[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/2cVYNXa.png[/img][/center] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/7ieqwfU.png[/img][/center] Previously on CAH: https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4866049 and https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4915084 Dennis scooped up the unconscious Quote King with a construct and passed him off to a police van down the street. He turned to the blue and silver clad hero before the pair looked down the street at Meme-or. It once again shifted forms, anger and energy palpable with no verbal way of expressing it. The yellow animated cardigan changed colour by shades into a baggy green t-shirt. It's final form shimmering, glowing with power. [center][img]https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/314/682/271.png[/img][/center] As the Aquilifer turned over one of the assailants to the custody of a waiting police van, he noticed that the other strange villain had again changed forms. No longer was he the giant mouse, he was something far more insidious... The strange being had somehow transformed into the much beloved figure of Shaggy, the dim witted and ever famished hippy famous for his role as the sidekick to Scooby Doo. Yet, there was something off about him. He seemed confident, almost to the point of being cocky, and he was engulfed by a blue flame. At a loss for words, Icon returned his gaze to the Aquilifer. [b] "Friend of yours?"[/b] He asked, still trying to process the sheer absurdity of what he saw before him. [color=goldenrod]"No. This is new. But he's not exactly unfamiliar. I think we should tread pretty carefully."[/color] The newest Aquilifer said, clearly unsure of himself and this latest threat. He began circling around the animated figure, choosing to flank him with the powerhouse superhero rather than attempt a front on assault. [b] "Right." [/b] Icon said as he moved in on the supercharged stoner. [b]"I've got to admit, this is strange, even for Lost Haven."[/b] Without another word, Icon lifted several feet off the ground and flew toward the animated foe. He circled around Shaggy, looking for something that would tell him anything about the enemy he was up against. Icon knew that this guy needed to be stopped, however, he didn't know how much force to apply in this case. If he underestimated this character based solely on his ridiculous appearance, he could be taken off guard and beaten. However, if he went at him too hard, he'd be likely to kill him. He decided that an indirect attack might be the best way to end this quickly without hurting anyone too badly. So Icon ascended skyward, then quickly changed direction and rushed downward toward his enemy. He would slam his fist into the ground in front of his foe and buckle the street before him, hopefully taking "Shaggy" out in the process. However, as Icon braced for impact with the ground, the walking cartoon swatted him away with a backhanded slap. The impact drove Icon skyward, where he careened through the 33rd Floor and then upwards and out of the 36th floor of the Chambers Building several blocks away. Had he not regained control, his momentum would have carried him several more blocks before he would have crash landed somewhere in the city. Instead, he hovered over the city looking back toward the area where he and the new Aquilifer had engaged the deranged cartoon character. [b]"I just got bitch slapped by Shaggy."[/b] Icon said to himself, shocked by the raw power of his opponent. [b] "I might not have to hold back after all." [/b] Icon hovered there for another moment before a slight smirk crossed his face, and then he rocketed back into the fray. The Aquilifer turned and watched Icon sail away, crashing through the top of the city's landmark skyscraper and out of sight, before looking back at his foe. "Like, he made me use 12% of my power, man." The animated figure uttered, glaring at the Golden Rod wielding hero. [color=goldenrod]"Zoinks..."[/color] Dennis uttered, backing up. "You know, that's like, my line, man." Shaggy powered up and punched the concrete, which sent rippling bitumen tearing through towards the Aquilifer. [color=goldenrod]"I should've gone with 'Jinkies'..."[/color] He said, taking to the sky out of self-preservation. [color=goldenrod]"I don't suppose there's any buying you off with a Scooby Snack..?"[/color] Shaggy pulled a broken chunk of cement from the ground and hurled it at the hovering hero. [color=goldenrod]"Yeah... didn't think so."[/color] He replied, ducking away. [color=goldenrod]"Gramps, I think we have a problem here."