Under Cape and Banner(IC, Closed)

[Ari]

September 10th, 8.15 P.M.

Subito crept to the edge of the warehouse, wishing again he hadn't brought the Banner with him. For the last few months, rumors had spread about kidnappers wearing grey targeting young metahumans, though no attempt had been successful as the heroes in the city were usually on the case quickly enough. Oddly enough, no information could be got from the kidnappers, who according to the psychics called in to search their minds had absolutely no knowledge of why they did what they did, only that they had to do it.

This time the kidnappers had had a bit more luck.

A friend of his named Janet Eriksson, who had worked with him at one of the grocery stores Subito had worked at, had been grabbed hardly ten hours ago. Tracking the truck that she had been tossed into had been quite easy, but he had been ambushed when he had attempted to investigate the warehouse he currently was standing on. The kidnappers had dumped him into the water under the wharf with an anchor tied to his feet to speed him on his way. Getting out of that scrape was profoundly easy for him, but Subito had stayed nearby for as long as he could before going home to get the Banner, gathering as much information as he could. Apparently the kidnappers had finally found a chink in the armor of the city's defenders, and had struck at the homes of metas who lived alone, mostly college and university students with a few high-school-aged youths here and there.

The kidnapped metas, or 'the haul'(which the kidnappers seemed to insist on calling it), had to be heavily sedated for what was apparently a lengthy sea voyage, meaning that Subito had plenty of time to get prepared for the assault on the warehouse where the metas were being held. That it might be a better idea to call the police or go looking for a more experienced super simply never occurred to him, as he was still extremely new to the business, and saw no harm in trying to make it on his own merits.

That said, as he peered at the grey-uniformed kidnappers carrying the rectangular metal boxes onto the boat, he felt a profound sense of fear.

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum wouldn't consider herself the most connected of heroes. Well, connected to the underworld or black market in any event. Nonetheless she knew enough law enforcement officers and heroes to know what had been happening to minor metahumans throughout the city. This development worried her on many levels, and as such, she scheduled more patrols in the event that the kidnappers tried again. As luck would have it, one of her contacts was right on the money about suspicious activity down by the docks.

Flying low-and-slow over the warehouses, Fulcrum scanned buildings intently using her enhanced speed to compile the data. So far nothing really stuck out beyond the occasional worker or evening hooligan. Breaking up some underage drinking was good, but finding the kidnappers would be all the better. As those thoughts circulated, her eye caught the distinctive grey for which she'd be searching. Right color, right description, right M.O...

"Checkmate," she whispered, smiling to herself.

Slowly a spiraling descent began. She doubted any of the villains would notice her. Despite her size, she was quite stealthy in the air, barely making a sound if she held her cape. Which of course she did! The rotating view also gave her the opportunity to size up their numbers and any victims they may have captured. Judging from the boxes, they'd had more success than previous attempts.

Something else caught her eye as well. A young man watching the proceedings from the roof of the warehouse. Judging from his clothing, he most certainly was not one of the kidnappers. Looked like either a concerned citizen or hero may already be on scene! Fulcrum felt a bit surprised that she hadn't heard the call on the police band, but then again he may not have a phone.

Best to approach stealthily lest he give away his position!

Swinging in low over the roof, she stopped about 20 feet behind Subito and made a quiet bird whistle to get his attention.

[Ari]

Subito had heard her coming, but his inexperience with his powers meant he had no idea what exactly he was hearing until the massive heroine let out the sharp whistle. Turning quickly, he stared in awe at the famed woman, almost forgetting that he was trying to remain hidden. Thankfully he remembered himself in time and kept from revealing his presence to the grey-clad kidnappers below.

"Fulcrum" he breathed, his eyes wide with amazement "Are you here to stop those kidnappers too?" a feeling like a horde of butterflies in his stomach followed his realization that in this new world he was going to be working alongside people like her with some regularity. It was with great effort that he kept from grinning like a fool.

