Interceptors - They're Finally Getting Married! (IC)

[quotemyname]

After watching Grim's brother have a meltdown, Mona stood and headed over his way. She patted Billy on shoulder as she passed and said, "Congratulations, cowboy. Take good care of her."

"Well'a reckon y'all c'n count'n that." Billy responded as he scooped the last of his meal into his mouth, washing it down with what was left in the champagne flute in front of him.

---

Later...

Billy turned to his wife, "Hey Lynn, d'ya realize we been married fer all'a, what? Three hours now? An' we ain't even been dancin' yet?" He asked, and stood up from the table with a glance at the empty dance floor that no one had yet touched, as the first dance was their right.

Bill extended his hand toward his beautiful bride, "Lynn Epstein-Reynolds, may I have this dance?" Bill was beaming, excited, and practially high just from all of the energy in the room.

[Heritage]

"Aye, I'll drink to that. I'm told that over a dozen centuries passed since my imprisonment at the hands of The Traitor, since the last time I walked the lands of Midgard. If you'd told me then that the Saxons of all people would take over the world, I would have laughed in your face. Or cut you down where you stood."

"Don't sell yourself short." he said with a tap on his arm. "People like you are the ones that gives people like us the drive to keep doing what we're doing." he said sincerely. "Think about it. How many of us do you think would be doing this for years on end if we didn't think we were making a difference. You've made your mistakes and now you're going to make amends. People like you remind us that we never lose the ability to get up off the ground, dust ourselves off and try again. And I can't give any higher praise than that." concluded Dynamo smartly as he raised his beer to toast good old Karl.

Karl was clearly stunned by the Valkyrie's presence and considerable drinking prowess, but he did manage to tear his eyes are from her long enough to accept Dynamo's surprising compliment. "Really, you think so? Me, I just see myself as a screw-up who was just smart enough to keep away from the drugs, but not smart enough to hold a real job on the outisde. But, y'know, thanks for your support, I guess." Then he turned back to watch Thrude a bit more. "Wow, do you immortal chicks know how to party or what?" He playfully jabbed an elbow into the marshal's ribs. "Guess we really lucked out, huh?"

The lovely lawwoman sniffed. "Lucky you, you don't have to drive; I just need to be able to get you in the van by 9 pm.". She sighed and addressed the two immortals directly for the first time. "Sorry, ladies, I have to keep him on a short leash; I know, a shame that such a specimen of manhood has to be kept off the market."

Karl laughed and shook his head. "Nah, I can see it, I'm gettin' to ya." He poked the speedster in the chest a few times. "Just you watch, she'll be in love with me before the night is out." Deputy Marshal Steele just rolled her eyes.

[Heritage]

"Mr. Epstein, per capita superheroes have a lower risk of death on-the-job than police officers. I know that comes as precious little consolation. She is your sister after all, and she is my friend. Let me put it to you this way. Your sister, as a great public service to this city, has risked her life and bravely faced some of the most dangerous people this world has to offer. She has proved superbly capable and helped restore peace and justice to a world that could easily be overrun with petty tyrants and super villains. That...is something of which to be proud. Even if the details are a little shocking." She smiled to the man.

"I know I am proud to call her my team mate."

Ben closely followed Mona's little testimonial, occasionally sipping his scotch (which really was very good) as he listened intently. When she was finished, he drained his glass, wiped his mouth on his sleeve and locked eyes with Lynn.

"Look, Sher, I know I won't always be there to protect you, but that that doesn't mean I don't want to, or that I can even..." He choked up a bit. "You're my baby sister; I remember seeing Mom holding you in the hospital, your little red face peeking out of the blankets...you looked so pissed."

Lynn laughed out loud as tears welled up in her eyes. "Aww, Benj; lucky for you I don't need to wear mascara anymore, or my face would be a mess by now!"

That got her big brother to laugh, and he looked so grateful for it. "I know, I know. The point is-" He took her hands in both of his, and kissed them gently. "I am proud of you, Sher, and all you've done; maybe I don't need to know all the details, but it's nice to know you can take care of yourself, and that you're helping people." He took a deep breath. "Though I've got to admit, I am very happy to hear about this whole 'semi-retirement' thing. Grampaloo would be so happy you're taking over the store; he knew how much you loved it."

And at that, a very tearful Lynn grabbed her brother Ben in a ferocious bear hug, which led to a sharp but happy cry. "Oww, ribs, ribs!"

"Sorry, sorry!"

- - - -

Lynn was floating on a cloud; true, at least some of that was due to the large amounts of alcohol she'd been drinking at the big table, where her and her two siblings had been downing conjured shots like a bunch of frat boys. But beneath that alcoholic haze was a core of true bliss she'd never felt before in her life; all other previous happiness she'd felt paled in comparison to this day, this moment. For just one evening, all the people she loved in the world were in the same room, and there had been no hairpulling, no knife fights and no explosions; not too shabby.

