Breakthroughs and Breakouts
"Hey Roadblock," Lifeline told the figure on the bed. "Don't worry big guy, we'll find the kids and the others soon enough. Arcade's cracked a lot of the code so soon we'll find the way to get you up and out of here. Just hang tough big guy."
Lifeline left the Intensive Care unit. Arcade was outside with Firewall. "Any change?" Arcade asked.
"The nano-mites are attacking their white blood cells," Lifeline said. "Not to mention their nervous systems so they can't move."
"What about Wolverine and X23?" Arcade asked. "Obviously their mutant healing ability was able to counteract the nanites."
"And thanks to a quick blood transfusion that was the only way we could stave off even more damage to them," Lifeline sighed. "But all we were able to do is slow the progress down. There's just so much about their abilities we don't know and don't have the time to do the research."
Arcade looked worried. "Don't worry kid, they're all fighters," Lifeline put his hand on his shoulder. "They'll pull through."
"Yeah but unless we crack the code to override the nanites…" Arcade sighed.
"We'll do it kid," Firewall said. "We're so close I can smell it. It's just a matter of finding the right satellite."
Lina walked in. "Lifeline here's that analysis you wanted."
"Whoa…" Firewall blinked when she saw Lina.
"Firewall this is Dragonfly," Arcade introduced them. "She's our medic in the Misfits."
"Hello," Lina said shyly.
"Sorry," Firewall apologized. "Didn't mean to stare. I like your wings."
"Oh thank you," Lina said.
"Antennae are nice too," Firewall struggled to make conversation. "I mean they're kind of cool."
"I'm still getting used to them," Lina told her.
"You mean you didn't always have them?" Firewall asked.
"No," Lina shook her head. "One day they just popped up like huge zits. The next thing I knew I was in a cocoon and I came out looking like Madame Butterfly."
"Whoa…" Firewall blinked. "And I thought how much my parents would freak when I got my navel pierced."
"Yeah, well at least they didn't disown you…" Lina said softly.
"Sorry," Firewall apologized. "I didn't mean it like that. If it makes you feel any better my 'rentals weren't exactly the most supportive people either. When the Feds caught me they pretty much wrote me off too."
"Hey guys!" Daemon ran in with Mainframe. "We got something. We've figured out a way to block the Cobra signals a little."
"Define a 'little'," Lifeline asked.
"We can send out a short range harmonic pulse at just the right frequency and it will disrupt Cobra's signal," Daemon said. "Unfortunately it will only work in one small locale. Namely one room."
"The Intensive Care unit," Lina said.
"It's worth a shot!" Lifeline said.
Soon they had set up the equipment they needed. "You can see on this screen the nano-mites in their bodies on the electronoscope."
"Cool," Firewall saw the screens showing the individual Joe's bodies and scans. "Commencing pulse."
"It's working!" Arcade shouted as they saw the nanites stop. "All right! We did it!"
"Then why aren't they getting up?" Mainframe asked.
"The nanites destroyed a lot of their nervous systems and blood plates at a molecular level," Lina told them. "It might take long time for them to recover. If ever."
"Wait a minute," Lifeline said. "I've got it! These machines are programmed to deconstruct biomatter and create machinery right? What if we can reverse the process?"
"You mean have them create biomatter and destroy machinery?" Daemon asked.
"In other words have them destroy each other and turn the parts into replacements of the blood cells and nerves they destroyed!" Arcade hit his fist into his hand. "Why didn't we think of that?"
"Sure all we have to do is hack into the Cobra's computers and find out the right one controlling the nanites," Mainframe said sarcastically. "Take it over long enough to reverse the damage."
"Maybe not," Arcade thought. "If we can disrupt the frequency to Cobra…We can substitute our own frequency!" He ran to the machine. "Daemon can you program a pulse at five nine seven one three?"
"On it!" Daemon went at the machine. They were working feverishly. Within a half-hour. "Okay cross your fingers!" He sent along the signal.
The Joes twitched. "What are you doing to them?" Lina asked.
"Check it out," Arcade pointed. "Not only are the nanites rebuilding their body parts out of each other I hyped up the program so they'd do it at double the speed."
Soon the Joes started to move around and groan. "Oh my head…" Roadblock groaned.
"Roadblock!" Arcade burst in and hugged him. "Oh man I'm glad you're back!"
"What happened?" Gung Ho moaned.
"Cobra's nanites did a number on you," Lina said.
"Yeah I just wish we could figure out a way to KO them permanently," Arcade said.
Pietro burst in, "HEY ARCADE! WE GOT A SIGNAL!" He looked at Roadblock. "ROADBLOCK! YOU'RE AWAKE!" He jumped over and hugged him.
"Ugh…" Roadblock groaned. "My spine…I just got it back and now it's wrecked again."
"What's this about a signal?" Gung Ho asked.
"Xavier got a blip on Cerebro on Toad and the others," Pietro told them.
"Oh my god the kids!" Roadblock gasped. "I gotta…" He tried to get up but fell back down. "Lie down some more…"
"Come on big guy you need your rest," Lifeline said.
"We'll get 'em and bring 'em home," Pietro told him.
"And we've got a satellite to track," Arcade nodded. "Come on guys, let's go!"
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Meanwhile back in the cells…
"Obviously we need to get out of here and warn the Joes," Peter said. "Any ideas how?"
"It's time we busted out of this joint," Althea nodded.
"How do we do that?" Kurt asked. "I can't teleport out! This cell negates our powers!"
"When are you people going to learn that powers aren't everything?" Althea shook her head. "However the C4 explosive Snake Eyes has hidden in his mouth is pretty impressive."
"How…?" Kurt gasped as Snake Eyes turned around and produced it. "Never mind. I find its best not to ask questions like that."
