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Post by Tiger on Oct 24, 2016 22:25:58 GMT -5
The door was kicked in, and while the mayor had hope for a split-second that it would be another hero, maybe Zenith or Dynamic or Tabitha Kingsley or hell, she’d take DUDEBRO ™ (or BROPOOL ™? Whatver he was going by these days) - just someone as backup! Apparently she should have been more specific, seeing as the Queen was technically backup - just for Nyx, not the heroes. A lot of very innapropriate words for a mayor to say ran through Beck’s mind - she didn’t know very much about the Queen yet, nobody really did, but what she knew already was not good - and she didn’t really want to see how well she fought alongside Nyx... Fortunately, someone must have been listening and tried to remedy the misinterpreted hope for backup. Beck was inclined to think something or someone up above, since that was where Zenith dropped from. Right into the Queen’s stomach. Nice touch.The battle was...chaotic somehow seemed too bland a word to describe it. Beck tried to get out of the way to avoid becoming collateral damage. There were a few moments she wondered if she could throw her lamp to trigger another concussion, but the battle always moved along too fast for her to be confident she wouldn’t miss - or worse, smack Zenith instead. The fight would probably have been fascinating to watch on television. It was kind of exciting in person, even around the whole ‘abject terror’ thing. There was even banter.“Mind yourself!” the Queen scolded as Zenith used a chair to administer some justice. “This isn’t your stuff, after all!”“That’s okay, they’re welcome to it!” Beck called out. She was ludicrously proud of herself for a second for coming up with something halfway intelligent to say at a moment like this. There was dramatic backstory, too, which Mayor Beck figured she’d looked into when she had time - which was not likely to be soon, but maybe someday - and a dramatic payback speech - And then a filing cabinet. Coming right at her face. Oh - Before Beck could complete the thought, Zenith was there, blocking the cabinet - and then Zenith was there, practically tackling the mayor, who was too surprised to do much except listen to a very small part of her brain squeal, I’m this close to Zenith !She was a mayor, not a fangirl, though, and managed to stammer a (very dignified) “That’s - that’s quite okay - all right, quite all right! ...Thanks,” she added lamely. The Queen had made her escape - Beck thought she saw a hint of movement near the broken roof, but that could’ve been anything. Bird, plane, another supervillain, maybe even a superhero. She heard the whirr of helicopter blades, the din of a crowd, the sounds of fighting…. “Right. Well. ...I guess you’ll be getting going,” the mayor said, getting to her feet, brushing dust off - into, really - her slacks. She heard boots tromping outside, and the door opened to reveal a few security guards. Finally. “And I think they’ll be escorting me somewhere I can hopefully do some good.” She hesitated - but held out a hand to Zenith. It was the mayor-ly thing to do. It would also be freaking awesome.******* Tulley had to try and twist himself around to see where Ossie had spotted Tripwire - hopefully he could get a good aim at her as well. The weighted net dragged at his back, clung and twisted and threatened the tangle the fabric of his coat and made his bulletproof vest extra-uncomfortable. At least Chlorolad had gotten started on something. It was...actually quite impressive - otheworldly, even, like watching a magic trick made real. It was different, seeing metahumans and their talents in person rather than on television, where part of the viewer’s brain could chalk things up to special effects. But no special effects here - that was a real tree, growing up and around them and slowly, gradually, pushing up the net. … Slowly being sort of the key word there. Tulley didn’t quite have the time to wait. “Sorry if I knee either of you, better than an arrow to - “ He spotted her. Gun, pointed their way, he wasn’t sure what kind - long barrel, too light to be a shotgun but heck, who knew what kind of fancy bullets she had loaded in there. He fired the second his gun swung into the right position - Tripwire ducked away; Tulley wasn’t certain she’d fired until something dropped from one of the tree’s growing branches with a tink! that nearly made him jump out of his skin. Just a little dart - but he didn’t want to think about what was in it. Lifting his gun and aiming for the column Tripwire had been about to shoot from, Tulley said, “Someone might wanna pick that up. Last ditch self-defense measure, if it comes to a fist-fight.” Which would kind of be a surprise, but they would see what happened. “Oswald, maybe you should have it? I don’t suppose you brought the crosbow bolt al - “ A flash of movement caught his eye and Tulley fired - only for a scrap of cloth to flutter back into view. He hadn’t even hit it - too far and too small a target for an accurate shot with a pistol.. ...Why was there a bit of fabric tied to the pole? Tulley didn’t stifle the curse this time, trailing his gun and his eyes lower. There - on another platform. He fired, and this time heard, faintly, the crack of her rifle just before she ducked out of sight. Finally, a mayoral update on...er, the mayor’s perspective of the whole “break into city hall and kidnap the mayor” thing \ o / They snark a little teeny tiny bit to the Queen ( Twillie) and maybe fangirl a little bit over Zenith ( Liou) and thanks them for saving her butt ^^ Meanwhile, Tulley manages to fire two shots at Tripwire, who’s firing some sort of darts at him, Ossie ( Shinko) and Chlorolad ( Birdy). So rude! The first dart misses but the second one is ambiguous, and Tiger will let Tulley take it if neither Shinko nor Birdy want their characters hit/to specify a miss (and if there’s enough time left for it to be, y’know, interesting XP ) I’m sorry this post took so long, you can blame my cats for not being able to get along and constantly distracting their poor mom 8’3
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Post by Shinko on Oct 25, 2016 0:22:56 GMT -5
Oswald yelped as something small and sharp hit him in the arm- impulsively he tried to reach up to yank the whatever-it-was off, but he was still half-tangled with Chlorolad- no dice. As Tulley finally crawled out of the net enough for The exit to be clear, Ossie lurched after. He didn't know precisely what was in the vial Tripwire had hit him with, but he was not keen to find out l. He had to get it out. He had to get out.. The young man was hyperventilating again, and he knew it. But try as he might, he couldn't stop. If anything, each passing moment saw his breathing growing more and more labored. He tried to swallow, but found he couldn't. Spots started to dance in front of his eyes as he finally cleared the net, and he fell flat on his stomach on the pavement. "E-Eric-" he hissed, his voice emerging as a strangled squeak. "Can't... can't breathe..." Ossie gets hit by the dart, and starts to strangle as his throat closes. Fun times for all! Birdy Tiger
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Post by Dju on Oct 25, 2016 1:32:48 GMT -5
Glitch was unshaken by the destruction formed by Nightshadow – the chaos she had caused went through him just like the train’s derailment. When the supervillain returned to her seat on the motorbike, she said: “Glitch, do that thing.”“Hold tight.” He snapped and heard the motorbike’s high pinch roar engulf their ears. When Timothy was about to drive off in hyperspeed, however, he suddenly found himself being held tight by Mizshu. How did this…! How did she get to me?!
“What are you doing?!” He snarled at her, struggling to push off the girl. Her grip was so tight he nearly lost his balance! “Get off me! Get off me or else I’ll make you regret it!” “Friends don’t--they shouldn’t--lie to you, make you do things you don’t want to...” he heard her struggle. Timothy tried ignoring her pleading and using his powers to escape, but Time around them spun out of control – they seemed first too slow and then too fast, and sometimes paused. Time would not budge to his will any longer. “Nyx!” He called, his voice cracking with desperation. “Help me! I can’t hyperspeed! She’s- argh! Let go!- she’s doing something!” But he couldn’t tell if Nightshadow could hear him, or even if she was there anylonger – everything other than Mizshu had dissolved into blurs of light and color. “That day at the pool, I showed you my Mutti and Vati--I read to you and you helped me with the hard words, seren..dipity and compunction--you fulfilled my dreams only for a second and you were hurt--Timothy, you’ve got to remember! You called me Shoemaker!” Mizshu protested. “Let go, kid! I am warning you, if you don’t – argh! Let go!” he breathed in, turning away from the girl’s eyes. He realized the pair had fallen from his motorbike, but he couldn’t tell if Nightshadow was still waiting around for him to break free from Mizshu’s grip. Whatever the girl was doing, it was draining Glitch of all his energy, and he could already feel his consciousness deserting him for a massive headache. Still, Timothy fought to stay awake...to stay in the present. “You’re just...a child! How can you do this?!” he struggled to speak. Their surroundings no longer seemed to be out of control – Time had settled, despite Glitch’s efforts to bend it. “I’m not going to let go!”[/i] Mizshu yelled firmly. “I’m not a child, Mr. Hi--I mean, Timothy, and you know that better than anyone else in this world!” He realized then he was no longer struggling. Glitch’s limbs had unwillingly relaxed and his breathing had slowed down – when he blinked, he could see a sharp glow coming from Mizshu’s hand. He knew what that meant, somehow. “Don’t do this to me.” He plead, nearly giving in to exhaustion. “You’re killing me, Shoemaker.” The hardest blow, however, came with Kizuna - Glitch was sent howling in pain when the hero used his powers on him. Now it was not just Nightshadow that seemed to have blurred from his vision - so did Mizshu. He could still feel her arms around him however. Timothy tries to fight off Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff), but her ring is draining him. He is now unable to bend Time! Oh-oh! And to escalate things, Draco uses their powers on him!
