(Untitled)

[capemods]

WHO: PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE
WHERE: Nominally Los Angeles, but with teleporters and the refugee camps involved, who even knows?
WHEN: From June 5th on!
SUMMARY: People... who evacuate people... are the luckiest people... in the world.

Comments

[fromyourbones]

Sooraya Qadir was standing in the middle of a baseball field when a crazy man fell out of the sky. That was not the most polite way of describing the situation, of course, nor the most accurate. She was in the middle of the baseball field, yes, and completely separated from her team, but she was walking across it, as fast as she could--at least until the sound of the helicopter thundered across the field.

Her arms and legs, already half sand to discourage anyone who might be planning on targeting her extremities, dissipated even more in anticipation of an aerial strike. After all, she had not seen any evidence of bombings here, but Sooraya had known bombs. She didn't actually stop moving at that point, either; instead, she broke into something between a run and a glide, given how totally insubstantial her feet were--it would be harder to hit a moving target. It was when the man parachuted down and the helicopter flew away harmlessly that she stopped running, her eyes narrowing as she observed the mysterious figure's fall, and the subsequent... what was he doing? Checking himself for equipment? She would not be surprised.

He certainly appeared... heavily armed, but was he dangerous? That, she did not know. The plane appeared to be military, however, and although Sooraya was not nearly naive enough to mean that military affiliation kept anyone from doing evil things, there was little she could do about it right now. Catching his attention seemed ill-advised at the moment, however, so she settled for continuing to stare.

[ctu_savior]

Jack pointed his rifle at the civilian- who else would wear a niqab in a combat zone?- the instant he spotted her. "Federal Agent, let me see your hands!" He yelled, not taking any chances with what she might be concealing under there. (And damn if it didn't feel good to refer to himself as a Federal agent again) "Identify yourself!"

[sable_cloak]

The Shadow reached the field, but stayed concealed behind a nearby building. He was barely close enough to make out what Jack was saying, and it was difficult to identify him at his current distance, but he was able to make out Federal Agent, and decided to see how the situation played out. He had no idea who the second party on the field was. In the meantime, he kept his awareness about him, keeping an eye out for uninvited members of H.I.V.E., or a chance that his location might be exposed.

[fromyourbones]

She raised her hands and called across to the agent, keeping her tone distinctly audible and very patient. Was that voice familiar? He had said too little to tell.

"Sooraya Qadir, alias Dust," she said. "I am a member of the X-Men, and helping to evacuate the city. Please, lower your weapon."

[ctu_savior]

Jack did as he was asked, looking incredulous. "You're with the X-Men?" If this was an ordinary situation he would have pressed the issue, but the fact was that he had been an ImPort long enough that a teenager going into an urban battlefield in a niqab unarmed wasn't even among the top ten most bizarre things he'd seen recently. So instead he just lowered his rifle and went with it- there was no time for anything else. "Jack Bauer, City police department, I'm currently aiding the government. I-"

Suddenly a voice boomed out over a loudspeaker from somewhere off to the right; maybe a block away in Jack's estimation. "Return to your homes, assholes! There's nowhere to go! The government and their freak buddies are not gonna help you! So do as you're told, turn the fuck around, and sit tight before you get hurt! None of you are going anywhere!" The announcement was punctuated by a long burst of automatic weapons fire.

Jack turned to Dust. "I'm gonna go check that out and shut them down. If you want to come with me, I'd appreciate the backup." He had to assume that despite her apparent age and lack of equipment, Dust was more formidable than she appeared. Besides, her voice sounded familiar somehow...

[sable_cloak]

The source of the loudspeaker wasn't far off, The Shadow allowing a glance in the direction before returning his attention to the pair on the field. In their current location out in the open, they were easy targets for snipers should there be any. If they moved, he would follow from a distance. If assistance was needed, he would provide it.

[fromyourbones]

"Of course I will."

