>>160571
[time passes.]
[time passes.]
[time passes...]
Well, I guess this counts as interesting. How good are you at figuring out escapes?

Because, ah... it turns out the Blood has a really good information network.
And, uh, a lot of fingers in, er, a lot of pies. So to speak.
Long story short, me and Ashley are captives. I don't know much. They hit me with some weird shock thing, and you went unresponsive... then they took us to some underground place. My hands are handcuffed to something solid, and my legs are tied up too. I'm blindfolded. I don't know where Ashley is, and they told me to remain quiet.

I think the angle here is to intimidate Antoine into recalling the bill.
I don't know what time it is or how long I've been out.

>>160607
You shoulda woke us when the ambush started.

[Triangulate position by comparing signal strengths of GILBN towers with their geographical positions, then messaging Antoine, Hannah, and Delarosa with our location and status. Request that they bring a Gear or two.]

Move your head close to your hands so you can get the blindfold off. From there, look around for something along the lines of a hairpin so you can pick the handcuffs - it's easy, don't worry about that.

Tell us what you can hear.

wonder if we could disable your safety locks and manually put you into 'car-lifting strength' mode.

>>160640
Oh, balls. Looks like some of us were damaged by the jolt.

What the crap are you talking about? Why do you even think that should be possible? o.0

>>160647
wait, you mean you don't know about moms picking up cars to get their kids to safety?

okay, lowdown is a person only uses about 5% of their muscle mass at a time and rotates through the entire muscle, that's how endurance works. when in EXTREME DANGER your body can disable the safety locks and use all 100% at the same time making you fucking powerful. draw back is it hurts like a motherfucker.

>>160651
That's adrenaline, not 'safety locks'. Safety locks are something you would put on a robot, but even then they would be called inhibitors or regulators.

I'm pretty sure we can't muck about with out host's biochemistry. That just seems like a disaster waiting to happen.

>[Triangulate position by comparing signal strengths of GILBN towers with their geographical positions, then messaging Antoine, Hannah, and Delarosa with our location and status. Request that they bring a Gear or two.]
>[$%$$ASSET (GEOMETRIC LOCATOR) DAMAGED#$%#$]
>[ASSET (%$%@%!^) UNAVAILABLE]

I lean back, lifting my hands and pulling away the blindfold. The room I'm in is bare save the pipe and the door, but I can stand at least.

I look at the cuffs. FUCK! Biometrics. Well-funded assholes, nothing worse.

I'm alone in the room.

>>160679
Dammit, our systems are damaged.

[run diagnostic]

>[Severe damages recorded in several ancillary systems. Extension of damage is severe in these areas affected. Cannot run self-repair or system restoration.]

[Record the tower IDs and signal strengths directly and send those instead of position information]

Biometric handcuffs? Awesome! They're buying the most expensive security they can get without having a damn clue what to do with it.
Try to position yourself so you can untie your legs, and start looking around for anything you can use to apply a sheering torque to one of the links. Thin steel rods would be best.

>>160688
>[Record the tower IDs and signal strengths directly and send those instead of position information]
>[cannot ping remote towers]

>Try to position yourself so you can untie your legs,
My hands are in an odd position. They've covered the knot with heavy duty tape, too.

And the cuffs aren't linked, it's like one solid piece fused together.

>>160693
What do you mean by 'biometric' handcuffs? Do they snugly fit your wrists or something?

[list fully functional systems]

>>160693
[Pinging is not required. Tower identification is periodically sent out as part of normal operation. Passively record that information.]

>>160685
How the...
Ok, it seems that we took damage, even though the energy require to DO that would be enough to cook your brain. Delarosa sold you some defective hardware.

Look around the room for anything you can use, and try to peel that tape off your leg bindings.

>>160704
>[Pinging is not required. Tower identification is periodically sent out as part of normal operation. Passively record that information.]
>[Function damaged.]

>Look around the room for anything you can use, and try to peel that tape off your leg bindings.

Before I can do much more, the door opens, and the light turns on.

It's Alan. A small pin with a red blood drop is on his shirt.
He takes a long, final drag on his ciggarette, then puts it out on the ground with a rather loud stomp.