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Post by Pixie on Oct 25, 2016 2:18:08 GMT -5
Kizuna worked his powers, and the pain was brought down to a tolerable level, enough that Scaletta was lucid, her pulse racing, but not debilitated by the pain. She took it in as the pain that ravaged her transferred to Nyx. Then Mayor Beck rushed Nyx and bashed her over the head with a desk lamp. Nyx was laying prone on the ground, encircled by wisps of blue energy. Scaletta was moving to stand, readying her grappling hook to try to bind up Nyx with its cord, when several things occurred in succession. The Queen and Glitch burst into room, coming to Nyx’s rescue. Scaletta did not like them. She wasn’t sure what their severe annoyance with Nyx would mean to the heroes, but it was proof enough that her and Kizuna made an impact against the villain's plans. Scaletta wanted to disrupt the newcomers, but the Queen spun a circle of blades that kept the heroes from reaching the other villains. Nyx and Glitch immediately fled the scene. Scaletta was preparing to defend herself against the new foe once again, but as quickly as the Queen had arrived, she was promptly felled by Zenith soaring through the hole in the ceiling. Scaletta liked Zenith, and the backup certainly was appreciated. Zenith and the Queen were in close combat. There wasn’t a way to target the Queen with loudness or electricity without hurting Zenith, and Scaletta’s brain was clouded by the rapid exchange of combatants. Kizuna did not stick around to try to puzzle out a way to assit, leaving the illusionist and the invulnerable to brawl one-on-one, pursuing the fled villains instead. She searching intently for the window of opportunity, and failed to find one. Scaletta knew she was good at making people suffer, and she really didn’t want to hurt or distract Zenith. The fight unfolded before her. The things Zenith said! Their words filled Scaletta with a sense of fury and justice. The concert, where the Queen had brainwashed the crowd had happened because of the Queen’s doing. All the trauma of the day, in all the people, was the Queen’s doing. And the Queen was the reason Scaletta’s acquaintance Glitch had turned into a force of horror. Scaletta wanted badly to help take down Queen, but it was evident that Zenith had it under control, and now, she would just get in the way. Scaletta would admit that the blood running down the Queen’s face seemed to suit her. Across the room, the villain was still fighting strong, and tried to crush the mayor under toppled office equipment. Zenith rushed to save her before Scaletta could reach halfway there. Scaletta felt useless, and she was reminded, as the Queen escaped through the roof, that she was not the only one who could use grappling hook. At least there were no villains threatening the mayor anymore. Zenith had protected the Mayor, and it was clear she'd be safe now that security guards were also coming. Kizuna was gone. He had made a smart choice. Heroes were needed elsewhere. Scaletta turned off her music and her lights, and ran out of the city hall. The outside of the building had been damaged. Nyx seemed to be taking out rage on the building, and she was there with Glitch- upon who Mizshu was grasping and shouting. He was seemingly frozen. Mizshu was calling for help in pacifying him. Dealing with the current threat was probably best. Scaletta rested her saxophone against her leg, wordlessly stepped behind Glitch and Mizshu, and swung the cord of her grappling hook around his arms, trying to restrain him. ... Greenwood received the call when he was hanging up blacklights for The Electric Base’s Friday night event. It was surreal when he picked up his ringing smartdevice and checked the number- hadn’t been called by that number for almost a decade. He listened appraisingly as he picked up the phone to test if the number had a different owner now. When he picked up, he learned, it did not. It was William Sinclair on the line. The two skilled women who worked in Greenwood’s club, he knew, also worked under Sinclair. Or they did before his best DJ, in her superhero identity, had publically drove Sinclair to quit. Greenwood had tried to cooly work her out of the slump that followed, but he didn’t exactly excuse her misdeeds, as the sneakiest of them, spying on her boss, had occurred from the workspace Greenwood had trusted her to use, for the sake of good, after she and her companion had explained their familiar cause to him one day in private and made arrangements with him. Usually, it was merely a pain trying to work out performance schedules with a couple of superheroes. In the usual cases he tried to be kind about it-- he had been in their shoes once. He talked back into his smartdevice “Yes. Yes, I was Lightning Rod.” he answered, responding calmly to the news of the emergency, ”In such times… I can become him again. On my way.” He entered the staff room, and then the storage closet. He input the passcode on the panel near the famliar trapdoor, and a staircase had opened before him as he expected it to. He scanned the room, which was lined in cross-hatched soundproofing on the walls, until he could find the pile of miscellany where his old equipment rested. It was not near the two computers set up in the farthest corner from the door, one with dual monitors, or the battered training dummy resting across. He tossed the sheets haphazardly covering the pile of the Serpentine Sisters’ equipment aside. He found blue storage container with a familiar sigil on the side. He opened it. The black athletic ensemble with the bolts emblazoned on his chest in gold and electric blue had been neatly folded and left inside the box with his fighting rod and bottle of classic hair gel. He changed into his hero garb, which fit a bit loosely, as while he was still buff, he did not maintain the muscle tone of his hero days. He messily spiked his reddish hair into the classic style. The tall man who had been struck by lightning was now in his thirties, but he was more than ready to help the old boss. It wasn’t like the boyfriend he had stepped down from herodom to protect was in the picture anymore, or that his parents still lived near Heraclia. It also wasn’t like he was being asked to work another petty job as a human battery. This was where he was needed. He tucked his gloves into the yellow band of his utility belt, grabbed his weapon, and moved himself in location to be teleported. ... At the portal call, Lightning Rod was greeted by familiar faces. There was the hero Tabitha who had just been shot by an unscrupulous villain in a lab coat. Not that the opera was remotely to Lightning Rod’s taste, but she’d had done impressive work as a hero. He was at the back of the fray, but pursued the fleeing villain through the hideout loaded with traps. He protected the group from the back, funneling charges to short out hazardous machinery, ready to strike with the metal staff if the danger increased. Scaletta is grateful to be healed by Draco , happy to see Mayor Beck ( Tiger ) take a swing at Nyx, and reacts the Twillie and Dju interfering in the fight with Thorn . She is unable to act when Liou fights the Queen for fear of friendly fire. Feeling useless at the scene, she leaves and finds Kizuna, Glitch, Nyx, and Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff) outside the office. Scaletta tries to sneak up on Glitch and restrain him with her grappling hook while he’s distracted. Meet Lightning Rod, a retired hero and the reason the Serpentine Sisters can have a hero base at a club they don’t even own. He can manipulate electricity and went off Hero City about a decade ago. He gears up and heads to support Celestial after she is attacked by Glitch during the narrator post. He follows the rest of the heroes.
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Post by Moni on Oct 25, 2016 3:10:18 GMT -5
Dr. Faust's lecture had not gone as expected. Instead of coming to a class full of silent, quivering, wide-eyed students, (she loved seeing the eager and terrified looks on their faces; it showed they were paying attention!) she came to a class full of rowdy frat boys who were sprinkling Hill Droplets and Powdered Triangles on the pristine carpets of the lecture hall. It was a sticky, orange mess. Some students seemed to be bickering about... something related to collectible animals on the streets. The way they were describing their preferred game was horrifying: apparently, you enslaved animals into these tiny cube prisons and made them fight for your own sick, twisted amusement. This was nonsense. Back in the good old days, games were about more sophisticated things, she was sure. Take for an example: chess. Chess was... what was it about? Well, now that Dr. Faust thought about it, it seemed to be about a war, or a violent coup; why else would you have kings and queens and bishops and knights fighting? Then she remembered that games were ultimately far-removed abstractions from life. (But she still thought Soképon was a little sick.) Oh, well. Young people would be young people. And she would have to be content being a little... older. "Okay, class!" she yelled as she placed her laptop on the lectern and hooked it up to the projector. "Welcome to our next lecture--" In the next few seconds, a stray can of Hill Droplets came flying right at her. Dr Faust had narrowly missed it, and it crashed into the whiteboard behind her and splattered unedible, sugar-high drink slime all over her freshly-laundered suit. The high-fructose corn syrup began to adhere the cloth to her skin. "Who did that?" she hissed loudly enough to be heard by the offender, whose glazed eyes showed no thought as his big mouth contorted into something that looked halfway between a sneer and a frown. His brows were crinkled as he said, "I did. What are you going to do about it?" "I'll have you know that what all of you are doing is not proper university conduct, and this sort of behavior can get you suspended from the university, or even expelled. Your expensive student loans will be for nothing!" "Dude, money is just, like, a social construct, man!" said one of the zombified students before brandishing a replica of a Soképon cube. "Now, a wild University Professor has appeared! Go, Burnhazard!" When the cube hit Faust's forehead, it did not spawn a giant, fire-breathing orange lizard. It just made her forehead red with an audible thwack. It was Faust's turn to be annoyed. Young people. Glad I'm not one of them. She shuddered at the memory of her 20-year-old self. What a smug, arrogant person she used to be! She was glad that she had learned the value of humility since then. "Money being a social construct does not make it any less real or import--" A student who had decided it perfectly necessary to take his shirt off now ran toward her in a wild frenzy. His soft stomach stood no chance against Dr. Faust's outstretched fist. The encounter reminded her of the time that she totally took down a superhero 100% fair and square at the Queen's concert. Of course, this was a possibly-drunk college student and not an underrated superhero. But, you know, it was roughly similar. Except this student had orange sludge mixed with green liquid pouring out of his mouth like foam from a rabid squirrel. Speaking of drunk people... she reminded herself to check on Daniel soon. Teaching had its challenges, but Dr. Faust had mostly agreed to it for the research and science! to be done. It did, however, really manage to suck sometimes. She wondered if she could legally fire her laser rifle at these degenerates and be done with it. But no--desperate times called for desperate measures. "All right, you anencephalous ignoramuses!" she yelled. "You're here to become less ignorant about your sorry lives! You will sit down and listen to this wonderful lecture about rainforest ecosystems or, so help me, I will destroy all the wifi on this campus!" That managed to stun the students into silence. Slowly, they returned to their seats and got out their study notes. Dr. Faust smiled sweetly and opened up her lecture slides. "So, let's continue where we left off last lecture..." *** The moment Fireflyman had gotten that text from Mizshu, he'd sprung into action and flew all the way across the city to get to city hall. It was the fastest mode of transport, after all; he didn't need to worry about buildings or hypnotized zombies causing all kinds of chaos on public transportation. Fireflyman looked down to see that police were beginning to trickle onto the streets to lock up the zombified citizenry into submission as well as to save people who were being hurt. For any other hero, this would have been a grand display, but Fireflyman more managed to result in a few confused people wondering where that buzzing bug was, only to find nothing. Some reached for the bugspray and went insect-hunting on the streets, hoping to get rid of the large insect infestation that was doubtlessly tearing up the city from the inside. By the time they went outside, however, the real source of the noise was long-gone. At city hall, Fireflyman had immediately spotted Nyx Nightshadow, looking much the worse for wear, as well Timothy Hikes, who seemed to have something wrapped around him like a scarf. He squinted to get a better look--there was a body, and a pair of gloved hands. Mizshu! His mind went into a worried frenzy as though ten bees had flew into his ears and were struggling to escape from his head. He would have trusted normal Timothy around him, but whatever he was now was a danger--especially to the child--and an especially slippery one at that. Tim was far from all-powerful; his time powers did not affect the basic laws of physics. And besides... if he could have used his time powers, he would have used them by now. Did Mizshu figure out how to use the ring she was given...? What do to, what to do... time was running out, and Daniel did not have his tranquilizer handy, so he did the next-best thing. He swooped down to Timothy Hikes, fingers writing as much as they could into his palm as he flew as fast as he possibly could. He wasn't quite planning on hurting Hikes, but it was helpful to appear that way; his real goal was to swipe Mitzi away from him as fast as humanely possible. Dr. Faust runs into zombies during her lecture and finally comes to peace with aging. Whoooo. Fireflyman arrives at City Hall and sees Mizshu ( Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff)) and Tim ( Dju) together; he really doesn't like this picture, so he goes in pretending to attack Tim when really he just wants Miszhu out of there.
