Presentation! [IC]

[Airon]

Sunday

October 23rd, 2011

Sunset

“<It was beautiful, wasn’t it, Liebling?*>†asked Elsa while adjusting her coat to stop the autumn breezes. *^{TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN}

“<It surely was, Schatzi… I took at least three dozen pictures.>†Konrad raised his gaze from the camera displaying his pictures of the Freedom City skyline, just to bury it again in a map of the city “<Look, Elsa, if I’m not mistaken we’re in Wanting Way… no, Wading, Wading Way – Ach! I need a new prescription for this glasses! - if we keep following the river we’d get to the Lindroos Bridge, and from there we get to the Promenade.>â€

“<It sounds romantic! I’m sure we can… what is that?>†Elsa pointed her finger towards the far end of 16th street “<It’s surely going awfully fast… and that noise…>â€

Konrad was barely able to detach his eyes form the map that all his senses were engulfed in chaos:

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLEEEEEEEEEEH …OT FUN ‘N’ GAMES! WEEEEEEEEERYTHING YOU WANT! HONEEEEEEEEEEH!

Speakers turned up to eleven blasting the overly popular 1987 rock hit, two pickup trucks passed before the two German tourists almost hitting the 100 mph. If Konrad had better glasses on, he could have caught a glimpse of the Siberian tiger spray-painted on the side of the first truck or the grizzly bear on the hood of the second one. What he caught, instead, was the sight of three police cars, flashing lights and siren alarm covering up the song in an annoying cacophony, pursuing the trucks trying to close the distance.

He also caught the sound of bullets exchanged from the two sets of vehicles.

“<Liebling, do you think it’s one of those Uber-villains, like that one we saw in Berlin in 1998 fighting WeißEisen?>†asked Elsa while covering behind a newspaper dispenser.

“<If we’re lucky, Schatzi, a superhero may swoosh in form the sky right now and we get to see an American Superhero Rescue! I understand it’s a bit like seeing Hollywood stars in LA, it’s like…>â€

But instead of a dazing superhero, the next thing they saw was an unimpressive van, whose side bore a badly scratched off silhouette of three tulips, increasing its speed and getting closer and closer to the last police car.

“<It really wasn’t a superhero, Konrad…>â€

“<With these crazy Americans you never know, Schatzi, you really never know…>â€

---

“Here patrol 097, Derrick and Colombo, we’re in pursuit of the trucks! Been following those crazy bastards since ASTRO labs alarm went off. They’re now in 16th, going for the bridge to cross into Charleston in Hanover. Requesting air support! Requesting some freaking super, damn it! They have machine guns and God knows what they stole from ASTRO labs!†Catalyst barely heard the police report over the sound of the engine. She glanced out of the window, and, just for a split second, her goggles reflected the excited eyes of a thick boned woman behind a newspaper dispenser.

Bah. Crazy Tourists.

[Aoiroo]

Tuning out the scanner, Catalyst slid down the window and cranked up the engine as she drove down from her perch. It only took about two side streets to get around to the road and she had to ready her equipment ahead of time while she kept one hand on the wheel. The best plan of action was to force either cars off the road, but that was hardly an easy prospect. Pushing her foot on the gas she pulled up next to the car then started to pass it.

[TheAbsurdist]

"Cannot this thing go any faster?!" He had yet, y'see because flying is inherently noisy. The wind whipping around him made it so Asad had to yell. He was, gripping tightly to Arug. Sure, he ignored physics sometimes but this instance was not one of them. He looked down at the two garishly painted trucks. "We could have gotten into my Koeniggseg, it would have been faster! But noooooo!" Peering down at them, there was the plus side of not having to worry about traffic though, he had to admit that. "At least they have a decent taste in music, right my friend!?"

Times like these, Asad had to admit, this... was... FUN! Despite his complaining, he was grinning like a madman, the wind buffeting his hair and beard. He was so happy he bought these amber tinted wrap-around sun glasses, they helped from the wind getting in his face, as well as with the glare. "I think they made a new friend!" He pointed over Weaver's shoulder at the van that was surprising gaining on the pickups.

