October 16, 2018:
Drake shares one last secret with Stephanie. Also featured: crippling fatigue.
The Bronx
Characters
NPCs: None.
Mentions:
Plot:
Mood Music: [*\# None.]
Fade In…
Bzzt. Bzzt.
"K'shnrkt!"
It was a rather inelegant snort noise from where Drake had fallen asleep with a book on his bed. Not a fun book - a textbook. Boo. He groggily paws for his phone and hits the button.
"Mn'llo?"
*
"….Is everything okay?" Stephanie asks, switching gears mid thought when she heard the muffled sound of something she had never encountered before: Sleepy Drake. She paused in setting up her sky cycle for flight.
*
"Yuh." He pauses, and there's an audible yawn on the other side. "Yeah. Sorry. Neh. I fell asleep. Is- wait, is everything okay? Did you talk to'er? Is- where're you? What time is it?"
*
Stephanie is frowning softly until she hears that yawn. And then she blushes brightly.
"ohmygodiwokeyouup. I'msosorry! It'sabotutobeten.Icanletyougoifyou'resleeping.I'msorry!I'msorry-" And she's off to the races!
*
"Stephanie!"
Good ol' reliable off-button.
"You're m'girlfriend. You have that VIP access." Drake is all but audibly rubbing a fist into his eye. "Call me whenever you want." He takes a deep, deep breath, then exhales it in a puff. "H'okay, I'm up. What's on your mind, doll?"
*
Stop button for the win! Stephanie verbal vomit skids to a halt. Called 'doll', Stephanie keeps blushing, taking a moment to run her now gloved hand over the front of her suit.
"You, ah… had something you wanted to show me? I was… heading out.. so I could.. swing by.. wherever… "
*
"You sure?," Drake asks, still evidently groggy. "I-.. oh, right, the thing. I couldn't show you that too easy. Could show you another thing. Before you ask, yes. I /am/ a bag of mysteries."
Drake swings his legs off the bed, kicking his book off in the process. Thud. "Crap."
Ruffle-ruffle.
"Lemme get a hit of caffeine and I'll meet you wherever. Pick a place."
*
Stephanie winces as Drake thud rustle ruffles, but he doesn't sound too much the worse of wear so she refrains from commenting.
"You pick the place. I'm turning this phone off in about five minutes and the travel won't be hard at all," she says. Code: #Spoiler Alert
*
"Okay~. Meet me in the Bronx. But be careful. I know you're strong'n tough, but… these things don't always play fair." And at the end of the day, she's human. She doesn't have that natural - well, supernatural - durability. If she misses something…
"See you soon?"
*
These things don't always play fair. Stephanie smirks as she reaches back to pull her cowl up and on.
"I'll be there in twenty," she replies, amusement in her tone. She doesn't always play fair either, but it's really sweet of him to worry about her this way. She disconnects the call, finishes suiting up and zips out of her Spoiler Den, flying high and fast for the Bronx.
*
The Bronx is one of those low-priority areas of the city, and it shows. The area is overrun. City blocks have been ruined by hulking monstrosities. What few determined citizens haven't evacuated are holed up in their homes, some windows even boarded. The skyline is shadowed by some occasional colossal beasts with vaguely tick-like bodies and ropy, boneless legs. Tentacles dangle from what could generously be described as its mouth, and insectoid compound eyes encircle its main body. Next up, we have the wiry, hook-nosed, waifish red-skinned creatures zipping about in small groups on membranous wings. They're roughly human-sized, but nothing is human about their triangular faces, slitting eyes, or bony hook fingers. Zomdemons make up the next tier, and certainly the most plentiful, shuffling in large clusters through the streets on bent, broken legs. They'd be dead ringers for proper zombies, were it not for the small, curling horns jutting out of most of their heads. And lastly, there are the footsoldiers. Vaguely humanoid, but with extended arms and legs, faces that are mostly mouth, and the proclivity to spit globs of sizzling plasma. And scale walls. They're a pain.
Volt arrives, landing on a rooftop. He dashes along to the corner and springs onto the next rooftop over, keeping his momentum going. Periodically, he slips behind a smokestack as a flock of winged monsters pass by. But then he's continuing on his path, looking for signs of commotion. Or a Batling. Whichever happens first.
*
It's the commotion. Spoiler had made it to the area without issue, but as one of the winged flocks comes by, she or rather her bike gets spotted. The flock descends on her. There's a bright flick of light, a flashbang, as Spoiler works to stun a few long enough for her to get a bit of space, keep them from surrounding her. She'd been in the back ranks too long and it shows. She was not completely prepared for this level of Hell, but she's not letting that phase her, for the moment.
*
It is, indeed, the commotion. Volt halts at the sudden flare of light and 'SNAP' in the near distance. It briefly illuminates a number of winged silhouettes, which respond in a cacophony of shrieks and screeches. That's bound to be her. And with that being the case, it means she's in danger. The idea of her being swarmed is so not okay.
Conveniently, she's only a few buildings away. Rapid footfalls, two vaulting leaps, and a low-postured skid bring the masked superhero to a halt nearby. "Excuse me, Miss!," he says aloud to draw more attention to himself. "Weren't you ever warned about hanging out with the wrong crowd?"
The teen flashes a boyish, upbeat smile and upturned thumb. Full-on hero mode. His stance shifts to bring his left foot forward, same side arm extending out. Electricity pours from his spread fingertips to gather into a tight lance of a lightning bolt, instantly striking onto a winged beast. The beam then arcs to the next closest, and then again to a third in a flash of brilliant blue. They drop, their forms browning in mid-air before dissipating into dust.
*
Excuse me, Miss! Spoiler glances as she flip kicks one of the winged demons away. The suit she doesn't recognize. The smile and the upbeat… it's familiar but… Collected electricity she understands and so at the last moment, Spoiler flings herself to the rooftop, dodging the bolt. She rolls to her back and prone, throws batarangs at the remaining two, tearing their wings and sending them plummeting to the ground below. They splatter in a cloud of ash.
The flock is gone.
Spoiler exhales, taking that moment to breath a quick sigh of relief that that's over with before she prepares to flip up to her feet.
