ic Right by My Side (IC)

[Tiffany Korta]

Through the glass panel of the door Starlight could see yet another Merge standing in the control room. With her was someone else, and man of only a few year older than herself, and from his facial features in some way possibly related to Merge.

He seemed to be staring at the monitors of the control desk which were changing their view without anyone apparently using the panel. He didn’t seem to react as Merge touching him gently on the arms.

“I know you’re trying to tell me something Dwayne but I just can’t understand you.†Her voice was softer, kinder, and had none of the bravado of the other Merges Starlight had seen.

[Tiffany Korta]

Meanwhile Agnes was finding that they were strong than they appeared, another Merge came and stood directly in front of her.

“Now that was just rude, and very, very stupid.†As she spoke she got progressively closer to Agnes’s face.

In reaction Agnes just smiled “Yeah your right, she should never have duetted with him.â€

by now the Merge was all in her face arms thrown out wide “Oh you think you’re so cleaver? Do you? Well lets she how cleaver you feel when…â€

The silence of the rest of the studio was broken by a chirp of cell phone, and the Merge in front of Agnes broke off her threats as her head snapped up.

“Someone missing. Someone who should be here. Wait where’s that mouthy girl who was on stage earlier?â€

[Raveled]

Starlight didn't bother talking to the criminal. It was obvious that this woman -- or group of women, or woman duplicator, or whatever -- wasn't interested in talking. So the heroine calmly raised one hand and sent an overcharged blast of light energy heading straight at her. The energy blast shattered the glass doors, calling attention to the stark white figure floating into the control. "Dwayne," she said. "You have made some bad decisions this day. Regardless, I do not wish to harm you. Surrender, and stand away from the control panel."

[Tiffany Korta]

The man didn’t seem to react to anything going on around him.

“Dwayne we both in danger, the plan do it now.â€

At this the man simply disappeared and all hell broke loose. Throughout the studio alarms began to blare out and the sprinklers began to kick into action.

In the studio the react was almost instant, Agnes was let go and there was suddenly a multitude of Merge’s who seemed intent on getting the people out of the studio as quickly as possible.

“Damn the heroes are here already, I thought we would have more time. Right everyone out, right now!â€

In the control room though the camera seemed to be shutting down one by one by Starlight could still see the room being evacuated. She also spotted from the corner of her eye the screens from the other studio. In there was a multitude of Merge Trois in the process of emptying the big Box O Money of it billion dollar contents.

[Raveled]

Starlight looked around, and cursed at having lost the scrawny man, the "Dwayne." She let off another searing blast of light at the reeling Merge in the room with her, then stepped up to the control panel. She watched the Merges in the studio begin herding people out, and more Merges stealing cash from a box with an improbable number of zeroes on it. The money didn't worry her, anyone who kept that much currency around without some serious protection was a fool anyway. She focused on where the hostages were headed.

[Tiffany Korta]

Starlight’s blasts hit the Merge solidly, but instead of doing any apparent harm she just begun to fade away, blowing Starlight a kiss before dissolving completely.

Meanwhile the other Merges were cordoning the audience out of the building towards the waiting police outside. In their hurry they weren’t paying as much attention and Agnes was able to slip away from the crowd. She was looking for some place to change when Starlight’s attack got her attention. Making sure that she wasn't being watched or followed she made her way into the control room.

“Hey Starlight whatever you did seems to have spooked them. What are they doing now?â€

Only one screen showed any images, the rest now having been shut down, and showed the remaining Merge’s standing around the studio they had just left apparently waiting for something.

[Raveled]

Starlight turned suddenly when a newcomer entered the room, aura flaring, but it and she settled down once she saw it was Agnes. "Not much of anything," she said, pointing at the screen. "Earlier they were emptying the money out of the big bin, and when I came in here there was a man standing at the computers. He did not have any sort of costume on, but when I attacked the Merge-copy here he vanished. I can only assume he teleported somehow." She tapped her chin with her fist. "I suppose we could try to charge in there, proverbial guns blazing. However these creatures seem to be selectively immune to the energies I and you control. It is impossible to say if we could harm them at all." She paused and added, "Of course they have released the hostages, and we can see them. It might be simplest to wait and see what they intend to do."

[Tiffany Korta]

Young Britannia watched the Merge’s seemingly doing nothing but waiting. One of them even managed to find a yo-yo to play with whilst another was blowing bubbles.

