Al's Diner - Peter Ross
"Whoa!"
Somehow, the pretty scrawny young man manages to land on his feet, back on the diner floor.
"Cool...trick...thanks, you two."
{Okay, she seems...terrifying.}
Though, Anne's question does seem to strike a nerve somehow. He almost seems to recognize Anne from somewhere, too, but the look is only on his face for a moment.
{Lady reminds me of Bizarnage…and not in a good way!}
"When...when you're harmless, people don't usually notice you. Guess that worked out for me tonight...wasn't worth trying to kill me."
He looks down at the floor before addressing Jason Blood directly.
"Peter Ross, reporter for the Daily Bugle. Uh, the legit stuff, not that friggin' podcast...always have to clarify that for people. Long story short, a mutant terrorist finished half these guys off. I managed to knock those two over-"
He points at the two unconscious thugs on the ground.
"-when I, heh...kinda...tripped...trying to run away."
Wow. This guy's...a little pathetic.
"Look, cops are gonna be in here any minute. I feel like I should probably tell them what I saw but if you guys are like, the 'secret identity, we must return to our hideout' types...considering you guys just appeared outta nowhere, you have a lead on these Neo-Nazi guys? Or the literal mutant terrorist who just strolled outta here? We could have like, an info-sharing kinda situation? I'm a journalist, getting information's sorta my job...when I'm not printing tweets for Jameson to 'review' in his office..."
{What the hell am I doing.}
Edited by ZodanTheUnbounceable on Feb 2nd 2022 at 9:41:58 AM
This post is sponsored by Amalgam Comics.
Swordsman-Al's Diner
He was still coughing while the others spoke above his head. Thankfully the collar of his armor had saved Andreas from a crushed throat, but he knew he'd nearly blacked out and suffocated. I was nothing to him. An image of the old man in the fedora flickered to life behind his eyes. The contempt and disregard that had rolled off Magneto was galling. He didn't even give me the respect of hate. (In Andreas's mind, the more you hated someone the more dangerous you saw them as a threat. Some lessons are difficult to unlearn.) I've worked damned hard to get where I am, and he just brushed me away as if I'm no better than these petty brutes. Of course, to him I am the same. And maybe that can't be changed.
Andreas shook away his bitterly dark thoughts (or pushed them down, anyway). Mustn't lose control in front of the wizard. Bad form. He pushed himself up to a more upright position and debated putting the helmet back on, but disregarded it as pointless. Instead it was tucked under one arm and his weapons (Andrea) reslung safely on his belt before standing to greet the newcomers. He barely stopped his heels from clicking together.
The black-spider-lady was odd. He'd of course seen some Spider-folk, but she seemed new. And more...unfriendly-looking than the traditional Spiders. He gave her a weary nod. "Yes, I do know how to fight. For all the little good it did me." He pointed at the kid. "He tried to stay smart and, of course, not antagonize one of the most dangerous people in the world." The Swordsman cocked his head to the side. "I don't know you, though." He held out a hand. "I guess I should thank you for rescuing me from a karmically-appropriate death."
"I'm pleased you both arrived when you did-were you tracking these apes as well?" Blood received only the barest of nods. HYDRA was not a huge fan of the occult, and his own father had thought Der Fuhrer a fool for the obsession with magic. Andreas himself had seen too much to disregard it, but the whole thing still unnerved him. Andreas kept his eyes on the sorcerer without seeming to stare, but he had no doubt the man knew it. He couldn't help his hand drifting to the hilt of his sword, either. Some night I'm going to wake up with it in my hand. Or perhaps that's already happened.
AKA Nixer
She-Venom: Al's Diner
“Peter...” She-Venom repeated as two distinct voices in one, the eyes of the mask narrowing slightly at ‘Peter Ross’ before she huffed and moved on. “You were brave to stick around. If not stupid. Let's move. We'll walk as we talk.”
Before she did, though, she accepted Swordsman's handshake after a brief moment of hesitation. Her grip was firm, yet at the same time she seemed to have a tremble. That, and the suit's consistency was akin to tar. It didn't stick to Swordsman's hand or come off at all, but it definitely felt... sludgy.
Not like ordinary fabric, as one would expect.