[Airon]

"Good luck sneaking up on them with that 900,000 $ torpedo on wheels!" Weaver shouted back at the billionaire "And if I remember correctly, last week when Letterman asked you if you ever were in a situation as exciting and scary as your that thing at FCU, you answered "a couple of car accidents" and your grin wasn't very reassuring. And don't tell me it was the camera."

He directed his thoughts to Arug and the carpet glided down above the chase, at the same level of the top-level railway. Weaver followed Asad's finger and noticed the van closing in besides the police cars while cruising like crazy in the traffic, avoiding arrogant and honking SUVs and scared sedans that were just trying to get away from the danger.

"Indeed, that van is going way too fast for its own structure!" he commented "Then again, Arug was made to lay still under a table, so I guess I can't really judge."

[Aoiroo]

Catalyst weaved through the traffic just as easily, the flying carpet up ahead only mildly surprised her, but it was no means that much of a distraction. If it had been attacking maybe, but she recognized at least one of the men on there, though she couldn't quite place from where from so far away. The police kept a good tail on the trucks, and blocked the roads in a fashion that she couldn't safely pass them normally. It was a good thing this bridge had six lanes then.

As they approached the next exit she got as close as legally possible to the polices follow up before shifting into the other lane and barreling weaving between the small spaces between the cars she pushed herself ahead of the block following the trucks. She leaned out her window and shoot several rounds under each van. In the under carriage the white dense foam expanded quickly before pushing into the wheels and while it took a minute to set in, completely stopping them.

[TheAbsurdist]

"It is 1.1 million, and stop whining. The car crashes were not as bad as the boat crash... or that time I was mountain climbing in the Rockies... really just stop fretting so, my friend. We walk the path of the righteous!" Interesting... He frowned a little, watching one of the trucks come to halt, and he saw his chance. "Alright Weaver, if you will pardon me, I think I see my opportunity." Asad straightened, still looking down, and then he leapt from Arug, falling feet first at the bed of the truck, usind his power of flight to aim and accelerate himself down as hard as he could in the distance allowed. Of course, he let out a whooping laugh in delight as he flung himself down.

He impacted square over the rear axle, landing in the bed, as he felt the blow start to flood it's power trough him. As Asad knew. "Good day gentlemen! Might I get you to cease and desist your efforts?" He flashed them a winning smile, already in a fighting pose as he stood on the truck.

[Airon]

As the paintballs sprayed the road, the driver of the tiger truck was nimble, almost avoiding the attacks, but still a rear wheel got caught in the foam and stuck to the asphalt; now the front wheels were turning furiously but uselessly, filling the air with a white smoke smelling foully like burned rubber.

The bear truck driver wasn’t nearly as skilled and his vehicle came to a screeching halt as the rapidly expanding foam engulfed all four of his wheels, actually lifting the pickup a few inches from the ground. From the windows was possible to see the goons slamming their faces into the seats before them.

On the already startled goons hailed the very fashionably dressed mass of Asad, slamming into the side of the truck. His blow heavily dented the vehicle door, shaking his occupants again, but more importantly filled up Asad with kinetic energy, just waiting to be released in a very dashing display of stylish justice.

[Airon]

Weaver witnessed the very well executed maneuvers of his two fellow superheroes, and swooshed down to do his part.

Ok, if I blind them, these guys will go on a shooting spree and civilians could get hurt thought while putting his scarves and capes in motion let’s see if we can block some of these guys. Arug flew down on the scene, and Weaver closed his left hand as a fist. The fabric covering the driver’s seat ripped off and engulfed him, wrapping itself around his arms and throat. The enhanced Thug struggled, flexing his animalistic muscles, trying to rip off the fabric, but he soon succumbed to the constriction and fell unconscious.

“One less sociopath with furry arms to worry about!†he exclamed smiling.

[Airon]

If the thugs were startled by the initial attack, they certainly didn’t show it. Two of them jumped out from the Tiger truck, more beasts than men, fur-covered muscles flexing through the wife-beaters, feral yellow gaze darting the scene of the showdown. They grabbed the rear of the truck and pushed as hard as they could, while the third thug pressed the gas pedal to free the truck from the foam. With a ripping sound the foam gave in and the truck jumped ahead, free, and started gaining speed to get to the end of the bridge, leaving his two former passenger on the street.

