DHD: they accidentally make the STRIPE armor a sentient robot in its own right
It was like the universe itself had it out for STRIPE. No matter what the threat was, STRIPE was somehow always out of commission-- taken to pieces, sabotaged, stuck halfway up a cliff when it turned out that icy mountains and car parts rebuilt into a robot were not a great mix... somehow.
Except, Jakeem had noticed, it always worked when it really mattered. And it really, really mattered now. His eyes darted, trying to account for his team, trying to make some kind of Plan for a wish.
STRIPE was down, blasted hard into the side of a building and Pat was not responding on Coms. Jakeem hoped it was just that the coms were as fried as everything else electronic, and not that he was...hurt. Courtney and Artemis were airsupport, Artemis up on a rooftop somewhere he couldn't see, and Cindy stood over a fallen Mike, both her blades out and bloody as she defended him from their attackers.
It wasn't going to be enough. Jakeem tried his best to stay out of the thick of things, like Beth, and he could weigh chances almost a half of a quarter as well as she could. maybe. But still, it didn't take Dr. Midnite's goggles to see that Cindy was swaying from bloodloss, that Mike's movements were getting feebler, that Artemis was going to run out of crossbow bolts sooner rather than later.
"I wish," he said, trying to think of exact words. While the 'specific' aspect wasn't as important--Yz knew what he meant, and was pretty good about sticking to the spirit of things when it was life-or-death, the 'can't make the same wish twice' part was still very much a key restriction. "That the STRIPE robot made by Pat, Mike, and Zeek, was fully functional right now, with the power to save my friends from the were-hyenas currently trying to eat them."
"I've got just the thing! Oh, I've been wanting to do this for ages!" Yz sparked pink, and the lightning struck STRIPE. Jakeem held his breathe as the Robot's hand twitched, then moved, the whole thing righting and interposing between the weird monster thing and Cindy.
"I had it," she said, but seemed to be glad of the cover, pulling Mike to his feet and getting him out of the road while STRIPE sent the attackers flying.
With STRIPE back online, the tide turned, and the JSA focused more on offense, enough to drive the creatures back, with Grundy to harry them. They'd regroup, figure out the real plan, how to stop the things for good.
STRIPE crouched down, tilting its head like it was studying them.
"Hello," echoed the voice, and Jakeem frowned. it didn't sound right, like Pat's voiced amplified.
"Dad?" Mike asked, picking up on the same issue.
The chestplate moved, opening. Jakeem could see the blood-- not much of it. Pat's eyes were closed, but--
"He's breathing, oh, thank god." Courtney announced, reaching him first. "Beth, call your mom!"
"My passenger is in need of medical attention," STRIPE said. "Who else is in need of medical attention?"
"Hold up," Rick said, ever suspicious. "Who are you?"
"I am STRIPE."
"Yeah, but like... who? Is that Zeke?" Yolanda asked, limping slightly as she approached. One of the Hyenas had gotten a lucky bite.
"I am...STRIPE," STRIPE said. "I do not understand."
"Are you another AI?" Beth asked. "Like Chuck?"
"Optimus Prime?" Mike blinked, shaking his head and promptly realizing why doing that with a concussion was frowned upon.
"Uh. I think that's my bad," Jakeem said, holding up the pen.
"You wished for the robot--" Artemis started
"My name is STRIPE," STRIPE interrupted helpfully.
"To be... alive?" Artemis finished.
"Well, not in so many words," Jakeem shrugged. "It worked though, right?"
8 notes
·
View notes