Kitty Pryde (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
st_alksthroughwalls) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
strangetrip2017-10-30 01:40 pm
st_alksthroughwalls) wrote in strangetrip2017-10-30 01:40 pm
Entry tags:
[Log] Bonesville: Foul Play in Funland (Kitty & Wyatt)
Kitty and Wyatt are in Bonesville when something funky happens in Funland.
The water foamed and churned around their feet, throwing up salty spray heavy with the fishiness of the coastal Atlantic. Quiet and content, Kitty sought Wyatt's hand to tangle their sea-damp fingers together. As the setting sun dipped behind the cliffside, she smiled over at him, thinking to steal a kiss, only to be arrested mid-motion by a sudden burst of dazzling electric light from somewhere up above. Mere seconds later, the quiet evening exploded into midway sounds and carnival music.
Kitty cocked her head, frowning. "I didn't think the amusement park was open tonight."
Wyatt's head leaned in for the kiss that he thought was coming only to be just as confused as Kitty at the sounds of the carnival appearing. "Maybe they're doing rehearsals or some kind of maintenance. Though I don't know why we'd hear the Midway then." He straightened up with a quick and easy grin. "Feel like watching me try to win a giant stuffed animal by spending outrageous amounts of money that probably costs ten bucks?" He was pretty good with a gun and a baseball to knock down bottles. It was the basketball hoop that he was horrible at. He knew it was rigged, he just could never make those shots through the distorted rim.
"That depends." Kitty grinned and took the kiss that she'd been angling for, even while she turned them back toward the path up the cliff. "Are you going to give it to me?" For someone who'd lived what she had, Kitty could be ridiculously sentimental. And having something that Wyatt had given her if he ever disappeared (when; Kitty wasn't lucky enough for if) appealed to the part of her that still missed her bed full of stuffed animals.
"I don't know. I have always wanted a stuffed four foot neon purple monkey." Wyatt teased, "but I can probably be persuaded to give you my winnings." He pulled back to let Kitty take the lead up the cliff path. They could walk side by side, but it would be tight. Not that Wyatt minded that with Kitty, but he wasn't familiar enough with the geology of this world to risk it. This way he could watch her back, on the plus side, he could literally watch her back as they walked.
"If you win a stuffed four foot neon-purple monkey, you can keep that," she teased right back at him. When he dropped behind her, Kitty almost reminded him that if she fell, she could go intangible and climb the air back up, but it was sweet that he thought about it, and he couldn't go intangible if he fell. So it was just as well they took the path single file. Besides, she looked good from behind and she knew it.
Wyatt enjoyed the scenery of both Kitty and the surrounding landscape as they climbed the stairs. When they reached the top, he slipped next to her once more and entwined their fingers. "Deal. Any other stuffed animal I'll gladly give to you." He squeezed her hand, then shot her a quick grin. "I'll do my best to win a three foot pink pig in a tutu."
She elbowed him lightly in the ribs but laughed, eyes flashing with warmth and affection. "You're so good to me," she teased--very lightly, because he really was. He treated her like something precious and after all of the not-so-great relationships she'd lived through, she treasured it.
As Wyatt looked down at Kitty, he thought of Jessica. Kitty wasn't a replacement at all, she was another chapter in his life and his feelings were getting deeper. There weren't guilty feelings either. He knew that Jessica would have liked Kitty if they'd ever met and maybe that's why the feelings of guilt just weren't there. "I try." He leaned down and captured another quick kiss. "Lucky for me, you make that easy."
"You say that now," she murmured and curled a hand around the back of his neck. She was abruptly rethinking this plan to investigate the park. Maybe tonight would be the night they--
Before she could finish the thought, a beam of red light streaked out toward them. Instinctively, she phased them both and it passed through them to collide with and burn up a patch of the dirt.
"Toward the park, find cover," she barked as soon as she went tangible again. Then she gave him a small push, and ran into the clear. He'd be pissed, but only one of them could let a laser pass through them without damage and Kitty didn't want to trust she could keep him intangible on the move.
