RisingRobin

Geonet 2.0 - Battle for the Megacity

Troubling Circumstances

Baba & Hotshot

Something was amiss down below. Baba couldn't place her finger on it, but an irking discomfort overtook her as she began to sip on her cup of ramen. A trembling sensation shook her from underfoot; was she just imagining it? Were her nerves causing her to convulse?

No. The trembling escalated into a tremor, carrying up to the top of the Halcyon Building, rattling what was still left of The Lost’s encampment, throwing the remaining tents to the floor. The quake nearly brought Baba to her knees as she fought to keep her balance (and hold onto her noodles). When the tremors subsided, she turned to her Cell. “Is everyone OK?” A dull roar of confirmation answered her question.

“What happened?” Iommi poked her head out from under a fallen canopy.

“No idea. But I’m sure we’ll get plenty of answers soon.” Baba checked the Skynet. From the looks of it, Hotshot was on the move again, and was en route to her position. She turned back toward the roof’s ledge, watching and waiting. As no surprise, within a short span of minutes, the familiar waves of red hair appeared.

The sight of The Lost camp was a welcome relief for Hotshot as he began to slow down. While he held no ill will towards “The Orphans” as they were called, many in Afterburn resented them since Firebird’s death. On the day of the raid, a group of The Lost had been slated to act as backup, but they never appeared. Older Burners claimed - if The Lost had turned up - Firebird might have been saved.

A moment later, Hotshot was standing in front of Baba, presenting a “peace offering.” Baba looked sharply at the cup of ramen Hotshot held in hand. Jigen’s? Really? She turned her own cup of ramen so that the Shimazu’s logo was clearly visible. “I’m good, she said, taking another sip from the cup. “I’ve got some of my own. Let’s cut to the chase, dude: What’s the deal out there? You scrambled your crew all over the city.”

“Guess the news hasn’t reached this far. We had a death on our hands last night. One of our younger guys. Shot dead in The Spire.” Hotshot crouched on the edge of the building as he began to unbox his own meal. “Last we heard, he’d taken up a courier job, and I’m trying to see if any other cells got approached by someone shady recently. I have a feeling this may have something to do with what’s going on down there.” Gesturing to the street, both Sk8ters could hear the echo of Captain Ryker’s message still playing on loop.

Shoving a lump of noodles into his mouth, Hotshot moaned softly at his first real bite of the day. After a moment, he returned his attention to Baba. “I need you to think. Did anyone in The Lost get contacted by someone who wanted an item run into The Spire? Not one of your usual clients. Possibly packing some strong mods as well. I couldn’t even find them on the security footage.” Noting her shocked expression, Hotshot continued, “Yeah. Whatever’s going on, there’s no trace of our mystery client. Now we’ve got this crap to deal with too…”

The fifteenth Skynet alert about the chaos down below earned a chortle from Hotshot before he finally shut the mod off. “Whatever’s going on, it seems like the streets are gonna be getting more dangerous here on out. Keep your cell on the rooftops for sure.”

Geonet 2.0 - Battle for the Megacity

@Silver Carrot@Kumbaris@Pilatus@Almalthia@BigPapaBelial@Thayr@Fading Memory@Wayward

It was at that moment, life in the Megacity was about to change drastically. While the people of the city were going about their daily lives, something unheard of happened. The Geonet AI began to malfunction. It started as an earthquake; undetectable at first, but gradually growing in intensity at the base of The Spire. The tremors began to branch out from the large tower as the glow coming from the structure increased. All of a sudden, a shockwave of energy rocketed out of the building, spreading to all corners of the city. Many residents watched as transit slowed to a halt, electronic billboards began to glitch out, and GEO-IDs even shut down.

At first, the city was stunned into silence as residents tried to process what happened. Then, realization slowly turned into fear. While it was no secret that many public works in the city were operating well past their expiration date, Geonet was supposed to be the one thing that always worked. After several long minutes, the city began to gradually come back to life.

