Better Living Through Chemistry [IC]

[Aoiroo]

It was a minute or two of the liquid coming to a light boil before Catalyst brough out some paintball shells and a syringe. She filled up each one rather quickly before she had at least two dozen which she loaded into a feed cartridge which she clipped onto her belt before she moved to the front and motioned for Cannonade to give her the drivers seat.

"Alright then,"

Reaching into the glove compartment she pulled out a nice if not obsolete by about a year cell phone with a built in blue tooth,

"Things are going to get a bit hectic, I'm gonna have to keep back from most if any of the physical fighting so it'd be nice to keep in touch without screaming out where everyone else can hear. It's got push to talk, so we should be able to communicate just fine."

Pulling back the side of her hood she showed that her own ear already had a similiar blue tooth usually hidden from view before she lowered the windows and set up the stereo. If he hadn't noticed before, it was a fairly high volume expensive stereo that was cranked up. Turning the key and pressing the steroes on button button the speakers stopped for a second loading a cd track before it blare out The Ride of the Valkyries,

"Entrance time,"

She slammed on the gas and the van through the two large factory doors. If they were locked before, they certainly weren't now, and the van didn't even get a scratch from the metal. Catalyst hit the breaks turning the van so that she faced the guys in the factory with a smile as she looked out the vans window and hung an arm out pointing the gun down and covering the van and the entire immediate area with a thick white fog.

[trollthumper]

The van came surging through the wall, and the fog quickly began to sweep over the factory. Before it did, however, both Catalyst and Cannonade got a good glimpse of the layout. Four individuals lay out on gurneys in the middle of the room. Two looked like they'd been raised on a steady diet of steroids, while the other two looked emaciated and, despite the fact that they seemed comatose, kept twitching and dancing. Catalyst recognized the symptoms from her encounters with gangsters - two were likely habitual users of max, and the other two were showing residual symptoms of zoom. The man standing among them, pushing a few canisters on a handcart, was dressed in a three-piece pinstripe suit - but as his eyes alighted on the passengers of the van, his musculature seemed to bulge under the suit as the skin turned hard as chitin.

Yeah. Knew it. The fog overtook the van, and Cannonade lost sight of the shapeshifter. He stepped out into the mist to meet him. "Been a while, Malory," he said. "Haven't seen you since the trial. Looks like you've been busy."

"I have." Cannonade felt something like a cannonball go soaring past his head, embedding itself in the side of the van. "I've got to thank you for that night, Cannonade. You drove me to become what I never could be as some old pusher. You made me give up my old self. Kenneth Malory was just keen to get rich. Mister Motley is ready to spread enlightenment."

"Yeah, well..." Cannonade brought his hands together, sending a rush of air out through the fog towards where he swore Motley was. To his disappointment, he saw the mad gangster slither out of the way of the pulse, reforming just a few feet outside the blast radius, seemingly unharmed. "You've been doing a great job. Saw a bunch of people screaming their lungs out 'cause of your little attempt as wisdom."

"Ah, so it worked? Well, some guys say the death of ignorance is the first sign of wisdom. Of course, that brings what many mistake for fear."

[Aoiroo]

Moving quickly Catalyst heard the ding in the side of the van, she had managed to move around and see the in dent damage as she listened to the conversation.

"That's all very interesting Mr. Malory. But are you sure it was ignorance you were trying to kill. From what I can see you just committed five counts of attempted murder this very night, as well as vandalism of personal property. By the way,"

She held the gun level and shot right at him right in the face with her pepper spray ball,

"You're paying for that dent."

[trollthumper]

The blow took Mister Motley right in the distended mouth. Pepper spray foamed up over his lips, and he began to choke and gag. Unfortunately, it still didn't shut him up. "Revelation... requires sacrifice..." he spat out. "Rewards... outweigh... the risks..."

