04

[beetlemania]

[Trying to escape from the town and the hazmats on foot? Have no fear, Blue Beetle is here! A large insect-shaped craft will touch down nearby and the hatch will open. Ted will wave you inside.]

Come with me if you want to live!

[...he's always wanted to say that.]

Comments

[answerer_sword]

[She gives a quick nod and jumps into the ship.]

How many others have you rescued?

[beetlemania]

You're the second I've picked up so far--I'm just grabbing whoever I can when I see them.

[The ship's rising into the air again as soon as the hatch closes.]

Care to help me look for others?

[answerer_sword]

Helpless ones? Or just any citizens who are still living?

[beetlemania]

Anyone who's trying to get out of here gets a ride. No exceptions...

...unless they try to get onboard and kill everyone on this ship. Then I'd leave 'em on the ground.

[answerer_sword]

I hope this ship has enough capacity.

[She is not sure how many people are left, but there are probably quite a large number.]

[beetlemania]

We can all cram in real close, if we have to. Get some bonus deodorant strength testing in while we're at it.

If I have to, I'll dump people off at the exit and go back for any stragglers.

[answerer_sword]

That sounds like a good strategy.

Then, what about armaments? Is this just a ship, or does it come with weapons as well?

[beetlemania]

It had a few weapons, but they weren't there when I got her back. I've rebuilt a few things, at least...

...I've got an air cannon on her that could hurl a pumpkin across an entire football field. That's about all I was able to do before this happened.

[answerer_sword]

Have you tried blasting a Hazmat with it yet>

[beetlemania]

Well, I would if I had any pumpkins...

...I might have used up my last few running tests on things.

[answerer_sword]

...Dare I ask what?

[beetlemania]

Well, see, there was no one at the football field...and I wanted to see how far it would shoot, and I work at the garage so I have access to a bunch of junked cars...

[Yep. Everything's perfectly innocent here. Perfectly innocent.]

[answerer_sword]

It sounds like a waste of material. Perhaps you should have kept something pumpkin-sized, at least.

[A pause.]

If...theoretically, we took a junk car and crushed it into a pumpkin-sized ball...

[beetlemania]

We don't even have to crush it--we could just throw ANYTHING in there! I only used pumpkins because I figured they looked kind of cool when they smashed open and I knew they wouldn't actually explode. But now, we don't have to worry about safety or collateral damage.

...I bet firing paint cans out of it would be awesome.

[answerer_sword]

What spare objects do we have now that can be fired? Should we stop to pick up some ammunition?

[beetlemania]

I keep a pretty clean ship. There's an emergency toolkit, but that's about it...

Hang on, I'm going to head for the garage. Lots of junk there, free for the taking.

[answerer_sword]

If you need any help carrying the items, I can do it.

[beetlemania]

Works for me.

[The Bug's just about to the garage now...]

I'm betting there are going to be some hazmats there; I'll try to buzz them before we disembark for ammo. Hang on; it's going to get a little choppy.

[answerer_sword]

[She nods and then braces herself.]

[beetlemania]

[It's a very rough flight, but eventually, the Bug winds up safely at the garage.]

Okay, let's hurry up and get some ammo! Anything will work--it just needs to be pumpkin-sized.

[answerer_sword]

[Bazett hops out and scoops up a wrecked sedan. She compresses it until it is around the correct size.]

How is this?

[beetlemania]

[Ted's hung out with enough superstrong people in his life that he doesn't bat an eye at the sedan-crushing.]

Awesome.

[He gives her a thumbs-up.]

Grab a couple more so we can take more than a single shot.

[answerer_sword]

[She grabs two more cars. In a short amount of time, they are compacted much like the first one.]

[beetlemania]

[The cannon's dropping out from the underbelly of the Bug.]

You're going to have to load it--I think you're the only one here who can lift those things.

[answerer_sword]

[She picks up one of the compacted cars and chucks it in the cannon.]

Just like this?