ic All About The Franklins

[Supercape]

Seeing the mobile click into action, the Rat stayed low, shifting her weight to her other leg, and slinked back to cover, always watching through her X Ray vision. 

 

Olive? Whats going on? More than one spider thread here...Slave! Hack that mobile!

 

Superior Soviet cyber infiltration systems in operation...I will attempt penetration of inferior Capitalistic technology...Please wait...Please wait...

 

Yeah yeah, lets do this quick, right? see if we can't listen in. And before my pale  friend gets shot or hacked to pieces, or has a chainsaw taken to her. This guy looks the brutal sort...

 

Whilst Slave did the heavy lifting, the Rat still needed to guide, like a driver, as Slave flashed up an HUD of the hacking process...

[Raveled]

Blue Jay blinked when Esther pulled back and starting shouting about being alive and needing a cure. "I don't care about what merde you're wading through," the archer spat. "I'm looking for whatever you can tell me about -- ane." Esther and Jay's only lead disappeared in a flash of green light, and she reoriented on the woman with the gun. "You have the choice to bring that woman back," Jay said, unfolding her bow and nocking a white-fletched arrow into it. "Or we can do it the hard way." She paused and cocked her head. "Je m'en fiche. I'm in a hurry, let's just go the hard way." She loosed the arrow, and almost immediately the radar range-finder detonated it and Olive was facing an expanding ball of sticky goo.

[Tiffany Korta]

In a rather dramatic shower of glass and window frame Lucy came bartering though the window. Whilst not the most dexterous of people she managed a half decent roll to her feet ready to fight what ever trouble was inside the house. It was a shame really that no one was here to see her antics.

Not that it worry her to much in the few seconds it took to brush herself down she could hear that the commotion had moved downstairs. With her inhuman speed she made her way to where everything was apparently going down.

[EternalPhoenix]

Blue Jay

Facing the expanding ball of adhesive, Olive threw herself aside into a roll, coming with her gun device aimed and ready. “Come now, chica. The hard way? I thought you were a superhero, not some action movie cliché. Don’t bore me.†She flicked the selector switch and fired what looked like a ball of lightning at Jay. At first the hero looked stunned, but quickly shook it off. “Hmm. Not so bad, chica. I feel I should tell you, just so your hopes aren’t too high. I kind of…can’t bring her back.†She shook her gun. “Only works one way, you know?†Olive smiled smugly. “Of course, chica, that means I can leave whenever I want. And if you bore me too much…I just might do it early.†Her smile widened.

[Supercape]

Warning: ...Superior Soviet Systems unable to penetrate American Cellular Phone due to Superior Nature of Soviet Systems...

 

Lied Slave. 

 

The Rat was more than aware that Slave gave unlikely excuses for failures of its systems, particularly when faced with Western targets. That was its programming. It had got more subtle over the years, but still...

 

"Hey man, drop the tools and on your knees now, and we won't have to crack your bones to do it for you" she yelled at her target, before leaning round the wall and firing two shots at the man...pffft....pffft...through her silenced pistol. Fast, silent and most importantly, rubber rounds. Ducking round the wall again, hoping the man didn't have a grenade or something to lob back at her...

[Raveled]

Blue Jay felt the electricity ping-pong around her nervous system, making her fingers and toes twitch and sending her bow clattering to the ground. For a moment she flashed back to gun turrets that popped out of walls and left her writhing on the floor, and a surge of anger let her push past the burning in her muscles. She growled and leapt for Olive, her hands moving in short, brutal motions. "My banter must be off," she said, "because I'm worried about the little girl I'm trying to find that Esther knows about! What is it going to take for you to listen to reason about this?"

[Tiffany Korta]

It didn’t take long for Lucy to work out where all the trouble had shifted to and she was quickly entering the Lounge. Apparently she would have been in much the same situation of she’d stayed outside, she silently sighed to herself before pushing on to try and stop the whole mess.

 

She put a foot on the broken window sill and struck a fairly defiant pose.

 

“I don’t suppose you want to make this easy and tell me exactly what is going on?

