Log:Three's Company

2011/12/27 	 Atlas Firefly Imaginary Girl Ripcord Longbow Shadow Star Girl 1

Silent alarms trigger in the most unlikeliest of places first. Seismic sensors triggering what is apparently a low grade earthquake down in Lowtown. Soon after that comes the more noisy alarms, the kind that happen when glass breaks and stores are having 'bad insurance days'. In Colonial Bay they happen far to often. It doesn't take long after that before there is a general call out on the Star Guard and heronet channels looking for meta support. Three supers have attacked an armored car that was in transit to the bank on a collection day. Several million dollars at risk. The police have cordoned off the area but so far armed attempts at apprehending the criminals has met with two officers down and one in surgery.

Imaginary Girl, flying patrol over the city, has her little comm-unit in her ear. She responds to the call, coming down to land outside the police cordon, asking the first police officer she sees, "Who's in charge here?"

On the scene is the hero who speaks rarely. He moves towards what he gathers is the head of the police. Longbow is arrived, being uncharacteristically formal in that he is showing himself to the police for a change as opposed to his normal slinking in shadows. He notices Imaginary Girl, pauses, but stays silent following her as she asked the question he had wanted to.

Star Girl does her best imitation of parkour. Actually, it's not a good imitation; when you can jump 10 meters in the air and run really fast, the result is effective, but lacking a certain sense of style. She crosses the city blocks, running along the rooftops and jumping over the streets that separate them. Once on the scene, she hops down to the street, where the others have gathered. "Wow. Imaginary Girl!" she says.

Shadow has a slightly different mode of approach, he is teleporting across the... sides of the buildings? Little pufts of smoke appear each time he disappears and another as he reappears, he avoids most forms of detection this way since no one sees his profile across the roofs and few enough people look up the side of the buildings. He pauses when IG appears, as if considering his options. All four appendages touching the side of the building as he crouches.

Approaching the scene one might see smoke from a flopped over police cruiser that is a blazing inferno, thick oily black smoke billowing into the air. The armored car has been flipped over on it's back and it's dented heavily in places where something big has hammered into it. Eight more cars are blocking either end of the road and there is police in what amounts to riot gear for the times. The three villains are easily spotted. One stands nine feet tall and is made of solid grey stone by all appearances. Another, a nubile pretty thing in her late teens by all appearances flies on insect like wings made of flame above. The third is dressed in a rather sharp suit of all things, tailored and nice, with a business cut. From his hands he generates white crackling energy whips. He holds off the southern police forces while the flying girl holds off the north. The rock guy is currently trying to bash his way into the armored car.

There's an exasperrated seargent down at the south end who answers Imaginary Girl, "They are! Nothing we can do seems to hurt them! As far as I'm concerned you're now in charge and we'll just try to make sure no civilians get hurt!" He shouts over the roar of a police car getting flipped by a white energy whip.

Imaginary Girl doesn't miss the 'wow' at her presence. Turning to glance at Star Girl, she lifts a hand and waggles her fingers as a wave, smiling, without a verbal reply, as she turns back to the police officer of whom she asked her question. Her eyes widen at that /she/ is suddenly in charge. "Uhm... we'll do what we can, officer", she starts to say, whatever else she was about to say cut short when the patrol car goes flipping up into the air... and she rushes over to catch it before it lands somewhere or somehow that it might hurt someone.

Star Girl follows Imaginary Girl, trying to do her best to keep up on foot. o O ( Dang it... what am I supposed to do? )

Longbow looks towards the enemy to see if he can see them. Perhaps, with their current demonstrations, he might be able to glean some information as to best plan for an attack. He looks at them form a distance, also partially wondering how well his fellow 'heroes' will be able to follow through on a plan if he did make one.

While cars are being caught and people try to figure out what to do there comes the repeated sound of stone hammering on metal as the big rock guy continues trying to bash in the doors of the armored car.

Shadow flips over to a building in the middle of the block. He then pauses as he waits for the other three heros to act before he intercepts the firegirl on the far side of the street.

Longbow tries to get star-girl's attention. "Hey." He says. He's fairly soft voiced. "Got a second, it's likely important."

On the northern end of the road another cop car explodes as the flying girl breathes a jet of fire down at it. When it goes it scatters cops who have to fall back, a few brave souls moving the closest cars so they don't catch as well.

