One of the researchers was flung backwards with a massive crack in his goggles. Ophelia could afford to be fearless, standing her ground as she kept her fire focused on the doorway. She caught two of the Wolves before her skull exploded in a spray of bone and brain.
Anna was firing over the table, but even that proved risky as a well-aimed shot from a Wolf blew off one of her fingers.
"Did you bother to set up any defenses?" Batavius asked, as she and her surviving companion began to quickly assemble something behind the table.
Hot Stuff was still standing, any bullet that came in her direction melted before it reached her. With a snap of her fingers she began to burn even brighter. The clothing on her smoldered, fire resistance only going so far, and it began to turn to ash and drop to the ground. "I love them with all those muscles," she said, sauntering forward and ignoring the gunfire now coming in her direction.
"I hate Pyros," said one of the Wolves, dropping his rifle and taking off his gloves. His hands began to transform, massive claws springing forth.
"Your dick doesn't do that, right?" Hot Stuff asked.
"Err," said the man, taken aback.
"You don’t go all doggy? I mean, I'm pretty freaky, but that isn't my thing," Hot Stuff said.
"You get used to it. Well, you won't, because we're going to kill you," said one of the Wolf women.
I didn't care about their banter. I'm guessing the Wolves had some measure of fire resistance and actually posed something of a threat to Hot Stuff. There was nothing supernaturally durable about her, she simply burned so hot most threats turned gaseous before they could touch her.
I zipped my defense drone out from behind the table and charged the man. Rifles were already tracking the sphere by the time it got close, bullets tearing it apart. I managed to get out a blasting zap that sent the Wolf to the ground twitching.
"I was flirting," Hot Stuff said, delivering a punch to the face of the woman. There was the sizzle of burning flesh and she dropped howling to the ground.
One of the Wolves had been scrounging in a pouch at their waist and now leveled a pistol. A shot took Hot Stuff in the stomach. Frozen mist surrounded the bullet in the air and when it hit Hot Stuff she went soaring backwards, her bare abdomen a bloodied, frozen mess.
The round probably would have killed a normal human, instantly freezing them solid. The flesh was an unhealthy bluish grey surrounding the wound—although already that was fading.
"Emma, I need some cover," Anna said, crouched at the edge of the table near where Hot Stuff lay.
Did she mean to rescue the woman? It wasn't a good idea. With Hot Stuff at her current temperature the effort would gravely wound Anna. Ophelia was there, but her skull had only managed to piece itself back together —she was still regrowing a face.
"Go," I told Anna.
I brought my second defense drone in behind the Wolves. My target was that pouch. It obviously held specialized ammunition. They must have brought an assortment of rounds suitable for a wide range of potential threats.
I rather wanted it to study, but for now I needed more of a distraction. As before, the Wolves were simply too good for my drone, rounds beginning to tear it apart quickly. But again the suicide run got in range and I hit the pouch with a full-powered zap.
The explosion was impressive. I picked up traces of at least twenty different sorts of Power cores as the Wolf wearing the pouch was torn apart.
Anna used the opportunity to rush forward and grab a hold of Hot Stuff's arm, dragging her back behind the table. The results were as terrible as expected, the skin of Anna’s hands searing away to reveal the bone beneath. I was surprised that Anna held onto consciousness long enough to manage it.
They both collapsed across Ophelia. Of course, this meant that her flesh was beginning to bubble and melt away, but at least Ophelia’s proximity had Hot Stuff's wound closing up faster and Anna would soon have working hands again.
The Wolves were moving to flank the table. I opened up with a few quick gouts from the flame cannons to drive them back. I couldn't keep up those streams of fire for long, but they didn't know that.
The device that Batavius and her Bat colleague had been building finally beeped, a pole telescoping up from the top and a shimmer of blue energy springing up to either side. It was some sort of portable turret. A barrel tracking one of the Wolves released a spray of energy darts, driving him against the wall with a crunch of bones.
"Grab the wounded and fall back," said one of the male Wolves. Their second-in-command? Third? It didn't matter, whoever he was, the others listened. It wasn't that easy, a Wolf in the heaviest armor shielding the others from the turret’s blasts as they grabbed the wounded and pulled back.
I hit them with another blast of fire before they were away.
"Well, you're completely horrible at this," said Batavius, when the Wolves had gone. She looked down at the injured and nudged Ophelia with her toe. "She's doing well. I tried to study her once. Do you mind if I continue? Her accelerated healing abilities are interesting."
I agreed. But while I had no objections to vivisecting Ophelia on principle, she had vowed to serve Anna and was wearing one of my wrist monitors that let me conduct remote research. It was therefore both unnecessary and harmful to morale.
"Do control your appetite for blood, doctor. A superior mind is already researching her ability," I said.
"Do we get to kill them? I really want to kill them," Hot Stuff said as she sat up, the wound in her stomach closing.
From the moment the fight ended Mechos had been hard at work fabricating her new clothing. He nudged the pile towards Hot Stuff with his eyes carefully averted.
"We just saw you go after them with all the fiery intensity of a damp match," I said. "Put some clothes on so your lover doesn't have to be horrified at the sight of your naked body. We'll figure out plans later."
Hot Stuff said to Mechos, "If you don't at least steal a peek I'm going to burn your dick off."
"I thought the basis of our relationship was reliant on that not being possible," Mechos said, turning to stare pointedly for roughly two seconds at her before looking away again.
"You fireproofed your junk?" Anna asked him. "For her?"
"Do you want her killing more innocents by sleeping around?" Mechos asked.
"Seriously. That is your excuse? Saving-the-world sex?" Anna asked.
"More like protecting the public. It's complicated," Mechos said.
"When, one day, your sexual appetites endanger whole populations perhaps you too will finally have a boyfriend," I said to Anna.
"Thanks for the assist," Hot Stuff said, pulling on a boot.
Anna gave a curt nod.
I moved one of my production drones over to the splattered corpse of the Wolf and his bag. Now that the Research deck had officially come under my control I was able to teleport resources to it.
Research Project
Wolf
This is the remains of one of the Wolves. Enhanced and upgraded by an upgrade core they were given numerous abilities and shaped into an idealized Werewolf form. Research may reveal some applications of this process.
Research Project
Expended Powered Ammunition
This is a collection of powered ammunition that has been detonated. While too badly damaged to reveal their original construction, a number of powers did interact here in ways they would not normally. Study may reveal new avenues of research.
"GET BACK TO YOUR LAB, doctor. I've set you some new research priorities and I’m establishing some genetic facilities. Hopefully you aren't too ancient to remember what real science is like," I said.