“Why are they waiting for? They must be delaying for some reason…†she finally caught up with what Starlight had said. “Wait did you say they were stealing the money from the other studio? That must be what they’re doing trying to delay the cops whilst they get away with the cash. We should really try and stop them in their plan, whether you bothered with them stealing the cash or not they did threating the hostages. And me as well but that’s beside the point.â€

[Raveled]

"I find myself unable to muster much sympathy for anyone who would place that sort of riches out in the open, protected only by a plastic box," Starlight said dryly. "Let their money disappear. I am more concerned with the fate of the hostages." She scrutinized the screens. "The hostages seem to be on their way to the police, so they are safe. I wonder... When I came in here, Merge was talking with a man who was working these controls. He was uncostumed, so I took him to be a civilian, a regular worker here. But she talked kindly to him, and he teleported out when I attacked. It may be that he is an accomplice, and Merge is waiting for him to appear so they can make their escape together. If that is the case," she finished, "we should attack before he can make his move."

[Tiffany Korta]

Angus looked a little torn for a few second, she knew Starlight was in some way right but a small production company like this would never recover from this lot. The spirit of justice inside her was compelling her to try a stop Merge from stealing all the money.

“Okay the hostages seem fine so let’s take her down. But I think it’s best if we split up and take down both groups at the same time. You’ve gotta point about all that dosh, but I’m still compelled to try and stop her. I can’t quite explain it, it’s all about the burden that come with this form I guess.â€

[Raveled]

"We will be less effective apart," Starlight pointed out. "I do not like the idea of letting criminals profit by their actions either, but I cannot abide the idea of this criminal, or this group of criminals, or however you parse the idea, escaping because I was too focused on recovering the money of a group that cannot even think to put fake bills in their giant box." She took a deep breath; the speech was rather more impassioned that Starlight usually got. She preferred to think of herself as a dispassionate source of judgement, so she forced the emotions down and gathered her power. She began to glow gently, shedding a dim light about the control room. "I cannot control your actions, Young Britannia," she said. "We must both go to where we feel we can do the most good." With that she was gone, discorporating into a fog of light, which separated into many small motes and zoomed off.

The cloud precipitated out of the air of the recording studio, swirling around the pack of Merges and coming together to form Starlight once more. "Desist with your criminal actions and give yourself up to the police," she thundered as dramatically as she could, "or you shall be laid low by the Light!"

[Tiffany Korta]

Agnus was torn between stopping Merge stealing all the cash and helping Starlight. Her own instincts and those of the Spirit.

Wait why do I have to choose? I just need to slow the others down.

With no time for subtly she took to the air building up her aura as she made her way from the control booth to the studio where the cash was being taken. Bursting through the door she made her way to the middle of the room.

“Hate to do this and run but well, Lights… and well that’s about it.â€

She then let off one a burst of light from her aura filling the studio with a bright white light. Not pausing to check on the Merge’s in the room she took off straight back to the other studio to assist her friend.

“I improvised we’ve got a little time to sort this lot out.†She gave her friend a bright smile.

[Raveled]

Starlight glanced at Young Britannia and nodded curtly. "It shall not take very long, I suspect." She held out both hands in front of her and a glow formed between them, illuminating the room. "In fact, I believe we shall be finished shortly. I just need to thin the herd a touch." Rays of energy leapt out of the bright sphere, lancing through the gathered Merges and cutting them deeply.

[Tiffany Korta]

Starlight attack streaked out catching a number of Merge’s in its area. Some simply vanished, whilst some seemed stunned by the assault. No wait only one seemed to be truly harmed, the others, well all of them, seemed stunned in response to this one Merge.

Maybe that was the original Merge, and the others were just copies?

Not knowing how long Agnus had she loosened a bolt of light towards that Merge, and it wasn’t a moment too soon there was an almost imperceptional change around her just as the bolt hit.

“Yeah you could be right, this shouldn’t take long.â€

[Raveled]

Starlight stood still as the power of the Light of Pharos boiled between her hands. The stark shadows it cast seemed to make her form taller, her eyes deeper, and her expression harsher. "Repent, and your agony shall be shorter," she informed the cowering criminal and her clones. "Resist, and it shall be prolonged!" More beams of focused light leapt out at the group, spearing through them and seeking the original, the true Merge.

[Tiffany Korta]

Merge didn’t seemed to be phased by Starlight’s attack, or her words, in the slightest.

“Please girlfriend is that really the best you’ve got?" A host of the Merge’s taunted.

Agnus meanwhile was thinking about way to stop as many Merge’s as she could without harming Starlight. She had done massive burst of light before but always as a direct burst from her aura, so not to damage her friend. It would take her all her concentration to convince all the photons around them both to rush away from around the two. But she had enough time to work in a retort

“No this girlfriend is the best we’ve got.â€

The room was a few second later filled with a massive burst of light that filled most of the studio, with a little bubble around them. And as the light cleared they could see the multitude of Merge’s collapsing, with most of them vanishing before they hit the ground until just one unconscious Merge was left.