Lucas shakes his head. "I...I can build bombs, but disabling them is something else. If I don't guess exactly right, we'll all go up in flames. I just haven't studied triggers like this..." He stands and looks at the others.
"Can any of you disable it? If not, we only have one choice. I can place one of my explosives, maybe two into the device and set them off in a controlled explosion. With any luck, it'll blow apart the bomb's components, not allow it to go off itself."
Pupil-less eyes flicking from Confusion to Akio to Lucas, Melania draws their attention with a flick of her black hair.
No-one can disarm it, if we try to explode it, it might explode anyway. We must protect the innocents here... I will deal with it!
Saying that she snatches up the bomb before anyone can disagree, hovering halfway between floor and ceiling, the air around her walls as she suddenly isn't there, moving at such speed she is but a blue through the air.
She flies out of the half and up stairs, through the back doors and of info they open Sky.
Watching the clock ticking down 30...29...28... She focuses on getting to the river as fast as her powers will let her.
Entering the water like a dart, she barely causes a splash as she knifes through the liquid headed to the bottom 15...14...13...
There is a dull *whoomph* and a miniature spot of water surges up from the bay.
There is silence.
Then a dark form comes rushing upwards, exploding in a spray of foam, landing in a heal on the side of the river and coughing up full tasting water. Without a second thought she takes back to the air, retracing her steps and heading back to the bank. Landing in a down mess before the others she gives Load with a hard stare.
Please learn how to disarm those for the future...
A small puddle of water forms as she drips all over the polished floor.
Midnight flies through the lobby of the bank like a purple streak, carrying the deadly device far enough away that it cannot harm any innocent bystanders. She doesn't notice one of the robbers in the lobby gradually regaining consciousness and dragging himself up and toward the doors, not caring that his accomplices still lie groaning in heaps.
She returns in time to meet the others in the vault corridor, the injured guards stabilised and the hostages now freed and in tow.
Oh thank God. Thank god for you! one of the prisoners says to the group as Akio carefully unwinds the duct tape from around her wrists. Who are you?
Akio just stares as the strange woman, again bluntly moves into action picking up the bomb and flying away. "Ok then.. I hope she knows what shes doing." He looks to the others as he continues to untie the hostages.
"We're here to help, that's all that matters right now. Is anyone injured?"
"Hey, maybe I was slow on the uptake before, but...uh, did anyone else know she could fly?" He stares at Midnight in a bit of awe as she barrels out the door and into the air.
Turning back to the hostages, he says, "Don't worry about us. Let's just get you to safety. The police will be waiting outside and they can help attend to any injuries you have."
He glances at Akio and Concussion. "And, I suggest you two come with me. I expect they'll want to debrief you."
-Posted with Wayfinder
The security guard looks panicked as you remove the duct tape from his mouth.
Hey, are Henry and Carlos ok man? They came down here shootin' I think Carlos was hit. Please let him be ok man, his wife just had a baby a coupla months ago.
Before you can respond to the guard, or Midnight can comment on her extraordinary prowess, from back in the main hall, you hear sirens approaching and the screech of tires. There is a mechanical-sounding voice shouting something that is answered only by gunshots and the blast of a shotgun.
Melania drips water on the tiles of the bank floor, she glances down and then air seems to shimmer around her in a breeze, drying her clothes and hair. She shakes her dark hair free and runs her fingers through its snarls with a grimace, before turning back to the others.
Whilst we were acting in the best interests of the city and its denizens, I believe we should vacate the area prior to the local protection officers entering as they will likely have no choice but to detain us.
As Lucas talks about debriefing, she nods
Yes that's right, you should both come, you both exhibited... some things that should be discussed with others of a like mind...
As the security guard comments, she nods
All those here will be attended to, we have rendered what assistance we can...
Then there are the shots and she turns to the others
Quickly, there may still be others in danger...
she surges back upstairs to the upper floor, checking all around to find the source of the disturbance.
Akio listens as the big man and the strange woman try's to explain what happens next. He's normally long gone before any police show up. "Yeah.. I'm not sur ready happens next I normal... " He's cut off before he can finish his sentence the gun shots fining out. "Did we leave anyone up there?" He says looking to the others as he moves up stairs.
