A Better Mousetrap (IC)

[Thevshi]

GM

 

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

10:20 PM

 

A thick curtain of cloud hung over Freedom City, concealing the moon behind them.  The lack of moonlight made the streets of Southside even darker than normal, a stark contrast to the bright lights of downtown Freedom City across the black waters of the South River.  For a group of high school students from nearby Claremont Academy, the moonless night made for a perfect opportunity to get out and patrol for crime.  Tonight it was a group of four such students who were flying through the dark skies, or teleporting along the shadowy rooftops, of a rundown neighborhood of Southside near the Boardwalk. 

 

Tonight's patrol had been arranged by two of the teenagers, Subito Sondo , also known as El Heraldo, and Katharine (Kat) Shade (Warp).  They were accompanied by two of their other classmates, Serge Explinker (Net Fly) and Giang Trang (Tsunami).

 

It had taken Subito and Kat a fair amount of work to convince Giang to agree to join the patrol tonight.  Ever since early February, the Asian teen had been extremely reluctant to leave school grounds.  The rumors had circulated around the school that she and John Smith (Myrmidon) had been attacked by a Chinese sorcerer and a group of martial artists at the Chinese New Year celebration in Freedom City's Chinatown, though Giang did not discuss much about the incident. 

 

But in the end she had relented to their pressure, and was now accompanying Kat, who was teleporting the pair from rooftop to rooftop, following along after Subito and Serge, both of whom were flying.  So far, the evening had been relatively uneventful, with the four having only thus far stopped a couple of gang members who had been trying to steal a car.

 

Edited August 26, 2013 by Thevshi

[Ari]

"Net Fly, my comrade-in-arms," El Heraldo declared solemnly as he did a barrel roll over Southside "Never in all my life have I beheld such foes as we face tonight. That guy with the knife was just terrifying. And that guy who I guess tried to punch Tsunami was a master of the deadly art of missing!" Breaking the sarcastic gravity with a grin, the glowing paragon swooped elegantly through the air under Serge, the golden flag that blazed around him waving majestically in an invisible wind. He kept his arms outstretched, so he could quickly bring them to bear should anything happen. Not that he was all that worried, he thought as he glanced down at the flickering forms of Giang and Kat as they flashed across the rooftops. Between them they were three of the more powerful students he'd met, and not a lot fazed the dashing Puerto Rican!

The only downside he could see was that Blodeuwedd wasn't along. But at least he could bring back a few funny stories!

Turning back to the city below, he keened his powerful hearing on it, searching for the least sign of danger!

[Vahnyu]

"Please... Don't even joke about it, Heraldo." Net Fly chastised his friend and comrade Subito, also known as El Heraldo. "Just because we've trained to handle and subdue petty crooks doesn't mean we should relax our guard, even for a second. The Blue Dame may watch over you and make sure that no harm comes to you, but me, Tsunami, and Warp, don't have that luxury, and even if our enemies are untrained, it only takes a bit of bad luck for disaster to strike. Also, while you can handle street punks with aplomb and ease, you should never let up, lest they turn their attentions and malice to whatever stray civilian may happen to wander on the scene at that time..." Net Fly sighed, as he ascended quite a bit, to take a better look of the area around them, before descending back between Heraldo and Warp.

 

"Sorry. Didn't mean to take it out on you, bro. Ever since the beating I took last month I've been on the edge all the time. If Warp here hadn't been there to watch my back and save my sorry butt from the fire, I'd have been one squashed little bug on someone's wall." Net Fly apologised.

 

Turning his attention to Kat and Giang, Serge said. "So, find anything on your end, you two?"

[Curious Key]

Teleporting made the subtle art of conversation hard for Warp; while Heraldo and Fly were off soaring through the air off in whatever direction needed going, Warp needed to stay behind and pick a new rooftop vantage point to leap to. End result? Most of the time their fliers were too far away to talk to without shouting loud enough to the disturb the civilians beneath them. Still, there was plenty of time to talk with Tsunami. She, at least, didn't have the luxury of flight.

Kat knew that Giang was nervous about leaving school grounds. Every kid at Claremont seemed to have some origin that made things more complicated. It was just the price they paid for being able to casually break the laws of physics, Kat supposed. "That was small stuff," Kat said, hoping to comfort Giang a little by belittling the dangers they rallied against. "If that's the worst we're facing tonight we'll be headed home early."

As Fly made a midair stop Warp stole the opportunity to flash to the rooftop beneath, her eyes already looking for the next leap before she realized Fly's intended break. Kat tucked a hand behind her head and grinned. "Not that I saw," Kat announced . . . Though it was getting quite dark and night vision was not one of her talents.

