ArchivedLogs:Close Call

Close Call
Dramatis Personae Ghost, Kisha, Tony Stark
In Absentia	Sunday, December 1, 2019 Part of Future Past TP.
Location <NYC> Midtown East
It's quiet. Once that would have been odd, for Midtown, in an evening, but these days -- eh. These days between curfew (admittedly not for an hour or so yet) and the general pall over the city nobody's really /lingering/, Just hastening home through the darkness over cracked sidewalks past crumbling walls and bullet-cracked glass to get inside. No hanging out after work to do shopping or catch a movie or god forbid stop by the bars. Unless you're Tony, anyway, sauntering out of one such establishment with his arm slung around the fur-draped shoulders of a slim young woman who he ushers promptly into a car before /he/ heads off (only a /small/ weave in his step, for serious!) in the direction of the none-too-distant lights of Stark Tower. He's not dressed as warmly as maybe he should be for the cold, jeans, a leather jacket slung open over a black shirt. The kebab stands and hot dog carts he passes are all shuttered up already. Somewhere in the far distance there's a heavy clanging sound; somewhere even farther a bang that might be gunshot, he's ignoring both of these in favor of giving the closed hot-dog cart a look like Are You Kidding Me. "Really? Really really?" Maybe he's talking to himself, in the near-empty street. "Just, no standards anymore, this place. City that Never Sleeps, right, yeah, no, no, now we're just the -- the City That Has Shit To Do In The Morning." While the city itself might have started sleeping there is at least one person within who doesn't. Of course she has better things to do than lurk around hot dog stands, but that's what she has her drones for. Kisha-bot looks remarkably like regular Kisha would if she was loitering in the shadows. Except, if that's possible, her face seems even more emotionless and blank. It also doesn't breathe, blink or do any of the little things that regular people would do. But hey no-one is perfect! "Tony Stark? I was wondering if I might have a moment of your time," Kisha-bot asks blandly, taking a sudden step out from an alleyway. "I have a matter I wish to discuss which I do not believe you would like booking into your calendar." Ghost didn't go out into the city much if she could help it; her mutation was very blatant, which means it would either get her captured or killed these days. However, she refused to sit idly in tunnels; she was, and always will be an X-Man, and right now, that means do what she can to help those hiding. She has a bag of food slumped over her shoulder, a dark hoodie with a pair of long jeans, gray gloves, and tennis shoes covering her body, the only signs of her mutation being that if you looked into her hood, you might make out purple skin and yellow eyes. Normally, Ghost would beeline straight underground, but curiosity and a familiar face has affected her, as she heads towards the hot dog cart. "Kisha?" Whilst she wasn't loud, it was likely both Kisha-bot and Tony could hear Ghost, Ghost looking straight at the robot that stepped out of an alley. "I haven't seen you in years. Are you alright?". Ghost has yet to notice this is a robot. This will probably be realized very soon." Tony turns on a heel, one finger lifting and pointing at Kishabot. The look on his face is almost hopeful! Almost. Then dies back down into disappointment. "You don't," he observes astutely, "have a hot dog. I don't have time for you." He's turning around again to head back on his way home but stops at the second half of the statement. One of his wrists flexes loosely at his side. "You'd be surprised what makes it into my calendar these days. You have -- until I find a hot dog." Frown. "State of affairs lately I could just have promised you all week. Need to think these things through better. Come on, then. /You/," he's asking this now to Ghost, looking her up and down with an assessing frown, "-- probably don't have one either." Alas. Though his eyes have lingered up on that hood. Kisha-bot doesn't seem especially concerned by the response. "I had intended on giving you advance notice that someone is going to be stealing a shipment of electronics from your company so that you could ensure they do not contact the coast guard or resist more than the insurance policy would require," she informs in the same monotone. "Ah. Ghost I was unaware you were still alive. I am... keeping myselves busy." "I don't. Mostly non-perishables, sorry." Ghost frowns, having either not recognized Tony Stark, or not caring. Instead, her attention seems to be focused on Kisha-bot. "Your...selves? Wait, is that a robot?". Ghost peers forward, staring at Kisha-bot's face, it's pretty robotic, yup, robot. "Is /actual you/ alright? I mean, I haven't seen you in years, but I can't help