@MiltonManThing @enterpride @Mizal @hetero_malk @Suranna @DBNB @TypewriterCat
The Battle of the Black Fortress
The plan was relatively simple. Sigma Corp had recently acquired a portable nuclear device that could be used to destroy the Taskmaster’s base. They also knew of an underground tunnel system that could lead them inside it without having to throw themselves against the robotic hordes. Using one of the last remaining top of the line stealth devices of its day could also help make them invisible to detection for a good period of time.
However, this really wouldn’t work unless the Taskmaster was somewhat distracted otherwise once he realized an intruder inside, he’d direct all his forces to them. There would have to be a direct assault while the Sigmas carried out their plan.
They also knew facing an army of cyborgs and robots with just their meager forces would be suicide, so the Highwaymen hired the best mercs they knew of (And were still on good terms with) The Death’s Head mercenaries.
Nuff Said.
With everyone ready, the alliance set off, some of them wondering if they’d ever see home again.
The Alliance arrived…
“Really? The horse isn’t even to scale!”
“Oh fuck off, I told you we were over budget, use your goddamn imagination!”
TAKE TWO
The Alliance arrived…
“So you have chosen death. Very well, then you shall have it, in abundance! Kill these fools and bring back whatever’s left for spare parts!”
That sure was a lot of toasters, however what was worse is there was even MORE back up that had arrived. Two truckloads of Brotherhood fanatics rolled up and a cyborg woman.
“Protect the Master! Don’t let them breach the base!” - Annabelle
It was at this point the metallic army opened fire on the Alliance and during the barrage, the Sigma team left to enter the hidden tunnel way to inside the Taskmaster’s fortress.
The Brotherhood also had apparently sunk to a low not even the New Federalists or Highwaymen ever did by deploying child soldiers into their ranks (With a mini-flamethrower no less!)
And that’s terrible.
So terrible in fact that even the hardened hitman The Pope temporarily lost his taste for killing. The new Ninja on the team did not however and led the way by taking down one of the Brotherhood’s people.
Still this was a short lived victory for him as an assassin’s bullet struck him down immediately.
The Taskmaster’s army continued to do battle with the mercenaries, slowly whittling them down despite their sensors being scrambled by smoke bombs.
The Brotherhood wasn’t doing as well on their end as several more of them were taken out by the combined might of the Regulators and Highwaymen.
Soon though even the Death’s Head mercs couldn’t stand up to the might of this army and were completely eliminated. A stray rocket also hit Sigma’s helicopter taking another gun away from the Alliance.
While the Brotherhood team was almost gone, the robots were definitely still coming. The Alliance wasn’t out of it, but things were starting to look a bit more grim and then something over a loud speaker was heard.
“OH CANADA! OUR HOME AND ALLAH’S LAND!”
“Where the hell did all these meatsacks come from?”
“Kill the degenerate soulless infidels AND their robot allies!” - 1st Canadian Janissary as they blew up a Brotherhood vehicle.
While it was unknown of just what exactly had been going on in the land of maple syrup all this time but apparently it was a lot more based now.
The last of the Brotherhood fell to the Alliance and their new Canadian help. Now all they had to do is continue to fight off the robots until they heard the signal from Sigma. Easier said than done of course.
Meanwhile…
Sigma Corp knew it was only a matter of time before the Taskmaster figured out he had intruders inside, they had to move faster, but the complex was so maze like that it was hard getting around while also trying to avoid detection. One in the group was wearing a high tech suit of power armor. Probably not the most ideal thing to wear while trying to be stealthy, but someone had to be the heavy in case something went wrong and they weren’t totally underpowered. His name was Warren.
Sudden character depth incoming...
Warren briefly thought back to when all this strife started and how he’d left COTBA just before they were massacred by the New Federalists. This impacted him a lot more than he though it would at the time. Sure he didn’t get along with most of them, but there was something pure and good about their intentions. They just went about it the wrong way. He always wondered if maybe he hadn’t left, he could have done something even to the most minor degree to prevent that tragedy.