[Thevshi]

Tsunami gave Warp a small nod as the other teen commented on earlier incident of the evening.  "Perhaps.  Though I would imagine you and Heraldo would be rather disappointed if that were to be the case."  She replied, managing a small smile.

 

Though the Asian teen felt apprehensive about being away from the school, she was enjoying the opportunity to be out in the cool night air somewhere other than on the school grounds.  Giang approached the impromptu crime fighting that Kat and Subito had coaxed her into joining with her usual stoic demeanor.  While she appreciated that such activities provided valuable practical experience, she did not view it as therapeutic. 

 

Giang did however enjoy spending the time with her friends, and appreciated their concern for her, even if she felt it was somewhat unnecessary.

 

As Warp teleported the two of them to another rooftop near where Heraldo and Net Fly were flying, Giang looked off to scan the area around her, taking the time to look for anything out of the ordinary before Warp moved them onward.

 

"Nothing more so far."  She replied to Net Fly's question.

[Ari]

The colorfully-clad boy winced at Net Fly's stern reminder, knowing that it was true. He was being careless, and acting way too much like he and the others were invincible just because the people they'd been fighting didn't have powers. Serge's recent injury got a deep wince of sympathy, Subito knew what it felt like to get beat up. In a far more subdued tone he replied "I'm...I'm sorry Surge. We need to stay focused and not get cocky, you got it. It's just good to get out and do stuff, we hardly do anything together these days." Graduation was quickly approaching, and hung over the 2011 students. "Don't worry, I won't let my guard down and you can count on me having your backs! Tonight will go a lot better than that time with Morsa, I promise. By the way," the powerfully-built teen grinned slyly "What do you think of Kat? I bet-" the rest was cut off as his ears caught Giang's words, and he practically beamed.

 

"You bet I'd be disappointed Tsunami!" Heraldo called down cheerfully "The more miscreants we vanquish means the fewer other heroes will have to contend with! Besides," he said with a grin "this is for those folks who can't fight crime like we can! Southside's got a lotta problems, and they'll sleep better knowin' they've got people in their corner too."

 

Falling slightly closer to the roofs for easier talking, the patriotic paragon peered at the ground below while listening for the faintest sound of a struggle, for the clink of metal, the thud of punches, for silhouettes fighting in an alley. Subito didn't actually expect they would meet anyone who really needed superpowers to defeat, but the boisterous young man could still hope!

 

Glancing at the two girls he added more gently "Thanks for coming along, Tsu. Don't get much chance to do stuff with you lately, and besides that one time in the Lost World I don't think I've ever seen you fight for real. And Warp!" he switched his attention to the teleporting mutant with an excited smile "That was an awesome sales pitch! I had no idea you could talk like that! Thanks for backing me up there. Anyway, I'd better stop talking." he said, with a faint blush of embarrassment that showed up even in the golden hue his skin got under the Banner's light.

 

With a deep *whoosh* he swept back into position, scanning the darkened city below them for danger...

Edited May 30, 2013 by Arichamus

[Vahnyu]

"No, no... it's okay." Net Fly quickly responded. With concern in his voice, he continued. "I suppose... a bit of cockiness is alright now and then. It IS, after all, one of your strong suits, the main reason why you shine as a beacon of hope for everybody, and why La Dama Azul chose you as the bearer of her mantle. And I certainly don't hate that characteristic of yours, just... be careful, okay? Cocky, yet careful." He said, a slight hint of uncertainty in his voice. At Subito's reassuring words, he said. "Thanks, Heraldo. I trully appreciate it!"

 

"Hmmm? Kat?" Net Fly asked, puzzled at why Heraldo asked him about Warp, as the teen known to his friends and classmates as Subito Sondo veered off. Chiming in with Subito, he added "That's right! Every little bit helps, and we should all lend a hand whenever we can."

 

"Right then." Serge said to the group, after they finished scanning the immediate area. "Where to next? Should we head towards the Boardwalk? Or perhaps go back towards Lincoln?"

[Thevshi]

"I would believe our trip to the Lost World would have been ample instances of me fighting for 'real."  Giang replied to Subito's comment.  "After all, we were trying to prevent the annihilation of three civilizations at the hands of the Serpent People."

 

As Serge raised the issue of where they should probably head next, the Asian teen was quite a moment as she considered the options voiced.  "The Boardwalk sounds like a good option."  She then stated, as she prepared for Kat to make another teleport jump, either in that direction or wherever the group decided to head next.

