Log:Wrath and Despair, Scene 2

Wrath and Despair 2017/07/28 	 Amelia Physique Wrath Timothy Volz Tommy Cangelosi Eclair Mechanic Mechanica

2

Here stand the grand buildings of the city constructed during the rapid 19th-Century expansion, on low land reclaimed from long-lost Harrisburg Creek. Main Street is broader here that to the south, though still paved with cobbles, and surrounded on all sides by grandiose edifices (though at any time at least one seems to be under renovation): the heart of this district. Around this are narrower residential streets with a flavor much like that of Old Town, all with faux-gaslamp street lighting.

Tommy Cangelosi was on the way out of the court house...a free man, due to his well-paid lawyers. A crowd of civilians and media folks had gathered to watch as he left the building. One of those men, distraught at Cangelosi's release, was granted power by a Lord of Chaos and turned into Wrath - a living being of vengeance. Wrath has stalked forward into the courthouse where Cangelosi ran. Cangelosi himself is out of sight, but Physique has changed form to look like him. (Or is in the process of finishing doing so.) Eclair was covering Cangelosi's escape as well. Mechanic has formed a gate that fills the full hallway, between the group of Eclair and Physique...and Wrath. Mechanic is on Wrath's side of the gate - which opens outside the building. Amelia has been working on dispelling the possession, and has made some progress.

Physique stays just inside the door, acting like Cangelosi might if his flight had been less successful.

Wrath sees the gate that's been formed by Mechanic and he decides the best way to handle it is to remove the obstacle. He steps forward and takes a swing at Mechanic.

The Quantum Mechanic is about to lean against the wall near the Stabilized Spatial Interstice he created to stop Wrath from advancing. It seemed the most non-violent way of atleast slowing Wrath's approach.

His plan is to cross his arms in front of his chest and his feet at the ankles and wait this Wrath being out.

He seems absolutely unconcerned with Wrath punching him in the soul- which may be a bad decision considering how Wrath tore through his barrier like it was tissue paper. This is likely why he's absolutely rocked by the strike, which totally ignores his prodigious (and entirely technological) defenses.

He folds like a lawn chair- turning into a black powder as he splashes the ground.

The dust that was once the Mechanic slowly begins reassembling itself, one tiny cube at a time.

Mechanica had been following the trial via notifications in her newsfeed. When alerts and shared 140 character chirps out how corrupt the system is that Cangelosi gets to walk, Mechanica made her way to the courthouse. Crooks like Cangelosi don't deserve to be let off by paying their way out of justice.

As she leaps down several stories and lands with feline grace on the pavement, she sees all the people running in fear. This isn't the sort of chaos she expected. She was hear to make sure Cangelosi paid in some way after following him to his abode, but now, plans may have to change.

She swipes a clawed hand over her face and her cloaking system engages to let her get in closer.

Eclair frowns. "Well now what am I supposed to do!" She floats in the hallway, sparks crackling around her wrists, ready to zap Wrath when she can see him.

Amelia closes the distance to the Wrath possessed man and continues in her effort to drive away the chaos influence.

Amelia flies closer, timing the folding of her wings with entering the city hall door. Well, almost timing it. Her spell is disrupted as half way through the incantation she smacks the door jam with a wingtip and involuntarily emits a pained yelp.

The Quantum Mechanic continues pulling himself back together. The shell of the man is already taking shape.

Eclair takes her shot as the Gate fades away.

Wrath screams again as the electricity courses through him. Even though he's hit by Eclair, his gaze moves to Physique/Cangelosi...focused on a singular task.

Wrath charges forward at 'Cangelosi', even as the sounds of his/its scream echoes in the wide hallway. It takes a swing at its target, hoping to achieve some level of vengeance.

"Cangelosi" throws himself aside in attempt to dodge the transformed figure.

Wrath misses cleanly...and Physique doesn't even feel heat from the flames. Though that may be more due to their nature than anything else.