“They have no decency. Their visions are... shallow,” She-Venom said in a spiteful fashion towards the fallen fascists around them. She deliberately trod on them as she walked out, outright kicking one to the side with her foot as she headed towards where Blood had said the portal was. “Shame we weren't here to see it. It doesn't matter now. We can talk and get to know each other once we're out of the public eye...”
They don't seem like a bad group. Just... messy.
Like us.
Like us.
...Thank you, Anne.
For what?
Setting us free. With you.
...
For a moment, She-Venom's entire form seemed to ripple as if with a tremble. But it passed quickly.
Edited by Enirboreh on Feb 17th 2022 at 11:45:35 AM
bork
Al's Diner
"Brave, stupid...in journalism, helps to be a little of both!"
He observes the new alliance being formed, seeming hesitantly optimistic.
"So...I take it you guys aren't sticking around for the cops...anywhere I can meet up with you guys later? It'll be suspicious if there's nobody in here when they come in, I can tell 'em what happened - Magneto and 'some guy with a sword' stopped a buncha Neo-Nazis. Don't think a wizard and a...whatever you are, ma'am, should be around when they come in. You guys gonna just...Organization XIII your way back to the Wizard Cave? I can meet up with you later to compare notes?"
{She even talks like Bizarnage, that ain't good...}
This post is sponsored by Amalgam Comics.
Acme Warehouse
Well now, this was a predicament. Either this little wharf rat was being made an example of by some rival gang, or Mister Pig-Face making a run for it there had a very strange roundabout idea for killing people. Nevertheless, the situation required resolution, posthaste, but what to do? Going to catch up with the pigface would mean the man got higher, and then what if a pigeon hit the balloon or somebody shot it down in the meantime? A long drop with a sudden stop, that's what. It wasn't as if the felon's life had any meaning to the Goblin, but he needed these gangsters to keep seeing him as their personal saviour if he wanted to sway their loyalty. The Green Goblin's mind raced furiously, and in split seconds a plan was devised.
First, fly up high enough to see both balloon rat and pig man. Second, deploy one razor bat and one razor moon. Seco- No, Third, toss razor bat at the fleeing pig-man, and hope that the motion-detecting self-guided projectile would catch him in the ass and keep him down for a moment or two. Fourth, fling razor moon at balloon- better a regular shuriken paired with his pinpoint accuracy, otherwise with the way this fool was wriggling about, a razor bat would've hit HIM instead. Fifth, catch falling goon, sixth, deposit on roof, seventh, apprehend fleeing little piggy. Ready? BREAK!
Levitating to a greater height, the Goblin prepared his projectiles and flung them. While the pig-man found a batarang flying right after him, the razor moon punctured the balloon and let the Wharf Rat drop, only for the Goblin to fly down and scoop him up with a "Saved your life! Thank me later."
Acme Warehouse
The screaming henchman suddenly stopped making any noise from shock when the balloon that was lifting him aloft suddenly popped and he began falling quickly to earth. The Green Goblin was able to nimbly catch the falling gangster and deposit him on the rooftop and was also able to nail the running man in the mask in the upper thigh. It wasn't enough to put him down on the ground but he was limping away slowly enough for the Goblin to quickly catch up to him.
"T-t-hanks..." was all the poor Wharf Rat could get out before the Goblin zipped off to nab the fleeing man in the pig mask.
"Stay back or you're next!" the man in the mask said with no fear as he ripped the shuriken from his own thigh and held it up menacingly. "You criminal scum are all the same, mask or no mask, and you'll all get what's coming to you!"
Al's Diner
The crew was able to get Andreas down and he would only suffer a sore throat and perhaps a bit of a bruised ego for the rest of the day. The two Nazis who'd been knocked unconscious by Pete and the Swordsman earlier began to stir when Anne stepped on them but with the police soon on the way, they probably wouldn't get very far before they were apprehended again.
Once the police arrived, they'd immediately go to find Pete.
"Just tell me what happened son and make it quick." said a weary looking police captain when he arrived on the scene. His nameplate said "Stacy" and, by the looks of things, these deaths were just one of many incidents he'd have to investigate today. Ordinarily, such a crime would not necessitate the presence of a police captain but with possible mutant or magic activity and the high death toll, he was dispatched.