[Thevshi]

GM

 

As El Heraldo gained altitude once again, listening for any signs of trouble and scanning the dark streets below, his superhearing was the first to alert him that there might be someone nearby needing their assistance.  He picked up several voices yelling in panic, though he could not quite make out what they were saying. 

 

Turning slightly in the air towards the sound, the brightly clad patriotic hero spotted a fait glow surrounding a building more than a dozen blocks to the east, along with a column of dark smoke rising into the air. 

[Ari]

"Guys!" El Heraldo barked without taking his eyes off the distant disaster "There's a building on fire to the east! Straight out an' eleven..maybe thirteen blocks away. Warp, Tsunami, follow my light! Net Fly, stick close, people will need our help!"

 

Even as he spoke the powerfully-built Hispanic teen shot off for the eerie blaze, gold mist trailing behind him as he streaked like a golden comet towards the fire in Southside!

 

'Thank God we've got Giang with us...Dama, can the Banner heal people who've been burned?Of course Herald! Now, when you arrive, make sure you get people out from the top down, understand? Yeah Good. Extinguish whatever flames you can while evacuating the people, Giang Trang can handle that far better than you, but the more arms, the lighter the load. If this turns out to be distraction from some larger crime, you must keep a clear head and see the rescue through before going after them...'

Edited July 4, 2013 by Arichamus

[Vahnyu]

"Of course, El Heraldo. You don't have to say that again!" Net Fly nodded in agreement. Diving towards the ground, Net Fly said. "Time is of the essence, we'll have to hurry! I'll be going ahead, see if I can get anyone out in time." Having his feet to the ground, he started accelerating. While Net Fly could cross the skies on a moderately high speed by manipulating vibrations around his body to keep afloat, it was ultimately his leg muscles enhanced by vibrations and kicking off ground, that which allowed him to achieve speeds comparable to high-performance Formula One cars. And while he found flying more relaxing and utilitarian, this situation called for speed of action, something which Net Fly was all too willing to provide. It only took a few mili-seconds for the hero to accelerate to his top speed and transform into a streak of GREY and BLUE! So long as I keep an eastward direction, and my eyes open for smoke, I should be fine locating the source of distress. he mused to himself.

[Thevshi]

GM

 

As El Heraldo streaked through the air, and Netfly zipped down the street, Warp ripped a hole through reality to take both her and Tsunami in the direction of the smoke.  The two teenage girls appeared on a rooftop of a building just down the block from the one on fire, as El Heraldo drew close in the air and Netfly arrived as well.

 

Before the group of teens was a rundown six story apartment building that had at least the outer walls of the top two floors engulfed in flames.  Smoke was also coming out of some open windows on the fourth floor.  A couple of people were gathered on the sidewalk out in front of the building, looking up and shouting out to see if there was anyone who need help.  From the upper floors, El Heraldo could hear the faint sounds of people calling for help, many sounding weak.

[Ari]

Without a moment's hesitation the muscular boy hurtled up through the air to where the cries were weakest, hurling himself through the open window and peering through the smoke and flame. He was sure Giang and Kat knew what to do, it was time for everyone to do their part and save the day for these people.

 

Cupping his hands to mouth he shouted, coughing a little at the foul smoke seeping through his mouth and nose "Hey! Anyone in here, shout so I can find you! Graaagh" choking at the horrible smell and the fumes clogging his throat, he quickly took off his mask, tying it into a bandanna around his lower face and stepping quickly through the apartment, the gaudy colors psychedelic in the inferno and shimmering billows of smoke "I am the superhero El Heraldo! Others are with me, we're here to rescue you!"

 

Peering through the haze he shouted "Help me find you!"

Edited June 24, 2013 by Arichamus

[Vahnyu]

No sooner had Net Fly arrived and spotted the building that was on fire, he immediately dashed forward, entering the building, and climbing its stairs. Starting with the upper floors, he went through door after door, making sure to avoid close contact with any flames, alternating between flying and running where appropriate, and checking for survivors and making sure to escort them outside. Whenever he was faced with debris that stood in his way and prevented him, the young hero would activate his blue gloves, and would unleash sonic blasts from his hands, in order to force the debris away.

 

I hope no one is seriously hurt. Net Fly thought to himself, while doing all these, and refrained from speaking as much as possible, lest he accidentally swallowed or breathed smoke. The last thing the young heroes needed, he realised, was to add another victim that needed rescue.

[Thevshi]

There was the brief moment of disorientation that followed one of Warp's teleports, but then Tsunami quickly reoriented herself, as she looked down at the burning apartment building and both El Heraldo and Net Fly entered the building by different means.  "Be safe."  She stated to Warp as the other teen prepared to teleport into the building to help in getting people out.