"Attention, Residents. This is Captain Ryker of MCPD. We apologize for the inconvenience, but it seems an unforeseen earthquake in The Spire had temporarily disabled Geonet. This is no cause for alarm. The city will be functioning again as soon as possible." The PSA played on a loop throughout the city. While the average bystander may have been calmed by such a speech, those in the know saw the handwriting on the wall. The tower that housed Geonet had been designed to withstand anything the would could throw at it, natural or otherwise. Hell, even the Heirs who lived in the tower knew the building was capable of withstanding a nuclear attack should the need arise. The only way for such an event to occur meant that - somehow - the Geonet AI had been hacked.

***

@Wayward

Hotshot was in the middle of picking up his order from Jigen's when the tremors hit. Even far out in the backstreets, he saw the stack of plates and utensils vibrating on the kitchen counter before the ground began to move beneath his feet. Without hesitating, Hotshot quickly pulled out a stool and threw himself underneath the lunch counter to avoid any falling debris. As the quake subsided, he crawled out from his impromptu shelter.

"The hell was tha-?" That was all Hotshot could get out before the shockwave hit. While he didn't feel anything, the sound of banging metal from inside Jigen's kitchen told him more than enough: The service robot that worked in the kitchen had gone haywire. Jumping over the counter this time, Hotshot kicked open the door to the kitchen just in time to see Jigen on the floor with his service bot standing over him, menacingly wielding a soba-kiri knife and a set of metal chopsticks. With trained reflexes, the Sk8ter whipped out the Rip Current and fired two charged rounds into the bot. The bullets hit the machine square in the head and the arcing electricity fried its cpu. It fell over instantly, the impromptu kitchen assault weapons clattering to the floor.

"Sorry about that, Boss," said Hotshot as he picked the old man off the floor. "I guess that means I'll be paying double for awhile until you can get a replacement?"

"My boy, consider your next bowl on the house, but you will owe me for a new CPU at the very least," said Jigen, shaking his head. As the citywide PSA came on, Hotshot checked his Skynet map to see it lighting up like a Christmas tree for the second time today. He tried to put it together in his head. First Rotor was murdered, and now there was that weird energy surge. It was all too sudden to not be related. He was going to have to gather info faster.

"Sorry, boss. That's my cue. Thanks for the food!" Hotshot grabbed the large bag on the counter and hurried for the nearest fire escape so he could ascend back to Neosky. Zipping across the rooftops, Hotshot scanned the horizon as he tried to locate The Lost's camp. Despite being a 'nomad' cell, Hotshot remembered the main places Baba and her crew would frequent when they weren't shacking up in another cell's territory. After an hour or so of looking, he spied the familiar looking tents and changed direction.

A quick stroll through the camp and he came across a shock of familiar green hair, "Hello there, Baba. Hope you don't mind the sudden visit, but as you've probably seen, we have some important things to discuss. I even brought a peace offering," he said as he held up the noodles.

Geonet 2.0 - Battle for the Megacity

Mak0 and Badger-

@BigPapaBelial

“Hello, old friend,” the voice from Mak0’s mask had been altered to sound like a middle aged man. “How long has it been? I stopped counting after a decade.” Mak0 slung the rifle off his shoulder as he approached the desk. “It seems there’s been a bit of a stir in the city. Normally, I wouldn’t care, but a client of mine has become involved so I’m offering you a trade.”

Placing the rifle on the desk, Mak0 watched as Badger eyed the weapon, “An upgraded model of a failed prototype. It still needs a little work, but I figure you’d have fun toying with it. I want information.” Mak0 produced a tablet from within his tattered coat and an image of Rotor from the security feed flared to life. “I trust you can see the haze next to the young man? We both know it doesn’t take much to wipe yourself from the MCPD camera feeds, but it’s another matter altogether to hide yourself from my hacking abilities. I want to know where this tech came from and who it was sold to.”