Star Girl catches up to Imaginary Girl. She waits alongside her, preparing for the bad guys to make their move. She glances back at Longbow when he calls for her. Her eyelets are a little wide. o O ( What? About to get really busy here... )

Imaginary Girl grunts a little as she catches the car out of mid-air... and then, almost gently, sets it back down /right/ where it used to be. This done, she flits up to land on the roof of the vehicle, hands on her hips. "Stop it, you three! Christmas /just/ went by and you could /hurt/ people by blowing up cars!", she says, in an almost scolding tone of voice.

Meanwhile down on the southern end, the sharply dressed fellow notices the car being caught by Imaginary Girl and he smiles pleasantly, "Atlas! Firefly! We've got super company!" He's as calm as a cucumber, fully expecting this eventuality.

Imaginary Girl has succeeded in drawing attention to herself, but, the three are either confident enough in their abilities, or stupid enough, to not be swayed from their current course of action.

Longbow tells Star Girl. "All signs show these people likely have worked together. The function as a ranged battery, a blaster, a... what do you call tehm, a brick? Yes. And the last one is... well a scrappy bloke to say the least. I advise seperating them if it comes to blows... which it likely will." He lets her go away at that, but keeps his distacne from teh enemy

Longbow steps back a ways from the enemy, though his eyes keep a fix on them. . o 0 (assess, react. Treat them as a lasher, an earth elemental and a fire demon. Assume such in terms of ability.) He measures his distances. o 0 (10 meters, 30 meters 50 meters... hmmm) Once he stops his movement he prepares himself for what is to come.

Shadow runs along the side of the building keeping out of the line of sight for the most part, moving to a position where he can more easily drop in behind firefly. His hands glowing slightly blue with the ki he uses to clutch the side of the building.

As hero's start to move into action and Imaginary Girl presents herself as such a juicy target Ripcord chuckles, "Never thought it'd be you Imaginary Girl. Guess it's time to turn you into a figment of my imagination." A crackling white energy whip forms out of his right hand and he lashes it at Imaginary Girl to try and wrap around her... 

Longbow forms his quiver and his bow from thin air, as is his custome. This... whip-fellow is about to be in for a shock. Firing past the barricade, towards his target, an arrow with a long thin canister on it and a small blipping wizzes out 2 meters above this mans head before detonating in a shower of light and sound.

From Ripcords other hand another whip appears, energy crackling as he lashes it out to smash the arrow into nothing but it throws off the original strike, Imaginary Girl is safe, for now.

The teenaged girl grins at the shout from Ripcord, "Cool! Time to play." She laughs and her eyes flash with flame literally consuming them before she inhales a deep breath and breathes out a gout of flame that impacts the cement and asphalt, burning high and hot cutting off the northern route with a three meter thick wall of flame before she flies back towards Atlas and Ripcord. "Let's do it!" She shouts.

Imaginary Girl looks back over towards the nearest cops. "Get you and all of yours back. A block away, and keep civvies out! We'll handle this!", she calls out to them, turning to look back at the villains just in time to see the whip coming in her general direction... and how Longbow's arrow distracted Ripcord enough to throw off the attack. She then, without another word, she darts forward off the roof of the car, flitting past Ripcord towards the other two villains... but extends her arm to throw out a punch at the suit-clad man as she passes him.

Ripcord manages to get his whips back to him, wrapping them around his arms and he covers up, allowing the energy to absorb the impact of Imaginary Girl's fist as she flies by.

Star Girl nods to Longbow, having heard his advice. She turns back towards the opposing metas, and she hesitates, unsure of which one to attack first. She steps forward to get a little closer to to Ripcord and tries to blast him, now that he's been strike distracted.

ZAM! Star Girl projects a blast of blue-white energy from her palms, and it connects solidly with Ripcord's chest. The force of the blast sends him tumbling up the street, in the direction of Imaginary Girl, and his two comrades.

Star Girl closes her right hand into a fist. o O ( Yes! Got him! )

Atlas looks up as Firefly goes flying towards him, glancing at the wall of fire and then over at the southern barricade and the heroes there. So far it looks like nobody's noticed Shadow but Imaginary Girl... yeah, she is noticed. Atlas chuckles and stomps towards Imaginary Girl, "Figment, I like that Rip." He then curls his right hand into a fist and throws a punch at IG.

Meanwhile Ripcord winces, thinking .oO (God #$@# it, Roadrash. Gonna have to spank that little tart.)

Imaginary Girl goes pinwheeling up into the air, up and away from where she just got clobbered!

The fire continues to rage behind the villains, cutting off the north bunch of police and pretty much anyone else that attempts to get across it. Cops are brave, but not fireproof unfortunately.