A spray of bullets came from the irredeemably bound Bear truck: the driver was unconscious, but three other thugs, these time of the completely human variety but armed with dangerous M16 machine guns, targeted the three heroes. The bullets bounced off Asad’s chest (even if they tore open nasty holes in his expensive suit), but the van and Weaver weren’t so lucky…

The bullets opened holes in the metallic plates of the van, and Catalyst hoped they didn't hit anything important.

The magically-enhanced fabric of Weaver's costume absorbed the bullets, without endangering the hero.

[Aoiroo]

As the shots were fired Catalyst tapped the van and turned to the side making a blockade in front of the police cars and taking the full blunt of the machine gun fire as she slipped out the drivers side. When the bullets stopped there was clear damage to the side facing the trucks, but it didn't penetrate to the otherside so the police cars avoided fire as did Catalyst.

Catalyst climbed up the side with a paintball pistol in each hand and with the same formula as before shoot all opposing forces and trucks with the same PB foam mixture in rapid succession. This time it would hopefully hold.

[TheAbsurdist]

"Hey! This is an expensive suit criminal scum! That is it! I am Asad, and you are the buzzing of flies to me!" He hopped to behind the bed of the of the truck and grabbed it. Not to self, invest in damage resistant suits, or face public indecency charges. Fingers digging into metal of it, as he started to pull, his feet pressing back against asphalt, and he felt that start to give a little, then he pulled back, hard, and with a wrenching motion, he jerked the truck free of it's foam moorings, and straightened his body. Soon he held the vehicle overhead it outstretched arms, it was sitting perpendicular to the surface of the bridge.

"Chaps, you have irked me. You would not like me when I am irked." Leaning his head back and flashing them a cocky, yet sarcastic smile through the rear window of the vehicle. "Do you miss your friends? Let us get you all back together shall we?"

[Airon]

Catalyst jumped off the van in a quick step, drew both her guns in the same motion and took aim: fierce in her pose, the sun slowly setting behind at her back, both arms stretched out in front of her as paintballs chock-full of foam hailed everywhere there were criminals on the highway. The attack lasted only moment, but a second later giant mounds of foam started growing from the tiny paintballs, getting once again the tiger truck stuck to the ground and engulfing the two feral thugs who had just jumped off in a ball of foam so thick they could barely scream. To no result they struggled against the nasty cloud that surrounded them.

Asad, now filled with energy to the tip of his very fashionably styled hair, decided to take a bit of revenge on those who attacked him, and yanked the truck free from the foam, lifting it above his head. Worried screams emerged from the open windows of the truck, while the thugs tried to mantain balance in the lifted vehicle.

[Airon]

Weaver was amazed by the very efficient way his two partners in crime-fighting disposed of the adversaries. The thugs, of both the machine-gun wielding and the furry and muscle-bound types, seemed subdued or very close to become so. He limited himself to a couple of movements with his hands, and a bunch of scarves flew away from his costume to wrap themselves around the villains’ eyes. The armed men in the truck screamed and shot some bullets which got lost in the sky, the bestial foam-entangled thugs growled and tried to chew at the fabric, without much success.

Weaver landed beside Catalyst “Very impressive skills you have, my friend†he smiled at the hooded figure “and such an unusual way of fighting crime I’d say, even if certainly more orthodox than my own… So, mr Al-Misri seems to be having his fun," Weaver pointed at Asad "shall we go take care of the other truck?†asked offering her a lift on his carpet, hovering a feet above ground.

[Airon]

The roof window of the tiger truck opened before the foam could reach it, and not with some difficulty, the last thug climbed out. He held something under his arm, an irregular object slightly bigger than a basketball. He flexed his powerful leg muscles and jumped over the foam cloud still expanding. He bit one of the handles on the strange object, went down on four legs and started running quicker than a cat, jumping acrobatically left and right in the traffic to avoid cars, claws gripping the asphalt, moving fast towards the end of the bridge.

