I can't stop this feeling

[exceptfebruary]

WHO: Calendar Man, a bunch of people who signed up, and also an open thing!
WHERE: Times Square
WHEN: New Year's Eve & New Year's
WARNINGS: Violence, fighting, monsters
SUMMARY: Calendar Man! Monster Father Times! GIANT BABY! Have a happy new year.
FORMAT: Whichever is preferred.

Comments

FATHER TIMES - Garrus, Geddoe, Batwoman, Wind Dancer, Lyra, Hellion, Spider-Man

[exceptfebruary]

They came from the date, clawing their way out of thin air. Sunken dark eyes with filmy cataracts peered from wrinkled faces and peeling skin. The robes were old, ripped and torn, with cracked hourglasses stringed at the waist. All thirty-one held large rusted scythes and long tangled white beards.

They all turned to face Calendar Man after they appeared. The people nearest to them started to panic and run, but the vast majority of the crowds had no clue what was going on. Calendar’s orders were quietly spoken, but the Father Times heard them.

Steal the New Year’s Ball. Fight anyone that tries to stop them.

And then he was gone, pushing back into the crowds. And the monsters remained, a third clambering up One Times Square, the bill-boarded building, ever so slowly trying to get to the ball. The rest stuck near the bottom, pushing, shoving and fighting anyone that came near. They were the back-up, the ones that would protect the others, in case anything went wrong. In the meantime, they busied themselves with causing quite a bit of chaos. At least a handful ended up splitting away from the others into the crowds.

[futurebatwoman]

It probably said something about the city that three holidays in Max was already wondering why she even bothered attending any celebrations. She'd wandered by Times Square in the evening, not sure what to do with the free time she had, suit in her backpack. She was planning on patrolling once it was dark enough, keeping New Year's Eve a safe place for the City's citizens.

Everything still felt topsy-turvy, anyways. The run in with Azrael and her subsequent inability to find him, her argument with Dick, her talk with Bruce. She hadn't met the other Batwoman yet, but she'd seen her one night in the distance, exactly as Steph had described her. She wasn't looking forward to that meeting.

Unfortunately, all that introspection meant that she's in the middle of the crowd when the monsters attacked. She pushes and shoves, letting the crowd carry her until she manages to break off and slip into an alleyway to change.

Seriously? Was one quiet holiday too much to ask for? She takes off out of the alley, flying over the crowds, building up altitude until she's high enough to dive towards one of the climbing ... whatever the hell these things were, crashing with him down to the ground to the side of the ones still on the ground.

"And to think," she says, rolling to her feet, "I haven't even made my New Year's Resolutions yet."

There's cameras everywhere, ready to video the ball going down and doubtless no ready to capture this fight. Anonymity is going to be one of those things that happens to other people after this. She flips open a Batarang and takes a deep breath. There's at least a couple dozen of these things, maybe more. Solo act though she's been for the most part, she really hopes someone else starts showing up soon, or she's going to get herself trashed on live television.

[ex_julianhe]

Julian doesn't know either her or batwoman, but he sees her fighting with some kind of boomerang thing, and he's more than willing to play the teaming up game. He pushes his way through the scampering crowd to her side. He's surrounded by a glowing green aura, and when he reaches her, he channels that energy through his hand to create a telekinetic shield in front of them.

"You all right? That was a hell of a fall."

[exceptfebruary]

Their attention grabbed, about three of the Father Times start heading toward them. One slices with its scythe and hits the shield. It doesn't seem to realize it can't get through because it immediately tries again. The other two start attacking from the side.

[futurebatwoman]

"I'm fine," she says, looking at the three things heading towards them. "Wings, jets, what are they for if not keeping you from hitting the ground at ungodly speeds."

What are these things, exactly? They came out of nowhere, like someone had summoned them. The hourglasses, the robes - this is a time thing, isn't it? Something to do with the New Year specifically rather than an attack just falling on New Year's because it's dramatic.

Well, whatever they are, she's got to keep them off the kid's back, give him time and space to work whatever that green glow thing is. She ducks to avoid a scythe and flings a batarang at the hand holding it before throwing herself to the side to avoid the one behind her as he aims a blow.

"I'm about to make it smoky in here, kid," she says, and drops a smoke bomb.

[ex_julianhe]

"What are you--?"

Julian looks round, just in time to see her dropping a bomb. He has just about enough time to pull himself off the ground and out of the way, letting the smoke head towards the Father Times instead. The problem is, he can't see where the hell she's gone.

"Where are you? I can't see for crap."