Popcorn, Get Ya Popcorn!
Blood could feel the link to his shadow gate drawing taut, the wedge of his power he'd mentally allotted to drip feed to it starting to dry up. He walked quickly away from the crime scene with the purple suited swordsman and Anne, snapping the link to the portal.
As they walked down the street, he spoke to the Swordsman. "You feel like them. The taste is old on your aura, but you've... Done things. They've stained you deep." His eyes flared red for a moment. "We're not going back to the house until you tell me why your aura feels like theirs."
Al's Diner
"Right...sorry, still a little shaken. So I was sitting there eating when the leader - I think he was the leader, he's the guy with the, uh....knife in his chest. Anyways, he tells the others to basically start looting the place, so they...start looting the place! I was just kinda lying low, didn't want them to see me and this guy with a sword starts telling them to back off. The leader guy's suddenly got a knife in his chest, at which point I figure I should probably leave. Two of the other Nazis - can I call them Nazis, I think they're Nazis - try to book it too, and I kinda...tripped and fell into them. Two other guys were getting strangled by their own necklaces somehow and uh...the last guy shot himself, but it didn't look like he was trying to do that? There was some old guy in here, he and sword guy exchanged a few words but then the old kind was kind of a total jerk, tried to strangle the sword guy with a ceiling light and just walked out."
The kid stops to catch his breath.
"...Did any...of that...make sense...?"
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Swordsman-On The Street
He almost chuckled, but the pain from his throat made it unwise. Andreas looked down and rubbed a bit of blood and brain off his helmet as they walked. I figure I can keep this thing off unless SHIELD pops up. "Like theirs. Yes, in the same way that a dead fish smells like a beached whale. In the same way that you're a birthday magician or a Las Vegas entertainer." He shook his head. "I feel like those poor bastards because in many ways I was them. I came of age in the same world of hate and suspicion, just at a much higher tax bracket and surrounded by mad science and HYDRA. I became a hedonistic, sociopathic, vicious brat hiding behind the Strucker name. Did terrible things to gain my father's approval, all the while knowing I'd never get it and that I was an enormous disappointment to him."
Andreas almost shut up then, but the boil had been lanced and he couldn't stop talking. His genetically-engineered blue eyes were dull and dead, in their way somehow more frightening than wild passion as he fixed them on Blood and the Spider-woman. "I could tell you stories. How I watched and encouraged my sister as she tried to kill a child who had denied me something I wanted. How I learned my father had experimented on us before we were born to make my sister and myself into better weapons. I went to war with unknown members of my family and committed terrorist acts worldwide...or so I thought." The young man let out a self-deprecating snort. "In truth, I was just a sacrificial lamb, a distraction the Baron used to keep eyes away from his own plans. I wasn't a feared enemy to anyone or a famous supervillain. I was a useful idiot, a joke, a waste of skin. And then everything I'd done caught up to me and things got worse." As always, Andrea was near at hand, soothing him. "Do you really want to know more?"
Edited by Booky on Feb 6th 2022 at 5:54:49 AM
Popcorn, Get Ya Popcorn!
Jason Blood— On The Street
Jason Blood mentally stumbled, and physically tripped before catching himself. He's a person, you fool. Not some evil monolith. And your sense for these things is vague and atemporal unless you know. Them. Well. He chastised himself internally, not helped by Etrigan chiming in."You should still kill him. You should just grill him. See if his flesh burns with the taste of their fascism."
Shut up, you old fool. You were fine with Vandal Savage of all people on the team.
That was a special case. Besides, that was before he became a true nutcase, and his pace was then less humorous and abased. This displaced disgrace isn't in an entertaining headspace, and shouldn't be embraced. Besides, I drink of his guilt, in him it is embased. Encase him in purpose, brighten his face, and my supper will be erased.
This won't be some holy quest. But I do need allies. And he appears genuinely regretful. He seems like he's trying to make amends. We can both understand that burning ambition.
The Demon was silenced by that.
He nodded his head sharply, coming to a decision.
"I want to know more about you. About both of you actually," He glanced at Anne. "There's a coffee place/diner called Radu's in this neighbourhood. Let's start there, with a proper breakfast and conversation." As they continued walking again, he fell back in step and said to Anne softly:
"What are your feelings about Carmine Falcone?"