[/color] He fired a few blasts from the Golden Rod whilst talking into his radio comm-link. "What's the situation, over?" The old man's voice replied. [color=goldenrod]"Did you ever see that old cartoon, Scooby Doo? Err-- Over?"[/color] A fire hydrant soared over his shoulder, as he managed to just slip out of the way. "Yes, what's the issue? Over." [color=goldenrod]"Well, I seem to be fighting a guy who's taken on that meme form of the character Shaggy..."[/color] I light pole swung past his head, which he barely ducked in time. "Shaggy? His scared, scrawny beatnik friend? How's he causing you any problems? Over." [color=goldenrod]"Yeah, I don't think you get the idea of what a meme is... Also, he just smacked Icon over the horizon, so... Maybe he's sick of old men calling him a scared, scrawny beatnik? Anyway, I'm asking for a reason... umm over."[/color] More chunks of cement whistled past, as he quickly brought up a shield construct to deflect most of the chunks, many of which embedded themselves so deeply in his construct they came to a stop inches short of his face. "Roger. Go ahead. Over." [color=goldenrod]"Well, you've fought a lot of people over the last... I dunno... Eighty years..."[/color] Dennis was starting to get short of breath. "Ninety. But go on. Over." [color=goldenrod]"Fair enough. Ninety years. In that time... you've probably fought a fair share who considerably overpowered you. So I guess my question is this... Have you got any specific tips for 'Not dying'. Because, I've got to be honest. I'd really rather not have... 'bitch-slapped by Scooby Doo's hungry friend' on my headstone."[/color] He was driven back against a building by a thrown car, which pushed the Aquilifer and his construct shield right against the wall. "You're supposed to say, 'Over'." Dennis looked up at the figure who glowered and glowed over him with power. [color=goldenrod]"Yeah... I don't think I'm going to get to be the one who says this is over...[/color] As Shaggy wound up with a radiating fist. As Icon raced back toward the animated figure who had previously knocked him halfway across the city, he saw that this "Shaggy" was now looming over The Aquilifer with a fist cocked and ready to unload on the new hero. However, before the strange attacker could land his blow, Icon put himself between the cartoon villain and the other hero. Icon found himself in a rare position. For most of his life, Icon had to hold back. No matter what he was doing, who he was fighting, if he allowed himself to cut loose, someone would be killed. It was something that weighed heavily on his mind every time that he engaged a threat. However, this "being" was unimaginably powerful, and as hard as it was for him to believe, Icon knew that against this enemy, he didn't have to hold back. So he unleashed on the animated figure, hitting him with a volley of earth shattering punches, each of which seemed as if it could have caved in a mountainside. However, much to Icon's surprise, the attack failed to put the figure down. As he landed each punch, "Shaggy" seemed mostly unaffected, at most the volley knocked him back a step or two. Undeterred by Icon's assault, "Shaggy" swung wildly with a roundhouse right, however, Icon ducked and the punch sailed harmlessly over his head as he followed up with an uppercut that finally knocked the cartoon hippy off of his feet. Dennis followed Icon’s lead and pushed the advantage keeping the animated figure off his feet by flinging him higher into the air with the Golden Rod. The pair gave pursuit, with Icon throwing heavy combinations designed to knock him higher and higher, and the Aquilifer pushing him onward with the occasional blast whenever a brief window of opportunity presented itself. With the Aquilifer on his tail, Icon forced the animated hippy higher and higher into the air, hammering the powerful figure with blow after blow, knocking higher with each successive impact. Finally, having enough, Icon grabbed the figure around the waist and accelerated upward with "Shaggy" locked in his grip. The strange being struggled to free himself, however, the higher they went, the weaker the figure seemed to grow. Realizing that this was no time to let up, Icon pushed harder, accelerating the ascent towards the upper reaches of the atmosphere. Soon, the animated foe stopped struggling altogether, and just lay there, slumped against Icon's shoulder. When Icon looked to his foe, he saw that the motionless being no longer resembled the beloved, mystery solving stoner, but instead looked to be a creature made entirely of television static. The strange being had no face, nor discernible features to speak of. It was truly bizarre, and one of the strangest things that the hero had ever seen. Once he was sure that the strange being was no longer a threat, Icon