Surely you Jest (IC)

[Gizmo]

Feeling the intrusion into his mind, Jack slammed his mental defenses into place, forcing the villainess out of his consciousness. "Heh, you know, I would, but I really do my best work lying down. If you know what I mean." The swashbuckler's broad smirk was equal parts charming and infuriating.

[Geez3r]

The strange tunnel makes its appearance, and Jester pops out of the ground again, only now dressed like a doctor and a full on defibrillator pops out of the the tunnel after Jester. "Make way, make way. One side, one side." Jester wheels the machine right up next to Strong Man. "Stay with us man. You're gonna be alright!" He rubs the pads together shouting "CLEAR!" and Strong Man is instantly zap fried as he collapses to the ground. Jester pulls out a wad of papers out of his pants, dropping it on Strong Man. "Your bill sir." He hops on the wheels of the defibrillator and uses it as a cart pushing himself closer to the fire while cackling madly "HeheheheeehheeHAAAAAHAHAHAAAAA!"

[quotemyname]

"Frankly, Jester," Breakdown yelled after the doctor, "You're heroing needs practice!"

Shaking his head clear of the butterflies that Dash had put there, Breakdown leapt to his feet. The musical hero was on the move once again. He quickly dashed to the scene of the fire. Stopping just long enough to select a new song from his iPod.

Striking up his best rock and roll power stance, Breakdown let his audio inspiration pour over the warehouse block.

"When I look into your eyes

I can see a love restrained

But darlin' when I hold you

Don't you know I feel the same

'Cause nothin' lasts forever

And we both know hearts can change

And it's hard to hold a candle

In the cold November rain

We've been through this

Such a long long time

Just tryin' to kill the pain

Yeahh..

But lovers always come

And lovers always go

And no one's really sure

Who's lettin' go today

Walking away

If we could take the time

To lay it on the line

I could rest my head

Just knowin' that you were mine

All mine

So if you want to love me

Then darlin' don't refrain

Or I'll just end up walkin'..."

As the song kept playing, the skies opened up. Above the warehouse, the stormclouds thundered and erupted. A driving rain poured itself down on the earth to extinguish the flames.

"In the cold November rain."

[Gizmo]

Jack was able to keep Force pinned to the ground, but realized that if her telekinetic shield had been able to absorb the impact of their fall, he wasn't going to be able to subdue the villainess with his fists alone. His energy rapiers had proven to be effective at piercing exotic defenses in the past, but the moment he released Force to form and use one, she'd be back up in the air where he couldn't touch her. Unless...

With a pained howl, the swashbuckler grasped his head and staggered off of his opponent and up to his feet. "Nrgh... no! Get... out... of my... head!" he wailed, his expression agonized. In the split second the telepath hesitated, wondering if her mental blast had been more successful that she'd though, Jack's right hand shot to his side, his energy manipulating powers casting out. He'd meant to pull a piece of Force's own power away to use against her, but in his hast he instinctively latched onto the most plentiful and familiar source available: the fire generated by Burn. The flames leaped into his palm, simultaneously solidifying into a long, thin sword and flaring into a deep blue hue as the fencer's pupils dilated and a cold smirk spread across his face. "No, really. It's getting a little crowded in here," he grated in a gravelly tone as he leaped forward, hellfire blade thrusting toward his target.

[Geez3r]

GM ONLY POST

Force let her defenses slip just a little bit while Jack wailed in pain. However, when she realized it was a rouse, she quickly tried to kick her way away from him so her shield would have time to reform. She had no such luck however as the fencer's lighting fast reflexes find the gap in her shield. Force can only let out a single gasp of surprise and fear as she is impaled by the hellfire blade and her world goes dark.

High above, the scene does not go unnoticed. "You bastard! I'll kill you for that!" shouts a very much rage filled Burn. He sends a volley of fireballs in Jack's direction, aiming so as not to hit Force. Judging from the ferocity and accuracy of the attacks, Burn may very well make good on his word.

[Gizmo]

Snarling, Jack spun on his heel just in time to bear the brunt of Burn's pyrotechnic volley. Even as the swordsman moved to shield himself with his lightly armored greatcoat, the vicious power on the fireballs sent a singed Jack flying backward to collide with the warehouse. For a moment, he lay still in the dent forced by his own body. Suddenly, his hellfire blade flared angrily, and the fencer's dilated eyes snapped open as he worked his aching jaw around with a grimace.

