Log:Winter Wonderland

2012/01/05 	 Captain Frost Machina Pendragon Primal Q 	 Ricochet 1

The downtown district, and above all famed York Boulevard, is an area of skyscrapers old and new and the jewel of the city where most of the real money is made. From the lower, older buildings like that of the Colonial Bay Chronicle to the height of the Corporate Tower, the district is alive with bustle through the day; while at night it is well lit by the light of ads and news reporting across the sides of the buildings, and the action is focused on a few clubs and other hotspots.

Ricochet bounces from building to building, making his way across the cityscape towards the scene of the crime. He lands on the rooftop ledge of the building across the street, hands dropping to the granite ledge, knees bent. He furrows his brow a little, and looks around, doing his best to assess what's going on...

Mist gathers of it's own accord and it rises up, billowing about and then it fades. As it sinks back towards the ground Primal steps out of the mist with Pendragon, "I /know/ it's probably a trap. That's what makes it so fun. There's no flags on that site, anyone can sign up and say: I'm a hero!" She grins playfully, tail swishing behind her, "So come on, all else fails it totally beats hanging around at home watching re-runs and eating goldfish." Hopefully she means the cracker.

Well, Machina has been patrolling around above the skies of colonial bay and well, a gathering of heroes? That either means something very good, or very bad. Either way, it's worth investigating. Suddenly, she drops out of the sky very quickly before hovering some feet above the ground, and then dropping with a crouched landing. "Is there any trouble?" she asks.

"Yeah, but are you talking about crackers, or fish?" mutters Pendragon as she starts to walk forward. She shakes her head as she scans about, her eyes still getting used to the ability to -see- mystical auras on things. "So, if this is a robbery.. in progress.. why did they call for support? I mean, it's just a robbery, right?" and a voice in her head starts ticking of reasons for support and she mutters softly, "Nevermind Primal.. He's helping."

The police have cordoned off an intersection. On the street corner stands the Downtown branch of the First Colonial Bank. The entire building is encased in a giant iceberg.

"Both are delicious." Primal says to Pendragon, rather easily picking up her friends mutter even though it wasn't intended to carry. As she looks over towards where the police have things cordoned off, and then past to the iceberg/glacier thing she purses her lips, "How are they stealing anything while encased in ice?" She asks curiously and then starts to walk right up towards the police line and is obviously on her way to go right past it. Information? Who needs it! But the ice, it's neat, sparkly, shiny, glittery in all the lights!

"I'm guessing it's hollow on the inside Primal." says Pendragon as she approaches the cordon. Sword is sheathed, armor glittering, crown worn and all as she steps up to the police officers. "Please don't shoot her." she says to the cops, gesturing to Primal, "Despite appearances, she really is here to help." She grins a bit, her aura of authority hopefully helping out a bit here. "So, can you tell me anything other than look, ice?" she adds fo the cops.

Ricochet smirks, and mutters to himself, "Robbers just chillin', huh..." He finds himself funny. He's wrong. He rises, and walks a few steps away from the ledge. Then, he runs as hard as he can, each foot step bouncing him faster and faster, before his final leap takes him off the ledge, flying through the air to the street below. He bounces off the asphalt and flips so his feet are flying first towards the ice in front of a window on the second floor, intending to slam into it with full force.

Meanwhile the police officer in charge comes over to Pendragon. "Hey, not sure how many of them are inside there. They set off the alarms, but then Bam! Instant iceberg." His attention shifts over to Primal briefly as he talks.

Ricochet is able to smash through the ice and through the window encased beneath it. Ricochet lands on the second floor balcony that overlooks the main floor of the building. The interior of the building is ice cold, with ice coating the floors and icicles haning down from the ceiling. Inside, there are about 8 men wearing parkas and armed with a variety of weapons, from RPGs to assaults rifles.