As she lowered her arms, Sooraya immediately let the fingertips of her right hand start to disintegrate into the living silicon particles she referred to as sand--it was useless, but reassuring, especially as she was about to walk into certain danger. But she was, after all, an X-Man. Risking their lives to protect those of others was what they did, and it was something she had become accustomed to over the last two years.

Lifting what remained of her palm in his direction, Dust nodded, then started walking in the direction of the loudspeaker. She assumed he would follow.

"That is my power," Sooraya added, by way of explanation. "I would not want you to be shocked."

[ctu_savior]

Jack was in fact shocked to see someone transforming themselves into sand right in front of him, but there was no time to let it slow him down. Instead he said "Got it, thanks," raised his rifle, and trotted on ahead, taking point as they moved off the field and began to cross the street. In the background, the HIVE's minions continued to roar their threats. "Okay, first we find some cover, we're too exposed out here. Then we need a visual on wherever- DOWN!"

Jack hurled himself behind a parked SUV as bullets began digging holes in the pavement near his feet. Judging by the volume of fire and the sound of the gunshots, he guessed there might be two shooters with AK-47s firing from an elevated position, but the rounds slamming into the car made it impossible for him to look for them. "Dust, do you see them?" He shouted.

[sable_cloak]

The attack concentrating on the SUV, The Shadow broke into a run as he ducked between points of cover, heading for the source of the rapid gunfire. His actions were heedless of whether the two pinned people could see his motions toward the location, his focus was to take down the sniper position without betraying his advance to them alone. One way or another, he would climb to the rooftop and stop the rain of lead.

[fromyourbones]

She ducked for cover behind the same SUV automatically, instinct winning out over any other impulses, but after the first few rounds of bullets (and Jack Bauer's shouted request), she overcame the impulse with a slight, private scowl. Instantaneously, a sand cloud pretty much... whooshed out of her sleeves and the opening of her niqab, leaving her clothing to flop lifelessly to the ground. Subtlety didn't really have a point in this situation, she reasoned, as she peered over the top of the car at the people currently firing on them.

There were, indeed, two HIVE thugs on the other side, and they couldn't have noticed anything too out of the ordinary--there was always kicked-up dust around a baseball field, and they were too far away to notice the vague suggestion of a face in the sand. Returning to the ground and her clothes as quickly as she had gone, she nodded, then spoke.

"There are two."

[ctu_savior]

"Got it." Jack popped up from behind the SUV, raised the rifle scope to his eye,, and prepared to fire, only to stop when he saw a dark figure climbing unnoticed towards the shooters. Hoping that whoever it was wasn't hostile, Jack started giving him cover fire, managing to get off three bursts before the bullets whizzing by his head started getting too close and he had to drop back behind the vehicle. He was suddenly struck by how surreal this was- a full-out gun battle right next to an American baseball field, with refugees a block away. This can't be happening, he thought, not in America. This isn't LA, it's more like Sangela. And the chaos Jack had experienced in that African nation was not a pleasant memory. "There's someone else moving on their position," he told Dust, "I couldn't tell who it was."

[sable_cloak]

The returned fire may have been a signal he'd been spotted by the pinned pair, but that wasn't his current concern. The brim of his hat poked over the ledge of the rooftop only enough to permit him to aim as one of his .45s was aimed at the snipers. The other hand remained anchored in place as it held him steadily to the side of the building, ready to keep him just below the level of the roof, and out of sight. Quickly, he squeezed off four shots, each lead messenger aimed for the dark hearts and evil minds of the men on the rooftop.

[fromyourbones]

She slid around to the other side of the car just in time to see the bullets from that "someone else" connect with the bodies of the HIVE mercenaries, who seemed to scream almost as much in surprise as in pain--at least the one who wasn't shot in the head. The latter hit the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, but the first one went more slowly, his body almost crumpling around itself as he fell to his knees.