His first instinct of course was to argue and be with Kitty. Wyatt would always want to protect the ones he cared about even if they could and would protect themselves. He was worse after his wife's death. He was about to open his mouth to protest when she pushed him in the opposite direction. Wyatt's anger fueled the first few steps toward the park, until another laser fired and he swerved to avoid it. That's when common sense hit him square between the eyes or in the ass, both were needed. Kitty was right. It would be a danger to her - which wouldn't be what she was thinking but it was what Wyatt thought about - to also be protecting him while they phased. This time determination fueled his pace and he went to find cover and also to figure out what was going on.
As much as Kitty hated to be separated from Wyatt when something was shooting at them, by her count, there was only one laser gun. That meant it could only track one of them at a time, and Kitty being out in the open made a better target--
Until it figured out that hitting Kitty wasn't hurting her. Or at least, it seemed to be figuring that out. Then it started firing on Wyatt which scared the shit out of her, but she had to trust he could take care of himself while she found where the laser was coming from. She phased through the chain link fence's minimal cover and ran along it toward Wyatt. "Babe, give me your hand," she called when she caught up to him.
Like a well oiled machine, Wyatt slid his fingers through the fence without even looking, trusting that Kitty would be there and she was. He felt the familiar sensation of being phased through the fence, it was something that he would never become blase about. It was always so incredible and amazing to him. Despite the situation, there was a slight smile on his face when he was through the structure. Just as he was getting ready to speak, another laser round struck nearby. It hadn't been close enough to require anything but fancy dodge work, nor did Wyatt let go of Kitty's hand. "Over there." He noticed a cotton candy stand. It wouldn't be great cover but it would do until they could figure out what to do.
Kitty nodded. It would do. The lights were on inside the stand, which was weird since she could see from here that it was locked with a chain on the door. "Don't let go," she murmured and took off at a quick jog again. While she ran, she mentally calculated the internal dimensions and decided going through the door was going to be safest, so she aimed them there, and didn't stop running until she was several feet inside the cotton candy stand.
"We need to figure out why the lights are on," she said to Wyatt, voice hushed, as he came through the door still holding her hand.
Once they were inside, his hand remained in Kitty's but his mind worked feverishly to try to figure out what was going on. "Maybe the electricity went off when they had their lights on and then when it came back on, the lights were still on." Wyatt dismissed that even as he finished the thought. "No, that wouldn't work. If I had a business and my electricity went out, I'd turn everything off just in case it came back on at midnight so I wouldn't waste it."
"That wouldn't explain the lasers either." She frowned and then freed her hand so she could have both to tie her hair in a knot. "Let's see if there's a computer terminal in here."
Wyatt walked over to a row of cabinets that he'd spotted earlier. He was sure supplies were in there but he was equally sure that if the owner had a tablet to keep a list of inventory close, he'd either have it on him or leave it locked up. The wooden doors opened easily and it didn't take Wyatt long to see that it truly did hold just supplies. "Well that was a bust." He spun on his heels as he straightened up and while he was focused on what Kitty would need, he also quickly cataloged everything he saw to be used for scavenging for the Inn.
That was when his gaze fell on a cash register and thankfully not the kind from a couple of decades ago. "Not sure if this will help." He caught Kitty's attention, "But I'm sure you can McGyver something with it." It was said with pride in Kitty's abilities.
Kitty grinned at that, how confident in her he was, and how smoothly they worked together. "Keep an eye out while I--" She'd only gotten her fingers on the point-of-sale machine when the screen pixellated and she saw code running that there was no way, this machine should be running. "Oh shit." Shit, shit, shit. For the first time since Wyatt had met her, Kitty looked scared.
Wyatt was instantly alert at Kitty's expression. He knew that she wouldn't wear that expression if it wasn't something. His military training kicked in and Special Ops Logan was next to Kitty in an instant. "What is it? What's wrong?" His gaze landed where she was looking and it just looked gibberish to him, but apparently it was oh shit gibberish.
"Rogue AI," Kitty said tightly. How she knew all of that from a few lines of code would take longer to explain than they probably had. And as if to punctuate that point, a laser tore through the garage door style covering on the service window. "If it isn't getting help from minions it created by viruses, it's got a lot of mobility. Think Terminator, with no mobility. I can try to hack it, but I'd need something a lot faster. We're going to have to fight this the old-fashioned way."
