ic Hot Shot

[Supercape]

GM

 

"I'm not exactly a resident of Freedom City" replied Armitage slightly stiffly. "I can meet you back on the boat. Or here, if you fancy meeting the charming Ms. Drake. That was sarcasm, by the way" he said with bone dryness. "She is a withered up old prune that sucks your soul out of you. Not literally, I might add. Well, I hope not literally anyway. It is irritating that she is both rich and clever. I would have preferred rich and stupid, but we must work with the situation at hand". 

 

"Watch Zyte, though. He is another fool that is annoying clever. The worst type of fool, in my opinion. He has sharp eyes and don't be fooled by his mercurial nature. He is astute" he commented. 

 

"The other option I suppose would be to meet in the Central Park. Unless you have a better idea, like a secret Headquarters...."

[olopi]

Yes, the park. That was an amazing opportunity. It was out in the open and vulnerable to attacks, that could satisfy CP. It would give Zyte the opportunity to hide in some bushes and take footage from the distance, probably appeasing his inner paparazzo (and that was there). And it was public enough that any major mishaps would be big enough for quick response.

 

All in all, that sounded like just the place to be at. Plus, Cass had a history of these meetings in parks. Probably not something to invoke, though, unless he wanted sharpshooters to shop up. Which, it flashed his mind, would spice up the film a fair bit. But no, he was doing serious work, the less interference there was, the better.

 

“Yes, the park sounds like a good idea. I’ll make sure Zyte is somewhere else at the time. I’ll bring some backup to blend in with the crowd or distract them and strike should anybody attack us, too.  Meet me at the kiosk by the northern entrance. “

 

With that, Bonfire stepped through the door. Now he just had to engineer this all to work out.

[Supercape]

GM

 

And so, just outside the police station, Bonfire met Chill Pill and Zyte. It would be melodramatic to say they were having an argument, but it was a conversation with friction. 

 

"You told me I was going to be a hero!" said Chill Pill, who was not chill, nor a pill. Unless it was a pro-anger pill. 

 

"Calm down! Calm down! Take a chill p...I mean take a deep breath! In...out....and repeat after me. I. Am. A. Star!"

 

"I..AM...A...STAR...." grunted Chill Pill. "At least I better be!" he said, a frosty and nasty glance sent to Zyte, who turned to Bonfire and rolled his eyes. 

 

"That's right. Group hug everybody!" he sighed. 

[olopi]

Bonfire didn’t need to get himself involved in whatever the two of them were working through. Clearly there had been some misunderstandings between the two of them, and probably between CP and what heroing actually was like. At least when you were thinking about doing it as more than a hobby.

 

“Alright, I made a few calls, and looks like one of my sources managed to track down an expert. “

 

“Now, don’t celebrate yet, ‘cause this guy has some conditions. Mainly, no cameras or similar. I’ve got a plan so you can get some footage, though. I’ll explain on the way. “

 

“We’re gonna be meeting at the park ASAP. I imagine that’ll give you-” he turned towards Chill Pill “some opportunities to get some public awareness, too. Plus, that place is super busy, chances are some crime’s gonna happen while we’re there, so you can go and shine and get some attention. People love heroes mingling with them, best way to get your name out there. “

 

“Well, apart from blowing up a reactor, but I can’t recommend that one. “

[Supercape]

GM

 

And so...a little later, at Liberty Park

 

When it came to media, Zyte was a master of all trades. And this included the noble art of the Paparazzi. So, he had secreted himself in some bushes with a powerful zoom lens camera and was filimng everything with he eagle eyes. 

 

Chill Pill, in his bright blue spandex, was attracting attention from kids, families, and joggers who were passing by. 

 

"Show us some tricks!" was a frequent call, and soon he had become the centre of a small crowd, throwing out icicles and snow. 

 

"How did you get your powers?" was the next most frequent ask, and Chill Pill looked vague and uncomfortable. "I..ah...a lady gave them to me. A little Snowbird...ah...gave me ah...special medicine!" he blustered, tripping over his own tongue and looking increasingly uncomfortable in his new role as attraction of LIberty Park. 