*
Volt relaxes his arm at his side as she launches her batarangs. He figured she wouldn't let him have /all/ the fun, even if she doesn't recognize her. But that's the real question. Does she know who he is?
"Nice job," he chirps. With a few trots forward, he leans over the edge of the building to mark where the monsters fell. Noting their dissipated state. Looking back over his shoulder to the batling, he nods. "All dealt with. Are you alright?"
*
Spoiler now takes the moment to flip up to her feet, looking over the new super who's in front of her, looking at her over his shoulder.
"Fine. Thanks for the assist," she says. Her voice trails off, as if waiting for a codename.
*
Said new super performs the half-spin to face her again. His left fist props to his hip and he shoots her the a fingergun with a wink. "Volt. Because Electric Mayhem was taken."
Volt starts towards her again, whisking a hand through those framing bangs. "And what brings a beautiful girl like you to a festering place like this, hrm?" He's having a pretty fun time playing the masque here, at least.
*
Spoiler notes the cocky angle of his hip, the fingergun, the wink. Electric Mayhem? Beneath the cowl, a brow quirks. Those that know her well enough to know her ticks might catch a hint of it in the twitch of her lips. Purple lips that smooth out as he approaches, flirting.
"Probably the same that's brought most heroes. Thank you for the rescue, Volt," she says ready to turn away. She's got a civilian to meet up with, after all, and with nasties being out en masse, she's getting a bit concerned.
*
"Really? I came out here to meet a beautiful girl," Volt says. "When I find her, I'll ask if she's got a friend. You know, since we're looking for the same thing. What's your type?"
His thumbs hook at his utility belt.
"Mine's blonde, blue-eyed, about yae-height," his hand lifts to hover at approximately Spoiler's head level. "Athletic build, sometimes blinds me with flashbangs…"
*
He starts and Spoiler turns to her waiting hoverbike. Told that he'll ask a beautiful girl he's planning to meet if she's got a friend to match a type Spoiler would like has the blonde stopping short and turning ot look over at Volt again. Seriously!? What is it with people and thinking she likes girls? Does the suit give a vibe? Not that there was anything wrong with it. it's just..
"No thank you. I'm not into girls," she says, her digitized tone guarded. And then he's describing his type and Spoiler half turn back to regard him more fully. Why is he telling me this? Her eyes skim down to the belt and then back up, all without her chin dipping to give her away
*
Volt smiles broadly at her as she looks at him. He knows she's studying him. Those optics, that stillness of her face; he's learning her. And he says nothing more. That smile is persistent, daring her to say something else. To guess.
He holds steady, save for a coy rocking on his boots.
*
There is something so terribly familiar about that smile, the cant of his hips, the way he's holding himself. She is studying him, and she's realized he's daring her to say something. One corner of her mouth twitches.
"Good luck finding her, then," she says softly, wheels finalizing their turning.
*
Volt squints! Is she being difficult on purpose? Trying to turn it around on him? When she turns away, he flicks his finger in her direction, sending a gentle *pop* of static onto her shoulder. "I already found'er."
*
And what if she is? The static pops along her shoulder and she turns to peer at him. Her lips press - to keep herself from giggling.
"Have you?" she asks, because of course she does.
*
Volt is suddenly moving forward, those vibrant emerald eyes locked onto her obscured optics. "We're about to find out," he muses in advanced warning. Because in the very next moment, his hand lifts to set behind her neck and draw her in for a firm kiss on the lips. No skirting the issue now!
*
There's suspecting but not having the information to be certain and then there's knowing for sure. Spoiler suspected, but without more information there wasn't the way to be sure. Now, as Volt advanced, Spoiler turns to face him fully, ready to be on the defensive…. which falls away as he pulls her in and kisses her full on the lips.
Her hands come up to his chest, elbows bent, ready to counter this grapple. The familiarity locks into place, and her gloved fingers curl against the fabric of his suit. A gentle but firm push to get just enough space between them that she can study him more fully is given.
*
Kiss given and not reciprocated, Volt is pushed back with a blink. Does she really not get it? Reeaally? He's giving her a confused look by now, one marked in a level of disbelief. But Volt doesn't say anything. He can tell she's studying him, and with his hand in place behind her neck and her hands still present on his chest, there's still a point of contact. But his head only cants to her. It's that dare again.
*
And now Spoiler has to dip her chin, making it obvious that she's studying him, taking in the details of his suit. The cut, the color, the fit. These details, plus the hair and the eyes and the powers settle into place with the familiarity of the flirting and the kiss. Her head comes back up, her eyes on his.
There's a long moment of silence and then Spoiler snorts on a giggle.
"Was this the big surprise?" she finally asks, lessening the tension on her arms so if he wanted he could draw them back together.
*
Volt does that immediately. An arm loops around her waist and he pulls her in close enough to press her to himself. His head tilts close to hers, a snicker escaping him in return. "Most of it. The rest would be lame to tell. More fun to find out." Being like this with her is quickly becoming an intoxicatingly euphoric experience, though. He's had some time to get used to the superhero motif, but this marks the first occasion he gets to be a superhero with his superhero girlfriend.
In no time at all, Volt is tilting in to press another kiss to her lips.
*
His loops an arm about her waist and she slides hers up to loop around his shoulders. His excitement is contagious, and Spoiler giggles warmly. She tips up to her toes to meet him half way, head tilting to fit herself into a kiss. There's something thrilling about this, and it pulls a hum from her throat.
*
There we go - that reciprocated kiss Volt was looking for. The hand behind her neck slips down to her midback, pulling her tight to himself. He doesn't care if her costume diminishes the sensation of holding her, it's exciting in a different way. The kiss deepens, but he maintains it only for a few more seconds before tilting his head back again.
"Y'know, I've had fantasies like this with you," he chirps playfully. "..With less demons."
*
Sure, the armor keeps her to feeling as much as she would normally feel, but it doesn't reduce the emotion of the moment. He pulls back and she's lightly breathless. The faint dusting of pink under her cowl flares into a bright pink over her face at the playful chirp, his admission of having dreamed about this.
