Firestorm

[Avenger Assembled]

Even as he hit the ground, Comrade Frost wasn't solid anymore - instead he spilled backwards in a swirl of icy fog across the soaking-wet highway beneath his feet, the water freezing to ice at his touch as the swirling cloud that had once been Dimitri Peshkov took in his new surroundings. Peering into the sky with red eyes that saw heat like bloody crimson trails against the blackness of the sky, Frost saw Aquarius first. For an instant, surrounded by the cold, thunder rumbling overhead and rain falling through his form, he was at Halbe again, watching Donar fight to the last amid piles of the dead - but then he was back in Pennsylvania in 2014 again, and he knew he was facing a foe under far different circumstances. 

 

The swirling, red-eyed cloud of his animate form seemed to swirl on on itself, becoming a tiny frozen tornado, one whose rapid spin flash-froze the air over everyone's head, instantly sending a torrent of snow down on hero and villain alike, but Frost concentrated again on Aquarius, pushing hard to ensnare the figure in his icy grasp. They do hate it when the rain freezes!

[Thevshi]

GM

Comrade Frost's small frozen tornado swirled upward, catching Aquarius in the center of the icy cold. It lasted a few moments, and then the rain was back, as the brief snow fell down among the new drops. When it was done, Frost saw Aquarius still hovering in place, shaking some frost and ice from his costume and cape. But otherwise, the man seemed unfazed by the icy attack.

Off in the direction of town, the woman in the golden costume brought her hands up in front of her, as a wave of magnetic force blasted forth towards Tiamat’s massive form. The blast struck the dragon, a powerful hit, but one she was once again able to shrug off. Then Libra disappeared from view.

Fairview Church

The Staff Sergeant was quiet a moment, before answering Fleur's question. "I dropped him off near the center of town, near the intersection of the two rural highways. I think he was heading north from there." He then shook his head at the offer to take him someplace safer. "My men are still here in danger ma'am. I am not leaving until I know there is nothing more I can do for them. Certainly not going to leave Jones here while I take off."

The priest shook his head as well. "I thank you for the offer, but I will remain here should any others need me."

[Fox]

At the arrow's impact, Tiamat turned to look at the archer with something approaching respect - her great jaws opened to say something, but it was cut off when the magnetic blast hit her in the side. Despite not appearing to do any real damage, it certainly got her attention: the dragon's head snapped back around, scanning the area for her assailant as leathery wings picked her up off the ground.

Gaian Knight, on other hand, had to pick himself up the old-fashioned way. Lacking Gabriel's agility or Frost's transformation, he simply pulled himself up onto his feet, sweeping an arm out...not toward his attacker, but toward Sagittarius, tendrils of flowing rock obeying the glowing hand to reach up and grasp at the old-school sniper.

He made a disappointed noise when he failed to get proper hold, though. Kind of surprised I did that well at this range. "You lot have an awfully interesting idea of 'not taking hostages'," he noted over the storm. "Sure looks to me like you took over a whole town of innocent people."

"Slippery, too," his companion observed...but she ended on a note of satisfaction. In one smooth motion she wheeled around and hurled herself toward a rooftop, rain streaking off her wings as she hit the surface, and its occupant, like only several tons of armored lizard could. "But not slippery enough!"

[Thevshi]

After dodging aside from Aries' attack Velocity watched as Gabriel hit him with some sonic attack, but the villain managed to shake whatever the effect was and still seemed fully in the fight. So, the yellow clad speedster decided she should try to do something about that.

Closing back with the supervillain, her fist shot out once more and supersonic speeds with a loud *CRACK* This was followed almost instantly by a solid *WHAM* as her fist impacted with the side of his helmet.

The force of the blow knocked Aries right off his feet, knocking him onto the ground just a few feet away. He certainly seemed hurt and a bit dazed from the powerful hit, as Velocity continued on, skidding to a halt a short distance away as she glanced around, checking where her teammates and the villains were. "Hey…where is that tiger guy the soldiers talked about?"