 

Armitage strolled past, trying to ignore Chill Pill and concentrating on looking elegant in his tweed suit. He walked to a bench and sat waiting for Bonfire to appear. 

[olopi]

Cass had put the mask into a linen shopping bag, he’d learnt that carrying around one of them for situations like these was a smart idea. Perhaps that way it wouldn’t gnaw at his mind as much. There was just one more major issue he had to get around:

 

He was popular. And for a discreet meeting in a park, that was all but helpful. He couldn’t go in and waltz right through the crowd. Probably also because it’d’ve meant dealing with a really, really angry Chill Pill. He couldn’t even just show up at the bank and sit down there, his sheer appearance would probably create too much attention, the one drawback an easily recognizable style had.

 

But even that, he could probably get around with some illusions, He changed up his look, similar to the outfit he wore to important client meetings, a comfortable blue two-piece suit. Which technically was made fully of smoke in this instance, but that didn’t matter. His head would be the main problem, he adapted a fairly average face with short black hair and a full beard, to cover his mouth. Meant he didn’t have to move the intricate smoke construction to make talking look natural.

 

Equipped with that new look and carrying the mask on him, he walked over to the bench and sat down, the bag on his lap. “Mr. Armitage, a pleasure to see you again. Please excuse the disguise, we would probably attract too much attention otherwise. The Mask’s in here, but be warned, it’s quite potent when it comes to intruding your head.”

[Supercape]

GM

 

Armitage raised his eyebrows at the disguise. "Goodness, I could have walked right pass you. Teach me to keep my eyes open I suppose. I confess I was rather distracted by the awful spectacle over there" he nodded at Chill Pill. 

 

He peered inside the bag. 

 

"Ah yes, there is it. Foul and eldritch, to be sure" he nodded, not touching the mask or the bag. "Dare I ask how your procured it? Never mind, I suppose I would be better off not knowing" he conceded. 

 

"Drake is rather livid with me. Swore she would put my head on a platter, or something like that. Probably involving entrails and red hot pokers. Suitably brutal. I swear she thinks she is some queen of the middle ages. And not the good sort, either" he added. 

 

"Now, the question of what to do with this mask. Have you pondered the matter?"

[olopi]

“Heh. Should buy us some time to converse without raising attention, lucky us.”

 

Cass waited a bit for Armitage to tell what he’d gathered so far, which seemed to not be a whole lot. It didn’t help that at this point, there probably wasn’t much to be gathered in the first place. Apart from what he held in his hand right now.

 

“That sounds mildly concerning. We’ll have to keep our eyes out, she may still be chasing after it. Did you make sure you weren’t being followed here?”

 

“Now, as for the mask, well, the best choice of action from what I can tell is to hand it to AEGIS. Much as I’ve got my issues with them, they’re the people that can secure this stuff best. I know somebody who could store it, privately and away from prying eyes, but there’s some issues involved with that.”

 

“Unless you have a plan to deal with it in a more permanent way?”

[Supercape]

GM

 

"Hmmm? Followed?" asked Armitage. "Why would I be followed? Only Miss Drake knows of the Mask and I, and..errrr....

 

His train of thought finally caught up with the reality of the situation. 

 

"...she could have tapped my phone signal...couldn't she? Or something. I am not familiar with this modern fad for electronicals" he confessed. 

 

To punctuate his point, Bonfire saw three men, astride quad-bikes, carefully ambling towards the two of them, trying to look inconspicuous, and looking very intently at the bag with the mask in. 

[olopi]

As if he’d predicted it. Part of Cass had to congratulate himself, he’d gotten pretty good at anticipating these kinds of events. So the investigation phase was over. Chances were in a few seconds his entire day would get quite hectic for a while. He took a deep breath, before slowly turning back to Armitage.

 

“Yeah, she could do that. Don’t panic, but we’re about to be attacked. Act natural, they’re after the mask. If you can fight, do so, otherwise get to a safe position. I’m gonna have to be a bit creative this time around….”