The teenaged girl laughs as IG goes flying and she tsks, "You hit her to far away Atlas. Now what am I going to do?" She plants her hands on her hips and hmmms before her eyes lock on Star Girl and she grins. Flaming insect wings behind her beat and she flies through the air, passing Atlas and Ripcord to close on Star Girl and she inhales a deep breath before exhaling a gout of flame at the heroine!

Star Girl dives out the the way of the blast of fire, eyelets wide open. o ( She might hit as hard as Kotone. Can't risk getting hit. )

Longbow thinks as he draws his bow backwards. . o 0 (Subject, Imaginary Girl. Attractive female with Blonde hair light skin tone. She is able to withstand blows and is highly mobile. Note: she likes to draw enemy fire upon herself. Subject, Firefly, speedy, likely a fair bit of damage, accuracy abilities uncertain. Anyways enough of this, just act.) HE releases an arrow towards Rip. Trying to take advantage of the man's prone state.

It should be noted that Longbow does infact fire arrows. Well Arcane bolts of solidified magic, but still, arrows. The bolt strikes dispursing like water on teh man's chest but still strong enough to impact him at a downward slant. His attempt to deflect was in vain as he was unable to defend on his back as readily.

And Shadow continues to creep towards the fight, disappearing and then reappearing here and there, his most recent movement is to teleport behind Atlas. Ki weapons appear in his hands, a nunchuck in a shadowy blue ki energy swirls around his arms, ready to smack into Atlas.

Ripcord isn't happy. First he gets tagged by some skinny girl who sends him flying, then he gets shot, with an /arrow/ of all things that hammers him into the ground. He flips back up to his feet though and brushes his suit off. His eyes lift up towards the line of cars now and he smiles and claps his hands three times, exactly three times, "Well, I give you props for trying." And he snaps his hands out and those white energy whips appear again. He lashes out with his right hand right at Longbow, the energy growing long and long and longer before it goes to try and wrap around Longbow!

The energy whip snap crackles and pops as it wraps around Longbow nearly from head to toe. With a yank of his right arm Ripcord snaps the whip straight up into the air, launching Longbow straight up... way way up... about fifty six meters up to be exact... That's a long way to fall.

Longbow flies into the air 56 meters. . o 0 (That all? lashers certainly do better than this... Ah well, first time on teh recieving end. I should have time to shoot once before I die a painful death... or will I hmmm.)

Imaginary Girl has to /work/ to regain her equilibrium after that punch! When she does, she sees Longbow flying up past her... and /not/ of his own accord, it seems. Flitting over towards him, she grabs her arms up under his from behind. "Gotcha!", she says.

Longbow is suddenly face to face with IG. "Not the most ideal meeting but my thanks..." He says, a little bit embaressed. He's not the best around girls. "Uh... I guess introductions will, at some time be in order, yes?"

Atlas watches the toss and he chuckles, "Nice throw Rip." And one can almost see Ripcord mentally sigh at being called 'Rip'. Atlas watches Imaginary Girl fly and he laughs, "Aww she caught him! Should I throw the armored car at them? No wait, that has the money... damn." He shrugs and then starts over the dozen feet or so to Ripcord and folds his arms across his chest, waiting.

Shadow follows after Atlas, swinging the nunchucks with all his might into the larger man, wondering idly if the man even felt the strikes. He sighs, this is probably a bad idea... realizing that he is the only one anywhere near the two villains.

Atlas blinks as he gets cracked in the back by a pair of nunchucks and he looks behind him and down, "Really? Hey Rip, check this out." He laughs and then turns and stomps a foot down into the asphalt with earth shattering force, a shockwave driving towards Shadow...

As for the armored car, the drivers are still in it, and unconscious from being shaken around like the noisy part of a rattle.

Ripcord looks over his shoulder as he watches Shadow go flying back into the armored car and he smirks, "Enjoy your new chew toy Atlas." He says and then he looks back towards Star Girl, being as she's the only hero still on her feet and not seventy meters away. "Want some help Firefly?" He asks and he snaps his whip out to try and wrap the energy tendril around Star Girl where Firefly waits up above to see if there's a more opportune time to roast her!

Firefly sighs, "Ripcord!" She pouts, "How am I supposed to cook her if you won't hold her in the oven!"

Star Girl runs a little closer to Ripcode and the other bad guys. She skids to a stop a little short of him, raises both of her hands and prepared to unleash a two-handed blast. As she prepares to shoot, she says, "Imaginary Girl -- they're after the armored car."