As Asad kept the truck on his shoulders, he could hear the thugs screaming through a radio “compromisekzzsh… one of those… yeah, towards you! Sendkzschh… soon or she won’tzzzsch!†Only one of the thugs was in condition of shooting, and his bullets were once again wasted on the bulletproof chest of the billionaire hero.

The two poor beast-men entrapped in the foam kept struggling to no result.

[Aoiroo]

Catalyst looked up and smiled, though it was covered by her mask,

"Thanks, though I did not think it would work as well the second time."

She grabbed the mans hand and pulled herself onto the curious flying carpet. Though really not the most curious thing she had seen, he was friendly enough and the platform was stable. She glanced over and caught the one stray who managed to escape the foam trap,

"There,"

She pointed less with her finger more with her gun which she used to shoot out a round after she quickly switched the ammo cartidge.

[TheAbsurdist]

"Hang on you Island of Dr. Moreau rejects!" He yelled up at the truck, before he crouched a little, then burst into the air, pushing himself faster through the air than he had done before. Soaring, if but briefly before landing before the guy who tried to flee. "Hey, you, halt!" To emphasis his point Asad waggled the truck at him, in a casually threatening manner. Blinking back the sting of the pepper spray he had to pass through to get here. He imagined he looked tougher than he felt, as he didn't want to throw the truck to deal with collateral damage. Including the people involved.

Fortunately he wasn't feeling his strength flag yet. And he squared off with the bestial thug who was trying to escape.

[Airon]

"Gentlemen, I suppose you'll be able to deal with those grotesque criminals" Weaver said to the police who just now caught up with the battle, indicating at the two foamed up criminals "My teammates and I shall stop the others too! My friend, hold on tight!" he yelled at Catalyst before bending a knee and grasping the border of the carpet. He made sure that the paintball gun sniper did the same and gave Arug the mental command.

The carpet flew quick above the scene of the showdown, and when they were right above Asad and the thug, Weaver threw one of his scarves at the man-beast. The scarf wrapped itself perfectly around the target's neck, but just when the hero was starting to tighten it to apply a chokehold, the thug clawed at the fabric and tore it off, leaving rags behind him as he continued his run.

[Airon]

The last remaining thug tightened his grasp around the precious cargo dangling below his mouth and kept running. When Catalyst shot at him, the pepper filled up his nostrils and eyes, and it took all his concentration not to yell in pain and keep his jaw serrated on the object.

“I was certain one of us got him!†lamented Weaver “And rarely these scumbags possess such steely nerves to rip off so fast my attacksâ€.

He avoided acrobatically Asad’s mass between him and the highway, then gained even more speed as he ran in a straight line to the end of the bridge.

[Aoiroo]

Catalyst let out a breath as the thug kept at it before glancing over the carpets edge down to the bridge below.

"If you could be so kind, could you drop me at my van? I know pursuit is the most important thing, but I don't want to leave it behind."

Well that and she was not so sure she wanted to be flying on the open aired carpet if bullets were to start flying as well. Also, the simple fact that she could be knocked off into the river below did not make her terribly comfortable either.

[Airon]

Weaver smiled under the scarf that covered his mouth another potential ally lost to air sickness... sigh! he scouted the scene, making sure there was nothing else to be done in the next few moments. The police would certainly clean up the scene, but he and the two other heroes should definitely go after the last man-beast.

"No problem, my friend! Just hang on tight and I'll get you back in a second." He gave Arug the mental impulse and the carpet sprinted towards the van. "I shall take the sky to locate the path of our fugitive and avoid losing sight of him," said Weaver while they landed "should we keep a communication channel open, or do you have a way of following me without?" he waved his cellphone at her with an interrogative look.

[TheAbsurdist]

"Alright guys, I need you all to heel. Heel. Stay. Good strangely modified thugs." He set the van down on the side, and looked up at Catalyst and Weaver, shouting at them. "I am going after the runner!" Two steps were taken, and then he pushed off of the ground, and he soared up into the air, giving chase to the lone feral thug. Things were going well, so far. Though it was clear the lone man had whatever it was they stole, and was still trying to get away with it. Asad was not inclined to let that happen, even if normally he would have been more than happy to chat with the other heroes here. So he gave chase, and he tried not to grin with complete delight as he raced after, aiming to keep pace with the guy. At least until they came upon an advantageous spot for him to strike.

