Infiltration

Hello again, this is Hana. I thought I should update you on how things have gone at this end, because I think however short the time is for Tempest between his posts, things won't move forward for him until I've logged our progress here, because he needs what we've done to have happened first.

After a stealthy journey, helped along by Jump, and a man and a woman who the blog had given access to and knew what we were trying to do, we made it to the base. Jump was with us, and got us as close as possible, but couldn't teleport us inside, the building seemed to resist, or at least that's how she put it, so she left to try and find any of the people Tempest has met in the future that might be able to help us now. Glutton had his guard uniform on, and I managed to patch him into the security system, so that he would be granted access as an actual guard. He asked why we had to get closer if i was able to hack from where we were, so I explained about the system's being separate, and the one we needed to get to was closed off, and only accessible from the central chamber, in close proximity to the main console. For most of the way, we were accepted as part of the team and allowed through the electronic doors. We avoided real guards whenever we could, as they wouldn't recognize Glutton, and might get suspicious. Glutton noticed me wincing and asked what was wrong. 'The generator back at VHS just failed. There's no power there anymore. The place is dead.'
'You can sense that?'
'I stayed connected as long as I could, it made it easier.'
'Made what easier?'
'Keeping the connection open. It was that set of computers that Tempest's phone was connected to when we were taken, so they were supporting the connection at this end.'
'But, if the power's failed, doesn't that mean...Oh crap, has the connection closed?!'
'Not quite. I'm holding it open myself.'
'....you're what?!'
'The other end..it's in my head. I'm using this handheld to help support it, but that's draining the battery, and holding it with two small devices isn't as stable. We need a larger computer at this end, and fast.'
'Come on then!'
He ran. I noticed a CCTV camera, and knew we'd look suspicious, but Glutton didn't care. I'll always remember how determined he was to get me where I needed to be. He was one of the bravest people I've ever met. We were coming up to the door that, many years from now, Tempest and his friends were waiting at right now.
'Glutton, there's....no electronic lock, I....can't help you!'
A door just behind us slammed open, and there were yells. I heard guns clicking.
'I don't think we'd have time Hana. How close do you need to be?'
'...as close...as we can get..'Acid shot from his mouth, and the door melted, fizzing, sending smoke into the air. I saw him turn to spray acid behind us, then we were nearly at the threshold of the central chamber. I heard guards scream from acid burns.
'Ok. It's been fun, tell the others I said Hi.'
'Wha-'
And then I was flying. Behind me, there were a series of bangs, and I heard Glutton yell. I couldn't look behind me, but I knew what had happened. He knew we wouldn't make it to the computer, so the second we got through the doorway, he threw me. It was the last thing he ever did.
I heard his body hit the floor.
A bullet grazed my side, spinning me. I got a last glance at Glutton, splayed on the floor, riddled with bullets, and guards flooding in through the door. Then I was facing the computer again, it's huge screen getting closer, closer, then-
SMASH!
I was deeply embedded in the screen. The guards had nearly arrived at the console, I had seconds. I transferred everything I could onto the outer layer of the system, I could worry about infiltrating properly later. I just had to make sure everything was off the device before they pulled it out of the screen.
I'm in. I just hope I can do everything I need to before the next virus scan. I need to take control, pin down the connection, and then use it. Wish me luck.


Glutton, last free member of SOLAR, I hope to avenge your sacrifice. I swear to you, it will NOT be in vain. Thank you, for everything. Thank you.

Now hold on Tempest, I'm coming!

HG's Base, part 3.

Well, the battle was fairly short, and we were finally left with nothing but the final door between us and HG. Wading through ankle deep water, I stepped over bodies, worked my way round frozen or petrified soldiers, lumps of rock, a tree, and a rather startled flamingo, and looked at the door.
I concentrated. Nothing. 'He's ability-proofed it. Nothing will work. Believe me, we've tried. So, Glutton and Hana, we need you. Glutton, make use of the parallel times. If you acid the door in your time, before he gets a chance to ability-proof anything, the damage will appear here in front of us now, without the door being damaged for the time in the middle. Think of it as a loophole round his defenses in our time.
I still don't know exactly how the fluctuations in our connection work, but I hope, by posting this one, I've created some sort of 'save point' in the parallel times. If you succeed in your time, the effect should happen relatively soon after I post this. At least i hope so, we can't exactly hang around for long.
Don't let us down Glutton. This is all we can think of. Please, get us through this door!

