Log:A Bridgend Blitz

Hope Must Die 2015/04/06 Ghostfist Lightning Porter 3

Coffee. Makes the world go 'round. And keeps Porter upright. Then why does him handing the barista a generous tip and getting his cup suddenly seem... weird? Probably because he's going to end up wearing it. Or it'll be too hot... and he'll end up wearing it. Or it'll be the best cup he's had in a week... and he'll end up wearing it...

Frankie Ghostfist doesn't know what you're talking about, Porter. Everything seems awesome to her... For certain values of "awesome". The gumshoe tiredly drags herself into the coffee shop, still dressed for a night of hunting, and trudges into the queue. It is blessedly brief behind Porter as Ghostfist glares murderous exhaustion beams at the board.

Lightning had spent all night and all day searching for the villain that killed his date last night. Right in front of him. He took enough time to nap so he could stay lucid, then hit the streets again, zipping around at full speeds in a grid pattern circuit. The police said Porter lived in Colonial Bay, and it was his only lead. If he's a villain, Paragon has to know about it...and maybe even be in on it based on the news, so he can't go to her on the matter. And since he doesn't really know many people in this town, it's up to him to avenge Rachel's death.

So when Lightning zooms by the coffee shop and checks in the windows, his eyes narrow and he doesn't hesitate to act. The door flies open Lightning runs in, preparing to grab Porter by the back of his collar.

That coffee is probably going to get spilled sooner rather than later. Lighting's hand clamps down on the back of Porter's collar and jacket, and then with his super speed, he yanks Porter and dashes out again, dragging him thirty meters down the street.

Porter was about to take another drink when the distance between his lips and cup suddenly increases. Rapidly. With an "URK!" Then a blink, since his brian is slower than his neck. When his brain catches up, the cup is already dropped and skittering across the pavement. "Hey! What the-! Lemme go!" And he flails to try and get loose.

"Oh, I'll let you go. But you won't like it when I do, villain!" Lightning replies, keeping a firm hold on the back collar of the flailing Porter.

Ghostfist straightens in line about a second before the doors burst open. Her nostrils flare more or less in tandem with Lightning zipping past her to grab Porter. She whirls out of line and flashes with pale blue luminescence for just an instant. When Lightning sizzles by with a flailing Porter, Ghostfist takes off at a patently shocking rate of speed of her own, attempting to keep pace.

Lightning watches with surprise as Ghostfist overtakes him. "One of your evil cohorts?" mutters Lightning to himself. They're coming up to the concrete separation wall between the beach and the street. This time of night, the beach is empty. Perfect. "You want me to get you go, murderer? Fine!" he growls as he speeds up and hurls Porter forward with momentum.

Lightning's momentum throw sends Porter flying into the brick wall and right through it. A little property damage is expected.

Porter flies through the wall. Which is hard. Well, flying through is easy. The wall, itself, is hard. His only mildly saving grace? The vendor cart on the beach side, filled with many, many bags of little marshmallow chicks and bunnies in pastel colors. Holiday leftover discounts? That break his fall some.

Lightning grunts. Of all the luck. "They said you were lucky..." he mutters under his breath. But what he needs is some of Porter's unluck to kick in...

Porter, after being saved by his... peeps, Porter is still flat on his back on the sand. He climbs to his feet, looking at... his attacker? He blinks again. "What the heck's wrong with you, man? I didn't do any-" He pauses, frowns, sighs. "Ok. I don't THINK I did anything! What's going on?"

With her red scale leather coat flapping behind her, Ghostfist keeps sprinting after Lightning. They've run into one another once or twice before, but she doesn't take it personally that the kid doesn't remember her - he's ADHD like any good speedster. Drawing in a deep breath, Ghostfist leans forward as she attempts to *TACKLE* Lightning clean off of his feet at full gorram speed.

Ghostfist misses everything.

She may have just run clean off of the edge of the map.

Lightning glares at Porter. "Don't play innocent, murderer! There were witnesses. You were identified!" He seethes angrily. He can't explain he was there in his secret identity. That he watched Porter kill his date. "You're going to rot in jail for what you did."

Lightning flashes by in a streak of electricity and slugs Porter further down the beach.