"How to we use it though?" Fred asked.
"Well this det-cord I have in my hair should help," Scarlet pulled loose her ponytail. "It's coated for easy flammability."
"Hold on if my powers can't bust down the door how is that gonna work?" Remy asked. "Even if they are weakened."
"The wall is solid adamantium," Peter folded his arms. "Even Blob and I can't punch through it."
"Yeah but the floor isn't," Althea pointed. "It's concrete."
"Why the hell didn't I think of that?" Cobra Commander groaned.
"Uh, cause you're a moron?" Lance asked.
"Very funny," Cobra Commander snapped and pressed a button on the side of his helmet. A tiny device came out. "There's enough explosive in here that should do the trick for our cell."
"You keep explosive devices in your helmet?" Kurt gasped. "Why…No wait, I'm better off not knowing. Wait, if that's true why can't Blob or Avalanche break a hole through instead?"
"Hello? Mutant powers dampened here?" Fred pointed to the cell's forcefield. "We're all a little weaker or haven't you noticed? Oh wait you're already weak…"
"Not now Blob," Scarlet told him. "Anybody else got any extra explosives?"
"Does this explosive putty count?" Recondo asked as he took some from his hat.
"That'll do," She nodded.
"But if our powers won't work what makes you so sure this will?" Kurt asked.
"Hello? Explosives aren't mutant powers!" Todd told him.
"Duh," Fred rolled his eyes.
"But…" Kurt began.
"Don't think about it too hard Nightcrawler," Remy stopped him. "You'll hurt your head."
"Everybody get back," Scarlet ordered as she set up the explosion in the Joe's cell.
"What's the reason we didn't do this before?" Cobra Commander asked as they prepared the explosive in their cell.
"To find out their plans! Your idea, remember?" The Baroness snapped. "Now shut up and let me light this thing." She used a small lighter hidden in her high heel to do the trick. Scarlett had one in her boot as well.
"Are you Joes and Cobras always armed to the teeth?" Remy blinked.
"Well duh..." Cobra Commander folded his arms.
BOOM!
BOOM!
"Well that was productive," Cobra Commander quipped as he got out of his cell. "We got out of our cell and you guys just made a hole in the ground."
"A hole big enough for us to crawl into the Joes' cell," Lance grinned as he crawled through. "All right! Now we're talking!"
"What good does that do?" Cobra Commander asked. The ground started to shake. "Oh…"
"No power dampeners in the Joes' cell, remember?" The Baroness snapped.
Before the Iron Grenadiers knew it the prisoners had broken through and the entire castle was filled with chaos. Soon the mutants and Joes had a huge fight on their hands. "Quickly Commander," The Baroness hissed. "While the Joes and the mutants keep Alexander's troops distracted!" The two broke away from the rest but were stopped in a hall by three Iron Grenadiers, huge men in gray and red outfits and silver helmets.
"You two ain't going…Ugghh!" The Iron Grenadier gasped as he was shot from behind. The same fate befell to his companions.
"I always did have a good sense of timing," Firefly emerged from the shadows.
"Firefly? What are you doing here?" The Baroness shouted.
"I heard it was visiting day," Firefly said sarcastically. "What do you think?"
"What the hell is going on?" Cobra Commander snapped. "Besides an invasion of the world and me not being in charge of it!"
"Destro's got everyone else infected with those blasted nanites," Firefly explained. "Everybody except Zartan, his mutie friends and me."
"First of all it's not Destro," The Baroness corrected him. "It's his son Alexander. And second why are you not infected? I mean Zartan is a no brainer. All he had to do was pay him off. But why not you?"
"When I heard free wine was going to be passed out I was immediately suspicious and didn't drink any," Firefly replied. "That's how he slipped the nanites into 'em."
"See there are advantages to making everyone pay a minimum cover charge," Cobra Commander told her. "Come on! Let's get out of here!"
"No first we find Destro," The Baroness said.
"And why the hell would we do that?" Cobra Commander asked.
"Three reasons," The Baroness looked at him. "One: He knows more about the nanites than anyone else does besides his son. He can figure out a way to break control of them over the others so you can get Cobra back and maybe salvage something out of this fiasco. Two: You'll need him to take back control of the Iron Grenadier division and to take out Alexander."
"And the third reason?" Cobra Commander asked.
"Maybe he'll be so grateful he'll forget about that ten million dollars you owe him," The Baroness said.
"Well what are we waiting for?" Cobra Commander asked. "Let's go rescue noble Destro!"
"Fine as long as I get paid for this," Firefly grumbled as they went off. "But I want extra for Destro!"
"Your loyalty to the cause is so inspiring," The Baroness said sarcastically.
"Oh yeah like he was really gonna rescue us for free," Cobra Commander snapped back. "Stop whining and start running!"
Meanwhile the others were successfully breaking through the castle defenses. "Man for Destro's top troops these guys ain't so tough," Fred remarked as he pounded two together.
"Da, they are very easy to throw," Peter demonstrated.
"Where the hell are Cobra Commander and the Baroness?" Recondo yelled as he fought.
"They slipped out the back," Althea told him. "Big surprise."
A red beam shot through the wall. "There they are!" Scott shouted as the other X-Men and Misfits ran through the hole they made. Soon the Iron Grenadiers had been defeated.
"About time you guys got here," Todd said.
"How'd you find us?" Fred asked.
"The Professor's been on Cerebro nonstop since you got captured yesterday," Scott told him. "Once we located your mutant signatures we used the Mass Device to transport us here."
"Good get us out of here," Scarlet said. "We got to stop Destro Junior from attacking!"
"Destro who?" Jean asked.
"It's a long story," Scarlet told her. "We'll tell you when we get back. Something tells me the world is going to be under attack very shortly."