When he had the option to join Sigma he jumped at the chance. Maybe he could somehow right that wrong. This Alliance, while not really the same as COTBA’s vision was a step in the right direction. His thoughts were then interrupted.
A sudden stifled yelp was made and a quick turn around to see one of their fellows with a blade going through their back and out their chest. The blade retracted and the body slumped down.
“Nice try, but all you’ve done is traveled far for a bloody death.” - Annabelle
A few quick moves and two more of the team were dead. The last two remaining gave Anna a good fight before she downed another one, leaving only Warren left and that was only thanks to the power armor he was wearing.
Anna herself was wounded enough that she was leaking whatever kept her circuits going. It still wasn’t enough to slow her down though. Warren felt blow after blow even within the safety of power armor. He could only imagine what fatal damage would have been done to his face if he was’t wearing it. The armor wasn’t going to hold up forever though to this sort of abuse. It seemed so hopeless, he almost wanted to give up or try to run away.
And then he saw that flag of Old Glory on the floor lying next to one of his dead teammates had. Something stirred in him.
He gave up the first time for not believing in something enough and he couldn’t afford to do it here. This was a menace that needed to be stopped at all cost!
Grabbing the large sword that his now dead fellow had from the floor, he slashed at Annabelle catching one of her bladed arms, shattering it. The cyborg then experienced a powerful punch to the side of her head with Warren’s other free hand, enough to cave in part of it.
Annabelle’s circuitry was now damaged enough she became erratic causing her targeting system to fail. Punches that would have landed now missed allowing Warren to get up off the floor and seize the advantage.
With another swing, he severed Annabelle’s head from her body which flailed about wildly until it finally ran down. Then taking old glory, he planted the flag into Annabelle’s still twitching head. The red light in the cyborg’s eyes finally went out.
Warren quickly picked up the portable nuke that was carried by another dead member and finished his journey to the heart of the complex.
When he got to a room with a lot of screens and blinking lights, he figured he might be in the right location. It was a nuke anyway, shouldn’t matter where the hell he set it off. He opened up the device and fortunately this thing seemed simple enough to set. That’s the good thing about being a jack of all trades.
As he finished setting the timer, hoping it would be enough for him to get out. The largest screen suddenly flickered on.
“You think you have won? I’m not a fucking degenerate clown, a retarded Mormon zealot or some Dutch faggot and you cannot defeat me so easily. You haven’t done anything here, the work will continue. Evolution is inevitable and I am that evolution. I’ll be back and when I am, you insignificant meatsacks will learn all too late that you should have submitted when you had the chance. I shall turn your cities into ash. I shall make your families into bio-fuel. You all will drown in lakes of blood, you will learn why you fear the night and it’s going to be really, really, REALLY bad for you!” - The Taskmaster going for the Oscar
Warren threw the sword at the screen shattering it before the villain of the story could go into another speech and set the timer. He then radioed to one of the Regulators that everyone needed to get the hell out here now.
Back to the outside, the battle was still raging, but that didn’t matter anymore. The Regulators told their Highwaymen allies they needed to leave as they just got word that the bomb had been set, they would have told the Canadians, but they apparently had already left the field having done what they had to do.
Wasting no time, the cowboys and bikers both rode off hoping they would avoid a nice nuclear tan.
Meanwhile Warren ran or at least as fast as he could run in power armor trying to escape the complex. He really didn’t think he was surviving this, but it didn’t matter. He knew he’d heard the call and did the right thing this time.
The timer ran down and soon…
Yep, it’s a good one.
And with the Alliance having defeated their last enemy, it was hoped that a kind of stability would settle across the Fallen Land. While there would be future challenges, for now the heroes (Or at least the anti-heroes) would enjoy their victory.
And so they rode back home into the sunset.
The Regulators
The Highwaymen
And Sigma
“Whew, the rads are off the charts! Thank god for this power armor, but this is really going be a long walk.” - Warren Ripley