"… Volt…" The pause, heavy as it was, was her doing that mental shift, to keep his real name safe and away from prying ears.
*
Volt nods when she says his name, slow and encouraging. It ends with his brow gently nudging against hers. "What do you think..? Look okay? I know you didn't care for the design'n color when I first showed you the plan…"
*
"Well. I was worried you'd look like a Green Lantern," Spoiler retorts, lips pulling up into a grin now that the subject is proached. It helped that he didn't comment about her blush.
*
"And do I? I've never exactly seen'em in person," Volt replies. While they converse, he lets a gloved hand travel the curvature of her back. He can't help but indulge in the moment. Even if they're no longer kissing, it's still /the/ moment he's thought about since finding out about her and her secret life.
*
His hand roams and Spoiler leans back into it. Her chin dips again as she once again openly studies the color and the design before she shakes her head. The fall of her golden hair sweeps against the black of her cape.
"No. I'm so glad I was wrong about that," she replies, a smile on her face.
*
"Me, too," Volt chimes. "What, uh.. what do you think overall?" He may as well get her impressions on it, since she's already obviously studying it.
*
"I like it," Spoiler replies after a long pause. She steps back, hands sliding from shoulders to chest. Her fingertips trail on him as she takes a moment to circle him.
"I really, really like it."
*
Volt grudgingly lets his hands slide from her back to her waist, then from her waist to simply hang at his sides when she circles him. "Comes with some fun stuff, too," he asides. "But the only spoilers I'm interested in dealing with wears purple lipstick, so we'll circle back to all that later." His head turns to keep track of her as she moves around him.
*
He puns at her, using her own codename to do it, and she dissolves into a fit of bright giggles by the time she's in front of him again. It's light and airy and carefree and it's like its broke something inside her loose. The blush is visible, dancing out from the underedge of her cowl.
*
She's in front of him again. Target acquired!
Volt's arms loop around her waist, attempting to suddenly seize the batling to himself and a little off her feet in a single, brisk spin. Watch that cape of hers catch air! As he sets her to her boots again, his head tilts in close to hers. "Definitely worth waking up for," he adds, voice quieter, but close enough that it might even be catching a little of her modulator.
*
Suddenly seized, Spoiler squeaks faintly, then giggles again as she's spun about. Her cape and her hair catch wind, fluttering about and floating back down against her back when she's set back to her feet. The blush flares again at his words, and she bites her lower lip.
"Your voice sounds …neat… with the distortion. I'll… see if I .. have a spare for you?"
*
Volt scrunches up his face a little. "Mm'no, I'll let you do that whole.. spooky voice thing. I like to think these pipes are what helped ya fall for me." He does have a certain airy, carefree natural quality to his voice. Perhaps she likes it. He knows that it helps in some situations. He also knows he's not the gritty tight-jawed vigilante tight Spoiler is. Or tries to be. It's hard for him to see her that way.
A cry in the distance - something inhuman - pulls Volt's attention in a snap. He freezes with her in his arms, then exhales a sigh and loosens on her. "Right. Reality. We shouldn't be out in the open."
*
As Volt freezes, Spoiler tenses, battle-ready. Her head, as he does, snaps in that direction. The blush fades. her eyes narrow. The optics of her cowl give her a boost in her normal vision, enough to tell her that they are in immediate danger.
"I was going to see if my prediction algorithms are working," she says. The airy lightness of her tone is gone, swept away by the press of danger, the reality of the work they are doing. She steps back from the loosening embrace.
"I can drop you off somewhere, you can come with me, or we can part ways," she says. #SpoilerAlert Business mode!
*
"Yeeaah, I'm not letting you deal with these things on your own," Volt says. They're not typical thugs. They don't play by the rules, and there are a lot of them. He intends on keeping her safe.
*
Stephanie swings a leg over her hoverbike, pausing there to peer up at Volt. It's a look that could read: I have been doing this longer than you. It's a look that could read: I'm an independent woman, don't need no man! It's a look that stays for a few heartbeats before it falls away to something more business like, more appropriate for a batling.
"Hop on. My first waypoint is six blocks from here," she says.
*
Volt meets that look with one that suggests he, rare as it is, isn't joking. Her look reads to him as defiant pride. It's not unjustified. He knows she's good. He's seen her in action. But she's human. He may be absurdly tired and running on fumes, but he's effortlessly lethal - at least to these things. Moreover, she's /his/ human. Others, he might not've been as immediately protective towards. And were it thugs, he likely would've let her do things uncontested.Still, he sidles up with her, leg swinging to mount in behind her. His arms loop her waist, and he leans into her.
"Don't be mad. You still have the coolest toys."
*
Drake Riley heads out to Westchester County.
*
Drake Riley arrives from Westchester County.
*
"I'm not mad. And I know I do," retorts the batling. A smirk dances on her purple lips before she revs the engines slightly - yes, showing off a bit - and then zipping them off the roof tops.
The acceleration is no where near what the craft is fully capable of, but it's still a good bit punchy than a jet ski. And this time, Spoiler isn't injured!
*
The engine revs, and Volt huddles in a little tighter against her back. And it's a good thing, too! When she punches the acceleration, he might've tumbled right off the back otherwise. As it is, he latches on even tighter in reaction when she kicks it into gear. He's clearly still not used to flying around on hovercycles.
"How much of these things have you dealt with!?," he shouts over the windshear.
*
"Not at many as I probably should have," Spoiler replies back, wishing he had some coms she could hack into to make this easier. She hates this kind of yelling. She's good at this kind of yelling. Cheerleading does that for a girl. She flicks her eyes to trigger her suit and bike into searching for a signal anyway.
Just in case.
Finding the location, Spoiler pulls her bike into hover-stealth-mode, keeping an eye out for flyers and her scanners read outs of the situation below. She's not really here to do any of the heavy fighting, rescue the civilians, though it seems cruel that she isn't. She's focused on trying to find a way to predict the next tear, the next portal, and maybe, just maybe giving her fellow teammates, the heavy hitters who can really DO something against these creatures, a fighting chance instead of them playing catchup all the time.
