[center][h2][color=gold]V E R T I G O[/color][/h2][h3][color=dodgerblue]M A D C A P[/color] & [color=mediumpurple]A S T E R O I D[/color][/h3] [color=gold][sub]Collab with- | [color=dodgerblue]Madcap[/color] ([@Auragreedia])| [/sub][/color] [color=gold][sub]Mentions- | [color=gray]Blackstar[/color] ([@CosmicCowgirl])| [color=gold]Lightning Girl[/color] ([@FourtyTwo])| [color=#00FFFF]Hat Trick[/color] ([@BigPapaBelial])|[/sub][/color][/center] [hr] Asteroid’s got a skip to his step on his way back to where he left Madcap. His walk with Blackstar had gone so unbelievably well that he’d almost forgotten all about his close call with the murder bathroom. Blackstar was up to three stuffed animals, and Asteroid’s heart felt too big for his chest. Not a bad way to spend work- he’d initially been skeptical of the carnival dispatch today. It wasn’t that he didn’t like carnivals, he’d actually considered working for a carnival when he got out with his powers. Jet had hoped they’d need a juggler. But it turns out those crowds are generally pretty closely knit, and without a proven audience draw or knowing somebody it was hard to break into them. Slinking around those was where he initially ran into his band of villains. They weren’t really villains at that point though. One of them was a carnival kid that really wasn’t fitting his parent’s mold. His parents could control birds with a special whistle. It was a technique that was passed down in his family, their secret being a device and specific set of notes and patterns. Derek Loiseau- the french birdsman. Looking around reminded him of that initial time. Derek was in a 70s style look when Jet met him. Reds and yellows panels in bell bottom pants, and a white shirt with puffy long sleeves. Mrs. Loiseau was really serious about fitting the aesthetic. Once Derek left the carnival, he burned that uniform. Jet had handed the normally goth dressed man the lighter fluid that night. Derek swapped red eyeliner for purple when he was away from his parents. Jet always liked the red more. The bench he left Madcap is just coming into view when he feels a [url=https://youtu.be/Bs_AuDacuWw?si=ZiEilGOC6vfaLaMQ]tingle[/url] against the inward curl of his skull. It’s like someone is spraying him with water. Pressing up the back of his mask with a few fingers, he lays them at the hollow of his skull. Instinct leads him to sense for his tennis ball. He presses his gravity against it- and finds an ever so slight difference in its affected equation. Something- is off. Jet is perfectly ready to write it off as catching a cold. Maybe some sort of effect of a sugar rush from all that lemonade. Jet jogs over to the bench, and each step begins to feel like it’s landing just a bit farther than he expects. Like the Earth is curving away from his feet. [quote]The city is tiny looking from above, a chunk ripped out of it, only getting smaller and smaller. [color=dodgerblue]"The carnival is..."[/color] he gapes, peering through the bars and balloons. [color=dodgerblue]"The carnival is FLYING?!"[/color][/quote] Asteroid is stationary while Madcap is [i]swaying[/i] towards and away from him. That’s not right. Jet’s gut twists a bit, what does ‘The carnival is flying’ even mean? [color=mediumpurple]”Is this a riddle for the next bathroom puzzle?”[/color] Is Madcap following some sort of Escape Room like ARG? [color=mediumpurple]“Flying? I’m not sure that’s possible. But I’m also not sure I’m feeling so hot. Maybe a gas leak? ”[/color] The last word Jet says is more wobbly than usual. The world that was previously moving away from him is now doing so even from where he’s standing stationarily. His vision is starting to swim like he’s the camera in an insta360 video. [color=dodgerblue]“Riddle?!”[/color] He swivels around. [color=dodgerblue]“It means exactly what it means… CLOWNS! BEHIND!”[/color] Following Madcap’s eyes, he sees the gaggle of clowns begin to approach. Evil grins curl their lips, one of them giggling to themself. [color=mediumpurple]“Oh- oh no.”[/color] Madcap rushes behind Asteroid, holding him up by the shoulders as the clowns approach. All hell was breaking loose, civilians were dying, his teammates had to fend for themselves. He points at the clowns. [color=dodgerblue]“Halt! Here you face the Magnificent Madcap and his trusty assistant, the Astronomical Asteroid! Cease your wretched plans…”[/color] he leaps in front, a cool pose struck. [color=dodgerblue]“Or die trying.”