2021.01.11 - A Wonderful Encounter
The story continues in: 2021.01.13 - On Paradise Island
Twilight gives way to evening in the Old City, right on the edge of Queensland Park. It's usually very quiet here, and tonight is no exception...until it is, which is when a scream cuts through the air. What seems to be a large, cybernetic hound has begun a rampage, attended by two "Rocket Rex" creatures, which are some kind of tyrannosaur cyborgs.
Tonight, Dion had planned to do a little shopping in the Old City. He had hoped to go to the little local grocery store, just like he used to, pick up some special fresh foods, and cook a special dinner, after a long day curating the Holliday Museum. When the scream reaches his ears, which is instantaneous, he looks up like a shot, sets his jaw, and sets down his shopping basket. Slipping away and down a tight fit of an alley, he begins spinning and, by the end of it, is dressed completely differently, a golden, shimmering lasso twirling around his form. He secures the lasso on his belt and lifts into the air.
The metal dog robot sets its red, glowing eyes on two children attempting to flee. They appear to be frozen in place, in sheer terror, and it bears down on them. They have only seconds left before it will reach them, and then who knows what it will do.
But that never needs to be imagined, as Dion sails out of the air and, with one hand, uses the thing's momentum against it, propelling it over his head and to an unexpected landing with its face meeting the pavement.
"Are you all right?" Dion looks to the children. "You have to run. It's not safe for you to be here. Run as fast as you can and find your parents or a shopkeeper."
And thankfully, they both nod and hurry off, hand in hand, scrambling away from the site of chaos.
Jon wasn't actually planning on doing any shopping when he headed to Queensland Park. Then again, he also wasn't planning on fighting robot dinosaurs. But who could ignore that kind of commotion? Especially when he sees that familiar costume on an unfamiliar form?
It might be a surprise to more than the Rocket Rex when Jon drops from the sky like a steel boulder, slamming his heels into the head of one of the large lizards, smirking a bit at the noise the creature makes -- sort of an outrage car horn sound. His hands twitch at his waist, then, and his lariat comes free as he launches into the air again, his momentum throwing the cyborg off-balance. "Allez oop!" he calls, using his lasso to catch the cyborg's muzzle and direct his fall away from the really nice fountain it was about to destroy. Instead, it slams into a bench, making that car-horn noise again as it goes down.
Jacob had been enjoying a nice round of Pet the Sheep VR in his apartment when he heard a strange comotion from downstairs. He peeks out of his window and is surprised to find some strange robot dinosaurs and other sorts of menacing mechanoids, and that definitely draws his attention. He rushes out of the Metro Mansions and blinks in surprise at the two figures, on which he definitely recognizes at Jon, and the other he completely doesn't recognize at all.
And then, robot dinosaurs and such. "Whoa," he whispers, looking around nervously. He begins to mak hs way toward the fracas, encouraging people to head to safety should he encounter them. Only when he is sure he can be discreet does the surferboy stare at the mechanoids with those piercing, glowing blue-jewel eyes and subtly forms a puddle of water on the ground below him. He urges it on in a quick rush toward one of the mechaoids, a flick of his wrist upward at his side sending a freezing tendril at one of the mecanical beast's legs.
When Jon appears, it surprises Dion to see someone also using a lariat so well. He smiles softly, seeing that new arrival, and lifts a hand in greeting.
"Hola, friend!" He reaches down to take his lasso in his hands again, spinning it gently enough in place. "Be as gentle as possible with them. They are living things, and it's not their faults they've been manipulated and controlled by evil people."
Initially, he wasn't sure about the metal, possibly robotic hound. It just looked like a robot. But his keen senses start to pick up something else there. Dion frowns, squaring off against the massive thing; it's the size of a small car, and it's picked itself up from where it made quite a dent in the pavement. Must remember to help patch that up, Dion thinks to himself.
Then the thing springs at him, and he sails up and away, flipping to alight birdlike and joyous behind it. The creature slides to a halt, wheeling around and baring its sharp fangs.
"Great Hera!" Dion exclaims, the Magic Lasso seeming to be in constant motion around him. "That's not Earth technology, it's--" But the thing pounces, and what must be several tons of force are brought against the marvelous Wonder, who nonetheless seems to be up to the task, rolling and kicking it a short distance down the street.
The Rocket Rexes are not terribly complex, and they do seem to be little more than rather intelligent t-rexes, fitted with a number of technological gadgets easily operated. They're probably mostly for visual impact, because to anyone who isn't trained in fighting or an experienced superhero, they'd probably be pretty scary. The children were certainly terrified, and most of the shopkeepers have also fled. No one is getting close to the stretch of street where the now three heroes are engaging the things.
