Sufficiently Advanced Technology (IC)

[Fox]

Funny ideas indeed. Mara certainly wasn't laughing...but she wasn't looking particularly intimidated, either. She took the opportunity, during the lightshow, to shove her worn bag under the table and away from prying eyes.

With a dissatisfied frown, the young woman was trying to keep an eye on the robbers and look around for somewhere private to duck away into. awful timing - hate being caught without my gear on - need a distraction - or an excuse - or....

[Raveled]

Rant moved away from her brother, shrugging out of her backpack. She opened it up and moved from table to table, slowly making her way towards the entrance. "Right, boys and girls, just put it all in the bag," she said, shaking it and shoving it directly into people's faces. "Just put it all in and no one gets hurt." It wasn't long before she was standing in front of the table shared by the three heroes. "Come on, come on! Cash, jewelry, cell phones! Put it all in the bag, and my brother won't have to melt your bones." She gave a shrill laugh and thrust the bag at Mara. Now that the three were closer, they could see the dilated pupils and the shaky hands. It would seem that the super-powered pair had bolstered their courage with street drugs.

[Fox]

"No."

Mara just gave the woman a flat stare, completely unintimidated. "Have no cash. Pockets have no cell phone. One piece of jewelry, which I will not give you. Not sure why you want cell phones in a bag anyway." That last bit was accompanied by leaning over a bit to peer into the bag - mostly to hide her face as lights began dancing behind her eyes. "Combined interference is likely to-"

Cell phones in the bag began to go off. The air was filled with beeping, buzzing, singing and wailing as, apparently, every patron of the restaurant got a simultaneous phone call. Darting a hand down to grab the worn bag she'd pushed under the table, the young woman made a beeline for the restrooms.

[Raveled]

Mara was doublely lucky; the bathroom was a single room, without stalls or any occupant, and the door locked behind her. The last was helpful because of the shout of "Hey! Stop, you!" from Rave. He rushed after her and tugged once on the door handle. Then he stepped back and let out a primal scream, a physical pulse of energy that left the wall on either side of the door indented half an inch or so, but the door itself standing.

Rant had turned to watch her brother, and Jessica took the opportunity to act. Reaching over, she touched a button on her wristwatch and armored up in a blaze of light. Ironclad propelled herself across the table and tackled the other woman, the pair going down in a tumble. Rant struggled, but she never had a real chance against Ironclad. For her part the heroine seemed content to hold the villainesse down, pinning her to the floor with a combination of bulk and lifting servos. "Let's just stay right here," she said sweetly, "like well-adjusted young does, while the men sort things out, 'kay?"

[Lone Star]

Blake leapt over the table, and reached inside of his mojo pouch. He pulled out a handful of dust, and sped over to the skinny man. "Take a nap, crazy." Blake said, throwing a huge handful of the dust at the man's face. He spun his fedora around, and looked to Jessica. "You okay babe?"

[Raveled]

The supercriminal was too involved with battering down the door to notice when Warlock blew a handful of dust in his direction. He inhaled to take another scream, got a double dose of the sleeping dust, and didn't even wobble once before falling like a tree. He was snoring before he hit the tiled floor. Inside the bathroom, Mara could distinctly hear the sawing away, as well as Rave spitting invectives from back in the eating area.

[Fox]

this is exactly why I don't like leaving the warehouse in normal clothes Mara growled, digging her gauntlets out of her bag and pulling them on. always someone who wants to start something and it takes forever to find a quiet spot

As soon as they were on and settled she lit them up, a wave of distorted space sweeping up her arms and across her body, her costume in its wake - her bag disappeared completely, sucked into the same dimensional pocket as her civilian garments. "Will be lucky if there's anyone left," she muttered, opening the bathroom door but not quite stepping out into the open so soon.

[Raveled]

Most of the action had been wrapped up by the time Dragonfly stuck her head out. Rave squirmed and bucked underneath Ironclad's iron grasp, but she had no leverage and no way to work against the armored heroine's powerful servos. In desperation, she locked her eyes on the heroine's blank mask and sent a pulse of dizzying, nauseating light straight into the young woman's brain. She squeezed her eyes shut to stop the room from spinning, but her grip never slackened.

[Lone Star]

Blake pulled another pinch of sleeping powder out of his bag. "I would beat the living hell out of you for trying to hurt my girlfriend, but you're lucky I'm above that. I wouldn't bring myself down to your level." He threw a handful of it in the woman's face, almost with contempt. Blake dusted off his hands, the magic dust falling to the floor. "Stay down, you maniac."

[Fox]

Sighing - but taking small satisfaction in magic's inability to solve everything - Dragonfly fired up her gauntlets and space folded in around her, dropping her back out of nowhere in the middle of the restaurant. She immediately and dispassionately sent a twisting shockwave into the woman Ironclad had grappled on the ground. "Trying to blow a hole in the roof was not very subtle," she dryly observed. "Attracts all kinds of attention."

[Raveled]

The two struggling women were too mobile a target for Warlock; his sleep powder spread itself across Ironclad's metal back. Dragonfly's attack did more, slamming Rave back into the ground and making stars explode before her eyes. The armored heroine relaxed when the criminal stopped fighting back. She reached around to the bit of dust that had spilled on the ground and dribbled a bit over Rave's face; the woman shook once or twice, then fell still. Ironclad sat back on her haunches, not even breathing hard. "Well," she mused aloud, "that was an interesting lunch."