[EternalPhoenix]

Red Rat & Revenant

The Rat’s bullets went way wide of their target, smacking into the car she and Revenant had taken to get here. The man on the lawn threw an incredulous look at the house, then regarded the arriving Revenant. “Who am I? Mister Exposition?†There was a brief pause. “ …actually, knowing this town there is somebody using that name. Look, hero. I’m just waiting for my associate to pick me up in about…†He glanced at his watch-less wrist. “Two minutes. If you think you can take me you’re welcome to try. Otherwise I’m just killing time here, being shot at by someone who’s doesn’t know which end of the gun to point at me.â€

Blue Jay

Olive slipped under Jay’s blow and vanished in a flash of green light. Without using her gun.“Sorry, chica. I use my brain, not my fists.†Olive had reappeared on Esther’s balcony. She flicked the selector switch again and fired. A beam of greenish energy shot out of the gun and nailed Jay square. “Honestly. You’d think we were selling the girl to some child slavery ring or something. I know that hurt, chica, but listen to me. Girl’s fine. Probably having cake and ice cream with her Aunt Esther right now. Oh, right. Aunt Esther’s on a liquid diet these days. Well. It’ll be fine.†She smirked. “Probably.â€

[Raveled]

The energy beam hit Jay square in the chest, and she ended up on her back, her muscles suddenly on fire. It was hard to breath for a few seconds, and she had a sudden, irrational feeling of dread that her heart had been stopped. After a moment she started breathing again and realized she wasn't about to die. She struggled to one knee, trying to sort through Olive's words. "Wait. You know where Hannah Franklin is?" Jay grit her teeth; she couldn't attack yet, she could still feel her knees wobbling when she tried to stand. "If she's with Aunt Esther, then why are her parents scared for her? Does her family even know where she is?"

[Tiffany Korta]

“Well if you have the time I suppose we could test each others mettle.†she gave a noncommittal shrug.

 

Lucy had been doing this whole hero thing long enough to know she was a capable fight, but humble enough to know that there were many fighters better than her.

 

She stepped through the window and made her way slowly but purposefully towards the man. Hopefully she would distract him enough that Red rat could do what she needed to work this all out.

[EternalPhoenix]

Red Rat & Revenant

“All right.†Said the man in black. He stepped up and slammed his fist into Revenant’s face. It did exactly nothing, not even move her head. “So, the stories are true, then. The Revenant. Life challenged and impervious to bullets, blades, and fists. Well. We’ll see about that last one.†He tossed a glance back at the house. “Dunno who you are, but stay outta this.†He cracked his knuckles. “I haven’t had a decent fight in ages.â€

Blue Jay

For the first time, Olive displayed something other than playful confidence. Irritation. She said something in a language Jay didn’t know, but it sounded like profanity. “You want me to confess my sins, chica? Are you stupid? Use your pea brain. The Franklins have money. My associate and I want it. They love their little girl to death. Aunt Esther thinks there’s a cure for being undead, and their lawyer has a big gambling problem.†She muttered a few more syllables in that other language, which could have been Gaelic. Or maybe Welsh. “Do you get it now, dummy chica?â€

Edited November 11, 2014 by EternalPhoenix

[Supercape]

Looked like the Revenant was keeping the mysterious man busy. Looked like not much could hurt her. Advantages of being dead, she guessed. 

 

Analysis: Target Revenant fully able to engage with unknown male target. 

 

Yeah, she supposed SLAVE was right about that. 

 

"Keep him busy!" she shouted at Revenant, as she scuttled off away from the brawl, scanning through walls and ceilings with her X-Ray vision. The man in black might not be the only problem, and they had yet to find Ferrati - the man they had actually come for. From the sounds of it, he was going to be in bad shape - or very soon would be. She needed to get him away, get him safe...

[Tiffany Korta]

Lucy gave a little smile as  she stepped forward ready to hit back at the man.

 

“Let me tell you a story. A long, long time ago I use to run with a bunch of street kids. It was a little more innocent we just got into street fights. The point being you didn’t worry about the loud or the cocky  because they  could hardly ever match the boasts. it was the one with the quiet confidence you worried about.â€

 

She wasn’t as fancy as some of the fighter she had seen, nothing more that a simple punch, but she was a very capable fighter in her own right.

 

 

“Guess which kind I was?â€

[Raveled]

Blue Jay shook her head. "Yeah, I get it now. You're a self-righteous pute. A double-talking and double-dealing connerie. The sort of person who thinks absolutely nothing about abducting a child to use for your little schemes." Jay approached Olive, her hands already moving in a blur of martial arts moves. "You're a piece of human trash, and I'm glad I already had gloves on before I had to touch you."