The happy bride smiled and murmured to herself, "If there is a heaven, it feels just like this."

Billy turned to his wife, "Hey Lynn, d'ya realize we been married fer all'a, what? Three hours now? An' we ain't even been dancin' yet?" He asked, and stood up from the table with a glance at the empty dance floor that no one had yet touched, as the first dance was their right.

Bill extended his hand toward his beautiful bride, "Lynn Epstein-Reynolds, may I have this dance?" Bill was beaming, excited, and practially high just from all of the energy in the room.

"Hmm? Oh, hell yeah!" With a bit of effort, the lacy cream puff got to her feet and glided onto the dance floor. There had been a lot of talk in the weeks leading up to this day about how best to blend the various traditions of Christian and Jewish weddings so that no one felt excluded; Lynn had insisted on a klezmer band and Billy getting hoisted up in a chair by the groomsman. but she happily acquiesced on a few more intimate dances before the delightful insanity of the hora was unleashed. For the first dance, she'd selected "All My Only Dreams" for the soundtrack of That Thing You Do!; her mom and sister had rolled their eyes, saying it sounded like something you'd here at the prom, but her dad, the musician and movie buff, thought it was perfect. Looking up at her big cowboy in his awesome hat as the song began, the tiny shapeshifter smiled, so glad that she'd stuck to her guns.

"I love you."

[quotemyname]

"An' I love you."

The two danced to the song in each others arms, like it would never end. When it was over, the slowed to a stop, and kissed. For his part, there was definitely a bit of moisture rolling down Billy's cheeks.

There was a round of applause for the two dancers, but after just a moment, the band started up again. The second song was a rendition of a much more modern tune.

As the jazzy tune got moving, so did the bride and the groom. Billy spun his bride around the dance floor in a slightly peppier version of a traditional slow dance, matching the feel of the song. During the lyrical section, he pulled his wife closer and they danced and swayed across the floor as one, with Billy whispering the words into her ear.

"Will you agree

to take this man

into your world?

And now,

we are,

as one."

They broke apart again, swinging and swaying as the song sped back up. Finally as the song came to a close, Billy pulled Lynn close to him. The pair ended toe to toe, eyes locked. Another round of applause sounded from the crowd.

The applause died en masse, the crowd ready for the next song, when two odd heavy thumping sounds echoed through the doors to the hallway of the banquet hall. The doors flew open, pushed by a dark haired man with a thin mustache with a matching black tuxedo and cowboy hat.

Through the doors, the limp bodies of two servers were visible slumped against the walls. The man clapped very slowly and very deliberately as he approached the dance floor. The echoing sounds of his hands crashing together the only sound in the hall until Billy snarled a greeting at him.

"Gillman!"

[quotemyname]

"Mr. William Renolds," The man in black greeted the groom, "Frankly, I'm appalled. You didn't invite me to the wedding. And after all we've been through too!"

Colt was in an odd situation. It had seemed wrong to bring any of his guns to his own wedding. This being the first time in years he didn't have them on his person, and there was trouble. He was suddenly reminded of exactly why he had become so vigilant about carrying them. "I ain't sure what'ya think we been through t'gether, but it ain't what I'm thinkin'." Colt's eyes strayed to the door as he stepped between Grim and Gillman, "The servers - y'didn't..."

"Me? Nooo." Gillman whistled. He pulled back one side of his jacket to reveal a handgun sized weapon, though it looked decidedly more scientific than you're everyday pistol, "What's the phrase? Ah yes. It's set to stun."

"Good, cuz'a swear, if'n y'all so much's-" Billy was forestalled, by Gillman pulling out a cell-phone sized device that flipped open. It beeped twice.

Gillman smiled, "Colt, you're not even armed, and if you're going to enlist the help of these other heroes, well, let's just say don't bother. In fact..." Gillman spread his gaze out across the assembled guests, "If any one of you tries anything funny, I'll be gone before you know it. Seeing as how I'll never be coming back to this dimension, you'd be denying my friend here-"

"We ain't friends-"

"Like I was saying, Colt here'll never hear what I've got to say. So just sit tight and I'll be out of your hair in no time flat."

[Dariusprime]

Mona faded into the background as Lynn and her brother had their bonding moment. She wasn't entirely sure if what she said did any good, but the testimonial did have the double effect of reiterating her appreciation of the pixie. Made her want a brother as cool as Ben too! And some of that scotch...

Some time later, Mona downed a few shots with Lynn and her siblings. To be fair, she took triple shots, which seemed to greatly impress Ben. Not to mention how the alcohol didn't seem to affect her much (if at all). Once the siblings circled together, she retired to Viktor's table, chatting with Lynn's Mom and Dad, one arm draped over her love's shoulders and the other hand occupied with a scotch. Seemed as if the wedding had put her in a lighthearted mood as well!