[patcore]

Though the sudden change in weather favored the heroes efforts it alone would not be enough to extinguish this blaze. Knowing all the time what was needed Thad focused his powers on the water tower. The tower was then lifted off it's supports and made it's way over the fire, all the while shimmering in the mysterious blue substance. "This is where things get difficult." Thad Minker murmurs to himself. With noticeable strain on Thad's face the tower begins to tip over releasing the massive flood of the water contained within. Thad makes sure not to allow the top of the tower fall onto the warehouse, after all what's the point in saving a building from a fire if you just let it get crushed by debris.

[Nyrath]

When 'Matchstick' set fire to the warehouses Alex was torn. She could try and find a way to combat the fires, but it's not like she had much in the way of powers for that, and then the perps would likely get away. Or she could try and stop them, but then the fire could cause a lot of damage and threaten not just property but people. Maybe she could try for the water towers? Or should she-

Her train of thought was interrupted first by Breakdown literally bringing the rain, then by Burns attack on Jack. The first told her that at least one of them could deal with the fire somewhat, the second simply made her angry and snapped her mind into place. The decision had been made.

The winged heroine again draws up her power for another strike against her fiery opponent. Again she strikes true, and this time 'Matchstick' is visibly knocked-about mid-air. Not about to give the pyro a chance to recover and cause more devastation she goes all-out and goes into a swooping charge, flaming aura be damned. The flames surrounding the pyro's body stung, but the brief moment she interacted with them kept it from actually being damaging to her. Unfortunately for 'Matchstick' that brief moment was her driving all of her body-weight, and the momentum of her charge, in behind her right fist.

She watched him plummet downwards at an angle with a certain sense of satisfaction. Not it was just that damned 'over-caffeinated, wingless-mayfly on a sugar-rush' left to deal with. And the fire, mustn't forget the fire.

[Geez3r]

GM ONLY POST

Dash came screaming through the area once again. He blurred past Jester, Breakdown, and Jack without slowing down or even changing course. There were no jokes now, he was all business. He paused only slightly to pick up the small frame of Force before hurriedly running off again in another direction, his team mate secure in his arms. From your best guess he was headed back to the Fens, and though it's hard to tell with speedsters, you don't think he's going to be slowing down anytime soon.

[Geez3r]

Jester peels off the lab jacket, revealing what appears to be the uniform for one of those roller waiters from the old 50's style restaurants. Chewing on a massive wad of gum, he glides smoothly over to where Strong Man is still smoldering. "So what'll have Mac?" asks Jester to the unconscious Strong Man as he skids to a halt, while still chomping away on his gum. Unsurprisingly, Jester doesn't get an answer. Tapping his skate irritably, he continues "Come on Mac, I got other customers." Strong Man sizzles a little bit. "Tell ya what, this is on the house." Jester blows a very large bubble and pops it, covering Strong Man from head to toe in a very sticky goo. He makes a few hurried scribbles on his note pad, before tearing off the sheet and dropping the bill on the goo.

[quotemyname]

"Do you need some time

On your own

Do you need some time

All alone

Everybody needs some time

On their own

Don't you know you need some time

All alone"

The downpour continued. Breakdown did his best to focus the storm on the places the fire was worst. "HEY!" He yelled up to the man flying above him. "Fly boy! I got the fire! See if you can head off the marathon man!" Breakdown raised his arms, attempting to call the rain down a little harder, he bowed his head, eyes squinted in deep concentration.

[Nyrath]

With Breakdown, and possibly that other flier, handling the fire for now Alex figures she can focus on taking out the over-caffeinated wingless mayfly on a sugar rush. So she simply prepares to blast away at the little bugger should she catch sight of him. Not much else she could do in this situation really.

[Gizmo]

Jack shook off his disorientation with a grimace that melted into a snarl. Blind rage gripped his mind as the the deep blue hellfire blade in his hand flared with malicious glee. Focusing all of his willpower, the swordsman slowed his haggard breathing, shutting his eyes tightly as he forced himself to calm down. Stiff, aching fingers unclenched as the flickering energy construct was released to dissipate into the ether. When his eyes opened again, the pupils had receded to their normal size and Jack's thoughts were clear. Looking around him, he tried to take stock of the situation he had been largely oblivious to while his attention was on Force.