H&G vs HG

Hello, Hana again here. As Glutton has reported, he got our messages, and made it back to VHS base 1. I was inside the main system, checking on how much had changed in the world since we left, and I felt someone trying to gain access. The computer was damaged and low on power, so I could only just get into it. As soon as I saw it was Glutton, I went back to the primary console and opened the main hub. As the screen I was looking from slid into the room, I saw Glutton fully at last. He looked badly injured, and seemed to be in pain. 'Glutton, thank goodness.'
He looked confused. 'Er....hi?'
'Oh, sorry, should have warned you. Must be a bit of a shock, gigantic blue face suddenly appearing on a screen. I don't think we've ever actually met properly.'
'Hana?'
'Yes, nice to meet you. I'm sorry for the circumstances, and for what you've been through. Tempest needs our help.'
'I've been doing what I can.'
'I know, and we're grateful. But now we need to make use of the Parallel times. Tempest has been managing to blog, so the connection is still open.'
'So how do we do that?'
'The generator here is failing. Soon this system will be useless, but I need to get to HG's computers, and you need to help Tempest inside the base if he calls for it.'
'So what do we do?'
'There should be a round, handheld unit somewhere round here, we used it so non-technopaths
could access the system when out in the field.'
Glutton searched around, and eventually found it under a damaged table. It had clearly fallen off, but being underneath had protected it from any further damage. Imagine an iPhone, but with two rounded ends instead of being rectangular. It's Arctic Blue in colour, and the front is nothing but screen. Under my instruction, he slotted it into a dock, having to hold one side in place to stop it falling out, and pressed a button on the side. I downloaded everything I could, anything I thought I might need for hacking HG's system, and charged it's battery from the generator. Then I transferred myself to it. I looked up at Glutton, who jumped as lights and screens started going out all over the room. He managed to catch me, and I gave him an encouraging smile. 'T says he'll need me on the inside if he's going to beat HG. No pressure Glutton, but we're his only hope. You have to get me there. Glutton, last surviving member of SOLAR, friend of VHS, this plan relies on you. Tempest's fate, and therefore the world's, is, quite literally, in your hands.'

HG's base, part 2

We reappeared a in a small corridor. I could still hear all the noise, so I looked towards one end, and saw fire rush past. 'Where are we?'
'About 300m away. Once that dies down, we pop out that way and head straight for the central chamber.'
'Better get going then.'
'Hang on.'
'Doom had gone over to a door, and was shooting the lock. Remembering we were supposed to be meeting other people, I followed her in, along with everybody else. Doom pressed a button on her watch, and a small red light on it started flashing.
'Ok, they should be here in a moment.'
'Cool. What is that? Where'd you get it?'
'The watch? Our new way of signalling each other. Can't use phones anymore. And let's see, where might I have obtained a TECHNOLOGICAL gadget such as this? Who could I possibly know with enough skill with TECHNOLOGY to make something like this? Hmmm.....'
'Ok, ok, I get it. I made them, but haven't yet.'
I was distracted by movement further in the room. We were in one of those rooms with a pool leading to open water that every base/evil lair seems to have (except us, we should get one of those) with a submarine, small by submarine standards but very big for a one-seater, floating in it. The sub was rocking, as small waves appeared in the water. They rippled across the surface, getting larger and larger, until a swirl started to form. It became a vortex of water, spiraling slowly into the air. A figure leapt out of it at the same moment there was a flash of blue light and a large part of a wall erupted inwards. The pieces slowed in the air, becoming coated in a wispy blue aura, and faded into nothingness before they hit the floor. Somebody was standing just outside the gap onto a circle of blue light, arms raised, two fingers pointed towards what had been the wall, both hands surrounded by the same wispy blue energy, but with the occasional black wisp. The circle faded and he strolled in towards us. He had a big black coat, and a wide-brimmed black hat.
'Of the two of you, I'm guessing you're Blackmage?'
'Yup. Nice to see you again, Tempest'
'Ah, no, I'm the one from the past? Surely Doom said? That's why I was guessing which-'
He lifted the brim of his hat and I suddenly saw what he'd meant. Getting a clear look at his face, I recognised him. He was a friend from Uni!'
'Oh! Hey! So you're Blackmage now?'
'Yeah we've both changed since you last saw us.'
Getting the hint, I turned to look at Maelstrom. He was standing at the side of the pool, shaking the water out of his hair. He was wearing some sort of wetsuit. It was shimmering with greens and blues, with faint silvery white, frothy looking swirls and spirals coiling round it. It made him look like his whole body, except hands, feet and head, was made of water, hiding him from sight inside his vortex of water. I'd met him at Uni before aswell!
Once the introductions were done, and we'd caught them up on how it was going so far, They explained that only they had come because there had been problems sneaking everyone in past the guards, and that HG had put in more precautions than we had thought. Jump offered to help, so they told her exactly where everyone else was waiting, and she teleported away.
The rest of us went back out to the corridor, and, seeing the flames had died down, started to head for the central chamber. We all seemed calmer now, like we knew that, whatever happened, this was it. Behind that door ahead of us, he was waiting. Hooded Guy. Nothing could stop us now....
Guards poured out of every sidedoor, huge numbers streaming out, taking aim. Maelstrom started to spin on the spot, Water appearing from thin air around him as he came a huge, writhing vortex of water, surging down the passage and sweeping away any guard in his way. The circle of light reappeared as Blackmage adopted a battlestance, hands beginning to give of wisps of power again. Bullets rained down on him, but turned to butterflies as the blue aura swept over them. A guard started giving glowing with the fog like energy, black streaks growing to consume him, turning him to stone. We all started fighting with everything we had, and I wondered, not for the first time, quite how many guards HG had. He seemed determined to make sure we didn't make it to that chamber. That means he's scared. He should be.