Honey Badger smiled brightly at Mako. And took a moment just to look at him. Badger’s own voice scrambling briefly, and coming out sounding tired, “Honestly after this long, I’m surprised we even keep track of time my friend. Even as I remember the Wars vividly often.” He sniffed, “I think it’s been twelve…maybe eighteen years? I don’t really know anymore.” He nods slowly, “Yes the whole Sk@ter thing yes? Young Rotor if I remember correctly. A sad thing.”

Badger’s eyes light up as they follow the passage of the rifle. And as it’s placed on the desk, Badger’s arm opens up, shifting and twisting, a high power lamp coming around to flare across the lines of the weapon, “Failed Prototype you say? Ahhh pi…oh is this supposed to be a gift then? Interesting. Oh no, not a gift. A temptation then?” He chuckles and nods, a manipulator arm tracing the rifle slowly, cataloging the elements of it. Even as Mak0 produced that tablet. Badger’s attention pulled away from the rifle. His eyes narrowed and his arm coming away from the rifle, “Yes my friend I see the haze…interesting…it’s not a feed glitch is it? Oh who am I kidding you probably already did a deep dive and a full scrub of the network and the video before you even came to me.” He nods. Then in a flash his other arm lashes up and attaches a cable to the tablet, and transfers the video to Badger’s own personal data vault, “Let’s see what I can do to help you with it hmmm?”

The badger masked man pulled the video up on a holo-display, enhancing the video and playing it, watching it, “Interesting…yes…very fascinating.” He watches it, rewinding, slowing it down, fast forwarding, rewinding it, the whole time slowly his aura seems to dampen. He looks to Mak0, “Before we continue, tell me what you think it is.”

“It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I’ve heard rumors of other groups working to develop advanced cloning technology, but I assumed it was theoretical. If someone within the Pack, or one of the Heirs’ wage-slaves has developed a device like this, I struggle to think of what else they could be hiding.” Mak0 rubbed the shark faceplate on his mask. Being worried was a rare emotion for someone like him. “Badger, you carry the most connections within this city. If there is ANYTHING you know, tell me now.” A whirring sound emanates from Mak0’s chest cavity. Reaching inside, he pulled out a black flash drive with a blinking blue light. “I’ll even sweeten the deal. In here you’ll find schematics to keep the Badger Sett busy for the next year. Something your clients will appreciate…” The Shark watched with interest as Badger considered the deal placed before him.

Pokémon Rust - Dusting off an old idea

Since it seems like this is gonna be the group, I'll start working on setting up the 'proper' RP forum in a bit.

Geonet 2.0 - Battle for the Megacity

Mentions: @Wayward@BigPapaBelial

Hotshot rubbed his eyes in the dim light of Mak0's hideaway. The tiny room had no windows and the walls were thick enough to block the Skynet signal; making it impossible to tell just how much time he and his benefactor had spent pouring over MCPD surveillance footage. So far, following Rotor's movements prior to his death. He'd somehow managed to keep a low profile despite the usual brash and loud persona Hotshot and multiple Burners were accustomed to. The cell boss was starting to wonder if this little trip was going to yield any results.

Mak0 had abandoned the task in favor of working on the Rip Current. Leaving the room for his 'workshop' the Shark slipped through a hidden door against the back wall. All Hotshot could hear was a string of various machine noises broken by the odd curse in a distorted tone. With little else to do, he turned his attention back to another surveillance video. This particular feed was Rotor on his daily beat. While Afterburn preferred the rooftops, members like Rotor and Saturnine would often descend to the city floor in the hopes of picking up jobs or the occasional credits. Onscreen, Rotor was loitering in his preferred alleyway. It looked like practically nothing until something caught Hotshot's attention.

"Mak0! I need you in here!" A few moments later, the hidden door slid open and the shark mask popped out. The electronic eyes studied Hotshot carefully.

"I take it you found something?" Hotshot pointed to the feed in question. While Rotor stood leaning against the wall, the camera made out the faintest trace of a distortion next to his body. Exactly the size of an adult human.

"What do you think? System glitch or have we found our potential client?" Mak0 eyed the feed and brought it to the main monitor on the wall. He shook his head.

