will go."
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" That'd be me. The Spider-Man of tomorrow, here to save today... "
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Post by Rift on Dec 19, 2023 17:51:10 GMT -7
Stark sighed. And there it is. She's either too green to understand that the world or worlds as it maybe, are not what you want them to be and have to be taken for what they are. That or her thinking she knows what is and what should be because of her comics depicting things means she has some moral high ground. Either way that's dangerous. She may not have a lot of oomph so to speak, but I know better than anyone that knowledge of things others don't have can make you arrogant and create a bit of a Savior Complex. She means well, but good intentions are not used to pave the way to anyone with a pleasant climate. It's something to make note of, he thought. "Huh and here I thought we were having a moment. Guess it's over. Okay, so here's the deal sweetheart. You don't know me, despite what you've read in the pages of your funny books or seen on screen even if they were done with an excellent depiction of yours truly," Stark replied. Leaning against the wall he sighed. "Here's the thing. I'm glad you are a fangirl and have everyone's best interests in mind, truly, but those books, these movies and shows you are oh so entertained by or otherwise irked over because it didn't get written the way you'd prefer? The whole notion that this is some kind of game being overseen by writers? None of that matters. It means nothing, because for me and everyone I know and care about it is life. It is our cities, our planet, our friends and loved ones. It isn't make believe, so I have to take it how it is and deal with it as best I can because in reality, not fiction, REALITY I have to roll with the punches and act accordingly. That means what I have to do is not always nice, it isn't fun, it isn't how I would prefer to do things if given another choice. But it is real. I don't get to sit back and hope some mystical writer is going to improve a messed-up world or to jump to one that may better match my sensibilities." It's like talking to a college activist whose perception of the world is shaped by textbooks and theories rather than experience. I have had this very argument with everyone from Grimm to Parker and most especially Rogers. I haven't had a day go by since this mess started that I didn't have heated debates with myself about things, so it is not as if I jumped on a bandwagon and just ran with it, he thought. "You don't like Big Brother? You like your privacy and see the actions of the government as tyrannical? You worry about the rights, liberties, and all those other words people toss around without actually understanding them beyond a very basic concept when applied trough the lens of the SRA? Fine. Devil's advocate says you are right. I don't even like it. It's bad. It's intrusive. The potential to abuse it exists just like with any power or law. But guess what? it's inevitable. This was coming whether McKinney happened or not. It was only a matter of time. Someone in a suit and tie that knows about as much about how things work as you do would see it as a platform to run for office or get kickbacks from some special interests group or another and the next time a webspinning spandex clad guy trying to do the right thing fails to save a police captain or Banner saves a city but had to knock some buildings down while doing it? That's when they'd have pushed it," he explained. Pinching the spot between his eyes he continued. "Now image that. Imagine everything that has happened, still happened. But guess what? I'm not there. I died before hand or took an extended vacation to another country or better yet I sided with Steve. Do you think Norman Osborn would advocate for the peaceful arrest of Captain America or that Maria Hill or even Captain Marvel would hesitate to shut down the Defenders? Would a Henry Gyrich or a Thaddeus Ross give that newbie Spider-Kid a pass for not being registered even as he makes the news and has his own app? Would they let an interdimensional traveler who can easily access any vault, mainframe, or national secret area with her fancy zap gun go let alone agree to a Team-Up with a stranger who thinks their entire universe is the figment of other people's imaginations? I don't think so. I do what I do because I have to. I am stemming the tide because if I wasn't there it would be worse and people who are worse than I ever was would have all the power. People like Wilson Fisk, Norman Osborn, and The Mandarin wouldn't stop at heroes registering. They wouldn't try to show mercy and leeway when they have the chance. I mean sure, my former friends and fellow Avengers may return my phone calls and invite me to the next poker night, but that's only if they are still alive or not rotting in prison or being dissected to make powered people who will be compliment with the regime. So you don't have to like it, but until you are in that position, until you are something more than a tourist to a world that lacks the luxury of seeing stacks of books that tell them what are and what could be? Zip it."
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Post by John Kilroy on Dec 19, 2023 21:24:19 GMT -7
Gwen let out a sigh. She did not want to do what she was about to do but some of the things that Tony was both saying and thinking about, did not set right with her. mainly when he compared freaking Steve Rodgers of all people to a college activist
"I can understand comparing me to a college activist, short hair pink highlights I'm kinda asking for the comparison. granted if I really were a college activist I'd be leacturing you about how this is all somehow sexist and racist, the fact that you the gonads to compare Steve Rodgers of all people to a college advacist makes me....confused. He's not...trust me he's not."
