- J -----
Interlude
Writer-note: See issue two for most of the details on this one! - jad
The five of them began to gel along the way. Shelly quickly assessed their abilities and began calculating the best way to use their strengths to their fullest while minimizing their weakness. Storm took a natural inclination towards moving everyone in the right positions and controlling the overall flow of attacks and defensive positioning. Even and Aeon Fox took the point, rushing into battles to draw their attention, and allowing Stormwind Rider and Lexa Fallon to finish them off without even having to get close, most of the time.
A couple random scenes here. Even dropping a couple thugs with a quick shot to their template. Lexa Fallon taking down one of the Vahz with an energy bolt as Shelly locks it's mind down into submissiveness. Aeon Fox taking down a Clockwork that Stormwind Rider had just webbed up. Aeon turned towards Stormwind, who was still shaking off the effects of a lucky shot by the Clockwork.
Aeon Fox: Hey, bluesuit, you holding up ok over there? You look out of breath.
Stormwind took a few gasps, holding his ribs, but nodded.
Stormwind Rider: Yeah, peachy. I just got a taste of what it's probably like when I blast someone. Those electrical blasts are nasty. Another deep breath You know the can sap someone's endurance, right?
Aeon: Useful.
Aeon turned towards Lexa, who was sort of starring into the sky again with a lost, distant look in her eyes. Her fists clinched tight, she seemed like her focus was a dozen zone's away.
Aeon: Lexa, what about you? You're starting to look as zoned out as Even usually does when he's around civilization.
Even: snapping back to the present What does that mean? I don't look.. 'zoned out.' pause as Even looks off into the distance Do I?
Aeon chuckled.
Aeon: Sure you want to answer that?
Storm: Maybe he's looking for a tree to take a nature's call at.
Aeon made a face.
Aeon: Nice. That's an ugly enough mental image to even make a Kitsune blush. I didn't think humans went for that kind of forest humor.
Storm: Hey, I ams what I am.
Lexa spun around in an angry, annoyed manner, her face flushed with emotion. Her lips were curled into an uncharacteristic snarl. Energy crackled around her for a brief half second.
Lexa: Alright, give it a ibreak/i, you two!
Storm: Uh- what?
Aeon: 'Scuse me?
Lexa: If you'd two shut UP every once in a while, you'd have heard me. I said, I'm sick and tired of all this idle pratter! How's about you keep your mouths shut so we shut this operation down!
Aeon and Storm looked at each other, a bit taken back. Surprised, even.
Storm: Uh- yikes? I guess?
Aeon: She just totally abused the word 'shut' in that sentence.
Storm chuckled.
Storm: I don't blame her for being offended. You did compare her to Even here. I'd be-
An audible crack of energy interrupted them. Lexa advanced, almost menacingly.
Lexa: No, seriously, you two. Shut. Up.
Lexa threw her hands up, obviously frustrated.
Lexa: Forget it. You know, if none of you are gonna get this done, why don't I just do it myself?
Another exchange of confused looks between Aeon, Shelly, and Stormwind. Lexa suddenly stormed off.
Aeon: Lexa, wait!
Lexa did not wait. Instead, she barged off towards the building.
Well. . . towards a building. Shelly looked on, too puzzled to comment.
Aeon: Hey, calm down. We didn't mean anything by. . it? Hey, is she even going to the right building?
Storm: Nope.
Aeon: Think she realizes it?
Right as Lexa stomped back, with only a little of that anger faded. She came to a stop just in front of Fox and Rider, folded her arms, and shot a glare at them.
Aeon: Think so.
Lexa: Fine, you can come. Lead the way and let's just. . . get this over with? Please?
Shelly: Of course.
Aeon: She's right. Might as well get it over with.
Storm: Just another block down. We could skip past this ally but those Vahzian. . . wait, why are Vahzian in Atlas Park? I'd heard about them in King's Row, but. .
Lexa spun, angry as a hornet's nest, and threw herself into an attack. The first two were taken down by rapidfire energy blasts before they even registered the attack. The third jumped her, only to find itself send flying through the air by one of Lexa's powerful energy blasts. Lexa cut it down with an energy bolt when it made the mistake of trying to get to it's feet.
Lexa: Those Vahz just picked the wrong day to be on my wrong side.
Even: Right.
Even cracked a stupid looking smile.
Even: Wrong day.. wrong side.. right. Get it?
Lexa: Uh- no?
Fox, Hollins, and Rider just moaned, with Aeon Fox slapping her head for emphasis.
Aeon: That was HORRIBLE. Even for you, Even.
Even: Even for Even. I get it.
Aeon: Uh- no.
