"Quantonium.", Bucky gave a sly huff. "Susan was only six months.", with a chuckle. "That short, huh?", Susan said as Bucky nodded. "Makes sense then... Quantonium is strangely fickle.", Dr. C said.
"And alive, at least that's what Erskine believed.", Bucky pointed out. Tara breathed in amazement as she kept watching the screen, "A boy...I'm having a baby boy...", giving out a little sob of happiness, "I wonder if he would take after Derek...".
Susan sharply exhaled...Even with Tara and perhaps her, and the family of monsters to teach him right from wrong...That baby boy...he would be forever a Dietl...Bucky and Mo can see the angst in Susan's eyes, knowing the truth and all...It's even worse for Bucky...
Thankfully, Tara was so focused on the growing child on the screen that she didn't see the others' reactions... or things might have spiraled into pure vitriol again like the night before the wedding. Susan had mostly been keeping all talk about Derek to Tara alone for the most part; she knew that Tara wouldn't forget what she said that night but hopefully it would be put in the past.
Bucky was torn between being happy for Tara as this child, this cub, this baby boy is part of her, and being heartbroken as he isn't the father, but a bastard is...Bucky is only Tara's friend...Not the boyfriend he was with her in his dreams...He loves her...and the cub as well, even if he has to get over the fact that the cub is a rival's, he will never dream of hurting the cub as it's innocent, even if he's born of rape, not love.
"You already deciding on names?", Link asked as Tara blushed. "Well, I'd rather wait until later... you know, just in case things with Derek...", Tara admitted as the others gave a small nod. "If I'm not out before this little one comes, then I guess I'll do the naming on my own, but right now...".
Mo replied, "We get it, Tara. Either way, it's clear that you're a mother...Congrats.", as Susan gently wiped the gel away, and the sonogram turned off, waiting for the next few times for the progress of Tara's baby boy.
Tara smiled as she then pushed back her shirt down, rubbing her baby bump, "Thank you, Mo...Thank you for being here, guys, all of you...", and Insecto then bellowed.
Link nodded, "Indeed, Insecto, that's right, we're all here for the kid no matter what, monster or human.", and Bob frowned in confusion, "But isn't the baby a monster already?".
Dr. C sighed, "Bob, what Link means is that the child is going to be family either way. And Mo is correct. Many congratulations, Tara. I am sure you'll be a brilliant mother.".
"Thank you, Doctor.", Tara smiled as she sighed and rubbed her belly. "I just only wish that this little one wouldn't know this place as his entire world... he deserves to experience the freedom of the outside world... that's what I've always wanted for any children I would have.". Susan rubbed her back as she was trying to be supportive for her sister.
Bucky replied, "I know, Tara...But this place is tighter than a jewelry box inside a treasure chest inside a gun closet inside a bank vault inside a panic room inside a fort with overloads of different locks and chains. The only way out is a miracle, and even that is asking for a lot, literally.".
Link nodded, "Yeah, I hate to be a downer, but I'd not hold my breath, especially on a day like this.", before a door opened, with a jeep running into the room with Monger at the wheel, "Great news, monsters! You're all getting out of here!".
Speechless for a moment, Link then spoke, "I stand corrected.", with a shocked look. "I knew there was a catch.", Link said a few minutes later after calming Tara down again when she practically was screaming for joy, happy to finally get out and get right back to Derek.
Then of course, Monger explained how the president was informed of the situation and canceled the order on them. But then Monger said there was something that had to be done for all this to be possible.
"Yeah, I'm afraid so.", Monger sighed. "To make a long story short; we're not alone in the universe. And just last night an alien robot has landed on the planet and peaceful coexistence is not on its agenda.".
Bucky frowned, "Before all of this, I would never believe that aliens would exist, and now, being a monster, anything is possible, even aliens. How bad, General?".
Monger replied, "It's about the same size as Insecto, but more dangerous. It is able to deflect away any and every of the government's weapons. With every step, it destroys roads, forests, houses, you name it...It doesn't seem to have a general crew manning it at all or even an absolute plan, but right now, it's in California, having landed in an apple orchard, which was fortunate, and now, from the tracking technology, it seems to be heading for San Francisco.".
"What's exactly in San Francisco that it could want?", Mo asked. "No idea. No rhyme or reason with that damn machine. All we do know is that's leaving a trail of destruction and needs to be stopped. If we can smash it, then I'd say we could hopefully find out some answers.", Monger said.
Susan then replied, "Well, leaving a trail of destruction is a sign of a bully, and I hate bullies! Let's get the robot down! I'm sure, with our abilities and powers, we can somehow get the robot down without getting anywhere close to San Francisco.".
Dr. C nodded, "I agree, Susan, and Tara, you're not in any immediate danger as the baby is still small, but I'd feel better if you would stay close to Insecto, at least help him get to the harbor.".
