Fisticuffs Fundraiser! (IC)

[quotemyname]

Colt had been holding his hat on his head to make sure he didn't lose it. But that was the least of his worries, as the next set of shock waves sent his chair over backwards. "Yow!" he yiped as he toppled over. Pulling himself up out of the tangle of chairs he jumped to his feet and looked around frantically. Speechless for only a second, he found he could restrain himself for only a moment. As the crowd began to roar at Dark Star's proclamation of the tie, he couldn't help but join them. "YEE-HAW!!!" He cheered, waving his hat in the air.

[Heritage]

Grim is on her feet after the grand finale, leaping up and down, pumping her fists in the air!

"Yeah, yeah! Boom, baby, boom!"

"Gotta... hgh... pe...people... away... ngh..."

Suddenly noticing poor Jack's plight, she leaps to his side, holding him up by the shoulders; it reminds her of the time she struggled to hold up a drunken stranger in the ladies' room at Millennium.

"Dude, what happened? Are you alright? Hey, can I get some water over here?!"

[Gizmo]

"Ugh..." Jack wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as Grim helped him to his feet. "Baaad trip." With Atlas and Fulcrum restrained, his mundane senses slowly adjusted to take over from his energy awareness, the room gradually coming back into focus and strength returning to his limbs. Brushing the petite shapeshifter aside, Jack stood, grasping his head and wobbling for a moment before steadying himself. His expression dark, he marched down to what was left of the ring. Once he was close enough, he called to the floating referee, modulating his tone to carry to those in standing amidst the debris but not into the crowd over the noise of their own cheers. "'Star, there needs to be a force field around Fulcrum now. Full radiation shielding." He glowered at the heroine; even at rest, she was venting enough Terminus energy to feel like a splinter in the back of his eye.

[quotemyname]

Colt's excitement was gone in the blink of an eye, as Jack's concern sobered him up. He shot the swordsman a worried look as he put his hat back on his head. In hushed tones barely audible above the crowd he asked, "Whoa, there, Jack." He put his hands up with a tentative gesture of combined restraint and comfort. "What's goin' on? I reckon if'n ya know somethin' we don't maybe ya should share?" He considered what he'd said for a second, he also considered who he was dealing with. "Er's this one'a them 'shoot first, ask questions later' type'a things? Pardon the'xpression."

[Cyroa]

Dark Star had just checked the civilians when he heard Jack's call. He wasted no time in even checking what Jack said; he simply trusted the blade wielding hero to do it without wasting time. It was a simple matter for him to control the radiation, countering it and nullifying it all around Fulcrum and maintained that shielding. Once it was done, he turned to the agile hero to find out what the problem was. "Jack? What's going on? Are you alright?" For the first time, he really looked at Fulcrum. This was the first time he'd ever really spoken to her actually. He actually blinked in surprise at what he saw.

[Geez3r]

Atlas was dimly aware of something going on around him. Fulcrum's last attacks had rocked him hard. Really hard in fact. His ears were ringing, like he had just dived to the bottom of the pool. Heck, he even felt like he was floating. Oh wait... thought Atlas as his mind started to catch up. "Zanks Star..." muttered Atlas to the energy being, aware Dark Star had just said something, but he wasn't quite sure what.

Atlas shook his head as his skin and muscles rippled, and Atlas stretched out his neck as he bounced back from the pounding Fulcrum had just delivered. "Ok, vhat's going on?" Atlas muttered to the other heroes as he waved to the crowd. He was trying to save face and make the crowd believe that everything was normal, the last thing he wanted was 80,000 people panicking.

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum hung there a moment, reveling in a most excellent bout. All Dark Star's little scolding did was make her laugh, or giggle because of the headache. She tried flexing her right arm, but it was still too numb to really do much. Instead the roar of the crowd brought a smile and waves with the good arm. She did a couple of loops, slow to keep her head from spinning worse, and looked at Atlas, "Dark Star stopped the match and scolded us for being too rough. If we had really cut loose the Dome wouldn't be here."

