Hoods & Capes | IC

[KatSea]

Snowfall

"You know...don't stray too far from the equator or otherwise you are gonna have to buy me dinner. And believe me, superhero work is on a fixed budget, I know that ain't ideal." Snowfall fumbled out a quip, trying to steady any nerves firing to life as his grip came to her waist. She tensed, temporarily, reminding herself that this was...not for all intended purposes, on the job activities. Then again, so was that little- "Heh. I appreciate the lie there, sir." She commented, voice dry and threatening to crackle. However, the moment she was lifted above the ground she swallowed down any hesitation, frost at the ready against her palms from the light coat of sweat that accumulated underneath her sleeves (Honestly, who knew normal bodily functions could prove to be so useful?). Perhaps it was the tenseness of her shoulders that calmed her down to her, grounding her to the reality that she was about to be chucked across a flaming open hole that dear God she could die in and fuck Jem would get all her freaking property and dear God that's another tire fire just waiting to happen. God, no fear in the fiery demise but dear God no, not Jem in charge of a whole goddamn house-

Before her brain could fire out distracting concerns of the hellhole her home could very well become under her brother's tyranny, Snowfall felt the air around her slash against her face as she was swung around and thrust from his grip. SHIT! The only word that was coherent in the flurry of meaningless noise and panic in her head flooded her senses, but calm overtook her as she slammed her hands downwards, firing off two pillars of frost into the ground beneath her, keeping her aloft momentarily before she was able to push herself to solid ground, her heel clacking against the surface as her breath flooded from her lungs. Every ounce of carbon dioxide left her, taking her several seconds to remember that Oh, hell, oxygen is a friggin' necessity. Inhaling sharply as the life giving breath scratched at her throat, she let out a soft, broken laugh that barely escaped as a muffled wheeze. Her hands clasped her knees as she bent over to regulate her breathing, her teeth nearly clamping down onto her tongue. Barely avoiding the possible bloodbath in her mouth, she brought the back of her hand to her head and exhaled again in relief.

"Nice shot there sir! Should have tried out for the NFL there boss..." She huffed, chuckling again as the adrenaline thrummed through her veins. Her eyes flickered back to witness the hero, almost effortlessly, leap through the air and land close by to her. Preparing to raise her hand to give him a thumbs up of approval, her eyes widened as the floor beneath him shattered, and with a worried call she exclaimed "Uh? Sir! You, you okay sir?!" Letting icicles trickle down her wrists, she was prepared to lower herself down to the abyss below...only to watch his fingers curl around the broken floor and pull himself back to meet her. She hopped back, hoping to give him some room, before she clamped her hands together and focused on lowering the increased temperature that surrounded his uniform. "Aye....you alright there sir?" She blinked, if not worriedly. "I agree but..." A very weary grin crossed her features. "I honestly wanna do that again."

She paused, awkward red flooding above her balaclava. She gestured ahead with her thumb. "Okay so just...gotta extinguish the flames, do some hero poses, in and out, hopefully don't slip on my own cape before it catches fire, and get out of here unscathed." She took a deep, heavy inhale. "Sounds like a Saturday night to me."

 

[Zerofighter]

Kill her....what are you doing?"
David sheathed his blade, and closed his eyes. Seeing the girl, looked relieved, as she ran to safety. Their voices shouted in his earpiece, asking who the hell he thinks he is. Turning off communications, David left that life behind. Sense then has been running and hunting down.

David has been watching these metahumans for the past few hours. Studying them if he had to...confront them. Though that was an option he didn't want to choose. They all seemed strong, enough to give him a tough fight. The Ones who turned him into a killer, they had great interest in Metahumans. Thinking they could make a army of Supermen. He was one of their first experiments.

His Mask has a scope inside, allowing him to see father away. Raising a eyebrow at the roaring flames, wondering if he should help intervene. Despite hating to make himself known, he couldn't let people die. Especially ones who didn't deserve it. Firing a grapple wire, he zip-lines down to the burning building.

 

[Mobley Eats]

Iron Head

Washington, DC
Inova Fairfax Hospital (West Wing)
Interactions: Paramedic @Seductress

Okay... Yeah. That sucked ass just as much as she thought it would.

Iron Head could've sworn an earthquake ripped through her muscles and joints the moment the grenade detonated. It didn't hurt, but having her insides jostled was never a feeling she would enjoy. Fortunately, crossing her arms and gritting her teeth was just enough to spare her of unconsciousness, and she flew back several feet from the force. Fire licked and scorched around the edges of Azure and Transfer's shields, but ultimately left them unscathed.

Well, at least something worked, even in her shitty weakened state.

Mid-flight, awareness snapped at her mind like a whip and in a flourish of panic, she twisted her body and landed on her stomach, skidding to a rough halt. "Thank... fuck," she rasped under her breath. If she had landed on her back and shattered the vials... she would've been in an entirely new world of trouble. Grumbling, she cautiously sat up and glared up at something flying back.

...The actual fuck was that? A military jet? No... It was far from a normal one; the amount of advanced technology that thing carried literally oozed from its mechanical pores. Shit. That wasn't a good sign at all. Nowadays, anything with fancy tech just set off all the alarms and sirens in her metal head. Regardless, there was no way in hell she could do anything about the jet. Her blood supply was completely shot now and her general stamina wasn't any better.

Wait.

The masked fuckers.

Jumping to her feet (and wobbling a bit from the backlash of moving too fast), Iron Head scanned the area for any obscured faces, but sucked her teeth when she failed to spot any. "Cowards got away," she called out to the other heroes. Well, now what? She was no good for putting out this fire, either, though she figured that dorky ice witch and Night Watcher had it under control--

"Someone needs to fill me in." Oh... Come, the fuck, on. Iron Head could've sworn her eyes rolled so hard that they disappeared into her sockets. "Someone has a lot of explaining to do." The demand came from a paramedic, who had an entire freaking fleet of firemen and other rescue services behind her.

Heaving a sigh, the iron avenger marched up to her, her steps heavy and crushing into cement, then left mere inches of space between them. A paradox of indifference and unfiltered agitation coated her voice like venom. "Bitch ass politician got jumped. Hospital exploded. Masked dudes shooting. Trying to fix the clusterfuck. Another explosion. Little asswipes escaped. People are still inside." A lazy sneer scrunched up her nose. "Did I paint a good enough picture for you, lady." She didn't wait for a response. Iron Head then turned away from her, taking in the fire once more. "Good. So go do your job; people kinda need it right now."