[Thevshi]

GM

Tiamat manages to connect with Libra, in addition to ripping off a large swath of shingles from the roof, the impact knocking the woman off the rooftop and sending her flying twenty five feet into the back yard of the house. Libra hit the ground hard, but did not seem injured by the impact. Tiamat's attacks had certainly injured her, and she was still dazed from it.

Sagittarius managed to leap free from the grasping rock Gaian Knight had brought up around her, flipping back over to her feet as she ran quickly across the open field. She closed to within one hundred feet of the fight in a few moments, drawing another arrow back in her bow as she fired. The arrow whistled past Gabriel, flying off into the distance.

Over in the center of the fighting, Aries shook his head briefly, clearing his vision as he was back up on his feet in an instant. He then rushed over towards Gaian Knight, bringing his metal helmet down once more as he tried to ram the hero. "Most of the town likely did not even know we were here until you all showed up." He commented as he charged. "The storm sent them looking for shelter, and out of our way."

But Gaian Knight sensed his approach, as fast as it was, and managed to dodge aside and avoid the impact. Aries continued onward, looping back around as he speed over to come to a halt about two hundred feet up the road to the north.

[Electra]

Fleur nodded, unsurprised at the reaction she'd gotten from the men. "All right. Jones is somewhere in the church, looking into our tactical situation. If you want to find and help him, it'll get done that much quicker. I'll try and find the other soldiers and get the football out of play." Stepping to the window, Stesha tugged off the hood that covered her green hair and closed her eyes. In normal circumstances, communing with the plant life was a leisurely experience, a sharing of sometimes important but rarely time-sensitive information. Today, though, she had a mission and every second counted. She pulled hard on her connection to the plant life, dragging their perceptions into her own mind with a speed she'd never reached before, one that was a little frightening.

 

The onslaught of impressions left her dizzy for a moment, but it did the job. She saw both the soldiers from a plant's eye view, one hiding in the back of a car in a used car lot, the other, the one with the projector, approaching a diner where a small crowd had gathered to wonder at the strange loud noises from the other side of town. With a touch of her hand, Stesha opened a flower portal and leapt through it, coming out right next to the fleeing soldier. "Sergeant Davenport, I'm Fleur de Joie with the Freedom League," she told him briskly. "Sergeant Reynolds told me where to look for you. We need to get you and your item someplace safe and away from civilians. Can you and it handle a dimensional transit?"

Edited September 15, 2014 by Electra

[Thevshi]

GM

 

As Fleur appeared, Sergeant Davenport gave a small start, reaching for his handgun but stopping just as he grabbed the grip, recognizing the Freedom Leaguer, even as she introduced herself.  Several of the nearby civilians gave a start as well, surprised by the sudden appearance of a member of the Freedom League in their small rural town.

 

Then a sound like a roar sounded from across the street behind Fleur, and in a instant, a large figure had leapt from the shadows, quickly closing the distance with the green haired heroine. 

 

"Thank you for confirming the projector's whereabouts!"  The large man snarled as clawed hands slashed out, raking across the back of Fleur's left shoulder.  "I will be taking it now, and show up that fool Aries!"  But Fleur was far tougher than she looked, and the attack did not even break her skin.

 

Landing just behind Fleur, so she stood mostly between him and Sergeant Davenport, the new villain towered above her at close to six and a half feet.  His thick black hair and beard had the appearance of a mane, and the man's red eyes, and clawed hands and feet only made him look even more feral.  He wore a red bodysuit, with black tribal markings that ran down the outside of the arms and legs, and in the center of his chest, a golden symbol was on his costume.

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel's face did not display the expression of someone who liked Aires's excuse.

 

"You lot caused the storm. You lot attacked the convoy. You thought yourselves above the law, above your fellow men and women."

 

A low hum surrounds his body now as the levels the point of the spear at Aires.

 

"But then, that's why we are here. To correct your misunderstandings. To teach you the error of your ways. You face one of the mightiest groups on the face of this planet, and already we are finding the whole lot of you...wanting."

 

That's when a barrage of sonic bolts fly from the tip of his spear to slam into the body of the helmet-wearing speedster with more force than most mortal weaponry can conjure up. 