Physique makes sure not to escape *too* far. She doesn't want Wrath spotting the real Cangelosi. And there's a lot to be said for keeping Wrath near the other heroes.

Mechanica catches her first glimpse of Wrath as the crowd parts and disperses, leaving her a direct line to him. And him to her. "Madre de dios," she murmurs under her breath as she looks at the drawn skin and burning form. She doesn't want to get too close to that thing.

She plays it carefully as she usually does. A quick tweak to her holoprojectors, and they begin to copy her surroundings to mimic them exactly. Only more astute people would notice the small glitches or inconsistencies of the hologram. As she decloaks, the holoprojectors make her appear to be standing a few meters ahead of where she really is, trying to bend light around her to some degree. She raises a hand, and a gun port pops up from her bracer, set to stun, and her holographic copy does the same.

Wrath is hit from behind by the stun blast...or at least it hits his flames that surround him. And he doesn't seem to be affected.

Eclair grouses. "I'm starting to feel like a metahuman bug zapper for all the good I'm doing" in her charming French accent." She tries to zap Wrath again,

Wrath screams once more...the vocal equivalent of nails on a chalkboard. But its hate-filled eyes remain focused on 'Cangelosi'.

Amelia drops the flight spell, which results in her wings shrinking and disappearing. Moving forward on foot she tries once more to drive away the chaos influence.

Wrath doesn't even seem to take note of Amelia's spellcasting, though she can see that the possession is close to unraveling.

As The Quantum Mechanic he adjusts his tie the top quarter of his head finishes assembling itself. A sphere about the diameter of a manhole cover appears. He steps on to it just before it floats off the ground.

Now all properly in one piece, The Quantum Mechanic says to Eclair, "Oh I think you're doing an outstanding job considering..." He holds his hand out to the screaming revenge-obsessed wraith.

The Mechanic scans the hospital for the real Cangelosi, while he does he shifts into a copy of Cangelosi as well.//Shapeshift into Cangelosi and look for the real Cangelosi using 'Quantum Sense' Spatial Awareness- Discriminatory, Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees), Transmit

Physique continues to try to evade Wrath. It's not hard to act like a frightened Cangelosi: she's quite freaked out by this creature, moving despite its dead internal organs.

Wrath continues his assault, taking another swing at 'Cangelosi', following doggedly in Physique's footsteps.

"Cangelosi" is driven through a wall - and stops moving.

Wrath strikes 'Cangelosi', sending Physique flying away from him. He stares at his own hand as the flames didn't have the effect it expected. "That was not him. THAT WAS NOT HIM!" He looks around angrily for another target. And...sees one in Mechanic.

Wrath(#2855TOnp)

Where this mundane person has stood moments prior, now stands someone who is most decidedly not 'mundane'. His body is alight with blue flames coursing over his body. His features have morphed to become more sunken, like his skin is now stretched over his bones.

The Quantum Cangelosi takes advantage of Physique Cangelosi getting Wrath's attention to find the real deal. That now done he's surprised to find the other copy down. He finds their sacrifice admirable. It looks like he's up. He merely walks deeper into the court house, but whistles the whole way.//Get Wrath's attention and move in opposite direction of the real Cangelosi. Activate Desolid.

Mechanica stares at bracer-mounted blaster's ineffectiveness. She switches a setting and levels it at Wrath again. This time, it thrums loudly as it charges up significantly compared to the previous blast.

As she prepares to aim, she smiles to herself as she watches Wrath punch Cangelosi, and holds her fire. That criminal got what he deserved. May as well pack it up and--

She is about to begin a retreat when Wrath starts howling that he got an imposter. That means civilians are still in danger. She gets a bead on him and closes one eye as she aims and fires. Her holographic copy follows suit.

Wrath is knocked off of his feet by the blast, landing about four meters from where he had been standing. He screams again...and is starting to slow down a little bit. The attacks seem to be taking a toll on him.