*
Volt may not be among the ridiculous juggernettes Wonder Woman, Caitlin, and Maxima, but taking the hordes on has been his primary focus with rescuing civilians as his secondary. He's not a science guy or a cryptozoanthropological nerd. He knows where his strengths lie; at least for now. And when the bike comes to a hover, he - first - whisks a hand through his hair, because it was going absolutely crazy in the wind, and - second - loosens up on her enough to look down at the situation.
It's not good. No flyers in this area at the moment, but a rift hovers in the open letting loose a few of the bizarre footsoldier types join the shambling zomdemons. They tend to stand out by a few additional feet, and they appear to be directing their lessers with shoves and raspy noises. They're looking for something.
"I'm guessing they're sweeping for remainers. What do you wanna do?"
*
Spotting the tear, Spoiler frowns.
She frowns because there was a tear and there are more demons. She frowns because her algorithm predicted it to appear thirty minutes from now, not that she'd get here and it would already be formed. The joy that she at least got the location right is overshadowed by the failure of timing.
"Remainders of what, though," she asks, also peering down at the formation, the way they move about. There's not much she can do like this, and the thought of the hardsuit Stark made her, sitting and waiting for her in Avengers Mansion is a tempting siren's call.
"Has a way to destabilize the portals so they close been found yet? If we're going to drop down and buy them a visit, we should have a reason beyond how many can we ash."
*
"People. The stubborn ones who didn't wanna leave. If there /are/ any down in those buildings, they'll be locked away and barricaded. They're.. /probably/ safe from the zombie dudes," Volt explains, pointing indicatively. "The bigger ones are smarter. They might be able to force their way to them, if they know where they are. I dunno if the zombies can talk, though."
Volt tilts one way, then the next to better assess the situation down below. There are /so many/ here. "If there is a way, I haven't heard it. But thinning the numbers is important. Otherwise, I mean… they could just straight up overwhelm. Even out to Westchester, where the line's holding."
*
Then she's needed as a front line for the moment, and so needs something sturdier than nomex and kevlar.
"Hold tight," she says, the only warning Volt gets. The location is locked in her HUD, the point saved for return. She guns it like she did off the roof and when Volt's grasp is firm enough she increases the speed, getting much much closer to this thing's maximum.
The speed makes short work of the trip to the Avenger's Mansion. She zips the bike down onto the roof since the street level is not looking safe at all.
"Wait here. HOMER's fussy and likely on high alert. I'll be back in a few minutes with something that'll make it easier for me to help thin numbers with you," she says as she kicks her leg over the front of the bike. Allowed to go quickly, Spoiler doesn't take long at all to change into the hardsuit.
It's Stark Tech, and modeled off of the Iron Man suit with some Bubble Gum Crisis influence. The arc reactor in the chest that powers it has been capped with a black plating, preventing the light from giving her location away. Her return is audible, the foot falls of this heavy piece of equipment much louder than her usual near silent gait. It's gives her an additional half foot of height, added protection, and low grade repulsor blasts. Several other nifty tricks, different than her usual kit, Spoiler's ready to go. Her usual suit, along with her utility belt, rest in her hands.
"Hop up a moment, please, Volt?" asks the much more digitized version of Spoiler's usual voice, coming from the outboard speakers of her suit.
*
So much happens so quickly!
Volt grips onto Spoiler's waist in what is officially a bearhug to avoid flying off the cycle. When it lands, he has no idea where they are; his eyes were shut most of the way. Because reasons, shut up, he was /not/ scared. Once they settle down, he starts to dismount with her - right up until she halts him with information on HOMER.
"D'oh!"
He remounts with a sulky twist of his lips.
That leaves him with a futuristic hovercycle and /so many fascinating buttons/. It's like leaving an object on the edge of a table with a cat in the house. What was she thinking? He suffered a great internal struggle to not wile the time away by testing a few things. And in the end, he manages only to push one button the moment she arrives. He has no idea what it does. Surely it's just the headlights or radio or something.
Volt's attention zips back to Iron Steph'. "Huh? O-oh!" He dismounts quickly, while still staring wide-eyed at the armored girl who is now taller than him.
*
With Volt clear of the storage area, Spoiler opens it and packs away the nomex and kevlar, setting her utility belt on top. Closing it back up, she climbs on and takes a moment to have to resettle. Clearly, she doesn't use this bike in the armor. She finally scoots back to sit where he was sitting.
"Ride in front. I'll drive from back here. I don't want to risk you falling off," she says.
*
Volt waits patiently until she gets herself situated, rather agog at this new ensemble. Of course it wasn't her usual getup. It looked… well… crazy. And cool. But if he thought her other costume prevented intimacy, hoo-boy. She's in the no-kiss zone now!
Volt moves forward and awkwardly tucks himself onto the seat of the cycle. "Okay," he says, voice small. "I'll just, um. I'll just be right here, then." He paws onto the handles of the cycle with no real conviction. He's not going to be steering, after all. This is more just so he has something to do with his hands. And with that consideration, he realizes his girlfriend is technically his seat at the moment - his backrest at the least. When they get going, it'll only be more noticeable.
*
Spoiler makes sure Volt's tucked in more securely before restarting the engines. Wait… why is she having to restart them? They should have been in wait mode. Perhaps they went off when she switched out of her previous HUD. (But really, the lack of comms with her suit AND Volt pushing buttons has the bike killing the engine to avoid being stolen)
"Alright. Hang on," she says. Again, the only warning. But this time, she doesn't hold back on the throttle. Volt's tucked against her front, and unless she's pulled off by windshear, he won't be. It leaves Spoiler free to open the bike up a bit more and speed back to the original portal location.
*
Granted, she has to direct his posturing in this situation. Volt isn't used to cycles like this. And unless she starts leaning forward into him, he isn't leaning forward enough on the cycle. "Gaah!," he cries out as they go at their top speed. Hopefully none of this is being recorded. It isn't his finest.
*
Guide him into leaning forward, she does, and like the best girlfriend, she's only passively recording things. She doesn't comment on it. She just speeds them to their destination, setting them down on the roof of the building from before.
