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Sam scoffs in her head at the accusations being tossed about. An image from when she was seven and defenseless into the head of a grown, probably well-armed adult and she's the monster? Pshaw.

She keeps up her work.

The skeletal figure fades in and out of existence again, this time appearing behind Terrifica, giggling not with one voice, but wit dozens, echoing from every direction, and for just a brief moment, Sam lets the cape in on the illusion, letting her hear the laughter, see a flash of purple and a Cheshire grin before she's cut off again.

Then, another phase, and the creature is lying down, head supported in both hands, feet kicking about absently.

Lying on the ceiling. Staring straight down at the crook at an angle human necks aren't supposed to bend.

"I'm sorry, Gentleman Robber, but the rude lady might have a point. You don't look like a very good robber to me."

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Argonaut's rocket boots did the work for her as she descended staying a few feet directly above the robbers.  Staring down at the group, she pointed her power pike downwards.  "Running is futile."

The Omegadrone turned Government Agent was trying to wrap her mind around their game plan. Running wouldn't lead them to escape.  At least not fast enough to outrun her.  That much should have been clear.  And Nevermore would always be ready to pincer them in.  Yet they kept moving, using some sort of advanced technology to boot.  Not an ounce of retreat showing.

 

Just what are they here for?

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GM

 

"How much further?"  The apparent leader asked one of his men in a thick Irish accent.  Ignoring the ultimatum given by Nevermore.  

 

"Thirty feet."  One responded.

 

"Wee bit of problem fella.  It don't matter how much they ponied up for ye to protect this dump.  But they're on the outs.  Can't even stop a simple high tech suit.  So do us a favor and give us the room to breathe."  He motioned his men forward and stayed behind looking at both heroes.  The rest of the robbers began running down the corridor opposite the base of the stairs.  Leaving the immediate view by escaping into a side room.

 

*     *     *

 

Meanwhile, the Robber facing a two helmed interrogation was trying to follow Teriffica's direction.  It was comforting to know that there was some sort of foul play.  The creature even faded out of sight...until it was joined by more demonic entities.  He knew they weren't real now.  They couldn't have been.  And yet there they were.  No one could see them but him.

 

His mind was racing.  Confusion, fear, a whole gamut of emotions.  "Stay away from me!  Stop smiling.  Oh God.  Stop smiling."  Finally he began to back off.  Closer and closer to the edge of the window.  Before finally he went overboard thanks to the tug of war interrogation session.

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The dark-clad young man scoffs at the apparent leader's words.

 

"Think I'm hired help? Insulting."

 

Without taking his gaze off the man trying to stand in their way, Nevermoe speaks such that Argonaut can tell he's addressing her.

 

"Mind seeing if you can slow down or stop the others? Bit faster than me. Will be done here soon and catch up."

 

And then suddenly he's zipping across the room and looking to barrel right into the Irishman standing in their way. Clearly he intends to rather directly clear a path. 

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Oh, no. Slow down, there. Watch that...

...step.

A rather eloquent string of profanity runs through Sam's mind, but only one word escapes as Sam bolts from her hiding place, past the capely interloper. A profane sound, painful on the ear and difficult for the mind to process. Something unnatural, in the tongue of demons. The meaning is unclear, but it can't be anything nice.

Sam stops for only a moment at the window's edge, making sure she has plenty of shadow to work with, then swan dives after the crook, grabbing onto an ankle as he falls.

"Don't resist or you'll go splat!" she explains as she reaches into the shadows, pulling them around herself and the lesser thief. A moment of cold nothingness consumes her, then they reemerge in the nearest safe place Sam can think of. The one freshest in her mind. Right under the desk she was hiding under to begin with.