 

[Seductress]

The paramedic listened the entire time, listening to every word that came out of Iron Head's mouth. If there was time for so much to transpire before the department got the emergency call, what was going on? There was a very nasty taste in her mouth, something that took over her flavor palette and soaked itself within her taste buds. The woman looked around, her attention nearing up the side of the rather large hospital. After Iron Head's miniature monologue finished, the paramedic looked over to her. "I don't know who any of you guys are," she started. "You must be new to the hero business, but...good job. Seriously, good job."

Whirling sounds of a police helicopter filled the skies overhead. The paramedic looked up, noticing that even the media coverage had gotten to the scene as late as everyone else. Now, if that ain't somethin' strange....She wasn't being paid to think, however. The supers did their job, and now the paramedic had to do hers. "Seriously though," She said, turning around to walk backwards toward the West Wing entrance. "Good job." Once she finally got her last wish of endearment to Iron Head, she turned to face forward as she was joined inside with the rest of her paramedic team. The scene inside was horrendous. There was blood everywhere, and no sign of what had done the carving.

"How's about you throw me, next time." The grumpy man couldn't help but grumble as he took point. "Please remind me why we do the things we do, when we could be curled in bed at home." The Night Watcher called over his shoulder as he made his way up the staircase, growing near a doorway that lead into another hallway. "I don't mean like curled up in bed together...I just mean like, not being here, y'know?" His embarrassment caused him to stop by the doorway, turning to her. "My mind isn't in the gutter, but it isn't on the mission...I'm just trying to say that I really don't want to be h-"

That was the last shard of the sentence he could get out before the fire department went to work. A steady stream of water broke through the flames and the crumbling exterior of the building. The stream was so well placed, and well timed, that it slapped against the man's back. Now, a quick google search says that it takes 150 pounds per square inch of water pressure for a fire hose to fight a fire on the ground. It takes upwards of about 300 PSI to fight a fire on the 30th floor, and while the two were still on the second of third floor, there was still enough water pressure to cause The Night Watcher to lose his footing and roll forward, crashing against the wall.

His frustration started off as a startled scream as he slid to the ground, his back sliding down the wall as his feet his his forehead. It then turned into grumbles of "I'm trying my best...I really don't know why I decided to do this...I'm trying my best." From the way things were going, you won't be seeing any Night Watcher lunch boxes, or hear any cool Night Watcher theme songs done by hard hitting Swedish metal bands done in a weird drop C tuning. No, instead you're going to get Transfer action figures, and Azure Ghost beer koozies. All the Night Watcher was going to get was a tomb stone that said "he tried his best".

No sooner then when the wave of self pity his the upside down man that the light bulb went off in his head. His body did this strange motion where it began rocking back and forth, building momentum for the cape-less crusader to jump back up to his feet. He looked around in excitement, running into the hallway where the water had come from. His lively eyes looked out toward the parking lot, seeing the fleet of firetrucks beginning their assault on the blazing fire. "Alright, that settles it," He called back to Snowfall as he made his way back to the staircase. "Emergency response is here, let's go get some pi-"

The poor, frustrated man's words turned into a quick yelp of "FUCK" as the well meaning door that was floating in front of Nicole crashed against him, causing him to hit the ground once more. Nicole, followed by the wonderful android she had met up top, and the fleet of survivors, stopped at their spot on the staircase. "Uh....hi?" She offered.

 

[KatSea]

Snowfall

"I...I would genuinely do so. But my arms are noodles." To further prove her point, she pinched a small flab of skin between her fingers to boast the lack of muscle that pulsed under the sleeve of her uniform. "I'd like to imagine we do it for the people we love...or you know, gives an excuse to wear the costume." Snowfall's brow rose in a mixture of amusement and nerve as he fumbled over his words, and pressing her hand over her balaclava, she stifled a bubble of laughter. "Hey, relax there, believe me, I've heard worse. That and if you have a Disney membership I might freelo-mean take the offer." Despite her being flustered, the tension melted off her shoulders(or maybe that was the increasing heat from the fire, the world may never know. She suddenly understood why that Tootsie pop owl asshole was so humored all the time, but that was beside the point.)

Hobbling closer to Watcher near the doorway, crackling, cool energy flowing from her hands at the ready, Snowfall steadied her senses and forced herself to ground herself into the fragile floor below. However, the moment she opened her eyes to scrutinize(if not fondly for his little stumbles set her at ease), a whirl of noise sprung to life, and a thick wall of water slammed into the side of the building. Only to catch Watcher in the debris. Well. Shit. Slamming herself a few inches away, hovering with the frost billowing beneath her, she examined the funnel before her, and with a slight twinge of her head, she allowed a section of the stream to freeze over, hopefully allowing Night Watcher some wiggle room. However, she noted that he easily tucked himself from the incoming pressure, and she swiftly broke the patch of ice from the rest of the stream. It soon dissipated into rushing water, splattering below with a pleasant plop. "Sir! You okay there? Maybe I should lead from now on, Watch." She tried to send him a reassuring beam as he rushed back towards the stair well, and without a second thought, she hummed and began to untie her cape from their posts (Yes, this was mainly for the laundry efficiency, but it also served as a wonderful blanket), preparing to offer it to him.

"Oh thank God." She huffed in relief at his news, shoulders slumping. However, a sudden yelp caused her to jump back, and certainly enough, a familiar face and herd of survivors shuffled through, causing a small grin of hope to bundle under her mask. She slowly shuffled to Watcher, holding out her cape and her arm just in case he decided to take her help (she learned never to lift someone off the ground without their permission, thats how she almost got waterboarded). "Hey! Is everyone alright there?" She called out to Nicole, brow pinched. She was wondering if she could perhaps make a quicker exit for the survivors, and as she pondered, she glanced over to where Night watcher had been plummeted into the wall. Hmm. Her eyes flickered back towards the origin of the torrent (Jem's spidey senses were tingling at home, Blair was sure of it) before a bright smile radiated under the blue. "Hmm, any of you opposed to sledding down a few stories?"