[patcore]

"HEY!" He yelled up to the man flying above him. "Fly boy! I got the fire! See if you can head off the marathon man!"

Thad contemplated the suggestion for an instant. The fire continued to pose a threat and the sooner it was put out the better. He had already made a commitment to leave the battle to his new allies. They seem to have things under control and Thad has no idea what kind of speed that baseball bat wielding punk can put out. These thugs could even have an escape plan set up in advance for just such an occasion. So, instead of going off on a wild goose chase or straight into a trap, he threw off the notions of a high speed pursuit and focused his powers on another water tower. He uses it in the same manner as before to help the music inspired hero battle the flames.

"It's more logical for me to stay here and help you out. I'd rather save this neighborhood than follow a speed demon into a trap."

[Geez3r]

GM ONLY POST

The crash of the last water tower signals the end of the fire as the buildings are left smoldering light. Now that there isn't as much smoke obscuring your sight, you see that the damage could have been quite extensive if not for the quick thinking of the two heroes. You can hear in the distance (and see if you're flying) several police cruisers and other emergency vehicles race towards the scene. After a rather pregnant pause in the otherwise silent surroundings (minus the alarms) it becomes apparent that Dash has no intention of returning to the scene. The heroes are left with the question of "What next?"

[Gizmo]

Brushing debris from the warehouse wall off of his coat, Jack cracked his neck painfully. Noting the fallen forms of Strong Man and Burn, he clucked his tongue in annoyance. "I guess two out of tour isn't bad, but it's a little embarrassing," he remarked. It irked the swordsman that his dance partner had been evacuated by Dash; speedsters were always tough to handle without a similar power set. Not much to be done about it now, he reflected with an annoyed sigh.

Sauntering over to the whole in the wall, he peered inside. "Anybody have any idea what they were after?" he called to the variety of heroes who'd turned out. "'Cause if they were storing a top secret death ray or something here, I'm just gonna be ticked."

[patcore]

Seeing the fire extinguished and hearing the sirens approaching Thad lets out a sigh of relief. Hope the owners feel better about the building being a bit water logged instead of burned up. Thad says to himself. But I'm sure they would like their water towers back. Thad puts the water towers next to their original supports since they'll need to be refit with a crane anyway.

Thad looks to the warehouse where all this started and began pondering what those crooks wanted within. Growl. Thad places a hand over his stomach as his hunger seemed to not care about what the villains were after and wanted to refocus on their previous engagement. Feeling additionally drained after his efforts in battling the blaze, Thad's curiosity would have to be put on hold while he refuels. A person can't solve a mystery on an empty stomach. Thad convinced himself as he sped towards the location of his take out order, hoping it will still be where he left it a moment ago.

[quotemyname]

"Cause nothin' lasts forever, even cold November Rain." Seeing that the blaze was defeated, Breakdown brought his arms down, and with them the end to the storms.

Breakdown was silent for a moment. The magnitude of what he had just done was only beginning to sink in. Weather Control? When did that kick in? Breakdown gazed up at the burnt out warehouse and gave a shrug. He was disinclined to worry about his powers. He preferred to just go with the flow. But it was worth noting. He'd have to try and push himself more often.

Selecting a fresh tune from his iPod, he sauntered back towards the group, humming as he went.

"Early on Tuesday. Back to the city. Back to the lives that we don't choose..."

[Gizmo]

Hearing the rain stop, Jack looked over his shoulder to see the youth with the headphones returning to the scene of the break in. The swashbuckler hadn't been paying the kid much mind, but he'd noticed him displaying a startling array of abilities. Curiosity aroused, Jack focused his energy awareness on the young hero. He picked up guitars and maracas, which didn't tell him much, though he was mildly surprised to find the usual synthesia of his metahuman sense translating solely as audio for once. Shaking his head as he turned back to the hole in the warehouse wall, Jack muttered under his breath. "Teenagers with powers..."