to worry. Things are /shitty/." "Someone. Right. And you have this information because --" Tony turns back around to examine Kisha-bot with a drum of fingertips against the side of his leg. "I don't suppose you're going to be telling me which electronics or when? Or explaining /why/ I should be so compliant? I'm not a big fan of thieves. Kind of dislike them. Heavily." His eyes, here, are skipping over towards the brightly glowing beacon of Oscorp Tower. Kisha-bot manages to look faintly perturbed for a moment and then shakes it's head. "Technically it is a telepresence drone," she corrects, nodding to Ghost. "We... I have been better." It shrugs stiffly. "It will be arriving in three days time and contains a significant quantity of chips containing some rare earth elements I need. Not to sound overly dramatic but it is literally a matter of life and death for me. Unfortunately the only other source large enough for my needs is too well protected." She pauses before adding "I would be willing to pay for them eventually, but I am short on funds for the time being." "I...see. What do you mean life or death? Are you alright?". Ghost is aware she's mostly eavesdropping at this point, and she really, really should be getting back to the tunnels, but she can't help but worry for an old...roommate. "I'm sorry if I'm overstepping my boundaries in asking. I can leave if you'd like to talk in private with your acquaintance here." "Yeah. Because money is definitely what I need these days." Tony is beginning to circle the Kishabot, arms crossing over his chest as he examins it curiously. "It is some impressive hardware you're -- I don't know, I feel a little better having a witness if someone's confessing a crime to me." This is just an idle note; Tony actually /seems/ far more concerned with the robot than the theft that Kisha is mentioning. "Is someone robbing you an acquaintance, I think that's generous. You build this yourself? And you say you're short on funds right now?" Really really should be getting back to the tunnels, maybe. Maybe sooner rather than later, it's possible. At least, curfew is creeping up closer and closer and -- well, somewhere in the distance there's /still/ a heavy whumping. Somewhere in the distance. But that's there. Here, there's a low hum that's growing louder. Overhead. A trio of all too familiar shadows that -- have passed on by? Let's hope they've passed on by. "Technically we have met before. You helped me with a design for a thought based control system for a computer while I was at school," Kisha-bot explains solemnly. "So in a way acquaintance could be considered accurate. I was outside of Westchester and as a result was forced to create a life support suit based on Latverian technology. However the design was flawed." The drones head moves to track the hum. "Yes, this is my own work. Although it isn't a design which is ready for mass production yet. Too much manual work is needed to get each one to walk properly." "Wait, confessing a crime - woah, woah, you were there during the explosion? Holy shit, how are you alive? Where /are you/?" Ghost frowns in her hoodie, increasingly more worried; the Westchester explosion cost the lives of many friends and colleagues of hers, and even if they weren't really friends, Kisha was still someone she knew...in a place where everyone knew each other. But before she can say another word, she hears the humming. "Shit. Almost curfew. Kisha, where are you? I can get you help, if you need it, maybe?". Ghost is dancing on her toes, she wants to dash to the tunnels, but she's also worried about Kisha. Please don't come this way, humming. Tony is barely even looking up, at the humming. But he /is/ peeling off his jacket, almost casually; beneath it there's a strange pair of cuffs on his wrists that he taps one of. "Thought based control. Done a thing or two with that myself. You wouldn't happen to want a job, hm? Good talent. Hard to come by these days. Weirdly enough, nobody wants to stay in New York." It's also almost casual the way he's shifted from circling Kishabot to putting himself in between Ghost and the street. There's another sound joining the humming, softer, quieter, less ominously familiar, whirr-whoosh. HummmmmmmMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. The droning doesn't exactly grow /louder/ so much as more present, /felt/ more than heard in a low thrum in the air. One, two, three heavy-bodies shapes thumping down out of the air and onto the sidewalk. Blank faces -- they ignore Kishabot entirely, at the moment. "Be advised that curfew begins in -- thirty -- minutes," oddly pleasant computerized voices tell Tony. Just as oddly pleasant, to Ghost: "You are in a prohibited area. By federal law you must come with us." Kisha-bot goes still for a few moments, then laughs. Flat and lifeless, so pretty