Saw those Wings Before

December 21, 2017:

Iron Guard and Hawkgirl go to help in a massive traffic accident caused by the blizzard. Nathaniel recognizes those wings, and Kendra… is suddenly very wary due to events thousands of years ago.

Characters

NPCs: None.

Mentions:

Plot:

Mood Music: None.


Fade In…

It's the first day of winter here in New York City and with the season comes snow. Though really this snow has been falling for days, versus just today, and the City is finding it hard keeping up with the accumulation.

From this the City finds itself trying valiantly to burrow out, or at the very least, keep the streets and highways clear. It's a battle they're losing, but it doesn't stop them from trying. Nor does it stop the people from trying to get to work and back home, or to the store and vice-a-versa.

So, is it surprising on any level that accidents are going to happen? Have happened even, as calls begin to flood 9-1-1.

'There's a four car accident! We're going to need help!'
'The car doors are stuck and I think one of the cars is on fire. Send help!'
'Help! I can't get out of my car! I'm stuck! Please help!'

It's a pile up of cars, one after the other, after another. A domino effect, if you will, and as those frantic calls come into the emergency service line, smoke begins to billow outward from beneath several hoods from several cars.

Above in the snow-filled gray sky a hero is already streaking across the sky. A woman with wings. She heard the calls come in and now she's swooping in to help.


There is something strange with the weather in the New York area. It is not it is outside normal parameters, but it is being too cold according to the models used by current day meteorologists. Of course Nathaniel has been following the phenomenon, just as he follows every event outside normal parameters. Just too busy with other projects to investigate unusual weather patterns.

47% chances it is just a newly manifested mutant or Nuhuman affecting the weather without realizing. Maybe he should run a city wide scan. It would be just a few hours job. But he keeps delaying it because there are more interesting things to do.

Which was bound to bite his ass, too. But in truth Nathaniel is not a natural superhero. He has a routine optimized for efficiency. It is all math and science. Instinct does not factor, because he leans towards the sociopathic, no the altruistic, and he is well aware of it. So science! And now he finds an epic level traffic accident in his way.

New York needs better cold weather protocols. Now, he can work on those, but first he needs to clear the mess. So Hawkgirl has some company as the figure in red and silver metal and golden light flies down from the west, scanning for fuel leaks on the vehicles.

Internal combustion engines are the first thing to go once he obtains enough political influence. Really. He hates them.


Combustion engines aren't the safest, no, but it's what this current world uses and so they leak.

A lot.

The black smoke that's curling up from several of the cars is just a precursor of a fire just trying to start.

For Hawkgirl, her attention is focused solely upon the traffic jam below. There might be a vague sense that tells her another is there within the sky with her, but for now the feathered woman is on a mission.

Her gray wings tuck close to her form and like a ton of bricks the woman plummets toward the ground, losing altitude quickly and efficiently. At the last possible minute those wings of hers flare outward, feathers splaying wide, as they slow the woman's downward momentum. When she lands it's with the lightest of steps and near one of the cars that smokes. Her weapon, a mace, is clipped upon her belt as Hawkgirl literally reaches for the driver's side door of that car. "HOLD ON!" Shouts Kendra, "I'll get you out!"

And with those words Kendra Saunders aka Hawkgirl literally RIPS the door off the car with a resounding shriek of protesting metal.

"Are you injured?" She asks the driver and the man shakes his head in a jerky manner. "N-no. I just couldn't get out."

And while Kendra wrestles the man out of seat-belts and from beneath a half deflated airbag, a car two vehicles down suddenly erupts in flames. The driver and two passengers inside trapped with all three unconscious.


Three vehicles with leaks and seven people with problems to leave the vehicles. 11 more able but apparently unwilling. Silly people. A number of injured, sensors still processing. None critical detected so far. And… a winged woman.

Those wings, he has seen those wings before. About 3500 years ago. Two years ago for Nathaniel Richards, the Avenger Iron Guard.

The woman is not Hetshepsut. She has been dead for millennia. This woman is taller, more slender, early 20s. He hesitates, but just a second.

"Greetings," he says. "I will handle the vehicle," like picking it up, which he does. "It is rather likely to explode. I am detecting another two fuel leaks. Please, help everyone leave the area. I am contacting the authorities, but the weather is going to delay the response."