[/color] Totally badass! Back on his feet proper, the group of clowns stare at him blankly before rushing him down. Asteroid is not spared, either, an endless barrage of punches and club swings thrown his way. Madcap is lucky enough to score a few good hits—a clown’s head evaporating into red mist, another grounded into paste, the last one knocked into a crowd like a bowling ball. He has to hold himself back from howling in excitement. The others could struggle all they want! It wouldn’t matter! It’d only make it more exciting! A stout clown dents a nearby building, Madcap’s fist coated in a thick layer of blood. Asteroid.. Is not fairing as well. Jet tries to collect himself for the entirety of Madcap’s speech. He doesn’t hear most of what Madcap says but at one point, he interjects a slurred but encouraging [color=mediumpurple]“Yeah!”[/color] Jet takes a club to the face and it sends him tumbling to the ground. Blood bursts under the surface of his skin at the impact site. That pattern continues as he throws up his arms to protect his face. Simultaneously he fights his powers against the differences in gravity calculation. It’s on the fly and unprepared, so it takes him a few tries to pop open the compartment that holds his projectiles. Rather than being able to control a few dozen, Jet’s relegated to controlling them 2-3 at a time. Two fly out in front of him, inflating to about the size of a basketball each. It’s enough to knock the clowns back and off of him. That gives him an opening to get to his feet. Asteroid gets to his feet as he dodges one mean left hook. Dodges a right. Ducks under a swing of a club, but when it comes from above on its return it really rings his bell. The vertigo hasn’t left, and that swing sends him to the floor. Asteroid’s fighting the world tipping as he slides back, using his knees as propellant. His tennis ball rockets out of its place on his side. He gets a few pushes away, and then uses his powers just to get him to his feet. [color=mediumpurple] “What’s the plan?”[/color] Bile rises in his throat as he prompts his teammate. Madcap snaps a clown’s neck and tosses him aside. [color=dodgerblue]“Defeat’em all, obviously!”[/color] He poses with his hands out by his side, silently bragging about the blood he’s shed. Asteroid’s current state is either lost on him or outright ignored. [color=dodgerblue]“It feels good not holding back anymore, right? RIGHT?!”[/color] Jet's nose is bloody under his mask. Copper migrates its way to his tongue which is grounding. [color=mediumpurple]“Mad- holding back? What?”[/color] The already reality-bending afternoon is making this feel like a dream turned nightmare. [color=dodgerblue]“Ahhh, it’s so fun!”[/color] He pauses suddenly, grabbing the back of Asteroid’s uniform and preparing to bolt. [color=dodgerblue]“We have to find the boss![/color] Asteroid feels the back of his suit grow taut and then gravity shifts around him again. He's moving backwards, feet dragging against the damp carnival ground. [color=mediumpurple]“Boss? An honest to god Scooby Doo Villain type?[/color] [color=dodgerblue]“Obviously!… What’s a Scooby Doo?”[/color] People around them are screaming and running from clowns. A few of the ones they were engaged with are moving to follow after them. Madcap is decisively moving them toward something. He pulls them into a building, and Asteroid pulls himself free. Taking a breath, his fingers twitch. A large shelving unit tips over on its side. With a metal thunk it’s blocking the door. Asteroid looks over his shoulder at Madcap. Red soaks down the front of him. It’s all hidden bar the copper rivers highlighting the gap between mask and collar. [color=mediumpurple]“Are we ducking in here, or do you know more than-?”[/color] The murder bathroom surrounds the spinning Madcaps in his vision. That shuts him up. It’s cold and all too shocking, the secret passageway still opened and breathing stale air. A sting hits Asteroid’s face as Madcap splashes cold water at him. The water below turns from clear to reddish brown—loud banging outside as the clowns desperately try to break their way into the bathroom. Madcap’s fingers twitch into a fist, his entire coated red, gaudy coat all but abandoned now. [color=dodgerblue]“We go in, obviously. It’s villain 101–cause a lot of chaos,”[/color] he peers into the tunnel, [color=dodgerblue]“and run away like a coward.”[/color] There’s still an air of playfulness to him, more giddy than confident. He ducks into the tunnel before Asteroid has a chance to protest and pokes his head out to goad him into following. Madcap's face out of the dark hole of the tunnel makes Asteroid shudder. It's something about his strong jaw that takes Jet somewhere else. It'd been easy to follow him earlier- Jet’s used to following orders. Placating everyone because it’s always safer that way. But the optimism of day is now buried under the lime blue and green dungeon like darkness. Now- Asteroid sees someone else. He feels the ice in his veins willing him to stay in the bathroom. Behind him, he hears the crack of splitting wood. That sends him tripping forward. [color=mediumpurple]”Is that?”