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum never did get over, or feel completely comfortable, with that awestruck look. As her reputation developed, she'd seen it more-and-more often, but hero worship or undue deference wasn't her style or her goal. Still she appreciated his positive attitude. Better than the cold shoulder any day!

When he spoke, she smiled warmly, put one finger up to her mouth and whispered, "Yes, I am," before kneeling down to remain out of the kidnappers' line-of-sight. "They're the ones kidnapping metahumans right?" The question was rhetorical, but she wanted to know his reasons for being here.

Offering a handshake to the young hero, she glanced over the rooftop momentarily. "Nice to meet you."

[Ari]

"Yes they are" came the whispered response, along with an eager acceptance of the proffered hand "They must have just captured them, my friend was just kidnapped today and I haven't heard any news of the kidnappings yet". Turning to Fulcrum he added soto voce "I'm called El Heraldo, I bear the spirit of Puerto Rico within me, which grants me great strength, endurance, enhanced hearing, the ability to survive underwater and a banner that emboldens my allies. Hopefully I'll be of use here somehow, and it is a great honor to meet you as well"

Turning back to the kidnappers he strained his hearing, trying to make out the individual words dropping from the grey-clad figure's mouths...

[Dariusprime]

"The Spirit of Puerto Rico?" she whispered in reply. Thinking over that for a moment, she added, "That's really wonderful. The first person she thought of, reasonably enough, was Lady Liberty, and how many other national or symbolic spirits may exist!

She definitely thought his power set would of use here. Especially the ability to survive underwater. Sounded as if the attackers would move be sea soon, and he could get the drop on them! She didn't mention that at the moment however. Instead she feel silent and let El Heraldo use that enhanced hearing he mentioned.

Once the enemy conversation died down, she whispered, "Pick up anything?"

[Ari]

Meanwhile, far below...

"Mark!" hissed one of the grey-swathed men carrying a crate in tandem with another(presumably 'Mark') "Keep your end up! If we drop this thing wrong the brat inside will get out and paralyze us with that noise she makes". Mark seemed comparatively unconcerned "Keep my end up, Tom? I'd say something about glass houses and hrngh!stones, but I'll just say this to quiet you down: even if we did drop this crate wrong, the catch inside wouldn't be any better off for it" Tom made unconvinced noises and Mark sighed wearily before explaining further "The titanium alloy we cast these boxes in are pretty much impossible to crack without super-human strength. The locks aren't the sturdiest, maybe, but the rest of it more than makes up for that, you could drop one of these on a carborundum spike from 200ft. and you'd be hard-pressed to find the dent with a magnifying glass. Some of the catch has potent abilities, yeah, but they're nothing compared to the, ah, 'heightened security measures' is how our Fearless Leader described them" apparently reassured(and slightly cowed), Tom continued his labors in silence.

The vessel the crates were being loaded onto was a small black-painted boat done up to look like a fishing craft. There where several clear signs of a deception being employed, however, including a suspiciously large cube amidships, covered with a huge array of tarpaulins, ropes and fishing nets, not to mention what looked eerily like small gun emplacements dotting the sides.

There were twelve of the crates, each of which had to be manually loaded due to the need for secrecy requiring them to keep from using the nearby dock cranes. It was slow going, but they were about a third done by the time Fulcrum had arrived. Clearly, action was called for...

[Ari]

El Heraldo turned back to Fulcrum(Fulcrum!) and whispered his report: "They have immensely strong crates made to keep them whole from anything short of super-human strength, but the locks have been weakened due to their not being seen as being quite as necessary as usual, so that at least gives us something to work with. Also, they called each other by what I assume to be their real names, so I believe that will make it a bit easier to figure out how this happened and who's behind this, once we have this kidnapping thing broken up that is. One other thing: one of them, named Mark? He said something about 'Heightened Security Measures' that could take down the people they've captured if they got loose"

Settling into a tenser crouch he peered down at the quiet grey-coats. He said softly "So what's the plan? You take care of the kidnappers while I disable the boat?" he clutched the Bandera, forcing himself to remember that with it he was basically bulletproof.