began the long descent back down to the earth. As he approached the ground with the incapacitated foe, Icon saw the Aquilifer, as well as a number of black armored vehicles arriving on the scene. It was a vaguely familiar sight, but one that he hadn't seen since before the Hounds of Humanity had taken out the head of S.T.R.I.K.E. Could it be possible that the shadowy government agency had been reorganized and is now again operating? Despite his uncertainty about what was unfolding below him, Icon continued on the downward trek, touching down next to the Aquilifer. The pair stood together as they were surrounded by the black SUV's. Icon looked to the Aquilifer questioningly, and saw that the other hero knew about as much about the new arrivals as Icon did. However, before Icon said a word, there was movement from the car closest to them as the passenger door opened and someone stepped out. The man who had emerged from the vehicle stood about six feet tall with graying hair and a clearly fake mustache, and he projected an air of as he strode toward the pair of heroes. "Icon." He said, nodding as he approached them. "The new Aquilifer, I presume." He continued as he looked straight past them and at the prone body of the unconscious trouble maker. "Good work gentlemen, but we'll take it from here." The Aquilifer couldn’t help but stare at the man’s fake mustache. He squinted. It was so clearly fake, he almost couldn’t believe that it was a fake at all. What could possibly be the purpose of such a transparent disguise. The man just returned eye contact and smiled back. He took another step closer and turned his head slightly, still staring at the hairy lip. The man responded by tilting his head in the same fashion. Icon broke up the awkward silence. [B]"I wasn't aware that S.T.R.I.K.E. was up and running again. Welcome back." [/B]Icon said. "Oh, we're not S.T.R.I.K.E. son. They died with Anderson." The man said, never taking his eyes off of the strange being made of static. [B]"Then who...who are you?"[/B] Icon said, unable to mask his confusion, which prompted a smile from the man before him. "Oh, don't go worrying about that. But if you really want to know, let's just say that we're from the Department of Fish and Game." The man said, seemingly taking a bit of amusement at the heroes' confusion. "Alright boys, bag and tag him, we've got places to be." He called out to the other agents who had descended on the scene as he walked back to his vehicle with a certain bounce to his step. [color=goldenrod]“No part of today has made any sense at all. So I guess why should this be any different?”[/color] The Aquilifer said to Icon. [b] "You're not kidding."[/b] Icon said as he watched the man who seemed to be in charge of "Fish and Game" return to his vehicle as his men rounded up the strange being who had, just moments ago taken the form of Shaggy from the Scooby-Doo cartoons. [b] "Just another day in Lost Haven."[/b] He remarked. Icon then lifted off of the ground. Before taking off toward the skies, he stopped, and turned to regard the other hero. [b] "You handled yourself well today." [/b] Icon told him. [b] "Listen, we're putting something together. A team. We could use someone like you, if you're interested." [/b] “Take it!” Dennis heard in his ear, he could hear a clatter in the background through his earpiece, as if his grandfather had got up too fast and knocked things over in the process. “You’ll need help going forward. Support which I might not stay in good enough shape to provide! Take him up on his offer!” The old man came through, excitedly. [color=goldenrod]“You didn’t say ‘Over.'"[/color] Dennis lightly teased, trying to whisper to his grandfather, but he could tell from the change in Icon’s expression that he’d overheard him. No surprise, he could hear a single voice calling for help across the state. Hell, maybe across several states. “Quit screwing around!” [color=goldenrod]“Sorry, I meant to say ‘That sounds great.’” [/color] The newest Aquilifer said. [color=goldenrod]“The way things have been going lately, getting organized makes perfect sense to me. All for one and one for all and all of that.”[/color] He held out his hand and Icon took it. With his other hand held aloft and a slight amount of focus, Dennis made the Golden Rod glow as if to accentuate the momentous agreement. He smiled. [color=goldenrod] “Sorry. I’m showing off. Stayed up three nights trying to learn how to make the thing glow like that… Seemed like the moment called for some panache.”[/color] [b] "Right." [/b] Icon said as he looked at the glowing rod. [b] "Welcome to the team. We'll be in touch." [/b] Icon said before rocketing away into the sky, and out of view.