"Highly unlikely it's a glitch. The cameras are about the only thing the city tries to keep up to date. MCPD and the Heirs love having their eyes and ears on everyone." The Pack member furiously typed away on a keyboard yet - no matter what was hit - the blur refused to change. "That's definitely an AR cloak. I haven't seen something this difficult to hack through in a long time. If I can't do it, then you have two prime suspects. Someone from the Pack using a homebrewed gadget..."

"... or an Heir got some new toys and they REALLY want this quiet," said Hotshot finishing the thought. "Not the smallest pool to work with, but that does narrow it down. I trust you'll keep working on this for me?" Hotshot turned to leave when Mak0 placed the Rip Current on the table.

"I'll do what I can, but if I can't hack past that, then you may be SOL, my friend. Although there may be one Pack member who has more advanced tech than I do. I'll have to call in a favor..." Before Hotshot could ask, Mak0 pointed to the pistol. "I took the liberty of removing the limiter this time. You get five shots before reloading now, but the stored charge should be plenty stronger. You'll cripple any cybernetics so long as you're accurate. And of course," There was a dry chuckle as Mak0 set a box of rounds on the table.

With a nod, Hotshot claimed his items and turned for the door. Upon stepping outside, he quickly reconnected to Skynet and tried contacting Saturnine as he fired a grappling hook to ascend to the rooftops. "Sat? you copy? Sat?" When no reply came through, the boss groaned. It seemed like he'd be the one contacting other cells. Baba would have to be first since The Lost could be reasonable. As he took off running, Hotshot made a mental note to stop by Jigen's before tracking down Baba. He'd have to take his noodles to go this time.

Meanwhile, back in the hideaway, Mak0 returned to the workshop and started packing up tools. As soon as he made contact with another Pack member directly, it was going to be time to close up shop. This particular errand also meant having to track down a nosy Badger. Mak0 turned and picked up a rifle that had been leaning against a wall. An unfinished project, but with a little work, it would be more than a fair trade for some information.

The Shark

Rip Current

Pokémon Rust - Dusting off an old idea

Bump

Geonet 2.0 - Battle for the Megacity

This little ditty came up on YouTube Music the other day... coincidentally it was dome for Mirror's Edge, and feels pretty Sk8te vibe (to me). As a result I reckon I'm about ready to get my intro post figured out. Might take a few days depending on what work throws my way; being at the mercy of mother nature is super unpredictable.

music.youtube.com/watch?v=JqoKx3t6dMY…

@Wayward

Mirror’s Edge was the inspiration for the original RP I did for this.

Pokémon Rust - Dusting off an old idea

Quick Bump

Pokémon Rust - Dusting off an old idea

@Crimson Flame Couldn’t forget, buddy. XD

Pokémon Rust - Dusting off an old idea

Made this rp in casual roleplay forever ago, but it never got off the ground. Always wanted to try it again on the small scale with just 2-3 trainers/rivals. Basically to anyone familiar with the Pokemon franchise, the setting is similar to Sun/Moon in there's no gyms or Pokémon League. I'm looking to do a more narrative story focusing on the characters and exploring the region. Shoot me a DM if you're interested!

The Kaida Region

Based on: The American West/Rocky Mountains

Theme: Exploration/Adventure

Background: The Kaida region isn't as well known as some of the other regions in the Pokémon world. It's on the smaller side and there is no formal Pokémon League. The region's only major claim to fame is the Calagon Mountain Range. Depending on the time of year, various dragon-type Pokémon migrate to the Kaida region to mate in the vast mountains that dominate the landscape. Various towns and small cities have sprouted around the mountains where space is available. An ancient legend in the region says that should one ascend to the peak of Mt. Calagon - the highest point in the regions - they would meet the legendary Pokémon that created the Kaida region as a haven for dragons.