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Post by Gelquie on Oct 25, 2016 4:06:14 GMT -5
Espin wasn't used to driving this vehicle, but it didn't take him long to get the hang of it. It wasn't exceptional by any means, but there was nothing inherently wrong with it either. Once he got the feel for the car, he just sped it far away, occasionally taking a detour in order to lose anyone that might've been following him. But at last, he slowed his car slowed near a quieter portion of Heraclia. There were very few other buildings nearby, and they all paled compared to the taller, intimidating building blocked off by a barbed wire fence. This was the location of ADMAX; the prison for metahumans of Heraclia. A common place to keep supervillains, particularly ones with powers. It looked as Espin had expected... Powerful and impenetrable. After all, they'd have to pull out all the stops to keep the villains... contained. Espin felt unease before it. He never liked to be around prisons if he could help it, not since what had happened to Sharpe, and not since the warrant had come out for his arrest. Being near one, he couldn't help but feel like someone might come to take him at any moment and finally arrest him, after so long of being on the run, creating a different life for something. Perhaps not the one he intended, but one he could live all the same, all while working to attempt to restore some dignity—or at least fear—to his name. Out here with the villains, at least he had a place, actions, a chance. In that prison, he would have nothing. And if charged, he would only continue to have nothing, possibly for... the rest of his life. And yet he was here. Because it was necessary. And finally time. With the area as empty as it was, it wasn't long before someone noticed, and one of the guards approached his car. Espin kept his head down as he rubbed his wrists, and he only rolled his window down a crack when the guard knocked. “Hey, this is a restricted area, and we're on high alert right now. Has your car broken down, or--?” the guard paused. “...Wait. I know you.” “...No you don't,” Espin muttered. “Not casually. But I've seen you on TV.” The guard reached for their gun. “You'd better be here to surrender, otherwise... well, we'll be taking you in anyway, it'll just be harder for you.” Espin couldn't help but flinch as he saw the guard take hold of her gun, and he brought his arm up a fraction when he stopped, pausing. He contemplated a moment, but then he looked up. “...Yes, I'm here to surrender.” “...What, really?” the guard raised an eyebrow before narrowing their eyes. “...I don't believe you.” Espin put his hands up. “It hasn't been shown on TV, but some of the heroes have talked to me, before I came over here. And I... I thought a lot about what they'd said, during the drive. It's impulsive, but...” He shook his head. “What I did was wrong. And I've run away from it for too long. I think it's time for me to face the charges.” The guard seemed to hesitate, but they opened the door, still aiming their gun at Espin. “Then keep your hands up and get out of the car right now. Then turn and put your hands on the car. Understand?” Espin complied fully. “Yes, I understand,” he said with a level of resignation. “What, you won't take me at my word?” “I wouldn't be a guard at a prison like this if I took you at your word. Now stay still. I'm going to search you, ensure you're not smuggling anything in.” The guard hesitated, approaching slowly to see if Espin would try anything. He didn't. The guard reached forward and began patting Espin down before moving to unbuckle his utility belt. (Espin had finally gotten it in the mail, after some risk of returning to his mailbox to get it.) He unlatched it before letting it drop to the ground before reaching in to resume the pat-down. Espin twitched his fingers back, sending shocked cables to the guard before turning. Once the cables were retracted, Espin didn't waste time before striking the guard against the head with his arm-guard, causing the guard to fall to the ground. It was clear that the guard was not knocked out; just stunned. Which meant that Espin had to work quickly. He knelt down and quickly removed the guard coat they were wearing before pinning the guard down with his knee. He withdrew a ziptie from his security belt and –with some struggle from the guard beginning to come to—tied their wrists behind their back. “As if it'd be that easy,” Espin muttered. “Why would I let myself be taken to a place where I have no future?” He didn't wait for the guard to respond before taking out a cloth and gagging them. But he wasn't done yet. Soon though, he'd finished removing the guard's uniform and opened the trunk of the car. Lifting the guard inside, however, wasn't as easy as Espin thought it would be. He strained and struggled, and the guard struggling back didn't help. It took a good minute before Espin finally managed to get the guard into the trunk and closed it part of the way before the guard could react. “Relax, I don't intend to kidnap you for long... Just long enough,” Espin said with a smirk before slamming down the trunk. Now he just had to change. ...They weren't the best-fitting clothes. He could feel some of the uniform hanging over him, even though he'd fitted it over his clothes (aside from his overcoat.) Though it did carry the advantage of being able to fit over his other articles of clothing such as his belt (which he had clipped back on). He could also feel that the guard trousers were shorter than he was used to, and he pulled his socks up to compensate. But eventually, he was confident enough in his outfit that he began looking for an entrance to the facility, preferably not one where the guard came from. He pulled his hat low as he walked to a side entrance, bypassing the guards and keeping his head low as he pulled out the ID card he had swiped. He tried not to look left or right or even speak to the guards as he entered, hoping they would confuse him for a coworker coming in to work who either wasn't talkative or was new. Thankfully, he wasn't questioned. He walked right into the facility. He knew he didn't have much time. Eventually, someone would notice the missing guard and go looking for him. This might call up an alert around the facility, and if he was caught, well... he would have to stay far longer than he intended. Espin attempted to act casual as he moved down the hall, acting as if he was patrolling the halls or heading to a particular destination. He couldn't look too sneaky, even when he was alone, as the halls had the occasional camera. And if he destroyed them, someone would notice immediately and sound the alarm. Even so, he had to consider the important fact that he didn't know exactly where everything was. So when he roamed by a break room, he wandered inside to collect his thoughts, and also take a glance at any fire maps nearby. He managed to find one, and after taking a cup of water from the cooler, the drank it as he examined it. It didn't take him long to figure out the location of the cells, particularly the ones that piqued his interest. Of course, it didn't make the matter of obtaining the right keys (is that what they used?) in the facility any easier... He might be able to manage without, he just hoped he would have the opportunity. He managed to get through the facility without arousing too much suspicion. Everyone was too absorbed in their own affairs to give much attention to a passing guard heading towards the holding cells. Unfortunately, Espin found no opportunity to steal a cell key from another guard or swipe it from anywhere else without arousing too much suspicion. So when he arrived at the cell block empty-handed, he was forced to enter empty-handed. He wasn't looking for anyone in particular. He passed the ones in their cells that looked like they'd hadn't seen much battle, or wouldn't be much use. Those prisoners didn't look back at him. However, he slowed around a cell whose light shone brightly from the window, and had an extra light bulb outside, almost as if... ...As if to eliminate any shadow. Espin walked up to the door and knocked on his, looking up to allow his face to be seen through the window. Inside, the prisoner looked up, his purple, glowing eyes growing wide at the sight before walking up to the doorway. They silently stared at each other before they looked around their area, looking for anything that would aid in their escape. Darkborn occasionally stooped down or went to grab something, but nothing that was useful in their escape. Espin looked down for any signs of shadows from the other villain, but as he expected, didn't even see his own. I bet they reserved this cell just for him, Espin thought to himself. ”They have lights at all angles...”...Even if Espin messed with the lights on the outside, there was no guarantee it would actually be much use to Darkborn, if the only goal was to open the door. For this, the simplest way would be to work the lock mechanism on the door, which looked operable by a key. A key that Espin didn't have... Espin frowned. It was a formidable sized lock, and while Espin could make do with what he had for lockpicking, it could take him too long, especially if someone was already suspicious of Espin lingering near the doorway. This seemed more like a job for Nyx. A well-placed explosion at the lock would do just the trick... ...But then Espin still had his tools, didn't he? And sure, it'd perhaps be harder with a prison lock, but he could find a way to remove the casing, then be able to work it from there... Espin got out his tools and set to work. The door clicked out of its latch, and Espin moved to open it all the way when he suddenly had to move back as Darkborn nearly pushed it in his face. Darkborn let out a sigh of relief. ”Oh finally, someone came to spring me out,” Darkborn breathed. ”Tripwire went and escaped but didn't bother to bring the rest of us. Left us behind...”“Take it up with her later,” Espin said, rolling his eyes. “You're not the only villain I came to spring. We have a situation, and we need all the help we can get. Who else is here?” ”Well, Screaming Scimitar is still within these walls with me,” Darkborn mused. ”And Poison Oak is here, but I don't know where he's held.”