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum nodded and responded, "Yes, that will work. I'll draw their attention. Disable the boat first and then flank the kidnappers. They'll probably try to scatter eventually. You'll be in a good position to ambush by stealth."

Tapping her chin in thought, "Those 'Heightened Security Measures' bother me though. I'm betting they're on the boxes, or else I'd say try to free the victims too. Keep your eyes peeled."

"Remember," said Fulcrum, looking him in the eyes, "we're heroes. Your friend and a lot of innocent hostages are aboard. Be careful and we'll be filing a police report in no time."

She watched him momentarily. He seemed so nervous. That was understandable though. He seemed completely new to the superhero business. Patting him on the shoulder, she said soothingly, "You will do fine. Ready?"

[Ari]

Subduing the nervous gulp that almost made it past his throat, EL Heraldo nodded and said softly "Ready Fulcrum. Thank you" he added, sounding almost embarrassed. Kicking off the roof he sent himself towards the moored boat, soaring high into the air to avoid detection by the kidnappers below.

He remained intent on his target and the potential assailants below, and gave no thought to possible dangers lying in wait for him in the sky. After all, he told himself, Fulcrum would have encountered any danger in the sky when she arrived, and she'd got to the warehouse unmolested.

Concentrating on the gently swaying, starkly-lit black mass below, Subito reached the apex of his flight and began to descend, every fiber of his being concentrated on escaping detection.

The boat loomed ever larger as he fell, and the previously-distant voices of the kidnappers began to fill his ears once again. Ignoring them for now, he slid down towards the bow of the boat, hoping to render the vessel unshipworthy.

[Dariusprime]

One thing Fulcrum could always do well was make a big entrance. The BIG part especially came very easily. Which is exactly what she did. Once El Heraldo was well and away, she took off like lightning, looping up and away from from him. Then she dove sharply and slammed into the ship's deck in a crouch.

Her force alone could have sank the ship, but they had prisoners! Instead the impact sent up a reverberating BOOM! and wisps of dust. As the air cleared, Fulcrum stood to her full height and popped her knuckles. "Hello, fellows. Say, you wouldn't happen to have kidnap victims in those crates?"

Still one had to be careful. Who knows that these extra measures could be. Not to mention what the kidnappers could pull out of their arsenals. They didn't look very dangerous, but heroes didn't punch them into the next town without reason! Looked like they wouldn't survive it anyway...

[Ari]

GM

The reverberations at Fulcrum's landing sent tremors all along the dock, and that alone would have made a definite impression without the cool menace that followed each word like the drip of poison.

Every single grey-coated man stared for about three second.

Then they looked at each other.

Then they looked back at Fulcrum.

Then they dropped the crates and bolted for the boat, Mike yelling into his radio for reinforcements, cursing furiously when he received word that the assistance couldn't get there immediately.

Meanwhile, high above the chaos, two sleek, dark figures cruised silently towards the figure crouched at the prow of the boat carrying the flag...

[Dariusprime]

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," she replied before taking a deep breath.

The exhale blasted the fleeing kidnappers with an arctic gale. The temperature around the ship dropped below zero and layers of ice crackled into existence as ambient humidity condensed. As the freezing mist dissipated, the scene resembled a New England ice storm more than the Freedom City docks.

Fulcrum hovered forward over the ice, ready to pick off any stranglers that escaped. Her eyes narrowed as she approached the ship.

This all felt too easy to the heroine. She wasn't an investigator. El Heraldo already did the foot work, for which she was grateful, but how could these guys possibly capture metahumans? Even untrained or minor metas had defensive reflexes. Either these guys were incredible at reconnaissance or something more was at work.

[Ari]

Subito clutched the prow of the boat, slowly maneuvering around the side to get at the crates containing the captured supers. The going was quite easy due to his flight capability, and it was only the sudden rocking of the boat as the kidnappers raced onto it that stopped him, mainly due to having no idea what was going on. Once the shouted orders made the situation clear, he slipped aboard, ready to fight...and then Fulcrum's freezing breath enveloped the ship in icy cold!