"Hell." Wyatt really wished that he'd brought the gun he'd had with him at the Alamo, but he hadn't. They or at least he, would have to improvise. "Okay, what will take down a rogue AI where you can't unplug it." Actually, he wasn't sure a gun would have done it either, but at least Wyatt would have felt more comfortable with the weight of it in his hand.
"Destroy its housing and hope disrupting its electro-magnetic patterns keeps it from jumping ship," Kitty replied, wishing she'd put her uniform under her clothes. "Hopefully if it's mobile and only firing the odd laser, we're not dealing with alien robotics. Nothing I've seen around here screams advanced tech, so hopefully we can just beat it to death." With which words, she offered him a choice between the metal rods for extending the counter or whatever he preferred from the toolkit under it.
He briefly considered the offered metal rods but shook his head when he saw a small nail gun with nails on a strip already loaded and an equally small rebar on the other side of the tools. "This will work." Wyatt bent to pick up both and turned around to Kitty. "I feel more comfortable with a gun in my hand, even if it's just a nail gun." He thought it would work at a distance to put a projectile in the metal, if there was metal. Unfortunately, Wyatt pictured T1000 where it morphed and changed with each assault.
"Okay, babe. Listen. We could be dealing with anything from a roomba to a Terminator." More likely it was a servicebot or animatronic from the carnival. Why was a question for later. "Anything that looks like an antenna or receiver is what you're aiming for. Laser emitter is secondary unless it starts doing actual damage." So far it hadn't set fire to anything which was her biggest concern. "I'm going to try to scramble it. Ready?"
"Ready." Wyatt said, hoisting the nail gun in one hand and the bar in the other. He was used to firing weapons one handed so it wouldn't be an issue, he hoped. "Right. Let's go find an antenna receiver." He thought it would have to be nearby, the range couldn't be that far and the lasers were coming for one direction - so far. What he hoped didn't happen was that the lasers were a distraction and the real 'brains' was in another area of the park.
* * *
What they found, when they found it, was one dead science geek (burned by lasers), and another one cowering in fear of the animatronic deathbots their pet alien AI had taken over when they brought it to the carnival to give it a body. Howard, the remaining geek, spit out the whole sad tale to Kitty in sheer petrified delight that their weird science had actually brought them a beautiful babe--and then collapsed into weeping hysterics because Merv would never meet her, and she already had a boyfriend she had no intention of cheating on, thank you very much.
Kitty stepped away from the crushed heap of adolescent male to speak to said boyfriend. "Pretty sure I've confined the bulk of the AI behind the analog equivalent of a firewall. It was sick of the guys and made a break for it, but it agreed to hijack the next appropriate NASA signal back out to where it belongs. Which just leaves a bunch of clumsy bird-brains defending their 'fortress' with robotic Krav Maga." She leaned up on her toes to kiss him and said, "Pick a direction. And when we clear the trash-mobs, I want a bath and an end to my celibacy, mister."
Wyatt smiled into the kiss. He had pictured a romantic scenario when they ended their celibacy, but this was perfect and so very much them to have it end after a battle. "Man, people might think you can read minds. I was thinking the same thing, well shower instead of bath, but close enough." He kissed her lightly one more time before straightening up. "How about that way?" He pointed left in the general direction of the fun house. If he was going to have to fight trash-mob clowns, he wanted to get it over with first.
"Whoever kills the most bird-brains chooses the method of getting clean," she said cheerfully, and took off at a run in the direction of the funhouse. He was perfect. Like, so perfect she wondered why he was still with her, sometimes. And what would have happened to them, or with them, if Lara had stayed. Would she still be with both of them? Would they all be together? It was probably being off-world that was making her think of Lara, since they'd all fought the dinosaurs together last time. Kitty grinned. Punching dinosaurs was good for letting off steam, but evil bird-brains was like a comforting routine.
Apart from the gaping clownmouth and the matching axe-wielding clown, complete with green hair that stood on end, the funhouse building was the same cinder block as the rest of the service buildings, bland and institutional. The only thing out of place was the enormous foam mallet, lying discarded against the front wall, where the clown had probably found the wood-axe.