The man is bodily lifted up and out of the car and once free of the metal, airbag and seat-belts, is set upon his feet.

"Get to the side!" Kendra says, voice firm, and only after the man starts moving does the masked woman turn toward the newest arrival.

"Greetings?" She says, her voice rising a touch with the oddity of Iron Guard's greeting, but hearing his next words kicks her further into gear. "Getting the people out of the area, got it, Mr. Roboto."

And just like that Kendra moves to do what she just said.

Doors are ripped open, people are removed from the cars, and for those that are unconscious Kendra deftly hands them off to other bystanders, with a rough, "Stop rubber-necking and help these people."

And it's true the weather is delaying the EMTs, fire trucks and police cars. In the distance the wail of their sirens can be heard, but they're at least ten to fifteen minutes out, if not longer truth be told.

Not that it stops the two heroes or those everyday heroes that try to help as best they can.

While Iron Guard moves that first car the other two fuel leaks begin to smoke heavier as well. They don't necessarily erupt in flames, but little fingerlings of fire can be seen flashing beneath the hood and underneath both cars.

"Crap, you better get down here fast, two more are about to blow. I can get one, but not both." Yells the woman, even as she brings her hand down hard upon the back window of one of the smoking cars. The tempered glass crackles from the winged woman's strength before it shatters. Once broken through the winged woman squirms her way inside to help those three unconscious victims.

It's going to be a literal grab a victim, drag out carefully around the glass shards, go back in and do it two more times.


“It is Iron Guard,” says the armored man. He forgot to introduce himself, distracted! “And yes… we have about 20 seconds only,” but he wanted the first car out of the way, so getting it on fire (or exploding) does not cause a chain reaction. He magnetically disables the engine, preventing more sparks.

Second car with leaks he lifts and moves out of the road, setting it on one side so the snow covers the broken fuel tank completely. It might work, if they are lucky. Fortunately the driver ran away earlier.


There's sharp mutters from Hawkgirl as she pulls the second and finally the third victim from that last car that's threatening to explode. Once that last victim is in her arms, the winged-woman moves as quick as she can away from it.

"Okay Mr. Roboto, get that third one out of here!"

And while she did hear his introduction, she still sticks with the Mr. Roboto name, even as she adds, "And I'm Hawkgirl, at your service."

For that second car the snow does the job Iron Guard intended it to do - it quells and quenches the flames. While the second car continues to smoke his sensors should easily read that the potential for explosions is no longer there. It's just that last car now.

Once Kendra's arms are unburdened the winged woman leaps back to that third car. While not necessarily fireproof that doesn't seem to stop Kendra from ripping the hood off the car and tearing the engine out of it. And while it calms some of the flames down there's still those ones that are crawling upon the undercarriage of the car - stretching towards the gas tank in the rear.


“Oh, one of those names,” comments Iron Guard. All those ‘boy’, ‘girl’, ‘kid’, ‘junior’ names. They are so mid-20th Century (and also mid-30th Century). He was Iron Lad once, too. “Wait, don’t…” ouch, she ripped the engine out. “Too late,” he points out, “fire is spreading,” so he grabs the whole car again. This time he flies up, and it explodes before he is 10 yards into the air. Chunks of metal fly off, some of them burning. His armor is covered by flames, too. But he contains the bulk of the burning wreck with a forcefield. Kendra will still have to deal with some of the debris.

Despite becoming quite the armored torch, Iron Guard keeps moving and drops the burning car well away from other vehicles and curious New Yorkers.


Debris fall and they seem to be no trouble for Hawkgirl, as her keen gaze catches sight of those flaming meteorites.

With a flare of gray-feathered wings the woman rises sharply into the air, her spike-headed mace already held within her hands. It's kind of like batters-up, as she swings the mace and bats away the flaming shards of metal. She aims to have them fall past the crowds and the streets, away from injuring anyone else. With each strike one can hear the *poing* of metal hitting metal.

Once all of the falling shrapnel has been dealt with, Hawkgirl slowly circles within the air, eyes tracking the flaming Mr. Roboto.

