[IC] Epic City: Starburst

[Old Amsterdam]

@thewizardguy@Bluetommy

Alex was enjoying having a day to herself. Relax. Be lazy. She could-

She cursed as her phone went off, vibrating against her breasts.
Traveler, a giant pillar just appeared in the more rundown section. Making hell of a ruckus.

She read the message from one of her contacts. It was partially how she was able to get involved in so many fights and disasters, help the response teams quicker than many Heroes could respond.

[I] On my way. [/] She replied, already changing outfits.

A doorway, and she was at the scene.

A woman with a mask. Alex didn't recognize her. Hero, Villain, or Independent? she wondered to herself.

The pillar was already sinking beyond her range. Definitely nothing good would come off it sinking the entire way.

Alex reacted instead of thinking about it. She opened a portal as far down into the hole as she could, catching the pillar not far above the solid Stone base, and teleported it to the frozen tundra in the North, uninhabitable by normal means.

At least she's stopped the worst of the pillar, whatever it was for.

"Sup?" She asked casually. "You're making a hell of a ruckus. I'd ask what's going on, but I wouldn't know what you said with that mask on. So how about some general movements?"

She lifted her sword from it's sheath. "Not sure if you're good or bad, so let's take this slow, shall we?"

[AtomicNut]

Albert eyed the doughnut warily, as the patrol car leisurely strolled around the docks. His assigned companion, a rookie in the force was driving eagerly, his eyes full of youth and optimism. He decidedly looked naive and stupid, the things in these kind of jobs that could potentially get you killed, unless you grow out.

Well, he once had been like him, so he couldn't blame it. Still the doughnut was positively awful, dripping with fat and sugar. He still didn't know why so many people liked it, and why so many coppers of the isle liked it aswell. He would have preferred some biscuits. And some tea, not that murky sewer water that people here called coffee. Still, beggars couldn't be choosers, and he carefully nibbled it and sipped, one eye always on the sideroad. Left hand driving cars were still a bit odd to him, but he was managing.

He looked at the young lad, who then stopped the car in a small alley of the docks, his eyes making direct contact with Albert. "Say, Albert...can I call you Al? How is that a British guy ends up in the corp? Wouldn't it make sense to just...uh do it in your own country."

Albert sighed, as he took yet another awful sip. "I knew a bloke, who knew a bloke." He simply added. "He told me you people were struggling to find officers. And I gave it a try." He added, adjusting his uniform. "I may go back, though. I miss my tea." He smirked cynically.

"Uhuh, and what were you doing up until now? Chief told us you had done a lot fo stuff and you were trustworthy." That damn novice jeered, as Albert wrinkled his nose.

"I would have to kill you if i told you." He added, a gallic shrug. "Well, not really. But this isn't a pub conversation, so eyes on the road, Officer." Albert dismissed, as he stared on his side. Well, a distraction right now would be welcome, but he would rather have the boring option, really.

[ML]

Previously...

As it turned out, Garfield could, in fact, give a sleeping David super senses. Phantom soared above the night time city lights. Everything he saw and heard felt magnified a thousand times, like he was on six different types of stimulants. He could see the cracks in the pavement, a hundred feet below him. He could hear the couple ten blocks down, in a particularly passionate bout of make-up sex. It was weird as fucking hell.

"How we doing out there, sport?" Kenny's voice came out of the walkie-talkie. It hovered next to him through the air, which was also weird. Everything was weird.

"This is weird." He told her.

"That's great ghost rider, but do you see anything useful?"

"Not really. Well, hold on." A whirring motor sound caught his attention. He turned in the air and whooshed toward the sound. To anyone who was watching, all they'd see was a walkie-talkie floating alone through the air. That was a funny thought. He hoped that a picture of that would end up on Reddit or something.

"Okay guys, I've got something. A bunch of boats are coming up on a few seaside warehouses. These guys don't look like leisure boaters, I'll tell you that much."

"Sounds like our guys," Ernie said, taking control from Kenny. David snorted as he heard them struggle for a few moments, with Kenny cursing and Ernie sighing. "How much closer can you get to them? Can you get inside those warehouses?"

"Gonna have to drop the walkie for that," Phantom said. "You guys know I can't make anything else invisible, right?"

"Yeah, we know, Casper," Kenny reclaimed her spot as walkie-talker. "Just drop it somewhere conspicuous and get us some information on where everybody's at, okay? We're not about to move in now that we've got you to give us intel."

Phantom rolled his non-existent eyes and dove. "Okay, going dark in three...two...one." And mentally switched off the walkie and set it gently down in the shadows. "Time to see what I can see. Hope they don't have any snipers."

[Bluetommy]

@thewizardguy

Comet growled as his punch missed, landing on the ground in a crouch. He growled again as she spoke of "Lack of experience", his gloved hands letting out a rubbery noise as he pulled them ever tighter. Then he gawked as the sun was blotted out and all air suddenly disappeared, a massive pillar scraping its way down the walls of the tunnel. Edward looked around for a way out, frantically shaking as the pillar approached, before he decided that now was the time to run. His lungs, incredibly powerful in order to get oxygen from the air when at his top speed, could hold for a long time, though it probably wouldn't be healthy to hold longer than ten minutes or so, his body wasn't submerged in cold water so he had no chance of making it longer than a half hour.

