ic Change is Necessary for Growth [IC]

[Fox]

Well, that was...unexpected. Wraith watched Bastion as he grew, grew, grew, and just didn't seem to stop growing until he was tall enough that even she was a little concerned about how they were going to bring him back down. She was also concerned that most of the shapeshifters she'd met on this planet were either evil or crazy, but so far Bastion seemed more scared than either, so hopefully that'd keep.

Villains probably couldn't. Let part of an enemy pack go unharried and it'll bite you from behind...she changed again, some of the mass from her legs shifting up into her fists-made-maces as she charged, swinging, at Devil Ray.

[Gizmo]

Ghost Girl flew through and over the canopy of unnatural trees to watch Bastion's transformation with expressive horror, clapping her hands to her hooded face in shock. "First the wendigo, now this...! Is this kind of thing really common nowadays?" she wondered quietly aloud to herself before flying forward and passing through the massive, misshapen form as she had Medea. Not only did this seem to have little effect on the creature, the phantom emerged from the other side with her face screwed up in disgust, shaking her arms and legs as though trying to remove something clinging to her. "Ew ew ew ew ew!"

[trollthumper]

Out in the street, the monstrous wreck of Bastion lashed blindly in the street, its whip-like appendages splitting the air with cracks like guns firing. Ghost Girl's assault hadn't done anything to the creature, and it was still trying to find some sort of purchase. Orion, meanwhile, had his rifle raised and sighted, and took aim at Papercut.

"Sorry, kid," he said. "I gotta prioritize. You're in my face. That thing isn't." He fired at Koshiro, and the paper rose to meet the round. It grew thick, like a shell, but the bullet cut right through it, taking Koshiro in the shoulder. "You could try running. But then you might just die tired. Depends on my mood."

[Avenger Assembled]

"Papercut!" shouted Sharl, for whom the gunshot and the blood were a new, barbaric thing. Koshiro didn't look that badly hurt, but Sharl knew perfectly well that a gunshot was a gunshot. "You primitive-" Torn between his injured friend, the gloating supervillain, and the smashed building, Citizen was briefly torn before deciding to take all his options. "You'd better run, right now!"He threw a punch at Orion, landing a blow that raked across the hunter's goggled face, and yelled at Koshiro. "Papercut, he can't hurt me! Fall back and help the others take out that monster before it brings the building down! I'll be right behind you."

[April]

The streets were relatively clear as Sage turned her attention to the fight, having spent the opening moments shepherding the civilians out of harm's way. She had noticed Orion earlier but there was nothing she could do about the sniper, he was too far away and too high, and at the time she had civilians to attend to but now that she didn't she started moving in his direction when everything went to hell.

Papercut was shot.

And the other hero that was appeared to have been helping Young Freedom? Yeah, he turned into one of Doc Otaku's fantasies.

First Papercut, Sage thought. She could see that he was still alive, he was still standing after all, but he was visibly dazed by the pain. So the telepath slipped between the new kid's thoughts with practiced ease, isolated the pain, and deadened it. As she did this the white haired acrobatic dodged between numerous whip-like appendages seeking to draw Bastion's attention.

[KnightDisciple]

The rather rapid change in Bastion, from "eager new hero" to "gigantic horror-inducing building-destroying monster" shocked Cobalt Templar for a few seconds. But as Sharl bellowed for Papercut to focus his attacks, and Sage moved to keep the monster distracted, he snapped into action. His fists still coated in the same burning, crackling energy, he shot through the air and aimed himself for an area that vaguely resembled the head on the beast. Once there, he let forth two mighty punches, one from each hand, giving a wordless cry of challenge before activating his commlink.

"Come on, Young Freedom! We can do this!"

[Electra]

The whole thing was like a movie, Koshiro had just enough time to think as Orion pointed the rifle at him. He'd lived in rough neighborhoods all his life, but he'd never been on the business end of a real loaded gun before. He went to dodge, but the movement was a half-second too late. The bullet slammed into his shoulder, sending him backwards and nearly knocking him off his flying plane. He staggered from the shock and pain, feeling nauseous as he raised his hand to the wound and brought it away bloody. They weren't supposed to get hurt doing this!

He barely registered the things his teammates were yelling, but it was impossible not to notice when the pain was abruptly walled off inside his head. Was that what shock was like, he wondered even as he wrestled the paper airplane back under control. The cranes were wheeling around crazily, crashing into each other and into the plane, flying beneath it and trying to lift it, or trying to land on Koshiro himself. He grabbed hold of one, smearing its white wings with blood, and hurled it towards Orion and the gun. The flock of cranes, galvanized with a direction, followed the bloody one, all of them bearing down on Orion once again.

