The Measure of a Hero (IC)

[Electra]

It was still a little bit chilly for the end of March in Freedom City, but the figure standing on top of the Eastern Seaboard Bank skyscraper in the middle of downtown didn't seem to notice the cold. Wander was in costume tonight, her blue and gold uniform muted against the darkness of the sky, bat snug and ready against her hip as she scanned the skyline and waited. Tonight was unlikely to bring any dangerous threats, at least nothing that would pose a danger to her, but she was always watchful. Besides, she was waiting for her companions for the evening to join her. Getting up to the top of the forty story building would be their first challenge, but she was confident it wouldn't pose too much of a problem. If Young Freedom was going to keep going after they were all gone, and she was determined that it was, they needed good people to take over all the empty spots.

[KnightDisciple]

Cobalt Templar had found the meeting place a bit odd, but only because it was somewhat out of the way. After all, 40 stories was child's play, comparatively speaking.

So it shouldn't have come as a shock when a blue light shined in the distance, quickly growing closer, until finally the young hero in glowing blue armor came to a graceful landing on the rooftop. He glanced around for a moment, taking in the fact that Mercury hadn't arrived yet.

"So. Step one was "get to the top of a big building"?"

[Electra]

Wander shrugged. "City like this, it's rooftop work half the time. Might as well get used to it. Besides, look at that moon." She gestured with one hand up to the sky, where the giant full moon loomed over the city like a red and baleful eye. "You get a heck of a view from up here. A night like tonight, we're sure to see some action going on. Anyway, I know you can fly, but I don't know as much about what Mercury can do. He said he could get anywhere in the city he needs to go, so we'll see."

[Griffalo]

The roof access door behind the two of them opened, though it revealed a Claremont dorm room behind it. Mercury was stepping through, though it seemed he was approaching from a much larger distance very quickly, an optical illusion as if he was crossing a water-air barrier.

He shut the door behind him and smiled at the two of them.

"Well, hope I'm not too late. I was kind of expecting this to be easier."

[Electra]

"This is as easy as it gets," Wander assured him with a thin smile. "Look around and you'll see that everything is not trying to kill you. Nobody's shooting at you, no civilians are in danger yet, and as far as we know it, the world isn't about to fall apart. It ain't getting any simpler or easier. Tonight we're going to do a simple patrol through downtown and the Theatre District. People get a little weird on full moon nights, so there'll probably be some action. Since this is a training exercise, I'm going to stand back and let you guys pick the routes you want to take, and if there's any fighting, you'll handle it. I'll be right there to give you pointers, and to step in if things get too exciting. But mostly this will be the two of you working together on patrol."

[KnightDisciple]

Cobalt Templar offers Mercury a smile and a handshake.

"Think we've met once or twice before, but still, good to be working with you."

His expression turned serious as Wander explained their goals for the night, already running over what he knew of the area in his head. He glanced at his companions, clearly considering something.

"You know...I could easily make a platform for both of you to ride on while we patrol. It would make it easier to stick together. Not sure if that goes against the spirit of the exercise though, Wander. Mercury, any thoughts on what search pattern to use? I don't know "hotspots" around here, so I figure some sort of nearest-to-farthest pattern. Unless someone has a police scanner or something."

[Electra]

"That's fine," Wander told Cobalt Templar. "You're supposed to work together, and that includes making sure both of you can get everywhere you need to go. I'm not going to put a lot of extra rules on it, telling you what you are and aren't supposed to be doing would mess things up more than you making a platform to fly around on." She was quiet on the issue of search patterns and scanners, wondering what the guys would come up with on their own initiative.

[Griffalo]

Mercury shrugs apologetically.

"Uh, sorry. Not entirely sure. Something methodical seems best though, like a grid system? Obviously if we hear or see trouble we head straight for it, but... anything else and we're just going to end up wandering about aimlessly."

He tried not to look at Wander, despite his natural inclination to seek out her advice and tacit approval for his actions. In this exercise she was his observer and examiner, and wouldn't be assisting unless things took a turn for the worst...

[KnightDisciple]

Cobalt Templar thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Right then. We'll do a rough zig-zag, starting here and working our way across. Keep your eyes peeled and ears open. Just let me get the platform up and running..."

He walked out onto the thin air, then concentrated a moment. Slowly, ethereal blue flames flowed out of his ring, eventually becoming a crude sled-like platform, with two seats, a "railing", and some handholds and footholds. Nothing fancy, but it meant they should be able to sit in moderate comfort, and better security. Cobalt Templar gave a nod, then gestured for his companions to hop on.

"Don't worry. It won't hurt you at all. Not quite a luxury airline, but it should do the trick. If you fall off, yell really loud, and I'll get you soon enough. Now, let's ride!"

As soon as Wander and Mercury were on board, CT took off, the platform keeping pace with him easily. He moved along at about 40-50 miles an hour; fast enough the general patrol pattern ought to be just a few hours, but slow enough to spot trouble.