"Okay, so we have no idea who's inside then?" asks Pendragon as she nods and starts stalking towards the block of ice. Along the way, she slowly draws the sword from its scabbard and holds it in her right hand as she approaches. "Let see just how durable this -ice- is." And then as she approaches, she looks up to watch as Ricochet, a meta she hasn't met, just charges right through the ice and inside, "Oh... joy." she mutters. "That's.. so subtle and tactical." She shakes her head and sighs before looking to Primal and gesturing to the hole inquisitively.

Primal is used to being looked at, especially by men. She examines the ice for a few moments, at least until it gets shattered by a strange man smashing through it. "Well." She says with a slight shrug and looks towards the hole. "Sometimes I wonder about people in this city. It is like somehow someone replaced everyone's brains with walnuts on sticks." She nods to herself seriously, tail swishing behind her for a moment.

The main lobby of the bank is an area roughly 20 meters square. Around the edge, there's a balcony one story about the main floor. Above that is the ceiling -- the floor of the third floor. A magnificent chandelier hang over the center of the lobby, and now it's decked with icicle.s

There are four gunmen on the ground floor, and the RPG men are on the four sides of the balcony. Towards the rear of the buliding it looks like the vault doors have been shattered. It's not possible from the current angles to tell whether there is anyone inside the vault.

Primal looks at Pendragon and shrugs, "At least we have a door yes yes?" And she smiles playfully, licking her lips with the tip of her tongue before she leaps up into the air. She spins and flips to land on the ice, hanging upside down above the hole that Ricochet made. Her fingers and toes flex and she sinks her claws into the ice to hold her steady as she takes a look inside to see what she can see. "Gun, gun, gun, gun, bazooka thing, bazooka thing, bazooka thing, bazooka thing... Don't see anything that makes ice..." And she miou's a frown, pursing her lips.

Ricochet smiles when he sees there's just a grouping of baddies and no hostages. He actually chuckles a little, and then steps back before taking two steps and leaping off the ledge. He spins through the air, intending to just bounce from baddie to baddie and knock around as many as he can.

Wham! Ricochet slams into one of the gun men on the balcony. He slams back into the wall behind him and slides down to the ground, unconscious.

Machina forms jets around her legs as she jumps up into the hole that Ricochet had made earlier. Looking around, she walks up towards the balcony and looks down before a laser cannon emerges from her right arm and she opens fire on one of the assault rifle bearing agents below.

"Ugh!" The gunmen gets blasted and tossed across the icy floor until he slams into the wall of the bank. He's out cold.

Hearing the violence already starting inside, Pendragon sighs. "And to think... you didn't even start it Primal." she remarks as she tries to peer through the ice. "I hope this isn't -too- thick." she remarks as she grips her sword, blade upward, in both hands and dissolves into mist.

And the mist coalesces into the armored warrior maiden... Pendragon, sword gleaming like the sun was shining upon it, even in the shade, crown upon her head. "I advise that you all stand down now." she says. Her voice is not raised, but it doesn't need to be. Something about it carries her voice through the room, firm resolve in the tone.

Primal frowns at what Pendragon says, her tail lashing violently behind her. "I know! It's totally not fair. I'm going to miss all the fun..." And then even /Pendragon/ is teleporting inside, leaving her outside on that ice wall all by herself. Not that the cold really bothers her but /still/. With a half annoyed and half amused mrr she swings down from her perch, grabbing the edge of the ice to spring through the opening and past the three at the hole and she shoots across the bank in a flash of reddish gold with black stripes only to land right inside the Vault itself. "You guys can play with the flunkies!" She calls out over her shoulder with a laugh, "I'm going for the prize at the bottom of the cracker jack box!" And then she looks inside the vault.

Inside the vault, there's a customed adventurer with pale blue skin. He's dressed more lightly than his comrades, seeming at home in the frozen environment. He seems to be in the middle of raiding the vault, sticking the contents of the safe deposit boxes into a pair of large duffel bags.

Frost's blast misses. His blast hits the corner of the vault that Primal's poked her head around, encasing it in a block of ice. "Take them out!" he shouts to his troopers.