 

[Zerofighter]

Crashing through the window, cursing as he didn't make the landing. "Damn...I gotta work on my landing." He told himself, looking around the isolate floor. Hearing many voices, it seemed there was still people on the floor. Walking out to the halls hearing multiple voices. L
"Is anyone here?!" He called from halls. "I'm here to help!" He could shoot another grapple wire to ground. Have any leftover survivors use it as a zip line. David stopped seeing the spectacle unfold before him. Someone, he assumed was a hero by the looks of it. Seemed to be having a rough day. Especially crashing into that door.
"Are you ok buddy?"

Raising a eyebrow at what the one girl meant by sledding down. Though maybe she was one of those metahumans. She was one he hasn't seen before. "They call me Fang." Looking over at the hero who crashed. Offering his hand to help him up.
"Need a hand pal?"

****

Marcus lit a cigar, as he was planning his next move. First thing he had to take down any oppositions. Politicians who wouldn't listen, police who wouldn't bend to his will, villains who wouldn't stay in line, and....heroes who think they could stop him.
Seeing one of his men enter the room. They knew better then to interrupt him. So this was important.
"What is it?"
"Sir...we have the police chief..."

Marcus smirked as they brought the beaten chief in. The man was beaten, his clothes tattered, though his pain just begun. Looking down at the small man, he punched the detective in the stomach. The poor man coughed up blood from the punch.
"This is for believing you and your fellow cops can stop me."

"Y-you won't win this....people like you never do."
"And men like you always say that. And men like you always die.."
The man chuckled and grabbed the officier's head. In a swift movement his neck snapped like a twig. Dropping the body, simply saying "Dispose of this trash..."

The crimelord was glad the hospital fire was a perfect distraction. Putting on giant suit, he drove to the city docks. A massive weapon shipment was coming in. One that should even the odds when it comes dealing with those metahumans. Though he would need more then that. He would need his own superpowered allies.

 

[thatguyinthestore]

As Marcus sped down the empty city streets, shrouded in pure darkness (aside from the few flickering street lamps that graced his path), smoke would begin to fill the road he drove on. Lots and lots of smoke. The kind of smoke that would make it hard to see anything. Thick, grey smoke that completely covered the area he was in. What was once a mostly empty passageway, was now an area filled with an unrelenting grey gas. Granted, it wasn't completely filled, he could probably still see the road and buildings. The addition of the aforementioned street lights and the headlights of his car also made for good makeshift lights into this sudden darkness, but the point still stood.

And amidst that all encompassing smoke, a figure could be seen.

It was more of a shadowy silhouette than anything. Much like something you would see out of a horror film like A Nightmare on Elm Street. Even with the presence of the dim street lights and the vehicle's own headlights, not much of the figure could really be seen. The only thing that could be made out was that it was a hooded figure of sorts. That being, it was donning some sort of hood. Now, whether this was a makeshift hood or a hoodie remained to be seen, but it was certainly in one nonetheless.

"Marcus Ceasar..."

The voice, which was presumably from this hooded individual, was a deep one. It had a bit of an echo to it as well, like it was coming from a cave. But there was no doubt here. It was coming from in front of Marcus. There was no cave. Only a darkened silhouette, shrouded in smoke and mystery. Its crisp voice could be heard once again, though it still did not move an inch.

"Your day of reckoning has come..."

@Zerofighter​

 

[Mobley Eats]

Iron Head

Washington, DC
Inova Fairfax Hospital (West Wing)
Interactions: The back of her eyelids
Current Status: Out of Commission / Fainted

Good job...

Good job.

...Good job? As in a genuinely positive reaction to Iron Head's performance?

Good? Job?

Despite not showing any visible reaction, the metal clad hero froze on the spot, her insides coated in frigid shock. She didn't move, not even as the paramedic set off with her team to take care of business. That... Iron Head didn't know how to digest any of that, despite how short of a conversation it was. She was wholly prepared for the woman to spit venom back, perhaps agitated by the lack of respect or biting tone... but that wasn't the case. At all. "Um... yeah, sure. Good job to you, too...?" Of course, the woman was far too gone for her to catch Iron Head's pathetic rebound. Christ, why was she picking now to be a fucking nerd?

This situation was strange. Bizarre. She didn't like this feeling.

And thus, she vaguely wondered if this second emotion washing over the first was welcomed or dreaded.

A single, powerful throb coursed through her body, forcefully yanking her back to reality. Weakness slithered through her veins, stained her bones and withered her muscles, and for a brief moment, white lights exploded across her vision. "Well shit."

In the blink of an eye, she flopped face first into concrete, completely spent and unconscious.

So much for dignity.

 

[Seductress]

As much as The Night Watcher wanted to mock Frostbite, he couldn't help but smile. Her politeness was actually truly charming, and it was admirable why she was doing all of this. That was when yet another new comer caught the man of guard. He even caught Nicole by surprise, who damn near karate chopped him when she noticed his arrival. She had to catch herself when she saw The Night Watcher taking his hand to get himself up. "Thanks, pal." Conner grumbled as he got up. He dusted himself off, not liking the idea of ash and rubble collecting on him. He looked over at the group, spotting Solomon. "Is that a robot?"

Nicole, not really knowing the proper answer still, but knowing how to deal with Conner and his shenanigans, simply shrugged. "Yeah." She said, not really bothered by the android. She had seen a lot at this point, and realized that Solomon was one of the good guys, and nothing to be scared of.

"Cool." Was all that came out of The Night Watcher's mouth. As much as he wanted to walk up and poke and prod, and ask a dictionaries' worth of questions, the building was still on fire. "Okay ladies and gents, we can make introductions later. Snow, will you do the honors of getting us the fuck out of here?"


The Danger Room, White House
Washington D.C.

Pearson rushed down the twisted, curving halls of the White House. He wasn't panting or out of breath, having a past like his he was still in shape. Despite his age. He clutched a folder to his chest, which had a detailed write up on The Night Watcher, Anarchy, Iron Head, and the Azure Ghost. Everyone else were just snapshots taken from street cameras and security cameras from Inova Fairfax. Whoever didn't have a written file had a bunch of notes that he had scribbled down from noticing their actions in the field. Their job was just about done, now that the cities finest had arrived on the scene to finish what the supers had started.