Cannonade just clapped his hands together, sending another wave of force washing out into the fog. This time, it caught Motley dead center. His flesh rippled like a lake would after having a boulder dropped in it, and it looked like it was taking all his effort to remain cohesive. "Tell that to them, you miserable little ****. They were afraid they were going to kill someone, maybe even themselves. You may think you've actually found something higher, but you're still the same old piece of crap who doesn't care about anyone else. And I'm gonna be happy to beat you down 'til you're nothing but taffy."

"You're not just... going to have to... deal with me." Off in the distance, Cannonade could hear rustling steel. "I did research into... synergistic effects. Do you know... how long barbituates last in the system of one on max or zoom?" Mister Motley let up a sick chuckle. "Not long at all, it seems. Especially if the flow is shut off..."

[Aoiroo]

"Let me tell you something Mr. Malory."

She had her balance so she started switching her rounds as she looked at the new combatants,

"I've done research into the battle effectiveness of habital drug users."

Pulling both pistols out of her belt she started to take aim,

"Do you know how long it takes for a well armed chemist to stop these addicts in their tracks,"

She shot through the fog and hit the zoomers, the max users and everyone else dead on. The max users would likely break it, but the zoomers were the ones she had to keep close,

"Not long at all, it seems. Especially if they have to face my super sticky foam."

[trollthumper]

The zoom addicts may have burned through the lingering effects of barbituates with all the speed of a flamethrower through a snowman, but they were still groggy enough that they got broadsided by Catalyst's foam shots. The max users, however, powered right through the shots, descending on the fog.

"Let's just I've managed to buy their loyalty," Mister Motley oozed out. "Drugs can get pricey, but volunteer work is --"

"God, every word out of your mouth just makes me want to kick your Play-Doh ass even harder," Cannonade said. He felt something like a locomotive charge into the fog behind him. He ducked, just in time to avoid a fist the size of a honey-glazed ham. He instinctively drove his leg back with all his might, and heard the satisfying crack of a knee flipping out of its joint. The addict's bellowing was terrible to hear. "So you might wanna do something wise for once and shut up."

Cannonade felt the ground tumble under him. To Catalyst's vision, one of the max users had come to a stop right outside of the fog, and driven his foot into the floor so hard that the concrete cracked. She felt her feet go out from under her, and she hit the floor.

[Aoiroo]

Falling on her butt wasn't a pleasant experience, but no one saw her do it even if they heard her and she was able to right back up afterwards. She eyed the max users for a few seconds as well as the zoom. The drug was very dangerous for them to be fighting with, but her catalyst might not hold against them at her best. Loading up her weakening agent she shot through the fog at the bound zoomers and max users alike hoping that the slight weakening would open up their systems enough to except her catalyst to rid them of their chemical induced powers before it was too late.

[trollthumper]

The agent seemed to have its effect; the users, who didn't exactly look healthy to begin with, turned flush and began to sweat buckets. The zoom users started clawing at the foam, gouging holes in their bonds. The max user turned an even more frightening shade of red, and began to stumble.

"This has been interesting," Mister Motley said, "but my business takes me elsewhere." Catalyst watched as Motley collapsed, suit and all, into a sort of sludge and raced across the floor of the factory towards a run-off drain.

"You're not going anywhere," Cannonade said as he plunged out of the smoke. "You're getting back here and -- "

He ran headlong into the max addict, who formed a human wall between him and Motley's liquid form. Cannonade simply delivered a punishing uppercut to the hired muscle, sending him right to the floor. He ran forward, reaching for Motley, but the last of his bulk vanished into the drain.

"Goddmanit!" He turned back to Catalyst. "You got any idea where he --"

A crude PA system clicked on, and Motley's voice washed out over the factory floor. "Like I said, I have a need to distribute. But... there's one last test I wished to do on the new product. The effects when combined with pre-existing powers, temporary or otherwise." Cannonade and Catalyst could hear the sound of escaping air, like a gas leak. "Shame I won't be able to see it in person, but... the cameras should capture it for posterity."

[Aoiroo]

Catalyst tried to run over to catch up to the liquid as it drained and tried to keep sight of it with her infared but her attention shifted when the voice came on the intercom. She quickly switched her catridge,

"I was hoping this wasn't going to be nessicary."