Protected by the Blue Dame's power, he was still cold, and hefted the Bandera, ready to bring the kidnappers to justice.

It was about then that the fist sent him crashing into the ocean! A cold, harsh fist struck the side of his head with terrific force, sending him crashing from the boat into the waters of the bay.

The black armored figure that had committed the assault turned a pair of cool yellow eyes at Fulcrum, and silently floated over towards her, while its compatriot fired a sort of heat ray that melted the ice encasing the ship and kidnappers! Thus freed, the boat's engine roared to life, and was soon racing for the open ocean!

The two figures silently arrayed themselves against Fulcrum, their impassive yellow eyes and smooth black bodies betraying no emotion if one was being felt.

[Dariusprime]

"Damn!" shouted Fulcrum at the brutal assault upon the young hero.

She tensed to dive in after him when the two turned to intercept. They were quick and stealthy, that much was for sure. Which meant their combat ability was probably significant as well. These things tended to run in packages.

Glancing down towards the dark waters were El Herald vanished, Fulcrum looked back to the figures and said, "Surrender now! This has gone on long enough!"

Of course she knew the answer to her demand. These two were obviously guards sent to slow her down. But she had bigger problems: El Heraldo was underwater (who knew if he needed to breathe?) and the kidnap victims were speeding away!

That's when she slapped the right-side villain on the chest. It was open palmed, designed to incapacitate most foes without leaving lasting damage. Specifically, trying to knock the wind of the target. Who knew how tough these two could be? Hopefully, she didn't have to ramp up her strength...

[Ari]

GM

The blow sufficed to leave a serious dent in the armored figure, but rather than the visually-onvious gasp and movements associated with surprise at the strike, the figure simply shuddered as the echoing "THUD" resounded across the dockyard, shortly before a jolt of electricity washed over it originating from the new concave impression of Fulcrum's palm, causing its yellow eyes to flicker and its limbs to stutter as a torrent of signals fired through its electronic brain, none of which could do more than a few milliseconds of activity before it was cancelled out by another order.

In stark contrast to its comrades constant rattle of movement, the other jet-black slab of metal eyed Fulcrum coldly in eerie silence, clearly trying to weigh if it ought to fight or flee from the Terminus-empowered heroine.

Now that they were closer, some idea of their form could be discerned: they were predominantly built like rounded triangles, with limbs apparently folded into the main body when not in use, their heads were roughly spherical with no less than six eyes placed so as to permit 360-degree vision, and a complication that was presumably their flight-enabler jutting out from the back.

Meanwhile, slowly surfacing from the waters of the bay, El Heraldo was borne by a dim blue light towards the escaping boat, the engine of which had briefly stalled for some reason related to improper maintenance of the pumps.

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum was honestly surprised at the being's response. She'd honestly been expecting something more akin to an armored suit than a robot. But from what she was seeing, these things were definitely robots. Still one could never been too careful. Her next move percolated when her eye caught a glint of light.

Unconsciously, a sigh of relief escaped her and she yelled, "Good going, El! Disable the boat. I'll deal with these two!"

To whit she leaped in close and kneed the undamaged robot in the middle of its triangle body. Her right arm came up to follow up with an elbow. The fight was on now! Hours upon hours of sparring with Jack-of-All-Blades caught her how to fight in close. After all the swashbuckler was notoriously quick and able to exploit every opening in an opponent's style.

[Ari]

GM

Fulcrum's swift attack hit the plated metal squarely, but the steely assailant simply allowed the blows to push it rather than attempting to withstand them(clearly having figured from its compatrot's efforts that Fulcrum hit fearsomely hard). As a result, there was not a scratch on the gleaming shell.

Retreating a few paces, the thing opened up the chest cavity that had melted Fulcrum's incy coating of the boat, making the air waver from the intense heat emanating from that dread furnace. With a sudden roar, a column of fire leaped from it, racing towards the lady of might with all the force of a freight train!