Edited by Greydoom on Feb 11th 2022 at 1:20:56 AM
Acme Warehouse
"Ooo hoo hooo...Is that what this is about?" The Goblin hovered a foot away, roughly chin-level with the man, and leaned over on his perch with a taunting grin. "Scawy widdle piggy, wants to take on the whole criminal underworld aaaaall by himself, one party balloon at a time. Well, I'll tell you what, sport. You've got the batarang there, so I'll give you a free shot." He stood up, puffed his chest and spread his arms out wide. "Let's see that throwing arm, champ! Fire when ready!"
"Oh, there it goes. If only I brought my popcorn for this." It's a good thing his helmet can get a good distance view and hearing. Least the guy admits he was garbage back then to mister aggressive. Honest garbage? Eh, doesn't roll off the tongue.
Jason kept jumping from rooftops to rooftops to keep on spectating these three weird sorts of people. If they had a keen eye, they could see the figure of a hooded man looking at them for a few moments before going into hiding.
AKA Nixer
She-Venom: Streets
“Another diner? Hope it's not filled with dead Nazis this time...” Anne sighed beneath the mask of her suit, twitching briefly before commanding the lower half of said mask to recede from around her mouth. Breathing through it could get tedious sometimes, and she didn't exactly want to put on the symbiote's game face for the sake of fresh air alone. “...S-Sure. We'll go. Nice to get some breakfast, for real this time...”
Anne's exposed lips visibly pursed when Blood questioned her about Falcone, and she seemed to mull over her answer for a while before finally looking towards him in order to reply.
“Falcone's... a bastard. But... he might know how to get us to the Spider. So... to me, he might be useful. If he even wants to talk...” she mumbled uncertainly. “I'm... I-I guess I'm ambivalent. Why... why do you ask...?”
bork
Swordsman-Streets
He shook his head and smiled faintly as Jason stumbled. What threw him off, I wonder? Observing the sorcerer as he walked silently for a few moments, Andreas tried to figure out what was happening. Is he thinking? Listening on an earpiece? Or some kind of telepathy? The young man slowed down as Jason spoke to the...Spider-woman, so that she was included in the conversation. And what's your deal? Aloud he said "Sure, sounds good. I didn't even get any of those famous waffles. I hope Radu's has a casual dress code, though."
Of course he noticed the figure stalking them on the rooftops. You didn't go through a hellish boot camp of mind-controlled combat training without trying to break free and look for any advantage. Popping his helmet back on, Andreas gently started to unsheathe his sword and channel his power through it. He'd give Jason and SW a chance to spot the new person, but if they gave no sign, he'd send a beam of energy at the sneaking figure. Hey, the day was young and he'd already committed a few crimes and almost died. Why stop now?
Edited by Booky on Feb 15th 2022 at 1:47:41 AM
Acme Warehouse
The man in the pig mask looked defiant as he hurled the shuriken right at its maker's head before spinning on his heel and booking it towards the main road. If the Goblin were to pursue, he'd find the speeding cars difficult to dodge head on, a fact that didn't seem to bother the strange crimefighter.
Rooftop
"A curious collective, wouldn't you say Master Todd?" a voice from behind Red Hood would say. Were Jason to turn and look, he'd see a bat-shaped drone hovering a few inches above his head. There was also something about the voice that emanated from it that was vaguely familiar to him...
Alfred?
Radu's Diner
Radu's was a small, cramped but charming little diner. Were the assembled crew of adventurers to go there, they'd find an affordable menu and ample opportunity to discuss criminal matters privately.
"Whoooahhoho!" Red Hood would thankfully do a backflip to avoid the energy beam sent at him. On second thought, he hates that guy now. "Shesh. Someone's frustrated about something. Once a fascist, always a fascist-"
...
Well, now that's a voice he hasn't heard in a good, good while. And a part of him is happy of hearing that, not gonna lie. He slowly turned towards the bat-drone. "...Yeah, it sure is. Hey Alfred." It seems like his usual sarcastic tone of voice seemed to have vanished. "Just taking a view of the city?"
