“What about you?  Sound far too young to be doing this line of work.”  Mary paused and gave it thought, considering her opponent.  It wouldn’t be the first or last time she’d lie about this.

[color=00aeef]“Haha, I’m not really ‘in the line of work.’  I don’t even have powers!  I’m just here with my babysitter.”[/color]  She gestured toward Dragon, though of course they couldn’t see the gesture.  [color=00aeef]“She’s got this whole ‘protect bystanders’ thing, but I guess I don’t count.  So I’m up here doing what I can.  With a bb gun.  Against adult capes.”[/color]

Mary was in a difficult spot.  They’d come here to, as she said, protect bystanders.  But it didn’t seem like there really were any, and the situation was quickly getting completely out of hand.  A VTOL had showed up and been shot down, which meant PRT was on the case now.  And this was a Gladius-aligned independent, and they were definitely fighting Wonderlanders down there…  They’d gotten into the fight too quickly, made too many assumptions as they did so, and drawn too much attention.

She had quietly made her way to the edge of the roof once more, using the location of Sidestep’s voice to make sure they didn’t accidentally run into each other in the darkness.  From her new position, she could see out into the fray, could see the absolute mayhem below that didn’t look like it would deescalate any time soon.  Most of the sounds of gunfire had died down as cape powers took center stage and as the out-of-hand nature of the skirmish became obvious to the non-powered combatants.  She could see some limping away, apparently cutting their losses.  And she could see Dragon, apparently severely damaged, being approached by someone.

--

Dragon had never had this much trouble in battle.  It seemed every way she turned, projectiles peppered her.  Car doors, giant arrows, bullets, and now sticky bomb-laden spears.  Each took their effect on her armor and squishy interiors, though the last seemed best-capable of taking her down.  The spikes of ice worked like shaped charges, lodging in and punching slightly through her armor, doing real damage the likes of which she had not experienced since dying… or was it being born?  Her trigger, whatever one wanted to call it.

The first line of action was obvious: providing herself with medical assistance.  She emitted her gas from every exposed surface, lighting it at once in a move that made her the center of a raging bonfire in the middle of the street.  Thankfully, she’d been attacked with ice, and she was more than capable of melting it away.  The fire had the secondary effect of cauterizing her flesh wounds, and as she focused on increasing the temperature and the fire went from red to blue hot, it welded the cracks in her armor back together.  Fighting condition once more, though wary and pained, unlike before.

Dragon let the fire die away, her red-hot plating cooling from a glowing red as she did so, and noticed the red-clothed man approaching her.  She caught the last thing he said, something about hunting a dragon, and reared up to her full height in response.  He was armed with two sickles, made of the same red material as those spears had been, though not whining as the bomb had.  She could… likely take him.  But behind, the ones who had thrown the car door were being protected by three others, and perhaps she could not take all of them at the same time.  It was likely time to bug out.  She looked to the skies briefly, catching site of Mary, and made her decision.

[color=f26522]“You will have a long hunt before you, then,”[/color] she addressed the red man, and launched toward the roof.

--

[color=00aeef]“Wait, no!”[/color] Mary yelled, eyes widening behind her mask as she turned toward Sidestep’s position.  [color=00aeef]“Jump!”[/color]  Herself, she dropped, reducing her profile as Dragon reached the roof, and the gas that the grenade had been emitting suddenly lit in Dragon’s exhaust.  A fireball engulfed the area where Sidestep had been standing, following her and the air she had disturbed or breathed.  It lasted just a few seconds, but Mary had not been kidding when she said had warned that it would kill Sidestep.

[@Sickle-Cell]