 

Tsunami meanwhile had locked on to various nearby sources of water, reaching out with her power to seize control of the water as it coursed under the streets in various pipes.  Doubling back the water and increasing the pressure, the Asian teen managed to  burst open a nearby fire hydrant, allowing the water to pour free, as she started drawing it towards the building and up into the air in order to douse the flames on the sides of the apartment building.

Edited June 25, 2013 by Thevshi

[Thevshi]

GM

 

On one of the upper floors of the building, El Heraldo found himself in what appeared to be a large room that served as both living room and dining room, connected to a small kitchen.  Calling out his presence, he quickly heard a faint voice calling for help from down a hallway leading off from the room he was in.  In a moment, the brightly dressed hero had flown into the hallway and through an open doorway to a bedroom beyond.

 

The bedroom was thick with smoke, but lying on the ground near the bed the hero spotted a figure of what appeared to be a young man lying on the ground, weakly trying to get upright.

 

El Heraldo was over by the man in an instant, reaching down to help him up and get him to safety.  But just as reached the figure, there was a loud clang of something metallic dropping down behind him.  However, the patriotic paragon did not have time to consider what that might have been when the "man" in front of him lifted his head, revealing the metallic face of a robot.  The robot's mouth opened wide, emitting a piercing sonic wail that washed over the teenage hero and filled the room…

 

 

Down on ground level, Net Fly quickly entered the front of the building, zooming through the small lobby area near a wall of mail boxes and finding the central stair case.  Oddly, there were no people making their way down the stairs as the teenage hero started rapidly ascending the flights of stairs.  He was just passing the third floor when suddenly the section of stairs beneath him flattened into a steep slide, and a section of the wall slid aside to revel a dark opening…

Edited July 1, 2013 by Thevshi

[Ari]

"Aaaaaargh!"

As the ear-splitting shriek roared through El Heraldo's brain and seemed to shake the world around him to pieces, it was all the young man could do to manage to slam his hands over his super-sensitive ears in time.

 

He crouched beside the robot for what seemed an hour, glaring down at the thing as it finally stopped the hellish scream. Stepping back he regarded the prone metal creature for a moment, then suddenly dropped his hands and whirled around in anticipation of an ambush, drawing the Bandera as he took up a fighting stance!

 

He found himself menacing a metal plate across the doorway he had just come in from. Subito's breathing quickened as realization set in "Oh no" he said, so quietly he could barely hear it "I have to get to the others! I gotta tell 'em this is a trick to catch us!" His eyes narrowed 'And if they put a metal bar between me and the outside, I don't want to think what the other walls must be made of Herald! Think a momen- My friends are in danger! There's no time!' Squaring his shoulders and ignoring the robot behind him, he hurled himself against the plate with all his might!

Edited June 26, 2013 by Arichamus

[Thevshi]

GM

 

El Heraldo slams himself into the steel plate that had come down to block the doorway.  As strong as the teenage paragon was, the plate buckled in slightly, but otherwise remained firmly in place, causing a slight feeling of pain in his shoulder.

 

Behind him, the robot had climbed to its feet as it once again emitted the ear-splitting wail.

 

 

Meanwhile, Warp had nodded in response to Tusnami's statement about being safe, and then disappeared through one of her rifts through space.  The teenager emerged from the other end of the rift inside one another smoke filled room.

 

Covering her mouth with one arm as she was assailed by the smoke and heat in the room, Warp crouched down slightly to try to get a bit below the smoke as she scanned the room.  She quickly spotted a small figure huddled in a corner of the room.

 

Moving quickly to the figure, Warp reached out to take its small arm.  "Are you all…"  Her question was cut off as the figure turned its head, revealing a metallic, inhuman face.  Its mouth opened wide as a sickly green gas billowed forth.

 

The young mutant caught a face full of the noxious gas, releasing her grip on the robot's arm and stumbling backward in an effort to get away from the gas.

Edited July 2, 2013 by Thevshi

[Thevshi]

What seemed like a large wave crashed against the sections of the outside of the building that were on fire.  Tsunami watched from the rooftop Warp had teleported her to as her initial attempt to deal with some of the fire managed to extinguish only about half of the flames she could easily see. 

 

Taking a deep breath, the Asian teen again reached out towards the ruptured fire hydrant, around which there was now a considerable pool of water, and once again began drawing an even larger "wave" of water up into the air and towards the side of the building.

[Ari]

*WHUNG!*

 

The young man rebounded off the undamaged plate, growling furiously "Gah, pared estupida!" he was so intent on the thing standing between him and his friends that he almost missed the tell-tale clatter of the robot behind him getting up, and the buildup of another sonic shriek. With desperate speed he slammed his arms over his head, crying out as another wail seemed to burrow through his skull.