Meanwhile, El Heraldo was placed neatly beside the boat, a commanding voice in his head whispering for him to awaken and fulfill his duty. On board, the now-desperate kidnappers were all-but pulling the engine apart in their efforts to fix it, and from the sound of it their efforts would soon pay off.

[Dariusprime]

Reflexively, Fulcrum brought a hand up to shield her face. The fire washed over her, and as the smoke cleared, she stood unscathed. Well, not counting a bit of charring of her costume. The ferocity of the furnace did surprise her a bit though.

"Ok-ay," she said in way of escalation. Hopping forward, the powerful elbow drop came down on the sphere that past for the creature's head. The fighting style wasn't flashy, perhaps, but genuinely effective if the reverberations of metal were any indication.

Keeping an senses peeled for the other one, she wondered how El Heraldo was fairing. She could still see glimmers of light over the harbor. Perhaps those were his powers in use? She wished him well and focused on the task at hand. The faster these two dropped the faster she could assist her partner!

[Ari]

GM

The mechanical monster shuddered under the dropped elbow, the black metal bending dangerously under the strain of the attack. Unfortunately for Fulcrum, the robot sprang back with hardly anything to show for the attack but the imprint in its breastplate. However, even this slight damage seemed to cause impulses to fire through the creature's electronic brain, and with a sudden displacement of air, it became a black dot in the sky above, only a growing hum and the gleam of its orange eyes betraying its existence. It's comrade suddenly shuddered and resumed its previous manner, giving no sign if it had even noticed the movement, weaving seemingly randomly through the air in order to confuse the eyes of its opponent.

Meanwhile, the dim blue light had deposited Subito unceremoniously next to the stalled boat filled with shouting men and rattling tools, a sudden chime in his ears awakening him to the world again...

[Ari]

El Heraldo spluttered as the(to him)harmlessly cold and lung-filling water returned after its sweet absence. As his eyes focused uncertainly on the looming black hulk above him, he quickly silenced himself, the retreating memory of the Blue Dame's whisper of WAKE, there is much to do... serving as a welcome reminder of the danger still nearby. With a rush of light that luckily went ignored in the general bustle, he swooped onto the gently rolling wooden deck of planks, flag secured in its loop on his back. Crouching behind one of the crates holding the captured supers, he began to review his options.

1) Attack the kidnappers and defeat them, then free the kidnapped.

He quickly dismissed that, as he knew now that the kidnappers were likely to have weapons like what had sent him crashing into the water. Recalling this abruptly cleared his still rather clouded memory, and he looked quickly back at the dock. Seeing that Fulcrum seemed to have the strange metal creatures well in hand, he turned, much relieved, back to his plotting.

2) Overturn the boat, dumping the kidnappers into the water and then carry the crates of captured supers back to land.

That quickly revealed itself to be entirely unwise, a single glance at the crates(or as they looked closer up, coffins)showed that kidnapees were placed on a sort of upright gurney, with their head tilted back in a deeply painful-looking way that opened their mouths underneath a currently sealed grating, a lever on the side appearing to serve as an apparatus for the opening and closing of this, with a large sign under the handle saying 'DO NO SUBMERGE CRATE: HATCH WILL OPEN AUTOMATICALLLY'. A feeling of utter diagust and almost helpless rage washed over Subito when he realized that this meant that the kidnappers would live far longer than the hostages would if submerged, the hatches would ensure a cascade of water into the lungs of the unfortunates, while at most a few mouthfuls of salty brine would inconvenience the gray-uniformed monsters.

3) Wait for Fulcrum to create a distraction by..whatever she was likely to do, and then fly off with as many crates as he could carry, flying low so as to better escape notice, given how his powers made him light up like a skyscraper, making as many return trips as quickly as he could back and forth until all were unloaded.