[Lone Star]

Blake sealed his weapons back in his mojo pouch. "Yes...yes it was." He looked at the short girl with the gadgets who popped in. "Thanks for the help!" Blake said with a smile. "That was definitely the edge we needed. Wait a second." Blake scanned the restaurant. "Where's Mara?"

[Fox]

Dragonfly frowned, pulling a couple zip-ties out of a pouch and setting about binding the two villains. "Doubt you actually needed my help, but couldn't just stand by. Suppose it isn't in my nature."

"Wait a second." Blake scanned the restaurant. "Where's Mara?"

The heroine looked at him with a blankness fortunately mostly hidden by her visor. cannot be serious "Young woman, a little shorter than me?" she asked, grateful (for once) for the short heels on her boots. "Saw someone climbing out the bathroom window as I came in. Could go look for her if it's important."

[Raveled]

Ironclad rolled her eyes underneath her mask and opened a private communication link with Dragonfly. He's not the brains of the outfit, she texted. Be happy that he doesn't get it. Aloud, she spoke to her friend and fellow heroine. "I've alerted the police," which was true; it didn't take more than a second for her to do so. "Can you pop these two in a bubble and we can all go outside to wait for the cops?"

[Fox]

Dragonfly sighed, and shook her head. "Bubble? Going to assume you meant me...better to leave them," she replied, sorely tempted to give the one she'd just finished binding a kick. "Easier to monitor. Living things can get free from...storage. Don't receive much warning, either. Prefer to not get ambushed by them when they wake up."

[Lone Star]

Warlock put an arm around Ironclad's shoulders. "We sure kicked ass back there, didn't we?" He gave her a peck on the helmet of her armor. "It's a good thing we ran into each other- I don't imagine I could have taken both of those druggies by myself. Say..." he said, looking at the other gadget-clad heroine. "We've met before! I was called Kid Cthulhu back in the day...Dragonfly, right? Wow, it's been a while!"

[Fox]

Dragonfly hmmed, adjusting one of her gauntlets. "Yes - Dragonfly, I mean. Quite a while - look like you're doing well. Short fight. Am sorry I wasn't here faster...impressive powder. Sleeping agent?" She raised an eyebrow as she glanced back at the sleeping criminals. "Seems effective. Don't suppose it can be replicated somehow without magic."

[Raveled]

Ironclad accepted the hug and the peck gladly, standing up and dusting herself off. She reached down and picked up Rave, slinging the criminal over one shoulder. "Better grab the other one," she said to Warlock, "and bring 'em out to the street. Cops are gonna be here soon to collect them." She turned to the startled server and gave him a bright smile -- invisible behind her helmet, but surely the thought counted. "Sorry for the damage we caused." She turned to leave and almost ran into Dragonfly. "Oh. Um, can you make sure all the stuff they stole makes it back to their owners?"

[Fox]

Dragonfly frowned, but nodded, picking up the bag and putting it on a clear table before she turned to address the crowd in as no-nonsense a tone as she could manage. "Form a line. Please. Describe your items and I will find them and give them to you. If you lie, I will know -" perfect memory - watched you all fill the bag "- and things belonging to you will get donated to charity. So don't. One at a time, please, can get this done as quickly as possible...."

[Lone Star]

Ironclad accepted the hug and the peck gladly, standing up and dusting herself off. She reached down and picked up Rave, slinging the criminal over one shoulder. "Better grab the other one," she said to Warlock, "and bring 'em out to the street. Cops are gonna be here soon to collect them." She turned to the startled server and gave him a bright smile -- invisible behind her helmet, but surely the thought counted. "Sorry for the damage we caused." She turned to leave and almost ran into Dragonfly. "Oh. Um, can you make sure all the stuff they stole makes it back to their owners?"

Warlock lifted the druggie with his telekinesis ring, not wanting to touch him. "There's something white and powdery in his nose, and he smells like hippy. But it was a job well-done, no less." Blake said as he walked outside of the restaurant, looking back at the server, who was, in layman's terms, about to have a cow. Blake deposited the miscreant on the side of the street as the cop cars started to arrive. "No worries, officers." Blake said with a bright grin. "We've taken care of it."

[Raveled]

Ironclad deposited her bad guy and watched the police bind them and load them into the paddy wagon -- a heavy, steel-plated paddy wagon designed from the wheels up to contain super-powered criminals. An ambulance had arrived on the scene with the patrol cars and EMTs hurried into the restaurant. They heroes had, thank god, prevented any of the civilians from coming to harm, but the paramedics would still check everyone over. Some police officer followed them, no doubt to get everyone's statements while the incident was still fresh.

Her helmet folded away abruptly and she watched the scene with her bare eyes. One arm went around Blake's waist and she pulled him close. "All this notwithstanding," she said, "I'm glad you got to meet Mara. It means a lot to me that you two get along. She's my best friend, and you're the man I love." She gave him a peck on the cheek and rested her head against his. "And I'm sorry that you have to find another place to meet your client."

[Lone Star]

Blake blinked. "Oh, right. Client..." Blake looked around and shrugged. "Looks like he's a no-show. I don't care though. I'm glad I get along with Mara too. She's real quiet." Blake pulled her close and kissed her gently on the lips. "But you'll always be my genius girlfriend. I love you, Jessica." Blake said as he held her in his arms like a Fabio romance novel cover.