Given hoping didn't make her any less relieved that she was indeed prepared for this happenstance. She held out both guns and in one quick movement shot everyone in the room with her antidote to the poison spreading throughout. Even Cannonade, she would of hesitated in doing so, but honestly doubted the man wanted to deal with a double dose of mutations on top of his already formidable powerset, especially if it were to go out of control as a result. Looking down at the sewer she started to run and search for the leak so she could close it properly.

[trollthumper]

Cannonade felt the antidote catch him in the back of the neck, with all the sting of an injection. The blast likewise hit the users who Motley had been depending on for security -- the max users most easily, as they were lying unconscious on the floor. The effects were almost instantaneous, in their cases -- the antidote acted as an emetic, purging what was left of the drugs from their systems. The addicts were doubled over, the remnants of their highs pouring out of their mouths and dribbling onto the floor.

One, however, had managed to stand up to his forced detox in the worst possible way. All the effort of fighting off Catalyst's miracle cure left his system open to Motley's mutagen. His eyes burned with brilliant blue flame, and shimmering heat enshrouded his hands. He let out a scream, and a firebolt lashed out and caught Cannonade right in the chest.

"Goddamnit!" he said as he patted out his flaming T-shirt. He closed the distance with the zoom addict and knocked him to the ground with a glancing blow. As he went down, the fire in his eyes winked out. "You know, you're gonna thank me for this in the morning." He realized, as soon as the addict was down, that the zoom was still in his system - and if it stayed there, it wouldn't be pretty.

Catalyst, meanwhile, found the source of the leak - a large canister, popped open by remote control. It would be easy to plug the leak, with a strong chemical filter and some adhesive.

[Aoiroo]

It only took one shot from her snare plugged it right up. She looked around and tapped her blue tooth,

"The Lab,"

Then paused for a few seconds,

"I'll hold,"

She walked over took her gun and shot the zoom user right in the face with the antidote,

"Hey, this is Catalyst. Yeah the one with the paintball guns. I'm over at the former Nomitex factory. It has recently be used by a metahuman to produce and possibly destribute a very agressive mutagen. So can you guys send over a hazmat team, the building was recently flooded with the stuff so I don't want to risk the authorities walking in unprotected."

Walking over to Cannonade she waited a few seconds,

"Yeah I'll hold again,"

She looked at him,

"Right, so, want to head over to the van and see where that grate leads too. Sewer plans are public domain, if we can map out the blueprints we might be able to head him off. Also, is there anything about this character you'd like to share? I got the basics from your exchange, a mutated pusher, who can turn into liquid. Maybe I should make some stabilizers to keep him stuck solid, given, it'd be tricky since it's hard to say what he's actually made of without a sample."

[trollthumper]

"Good idea," said Cannonade. "Hell, I don't know what he's made of. I first ran into him just a few minutes after he... well, did that to himself. He was still kinda puffed up at that point. Then he... settled." It sounded like he really didn't treasure the memory. "Think at the trial they said he was still flesh and blood. It was just more flexible now."

Cannonade looked to the store of canisters that Motley had been moving when they arrived. "Man, all this product," he said. "Why the hell would he have this much here if he was just taking it for a test drive tonight?" He took a look at the hand truck, which lay where Motley had abandoned it when Catalyst had plowed through the wall. "Unless..."

[Aoiroo]

"Unless what?"

Catalyst ran instantly to the truck,

"Got a buyer lined up for a pick up? Or maybe volunteers. Is he going to do what he did at the boarding house only on a larger scale, put it somewhere like in a public crowded place or maybe a penitentary. What are you thinking?"

Catalyst had about twenty scenarios in her head, none of them pleasant, a lot to do with the more flexible bit. Why would he want people with powers anyway, he didn't even know if it was permanent or if it wasn't going to kill them. Unless he'd done more tests, she'd really hoped that wasn't the case.

"Whatever's happening, if you think you know what's going on spill it, we have to get moving onto this. If I can get a reading I can find him, puddle or not if he's still human he still has a heat signiture."