Rooftop
"Just keeping an eye on things." the drone said. It hovered up and down, perhaps to get a better look at Jason Todd.
"When Master Bruce first disappeared, I actually tried donning the suit a few times to keep the criminal element in this town guessing. But I took a nasty stab wound that, at my age, I really shouldn't take. So I stopped but I still like to keep an eye on things with the drones. But when I saw you were in trouble last night, I had to hop in the plane to help. You might have left but you're still part of the family."
Popcorn, Get Ya Popcorn!
Jason Blood- Radu's Diner
Blood got them a table away from the windows and ordered a tower of pancakes for himself. "Get whatever you like, it's on me." He said to Anne and the Swordsman. After a beat of awkward silence, he started talking. "I know a little bit about you, Anne." He nodded to her. "I know a fair amount about you, due to the rant I provoked." He nodded to the Swordsman. "I'm not sorry about that, but I understand what it feels like to have past sins weigh on you so heavily. I'm fairly certain all three of us do. I wanted to sit us down and have a drawn out conversation about our reasons for being where we are today, and I still want to do that to an extent, but the greatest teams I've encountered were at their core formed in a crucible of flame and trial." He paused as the waitress came back to give them their orders, then thought a moment and pulled out a rune-covered cube of wood about the size of a rubiks cube which Anne had seen once before, placing it on the table and tracing the runic patterns on each side before continuing."At 10 p.m. sharp tonight, Mario Falcone, heir to the Carmine criminal network and son of the most powerful gang lord in Gotham, is going to be facilitating a major drug deal. If the both of you are willing, I'd like to ambush and capture Falcone's get and deliver him to the Gotham P.D. If you can aid me in this endeavor—" He stared pointedly at the Swordsman. "—Then it'd go a long way towards me trusting you. I need one another thing from you—" He drew out a glass bottle of some deep purple viscous elixir from the inside of the coat and placed it on the table.
"I need you to drink this. It lowers your subconscious mental and spiritual defences, making you easier for me to read. It'll only last for thirty minutes or so, don't worry— but I want to be able to know you won't lie to me. It even matches your color scheme." He smiled a wry grin that struggled to be reassuring.
AKA Nixer
She-Venom: Radu's Diner
"I'd be happy to help..." Anne responded to Blood's proposition with a slight nod, allowing the symbiote to retract once they stepped inside the diner and promptly ordering a hot breakfast for herself; along with some chocolate cookies for afterwards. She didn't care about being associated with this group. She had little life outside of her anti-Spider campaign now anyways. "So long as I can ask him a few questions first. He won't be as connected as his old man, but... I'm— we're eager to find the man we're looking for."
As the conversation turned towards Swordsman, Anne took the opportunity to eat her breakfast in a very ravenous fashion. She had to feed both herself and the symbiote, after all. For some reason, she noticed that Lady was very keen on the cookies, and so once she'd finished off her plate she obliged the alien organism with a bite of one.
In a split-second, its teeth had both formed from the black ooze that comprised its form and it'd promptly bitten down on the thing before Anne could even blink. By the time she did, the symbiote had retreated, and the entire cookie had vanished. Tentatively taking one for herself, she noticed that the disturbing hunger she'd felt while in union with the creature had mitigated slightly.
So... the chocolate...?
I need it. It has the right chemicals for us.
...you mean, the same as...
Feed us, and we won't have to feed ourselves.
That... was strange, but a partial relief to her. She'd found an alternative source of food for her partner in crime. Sighing to herself, she drew her attention back to the conversation and nonchalantly offered the two men at the table with her a cookie each.
Don't push it.
I can buy more. Don't worry.
Edited by Enirboreh on Feb 17th 2022 at 11:44:45 AM
bork
Street (Pete Ross)
"If that's everything, officer, I should probably get going..."
The young reporter runs off, pulling his sleeve back to look at his watch...
Roof
A minute or so later, Jason will hear the telltale sound of a web line attaching to a wall behind him, with a note stuck to it.
[Roof of coffee shop on 3rd, 1 hour. My guy's getting info]]
And it's signed with a little drawing of a spider, plus a "male" symbol with a smiley face drawn inside.
...That's how he indicates "Boy?" And wait...he has a "guy" to get info from?