[Thevshi]

GM

 

South of Town:

 

Gabriel's sonic barrage was on target, several of the bursts striking Aries dead on, and a couple hitting the pavement around him, kicking up chunks of asphalt and dust into the air.  When the dust cleared, the supervillian was still standing in place, appearing unaffected by the barrage.  "Perhaps."  He called back.  "But you will need to do better than that to stop me."

 

Up in the air, Aquarius turned and flew to the east in pursuit of Tiamat.  Coming up a couple dozen meters to the massive dragon's left flank, the masked man seemed to regard her a moment.  Tiamat could smell magic emanating from the man.

 

<"It has been sometime since I have seen a dragon as large and powerful as you.">  He stated in Draconic.  <"A pity we find ourselves in opposition.">  He concluded, as he raised one hand and a powerful bolt of lightning shot forth to strike Tiamat squarely on the side.

 

Near the Early Bird Diner:

 

Momentarily surprised by Leo's sudden appearance and attack on Fleur, Sergeant Davenport quickly recovered, drawing his sidearm and bringing it part way up.  But the soldier was reluctant to try to take aim and fire off a shot, given the supervillain's close proximity to Fleur.

[Avenger Assembled]

A whirling white fog suddenly landed directly in front of Sagittarius, the red-eyed, malevolent form of Comrade Frost appearing just inches from the archer's front sights. Wordlessly, he tore the glove off his right hand and held it up in front of his enemy, and as she watched, his palm glowed with a cold blue light that chilled her to her very marrow. She pulled back an arrow but it froze to the bowstring as celestial cold erupted from Frost's hand, a sudden torrent of icy wind that blasted the would-be assassin back into the very depths of the woods and killed plants in a cascade of ice and frost directly in front of the Russian ice controller. It left a white triangle of flash-frozen grass and falling snow that reached out into a patch of suddenly dead forest. When he heard her hit a tree, he began walking towards the sound, adding for Velocity, "Porheps you could check area and see?" 

[Thevshi]

GM

Aquarius lightning danced across Tiamat's scales, lighting up that section of the darkened sky briefly, before it dissipated. But the powerful dragon managed to resist the attack, muscles tensing only slightly before, she was able to force them to work as they should once more.

Down below in the grass of the backyard of the house over which Tiamat now hovered, Libra pushed herself upright, forcing herself to focus past the dizziness that had accompanied the dragon's powerful blow. Climbing back up to her feet, the golden costumed supercriminal focused back up on the dragon.

"You are a powerful one, time to bring you to ground!" She called out, as she raised her hands and sent another powerful wave of magnetic force at Tiamat. The blast once again slammed into Tiamat, hammering against the hardened scales that covered the dragon's body. But once again, Tiamat resisted the attack, remaining where she was, unfazed and unharmed.

[Fox]

Gaian Knight swore, quietly, as Aquarius took off after Tiamat - and again when precious few seconds went by without her usual crowing over a victory. That wasn't good.

His platform, neglected on the nearby ground after he'd been bowled over, picked itself up and rushed back to his side - he didn't even slow it down as he hopped on and shot off after his dragon friend, one final gesture in Ares' direction in an attempt to grab him, too, in vines and tendrils of solid stone...and with similarly little luck. Also not good. "Gentlemen, I think you have this; I'll be back, hopefully. Not sure I like this lot playing two-on-one."

"Hmmm?" Tiamat had turned an amused eye toward Aquarius, shrugging off his lightning as he spoke in a tongue she hadn't heard in...how long, now? A while, at least. "<Well, someone with a little sense,>" she rumbled back, lips pulling back over her teeth like an awful, predatory smile. "<So polite, as well. I may almost feel bad when we-->"

She was cut off by Libra's magnetic pulse - she didn't seem hurt, really, but it had apparently hit hard enough to demand her full and immediate attention. She snaked her head back out over the edge of the roof, baleful gaze looking down at her attacker. "....no," she countered. "No, I think not. But the ground, yes. That idea has merit."

Several tons of dragon dropped off the roof into the yard, digging deep claw marks into the soil as she snapped her jaws at where Libra had only just been.