"Alright. You ready?" she asks, speaking softly.
*
Volt is frozen at first. But a couple seconds after, he jolts off the bike to stand on his own two feet again, stiff and rigid. "That was crazy," he says breathlessly. "But- but I'm good." He needs a moment, obviously. "I'm good. Uh.. okay." He moves to the edge of the building, his first step at a stumble, but he catches himself. Leaning down, he inspects the hordes down below. There are fewer of the larger ones, but a collection of the flyers have moved in, latching onto windows, busting some out, and entering in. "They're raiding."
*
Leaving the bike powered in wait mode, with the limited AI with orders for evasive maneuvers if attacked, Spoiler makes her way to Volt's side, peering down and trying reading with her iron suit's improved scanners.
"You said there were civilians holed up inside?" A pause. "Want to start on the top floor and work out way down? It'll keep them from being at our backs."
*
"/Maybe/," says Volt. "There's no way to be sure. It's been so long, and so many sweeps have been done, if there are any, they'd be buried in like ticks. And you don't wanna be caught indoors with those things. Especially if they bring in anything bigger. They'll bring the whole building down on ya." He motions out at the shambling horde. "If you can't keep completely quiet and take things out subtly, it'd be best for one person to run distraction while another searches."
*
"I'm not as quiet in this suit as i am in the other, but I'm still stealthy. Plus.." Spoiler seems to tip her chin down and almost vanish. It's like Predator, the suit matching in to the background with only a subtle distortion.
"..if I get caught under a building, I'm not helpless to dig myself out in this suit." She pauses, the distortion rippling as she turns to her to look at Volt.
"If you run distraction, will you be okay on your own? I've run distraction before, if you'd rather."
*
"It's less about you being smushed, more about the people hiding inside," Volt mentions. "I can do either. You've not really gotten to see me cut loose before. But I can't guarantee that I can get inside the building and take something out without it shrieking or whatever they do. So.. your call." He reaches towards her to *p'ting* a flick of his index finger off her near-invisible plating.
*
She'd stick her tongue out, if he could see her. She might very well do it anyway.
"I've got blueprints on the building. I know I can get it. And I can take things down without causing a ruckus most of hte time," She says. She opens a compartment and hands over a short range com she picked up with the suit.
"We need to stay in touch with this. If you run into too much trouble, get back to the roof, get the bike and get clear. I'll follow after. The com has Avenger frequency transponder so the bike won't kill switch you. Until then… I'll meet you street side?"
*
Volt smirks when there's a pause from her. Yes, she's likely making a face at him. The communicator is taken, given a puzzled look, and he attempts to attach it on the collar of his suit. It's awkward, but he's tired and just guessing at how it's supposed to work. The rest gets a blink, however. "Hahah, you crazy. Thinkin' I know how to work your rocketcycle."
It's a bunch of buttons and levers and what's'its and it flies way too fast.
*
Spoiler sighs lightly and reaches out to stop his hands.
"It's an earbud," she says gently, before turning back to look down the building again. "I've got it set to auto pilot for you, back to Avengers Mansion. Just get on it. It'll alert me and i'll trigger it to go. You just hang on and don't fall. It'll do the rest. I'll be right behind you," she says, ready to fling herself down and into the top floor window.
"On your go, Volt."
*
Slowly, awkwardly, Volt moves the device up to his ear without blinking. Ahem. "Alright, fine. Don't take any longer than you've got to, though. If I burn out, that's it. No more distraction." And probably no more Volt! "And be careful!"
Turning, Volt retrieves a cylindrical device from his belt. She may recognize the style upon glance, but even if not, it won't remain mystery long as it fires a hook onto the ledge of the next building across the street. Connected via zipline, the young crusader hops off his perch to swing over the street until he plants his boots against the next building's wall. Kicking off again, the hook detaches from its ledge and retracts back into the device as he drops. As he descends, the device is replaced and he angles himself to face the pavement, both hands sparking to life in wreaths of sparkling, crackling blue ionic energy. And the moment he lands in a crouch, those hands slam to the pavement and discharge streams of electricity across the street in wide, webbing swaths. The zomdemons and taller variants caught in its wake contort and wail before withering into brown husks and dropping, ultimately as dust.
Thus, Volt has created a decent-sized clearing for himself to work with. He certainly has the attention of everything in the area now, though.
*
"Understood," comes Spoiler's voice on their short range coms. "Keep me informed," she adds as she uses his distraction to get into the building and start a quick room by room.
*
Alas, Spoiler isn't going to have it free and clear. A couple winged creatures are tossing rooms in that floor, rooting around and hissing back and forth at each other. And should they see her, they'll be unwelcoming hosts!
As for the ground level outside, Volt is back at an upright position. Keeping a perimeter for as long as possible is the first priority. It won't hold, he knows that, and he can't keep blasting out those cascades. Not when he's already this tired going in. So the next order of the day are quick, snappy projections of lightning - narrow, focused, and thanks to the design of his costume, requiring of less internal reserves than normal. The bolts briefly illuminate the block, boring holes through the torsos of what they strike while withering lifeless others still. The zomdemons shambling in fall quickly. The taller ones require he maintain the current a second longer before they drop. The flyers out there are starting to close in on his clearing from a higher vector, however.
*
IF the winged things see her. Spoiler, using the added cloaking from the new suit, slips in and ashes the two winged creatures with help of the ICER weaponry Stark included in the suit.
"Status report," she calls, clearing the first few rooms quickly and moving on. She's not sure how fatigued he is, but she's worked with supers before. Their powers aren't indefinite. Fatigue can set in and she'd woken him up from a nap.
*
For some, it's so intrinsically tied to their genetics that over-exerting their powers is like pulling a muscle. Volt is one of them. Many mutants are, in fact. But for now, he's maintaining well.
"Well," says Volt, unsure if he needs to hit a button or something to communicate back with the girl in his ear, "It's like I'm wearing a tuxedo to a nudist party." His hand thrusts out, issuing another bolt of electricity through one zomdemon, lancing to a second, and finally to a third. "Totally unwelcome." He switches hands to send deliver another bolt, seizing up a taller creature's joints for a couple seconds before it expires and collapses. "But I'm not the one embarrassed, if ya catch my cold."