Still Dark Star had gotten under her skin. Not really in a bad way, per say, but more like a personal challenge. Few things were more enjoyable than giving the self-righteous a metaphorical slap upside the head. Which she was about to do, as soon as she managed to get Atlas on her good shoulder. She planned on giving him a 'victory' ride around the dome, whipping up a roar of 'Atlas! Atlas!'. He deserved it. Balancing the guy was more difficult than she imagined, so she maneuvered under him.

She froze in place. A feeling, a strange feeling, descended upon her like a lead weight. In fact it really did feel like a heavy pressure over her chest. Maybe she was more tired than she realized. Looking up to Atlas, she said, "Lets take a...a couple of laps before we land. Sit on my shoulder and I'll give you a ride." To be honest she looked a little peaked all of a sudden.

Of course her aura didn't like being manipulated. Yes, the energy wasn't organized like a power, so it was simple enough to contain. The problem was that it reacted almost instinctively, fluxing and straining and fighting, like an angry snake trying to resist capture. It even 'struck' at the Dark Star's counter, trying to warp and distort the effect, but thankfully to no avail. The threat remained, contained, but still omnipresent and, to use the snake analogy again, 'hissing'.

[Gizmo]

Jack swore under his breath as Fulcrum reacted to Dark Star's force field. "Stupid. Now she's stewing in her own juices." The swordsman turned back to the cosmically powered hero. "So, yeah. Too much time around Miss Centurion 2010 over there and we're all gonna need toupées. Well, you'll probably be fine. And I guess Grim could just magic her hair back. Not sure about Atlas either way, he's got a thing going on, but--" Jack waved the question away. "Look, whatever, just give me a minute to talk to her then let her go before she radio-smothers herself, okay?"

Jogging over to the two massive combatants, he whistled sharply. "Hey, flygirl! A word." Waiting until she came over, Jack hissed darkly. "Listen very carefully. Roof of the Jade Dragon Theater, in one hour. We've got things to discuss." If the paragon was truly familiar with the West End, she'd recognize the name of the cinema, a mainstay in the neighbourhood, specializing in kung-fu movie marathons. "And try to stay away from any groundwater in the meantime, huh?" The swashbuckler's tone and expression made it clear that he was not making a suggestion.

[Geez3r]

"Heh. Okay. Sounds like fun. Just don't drop me. I vould zink zat it vould make Dark Star even madder vith us zan he already is da?" says Atlas as accepts Fulcrum's offer. But then he noticed Fulcrum was a bit down. "You alright? Still look a little shaken up." Before she can answer Jack walks up and relay's his message. Atlas stays quiet but shoots Fulcrum a "what the heck is that all about?" look.

[Cyroa]

"You did cut loose young lady. Hence the destruction of the shield I put up as well as a specially reinforced ring. Not to mention leaking dangerous and possible lethal energies like a burst damn." Dark Star shook his head sadly as she flew off, though he maintained the power around her. "She is no Centurion. Not even close. She...revels too much in the violence. Somewhat irresponsible. Doesn't think about her actions and how it affects others. Too many people look up to heroes to show such passion for violence among other things. But then she is young. Perhaps she will grow out of it. She could be so much better." He shrugged. "Regardless, I'll maintain the dampener on radiation until, hopefully, it drops to where it was before they cut loose like that. You'll have to wait I'm afraid until I drop it. I cannot maintain it and heal you at the same time I'm afraid. Sorry."

[Gizmo]

"She is no Centurion. Not even close."

"Yeah, well, who is," Jack grunted, reluctant to find himself in complete agreement with the preternaturally temperate energy being. Straightening his jacket, he shoved his hands in his pockets and stalked off, carefully picking his way across various pieces of boxing ring as he walked. The swordsman grimaced as he suppressed a retch and wiped the last trickle of blood away from his upper lip. Uh, gotta brush my teeth. He thought for a moment and reconsidered. Screw it, I've got an hour. I'm going to take a freakin' shower. Ignoring the continuing cheers of the crowd, he made his way to the area's exit.

