The Causeway, Baltimore side, Wednesday evening
"We so should go to the east side this time," Dinah said, adjusting her mask as she and Blossom left the Causeway. "That way we'll get more familiar with that part of town. Maybe the part near that mall over there?"
Above and behind the girls, on a fire escape, a figure lurked.
Then jumped down, and began to keep pace behind them in the shadows.
Blossom "Makes sense." Blossom nodded her agreement and replaced her compact. She'd taken to transforming on the causeway, for safety's sake. "We've been sticking pretty much to the one side for a while now. I think people are starting to realize someone's paying attention out there."
The papers were putting it down to the new police program taking effect.
"We rooftop jumping, or flying?"
Dinah "Jumping, you need the practice," Dinah said, shooting her a grin. "And yeah. Spreading it out, less chance of us getting caught and having to make explanations." She stopped to flex her hands, and adjust her mask. "This look okay? I put some kevlar panels in the sides. Barbara sent them to me."
Blossom "I know, I know. I rely on my flying too much!" Blossom laughed and leaned in to look at the additions to the mask. "I still wish you'd let me put glitter on it or something, but it looks cool."
She gave a thumbs up and then looked around, finally pointing at what had once been a convenience store and was now merely a conveniently low roof. "Start there and head for higher rooftops?"
Dinah "Good eye. Works!" Dinah gave her a thumbs up, and started to run toward the low roof. "Let's go!" She started to run toward the convenience store.
The Stalker. The footsteps behind them sped up, and something went flying past both girls, to hit the pavement with a thump and then a hissssssss....
Blossom Blossom blinked, and paused in her run. "What the?" It kind of reminded her of something, but she wasn't sure what. Just, it wasn't right. "T.K?!" She shouted after Dinah as a sort of fog started up in front of them. Ah! She and Rikku had been talking about smoke grenades! Was this a test? No way, right? Although even if it was, Rikku wouldn't be playing so she'd expect Blossom to be serious about it.
"Look out, someone's here!" She put a bit more speed into her run and lifted off the ground, the better to grab Dinah and fly outta here!
The stalker.... A second thump, and another hiss, behind them, the greenish-sweet smoke moving around both girls.
Through the mist, they'd just be able to see a figure wearing a gas mask, stalking toward them.
Dinah Dinah was coughing, her vision blurring, and she panicked, taking off her mask as she shoved out with her telekinesis toward the figure--
--and it dodged left, somersaulting forward to come to a stop before them, smirking behind the mask.
Oh, shit.
"Shiva."
Blossom GAS bomb?!
The second one landed closer and Blossom was choking as she fell back to the sidewalk. She landed on one knee for a moment to try to catch a breath. It was just, ugh. Give her a moment to clear her head and she'd be back up. She just needed a moment.
She gasped and tried to find the origin of the smoke, managing to kick a leg at one of the grenades and send it flying into a snowbank with a small clattery noise.
"Who's there? T.K.? You alright?" She gasped as she came back, shakily to her feet. She'd promised Rikku she would take care of Dinah and herself and she was totally not going to back out on that promise, even if it was a bit hard to breathe.
Lady Shiva Hello, Dinah." Shiva took another few steps forward, then frowned at Blossom. "You're going to be a problem. Aren't you?"
She aimed a long booted foot at Blossom's jaw, Jackie-Chan-fast.
"But not for long."
Blossom And while Blossom had seen a few martial arts movies, she was not at all a huge fan and was totally unprepared for a blow so fast. She went flying backwards with a groan.
"Ow!" She was still not at full capacity, what with the gas still swirling around them (Why was there no cold brisk breeze tonight, eh? Stupid weather.) so her recovery was a bit slow, but she managed to get back to her knees and reached into her pocket. She was so not going to rely on her new punching skill with someone who could kick that fast. "I don't know who you are, but I am totally willing to be a problem for you."
She tossed her yo-yo into the smoke in the direction she'd been kicked from. Well, tossed as in, she threw it hard enough to break a brick wall if it struck one.
Lady Shiva Shiva dodged right, avoiding the deadly missile-- then came down on top of it on the rebound. One foot on top of the yo-yo, she stared at Momoko with cold eyes. "Your toy would be effective, against someone else. But this isn't your fight, little girl."
Dinah "Hyper. Run," Dinah panted, eyes falling shut, and then shoved for all she was worth at Shiva. She had time to see the older woman stagger sideways, almost falling to one knee, before everything faded out to gray. Then black.
Barbara is going to kill me for getting kidnapped was her last thought before she passed out.