[/color] Bloody oversized boot prints lead down the initial tunnel, and it makes his stomach twist. The vertigo is quelled by his ability to sense the four walls around him. Jet moves faster to catch up, the red smears igniting his sense of purpose in this place. The walls help him anchor himself. His powers feel just a little bit more stable here. It’s odd for Jet to be quiet. But he is. Everything he learned before the age of sixteen is forcing him to be seen, and certainly not heard. He’ll let Madcap take point here, it’s clear he’s not in any shape to do so. Yeah- that’s it. That’s what’s keeping him from stepping through the threshold into the next room. What had the evil clown said over the intercom? Gaggle was going to eject them into space? LG and Blackstar could be right at home up here, but Asteroid knew better. He knew first hand what a fall from four stories would do to your cranium. And this felt far more than four stories up. Static crackles in Jet’s ears, he winces at the peaks in frequency. [b][color=gray]“Lots of tunnels… under… what to do…”[/color][/b] [color=gold]“Blackstar grouped up… Helter…. Find Gaggles ....”[/color] Madcap halts his tracks, and taps a finger against the side of his helmet. [color=dodgerblue]“Huh. I didn’t understand any of that at all!”[/color] His hand curls and for a second, just a second, it feels as if he’s ready to lash out in annoyance. Water drips from the top of the tunnel, footsteps rumble overhead, Madcap tilts his head upward as a muffled crash echoes throughout. The rest of the team is probably getting their ass kicked. ‘Cause they’re not like him. It’s just a job, they save whoever has a subscription, they get paid. If A-team wasn’t here, would they have shown up later? No, because it’s not their job to. They would have been on some petty dispatch, doing petty work, all for a quick buck, all while kids die. Madcap’s fist smashes into a nearby wall, and it crumbles to reveal an empty roller coaster cart and a few bloodied footsteps. But a clown with a deflated balloon in his hands is seen walking away on the far side of the tracks. Asteroid stumbles back when Madcap’s fist smashes the wall. [color=mediumpurple]”Shit-!”[/color] The sudden loss of one of the anchor walls sends him careening backwards. The energy wafting off of Madcap triggers Jet’s flight. It morphs into fright and then freeze after his mind takes in the danger. This is quite frankly the most large-scale threat Jet’s ever faced. He’s not taking it well. A voice creeps up from a forgotten memory, [color=green]”you keep messing up like this, you idiotic- weak- child. I will start giving you better excuses.”[/color] Each insult results in a shove forward. Preteen Jet falling to the floor, stumbling backwards. Head cracking against the concrete floor of his father’s wine cellar. The dizzying shrinking of mind felt immediately after a head injury. It feels a lot like this. All Asteroid can do is try to shuffle forward after Madcap. He does his best to focus his equations on his upright ally, with him as an anchor he’s able to use his powers to keep himself upright. [color=dodgerblue]“I’m gonna get the boss on my own,”[/color] Madcap turns to Asteroid with a two-fingered salute. [color=dodgerblue]“You find the others, okay!”[/color] There’s no gap to protest or follow after, he jets off with a burst of speed, leaving a vertigo-riddled Asteroid by himself, surrounded by nothing but debris, the cold air of the tunnels, and the chill of the metal platform stinging his skin through his uniform. [color=00FFFF]“Clowns! Clowns everywhere!”[/color] Hat Trick’s voice crackles through his ear piece. [color=00FFFF]“... evacuating civilians….get clear!”[/color] Asteroid forces himself back through the wall Madcap busted. His arms are wrapped around his stomach. It’s an attempt to hold his churning guts inside his body. He follows the familiar path out through the fun house. Fear quickens his pulse as he hears the clowns finally making their way into the tunnel. He picks up his pace, knocking into walls on his way out through the mirror maze once more. This time, he watches the floor instead of his reflection. It slows him down. When he finally makes it out, he’s stumbling forward towards familiar gravity signatures. LG, Blackstar, he knows Hattrick is around here somewhere. Crumpling his right hand into a fist, the mirror maze bursts into thousands of tiny mirror and glass pieces. Those clowns won’t be following him anymore. The last burst of energy causes Jet to stumble and fall to his knees. Asteroid's body is close to tapping out, he's not sure how much more he can take. He reaches out with his gravity and feels for his team- holding onto the surety that they’re alive in their movements.