[angrydurf]

Ace started toward the Jack of all Blades when he collapsed but the speedy changeling beat him to the swordsman's side. Probably for the best the thought as his teammate was more likely to know what was the matter.

When Jack put out his call for a radiation shield however he grew more concerned. Pulling a small device from his pocket he subtly scanned Fulcrum his eyebrows raising slightly at the results. He quickly did a perfunctory scan of the crowd as well to see if much of the Terminus energies had been absorbed by the crowd. Hopefully Dark Stars forcefield had absorbed the worst of those foul energies.

[quotemyname]

Through all of his extra dimensional experience, it was still a source of amazement to Colt that he knew so little about energy auras and the like. He made a mental note of it to have VINCE educate him as he leaned towards Ace Danger. "Ya got any idea what this here's all about? I reckon I'm completely lost."

[Dariusprime]

To be honest, Fulcrum was more than a little confused. First that funny pressure on her chest, then Jack makes his appearance. She just nodded absently, wondering why the normally suave hero looked so haggard. He was gone before she could answer, instead turning to Atlas, "I have no idea. I'll be okay though, I think."

Before she can be off, Dark Star interjected. She just blinked, really not comprehending the latter half of his lecture. Sure, the two could debate about the bout. She expected to speak with him about that. The part about the 'possible lethal energies' just confused her, and it showed on her face. With the crowd still roaring, the quick flight was just what she needed to clear the cobwebs out of her mind and maybe shed some light on the situation. She opened her mouth, then shut it again, nodded and took off.

Atlas rode on her good shoulder as she slowly circled the Dome. She yelled out 'Atlas! Atlas!' until the crowd began chanting along. The sounds of so many thousand should have been quite thrilling, but Fulcrum was distracted in thought. She still felt lightheaded and hoped nothing serious had happened. She was so very wrong. A touch of wobble later and Atlas was deposited back onto terra firma. While shaking his hand, she smiled and said, "Great match, Atlas. We really do need to spar. If you'll excuse me, I'll be right back." She pointed a thumb at Dark Star and headed over to the cosmic hero.

Upon approach, she realized that the tingling sensation she had felt off-and-on during the evening was from her own energy awareness. Dark Star registered so brightly now that she focused on him, she was surprised to have missed it. Plus now she realized, albeit vaguely, why she felt so odd. Stepping up to him, Fulcrum offered a hand, "We're getting off on the wrong foot. Let's reboot please? Hi, I'm Fulcrum. Pleasure to meet you, Dark Star." She didn't really know if he could even shake back, but it was best to be polite.

Once the introductions were out of the way, she asked quietly, "Is Jack alright? And would you mind explaining what you meant earlier please?" Her wits were coming back to her, and she could sense the tension in the room, not mention the mess probably made by Jack. Now she was getting concerned. What all have I missed?

[Cyroa]

He nodded at her, smiling a little even if it couldn't be seen. He squeezed her hand with a little telekinetics since he lacked the substance to shake it. "Nice to meet you formally Fulcrum." He was still rather disappointed and unhappy at the two of them but it wasn't in his nature to hold things against people for long. Besides, there was the small matter of radiation poisoning and people who needed help, her included.

He glanced over at Jack's retreating form, still keeping an eye on Fulcrum's levels. He wasn't dropping the radiation shielding until she was safe. Of course, if it wasn't going to clear up soon, they'd have to move somewhere else so she wouldn't get sick from it either. If it bothered her that is. "He will be. His powers make him very sensitive to powerful energy bursts. When I use my powers, given that I'm all energy, he can sense it coming a long way off. When you 'cut loose', he was unprepared for the massive energy burst from you. I doubt there was too much radiation poisoning on him though there might be a little of that, but I'll remove any traces from him after we're set here. The people in the front row took a minor dose as well. I'm glad I planned ahead and had the forcefield up to contain the blast honestly."

