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Date with Destruction (IC)


Thevshi

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Tuesday, December 11, 2012

9:45 AM

Megan Howell was seated at one of the tables of her favorite independent coffee shop in Kingston. The coffee shop was located in one of the sections of Kingston clustered with various other businesses. Between the neighboring business and nearby residential neighborhoods, the coffee shop was typically rather busy throughout the day.

The attractive blonde was dressed in a navy blue hoodie with "YALE" across the front, a pair of dark grey yoga pants, and had on a pair of black Ugg boots. Megan's laptop was set up in front of her and she took a sip of her second cup of coffee as she reviewed the answer she had just finished typing to the last question on a take home final given by one of her professors at Yale. She had been at the coffee shop a little over an hour, working on finishing up the exam so she could email it off to her professor and then officially be done with the fall semester. Finishing her review of her last answer, Megan smiled slightly as she felt the last bit of pressure from the semester fade even further away.

The feeling of elation proved to be short lived.

Megan's table was just behind the table set up for creamer and sweeteners, and a customer was just setting down a coffee carrier filled with drinks for some of his coworkers when he was inadvertently jostled from behind. He lost his grip on the coffee carrier, causing it to fall the rest of the way to the table, knocking loose two of the coffee cups. While one of the loose cups spilled most of its contents all over the table, the other landed towards the back of the table, its lid popping off and most of the hot coffee spilling over the back and down onto Megan's table.

Megan had been turned away from the commotion, setting down her coffee cup, and turned back just in time to slide her chair back to avoid being splashed by some of the coffee. Her laptop, however, was not so fortunate. The keyboard was splashed with hot coffee, the liquid seeping down among the keys. There were a couple of sparks and pops, before the laptop’s screen went black.

A sense of panic gripped Megan as she looked at the black screen for a fraction of a second. "No! No, no, no.." She began to say as she reached for her laptop, not even hearing the question of whether she was alright from the man who had spilled the coffee.

"Please work, please work, please work." The blonde muttered hopelessly as she grabbed some napkins she had nearby and tried to wipe off some of the coffee.

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It had been a simple matter of grabbing a quick cup of coffee on break. His dad was operating the front counter until he got back. He'd just paid a few moments before when the incident took place.

He saw the girl's laptop spark, and knew exactly what it was right away. "Hey, I work at a computer shop." He said, looking it over. "I'm pretty sure I know what's wrong with your computer. If you bring it by, I can take a look at it and at least see what we can do about it, alright?" He asked.

"I'd take a look at it now, but I have to get back to the shop, and I don't have any tools with me." He made his way towards the door, coffee in hand.

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Megan looked up hopefully as someone came up to the scene, mentioning that he worked at a computer shop and thought he knew what was wrong. His grey hair threw her for a moment, as he otherwise appeared to be a couple of years younger than her. Even so, Megan had little reason to doubt that he knew more about computers than her.

Politely brushing off the attempts to apologize by the man who had spilled the coffee, the blonde grabbed her text book and notes and stuffed them quickly into her computer bag. Sling the bag over one shoulder, followed by her purse, Megan scooped up her laptop and started after the other young man has he headed towards the door.

"Thank you." She said as she caught up with him as they exited the coffee shop. "I could really care less about the computer. What I hope you can help with is recovering the take home exam I just spent the last hour finishing for one of my professors."

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Thomas turned to the girl as she caught up to him, and nodded. "That makes things even easier. I'm almost positive that what gave out was the power supply. With any luck, it's the only damaged component. It'll take a few minutes, but extracting the data should be easy."

He opened the store door and walked in. "Okay, I'll be back in a moment." He said, disappearing into the door in the back of the room. When he returned, he had a few tools and a laptop.

"First I have to take the hard drive out, then hook it up to this, that'll let me open the hard drive, extract the information, and put it somewhere else."

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Megan was feeling more and more hopeful as they entered the small store and the young man made his way into the back room. Setting her laptop down on the counter, she did her best to wait patiently for him to return. While he was only gone for a short while, to Megan it seemed far, far longer.

Listening as he explained what he needed to do, the blonde nodded in understanding. "Sure, whatever you need to do." She stated as she began fishing around in one of the pockets of her computer bag for a moment. Finding what she was looking for she took out an unopened 16 GB USB flash drive. "Here, I haven't used this one yet." She said, handing Thomas the flash drive.

Now all the blonde young woman could do was wait and hope that Thomas would be able to access the laptop's hard drive and recover the document. Of course, sitting back and waiting was not one of the things Megan liked to do.

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Thomas picked the laptop up and grabbed a small screwdriver. With practiced ease, he unfastened the screws of the exterior and laid the case on the table. Within a few seconds, the laptop was dismantled, and Thomas held a small silvery object.