Sooraya had stared death in the face enough times in the past to know its approach when she saw it, and she knew it was here now, but she was too busy to feel sick or guilty for the loss of life. There was too much around her, too many important things to pay attention to, to give thought to the familiar revulsion, so Dust did what she always did--swallowed it down in silence to save it for later. She changed position from her knees to a crouch; standing upright would have to wait until she knew whoever had fired was trustworthy.

[ctu_savior]

By this time Jack was so used to death that the demise of the HIVE's gunmen registered as nothing to him except the elimination of an obstacle. He was having more trouble with Dust's method of reconnaissance, and even that had been too useful to mind. He was completely and unreservedly focused on the mission. "We're clear, let's move!" He yelled, tossing a wave of gratitude to the unknown but very welcome shooter before emerging from behind the SUV and sprinting towards the loudspeaker.

Skidding to a halt behind another parked car, he looked through the scope again and evaluated the situation. The intersection up ahead of them was blocked by an unmarked black van and a pickup truck, and the street beyond was jammed with stalled cars and cowering pedestrians- citizens trying to escape being used as human shields by the HIVE.

The armed men manning the blockade, faceless and sinister beneath balaclavas, gas masks, and motorcycle helmets, had other ideas. "AM I FUCKING STUTTERING?" Screamed the man with the loudspeaker, standing atop of the pickup truck. "Which part of 'turn around' don't you dumbasses get? There's nobody coming to save you! The Army is getting its ass kicked and we are going to massacre their pet costumed weirdos! Just give up!" One bold soul in a store clerk's uniform responded to this by flipping the bird to the entire blockade and striding forward. Perhaps he thought the HIVE was bluffing. If that was the case then he was fatally mistaken, for the announcer raised a machine pistol and riddled him with bullets. Screams filled the air as the citizen's body hit the ground and the other refugees shrank back. "ANYONE ELSE THINK THEY'RE A HERO?" Roared the murderer.

Disgusted, Jack turned to Dust. "We've gotta clear that roadblock."

[sable_cloak]

Now that the rooftop was clear, The Shadow had a body, a new weapon, and any supplies left on the body that remained on the roof. Quickly he picked up the gun, taking the spare ammunition and stashing it as he followed Jack and Dust's progress, providing cover over the remaining rooftops and what he could of the streets. From his new vantage point, he could see the blockade, and hear the loudspeaker clearly.

Only a moment after the murderer finished his proclamation, an eerie, echoing sound of challenging mirth echoed its way to the blockade, starting softly, and reaching a crescendo as it pealed off the buildings. It was a sound designed to confuse and intimidate any opponent who heard it, its reverberating nature making it difficult to pinpoint the source of the sound.

"THE CHALLENGE IS ACCEPTED!" The voice sounded as if it came from the rooftops, but which one would be difficult to determine for at least a short time.

[fromyourbones]

She clenched her fists unconsciously as she watched the violence from through the windows of the same car, then attempted to identify the source of the voice in vain. Whoever the mysterious person challenging the HIVE goons was, whether or not they were trusthworthy, remained to be seen--even if they were, relying on them alone would be nothing but stupid. There were two things which Sooraya had absolute faith in in this situation and one, she knew, was available right here and right now.

"Let me go first," she said, and before he could actually respond, she was already off, wafting through the air in the direction of the roadblock. She did not want to do this, she did not like to do this, but there was only so much she could just watch.

The man with the loudspeaker was the obvious target, but she was still reluctant to kill anyone directly; he did, however, need to be disarmed. She could jam the guns, of course, but that required trapping pieces of her body in AK-47s, and it would only be a temporary measure--the HIVE would doubtless have more weapons available. She need a more permanent solution, and if he was going to use his trigger finger like this... it was a horrible thought, she knew, but perhaps he could get by without it.

A visible sandcloud rolled into the are of the roadblock, a sharp (and extremely obscene) cry rang out as the man with the loudspeaker learned just how painful it was to instantly have all the flesh stripped from his good hand, shots were fired blindly into the dust, and then she was gone as soon as she had come--behind a different car, this time. She would not want to lead them to Jack.