Blossom Run? Yeah. That will happen.
Well, it would when Blossom was sure she wasn't going to win. After all, she'd promised.
She growled lightly and took advantage of the tk-induced staggering to retrieve her yo-yo from under the old lady's foot, then lifted into the air and lassoed a nearby mailbox. Wrenching it from the sidewalk, and with a silent prayer for assistance from all the letters that may be inside, she swung hard and let the giant metal box fly at her opponent. "Love Letter Missile!"
Yes, she had named the attack.
Lady Shiva "...what?" Shiva had time to say, then was cartwheeling away in order to avoid being flattened. Closer to Dinah, her true prey, not this little meta-human with the bizarre sense of combat.
Blossom Luckily Blossom had been paying attention in her training sessions with Dinah and was following up her mailbox attack! Literally, she was flying in after it, adjusting and putting on extra speed as she saw the lady move to avoid the hit.
"For an old lady, you sure are fast," she said as she aimed a punch at the woman's face. She was using the force of her flight to add even more power to the punch she totally wasn't pulling.
Lady Shiva The old comment had Shiva's eyes narrowing in annoyance, but the punch had them widening again as she dove out of the way--- not quite fast enough.
Blossom's fist impacted Shiva's gas mask, shattering the plastic and knocking it loose, and that was going to be very definite problem. Getting back to her feet and ripping off the mask, Shiva hissed.
"Enough."
Two steps: set-up, and kick. Then punch. Fast, the way only the best martial artists could be fast, and efficient, and aimed to put someone down as quickly as possible.
Blossom "Oof!" Blossom's own eyes flew open at the impacts and she went down, conveniently just on top of the first grenade. She had two thoughts before passing completely out. One was simply amazement that the whole fight was over before the still-hissing gas grenade was empty, and the second was an oath that she was totally going to kick this Old Lady's face in when she saw her again.
Lady Shiva Shiva would have stayed to finish the girl, but the gas was going to effect her if she didn't leave immediately; and the blows and lingering knock-out drug would keep the meta-human down long enough for her to escape with her prize.
Bending down, she lifted Dinah in a fireman's carry, then stalked down the block, breathing deep from the clean air.
She reached her car and tumbled the unconscious girl into the trunk, shutting it smartly, then got in and drove.
Stage One: Complete.
[Preplayed with the lovely heromaniac and continued here! NFI, NFB for distance, OOC is yay.]
Above and behind the girls, on a fire escape, a figure lurked.
Then jumped down, and began to keep pace behind them in the shadows.
Blossom "Makes sense." Blossom nodded her agreement and replaced her compact. She'd taken to transforming on the causeway, for safety's sake. "We've been sticking pretty much to the one side for a while now. I think people are starting to realize someone's paying attention out there."
The papers were putting it down to the new police program taking effect.
"We rooftop jumping, or flying?"
Dinah "Jumping, you need the practice," Dinah said, shooting her a grin. "And yeah. Spreading it out, less chance of us getting caught and having to make explanations." She stopped to flex her hands, and adjust her mask. "This look okay? I put some kevlar panels in the sides. Barbara sent them to me."
Blossom "I know, I know. I rely on my flying too much!" Blossom laughed and leaned in to look at the additions to the mask. "I still wish you'd let me put glitter on it or something, but it looks cool."
She gave a thumbs up and then looked around, finally pointing at what had once been a convenience store and was now merely a conveniently low roof. "Start there and head for higher rooftops?"
Dinah "Good eye. Works!" Dinah gave her a thumbs up, and started to run toward the low roof. "Let's go!" She started to run toward the convenience store.
The Stalker. The footsteps behind them sped up, and something went flying past both girls, to hit the pavement with a thump and then a hissssssss....
Blossom Blossom blinked, and paused in her run. "What the?" It kind of reminded her of something, but she wasn't sure what. Just, it wasn't right. "T.K?!" She shouted after Dinah as a sort of fog started up in front of them. Ah! She and Rikku had been talking about smoke grenades! Was this a test? No way, right? Although even if it was, Rikku wouldn't be playing so she'd expect Blossom to be serious about it.
"Look out, someone's here!" She put a bit more speed into her run and lifted off the ground, the better to grab Dinah and fly outta here!
The stalker.... A second thump, and another hiss, behind them, the greenish-sweet smoke moving around both girls.
Through the mist, they'd just be able to see a figure wearing a gas mask, stalking toward them.
Dinah Dinah was coughing, her vision blurring, and she panicked, taking off her mask as she shoved out with her telekinesis toward the figure--
--and it dodged left, somersaulting forward to come to a stop before them, smirking behind the mask.
