ic Think Fast! (IC)

[Spacefurry]

Leon stood in line waiting to order. As he did his eyes moved from one group of people to the next, his old habits falling in line as he tried to make sure no one was trying to sneak up on him. Something was bothering him tho, but he couldn't put a finger on it at first. But as he continued, it started to register.

"What the?" He hadn't even noticed Pan changing his the look of his clothing yet. He instead went from scanning just the crowd to scanning the boardwalk around them. "Hey, Tinkerbot." Leon says in a lowered voice directed at Eira. "You still got wifi? Anything funky popping up online?"

[Avenger Assembled]

Eira held up a finger silently, glaring at Leon for a moment, then said cooly, "As I lack access to the local Internet, I have been forced to rely on more primitive measures - fortunately the cellular network is still functional." She smiled, a little shakily, her arm around Pan, as she said, "According to the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, DC, the current date is October 21...2007." Eira adjusted her 'brand-new' Ramones jacket and stroked her chin, looking back at the machine they'd ridden on. "How interesting!" she commented. "At least there _is_ a network here, even if I will need to connect to it directly." 

[RocketLord]

"Time travel again?" Pan looked back to the machine they had just ridden. "Last time I travelled much further back."

 

His eyes quickly returned to Eira and the others, and he could hardly stiffle a slight giggle. "Do you suppose that it was a spinning time machine? Spun us all around fast enough to send us through time?"

 

But were they the only ones there? Others had been on the ride with them, and Pan was sure he could recognize a few others with clothes out of place, if there were any, at least.

[Spacefurry]

"I haven't been at the school very long, and I've already been Back to the Future'd. You guys are horrible chaperones." Leon smirked as he looked around looking for anyone, or anything, else out of place

"Well, I got no one to call for help. So unless you guys wanna call up the school and explain it to them, I say we grab our food and meander back over to the ride to have a chit-chat with the operator?" He glanced back at others. " Unless someone has a better idea?" He asked, maybe just a little hopefully.

[Nerdzul]

“So we are in the freakin’ past? That’s cool.” Luke grinned, it was also a massive problem, hell yeah, but whatever, he had never traveled through time… “These people though? I mean, now I was like three years old in 2007, not a fashion expert, but they don’t look from the right time either.” Yeah, still no one seemed to notice. “Can you find anythin’ relevant on the internet or something?” He turned to face Eira. “I mean like a big event, someone that a time traveler would like to mess with.” 

 

“By the way… Do you guys know, like some lottery number?” He got none that he remembered (obviously), but he did have a few of Super Bowl wins though, maybe he could suggest his family a lucky bet. “I mean my family could certainly use some…” Yeah, although if Back to the Future had taught him anything messing with your own personal timeline wasn’t always that smart.

 

“Sure why not.” He nodded at Leon. Besides, yeah, maybe going back to the school was gonna help, after all assuming it was around already (it must have been right?), how lame would it be for future heroes to go and cry for help from their teacher? Yeah no way.

[Avenger Assembled]

Sure enough it did look like a few confused people were wandering around, some trying their cells and getting no immediate response, others looking around the square with baffled looks on their faces - and some people Pan recognized from the ride, perhaps less observant than the rest, were just wandering off into the rest of the park. 

 

For her part, Eira was looking around with a tense expression on her face. "Claremont served its current purpose," she hissed, "but we cannot just go there and risk altering the future. There is the Freedom League but Leon is right - surely we can solve our own problems. And I cannot access the Internet of the future!" she spat with vehemence. "There were no major disasters in Freedom City this year, but it was still Freedom City. Keep your eyes open." 

 

 

[RocketLord]

"There, there, there... and there. And look, some are walking away over there." Pan was pointing out their fellow time travellers, or at least their groups, with his free hand, while still holding Eira close to him with his other. "It is curious, do everyone that rides travel? Or is it just this group? I think I saw others getting off the ride back in our time."

 

"We know what brought us to this time, so it should be easy enough to return, but I suppose we should round up everyone first, no? Someone else might actually know some lottery numbers, and I quite like the world as it is in our own time." He squeezed Eira at the end of the sentence, just to make his point. "How about a neat little paper trick to lead the stragglers back here?" 