Noticing Shelly and Stormwind were following Aeon, who'd taken off, Even and Aeon Fox rushed to keep up. Lately, they all knew what it was like to be distracted. Even wasn't used to cities. Until now, he'd hardly seen much of the world outside of the forest he grew up in, and the nearby village. The one Aeon Fox grew up in. Now he was in a metropolis of wonders. His motives for being in Paragon City, like most of the enigma of Even, was a mystery. Shelly could definitely sense magic traits to him, however.
That was one of the reasons Azuria had specifically requested Shelly was her ability to sense magic. The reason she'd told Shelly was she sensed she could do good to herself and the young heroes under her care leading them. Like Lexa, she was a mutant. However, whereas Lexa's abilities manufactured themselves as pure energy, Shelly's was more.. subtle. Like the woman herself- all of her powers stemmed from her mind.
Like Shelly and Even, Aeon was also fairly new to the city. Whereas they were born with their powers- Even through his mystical nature and Shelly through her genetic gift, Aeon's came from dual sources. Her natural training was defined by nanofibre augmentation - tiny nearly invisible groups of devices located around most of her joints, and at other locations as well. They allowed her increased reflexes by stimulating her nervous system, in addition to subtly bending time around her. Net result? She could avoid things really well.
The systems took a fair bit of fine tuning, however. Aeon often spent the downtime between battles and hero'ing keeping her systems in check. Realigning disrupted or damaged interfaces or performing systems scan with a small needle sized, pen shaped systems tool.
Much like Aeon relied on technology for the nanofibre chips implanted in her, Stormwind Rider relied in them in terms of his web grenades and caltrops. His actual power, however, came during the gathering of the weapons, in a Crey lab, a few years down in Venice. That's about the time the Ritki lashed out at Venice. The explosion left him in a coma for about two years. Not even a month after finally shaking off it's effects enough to leave the hospital. and he was out trying to be a hero.
The upside, if you could call it that, is the power had left him able to manipulate electric fields, and focus them into pure, raw stamina draining attacks. The doctors were impressed - no, amazed - by how well he'd seemed to shake the mental trauma of the incident off so fast. That said, only a month back into reality as we know it, he still tended to be shaken at times. His mind wasn't in the past as he pointed towards a door a couple warehouses down.
Storm: There it is. Soon as we take down the Skulls between here and there, we can get to business. The best way to deal with them would be . . . Sigh Why do I even bother?
Whatever plan he was about to lay out was interrupted as Lexa again dove headfirst into battle, with Even fast behind her. This time was different than the first few times she'd done it. Then, it was done with a sense of almost reckless joy. This was more like an icy, spiteful determination to get to her goal as soon as possible. With Even backing her up, she cut through them so fast, Stormwind hardly had the time to take a shot himself. Aeon Fox finished the last one off with her trademark kick. Lexa turned, and grabbed the door, ready to rip it off it's hinges.
And nothing happened for a handful of tense seconds. Lexa Fallon's motions stopped in whole. The others watched, a bit confused. Even included.
Shelly: Lexa?
Storm: Just gonna stand there?
Aeon: Maybe she's savoring the moment.
Even, of course, just observed silently. Still no response from Lexa.
Storm: We going in or not? Let's get this show on the road, girl!
Shelly and Aeon both made a "hush" motion, concerned.
Shelly: Lexa, why aren't you moving?
Storm: Yeah. We going in or what?
Lexa seemed to snap back to reality, and suddenly backed away from the door. Her eyes danced with panic.
Lexa: I. . . I can't do this.
Aeon: Can't do what?
Storm: Hey, you were the one rushing over here. I'd think
Shelly: Stormwind, not now. Lexa, why do you feel like you're not able to continue?
Lexa folded her arms, shivering. The spitfire looked like it just got snuffed out. Lexa's frown deepened. Storm was sarcastic in his response.
Storm: Gee, that was helpful.
Lexa: Oh, shut up, Lamewind.
Storm: Yeah, Lamewind, real original.
Lexa shot her most menacing stare at him (which wasn't saying all that much), then turned to the others.
Lexa: I'm not sure I can do this. Do.. you think we'll see any mages in there? Like.. . . . death mages?
Storm: Probably. Tell us what's wrong already.
Lexa: Death maged killed my mother.
That simple, yet devastating sentence, then nothing. An absolute silence washed over the five. It was hardly a handful of seconds before the stunned silence was broken by a gun shot.
---
Who owns who
My characters: Shelly Hollins, Even Friends, used with permission: Stormwind Rider, Aeon Fox, Lexa Fallon, Cyrptic's: Vahz (Vahzian), Clockwork, Atlas Park, King's Row, Paragon City, Azuria, Venice, Ritki, Skulls, Death Mages