"I was originally after Ashley, you know. If you hadn't stepped in like you did, I wouldn't have had to damage legion like I had."

>>160711
"What do you want with her?"

Yea, Delarosa sold you defective hardware. It's pathetically easy to block attacks like that.

>>160715
>[it should be noted that this version has no systems in place to prevent disconnection from tissue from heavy physical shock.]


>"What do you want with her?"

"I'm just going to make certain that Antoine understands the consequences of making such a sweeping change." Alan says with a smile.

He's like a goddamned predator. There's no humour in that smile.

>>160715
You keep attacking Delarosa's credibility. Why would he do that? He has so much sensitive information on Ashley that if he wanted to, he could hurt us far worse than just letting someone taze Legion.

Besides, we don't know how vulnerable our electronics are. Static shock can fry circuit boards, and you can't exactly insulate the entire brain now can you?

>>160716
"I don't give a damn about that. What do you want with Ashley?"

>>160717
Faraday-on-insulator protection makes currents running through the brain a non-issue for the same reason as why birds can stand on power lines.
It's a whole mess of design flaws. They really didn't think this thing through.

>>160716
"You think you can stop him? It's already begun. The people want this. Kidnapping us is pointless!"

[extreme danger detected: increase adrenaline flow into body]

>>160720
Settle down, there. Ashley first. After THAT we can start provoking him.

Maybe something along the lines of "Doesn't your mission statement say something about making it more entertaining? So why is it that people have stopped cheering when you execute your opponents?
Did you join the bleeders so they wouldn't kill you? The way you're driving down recruitment rates they won't have a choice in a year or two."

>>160719
>It's a whole mess of design flaws. They really didn't think this thing through.
W-well, heheh, uhm... I only had so much money... Delarosa was against this kind of model but, I, uh...

>"You think you can stop him? It's already begun. The people want this. Kidnapping us is pointless!"

He chuckles.
"Any bills are sent through him to the rest of the government. It's not much of an issue to force him to back down from his position. and if he resigns, the next in line goes to the one with the greatest win percentile."

He smiles, leaning close to me.
"I know my next match will be a loss, so I can keep you here indefinitely. I've got something against hurting girls, but I wonder how close you and Antoine are?"

>>160730
"Considering that he's spent half the time I've talked to him beating me with a lead pipe? Not very.
So, that's why you're doing this. You're a sociopath with psychotic tendencies. You're not here for the sport, the fame, or the money, you're just here to cause as much damage as you can.
Too bad you're too much of a coward to face me in a fair match; I'd love to turn you into a greasy smear."

[request security override, host in lethal danger.

override biometric restraint]

>>160733
What? That's not even our equipment!
Go run a self-diagnostic or something.

>>160733
[Cannot affect sympathetic nervous system]

>>160732
>"Considering that he's spent half the time I've talked to him beating me with a lead pipe? Not very.
>So, that's why you're doing this. You're a sociopath with psychotic tendencies. You're not here for the sport, the fame, or the money, you're just here to cause as much damage as you can.
>Too bad you're too much of a coward to face me in a fair match; I'd love to turn you into a greasy smear."

"I'm not easily provoked." he replies simply. "Again, had you not intervened, our match would have gone normally, as the rules specifically refer to captives for focing a surrender of the opposing pilot. In fact... I daresay it could still go through, should Antoine give in quickly. To be honest, I was interested in fighting you." he turns around. "There is no greater feeling than stepping into that arena against a foe I am uncertain of defeating. The thrill, the adrenalin..." he turns around, his eyes wild and wide. He calms after a few moments. "You're of no concern to us. I'll let you go as soon as we capture the other fine lady, presuming you don't run off and tell a little bird."

only thing left is try getting pissed off enough you can break free. best way to do that is think of horrible things happening to people you care about.

>>160738
I think that's the best deal we're gonna get.

>>160738
"Yea, 'not easily provoked' is part of being a sociopath.
I'll ask again: what do you want with Ashley? What possible advantage do you get from kidnapping her?"

>>160749
"He will come for her, or change his mind on the press conference announcement. It's funny how similar you two are. Both of you will never fail to save the frightened woman."

>>160751
Laugh, and laugh hard.
"Yea, you go ahead and keep thinking that. I know I should be scared, but all you need is a handlebar mustache and a hand rubbing habit to make the image complete."