So he ran into the nearest wall, smashing it with his fists and continuing to run. He continued punching his way through until he was fast enough that the shock wave could do it for him. He was going west... he hoped, if not he would probably end up in Isreal when he finally came out. His feet began to hurt as they hit the ground, but as he was in a vacuum, he felt no burning due to friction, meaning that he could go even faster if he wanted to. He cried out in pain as he went slightly above Mach 200, probably the highest he could go even in a vacuum. A minute and thirty seconds later, he crashed out of a plateau, air filling his lungs as he was thrown through the air by his momentum, the friction from the air burning his flesh as he flew out.

He crashed to the ground, sandy and dry, the sun beating down on his burned skin. He pushed himself up, hacking and coughing as he filled his lungs for the first time in what felt like forever. He scanned the surroundings, sandy and with plateaus everywhere, surrounding the area. Far above the hole that he had left was a sign that said "Sea level". He saw a road, with a truck passing by. He approached it and read the side. "Government of California."

He was in Death Valley, lowest elevation in North America. He had crossed the entire constituent United States just because of this one punk. He growled once more and sped off in the way he came. He went much slower this time, already injured from the friction, he arrived back at the location two minutes later, hoping that the epic had remained to ensure he was dead.

"You missed," he japed as he slid in. He noticed the new arrival, recognizing them. "Hey Traveller!"

[thewizardguy]

@Old Amsterdam@Bluetommy

Moments before the pillar would have finished the job, another Epic appeared on the scene. A girl, with reddish blonde hair and light blue eyes. Despite their cold colouration, however, there wasn't a hint of hardness in them. Determination, perhaps, but not the icey cold born from a lifetime of death and destruction. Another Epic with a powerful ability, and no real experience in the world. It seemed that this city had been isolated for so long the inhabitants had forgotten what it meant to suffer. Despite this the girl immediately took on a hostile stance, drawing her weapon.

Sighing, Guilt addressed the newcomer. "Within that hole is a figure known as Comet. He possesses the Gift of super-speed, and he was looking into my actions here. Attempting to find me. When I told him to stop, he threatened to kill me, showing off his super speed in an obvious attempt to intimidate." Her voice was guttural, almost whispered, but carried an air of cold certainty. There was no emotion in these words, other than perhaps mild irritation. "This is not your fight. Leave. I will finish him off before he can do any more harm, and then I will continue my business here. If you get involved, it will not end well for you." A second Epic might make this battle inconvenient, especially as this new Epic seemed to have abilities similar to Guilt's own. Teleportation was a powerful and versatile Gift, much harder to predict than simple superhuman speed.

It was at this point that the Speedster appeared on the scene once more, albeit not from the expected direction. He had not emerged from the pit, which was now open, but had instead appeared from the city. Had he somehow managed to escape the pit before this Traveller freed him? And if so, how? Certainly he could not have..... there were layers of solid stone down there, to escape the pit into the open air would require an immense amount of force. But... was that blood on his knuckles? He looked a bit different from before, strained. Was that heavy breathing? Clearly he had exerted himself.

"I see. So you escaped the pit by burrowing your way out of the side. You survived, but only because you pushed your limits. And yet you decided to return here?" Sighing, Guilt turned towards him. When would fools learn to accept their fate? Had he stayed away he could have lived for quite some time more. Even Guilt's abilities would not allow her to catch a speedster on the run. "Your escape cost you, and yet I remain untaxed. Perhaps I will simply bury you again, deeper this time. What made you think that your return would cause things to go any differently? Arrogance seals your fate." As she spoke, Guilt once more entered a combat-ready stance.

Purple lightning arced out from where Guilt stood, devouring all it touched. Walls, furniture, windows, cars... all of them began vanishing with alarming rapidity. Random objects were drawn into Void either partially or whole, leaving behind nothing but empty craters. Unknown to the two who faced her these objects would reappear high in the air, beginning a long fall towards the battlefield. Projectiles. "I am done holding back, 'Comet'. If you persist, I will have to tear you to shreds."

[Old Amsterdam]

@thewizardguy@Bluetommy

Alex sighed, letting that dark place inside her free, hardness entering her. Apparently this would be a fight.

"Look, lady, I'm deaf. Hopefully you at least understand me," she said slowly. Glancing at Comet, she raised an eyebrow. "You've gotten yourself into a mess. Is she talking?"

Alex twirled her sword idly. "Now, anyways, Comet is an ass. I would almost expect he's caused offense. But he's a hero. He helped defeat the Rat King. He's helped countless others. Now you....I don't even know your name. Your look. I can't say one way or the other how to place you yet. So, how about it? Do we really need to engage? Because I can bring in every major hero in this City in seconds. And being interrupted would make them angry."

Her eyes tracked the destruction. Calculating.

Looks like a form of teleportation... she thought to herself.

[Bluetommy]

@Old Amsterdam@thewizardguy

Edward bit his cheek as Traveller spoke.

"Thanks, hun," he responded quietly to being called an ass yet again.

He shot in front of Traveller, it was necessary that she saw his words.

