ic A Different Kind of Justice

[RocketLord]

GM

 

Corner of Kissinger and Michigan, Southside, Freedom City

May 15th, 2019

9 AM

 

The morning had been slightly chilly when the homeless shelter near on Kissinger had opened its doors, the attendants gently prodding the homeless back out into the streets, at least until the night. The small shelter had barely any funding, only enough to offer beds to sleep in during the night, with nothing but a padlock keeping the doors closed during the day. Still, even if the morning had been chilly, the day promised to be warmer, and the sun was bright in the sky. One might even suspect that it could be a good day, living in the street or not. 

 

And yet, the men and women that left the Kissinger shelter seemed downcast and paranoid. Most stayed together, huddled in groups, looking down every alley they came past. It was not without cause. The homeless population of Southside has slowly, but surely, been thinning during the last few months. Screams in the night, disappearances during daylight. And yet, none had seen the kidnappers. It was just homeless people disappearing, and the police cared little. But maybe the homeless of Southside did not need the help of the law. Maybe they needed a different kind of justice.

Edited August 30, 2019 by RocketLord

[Tiffany Korta]

Ms Bright

Not everyone choose the shelters for various reasons, for Ms Bright it was because she felt others could benefit more from the place. Not feeling the heat or cold she choose to sleep on the roof of the building, after grabbing a quick bite to eat. She tended to go from shelter to shelter keeping an eye out for potential trouble makers. More than one groups thinking they’d beat up a building through of homeless people was a good idea got a serious whooping from Ms Bright.

 

With the recent spate of disappearances she’d been following those as they left the shelter, looking for potential clues as to what had happened to those had gone.

[RocketLord]

GM

 

There had been chatter, of course. Rumors about what could have happened, who or what could be taking those that went missing. Ms. Bright had heard three 

 

Maybe it had been the man clad in a white coat that had been walking among them lately, preaching salvation through repentance. Some said he was staying in an old, abandoned church down on Yeats. The place was halfway falling apart, barely more than a ruin by now. Maybe he was the one taking the homeless to his salvation?

 

There had been rumors of a flying woman. She was clad in a white and red costume, with a mask that covered her entire face. She was apparently taking great offense to the homeless of the city, chasing them away from places that she claimed were too pure for them. She had made threats, she had postured and huffed and puffed, but so far, she had not been seen as violent. Maybe that had changed, or only happened at night? She had been seen near Freedom College.

 

Or perhaps, it was the large man that had been seen standing around the homeless shelters around Southside, always in the early morning. He had a short blonde buzzcut, and he easily stood more than 6'4'', with a powerful build. But otherwise, he had not been violent or even confronted any of the homeless. But, every morning, he was there, standing on guard near one of the shelters of the city. Who knew why?

 

The question was, of course, which lead to pursue. 

[Tiffany Korta]

Ms Bright

There were many ways to approach all this, but the one main disadvantage was she lacked the resources to follow most of the up. The flying hero could be a pain, if not for the fact she could fly as well, besides she was later in the day as was the potential preacher though he was easier to pin down to a location.

 

That left the guy hanging around the shelter giving grief, so she was waiting as the others left for him to turn up and start hassling people. Boy was he in for a surprise today...

[RocketLord]

GM

 

Ms. Bright didn't have to wait long before the man turned up. Only about twenty minutes or so, in fact. Muscles and size was, of course, not everything, but even then, the man's sheer size would give most pause, as she spotted him approaching from down the street. As she had been told, he easily stood more than 6'4'', broad shouldered and rather muscular. His white t-shirt was form fitting, probably a few sizes too small. He wore sunglasses this morning, a pair of aviator shades that protected his eyes from the sun as he approached from West. 

 

With homeless people still leaving the shelter, he stopped near the door, turning to lean against the wall while he crossed his arms, just watching the homeless as they went about their business. 

[Tiffany Korta]

 

Ms Bright

Agnes wasn’t intimidated by, anything really, and flew down to stand right in front of the strange man. He might be a good foot taller than her but that didn’t make a difference as she stared defiantly into his face.

 

“I thought I’d start with the basics, I’m Ms Bright and I’m the protectors of these people here.”

 

She glared at the man and bunched her fist ready if trouble started, in fact part of her wanted a chance to cut loose a little.

 

“So I’ll give you one chance to tell me why you’ve been hanging around here, before we resort to the hard way!”

[RocketLord]

GM

 

The man gave pause as the flying girl appeared from out of the blue, flying down to stand in front of him. She was smaller than him, sure, but she had been flying, and that alone seemed to give him pause. Still, aside from staring at her from behind his sunglasses. "Ms. Bright, huh?" The man asked. His voice was deep, with a very slight Southern accent. "What makes you the protector of these people?" 

 

He was clenching his fist. His posture shifted ever so slightly, readying himself for a brawl, following Ms. Bright's threat, but his voice, if somewhat stern, did not sound like he meant to antagonize her. "I'm here to save all these people, of course."