With a retinal and a fingerprint scan, the doors to the danger room opened wide. The first of the only three figures in the room stood by the door, his large, egg like figure stood there like a guard dog, arms folded over his chest. He was a bit of an egghead, but knew Pearson personally. The egghead knew that Pearson was a "good man" as he would call him whenever he did speak, and enjoyed his company. He wasn't someone who needed his head ripped off. The large chair at the end of the long circular table was facing the large TV, which had live news coverage of the events going on displayed. A thick cloud of smoke came from the chair. It wasn't nasty smelling and harsh like a cigarette, but a sweet aroma that only a cigar could produce.

"Mr.President, I think we found the next team." Was all Pearson said. The TV flipped off, and president Taffer turned around in his chair to face him. There was a large cigar in his hand, and his eyes were nearly lifeless. That was when Vice President Pearson noticed him standing near the TV. That god damned Russian. He was like an imp, a goblin. Standing probably no taller than 4'9, with a pretty nasty hunch back, Boris scuttled and slithered around with those strange thoughts of his pumping through his brain. Pearson never did like him, he gave him the creeps.

"They are undoubtedly talented," Boris spoke out. "But what they make up for in skill, they lack in teamwork. Everyone else we've put together for a team has been working together for a while, and required no grooming or work."

Without moving a muscle, Taffer's eyes narrowed over to Boris, and then back to Pearson. He brought his cigar to his mouth, and let the flavor of the smoke take over his tongue. "I'm throwing a public conference tomorrow to address tonight's events. I want it all over the news, social media, whatever these kids use to network, that all supers involved in tonight's rescue are invited to be publicly addressed and thanked by me. Once we get them all together, that's when we give them the opportunity to come together as a team."

 

[KatSea]

Snowfall

Snow noted the light glance of appreciation on Night Watch's expression, a slight grin of success creeping past her mask. Sweet. So that attempt of kindness didn't fall flat on its goofy ass face. However, Blair was caught off guard by the sudden appearance of yet another hero, and it took every atom of her being not to slip backwards and manage to freeze the people in front of her. Ah, yes, the fifth annual ice age, coming right up. That would have been just fantastic...considering these people needed immediate medical attention and honest to God she'd like to make at least one good impression on this mission. Well...perhaps not impression. Reminder that she wasn't entirely incompetent. Well...that was up to debate.

That was besides the point. Point is...wait, where was she going? Oh! Right!

"My schedule for today lists a six-hour self-accusatory depression." She quoted to herself at the mention of the robot, giving a sly smile to herself. How she remembered such things she wasn't quite too sure. Meanwhile, she couldn't even remember to turn the oven off at home...wait, did she do that before she left? Wait, did she even leave her oven on at home? ...Point was.

"Pleasure would be all mine. Besides, I've been meaning to try this out." Cracking her knuckles, Blair slowly approached the window that had water blasted through mere minutes ago. Concentrating on the nearby water molecules that remained, she raised her hands patiently and focused on creating a pathway below. It was simple as making a snow fort with Jem when she was a child. Only...three stories up. And had to be packed tightly enough to support the weight of several people. She could do this. Humming shamelessly as she worked, one hand went to uncover the pouch by her hip, and with a quick pull of the tie, Blair tossed it into the air to help assist her effort. With each couple of feet, she would work on tightening the bundles of snow. When it wasn't long enough or thick enough to support, she would hobble around the room and gather more water droplets, working feverishly and occasionally bumping back into her teammates with an occasional "sorry!" Finally, Snowfall returned to her perch by the window, staring down at the snow that awaited, her grin palpable even behind her mask. "Alright, Im gonna test this bad boy first and see if there's any problems. Now, if you hear me scream on the way down, you are gonna need to give me five minutes and I'll try and give you the all clear. Please, fasten your seatbelts, and enjoy the voyage." She leaned her hand against the sill, and with a slight jab of her hip, she found herself floundering, having missed her mark by several millimeters, and ultimately flinging herself out the window and onto the slide below.

Shit! Blair forced herself to bite down on her lip as hard as she could as she plummeted below, fingers dipping fruitlessly into the snow to retain her grounding and control. A stream of frost travelled behind, covering any thin patches and ensuring a safe drop down...."SHIT!" She called out as she made it to the bottom, realizing she had accelerated just a tad too much, and with a fling of her hand, a soft mound of snow stood before her. Ultimately, she found herself colliding straight into it, groaning as a puff of snow forced itself against her face. Thank God for her mask, or she would have been choking on a shit ton of snow. However, she managed to pluck herself from her snowy prison, rummaging remaining flakes from her hood. Breathing hoarsely, she glanced up to the top of the building, and as loudly as she could, screamed "ALL GOOD DOWN HERE!"

 

[Zerofighter]

"I'm surprised you got past security. Are you one of those metahumans? They are interesting. Almost like they're out of a comic book.." Marcus chuckled, looking at the figure. Simply smirking at what the untruder. Telling him the same thing over and over again. "You little man....I've heard those words over and over. You don't know what I've been through. The pain I endured. I'm afraid I don't have time to have a fight my friend."

Feeling the chemical inside his body. Almost feeling adrenaline coursing through his veins. The man looked at him and said "I'm not like the men you have killed. Oh no, I'm much more then a man. I'm invincible, I'm a devil. I will crush you." Grabbing his desk, he threw it at the intruder.

He had eyes every where in this city. From the simple corner stores to even the white hours. "You don't know a thing about me my friend...I give everyone a single chance. Leave And your life will be sparred."

*****

David watched the scene unfold, it was almost comical how these 'heroes' acted. Feeling like the straight man in a comedy, he held up a grapple wire. Going to the window, he shouted down to the girl in the snow. "Hey Ice Queen! You know I could've fired a grapple wire, and had everyone zip line down. Would've been a lot easier!"

With a sigh, he looked the survivors, and remaining heroes. "Let's try and get everyone safely and quickly. We should send them down one at a time, to save injury." Looking around at the building, wondering just how this fire started. Was it accident, arson or something much bigger then all of them?
Knowing introductions would be saved for later, as well as investigating the fire. Now was the time to get these people the hell out.