[Griffalo]

Mercury took his seat on the sled, then paled when Cobalt Templar mentioned what sounded like a very real possibility of falling off.

"Yay." He kept his voice quiet, and it was said through gritted teeth. He reached down, giving his Talaria a reassuring pat, making sure they were laced tight. If he was going to fall out of this ephemeral blue deathtrap, he was at least going to take every sensible precaution.

He tried to take his mind of the ride by scanning the streets below, his cloak pulled tight around him; one of the things they never illustrated in the comics very much was being this high up was damn cold...

[Electra]

Wander gave the handrail a quick shake as she climbed aboard, then, apparently finding it satisfactory, took her seat to let the improvised device lift off. She scanned the streets as they flew, noting traffic patterns and areas of congestion as potential trouble spots, but allowed the guys to come up with their own metric for scanning the streets. Up this high, moving this quickly, it would take a sharp eye to spot trouble. They would see if the underclassmen were up to the task.

[Avenger Assembled]

Far down below, the coughing sputter of an old-fashioned Model T engine reached all the way up to the 40th floor, while down below they could just make out the moving black shape of the old car on the mostly empty streets, helping out by the glorious silvery moon overhead. The Model T turned and headed for the parking garage opposite, the one attached to the USNet Building across the width of Mondale Street. USNet was the biggest ISP in Freedom City and one of America's biggest computer companies; they were the people who technically had built Claremont's computer network, as well as the ones who'd programmed most of the kids favorite PC computer games. They were all about to dismiss the odd old car, which looked strangely disproportionate from this far up, until suddenly it crashed right through the parking gate and into the garage!

[KnightDisciple]

Cobalt Templar had almost missed the car. Well, more accurately, he'd almost missed what it just did. He'd seen it on the road, and admired such a classic car. It wasn't every day you saw a Model T on the road.

It also wasn't every day you saw one involved in a two-fold crime; breaking and entering, and risking serious damage to such a piece of automotive history!

Immediately they began to lose altitude.

"Mercury, Wander, get ready to jump out once we're at ground level. I'm gonna move quick; I want to stop them before they get too far into the building. Hang on tight!"

Suddenly, they were dropping at something approaching 100 miles an hour. The ground raced towards them...before things suddenly slowed down, with the group only a couple stories above ground level now...

[Griffalo]

Mercury had seen enough of CT's piloting skills, and hastily vaulted over the side of the sledge - instead of plummeting like a stone, his pedalling feet caused him to float gently down towards the ground, as if he was running on air.

He touched down on the sidewalk with a mild squeak of rubber, then looked up at their transport.

"Thought I'd stick the landing myself. Uh... no offense."

[Electra]

Wander leapt off the sled as it drew to a halt, dropping the couple of stories and landing neatly next to Mercury on the ground. She was very alert, holding her bat in her hand, but she didn't seem tense or too immensely concerned just yet. And she obviously wasn't going to tell the guys what they ought to be doing, waiting instead for one of them to take the initiative and head into the parking garage.

[Avenger Assembled]

The very startled elderly security guard, still in his booth, looked very happy to see them. "Thank goodness you're here! They scared the bejeezus out of me with all that racket! Blew right through the barricade!" It was dark inside the garage, and the Model T had evidently gone surging around corners, but the kids could hear the squeal of tires inside the nigh-deserted building. On closer inspection, though, it looked like the wild driver had done less damage than they'd expected: though the barrier was snapped, it looked broken rather than smashed, with the paint only missing along the bottom. "Darnedest little car I ever did see. You fellas better get a move on or they'll bust up in there...or hit the elevators and make it inside!"

[KnightDisciple]

Cobalt Templar sighed at Mercury's actions, but it wasn't something he could do anything about.

'Isn't trust important in a team like this? Guess we have something to work on later.' he thought to himself.

CT dropped the rest of the way himself, his aura flaring a bit just before he landed, making it feather-soft.

"Glad you're alright, sir. Probably a good idea to call the police, even if we're heading inside."

He frowned as the condition of the gate, and the guard's words, coalesced in his mind.

"How big would you say the car was?"

He shook his head suddenly.

"Actually, sorry. We need to move if they're going in that fast. I'll lead the way. Mercury, stick between Wander and myself. If nothing else, I can draw their fire better out front."

With that, he floated into the garage at speeds just below a fast jog, slowing a bit to make sure the other caught up with him.

[Griffalo]

Mercury was about to protest that he didn't need protecting, but then kept his mouth shut. If Cobalt Templar wanted to play being a shield, he wasn't going to protest. Better his spells were put to better use taking down the bad guys, rather than expending the effort worrying about protecting his own butt.

He followed along with the group, easily keeping pace with CT.

"A tiny little car? Who attacks a building like this in a tiny little car?" His eyes scanned from side to side, alert for any trouble.

"What's their motive, d'you think? Disrupt the place, or steal information?"