A few moments later, he plugged the object into the other laptop, and searched for the documents on the hard drive. A few moments later, he handed the flash drive back to Megan.

"Emptied the document files onto here. The power supply is shot, which is a shame. I could replace the power supply if you wanted, or the shop could buy the laptop off of you. It'd be an easy refurbish job. It would just be a shame to throw a laptop like this out when the power supply is the only thing wrong with it."

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Megan watched at Thomas began disassembling her laptop. Even without the ability to move a superspeed, Megan suspected she would be finding the process excruciatingly slow, though she could tell he was actually performing the task rather quickly. Years of practice helped her control the impatient feelings, what little might show likely appearing as simple anxiety over whether the data could be saved.

When Thomas finished and handed her the flash drive, stating that he had managed to move the document files to the USB drive, the blonde young woman gave a sigh of relief. "Great, thank you so much!" She said to the grey haired young man with a wide smile.

She then considered the disassembled laptop as he mentioned that the only problem was the burned out power supply. Megan had been perfectly ready to scrap the computer and simply buy a new one. But, he had a point, there was no real reason to throw it away when it could be fixed. "Sure, a new power supply would be fine." She replied, setting down her purse and placing the flash drive into one of the inside pockets. "There is no rush for this though. Would you be able to clean it as well?" She asked as she took out her wallet from her purse, before removing a platinum Visa card from inside the wallet. "How much do I owe you for today?"

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Thomas smiled. "Data transfer will be 50 dollars. I don't think we have any of those power supplies on hand anyway. We'll get a new shipment in next week. You can either leave the laptop here in the meanwhile, or take it with you and bring it back sometime after Wednesday of next week. Your choice."

He wished every job were that easy. A simple data recovery was among the easier jobs he got. Then again, with superhuman intelligence, they were all easy jobs.

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"Fifty dollars? My dad might be a little jealous of your hourly billing rate." Megan replied with feigned shock. "Okay, maybe not. But fifty sounds more than fair to me." She then added with a warm smile. She then handed over the platinum Visa card for Thomas to ring up the charge for the data recovery. As he did so, she glanced down at the still disassembled laptop.

"I'll just leave it here." She stated, looking back up to Thomas. "No point in hauling it around when it won't work. I don't really need it for the next week or so anyway." Reaching into her purse, the blonde took out a piece of paper and a pen and began writing on the paper. "Here is my name and a number so you can reach me at when it is ready to be picked up." She said as she handed the paper to Thomas once she was done.

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GM

Meanwhile, less than a dozen blocks away…

Atop one of the office buildings in the area stood a rather unusual pair. One was an attractive woman with long red hair. She was wearing skintight bodysuit of red and black and a yellow flame burst on the front. The other was a man who stood at least six foot three, with an imposing build. He was dressed in dark green bodysuit that had a black V shape that extended down the front and back. The suit was cut so his thick arms were bare, and he his black hair was pulled back into a ponytail that went down to between his shoulder blades.

Currently the pair was engaged in a passionate embrace.

After a few moments, their lips parted and the redheaded young woman looked up at her companion. "Hmmmm, normally I would never come out here to Freedom City, but the pay was just too good to pass up. I'm certainly not regretting it now."

"Me either babe." The dark haired man replied with a grin. "Too bad we have a job to do right now."

The young woman let out a sigh as she took a step back and turned to look out towards the streets below. "Yeah, I suppose we do." Glancing back over at her taller companion, a wicked grin came to her face. "You know what could help my mood for later? We have a little competition to see who can cause the most mayhem and destruction."

"You're on!" The man replied with another grin before he crouched slightly and then leapt into the air, arcing towards the intersection below.

The redhead watched his leap for a few moments, before her green eyes began to glow a yellow/orange that seemed to occasionally flicker like fire. Ghostly wings of fiery telekinetic energy appeared from her shoulder blades and lifted her into the air to follow after her companion.

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Megan took back her credit card and the receipt and gave Thomas a smile as he stated he would call her once her laptop was fixed. "Great." She said, putting her card away in her purse. Grabbing her things, she turned and started towards the door. She was about halfway to the door when she though she heard some sort of commotion outside, causing her to slow her pace ever so slightly.

A moment later a car came falling from the sky, smashing down on top of another car parked across the street and setting off the car alarms for both vehicles. Megan froze as time began to slow down for her, as her powers began to kick into gear. Oh no! I need to check out what.. She had just been about to speed away when she held herself in check, remember that the young man who had helped her was behind her at the counter. I need a way to get clear to change. She thought as her mind raced, the fractions of a second that had passed seeming far longer to her. Okay, I am just a blonde college girl who just saw a car come crashing down on another. And now people running down the sidewalk in terror. I need this guy to get me somewhere away from the mayhem outside.