"Listen, I'm serious, that person is a murderer, they murder criminals, hell, even normal people who bent the law just a little, when we first met they threatened both me and an agent of the High Venom, they threatened to kill me before we even spoke," he said frantically, his teeth bared and his eyes narrowed. "This person is dangerous, we have to stop her now!"

Without another word or a telegraph, Edward took off at supersonic speeds, faster than the human mind can react, he leapt into the air and dove feet-first towards Guilt, not caring about how wounded they were after this, it was preferable for them to live, but if they died, Edward knew it was necessary.

[thewizardguy]

@Old Amsterdam@Bluetommy

Once again, twice in short succession, Guilt found herself threatened by a force greater than herself. Not one of the High this time, but rather a large portion of this city's heroes. Based on the way this deaf girl spoke this was not the first time she had done this. Perhaps she was well-connected in this city. Although Guilt was confident she could handle most of this city's heroes in single combat, she didn't favour her odds taking on all of them at once. Gritting her teeth, she realised that once more superior force would force her to retreat, to allow Comet to get away. At this point it was not the idea of Comet surviving that bothered her, but the idea of once more being cowed into obedience by a more powerful opponent. Of being powerless, once again, despite her abilities.

But the Comet would not have it. Apparently his kryptonite was diplomacy, because he refused to accept it's presence. After a brief 'explanation' to his friend he shot forward, once more attempting to end Guilt. The speed and power behind these attacks was obvious, they were intended to be lethal. A human would have been done for before they could even think, but Guilt was practically designed for fighting like this. She refused to be caught off-guard. Moving far faster than a normal human's her mind followed his movements, felt the movement of the air, calculated his path. Faster than sound, but not faster than light. She could still see him. And, after all of this, Guilt was tired of holding back her true combat potential.

In the instant that Comet collided with Guilt, he was momentarily enveloped in purple energy. Then, he was simply gone. Vanished, as if he had never even been there. There was a slight pop, as the displaced air filled the newly emptied space. Unknowingly Comet had broken within Guilt's 5cm limit, and exposed himself to the full extent of her power. He had been drawn entirely into Void, a realm without time from within which he could not escape. Here, he was completely within Guilt's power.

Looking over at the deaf girl, the one who called themselves Traveller, Guilt considered how to proceed. No doubt Comet and this Traveller were acquainted, which would lead to trouble. Worse yet was the little communication problem they were having. As much as she might want to, it was impossible for Guilt to take off her mask. Without it, she would soon die. Sighing, Guilt glanced upwards, her powers grabbing the falling objects out of the sky even as they began to hit terminal velocity. Then she had a nearby car door appear in her hands, using her powers to engrave letters into it. The object vanished, reappearing in front of Traveller. Without the ability to speak to one another, they would need to communicate in such an old-fashioned manner.

The car door read 'Comet lives. He tried to kill me. Death is the logical punishment. He is within my power. Do you claim, in truth, that he should not be killed, even in self defense?'

Guilt stood passively, waiting for this girl's answer. She would not be cowed again, even by such a threat. If this woman wished for a large-scale battle, then she would receive a battle to remember. However, Guilt also had aspirations to be a hero. And she knew that, at least hypothetically, heroes were supposed to show mercy. As such, she would allow this woman to plead for Comet's life. A diplomatic solution, if ever there was one.

[Regitnui]

Khan stood still as the boats came closer. Finally, proper weapons, something to take the fight to those arrogant monsters who thought themselves gods. "Police approaching from the northwest," a speaker squawked from one of his bodyguard's radios. "Shall we divert them?"

"Sympathizers," Khan rumbled, both his guards looking at him. "They are unwelcome. Get rid of them, then remove the evidence." He flicked his had as if swatting a fly. Yes, they were flies to him. As well as the so-called leaders of this island. He was too close now to be distracted by such petty things.

Not half a mile away, one of the Kryptonites launched his weapon. The grenade lodged in the police car's bonnet, then detonated. Watching the crash, the culprit switched to a silenced rifle, all the better to pick off the two policemen, if they survived. They just arrived at the wrong time. Not their fault.

@AtomicNut@Mercenary Lord

[AtomicNut]

Al's eyes squinted eyeing one of the figures. That couldn't be a militar could he? WHat was he...oh. He noticed a second afterwards the kind of weapon that was fired, before yelling "BLIMEY! Grenade!" He urged as he jumped out and pushed his fellow officer out of the car, before jumping away and rolling sideways, the explosion of debris peppering his back with shrapnel and cuts. Once again, his reflexes honed in years inside the battlefield had saved him from certain death. He eyed at his partner.

He had not been so lucky, as a shrapnel injury had penetrated through his eye, killing him almost instantly. Flipping his still working radio, Al didn't even think when he made the callsign, his hand already reaching for the gun. "This is officer Wolfe. We're being assaulted by paramilitar troops at the docks. Officer McKenzie has given his life in the line of duty. Bring reinforncements... and corpse bags." He said, in a harsh raspy voice, as he took aim. His arm wobbled, the wreck and flames of the explosion playing on his senses. The target was armored, with hi tech gear.

