[center][IMG]http://www.auplod.com/u/dpauol4a003.png[/IMG][/center] The lashes of electricity feebly sizzled out against Taylor’s thick, black skin and dissipated into the floor. She pushed herself up onto her feet and snarled, grabbing the enemy Meta’s end of the whip and ripping him upwards off his feet. He stubbornly held on, wildly fiddling with the controls. [b][color=black]”This gimmicky ‘special weapon’ shit is so lame! You don’t have anything else?”[/color][/b] With a swift and brutal motion of her arm, she ripped the whip out of his hand. [color=black][b]”Hah! Hahahahaha! Didn’t think I’d disarm you so easy, huh?”[/b][/color] Maverick suddenly glowered at him and slipped back into her invincible augmentium skin. [color=gold]”You won’t get away with this! The police are on their w--”[/color] He was cut off by a metal fist ramming into his gut, and doubled over so hard he smashed his face into Maverick’s shoulder. A dark streak of blood trailed along the gleaming chrome on his way to the floor. Maverick laughed and returned to unwinding the whip from around herself, easily pulling it away. [color=silver]”You seriously think the [i]cops[/I] are gonna be able to stop me? Come oooon, they couldn’t even stop a normal holdup! The cops are useless and you shitty little heroes are [i]worthless[/i] for anybody but rich bitches!”[/color] The man swallowed, his eyes closing in defeat, knowing the only thing he could do now is attempt to refute her words, but that could get him killed. He let his head bob down to the floor and panted softly in agony over his crushed ribs and destroyed nose. She finally stepped out of the mangle of his ill-prepared weapon and wound back her arm, chucking it out the window into the building across the street. It crashed into a storefront and activated, electricity crackling to vicious life uncontrollably, the mannequins trapped within the display dancing and blowing apart at the power. Innocent people ran in panicked directions out of the store. [color=silver]”You’re a fucking disgrace, dude. I don’t even wanna rob this place anymore! I wanted a friggin’ fight, not to just smack around some asshole until he gave up. I’m ditching.”[/color] Shaking her head, knowing Randy would subtly follow out a back door or something, she left the front of the bank out onto the comfortable chaos of the street. Just as she took her first step down the stairs, she was stopped by a powerful blow. A heavy duty sniper round bounced off her chest, leaving a gaping hole in the fabric of her costume but affecting her flesh about as much as a nasty mosquito bite. [color=silver]“Agh! What the fuck, I [i]just[/i] got this shit fixed!”[/color] Jerking her head upwards, she scanned the tops of buildings for the silhouette of her attacker. Just as she leapt up to get a better look, another round pierced her left goggle and slammed right into her eye, making her immediately panic. The immense power behind the bullet outmatched her momentum and she smacked down into a nest of asphalt. Gasping for breath she didn’t actually need, she ran a finger over her goggles, checking to see that her eye was still there. The agony of it didn’t help much, but it was fading just like the first shot. Her eye was fine. She let her breathing calm and peered out from behind a hunk of the street. She felt a buzzing come from the slim pouch she kept at her side. Her cheap second phone was ringing, and she flipped it open and heard Randy whisper-yelling from the other line. “What the fuck was that, dude?? You just bailed!” [color=silver]”He was boring as shit! I wasn’t about to just annihilate some bitch whose name I couldn’t even laugh about maniacally or whatever! Did he even [i]try[/i] to give us a name? Bad form for a debut, dude.”[/color] “Fuckin’—are you even taking this seriously? At all? Your bullshit in there just tightened up that bank’s security tenfold! You didn’t even grab any money or anything! Ugh, I’m waiting in the alley when you’re done screwing around.” Shit. She didn’t think Randy could be so harsh. Taken aback by his unexpected lack of support, Taylor stammered, [color=silver]”L-look dude, I’ll make it up to you. Next time I won’t get a swelled head over showing off my powers and shit. They’re just—“[/color] This time Randy was the one to interrupt her. “—incredibly strong and could change everything about our family for the better? Yeah.” His words barely hid a hurt sting. Had Taylor actually upset him somehow? An overwhelming part of her was pissed at him for heaping on her shoulders so much emotional responsibility, and another, stunted part was upset that [i]he[/i] was upset. Wanted to help him, to fix it. What a mess. [color=silver]”Randy…shut your face and stay in the car. I’ll head over soon.”