“I'll take who I can escape with,” Espin said. “Now come on. No time for petty chatter.” Darkborn grimaced at the reference, but nodded and followed Espin down the cell block. They eventually found Screaming Scimitar's cell, who—upon sight—immediately charged to the door. “OH FINALLY, GET ME OUT OF HERE. I NEED TO GET BACK AT THE ONES WHO PUT ME IN HERE, IT'S SO EMBARRASSING, REALLY,” Screaming Scimitar shouted through the door. Espin cringed. “I can't if you give away our position!” He immediately began to regret this. Neither of the villains he had with him could be described as subtle. ( Much like the rest of my colleagues, Espin thought to himself.) but at least Darkborn knew to be quiet. Screaming Scimitar notoriously had no indoor voice. “Now quiet, or I'm not freeing you.” “BUT--” “I mean it. ...After all, I know for a fact that your friend the Eyescream Man is back on the field. Do you want to meet him one last time or not?” Screaming Scimitar went completely silent, and Espin went to work on the door just as he had for the last one. Unfortunately, just as he had finishing freeing Screaming Scimitar, Espin heard the drop of distance footsteps, and he turned in time to see a guard staring at them, in shock before they reached for their gun. Espin cursed, instinctively reaching for the switch on his gloves before remembering that he'd taken them off and put them in his pocket for the invasion. After all, how many indoor guards wore gloves? He used the only thing he quickly had on hand; he pushed back the sleeve of his right arm until the armband was visible, and he immediately activated it to form into a weapon before firing. The bullet only grazed the guard's shoulder, and they winced and put a hand to the wound. They quickly realized that taking down the enemies before them was more important, but it bought enough time for Screaming Scimitar and Darkborn to charge at them grabbing the hand with the gun and restraining the guard. Scimitar grabbed the gun from the guard's grasp before returning, opening their cell, and pushing the guard inside with Darkborn. Espin quickly shut the door, allowing it to latch again. “Close one,” Espin muttered. “...Others have probably heard that. No more time. We need to get out of here now.” “THEY'VE CONFISCATED MY SCIMITAR.” Screaming Scimitar objected. “I WON'T BE ABLE TO FIGHT EYESCREAM—OR ANYONE—WITHOUT IT.” ”And they have my cloak. And my...” Darkborn's mood momentarily doured. ”...And my umbrella.”Espin put a hand to his forehead as he withdrew his gloves from his pockets. “Do we have time for this?” “WE'LL FIND THE TIME.” ”They have a room where they've confiscated our things,” Darkborn explained. ”If we can get there...”Espin sighed as they walked down the hallway where he'd come. “Don't you have any extras at the ba--” Espin stopped talking. “...Nevermind. Fine. But let's make it quick. Or we'll be causing enough chaos as is, and it'll be even harder to escape. Come, I think it's this way.” ”We'll be quick. The lighting here is too good; there's barely a shadow here to use. So I've no intent to stay long.”They'd escaped into the hallways and went down another to the evidence room. But just as they were nearing, they heard an alarm blaring. Espin cursed. “They must've found out what we did...” ”Keep going; soon they won't be able to stop us,” Darkborn said as he pushed the door open into the evidence room. There were, of course, guards and other workers, present, albeit not too many. This time, Espin was prepared, and so were Darkborn and Scimitar. Soon, they'd managed to incapacitate all the members of the room, which left them in a hurry rifling through the evidence, trying to find Darkborn and Scimitar's lost objects. As Espin pulled open drawer after drawer of paper files full of cases of no interest to him, he heard another call out “FOUND IT,” pulling out his scimitar with a gleeful grin. “OH, AND I FOUND THIS TOO.” Scimitar pulled out a pitch black umbrella and waved it in Darkborn's direction. Darkborn quickly moved over and grabbed it. ”Finally; maybe I can use some shadows in this cursed facility,” Darkborn muttered. “If these were here, then my cloak...”Sure enough, the cloak was not too far away, and Darkborn threw it over himself, breathing a sigh of relief as he finally felt himself in his full form. Espin sighed and pushed shut the file he had opened, not finding anything of use. “Okay good, let's go now,” he urged them. “Or it won't matter if you have your precious items back or not.” “THEY ARE PRECIOUS,” Scimitar complained as they ran out of the room. Espin didn't bother to reply, but he did cringe as the shout gave away their location to someone nearby. They encountered more resistance on their way out, as the prison had time to regroup in response to the jailbreak. But the villains were prepared as well. Darkborn, now further equipped and even able to use the shadows from the folds of his own cloak, could extend his shadowy tendrils to restrain the guards, disarm them, or trip them up long enough to pass through. Scimitar took every opportunity to assault any guard who had come close, and to watch their backs in case anyone was sneaking up on them. Espin resorted mainly to attacks from his gloved hands, but occasionally took shots from his mihtium gun, and though he never hit anyone fatally, it was enough to provide an upper hand in battle. But although the three of them were able to make their way through the facility—either through force or through hiding (while Espin quietly insisted that the others be silent until the guards passed), there was still the matter of escape. Espin attempted to lead them the way he had come; after all, it would be closest to the car; the one he planned to use as a getaway. Finally, they'd made it to the exit, and they moved out into the field only to find the facility doors shut tight. Espin took out his pilfered ID card, but at the same time wondered just how well it would work while the facility was on lockdown. Even so, they ran to the gate entrance, where Espin immediately swiped his ID card. Nothing. Espin groaned in frustration. “CAN'T YOU HACK IT?” Scimitar asked. “Not before they catch us,” Espin muttered. ”We'll buy you the time,” Darkborn said as he turned around with Scimitar. “...Okay, but watch for the towers.” Espin quickly turned back to the control panel, taking out tools to undo the panel so he could get into the mechanisms. He could hear the battle going on behind him, with Darkborn making full of use of his abilities now that he had more shadows to work with and Scimitar physically holding off anyone who got close. He still winced as he occasionally heard Scimitar or Darkborn getting hurt. If they got too hurt, it would be all over for all of them. Time pressed on, and Espin was just doubting if the method he was using would work when the switch flicked to green, and the doors began to open. “Quick, close it!” shouted one of the tower guards. “Come on, now!” Espin urged, not waiting before running through the gap. Darkborn turned and followed, and Scimitar backed up before running through the gap, squeezing through it just as it stopped. From there, they raced to the car that Espin had parked. Mercifully, no one seemed to be around it. They wasted no words as they got in, and Espin messed with the exposed wiring he had used to hotwire the car until the engine roared to life. He didn't wait to buckle up before slamming on the accelerator, zooming away from the prison. He could hear sirens, and Espin began driving through odd places in an attempt to lose them. It was difficult closer to the outskirts of the city, but perhaps that could be a good thing, if he used an alternate path to town. Still, he used one hand to buckle himself as he zoomed down the highway. ”What's that thumping noise?” Darkborn asked through the silence. …If Espin dared to move his hands from the wheel, he would've slapped his forehead. “Right, the guard! I kidnapped a guard to steal their clothes.” “I THOUGHT IT WAS WEIRD THAT THE TAILLIGHT WAS MISSING.” ….Aaaaand apparently that guard had kicked out the taillight. Great. They would have to stop at some point, and soon. ...Espin was not in any huge rush. If the guard escaped, then they escaped. Either way, he'd be letting the prisoner go when it was safe. He'd even be kind enough to return the clothes he had stolen. But first priority was to get far away, and back to the chaos befalling the city so that hopefully, they would gain the upper hand. He pressed on, on his way back to the battles for Hero City. (“SO, WHEREVER EYESCREAM MAN IS, TAKE ME THERE. CALL YOUR FRIENDS AND FIND OUT.” Espin let out a sigh.) Espin breaks into ADMAX and busts out Darkborn and Screaming Scimitar. He has less trouble going in than going out, but managed to escape, but not before alerting pretty much every guard in the facility, so the break-out should be pretty obvious. They get away in the same car they came in, zooming back to Hero City with their variety of stolen people.
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Post by Celestial on Oct 25, 2016 11:16:30 GMT -5
As the villains charged, the two Kinglsey women made a strategic retreat into the relative safely of the villain lair entrance, with Tabitha pulling the door shut behind them in order to buy a few seconds. It was unlikely the villains would break through the lines of assembled heroes in the time it took for the two to decide on what they were doing. "Well, Tabitha," Constance turned to her daughter. "These charming people are closer to your centre of expertise than mine. What do you propose should be done about them?" "I would fight them head-on if I could but," the younger woman glanced down at her leg. "I would much rather not risk the disadvantages that come with this, assuming I do not tear it open in the first place." "You are just liek your father...except perhaps he would not think about not making his injuries worth," her mother chuckled before glancing down at Tabitha's umbrella. "How much ammunition do you have for that and what kind do you have?" "Plenty, and I have all kinds," Tabitha touched her hat. "I am out of bombs but I do have a few stunning bugs left, a tranquiliser, as well as smokescreens, among other things," she smiled. "If things get very desperate, I can always shoot stones at them." "Oh goodness, please only do that if it is desperate: that might damage the mechanism," Constance laughed. "As for myself...if I had time, I could devise a few traps out of your friends' abilities. Certainly Mr. Sinclair's portals could make for an amazing pit trap." Tabitha raised an eyebrow. She was aware of her mother's speciality but seeing her talk like that was rare. Constance, however, did not notice. Instead, she patted her side, just where her service pistol was. "It looks like I will have to use this after all." "Oh goodness, mum, please do not kill anybody," Tabitha exclaimed, slightly concerned. "I do not think Mr.Sinclair, the network or the law will approve." "Don't worry, darling: I would much rather not kill anybody either. I will not aim for any place fatal, I promise," Constance smiled back shakily before sighing. "You know, after I had quit the army, I had hoped I would never find myself in a battle again." "I am sorry, mother," her daughter replied. "You know, you do not have to fight. You can remain here. We will protect you." "And let my only daughter go out there to face the danger alone?" Constance rolled her eyes. "What kind of mother do you think I am?" "Good point, and I do appreciate it," Tabitha nodded and touched the door, ready to open it again. "Just in case, let me do the primary attacking. I would much rather you covered me in case anybody got too close." "Understood, commander," Constance grinned. "Sometimes you remind me so much of your father that it hurts." "He is my father, is he not?" came the laughing reply before Tabitha gave her mother another nod. "Ready?" "Of course," Constance took out her service pistol, holding it ready to fire. With that confirmation, Tabitha flung open the lair door again and ran outside, keeping a low profile as she could while rushing towards the nearest cover: a large chunk of the boulder the Queen had flung. Constance ran after her, positioning herself behind Tabitha and glancing over. "We should go higher. We will get a better view," she suggested and pointed up to a sheltered outcrop on the cliff face, easily accesible with some scrambling. "That looks good." "Alright," Tabitha turned to the other heroes, calling to them. "Cover me, please, I am going higher." With that, the young woman and her mother scrambled up to towards the ledge, with Tabitha helping Constance over the more difficult bits as the latter groused about being too old for this. Occasionally they had to stop and Tabitha had to shield from with her umbrella from stray projectiles but foruntately, they made it up to the ledge without incident. Tabitha positioned herself and took the tranquilising needle out of her hairpin, loading into the umbrella. She leaning against the rock while Constance watched over her. Tabitha meanwhile, took survey of the villains below them, most notably the Queen who seemed to be leading them. So perhaps, if she was removed from the stage, they might not be as much of a threat. Thank goodness she was such a prominent figure: white was terrible camoflauge against the browns and greys of the mountain. Taking aim right at the Queen, Tabitha fired the tranquiliser right at her. Tabitha and her mum duck into the old villain lair to discuss strategy and other things. They decide that shooting things is the best strategy and climb up to a good spot to do so, asking the other heroes (so, Shinko and The Scrac that Smiles Back) to cover them. Tabitha then figures since the Queen( Twillie) is leading the villains, she takes a shot and fires a tranquiliser at her.