Porter blanches. "I never killed anyo-!" He doesn't even get the whole thing out before he has to try and duck. But he's too slow. And gets clocked. Not surprisingly, he's knocked back, and down. After he struggles to get back up, he wipes some blood from his nose. "Stop! I didn't kill anybody!"

"I SAW you do it! You mocked them as you did!" Lightning spits back. "There was video. You can't play innocent and fool me."

Ghostfist finds herself on the beach. She looks around a few moments, apparently puzzled by why she's on a stretch of white sand. Her sense of direction catches up to her though and the gumshoe whirls around to face Porter and Lightning again, hazel eyes tracking the super-speed blur that is Lightning.

Lurching into motion again, Ghostfist sprints at preternatural speed across the sands toward Lightning. As she comes up behind him, hopefully, Ghostfist skids to a halt whilst reaching out with her arms to try wrapping Lightning up in a great big hug.

"What in the hell is your problem, kid?"

Ghostfist, again, whiffs in her attempt to get her hands on Lightning. It seems Lightning's luck with women is working in his favor tonight.

Lightning growls, "Don't you watch the news?! The police want him for murder! I was there! He even said he'd be keeping an eye on me." Lightning points to Porter. "Surrender now, and I'll stop pummeling your face!"

"Fine! I didn't do anything!" Porter puts his hands up. Up up, not the half-attempt to guard himself. "I don't-" He stops. "Wait. Did he have a gun?" There was the other him the other day, but that was resolved. That leaves just one other him to worry about. That he knows of.

Lightning narrows his eyes. "You did have one. Nice for you to confess. Don't try anything funny."

Ghostfist may be choking a sylph. You guys will never know because she's the only one with Detect Spirits.

"Didn't that Despair guy that tried to kill Paragon at the Hall of Heroes have a gun?" inquires Ghostfist while she strangles the air next to Lightning.

Porter, maybe oddly, narrows his eyes, too. "That ...person... isn't me. But if you find HIM, feel free to kick the crap out of him. He's trying to kill my girlfriend. Maybe my daughter." Then his frown softens some. "I'm sorry about what happened, but it wasn't me."

"You talked about Paragon. I watched a young woman DIE because of you," Lightning seethes. "I can't tell the difference between you. So how do I know you're not lying?"

A predatory smile slowly spreads over Ghostfist's face as she looks over at Porter.

"Yes, Porter. How do we know you're you and not Despair?"

Porter blinks. "He was talking about Para? What'd he say?!" Yeah, Porter gets distracted by that. At least until the question about who he is crops up. He opens his mouth. Stops. Closes it. Thinks a second. Then he shrugs. "Ok. I don't know. You think a prick bady guy like that'd just give up? Not fight back?"

Lightning zips over to Porter and starts patting him down for weapons. "He would if he was pulling the 'I'm innocent! It was my evil twin!' bit. So who is Despair?" The rapid patdown continues.

"Porter from a dark and mysterious future," replies Ghostfist. She strolls over toward Porter, leaning in close to sniff at him. There is a long pause before she comments, "You smell like coffee and baby food."

Porter stands there. And he has to give Lightning points with a conceding shrug. "Ok. Guess one could. Don't think I'm that sneaky. Or smart." Frankie knows about his last attempt at being sneaky.

"Future you gone vil? Heard that a dozen times," Lightning comments as he stops searching. "So either way, you're a villain. The dumb act is good, but won't hold up against the evidence and eye witnesses." Lightning flickers for a moment, and suddenly he has a pair of police issue handcuffs. "Put your hands behind your back. And don't try anything funny."

"Do you not listen?" inquires Ghostfist of Lightning. She may be preparing to Gibbs-slap the younger hero. "He smells like coffee and baby food. Despair, not having to take care of a baby, is not going to reek of mashed carrots and strained mango chutney broccoli paste."

"How do you know?" Lightning challenges. "If it's his future self, wouldn't he still? Have you smelled both, if they truly exist?"