Longbow states softly to IG. "Take me towards the female-target."

ZAAAM! This time, Star Girl's aim is off, jostled by the run and the sudden top. Her blast sails high and to the right, nearly clipped the ledge of a Low Town building.

Imaginary Girl /blurs/ in the air... and Longbow finds himself on the ground, near the car she'd earlier caught. Then the Iggy-blur heads for the armored car...

... then the armored car's suddenly yanked up into the air as Imaginary Girl grabs hold of it and carries it up, up, and away.

Longbow stumbles a bit as he's dropped off by blur IG. o 0 (note to self, I am slow for this city.) He thinks as he moves to have some cover from range. His cloack had extended about his legs shielding them form teh impact, along with his natural durability, so it was farily well trivialized by that particular movement. Interesting, let's not do that again if we can. He Takes aim at teh fiery female from 25 meters away, a flash bang arrow whizzing towards her and detonating 1.86 meters away. (2m)

The flashbang goes off, bang flash and it leaves Firefly blinking, "Gah! I hate those things!" She shouts, yeah, really loud, mainly because she can't hear herself anymore but her fiery eyes let her /see/ perfectly fine. She focuses on Longbow and breathes a torrent of flame in his direction!

Longbow grunts and is knocked down behind the small barade, His head swimming from teh burst of heat. . o 0 (I feel woozy...)

Shadow rolls back from the shockwave until he hits the armored car, his suit protects him from any damage, the blue ki weapons in his hands disappear. As IG grabs the car and disappears up with it, he laughs and shaking his arms he flips up so that he is standing. He flicks his hands and blue energy appears at his fingertips. His flicks his wrists too fast to be seen and shuriken's fly from his hands toward riptide.

Ripcord is hit a glancing blow by one knife and it rips through his suit to slash his arm, blood flowing and he frowns. "Atlas, kill that one. I'm going to be busy." He looks back skywards as if focusing in on the flying armored car...

Meanwhile Firefly closes in on Longbow, now hovering a mere 8 meters away and above him where he is flattened. "Now my ears are going to ring for a month!" She screams and the flaming insect wings sprouting from her back beat faster to hold her aloft as she inhales and then exhales another gout of flame at Longbow!

Atlas nods, "Sure thing Rip." And the nine foot tall granite man stomps over towards Shadow as he pounds his right stone fist into his left palm with ominous crunching cracking sounds. "Shoulda left when you had the chance, shrimp." And Atlas lashes out with an overhand right at Shadow!

Longbow is lasped by fire but managed to defend himself with his cloak in the knick of time. . o 0 (Everyone I know just tries to kill me or hug me, don't they?)

Shadow flips up again, one arm responding slightly slower than it was before, the suit failing to absorb all the damage. His fingers glow with blue energy and he shoots ki bolts at Atlas.

Star Girl calls over to Longbow. "Longbow! Are you alright?"

The three blue energy knives smack into Atlas's chest but don't even leave a lasting mark that he was ever struck by them and the nine foot tall stone giant chuckles, "If you don't wanna be dead, you should run away. Now." He states amusedly.

Ripcord on the other hand, is still bleeding from the cut on his arm but he ignores it. He snaps his hands out and white crackling energy whips form once more. Not taking his eyes off the armored car he throws his hands up and the energy whips fly up towards the armored car to try and wrap around it, extending impossibly far...

The energy whips wrap around the car before they tighten and there is a mighty YANK that nearly pulls the car out of Imaginary Girls grasp but she manages to keep hold! Ripcord frowns, "Damn... she's stronger than I thought." He mutters to himself as he is still connected to the armored car by those self same whips!

Up above, Imaginary Girl grunts when the armored car suddenly /stops/ moving. She shifts her grip with one hand, then the other... and pulls and even jostles it side to side, trying to break it free from the glowing tendrils of energy that're holding it... to no avail!

Firefly is still screaming at Longbow, she can't even hear Star Girl asking Longbow if he's ok. If she could she might alter her source of fire, but for now, she's pretty focused on the guy who deafened her! She inhales another great gasping breath before she exhales another jet of flame down at the bow wonder!

And as before, Firefly narrowly misses Star Girl melting another puddle of Asphalt in the road!

While Ripcord is busy grabbing onto the armored car, Star Girl looks around for something heavy. She picks up a manhole cover and totes it under her arm as she runs over to Ripcord. She holds the metal disk firmly in two hands, and draws it back. She tries to crack Ripcord across the face with the manhole cover, as hard as she can.