Which meant the interruption came as a particular bummer. One minute she's watching the happy couple dance, and the next minute what she could only assume was an old rival of Colt's showed up. That he sported a proper tux provided little consolation. She resisted the urge to punch him back through the doors, especially after noticing the waitstaff. Still, she kept her cool, and as he spoke, felt thankful for that.

Staying relaxed, Mona listened intently to this Mr. Gillman and his shenanigans. Mentally her mind went into high gear, and she calculated her odds of snatching away that little device. Unfortunately, the main problem with that plan was whether the device was a dead switch or not. Perhaps, if she went full out, she'd be able to decipher the exact function before it went off.

Awfully risky.

Best to remain calm and ready to spring into action!

[N/A]

Fulcrum's conclusions were sound, her actions wise. A pity, then, that her new teammate didn't think things through as well. That was something Thrude had always meant to try out one of these days, but she still hadn't gotten around to it. What with all the slicing and smashing and slaying, she just couldn't find the time.

Thrude chugged down the other half of her current (fourth) bottle of sparkling white wine. "I know not of your name, Impudent Mortal, nor your quest, creed, or quarrel with my newfound comrade." She stood from her chair, knocking it upon the floor behind her. "But I still have one good eye, and that means I can see that you thought you could dance in and out of here like the wind after striking down two of the very people we have sworn to protect."

Thrude tossed the champagne bottle into the air, shifting her grip from the base to the neck. She swung it down against the edge of the table, smashing the smooth bottom into jagged shards. "You were mistaken. Draw steel, Pig, and make peace with whatever gods you are about to meet!"

[Gizmo]

Jack groaned loudly as the two interdimensional cowboys stared each other down, a long annoyed noise. "For crying out... Man, this thing was already taking forever," he complained to the uninvited new arrival, turning in his chair but making no move to get up or indication that he felt remotely threatened. "I mean, yay, wedding, and all, but I haven't even gotten to give my speech yet and most of the people at this table have a better than even chance of getting lucky once we wrap this up and you're wasting our time." The fencer lifted on hand lazily above his head. "Show of hands folks, who here could break his guy's wrist without getting out of their chair?"

His sister raised her own hand, not even bothering to summon the telltale glow of her force fields around it. "'Fly, be a dear and break his gadgets with your mind, m'kay?" she called over to her girlfriend.

[Dr Archeville]

Elaine's words had caught Archeville off guard -- he knew Lynn had come from a troubled home, but she had never divulged any specifics. Fortunately, his inhumanly fast mind allowed him to come up with a constructive reply, as he offered some counsel based on his own study of (and vast personal experience) with therapy for social adjustment issues and child abuse. He advised communication, and reconcilement, and forgiveness, and looked up the names of several counselors in her area that would be qualified to provide long-term assistance. He also emphasized that seeking outside assistance was nothing to be ashamed of, as everyone needed help from time to time. And as he spoke, an idea for a new charity popped began forming in his mind.

---

Once Billy and Lynn began to dance, Archeville prepared to excuse himself from the table and make his way to Mona, but by the time an opening in the conversation came up he saw she was heading over towards him.

After three hours of sitting and talking I was really hoping to stretch my legs. And take a break from this talk -- even I can only take so much!

I do hope they take my advice. I do not like seeing families broken up!

The Doktor certainly enjoyed the mood the festivities had put his lover in (and looked forward to seeing just how much of a mood she was in later, sooner if he could find a big enough coat closet), but then one of Colt's foes had to show up and put a damper on things.

"I was hoping this would be like Derick and Stesha's," he commented, just loud enough for Mona to hear, "and less like Jack and Taylor's. Ah, well." He studied the man, his tech and his body language, "definitely from Colt's section of the multiverse. But it does look like he is here just to say his piece, some parting words before leaving this dimension. Not that I expect Dragonfly to allow that," he nodded towards his table-mate, "assuming Jack and Thrude do not break him first." He did not sit idly by as he assessed the situation, of course: one hand drew his Electromagnetic Screwdriver, the other to the concealed controls of his Gravimetric Cummerbund.

In his jacket pocket, the contents of a small box pulsed faster.

[Fox]

His sister raised her own hand, not even bothering to summon the telltale glow of her force fields around it. "'Fly, be a dear and break his gadgets with your mind, m'kay?" she called over to her girlfriend.

Dragonfly - who'd been watching with a raised eyebrow and curious interest - glanced to Ellie and shrugged. She'd been wondering whether it was worth waiting to see what the man had to say, to be honest, but her girlfriend probably had the better idea. Her fellow heroes could probably handle a gun, no matter how high-tech, without too much trouble, but the other device...hmm, the other device.

She settled forward in her chair, tilting her head as lights behind her eyes. hello there, she idly thought at it as she wormed her mind into the electronics. won't hurt a bit - now what are you - interesting - probably wasted on your current owner - most things probably would be - bad first impression? - doesn't matter - mine now

[April]

In contrast to her fellow immortals explosive rise to her feet, Willow rose with considerably more grace and patience. When compared to Thrude's rather vitriolic series of oaths and admonishment, the dryad said nothing. And in a firm counterpoint to the brandished bottle, broken and held in the iron grip of the Goddess, the nymph of the woods merely held out a hand.