He glanced at her and tried to recap/summarize the problem. "Sorry. Anyway, for some reason, when you cut loose, there was a massive energy surge. In fact, you're still leaking energy all over. And this energy also has radiation side effects that could quite likely be terminal and are certainly unhealthy. I threw up a sort of radiation containment shielding on you to protect everyone. I certainly hope the reflected radiation affects you, but if so, I'll repair the damage once your levels return to normal." He paused. "If they don't return to normal soon, I'll have to ask you to wait up in orbit until I can restore everyone here before I can help you. But I think you'll be fine shortly." At least he hoped so.

[Dariusprime]

Fortunately, Fulcrum's cosmic emanations were dropping precipitously. As she cooled down, they leveled off to a steady baseline. Unfortunately, the readings coming in, particularly to Ace's scanner, indicated that her rest levels were still dangerous. Chronic exposure, perhaps weeks or even years, would likely have unpleasant effects as well. She actually seemed to generate the energy, and although uncomfortable, restricting the release proved harmless. Paradoxically, the shielding may actually be strengthening her.

But that information was all academic. As Dark Star explained the problem, her eyes grew as big as saucers and her jaw fell slack open. A expression of pure horror slowly overtook her. Mind racing, almost stunned by this new revelation, she numbly turned to gaze at the people in the front rows. Lets see, the front rows seated the fight attendants, the participants, judges, ticket holders and the orphans. A pained grimace and shutter overtook her, and she zoomed for the exit without hesitation. A passing reply to Dark Star was a weak Thanks.

Fulcrum was next spotted hovering high above the clouds of Freedom City. The crisp, thin air didn't bother her, but a lot was still on her mind. She stared blankly into space. The stars twinkled more brilliantly up here and especially so after the development of her cosmic senses. Cosmic rays danced across the world's atmosphere like raindrops. The sensation was very soothing.

She had no reason to disbelieve Dark Star's assessment. Especially when so many lives were at stake. So she waited quietly, silently wishing she could achieve escape velocity. Break the bonds of the earth and just fly as far as she could to distant stars. Leaving everything behind. Sighing deeply, she knew running away didn't solve anything, but flying across galaxies sounded appealing on so many levels.

[Heritage]

"Ya got any idea what this here's all about? I reckon I'm completely lost."

Grim's ears were actually curving slightly forward as she struggled to hear the various conversations over the din of the crowd, her hands cupped to cut out the extraneous noise; she'd revereted back to her patrol outfit since events had taken a more serious turn.

"It sounds like Fulcrum might be...radioactive? But it sounds like she's as confused as we are. Oh God, I hope that's not true!"

[Cyroa]

Dark Star watched her go sadly. He would follow of course; he couldn't let anyone just suffer without attempting to help. But she would have to wait a few moments. He still needed to fix the radiation damage. While the people roared, unaware of the problem, he worked quickly. Most would feel only a little bit of nausea as their bodies took care of the healing. But at least they were 'clean' now. He moved among those that needed a little additional healing, not content to risk their recovery. And finally, he raced after Jack. A wave of energy restored the joyful fencer before Dark Star even finished talking. "The situation is in hand and people are fine. I'll keep Fulcrum company until she is ready." With that he shot upwards, beginning his search, not that it took long thanks to his powers.

He flew up a few feet from her, saying nothing. He looked up into the stars as well, missing them in his way. He could appreciate some of what she was experiencing but he was not exactly skilled with words. Instead he settled for comforting and companionly silence. If and when she was ready, he'd be there.

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum sensed Dark Star's arrival but didn't budge. She hovered, marveling how his power felt. Despite his presence, the sense of loneliness that had been creeping up on her did not abate. If anything it was worse. His arrival did help her to focus on practical matters.

Radiation? How could I emit radiation? Or for that matter, not have any idea about it?

Of course the truth was complicated. Exotic senses could be fooled just like normal senses. In the case of Fulcrum, her ability to detect cosmic energy developed after her initial powers. Disemboguing Terminus energy quite literally flew under her radar as background, or perhaps, she was simply insensitive to that flavor of cosmic energy.