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Post by Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff) on Oct 25, 2016 13:16:46 GMT -5
Mizshu very quickly noticed her actions had repercussions--Timothy snarled at her as he struggled to move his arms and Nyx--she couldn't even see Nyx, but Mizshu definitely had a bad feeling about what she could possibly do. The longer she kept talking to him and telling him memories, the more relaxed his limbs seemed to become. Mizshu kept clinging to him, her ankles aching in protest. "You're going to be all right," she murmured, her voice muffled by the thick fur of his parka's hood. “Don’t do this to me.” He pleaded, swaying with exhaustion. “You’re killing me, Shoemaker.”"I'm...hurting you with this?" Mizshu asked, lifting her head to glance at the ring. Sure enough, it was still glowing, but the glow had definitely faded from its bright light of a few moments ago. Timothy's legs seemed to wobble as he panted, losing strength beneath her. Mizshu looked at her gloved hands, using one to gingerly touch the scar he had inflicted upon her a mere few days prior. It didn't seem like he'd do anything of the sort right now--if anything, he sounded confused, even to someone with as little perception as herself. Two things happened so fast Mizshu could hardly wrap her brain around it: Glitch's hands were held tautly together with a sudden, swift rope, and Timothy cried out in pain as he fell to the ground, taking the girl with him. Mizshu whirled her head around and saw Scaletta, using her grappling hook to restrain him. Good--this meant she could get off of him now, but given the wild state of blinding pain he was in--how was that even happening? The girl saw Kizuna and it was all she could do not to run to him instantly. He looked badly hurt, with his arm not exactly in the right place, and even punching himself oh heavens was he mad? But she quickly figured out what he was doing--well--it was another method of restraint, was it not? If anything, both heroes were sending a message, one that was incredibly clear even to Mitzi-- it's time to let go.Mitzi’s thoughts buzzed as she gently slid off of Timothy, her legs trembling and her arms smarting from the effort of her prolonged grip. He looked unbelievably pained--hadn't he said she was 'killing him'? Mitzi looked at her hands, focusing intently on the one with the just barely glowing green stone. Did I do that? she wondered. The buzzing grew louder as more of her friends began to come closer, slowly blocking potential exits. Mizshu could hardly think--where was Nyx, had the ring drained Mizshu too, were all her friends here to help...her, of all heroes..., oh heavens, was Zenith okay-- And then the buzzing grew much louder and faster--next thing she knew, she was scooped up by a pair of muscular arms. “Daniel?” she murmured, completely taken aback by the sudden lurching and the ground shrinking below her. Mitzi unconsciously leaned into him for a moment before snapping back to her senses, looking at the ring. Its stone was now a dark green, giving no sign of ever glowing again. Mizshu gave the ground a quick scanning glance--it wasn't difficult with her being so high up and all. "We've got to go back down," she told him. Fireflyman didn't seem to hear her. "Daniel, I'm serious!" she protested, her voice naturally slipping into a childish whine. "Let me go! I've got to protect them!" Mitzi resorted to wriggling in his arms, painfully aware of a certain someone who had been in her current situation mere minutes ago. "There's so much I've yet to do down there, I haven't even made sure if Zenith is okay OH MY GOODNESS are those all villains down there?!" Mizshu forgot about arguing for a moment and pointed, noting the gigantic mess of hypnotized people (not too many thanks to the coolers and their dispersion towards the old villain lair), heroes and villains in a tussle, and innocents who were caught in the crossfire. Many of whom were getting hurt. Mizshu winced. "Daniel, I swear if you don't take me down right now I'll...I'll..." Mizshu gulped before saying this. "I'll jump!" *** Mizshu was safely on the ground at last, noting the familiar white cars with HPD in blue letters on the side. Without waiting for a cue, she ran towards them, tugging at sleeves here and there. "I know there's a lot to do already, but there's no time to lose at all!" Mizshu cried, "We've got a cave-in at City Hall, hypnotized people running amok, heroes and villains all over the place, and a hero who needs help and might escape in the blink of an eye any second!" The officers stared at her as if a loaf of bread had spoken. Mizshu thought fast, then tugged harder, practically pulling the policeman keeping the crowd at bay away from them. "Let's go, let's go!" Usually, her parents' direction would tell her to be much nicer and she would respect their wishes, but this was definitely a case of emergency where formality pretty much went out the window. Without waiting, "Can you officers send an alert to a bunch smartdevices saying "STAY INSIDE"?" she asked. "Miss, I believe that's been done." The officer furrowed her brow. "But I'll check it anyway." Oh. "That crowd's got to go, first of all," Mizshu said, hopping onto a car much to the protests of said officer. "Rather than take them back, I say get a megaphone and get them home." Giving direction made Mizshu cringe a little bit on the inside, but it was getting easier and easier as time went on. "Don't you think we already know to do that?" another officer said, easily wrapping an arm around Mizshu's waist and pulling her off of the police car. "You are a superhero, not a sergeant, young lady. You've got to know your place." Mizshu flushed bright red. "Well..." she scrambled for a way to save face. "Well, can't one of you come with me to help Timothy? I think he's getting attacked to be held in one place, but that's probably not a good idea for long, at least until he's in cuffs. And can someone else come with me to see if the people in City Hall are okay?" The officer ran a hand through her hair. "Look, Miss, we're already doing all we can, and the last thing we need is some kid telling us what to do. We'll get to your friends as soon as we can, I promise." Mizshu, not pleased with this, understood perfectly well. They were only doing their jobs and running the risk of getting hurt, too. "Well when you can, just look for either me or a blond man in a parka. Timothy's behind City Hall. My friends and I can't hold him much longer--we've got to have him back." With that, Mizshu dashed back into the structurally unsound City Hall to search for Zenith. "Zenith!" Mizshu called out, aware of the building creaking here and there. "Are you all right? Are you hurt?" She maintained a gloved hand on her green pouch, just in case. Mizshu sees how weak Timothy's ( Dju) getting and wonders if it's she who's hurting him. Then she notices the knot around his wrists and sees Scaletta ( Pixie) who is truly restraining him well. Kizuna ( Draco) also came to her aid, but MIzshu noticed he's really hurt and feels a surge of compassion. Fireflyman ( Moni) scoops her up and Mizshu fights to go back, now understanding how Timothy felt when she'd held onto him. Mizshu doesn't even turn to look at Fireflyman as she's back on the ground, and she tries to recruit the assistance of the local police. However, her childish antics don't do much good, but they do promise to come help in a timely manner. The girl runs back into City Hall, looking for Zenith ( Liou), wanting to make sure they're okay as she hasn't seen them in a while. Guilt for abandoning someone can drive them a long way.
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Post by Pixie on Oct 25, 2016 14:40:09 GMT -5
The heroes exited the lair with difficulty. The evil doctor had escaped. When Lightning Rod made it outside, he found a different villain, the Queen, was rallying a force of her fellow villains behind her. William Sinclair dropped an enormous boulder from a portal, which sent the troops scattering, but the villains reconvened. It was impressive regardless. Tabitha and the older woman who held much resemblance to her, likely her mother, had stepped away from the combat when the villains attacked. After a moment, however, it was evident they had been planning. Tabitha and her mother asked the others to cover for them as she head up the cliff face and directly after the Queen herself. Lightning rod nodded. As the fight raged. a sorceress garbed in red, brandishing green flames, came rushing towards him, blasts of flame narrowly missing his sides. He swung at her with the staff, conducting electricity from his body and through the weapon, hoping to knock her out in one swoop as not to be overwhelmed by the surge of gathered enemies. He was not so fortunate- he was rusty at combat after years of retirements. She easily dodged and laughed in his face. Soon, a red-cloaked individual was at her side. This had just got a whole lot harder, but at least these villains were focused on him, and not defending the Queen. He locked eyes with both of the villains, guarding his chest with his electrified staff.
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Post by Shinko on Oct 25, 2016 19:05:46 GMT -5
Tripwire’s darts, like pretty much everything else about her, were bad news. Tulley was feeling a little constricted of breath himself as he tried to stay calm and handle the situation - there might not be anything he could do, depending on what was in the things; he just had to hope she wanted her vengeance to be more personal than a sharpshot at netted men from the train tracks, and so the stuff in the dart she had just shot Oswald with was incapacitating, but not deadly.
He ordered Chlorolad to keep behind the trunk of his growing tree as much as possible - the kid was clearly starting to panic, but Tulley needed to help the Oswald first. Tripwire poked her head out of cover as Tulley approached the young man - she retreated when Tulley fired a shot in her direction. He helped get the dart out of Oswald’s shoulder so it at least couldn’t continue poisoning him. “Hold onto this,” Tulley said as he tucked the dart - carefully - into the young man’s hand, and guided him around the back of the tree as well. “The doctors can look at it at the hospital.” Tulley would’ve held onto it himself, but giving Oswald something to focus on that wasn’t his difficulty breathing might help him stay a little calmer.
“You’re doing great,” Tulley coached Chlorolad, joining the two young men behind the tree. “The net’s almost up enough I can wrestle it, and then we - “
They were interrupted by a loud crack and a peculiarly fireworks-like sound almost like a sudden spatter of water on canvas. Chlorolad yelped and flinched back, but it didn’t look like he’d been hit - all Tulley could see was sawdust. And could Tripwire even have gotten off a shot from here? They couldn’t even see the hunter from this angle -
Then Tulley got it. He poked his head around the trunk and saw Tripwire aiming a much larger, much sturdier looking gun. There was a hole about the size of a man’s fist in the tree trunk - that must have been what set Chlorolad off. Even superpowers came with a downside.
Tulley fired, and it must have been at the same moment Tripwire took a second shot; the hunter, likely spotting or hearing Tulley, ducked away. The agent’s shot missed - but so had Tripwire’s, as her gun jerked to the side. A tree branch broke with a loud snap - but whatever she was firing also sliced through some of the net.
Tulley considered telling Chlorolad to go on ahead with Oswald, to get to the hospital, fast - but the kid looked shaky enough without being put in charge of a desperate race to the hospital, and Tulley had the feeling his attempts at a distraction wouldn’t last long if he was on his own.
“We need to move,” Tulley said quietly, as calmly as he could manage. “She’s in a bad spot, if we get out of her range - it’ll take her a while to catch up. So let’s - “
Ossie suddenly spoke, forcing words out of a throat that sounded painfully tight. “Be- behind - she’s moving!”
Tulley twisted his head - and sure enough, the woman’s hands appeared and disappeared at lower and lower points on the train’s support column as the hunter half-slid, half-climbed down. Finding cover from Tripwire would be easier if she was shooting in a straight line from the ground, instead of from above - but it would be easier for Tripwire to maneuver around to find them despite that cover.
“Okay - go, get a headstart,” Tulley ordered, nudging Oswald toward Chlorolad. “I’m right behind you; try to find cover.”
He straightened, aiming his gun for the pole, resolutely following Tripwire’s movements downward and waiting for an opening. He heard Chlorolad and Oswald moving behind him, and carefully stepped backwards to keep pace. His heart felt like it was scrabbling at his chest to escape, and Tulley couldn’t entirely blame it.
Chlorolad was feeling similar panic - but he didn’t have it quite so clamped down. His job had been to protect everyone, and he’d failed, spectacularly - they’d gotten pinned, Ossie, an innocent civilian and a freshly-freed hostage, had gotten hurt, there was nothing he could do to help him or to get to Tripwire when she was so far away - and the hunter was still coming after them - !
He wished Nimbus were there. What would she do in this situation (aside from the obvious storm-summoning)? Quite abruptly, he remembered talking to his partner just before the premiere. "I'm nervous. What if they don't like me?"
Nimbus had smiled. ”Trust me, they'll love you.” He could imagine her hand on his shoulder, giving it a supportive squeeze. “And for what it's worth, I think your powers are pretty cool. You'll be finding a lot of inventive uses for them, that I can tell.”
Well - now would be a good time to prove his mentor right. Fighting through the panic, reassuring Oswald they had things in hand, he tried to think logically. They needed cover. Obviously. No-brainer. Top priority. But they needed a place that was not like the one they’d just left. If Chlorolad was going to help, he needed soil.
One of the storefronts had a section for a small garden. Stubby evergreens took up much of the space now, but Chlorolad was willing to bet it housed flowers in the spring. There was a car parked in front of the shop; that would have to do. He left Ossie by the vehicle, against the tire so Tripwire hopefully couldn’t shoot underneath the car to get to him, and hurried to the garden, unclipping canisters from his belt with one hand and digging troughs in the dirt with the other. As Tulley took up periodically firing at the hunter - by the sound of it, both were missing each other - Chlorolad began growing rosebushes - rosebushes with thick stems and long, sharp thorns.
Tulley finally made a successful shot, and Tripwire made a quickly-stifled noise of pain - but at the same moment a bullet seared past Chlorolad’s arm, close enough for him to feel the heat, and the strike of a few pebbles when it slammed into the building. He reacted on instinct, twisting around and sending the rose bushes in the direction of the shout he’d heard earlier - it looked almost like a fast timelapse video of roses growing over a veranda, except there was no veranda, and these roses weren’t idly growing - they were lunging. The roses - and their thorns - found their target, triggering another shout of surprise and anger from Tripwire. Tulley straightened, aiming for a shot now that their enemy was both pinpointed and distracted -
But then Chlorolad felt a slice of pain through the rosebushes, and then another, and another - Tripwire came into view for just a moment, her arms and face bloodied, a machette raised to come down on the roses wrapped around her other arm. The blade fell, the plants fell, Chlorolad felt momentarily sick. Tripwire’s hand came up, and Tulley wasn’t able to duck back into cover in time to avoid the bullet that fired from the gun she was carrying.
Tulley went down with a shout, gun skittering from one hand as the other went to his hip; the white shirt was quickly turning red. Chlorolad froze - but Tripwire moved, darting out of her cover. Chlorolad sent the roses to chase after her, but before they caught up to her, the hunter made it to the car.
Tripwire snatched Oswald up by the collar and his wrists, and yanked him in between her and the others. Chlorolad froze, and his roses froze with him, the very tips still growing, tiny flowers blossoming, little thorns sliding out of the stems like cat claws from their sheaths.