[trollthumper]

Devil Ray kept his eyes on the writhing mass of flesh that was Bastion, and he wasn't liking what he was seeing. Namely, the distinct lack of bullet holes.

"Forget the super brats, Orion!" he yelled. "Shoot the monster! The monster! Where the hell is your sense of priority? Some Happy Meal-sized trophy on your wall really worth your -- "

Bastion let out a roar like a whale caught in a garbage disposal. His protoplasmic flesh writhed and contorted, like he was trying to maintain some sort of grip on his meaningless form, and his thick, pillar-like feet edged forward along the pavement, towards where Devil Ray was standing. The armored criminal realized, with utter terror, just how easily a gesture would send his form hurling into a nearby building, or snap his armored body in half. He then remembered how the last thing he'd done to the kid before he'd gone all Godzilla was taunt him mercilessly. That was not a good place to be standing.

"...oh, screw this." He raised his arms, and the manta-like cloak fell down from his holding capsules along the arms. The jump jets along the backs of his legs activated, and he was airborne, flying away from the chaos at top speed.

[Fox]

Devil Ray making his escape was...unfortunate...but Wraith couldn't do much more than watch him fly off; she could be pretty fast, but not that fast, and she was certain that his flying would beat her jumping abilities any day. That was something she was going to have to put more thought into in a world full of superheroes....

Instead she turned her attention to the remaining enemy. Enemies? Bastion hadn't really attacked anyone, sort of, but he sounded like in was in bad sorts and Orion was a little too far away to be immediately dealt with. Her body flowed, dropping low to the ground on arms and legs that were large, heavy, and clawed. As her body lengthened a bit and her limbs rearranged to something like a skittering insect or lizard she took off...straight up, circling Bastion's leg and up his torso until she was nearly up in his face.

And then she swung one of those large, heavy hands back and punched him, hard, right in...well, what probably used to be his nose. "I am sorry," she apologized, a little late. She sounded sincere, though. "I am afraid that if we do not calm you down or knock you out you may hurt yourself or others. I would only ask the same if I ever became huge and crazy."

[Gizmo]

While Wraith went high, Ghost Girl floated downward to attack Bastion's new monstrous form from below. "I know you're probably scared and just want to break stuff and make people leave you alone, but you're too gosh darn big for a temper tantrum!" the phantom called to the transformed hero sympathetically as she neared his misshapen ankles. Taking a moment to steady herself in the air, she opened her mouth wide, then wider still, well past what would have been possible for a corporeal human until her gaping maw was truly unsettling before a blast of frigid wind poured forth and across the creature's legs. It was as though a door had been opened to a raging blizzard as ice began to form on Bastion's stretched skin.

[trollthumper]

The wave of frost solidified instantly around Bastion's legs; the hulking behemoth attempted to avoid the frigid gust, but its sheer girth kept it from moving out of the targeted area. Ice as clear as crystal but thick as steel rooted him to the spot; he roared in blind fury, his eyes turned towards his new prison.

Up in the apartment, Orion plucked one of the last few cranes out of his goggles. The sheer assault had torn away most of his mask, and it was only thanks to his choice in optical gear - and Koshiro's desperately tasked patience - that he wasn't facing a worse injury. "Damn," he said. "Guess you do have a few tricks up your sleeve. Good form, kid." He cocked his rifle again. "Shame I gotta do this, but a deal's a deal."

[Avenger Assembled]

I've got to end this now so we can hold the building up and stop whatever the hell that Bastion kid turned into! "Hey." Citizen got close, ducking under a backswing that deflected the gun away from Papercut, and shoved his hand inside Orion's flak jacket. "You're carrying stun grenades." Orion's eyes widened behind his mask, a second before a flat boom echoed inside the room, attentuated behind his armor enough that all it did was blow Koshiro's hair back. Orion went flying across the room and hit the opposite wall and fell, unconscious but alive: the armor had caught the blast too. Standing over him, Citizen nodded in satisfaction, driving one fist into another. "Life's not a video game, O'Ryan." He turned and looked at Papercut. "Hey, can you fight?" he asked, looking out at the monster outside. "I think they need a hand."