[trollthumper]

Cannonade had been considering the scenario, but it clicked into place as Catalyst said it. He ran for the back office, not even bothering with the door. He surged right through it, the flimsy lock snapping in half like plastic as it flew off the hinges towards the far wall. The room, in a slight state of disrepair, was papered with blueprints, photos, and diagrams. The photographs showed the many angles of Pyramid Plaza, and the blueprints focused on the many buildings in the area - with the air ducts outlined and highlighted. As he glanced over them, Cannonade heard a familiar sound -burning rubber.

"He's targeting Pyramid Plaza!" he yelled.

[Aoiroo]

Catalyst didn't need to hear that last part as she heard the car start up. She sprinted to her van but not before ripping out some stickers from the back and plastering them onto the side and back doors before she climbed into the drivers seat and clicked a button. Lights flipped up on top of the van flashing red and white with a familiar sound as she raced to Cannonade and opened the door to her now pseudo ambulence,

"Then what are we waiting for?"

[trollthumper]

Cannonade leapt into the ambulance, settling into the back as Catalyst sped off towards Pyramid Plaza. Fortunately, they had a trail to follow - when Motley had burned rubber, he had really burned rubber, leaving skid marks all down the asphalt. They lifted after a while, but it was fair to say that the van was keeping a fair pace with Motley. He wasn't even buckled in - while it was definitely unsafe, there were few other people on the road, and it wasn't like skidding could do anything to him. Catalyst saw it before he did, due to the night vision - a black van that looked like it had undergone some impromptu work in a scrap yard, driving madly.

"I think that's him," said Cannonade. "Wanna pull up and confirm? I'll take the passenger seat in case he tries to get his tentacles in here."

[Aoiroo]

Catalyst nodded and flipped a switch. The lights and siren went blaring, and everyone else on the road gave way to her as she shot down the lane. They caught up to the van in no time, being the only vehicle not giving a damn that it was an ambulence. Getting right up next to it, she lowered the automatic window to let Cannonade look out across. It was mostly to get a response, if it was a normal person they wouldn't be that startled, the pusher with weird powers however would react.

[trollthumper]

The van did not respond to the signal, except by accelerating. Catalyst, however, was able to easily keep pace with it, pulling up right alongside. Motley stood at the wheel, still in his carapace-like suit and with eyes black as oil. He turned to look, and then put the pedal to the floor. Cannonade was already out of his seat, throwing the passenger door open.

"I'm gonna try and take the van out of commission!" he yelled to Catalyst. "That fails, maybe I can punch a hole in the roof and drag him out!" He pushed off from the running board, soaring through the air towards the van. He'd been practicing the precision on his leaps since the incident on the plane... but not enough, it seemed, as the roof of the van caught him right in the midsection. He slid off to the street below, hitting the ground feet first. Instead of tumbling, however, he was able to work the momentum into a sprint. His feet caught the ground at the right angle, and he sped alongside the van.

Well, if at first you don't succeed...

[Aoiroo]

Both vans kept going, the other cars rightly avoided them because of the sirens, and high speeds they were taking. Not that it mattered, Cannonade was keeping up just fine. Still bit difficult to get onto the back of a moving vehicle even with his incredibly strengh, not to mention damage to the vehicle would be bad for it's cargo. So instead Catalyst went for the third option. Lowing the electric window she put her most potent foam pellets in her pistol while she steered with her knees and grabbed the wheel while she steadied with one hand and pulled away across the lanes until she was far enough away to get a decent angle on the car to make her shot.

She hit right into the undercarriage of the pushers van and quickly it began to foam and fill in the bottom of the car hardening to an extent that the tires stopped and stuck right to the road. She smiled as drove ahead from the car and moved up through the traffic so she could find a place to turn.

[trollthumper]

The van came to a complete stop, the epoxy hardening with such quickness it nearly tore the undercarriage out from under the vehicle. The axle was certainly done for, and the tires were preserved like flies in amber. Motley, shaken by the experience, began to slither out of the open window. As he did, his fist swung up - perhaps a bit too far - towards Cannonade, who was still trying to decelerate now that the car had stopped. Momentum was on his side, though, as he ably dodged the blow.