A difficult shot. But not for him. For a brief second, memories of the war surfaced. He pressed the trigger, his assailant aiming his rifle. The bullet's entry point was neat, right between the eyes and nose. The sweet spot. The attacking grunt fell to the ground with a thud, without twitching even.

"SHIT! SNIPE-" One of his colleagues added, this time firing at the man successfully. His fate was no diferent, a second shot grazing his neck, while Albert struggled to cover under the gunfire, using the car as a wreck. He clenched his teeth. Alright, you want a fight with the Law? You got one. I ain't reading your rights, you murderers. Furious thoughts assaulted him as he thought how to acquire a better tactical position and maneuver through the unfavorable odds.
@Regitnui@Mercenary Lord

[Old Amsterdam]

@Bluetommy@thewizardguy

Alex frowned, reading the message. "Well, at least we can understand each other," she called over simply. "Well, you're not unreasonable at least. So, let's talk."

Alex walked over, stopping about ten feet away and sitting down neatly. She patted the ground next to her in offering. "I find it's easier to talk politely when both parties are sitting. Entirely your choice."

With a flourish, Alex laid her sword down next to her. "See, Comet is an ass. It's just his personality from what I've seen and been told. Inside he's a good guy. A hero in this bastard City that I love. We, along with so many others, do our best to protect and defend others from the evil we all face. Correct me if I'm wrong in thinking you've seen your fair share of that evil."

She paused. "But killing him would result in me having to act. Since you haven't, I'm going to assume you lean towards Hero. Beyond that, I'm not quite sure what else to say until you respond."

[thewizardguy]

@Old Amsterdam@Bluetommy

The girl, at least, was courteous. A welcome difference from her previous opponent's brash attitude. Guilt refused the offer to sit, preferring to always be at the ready. Although she doubted this woman planned to kill her, she hadn't lived this long by taking chances. So she heard the deaf girl out, considering her options. Could that fool really be a 'hero'? The kind of person who saved others? From what Guilt had seen he had been but a violent moron, attacking people with little to no provocation. He had no sense of duty, no sense of honour, as far as she could tell. But this Traveller was more intelligent, and seemed willing to vouch for him. And at this point releasing the man would save a considerable amount of trouble.

With a slight grunt Guilt waved her hand, causing Edward to reappear about 5 meters away, upside down. From his perspective no time would have passed, as from one moment to the next the world turned upside down and his target was replaced with a brick wall. He had been released from Void, in one piece.

Turning to Comet, Guilt spoke. "Your life has been spared, for now. Because another judged you worth saving. Do not attack me again, and we will not have to repeat this. I am not known for kindness, nor mercy, and I can only make so many exceptions." Not giving Edward a chance to attack her again, she vanished, moving from rooftop to rooftop. This business had been unfortunate, and it's ending had not been quite as satisfying as she had hoped it would be. But this had been the right choice to make. And the knowledge that she had done the right thing would tide her over to the next day.

Meanwhile, she'd have to find something else to keep her occupied until the night came to an end. Or maybe she'd have a nap... Even she could not survive without sleep indefinitely.

[ihinka]

Teagan awoke with a tingling sensation in her right arm. She opened her eyes and turned her head to find Megan curled up to her side for the second time since the terrible ordeal she'd been through. The young woman occupied the right side of Teagan's queen size bed. The firefighter rarely slept in the middle of the bed, even huge as it was. She might have started in the middle, but in the end always gravitated towards the left side with her right arm stretched out beside her. Which currently served as a pillow for Megan.

Teagan glanced at the digital watch on her night stand. 9 AM. She wasn't exactly a morning person when off shift, but she supposed she could do 9 AM in a pinch. She gently turned to her side and slid her arm from under Megs' head.

The young woman opened her eyes and stared at Teagan.

"Morning." The firefighter said, confident her companion would read her lips.

"Sorry I snuck into your bed." Megan signed in apology.

"Megan. Don' ever apologize for that." Tegan spoke again as she was not so confident in signing with just one hand as Megan was. "Nightmare?" She asked.

"Not this time, thankfully." Megan signed. "I just woke up and did't want to be alone in my room." She finished looking lost and hurt.

"It's okay." Teagan assured the young woman and drew her into a hug.

They stayed like that for a minute or two and then withdrew from each other.

"Do you want some breakfast?" She signed after pushing herself up into a sitting position.

"Can I cook?" Megan asked.

"I can cook you know." Teagan assured playfully getting up from the bed.

"Yeah. Firefighter grub, no, thanks!" Megan stuck her tongue out getting caught in the game.

Teagan grabbed her heart dramatically. "Argh, ye wound me, m'lady." She spoke, making sure Megan could read her lips.

"You'll live." Megan assured mercilessly, but couldn't contain a smirk.

Teagan laughed. "Go get ready. I'll grab a quick shower and than we'll see about you making us a breakfast."

Less than an hour later they had polished their breakfast and Teagan'd asked Megs to join her in the leaving room where the documents from child services still lay on the coffee table.

"We need to talk." She said looking at the file. Megan stiffened at the proclamation. But Teagan hurried to reassure her. "It's important, but it's not bad." The young woman relaxed visibly.

Teagan quickly relayed last night's events and the visit of one Mr Smith from Child Services.