 

[thatguyinthestore]

As the desk was thrown at him, the thick smoke would whirl around the figure in an all-encompassing, thick cloud of darkness. By the time the desk reached its position, the figure had disappeared into the smoke entirely, causing the desk that had been thrown to fall out of a window and crash into the city streets below. What followed was pure and utter silence. Nothing besides that. Just complete silence, as the smoke cleared around him, leaving nothing but the dark, calming night.

SLASH!!!

Before Marcus could lock his eyes on the figure again, he would have heard a large slash behind him. What would be seen following that was a destroyed table, cut clean in half. If Marcus had time to look at the cut, he would find that it was made but a circular blade of sorts. The table was slumped over entirely on both ends, having met in the center. There was still an eeriness to the room around him. Like he was still being watched by the figure he'd met mere moments ago.

@Zerofighter ​

 

[Seductress]

"Snow," The Night Watcher called out before she took her free fall to safety. "Just, be careful, okay?" For someone who was starting to get grumpier and grumpier the longer his life was at stake, he really didn't want to see anyone else get hurt. Sure, that politician was okay, and there was a solid twenty people who were about to be saved. The amount of bodies Snowfall and The Night Watcher had seen earlier caused Conner to realize that they didn't save nearly as many people as they could have. There was a lot more dead people than breathing, and that was just starting to sink into his little brain. It wasn't everyday that The Night Watcher decided he failed, but right now he couldn't help but think he did.

"Leave her alone," Nicole called over her shoulder, poking her head out of the window to look at the slide. "She seems like she's more than capable of getting everyone out safe."

"It's not everyone else I'm worried about." Conner shook his head. He couldn't help but think back to no less than fifteen minutes ago, when Snowfall nearly took herself out with her own patch of ice. Sure, he might have been a bit of a sneak and found his way behind her undetected, and could have frightened her, but The Night Watcher knew a klutz when he saw one. Either way, her actions were admirable, and her heart was in the right spot. Instead of sticking around to watch Snow hurt herself, Conner unclipped the bottom half of his mask once more, pulling a cigarette from his utility belt. He decided to go back to the staircase, and wander back down to where the fire still burned. Letting the cigarette dangle between his lips, he placed his head close to the fire, allowing the flames to consume the tip of the cigarette.

With his cigarette lit, Conner hummed happily to himself as he went to rejoin the group. By the time he was back upstairs, the last civilian had slid down to safety. Nicole turned around and glared at the man. She plucked the cigarette from his mouth, and tossed it out the window. "There's no smoking insi-" she couldn't even finish her sentence. The Night Watcher had taken a nose dive on the snow slide, determined to get that cigarette before it landed in a puddle or something. Fluffy, smooth, it's like the slide of justice. He felt R. Kelly trying to slip into his head again, but he knew better this time. Instead, he tried coming up with his own song to hear in his head in these sorts of circumstances. He's a man of action *doo dee doo* He got cat like reaction *dee doo dee* He's the Night Watcher *AGGRESSIVE GUITAR SOLO SOUND* he's got a bingo blotcher.

It worked! Conner slowed down to a nice, gentle stop as the music left his brain. He looked around at everyone being greeted by firefighters and officers. He felt his legs. Still in tact. His chest. No pain. His head. While it metaphorically wasn't all there, it was still attached to his shoulders. Not bad, who's a good superhero? You're a good superhero. He stood up, picking his cigarette up from the ground. Before it even reached his lips, The Night Watcher once again took a face plant to the ground, causing the cancer stick to snap in half.

"No smoking on hospital property." Nicole said as she slowed down. Was it her fault Conner got distracted before he got out of the way? No. She didn't want to burn down with the hospital, so she was next to slide out. It wasn't her fault she had to lay The Night Watcher out. He should have moved. Nicole stood up, noticing that The Night Watcher wasn't wearing his signature cape. "Did you catch fire?"

Conner groaned as he slowly got up, rubbing his head. "Yeah, I took the long way down to the parking lot."

"Don't tell me."

As if the two had a sense of twin telepathy, they both said in unison "tried to jump over the fire". Was Conner that easy to read? Nah, it couldn't be that. He was blessed with the swift brain of justice, and the body of a superhero. Nobody could understand lady Justice, not even Conner. He just simply shrugged, and fixed his mask so that there was no pieces missing. Ignoring Nicole, he made his way over to Snowfall, offering her a handshake. "That was some damn good work back there. Want to go get some pie?"

 

[KatSea]

Snowfall

God...she wished she would have taken Night Watcher's piece of advice before she went tumbling down her own slide of fun and possible injury. God...She prayed to God she didn't bruise her ass, or her hands, or her back, or her face. Honestly, she just wished she could climb into a bundle of blankets and hibernate for the rest of God's given eternity. That would be morally acceptable, wouldn't it? Okay, maybe not to her family back at home, besides, she wasn't gonna get any damn sleep when she crawled back to her apartment...but at this point, she welcomed it, and a warm smile suddenly spread across her cheeks.

I get to go home, today. I survived another day and I get to go home to-

Snowfall forced herself from her doey eyed thoughts, focusing on each survivor as they slid down her creation. Focusing her attention on the overall structure, she adjusted as needed, a wave of warmth escaping her as her energy properly was spent. Fingers outstretched, she guided each individual patient to the bottom of her snow mound, glancing back in appreciation at Nicole in defense of her work. Heh. Glad I could do something useful for you, loves. Also, Ice Queen? Heh. Better than Elsa I guess. One day I'll have someone tell me that the Iceman Cometh and I'll do a shitty Arnold impression. Da Choppa they say, well damn, lets do it. Also fuck yeah, if you come with me you will live mother fudgers. ...I should really tell myself to shut up more often.

"How Jem and Vince put up with me..." She chortled lightly to herself, a light desire to rip off her mask right then and there to retrieve fresh air overwhelming. No. She'd rather not expose herself just yet, that would be awfully silly. Klutz hero Snowfall revealed to be clusterfuck Blair Whittaker who had managed to trip on three other people's shoelaces in the same day...City still recovering from unsurprising news coverage.

Placing some mental duct tape over her self conscious, she steadied her thoughts and focused on...Night Watcher plummeting into the snow pile as Nicole collided into him. She pressed her hand to her balaclava to silence any escaped chuckles, merely watching the two with a sense of relief. Even if there had been multiple, horrific deaths(that Blair would need to watch several episodes of Phineas and Ferb to even begin scrubbing the images from her brain), she was relieved that at least a handful of people could go home to their loved ones. It was better than none at all.