"You," Motley spat, "are becoming a real annoyance."

"Y'know..." Cannonade delivered a solid punch to Motley's less-than-solid form, disrupting it for a second. "Same goes for you, Blob Boy."

[Aoiroo]

Catalyst spun on the corner turning around weaving through the crowds of cars on the one way road back towards Motley van, Catalyst tapped her bluetooth and said through the communications,

"Four thousand pounds of justice speeding your way, I suggest you jump."

She slammed on the excellerator as the van moved forward, anyone who was smart avoided the van completely but Motley didn't have that option stuck as she was, she timed it perfectly so Cannonade was just out of the way as she slammed side swipped the van taking out the car door against the solemning steel opposing door as well as definitely hitting Motley down.

[trollthumper]

Cannonade was in the air as soon as he heard the squeal of tires, thrusting high over the streets of Freedom City. Mister Motley, caught in the door of the car, was not so lucky. The van crashed headlong into him, sending its bulk and a good chunk of his own van's bulk into his semi-solid form. The impact was too much for him; by the time the other van had come to a complete stop, he was sliding out of the door in a puddle in various forms of black and flesh. When Cannonade touched ground again, he stuck his fingers into the puddle, which was significantly more solid than a first glance might indicate.

"Still got a pulse," he said. "He's fine, just unconscious." That over with, he ran to the back of the van, ripping the lock open with one good tug. He looked around the back - all the canisters were well-mounted, and it appeared the crash hadn't set anything off. "Phew. That could've gone worse."

[Aoiroo]

Catalyst pulled the van up behind it so the back was towards the canisters. She parked it and got out to look at Mr. Motely for a few seconds before she shot him with some snare for good measure,

"It very well could have, but it doesn't change what he did. I don't think I can cure the others, not at this point if the stuff was made to last. Would you load these up for me, I don't want this stuff changing hands, even in the right hands it'd be too much temptation, AEGIS, ASTRO, even Albright Institude would likely have at least one person try and replicate the effects. I'm going to render it harmless before dumping it properly."

[trollthumper]

"Gotcha," Cannonade said. Working quickly but carefully, he managed to transfer the canisters from Mister Motley's van into Catalyst's. Once the chemical was safely isolated, it was just a matter of time until the master chemist was able to use her antidote to neutralize the mutagen. By the time STAR has shown up to drag Motley in and the half-melted pusher had been roused to consciousness, most of his masterwork had been rendered useless. He was dragged away screaming, with Cannonade and Catalyst watching as the man, so sure of his own superiority, descended into snarling madness.

As the two heroes went their separate ways, thanking each other for the assist, the STAR riot truck sped through the city, with Motley stewing in the back. The dampeners were working on him again; he felt weak and feeble as a newborn. Had this been what mundanity was like once? Soon, though, this would feel like relief. He'd be back in Blackstone, wracked with nausea. His body would want to grow, change, and adapt, and their nullifiers would make that desire twist upon itself like a cancer, devouring him from within. They feared change. Feared him. But it wouldn't last forever. He was a patient man...

His reverie was interrupted by the familiar eruption of gunfire. The truck veered wildly, sending Mister Motley flying through the steel-plated back chamber. He collided painfully with the far wall - then the side wall - then the floor, as the truck went tumbling end over end. As his senses slowly came back online, he could hear the roar of bullets outside. It was all too brief, cutting off almost as soon as it had begun. The doors to the truck slowly opened, and Motley looked up at the masked face of his savior, wishing he was on his feet.

"Mister Motley, was it?"

"Yes," he said, glad that someone had recognized him for who he was now, rather than who he'd been.

"My associates are interested in your research. Tell me... how would you like to lead humanity into a new light?"

"More than anything you could imagine."

"We thought you'd like that. Now if you would just come with me..."

By the time the response team arrived, they found nothing but the turned over truck and the unconscious bodies of several STAR members. And somewhere in Freedom City, hope, sick and twisted, was alive.