The lovely flower arrangement that graced the immortals table responded, rapidly growing and wrapping itself around Willow's finger. The plant continued to warp and change, coiling around Willow's arm and swiftly encompassing the rest of her form. It took only seconds, but in that span of time the space that occupied a beautiful, oddly colored woman was replaced with a massive suit of living armor, at the heart of which was nature's fury.

[Heritage]

"Mr. William Renolds," The man in black greeted the groom, "Frankly, I'm appalled. You didn't invite me to the wedding. And after all we've been through too!"

Lynn's eyes boiled with hatred as she stared at the man; last year, her now-husband had told her some things about him, but for some dumb reasons she'd thought this chapter of their lives was closed. Her gaze wandered over her family and friends, all together under one roof, and she felt a twinge of guilt over putting them all at risk; then she started to mentally check off her guest list, and a little smile crept over her face.

Sometimes it pays to be a paranoid neurotic Jewish girl.

"Like I was saying, Colt here'll never hear what I've got to say. So just sit tight and I'll be out of your hair in no time flat."

Lynn cleared her throat. "Uh, if you're gonna be yakking for a while, mind if I slip into something more comfortable? Because to be honest, as lovely as this dress is, it's a little bit itchy." At that, the blushing bride collapsed like the Wicked Witch of the West, her gown falling loosly to the dance floor, which elicited a gasp from Lynn's family, who had yet to see any major demonstrations of her fae nature. Seconds later Grimalkin reformed and rose up to her full...well, five feet three inches, but she was in her fighting leathers and her claws were out, which certainly made an impression.

Once more properly solid, Grim shook herself loose and wiggled her fingers. "Woo, much better! I've been dying to get out of that for hours!" She crossed her arms tightly across her chest and began to drum her claws on her leather sleeve. "Please, continue."

However when her various superfriends began to gear up, she held up a warning hand. "Guys, please be mindful of where were are right now, and of all my lovable but squishy relatives in the room; no unnecessary risks." She spared a glance at Thrude; her voice was tight but still with an hint of gallows humor. "Y'know, if you're at all familiar with the term."

[Heritage]

For their part, most of Lynn's family was utterly terrified, and sat frozen in their chairs; his worse rears confirmed, poor Ben actually wet himself a bit. But there's always the exception to the rule; Karl Epstein's face was actually glowing like a kid on Christmas morning as his eyes darted around the banquet hall, taking in all the heroes and the dumbass cowboy stupid enough to crash his niece's wedding.

"This is so f@*#in' awesome!" He actually rubbed his hands together in delight, then pointed at first Thrude then Willow. "Hey, if I make it out of this alive, can I have a dance with one of you's?"

Annabel Steele could not believe her charge right now. "You are certifiably insanse, do you know that?" she whispered in disbelief as she crouched behind the table and assessed the situation, her fingers resting lightly on the small automatic in her ankle holster.

Karl, still completely unfazed, laughed, shook his head and leaned over to her. "What, I figured you'd be happy; I mean c'mon, how many marshals get to bust a genuine cowboy bad guy?"

Despite herself, Annabel had to smile; the little guy actually was kinda cute.

[quotemyname]

The western wedding crasher seemed to pay absolutely zero attention to anyone in the crowd. Thrude's display was enough to garner a sideways glance from him, but he ignored her all the same.

Lynn cleared her throat. "Uh, if you're gonna be yakking for a while, mind if I slip into something more comfortable? Because to be honest, as lovely as this dress is, it's a little bit itchy." At that, the blushing bride collapsed like the Wicked Witch of the West, her gown falling loosly to the dance floor, which elicited a gasp from Lynn's family, who had yet to see any major demonstrations of her fae nature. Seconds later Grimalkin reformed and rose up to her full...well, five feet three inches, but she was in her fighting leathers and her claws were out, which certainly made an impression.

"On the contrary, my dear. I was wondering why Billy was hiding such a beautiful thing such as yourself. You deserve to hear what I've got to say as well. After all, my message may very well have a massive impact on your future."

It was then that Dragonfly's mind began probing the device in Gillman's hand.

She settled forward in her chair, tilting her head as lights behind her eyes. hello there, she idly thought at it as she wormed her mind into the electronics. won't hurt a bit - now what are you - interesting - probably wasted on your current owner - most things probably would be - bad first impression? - doesn't matter - mine now

"Hmm? Yours? Sorry, don't think so." The device told her, "See this cowpoke here's the first one to actually put me to good use. Sorry, kid. But I'm going places. Literally. So buzz off, yea?"

Once more properly solid, Grim shook herself loose and wiggled her fingers. "Woo, much better! I've been dying to get out of that for hours!" She crossed her arms tightly across her chest and began to drum her claws on her leather sleeve. "Please, continue."