[patcore]

"Aha!" Thad exclaimed enthusiastically as he recovered his take out order. He reaches in and pulls out an empanada and wraps a napkin around it. The smell takes his mind off the chaos briefly and then goes in for a bite. With his taste buds and stomach being content with the meal he begins to walk over to where everything had began. Seeing Strong Man encased in a sticky goo was sort of curious but mainly comforting knowing the villain had been contained and maybe when he comes around we'll get a few answers.

After swallowing the last bite of his empanada he wipes away the crumbs from his mouth and hands with the napkin. He takes notice of his new allies as the one in the cape inspects the hole and the kid in the leather jacket makes his way over. Guessing the angle was air borne somewhere he looked around wondering where that loony fellow had gone too. Thad thinks to himself, What interesting characters live in this city. At least there is some noticeable good in them to come here and put a stop to those crooks. Well I suppose we should get down to business.

Thad takes in a few quick breathes and clears his throat."Uh,hello there. Wish this meeting could have been on better circumstances but it looks like we may have stopped them for now. We'll have to contact the owner of this warehouse if we want an idea what is held within. I don't think this fellow is in any shape to talk to us at the moment and I'm not sure if he'd talk so freely when he does."

[Geez3r]

GM ONLY POST

Near as you can tell from your initial glance around the compound, it appears to be a catch all for most every high tech company in Freedom City; the names Arche Tech, Astro and Darts are smattered across the various crates. From the labels you can guess that much of this stuff would be the archieves or failed prototypes; the nice layer of dust helps too. Either the project ran out of funding or hit a technological dead end. But someone apparently thought there was something valuable contained within here.

[Gizmo]

"Yeah, supervillains can be totally inconsiderate like that," Jack drawled, largely dismissive of the mild-mannered older man. The swashbuckler stepped inside the warehouse to get a better look what was left behind, keeping an eye out for a dust-free spot indicating the previous location of whatever Dash had made off with. "Looks like a bunch of tech stuff. Gotta figure Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde weren't just looking to set up their new flatscreen, so they're probably working for somebody." Jack shook his head. "Everything in here's been here a while, though. Why now?"

[quotemyname]

Breakdown shrugged at Jacks question. He had no clue as to what the answer might have been. All three of the companies that were storing things here had had some gloriously failed projects in the past, but they were just that. Failed projects. What use could they be to anybody. "Dunno. Maybe they were waiting long enough to make sure that all of the hype died down about one of these projects. That way no one would notice when it went missing." Slightly quieter he added, "Or maybe it was a diversion?"

[Geez3r]

"Ooohhh. You poor heroes don't have a clue do you?" chuckles Jester as he joins the other heroes, bouncing ever so slightly on his pogo stick. "Thankfully, that's never stopped me before!" He leaps off the pogo stick, yanking the handlebars down before releasing the pogo stick and it rockets off to parts unknown. "Jester, resident Clown Prince of Chaos, at your service." says Jester taking a sweeping bow. "Especially yours." he adds to Mongrel Angel.

Standing back to his full height, Jester pulls something out of his jacket pocket. "I've also been dabbling as a private eye. My card." he says as he holds out a few pieces of gum. As soon as someone looks like they might try to grab a piece, he hasitly retracts his hand, holding the gum to his chest like it was his baby. "Helllloooo! "Private" duh. Jeez, some people just don't listen." Jester throws the wad of gum in his mouth and starts chomping away, somehow able to smile through the whole ordeal.

[patcore]

"Well, gum aside, just because a project failed doesn't mean it lost it's importance." stated Thad calmly. "They could have been looking for parts to complete their own devices or someone may have figured out how to finish one." Either way it means someone knew where to look and what to look for. Since these projects weren't completed then the general public or even most of the company employees shouldn't know of them." Thad begins looking around for an inventory log. That way if they discover the an empty space they should be able to match it in the log book.

As he walk around Thad says, "That means if we can figure out what company owns the stolen goods they would be able to tell us the employees that worked on that project. It may not lead us to the true culprit but at least it's a lead nonetheless. They may be even able to tell us the original intentions of their work, but again it's best not to jump to conclusions." Thad's eyes begin to dart around the room. One reason to locate the log book, the other was his curiosity on what wonders these crates held. Oh, what I would give to be able to spend a few days here. They may be incomplete but failure leads to eventual success. Imagine what I might learn by studying the work of so many others. His mind buzzing with possibilities he continues his search.