Megan then grasped on a likely solution. So, not more than a second after the car had crashed into view, she did what would likely be expected in such a situation.

She screamed.

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Thomas grimaced. This was bad. A superhero attack now? He had to take care of it. "Miss, let's get to the back room, it's safer. Never know when one of those heroes or villains might come tumbling through the store window and send shards of glass hurling inward."

He grabbed her arm and tugged, firmly, pulling her towards the back room. "Stay here." He said. "I forgot my cell, and I'm going to call the cops."

He ran outside and, as he did so, changed into his costume in an instant. The moment after that, he vanished into the air, dissolving into electrical current. With any luck, the girl would be too afraid to poke her head out.

He floated over the offending individuals. "I don't know why you're doing this but I suggest you stop."

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Megan let Thomas pull her into the back room of the store to "get away" from the mayhem outside. But as she did so, she suddenly realized that if they both hid out in the back room until whatever was going on was over, then she would not be able to change into Velocity to go see what she might be able to help. Luckily, Thomas stated he was going back out front to get his cellphone and call the police.

As soon as he was gone, Megan took a quick glance around, noting the back exit to the shop. In a flash of movement, she had was changed into her Velocity costume. She then sped towards the back door, vibrating her body until she passed right through and into a back alley running behind the stores on this block. Zipping part way down the alley in a blur of movement, the superheroine then ran up the wall of one of the buildings and up onto the rooftop.

Skidding to a stop on the roof, she found a place to hide her computer bag and purse. She was then off again, heading down the building and onto a street away from where the commotion was taking place. She would loop around a couple of blocks and come back at the storefront from another direction…

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GM

Voltage flew up into the air as a current of crackling electrical energy. He did not have to go far before he saw the source of the chaos.

Two individuals were standing in an intersection a couple of blocks from his father's shop. The street around them was torn up, a small crater in the centre of the intersection and chunks of pavement scattered in every direction. A couple of cars were flipped over near the intersection, another car had its front end completely smashed in.

Both individuals were clearly superpowered. The first was a large man in a sleeveless dark green body suit with a black V shape down the front of the suit. He was currently holding a car up above his head. The other was an attractive redheaded woman in a red and black skintight bodysuit. Ghostly flames seemed to swirl around her, and her eyes glowed with a yellow/orange light. On the sidewalk near the woman was a middle aged man who had been writing in pain as similar ghostly flames seemed to dance across his body.

When Voltage called out to the pair, they both turned to regard him. The flames around the middle aged man on the sidewalk faded away, and he lay still. The large man dropped the car he had been holding up to the ground beside him.

"Actually, we were waiting for someone like you to show up." The large man called out in return. "Though I was hoping for someone that would present more of a challenge."

He took a few steps towards the middle of the street, still facing Voltage. "You want us to stop? Come make us!" He then yelled out, holding his hands out to his side as part of his challenge.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Voltage's instantaneous internet exploration determined, with certainty, that the woman was more dangerous. True, the man's powers made him a very dangerous foe, but Voltage knew that Mindfire was a sadistic, cruel and vicious woman. He'd rather take down a sadist than a brute any day of the week. It was simple, really. Always take out the wildcard, and psychics were always wildcards. You couldn't predict them, and they often didn't even display anything when using their powers. Simple tactics, really.

Silvery current flowed through his arms and into his hands, before he fired a blast directly at Mindfire. She seemed less than thrilled to be struck, as the pain and damage were evident.

Good start so far.

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GM

Mindfire let out a cry of pain as Voltage's electrical bolt knocked her to the ground. She pushed herself back up to a sitting position, but otherwise appeared to be dazed for the moment.

The large man, Bonebreaker as Voltage's internet research had determined, glanced back at the redhead for a moment before focusing back on the superhero. "Oh, big man huh? Attacking the girl first?"

With a powerful leap, he closed the distance with Voltage, landing in front of the hero. "Afraid to take on someone bigger?" He asked as he swung a large fist down towards the hero. Unable to dodge in time, Voltage took the powerful hit, but managed to stay on his feet.

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After looping back around towards the direction of the electronics shop, Velocity spotted three costumed individuals. Given the amount of free time her powers tended to give her by reducing the time needed for studying, she generally was able to keep up to date on various superheroes and criminals active around the country. She recognized all three, though she actually could not recall reading too much about the hero, Voltage.

Seeing Voltage take a powerful hit from the large guy, Bonebreaker, the speedster decided to try to help get some of the pressure off the other hero.

Streaking towards the pair, she passed between them with a WOOSH of air and a streak of yellow. There was a faint *CRACK* as she delivered a punch at supersonic speed as she passed by. The punch hit Bonebreaker squarely on the left side of his jaw, but did little more than make him turn his head slightly to one side.