The entrance is about as subtle as the exit, but it should do the job.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Terrifica watched the man back up. She opened her mouth to warn him…but then he fell. Well. That’s a shame. …I suppose I should save him. She moved to do just that, but that was when Kit blurred past her. What in the world… And then the two popped up under that desk, making a racket. It did not take a supergenius to deduce where the illusions were coming from, now. Though I admit that laugh was somewhat…unsettling, there are far worse things in the literature. And that’s without mentioning a certain Mythos. She strolled over to the desk and crouched down behind it. “Nicely done. Fine illusions, too. Now can we do this in a way that doesn’t almost make a man accidently commit suicide?â€

Edited by EternalPhoenix
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"Can do."  Argonaut fired off her jet boots taking off without voicing a complaint.  Staying just out of reach of the Irishman blocking the way.  Swerving as she flew in case he had a weapon to take a shot at her from behind.   Which proved for naught as she safely made her way inside the doorway without issue.

 

The AEGIS field agent immediately began looking around when entering the room.  Almost caught off guard by one of the thieves she barreled roll out of the way of an opening shot.  Immediately recognizing the weapon as an AEGIS collapsible pistol.  The design was slightly altered.  But the essentials were clearly the same.  "Now that's some expensive firepower."

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Kit climbs back to her feet and dusts herself off before checking to make sure the man is still, y'know, not dead from hitting the floor as hard as he did. Though, considering Sam's fine, there's no excuse for him not to be. The girl's not exactly the toughest thing on Earth.

The pointed words, though? Those aren't called for. "Hey, all he saw were my memories. From when I was seven. And something from out of a Tim Burton movie. He was clearly overreacting. Besides, he's fine now."

She gives the guy another glance, screwing up her face.

"Got any rope for when he wakes up? Coulda got more out of him if you weren't here, but I guess we're gonna have to do this the hard way later."

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GM

 

The other gunman took a shot at Argonaut.  Missing horribly and backing off a few steps after doing so.  She may not have looked exactly like an Omegadrone in that armor.  But the faint image of her origins still lingered in the sleek design.  Enough to prove a most frightening image while holding a pike.

 

The large musclebound Irish thief slipped into an orthodox boxing pose.  Sending a crisp combination of jabs in the direction of Nevermore, the teen hero was able to sidestep the punches with little difficulty.  "Oi, we've got a fast little bugger don't we?  Come give us a kiss lad." Extending his arm out invitingly, the man would taunt Nevermore on.

 

The terrified thief was now unconscious, but seemed perfectly healthy in all other respect.  Aside from what ever barbs the heroines had for one another the night air was filled with a silence thanks to the absence of the man's screams.  A silence that allowed Terrifica to faintly make out the sound of a helicopter rotor somewhere nearby.  Looking around around Terrifica was also aware of the fact that she couldn't see where exactly it was.

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“Somehow, I think your childhood and his were very, very different.†Terrifica stood, grasping the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. “Just a guess.†Her tone suggested it was anything but. Gods save me from impulsive children. Her hand dropped as she heard the helicopter’s blades beating the air. Back up? Possible. Others could have comms. Rescue? Just as possible. Rivals? Other heroes? Hah, no. Getaway? Yes. I like getaway best of all. After all, there are no coincidences in this line of work. No happenstance, either. “I don’t normally carry rope, no. But I think we may soon have extra company, regardless. There is a chopper in the neighborhood, and there is no such thing as coincidence in our lives.

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"No thanks. Not my type."

 

It was fairly easy for Nevermore to bob and weave around the man's strikes. For a thief, they were pretty good. For a weaponized human being like the young vigilante, they were only mediocre. He just had to wait for a moment...

 

"Should be careful of insects, though. Some have stings."

 

Suddenly, in a whirl of motion and cape, he darted forward. His fist lashed out in a punch, but became a quick grab at the other man's wrist. Nevermore's gauntleted hand made contact, but was shaken off fairly rapidly. The young man opted to slide back a bit, keeping himself in a good position for both offense and defense.

 

"Hm. Acceptable defenses for close-quarters combat for a cowardly thief."

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Argonaut floated around the room.  It was a precarious situation.  She could've clearly caused more damage by stabbing the sharp end of her power pike into one of the thieves.  But, there was a bit of a moral issue when it came to stabbing fleshy humans with a blade forged in the terminus.  The omegadrone turned agent tried to be efficient not ruthless.  Unless it called for it.