[Tiffany Korta]

Ms Bright

Agnes rolled her eyes at his comments, she’d heard the same rhetoric from many people that seemed to think they could help save the homeless just by some sort of faith.

 

“It helps that I’ve had to live among the hopeless, I doubt you’ve spent any time down here to see how they suffer, and do what you can to help them rebuild their lives.”

 

She clenched her fist once more, but then relaxed them again, she might be prepared to fight when needed but there was a time and place for other options.

 

“How exactly are you help these people? Have you been saving these people by kidnapping them, if so where do they go?”

[RocketLord]

GM

 

The man chuckled, shaking his head. "Then, you are in error. Once, I was one of you! But as I was saved, so I shall save you all!" The stern tone was still there, but there was something else to the man's voice. Around them, the people that had been leaving the shelter had stopped to stare at Ms. Bright and the large man. He might be towering over Agnes, but clearly, she was not intimidated in the slightest, and they had just seen her flying.

 

Relaxing his hands, the man put his arms out to the side, showing Agnes the palms of his hands, as if to show her he did not meant to fight her. His tone seemed angry, now. "No, I have not. I am here to save you all, from the evil that stalks you! By blood and fist, if needed!"

[Tiffany Korta]

 

Ms Bright

Agnes did like the idea of punching the irritating man, but she had to reign herself in she was trying to help others after all. Taking a breath out she relaxed her fists, for now she wasn’t going to try and fight him, not that she wasn’t ready if he was going to start trouble.

 

“Look I don’t like what your doing here, but your not doing anything wrong. But people are going missing and that has to stop! I got to ask are you responsible for them going missing?”

 

She was prepared for him to give a smartass answer, but she had to at least try this approach.

[RocketLord]

GM

 

The man smiled, teeth visible. One could almost imagine that he thought the sun reflected in his teeth. "No, I am not!" He was almost laughing now, placing his hands at his sides. "I am here to save you all, after all!" He put his hands out to the side, leaving himself very open for anything that anyone might try.

 

"I do believe that we are trying to solve the same problem, young lady, but perhaps it would be best if you leave this to the professionals. Maybe you could tell me if someone goes missing, so I can investigate if that happens? Be my little helper?"

[Tiffany Korta]

 

Ms Bright

Agnes gave a crooked little smile, the type you gave when you know something the other person didn’t

 

“Trust me I’m a lot more knowledge than you’d expect! So I wouldn’t test me on...”

 

Her brain caught up with her mouth and she finally figured out what he’d said. She gave a proper smile this time, having the answer she was looking for.

 

“So you don’t know where they went huh? Well then I guess we’re done, I suggest you go now and don’t come back!”

 

For good measure she floated up so she could look the man squarely in the eye.

[RocketLord]

GM

 

The man looked as Agnes floated up to his height. He was still smiling, that almost laugh. It could easily be seen as annoying, or worse, to tell the truth, but the man didn't seem to care about. "Oh, so you are one of them, are you?" He raised his hands up, to signal peace, and backed away. "No, no, I would not want to mess with someone special like you. If no one has gone missing here, then the trail is cold. I will have to find another." He spoke loudly. He could easily be seen as somewhat over the top, bordering on parody, perhaps, but he sounded rather sincere.

 

He turned away and started walking swiftly, his hands moving back and forth at his sides. "Behave now, and try not to get taken by the kidnapper. Who knows what he would do with someone like you?" He sounded sincere in that, at least, as he made his way down the street, heading in the direction of another shelter. 

[Tiffany Korta]

Ms Bright

Agnes couldn’t help but smile, yeah he was going to be a pain in the arse in the future but she could at least discount him as a source of the disappearances. She just didn’t think he was that good a bluffer in this situation.

 

Floating up into the air, keeping an eye on his just in case he did try something stupid, she thought of where she could go next in her investigation. This was frustrating but she couldn’t give up now with some many people's lives were at stake.

[RocketLord]

GM

 

Agnes had options, of course. The man was heading for another shelter, and who knew, maybe people had disappeared from that? Alternatively, there were the other leads to follow. Maybe the man preaching salvation in the abandoned church near Yeats, or the winged woman near Freedom College? 

 

The man seemed to have his own plans, of course, as he continued down the road, before turning sharply. Above, there was a faint sound, like the flapping of wings. If Agnes looked up, she would see a woman with great white wings flying through the sky. She wore a primarily white costume. Form fitting, covering every inch of her body, face included. The costume had a red cross on the face, with the arms of the cross just above her eyes. It also had what appeared to be a large red cross on the outside of each leg and arm. She was heading in the same direction as the man.

[Tiffany Korta]

Ms Bright

Well that was lucky, the bird woman was next on her list of people to track down for a little chat. Wasting no time she put her hands behind her back and took to the air, leaving a streak of bright light as she flew through the air. It might not have been as elegant as a nice pair of wings, but it was probably much more efficient. She quickly flew alongside and did a lazy roll to so she could easily talk to the woman.