Now it was her turn to lean on the wall. "You say you do what you do because it's all inevitable. That if you didn't bite the bullet and do what had to be done then someone else worse would. At least if it's you at the wheel then at least something good can come of it. If that's the case then why didn't you side with Thanos or Ultron or any number of other guys that have used that exact same justification? Humanity will die in fact by the year 2099 all the world becomes a dystopian corporatocracy ran by companies like Alchemax and... you're going to love this. Stark-Fujikawa. 90% of the world becomes uninhabitable the age of heroes dies in a human/mutant world... and stuff like the SRA is what is the catalyst of it They control heroes, so mutants become the next logical step and then normal people...Because here is the thing Tony there is no appeasement. These people will take and take until someone pimp slaps them and makes them back off and contrary to what you might think I DO have experience with these kinds of people tony. 20,000 people an entire village died by my hand because I followed orders. All so the president could distract the world from the fact he had spilled national secrets to a prostitute he was having an affair with who turned out to be a foreign spy. Oh I could justify it. Well if it wasn't them he would have picked a different target. Maybe a city maybe a country maybe he would have pressed the big red button and caused the end of the world, maybe by being evil I saved the world. Maybe I should have went up to the survivors and said they died so that we all could live. Or maybe I just prolonged the inevitable to save the skin of rats so they can continue to live like rats. What did they learn? That they can do whatever they want. That if they ever get their hands caught in the cookie jar then they can count on the guys with guns to cover and appease them. That they can pass the blame to someone else and get away with it scott-free. So don't you dare tell me how I don't know what you have to go through. I may have the super-intelegence that you do but I know what it's like to pull the trigger...JUST...LIKE...YOU."
She leaned a little bit more. "I said that guilt wasn't the primary thing that drives me, I didn't say I didn't have my fair share of it. In fact I'm pretty sure I said I had my fair share of it."
she let out a sigh. "Serious questions. If you don't trust the powers that be, why don't you run for president or better yet create an island or terraform your own planet and form your own country? I mean you've resigned yourself;f to the fact you'll never have what us normies have, you're already waist-deep with the pigs by being the king of intrigue city...so why not go all the way with it? Maybe you don't trust yourself I don't know, but IF that's the case, that doesn't make any sense. You don't trust yourself to rule in the daylight where all of your deeds are made visible to all to judge but you're comfortable with ruling in the shadows? You're already ruling. You're making the calls no one else wants to make, you already do stuff behind everyone else's back heck you and Reed and Strange have the whole secret society thing going on with the Illuminati, heck you've already admitted you have a god and a savior complex? What is it about that military of an extra step that makes you go Naw That is too far. Everything else you've done up to this point you can live with but just that Teeny Tiny extra step is just one step too much. Why?"
again she signed. "You want to know why I REALLY invited you on this mission? Because just once just freaking once I want you to be iron man again, I want to see you be Tony Stark, not Arya Stark, not cloak and dagger Black King and certainly not some stupid metaphor for George freaking dubbya Bush." She pulled up a video. "Here I want you to see somthing." after the video finished she looked at him. "I miss this you. For as arrogent and as cocky as he was he knew how to take on those who tried bully people...at least he did until scarlet witch got into his head and filled his brain with all kinds of dark magical influence that gave him PTSD and then he started acting like you do now. by the way spoiler alert. That government guy that tried to nationalize your tech, was a Hydra cultist...makes you think."
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Post by Rift on Dec 19, 2023 22:28:50 GMT -7
"Mind reading. Add that to the mental list of reasons why you should reasonably be freaking anyone, including me, out," Tony said. "And for the record, the Cap comparison? It's because even if they align differently on both the intelligence and the political scale, he, like a college age activist can be hopelessly naive at times. I get the same vibes from you." Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he steadied himself for a moment before continuing. "You think I should have sided with Cap? That I should have just told the government to sit and spin? Great plan. Then they forcibly take my technology and become more dangerous. Oh and what if the heroes went to war against the government? Do we just sit back and be fine with proving every naysayer and politically savvy villain correct? What if we lose and then all powered people are forever outlawed outright? Worse yet what if we won. You think about that? We win...well then what? We opposed the will of the people, we prove that if we don't like rules we'll ignore them, and if really pushed to the wall we will fight and even quite possibly kill our countrymen to overturn anything we dislike. How the hell are people ever supposed to trust us again after that? We set ourselves apart, we become more than protectors, we become gods or forces of nature that refuse compromise and decide we know better than everyone else, the vast majority of which would be remiss not to consider us a potential threat even before Mckinney." He felt like he was just having the same argument over and over again. It was infuriating. "You think I should have run for president? Then what? I'm in four years, eight tops, and guess what? While I am sitting back having to wrangle people that can't agree on the color of the sky, I can't be Iron Man. They won't allow