[Avenger Assembled]

Down below, the three teen heroes found themselves confronted with among the oddest sights of their careers. At the closed executive elevator, a slick, suave-looking man in a double-breasted green pinstripe suit was working at the door with a cutting torch, his head hidden by big, old-fashioned safety goggles. In front of him stood a mean-looking man with a livid scar across his face in pinstriped pants and suspenders, his shirt rolled up to his sleeves; next to him was a no-neck thug in a turtleneck sweater and denim, his massive arms and torso bulking over his short, stubby legs. Before them paced a stocky man in a fedora and purple zoot suit, his jaw so square you could use it as a stamp. Cigar in his mouth and old-fashioned Tommy Gun in his hands, he looked every inch the 1940s gangster: not that there were many inches. The tallest of the thugs, the muscular one, was maybe four feet tall; the scarred one, the shortest, was closer to three. Not a single one of them stood any larger than a child: their Model T parked behind them, its engine still running, was no bigger than a bumper car.

"Nyaah! When Lucky gets through that door, see, we'll all go up the elevator real slick-like, see? And then we'll get us some of those fancy computers, nyaah!" The boss was explaining some things to his cronies, it seemed. "And then we'll see who's old-fashioned, see! When we get those fancy computer boxes, we'll teach that joker Tonifanni that the Toon Gang deserves a little respect! Yeah!" His men grunted acknowledgement of that: they were in on the plan, it seemed, but considerably less inclined to orate.

[KnightDisciple]

Cobalt Templar scowled at the cartoonish villains in front of him. Blue flames flickered around his body for a few moments, before an ethereal blue Browning Automatic Rifle appears in his hands. It's not yet pointed directly at the goons, but he's clearly ready to do so at a moment's notice. He sends a quick whisper to the others.

"Don't worry, just a fancy shell for my ring's power; it won't hurt them permanently. Just going with the theme here."

Then he raises his volume, injecting as much authority into his words as possible.

"Halt! You're under arrest. Put your weapons on the floor, step away from the elevator, and we can go about this calmly."

[Griffalo]

Mercury stepped slightly out of Cobalt Templar's power, his hands halfway through a gesture of arcane power. It didn't hurt that his hands had already begun to glow with motes of magical energy - like CT, he was producing a useful special effect designed to intimidate the Toon Gang into inaction.

"What's the correct term for you guys anyway? Animated Americans? There are easier ways to get computers than stealing 'em, you know. Like, oh, buying one. Would you even know what to do with a computer?" He laughs at the thought of them trying to even start the thing up.

[Avenger Assembled]

"Hey! You mugs tink you can talk to Boss Moxie and the Toon Gang like dat!?!" For all his diminutive size, the animated (_very_ animated) crime boss didn't seem intimidated by all the powerful heroes showing up. "Say hello to my little friend here and what not!" He raised his gun and opened fire on the heroes, squeezing off a volley of gunfire that spattered the concrete all around Mercury. "Joey, give 'em the Irishman's Handshake!" The scar-faced mobster reached out behind him and produced a lit handful of red, sputtering dynamite that he hurled at Cobalt Templar: exploding with enough force to blast all the heroes in a tremendous burst of heat and noise. As the fire alarm went off and the garage shook, the Toon Gang seemed a little less funny.

[KnightDisciple]

Cobalt Templar calmly stands his ground as the dynamite goes off, letting the explosion and shrapnel crash against the bulwark of his incredibly tough skin, and the glowing armor of his ring!

When it was over, he shifted the aim of his ethereal weapon to point at the cartoon man who had thrown the dynamite. He raised it to his shoulder, sighting down the barrel a bit.

"You fellas had your last chance. The headache you're gonna have tomorrow is your own dang fault."

With that, he fired a short burst of not-quite-bullets, which would feel like high-powered fists crashing against the toon-man!

"Mercury, the boss, if you please. Wander, help us make sure they don't get away."

[Griffalo]

The split second before the cartoon bullets impacted, one thought went through Mercury's head. This is it.

Most of the spray missed, but a few bullets found their mark. They were stopped by the metal breastplate he was wearing - barely.

True to their design, the moment the dynamite left Joey's hand, the wings on his Talaria fluttered into life, and he moved with blinding speed - one second he was in the blast radius, the next he was comfortably outside it.

"Right, you wanna play it that way..." He nodded at Cobalt Templar's instructions and threw a volley of sizzling green balefire at Boss Moxie.

[Avenger Assembled]

As the sound of the weirdly echo-less cartoon explosion faded, Joey Scars, his face already covered in soot from the blast, staggered back as Cobalt Templar's energy bullets found their mark. "Agh! You got me!" he called out, his eyes turning to crossed-out X's and a flower sprouting in his hand, the one over his chest, as he fell backwards onto the concrete. Boss Moxie fared a little better, but under the same barrage from Mercury he too went down, calling out dramatically "Sweet mudda Mary! It's moida!" And with that he was down, his fedora falling off his giant head to reveal his hideous combover beneath.

Ox shook his muscly fist at the teenage heroes, he and Lucky the only Toon gang members still standing. "Why'd you hafta knock off his hat, you mooks?"