“Let him go!” Tulley ordered - he was on the ground, pale, the bottom of his shirt red, but he’d managed to get his gun back and pointed at Tripwire. For all the good that did them - how was he going to get a clear shot around Oswald?
Tripwire grinned. “Y’know, I think I’ll leave the two of you alive for now. I owe you both a bullet, but I can accept that mess,” she nodded at Tulley before her eyes drifted to Chlorolad, “and you having to tell your boss that Tripwire made off with his kid. The number of times that blighter portaled a shot away - he’ll know exactly what to expect.”
She leaned forward a little to see Oswald’s face, and said, “Especially since I overheard the funniest little weakness - you can’t actually fight back. Poor, sad superhero’s son, can’t pick up so much as a - agh!”
The hunter shoved Oswald away, looking down at herself. Right in her side, where she had been holding Oswald’s wrists together, was the dart she had shot the younger Sinclair man with just minutes ago. Even as Chlorolad processed this, he realized the villain’s breath was growing short and labored.
“...How - “ The hunter’s face contorted into a snarl before she finished her question, though - she yanked out the dart and turned to bolt - only to find herself facing Chlorolad’s roses.
Chlorolad found his voice. “You - just give up, Tripwire!”
Tulley grunted painfully, but managed, “Or it’s guns ‘n’ roses for you,” with a twist of his mouth that might have been a smirk.
Tripwire’s expression was furious - but she surrendered.
* * *
Fireflyman had been hurt when Mizshu refused to speak with him after he pried her away from Tim. When she started off into the damaged City Hall, he almost reached out to stop her, but she shook her head roughly. "No! I have to do this! Zenith has-!"
"M-Mizshu," Fireflyman started, but before he could say anything further a blur of light shot past them both, around the back of the building.
"It's you, Zenith!" Mizshu called to her fellow hero, taking off running after them with Fireflyman hot on her heels. “You’re okay!”
If they heard, Zenith gave no indication of it, instead vanishing around the side of the building. A few minutes later they appeared far over city hall and began to circle and weave chaotically into the sky, Tim clasped in their arms. Realizing what was happening, Mizsu clapped her hands. "You can do it, Zenith!"
"This better work," Scaletta added- Fireflyman and Mizshu were back in line of sight with her again. When Fireflyman glanced towards her with confusion, she added, "We were hoping for a chance like this. Zenith has-"
"H-hey!" Nyx interrupted, her voice heavily slurred. "I'm... I'm still here you know! You can't-" her face twisting into a snarl, she aimed a red bolt towards Zenith's distant figure. "Put him down!"
"No!" Scaletta flung her grappling hook towards Nyx, startling the supervillain as she suddenly found her wrists bound. Nyx yanked backwards with an indignant squawk, but any effort she might've made in her own defense was preempted when her amulet began to spark almost frantically.
"Work with me!" Nyx demanded of the trinket. "Please! I can't do this if you panic!"
Fireflyman wasn't quite certain why Nyx was engaging in conversation with an inanimate piece of jewelry, but he wasn't about to waste time asking about it. The hero leapt forward, bringing his elbow down on top of Nyx's head so that she cried out once sharply with pain, before going limp and still.
"Did... did we stop her?" Scaletta asked, blinking in astonishment.
"I think so," Fireflyman replied, though he was in the process of tying the former hero up just to be on the safe side. "Someone should get her to the police before-"
Both Mizshu and Fireflyman jumped when their phones buzzed almost simultaneously. It was a text message from Mattress Comet.
An ambush? Fireflyman though with horror. Oh no...
“Zenith has Tim,” Mizshu said quickly. “And Scaletta and I have Nyx. Go help Comet!”
“But-” Fireflyman started to object, only for Mizshu to cut him off.
“I’m not a kid, Firefly- I can handle things here. You don’t have to protect me.” Her voice softening, she added, “Go. Comet needs your help. ‘Sides, someone needs to help Kizuna.”
The former Firefly hesitated for a few seconds more, then clenched his jaw and nodded. “Be careful, Mizshu.”
And with that he took to the air, a low droning buzz in his ears as he sped towards the old villain lair as fast as his wings could carry him. When Fireflyman arrived at the scene, he was surprised to see that Comet had been saying nothing less than the truth- this was an ambush, and the ensuing brawl was turning into nothing short of an all out war. Tabitha and an older woman who resembled her were converging on the swooning form of the Queen, while Comet and several elderly heroes that Fireflyman vaguely recognized from reruns of past seasons of Hero City where engaged in fighting the villains. For the most part the heroes seemed to be holding their own, but one spot of trouble caught and held the former firefly’s gaze.
It was the man Fireflyman had never thought he’d find himself sharing space with again; William Sinclair. Though he was dressed down, in a casual jacket instead of his usual suit, there was no mistaking the HCN CEO’s blond hair, nor the gates he was calling into being all around himself.
However, all was not well with Bill Sinclair. He was presently fighting against a morass of inky appendages that were rising up out of the ground to grab and pin his every limb. The shadows seemed to be pouring out from under a cowled man behind Sinclair- Darkborn. And Darkborn was not alone- waltzing up to Sinclair with very deliberate slowness was Eugene Espin. The scientist slowly lifted his arm, a smirk playing across his lips as he pointed what could have only been a gun towards Sinclair.
Fireflyman didn’t think- he only reacted, zooming to towards his former boss. The bioluminescent parts of his body flared, and Darkborn cried out in pain as the light touched him.
“Wha- you’re supposed to be fired!” Espin snapped, his hands clenched into fists. Fireflyman only lifted an eyebrow.
“I am.”
He flared his lights again, and Darkborn stumbled back, the shadows pinning Sinclair receding. With a muttered curse, Espin quickly aimed his gun and fired. Sinclair yanked up his arm- the right one- and with a loud metallic CLANG the bullet ricocheted off of his mechanical arm.
“Mr. Sinclair…” Fireflyman said, his throat feeling unexpectedly tight. “Sir…”
“Later,” Bill cut in, the air around him rippling as he seemed to be pulling together his energy to manipulate the gates. “We will have a talk- but later.”
Fireflyman could see the justice in this. Perhaps he had not always been the most exemplary hero. Perhaps he had made mistakes, and followed path of self-destruction before owing up to them. But he was young, at least for a human. He still had time to learn.
Bill had said it himself- a true hero learned from their mistakes, and never, ever gave up. And through it all, Fireflyman had never given up.
The former Firefly shot towards Darkborn as Sinclair closed on Espin; no matter the outcome of this day, he knew he had won a priceless victory.
* * *
Tim was starting to get his bearings back, and consequently he was not taking his manhandling at Zenith’s hands quietly. The hero was forced to zip hither and yon, to and fro, up and down and around to keep Tim dazed and confused- too disoriented to enter hyperspeed and escape, though this high up in the air that would have been suicidal.
In their pocket, Zenith was carrying a priceless treasure. The result of all of Tabitha’s work researching the Queen, Mizshu’s healing dust and a great deal of alchemy and chemistry work; a cure. A reversal to the Queen’s hypnotic potion.
But as they sped through the sky, Zenith found themselves faced with a dilemma. It took both of their arms to keep Timmy from falling to his death thousands of feet below. With the precious phial in their pocket, not their hand, this mean that they would almost certainly have to put him down to get him to drink it. One hand to hold the potion, one hand to hold open his mouth. They would have to surrender control. And in that fraction of a second, he could be gone. All it would take would be a blink.
They needed some way to slow him down. To make it so that he’d be too disoriented when they set him down to vanish.
Zenith hated themselves for not thinking this through better. Somehow they would have to pin him. Somehow-
Then, the hero’s arms were empty, and Tim was hurtling to the ground far below. Zenith’s heart lurched as they realized they were above the lake; Tim must have seen the chance to drop in relative safety. They hurtled after him, desperate to grab him again before he could swim away in hyperspeed.
For a moment, it seemed they had failed; Tim hit the water and blinked out of existence yet again. But he blinked back into view almost immediately, a lungful of water seemingly too much for him to deal with while trying to manipulate time.
Wasting no time, Zenith yanked the phial out of their pocket and grabbed Tim again. He flailed wildly against their hold as they tried to bring the potion to his lips, but between the splashing and the thrashing it was no use.
I can’t do this, I don’t have enough arms!
Tim vanished beneath the surface, kicking far into the murkey depths and away from Zenith. They wanted to cry with frustration, quickly darting towards the shore to catch their breath. The phial was clasped in their teeth as they watched the water like a hawk. What now? What now?
They would need one hand to hold Tim still. One to tip his head back so he wouldn’t choke on the potion. But that left no hands to administer the dose. Even now, as badly as their hands were shaking with fatigue and pain from the wounds the Queen had inflicted earlier, they weren’t sure if they could've kept a grip on the potion in anything but their mouth as they were doing…
Oh.
Oh!
Zenith didn’t have time to question the notion. Yanking the cork out with their teeth, they poured the fruity tasting concoction out onto their tongue just as a dark blur appeared in the water; Tim was surfacing.
They darted towards Tim, grabbing him in a vice like grip and crushing their lips against his. The potion flowed from Zenith’s mouth into Timothy’s. Zenith placed a thumb over his adam’s apple and felt him swallow. Gradually his flailing ceased. The dead, flat, haunted glaze in his eyes ebbed. Zenith yanked away from him, their face heating up as they dragged him to shore.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry Tim, I shouldn’t have done that, are you okay?”
“J-Jun…” he breathed, his eyes shimmering with tears. “Jun, y-you did it. I… I’m free.”
* * *
They were going to lose.
It was hard for Iskender to admit that, even just to himself - human-level intelligence or no, he was still a cat - but he had not named himself after a legendary general only to ignore an obviously-oncoming defeat. And that was clearly what was going on - all of his preparation, all of his work, all the effort he had poured into his small personal team and then to the villains beyond...all being torn down by the superheroes. He should have known Bill would call in his old friends, and prepared for that eventuality, too. But it shouldn’t have come to that in the first place.
This was Nyx’s fault - bringing that bloody tracer back to the general area of their base so the heroes could find it.
This was Espin’s fault - he hadn’t guarded the mihtium well enough.
This was the Queen’s fault - she had let Tim stray too far too many times, and now he was out of their hands.
I gave them everything they needed! Iskender fumed as he darted between a superhero’s legs and slammed hard against their ankle to make them stagger and become an easier target for one of the villains. A lair, plans, resources, technology, my other villains!
The train tracks weren’t far off - the climb would be tough, but Iskender could manage. What else could I have done?! Accompanied them to the mihtium facility? Fought Kingsley myself? Oh, but no, I couldn’t do that, I had to guard Hikes, because the Queen was too busy playing water balloons with a firefly!
A lot of the superheroes seemed unsure what to do about the cat running through their midst - Iskender took full advantage of their hesitation, darting around and under and over. One hero had her back to Iskender, locked in combat with a villain - Iskender leaped onto her back, digging his claws into her shoulders, and sprang away with a shove and a flip of his tail. The longer his villains could stand and fight, the more cover they could give him.