It wasn't moving or waving the axe around, so Kitty tried the diplomatic approach first. "You're confused. I can help--" The clown "rushed" her in its awkward animatronic way, swung the axe toward her head, and she phased to let both clown and axe pass through. "Now that was just rude." The clown continued forward toward Wyatt, apparently under the impression that Kitty was no threat or dead. "Business in the front, party in the back," she called out and then wondered why she hadn't just said keep him busy while I reach into his 'brain'.
It took him only a moment to understand what she was trying to say, but Wyatt got that he was to be the distraction. It would give Kitty the opportunity to do what she needed to do with the technology. Or at least stop the killer clown from going after others. If all else failed, they could get it really wet and screw the internal workings. Unless it was magical then maybe water and mechanics wouldn't rust.
"I'm going to enjoy killing you." Or at least watching Kitty destroy him. Wyatt set down the nail gun and twirled the rebar with a flourish before swinging it toward the axe. The two met with a clang, his arm muscle protested with a sting. It was a good sting though. "Having fun with the party?" His gaze flicked back to Kitty.
"It'd be better with rave lights and glow bracelets," Kitty called over the clown's shoulder, just as phased to give herself more mobility. The problem with not having x-ray vision or schematics was...not having x-ray vision or schematics. She could only guess that the design was rational and the computational systems were in the chest cavity because there would be more space, but the head was a real possibility because it needed fewer motors and mechanisms. She would've liked to know precisely what she was dealing with, because the elements might help her with Illyana's bonds, but she'd have to make do.
While Wyatt engaged him with the nail gun (smart), Kitty slipped her hand through the metal casing of the clowns chest, found a likely bundle of wires, and--
ZZRZZST!
The killer clown was killer down.
Wow. That was terrible. She was glad she'd only said it inside her head.
The nail had just found its target when the clown suddenly died. Wyatt was about to get confident in his nail gun skills when he realized that Kitty had been responsible. He chuckled at himself and shook his head as he bent to pick up the rebar that had been tossed aside. As he straightened up he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. Next to the fun house was the Dead Man's Cove Pirate Ring toss complete with hooks that looked like they belonged to Captain Hook nailed to the back wall for the kids to toss the plastic rings onto.
What captured Wyatt's attention wasn't another person trying to navigate through the chaos of the carnival, but another animatronic character. It seemed that the Carnival was trying to pick everyone of Wyatt's childhood nightmares, from killer clowns to Captain Hook. The robotic pirate advancing on them with their sword was none other than Captain Hook himself complete in garish purple outfit and boots to match.
"Of course. Now all we need is the tick tock of an alligator that ate a clock to be complete." The first time that the'd seen Peter Pan, Wyatt had been convinced one of the alligators he'd seen in East Texas was related to the Neverland gator. He'd listened for the tick but only heard the gator growl. His cousin that had babysat him had Wyatt convinced that one night, one of Hook's crew would kidnap him, to work on the ship forever. Or until Hook made him walk the plank, whichever came first.
Wyatt put more nail ammunition in the gun and without hesitation, let about five fly at the animatronic Hook in rapid succession.
Right on schedule, the ticking of a clock came from around the corner. And as the pirate fell, a crocodile waddled out to snap at Wyatt's ankles. Kitty went after the fallen pirate, confident that Wyatt could handle the crocodile's teeth while she dealt with the pirate's "brain."
After the pirate and the crocodile, came the huntsman and the queen, and then an army of gnome-sized dolls. It was, as Kitty predicted, a long, slog with Wyatt nailing them (literally) and Kitty lobotomizing them. It was almost four in the morning when they finished it.
"I lost count," she said as they finally came to a stop by the front gates. "You can choose how we get clean."
Both scenarios ran through his mind but in the end, he chose what Kitty had wanted, a bath. Not just because it was what she'd wanted, but after all that fighting, it would be smart to sit. He'd hate to embarrass himself and not be able to stand for long. "I choose." Wyatt leaned down to kiss Kitty, despite the muscle protest and the dirt and sweat. "A bath. A nice romantic bath with candles." Because it was a compromise of what he'd hoped for and reality. A romantic bath after a hard won battle with killer robots.