Primal's ears lay flat for a moment, tips twitching as the corner of the vault so near her head gets thwacked by ice and then she grins fangily at Captain Frost, "Oh goody. You have powers." And she flexes her hands, stretching those long claws out of her fingertips... yay for retractables!

As gunfire and a rocket tear towards her at the entrance to the bank vault Primal looks unconcerned. Bullets ricochet and ping all about her against the wall, the floor, and the rocket propelled grenade explodes off in the distance, sending a wash of cold air that picks her shirt up and threatens to be naughty with it. But not quite. Her fangy toothed smile grows wider as she lowers herself down, preparing to pounce!

Ricochet barely gets back to his feet before he hears the rush of the RPG heading his way. He looks, "This'll suck..." And the explosion tosses him backward. He topples around the rubble as the dust settles, coughing a bit. He furrows his brow, and then begins making his way back to his feet. "Ugh."

Primal seems to have forgotten the rest of the room, letting the others deal with the rockets and machine guns as if they didn't exist at all to her. She grins and then pounces forwards, bouncing off the top of the vault to land behind Captain Frost. Even as she's landing she's springing up and trying to drive her claws into his back with a double handed swipe!

"Gah!" Captain Frost staggers forward a few steps as Primal's claws rend through the back and shoulders of his costume. He turns to face her, angry.

Shaking her head, Pendragon watches Primal go pounce, "Go play." she mutters softly before she turns her eyes towards the rifle armed man who shot her. Blood oozes from a crease in her armor and she sighs, "I tried to tell you. Stand... down." she states, sword pointed at him before it flares with light, like the sun itself was beaming at the guy....

Primal drops into a crouch on the balls of her feet, her hands going to the frozen floor directly in front of her. She blinks up at Captain Frost in a completely innocent expression, tail flicking slowly black and forth behind her as if to say: I totally did not just claw you in the back.

The gunman's assault rifle clatters to the ground. After a moment, he does too, falling to his knees and then forward, unconscious.

Captain Frost bares his teeth at Primal. "I just shattered this vault door like it was china. What do you think my blast will do to you?" He raises his hands and tries again to encase Primal in ice.

The air crackles and flash-freezes into a solid, roughly humanoid shape. Luckily for Primal she's nowhere near it, when it happens.

Primal twists to the side instinctively moving to avoid the ice as it tries to encase her again and it goes well wide, "Well, nothing. Because I'm not a vault door." She nods seriously and then stretches up onto her hind legs. "See, I'm going to play with you until you pass out, or until your goons are captured and my friend shows up. Then we're going to beat you unconscious and give you to the cops." She nods once, folding her arms across her chest under her breast, ready to spring away again if need be.

Frost says, "Maybe you'll pass out first -- how long can you survive in these subzero conditions?"

Primal says, "Forever."

Frost frowns, not having a response for that.

Primal grins fangily, "Let me clue you in just so you know where you stand. I am an immortal spirit made flesh who is older than the planet. I do not tire. I do not die. I do not suffer in this temperature." She holds out an arm, "Sexy fur coat see?" She beams a smile, "But... I /do/ get hungry... and you're going to look mighty tasty before this cold bothers me." And she licks her lips aftwards.

Ricochet scowls, and then begins bouncing his way to the next RPG man and doing his best to take him down the way he did the first.

Outside the building there's the faint sound of strings that gradually builds, joined by horns. The orchestra continues to build and the music swells until with a triumphant blast of horns Q arrives with the muted roar of boot jets. Yes, he's actually brought his own theme music for his arrival.

Ricochet flattens another RPG toting badguy, knocking him out.

Primal grins, "Here, let me prove it to you." she turns and saunters up towards him with a sexy little wiggle she can't help but use, tail swaying behind her. It's almost like she's lazily stalking him, almost. As she comes up to Captain Frost she grins and says 'Meow' playfully before... Claws lead the way as she comes to a stop right in front of him and slashes out in another double claw swipe right towards his face to try and make him jerk back, dodge away, or whatever else he might do in such circumstances.