[Avenger Assembled]

It was at this moment that a new figure swung onto the scene - a fit, muscular-looking man riding an flying skateboard, his blond hair up in frosted tips, a tightly-fitting tanktop and jeans on with heavy shades covering his face. His skateboard roaring with fiery jets from its rear, the figure landed among them and declared, "What's up, duderinos!? This here's Captain Knievel and I'm here to par-tay!" Despite the man's appearance the crowd seemed alarmed, some fleeing, others backing off far off - with a few of those Pan had spotted looking thoroughly confused. 

 

"Luckily for me the Freedom League is busy throwing down with some alien god today, so I'm the one who gets to pick the playlist." He smiled, and it didn't look pleasant. "So what's it gonna be?" he asked with a cocky smirk as he addressed the crowd. "Do any of you think you have what it takes to hang with the baddest dude in town?" 

 

Eira was staring at Kneivel with that pinched look that Pan knew meant she couldn't access the Internet and was not happy about it, her hand tight on his arm as she whispered, "I know him!" 

[Nerdzul]

 

“Hey maybe we can interrogate the people that work on the ride." Yeah it made sense right? Even If they didn’t have anything to do with it, for sure they must have noticed that something was going on.

 

The young man nodded as he listened to Pan. Yep, he must not be the only one who thought about changing history right? That was gonna be a mess. They needed to contain like a lot of people and that was assuming that everyone got back to the same time they did instead of being scattered through all of history. “Hey Eira, do you like? I mean register what you see or something?” Or maybe perfectly memorize it? It would make sense right? For a robot not to forget a face. “I mean, we might need to track everyone who got here with us.” Himself could maybe identify a few of their fellow passengers, but that definitely wasn’t enough.

 

He had half an idea to try lure everyone who has been to the Delirium with a fake PA message when the crowd started running away from a… a dude-bro on a flying skateboard. He didn’t seem to be that dangerous, but then again, neither did Luke didn't always look like a 12ft tall lizard so yeah appearances could be deceiving.

 

“Baddest Dude in town? Sorry man. I really have no idea who you are.” Luke gave the newcomer a cocky grin and stepped up to confront him.

Edited November 18, 2020 by Nerdzul

[Spacefurry]

As he looked around with the others, it wasn’t too hard to spot most of the people that had rode the Delirium with them.  Some were obviously angry and confused as to why their smartphones weren’t working properly. Most, if not all, of their social media accounts not even existing yet. Leon had to resist the urge to smirk at their reactions.

He looked at Pan and was about to ask just what the other thought he could do. “What do you want me to do? Create flyers the say ‘If you think it’s still 2020 please return to the ride for a selfie. #dontfreakout’.”

Before he could continue some dud-bro showed up on a... flying skateboard? Leon let out an audible groan as he listened to the new arrival’s ramblings.“I think I actually took Intelligence damage from the sheer stupidity of everything you just said.” 

He glanced back at Eira for a moment, did she actually look concerned? Looking back to the villain with the flying skateboard. “Listen up Cap’n Point Break-reject, you don’t wanna do this tonight. We’re having bad night as it is. So, how bout you turn around and go find a frat party you can crash before my friend here has to show you just how small your board is.”

Edited November 17, 2020 by Spacefurry

[RocketLord]

"That sounds like an absolutely brilliant idea," Pan managed to say in response to Leon, before Captain Knievel made his appearance. 

 

His eyes went from Knievel to Luke and Leon as they stepped up to him. Almost everyone around them were running. He felt Eira's grip on him tightening. She knew him? 

 

"Not for anything good, I take it?" he asked Eira, his eyes leaving the captain for a moment to look at her. So, the past, everyone running, Eira's reaction? It was easy to put the pieces together.

 

Pan motioned with his head, his lips splitting into his familiar mischievous grin. Under his feet, his shadow came loose and flowed across the ground, quickly moving to the Captain's shadow to grab on to it.

[Avenger Assembled]

Knieval looked down at the shadowy hands grabbing for his ankles, dodging and weaving on his board but finding himself all tangled up in himself. "Woah-hoh! We've got ourselves some real party animals here!" He reached behind himself and pulled out a collapsible metal tube that blossomed into something that bore a striking resemblance to a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher. He grinned and declared, "But if we're going to have a party, we'd better dance!" 

 

"Yes, I... will get the tourists! I can see them all well enough," Eira hissed, looking briefly annyoed that she hadn't been the first to mention the idea. "you three fight him!" 