Eclair consider her options and decides to go with her megavolt bolt again. Too many around for her kilovolt storm. The teravolt bolt is too dangerous to use indoors. Her target is, presumably, still alive in some way, so the gigavolt bolt is straight out. *ZZZAPPPP*

Wrath convulses...but is still conscious...and seething.

Amelia closes once again on Wrath's position and reaches out to grasp the threads of magic binding the chaos influence to the possessed man. Her fingers work at the tangled strands as they pluck out threads and discard them.

Wrath scream again as the chaos spirit inside him is wrenched away from him...the fires dying down and disappearing. His skin goes back to its normal consistency as well. What's left afterward on the floor is a man in a suit....crying.

A couple of policemen round the corner with guns drawn, and they survey the situation. "Is that the guy?" They both look confused.

Amelia tells the police, "Put your guns away. You will not need them."

Eclair shakes her head. "The vengeance spirit is gone, this man was just another victim."

Amelia casts a blessings spell. When she does a host of brightly hued butterflies emerges from the sleeves of her Raven's robes and flutter around everyone who has been injured.

Mechanica lowers her blaster, but doesn't deactivate it. She still wants Cangelosi. The REAL Cangelosi. Chance are, he was smart and got away. She'll just have to track him down another time, it seems.

The cops put their guns away and take the man into custody. One of them says to Eclair, "We still need to follow procedures. But it'll get sorted out." He looks at the group, "Thanks again. All of you."

Physique comes around. "Oww..." she says, and then, not recognizing her voice, shifts back to her normal self.

Physique mutters, "You know, I think Cangelosi has made some enemies..."

Amelia goes to Physique, "That was brave. Very brave."

Physique says, "I was thinking more stupid. But thanks."

Amelia says, "From what my sister has told me Mr Cangelosi deserves every enemy he's made. But whatever my feelings we live in this country on this Earth in a nation of laws."

The Quantum Mechanic drops his disguise but remains nevertheless desolid.

He watches the other heroes make nice after a job well done. He analyzes their social skills and then determines their purpose before gauging their effectiveness.

He initializes a systems scan to confirm all systems are in working order after being absolutely disintegrated by Wrath's soul-punch.

It takes nanoseconds for results so he isn't waiting long, relatively speaking. He finds nothing wrong with his defensive systems and so must come up with a working theory as to how they were so easily subverted.

His sphere lifts up and turns him horizontal and raises him straight to the roof as emergency personnel make their way inside.

The Quantum Mechanic slowly 'lowers' (though from the ground its more like sliding to the left or right) into the sphere.

This device then shrinks down into something about the size of a golf ball.

A holographic avatar of the Mechanic appears, glowing a faint blue. The Torus darts for Mechanica to inquire about her weapons platform.

Physique says, "Yeah. Shame the laws never seem to apply to the likes of him, though."

The policemen take the formerly possessed man away to question him about the situation.

Amelia shakes her head, "Never say never. It sometimes takes time but eventually even the likes of him will get caught."

Mechanica hasn't even realized the Torus has spotted her. The holographic copy of herself taps its ear and says, "Recall." And she vanishes in a blink of transmat energy.

The real Mechanica, however, is partially cloaked by her holographic projectors and walking away, trying to dig up dirt on Cangelosi so she can put on the pressure. He won't enjoy his bought freedom one bit.

Eclair crosses her arms. "What was that thing anyway? I called it a spirit of vengeance, but it could have just been some meta?"

Physique shakes her head. "Not like any meta I've ever met."

Amelia looks over at Eclair, "You were correct. It was a chaos spirit of vengeance."

Being blind to the visible spectrum, The Quantum Mechanic is completely unaware of Mechanica's attempts to hide herself.

The perfectly black sphere with Holo-Mechanic stops directly in front of her and then matches her trajectory and speed with ease as it continues talking to what appears to be no one.

"That is an impressive weapons array. How did you manage to fit the modulation functions into such a small package?" The Mechanic asks, curious as to just where tech like that is coming from. He did not immediately recognize it and after comparing it to his database (which may not be entirely 'current') he found nothing.

He craves to update this database with a new entry.