"Hola!" Jon answers in a cheery voice, offering a wide smile as he lands on the Rex he just toppled, pinning it briefly. At the instruction, he nods, opening his mouth to respond just as the Rex tries to eat him. "-- tell -them- that!" he says, then, holding the cyborg's mouth open.
Jacob's appearance gets a look of concern from the Son of Steel, and he pushes the snapping jaws off him, getting back into the air. "Jake! Get back!" he says, just as Jacob's target goes down. Then he waves a hand. "Okay. Never mind!"
The Rex tries to eat him again, and the young man frowns as the teeth close uselessly on him. "These things are ridiculous," he says to no one in particular. "They look like my brother Chris drew them. Look -- this one even has a laser sight!" He plucks off the gadget in question, tossing it over his shoulder. "And how does a T-Rex operate a rocket launcher?" he asks, removing that and crumpling it before tossing it away. "Who made this? Sivana?"
"Oh, like, dude! How are there dinosaurs n'stuff? Like, isn't it the 21st century or whatever? Like...I mean, what's up with all this?" Of course Jacob would fixate on the appearance of dinosaurs. "Can you uh...muzzle them with your like...rope?" he asks, though whether he's asking of Jon or the mysterious stranger it is unclear.
Jacob, meanwhile, looks around and is unsure of what he should be doing. "Uh, like...how can I help? What do we need?" he calls out in question, looking between Jon and Dion.
"This was not the work of Dr. Sivana." While the name may not ring a bell beyond certain circles of superheroics, it is a name well known to Dion. He steps slightly wider, squaring his body for another impact that is inevitable, as the creature picks itself up off the pavement again...and this time, it issues a bellowing roar that quakes the windows.
But before he can even continue with that line of reasoning, Dion raises his voice to respond in kind. It's a bellowing roar, and an impressive battle cry indeed, as he propels himself at the thing, drawing back the hand spinning his lasso's knotted ring...
...and sailing gracefully over it, as it comparatively clumsily stumbles forward. It completely miscalculated and anticipated exactly the wrong move. The robotic thing freezes, going completely still, as Dion lands featherlight on it and draws back a fist, this time to actually punch. And punch he does, through the metal and wiring, through the electrical components, before just ripping the back of the construct off and flinging it away like discarded tinfoil.
A man huddles inside, in some sort of pilot pod, with electrodes all along his head and a metallic circlet above them that looks like it's made of copper.
"Suffering Sappho," Dion exclaims, reaching out with the lasso. "The lasso compels you to obey me. You must stop attacking. You must--" But suddenly, a burst of energy comes from the pod, knocking Dion back and the lasso out of his hands, as the robot hound scrambles away...then turns back to leap at Jacob and Jon!
The Rocket Rexes take this as their moment, and they try to team up, but they're kind of just...little t-rexes anyway, and they don't really have the tech on their side. Apparently they weren't even the ones activating a lot of it; it must have been the person in the thing currently threatening all of them. Still, with the other threat bearing down on them, the Rexes may accomplish something, if the heroes aren't careful.
"Beats me," Jon says in answer to Jacob's question. "I was just passing by and heard the ruckus." He gives the surfer boy a grin, tossing another gadget over his shoulder. There's at least one Rocket Rex who's out of commission, anyway, if you don't count stomping around and biting stuff. And the guy in his mom's outfit seems to have things under control.
Until he doesn't. The roar catches Jon's attention, and he puts himself between Jacob and the mechanical dog-conveyance in a blur of motion. He sets his feet, his arms crossed at the wrist, waiting until it's almost upon them. When the dog lowers its head to snap at them, Jon moves with a grace that belies his football player build. Placing a hand on the giant muzzle, he flips over the head-canopy, landing on the back of the head behind the guy in the metal cap. "Are you sure this isn't Sivana?" he calls out to Dion, already grabbing for the discarded lasso. "He likes monsters and science and this kind of stuff."
"They like, totally interrupted my game of Pet the Sheep VR and like--dodge the ghost!" Jacob suddenly shouts out as the stranger ends up with them, the three fellows beseiged by the snapping robo-dogs. Reflexively, Jacob's arms twist and a powerful geyser spouts forth a blast of water from the ground underneath one of the Rexes to throw it off balance. "Uh, so like...they're being controlled? And uh...man, this is wild," Jacob sighs as he looks over toward Dion.
"Do you uh...often come up agains tlike, robot dinosaurs n'stuff?" he asks as he blinks at the fellow, his eyes still glowing like two cerulean jewels. "I'm uh...not quite sure what to do, as this is like, my first time n'all," the snowy-haired fellows admits sheepishly.