Seeing that her compatriots seemed better for wear, Snowfall graciously took the extended hand and gave it a pleasant shake. She beamed at him, if not somewhat sheepishly. "Well uh, thanks boss. Glad I could prove useful in the team. By the way uh, thanks for not letting me fall in the pit of fire, I certainly like myself a ring, but a pit of fire is too much." And Johnny Cash reference done for today. "I...Actually, yeah. Pie sounds pretty friggin' good right about now."

 

[Seductress]

The Night Watcher couldn't help but smile warmly as the two shook hands. The air was easier to breath, it wasn't as hot anymore, and their work here was officially over. "It's truly been a pleasure working with you. Next time, we'll find a better way to the stairs. Come on." He gestured, turning his back to lead Snow to the car. He did, however, realize that he and Snow weren't the only two who stuck around long enough to see the success of the mission; Nicole. She was still standing there, trying to get a signal on her cell phone.

"Well, Citizen," The Night Watcher's voice got all dopey, and heroic as he placed his hands on his hips and puffed his chest out. She wasn't dressed as Anarchy, and The Law was everywhere. He had to help keep her cover. With that said, his eyes went soft, and a smile crept back across his face. His back hunched over once more, and he held his hand out for Nicole. "Good work in there, we couldn't have done it without you in there."

"Don't mention it," Nicole returned the smile as she shook his hand. "You should try cutting the high and mighty superhero routine, sincerity is a good colour on you. What are you two doing now? Parting ways?"

"No, it's pie time." The excitement in his voice was nearly unmistakable.

"Maybe next time I'll join you two. I have to catch a cab, I really need some time to sleep tonight. So you two go on ahead, we'll see each other around." With that, Conner urged Snow onward to venture further away from the hospital. He knew that if they circled around the West Wing, it'll take them right toward the scene of the fight with Surge and Sadist. That's where the Lincoln was parked, at least a block away from that general area. Maybe they too should have just taken a cab back to get some pie. Yeah, that would be less work.

Except it would yield to be a lot more stress than it needed to be. Conner didn't plan on being in costume while it was pie time, but taking a cab would make that difficult. Iron Head was sprawled across the concrete, either unconscious or her suit had locked up. Conner wasn't 100% sure about that yet. As soon as he spotted her, he was already inspecting and trying to check in on her. She seemed to be alive still, but not awake. Gently, he tapped on the glass of her helmet a couple of times. Conner, don't, you know it upsets people when you do that.

"Looks like we're having another guest join us." He grunted as he scooped his hands under the large suit. It was heavy, a true mystery as to how someone of her size and stature was able to operate such a suit. "Damn Iron Nerd, we need to establish that I can't save everyone at once, geez." A normal person's arms would probably start growing numb before they even reached the parking lot, but Conner's arms only started growing numb once he was seconds away from putting the woman down in the back seat. Closing up the back door, Conner unlocked the passenger and driver's sides of the vehicle. He left his door open, but didn't sit down.

With two hands, the hood slid down and the mask came off. His hair fell from it's perch, kissing his upper back. He tossed the mask on the driver's seat, and reached for the radio. His news program was always the first thing he listened to on his way to or from anything. "After the heroes evacuated the Inova Fairfax Hospital today, all is still not well in the wonderful city of Washington. Kevin, the Silver Back Gorilla who escaped from the zoo hours ago, has been spotted downtown. He wasn't rampaging with destruction on his mind, there seems to be a small, impish like man who has attached himself to Kevin's back like a tick and won't let go."

Conner leaned himself against the exterior of his car, finally enjoying the sweet sensations of a cigarette. "I'm not dealing with that," Conner called out with a cigarette between his lips. "You can take care if it if you want, but I have a warm slice of peach pie with my name on it."

 

[Sail]

@Seductress
Transfer's job was done here; he still needed to figure out a way to use his power offensively in a more swift fashion, and he felt the strain from his earlier uses of his power building along his spine. Do I test things now or later? He clicked the safety on, checked the clip-two bullets remained-and shoved the gun into his waistband.

The nearby streets of Washington each had a few police cars barricading them; Transfer made sure to skirt around them, sticking to back alleys as he made his way home. He fished his phone from inside his shirt, dialing the number he knew so well. He input a special code to let him skip the normal path-it'd go straight to voicemail. "Hello Night Watcher. Its me, Transfer. I uh," he cleared his throat, "I need help. I'm...I'm too weak. I can't do this superhero thing without knowing how to fight..."

His voice became softer, strained, as if he were on the verge of crying, "I'm going to die out there without a way to protect myself. Please help me, get back with a message whenever possible." He finished his message as he walked into the bottom floor of his apartment.

 

[Zerofighter]

Marcus ripped off his shirt, revealing the black tank top beneath. Cracking his knuckles, knowing he could have his fun with this insect before she arrived. "Well, Now I can say I was provoked." He said with the same smirk on his face. "I must say you're the first person with the balls to think they can fight me. Well come on?"
Seeing the table cut cleanly I half, he knew the Man was still in here. "Is this all you have little man? Simple parlor tricks? You don't wish to face me like a man?"

He just has to but some time till she came in. Not that he needed any help. "Nice blade. Cut clean through the table like it was nothing. Someone I know would be jealous. SO my friend, if you're my executioner. I must ask who sent you..." Marcus listened carefully to his surroundings. Trying to figure out where just this man was. Most of all who was he.

"I grow tired of this game my friend...I have a important meeting at the docks. Shall we fini-"
The loud rum of a chainsaw was heard as it broke down the door with ease. His sister kicked the ruined door away. "I was waiting in the car for 20 minutes.."
looking around the room, she asked "why is there smoke all over, and why is you're shirt off?"
Marcus rolled his eyes at his sister's dumb questions.
****
Making it out of the building safe, he wanted to speak with thebother heroes. Going over to them, offering his hand. "Hey, I think you guys did well. I know I kinda arrived a little late. But I must say I'm impressed." Despite being a bit....absent minded. This Night Watcher wasn't to bad of a hero.

Raising his eyebrow When pie was mentioned. He wasn't that much of a fan of hanging out or being...social. But pie, that was something he could enjoy. "Mind if I join you guys for some pie? I could kill for a slice."