"So they acknowledged Mom and Dad appointing you as my guardian. They just need this filled out and filed so that you are officially recognized as my next of kin and stuff?" Megan recapped.

"Yes." Teagan confirmed. "It seems on the level. I had a cop friend of mine verify his credentials." Regan's face popped into her head and she couldn't help but smile.

"A cop friend, huh?" Megan somehow managed to relate a playful smirk in her signing. "She hot?"

Teagan groaned. "Oh, God! Not you too!"

Megan laughed her silent laugh. "I see Aunt Martha's a few steps ahead of me. I'll have to see what she knows about this 'cop friend' of yours." She threatened.

Teagan threw her hands in defeat. "Of course you'd team up with my mum." She mock complained. Megan was smiling so she didn't mind if she wanted to gang up on her with her mother about her romantic life. Or lack thereof. But not for long. Hopefully.

Sometime later they'd signed the papers they'd decided upon. Teagan would be listed as Megan's official guardian, next of kin and emergency contact, with Martha and Rory as back ups, but she would keep her family name. Shortly after her parents had arrived to take Megan out college hunting and Martha'd offered to file the documents for her.

"We'll take care of Megan." She'd assured her daughter. "You have your own things to do." She'd winked meaningfully and Teagan'd groaned as Megan had caught it. Those two are gonna be trouble. She thought.

---

Around 1 PM she was just finishing her warm up before her daily training session when her phone buzzed. 'Had half shift today. Just finished. The Chief told me you'll be joining the SAR team permanently. Wanna show me just how proficient you are in Krav Maga?'

Teagan grinned. 'How fortunate. Just finished my warm up. Where?'

'I'll come pick you up. Give me your address, so I don't have to abuse my authority and get it myself' The text ended with a tongue-out smiley face.

Oh, very smooth. Teagan thought. And cheeky. She typed her address.

'Be there in ten. Don't get cooled off.'

I'll need a cold shower for that! Teagan thought and fought not to get overexcited at the prospect of training with Regan. She threw some stuff in her fitness bag, shot a message to her parents to let them know where she'll be and to call if they needed anything. She'd just finished preparing when the door bell rang.

Her heart skipped a beat. Jesus, Heyes. Control yourself! You're not a kid. Still she couldn't help but grin all the way to the door. She peaked through the spyhole. And grinned even more, observing Regan still in her uniform. Oh, man, that uniform! She thought, praying that her fair complexion wouldn't give her excitement away when she opened the door.

"Open up, Heyes, I know you're in there!" Regan mock threatened from outside.

Teagan deliberately unlocked as slow as she could and opened the door a fraction. "How can I help ye, Officer?"

Regan's eyes glinted playfully. She put her fisted hands on her hips and assumed an official stand, playing along. "Well, ma'am, it would appear you've been claiming a proficiency in Krav Maga and I'm here to verify or arrest you for slander if you cannot put your skills where your mouth is."

Teagan laughed out loud. Opening the door fully, she stepped out and quickly locked it. "It would appear I'm in trouble then." She continued the game.

"That you are, ma'am." Regan assured her, mock seriously.

"I am a law abiding citizen." Tegan offered her hands to be handcuffed. "I intend to fully cooperate."

At that Regan finally cracked. She burst out laughing and slapped Teagan's hands away. "Don't tempt me, Heyes." She growled and led them to her cruiser. "Come on. The Chief asked me to see what you're made of, before we put you through the official tests for the SAR team."

Teagan sobered a bit.

"Fine by me. I hadn't had to really use my training, but I've been keeping it current. I could use the practice with a partner."

"From what I saw during the swarm rats' attack. You don't appear to be out of practice." Regan assured remembering how Teagan'd reacted with lightning speed to disable the rat that had attacked them from above. Fast and swift. No fuss, no muss. Exactly what Krav Maga was all about.

---

Teagan was sprawled on the mat, face first, her right arm painfully twisted up, fingers pointing to her head. The lock was most effective and quite painful. Still, she wasn't ready to yield yet.

"Don't make me hurt you, Heyes, tap out!" Regan growled, twisting her arm up a fraction.

Teagan gave in with two short taps to the mat and her arm was immediately released and gently straightened. They'd had a very fruitful sparring session. The firefighter was pleased to find out she really wasn't as rusty as she'd thought even against an active PART officer like Regan. She turned around and lay on her back breathing heavily.

Regan flopped down next to her, her breath labored as well. She knew Teagan's ranking in Krav Maga but somehow still hadn't expected the ex firefighter to give her this much trouble. Well, she was fit as hell and a bit heavier then herself. She dared a peak at Teagan, still trying to catch her breath after their heavy sparring session. Yup, fit as hell! She was glad she was still red from the exertion, otherwise her flush at checking Teagan up would reveal itself. She sat up and tried to regain some composure.

"The sergeants at the precinct will still have to put you through the moves, but I don't see you having any trouble with the hand-to hand portion of the testing." She announced standing and extending her hand to Teagan. "You gave me a run for my money." She assured with a smile, tugging the other woman up. They ended up being really close, staring almost startled at each other. Still breathing hard. Still red from the workout. Teagan's hand still in Regan's. The moment extended impossibly, the two of them holding hands, just staying close, staring at each other.