Towns/Cities: In keeping with the exploration theme of the region, all the towns/cities that make up the Kaida region are named after planets in the solar system. They are (in order of appearance):
-Mercer Town -> A small town in the southeastern corner of the region. Partly isolated from the rest of Kaida; mostly farms and a small downtown area with shops and other essentials. The Cypress Pokémon Lab is located here.

-Hesperus City -> The smallest 'City' in the Kaida region. Famed for being the birthplace of 'Venus Threads', the foremost fashion chain in the Kaida Region. The city sits on the border of the Oberon Forest, a massive forest concealing a wide variety of Pokémon.

-Terran Town -> Sitting at the base of Mt. Ender - The smallest of the Calagon Mountains - Terren Town is famous for its great mines from which coal, minerals, and even Pokémon fossils are retrieved from the earth. Once every year, the town celebrates "Fossil Fest" in which a tournament is held and the winners receive rare fossils that were recovered from the mine. Fossil Restoration occurs here.

-Phobos Town -> On the northern edge of the map, Phobos Town stands against the harsh wilderness. It's said that in the early days of the region, attacks by dragon Pokémon during their migrations were a frequent occurrence. As a result the people of Phobos Town spend their lives preparing for battle against the dragons, describing themselves as 'Dragon Busters'.

-Zhivegas City -> Often called 'The Gem of the Desert', Zhivegas City is the largest City in Kaida. Filled to the brim with lavish hotels, game corners, and plenty of stores, Zhivegas has become glitzy and glamourous tourist destination for the people who come to Kaida. The regional Power Plant is located here.

-Kronos Town -> The second desert city in the region. Compared to Zhivegas, Kronos Town is the opposite. The people are old-fashioned, preferring to work the land and honor the old customs. This town houses the trainyard for the "Torkoal Express", the steam train that traverses the region.

-Solaris City -> The second largest city. Solaris sits on the western end of the region, facing the open ocean. Famed for it's sunsets, the comings and goings of various dragons over the horizon is considered by many to be a sight to behold.

-Umbriel Base -> Before the Overseer system was put in place, there was a town at the foot of Mt. Calagon. Unfortunately, various natural disasters caused by the feuding dragons in the mountains caused the town to become abandoned. All the remains are the ruins and a research facility created by Prof. Cypress' team.

-Plutus Village -> The final hurdle before a trainer may ascend to the peak of Mt. Calagon. Built into the cliffside, this small village is populated by the descendants of the Drakken Tribe, the first inhabitants of the Kaida Region. It is said when the wind whips through the village, you can hear the cries of those who tried to reach the summit... and failed.

Gyms (or lack thereof): Because they don't have a Pokémon League, the Kaida Region doesn't have much use for gyms. In place of that, the towns all have an Overseer. The Overseers are essentially the caretakers of a particular section of the region. In order to access a restricted section of a route, a trainer must defeat the Overseer in a Pokémon battle and earn a Mark in recognition they are skilled enough to explore the restricted area. Once a trainer has acquired all eight Marks from the Overseers only then are they deemed ready to ascend Mt. Calagon.

The Professor: The local Pokémon Professor in Kaida is Professor Cypress. Cypress is a former trainer for the Johto Region who is obsessed with studying Dragon-Type Pokémon. He believes there is something truly unique about them and that Kaida holds the secret to truly understanding this bizarre group of Pokémon.

Starters: In keeping with the Professor's Dragon-Type obsession, all his starters are dragon-type. It should go without saying, but all three starters will evolve into a regional "Kaidan" variant.
- Dratini -> Kaidan Dragonair -> Kaidan Dragonite (Dragon/Steel)
- Bagon -> Kaidan Shelgon -> Kaidan Salamence (Dragon/Ground)
- Gible -> Kaidan Gabite -> Kaidan Garchomp (Dragon/Ice)

Team Stratos: In the Kaida Region there are whispers of a shadowy organization known as Team Stratos. Very little is known about their motives other than their strange fixation on studying the mythology of the Kaida Region. It seems they - like many others - have a vested interest in the legendary Pokémon atop Mt. Calagon.