Porter sighs and lowers his hands. Slowly. They go behind his back as he sighs. Lightning has a point, though. If Despair really is a future him, maybe there is an easy way to stop him. Maybe stop anything he's done. Or will do? The whole time thing is confusing. "It's Ok. If he saw it, so did other people. So they're probably looking for me anyhow. And maybe this'll stop him. Somehow." And he should Probably let Para know. <>

Porter sighs and lowers his hands. Slowly. They go behind his back as he sighs. Lightning has a point, though. If Despair really is a future him, maybe there is an easy way to stop him. Maybe stop anything he's done. Or will do? The whole time thing is confusing. "It's Ok. If he saw it, so did other people. So they're probably looking for me anyhow. And maybe this'll stop him. Somehow." And he should Probably let Para know. < Uh, Sweetie? Sorry, but your coffee's going to be way late. And you'll need to keep an eye on Kyssie. And you might want to call Mr. Hardwick, too... >

Para sends a networked message back, with some transmitted worry. The coffee doesn't concern her as much as the last part. 

"I haven't smelled both," replies Ghostfist, voice shading into the grouchy end of the spectrum. She flexes her Gibbs-slapping hand a few times as she eyeballs Lightning severely. "I don't /NEED/ to smell both when I know that Despair's shtick is having lost his mind with grief when his post-toddler daughter was killed some significant period before he came back in time."

Ghostfist actively jabs at the center of Lightning's forehead with an accusatory index finger.

"Think. Does that sound like he'd still smell of baby food?"

Lightning's head pulls back as it's poked. And he frowns. "And I'm guessing Porter is your buddy, right? All I know is, I saw this guy do it, and that Paragon has become is Partner in Crime and has begun attacking places. Tell me that doesn't sound weird. The police have put a warrant out for James' arrest. They can sort out his innocence."

"It's Ok," Porter assures Ghostfist. Again. "It'll get sorted out." He hopes. < You should probably watch the news. Guess I'm on it. Well, Despair was. And he killed somebody this time... > Which pains him to think about. < So there's heroes looking for me. Probably police, too. I'm headed for the jail, so should get a lawyer. > Then he thinks of Para and gets angry. "Hey! Para isn't a criminal! She's a hero! And sure doesn't have anything to do with Despair!"

"So, no, wait, let me guess...She has an evil future duplicate that got caught in the act on video, too," Lightning retorts sarcastically.

Para's response takes some time while she's processing all that. (I'll contact him right away, Sweetie. I'll check the news, too.)

"Buddy is putting it strongly," opines Ghostfist. She folds her arms across her chest and eyes Lightning seriously as she considers this. And then Lightning snarks about Paragon. Ghostfist's hand whips out at the back of Lightning's head. If it connects, he may see some stars. "Don't be an asshat."

Lightning ducks the smack to the head with a blur of speed, then slaps the cuffs on Porter. "This is a citizen's arrest. You have the right to remain silent..." he starts and goes through his Miranda rights.

Para finally responds as she finishes watching the news. It was painful to watch. (Oh...oh, sweetie...) she thinks sadly. (He killed some poor woman in front of her boyfriend at a restaurant. They say there's a warrant out for you. I'm calling Mr. Hardwick now!)

Porter has never met a Miranda, but he's pretty familiar with his rights. "Hey, I don't blame him for being ticked off..." He does turn his head to look at Lightning. "But, seriously, Para's no criminal." Despite what people may or may not allege that she did in some previous existence. Then he softens again as more things make sense. Or he's informed of more. "And I'm sorry about what happened to your girlfriend."

Somewhere along the way, Ghostfist has pulled her PDA. She takes detailed photographs of Porter because she is feeling otherwise inadequate in the realm of killing things today.

Lightning's eyes widen behind his visor. "I-it wasn't my girlfriend ." Secret ID, blown? He's also a terrible actor. And he did seem to take things very personally. The vitriol he had towards Porter was palpable.

Porter sighs and lowers his head. "Sorry anybody died, or even got hurt." He still doesn't know the details, not having seen the news report.

Lightning doesn't seem too sure of what to think about Porter's behavior, but some of the wind has left his sails. "If you're telling the truth, the police will figure it out."

The doors of the gym glide open and Rose steps outside into a fairly pleasant summer evening stuffing a towel back into her satchel while clutching a small hand-held device she has clearly just rescued from the bag's depths.

Lightning has cuffed a slightly bloody-nosed Porter on the street with Ghostfist instagramming the whole thing. "Just be sure to talk to your lawyer first." At least he isn't being completely unreasonable. He grabs Porter by the back of his collar again, and then suddenly the two become a blur as Lightning delivers him to Starguard at super speeds.

[[Media:Billionaire Captured]]