[OPEN] The Day Grandfather Invaded

[doubled_speed]

WHO: Tommy Shepherd
WHERE: Sh'Ka
WHAT: Shadow Fears in the Storm
WHEN: During Storm Event
WARNINGS: Possible Violence

I. Stone Leaf Issues | Storm Day 1

Going out into the fog wasn't something Tommy had intended to do. Tommy hadn't even realized it was a storm when he woke that morning, not at first. Tommy had a migraine, sure, but he didn't associate it with the storms. Which was stupid. He had been through so many now that he should know the warning signs.

As it was, This was a busy time of the year for Tommy. The last rush of harvest and prep of food for the winter was serious. He split his time between Temba and Sh'Ka, bringing in all he could, loading up the train, and riding back to get it all stocked up. That was the plan. That was why he was in Sh'Ka over night, working in the greenhouse. That was why he was walking outside now with a crate of harvested food that felt heavier than it should have been, and stepping into fog.

Only then does he realize what he'd failed to notice before. The weakness in his arms, the lack of his mind racing, the fact that he couldn't FEEL the energy in his body.

"No," he whispered to himself, but then froze when he saw a flash of movement. Tommy's eyes went toward it. He knew better than to chase things in the storm but this was...

Shit, it looked like Shiro. And fuck if Tommy wasn't going to run after someone he KNEW was here.

"Shiro, hold on!" he shouted, putting down his box and then racing off at human speeds after the shadow. He was so focused on the chase that he missed the sound of a branch swaying, a snapping, and then a harsh whistling of a leaf falling.

II. Killer Robot Attacks | Storm Day 2 On

He got lost. That's the only explanation for Tommy still being out the next day. After all the issues he'd had with the fog the day before, all he could do was find shelter in a mostly fallen building that evening. And, without his powers, well... Simply put, it was one of those instances where sleep actually held sway over Tommy for a lot longer than normal. He slept the whole night through, as if his body was angry for years of what a normal human might consider insufficient sleep.

Since he wasn't in Temba he wasn't affected by the screaming of the moon. It meant sleeping without his powers going on the fritz again (he didn't want to experience that once more). And since he slept through the night, when he woke it was with a crack of lightning. A flash of crimson lightning. Tommy yelped as he jerked awake, and soon his eyes were casting about in the shadows.

Turned out there was another downside to being a superhero here other than the stress of being powerless. Tommy had heard tons of stories over the years of things that had attacked the Earth. Was it really that shocking something should manifest now of shadows and memory? Something that already had crimson eyes? Something that wasn't one something but a whole wealth of them starting to land behind him.

"shit," he said before scrambling to his feet and running into the thick fog. "If anyone is near, run AWAY from my voice."

Because it turned out Tommy's other grandfather was here, and he was hardly friendly.

Comments

[doubled_speed]

Well, with that murmuring Tommy couldn't protest that normally he moved faster than thought, so it wasn't like he had much he could do otherwise. Still, Felwinter was succeeding on a plan, and the Ultron-bot sailed into the quarry before crashing below.

Meanwhile another one was reaching for Tommy, and this time he went down to the ground, crawled between it's legs, and kicked it in the metal ass to send it toppling down.

Five more.

"Your old man candy sucks!" he shouted. Hey, they can't all be good insults.

[tyrants_son]

At least Felwinter knew better than to try and puzzle out Tommy's insults, although he wondered how effective they were against these robots.

He forcefully brought the butt of his shotgun against another bot's face before ramming his shoulder against it to send it sprawling after the others. Clearly he was no stranger to dealing with threats even without the Light at his disposal. He sought an opportune moment to make the best use of his remaining round in his shotgun, pressing the end of the barrel up against the chest of another bot as it made a wild leap for them, sending it back in an eruption of sparks with a squeeze of the trigger.

[doubled_speed]

See, without his powers, Tommy was just an annoying young adult who was being chased by a killer grandfather, and he was actually in danger now. Because his evasions had started to fail. One of the Ultron-bots had grabbed him, had lifted him enough that his legs were flailing in the air. Three left, and Tommy was worthless.

"You are as worthless as your supposed father," the robots said.

"You're just jealous because Vizh actually had more colors than silver."

[tyrants_son]

Gloved hands reached out to grasp the Ultron-bot by its head, and in the same movement gave it a vicious twist. As it spat out garbled sounds, Felwinter tried to make a grab for Tommy. Instead he found himself being shoved into the other robot as another of the remaining ones rammed into him, sending them all tottering dangerously close to the quarry's edge.

[doubled_speed]

At least there's only two left now. That's something to be appreciated. Not that Tommy much knows what else to do with it.

"Hold him," the Ultron holding Tommy said to the one that had knocked them all a bit off balance. "You will be dealt with next."

So the remaining free Ultron who had just shoved Felwinter grabbed at him now, trying to hold him back.

[tyrants_son]

Felwinter strained against the robot's hold, his arms useless in this position. He paused only to stare at the other Ultron.

"Your mistake," he said before abruptly pushing back and against the robot holding him. He angled his head back as he tried to catch the thing's face with the curling horns of his helmet.

[doubled_speed]

Those are rather useful horns, and they slam enough into the Ultron-Bot's head that it stumbles back, dropping Felwinter. Tommy by this point, is being held over the edge.