 

So Argonaut took another shot.  This time aiming for the second thief.  All while trying her best to avoid hitting the sensitive equipment around the room.  The thief was prepared.  Jumping over a desk and using it as cover against the entropic energy.  Instead leaving a smoldering ash behind her.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Terrifica isn't even done speaking before Sam takes action.  Though she's loathe to give them credit, these guys are professionals.  Well-equipped and well-prepared.  If they want an evac, they just might be able to manage a distraction big enough to do it.

 

The last thing these guys want going around is information, and that's the first thing this crew will need to figure out what's going on here.  With a ready-made sack of intel just lying on the ground, waiting for a bow, it won't do to let them just take it back.

 

Sam slips a burn phone out of her pocket while Terrifica's back is turned, sliding it into a pocket of the older woman's coat before slinking back towards the unconscious man under the desk.  Without a sound, the pair falls through the shadows, all the way back home, to the Vance estate in Chicago.  An unfurnished, pure white room.  As soon as she's back in reality, she makes a dash for one of Masque's equipment stashes for a length of rope, passing through the dining room on the way back, finding her guardian enjoying a rare quiet moment.  Sipping wine and reading a book after dinner.  The little redhead running buy with rope gathers a glare that stops Sam in her tracks.  "And just what might this all be about, Samantha?" she asks calmly, adjusting her glasses as she appraises the girl.

 

At that, Sam screws up her face, mind racing to put together a story.  Has to be a good one to get by Ms. Vance, except... actually, this time, maybe the truth is best?  She takes a deep breath, then explains without pause, "On the job.  We got a high tech robbery in progress in Freedom City.  The crooks have an evac team en route.  I knocked one out, and I pulled him out so he can't get evac'd; we need the intel.  Have him in a white room, and I need to tie him up.  The others are handling his friends."

 

At that, Ms. Vance cocks an eyebrow.  "I trust you have the situation under control?"

 

"Yes, ma'am!"

 

"Very good.  Hurry along before our guest wakes up."

 

With that, Ms. Vance returns to her book, and Sam runs back to tie up her captive.  And preparing for when he wakes up, as she draws on her powers to reach into his mind and make herself seem as the Cheshire skeletal figure she was using earlier.  Maybe tied up, he won't be able to hurt himself.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Terrifica blinked, surprised. It wasn’t often that she was surprised. That slip of a girl had completely disappeared. With the man who was in need of serious questioning. A pox on teleporters. A pox on them all. And of course, she had slipped an object into Terrifica’s coat pocket. The genius among geniuses pulled it out and studied it. A phone? Really? I would have given her this week’s number if she’d only asked. Honestly, we’re superheroes, not spies or thieves. There’s no need for such subterfuge. She sighed, slipping the phone back into her coat pocket, and shrugged it off. Still two other ones left. Time to check on the other two. She followed their trail down the stairs, keeping a ear out for the unmistakable sounds of combat. Because seriously, why wouldn’t they end up fighting at some point?

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  • 1 month later...

By this point Nevermore had lapsed into silence, settling into the quick back-and-forth of close combat with this all-too-experienced mercenary. He was annoyed at the fight taking as long as it had, but he had to acknowledge both his still-growing frame's limits, and the somewhat-greater limits of his current skill base. It just made him want to train all the more, really.

 

But that would come later. For now, criminal scum to stop.

 

He suddenly reached back and grasped at his cape, taking just a moment to swirl it around himself to hide just a fraction of his movements, before springing forward. His right leg snapped forward and hooked the taunting man's ankle, before yanking it forward. Of course, the man recovered, but it gave him that split-second opening that Nevermore exploited ruthlessly. Moving in a blur, the young hero quickly grabbed one of the man's arms, twisting it painfully behind the man's back. Nevermore's other arm looped around the man's neck, even as he leapt up and grappled the other arm with his legs, leaving the two of them to fall to the ground in a not-quite-tangle of limbs. For at least a few moments, the would-be thief was left too weighed-down to stand, and unable to do much of anything with his arms or torso, beyond "breath".

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