[Thevshi]

Velocity was observing everything going on around her (something made easy thanks to her goggles and speed).  For the moment, Frost seemed to have the archer in hand, and though Aries had shrugged off a solid hit from Gabriel with ease, the League members mainly seemed to have things reasonably under control.  At least well enough for her to take a few seconds and go look for the apparently absent Zodiac member based on the descriptions provided by the ambushed soldiers.

 

"Alright, I'll go take a look."  The speedster replied to Comrade Frost's comment as he stayed focused on Sagittarius.  "Hopefully be back in just a few."

 

And with that she was gone in a blur of yellow, running up the rural highway toward the center of town, zipping past Aries as she went.  As Velocity sped up the highway, she carefully studied the area round her, with her goggles allowing her to expand the distance she could more carefully study.  Continuing past the intersection with the other rural highway, she continued toward the north end of town. 

 

It was when she was at the north end of town that she spotted Fleur along with a soldier facing off with what had to be the missing Zodiac member.  Civilians were scattering from the scene, as well, but Velocity was able to weave around them as she zipped over toward Leo.  "Hey Fleur, hope you don't mind me cutting in."  Velocity called out as she came up beside the costumed criminal.

 

Her fist shot out at blinding speed, a loud *CRACK* echoing as it broke the sound barrier.

 

*WHAM*

 

She connected solidly with Leo, but the villain was just able to roll with the punch, spinning all the way around as he put a bit of space between him and the new arrival, crouching down slightly to prepare to strike.

[Thevshi]

GM

 

Sagittarius' eyes snapped back open as she forced her numb body to move.  Frost broke off her costume and skin as she brought her legs up toward her chest and then exploded the back out, using the momentum to spring herself back up to her feet.  The archer then moved forward to the edge of the now frost blasted trees to see the ghostly form of Comrade Frost advancing.

"I know not what manner of ice demon you are, but let us see how you handle fire!"  She called out to the Russian vampire as she drew back another arrow and aimed.  But despite her confidence, she was still suffering from the effects of Frost's attack, her hand holding her bow shaking and unsteady.

 

Sagittarius released the arrow, which burst into a jet of flame as it left the bow.  But her shot flew well wide of the target, flying off to embed itself into a tree several hundred feet past on the opposite side of the highway.  Fire quickly spread along the trunk of the tree, but it was held in check by the heavy rain that was still falling.

 

As Aries dodged the grasping rocks and earth, he quickly glanced around at the scene, even as Velocity sped past him to look for Leo.  With the League speedster gone, he was lacking in ground bound targets to attack.  There was the dragon, but for the moment Libra and Aquarius seemed to be doing well enough. 

 

"I am going to fetch Leo, hold them."  He called out, and then sped off after Velocity, which was a difficult endeavor, as she was far fast than he was.  But as it turned out, he did not have far to go, at least not to him or Velocity.  She had found Leo, who was engaged with yet another member of the League, who had been protecting one of the soldiers from the missing Humvee. 

 

Turning after Velocity as Leo took her punch, Aries lowered his helmet once more as she sped towards Velocity's back.  But the yellow clad speedster easily saw Aries' approach, thanks to her groggles, and agilely dodged aside.  Aries continued on past, looping back around as he came up off to one side of Leo to face the two League members.

[Electra]

"You're not taking anything," Fleur told Leo, shaking off his attack with a toss of her head. "You have no idea what you're dealing with now." As if to prove her point, Velocity came charging in out of nowhere, plowing into the villain at superspeed. Her attack didn't seem to affect the villain much, but it was a great distraction. Fleur took a quick step back and closed her hand on Sergeant Davenport's shoulder. "I'm sending you to the League," she murmured. "Tell them I sent you, then contact your unit or whatever you need to do. I'll come for you in a few minutes." A struggling dandelion on the ground obligingly grew to a hundred times its size and yawned open, and she gave him a little nudge to send him through. 

 

She turned to Leo and Aries, spreading her arms in a mock helpless gesture. "I guess neither of you guys will get to have him. Oh well." 