"Run," the speedster says. "Save yourself."

[tyrants_son]

He might have been attempting to gouge out those optics. Either way, it did the trick, and once he was released, Felwinter swung out his foot to kick the thing off the edge.

"I'm tired of running," he almost sighed. "And I was not brought here to save myself."

There was no good angle to attack from, not without risk to Tommy, and the young man was already in a precarious position. So he made a lunge for Tommy, reaching out to try grabbing hold of him, and if he was getting lobbed over the edge, well, so be it, he'd just have to make sure the human didn't get injured on the way down.

[doubled_speed]

One on one now. Well, maybe two on one, but did Tommy really count? Of course the fight seems less certain in a moment like this, where Felwinter is grabbing him.

"Then suffer," Ultron says, trying to throw Tommy over the edge.

[tyrants_son]

"Die under the weight of a fallen satellite seven times over and then speak to me of suffering," Felwinter said coolly as he kicked at the back of Ultron's leg. At the same time he tried to pull Tommy towards him, hoping the thing would lose its grip along with its balance.

[doubled_speed]

Ultron could have had witty things to say to that. Well, perhaps not witty, but at least comparisons of suffering. But alas, he released Tommy just as the other pulled, and that already put the machine off balance.

The kick really was just the cherry on top of the cake, the one that sent the final Ultron bot over the edge even as Tommy's weight crashed into Felwinter.

"Shit man, you're amazing," Tommy panted.

[tyrants_son]

He wasn't a comfortable thing to crash against, hardly budging despite his slender frame. A bony mech, if ever there was one. But once Tommy was free and on his feet, Felwinter loosened his grip slightly, though keeping contact in case the speedster still needed some steadying. He looked towards the quarry's edge, listening for any signs of the robots still stirring since visibility was still terrible.

"I'm exhausted," the warlord corrected, not that he looked it. It was a familiar weariness, not necessarily physical, having to deal with such insistent troubles when all he wanted was to be left in peace. "I am sorry it took so long to deal with them."

[doubled_speed]

Wouldn't be the first time Tommy had crashed against an Exo at all. He groans, definitely a bit sore, but he's still standing, and there is no sign of more hunting. Which makes Tommy breathe in relief.

"Me too. Family reunions are supposed to be tiring, right? And don't worry. I'm not shocked. Ultron doesn't like humans."

[tyrants_son]

Felwinter would assume that was meant to be a rhetorical question. But then his 'father' of sorts was simply trying to kill him the moment he came back on-line. Perhaps family itself was exhausting.

"I did catch that. But why? What have they done to him?"

[doubled_speed]

"I never actually got that part of the story," Tommy admitted. "I don't know him. Never encountered him if I'm honest. And Dad gets angry if he ever gets around anywhere."

[tyrants_son]

"Hm." It sounded complicated. Felwinter wasn't sure if any more questions would get anywhere if Tommy only knew so much about the strange bots to begin with.

"Perhaps we should leave before anything else makes an appearance," he suggested instead.

[doubled_speed]

"Yeah," Tommy agreed, shuddering. "Like, there are other less than great people in the family."

And somehow he thought robots were better to fight than demons. Or Master Pandemonium when he was in his evil forms.

[tyrants_son]

Well that was certainly reassuring. Felwinter tilted his head just slightly at that but wasn't about to question it. More incentive to load up his shotgun again as they started to step away from the quarry. It never hurt to be prepared, after all.

[doubled_speed]

Tommy was panting as they stepped away from the edge. He didn't really enjoy this, not at all. But he did his best.

"Dude, have I told you lately that you're fucking badass?"

[tyrants_son]

What was there to be enjoyed about this, really? Felwinter certainly did not miss having to be on extra alert.

"I do not recall such, although I'm not sure what you mean by that," he said as he rested the gun over a shoulder. He felt as tired as Tommy sounded, but he wasn't about to rest out in the open. They needed walls, an easier space to defend.

[doubled_speed]

"I mean you kicked his ass pretty well," Tommy said as he moves tiredly away from the quarry. With, of course, far less of his natural speedster grace. "I was... I thought he'd kill me. I don't think he ever approved of dad being with mom. Not that Mags much approved of it either. Or Uncle Pietro apparently."

No one really seemed to approve of it.

[tyrants_son]

"Well enough, I suppose. Thankfully they were not as in great a number as the frames I've encountered back home." Those ones at least didn't talk, but then perhaps that is what made them harder to really gauge.

"It sounds like a complicated matter." Having a robotic branch in the family seems complicated in itself. "Do you require assistance?"

[doubled_speed]

"Yeah, it was a SUPER small amount of them, we were lucky," Tommy agreed with a nod. Normally there were, like, worlds more of them.

Though he sighs at the idea of just how complicated his family was.

"I don't think you can help me fix a fucked up family."

[tyrants_son]

"...ah, I hadn't meant that, specifically." Felwinter figured he was the least likely person to be able to help with such things. "I meant more this current situation." The speedster looked about ready to collapse after all.

[doubled_speed]

Oh. That. Tommy looked like he might fall over from the very reminder. And he's so damn tired. So damn worn out. He just wanted to sleep.

"I'm not okay," he admitted.