Atlas may not be the brightest bulb in the house but he's not exactly stupid. The guy stuck up on the wall is out of reach for the time being and there are other heroes about. Looking back over towards the fracas he grins at Ripcord, "C'mon man, you're supposed to be super strong with those things!" But he blinks at Star Girl and her manole cover winding up for that punch...

And Atlas turns his attention back to Shadow, "Sucks to be you, but it's to much fun to see if she actually nails him with that thing." And Atlas -leaps- at Shadow, trying to smash him flat into the wall!

Atlas goes through the wall and into the building... out of sight for now behind all the dust and rubble of the wall!

Longbow doesn't like his sudden proximity to the fiery fem-more-likely-than-not-fatale. So he does what any rational being does. Jumps backwards in a series of parkour like moves and attempts to drill her in the fleshy bits with an arrow... Okay so maybe most men don't do that, but Long bow certainly is giving it a whack. He roars as he draws the bow back, attempting to draw it back as far as possible.

K-RANGG! Star Girl connects solidly and launches Ripcord through the wall of a nearby building. She huffs with the exertion before dropping the manhole cover. It's bent and rocks a little as it sits on the ground.

The magical force arrow smacks right into Firefly's chest and send's her flying back down the street past the armored car and close to where she was originally! Almost. She's not happy though.

Firefly re-orients herself and takes a look around. Ripcord nowhere to be seen, Atlas nowhere to be seen. The teenaged firefly frowns and stamps a foot in the air, "Not supposed to leave me behind!" She shouts in tantrum like fashion before she takes off, flying over her wall of fire and over her police heading off into the distance!

Imaginary Girl jolts up into the air when Ripcord's pull from below is suddenly gone. She doesn't pause to think about it, either. She zips away /fast/, over a nearby building and out of view of those at the battlesite. Once on the other side of the structure, she lowers the armored car down into the parking lot.

The guards in the car are still out of it, likely have some minor concussions at least if not some broken bones after the ordeal. The armored car won't stand on it's own evenly anymore, one side is crumpled and the tires bent under it.

Longbow nods.

Star Girl heads over to check on Longbow. "You okay?"

Longbow nods, as he begins to place bandages onhimself for their magical healing properties. "Thank you for your concern... How fair you?"

When the dust clears, both Atlas and Ripcord are nowhere to be found. The wall of fire burns itself out after about five minutes leaving a wide charred strip of road and sidewalk. After Firefly left, and with the armored car gone they abandoned the caper rather than hung around to get caught. No doubt the three will be back some day!

Shadow rubs his shoulder, where Atlas had hit him earlier. "Well, that was... painful." He says glancing at the hole left by the bigger man. He salutes Longbow and Star Girl, and then disappears.

Star Girl waves to Shadow before responding to Longbow. "Good. I think I cracked that guy in the suit but good."

Longbow nods. "I'd best be off... you know I dislike dealing with clean up reports..." He sighs. "Lunch tomorrow?"

Imaginary Girl returns... a good little bit longer than expected, having taken the time to ferry the armored car, and its injured passengers, to the nearest hospital. She even stayed there long enough to make sure they got out of the armored car safely and to make sure the police were notified about the presence of the armored car at the hospital. She flits from one building to another, checking the holes left in the wake of the two villains who smashed (or were smashed) through the walls... then flies back over to land near the two heroes who remain. "... they got away?", she asks, with her hands on her hips and a pout on her lips.

Longbow is walking off, at this point. Star girl should have the answers as needed. nothing that he has she doesn't. Save for the caught by IG thing.

Star Girl nods to Imaginary Girl. "Unfortunately. But we saved the guards and the money, so that's what's important, right?"

Imaginary Girl picks up the bent manhole cover and asks, "wow... what happened to this thing?", before getting down on one knee and, using her leg as a bracing point... muscles it back to flatness. "There we go!", she chirps, happily, before replacing the manhole cover back where it belongs.

Star Girl smirks. "I used it to beat down Ripcord while you had him distracted, wrestling over the armored car." She beams proudly, rising up on the balls of her feet a little.

Star Girl says, "It's really good to meet you, by the way. I'm Star Girl."

Dusting her hands off, as if she got them dirty, Imaginary Girl offers one to Star Girl as the other heroine introduces herself. "And you hit him hard enough to bend the thing? Nice!", she says. She doesn't give her name - Star Girl already knows it, obviously.

Star Girl looks around at the police to see if they want to speak with the heroes or not. "I'm kind of new at heroing... I was thinking, it would be cool if you could tell me a bit about the job..."