 

Knievel called out "Well well well, looks we've got a Peter Pan wannabe here!" Despite his words, he was still partially entangled in shadow - but that didn't stop from leveling his bazooka at Pan and firing - a searing blast of white energy that went sailing past Forever Boy's head and into the fairground booths behind them with an explosion! It looked as if a stall had been set afire behind them, and the staff was fleeing from a burning, overturned stove. "That's right! I have a degree in English literature - not that it did me any good!" 

[RocketLord]

The era specific clothes faded, replaced by whatever they had been wearing before, while Pan's shadow wrapped around Knieval, holding him close, putting him just in place for anyone to try anything, like, say, taking away his big weapon.

 

Pan failed to blink when the blast flew past his head, causing something to explode behind him. He merely started smiling.

 

"Oh, you have no idea, my friend." Without looking away, with his shadow still strangling and moving and holding and helping, he spoke loudly, to the two companions. "Show me what you can do!"

[Spacefurry]

Leon watched as Knievel leveled the weapon. He knew he as faster but he was looking for an opening. Reaching into he jacket he realized he hesitated too long and the villain fired at Pan, obviously not happy with the shadows grabbing at him. Leon winced a little at the explosion, sparing only a quick glance back. He didn’t see any signs of anyone injured and returned his attention to Knievel to see Pan’s shadow had entangled him even more.

He hadn’t needed Pan’s cue, though he appreciated the head’s up, he saw the opening he was looking for and took it. Leon pulled out two hand fulls of paper and with the flick of his wrist one hand full lashed out like a whip towards the villain, the paper just missing the weapon as Knievel jerked under Pan’s attack. Leon though, had complete control over his paper and with another flicker of thought the paper tendril twisted mid-strike and snaked around the barrel of the cannon.

Setting his feet Leon yanked at the paper to try to pull the cannon from Knievel’s grasp, really more of a symbolic motion since the paper was doing all the work.

Edited December 7, 2020 by Spacefurry

[Avenger Assembled]

Between the two of them, the boys wrestled the gun away from Knieval - whose sudden burst of angry profanity belied the bro-ish good humor he'd displayed earlier. For her part, Angelic had fallen back, her eyebrows knitted together in what looked like furious concentration, her pale skin pulled tight against the bones of her face - though of course she had neither of those things when you really thought about it. 

[Nerdzul]

“You know ‘bro? I expected you to be more of a good sport.” Luke taunted playfully, his gaze meeting the one of the dude-bro supervillain, a cocky smirk on his lips. He gave a quick glance at the crowd that still surrounded them. No way he was gonna be able to use dragonfire on the scene. Besides, fire and paper... well... yeah.

 

Whatev'

 

Maybe self preservation will eventually kick in the bystanders will actually give them some space.

 

For now though, it  meant that he would have to resort to his fists again. When Knieval was still distracted by his friend’s exploits, Luke dashed at him, tackling the villain, now perhaps not a with a technique that his coach would have been proud about, but hopefully, it would be enough to stop the 'bro from using some new gadget.

[Avenger Assembled]

With all eyes on the struggle around Knievel - who managed to flip Nightscale aside and over a lemonade cart with a judo throw that showed he was more than just talk, Angelic moved quickly. Avoiding the struggle with the musclehead supervillain, she darted forward and grabbed Knieval's discarded bazooka. She gripped it tight, her pink skin bleeding over into silver, and with a shotputter's toss hurled it far away from the melee with the attacking supervillain. "You weak pathetic fool!" she hissed at Knieval. "Swim for it!" 

[Avenger Assembled]

"You've got a big mouth, honey," sneered Knieval. "Choke on this!" He bent down suddenly and grabbed Nightscale by the ankle, picking him up as easily as a discus-thrower grabbing their tool. With a quick flex of his shoulders, he hurled Nightscale directly at Angelic, knocking them both to the ground. On her back and her face flushed a furious crimson, Eira spat out a curse as her teeth clacked against her lips, spitting bluish fluid as she pulled herself back to her feet. 

[RocketLord]

"Eira!" Pan's calm was gone in a moment, a rush of green and gold and glittering dust moving by Eira's side, checking to make sure she was fine, before continuing almost instantly towards Knieval.

 

"That was a mistake."

 

As he flew, a flurry of movement in mid-air, he reached into the Pixie Dust that flowed all around him, pulling out a golden short sword, spinning, whirling, twirling through the mid-air towards the villain, dragging the trail of golden dust behind as he swung the sword, only to suddenly change direction, spinning the other way to land his strike.