The water foamed and churned around their feet, throwing up salty spray heavy with the fishiness of the coastal Atlantic. Quiet and content, Kitty sought Wyatt's hand to tangle their sea-damp fingers together. As the setting sun dipped behind the cliffside, she smiled over at him, thinking to steal a kiss, only to be arrested mid-motion by a sudden burst of dazzling electric light from somewhere up above. Mere seconds later, the quiet evening exploded into midway sounds and carnival music.
Kitty cocked her head, frowning. "I didn't think the amusement park was open tonight."
Wyatt's head leaned in for the kiss that he thought was coming only to be just as confused as Kitty at the sounds of the carnival appearing. "Maybe they're doing rehearsals or some kind of maintenance. Though I don't know why we'd hear the Midway then." He straightened up with a quick and easy grin. "Feel like watching me try to win a giant stuffed animal by spending outrageous amounts of money that probably costs ten bucks?" He was pretty good with a gun and a baseball to knock down bottles. It was the basketball hoop that he was horrible at. He knew it was rigged, he just could never make those shots through the distorted rim.
"That depends." Kitty grinned and took the kiss that she'd been angling for, even while she turned them back toward the path up the cliff. "Are you going to give it to me?" For someone who'd lived what she had, Kitty could be ridiculously sentimental. And having something that Wyatt had given her if he ever disappeared (when; Kitty wasn't lucky enough for if) appealed to the part of her that still missed her bed full of stuffed animals.
"I don't know. I have always wanted a stuffed four foot neon purple monkey." Wyatt teased, "but I can probably be persuaded to give you my winnings." He pulled back to let Kitty take the lead up the cliff path. They could walk side by side, but it would be tight. Not that Wyatt minded that with Kitty, but he wasn't familiar enough with the geology of this world to risk it. This way he could watch her back, on the plus side, he could literally watch her back as they walked.
"If you win a stuffed four foot neon-purple monkey, you can keep that," she teased right back at him. When he dropped behind her, Kitty almost reminded him that if she fell, she could go intangible and climb the air back up, but it was sweet that he thought about it, and he couldn't go intangible if he fell. So it was just as well they took the path single file. Besides, she looked good from behind and she knew it.
Wyatt enjoyed the scenery of both Kitty and the surrounding landscape as they climbed the stairs. When they reached the top, he slipped next to her once more and entwined their fingers. "Deal. Any other stuffed animal I'll gladly give to you." He squeezed her hand, then shot her a quick grin. "I'll do my best to win a three foot pink pig in a tutu."
She elbowed him lightly in the ribs but laughed, eyes flashing with warmth and affection. "You're so good to me," she teased--very lightly, because he really was. He treated her like something precious and after all of the not-so-great relationships she'd lived through, she treasured it.
As Wyatt looked down at Kitty, he thought of Jessica. Kitty wasn't a replacement at all, she was another chapter in his life and his feelings were getting deeper. There weren't guilty feelings either. He knew that Jessica would have liked Kitty if they'd ever met and maybe that's why the feelings of guilt just weren't there. "I try." He leaned down and captured another quick kiss. "Lucky for me, you make that easy."
"You say that now," she murmured and curled a hand around the back of his neck. She was abruptly rethinking this plan to investigate the park. Maybe tonight would be the night they--
Before she could finish the thought, a beam of red light streaked out toward them. Instinctively, she phased them both and it passed through them to collide with and burn up a patch of the dirt.
"Toward the park, find cover," she barked as soon as she went tangible again. Then she gave him a small push, and ran into the clear. He'd be pissed, but only one of them could let a laser pass through them without damage and Kitty didn't want to trust she could keep him intangible on the move.