[April]

As before, Sage put on a dazzling acrobatic performance, twisting and dodging out of the way of Bastion's lashing tentacles, drawing it--him--whatever out of position and vulnerable to attack.

The telepath's triangular blade formed in her hands as though it were mist given solid form as she took a page from Wraith's playbook and leaped and ran up the massive bulk of transformed hero and delivered a deft strike to an area where his spine should be. The blade fuzzed as it passed through flesh (though it tore what little fabric remained) but seemed to have had no effect.

[KnightDisciple]

Cobalt Templar gave a fierce smile as Young Freedom took down Orion and harried the giant monster in front of them. But the battle wasn't over yet.

"Yes! Keep it up everyone! We've got this guy, just keep the pressure on him!"

Templar was all but standing on the creature, somewhere near the head-like section of its body. His whole form practically glowed, but his fists weren't even visible beneath the crackling, swirling corona of energy around them. The lightning effect had mostly faded, and now he struck out at the huge monster with what seemed to be two small pieces of a blue star. Their magical fire burned bright, and perhaps the sanctified energies worked a bit better against a brute like this. His left hook struck true, landing a solid blow. His right uppercut fumbled a bit, but he recovered and turned it into a backhanded blow with his whole forearm.

"Come on! Look at me you great big brute! Look at the shiny blue guy!"

[Electra]

Koshiro yelled a couple of uncouth taunts that were soaked with relief towards Orion as the swordsman went down to his own stun grenades. Still holding his wounded shoulder, he wheeled the plane around and jerked his head towards the gigantic teenager rampaging through the streets. The crane swarm, battered and bloody but still game, got right up into Bastion's face, flying up his nose and into his ears to peck at him,. The pecks were harmless to the huge expanses of flesh, but the way Bastion buffeted himself with his hands and fists to get them out was enough to do some damage.

[trollthumper]

The flock of paper cranes beset Bastion at all angles. While there couldn't really be said to be anything sensitive areas on his face - in that his face seemed to keep shifting every five seconds - but the cranes did manage to get through to some of the delicate tissue beneath the sliding mass of gristle and chitin. The hulking behemoth swatted at the swarm almost futilely; his gigantic fists and whipping tentacles weren't nearly fast enough to catch the nimble cranes. It looked like it was taking a good deal of effort for the behemoth to keep standing.

With a great roar, however,he stood bolt upright, turning his attention towards the street below. One of his tendrils lashed out like a falling tree at Cobalt Templar -- and just missed the hero as it sundered the asphalt that lay before him.

[Fox]

Wraith held on for...well, okay, it wasn't exactly 'dear life', in that a fall from this height was utterly incapable of hurting her, but just holding onto the shifting mass of awful, gross meat was hard enough. She really didn't want to climb that again.

So, she dug her clawed feet into anything she could get purchase on, ducking anything that came her way (meat and paper both) and giving a critical eye to the attempt to crush Cobalt Templar like a bug. "That is quite enough," she insisted, like one would chide a child that didn't know its own strength. She released both hands' grips on Bastion, whipping them out behind herself and forming mean-looking spiked hammer heads. The first of these she swung around into Bastion's face; the leftover momentum from that hit (and some of that arm's mass) traveled through her body to join the other hammer as it came right down from above, her whole body arching into the movement.

[trollthumper]

The blow was too much for Bastion's already taxed flesh. The giant let out a wounded bellow, like a speared whale, and began to quiver as gravity took its toll. The ice that confined his legs cracked and eventually shattered as his still bulk pressed against it, and with nothing holding the body up, he hit the ground like a felled redwood. He didn't so much impact with the ground as he did splash against it. The impact rippled through his body like a sledgehammer hitting water, and the loose pockets pooled close to the sundered street. With unconsciousness came a sort of stillness to the flesh, and the members of Young Freedom could make out the features of the actual Bastion, looking like grotesque parodies when distorted to gargantuan size.

The commlinks of the Young Freedom members crackled to life. "Channel 5 will show anything these days," said Duncan Summers. "Good work on containing the chaos. I've found nothing on our aspiring talent, save for a Facebook page. Whoever he is, he'll need treatment, preferably before he comes to. Sage. Do you think you could secure a transport to the nearest Martel facility? I believe the nurse's office isn't suited for something like this."