He was retreating. It was treated as such an ugly word - but all it meant was that he was saving his forces, conserving his resources, for a more important campaign. The mihtium still sat in the human-swarmed facility, just waiting to be made into a tool of murder again. Not like Espin’s guns, or even Bill Sinclair’s prosthetic arm - just the wrong pulse of radiation passing over and off it had killed Iskender’s family, even as it gave him the ability to understand that fact.
The mihtium was not staying with the humans. What Iskender would do when he had it for himself, he wasn’t certain - but someday, somehow, he would take it.
And if he had to do that on his own - so be it. The heroes and villains could continue their eternal fighting while he, Iskender, did more important work.
* * *
“Our heroes are somewhat worn down and wounded after a long, long day of fighting, but the news in Heraclia today is good- once again justice has triumphed. The main perpetrators- the Queen, Nyx Nightshadow, and Eugene Espin- are currently being arrested for later prosecution. Once again, our heroes have won…”
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Post by Gelquie on Oct 25, 2016 23:26:26 GMT -5
He'd fought hard. He'd fought so hard. Even though he'd never been in a battle like this in his life. Even though he had always intended to give orders from the sidelines, with villains using his machines and him using them himself for self-defense, or even for ranged attacks. But once he was on the field with Darkborn (Scimitar had run off screaming something about Eyescream man), once they'd gotten the upper hand over Sinclair... He'd had him. He'd had him. And he was thwarted by that idiot firefly. Whom he hadn't even seen in person since the last time he had gone to Gyro City. Who didn't have many powers to him besides having the capabilities of a firefly... Or rather, a human, but still. He'd largely written him off, especially after he'd assaulted another hero and been fired. He'd thought he'd done other things to thoroughly distract himself at this point, like gone out to get hideously drunk again. And yet that same firefly thwarted their upper hand. Even so, he and Darkborn were still on the field with the other villains. They were still fighting. They still had a chance. And Espin was giving it everything he had, as was Darkborn. After all, he was sure Darkborn had no desire to go back to prison. Neither did Espin. It was hard enough just being inside the jail when he was breaking out prisoners; being a prisoner would only make that worse. But ultimately, Espin had no real experience fighting on the field. He pulled everything he could. But sometimes, one just wasn't a match for someone with years of experience with battle like one Bill Sinclair. It had happened too fast. One minute, he was fighting for his life, and the next thing he knew, he was pinned to the ground (by whom, he didn't know), with none of his allies nearby or in sight. Others had quickly descended upon him to unequip his weapons before he could have a chance to use them. He struggled all the while, although this only made it far more painful when they moved to take the mihtium gun from his arm. In order to work at all, the sensor had to jabbed directly into his nerve. It was never intended to be a full solution, and Espin fully intended to try to find a workaround. But there was too much at stake today, and so he endured the pain. Although ever-present, he had done well enough at ignoring it. But now that it was being removed, Espin couldn't help but let out a raw scream. It was out of pain, mostly. But mid-scream, it had transformed into something else. Rage. Frustration. Fright. He needed to get out from under there, as soon as possible, or at least before they transported him to jail. But Espin was never very strong. Against the strength of whoever had him, it was futile. Perhaps if he had his allies... But they were all out of sight. And he couldn't press his communicator to call for help. Espin clenched his fists, ignoring the dull ache from his arm as he looked up at his captors, gritting his teeth. "So, you outnumbered us. Well done, I'm certain you're very clever with your mass numbers," he growled. "...Fine, you can have my weapons. Wouldn't you say I can't do much more? It can't harm you too much to let go of me. If I ran, it's likely one of your heroes would chase me down anyway. You have the advantage, after all." In spite of himself, there was a tinge of desperation in Espin's words. He had absolutely no plan for this. He didn't know if what he was suggesting would actually accomplish anything. He could maybe figure out something if he could see it from a distance, if he had time to think. Or maybe he could take advantage of an opportunity, particularly if he found a villain who wasn't so trapped who would help him. He didn't know. All he knew was that he was not going to let himself be taken. He couldn't afford to. If they took him, they'd find his past records for certain... and then he'd never get out. He waited for their word, but kept his brain at work and his eyes open as he tried to think of any idea--or see any opportunity--that he could use to escape his fate. Espin is restrained and tries desperately to bargain with his captors, probably with a plainly fearful look on his face. He knows full well that it probably won't even work, and even if it did, that he's probably doomed to be arrested. He's just throwing his cards everywhere because he doesn't wanna go to jaiiiiiiil ;__;
People probably present: Bill Sinclair ( Shinko), Fireflyman ( Moni), possibly Tabitha and Constance ( Celestial) and... Lemme know if I'm forgetting anyone. I don't fully remember who's here and who's moved. Also, Espin's pretty much at your mercy, so if you want to do things like get him to his feet or handcuff him or start marching him somewhere or punch him in the face, go ahead. And lemme know if there's anything I need to change. (Also, the word of the day is: Tinge! It was a word I didn't know existed before now to replace a word that didn't mean what I thought it meant! \ o / )
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Post by Celestial on Oct 26, 2016 12:03:08 GMT -5
Tabitha could have cheered when the dart had hit the Queen but all she had ended up doing was exhaling: she had forgotten to breathe. There was no time to rest and celebrate, however, as even with her down, the villains were still viciously fighting every step of the way. One more dose of tranquiliser remained in her hairpin and Tabitha fired it off at another, dangerous-seeming villain before she was forced to rely on the stunners. However, they did a fine job in warding off villains, or at least stopping them for a few seconds before other heroes took them out. While her daughter was focused on sniping, Constance kept watch. That was just as well. Eventually, noticing that their comrades had been getting sniped from the mountainside, a villain broke off from the main fracas, telekintetically lifting themselves above the battle and towards the two Kingsleys, their cloak flaring out behind them. Constance reacted on instinct, aiming for their leg and firing. With a loud yelp of pain, the villain fell from the sky like a stone. She winced as they fell down on to the rocky slope, feeling a pang of fear in her stomach. "Are you alright?" she called down. The villain groaned and clutched their knee, rolling over to get to a more comfortable spot. Constance sighed. "So sorry, but you were about to attack us. I'll call an ambulance for you when this is over and done with, alright? As long as you don't try to get up here," she held her gun up. "I will probably have to shoot you again in that case." There was no response from the downed villain other than a moan. After a while, the battle began to die down, with the heroes emerging truimphant. Seeing this, the two Kinglseys came out from behind their ledge and began to descend, with Constance stopping to put their own cloak over the downed villain and tell them to "rethink the life choices that got them into this situation." Tabitha approached the Queen, slowly and carefully in case she had any more tricks up her sleeve that she could use despite the fog of the tranquiliser. Wasting no time, she took out a thin, sturdy rope coil from the handle of her umbrella and bound the Queen's wrists with it, just in case. It did not seem like she could move or hear her but Tabitha knew by now the Queen was a master illusionist: she was taking no chances. "I would highly recommend you do not try to escape from this. It will take you a good few minutes to cut through this, which will be time enough for somebody else to take you down and charge you with resisting arrest. You do not want to make things worse for yourself...Natasha?" she chided and shook her head. "If that is even your real name." Standing up, Tabitha walked up to Sinclair. "I forgot to mention before everything went to pot but I found something that bothered me," she dug a hang in her pocket. "The cat who was leading this group, they were supposed to be black, were they not? But searching the lair, I came across large clumps of this," she took out the white fur from her pocket. "Suleiman, my own cat, sheds similarly. Either the villains had a white pet cat or there is more to this Black Cat than it seems. Maybe it is worth-" She was cut off by a sudden commotion. Even without looking, Tabitha recognised that voice: the grating, angry tones of Dr. Eugene Espin. Did the man really not know of the concept of dignity in defeat? Tabitha sighed. "Excuse me, Mr Sinclair," she put the fur in his hand and calmly walking over to Espin. Or at least as calmly as she could, given that the painkillers Mechafalcon gave her were wearing off and the wound in her leg had begun to hurt again. "Would you kindly pick him up off the floor?" she asked the heroes holding down Espin, smiling. "I would like to speak to the good doctor while looking him in the eye." They obliged her, picking the doctor up and holding him by the elbows, facing Tabitha. She smiled at him and casually brushed a few specks of dust off his clothes. "Doctor, you have proven yourself time and time again to be a resourceful, cunning man, so no, we are not letting you go. You should be proud: we are not underestimating you," she smiled sweetly at him. "However, I would strongly suggest that you do not make any more of a fuss than you have now and save whatever shreds of respect you have left. Dignity is a highly attractive trait after all." The smile faded in a moment, however, and Tabitha looked Espin right in the eye. "Actions have consequences. Quite frankly, if you did not want to be in this position, you should not have done all of your nefarious actions. Stealing the mihtium, kidnapping young Oswald Sinclair, wounding me and almost killing me among other things...you deserve all that is coming to you so please, at least take it without throwning a tantrum." "Excuse me?" Constance came up just behind Tabitha. "Did you say he was the one who wounded you and tried to shoot you?" "Oh, yes," Tabitha pointed to the discarded gun and her leg. "He caught me unawares. We also fought when I brought the mihtium back for you." "Is that so?" her mother's voice had suddenly acquired an edge. "In that case, please step aside, Tabitha. I too, want a word with Dr. Espin." Tabitha nodded, giving her mother the floor. Constance stretched herself to her full height, though even with that, she was just a little too short to properly look in his face. "Dr. Espin, I want you to know that you are a disgrace to the scientific community. The general public already thinks we are crackpots without your type making things worse. However, that is not what I am here to speak to you about," she narrowed her eyes before swinging her fist upwards, connecting it with Espin's chin. " Nobody hurts my daughter!" she yelled. "You should be thankful her father is not here, otherwise there would be nothing left of you!" Constance harrumped, folding her arms and turning away. Tabitha stared at her mother, her mouth open. "M-mum, was that..." she glanced between Espin and her mother. "Really necessary?" "Yes," Constance nodded before putting her hand on Tabitha's shoulder. "Now, with everything set and done, let us get you to the hospital. That wound needs proper care after all." She glanced around and spotted, out of the corner of her eye, the yellow frame of the taxi. It had hidden behind a nearby rock, away from the villain fight but had stayed there. "Okay, lady, are you finally going to pay me?" the driver shouted to Constance, gritting their teeth. "If I didn't have those fines to pay that you made me get, I would have left you here. That was not worth sticking my neck out for." "I am dreadfully sorry," Constance smiled sweetly. "I shall pay you if you can drive us to the hospital. No rush this time." "I can even try to arrange for HCN to pay the bill," Tabitha suggested, smiling. "After all, you have been a great help. I can even give you an autograph or tickets to my show on top of all that." The driver tapped a finger against the wheel. "Fine, get in. But only to the hospital, and I am getting my payment right away." Tabitha and Constance snipe villains, with Constance shooting down one of them and feeling very bad for her actions. Eventually, when the battle begins to calm down, they go down to the Queen( Twillie ), where Tabitha ties her up and tells her not to run. She then goes to Sinclair( Shinko ), giving him the white fur she found in the lair because *gasp* what if the Black Cat was not black? However, she is interrupted from any further theorising by Espin( Gelquie ) being a brat. Tabitha tells him not to be such a brat. Constance gets wind that Espin hurt her baby and punches him in the face. The two women then meet with a very disgrunted taxi driver and head to hospital to get patched up.