In the floors below, the flyers are starting to be drawn to the windows to look out at what's going on. It's causing quite a bit of ruckus!
*
"Doesn't tell me how you're holding up, energywise," Spoiler retorts, making it clear to Volt that he didn't need to do anything for her to hear him. Meaning, she was privy to the entire ramble. Finding a few winged creatures at a window, Spoiler slips up behind them and moves to dispatch them quickly and cleanly, seeking to ensure that none dive bomb her boy.
"Because you've caught everyone's attention in here and you're probably about to have company."
*
Volt wasn't saying it for his own amusement! Jokes are his thing! Alas, she doesn't seem to share his humor in this moment. "Doing fine," Volt replies curtly, for her sake. But then, he was fussing over her earlier, so he can't blame her for her own. "Just keep doing your thing."
Which seems to be going gangland on monsters. The remaining flyers lift from their window perches to begin circling the horde still pressing in below.
At this point, the taller creatures are starting to fire projectiles. Balls of superheated plasma spit in his direction, fortunately sporadic enough that Volt has enough time to dive behind a wrecked car. He pops up around the hood to begin focusing fire on the shooters, prioritizing them as targets. But it means the main mass is getting to claim ground, slowly closing in around the clearing.
*
"Acknowledged," Spoiler replies, already on the move. She caught a glimpse of what was waiting for Volt, and so she left of complete stealth in favor of clearing as many rooms as possible. Weak spots in floors were taken advantage of instead of using stairs, until finally she got to the lower floors and found some of the creatures moving forward on two hapless civilians. They had tried to brave it out, but were finally found. Spoiler ashes the three as quickly as she can manage, letting the cloaking on her suit glimmer and fade in the last few heartbeats of the fight so the civilians can spot her.
"The upper floors are clear. There are a lot of flyers out there. Volt and I are trying to clear the street. Pack light and as soon as you can, clear the building," she tells him with her digitized 'Iron Man' sounding voice. A moment more is spared and then she's moving on, racing to clear the rest of the building and then get street level to get Volt support.
"Status," she calls again over coms, because it's been a little bit since the last report and she's concerned.
*
In that interim, things had gotten more hairy. The population of larger, plasma-spitting types has thinned considerably, but Volt's clearing has become much tighter. Volt has taken to firing simultaneous bolts to cleave back groups starting to get a little too close for comfort. "It's startin' to get hot out here, Spoiler. You ready?" The flyers begin taking dives, suddenly requiring more of his attention. And not long after, the zomdemons have breached what he could call a perimeter. Firing projectiles is no longer practical; he needs something more rapid.
Volt springs forward with a sharp right hook. The resulting impact ignites with a BURST of electrical energy, rupturing the beast. Twisting at the hip, he fires a back kick from the left, resulting in another vibrant snap of electricity. Several more close in, some grabbing onto him. Volt's stance widens, and a small radius around him briefly erupts into a wreath of buzzing lightning, frying the demons within a five-foot radius and giving him some breathing room. Volt turns a half-spin, the grappling device in his left hand. The hook launches and clamps onto the pulpy flesh of a winged demon and recoils, seizing it off balance and suddenly yanking it towards him. It's met on the chin with an uppercut from the right, ashing it in another flash of electricity. That fist then strikes the pavement, discharging another crackling cascade of ionic energy along the street around him.
The demons in threatening distance have withered away into so much dust, but more are closing in, and flyers are circling. Volt remains in that crouched position, starting to pant.
*
"Coming in!" is all Spoiler says. She didn't need to hear any more about his predicament. Things were getting hot for him. She'd located the civilians, clear the building. Her teammate needed the assist and now. Leaving stealth behind, Spoiler pushed the suit into a thruster aided anime-style leap from the moment she bursts out of the front door and onto the street.
A flyer is grabbed at the apex of her jump. Spoiler spins and flings it back down at a group of zomdemons, following that up with two sharp ICER blasts from her hands as she drops back down and just letting another two zombies completely break her fall. She lands in a crouch in front of Volt.
"Two civilians, inside. Building's clear but if we can buy them a clear path out, we should. How are you holding up?" she asks as she stands and flings small flash-bang style explosives from the compartments in the suit's wrist to keep clearing a perimeter, giving Volt as much time as she can to catch his breath.
*
"Thinking next time.. I get my eight hours.. before suiting up with ya again..," Volt muses breathlessly, but with a grin. With the sort of entrance she made, it looks to him like they should be switching roles. "Inside.. yeah?"
He doesn't take long enough to really recuperate. If the people are more or less in the open, they need to get cleared out. Volt lifts to his full height and straightens his back. As he begins trotting towards the building, he dips his free hand into another pouch of his utility belt. Following the flow of the paths Spoiler cuts in the encroaching masses, he tosses out a few small metallic spheres around the entrance of the building just before disappearing inside.
Smoke begins pouring out from the spheres, obscuring the exit in a thick haze.
Soon enough, Volt emerges with the two civilians, silhouettes in the smoke. "Hold on tight!," he calls to them, poised with grappling hook aimed high. He's clearly ready to tow them and himself to the rooftop.
*
"Yes. Second room on the left," Spoiler replies, using every item in her suit's kit to clear the area for him. When he smoke screens the area, she stays in the visible part of the cloud, just outside the building, to make sure she's got visibility on the critters, ensuring none slip by. She hears him call to the civilians, and she knows her next part of this scenario. Role-reverse. She's the distraction.
"I'll cover you," she tells Volt via the comms, before she charges out into the midst of the demons, being visible, being loud, being Zorro: HERE I AM!
"Confirm when clear," she asks mid roundhouse that slides perfectly into another ICER blast.
*
In truth, Volt had never towed multiple people on the line before. He was assured the cable could support a ridiculous amount of weight without risk, but there's still some tension. The civilians latch around his neck, and up they go. "Hrrk.." That's something he'll have to get used to.
The grappling hook pops them into the air, and Volt leads them to land on the rooftop's edge. The civilians disembark, and Volt turns to lean down to look at the battlefield. "All clear. Time to bounce, right?"