A shrill sound tore them out of their blissful stupor.

"Shit!" Regan cursed. She lounged for her cell, answered and listened intently for a moment. After hanging up, she returned to stand in front of Teagan. "There's trouble at the docks. An officer's been killed and another one is under heavy fire. Kryptonites involvement is suspected. Our outfit has been mobilized."

The Kryptonites. Those bastards responsible for Sara and Jorge's death! Teagan thought. "Go!" She said forcefully. Fire igniting her green eyes.

"This is not over." Regan said not moving.

Both women knew what she meant.

Teagan nodded. "Go." She said it softly this time. "Stay safe, Murphy!"

This time it was Regan's turn to nod. She quickly gathered her things and sprinted towards her cruiser.

Teagan watched her leave and prayed she'd be safe. She wanted to see where this thing growing between them could lead. She quietly gathered her things and hailed a cab home. She took out a peace of paper from her gym bag. It was an appointment a week from now to get her fully tested for approval in joining the search and rescue squad of the ECPD.

@AtomicNut@Regitnui@Mercenary Lord

[Old Amsterdam]

@thewizardguy@Bluetommy

Alex stood, watching the woman disappear, her frown still in place.

"Comet. Tell me everything," she said quietly. "Because that's one dangerous Epic, and I have a feeling I'm going to need all the info you've got. Others will need to know."

She walked closer, sheathing her sword, and shook her head lightly. "And I mean everything, please. What led you to become involved here, anything she said, all of it. Because if you get in another altercation with her... I'm not sure I can save you next time."

Definitely teleportation abilities. But I couldn't just lock on to him when she took him away. Faint connection, but it's not like I can try and figure it out right now... she thought to herself.

[Bluetommy]

@Old Amsterdam

To Edward it was like he had fallen asleep just as he connected with the kick, and he awoke suddenly falling to the ground in a heap. He sat up as the epic again threatened him before leaving.

"Wow, what an asshole," he sighed hypocritically. He looked over at Alex crossing his arms and sighing as she stated, perhaps truthfully that he wouldn't be saved the next time they met.

"Everything eh?" he answered. Another sigh, and finally he stood, his skin beet-red from his burns. "Fine, but we're going to have to go pretty far back...

"...It all started in a small town in Wales, two kids, one Edward Iwan, yours truly, and Nudd Richards. We were kids, spent our time breaking windows or whatever, anyway, this guy turned into a freak, murdered my romantic partner and almost killed me. He came to Epic City earlier this week, today I fought him twice, first he beat me, the second time I met the High Venom," he said, suddenly seated in a chair. "She gave me this weird guy to help... Shatter I think his name was. Anyway, we had him beat, then they showed up, the asshole in the mask," he scowled as he spoke of their new friend.

"Knocked me into a wall, threatened to kill us. I ran by, killed Nudd and let Shatter do the rest of the talking, they threatened to kill the both of us again and then teleported away," he furrowed his brows. "Obviously I don't want to let someone who threatens to kill so easily walk free, so I went looking, found out about a 'masked vigilante'," he said, making air-quotes with his fingers.

Edward grimaced as he recalled the first time he heard about the vigilante.

"Murdering criminals, murderers, arsonists, thieves, whoever, and not just murdering them, mutilating them. Like their bodies had been put through a wood-chipper. She approached me in this alley, I got mad, she did the pillar thing, and you know the rest," he finished with a long exhale, closing his eyes and interlocking his hands in front of his mouth.

"They can create vacuums, teleport, and do whatever the hell they just did to me. Though that mask may be a weakness, if only we could hit them," he informed Alex, still not sure about the mystery man's gender. "Also they somehow knew my name without me telling them once, weird," he said, bewildered, forgetting the fact that his name was plastered across his back in bold lettering. He did that often, improved brain processing meant you ran out of space real quick.

"We need to figure out their weakness and take them down," he stated, determination in his eyes. "But first I need a new pair of goggles... and a hairtie." Both had been lost somewhere in Nevada... or maybe Illinois, he wasn't exactly sure.

[ML]

I N T O T H E F R A Y

This was not what Phantom had expected. He'd made it into the first warehouse when his extra-powerful senses picked up the squad car. And then the explosion. "Fuck," he hissed, shooting out of the warehouse to look at the carnage. The car had been bombed to high hell, and the Kryptonite who had blasted it was moving closer to take out survivors. David had a very small window to act. One of the people in the squad car was fighting back. That could buy David enough time...

He lunged over to the walkie-talkie. "Kenny! Get the FUCK in here now! Bring everything you've got! There's police involved. Kryptonites have grenades. We can kiss our plans goodbye." He dropped the walkie, ignoring the woman's squawking disapproval. They didn't have time to argue about this. He leapt into the air, growing to twice his normal size and howling.

A rattling shriek echoed over the waterfront, drawing all eyes to the hovering, body-less nightmare that was his body. Shots rang out into the sky, whizzing through him without so much as a drop in speed. Not for the first time, Phantom thanked his lucky stars that he didn't have to worry about getting shot. It was easy to be a bullet sink when they all went right through him. He laughed maniacally, delighted at the confusion on their faces.