 

With that said, he stood up, facing the men approaching him, the bag still in his hand. He didn’t trust Armitage enough to hand it over, even if that he couldn’t tap into most of his powers.

 

 

Then, he spoke. Quite loudly, as his face turned into his signature smoke head. “Ah, Gentlemen. Nice of you to join us, we have been expecting you.”

 

 

A bit more quiet, now that he had gathered some attention, he followed up. “Now, let’s get this over with quick, eh? “

[Supercape]

GM

 

"Act natural? Natural for what? Natural for being in a park with a lunatic in blue spandex posing, carrying an ancient magic mask, and being attacked by some thugs on Quad Bikes?" muttered Armitage. "Nothing here is normal. Frankly, I would not want a life that was normal, although it must be said that the pendulum appears to have swung a bit too far to the other extreme" he explained. 

 

Despite his verbose complaint, he was a cool customer, and did not act. His eyes, however were full of bright observation. 

 

The three men on the quad bike looked at each other, wondering what to do. 

 

"A jobs a job!" said the first one, appearing to succinctly summarise the argument...and with that, the engines roared....

[olopi]

Three men. On quadbikes. No obvious powers so far. Usually that didn’t present too much of a challenge to Bonfire, if they couldn’t hit him they’d realize that and run away. Usually Bonfire wasn’t carrying around an enchanted mask. That made the entire thing a lot more complicated. Plans A through C didn’t work, so he’d have to get creative. And do so quickly, too.

 

 

There was one thing he could attempt. He’d never tried it before, but this felt as good a moment as any to see if it worked. He lowered his hand, letting the nearly invisible smoke fall to the ground and spread from there. He’d need a few seconds of time.

 

 

“Three guys? And mounted? I need to even the odds a bit, then. Makes it look less embarrassing when you guys lose.”

 

 

Then, it all happened within the blink of an eye. He snapped his fingers, sending smoke outwards in all directions, creating a proper cloud. It drew itself back together after only a moment, but now instead of one, five Bonfires were standing around the park, each holding a bag, each moving ever so slightly and ready to dodge.

 

 

Cass, meanwhile, had turned himself invisible and ran for the nearest empty bench. Maybe he could work with the high ground…

[Supercape]

GM

 

The riders seemed confused, to put it mildly, having to deal with several multiples of their target. 

 

"Huh!?" was the refrain from three mouths. 

 

"AT LAST! ACTION!" roared Chill Pill, his eyes ablaze with fire (almost literally, they glowed red!). He pushed, rather rudely, his admirers away, with prostigious strength, sending three of them on to their backs ten feet away. 

 

"That doesn't play well" came a voice from the Bushes - Zyte was groaning as he saw the imminent image collapse, but he kept filming anyway. 

 

Chill Pill jumped into the fray, and a spew of ice came from him, flash freezing two of the riders in a suit of hard and cold ice. The third sped away and, reflexively, opened fire on Chill Pill with the machine pistol in his hand. The bullets flew around the park, but Chill Pill ducked away from the spray. 

 

"ILL KILL YOU!" he screamed at the rider, his eyes burning redder than ever...

[olopi]

This Chill Pill character threw up more and more concerning actions. At this point, the guy was a walking red flag. And that should’ve probably mattered to Cass, but all he cared that guy could destroy his reputation himself. For now there was a bigger concern, namely the people attacking him.

 

With Chill Pill closely behind that, as Cass had to make sure he’d remember. Either way, it was time for action. CP could handle himself, that much was certain. So, bikers. Cass began to focus on the one that was still moving freely, gathering up smoke below him.

 

And then, one moment to the next, releasing all of it, the stream of hot smoke shooting upwards. It was gone almost as soon as it appeared, but hopefully it would have an effect. If nothing else, it had created some smoke in the area that he could use when CP would inevitably do something unheroic…

[Supercape]

GM

 

The volcanic explosion send up a blossom of hot steam as the ice melted. Perhaps that ice took the edge of the heat, but jumping from chilly ice to  boiling steam was simply too much of a shock to the system for the three riders. They fell unconscious, in shock. 