He goes higher, trying to catch a glimpse of one of those scythes. Finally, he sees one of them flashing, and tries to pull it towards himself. Disarming these things is about the only thing he can do without risking his powers smacking down Boomerang Girl as well.

[futurebatwoman]

It's a fast dissipating localized smoke, chosen because she wanted to keep the confusion down to the minimum for her companion. She's got about thirty seconds to make her move before it's gone and the air is open again.

But she's thought about this, taken the distraction offered to plan. She can see the Father Times, ghostly outlines made visible by her goggles. There's a scythe, and she grabs it and pulls, kicking in her jets to provide the momentum to swing him into the second one. They crash satisfactorily, but she's not entirely sure that's going to be enough.

Which is where this guy with the glowing force fields comes in, who just grabbed a scythe from the third one. She throws a batarang at the two Father Time's she's piled on top of each other and kicks up to hover near the kid in the air as the electricity crackles from it. The smoke is dissipating already.

"Telekinetic?" she hazards a guess. "You're up."

[ex_julianhe]

And there she is, giving him a clear shot and hovering with some built in jets. No time to think about that now. She's spry enough to stay out of the way and time's wasting.

Which is ironic, since they're pretty much fighting avatars of time here.

He shoots a smirk at her. "I thought you'd never ask."

She's piled them up into a very nice target. He's not about to overlook that. He pulls his shield back in, and then forces them out in an explosive blast centred right on the Father Times.

[exceptfebruary]

The blast hit them all, and with the Father Times disarmed and in a tumble there was little they good do in defence. The Father Time on the top of the pile got the full brunt of the blast, and it slowly faded into nothingness. The others turned their attention on Julian and Batwoman, now slower and singed.

One forgets everything and leaps at Batwoman, old curled nails aimed straight at her neck. The Other tosses its hourglass in Julian's direction, before collapsing on the ground, heavily wounded.

[futurebatwoman]

"Nice one," she says, and kills her jets to conserve fuel, dropping to the ground. "How are they still moving?"

She may not have been fighting long, but she can see the Father Times' move telegraphed wide and clear. She slips to the side, letting his momentum carry him past her, and aims a spin kick between his shoulders with as much force as she can give it, all the strength of her suit behind it.

"Is that all of this group?" she calls out, watching to make sure he doesn't try to get up again.

[ex_julianhe]

"Away from me," Julian mutters, as he swipes the hourglass aside with his powers. The glass shatters, which he isn't expecting. What kind of crappy-ass weapon breaks as easily as that?

Then the sand that had been inside it showers over him, and he gets it.

"What the hell is this stuff?" Everywhere it's touching is burning. Like it's on fire, but a strange, cold fire. And somehow beneath that there's numbness, and yet his skin's not damaged. He's too distracted to keep the flight up and falls back to the ground, staving his arm on the pavement. "The sand! Don't let it touch you!" He's brushing it off, which seems to help, but it makes that strange feeling spread to his hands too.

"Damn it, what the hell is this stuff?!"

[futurebatwoman]

"Lie still and let me," she says, dropping to her knees beside him. "My suit should insulate me from the worst of it, I think." She brushes as much of it as she can off him rapidly.

There's a faint crackle for a second, and she snatches her hand back to look at where the sand has managed to rug away part of her suit. "I have no idea what it is. Watching my back?" she says through clenched teeth, and moves as fast as she can. She doesn't want this stuff near (rather expensive to build) suit any longer than absolutely necessary.

[ex_julianhe]

When the sand's gone, the feeling goes with it. It doesn't leave any lasting damage, which is even freakier.

Her suit isn't faring as well, though. He doesn't have good enough fine control to brush every grain away with his powers, but he can get the bulk that's fallen onto the ground.

"Got you covered," he says, through gritted teeth. He aims the sand at what's left of the Father Times. Let's see how they like it.

[exceptfebruary]

The normally silent Father Times start to scream when hit by the sand. It's an eerie screechy noise like broken glass and howls of wind. For the moment, they are completely helpless.

[futurebatwoman]

"Well, then, there's a strategy," Max says, offering him one hand up as she throws a batarang at the hourglass of a Father Time trying to make his way through the crowd with the other. "You good to go?"

[ex_julianhe]

"Aim for the hourglasses," Julian agrees, taking the hand up and looking steely. That sand isn't coming near him again, and he wants the Father Times gone.

"How big do those explosions get? We can finish this."

He concentrates, aiming a wave of power towards the struggling monsters. He's going for the glasses at their belts.