Billy's eye twitched some at that. His eyes narrowed, and shot between his wife's discarded wedding dress, and the man in black. "H'okay, I reckon'a had'a 'bout 'nuff." He suddenly lunged forward and siezed Gillman by the bow tie, nearly lifting him from his feet. "This here's ma weddin' night, pal. This here's s'posed't be'a happy occasion'n I reckon yer doin'a damn good job'a ruinin't fer ev'ryboy. Not t'mention't ya jus' beat me't bein' th'first man't get m'wife outta her weddin' dress. Now y'all best be sayin' yer peace 'fore'a get t'showin' ya't I don't need't be armed t'give ya a real bad day." Colt practically spat the last three words in the man's face.

"Well then *ahem* Do you mind?" Colt released him unceremoniously, and Gillman took a few steps back. "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you..." He pressed a button on the device, and everyone in the room felt a strange tugging sensation in the pit of their stomach. It was subtle, and in most cases, you'd never even notice it unless you were familiar with temporal distortions. A large man-sized portal opened up in the air behind Gillman, "A portal to Colt's homeworld."

Billy was speechless. His jaw dropped.

"That's right. The thing he's spent countless days and nights searching for since he got here. Well, aside from me that is. Night after night digging through scientific articles and tracking down temporal anomalies with the help of that computer in your basement. That's right, I know you've been doing your homework. Well, guess what, so have I. What poor Colt here didn't know was that all he had to do was steal a few choice pieces of cool technology," He paused to wave the device above his head, "And he'd be out of this world faster than a veggie stealing jack rabbit. The reason you could never find me, Colt, was because I was almost never in this dimension. Soon as I found my first bit of cash, on that train robbery which you failed to prevent, I was off on a wild adventure. Dimension to dimension. Well, I finally stumbled on the coordinates for our home, and since I'm such a stand up guy, I thought I'd come and share it with you. Call it..." Gillman paused, and placed a devilish smile across his mustached face, "A wedding present."

Colt was nearly blue in the face with anger at this point. He never could stand Gillman's posturing. "What's it'cha want, Gillman?"

"Nothing, my friend. That's just it. I'm going home. I'm not coming back. We were once rivals. And I'd sure hate to see that part of our lives die out, wouldn't you? I'm here offering you a choice. You can stay here. Or you can come home with me. Free of charge. No strings attached. Well, I supposed there are three conditions." He looked up at the portal and it began to shrink. "The portal's closing. So you've gotta decide right now. It's a one way portal too. So you leave, and you ain't coming back." Gillman extended a hand to Colt. "Oh, and I almost forgot. There's only room for two." His dark eyes flicked toward grim very briefly before he fixed his gaze back on Colt.

"So? What'll be, cowboy?"

Colt stood, transfixed. His eyes locked on the portal. He stared wistfully for a moment, then it shrank again. He seemed jolted out of his reverie, and turned to face Grim.

There was a look in his eyes that Grim had only seen once before. She remembered it well, because at the time, she'd never seen him in that much pain before. She'd seen him tangle with super villains, demons, and even crazed alien motorcyclists. He'd been injured, stabbed, shot, and nearly crippled countless times, but none of that compared to the pain she could see in his eyes now.

Billy set his jaw, and turned back to Gillman. "Yer wrong, Gillman." His glance shot toward Grim, and he smiled, "I reckon'a am home."

"An' I reckon ya'll ain't goin' home, cuz y'all ain't leavin!" Billy once again seized the front of Gillman's tuxedo, and unceremoniously hip tossed the man into the center of the dance floor, and away from the portal which was now shrinking rapidly. "That's fer th'dress."

Gillman rolled into a crouching position and was on his feet in a heartbeat, gun in hand. He had it pointed straight at Colt. His previously Calm face now twisted in anger.

[Geez3r]

Dynamo sat back and watched the scene unfold. At least that's what it looked like on the outside. In truth, Dynamo was doing some serious mental calculations. Don't know the extend of Gillman's abilities, use Colt's for baseline. Average draw time... average aim time... average firing time... Most likely trajectory of bullet... average turning speed... average distance of guest to door... average weight of guest... top speed with different levels of weight... minimum safe distance... lost time due to shedding tuxedo... Colt, I need you to distract this guy for 1.374 seconds. Come on... thought Dynamo after finishing his calculations. He discreetly began to unbutton his tux jacket, then his cufflinks, his belt... anything that would let him get this drag heavy tux off a fraction of a second earlier without giving himself away.

"An' I reckon ya'll ain't goin' home, cuz y'all ain't leavin!"