>>160751
"I forgot to mention that he was beating me with a lead pipe because I attacked him after he tried to strangle Ashley to death. Because she rejected him."

>>160770
He shrugs.
"Then he will have to live with her disappearance for the rest of his life." he says simply. "Both Ashley's and... Ah, there she is." he says as a distant door clangs shut. "The one you saved yourself. Now I have the complete package!"

>>160771
"Fine. Now let me out. After I kill you in the arena, I'll be back for the girls."

>>160771
"Hannah's the one he's in love with, not Ashley. She's not doing you any good.

Actually, whatever, I'm not going to even bother trying to point out the holes in this plan anymore. It's like something a third grader would come up with.
If you have what you want, then I need to get my Legion unit repaired."

Somehow convince him to take your leg bindings off, or otherwise find a way to get them off.

Then rabbit-punch the fucker in the back of the head. If you hit him hard enough with the cuffs you'll knock him out.

He wants gladiatoral combat? Fine. When he's knocked out, ram your heel into the base of the skull at the back of the neck until something breaks. I wonder how much fun he'll have paralyzed from the neck down.

>>160775
"If, you mean." he says, leaving the room.

Someone else enters, unbinding me. Then a sack gets thrown over my head.

It's pulled off much later, and I'm tossed out onto the ground in front of the stadium.

The match is in an hour.

>>160807
[check logs for triangulation data or GPS locations]

[Use triangulation data from the GILBN towers that was recorded as we were taken away to determine th location of the facility.]

In an hour, 'eh? Go get in Burn, and proceed to destroy Smokah while it's unmanned. Then start dragging the parts back to Ashley's place.
If anybody complains then tell them that he kidnapped Ashley, so you're kidnapping his mech. If they persist, then point out that your actions are well within the rules of the game, that you are in a 30 meter tall machine of death, and that they are quite squishy.

...I don't think it's actually within the rules to sabotage his mech.

Also are you nuts? He'll know what we're doing, and threaten to kill one of the hostages. Heck, we can't even kill Smokah if his robot is non-functional.

We've gotta play this legit. Or at most, sabotage his mech a little bit. Though I remember that Anthony said he didn't want to sabotage anything. Just kill him in battle.

>>160827
Ah, but it IS within the rules! Sabotage is permitted!

Go tell Antione. It would be better if he heard about this when you can actually help him calm down and make sensible decisions.

And one more thing, don't kill what's his face. We need him.

We were EXPLICITLY warned not to do that.
We don't have many options, so sabotaging his mech is as good a plan as any.
Also, we don't have to kill him. At this point Antoine should be perfectly willing to make the prick an unsolved mystery, and we need to play up our chivalrous knight bit.

... Actually, just report that he's holding Ashley captive. He loses, Antoine murders him in his sleep, we get out smelling like roses.

>>160843
>murder
Anthony already decided against that.

>>160852
No, Anthony is opposed murdering somebody ourselves. Giving Antoine the name of a guy involved and letting him go doesn't stain our hands, even if the public DID find out.
Besides, if Ashley and Hannah aren't released then we're going to be doing a LOT of justified killing to get them free.
If one of them dies, then our off time is going to be spent saying things like "Give me the names of every member you know and I'll finally let you die."

Oh, also:
[Use the acceleration applied to Anthony while in the truck alongside a road map to determine possible paths for the vehicle to have taken.]

Alright, simple solution time. We'll just kick his ass. Match in an hour? Not much time to do anything else. Alright, review, what components to we have installed in Burn? I hope we got all our anti-Smokah tech in properly.

I'm not going to fall to his level. I'm going to defeat him, fair and square, in the ring. If he dies, then that's his own damn problem.

I arrange transport for Burn and make my way to the stadium, eating in silence. Antoine doesn't meet me there. As the warnings sound, I slide into my 'pit, and prepare for the match.

>>161002
Assuming there IS a match. He took Ashley hostage, so unless she shows up before it's time you can just call him on that and have him eat the loss.

Meanwhile... [Send recording of the bastard talking to Delarosa.]

>>161007
>[Cannot send media or make calls, function not available with this unit!]

Thread's over, by the way.