That was a good hit, Dion has to admit. He hadn't been expecting what was probably placed just where it was to do just what it did. As he gets to his feet -- he'll feel that in the morning, and Etta will wonder when they meet up for their morning walk -- he spots Jon making the same mistake he did.
"Careful!" He calls out, rushing forward. "There's some sort of defensive measure in there!" He's a lot harder to hurt than most, but as Dion doesn't know enough about this familiar stranger, he can't be sure Jon can take the blast. And while it's all happening, of course it prevents him from being able to mention what his very strong suspicions are about this whole incident.
One Rex rolls to the ground with Jacob's geyser, and it looks like he might angrily start to try and attack the boy. However, the cool air and absence of anyone else in the area allows them to pick up a certain whiff of something nearby: food. When the Rocket Rexes discover the largely empanada-based food cart, though, it's over. Mainly, their hostility and willingness to fight anyone for any reason. They'd rather have delicious empanadas, which unquestionably they don't get otherwise, certainly not from the pencil-pushers of AIM. So, instead of revenge on Jacob, they instead decide to enjoy the best dinner they've had in a long time. To blazes with AIM.
"I don't think they're a problem, anymore." Dion offers a soft smile to Jacob, before turning back to the seething hound, with Jon atop its back, holding the Lasso of Truth. "I don't know if you're up for it, but if you are...perhaps you can try to overpower the circlet that is likely commanding that person's mind and forcing them to pilot that. But if you will..." He reaches out a hand to Jacob, and one to Jon. "I know we are stronger together than we are apart. If we can all put our hearts and minds, and our resolve into this, we can help them to free themselves. And that is something they will be able to take with them for the rest of their days."
Dion's warning comes a bit late, as Jon is hit with that same blast of energy, which knocks him from the canopy, but he manages to keep his grip on the lasso, and by extension, the man in the chair. "Wow!" he says, shaking his head a bit as he rights himself. "That's a bit of a kick, all right."
"They're not super common," he answers Jacob's question. "But robot dinosaurs do come up from time to time. My pop even has one in his office."
He nods at Dion's instruction, and moves to join the warrior, winding the Lasso of Truth around his wrist as he was taught as a kid. The other hand he extends to Dion, palm up. From this proximity, his Amazonium bracers are unmistakeable, even if they are inscribed with the same stylized S that's on his chest. "I haven't done this in a while," he admits to Dion. "And even then, it was on willing subjects."
"Las empanadas," Jacob gasps softly and emotionally as the dinosaurs begin to rampage toward one of his favorite local snack spots. No, there's no time for that, now. There are matters to attend to, and sacrifices which must be made. Crispy sacrifices with sweet, tender fillings.
Jacob looks toward Dion and instictinvely gives him an awkward sort of high-five with a sheepish grin. Though as Jon offers his hand to the stranger, Jacob then offers his hand also to Dion, though he seems quite lost as to most of what's going on. "So uh, what are we doing again? Like...we should do something quick, yeah? Because uh...we're all kinda in the open like this n'stuff and like...robots?"
It all presents so many questions to Dion, but having done what he does for this long, he knows that questions can always wait until after they're all out of serious danger. He's quick to help Jon up to his feet and, once the pair of heroes have joined hands with him, Dion patiently waits for Jon to be in a secure stance and a stronger frame of mind before picking up what he started moments ago.
The high five makes Dion laugh, just once, but he simply reaches out again to take Jacob's hand, very softly. "Like this," he quietly tries again. "Just focus your mind...follow my lead." With a wink, Dion turns his full attention on the pilot of this terrible war machine.
"My lasso will break any control that circlet has over you, friend." He speaks very clearly, with gentle tones and carefully-considered words. "Our minds, our wills, are here with you. We are giving you our strength, but you must take it and free yourself. You must do this for yourself. You are not an item, or a piece of technology, and least of all a weapon. Defy those who have enslaved you to this machine! For freedom, the most precious treasure!"
There are a few tense seconds where nothing much seems to be happening, but as time marches forward, the figure trapped in that pod slowly starts to push up. It's almost like one of those super-fast bikes, where the pilot has to basically lie prone along a streamlined sort of platform. Slowly, weakly, with shaking hands, they reach up...and then suddenly rip the circlet up and off, standing and then collapsing forward, for one of the heroes to catch. The effort must have been phenomenal. The pilot can't be far out of her teenage years, and she looks terribly drained by the exertion.
"This young woman will benefit from the Purple Ray of Healing that my people on Paradise Island developed," Dion states. "I should take the dinosaurs with me. I think a friend of mine would very much like to try making friends with them, and they'll have more room to run in a place that isn't where people live." He looks between the other pair, as there is a sudden rushing of breeze just above. It's like an aircraft of some kind must have arrived, but there's no telltale sign of one, like sound or vision, though there is the rippling of something barely-visible, for those who have the senses keen enough to tell.