*
"Get them on the bike. Then tell me an address you know is clear for them. We'll escort the payload," Spoiler says, leaping up again to grab a flyer, and drop back down, bringing it down with her and using it as a bashing weapn as she goes.
"It is way past time to bounce."
*
Volt is shooing the civilians onto the cycle as he speaks, "The park in Salem Center. It's a refugee camp, and it's past the Westchester checkpoint." Which, she may recall his mentioning, is the last line that's held against the horde.
*
Location given, Spoiler flicks a glance at the HUD's controls of her skycycle, and as soon as Volt confirms that they are safely aboard, she directs the vehicle to start an orderly but quick departure. It's certainly far more gentle of a ride than she's ever granted for him.
"Course plotted. I've got more incoming. Ground level," Spoiler replies as her suit's sensors alert her of more several blocks away and charging into the area. She leaps again, grabs the last flyer and uses it as a spring board. Blasting it as she leaps off it, she flips down onto the roof by Volt as the skycycle is heading out.
"You okay to run, or do you want to hang on to my back as I jump after the bike?" It's not an offer meant to make him feel incapable. It's an offer knowing that her battery's charge is still holding and he was already tired.
*
"Wait, what?"
Volt watches the bike lift and the civilians latch on for dear life. He wasn't sure what to expect, but for some reason, this was certainly not it. And her question, once it sinks in, gets a sudden laugh from him. The image of her hopping after a hovering cycle like a goon is just too much absurdity for him right now. "No, no! I got it. I can swing. Workouts are about duration, right? I'm good." As long as he can avoid landing in the middle of a swarm, he'll be good. But fighting for so many days without rest, his powers are officially tired. He's /physically/ tired. But can he make it to Westchester? He can. It's close. "Just get moving. There are some /huge/ things in this area that we don't wanna deal with, methinks."
*
"Acknowledged," Spoiler says, still business like, though the word is lighthearted enough to hint that she's grinning beneath the faceplate of the hardsuit. She turns and anime leaps after the bike, scanners on high, on the look out, and ready to give the bike with it's precious cargo plenty of cover.
*
Volt spies her arching anime leaps, and more laughter follows. It's so bizarre! Certainly not what he'd expected from his girlfriend. But he has places to be, himself. Starting at a slow trot, he makes his way to the far side of the building. Hopping off, he fires the grappling hook to latch onto the corner of the next. It zips him the remains of the way, shortening the arc of his leap, but ensuring his feet find the edge properly. And afterwards, he begins to pick up speed in his gait. Home stretch, he assures himself.
Of course, Spoiler will have to be wary of her bike's - and her own, as it happens - trajectory, as flying too close to the long-legged, tentacle-faced, colossal tick-creatures could prove quite dangerous.
*
And care is taken, for Spoiler leaps out ahead of the bike, adjusting the vehicle's course as she goes. Her cloak is reactivated, her leaps done with the smallest replusor bursts she can manage. And that laughter in her ears from Volt's coms is ignored. There's a mission to complete! Things to focus on. A payload to secure.
I may have been playing Overwatch recently. >.>
*
Team Fortress 2, noob!
Eventually, the urbania of New York proper gives way to more greenery, approaching Westchester. And though the checkpoint is in sight, Volt is bypassing it completely by hopping between rooftops.
Though eventually, he comes to a stop on a building. He's gassed. He can't run an entire city. Spoiler has the benefit of jets. The civilians have the benefit of a cycle. He's just physically running! So finally, the teen drops to huddle beside a chimney stack, panting heavily and coated in sweat. He doesn't announce this. It's better she go ahead and secure said payload in Salem Center.
*
Once the payload is secured, Spoiler having given updates the whole way, she turns to lok at Volt…. only to find him missing.
Inside the suit, Stephanie pales and her heart all but stops.
"Volt?" she asks over the coms, but short range as they are, she gets nothing. Fearing the worst, Spoiler hastily gets the civilians off her bike, shoos them in the general direction of safety, and sets the craft on hover-follow. A hundred feet over her head, Spoiler sets off back the way she came, calling out over the com she gave him, retracing her path exactly, praying he didn't fall victim to a flyer she didn't see, praying he's alright, and praying that she doesn't start to panic.
*
It takes a little time, with the range of those comms. But before too long, her voice jolts him out of his stupor. He'd actually been teetering between awake and asleep. "Ahn..?" He blinks his eyes asymmetrically, struggling to refocus. "..Oh. Hey. Hi. I'm here," he says, voice groggy. "I'm not a marathon sprinter yet. Sorry, baby. Didn't mean to worry you." He remains where he is, slouched against the architecture.
*
Relief floods through Stephanie the moment she hears words from him. It's nearly enough to make her dizzy.
"It's fine, Volt. If you're under good cover, stay where you are. I'm headed back to your position with the bike. The civilians are safe, so just keep talking to me," she assures him hoping to keep him awake and starting to run through possible injuries and the like. Does she take him to her Den? JL Headquarters? The X Mansion? So many questions flit about in her mind as she makes her way toward his ping on her HUD, ever on the look out for more mobs.
*
Thankfully in Westchester, she'll find no demons. Or what ones she may find are solitary or few. They have not spread this far. The line's held.
As for Volt, he's resting uninjured. But he's slumped. She asked him to keep talking to her, but he's out; drifted off a second time. When she first called, she'd woken him from having passed out from fatigue. This was inevitable.
*
Finding him slumped, Spoiler drops to his side, directing her bike to lower itself tot he rooftop near by. She kneels, dropping the cloak of the suit, and reaching out to check his vitals, hands trying to gently rouse him again.
"Volt?"
*
Rousing works! Volt's eyes open, bleary. They land on the armorsuitted Spoiler, blink a few times, and he lifts his gloved fists to rub at them. "Nng. I'm awake. I'm good. Where are we?" He twists around to evaluate the surroundings. "Ah- yeah. Not moved. Cool." Turning onto hands and knees, he finally pushes himself to his feet. "All good? Everyone's safe, right?"