much like actual Kisha laughing. "Work off the debt.. That could be acceptable. Although I don't believe you would be able to openly employ me given my genetic status." It turns to Ghost and attempts a smile. "I'm a little way off the..." And then the three rude interuptions land and Kisha-bot snaps into mechanical stillness." Oh shit. As the robots drop down, Ghost is immediately moving backwards, towards Kisha-bot. "I...shit. Shit." Ghost sidles her way behind Kisha-bot, as she whispers into the robot's...ear. "Help me get as far away from these three as possible, and I swear I'll get you help.". Otherwise, she doesn't move, staring up at the Sentinels; she can't easily evade three of them, and is in definitely no position to fight them, being a /wallcrawler/. She's hoping a diversion or /something/ will give her time to dash off. "I have no end of robots working for me already. You'd fit right in, really. Heyyy, guys." Tony's turning around, hands held up and to the sides in a position of surrender. "Yeah, totally aware. It's cool, I live around the corner. Two blocks. Big-ass tower, can't miss it. Five minute walk, tops. Probably more like two for you -- oof." Distraction? What was that? Because that whooshing through the air is resolving into a few small projectiles whizzing straight for them. Metal gauntlets thwack their way onto his arms to wrap themselves around hands and forearms, something similar happening with the plating casing his legs. "-- Oh hey look no wait my ride's here. Make that what. Ten, fifteen seconds. Give or take time to get rid of you lot -- that," he's adding to Ghost, with a look over his shoulder (perhaps ill-timed, given the faceplate flying towards him) "would be your cue to run." Kisha-bot stays entirely motionless, although a selection of passive sensors switch to active scans. Because gosh this just got a lot more interesting. "Alas I am not actually a robot. But I appreciate the attempt at flattery." "Be advised that interfering with a lawful apprehension may result in detainment as well," the Sentinels inform Tony (politely.) "Curfew begins in -- twenty-eight -- minutes. Have a good evening." One of the Sentinels is taking a heavy step forward, reaching out towards Ghost. Reaching out towards Kisha-bot, anyway, who it is only finally taking note of insofar as Ghost is using it as a hiding place. The Sentinel reaches for the bot, aiming to move it bodily out of the way so that it can reach Ghost behind it. "You are in a prohibited area," it reminds Ghost. "Please come with us, we will escort you to a designated facility." "I think I can find my own way there, sorry!" The sorry seems to be mostly directed to Kisha-bot, who Ghost is attempting to shove forward at the Sentinel as she quickly backpedals and turns around, dashing into the alley. As she dashes into the alley, she's leaping upwards at a wall, body immediately making a static cling of sorts to the wall, as she attempts to skitter away from the Sentinels whilst Tony serves as her distraction. With a final thunk, a last ratcheting chnk of metal, Tony's suit finishes unfolding itself around him. /His/ metal hand thunks down on the back of the Sentinel that is reaching for Ghost. "I'll take it under advisement." The other gauntlet is coming upwards, a sudden bright blast punching straight up through the back of the Sentinel's head. From beneath the shoulder-plates on the suit small barrels are emerging, targeting behind him to shoot -- oddly /tiny/ missile-like projectiles out at the two other Sentinels behind him. They make a very /contained/ *boom* when they explode against the robot bodies. "Not a robot. Eh. These days I can't be too picky. Come on. We only have twenty-seven minutes before curfew. Probably should be heading in if you're going to tell me where to send your paychecks." Because yeah, with that explosion it's /totally/ curfew that's going to have more Sentinels down in the street here soon. Kisha-bot begins to topple over when Ghost pushes it and then, within moments of the fight beginning it's over and the drone halts. Tilted forward at an impossible angle. "It seems I won't be needing the self destruct function after all," she notes. "You could employ my robots as well, although I would expect a corresponding increase in my own wages." One of the robots hands shoves it's way into the ruined Sentinel and fishes around. "Hrm. Nothing new in this model. Ah well. Ghost could you inform any of our mutual friends that I am alive and within the area?" Somewhere in the distance: more humming. Does it sound angrier? Probably not. They're just robots. "Got it!", Ghost shouts back through the alley, hoping the Kisha-bot can hear her. She'll make a mad dash towards the tunnels, attempting to avoid robots as she goes. Today was just another close call in a large book of them for her.