GO! Thought Dynamo as he shed his tux, leaving it hanging in midair. A quick step towards the back wall and Dynamo faded from normal human sight, grabbing one of the nearest guests along the waist. He planted a foot on the wall and got traction, running along the wall so he wouldn't have to dodge through everyone while carrying an extra or two. He brought them out into the parking lot; it wasn't ideal, but they were at least out of line of sight. As Dynamo came back into the hall, grabbing the unconscious security, Colt's hands were inching slowly towards Gillman. Keep it up. Keep it up. he thought to himself as much as to Colt. As he bolted back towards the parking lot. Dynamo repeated this again and again, often times running along the walls or even ceiling so he didn't have to waste precious time changing direction, as he carried the guests out one or two at a time, three in the case of toddlers and the really young.

As Gillman leveled his gun, the doors to the hall clicked close behind Dynamo, the room now devoid of non combatants. In the back corner, a tuxedo limply fell to the ground. "We're clear." he announced to the Interceptors.

[Gizmo]

"Nice, Zip, good work," Jack complimented, reclining in his chair with his legs stretched out and his hands behind his head. The swashbuckler was pointedly making no move to get up; if anything, his expression looked even more bored and unconcerned than it already had. "Look, spurs-for-brains, I get it. You're taking the break-up hard. But really, the traditional time for this is the priest's 'any objections' line." Reaching over to his plate, the fencer retrieved a bread roll and took a bite, continuing to talk as he chewed. "Honestly, this is rookie stuff. Dramatic Entrances 101. I would be super embarrassed if I were you. And not just because you're ugly, you smell from way over here and you're dumb enough to think walking into this room with a popgun was going to end well for you." Regarding the half eaten roll in his hand, he murmured appreciatively. "Which bakery did you say these were from?"

[Dr Archeville]

Judging by Dragonfly's reaction, it would appear her attempt to interface with Gillman's device was unsuccessful! But that is a good tactic! I hope she does not mind me copying it -- a good idea is a good idea!

At a touch of his cummerbund the blue-gray glow of his force field spread out from his Gravimetric Belt and enveloped him, but that nearly a reflex for Archeville. What he was focusing on was Gillman's device, and his own little gadget, and how to get the two to talk to one another. A moment later, a blindingly bright beam of light, cycling through a the rainbow of colors, lanced out from the tip of his Screwdriver and struck Gillman's device.

Hello, Computer. Would you like to tell me everything about yourself, including blueprints and schematics of your hardware and copies of your software? Of course you would. Of course you can trust me -- I am, after all, a Doktor.

The intruder's device glowed, and parts of it became transparent as the scanning beams tore every secret from it. Screeches and whines filled the air, which Archeville nodded along to, his face showing a panoply of reactions to the sounds.

"Gillman here has been quite busy," he said at last, though really it had been all of five or six seconds, "lots of tech from lots of sources there, like he said. I must say, I am impressed at how someone miniaturized a Vacuum Energy Extractor into something the size of a cell phone battery. And with- oh, there we go, coordinates for all the places you have visited. My, my, quite the traveler. Interesting place, this- oh."

If I am reading this right, there is Colt's home dimension, but with a temporal travel component as well as dimensional! The possibilities this opens for studying alternate universes, to go back to the divergence point and see the changes unfold like dominoes! Okay, mixed metaphor there, but still!

"Colt... Billy... his device, it can take you back home -- to shortly after you originally left! You could see your mother! She would not even realize you had been gone!," he blurted out, his mouth getting ahead of his brain. But it did catch up, "Colt, you could- oh... oh."

The contents of the small box in his pocket pulsed faster.

[Heritage]

"H'okay, I reckon'a had'a 'bout 'nuff." He suddenly lunged forward and siezed Gillman by the bow tie, nearly lifting him from his feet. "This here's ma weddin' night, pal. This here's s'posed't be'a happy occasion'n I reckon yer doin'a damn good job'a ruinin't fer ev'ryboy. Not t'mention't ya jus' beat me't bein' th'first man't get m'wife outta her weddin' dress. Now y'all best be sayin' yer peace 'fore'a get t'showin' ya't I don't need't be armed t'give ya a real bad day."

Lynn winced and shrugged up her shoulders. "Sorry, honey! I just didn't want the cleaners to have to wash bits of Gillman out of it."

Billy set his jaw, and turned back to Gillman. "Yer wrong, Gillman." His glance shot toward Grim, and he smiled, "I reckon'a am home."

And for perhaps the fifteenth time that day, the changeling's eyes began top water; she really had picked the right guy.

"We're clear."

Lynn spared Eli an appreciative nod, her eyes never leaving the wedding crasher. "Thanks, buddy; I owe you big time." Knowing her family was safe lifted a huge weight off her shoulders, and allowed her to focus on the problem at hand.

"Which bakery did you say these were from?"

An evil grin spread over the tiny shapeshifter's face and she swiftly and silently stepped behind the distracted Gillman, her tiny fist ready to make a hole clear through his head (metaphorically, at least). But then Dok dropped his bomb on the room, and suddenly it felt like the hole went right through her own heart.

"Colt... Billy... his device, it can take you back home -- to shortly after you originally left! You could see your mother! She would not even realize you had been gone!," he blurted out, his mouth getting ahead of his brain. But it did catch up, "Colt, you could- oh... oh."