*
Spoiler's there, metal armored hands on Volt, steadying him and offering him an anchor.
"Yes. Everyone's safe and sound on the other side of the barricade," she replies, searching his face and his movements for injury.
*
No injuries visible, nor sustained. He's just been fighting non-stop for a week, as well as training, studying, and homework - with whatever rest passing out provides. It's simply too much. He's not used to it, and it's certainly unhealthy. "Okay. Cool." His gaze drifts back to the emotionless helmet on her head. "Don't think me unromantic or lame, but I think it's time I went back to the mansion."
*
And Spoiler knows first hand what it's like.
"Not lame at all. Any problems if I dropped you off?" she asks, because she knows this exhaustion. She knows the ache of getting back on your own. She knows what it is to wish someone would have been there.
*
Volt shakes his head, then pauses, remembering the defensive fixtures around the mansion. Regular students aren't likely aware of them. He shakes his head. "The, uh.. driveway. The driveway before the gate. I can make it from there." It's a heck of a walk, but he doesn't have much choice. He doesn't know if they're cool with batlings, or if she'd get shot down. His eyes turn to the cycle she parked on the /next building/, urmagurd. He begins a stagger in its direction, but it starts to shape up into a proper stride through willpower.
"Not lame, but definitely unromantic, right?," he asks over his shoulder teasingly.
*
Letting him walk on his own, Spoiler moves at his side. The metal of her suit's boots crunching faintly on the gravel.
"You sure? You've got a grapple line, and I've got some that's a hundred foot long. I can hover above it, let you rappel down. And don't worry about it. This was a mission, and you were tired. What's important is that both of us are getting back to home base uninjured."
*
"M'yeah," says Volt. "I'm sure." He can't specify why. A hand lifts to her shoulder, and he's quickly reminded that she's wearing metal. Right. No contact.
Coming upon the edge of the building, he takes a breath, backs up a step, and then springs to the next rooftop to approach her bike. And if uninterrupted, he heads directly to it and takes a seat. Plop. "I'll be alright. Let's just get there."
*
He's sure. He can't say why. Spoiler gets it. Nodding, she walks with him, anime leaps tot he rooftop near him. He mounts up and she follows suit behind him, to make sure he stays safely aboard. She gets the bike up and going again, moving it much much more gently than she has in the past. Lingering, perhaps.
*
Volt can tell she's going super slowly. Part of him appreciates it. He doesn't fancy falling off a cycle this sleepy and exhausted. But it gives them a lot of time together before they get to their destination. He looks over his shoulder to her. "So..," he says gently, prompting her for anything on her mind.
*
"…So.. That was a ….very interesting first heroing out. Successful, since we got some civilians out," Spoiler says, filling the silence between them. It's part of what was on her mind. Most of her thoughts are worry for him.
*
"Fun, right?," Volt asks with a hopeful smile. It's hard working with armorsuit Spoiler. No expression on that metal face. He looks ahead again. "Got to see a little of what I can do, and what the suit can do.."
*
"For a variable definition of fun, sure," Spoiler offers, the chuckle sounding metallic, hollow. If they hadn't been so vulnerable on that rooftop, she would have changed back into the nomex. This tin can is horribly uncomfortable.
"Admittedly, your powers are some of the coolest things I've seen in a long time. Really, truly. It was awesome watching you in the brief moments I had."
*
"Maybe next time, you can see more. If I get a little rest first." Volt starts to lean back on her. Metal isn't terribly comfortable for him, either. But it's still her in there somewhere. Hopefully! Unless she's joysticking it naked in that building they were at earlier. "And this suit'a yours.. totally not fair. Darn.. mobile armory or whatever," he teases. "Showin' me up."
*
"Maybe next time, and definitely getting more rest," spoiler replies, chuckling lightly.
"Take it from the professional sleep deprivation queen: get more rest." She's smiling and the tone can be heard on her voice.
"Dont tell Stark, but I still don't like it all that much. It's better than the first run, that's for sure, quieter, stealthier, but… It's so clunky. I feel like I'm in full plate." Because you are, Steffers.
*
"I don't know Stark, so you're safe," Volt muses. "But yeah. Rest. Looking forward to vegetating. I'll have to strap myself down, probably, but I /need/ to take a day off. If I get myself deadified, I'm no use to anyone.."
*
"At this point, we all do," Stephanie replies just loud enough to be heard. To the deadify, she stays silent, chewing on her lower lip as an uncomfortable feeling settles into a knot in her stomach.
*
Volt can't tell she's going through anything. He just hears her go silent. And so, he attempts to settle into the uncomfortable metal frame of her support for the ride, his consciousness starting to slip again. Maybe debriefing after he's had a few hours of downtime would be better.
*
Definitely debriefing after he's had some sleep and as they near their destination, Spoiler debates flying in against his wishes so she can get him into his room or…
A soft sigh, and when the gate is reached, Spoiler settles the bike down gently and moves to carefully nudge Volt back to consciousness.
"Hey… we're here…" As much as I hate the thought of you having to walk the rest of the way when you're this bone weary…
*
Indeed, Volt had dozed off on her. It's fortunate he didn't slip off the bike! And he doesn't stir until she's addressing him. His head lifts with a groggy flutter of his eyes. He slowly dismounts the bike and wobbles on his feet a little before righting himself properly. Looking around, his eyes settle on the gate. "H'okay. I'm heading inside. And you…" He smiles lopsidedly and kisses a fingertip, then prods it against the 'nose' of her faceplate. "…should rest, too. Kay?"
*
"Only until I get a text or a call saying you've gotten inside safe and sound, alright?" Spoiler retorts, tone flat and cold and promising the wrath of going in to force the issue if she has to.
*
Volt's head tilts. He blinks slowly, lethargically. "Ohhh, don't you worry. I'm going right in there. Or dropping on the lawn. Either way." He begins moving around the bike to start the long trek up the driveway to the mansion. He tosses back a, "Call me!," over his shoulder.
*
"I will," Spoiler promises, lifting off and watching Volt make his way in. She watches until he's out of sight, and then she spins her bike around and hot-tails it back to home base.