Mys-Tech D.O.G.s
Discover, Observe, Gather





mys-tech-dogs-unfolded




Classification: Terrestrial robots

Location/Base of Operations: Unidentified Mys-Tech base, presumably England, United Kingdom (even Crowe and Gryffn didn't know the location; they sought the computer mainframe and programmed it into their helicopter, which took them there)

Known Members: None identified; at least four existed; one was damaged and rendered inert, but it was not shown to be destroyed; the other three returned to the Mys-Tech base

Possessors: Mys-Tech

Affiliations: Mys-Tech (specifically activated by Algernon Crowe and Bronwen Gryffn)

Enemies: Dark Angel (Shevaun Haldane), X-Men (Beast/Hank McCoy, Cyclops/Scott Summers, Iceman/Bobby Drake, Psylocke/Betsy Braddock, Rogue/Anna Marie, Wolverine/James Howlett/Logan, Charles Xavier)

Creator: Unrevealed; presumably unidentified Mys-Tech scientists and technicians (likely )

First Appearance: Dark Angel I#9 (April, 1993)

mys-tech-dogs-firing


*mys-tech-dogs-allweapons

Powers/Abilities/Functions: Mys-Tech D.O.G.s (Discover, Observe, Gather) are robots programmed to  locate and capture specific targets. If engaged, they will fight back against any attackers. If their sensory input is blocked, they will become inert. 

    Mys-Tech D.O.G.s can follow any trail regardless of how old it is.

    For flight, they fold up into ship/saucer mode and they can maneuver on a level comparable to the X-Men's Blackbird jet. The saucer appeared to be about 15' in diametermys-tech-dogs-ship

    On land, they unfold into walker mode. These are roughly 10-15' tall, and they have two legs at least two pairs of gun weapons, and they can pivot rapidly to adapt to multiple and/or rapidly-moving targets.

    In both ship and walker modes, they can extend cable claws to grab beings or objects and pin them to their hull. One walker was shown to be able to extend at least 10 cable claws simultaneously. The cables are sensitive to extreme cold, which renders them brittle and more easily broken.

    Both modes can fire bullet-like projectiles (automatic firing/machine gun style) or energy blasts at targets. The ships fire a pair of weapons, while the walkers have four guns.

    Both modes can also use a tractor beam to pull beings or ships to them; even the Blackbird could not resist this pull.

    Their hulls are highly durable; even having the Blackbird jet crash into its back only superficially damaged a walker, which could continue to fight.

    They are controlled by a positron brain nucleus in mid-section


History:
(Dark Angel#9) - After Mys-Tech captured Ranulph Haldane's soul fragment within Mephisto's domain, they gave the order to kill Shevaun Haldane since they would no longer need her research (on finding a means of immortality that would free them from Mephisto's control) once they had her father. However, Dark Angel, somehow using a Cloak of Invisibility given to her by the Angel of Death, sent her astral self to Mephisto's domain, where she posed as an agent of Mephisto, demanding that Mys-Tech depart Hell immediately. They did so, after which Dark Angel located her father's other soul fragment and merged the pair, sending his soul to whatever fate it had earned in Mephisto's realm.

    Back on Earth, no longer being able to count on Ranulph, Mys-Tech tried to rescind the assassination order on Shevaun, only to learn that as it was a "Priority 'A'" order, it was already in effect, beyond the point of no return. 

mys-tech-dogs-tractor (Dark Angel#9) - A Mys-Tech D.O.G. (Discover, Observe, Gather) robot traced Shevaun's trail to the X-Mansion and traveled their in airship mode. Its approach was sensed as an unidentified flying object by the  X-Men (Beast, Cyclops, Iceman, Psylocke, Rogue, Wolverine) who boarded their Blackbird jet to confront it. Psylocke's telepathic scanning confirmed that the ship did not have any human presence, just machine. From relatively low in the air, Cyclops fired a warning blast at the approaching craft, which then fired and ensnared Cyclops with a cable and pulled him out of the Blackbird and against the D.O.G. ship's hull. Iceman froze the cable, rendering it brittle enough to break, and Cyclops safely tumbled to the ground. However, the ship smashed into the Blackbird and then used a tractor beam device to pull the Blackbird back towards it. mys-tech-dogs-unfold