Captain Frost tries to blast Primal as she comes in for the swipe, but he's too slow; Primal sinks her claws into his chest and rakes him good as he tries to back away. He's swaying on his feet, hurt, but still able to retaliate, which he does.

Captain Frost flash-freezes a block of ice around Primal which thuds to the ground.

Ricochet curses as the two RPGs tussle him once more. "Oh COME ON." He sighs, and then heads for the third RPG fella.

Primal is frozen in a block of ice, her claws still extended and she glares death at Captain Frost. Oh that look is murderous, not only is it murderous kitty 'You are /so/ dead' look it is also an angry 'Oh you did /not/ just do that' look that women are /very/ good at giving. Her eyes, very expressive.

Ricochet slams into another gunmen, incapaciting him.

The gunman with his weapon trained on the vault turns, nad he fires at Ricochet.

His shots missed and thunk into the frozen wall behind Ricochet.

With gunfire still going on, Pendragon saw Primal vanish into the vault but not come out yet. "Stop playing with the villain and just put'im down Primal!" she calls out as she moves towards the vault, keeping a defensive stance and an eye out for more incoming attacks. Shaking her head, she says, "Seriously, you are all going to prison. Drop your weapons and make it easier on you, and I am sure the law will go easier on you." She cranes her neck and tries to see further into the vault, her movements hopefully clearing the line of sight, so to speak.

Q flies into the bank, theme music cutting out as he switches on his offensive systems. "Maintanence," he says, "someone said there was a problem with the air-conditioner?" He quickly looks about at the various gunmen, picking out one of the men with RPGs as the most significant threat. He points a hand at the gunman and unleashes a barrage of quantum bolts.

Noticing the situation that Primal is in, Pendragon shakes her head, "Always bailing you out aren't I?" She asks as she surges forward, a sudden sprint for use on the battlefield. She charges in and slides to a stop beside Primal as she looks to Captain Frost. Her sword flashes out and shatters the ice before the gleaming sunlit blade points right at Captain Frost. "Surrender. One chance." she says.

As the ice shatters Primal was already starting to dig her claws into the ice and she sticks her tongue out at Pendragon before she starts cleaning an arm of ice... no, not with her tongue sickos. "I was fine, it wasn't going to hold me for more than a couple seconds." She says with a nonchalant shrug, never taking anything seriously. Her tail flicks back and forth behind her and she grins at Cap'n Frost, "Oh, he's not the giving up type. He's the kind who monologue's."

Q's blaster drops the last of the RPG wielding gunmen.

Primal smiles fangily and if to prove her point she leaps backwards, sinking her claws into security boxes on the back wall before she springs forwards towards Cap'n Frost with a RRRROOWWWR! Claws first of course as she goes to swipe at him as she passes by!

Captain Frost spins and tumbles to the ground as Primal sinks her claws into him against, inadvertantly crying out in pain.

Primal flashes all the way out of the vault and lands tuck to the ice covered wall out in the lobby, staring 'up' towards the vault to watch Captain Frost and Pendragon with a fangy grin, "Don't give up yet! You're still fun to play with!"

Captain Frost hops back up to his feet. He grabs one of the half-filled duffle bags in his off hand. His free hand, he raises above his head, before slamming it down the ground beneath him as he drops to a crouch on one knee. The ground beneath him shatters, dropping him into space beneath the bank vault.

The two remaining thugs turn their guns on a first story window.

They are unsuccessful as they try to shoot a second exit out of the bank. They just manage to chip the ice.

Primal frowns as Captain Frost does his bugs bunny escape route and she scowls in annoying. Sniffing the air she turns and starts to head out, no doubt trying to track him down by scent, from underground, or perhaps hoping he'll come up close enough she might get a whiff of his scent! It's a longshot for sure but it's the plan!

Ricochet glances around at all the other supers here all of a sudden, and he lets out a hoot as he leaps from the second floor balcony, trying to take out one of the remaining armed men.

This time Ricochet only manages a glancing blow on the armed bandit.

Watching the frosty one delve into the depths below, Pendragon narrows her eyes. Her voice is deeper now "He shall not escape." she says as the blade comes upwards and the mists envelop her once more, reforming her down below. She hopes that there's at the very least... some space there where the guy went into.