[Electra]

Papercut watched as the giant fell to the ground, glad that the civilians had prudently gotten well out of the way already. Now that the massive youth had been felled, though, the crowd was getting curious, and brave. Dropping to just above the fallen Bastion, Koshiro folded a piece of paper with movements that were made clumsy by his injured arm, then dropped it to the ground. The paper grew as it fell, tumbling to land as a six foot tall cube of stiff paper with accordion pleats on each end. When it was on the ground, the pleats began to expand, stretching and multiplying quickly so that in moments the barrier stretched all the way around the body. With that done, Koshiro allowed himself to land inside the barrier, grimacing and gingerly poking at the bloody wound in his shoulder.

[Gizmo]

Pushing her lower jaw back into human proportions with both hands, Ghost Girl worked it back and forth a few times until she was satisfied then floated over to the fallen Bastion as the rest of the team gathered within Papercut's barrier. "Don't hurt him, it's not his fault!" she implored once she was within earshot. Pausing for a moment in thought, Kimber tilted her head slightly to one side before admitting, "I mean, I'm assuming. I guess maybe it is his fault, but I think we should give him the benefit of the doubt until he has a chance to explain, right?"

[Avenger Assembled]

Though he was still worried about Papercut, Citizen didn't comment on the other boy's injury: if he was fine, he was fine. Teenage boys shrugging off injuries a little too easily was one thing both Earth and Tronik culture had in common. "It wasn't anything Devil Ray did," said Sharl, studying Bastion with some concern. "I went through all his systems and he wasn't carrying any kind of mutagens." He thought for a minute, then shot a look at Papercut. "And Orion looked just as surprised as we did when everything started going crazy."

[KnightDisciple]

It was almost a minute before Cobalt Templar decided to slowly lower himself to the ground, his expression unreadable. He looked at the rest of the team, nodding.

"Good work, everyone. And you're right, Citizen; I don't think it was anything the villains did. It's like he had this affliction already, and it just chose this moment to "flare up". Ghost Girl's also right; we shouldn't assume it's actually his fault. Hopefully the doctors can help figure this out."

He then floated over to Papercut, concern on his face. He spoke in a softer tone, inclining his head toward the other student's wound.

"You going to be okay? I'm sure the paramedics can get you squared away, but we can rustle up someone with more "oomph" if we need to."

[Fox]

"We have those who cannot control their shape-changing gifts," Wraith supplied, flowing back into a more humanoid shape after having made a nice splat pattern against the ground. She could have just let Bastion cushion her fall, but heights had never hurt her and getting trapped under a great deal of unstable flesh just might have. She blinked her three eyes, looking the would-be hero's form over. "They are considered disabled, mentally or physically, and are to be pitied and cared for."

She would have commented on Papercut's injury, but it sounded like it was being taken care of. He was pretty durable, for a human, and she was sure that once he got some meat in him he'd heal up just fine.

[April]

"Just so the record is clear, I didn't sleep with this one," the white haired telepath joked as she leaped down to the street level. She didn't bother to acknowledge Headmaster Summer's communication just yet, seeing first to her teammates and making sure they were still capable of action if the moment demanded it.

"I shut the pain off, Papercut. So don't poke it too much or you might make it worse without realizing it" Sage suggested as she approached the youth., looking over his wound. Satisfied that it wouldn't hinder her teammate so much, she keyed her communicator and responded to the Headmaster.

"We have containment facilities at Lonely Point, Sir. Young Freedom could transport him there." The proximity to Blackstone was an added bonus if Bastion couldn't be treated. But Eve didn't mention that.

[trollthumper]

Once the flatbed truck managed to find Bastion's location - not like that was difficult - it was a simple matter for Wraith, Papercut and Cobalt Templar to lift the gigantic hero onto the bed. While the axles strained a little under the giant's weight, it was able to make the trip to the containment facility. Once the trip was over, it became clear that Bastion's contents has shifted during travel. His bulk had decreased somewhat - while he could still stand at an elephant's shoulder, the residual mass was beginning to withdraw, and more human features were slowly emerging from the shifting flesh.

They were able to find something approaching a holding pen in the labs. Bastion was loaded in and secured, left to lie on the padded floor while his body continued slowly working back towards its regular state. The members of Young Freedom remained on the floor, in order to remain close by in case anything happened. As they waited, their commlinks reared to life once more.

"On the plus side, I suppose I should be glad a social networking site's young superheroes wing has barriers with top fleet countermeasures," Summers said. "On the other hand, it's making things rather difficult if we want to figure out where this all started. Citizen, I don't suppose you'd mind digging up some information on Bastion's identity? I'm currently in transit. I should be at the facility within fifteen minutes. Barring traffic."