Bucky replied, "He's right. I know you would want to help fight, but you need to stay safe.", and Susan sighed, "You're my sister. I'd be less worried about you if you are out of the way...I know Mum was fine with me the whole time, but this is different.".
Tara took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright, I guess I'd just slow you all down anyway... you're all able to fight better than me, especially you, Susan... always had."
Susan smiled, "I know. You stay with Insecto, help the people leading him out.", hugging Tara warmly, and Tara smiled, "I will...Just be careful, all of you, okay?", looking down at the others.
Mo grinned, "We're monsters. We can take whatever the robot will dish out.", and Link nodded, "Yeah, what he said!".
Tara was worried that might not be the case... if things were as bad as Monger was making it. She turned to look over to Insecto and stay with him as planned.
"So, how exactly we getting to this robot quickly?", Bob asked as Monger chuckled. "Glad you asked.", Monger snapped his fingers before the sound of a large metal object was starting to move.
A giant plane started to appear, not quite the type of plane that is used to carry cargo, but smaller and faster, and with many of the monsters essentially 10 ft tall, they can fit in easily without overcrowding and all.
Monger replied, "Let's go!", driving the jeep into the plane, parking, and the monsters followed him in, taking seats on any spot of storage or the jeep. And soon, the plane went to fly up and out, with Tara, in her giant form, sitting and holding into the antenna of Insecto as the lights of the board by the helicopter allured Insecto as the platform moved up and out.
"Any chance we could get a better look at this thing, General, I'd very much like to see if maybe there is some obvious weak spots that were missed?", Cockroach said.
Monger pressed a button and brought up a screen, "Haven't gotten too many close looks... thing doesn't allow us to hang around near it... but if you see anything, let me know right now because we've got nothing.".
Bucky blinked, "It looks like an egg on legs, and some sort of claw arms.", and Mo blinked, "That would take a whole lot of force to push that down...".
Dr. C nodded, "Yes, I can see what you mean...Heavy on the top and less heavy on the bottom...We cannot trip the robot with nets as those legs are literally as big as water towers...They can destroy a net or even chains...I fear...".
Susan replied, "Then we have to do the old-fashioned way. We have to get behind the robot in the back...It only got one eye! I can do my force fields...I have never done big ones as tall as Insecto...but I can try...".
"That might work...", Mo bit his lip. "Of course... something about that eye... I can't fully tell if that's either the control like a cockpit or a trap for anyone attacking.".
"All I know is that's getting smashed!", Link punched his fists as he was just raring to go. Bob then asked, "Are we smashing eggs?", and Bucky grinned, "Yes, we are, Bob.". Bob cheered, and chuckles rang around the group.
The flight took a rough bit of turbulence as the others tried to hang on. "Has the machine reached San Francisco yet, and what's the situation on the ground? Has the city even been evacuated?", Susan asked.
"Haven't gotten too much news about what's going on in the city, but the robot seems to at least still be some distance from the city. We might be able to catch it before it starts reaching the major population areas of the bay.", Monger explained as Susan nodded. Last thing she wanted was such a lovely city to her like San Francisco to be destroyed by this cruel amalgamation of alien metals and wires.
Thanks to the plane's speed, it only took up to 30 minutes as the monsters had discovered that the base was literally in the Nevada desert.
The plane landed in a field not far from the borders of the suburbs of San Francisco, and Monger saluted them, "Good luck, monsters. Try not to make too much of a mess. I already got the presidential pardon for you guys, and well, you get the gist.".
Nods of agreement and understanding rang around, and so the monsters exited, heading up one of the hills to take in the surroundings and their vantage points.
"Feels strange... the air not being processed through vents... the feeling of the sun shining down on you...", Bucky said. "Amazing what you take for granted when you lose it for so long.".
"It'll be alright, Uncle Bucky... we take care of this robot... then we'll finally be free... maybe we'll even go back home. Our true home.", Susan smiled as he chuckled.
"You sure you don't want to stay in the 21st century?", Bucky asked in amusement. Susan replied, "Right now, I just want hug Mum and Dad again after so many years of being separated.".
Bucky chuckled, "Me too, Susie. Me too.", before Mo gave a growl, currently in his normal sized gorilla form, atop the high point of the hill, seeing something. Bucky and Susan quickly made their way up, with the others slightly lagging behind.
Susan gasped softly, "Okay, maybe more than one force field at a time...", staring at the sight of the robot far in the distance, distracted by something else as it's not seeing the team at the moment.
"Still feel confident we can take that, Link?", Cockroach asked as Link kept up his punches. "Eh, maybe a bit bigger than I'd like, but we got this.", he cracked his neck as he was doing stretches.