What? What?!

For a few precious seconds, she stood there frozen, her arm cocked back and ready to fire as her normally mercurial emotions went into overdrive; what a sadistic bastard this guy was! But then a cold fury settled over her, and she popped him right across his jaw.

"Oh God, that felt good!" But then she turned to her husband, to the man she'd just pledged her life to, and said words she never thought she's say. "Colt honey, it's your family, it has to be your choice." She looked towards the double doors Eli had rushed her own family out through, and her voice cracked. "I'd understand, if..."

[quotemyname]

Gillman took Grim's right hook like a boxing champ. He hesitated only slightly, wiped a small trickle of blood from a busted lip onto his hand and smiled back at Grim. The black clad cowboy wedding crasher looked no worse for ware from her punch. What's worse, that smile on his face looked crazy. Looking into his eyes, she could tell Gillman wasn't beyond doing terrible things to get what he wanted out of life.

Standing straight backed and proud in the middle of the dance floor, Gillman raised the pistol and leveled it straight at Colt. "See, I ain't about't go back there alone. Y'all know how depressingly bored I'd be without dear 'ol Colt to keep me company? Naw. I won't stand for it! Yer comin', Colt. Like it or not."

Gillman pulled the trigger. A flash of bright white light leapt from the barrel of the gun. It streaked toward Colt, aimed straight at his chest. Suddenly, a shadow streaked across the room. With a perfection of timing that only a Goddess could muster, Thrude stepped in the way of the beam, having launched herself all the way from her seat. Her feet touched the ground in front of Colt, and she had enough time to look up at the blast just before it struck her in the chest. The beam hit slightly off center due to her posture in recovering from the leap, but it was still a solid hit in the shoulder. Thrude blacked out instantly from the pain. Her unconscious body was propelled backward by the force of the blast and sent plowing straight through Colt. The pair became tangled, and Colt followed Thurde's trajectory through the air... and straight through the portal.

The air on the other side of the portal was hot, like a desert. But only one of the pair registered any of this. Even he stopped caring when the two plowed straight through one side of a stage coach and out the other about a hundred yards from the portal. The two tumbled to the ground, skidding to a stop.

Back on the other side of the portal, Gillman was in a fury, "No. No! NOOOOO!!! Two people! The portal only works for two people! COLT! @#$%! COOOOOLT!!!" he yelled, so angry he was practically foaming at the mouth.

[quotemyname]

For Colt, the moments after he'd thrown Gillman all bled together. So many things were happening so quickly that he couldn't begin to grasp them.

As Dr. Archeville made the announcement of exactly where and when that portal could transmit him to, Colt went completely numb.

What? What?!

For a few precious seconds, she stood there frozen, her arm cocked back and ready to fire as her normally mercurial emotions went into overdrive; what a sadistic bastard this guy was! But then a cold fury settled over her, and she popped him right across his jaw.

"Oh God, that felt good!" But then she turned to her husband, to the man she'd just pledged her life to, and said words she never thought she's say. "Colt honey, it's your family, it has to be your choice." She looked towards the double doors Eli had rushed her own family out through, and her voice cracked. "I'd understand, if..."

Colt turned a blank stare toward the portal. For a full second, his gaze lingered. He turned to Grim, and looked as if he was about to say something, but was shortly interrupted.

"See, I ain't about't go back there alone. Y'all know how depressingly bored I'd be without dear 'ol Colt to keep me company? Naw. I won't stand for it! Yer comin', Colt. Like it or not."

Colt's feeling of numbness prevented him from making any sort of reaction. He had enough time to glance up and see the beam coming toward him. When Thrude landed in front of him, all he could do was utter a single word, "No!" The next thing he knew his ears were ringing, and he was flying through the air alongside Thrude. It was hot, and the sun in the sky was bright. There was a split second of darkness as he crashed through the stage coach, and then everything seemed rather dusty as he discovered himself eating dirt.

Colt's head was ringing. But he willed himself to his feet. He stood, and seeing Thrude unconscious, he crouched over her, pulling her from the ground, shaking her in an attempt to rouse her. "Thrude! Thrude! Reckon' y'all better b'gettin' up naw! We ain't got time fer any'a this! Since when did ya' like layin' down'n th'job anywho? Thrude we gotta get back't th'portal! Ya' heard'em it's gon' close. This here ain't m'home no more'n I..."

Colt froze mid-speech. He looked back over his shoulder at the portal. "No." His hands went limp. Dropping Thrude the last few inches to the ground. He lunched toward the portal through the dirt, stumbling a few useless steps forward. He stopped mid-stride just as his mind played back Gillman's speach, touching on the important bits.

"The portal's closing. So you've gotta decide right now. It's a one way portal too. So you leave, and you ain't coming back." Gillman extended a hand to Colt. "Oh, and I almost forgot. There's only room for two."