[Spacefurry]

Leon watched Knievel toss Luke aside, almost feeling the impact as he collided with Eira. That seemed to push Pan's big red button. He supposed he could understand, if he had seen someone toss Robert or Elizabeth into one another he'd be angry too. Luckily though, neither of them were even here and Leon could keep his cool.

Drawing the paper back to him, the whip looped upon itself even as the paper fluttered and reshaped into a large bow. The paper in his other hand forming into a over-sized arrow, he set it to the bow string and drew it back. Aiming was a formality really, his thoughts and wishes guided his paper.

With a snap, the large arrow flew straight following close behind Pan. As the older boy's feint carried him past the villain, Leon's arrow cuts through the air right for Knievel's chest trailing a ribbon of paper all the way back to Leon. A moment before it would strike him though, the arrow erupts into a flurry of paper ribbons that attempt to wrap around and ensnare him.

[Nerdzul]

It’s a humbling experience isn’t it? Being tossed tossed like a rag doll. Especially by a musclehead discount supervillain. Plus the landing itself hadn’t exactly been a soft one. He really needed to throw me on the metal gal didn’t him? That was gonna hurt tomorrow.

 

Luke was seething with anger when with way more effort than he would have expected, he managed to get back on his feet. Yeah. In the few moment that he was out commission though, the table had turned. The young man found himself grinning. 

“Eat this ‘bro.” He wished he could think about something better, but well, his head was still pounding. Still he smirked as he aimed a strong uppercut to Knieval’s jaw, aiming to knock him down.

[RocketLord]

Luke should not be down at this point. No, it was not appropriate, it was not dramatic enough. Someting should be different, he should be standing, he should be fighting. 

 

Yes, that would be a much better story, if he wasn't quite out of it after his collision with Eira.

[Avenger Assembled]

"Hey man, that's not-"  With a single crack, Captain Knieval dropped to the ground, still bound by paper and shadow, and the crowd let out of a cheer. 

 

For her part, Eira Katastroff walked up seething, blue coolant fluid leaking from her split lip. She looked at the dazed Knieval, her hand balled into a fist, and for an instant it looked as though she was about to strike the unconscious man before she turned to the others and hissed, "We need to leave him and go. He was one of the most famous supervillains of this time." She shot Pan a quick smile, adding, "You did well. All of you did." 

[RocketLord]

"He hurt you." Pan's tone was quite unlike his usual self, as he looked down at the not-so-good Captain. "And what happens if we just leave him here, then? He goes on to hurt someone else? Or do a hero from this era just happen to show up to catch him?"

 

He shook his head and crossed his arms. "Where should we go, then? Stay hidden and wait until time catches up?" He looked at Eira, the corner of his lips twisting into a smile once more. "The two of us can wait, but I do not think our companions would like to wait until they reach their old present."

 

He looked up at the sky, then shook his head again. "No more subtlety, then. That machine brought us and others here, and everyone should get to go home." He pointed his hand up to the sky. A shower of fireworks shot up, with all the accompanying noise, hopefully enough to draw anyone's attention. The formed blinking lights above the group that read spelled out "Back To 2020" and pointed an arrow down at them in great neon lights.

[Nerdzul]

Adrenaline from the fight slowly draining away, Luke felt his head a more than a bit light from the unexpected flight. Yeah that’s gonna hurt like hell tomorrow. Whatever, besides it was his first supervillain. That was definitely cool.

 

“Woah guy hit like a freakin’ truck by the way…” He stretched his neck, trying to shake off the dizziness again. “Are you all ok? Tnks by the way.” 

 

“Dunno we can like? Tie him up something?” Although they would have to find a binding that the dudebro couldn’t just break through. “I mean, we can’t  bring him with us, but… Don’t think that leaving a guy that shot a freakin’ missile launcher at a crowd free to go is a good idea…” 

 

The young man scratched his head at Pan’s mention about just taking the ‘slow path’ back to their time. “Yeah, that would suck. Besides what are we gonna do all that time? We can’t  like… stay hidden for years? No way!”

 

“We need to figure out how that thing works…” Yep, not that he was gonna be able to help with that though. “Maybe this guy knows something?” He tossed a glance at Knieval. Pretty unlikely though...