    Upon returning home and learning the details of her own assassination program, Dark Angel grabbed a sensory deprivation "blackout" box to throw the DOGs off her scent, after which she teleported to their side. As she materialized, the DOG landed and unfolded into ground action mode and opened fire on the approaching heroes. Explaining that the robot was after her, Dark Angel tossed Rogue the blackout box and told her to place it mid-center on the robot, where its nerve nucleus was located. Rogue in turn passed the box to Wolverine and told him to throw it to her when she was in positron.

mys-tech-dogs-ship-cableclaw

    As the DOG turned to face Dark Angel, Cyclops blasted it, and it immediately turned and fired at him, forcing Cyclops and Rogue to flee. Meanwhile, a trio of reinforcement DOGs then approached.

(Dark Angel#10) - A DOG fired on Psylocke, causing her to drop the blackbox, and as the DOG extended a cable arm to grab it, Cyclops blasted its claw off. However, when Dark Angel attempted to recover the blackbox, the DOG blasted the ground by the blackbox, knocking it away from her and then grabbing it with another cable arm; she realized that the DOG was even more intelligent than she had suspected.mys-tech-dogs-xmansion

    As the three other DOGs landed, Wolverine piloted the Blackbird to smash into the first-arrived DOG. Iceman then froze the exposed circuitry, forcing the DOG to drop the blackbox, which he recovered. However, the DOG then unleashed multiple assaults simultaneously, firing its guns, unleashing 10 cable claws, and using tractor beams to pull the others toward it.

    As Dark Angel flew away from that DOG, it snared Psylocke with its cables and pulled her against its hull, but Rogue obtained the blackbox and threw it to Psylocke, who was able to place it in the DOG's brain nucleus, cutting out its sensing abilities and rendering it inert.

    Psylocke then came up with the idea of using a Dark Angel hologram created from earlier testing at the X-Mansion (Hell's Angel#1), and they led the DOGs to follow them into the mansion. As they alerted Professor Xavier of their plan, Dark Angel led the DOGs into the Danger Room before narrowly escaping. Xavier then activated the Dark Angel hologram, and the DOGs targeted this.

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    Meanwhile Crowe and Gryffn secretly left to try to deactivate the Assassination Computer Mainframe directly, hoping to save face by preventing the other Board members from learning that they were unable to rescind the order.

    Xavier then deactivated the Dark Angel hologram and gave Rogue a disc containing the hologram program. When she flew into the Danger Room, the DOGs swiftly attacked, but when she inserted the disc into one of the DOGs, the attacks immediately ceased. Believing they had captured Dark Angel, the DOGs converted back into aircraft mode and departed.

    As Crowe and Gryffn reached the computer mainframe, they saw that the assassination program was suspended due to Shevaun's retrieval and that the DOGs were returning with her. When they arrived soon after, Crowe demanded Shevaun make herself evident to them, but it soon became clear that they did not actually have her, although were apparently unaware of the possession of the hologram program. Nonetheless, with the assassination suspended, Crowe and Gryffn departed.

The X-Men (joined by Professor X) used a computer facsimile of Dark Angel to dupe the DOGs into believing that they had captured her, and the DOGs returned to their base, where Crowe and Gryffn discovered them to be empty-handed, though the assassination order remained on hold due to her perceived capture.

Comments: Created by Bernie Jaye and Dell Barras under the Marvel UK imprint.

    I don't think Mys-Tech knew that Shevaun Haldane was Dark Angel at the time of this story.

    This profile was completed 4/08/2021, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 20th anniversary 's celebratory event.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Mys-Tech D.O.G.s should be distinguished from:  

images: (without ads)
Dark Angel I#9, pg. 17, panel 4 (ship mode);
           panel 5-6 (grabbing Cyclops with cable claw);
       pg. 18, panel 6 (tractor beam);
       pg. 20, panel 4 (unfolding);
          panel 5 (unfolded; walker mode);
       pg. 21, panel 2 (firing on Dark Angel)
    #10, pg. 5, panel 1 (damaged DOG unloading all search and retrieve devices);
       pg. 7, panel 4 (pair entering X-Mansion);
       pg. 14, panel 4 (trio in Danger Room, believing Dark Angel captured)

Appearances:
Dark Angel I#9-10 (April-May, 1993) - Bernie Jaye (writer), Dell Barras (artist), Bambos Georgiou (editor)

First posted: 09/17/2021
Last updated: 09/16/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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