"What have we got?", Bob asked. "Keep up, Bob, if you can.", Link replied.
"Following you or following you?", Bob asked in confusion, and Link sighed as he looked to the blue blob. "We're trying to stop the giant robot; you just follow us; as in keep running with us.", Link responded.
"Okay, got it!", Bob nodded before his eyes widened as he realized that he forgot how to breathe again. Mo made the breathing motion before Bob took in some air and was back at the ready.
Bucky narrowed his eyes, "Let's do this. Let's sneak in and smash this egg to smithereens.", before shifting to his large wolf form, and Susan smiled as she kept down at 10ft tall, and climbed into Bucky's back, holding into his fur ruff.
Mo grew slightly more, putting Dr. C and Bob on his back, and glanced at Link who snorted, "I'll take the water.", heading for one of the waterways of the bay.
And so, Bucky and Mo slinked into the forest surroundings, running quickly on thick paws and hands, heading for the robot.
"Our best chance might be to at least keep this thing distracted long enough until Insecto comes.", Cockroach called out. "At least if it sees a threat its own size, it'll give us a chance to really start focusing on taking this thing down.".
"First things first, we need to keep it from the city! That means getting into a fight with it!", Susan shouted. Dr. C nodded, "Of course!", and they got closer, with Susan getting off Bucky, and grew up to her giant size, with Mo growing up to his giant gorilla size.
Susan picked up Bucky and put him on Mo's shoulders next to Dr. C and Bob, with Bucky shifting back to his werewolf form.
Susan then took a deep breath, turning invisible, and suddenly, discs of force fields went straight for the robot in the back and feet, piercing through a blue force field on its body, and actually hitting the metal.
Feeling the hits almost like paintball shots, the robot shocked the team by revolving around with its eye landing straight on the team without even turning its feet around.
"It rotates... should've expected that.", Dr. C cursed as the eye began to charge up. "And I think it's about to fire! Move!", Bucky roared.
Mo quickly moved just in time as the blast missed him and the others, causing the others to fall over into trees and bushes in surprise, and Susan, still invisible, went furious, and grew balls of force fields, and threw them at the robot as she ran around the side.
The robot went to look and look while balls of force fields kept coming, hitting and even denting barely in some spots here and there, and its eye kept blasting, but kept missing Susan as it couldn't see her. Growing frustrated and curious, its eye turned a different color to dark gold, scanning its view as Susan kept throwing and even changing the forms of her force fields.
Then it found her by the body warmth of her body, and blasted accurately, hitting Susan on the spot just as she fired another force field, causing her to turn visible, thrown back by the force of the blast, cuts and wounds everywhere as she laid in a lopsided way, looking almost dead.
"SUSIE!", Bucky screamed out as the robot turned his attention back towards the rest of the group. Mo was more raged filled than he had ever been in his life and quickly got the trio off of him as he charged straight for the machine. He was going to rip that thing piece by piece for what it just did to her. He jumped up into the air and slammed his fists down hard against it; surprisingly puncturing right through its protective force field.
"It's got a force field!", Doc called out. "We just need to get a hole through the field long enough to start causing serious damage!".
Bucky blinked, "But how?! We have no massive force of power like Mo!", and Bob replied, "Why can't we get to the eye?".
Dr. C and Bucky looked at Bob, and he sighed, "I know, stupid idea.", but Dr. C shook his head, "No, it's brilliant! Okay, Bob, make yourself into a slingshot!".
Bob nodded, stretching and grabbing between far away trees, creating a makeshift slingshot, and Dr. C nodded, "Okay, Bucky, you pull him back, and you shoot me to the mouth, and from there, I can get to the control center behind the eye!", seating himself in the fabric-like blue goo of Bob.
"Sure, you won't splat against the force field like... well, a roach?", Bucky asked. "Only one way to find out, I guessssssssss!", Dr. C screamed as Bucky accidently let him loose early.
"Sorry, ground quake made me lose my grip.", Bucky apologized to Bob.
As this was happening, the robot was fighting with its arms while Mo kept punching and roaring, with the robot trying to blast him off when he came near the eye anytime, and Dr. C, thanks to the early release than planned, landed on one of the arms, and was relieved yet hasty to crawl and dodge the flying arms of King Kong as Mo is literally in rage mode.
The robot was walking everywhere, going in circles as it kept fighting against the giant gorilla, getting closer and closer to Susan who was still unconscious and wounded yet the cuts and wounds are slowly healing up like nothing happened.
Eventually, one of the blasts from the eye got Mo in the arm, catching him off guard as Mo tried to hold on, but the robot's arm slammed into him hard enough for him to fly back into the forest, with Dr. C holding on unseen by the robot or Mo, getting close to the body between the eye and the mouth.