[Thevshi]

GM

Leo had snarled when Velocity had appeared suddenly, striking him with one of her supersonic punches. If his reflexes had not been as good as they were, that attack could well have taken him out. His mood did not improve when Aries came running up and tried to attack the yellow clad speedster, but missed the target.

"Not able to handle her?" Leo snarled sarcastically as Aries came to a halt after looping back around. But his expression then went momentarily flat as Fleur took a step back and teleported Sergeant Davenport away.

"ROOOOAAAAAARR!" The supervillain the howled, the sound echoing down the streets. "Curse you woman!" He yelled, as he leapt at Fleur once again, foregoing all concern for his safety as he lased out with his clawed hands. But as savage Leo's attack was, Fleur was no stranger to superbattles, the Freedom Leaguer dodging aside with ease.

Leo landed past her, turning back around, his face twisted in rage, his red eyes seeming to flare. "That soldier had the projector!"

Back in Freedom City:

Sergeant Davenport appeared out of a plant outside the main entrance to Freedom Hall. The soldier swayed slightly, a wave of dizziness coming over him as his pistol dropped from his hand and onto the grass.

As his now empty right hand went up to grip his head, the sergeant reached out with his other hand, the one on which he now wore the power projector, towards a nearby bench to steady himself. Lightning crackled from his left hand, arching across the bench, quickly splintering the wood into shards.

The wave of dizziness faded as Sergeant Davenport looked down at the splintered bench and the looked to his left hand, the power projector, still firmly in place on his left forearm, now partially visible as his sleeve pulled up some. "How…how did I do that?"

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel's eyes were narrowed as Aires shrugged off his sonic assault, and proceeded to chase after Velocity. Perhaps a fresh target was the thing to help turn the tide anyways. That would be his story and he would stick to it.

 

Thus, he turned to the most opportune target at the moment: Sagittarius, the apparently-mystical archer. Gabriel considered the situation for a moment, before raising his free hand and pointing an accusatory finger at the woman. 

 

"You! All your skill and power, and this is what you turn to? Petty theft? Ruthless endangerment of an entire town? And you bring a bow and arrow and a few magical parlor tricks to a fight with those who wield the forces of nature itself? What sort of thrice-over fool are you?"

[Thevshi]

GM

Aquarius had seemed unperturbed when Tiamat had shaken off his electrical attack with seemingly no effect. His brass mask created an expressionless visage as he watched the massive dragon attempt to swoop down on his other teammate on the ground. The caped villain then turned slightly to regard Gaian Knight as the earth controller flew over towards the battle astride a large bolder.

"Greetings hero, come to test out your mettle against me have you?" Aquarius called out in a cold voice. He then raised a gloved hand and sent a twin forked bolt of lightning at the Freedom Leaguer. The bolt of lightning found its target, but Gaian Knight's defenses proved more than adequate to resist.

[Avenger Assembled]

Frost poured along after Sagittarius, leaving behind him a trail of dead grass and even one flash-frozen tree, but the archer proved too nimble for him to do more than 'tag' - he scored her costume with frost marks in more than one place, but he did no particular damage besides what he had already done. _Damn! I really had my hopes up when she had that flaming arrow out,_ he thought irrelevantly, glad as always that there were no psychics on the Freedom League right now _but she just had to miss! Life is a difficulty_. He didn't speak out loud; he'd long since learned that the most effective strategy was to present himself as what he really was - an unholy force of nature, a whirling cloud of icy white fog marked only by two glowing red eyes at its very heart - eyes that seemed to stare straight into Sagittarius' soul! 

[Thevshi]

GM

Libra was back up on her feet quickly after diving away from Tiamat's massive form. The white haired woman looked up at the powerful dragon for a moment, before raising her hands once more and sending another magnetic blast at the dragon. But this one deflected off the scales on Tiamat's back, just enough that it blasted apart a section of the roof of the house Libra had previously been on.

The golden costumed villainess frowned slightly as she called out above her. "I believe it may be time to try to regroup!" And with that she vanished in a flash of light, reappearing over on the rural highway where the barricade had once stood.