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Post by Twillie on Oct 26, 2016 15:30:13 GMT -5
Immediately after her signal, the Queen charged towards the heroes, spear at the ready for the nearest opponent. Her eyes burned with a furious flame, and her mind hyper focused on nothing more than to finally give these heroes what they've had coming-- giving her no warning for the sudden, sharp prick in her neck. She halted. Reaching for her neck, she pulled from it a small dart. “Wha-” The Queen swept her gaze full circle, trying to find its source. “No, who…” Brow furrowed, she stole a glance at the projectile. She investigated its tip, trying to see if it carried some sort of poison, or if it had... had a… if... The Queen blinked, her eyelids suddenly feeling heavy. Her mind grew cloudy, and as her limbs turned leaden, she swayed in her spot. “No, no…” She moaned and put both hands to her head as though to forcefully take control again. Her spear disappeared. Against the blur in her vision, she also noticed her glow dimming fast from sight. “ No no no…” Gritting her teeth, the Queen’s hardened expression turned desperate as she tried to maintain her appearance, her weapon, anything at all. She couldn’t help it, though; her eyes rolled upward, her knees buckled underneath her, and the Queen slipped away as Natasha collapsed to the ground, unconscious. She lay unmoving, no longer aware of the battle surrounding her. Everything came in small bits after that. As though under water’s surface, any sight or noise obscured into faint echoes, and Natasha only felt darkness surround her. True sleep pulled away from her, though, whenever a sudden interruption broke through the surface. A tug at her wrists, the murmur of voices, forces jerking her this way and that... Natasha stirred once or twice under these intruding sensations, but she never cried out or looked to see what was happening. Only when everything had settled into silence again, and she was lying peacefully under a cover of warmth, could she finally open her eyes. She kept them closed, though, and moaned softly as consciousness crept back into her mind. For a moment, she considered letting the quiet warmth envelope her again. Unearthing her arms and legs from rest, her stiff muscles complained against their piqued soreness from earlier fights, and nothing appealed to Natasha in that moment more than sleep. She buried her head further into her pillow. Where was she, though? Once all of her pain had returned, the memories of before slowly flooded through Natasha’s head. The last image she could recall, collapsing in the middle of battle from a hero’s tranquilizer dart… Oh no…Her own downfall didn’t mean a total loss for the villains, though. Trying to quell the quickening pace of her heart, Natasha toyed with the chance of waking in the bunker, safe from the heroes with her fellow comrades. Blinking open her eyes, though, her spirits plummeted alongside this prospect. Steel walls surrounded her, holding a room with hardly a thing in it besides the bed, bathroom essentials, and a small barred window near the ceiling. Pulling back her covers, Natasha ignored the spike of pain that coursed through her body and stumbled towards the large, imposing door on the room’s opposite end. Although no handle was present, she still pressed both her palms to its cold metal in an effort to find a way out. Grasping the miniscule ledge on the door’s barred window and heaving up, Natasha saw out of her cell for just a moment. Not a second later, though, and she fell back down against her own weight. Her fingers still held to the ledge, and, pants turning to growls, Natasha prepared to lift herself once more as she fashioned from one hand-- Her whole body jerked. What felt like hot blades ran through Natasha’s arms into her core, convulsing her body to the floor and imploding any conscious thought in her head. She cried out and slammed her hands, the source of the pain, against the floor. She banged on the concrete until it all subsided, and she was left with a numb tingling throughout her body. Swallowing hard, Natasha then noticed the thin metal bracelets tied against her wrists. “Look who’s finally up and about!” Natasha jerked her head upwards as a voice came from outside. Through the window, she saw a guard had approached her cell. “What… what happened…” She choked out. “That Mihtium that you and your teammates were so desperate to get a hold of; well, now you’ve got a small piece all to yourself. We already got it hooked up to you, so every time you make a conscious effort to use your powers, your little accessories will give you a controlled shock.” Hot tears fell down her cheeks as they flushed red, and Natasha’s body shook against the floor. She felt like she was going to scream. So she did. Hurling a loud series of expletives at the guard outside, Natasha banged against the door as she shouted her throat dry. Profanities rolled from her tongue long after she knew no one no longer stood on the door’s other side, but she didn’t care. Whoever could hear her, she wanted them to know just how much she hated them, hated this place, hated herself. Eventually, she crawled herself away from the door and back to her bed. Unable to pick herself up from the floor, though, Natasha opted to curl into a ball by the bed’s foot. She gathered her legs in her arms and rocked herself against the tears ripping through her body. There was nowhere to go. There was nothing she could do. The lock around her wrists feeling like two ton weights, Natasha cursed the bracelets for removing her one means of escape. There were no illusions, and no distractions; she couldn’t hide from herself anymore. Loneliness filled her heart, and the air around her dropped in temperature as Natasha pined for another person’s presence, someone who might actually sit down next to her and say that there was still a chance for hope. Natasha wanted Tim with her, so she could feel his embrace against the cold. She longed for Espin or Nyx… she’d even take Iskender at this point, if only to know that he’d give her some amount of understanding. She… she needed Deric with her, to know his unending patience once more. She needed… Her back to the wall, she whimpered something in between her sobs that sounded like, “daddy…” before burying her head between her knees. The Queen passes out from Celestial's tranquilizer dart, and when she wakes, she finds herself stuck in a prison cell. She tries to escape, but the moment she tries to form an illusion, bracelets around both her wrists administer a shock. A guard comes by and explains what's happened to her, and the Queen proceeds to throw a fit. She is not a happy camper =(
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Post by Shinko on Oct 26, 2016 17:20:43 GMT -5
Ossie was on the edge of blacking out entirely by the time he and his compatriots had arrived at the hospital. It had been a very, very long day, and the young man was in a tremendous amount of pain- again. Fortunately, with the darts onhand to inspect, the hospital staff were able to quickly deduce what sort of poison Tripwire had fired into Ossie's system, and set about reversing it. Anna hovered over her step-son through this process like a hawk, tutting and fretting. As his breathing levelled off, slowly returning to normal, Ossie was moved into a recovery room with Tulley. He smiled wanly at the government agent, exhausted but relieved they were finally in safe hands. "Anna told me the heroes won," he croaked, his throat dry and parched. "They're arresting the monsters who set this up. So that's good. I was starting to worry they'd slip back into the shadows like every other time." He moaned a bit, rubbing his face. "I hope they go easy on Glitch. He... he wasn't doing any of it willingly. He said they messed him up. Took away his free will. He... he let me go. After the break-in. Left me behind, and asked me to pray for his safety." * * * Bill watched impassively as Constance and Tabitha berated Espin. He wasn't entirely certain what to make of the white hair that had been unceremoniously shoved his way. He supposed, given the Black Cat's self-proclaimed vendetta against mankind, it wasn't out of the question he'd give shelter to other felines. But no doubt he either took those with him when he ran, or they'd left the hideout once they were no longer being regularly fed there. Eventually Constance and Tabitha seemed to have said all they wanted to, and the mother and daughter left. Sinclair looked towards the hero who had confiscated Espin's mihtium gun, holding out a hand. "If I might see that?" At first the hero hesitated, but then they reluctantly handed the gun over to Sinclair. The blond man pulled up a small portal, then stuck the gun halfway through it. Abruptly the portal vanished, and the gun was cleaved in half where it had passed through. "There- now no one else will be hurt by this. I'll take it to Ms. Blake later for security. And while we're here, why don't you be a good boy and tell me where your new hideout is? You still have the mihtium research drive squirreled away there, as well as the files you stole on my heroes. I'd like those back." Ossie is hospitalized, and chats with Tulley. ( Tiger) Anybody who wants can come say hi to him. Bill reacts to the cat hair, assuming Iske probably just sheltered other strays (because it's a bit of a huge leap of logic to assume "white cat hair" = "my white cat is a villain.") He then destroys Espin's mihtium weapon, and asks him a few questions ( Gelquie).
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Post by Gelquie on Oct 26, 2016 21:15:05 GMT -5
Whoever was holding Espin had a good grip, as when he was lifted up to meet Tabitha's eye, he still saw no means of escape. Even if he had slipped through their grip, it was likely they'd pin him down again anyway. So he merely met the woman's gaze, and listened as she talked him down, his expression hard through it all. "Do you expect me to be happy about this, Miss Kingsley?" he retorted. "Do you think going to prison is a small thing for me? That I'm just spending a short while in... in timeout to learn my lesson? No. I fully understand what's ahead of me, Miss Kinglsey, even if you don't." Then someone else stepped in, one who looked much like Miss Kinglsey... Her mother. Said mother sized herself up as close to Espin as she possibly could, and Espin returned her glare. He looked ready to make a retort on his position in the scientific community when he felt the force of her fist upon his lower jaw. His teeth clashed together, and pain seared through his head as it was knocked back. He couldn't help but let out another gasp of pain, shutting his eyes tightly as he tried to cope with the pain and the growing taste of copper in his mouth. He silently took Constance's shouts, not bothering to formulate a reply when she had walked off and prepared to go to the hospital with Tabitha. He breathed through his teeth as he opened his eyes just enough to glare at the two. "Forget her father, if it's vengeance for the shot you want, let Miss Kingsley take it herself," he thought to himself, but knew better than to say aloud. He was tired of pain for one day. But he shut his eyes and let them go. Obviously, Miss Kinglsey wasn't going to take her chance, and now they were going their separate ways. It was unlikely that he would see her again, especially where he was going. As he collected himself, he watched as he realized that Sinclair had his mihtium gun... And was forced to watch as he cut it in half with his portal. Espin couldn't help but cringe. Perhaps it wasn't his best work, but it worked, and it was a nicely working prototype. He was going to work with that! ...Though he supposed it was better than if the heroes were able to use it against him or other villains, and it wasn't as if Espin couldn't create another one, as he still had the details in his head... Or rather, he would if he wasn't going to a place where he could no longer experiment. This thought and the sight of the destruction still cut him deep, and he took a deep breath to calm himself. Sinclair then turned to him. "There- now no one else will be hurt by this. I'll take it to Ms. Blake later for security. And while we're here, why don't you be a good boy and tell me where your new hideout is? You still have the mihtium research drive squirreled away there, as well as the files you stole on my heroes. I'd like those back."Espin gritted his teeth. "Yes, of course, would you also like a pony and a palace by the sea?" His jaw hurt and the pool of blood in his mouth grew with every word he spoke, but he pushed on regardless. "If you're looking to bargain, forget it. You're going to arrest me no matter what I do, and I know what awaits me. I may as well not make it worse for myself or my allies by selling us out. You want the information, take it up with someone you haven't arrested to deliver it, or look for it yourself. I'm not telling you where they are." Espin tries to exchange snark, and gets a world of pain instead thanks to Constance ( Celestial), which shuts him up both out of pain and because he doesn't actually want more pain, it hurts. Espin watches in horror as Sinclair ( Shinko) destroys the mihtium gun. He then nopes Sinclair's demand for the location of the villains' hideout because he pretty much has no reason to do so.
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