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

[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?

[beetlemania]

Perfect!

[He gives her a thumbs up and pops the ammo reserves.]

Just stick the other two in here, and let's get this party started!

[answerer_sword]

[She throws the cars in as quickly as she can.]

How many can this hold at once? Should we pack it to the brim so there will be no need to come back for more rounds?

[beetlemania]

It wasn't made to hold a whole lot...I was just screwing around and seeing how far I could fire a pumpkin.

We could keep a couple more rounds in the hold, probably--but I don't want to weight her down too much. More weight means we can take on fewer passengers.

[answerer_sword]

Two more, then?

[beetlemania]

Sounds about right.

[answerer_sword]

[She runs over and gets the last two cars. Then, she sets to work compacting them.]

[beetlemania]

[He's watching to make sure she's not surprised by any hazmats or anything while she compacts the cars.]

[answerer_sword]

[She finishes just as several Hazmats come running up.]

I suppose it is time to put your invention to use.

[beetlemania]

On it!

[He's going to rush back into the Bug and man the controls. He'll let her get back on, and at that point, he's going to fire a shot at those Hazmats.]

[answerer_sword]

[She watches in mute surprise as the projectile smashes right into the Hazmats, flattening a few of them in the process. She had not expected an air cannon to be this powerful.]

[beetlemania]

[Ted gives a happy whoop.]

Oh, man, it's doing better in combat than I expected! And to think I just wanted it to smash produce with...

[answerer_sword]

It is...indeed a very effective weapon. What do your weapons meant for actual combat look like?

[beetlemania]

I try to be nonlethal whenever I can, really. Air cannons, strobe lights...

[He pats the BB Gun belted to his waist.]

But these guys, they're not really alive. I can make exceptions. Those cases, I've used all sorts of weapons. Lasers, electricity, had a flamethrower on here once...

[answerer_sword]

Where are they now? Have you not regained them?

[beetlemania]

Nah, I never did.

[He grimaces and tugs on his suit.]

Got the uniform and my typical sidearm back, at least. I didn't have enough chance to rebuild the best weapons, either.

[answerer_sword]

Thankfully, I believe the air gun to be adequate. It can crush the creatures with the right ammunition.

[Now she wonders if she should rig the cars to explode.]

[beetlemania]

Yeah, those cars are going to do the trick.