Pendragon appearance in a darkened space beneath the bank. The Captain is there, and Pendragon seems to be the only thing between him and a passage into the sewer tunnels.

"You cannot escape cold one. Honorable surrender is your only option. Show yourself to be intelligent. Leave the spoils... and I shall be merciful and allow you to flee to face me another day. Attempt to contiue, and excalibur will show you the sight of your own blood." Yeah, Pendragon's voice is not a soprano female voice.... it's deeper and accented.

Q turns to one of the two remaining gunmen, the one not hit by Ricochet. "I'd tell you to throw down your gun and give up," he says, "but we both know that would just be a waste of time, and I really hate wasting time." He raises his left hand, palm open, and lets fly with a force bolt.

Q's blast drops the thug.

Captain Frost eyes Pendragon suspiciously. "If I drop the loot, you'll let me go? How do I know I can trust you?"

"Ye've me word." Pendragon's eyes narrow and she adds, "Do ye doubt me word?"

Captain Frost looks from Pendragon to his bag of loot and back to the knight. He lets the bag drop to the ground with a thump! He approaches Pendragon carefully and edges around her as he makes his way into the sewer.

Frost escapes, but the loot does not.

Bank in the bank, the last thug throws down his gun and surrenders.

"See to it that ye find elsewhere, other lands to commit crimes in. I wouldst prefer that ye learn the ways of honor and pit ye'self against evil. I will settle for never seeing your face again." says Pendragon as she picks up the bag and dissolves into mist, reforming above in the vault and placing the bag down.

Q gives a short nod to Ricochet as he takes the last gunman into custody. "Well, that was fun," he says. "Any idea what that was all about?"

Stepping out of the vault, Pendragon sheathes her sword. "It be about petty thievery.." her voice says more deeply than it really ought to be. "The thief departed, but the loot remains." she says, gesturing back behind her into the vault. "Thank ye all for occupying the mercenaries while my squire and I chased off their leader."

Q cocks his armored head to one side, looking slightly puzzled. "Petty thievery?" he says. "Seems like a pretty stupid way to try and make money, but then I suppose if they had brains they wouldn't be criminals."

Ricochet looks around, then glances at Pendragon. "You chased off the leader?" He rolls his eyes, "Capturing him might have been more effective." He shivers, tugging his leather coat around himself. "Keeping them occupied...??? Dude, did you not totally see the way I took like three missiles to the face?" He grins proudly, "TO THE FACE, yo!" He makes a little explosion sound, and does an exploding gesture with his hands in front of his face. "While you chased the leader off." He smirks, "Well done. Or whatever." He rolls his eyes, and then begins making his way back to the hole he made to get out of there.

Shaking her head as if a boxer clearing cobwebs, Pendragon straightens and looks to Rocochet. Her eyes narrow and she remarks, "You seek to dictate how I fight battles?" And then she reaches up and smacks the side of her head with her hand, "I mean... " Now her voice is softer, more feminine, and lacking any English accent. "Sorry, and yes, I judged it wiser to recover the loot than to take the chance that he would get away in the combat with it. The choice was made. His men are captured, much thanks to all of you."

"So what was it they were trying to grab?" Q asks. "Just cash?"

Ricochet continues up the stairs to the balcony, shaking his head, "I don't dictate nothin', lady. I was just sayin', is all. We'll be at a different bank doin' the same thing again next week now." He shrugs, "Toodles!" And out the hole he leaps.

"Only time will tell.." remarks Pendragon at Ricochet's exit. But she gestures back into the vault. "Safety Deposit boxes. The bag there was what he was trying to leave with. Again, thank you for the aid." she remarks as she steps over to Primal, draws her sword... and the two of them dissolve into mist... when it goes away, they are gone too.

Q gives a slight shrug of his shoulders to the slight rattle of armor as everyone departs. He sets to collecting up the weapons and making sure the mercs stick around for the police before he leaves as well.