 

Turning on his robotic tormentor he shot forward across the room, his hand blazing blue and gold and reflecting in his burning eyes. "Hraaaaugh!" he shouted, jumping at the last moment and hurling a punch downwards that was lethally fast for all his anger, but still missed his target and instead smashed into the floor, spraying wood and linoleum through the air.

[Vahnyu]

For a moment, Net Fly lost his balance, and almost slipped. Thankfully, he had the pressence of mind to act swiftly and kick off the wall to his side, gainning enough momentum to not fall backwards, and raise himself from the ground a few inches, just enough to switch gears and start floating. Phew. That was a close one. He remarked to himself. I guess that rules out running inside the building. I can't afford to be extra careful, but I'm not about to run into a fire any more than I have to, and that goes for running on top of sliding or collapsible floors as well. Looking back, he noticed how smoothly the stairs had flattened. There's no way the fire could cause THAT! He gritted his teeth. And that hole that opened... a trap? For whom? He looked worryingly on top of him, towards the ceiling. Getting crushed under the debris won't be much fun, either, but there's not much I can do about that. Well, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it... Trap or no trap, innocents might still be trapped in here, and I'd rather not take that chance. Guess I'll just have to keep my eyes and ears open, then. And with that, he resumed searching the building for survivors.

Edited July 1, 2013 by Vahnyu

[Thevshi]

The robot managed to dodge out of the way of El Heraldo's furious attack.  As the patriotic paragon regained his balance from the missed attack, he saw that he had made a small hole through the floor and could see the smoke filled room below.  But his momentary distraction allowed the robot to deliver a powerful blow, but the teen was more than able to shrug off the hit.

 

 

Warp coughed as her vision blurred and the room seemed to spin, but she was able to see the small form of the robot leap up to its feet in a smooth motion and start towards her quickly.  With the room seeming to spin faster, the teenager acted mainly by instinct, disappearing from the smoke filled room through one of her tears in space.

 

She almost instantaneously emerged from the other end of the rift in her dorm room back at Claremont, the first place that popped into her head.  But no sooner had she stepped from her warp, than the teen had collapsed to her knees, the room spinning faster and faster.  There was no sign of her roommate, and Warp tried to pull herself towards to door of the room so she could find someone to warn them about what was happening back in Southside, but then everything went black as she collapsed onto the floor of the room unconscious.   

Edited July 2, 2013 by Thevshi

[Ari]

Grunting in pain at the savage kick in the ribs, Subito glared up at the metal shrieker and struggled to his feet, tearing his hand free of the floorboards. 'Okay, so there isn't any other stuff keeping me in here, so I was wrong...but why not put some kind of electrical trap or something? Less thinking Herald, more punching! Right! Let's do this!''

 

Subito closed his eyes in meditation, feeling the power at his fingertips, the weight and flow of a nation...

 

Suddenly blazing with a golden aura as the sound of a thousand voices raised in triumph resounded through the room, Heraldo tossed the Bandera to his left hand and flashed across the room, roaring with fury and letting loose with a savage punch that crashed straight into the robot's chest! Ripping his arm out with a burst of sparks and sizzling wires, he kicked off  from the bizarre assassin and leaped backwards.

Edited July 2, 2013 by Arichamus

[Thevshi]

Outside, Tsunami once again sent a wide sheet of water against the sections of the apartment building that she could see engulfed in flames.  The water hissed as it contacted the fire, with more of the flames being extinguished until there were only a few small fires that were visible to the Asian teen from where she stood.  However, given the amount of smoke still escaping from other sides of the building, she was certain that there were still flames inside that she could not see.

 

But for the moment, she focused on completely extinguishing the fires on this side of the building, not wanting to give what remained a chance to spread and grow once more.  Focusing her power more tightly this time, the teenager sent a steady, thin stream of water shooting up towards one of the small fires still burning.  Once it was extinguished, she shifted the jet of water to the next.

[Thevshi]

The heavily damaged robot dropped down to its knees briefly as El Heraldo disengaged himself from it, appearing almost too human in its movements.  But the sparks and smoke coming from the hole the teen's fist had made in its chest certainly told a different story as it then toppled forward onto the floor next to the hole.

 

 

Having avoided the trap on the stairway, Net Fly was determined to continue searching for any possible innocents trapped by the fire.  Continuing on up through the air, the teen quickly reached the smoke filled hallway on the floor above.  But as he turned to start up the next flight of steps, he had to suddenly pull up short as he found a set of metal bars blocking the way.