[/color] Her tone was colder than she would’ve liked, she could practically hear him flinch. [color=b80000]But I don’t need Randy’s bullshit right now, seeing as I’m pinned by a goddamn sniper! He was being a little bitch.[/color] A helicopter had begun to buzz overhead, demanding that Maverick surrender peacefully, that she will not be harmed if she goes without a fight, yadda yadda. Shit. It looked like Randy would have to wait for a bit while she got the bird off her tail. She snapped her phone closed, heard a crack, and saw that the entire thing had been crushed in the vice of her metallic hand. [color=b80000]Wow, thanks super strength, you asshole.[/color] The helicopter hovered in the center of the street, and before Taylor could discard her ruined phone and chuck a hunk of the road at it, another sniper round bounced off of her temple and snapped the strap that kept her goggles to her head. She let fly a few curses in retaliation, her powerful legs flexing to send her flying up to meet the helicopter. Whatever metal its chasse was made of crumpled like paper under her fingers as she embedded herself halfway into its lower half, her arms hanging up inside, fingers buried in the floor to keep her steady. The sudden weight to one side tilted the whole bird, and some guy holding a megaphone, screaming and flailing for a handhold, tumbled over Taylor’s head and down to the street fifty feet below. -- “You didn’t let him drop, did you?” [color=b80000]”’Course not, Nan, I’m not a fuckin’ cop killer. Guy grabbed my leg and made it down okay. Randy wouldn’t have driven me back if I’d killed him, heheh.”[/color] Taylor’s little smirk didn’t seem to put her ‘landlord’ at ease, and the older woman was shaking her head, something that made Taylor’s muscles tense irritably. “Where’s Randy, anyway?” [color=b80000]”Oh…I dunno, in his room. Dunno why he’s so pissy. I didn’t break any stores he’s ever wanted to go to.”[/color] “You gotta keep a lower profile, baby girl. This grandstanding shit is gonna start to piss off bigger and bigger Supes. What happened to the BDSM guy? With the whip?” [color=b80000]”Eh. Probably in the hospital or shoving his costume in an alley trashcan or whatever. Sure as hell won’t bug me anymore!”[/color] Taylor gave sudden pause, her brow crinkling. [color=b80000]”…Wait. I didn’t give him my name, did I? Shit! What’s he gonna call me in his nightmares now? Butch Leotard Chick?”[/color] “That’s what I do.” Nan’s scornful expression had softened, and the lines around her mouth smoothed down. She chuckled and Taylor playfully kicked at her legs. [color=b80000]”Man! You—Oh, hey May. You got your homework and stuff done?“[/color] Taylor planted her feet in the carpet of Nan’s living room at the sight of the younger girl and leaned back in her overstuffed chair, patting her thigh invitingly. The little girl, mahogany curls encircling her round face, peered from behind the corner of the hallway before hopping over to Taylor and clambering into her lap with practiced familiarity, like that of a little sister. She settled in and finally responded with a quiet shrug. “I colored in a dragon.” [color=b80000]”You gotta show me later, dude, dragons are awesome!”[/color] Taylor wrapped an arm around May’s waist while Nan migrated to the kitchen to throw together a dinner from the fridge; leftover pizza that had gone a little hard, some fruit she’d bought from the streetside vendors for a couple bucks, some yogurt, and for dessert: a nice heaping slice of cake from her third first date that month. It wasn’t really like Nan couldn’t find a guy to stick—she just liked the fact that older guys always splurged on the first date. Free cake and a ton of pasta was worth breaking a couple hearts. [color=b80000]”Dammit, Nan, you own a friggin’ nightclub! You can’t [i]not[/i] be all cheap for a guest?”[/color] “You wanna eat good, go to Christian’s. I’m sure he’ll give you a nice fancy ramen dinner. Don’t be picky like Taylor, May baby, she’s gonna be regretting it when I stop feeding her half the damn time.” “Yuh-huh, Auntie.” [color=b80000]”Hey, hey, I don’t care that much. Food’s food, yeah?”[/color] The microwave dinged, all too willing to agree.