Of course, the archer wasn't convinced that she would really be able to touch Olive. Their last few sparring matches had shown the woman to be frustratingly difficult to lay hands on, and Jay couldn't really think of anything to change that. She did, however, have one or two plans to get around that; as Olive swayed away from a jab the archer dropped into a leg sweep, her hands plucking a mini-tracer from her belt as she did so. They exchanged a few more blows, Jay managing to grab Olive by the shoulder and spin the other woman around. It didn't accomplish much, but when they separated the tiny device was hanging from her green jumpsuit.

[EternalPhoenix]

Red Rat & Revenant

Revenant’s fist drove the man back a few steps. He rubbed his jaw for a second. “Not bad. You are as strong as they say. I’m not the bragging type, either. I know I’m not the best there is.†He stepped back into the fray, hands up. “I just know I’m no amateur.†He was balanced loosely on the balls of his feet. His stance resembled the ones most often seen in a professional MMA fight on Pay Per View. “I just know a few things, you know?†His fist snapped out fast and snagged Revenant in the cheek.

Blue Jay

Unfortunately, Olive noticed Jay’s tracer just as soon as it was applied. It was true, hand to hand wasn’t her forte, but she was irritated with Jay. Some people make poor decisions when angry. There was a flash of green light, and Olive reappeared a short distance away. She had the tracer in her off hand. “What’s this, chica? Planning to follow me home?†Her irritation had vanished, like magic, and that playful confidence had returned. She wagged her finger at Jay.“Tut-tut. You say such awful things and then act so romantically. There’s a word for that, I think. Tsundere. I hate to break to you, chica, but you’re not my type. Too many girl parts, I’m sad to say.†Her smirk was extremely punchable, but then she seemed slightly confused. “Just between you and me, chica, I don’t get why anyone’s that upset. It’s just a business transaction. My associate and I get money. The parents get their girl. The other two get their problems solved. Everybody wins. It’s not like we’d hurt her or anything. We’re not monsters.†Then she smiled brightly. “We’re entrepreneurs!â€

Edited November 28, 2014 by EternalPhoenix

[Raveled]

"Your 'business' involves taking little children away from their parents and waiting until you get paid money for them," Jay pointed out. "That's kidnapping and slavery. Calling yourself an entrepreneur is just dressing up your evil in nice clothes." The archer retreated, retrieving her bow and drawing an arrow with black fletching. "And I don't think I even have to deal with you myself. Because guess what -- I'm not the only hero looking for Hannah Franklin." She notched the arrow, aimed, and fired -- straight up.

The arrow landed on the fire escape a floor above Esther's balcony, and Jay began ascending up the side of the apartment building. She landed just outside of Esther's apartment, pointedly ignoring the teleporter on the ground.

[EternalPhoenix]

Blue Jay

Olive put her hand over her heart. “Oh, you hit the nail on the head. Chica, I’m a bad person. Punish me, take me away, I deserve it.†The mocking sarcasm was think enough to cut with a knife. “Silly girl, this is just how the world works. You never get anything unless you take it.†There was no response from Jay, not even a look back. Olive quirked an eyebrow. “Hello? Chica? We were bantering quite nicely there. I was very entertained.†Nope, sorry, nothing. Olive tried another tack. “Come on, don’t be mad. Isn’t no blood, no foul the rule?†Still totally ignored. Olive pouted. “Filthy tease! You’re a boring waste of space. I don’t even know why I bothered staying around to play with you. You’re no fun at all.†What part of Blue Jay is totally ignoring you don’t you get, woman? “Fine. I’ll take my ball and go home.†She looked at the mini tracer in her hand, and a sly smile appeared on her face. She flicked the selector switch on her gun and pointed it at her head. Her voice was barely a whisper. “See you again, chica. But no more playing.†With her eyes still on the tracer, she pulled the trigger and vanished in a flash of green light.

