"Now is not the time, kid!" Haley swung one of her guns round to level at Cale, but had to leap away from his wild arrows.  "Fine, I guess now is the time."<br/><br/>"Uh. Haley..." Dorian tried. He'd been keeping his eyes on the out of control Depositron.<br/><br/>She wasn't listening.  She fired another volley of SSS+ rounds at Bartholemew to back up the Dayman before focusing all of her attention on Cale. Never liking to fight range with range, she opted for the simpler approach and simple tackled the poor kid.<br/><br/>Unfortunately, everyone but Dorian had seemed to forget about Depositron, who was just now beginning to swing back around. He was not looking great. Pieces of his were falling off and crashing into the city. Molten gold oozed out of cracks like thick blood. The relentless assault of spears and balls and lasers and other robots and the spinning had all but torn the Capitalist machine apart. So for his last hurrah, Depositron was going to destroy the Socialist invaders, even if it meant his end.<br/><br/>""Catastrophic... system... failure... Initiating core shutdown as per emergency initiative 2682209... I die, so that capitalism may... live..."<br/><br/>"<span style="font-weight: bold">Price Freeze!</span>"<br/><br/>Depositron halted suddenly, mere feet from the infighting group. "M...Master?"<br/><br/>There, above everything else, appeared an older man in a dark suit with white hair and a billowing cape. He had his arms crossed and frowned down at everyone. "What a mess. This is why the working class remains so poor: you can't seem to stop bickering amongst yourselves long enough to actually pull yourself out of the poverty around you." Then he regarded Depositron. "And you are the biggest disappointment here today, Depositron." His voice rumbled low like thunder in the distance. "I would expect my greatest creation to handle...this rabble."<br/><br/>"Please....Master...I just....help..."<br/><br/>"Help? HELP? Are you asking me, Dow Jones, for a BAILOUT?"<br/><br/>"N...no...I..."<br/><br/>Dow Jones extended a hand. "You have failed me for the last time. Market Crash!" He pulled his fingers into a tight fight, which then caused Depositron to collapse violently - then he thrust it downward, and Depositron smashed into the ground, away from the fighters, and exploded, raining molten gold down over the city.<br/><br/>"Now," Dow Jones growled, regarding Haley and the others. "I'm afraid you've cost me a valuable machine."<br/><br/>"You destroyed him," Haley barked.<br/><br/>"Perhaps. But it was you and your kind that broke him so."<br/><br/>"Look, I barely know these jerks." Haley holstered her guns amiably, making a great effort of not looking at Bartholemew and the Dayman. "I'm willing to just walk away if - "<br/><br/>"You will do no such thing!" Dow Jones extended both arms as a wind seemed to whip up. "You have cost me Depositron. You have cost me a bank! YOU HAVE COST ME MONEY! Me - Dow Jones, the Economancer! You do not take money from me!" He seemed to glow with whatever power he was gathering (Haley assumed it was greed). "For that end, I will eliminate all of you filthy, lazy, underclassmen! Alteration Zone: Economic Landscape!"<br/><br/>The gathered power suddenly burst out and enveloped the whole city in a bright green flash...and then was gone. Nothing seemed to have changed. Even so, Dow Jones began to chuckle. "You're in my world now - a world where the economy reigns supreme and the will of market dictates your strength!"<br/><br/>"Is that what this is?" Haley pointed to a number inexplicably floating above her head: 238.<br/><br/>"Correct, Windborne Haley. That is your power level." He glanced around at everyone else, whose numbers were beginning to appear. "A handy judge of your relative...hmm." Dow Jones seemed to suddenly realize something. "You said that you barely know these jerks, yes? In that case, I cannot initiate the full extent of my plans just yet."<br/><br/>"Why...why not?"<br/><br/>"A team must be united - or at least familiar with one another."<br/><br/>"Wha..."<br/><br/>"Very well! I believe in fair play, so I will grant you this boon: I shall allow a reprieve. A brief respite from your recent battles with Depositron and each other." He snapped his fingers and a large building fell from the sky and landed on top of the crashed Depositron. The large lettering read: Dow Jones' Super Food Court. "Inside you will find any kind of food you can imagine (for a price of course). This food should fully restore your stamina, magic, and heal any wounds you may have sustained. You will also find a large table with enough chairs for all of you. So go! Eat, drink, and get to know your teammates! Know them well, for you will all be fighting together against me shortly!"<br/><br/>With that, Dow Jones disappeared, leaving everyone looking bewildered.<br/><br/>"Uh." Haley glanced around. "So...shall we eat?" She didn't wait for a response, but awkwardly wandered in. The Food Court was much bigger on the inside (which was impressive, considering how large it appeared on the outside. She chose a kiosk at random "McJohnson's Burgers" and ordered a number 2 combo from the greasy-faced underpaid teen employee. The food looked like it had been bathed in grease. She handed him some money and took a seat, waiting for the others.<br/><br/>"Is...is this a good idea?" Dorian asked.<br/><br/>Haley shrugged. "I'm hungry." And bit into a fry.