the Commander-in-Chief to take the battlefield. I can advise, I can recommend, but again not a dictator and I won't get to help in the way I best can. then terms are up and it is back to business as usual. At least with S.H.I.E.L.D I can have a little more leg room to do the hard stuff. I can ask for forgiveness, but skip asking for permission when I do crazy things like jaunt off to another dimension on a whim with someone who I should have at the very least confiscated her go anywhere easy button gun. Where I'm at I can keep the floodgates closed just a little longer, giving myself and others time to plan for worst case scenarios. If I have to I can misdirect or re-aim the worst of what they can sling out towards targets actually worthy of a beatdown. From the inside I can do what I do best, build and rebuild. And maybe it works, maybe it doesn't but I'm not going to be lectured by someone who is convinced the future is written on cheap paper with bright colors and varying degrees of competency in art." Jaw clenched he walked closer to the various weapons and waved a hand like a game show model showing off a prize. "So, you did something bad based on orders. The situation wasn't what you thought it was at the time or information was withheld from your unit or maybe you didn't factor in that bad intel is a thing that happens and can put a real crimp in the whole being the best you can be thing the recruitment ads push. Doesn't matter. Tell me, did you take up arms against the commanders who ordered it? Did you decide to fight the President because it was a bad call? That why you collect all these weapons? No? Because I don't see you leading a resistance or taking your fight to those who are corrupt. I mean you can't appease these people right? So why are we here instead of out there? Why do you want me to stop another me from another place and not the evil suit and ties of your home dimension?" Taking a moment to put his sunglasses on, he shrugged. "Oh that's right. Because on some level you understand we have to make do with what the world is instead of what we want. That we can build a better one, but it takes time, and I cannot believe I'm the one saying this but it isn't about flashy suits or cool gadgets, it is about changing minds and not just stamping our foot like toddlers wanting what we want when we want it. So instead you traipse around other dimensions, interfering, thinking you know what the score is because you read comics and watch movies and your abilities, strange as they are, let you get away with it. You can meddle, you can play at being a hero, and you don't have to worry because it's not like you are going to get tossed in jail or called a lunatic like you would here. You want a war, but you picked it on the front where you face the least chance of lasting repercussions because to your mind if something goes wrong, you what? Get rewritten or a reboot or just start a new issue? Face it Gwen, you want to change my world and criticize those of us doing the best we can with a bad situation while we cling to hope we can mitigate the damage because you can't do anything here." Looking over the tops of the sunglasses he watched the video. It looked and definitely sounded like something he would do. Heck at one time he probably would have very much done just that. And before everything that had happened, before Civil Wars, Symbiote Invasions, and Skrull agents hiding around the globe disguised as his allies he was very much like the fictional version of him in the clip. So much so he smirked. "Kid, I want to be like that guy again too. Honestly. I miss when Iron Man was as much fun as it was duty, but I can't snap my fingers and undo the past and I can't just will it into being. I'll get there or I'll die trying, but for now? For now things are what they are. The future is always coming at us, but it takes hard work to get the one we want." Sitting down he took off the glasses. "Okay, truce. Right now, philosophical differences aside, we have bigger concerns. Like evil armors eating people or merging to them or whatever it is the evil book of evil is doing over there. Does no good being stressed out before a mission. So, gloves off, take our corners, and lets talk. How close can you get us and when? By when I mean, do we jump in just before the last panel? After where we have to figure things out as we arrive? How does this work?"
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Post by John Kilroy on Dec 19, 2023 23:29:33 GMT -7
He felt like he was having the same argument over and over again. The feeling was mutual. still, he managed to hit her right where it hurt.
"BECAUSE I WAS A COWARD!!!" She screamed out with tears in her eyes. All the guilt and all the what if's came flooding over her like the Mckinny Dam when it broke."I...I don't have a super serum flooding through my veins I don't have a suit that can make me invincible to bullets and missiles. If I did believe me I would have done everything you suggested. Heck maybe even without powers I should have. At least then I would have died fighting for somthing. But like a Rat I was more concerned about my own life Than doing the right thing....I could have done something...I should have...I..." she bursted into tears. Not the kind that could be faked either. Once she got ahold of herself. she gave a fake chuckle. "Honestly, if I knew you'd say yes I would have asked for your help."
she shook her head wanting to get off the subject as bad as he wanted to. "Right at the end on that last panel is our best opening. I don't know why the rules can be seemingly arbitrary sometimes."
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" That'd be me. The Spider-Man of tomorrow, here to save today... "
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Post by Rift on Dec 24, 2023 16:31:39 GMT -7
Stark was grateful that after their rather spirited discussion she was willing to table any lectures until a later time. His change of subject though, was not simply a desire to avoid continuing an argument he felt he'd already had hundreds of times, but also because this mission had many unknowns and the slightest miscalculation could spell disaster before it even got off the ground.