 

Chill Pill turned to Bonfire, his eyes now full red, his fists clenched. 

 

"AGAIN?" he screamed, livid. "IT WAS FOR ME TO KILL THEM! SHOW EVERYBODY WHAT A HERO I AM!" he explained. "I'M GOING TO KILL THAT HEAT! AND KILL YOU! AND KILL THEM! AND SLOWLY, SLOWLY, KILL THAT IDIOT!!!!" he screamed, all restraint gone, full of the most red of red mists. His icy chilled finger pointed into the bushes. 

 

"Oh hell!" mumbled Zyte. "But this is great footage!" he added, more brightly. 

[olopi]

So much for the bikers. Truth be told, Cass had expected a lot more from them. Three people that were that unsubtle about their attack usually had the skills to back up their guts. In this case, he supposed, it was preferable they didn’t. Made the entire thing a bit easier.

 

Well, apart from Chill Pill. Who, at the moment, was all but. Time to teach the rookie a lesson then. And judging by his words, possibly one that lasted a bit longer than a bruise or burn.  

 

“Damn, ever considered that maybe this line of work isn’t for you?”

 

He took a step back, creating some obvious smoke on the ground. All the while, he’d formed a smoke clone of himself where he was standing and, while invisible himself, created some distance. If Chill Pill had skills on the level he’d been showing so far, Bonfire would need to get creative.

 

As he backed away, he continued speaking however, as he made the illusion take a combat ready stance. “I mean, maybe the field’s the right one, just which side of the law you’re on isn’t. Just a consideration…”

[Supercape]

GM

 

"You DARE suggest I am not fit to be a hero?" growled the Red-eyed Chill Pill. "Ever since Snowbird treated my brain cancer with her special formula, I KNEW I was destined to be a hero!"

 

"Cancer! Cool angle!" added Zyte fearlessly from the bushes. 

 

"SHUT UP!" yelled Chill Pill at Zyte. "I AM TRYING TO BE A HERO! LET ME SHOW YOU HOW MUCH BETTER I AM THAT THIS HOT SHOT!" he screamed at the universe, leaping forward and punching the gas illusion that Bonfire had made. 

 

"TRICKERY! Thats not the stuff of a REAL HERO!" he screamed, in danger of rupturing his trachea with the sheer force of his screams. 

[olopi]

Cancer. Damn, beating up a cancer patient would look bad. Sure, he was rampaging and had just threatened to kill people, but the public loved cancer patients. Cass supposed that was a necessary casualty he’d have to take, perhaps he could spin it afterwards. He had an idea, but he’d probably have to be close for it to work properly.

 

He appeared again as smoke spread outwards, him standing there fully corporeal. What he was about to do was pretty dangerous, even with his protective shield of heat. Part of him got ready to turn tail and run, but he had to try….

 

He turned to face CP head-on, spreading out his arms ever so slightly to make himself look a bit more aggressive. His voice went to a full mocking tone at this point. Provocation was the name of the game.

 

“You know, “destined” isn’t really the best qualification. You need a bit more than that. Like being able to keep calm, because come on dude, take a chill pill or something.”

 

He’d stand there, fully corporeal. He’d wait until CP was far too close for comfort and then turn whatever part of himself got attacked into smoke. That’d give him the upper hand, a position from which he could strike more precisely.

 

Hopefully.

[Supercape]

GM

 

"Gnagh!" roared Chill Pill. "Thats ENOUGH! Don't think I haven't heard THAT ONE before! How about I RIP YOUR JAW OFF then you won't say THAT AGAIN!" he snarled, leaping forward once again. 

 

If he had taken a chill pill, and if it had been effective, then the blatant stupidity of falling for the taunt might have hit home. He had already swished his fist through one gaseous image, and there was no reason at all to think that Bonfire would not pull exactly the same trick. Still, right then, Chill Pill was gripped with the need to do something palpable and visceral, with his barehands. There simply was no substitute for brute violence in his mind. 