His first instinct of course was to argue and be with Kitty. Wyatt would always want to protect the ones he cared about even if they could and would protect themselves. He was worse after his wife's death. He was about to open his mouth to protest when she pushed him in the opposite direction. Wyatt's anger fueled the first few steps toward the park, until another laser fired and he swerved to avoid it. That's when common sense hit him square between the eyes or in the ass, both were needed. Kitty was right. It would be a danger to her - which wouldn't be what she was thinking but it was what Wyatt thought about - to also be protecting him while they phased. This time determination fueled his pace and he went to find cover and also to figure out what was going on.
As much as Kitty hated to be separated from Wyatt when something was shooting at them, by her count, there was only one laser gun. That meant it could only track one of them at a time, and Kitty being out in the open made a better target--
Until it figured out that hitting Kitty wasn't hurting her. Or at least, it seemed to be figuring that out. Then it started firing on Wyatt which scared the shit out of her, but she had to trust he could take care of himself while she found where the laser was coming from. She phased through the chain link fence's minimal cover and ran along it toward Wyatt. "Babe, give me your hand," she called when she caught up to him.
Like a well oiled machine, Wyatt slid his fingers through the fence without even looking, trusting that Kitty would be there and she was. He felt the familiar sensation of being phased through the fence, it was something that he would never become blase about. It was always so incredible and amazing to him. Despite the situation, there was a slight smile on his face when he was through the structure. Just as he was getting ready to speak, another laser round struck nearby. It hadn't been close enough to require anything but fancy dodge work, nor did Wyatt let go of Kitty's hand. "Over there." He noticed a cotton candy stand. It wouldn't be great cover but it would do until they could figure out what to do.
Kitty nodded. It would do. The lights were on inside the stand, which was weird since she could see from here that it was locked with a chain on the door. "Don't let go," she murmured and took off at a quick jog again. While she ran, she mentally calculated the internal dimensions and decided going through the door was going to be safest, so she aimed them there, and didn't stop running until she was several feet inside the cotton candy stand.
"We need to figure out why the lights are on," she said to Wyatt, voice hushed, as he came through the door still holding her hand.
Once they were inside, his hand remained in Kitty's but his mind worked feverishly to try to figure out what was going on. "Maybe the electricity went off when they had their lights on and then when it came back on, the lights were still on." Wyatt dismissed that even as he finished the thought. "No, that wouldn't work. If I had a business and my electricity went out, I'd turn everything off just in case it came back on at midnight so I wouldn't waste it."
"That wouldn't explain the lasers either." She frowned and then freed her hand so she could have both to tie her hair in a knot. "Let's see if there's a computer terminal in here."
Wyatt walked over to a row of cabinets that he'd spotted earlier. He was sure supplies were in there but he was equally sure that if the owner had a tablet to keep a list of inventory close, he'd either have it on him or leave it locked up. The wooden doors opened easily and it didn't take Wyatt long to see that it truly did hold just supplies. "Well that was a bust." He spun on his heels as he straightened up and while he was focused on what Kitty would need, he also quickly cataloged everything he saw to be used for scavenging for the Inn.
That was when his gaze fell on a cash register and thankfully not the kind from a couple of decades ago. "Not sure if this will help." He caught Kitty's attention, "But I'm sure you can McGyver something with it." It was said with pride in Kitty's abilities.
Kitty grinned at that, how confident in her he was, and how smoothly they worked together. "Keep an eye out while I--" She'd only gotten her fingers on the point-of-sale machine when the screen pixellated and she saw code running that there was no way, this machine should be running. "Oh shit." Shit, shit, shit. For the first time since Wyatt had met her, Kitty looked scared.
Wyatt was instantly alert at Kitty's expression. He knew that she wouldn't wear that expression if it wasn't something. His military training kicked in and Special Ops Logan was next to Kitty in an instant. "What is it? What's wrong?" His gaze landed where she was looking and it just looked gibberish to him, but apparently it was oh shit gibberish.
"Rogue AI," Kitty said tightly. How she knew all of that from a few lines of code would take longer to explain than they probably had. And as if to punctuate that point, a laser tore through the garage door style covering on the service window. "If it isn't getting help from minions it created by viruses, it's got a lot of mobility. Think Terminator, with no mobility. I can try to hack it, but I'd need something a lot faster. We're going to have to fight this the old-fashioned way."