Red Rat & Revenant

Before the fight between the mystery man and Revenant could continue, a flash of green light dropped a redheaded woman in a green bodysuit on the scene. She had a blaster the same shade of green as her bodysuit. “Honestly, Light. Heroes can be so boring.â€

The man-Light, presumably-only looked at her. “You said two minutes. You win that fast?â€

The woman pouted. “No. She started ignoring me. How rude can you be?â€

Light looked as if he appreciated the irony of that statement. “Well, I don’t have anything left to do here. Can we go?â€

The woman nodded. “That’s why I’m here, isn’t it?†A pause. “Is she any fun?â€

Light tossed the undead lawyer a look. “A little, but we’ve got more pressing business.â€

The woman pouted again. “Aw. But you’re right. Business before pleasure.†She pointed her blaster at him and fired. Light disappeared in the same flash of green light the woman arrived in. “Love to stay and play, lady. But, you know, duty calls.†Before Revenant could react, the woman put the gun to her head and fired. She was just as gone as Light.

Edited December 16, 2014 by EternalPhoenix

[Supercape]

The Rat kept her pistol up - but there was nothing to aim at. They were gone. 

 

And who knew how. 

 

She put her pistol back in her belt holster and walked up to Revenant, 

 

"Well, that was flashy" she commented, scanning the area with X-Rays, Infrared, and magnified mode. "Some kinda teleport gun, I guess. Shooting yourself in the head has never been so much fun. And I come from the land of Russian Roulette" she said, on her haunches, brushing the ground where the vanishing act had happened. 

 

"Which leaves Ferretti..." she finished, hoping the lawyer could give some answers. She spun round to the beat up Lawyer, who looked in pretty bad shape, and started tending to him, scanning for broken bones. She was no medic, but nobody complained of a bit of loving care in that state. 

 

"Hey Mister, how are you? What happened here?"

[Raveled]

Blue Jay combed carefully through Esther's apartment. There were numerous signs that Esther had been planning to leave for some time, with not much food in her refrigerator and large portions of her wardrobe empty. Even her medicine cabinet had been cleaned out. Jay poked at the woman's computer in a desultory fashion, but she could only work her smartphone on odd-numbered days, so she didn't expect much from that.

Instead she focused on any handwritten notes, searching the computer desk and when that turned up nothing she expanded the scope of her hunt. She searched drawers and flipped rapidly through a stack of bills in the front hall, but there was nothing from Skeevy Kidnappers LLC. Finally, she checked a notepad by the wall phone, coming on an address somewhere out on the Waterfront. She quickly memorized it, then considered if she should call the other heroes.

The archer finally decided against the idea. If they were any good as heroes, they would find the address on their own, and if they did Jay could use the time to case the joint before they arrived. And if they never did, at least they wouldn't trip her up.

[EternalPhoenix]

Red Rat & Revenant

Ferretti was battered to hell and gone. He had two black eyes, several cracked ribs, and a probable concussion. Not to mention the pair of broken fingers or the severely sprained ankle. He’d been worked over by a pro, who was careful not to do critical damage to the man while he was beating the crap of him. When he spoke, his voice was strained with pain. “You’re heroes, right? I don’t owe you money?†Even his breathing was labored. “Because I think I’ve paid enough debts for the day.†He tried to chuckle, but went pale with agony and subsided. “You gotta…be here…about…Hannah. There’s…a warehouse…on…the Waterfront. Address’s…upstairs. My phone.†A coughing fit seized the lawyer, and from the looks of things he almost passed out from the pain. He weakly spat out some blood. It took several seconds for him to muster up the strength to speak again. “I’m a screw up…I know that. But I swear to God…I never wanted this…I never…she’s just six years old…six years…†Unconsciousness claimed him at last, and he spoke no more.

Blue Jay

The warehouse was in a disused portion of the Waterfront. It wasn’t all that large, as warehouses go, but more than large enough to contain a small army of thugs. As it stood, a few rough looking gentlemen stood outside of the only lit door. There were other doors, but they were (literally) boxed in. The wooden boxes were large and looked quite heavy. However, there was always the roof, where as it turned out a couple more rough looking gentlemen just happened to be whiling away their evening. Joe Schmoe wouldn’t have noticed them up there, but Jay’s keen eyes were more than good enough to spot them.

[Supercape]

"He'll live..."  said the Rat, straightening up. "Someone did a number on him though, wanted him to hurt. Perhaps speak, perhaps just hurt. Have to hand it to him, he took a beating without passing out" that much splintered bone could send a man asleep. 

 

"But we got a lead anyway. Don't know what the lead is to but we can figure that out when we get there. Sounds like the clocks ticking, Miss" she said to the revenant. 