Oh, shit.
"Shiva."
Blossom GAS bomb?!
The second one landed closer and Blossom was choking as she fell back to the sidewalk. She landed on one knee for a moment to try to catch a breath. It was just, ugh. Give her a moment to clear her head and she'd be back up. She just needed a moment.
She gasped and tried to find the origin of the smoke, managing to kick a leg at one of the grenades and send it flying into a snowbank with a small clattery noise.
"Who's there? T.K.? You alright?" She gasped as she came back, shakily to her feet. She'd promised Rikku she would take care of Dinah and herself and she was totally not going to back out on that promise, even if it was a bit hard to breathe.
Lady Shiva Hello, Dinah." Shiva took another few steps forward, then frowned at Blossom. "You're going to be a problem. Aren't you?"
She aimed a long booted foot at Blossom's jaw, Jackie-Chan-fast.
"But not for long."
Blossom And while Blossom had seen a few martial arts movies, she was not at all a huge fan and was totally unprepared for a blow so fast. She went flying backwards with a groan.
"Ow!" She was still not at full capacity, what with the gas still swirling around them (Why was there no cold brisk breeze tonight, eh? Stupid weather.) so her recovery was a bit slow, but she managed to get back to her knees and reached into her pocket. She was so not going to rely on her new punching skill with someone who could kick that fast. "I don't know who you are, but I am totally willing to be a problem for you."
She tossed her yo-yo into the smoke in the direction she'd been kicked from. Well, tossed as in, she threw it hard enough to break a brick wall if it struck one.
Lady Shiva Shiva dodged right, avoiding the deadly missile-- then came down on top of it on the rebound. One foot on top of the yo-yo, she stared at Momoko with cold eyes. "Your toy would be effective, against someone else. But this isn't your fight, little girl."
Dinah "Hyper. Run," Dinah panted, eyes falling shut, and then shoved for all she was worth at Shiva. She had time to see the older woman stagger sideways, almost falling to one knee, before everything faded out to gray. Then black.
Barbara is going to kill me for getting kidnapped was her last thought before she passed out.
Blossom Run? Yeah. That will happen.
Well, it would when Blossom was sure she wasn't going to win. After all, she'd promised.
She growled lightly and took advantage of the tk-induced staggering to retrieve her yo-yo from under the old lady's foot, then lifted into the air and lassoed a nearby mailbox. Wrenching it from the sidewalk, and with a silent prayer for assistance from all the letters that may be inside, she swung hard and let the giant metal box fly at her opponent. "Love Letter Missile!"
Yes, she had named the attack.
Lady Shiva "...what?" Shiva had time to say, then was cartwheeling away in order to avoid being flattened. Closer to Dinah, her true prey, not this little meta-human with the bizarre sense of combat.
Blossom Luckily Blossom had been paying attention in her training sessions with Dinah and was following up her mailbox attack! Literally, she was flying in after it, adjusting and putting on extra speed as she saw the lady move to avoid the hit.
"For an old lady, you sure are fast," she said as she aimed a punch at the woman's face. She was using the force of her flight to add even more power to the punch she totally wasn't pulling.
Lady Shiva The old comment had Shiva's eyes narrowing in annoyance, but the punch had them widening again as she dove out of the way--- not quite fast enough.
Blossom's fist impacted Shiva's gas mask, shattering the plastic and knocking it loose, and that was going to be very definite problem. Getting back to her feet and ripping off the mask, Shiva hissed.
"Enough."
Two steps: set-up, and kick. Then punch. Fast, the way only the best martial artists could be fast, and efficient, and aimed to put someone down as quickly as possible.
Blossom "Oof!" Blossom's own eyes flew open at the impacts and she went down, conveniently just on top of the first grenade. She had two thoughts before passing completely out. One was simply amazement that the whole fight was over before the still-hissing gas grenade was empty, and the second was an oath that she was totally going to kick this Old Lady's face in when she saw her again.
Lady Shiva Shiva would have stayed to finish the girl, but the gas was going to effect her if she didn't leave immediately; and the blows and lingering knock-out drug would keep the meta-human down long enough for her to escape with her prize.
Bending down, she lifted Dinah in a fireman's carry, then stalked down the block, breathing deep from the clean air.
She reached her car and tumbled the unconscious girl into the trunk, shutting it smartly, then got in and drove.
Stage One: Complete.
[Preplayed with the lovely heromaniac and continued here! NFI, NFB for distance, OOC is yay.]