"Hell." Wyatt really wished that he'd brought the gun he'd had with him at the Alamo, but he hadn't. They or at least he, would have to improvise. "Okay, what will take down a rogue AI where you can't unplug it." Actually, he wasn't sure a gun would have done it either, but at least Wyatt would have felt more comfortable with the weight of it in his hand.
"Destroy its housing and hope disrupting its electro-magnetic patterns keeps it from jumping ship," Kitty replied, wishing she'd put her uniform under her clothes. "Hopefully if it's mobile and only firing the odd laser, we're not dealing with alien robotics. Nothing I've seen around here screams advanced tech, so hopefully we can just beat it to death." With which words, she offered him a choice between the metal rods for extending the counter or whatever he preferred from the toolkit under it.
He briefly considered the offered metal rods but shook his head when he saw a small nail gun with nails on a strip already loaded and an equally small rebar on the other side of the tools. "This will work." Wyatt bent to pick up both and turned around to Kitty. "I feel more comfortable with a gun in my hand, even if it's just a nail gun." He thought it would work at a distance to put a projectile in the metal, if there was metal. Unfortunately, Wyatt pictured T1000 where it morphed and changed with each assault.
"Okay, babe. Listen. We could be dealing with anything from a roomba to a Terminator." More likely it was a servicebot or animatronic from the carnival. Why was a question for later. "Anything that looks like an antenna or receiver is what you're aiming for. Laser emitter is secondary unless it starts doing actual damage." So far it hadn't set fire to anything which was her biggest concern. "I'm going to try to scramble it. Ready?"
"Ready." Wyatt said, hoisting the nail gun in one hand and the bar in the other. He was used to firing weapons one handed so it wouldn't be an issue, he hoped. "Right. Let's go find an antenna receiver." He thought it would have to be nearby, the range couldn't be that far and the lasers were coming for one direction - so far. What he hoped didn't happen was that the lasers were a distraction and the real 'brains' was in another area of the park.
* * *
What they found, when they found it, was one dead science geek (burned by lasers), and another one cowering in fear of the animatronic deathbots their pet alien AI had taken over when they brought it to the carnival to give it a body. Howard, the remaining geek, spit out the whole sad tale to Kitty in sheer petrified delight that their weird science had actually brought them a beautiful babe--and then collapsed into weeping hysterics because Merv would never meet her, and she already had a boyfriend she had no intention of cheating on, thank you very much.
Kitty stepped away from the crushed heap of adolescent male to speak to said boyfriend. "Pretty sure I've confined the bulk of the AI behind the analog equivalent of a firewall. It was sick of the guys and made a break for it, but it agreed to hijack the next appropriate NASA signal back out to where it belongs. Which just leaves a bunch of clumsy bird-brains defending their 'fortress' with robotic Krav Maga." She leaned up on her toes to kiss him and said, "Pick a direction. And when we clear the trash-mobs, I want a bath and an end to my celibacy, mister."
Wyatt smiled into the kiss. He had pictured a romantic scenario when they ended their celibacy, but this was perfect and so very much them to have it end after a battle. "Man, people might think you can read minds. I was thinking the same thing, well shower instead of bath, but close enough." He kissed her lightly one more time before straightening up. "How about that way?" He pointed left in the general direction of the fun house. If he was going to have to fight trash-mob clowns, he wanted to get it over with first.
"Whoever kills the most bird-brains chooses the method of getting clean," she said cheerfully, and took off at a run in the direction of the funhouse. He was perfect. Like, so perfect she wondered why he was still with her, sometimes. And what would have happened to them, or with them, if Lara had stayed. Would she still be with both of them? Would they all be together? It was probably being off-world that was making her think of Lara, since they'd all fought the dinosaurs together last time. Kitty grinned. Punching dinosaurs was good for letting off steam, but evil bird-brains was like a comforting routine.
Apart from the gaping clownmouth and the matching axe-wielding clown, complete with green hair that stood on end, the funhouse building was the same cinder block as the rest of the service buildings, bland and institutional. The only thing out of place was the enormous foam mallet, lying discarded against the front wall, where the clown had probably found the wood-axe.