[Aoiroo]

Catalyst didn't need any more words, she got into her van and put her blue rubber boot to the pedal buzzing down the bridge while keeping an eye on the runner through any available roads and channels she could follow to keep him in sight. There were several roads on the coast, so really it was only a matter of avoiding any incoming traffic as she did so. She kept her weapon at the ready as she did so making sure not to lose the perp. Maybe she would develop a tracker she could shoot over a large area later to better keep the trail, but that was an experiment for a later date.

[Airon]

Well, now, that was a bit rude thought Weaver as Catalyst got into the van without another word. I guess she’s not really the trusting type.

Weaver held on tight to Arug and commanded it mentally. The carpet took off and flied after the thug who was running on all four paws, the stolen item kept with the jaw. As Weaver got near the flying Asad, he asked “Care for another ride? It would be faster…†he held out a hand towards the billionaire hero.

---

GM

Apparently the thug had practiced the route, because he was able to keep distance from his pursuers, taking the shortest path to his destination. When the three heroes finally caught up with him, the sun had finally set behind the skyline and now the fading twilight was giving in to the streetlights and neon Halloween decorations. When the Hanover Zoo made his appearance behind the last tall building, the trio of heroes gasped for a second.

An impressive show of spotlights and lamps had just been lit: thick beams of yellow light were cutting the air above the fences and environments of the zoo, driving the animals crazy. A sonic mayhem made of growls and howls, roars and groans, shrieks and screeches, bellows and barks filled the air. Mixed with all this, speakers were blasting another popular 80’s hit, Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran, barely recognizable in the chaos.

The feral thug was a mere 300 feet away from the main gate, which was open. Standing on the outer wall, illuminated by at least three spotlights, was a figure familiar to tabloids and crime reports alike: the supervillain known as Madame Marvelous. The song coming out of the speakers was clearly in theme, since she fully embraced a 80’s look, wearing a short skirt made out of a spotted, leopard coat-like fabric and furry boots. She was wearing a zoo gift-shop T-shirt two sizes too large, tied on the navel, and her hair were fashioned in a gigantic wavy mane, rising in an arch at least a foot above and around her forehead.

“Come! Come to me, my beautiful friend!†her voices imposed itself out of the speakers, obfuscating the animal noises. She held a hand out towards the thug “Come give Mother the instrument for her Revolution! Today Freedom City learns to embrace the wild, raw power of the Animal Kingdom!â€

[Aoiroo]

It was quite a spectacle Catalyst drove up too. The zoo, the lights, and the very very wild looking woman beckoning the wild looking thug. Catalyst tried not to stare, but it was hard not too, even so she switched her ammo as she leaned out of her passenger window. Aiming carefully she hit both the woman and the thug with a special eye irritant meant to induce temporary blindness. It wasn't very powerful but her aim was true and she hit both dead on, she didn't get out of the safety of the van but she did yell out the window,

"Yeah, your insane, and this is absolutely not going to work. Hand yourself over and I won't glue you and every animal you try to free to the ground where you stand. That includes your lacky. Really, I am warning you, this stuff does not come out of hair or fur without a fight."

[TheAbsurdist]

"Thank you Weaver. This is my stop." And once more he threw himself from the carpet. He was sloppy, and more than a little unconcerned with his safety. But that made sense. Weaver had seen, as had the others, that Asad was bulletproof. He landed ungainly, unbalanced, but his arms snaked around wrapping around the waist around the thug. Asad skittered, almost losing his grip, but he held, he locked. And he brought that strength to bear on the criminal as he recovered. And he had that creature secure, ash e spun about and look up at Madame Marvelous and his eyes widened in recognition.

"Angela...? Angela is that you? What is going on? What are you doing?" He could almost see the headlines reading Awkward. "Why are you playing Dr. Moreau?"