Jon nods as Dion speaks, and closes his eyes, opening his mind and letting his strength and will flow through himself and the Lasso. He can almost hear his mother and grandmother as they instruct him, so those echoes carry along his contribution.
At the sound of the pod extracting itself, he opens his eyes, blinking a bit as the pilot extracts herself. When she collapses, he blurs to catch her before she hits the ground, scooping her up carefully. "The Purple Ray is a good idea," he says with a nod. "It'll restore her body and her mind." That is for Jacob's benefit, in case he's not up on Themysciran tech. "They have one at the Embassy," he offers, even as the air shifts around them. Then he's frowning, and turning to Dion. "You have the jet, too?" He shakes his head, sniffing a bit. "I have so many questions, dude."
Jacob blushes lightly as Dion takes his hand, and he bashfully looks way and and murmurs something to himself, or to others, who knows! Jacob isn't sure what he's doing, but he does hope the pilot can free herself, and he is happy that she is able to find freedom, so maybe that's enough to help out?
But once all that is done, he's pretty confused. "Oh uh, who's this purple Ray guy? Is he actually purple? Or like....is that some sorta...superhero name?" Jacob blinks a few times, wriggling as he settles his gaze back on Jon. "Oh! so it's like, not a person," he reasons, nodding a few times. "I get it now. Uh, but like....what's happening? Who are you n'stuff?" he asks, looking them at Dion.
"I have plenty of questions, myself. If you'd like, you could both join me. The flight isn't too long, and I'd welcome the assistance getting the dinosaurs corralled." The same patient, peaceful smile returns to Dion's face as he pulls the lasso back and looks to the now extremely full and content Rocket Rex pair, who just keep moving slower and slower. It'll be good to get them to a warmer climate. "I'm Dion, but I'm also known as the Wonder, or Wonder Man."
The way he speaks and the way he moves, it's clear the man is familiar with these sorts of questions. These are the easy ones, and he's certainly not lacking as someone who addresses the public in general. "I'm very happy to meet you both. You've saved lives today, and that's something to be very proud of."
"I'm definitely coming," Jon says, shifting the pilot in his arms carefully. "The Purple Ray is a machine," he says to Jacob helpfully. "It's really good at healing whatever is wrong with you -- physically, at least." He smiles, and moves towards the jet, expertly moving around it towards the bay doors.
"I'm Jon," he say in introduction, but there's a look in his eye as Dion's name lands, and he nods -- mostly to himself. "It's nice to meet you, too." He wrinkles his nose, considering. The compliment brings a flush to his ears, and he ducks his head almost instinctively. "Thank you, sir."
"It's like, great to meet you, Wonderguy! You are like, pretty wonderful n'stuff, with your like, cowboy skills! With...rope n'stuff," he murmurs, blinking a few times at the pair. "Oh uh, I'm like, Jacob! But uh, you can call me Jake if you want? I uh...wouldn't mind tagging along. I was just playing a game when all this started, so I don't have anything else I should be doing or anything, so uh...yah."
Jacob blinks a few times as if he's recalling something else he should be saying, and he can't quite land on the idea in his mind. "It's really good to see you, Jon. I'm like, really lucky you both were around n'stuff? I just live over there, anyway," he says as he motions toward the Metro Mansions. "Where'd this Paradise Island place anyway? Oh, how's the surfing?"
The name bears significant resemblance, even pronounced similarly, with a longer I sound initially, to the Wonder that Jon will know. There is so much they share, even with the differences between that world and this.
"You're so kind. Thank you, Jacob. I'm happy to meet you both." With effortless ease, Dion lassoes the two Rocket Rexes. They slowly advance on him, and he carefully positions himself to be able to support the two. "If you need to run back and turn off your VR headset, I can wait," he offers to Jacob. "It'll take me a few minutes to get everyone situated in the robot plane." He's sure Jon won't be surprised by that, but Jacob seems to be completely new to everything, so Dion takes time and care to make sure he's informed.
"The surfing is excellent on Paradise Island!" He laughs with effusive delight. "And so is the swimming. I'll introduce you to my mer-friends, if you like the water!" Just like that, he lifts into the air, hovering near the rooftops of the largely short buildings, which helps. Jets aren't exactly made for Old City streets.
Dion carefully starts loading the Rexes in, and it's simple enough. They're sleepy and full. But as they're loaded in, they seem to virtually disappear, aside from the occasional little ripple that either below might notice.
The story continues in: 2021.01.13 - On Paradise Island