He felt obscenely chaos-powered as he dove, sweeping through the enemy with free-spirited abandon. "YOU SHALL PERISH TONIGHT, VERMIN." His voice boomed out from the inky blackness of his hood. He watched as one Kryptonite pointed a gun at his face, hands shaking. "ACCEPT THE BECKONING OF THE NEXT LIFE." He punched the guy flat out with his telekinetic might. The force of the blow surprised him. He hadn't rea;;y thought about it: he'd just wanted to punch the guy. Maybe instinct had some merit to it. He'd talk to Kenny about it later.

Lightning exploded across the sudden war-zone, frying a Kryptonite with a horrific sizzle. Ernie had arrived. He jumped down from a warehouse roof, wearing something...well, it looked like something out of that old Edge of Tomorrow movie with Tom Cruise. It was some kind of scrappy-looking exoskeleton, but it only covered his bottom half. The man bent his legs and jumped, and the whining mechanical device launched him twenty feet to one side. Damn, that was what Hannah had made? What was she, Tony Stark?

A bullet flashed through him, hitting a Kryptofucker right in the eye. David lurched around to see Maria, who boasted what looked like some kind of stabilizing robot on the end of an old-looking rifle. She waved at him when he saw her, then she disappeared to another location. Kenny popped out from behind the same corner, bounding forward with practiced ease until her set of armor sprung her into the air. She twisted as she fell, dropping four black magazines.

Then four rifles exploded into life around her, one on each appendage. The clicked empty as she hit the ground, and David watched in awe as she loaded all four guns with the magazines she had dropped previously. None of this should have been possible. Where the fuck did they get guns? They didn't even look like real guns, more like piles of scrap that had been welded together. Had Hannah made the guns too? Jesus fuckin' Christ.

Phantom realized that his senses had diminished a great deal. He guessed that Garfield was splitting his powers to the rest of them, boosting all their senses by a little. Vince was there with the rest of them, dodging bullets without a suit, and punching the Kryppies with nothing but brass knuckles.

But they weren't an army. Eventually they were going to be overrun. The other team, the Kryptonites: they had real guns. Heavy ordinance. Grenade launchers. That wasn't good.

David willed himself to grow again. Phantom loomed high above the rest of them, his shoulders as tall as the warehouses around him. He eyed a shipping container near his foot, and kicked at it. Nothing happened. "Fuck," he hissed. He tried again, this time only thinking about how he wanted to flatten the bastard pointing an RPG at him.

This time, the entire shipping container WHOOSHED into the air, tumbling end over end toward the man. The Kryptonite lowered the weapon in shock, just in time to get smashed by the container. Both man and metal bounced into the water, where they sank slowly. Damn, he'd done that?

"FUCK YEAH!" he heard Kenny shout. "That's my fuckin' boy right there!"

[Regitnui]

The boat coasted to a stop, gently bumping against the dock. "I trust the transfer was successful?" Khan said, seemingly oblivious to the chaos breaking out behind him. The crew hauled out a box as long as a man and half as tall, before going back for a second, and a third. "Excellent," Khan nodded, then waved his hands. "Time for a field test. Kill every Epic harassing us and then load the rest. I expect full action reports on the weapons' performances."

As Khan and his two guards returned to an incongruously pristine limousine nearby, the Kryptonites on the boat cracked open a crate. The weapons they passed out resembled shotguns, but the smooth, bulbous devices replacing the barrels were unlike any gunpowder weapon. A pair of them charged their new weapons, the end splitting crossways to reveal a glowing, humming core. "Let's give the big guy a surprise."

Two, four, six blasts of deep purple energy flew towards the giant form of Phantom looming over the docks. Despite the size of their target, most of the shots missed entirely, their glow sucking up casting clinging shadows on whatever they hit. Except for the one that hit Phantom, which blew a gaping hole in his ethereal form. Another blast tagged a speedster entirely by accident, sending the Epic sprawling.

Newly armed and encouraged by these results, the Kryptonites spread out.

[Old Amsterdam]

@Bluetommy
Alex sighed. "Or we could leave them be and I can have Recon done on them to determine threat level and appropriate action.," She said quietly. "But what about a name? Did they give a name? It would be a lot easier to find out any information with a name."

She absently stretched. "And I'm thinking that was a woman. Fingers. Unless there were modifications done, fingers generally follow gender. Whether the ring finger or the pointer finger are longer, really. But I suppose I could be wrong."

She opened a doorway, walking towards it. "Look, Comet, do what you want. But I highly suggest you stand down on this one. I don't think you can beat them. And maybe I'll find out something and be able to convince them to leave anyone but the worst criminals alone. Alright? Do you think you can do that for me?" She asked, pausing at her portal.

[AtomicNut]

The incessant clattering of bullets under his cover rang into Albert's ears. One of them zipped past his cheek, making a small gash in his cheek, who bled almost immediately, a stinging sensation burning in the cops mind. They won't make it at this rate. He somberly thought as he thought about the reinforcements. After all, he wasn't prepared for this kind of situation. Paramilitar troops with heavy ordinance, versus a single cop with a peashooter. There was no comparison...and yet.