It wasn't moving or waving the axe around, so Kitty tried the diplomatic approach first. "You're confused. I can help--" The clown "rushed" her in its awkward animatronic way, swung the axe toward her head, and she phased to let both clown and axe pass through. "Now that was just rude." The clown continued forward toward Wyatt, apparently under the impression that Kitty was no threat or dead. "Business in the front, party in the back," she called out and then wondered why she hadn't just said keep him busy while I reach into his 'brain'.
It took him only a moment to understand what she was trying to say, but Wyatt got that he was to be the distraction. It would give Kitty the opportunity to do what she needed to do with the technology. Or at least stop the killer clown from going after others. If all else failed, they could get it really wet and screw the internal workings. Unless it was magical then maybe water and mechanics wouldn't rust.
"I'm going to enjoy killing you." Or at least watching Kitty destroy him. Wyatt set down the nail gun and twirled the rebar with a flourish before swinging it toward the axe. The two met with a clang, his arm muscle protested with a sting. It was a good sting though. "Having fun with the party?" His gaze flicked back to Kitty.
"It'd be better with rave lights and glow bracelets," Kitty called over the clown's shoulder, just as phased to give herself more mobility. The problem with not having x-ray vision or schematics was...not having x-ray vision or schematics. She could only guess that the design was rational and the computational systems were in the chest cavity because there would be more space, but the head was a real possibility because it needed fewer motors and mechanisms. She would've liked to know precisely what she was dealing with, because the elements might help her with Illyana's bonds, but she'd have to make do.
While Wyatt engaged him with the nail gun (smart), Kitty slipped her hand through the metal casing of the clowns chest, found a likely bundle of wires, and--
ZZRZZST!
The killer clown was killer down.
Wow. That was terrible. She was glad she'd only said it inside her head.
The nail had just found its target when the clown suddenly died. Wyatt was about to get confident in his nail gun skills when he realized that Kitty had been responsible. He chuckled at himself and shook his head as he bent to pick up the rebar that had been tossed aside. As he straightened up he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. Next to the fun house was the Dead Man's Cove Pirate Ring toss complete with hooks that looked like they belonged to Captain Hook nailed to the back wall for the kids to toss the plastic rings onto.
What captured Wyatt's attention wasn't another person trying to navigate through the chaos of the carnival, but another animatronic character. It seemed that the Carnival was trying to pick everyone of Wyatt's childhood nightmares, from killer clowns to Captain Hook. The robotic pirate advancing on them with their sword was none other than Captain Hook himself complete in garish purple outfit and boots to match.
"Of course. Now all we need is the tick tock of an alligator that ate a clock to be complete." The first time that the'd seen Peter Pan, Wyatt had been convinced one of the alligators he'd seen in East Texas was related to the Neverland gator. He'd listened for the tick but only heard the gator growl. His cousin that had babysat him had Wyatt convinced that one night, one of Hook's crew would kidnap him, to work on the ship forever. Or until Hook made him walk the plank, whichever came first.
Wyatt put more nail ammunition in the gun and without hesitation, let about five fly at the animatronic Hook in rapid succession.
Right on schedule, the ticking of a clock came from around the corner. And as the pirate fell, a crocodile waddled out to snap at Wyatt's ankles. Kitty went after the fallen pirate, confident that Wyatt could handle the crocodile's teeth while she dealt with the pirate's "brain."
After the pirate and the crocodile, came the huntsman and the queen, and then an army of gnome-sized dolls. It was, as Kitty predicted, a long, slog with Wyatt nailing them (literally) and Kitty lobotomizing them. It was almost four in the morning when they finished it.
"I lost count," she said as they finally came to a stop by the front gates. "You can choose how we get clean."
Both scenarios ran through his mind but in the end, he chose what Kitty had wanted, a bath. Not just because it was what she'd wanted, but after all that fighting, it would be smart to sit. He'd hate to embarrass himself and not be able to stand for long. "I choose." Wyatt leaned down to kiss Kitty, despite the muscle protest and the dirt and sweat. "A bath. A nice romantic bath with candles." Because it was a compromise of what he'd hoped for and reality. A romantic bath after a hard won battle with killer robots.