 

“So mine if I ask what your doing up here?”

 

She smiled sweetly at the woman, not at all intimidated by her masked features.

[RocketLord]

GM

 

The woman flapped her wings. She was obviously shocked by Agnes' sudden arrival, pulling away from her and doing her best to hover with her wings. "How... why...!?" It took a moment, but she regained her composure and shook her head. She proudly slammed a clenched fist into her chest. "I'm patrolling, of course! On the lookout for any scum or villains that might be afoot!"

 

She moved closer to Agnes, crossing her arms, obviously doing her best to act intimidating. "And who are you to ask?"

[Tiffany Korta]

Ms Bright

Not scared of the winged woman Agnes leaned in closed, letting her full accent out to play (just where she got the accent was still a work in progress).

 

“I’m Ms Bright, I live here and I there bloody defender.” she gave a confident smirk at the other woman, whether she was a hero was still up in the air right now.

 

“So who the hell are you in all of this?”

 

The direct approach was right now looking to be the best way to go about all this she reckoned.

[RocketLord]

GM

 

Despite the woman being asked, the sneer she was putting on was almost visible anyway. She moved into a standing position, crossing her arms across her chest. There was light shining behind her, casting her in a somewhat divine looking appearance. "You protect these scum?" She either hadn't heard, or didn't care about Agnes' question. She motioned with her head towards an homeless man that was looking through a garbage bin for something. "I really should have known. You have that smell on you." Her tone was as arrogant as her posture, but she kept her distance.

 

"They are scum. Barely above animals. Why would you waste your God given talents on protecting someone like that? They are to be kept away from the proper citizens of this fine city! Just think about how Southside would flourish, if they were to simply... disappear!" She was starting to get worked up as she preached to Agnes, her voice raising, growing passionate and angry. 

[Tiffany Korta]

Ms Bright
Agnes scowled at the woman, she wasn’t sorry that she might have to slap down this rude woman.

 

“If you took the time to get to know them, rather than just pre-judge each and everyone of them!” she got right into her face as she spoke

 

“Yeah there are a few bad eggs, but I could tell you the tragic story of a dozen or more of the people sleeping rough in this area. You know like those that have been going missing!” okay she was angry, but not enough to miss the opportunity to gather potential information.

[RocketLord]

GM

 

The woman made a dismissive gesture with her right hand, like she was simply pushing away any of Agnes' concerns. "Of course I can! Look at them! Look at you! You have your God-given powers! You can fly! The purest gift of all! And yet, what do you use such gifts for?" She paused briefly. Agnes could almost hear the poison dripping from her words. "Protecting scum! You are one of them, aren't you? Just filth, never able to become more, never going to amount to anything but sleeping in the streets, begging for handouts from your betters?" 

 

She made a slight, but exagerated, laugh, holding a hand up to cover her masked mouth. 

 

"Who even cares if some of you go missing? Why should anyone even bother?"

[Tiffany Korta]

Ms Bright

 

Agnes got right into her face her eyes blazing with an angry light, she was beyond being nice to the idiot.

 

“If you were a real hero then you’d care about everyone regardless of they status in the world. And those at the bottom need the most.”

 

She blazed with light all around her now as bright as it ever got, sizzling with power.

 

“If no one else will then I’ll defend them, and if that involves beating your arse to stop more people going missing then I’ll be more than happy to do so.”

 

She smiled at the thought, it was going to be fun to try.

[RocketLord]

GM

 

The winged woman shielded her eyes from the bright light that burned around Ms. Bright's body, quickly pushing back and away from Ms. Bright and hovering a bit away.

 

"You dare! I am the instrument of the Lord, and you dare to challenge me!?" If she had been worked up before, she sounded absolutely livid now. There was no doubt in her voice. Of course she fully believed in herself. "You're a pretender! Even your light pales next to mine, and I will be more than happy to put you in your place!"

[Tiffany Korta]

Ms Bright

Agnes smile the wicked smile of someone that been permission to act a certain way.

 

“You really shouldn’t have done that, I was happy to let you fly out of here, but now we’re going to have settle this the my way now.”

 

Her aura glowed that much brighter, maybe not as bright as the winged woman, but she wasn’t that bothered her punches would still be as powerful as ever. And she was so looking forward to doing this.

 

“Everyone claims that in the beginning but the only important thing is who’s standing when the sun rises with the dawn. Let’s see who that will be shall we?”

 

Then she threw the first punch.

[RocketLord]

GM

 

"Yes. Let us do that, pretender." the winged wonder's holier-than-thou voice was dripping with poison as she flapped her wings. Her hands glowed with brilliant white light, as she flapped her wings once more to put some distance, then started to throw her hands forward and yelled "Burn, you...!" and was promptly shut up as he Ms. Bright's fist collided with her face, sending her tumbling away through the sky.

 

The glow disappearing from her hands, she dragged it across the slightly scratched and torn mask she was wearing, rubbing a bit of blood away from under it, while staring towards Ms. Bright. "You... you touched me!"