 

But predictably, his hand once again met smoke, and smoke only. 

[olopi]

That had worked out just as Cass had hoped, and thus about five times better than he’d expected. But time was of the essence at this point, he had to strike quickly. And effectively. It was time for something he’d practiced a few times in the past…

 

“Oldest trick in the book!”

 

Now standing essentially inside Chill Pill, Bonfire was in the perfect position. He covered his elbow in all the heat he could muster while drawing on his powers and slammed it into Chill Pill’s back. The heat would do most of the work, as he’d keep his elbow where it’d first meet CP’s body. Maybe it’d be enough to stagger him. If not, at least Cass had used the move in action. He could always rely on more classical moves if everything else failed…

[Supercape]

GM

 

Chill Pill got caught straight in the back and went skidding several feet across the park, ending up one on knee, his hands on the gravel path.

 

"You...got me...." he grunted, catching his breath. For all the fire and heat, his back was merely singed - the spandex burnt and naked, and steam frothing into the chilly night air around them. His flesh was red and black, but he was powered by something more than glucose, muscle and blood. He was made of more than sinew and skin and bone. He was as strong as an ox, and stronger still. 

 

"But I'll get you. No more tricks! I'll be a HERO!" he said, full of furious determination. 

[olopi]

That had worked surprisingly well. Good, something to note for the future. Even if Cass could feel his body strain under the effort. He wasn’t used to melee combat, and this just served to underline that very fact. He’d have to be careful, CP could probably get him at this point.

 

“Yeah, that one’s probably right. No more tricks from now on, even you wouldn’t fall for another one. I like your determination though, that’s a valuable skill. Now you just gotta show it outside of combat,“

 

He didn’t need to move away just yet. At this point CP deserved as much. He was still a hero after all, or at least called himself one. Besides, it gave Cass more time to create smoke in the area.

 

“Where was I? Oh, yeah. “

 

Smoke which would, once again, shoot upwards from the ground, filling the area surrounding CP with heat. He’d probably react better than the bikers to it, but it’d do something. Hopefully…

[Supercape]

GM

 

Chill Pill got up, with great effort, to his feet, but immediately started clenching his fists into the air, as the heat once again struck him. 

 

"Coward! KICKING A MAN WHEN HE IS DOWN!" he grunted, once again falling to his feet, more spandex blistering and burning, and his hair standing straight with steam pressure. 

 

His voice cooled to a simmer, making it even more ominous. "Determination? I will show you determination. Whatever happens now, I will not fall for your smoke and mirrors next time. And next time, I will destroy you...."

[olopi]

At this point it really was a bit like kicking a man that’s down. Felt a bit unfair. At the same time, maybe that was what Chill Pill deserved. To learn humiliation. To learn to deal with defeat.

 

It didn’t look good on the recording though, that much was for certain. And right now, that was a large negative. It meant that he had to at least give CP a chance. It had already been established who of the two was the superior fighter, at least in Cass’ mind.

 

“No more smoke and mirrors? “ He bent down, placing the bag on the ground. In a short intermission, he turned over to face Zyte and thus the camera.  “Yo Zyte, keep an eye on this, don’t let it get out of sight. Seriously.”

 

Then, it was back to the matter at hand, as he slowly got up. “I can give you that.” He said it while his body, previously looking as it usually would, burst into flame. “I don’t usually do this, but you get to see what I can really do. Congratulations. Now bring it.”

[Supercape]

GM

 

Chill Pill stood up, simmering and steaming. Whilst still full of anger, it was now determination rather than blind fury. He could not let his ego continue without asserting itself from the flogging it had received. 

 

"Smoke again is it, coward? Well, let me show you what I can do...." he grunted, now with a smile on his face. 

 

He flexed his muscles, clenched fists, and looked for all the world like he was straining to defecate. And then, with a rather puffy puff, a cloud of cold ice droplets wafted from his body. And the air was as cold as the freezing wastes of the coldest plains of hell on a most particularly cold day when captain cold had decided that he really must pop in to add that extra little bit of coldness.....