Spider-Boy swings by a second later, quickly disappearing out of sight.
Radu's Diner (Pete Ross)
The young reporter runs in a few moments after the other three, appearing to be out of breath.
"Sorry...about...that...someone kept askin' me questions...okay! So!"
He just...decides to sit next to Anne, figuring she seems the least murdery of the bunch.
"What're we discussing again? And how can I help? I don't have magic or superpowers or...medieval weaponry, but I've got some investigative reporting tricks up my sleeve..."
This post is sponsored by Amalgam Comics.
Swordsman-Pancakes & Plans
He nodded back at Jason, still unsure about this collection of individuals. But it wasn't like his social network was booming at the moment, so....However, he did raise an eyebrow at the offered bottle of something. He trusts me less than the lady with the weird sentient toothy costume? That's hurtful. But building alliances did require sacrifice.
He wasn't a monster, however. Andreas accepted the cookie from the young woman with a friendly smile and took it in one hand. With the other, he scooped up Blood's brew and chugged it down without hesitation. What if it's poisonous? Pfft. Like you care.
Instantly he felt as if the top of his head had become clear glass. All of his thoughts and feelings were open to the light, and several were squirming deeper into his mind like maggoty centipedes. Sickly green barriers of anger and discipline he hadn't even known were there became as light and fragile as smoke. It was a deeply uncomfortable and harrowing experience, and despite the fact that he'd endured far worse under the Purple Man's control and experienced first-hand the soul-gutting horror of being a passenger in his own body, Andreas still shuddered. There was no compulsion here, though, and he'd taken the draught of his own free will. These facts helped him regain his composure. Having a delicious cookie to eat directly afterward helped, and he gave the woman another, more heartfelt and chocolatey grin.
The Swordsman gave a more restrained smile to the young reporter who just popped into their booth. There's something off about that young man. He ordered coffee while waiting for Blood's next suggestion. Though now that I know he makes potions, I'm not going to accept any dinner invitations.
Edited by Booky on Feb 28th 2022 at 9:08:16 AM
Acme Warehouse
The Goblin snatched the shuriken out of the air before it even scratched his chest. He was about to throw it right back before he saw the man bolt straight into moving traffic. Well, such a thing was hardly an impediment to a man who could fly. The Goblin floated into the air, hovering over the road, trying to judge where the would-be killer would come out and then lunge for him- assuming, of course, that his target didn't just get mown down.
"Come on, little piggy, I've got other meat to fry today. Do you know what I do to the people who boooore meeeee?" he called in a sing-song voice.
Acme Warehouse
The Goblin's glider was able to soar far above traffic and, with the pig-masked man focusing on not getting hit, he was completely caught unaware when his green-skinned assailant lunged at him. Falling on his behind, the man started crawling towards a nearby alley quickly but it was clear the Goblin had him at his mercy.
"Stay back! I'll kill all of you!" the man shouted
Radu's Diner (Peter Ross)
"Okay, so...if you guys are planning on taking out more criminals like those jerks...I can't fight, but believe it or not, I have a few superhero email addresses."
What.
"Squirrel Girl got sucked into this multilevel marketing thing a while back, CC'd everyone she knew, it's a long story. Anyways...I might be able to get a guy or two to show up and back you up with whatever you're doing. No promises, but it's something I've got. On the more public side...I can smear the hell out of you guys in the Bugle once you've done whatever you're gonna do."
How does that help?!
This post is sponsored by Amalgam Comics.
"Shesh, and people say I'm a messy guy." Jason heard that some commotion was going around where a little diner was, mainly thanks to hacking to the radio chatter of the police and true enough, here it was! He was currently standing on a rooftop, having a decent view of the situation from a distance. Having his helmet's interface zoom in on the scene to get a closer look, the assholes dead or on the ground were of the Aryan Brotherhood gang. Good fucking riddance if they're all dead.
He then seemed to notice some guy hanging around with shit all over him, some kid trying to help him and what seemed like a person that kind of had the style of that weirdo from last night helping break the guy free...though this one was in black and gave some weird vibes to him. Still, he sticked with being a spectator to the whole thing and just seeing what was happening.
Edited by Darkomega245 on Feb 1st 2022 at 7:23:19 AM