As the realization that he might be stuck in his original world dawned on him, he went pale. Colt's legs felt like Jelly. Legs useless, he fell to his knees. His hands lay limp in front of him. His eyes stared at the glowing portal that was now just an impassible window to the world in which he really belongs. A single hopeless tear ran down his left cheek.

[Fox]

Dragonfly swore to herself (but not out loud: villain interruptions or not, this was a wedding, after all) and got to her feet. She hadn't been expecting that kind of security on a machine that size - how? - doesn't seem that smart - interrupted a wedding full of heroes - help? - theft? - and now two people were on the other side of a one-way portal. A portal that looked to be seconds from sealing shut. right - priorities She stood, and a hand went to the heavy, metal choker that rested at the base of her neck; it flared, sending a ripple across her body that left her armor in its wake. Said armor came immediately to life, lighting up and bringing defenses online - and, more importantly, its array of spatial engines.

The heroine brought every one of those engines online, shunting as much power as she could manage into reaching out for the space around the portal as she did some desperate calculations. Every seam, every bit of glass on her armor shone neon blue with the juice she was channeling, but it seemed to work: the edges of the portal seemed to distort, a chaotic framework of compressed and refracted reality twisting into being like a shifting, unnatural crystal lattice. Unfortunately, the portal didn't give the impression that it had stopped so much as it had slowed, the collapse stuttering and delayed as if it suddenly had a greater distance to go through before it could close up on itself.

[bg=#555555]"Would work quickly,"[/bg] she said through gritted teeth, sounding awfully stressed and distracted. [bg=#555555]"Can only slow this down so much."[/bg]

[Gizmo]

"Oh, for..." Grimacing mightily, Jill raised both arms, straightening in her seat. "You can just stop talking, buddy." A faint blue shimmer encircled her hands instants before a perfectly smooth bubble of softly crackling energy formed around the screaming Gillman, trapping him within. Almost as an after thought, she raised the encapsulating construct into the air keeping the crossdimensional cowboy contained and out of the way. Maintaining the prison with one clenched fist, she rose and moved to Dragonfly's side. "Dios. What can I do?" she asked, the face below her bandanna mask creased with worry.

[Dr Archeville]

"On it!," Archeville exclaimed, leaping towards the portal, but yanked back a hair's breadth from its horizon by gravitic dampers. His hands dashed back ad forth between his Screwdriver, his Belt, and, a few times, brushed up against the portal itself, as if feeling along its edge.

Thanks to my scan of his tatterdemalion transdimensional teleportal, and Dragonfly forcing it from closing, I should be able to tear it from a one-way street to a bidirectional freeway!

"Just a bit mooooore annnd... got it!" The portal rippled, and the other side could be seen a bit more clearly. A dusty aroma could be smelled, coming off the portal -- air was coming in from Colt's home!

And now for the tow trucks!

Archevle held up his Screwdriver, like a crucifix held up to ward off a vampire, and twin beams of blue-gray light lanced out, unerringly striking Colt and Thrude. "I have got you," he said in a soothing, almost paternal tone as he tractor beamed them back through the gateway, "come on home now."

The contents of the small package in Archeville's labcoat pocket pulsed at a maddening beat as all this went on.

[quotemyname]

The beams of light struck both Colt and Thrude. One beam fastened itself to Colt's belt, and yanked hard. Colt yelped in surprise as he was jettisoned through the portal. The other beam cradled Thrude's unconscious form and floated her gently back through the portal.

Back in Freedom City once more, Colt tumbled after the jolt, and fell to his hands and knees. He still had the remnants of a few tears streaming from his face as he bent to kiss the floor of the ball room. Then he rocked back on his haunches and let out a loud, relieved sigh.

He was safe.

He was home.

[Dr Archeville]

Archeville carefully carried Thrude through the portal, a safe distance from it should it begin flaring up, and knelt by her side, checking the still-unconscious warrior woman and self-professed goddess for the extent of her injuries. "Ah, she already seems to be waking!"

Once he was sure Thrude was alright, he turned to face the others. The Interceptors -- they were his family, and had done as much for him as he had for them. And one in particular had made an irrevocable impact on him.

Oh, why not...

"You know, while I am down here," he said, trying to stifle a grin, and turning his Screwdriver on Fulcrum to pull her towards him, "and since it is just us here, for the moment, I see no reason to wait any longer." He set the Screwdriver down, reached into one of his labcoat's interior pockets, and pulled out a small box. "Mona Teymourian, you are my mass per unit volume. I mean, my density. I mean, my destiny. The time we have shared together has been the best 491 days of my life, but if I talked for 491 months I could not express a fraction of the love and respect I have for you. Everyone can see the strong interaction between us -- you are the charm to my strange." He opened the box, revealing a sterling silver ring with one large heart-cut ruby surrounded by a dozen smaller moonstones; the smaller stones emitted a pulse of light, one after another in a clockwise fashion, and going very fast. He looked up to her, "Mona, will you marry me?"