 

[KatSea]

Snowfall

"Hey, next time we are in this situation, I'll make sure my muscles are prepared so I can be the one to chuck you across the way. Don't worry. I'll work on the heavy lifting." She grinned, lowering her hand and letting her eyes shift in the direction of Nicole. She plucked anxiously at her palm, thumbing the fabric of her glove, before she gingerly pipped up over to Nicole. "Thanks. By the way. For trusting us. I am more than...content that everyone got out okay. I'm glad you are all alright. Take care of yourself, random citizen. You all deserve it." Placing her hand on her hip, she sucked her lip between her teeth before giving her a thumbs up. Thank. God for the mask. Her eyes may have betrayed her, but the shit that her mouth did...by God. If Jem were here she knew she wouldn't hear the end of it. Speaking of...her hand went to her hip, where the pouch of her valuables lied. Slowly she undid the latch, loosening the cover and retrieving a slim, black device from its contents. She could feel a light vibration thrumming through her fingers before it fell silent.

Don't worry, bro. I'm gonna be home soon. God...believe me, I'll bring some pie home for you. And for Vince and....Hell, I don't even know if she's gonna like pie. Heh. Doesn't hurt to give it a whirl.

Snowfall allowed Night watcher to lead her to the car, relief flooding through her system at the prospect of stripping off her uniform and reclining in a comfortable position. She patiently awaited for Night Watcher to get a good grasp upon Night Watcher, and humming a familiar tune under her breath, a replayed plea boomed through her skull. Just...just watch over her. As scary as she is, she could use some of that, you know?

Taking a heavy breath, Snowfall followed behind, finding safety in the presence of the car before lowering her hood from her hair. Reaching up towards the messy bun her hair had been restrained against, she gingerly tugged at the binding before it fell loose and came to rest gently at her shoulders. She reached up towards her mask to lower it, but the moment she heard a familiar voice, her shoulders tensed slightly and a light smile coiled at her lips. "I don't know how we could tell you no to pie. The more the merrier." She paused, looking to Iron Head in the back, then to Fang. "Hey, take shotgun by the way. Knowing my luck I would probably slam my head into the dashboard at a stoplight." Chuckling, she climbed into the back, pulling the mask from her face and taking a deep breath.

She slowly began to pluck at her uniform, relieved she had made it so that civilian clothing was much easier to obtain. What could she say? She loved the idea of an inside out costume turning into a comfortable jumpsuit. Glancing to the fallen hero beside her, she glanced to the cape she had retied to her uniform, and slowly covered the hero. She knew well she may not have been able to feel the full effect through the suit, but she was aware the comfort a cover could bring.

Turning to her cell phone that she had tucked free of her purse, she glanced at the message from Jem five minutes.

Hey, everything okay?

Her thumbs punched into the keys without thought.

Im okay. Case resolved. Gonna need some tea when I get home. Make sure we have plenty of milk in the fridge. I'll be home soon. Bringing home pie. Your favorite is sweet cherry pie right? Like that crazy ex you brought home senior year? Good God, I still don't get your taste. Vince likes pumpkin right? I'm thinkin of gettin cinnamon too. Love you, by the way, dorkwad.

By the way jem, crazy gorilla out break nearby, see if you can handle it later ;)

Slipping her phone neatly away, she leaned back into her seat and sighed. "I...I sort of want to make a park for people to sled in right now. Heh. Just...not three stories up."

 

[Seductress]

Nicole finally managed to get a hold of a cab company, after multiple attempts and redials. It was strange, almost as if the cell reception for the entire area just magically turned on after being reset. It started to click with her; it took emergency services until after everyone was supposed to be dead to get here. It was like someone had intentionally clipped the cell services, and made sure that the response was delayed. Christ, Nicci, you're starting to sound like The Night Watcher. It was hard to write her thoughts off as wrong, though. There was something strange going on, something that she wasn't quite sure she wanted to know about. It would be a good idea to tell Conner, but she couldn't do it with words, otherwise he wouldn't pay attention. She had to write it up like a report.

The woman's attention was grabbed quite abruptly. One of the heroes who had shown up with Conner had approached her in a very sweet, kindly manner. "Thank you for saving me, random hero." She gave Snowfall a smile and a small wink. "I promise, next time I see you, I'll be the one saving your butt. You can take that promise to the bank." Sometimes, it was hard to be Nicole, because Nicole isn't a crime fighting angel of badassery. She's the damsel who's trying to avoid being in distress. With that said, she didn't plan to get caught with her pa....she didn't plan to get caught with her mask off again. This is exactly what The Night Watcher had been warning her about since the beginning, and she had to get prepared for it.

As she watched the duo disappear, with David in hot pursuit, the cab finally arrived on the scene. The ride home felt like it was too long for the small amount of money she had paid for it. Nicole had always sent people to the hospital, instead of going herself, so she wasn't aware how close she actually was to it. Cracking skulls night after night wasn't an easy job, but it paid well. Ever since she stopped bar tending to be a full time superhero, Nicole started taking whatever money was on the scene of a crime. She was able to get a two story house, and a couple of upgrades to her uniform. Drug dealers and weapons smugglers apparently made good money, but not when they dealt with Anarchy. They were basically paying her buttloads of money for her to kick their asses, and it was a career she could see herself pursuing for a long time now.

As it stands, Nicole dropped her keys at the hospital. In all of the hustle and bustle of the action and drama, her keys must have fallen from her jacket. Oh well, it's not like that hasn't happened before. She lifted her hand up, and using nothing but her thoughts and her understanding of door mechanisms, the hinges of the door started to dismantle itself, allowing her to use her other hand to swing the door open enough to slip inside. Once inside, she re-assembled the hinges. Turning around to look at the door, she realized that it had been unlocked this whole time. That's funny, before she left, Nicole locked the door, and there was no doubt about it. Maybe she should have taken the Night Watcher's advice in getting a gun, but she didn't need one with super powers. Staying low, Nicole crept through the darkness and made her way into the kitchen. She focused her vision on her wooden block that held all of her knives, and raised her hand. She was practicing a new technique that she could decide whether she should call it imprinting, or scheduling.