That's most likely to work El Heraldo thought eagerly to himself, and lying flat in a narrow crevice between two ordinary boxes filled with something heavy and metallic by the heft and sound, he settled in to watch for Fulcrum's triumph over the metal beasts, and whatever dashing attack she supplied.

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum knew a coordinated attack when she saw it. After all she fought most of her opponents alone, and one had to learn a thing or two about tactics just to survive. Thus the bobbing-and-weaving target didn't have much appeal for her. Her attention was focused on the other one. What could it be doing up there?

Perhaps that was the bait, not the evasive flier, but she couldn't take the chance. Zooming up to the stable robot, she balled a fist and punched the bucket of bolts like a ton of bricks! Well, she tried anyway. The thing proved faster than she imaged, and her aim not as great. Still all was not lost. Banking sharply she flew wide out of over the bay, cape flapping behind her. Even a hundred feet in the air, her speed threw up white-water wake in her passing.

She wanted to see what was going on with that strange light, how El Heraldo was fairing, and where exactly the boat was at the moment. Even with her enhanced senses, a boat running dark could easily disappear in these waters. Those kidnappers would not escape with their victims!

Not to mention she'd already started a slow turn. Picking up speed for an attack run on the hovering robot...

[Ari]

The distant approach of Fulcrum as she sped through the night air quickly made its way to Subito's enhanced hearing, the dull roar of displaced gas even discernible by the normal humans piloting the disguised fishing craft apparently, as they raced to various positions about the ship, throwing off tarps and fiddling with tapering cylinders.

As they still seemed in a great hurry, El Heraldo slid out from his hiding place once a man he dimly recognized as Mike came dashing past towards a large bulge on the port side of the ship's hull. Turning to the closest cr-no, to the closest coffin, he raised a fist and slammed it into the lock mechanism with all his might, feeling the jarring shudder of his bones meeting metal. As the accompanying dull clang resounded about the vessel, Subito realized a very real problem with his plan: he had failed to take into account the possibility that he might be caught and forced to flee without the chance to rescue a single kidnapped super!

A single glance revealed to him the truth, he had dented the thing, and badly at that, but still the lock held.

At the same time, he heard shouts around him, ten voices shouting at once at each other to go catch whoever had done that, and all of them moving at the rests' commands. With a sick feeling in his gut, he dove into the water under the ship, hoping against hope he could make a second attempt...

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum mentally wondered why the ship at stopped. Engine trouble? Were they going silent? She spotted them easily enough in the night water, but perhaps they were working on the lights? Either way now was not the time to ponder their strategies or fortunes.

Slowly descending on approach, the whir of air suddenly ceased with a sound somewhere between a crack of thunder and a splash. A canyon of water sprayed up in her wake, and the boat crew could see a white torrent of water speeding their way. El Heraldo heard a roar reminiscent of a wave or motor boat speeding his way.

The white water dissipated at the rear of the boat, revealing Fulcrum. She grabbed the propellers with both hands and bent them together like a metal flower bud. The tempered steel protested under the strain, but nonetheless gave way like great shapes of soft clay. Then she was off!

Up she flew from under the boat, into the air. No doubt the robots would be following suit shortly. Now that the boat was disabled, she could focus on the guardians while El Heraldo worked on the victims and their kidnappers!

Except...the robots seemed to have disappeared...

[Ari]

GM

Far below, the rustle of tarps, clatter of net buoys and stamp of booted feet on the deck came to a sudden silence. The boat motored along, but the earlier racket had ceased entirely.

The world drew in its breath...

WARRRGHOOOOOMMMMmmm!

With a roar of power, eight bolts of red light blazed towards the low-flying Fulcrum, most of them slammed into the sea, where they burned away immense gouges of water, but one hit, slamming directly into the Terminus-powered heroine!

Even after the shots were sped, their red light still lingered in the sky, an unholy beacon over the rolling black seas, casting ghastly shadows upon the deck as four scurrying figures dashed around their cargo to bring new batteries, grease sticky gears or investigate the mysterious dent in one of the coffins...