A few minutes after his appearance and without looking at him, Fulcrum quietly asked, "Is everyone okay?"

[Geez3r]

"Uhhhh.... vhat just happened?" said Atlas completely confused. He had given Fulcrum some space because Jack and Dark Star apparently needed to talk to her about something urgently, and not wanting he stood off to the side, but whatever it was clearly disturbed her. Then all of a sudden they flew off into the distance.

[angrydurf]

Ace beckoned Atlas over before explaining his findings, "It seems that Fulcrum is powered by certain energies, judging from Jacks response I would say they flared significantly when she cut loose at the end of the match."

He slid the device into his pocket once more, "The force-field absorbed most of it but the front few rows were exposed none the less. I think Dark Star should be able to take care of any adverse effects but I imagine Jack wishes to speak to her about the incident."

He sighed as he pulled out his cell phone and began scrolling through his contacts list, "Worse I have reason to believe the source of those energies may be the Terminus, though I don't know enough to say if she is generating them or merely saturated."

He quickly began making calls assuring several concerned watchdog groups that he was investigating the matter of the energy burst personally and he would of course keep them in the loop.

[Geez3r]

"Wow... zat's uhhh....wow." replied Atlas dumbfounded and at a complete loss for words. Even though he had taken the largest blast of radiation, the thought never occurred to atlas. He was solely concerned about Fulcrum now. To suddenly find out you're radioactive and just accidentally blasted a bunch of people with radiation, at a charity function no less, had to suck - hard. "Jeez... Is she alright?" Ace could tell he didn't just mean physically.

[quotemyname]

"Alright're no, I reckon that girl IS gonna need'a talkin' to." Colt chimed in. "An I don't mean the stern kind'a talkin' to. Poor Fulcrum's probably more upset'n'a buckin' bronco."

Colt moved to put his arms around Grim. Standing behind her and looking over her shoulder, he addressed the rest of the group, "I reckon we should be arright, though, right?"

[Cyroa]

Dark Star floated next to her quietly, just looking up at the space beyond. She needed time. Goodness knew it had to be hard. He'd made his own mistakes with his powers over the years and beings had suffered for it. Living with it was not easy. And for her, she apparently didn't even know happened or how control it. Maybe she could figure out how to control it in time. Regardless, it didn't help her deal with it at them moment. Even for someone as oblivious as him, he new she wasn't exactly in a chipper mood.

He nodded at her, not turning either. "Everyone is alright. I removed the lingering radiation and dealt with any residual damage. I doubt that most even knew anything amiss happened. All in all, we were quite lucky. I can heal damage to the body easily. But the mind, the heart, the spirit is not something I am skilled with," he said quietly. "How are you?" It was loaded question obviously, but one that he felt compelled to ask. He hated to see suffering in any form. And while there wasn't a mark on her, that didn't mean she wasn't suffering.

[Dariusprime]

"That's good," muttered Fulcrum in a dull, monotone quality very unlike her normal banter. She squeezed her eyes shut during Dark Star's explanation, but otherwise her expression was blank. She seemed so much older than perhaps thirty years would indicate. Ages could have passed before those sad and guilty eyes. They didn't look jaded or cynical, just wiser than she behaved. Combined with her current pose, head tilted back, hands clinched at her sides, she did resemble her mentor, for better or worse.

While Fulcrum the person looked tense but unmoved, Fulcrum as a being articulated a restless duality. A seething field of Terminus energy churned around her, unmistakably now the product of some alien metabolism. Hovering here affected nearby reality, subtly warping space-time in ways someone of Dark Star's proclivities could decipher. The turmoil in her heart and head, perhaps, helped to stir up the already fell aura. She had the feel of a weapon concealed in a form comprehensible to this reality.

Regardless of her composition, Dark Star's question was right on the money. She hurt horribly, no matter how well she hid it. All could be said was the vague phrase, "Okay."