Albert's eyes frowned, as he kicked a grenade they had thrown at him with the launcher, intending to flush him out of cover. Perhaps if they had thrown several, they would have suceeded. But what was prolonging the fight was the fact that these men were professionals and were not in the mood to waste ammo. Grimly, Albert thought that it was that fact why he was still breathing after the initial shootout.

He finally had to roll out of cover, bullets zipping past him, when another coordinated shot of the mercenaries blew up what was left of Officer McKenzie and the car. Up in the skies fireworks of experimental weapons met with other figures. Reinforcements? He thought to himself, but then realized. Those were just some hotshot epics. They probably couldn't win against these paramilitar forces. It was when his sight turned to the right, and he let out a gasp.

A propane blowtorch.

He could be dead at any moment any kind of bullet hit the container, but miracously, it did not so. He gently nudged the cylinder, its tip aiming at him. He gripped a nearby crowbar in his free hand. "Alright. Time to pay the piper." He said somberly, as he smashed the valve with all his might, releasing a stream of propane, and propelling the bottle at dangerous speed. It hit one of the goons in the legs, smashing his femur into smithereens and making him painfully drop down to the ground in agony. The bottle kept uncontrollably spinning, as the remaining soldiers grunted and attempted to fire.

"Hold your fire that's pro-" A harsh voice could be heard, before the inevitable happened.

"Woah." Albert said, as he took cover from the resulting fireball, the Kryptonians now flailing in fire shooting at random directions. He steeled himself, as he gripped his gun. Half of his shots remaining. He took aim once more. He fired, decisively. One shot, one headshot, the confusion being his ally.

[TheHangedMan]

Charlotte Carrolle Lutwidge

---

.
"Put those reports on the pile over their, Aida."

The stoic mannequin complied with her request, placing a stack of papers neatly upon an ever growing pile of them. Her room, in simple terms, was a complete mess. Large towers of paper up to an adult man's height grew here and there, while photos and maps were haphazardly taped across the wall. Two large T.V. monitors dominated the space at the front of the room, while several smaller ones hovered above them. Presently a large portion of the king-sized bed was occupied by weapons and diagrams. Aida had pleaded with Charlotte more than once to let her clean it, the sight growing increasingly unbearable for her, though she did not voice it, but Charlotte refused. She'd rather not have her notes rearranged when she was quite aware of where she'd placed them; 'organized chaos' and all that.

As of current, she was working on something. A lead, at least, that was what she'd like to believe. Useful information with regards to her target was becoming increasingly difficult to grab hold off. Most data she was able to process turned out to be junk or simply a different variation of information she'd heard a hundred times over. She was loathed to admit it, but she was getting frustrated with the lack of development, and it may be affecting her judgement. She was even tempted to don White Knight and go into town for simple 'heroics' for a change of pace - as pointless as that course of action was it was still better than doing what was effectively nothing, and perhaps by stirring the rats nest, she might find something useful. She wasn't quite that desperate however, so for now she had to put up with absolutely irksome task of sorting out paperwork.

Sometimes it was not such a chore - there were times where she even enjoyed such work. Now, however, was not such a time.

"I hate taxes," she thought. It was a thought she wondered how many kids her age could empathize with. Aida may be a capable actress/maid/bodyguard, but she had neither the time nor head for management beyond combat situations. Perhaps she should look into using her powers to invest in a 'child' that could help her sort through all this vile paper work? It was certainly worth looking into . . .

"M'lady, I do hate to interrupt your session, but it appears we have an uninvited guest at our doors." That was Cheshire. The cat was nestling contentedly atop a pile of pillows that she was sure where not on her bed earlier. He probably brought them in sometime without her noticing.

She looked up at the smaller T.V. screens close to the ceilings and saw, that there was indeed someone at their door. She narrowed her eyes at the man. What was he, another solicitor? Or perhaps something more? Whatever the case, she determined that gate-guards would be another thing worth investing on.

"I don't want to be disturbed right now, Cheshire." She was busy. Whatever the man wanted, he could come tomorrow evening.

Nodding in response to her wordless request, the cat grinned and launched out of bed faster than she could blink. Aida took a moment, picked up a pistol from the bed, bowed, and followed after him. It was just like her to be prudent, in the case that this man needed to be removed by force. Speaking of prudent.

"White Knight . . ."

---

Cheshire arrived first, which was a given. Rather than meet their guest through the front door, the currently invisible cat perched atop the window sill above the man. Clearing his throat, he spoke loudly and clearly, making sure to get the man's attention.

"Alack, alay! I say indeed, what is this? What manner of creature are you? And to come to our doors at this unusual hour - how peculiar! Pray thee ser, dos't thou lost? Say it isn't so! We've no choice but to take you in - and yet, it would be better to turn away! Naught but straw-men and ghosts in this home, hee hee!"

It was his usual infuriating patter of speech. For some reason, whenever he wasn't speaking with Charlotte, he couldn't help but to speak in such a way. Perhaps it was similar to the phenomenon of children changing their way of speaking when not in the presence of their mothers - well, it wasn't as though he minded. He actually liked the way he spoke, after all.

Meanwhile, Aida had more or less arrived, staying behind the still shut door, her gun trained over at a spot on the door right behind which was the Techsters head, her finger steady on the trigger.

---

@Old Amsterdam