The yellow clad speedster skidded to a halt a short distance from the pair. "Being big really only means your louder and easier to hit. So where’s the challenge?" She quipped.

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Despite being struck by the brute, Voltage was not deterred. He knew that Mindfire was an amoral sociopath who could wreak far more harm than just physical. He flew above the larger, physically imposing man and, once he was fairly certain he was out of range, fired a blast of electricity at Mindfire.

He did not recognize the new hero right away, but he knew there were hundreds of heroes in Freedom City, and assumed that, since she came to help, she was no danger. Based on her approach, likely a speedster. Those were always handy to have around. Distraction for foes, able to rain blows with relative impunity. Very effective.

"The woman is Mindfire, an incredibly dangerous, sociopathic psychic. I'm going to put her down first, because the kind of power she wields can do far more damage to people than physical harm." He shouted down to Velocity.

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GM

Voltage's bolt of lightning shot out and once again to strike the redheaded villainess. However, this time, her psychokinetic aura took the brunt of the shock, though she still jerked slightly from the blast.

Climbing back to her feet, she looked up at flying grey haired hero. "You had better believe I am dangerous!" She called out, her eyes flaring with a ghostly flame as a similar effect covered her hands as she lifted them up before her.

A similar ghostly flame formed around Voltage, as he felt a searing pain reaching for his mind, but he was able to resist Mindfire's mental attack.

Back on the ground, Bonebreaker turned to regard Velocity, a faint smile coming to his face. "Nice punch, for a girl." He commented as he then leapt into the air, easily covering the distance between them. "But I think you're in over your head here."

As he came down, he brought his large fist down towards the speedster in the similar attack as he had made against Voltage. However, Velocity easily sidestepped the attack, and the large man’s fist only ended up smashing into the pavement where she had just been standing, sending chunks of pavement flying in several directions.

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"Oh please." Velocity replied with a small smile. "I think your ego is a bit too big for even shoulders as broad as yours."

With that, the yellow clad speedster launched another punch at the large man, another *CRACK* sounding in the air as her hand broke the sound barrier. This time, Velocity focused on applying a bit more of the speed to the force of the blow. Once again her blindingly fast fist connected, this time right under Bonebreaker's jaw. His head was snapped back from the force of the blow, and he was sent flying back five feet, landing on the pavement, which cracked slightly under the impact. He pushed himself back upright slightly and shook his head to try to get his bearings back.

The yellow clad speedster was already gone, moving away in a blur and coming to a halt on the opposite side of the intersection, generally behind Mindfire.

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Current flowed through Voltage's arms before gathering near his hands. He aimed at Mindfire and, focusing his thoughts, fired a blast of electricity at her. Unfortunately, his aim was off, and the blast missed Mindfire completely, slightly blackening the ground beside her. He really needed to work on his aim. At this rate, he'd scorch the concrete all over and then collapse in mental pain. That wouldn't do at all.

He was glad to have help taking down the brute, the speedster could focus on the big guy while he blasted Mindfire. The sooner she went down, the better. All moot if he kept missing, though.

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GM

As Mindfire managed to sidestep the latest blast from Voltage, she glanced over to see Bonebraker on the ground and trying to recover. Glancing over to where Velocity had moved, she hissed at the yellow clad speedster. "I will deal with you in a moment." With that, her flaming wings reappeared, carrying her up into the air, and out of the reach of the speedster. Focusing back on Voltage, her eyes flared once again.

This time, instead of his mind, the flying hero saw the ghostly flame form in front of him before slamming into him, with a considerable amount of force.

Down on the ground, Bonebreaker had pushed himself up into a sitting position, and was still trying to clear his head.

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Velocity watched Mindfire take off into the air and then hit Voltage with some sort of telekinetic attack. While the attack looked like it hurt, Voltage still seemed very much in the fight. The big guy seemed to be recovering as well, but for the moment he was on the ground and a good fifty feet away.

Velocity looked back up at Mindfire as her hand went towards one of the pouches on her belt in a movement most would not be able to follow. Taking a small handful of steel ball bearings from the pouch, she then brought her hand up to rapidly launch the projectiles at the flying supervillainess at supersonic speeds.

However, her aim was a bit off, and the supersonic projectiles miss their intended target.

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Voltage glared down at Bonebreaker. Though he wasn't as dangerous, he could do some major damage on his own. Voltage had been working on a new trick, manipulating nerve endings to cause the target to act erratically. As it required far more delicate uses of electricity, he didn't have to do much aiming to use it. Instead, the energy flowed into his target. Unfortunately, Bonebreaker seemed to be able to easily shake it off.

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