HG's base, part 1.

So, now we've split into our groups, and we're setting off to stop HG. I'm in one group and Future me's in the other, partly so that we have my powers in both groups, and partly so I don't punch him. I'm with Doom, FDiffy, Jingle, Centaur, Scorch, and Jump. Most of FVHS are going together in group B, reunited again after all this time.
Our job was to take out the security system. Jump decided we should just skip all the stealth work, and grabbing us, teleported us in. We stared round at a warehouse-like room, vast, high ceilinged, and maze like, filled with towers of computers, screens showing corridors and information, and long desks covered with buttons and switches.
'Tada! Are we awesome or what?!'
The lighting started to flash red, and a loud siren started to go off. Doom rolled her eyes at Jump. 'Yeah, because it was really going to be that simple. T, shut them down.'
'I can't. At least not the easy way.'
'WHAT?!'
I've learned to recognize the feel of that backup loop thing that knocked me out when I linked with the power patch. It's here too, and much stronger, it could kill me!'
'Get Hana to do it?'
'Hana isn't here right now.'
'Hana isn't..I...WHAT?! HOW COME?!'
'Don't worry, my technopathy's telling me how these systems work. I can't manipulate the machines, but we can do this the old fashioned way. I'll need help though.'
'...Ok. Centaur, Scorch, Jingle, find the doors and make getting in as hard as you can. Patrol the edges of the room. Unleash Hell on anyone trying to get in.'
They nodded, and rushed off. Doom turned back to me. 'What can we do?'
I ran to a keyboard and began typing frantically. 'I need all the switches over there turned off, and every bank of computers has a small green square slotted into it. They need removing, as quickly as possible.'
'That's mine, I think, grinned Jump, vanishing.'
As Doom ran to the row of switches, FDiffy looked at me. 'and me?'
'Set of screens showing outlines of automated defenses. Set all the dials to 6.'
'Gotcha.'

I heard sleigh bells, and the bang of a door, followed by guards yelling. Centaur let out a roar, and it sounded like Scorch had started a fire. Gunshots went off. I kept yelling instructions, Doom moving on to enter passwords at a different keyboard, FDiffy stabbing away at the buttons controlling the lights. Ahead of me I saw Jump appear, touch one of the green boxes, and vanish with, reappearing further down and doing it again. As we heard centaur yell, Doom snarled, leaping onto a desk, then onto the top of one of the huge computer towers. Her lazer blasters were in her hands in the blink of an eye, and she let out a warcry as she begin firing madly. 'Keep going' she called to me as I stared up at her. I went back to typing madly, pressing buttons and flicking switches. Centaur was backing down an aisle towards us, and a volley of shots from Doom freed him from his pursuers. 'Can I help?'
'That round desk there needs all seven sets of dials doing at once!'
'Logical order yeah?' He was running forwards, growing tentacles.
'......oh, yeah, 1-6.'
Laughing, he stretched out his tentacles and started turning the sets in unison.
'Done.' Jump had appeared beside me. 'What do I do with them?'
'Whatever you like.'
'I know just the thing!'
She teleported to the top of a computer tower, clearly overlooking approaching guards. 'Look out below!' She released all 74 (How she was holding them all I'll never know) in a landslide, causing cries of pain from below. Seeing Doom dodge a bullet, then an energy beam, she 'jumped' over. 'Manoeuvre 3?'
'Please.'
She grabbed Doom's shoulders, and began a series of quick teleports, taking them from the top of one tower to the next in rapid succession, never staying in any place longer than it took Doom to let off more shots.
The lighting returned to normal FDiffy finished, and I moved on to a fifth control panel, sighing with relief as I saw a nearby camera's light go out.
'Why did they make this so damn complicated?!'
'Don't worry, we're nearly done!'
Tinsel was snaking it's way across the floor as Jingle was forced back towards us, and a fireball flew by overhead.
'How many guards does he have?!' Jingle gasped, sending pine needles flying at the nearest.
'Too many. Pass me a bauble?'
He handed one over and I opened the panel in the side of the bank of switches. Stuffing it, I slammed the door and backed away. There was a bang, and the panel flew off, smoke rising from inside.
'Everyone! We're done! Get out!'
We all ran for where Doom and Jump had come to a stop, and as we grabbed on, Doom yelled 'Finish this place off!'
Jingle sent huge numbers of baubles flying, and Scorch screamed, almost birdlike, as fire shot from him. Tinsel and mistletoe coated everything, pulling it down or trying to crush it, one of the screens I'd been working at was counting down. 00:04, 00:03, 00:02,....
I put up a forcefield. The rrom was engulfed in explosions and fire, and screams filled the air as everything shimmered, and went black.