Scritch, scratch. The sounds of shuffling and movement were coming from the bathroom. Nicci was sure of it, the intruder was somewhere in her place of solitude and dignity. Staying low, with the lights off, she made it to the bathroom. The door was closed, and the lights were off. She reached a tender, tiny hand to the door nob, and pushed it open. Once it opened, she flicked her fingers, and the collection of knives came hurling into the bathroom, digging into the marble shower panels that were left exposed from the open shower curtain. No blood. No screaming. No bodies. It was safe to enter. Nicole poked her head into the bathroom. Sitting on the counter was her make up bag which was opened and scattered everywhere -something she had done before her trip to the hospital- and her house keys. Nicole scratched the side of her head, absolutely confused at what the fuck was going on.

"You weren't supposed to do that. What happened to showing up and giving the congressman the gun?"

Okay, now it's all making sense. Nicole knew that she just couldn't look into the mirror, or else she'll be in a lot of trouble. She simply just shook her head and attempted to leave the room. Too bad the door slammed itself shut before she could leave. "You and I both know that you can't just go out there and use your powers and save people. That's my job. Nicole is supposed to provide me with a cover. How many times do we have to go through this? Time and time again I-"

Enough anger welled up inside Nicole. She didn't need to focus or raise her hand. The lid on the back of the toilet didn't just move, but hurled itself at the mirror. Both the lid, and the mirror shattered upon impact. The door opened itself back up, and the voice stopped. The bathroom light flickered a couple of times, but it was possible to ignore that. Nicole flipped the light off anyway. She decided it was time to go to the second floor's bathroom, where the tub was. She needed to wind down, maybe finish her John Grisham novel.

The light for the second story bathroom, the master bathroom, flickered on as Nicole walked inside. She closed the door gently behind her. She noticed that there was a small glass of whisky sitting in front of the mirror, surrounded by a circle of lit candles. Nicci shook her head, sighing to herself. She looked into the mirror that faced her bath tub. It was still her, plain ole' Nicole. There was absolutely nothing to be afraid of. After the water had run long enough, just hot enough for her to be able to enjoy, Nicole peeled out of the closed that smelled like a smokey barbecue and slid into the bathtub.

With a sigh of relief, Nicole allowed herself to slide under the water. The water covered her face, washing her make up off.

There was only one problem. She couldn't come back to the surface.

As she tried to push herself out from under the water, she felt a gloved hand press against her chest, holding her down. The light flickered off, leaving only the candles to light the bathroom. The mirror was the only thing that could see the perpetrator; it revealed Anarchy, fully clothed in costume, holding her secret identity under the water.




The Night Watcher's Car
Washington DC
Escaped gorillas. Super villains. Explosions. Politically motivated assassinations. What else could happen? Deciding that the news wasn't what he wanted to listen to, Conner reached over and pressed the CD button. It had an old school mix CD he made back in high school, consisting primarily of different Immolation, Exhumed, Necrophagia, Pestilence, Asphyx and Unleashed songs. Sure, the sounds of Pestilence's Subordinate to the Domination wasn't for everyone, what with it's blasting drums, piercing vocals and screeching buzz saw like guitar, but Conner couldn't listen to the news anymore tonight. The news got him into this whole mess, and it was finally time to get everything settled and finished for the night.

Sucking back on his cigarette, Conner walked to the trunk of his car. He popped it open, revealing a trunk that had been packed to the brim with guns, gadgets and weaponry. You never know when you're going to need to arm a small army. He had a bit of an arsenal, but his trunk was only the half of it. He gained a lot of stuff from the amount of weapons trades and warehouse operations he busted. If he started collecting the drugs he raided, it would be easy to compare his basement to Colombia. "Snow," Conner called over as he plucked his shirt up from the pile of weapons, sliding it over his chest. "Are you sure you want to take on Iron Baby Sitting duties?" He held his cigarette in his mouth as he stripped off the rest of his uniform, happy to see that he remembered to wear his long johns today.

"Oh, hey," Conner said as he noticed Snow talking to Fang. That's when it clued in. "Wait, you're the guy with the grappling hook, aren't you?" He asked, slipping into a pair of jeans. "I've been thinking of getting a grappling hook. A grappling hook, of justice. I don't know if I need one though, I can jump...like...really high." He took the cigarette out of his mouth and ashed it on top of an assault rifle. He grabbed all the pieces of his costume and tossed them into the trunk, before throwing the cigarette butt away. He closed the trunk, and made his way back over to the front of the car. "If I can suggest anything, new guy, I'd suggest not to suck all of the fun out of things. Sure, a grappling hook could get everyone to safety, but a slippery, snow slide of justice is much more fun than doing it by the book."

On the dashboard of his car, Conner noticed that it was blinking. A solid sign that he had a voice mail. He listened to it as soon as he saw it. Transfer. He picked the phone up, and dialed the young one's number. Holding the phone to his ear, he decided to leave a message. "I just got your message, and I can tell you right now, I see a lot of potential in you. I can't do anything tonight, because it's time for us all to rest. But maybe tomorrow or the next day we can talk about training. Let's get together for some pie tomorrow, and we can talk about it."

After hanging up, Conner looked at everyone who was joining him. "Alright, everyone in the car." He said, jumping in the driver's seat and getting the car ready to rock 'n roll.

 

[thatguyinthestore]

"I was sent by none other than myself..."

The voice, still quiet and filled with an underlying sense of malice, spoke once more in that same deep voice that haunted the room. It was hard to tell if it was from a voice synthesizer or if this was the being's actual voice, but it was still present in the room nonetheless. Not another sound could be heard from the being as it remained in the room, lurking in the shadows. Even as Marcus' sister burst into the room, brandishing a chainsaw, there was no sign of the individual. No sounds from him, no sight of his mysterious cloak... nothing.

Though as they began their idle chatter, smoke began to fill the room once more.

It was only when they finished, that the familiar husk of a body appeared again. Once more, it was enveloped in smoke, though this time it was more visible. Its mask, in the shape of a skull, was hidden underneath a dark grey cloak. The mask obscured what little of its face would have been visible, and as the being trudged forward, the blade in which the table had been smashed was made extremely apparent. In place of its right hand was a circular blade. Whether or not this was a simple costume design or if its hand was actually a blade remained to be unseen, but for now, no attacks were made. Instead, it merely walked towards Marcus and his sister, not saying a word.

@Zerofighter ​