"Alright, so let's walk through this. You portal gun thingy us in. Nobody is expecting us, so we should be good to at first, but that's not likely to last long. We end up just as alternate Pepper is being escorted into Evil Me's workshop of horrors and stop her from becoming a cursed armor sandwich. I can hold off mirror verse me while you get Potts to safety. Afterwards, we have to see if there is anyone else in holding that he's waiting to go make all iron-plated Frankenstein. Priority one has to be helping anyone not already merged with suits. If there is a way to reverse the process on those already fused that has to come later and until such time the safety of the normal, unchanged populace is what matters. Don't want to write off the victims as done for, not until we actually have a chance to study what is going on exhaust every possibility, but realistically we have to consider that it may not be reversible and defending others and ourselves may require lethal force," he explained.
Though hopefully not. Aside from hating having to actually kill, even my early armors were pretty durable. A situation where we have to go hard against them could end up with us in a tight spot, especially since I have to go old school myself here, he thought.
"Second thing, if there are people we get out of harm's way we have to have somewhere to put them that is secure. Especially Ms. Potts. If that other me is determined to change her, moving her across the street won't be safe enough. Avengers Tower isn't a thing yet and even if it were he'd presumably have access if not outright control. That also means any Stark Industries locations are off limits along with anywhere he may own. So the Beverly Hills address is out too. Thoughts? This is your rodeo after all."
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""Where There Is Breath, There Is Hope""
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Post by John Kilroy on Dec 25, 2023 3:10:35 GMT -7
"Give me a second I need to think."
*Alright John Help me out here. What are we actually dealing with here?*
*I honestly don't know Gwen, All I can guarantee is that there is going to be zero casualties and a happy ending. Everything else is fair game How we get there I don't know. I got no Idea what Rift is going to throw at his end.*
*So the Don Bluth Philosophy. Go as dark as you want to long as it's a happy ending. Grrrreat.*
*Hey we can't make this too easy on you now can we?*
*Yeah yeah the struggle is part of the journey.*
*Hey this is your very first adventure here in MHR-616 you'll have other cool adventures so hey at least you won't die. That's something.*
she shook her head before coming back to reality. "I figure we bring Ms Potts to MHR-616 or even here using my portal gun. Shove her in close the portal before he even has a chance to get close to her. He can't change her if she's in another dimension. Heck if we bring her here then he can't do anything even if he DOES get through the portal. The world is a safe zone until...well let's call them powers that be temporarily lift that safe zone status. I mean aside from that. I always prefer stun over kill. Heck, I don't even know if these things CAN be killed."
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" That'd be me. The Spider-Man of tomorrow, here to save today... "
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Post by Rift on Dec 29, 2023 18:17:35 GMT -7
Tony observed her moment of silence, half expecting her to speak to people that were not there the way Deadpool sometimes did. Maybe she's just thinking something over?
When she finally spoke, he nodded. "Here might be better. Depending on how similar to my Pepper she is she may actually have authorization and be granted access to things in the mansion. We don't want to mess with things by giving her too much of a sneak peek at what may or may not be coming down the line in her home dimension."
Glancing at the comic cover again he sighed. If these were based on his older armors, some of them were built with survivability in mind first and foremost, capable of taking direct hits from Howitzers and the like while keeping the person inside alive. The level of destructive power he'd have to bring to take them down would be just this side of a War Machine model, which in and of itself was higher tech than was likely safe to use in this situation.
Besides, I prefer not to kill if I don't have to. Still have nightmares about when I first ran up against Extremis. Having to behead Mallen was not a highlight of my heroic career. Since then I've figured out how to take down Extremis enhanced individuals without having to use lethal force and Extremis was not even my brain child. These armors are. Already have an idea for reversing the process. Not positive it's going to work and I wish I had the luxury of testing it before having to deploy it in the field, but it's better than nothing. It'll be a pain in the neck to do once we are in the thick of things, but worth it if it can save those people, he thought.
"Yeah, if these are at all similar to my earlier models even damaging the metal will be a Herculean task, not to mention we don't know where circuit boards end and organs begin. Still, the possibility that we may not have a choice is always there. I have something cooking at the moment that might just save the day, but you never know when the Darkhold is involved what kind of roadblocks we may hit. So, no promises, but I think there's a way to end their suffering and still get the rainbows and unicorns ending you want. But before we proceed, I have to ask: you have plenty of weapons, but how accurate a shot are you? I'm not asking you to be the second coming of Barton, but within a few percentiles might be necessary. You game to play sharpshooter while avoiding becoming a living Picasso work?"
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