[Fox]

"Mettle?" Gaian Knight smiled despite himself, pulling up on his platform of rock as lightning crackled across his breastplate. Its presence, as ever, was deceptive - in general it took more to hurt him than it did to hurt his 'armor'. "No, metal isn't really my thing. Ah, incidentally...."

He gestured helpfully over Aquarius' shoulder, where Tiamat had (in a show of surprising stealth, relatively speaking) launched herself off the ground to lunge at the electric villain...but when the flurry of wings and jaws stopped just short of their target, her expression was a toothy grin, not a frustrated grimace.

A flurry of blunt stone shards crashed into Aquarius from both sides, following Gaian Knight's gesture and capitalizing on the dragon's distraction. "Stone, though - I'll test my stone against you any day."

[Thevshi]

Velocity had a wide smile as Fleur sent the soldier away, apparently removing the object the villains had been looking for from their reach. But the smile was short lived as Leo launched himself at Fleur in rage, but luckily the green haired heroine was able to avoid the attack.

"Okay, I think someone needs a time out." The yellow clad speedster stated, just as she became a blur of motion.

*CRACK*

Her fist shot out at Leo at supersonic speeds, slamming underneath the man’s chin with a loud WHAM. The savage Zodiac member was just being lifted up into the air by the force of the blow when Velocity was already over by Aries.

*CRACK*

Her fist shot out again, connection with another loud WHAM!

But the faint glow around Aries flared with the impact, and he braced his feet slightly, but otherwise the golden helmed villain seemed unaffected by the attack.

The force of Velocity's punch sent Leo flying five hundred feet down the side-road next to the diner, where he crashed through a chain link fence and slammed into a car in the used car lot where Fleur had seen the other soldier hiding.

[Thevshi]

GM

Sagittarius managed to somehow weather Gabriel's sonic rebuke and Comrade Frost's continued icy assault, but she did appear somewhat shaken. When Libra reappeared in the highway, the red headed archer gave a nod in agreement. "Could not agree more." She commented as she drew back another arrow and aimed it in the sky toward Gabriel and let fly. As the arrow streaked upward, it crackled with magic, turning into a bolt of ice and frost. When it struck the white clad hero, the ice burst around him, quickly encasing Gabriel in an icy prison. A bitter, chilling cold accompanied the ice, but he was able to resist its bite, even though he was otherwise trapped in the ice.

Sagittarius then sprinted back over toward the highway, moving about a hundred feet up the road from Libra.

Back up near the diner, Aries steadied himself after withstanding another attack from Velocity, clearly aware that his teammate had not fared as well. The tall villain regarded Fleur for a moment, before he gave the faintest of smiles. "Alright, you win this round." And with that he sped off down the street towards the used car lot, scoping the dazed Leo up off the ground and then speeding off toward the south and out of sight.

As he went, he called out over the comm used by his team. "The projector has been evaced by one of the Leaguers. Time to cut our losses." He then glanced at the form draped over one shoulder. "This is your fault idiot! You were supposed to come and help the rest of us by the south barricade. Gemini was going to try to recover the projector."

[Electra]

"Oh come on, we've come all this way and you're not even going to fight? I was really concerned about this battle!" Fleur's voice was affronted and just a little bit whiny as she touched the flowers in her hair and attempted to follow the ignominious flight of the villains. She popped out at the top of a tree almost a quarter-mile away, but there was no sight of the pair. She slumped, wrapping her legs around a branch for support. "We lost two of them," she reported over her comm, "but I got the projector sent off to safety. I think they're all going to break off." 

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel was well into scowling at this point.

 

"Okay at this point I'm not happy."

 

For a moment he tried flexing his muscles, but it was quickly apparent that "fit and athletic" was not "able to shatter solid ice in a single flex". So rather than spend precious seconds trying to break it with muscle power, he'd just break it with super-powers. He closed his eyes and concentrated, and his whole form began to vibrate a bit, blurring ever-so-slightly. After a couple of seconds, the ice surrounding him was reduced to glittering dust and tiny fragments in the air, which were left swirling in his wake as he rushed after Sagittarius as quickly as he could. He was already eyeballing his next shot at the villains.