 

SLAVE get that phone up! we need that address, it must be in it somewhere! she barked at her head computer, heading upstairs and scanning for that very phone with her x-ray vision. 

 

Superior soviet technology activating! Scanning! Penetrating!

 

And so SLAVE did, quickly pulling out the address for Revenant and the Rat. 

 

An Address they would rush to as soon as possible!

[Raveled]

Blue Jay swung and climbed and moved with catlike grace and speed, creeping soundless into position until she was hanging just below the lip of the roof. She listened to their conversation, all her weight hanging on her fingertips and her toes wedged into the top of windowpanes. She quickly decided there was nothing she was going to glean from listening in; neither of them seemed to know who exactly they were working for, and the conversation quickly veered into talking about a recent ball game. The archer rolled her eyes, shifted her weight, and settled in.

It didn't take long for an argument to develop between the two thugs, and one went pacing off in a different direction while the other one lit a cigarette. Jay peeked over the edge, sure that the flamer of the lighter had ruined his night vision, and noticed with glee that the man wasn't even facing towards her! The archer clambered up the side and continued up the man's back, wrapping around his shoulders. Her additional mass and momentum overbalanced him and he went down; she cushioned the fall with her legs, then wrapped her thighs around the man's neck and squeezed. A few seconds later he went quiet.

With one down, Jay turned her attention to the next sentry. She dashed off across the gravel roof, reaching the man just as he turned to investigate the noise. She leapt at him and hit him around the midsection, just off-target of his center of mass. It twisted his body around and he hit the ground; Jay made sure he hit hard, his head bouncing off the ground, and waited to make sure he wasn't moving. Once she was certain, she crept towards the edge of the roof again, positioning herself over the pair flanking the door and reaching for a particular pouch on her belt.

[Tiffany Korta]

Lucy looked grim as Red Rat examine the man she definitely didn’t like the way they were treating this like a game, the next time they’d met she’d be sure to drive the point home.

 

“In matters like this it always does. How fast can you move? Because I could quite happily carry us at a decent rate of speed, though I won’t be breaking any speed laws. Though first we better make sure that helps on the way for this man.â€

[EternalPhoenix]

Red Rat & Revenant

The warehouse was in a disused portion of the Waterfront. It wasn’t all that large, as warehouses go, but more than large enough to contain a small army of thugs. As it stood, a few rough looking gentlemen stood outside of the only lit door. There were other doors, but they were (literally) boxed in. The wooden boxes were large and looked quite heavy. However, there was always the roof, where as it turned out a lone woman was perched over the few in front of the door. A normal person wouldn’t have seen her, but The Rat’s enhancements and Revenant’s living impaired eyes were more than good enough to spot her. In fact, the Rat’s computer, SLAVE, noted that this was the same archer they’d met earlier in the evening.

Blue Jay, Red Rat, & Revenant

Said archer was readying her next move, which no doubt would ruin the night of the three thugs by the door, when one of them decided he’d like to look at the sky…and spotted Jay. He looked her right in the eyes and held a finger to his smiling lips in the classic “shh†gesture. Then he strolled inside without warning his colleagues she was there. The other two were deep in conversation about the same ball game the two on the roof were discussion earlier and barely took note of his departure.

[Raveled]

Blue Jay chose her line and carefully played out the proper length. She cast about for an anchor, and once the snare was set she began lowering it down the side of the building -- only to see someone look up and lock eyes with her. She froze instantly, but the damage was done. He looked up at her, smiled, and then simply walked inside. Jay's mind whirled. Had the guard spotted her? He had to have, who simply looked up at the night sky and smiled like that? But if he'd spotted her, why hadn't he sounded the alarm?

There wasn't time to wait for the answer to appear. Jay lowered the snare line and looped it around one guard's throat, then dropped. The line tightened at once and the guard found his airway cut off, the archer's entire weight coming down on him as she plummeted. A few yards from the ground the line hit its length and the guard was lifted off the ground as Jay was counter-balanced by the much heavier man. She hit the other guard with merely concussive force rather than bone-shattering force, and the second guard dropped. Jay hit the ground and released the snare, and the first guard collapsed, choked into unconsciousness.

She looked up and nodded at the other two women. "They knew we're here," she said, not wasting any words. "We have an entrance on the top, but it's no good. Can either of you tunnel?"