With a quick glance below, to make certain the bystanders and injured are safe, Hawkgirl stays aloft her attention on Iron Guard. "You injured?" She calls out, voice easily carrying against the sounds of sirens, wind and falling snow. "The ambulances are almost here."

And with their bird's eye view the two can see the strobing lights of police, fire and ambulances progressing towards the accident site.


The burning vehicle set aside, Nathaniel flies a few yards up and alters the surface tension of his armor to repel the burning fuel and oil, letting it fall to the ground, still on fire. Shinny armor again, he turns his head to Kendra.

"No, not at all. This armor can handle much worse," he looks back at the piled cars and considers, "yes, and it looks no one requires immediate medical assistance. Bioscaners show just a few fractured bones and blunt trauma bruises. Not much we can do." Clearing the road would be helpful for the victims of the forming traffic jam, but would lead to a number of legal troubles with the police and insurance companies. He is not going there, the Avengers need to keep a good working relationship with the NYCPD.


The sirens continue to warble and soon enough the ambulances, fire trucks and police cars break through. The scene below turns into controlled chaos as EMTs, fire men and women and police officers pour out of cars and trucks to assist.

Hawkgirl continues to hang mid-air, her attention split between Iron Guard and the scene below.

"Looks like we're not really needed anymore anyway. Emergency crews are here." The winged-woman states, then her attention turns fully upon the armored man. "Thanks for the assist, Mr. Roboto. Can't say I've worked too much with other heroes, but I appreciate the help."

Her mask tilts toward the sky as the young woman glances above the two heroes, toward the snow heavy clouds. "Now if only you could fix the weather, then maybe we won't need to work over the holidays."


Tsk, the Roboto thing is getting tiresome. “Well, yes,” he makes the helmet retract into the neckpiece, letting Hawkgirl see his face while he hovers about ten yards from the street. It might be a familiar face if her past lives memories hit her. “I am working on the weather problem, but it seems a… supernatural effect, difficult to handle with Twenty First Century technology. You wear Nth Metal armor. Thangarian, right? But archaic, I think I have seen those wings before.”


When his helm retracts the winged-woman returns her attention back to him.

His face brings a vague feeling to the forefront of her mind - something similar to deja vu, but not. Something that causes the woman to cant her head to the side, her eyebrows furrowing behind the cover of her mask. Her lips even purse slightly as she considers the young man's features, but even with that disquietness felt, all Hawkgirl says is, "You're younger than I expected." Not that she has any room to talk, but that's never stopped Hawkgirl.

As for the rest -

Again her eyebrows furrow behind her mask, first at the mention of supernatural weather effects, but more importantly at the mention of her wings and the metal they're made of. "Thanagarian-what?" And while the man did just help her with saving people, distrust and wariness can now be heard within her voice, it causes her to grip the shaft of her mace tightly.

"And you sure do seem to know a lot, don't you."


Nathaniel studies Hawkgirl's expression and stance. Given the mask covers half her face it is not easy, but she is pretty transparent. "It is my job," he points out. "I might not know enough. But I know your wings are the product of alien technology from the planet Thanagar." The helmet covers his head again.

"You did not know?" Seems not. "You might want to do some research; Nth metal has strange effects on human physiology. Come to the Avengers mansion at some point and I will give you all the information I have about Thanagar and the Nth Metal."


Whether she knows the wings are Nth Metal or not (which she does) isn't made clear. Not when the young man continues to speak and offer invite to visit the Avengers mansion.

While her hind-brain still grapples with the idea that her wings are alien technology, she still says, "You're an Avenger?" So, while she's new at this game, she's still heard some of the popular names in town. "Maybe I'll visit, but right now I think it's time to get going."

Another wary look is fixated on the man, "I'm sure we'll be seeing each other later, Mr. Roboto. Try not to get into trouble." She ends with and with a flare of wings the woman moves. She's streaking away from him, though before she leaves the airspace around the two, she does look back to the man. Her lips flattened into a slight frown.


"Yes," replies Iron Guard and… looks like Hawkgirl is leaving. "Me trouble? Perish the thought," he murmurs. "Be well," he offers, louder. The mansion is the other way, so he departs quickly. On the way he opens a channel to the police liaison to send a quick report about the accident. The winged woman issue set aside for now.

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