*Editing magic performed by Shyqash, plus contributions by the regular gang of brigands and neer-do-wells*
*This tale is a bit tongue and cheek as well as kinky, so be warned.*
*This story arc is VERY sex light; you've been warned*
*Every hurricane starts as just a bit of rain*
[PRELUDE]
[A FEW SHORT WEEKS LATER]
Contrary to my pledge to the Night Watchman (head of Freedom Force), I was getting involved with the turmoil caused by the removal of Kori Ivankov, Criminal Kingpin of Megalopolis. I wasn't trying to take over, or get my slice of the pie. No, I was doing something much dumber - in my estimation. I was helping a group of vigilantes from being overwhelmed in the resulting chaos on the streets.
"Dark Son! Three more coming your way!" Arachne cautioned me. She was swinging around this unused warehouse, keeping the opposition spread out and occupied with trying to hit her. I was definitely the team's 'tank' (meaning me and my armored suit could take the most pounding).
I'd already dispatched (knocked unconscious) Hammer Storm ~ an augmented human using a variety of hammers in combat including his trademark two sledgehammers and was engaging Sonic Scythe. She (SS was a gal) was sending forth lethal, piercing sonic death from her fingertips my way. Her screams for my demise was a peripheral nuisance at best.
"I'm going to turn your body into Jell-O," she screeched.
'Not if I do this to you first', I thought. I reached out with my TK (telekinesis) gauntlets ~ range roughly 30 feet ~ and slammed her into an I-beam.
"OW! ... You Bastard!" she hollered. Apparently she had no volume control. She was also more resilient than she looked.
I tried to close with her to get my hands on Sonic Scythe and inflict some real damage when she slammed me with a double-handful of sonic doom, propelling me away. That was okay. Arachne wasn't coming my way just to get rid of her pursuers, but to help me get rid of Sonic Scythe too ... from behind. All I had to have done was keep her occupied, which I had done admirably.
Arachne came off the ceiling (she could run on, and stick to, all sorts of surfaces) and power-bombed Sonic Scythe from behind. I aimed my next attack at the closest pursuer who was spending a tad too much time watching Arachne's lithe form and not enough on where he was being led.
This joker went by the name Brain Bane and he was your standard telepathic / telekinetic egomaniac wielding a straight, dual-edged sword. He often went on hours long rants on the Web about how all other powers were merely the limited expression of either one of his base [read: superior] powers. It was wonderfully useful building a psych profile about him - that was for sure.
As he came around the same I-beam I'd planted Sonic Scythe into earlier, hyper-focused on Arachne, I grabbed him by the leg and proceeded to introduce the back of his head - and then his face - to the cold concrete floor. Yeah, I beat him like a ragdoll.
The follow-up members - Psy Lord and Backlash - were caught flat-footed when Arachne stood up from a clobbered Sonic Scythe and re-engaged them. Psy Lord was a miniature Brain Bane (emphasis on the telepathy with a minor in telekinesis) and Backlash was a Master (or Mistress in her case) of the whip which she took to be long, black sashes she kept wrapped around her person.
Backlash immediately engaged me in an attempt to make me let go of Brain Bane. Her lash wrapped around my left forearm, but made little progress as I was far stronger than she was. Still, she was slowing me down. It was enough for a groggy Brain Bane to zap me with a psionic blast. It was like fighting off a minor migraine yet hardly debilitating.
At the same time, Psy Lord attempted to trap all of us in a telepathic illusion. It was an Escher-esque landscape with all visual sensations being turned upside down and inside out.
"Psy Lord, you idiot!" Backlash screamed out, seemingly captured in the same illusion.
Psy Lord's distraction wasn't enough to make me release Brain Bane. He kept taking a beating even though my senses were skewed. Arachne and Backlash had it much worse, trapped as they were. After a career-affirming 'Crack!' from Brain Bane's skull, I used his body as a projectile to take out, or at least distract, Psy Lord.
Sure enough, the illusion wavered and faded somewhat. It was enough to allow Arachne to land a solid punch on him right as he shrugged off an unconscious Brain Bane's body. It was lights out for yet another member of the Night Crew. Speaking of which ...
Liberty Lincoln had finally dispatched the Night Crew's most serious brawlers, Berserk and Frenzy, and Lucky Dead had led Sinister Syd back after his own circular chase only to see it was him and his toxins plus Backlash versus the four of us.
"Oh ... bollocks," Syd groaned.
"Alright, you assholes," Liberty bellowed, "gather up your mates and get the hell out of the Bricks (aka the Brocton neighborhood of Megalopolis). Come around here again and you'll be leaving in ambulances."
"Gotchya ... gotchya," Sinister Syd head-bobbed.
"While you are at it, tell Romeo Dusk he doesn't own this town," she piled on the humiliation.
"Like that's going to happen," Backlash muttered.
"What was that?" Liberty postured.
"We get it! We get it," Backlash raised up her hands in surrender. "We'll tell Romeo what happened here ... good enough?"
"Yeah," I intervened. "Next time, if you come back, tell Romeo we will be coming uptown to deal with him."
"We'll let him know," Sinister Syd confirmed.
We departed to let them rouse their defeated comrades while we had our after-battle discussion.
"Thanks for coming over and helping out," Arachne raised up her mask enough for me to see she was smiling - a nice Asian smile.
"Meh," I shrugged. "It doesn't take a member of MENSA to realize whomever wants to come out on top of this criminal shit-pile isn't going to let the people responsible for taking doing Kori Ivankov off with anything short of a near-lethal lesson ... so I'm just looking after my future."
"You are just saying that to get over you not getting paid - again," Liberty Lincoln softly punched me in my upper arm. Had she been hitting me for real it would have felt totally different. "Also, nice upgrades to your suit. Each time we see you, you seem to have some new trick, or gadget."
"It's nothing fancy," I smirked. "As in nothing I couldn't kit-bash from the stuff hanging around the lair."
"Maybe you could make some kind of suit for Lucky Dead as well," Liberty suggested.
"I'll think about it," I allowed. "The biggest problem would be the suit runs of 'me' as its power source and I'm not sure how I could transform Lucky's power into something the suit could get creative with. Still, a little bit of armor and a jet pack aren't beyond me."
"Says the kid who doesn't understand we are still using baseball bats and pistols a year after we got started," Liberty guffawed. "See what you can do."
That was worth a nod and nothing more. I'd already told them I'd look in on it. We were splitting up again when I noticed Arachne holding back.
"Yes?" I inquired.
"Oh ... nothing. I was just wondering ... what you do ... when you aren't here ... with us?" she stammered.
"I'm a struggling college student."
"Struggling? From the art work you snatched up you should be worth millions ..."
"Struggling as in struggling to remain in the top of my perspective class. I not only want to graduate, I want to graduate magna cum laude," I explained.
"Oh ... that's wonderful!" she perked up. "Then what?"
"Is this going somewhere?" I questioned.
"No - Yes - I mean ... wouldyouliketogooutsometime?"
"You mean you and me as a date ~ go out?"