The red and blue flashing lights of a squad car splash over the entrance to the bank. The thieves are still where you left them except for one.
The blare of more sirens can be heard in the distance.
Dashing forward up the stairs and in the the main bank lobby Akio looks around for the source of the gun fire.
Looking around he spots only the men they took down before going down stairs.
"Come on! He can't have gone far." Lucas rushes back out to the lobby, looking around.
-Posted with Wayfinder
No, there! Midnight points to the others. Those constabulary are hurt, and the thieves make their escape. Come on!
She takes to flight, heading for the double doors leading out of the bank and onto the blisteringly hot street.
Now outside, you see exactly what Midnight was alluding to. The police vehicle has screeched to a halt at an odd angle in the middle of the road, traffic backs up some distance away but more concerning are the two officers down in the street. One is clutching his shoulder with one hand whilst bellowing something into his radio.
You see the van speed off, it’s tyres squealing and the stench of burning rubber filling the hot day. It rises up on two wheels as it takes the corner of Chrystie st and East Houston far too sharply and as if in slow motion you see the inevitable occur.
Another car approaches from the opposite direction and despite applying it’s brakes, slams into the van with the sound of grinding metal and smashing glass. The van spins like a top before ploughing into a flimsy concession stand, sending pieces of wood and advertising hoardings flying everywhere before it comes to rest on it’s side up against the brick of a building on the other side of the road.
The people around the bank scream and chatter among themselves, again smartphones snapping every single moment of the action though a few start running in the direction of a small column of smoke that rises from the crashed vehicle.
Already in the air, Midnight rises up slightly and spins around to call out to the others.
I cannot heal or lift heavy objects so you must attend to the injured woman in the car and whoever is trapped under the debris, I will get the van driver before the vehicle detonates!
she spins and launches herself through the air, darting like an arrow and landing scant moments later on the hot tarmac. Directing a stream of air towards the guttering fire, it proves too strong for the wind to simply blow out. Frowning, Midnight shouts at those nearby
You must move to the designated safe distance so you are not injured by shrapnel or the concussive force of this primitive combustion engine's fiery destruction...
as they continue to stare she shakes her head and shouts
the she wrenches the door open and grabs the driver by his collar, hauling him out and half flying, half dragging him back towards the others and laying him down next to the police car.
Akio winches as everything goes off in an instant the crash looking immensely bad. He's snapped out of it by the calm words of the strange woman then nods as he dashes forward. "I'll check the concession stand! I may need help." He shouts back, at the other two still standing outside the back.
Getting so close to all the chaos he spots people running away and too the crash, finally getting to it he can hardly work out what the debris would have been before the van crashed into it, jumping into it all he searches for survivors. "Are you ok?! I'm here to help, I just need to move some rubble." He says straining to move.
Midnight lands with a thud next to the van and calling upon previously unknown reserves of strength, grits her teeth and pulls on the buckled van door. There is a groan of resistant metal and then it finally comes free, the entire door coming away in her hands.
The thief lies slumped over the dashboard, an ugly gash across his forehead and his nose clearly broken from connecting with the wind shield.
Meanwhile, Akio searches frantically among the debris of the concession stand and finds the vendor, miraculously unhurt, but with his leg trapped beneath the heavy metal oven he used to heat corndogs. Akio nimbly moves to his side and with little effort shoves the machinery out of the way.
Lucas waves Concussion over to the car. "Come on! Help me with her!" He rushes out to the car, pausing to look over the woman's wounds.
"Lady, are you ok? Can you hear me?"
The woman looks quite badly hurt. The air bag deployed but it appears that she still took quite a hefty blow to the face. Though stable, she groans in pain as Concussion and Napalm see to her.
Glancing up at the rooftop, Melania grits her teeth then turns to Akio.
Can you pull this one to safety too? The last one is getting away!
She hovers for a moment then shoots skywards towards the edge of the building where the thug was.
Spotting the shotgun-wielding thug on the roof, she pulls in the eddies of breeze around her and sends them cascading down on top of him.
Midnight's blast of concentrated air slams into the man's muscular back. He arches with pain but as the force throws him forward, he goes with it, rolling across the gravel rooftop in a tight tuck and coming up on one knee, facing the hero and shotgun levelled at her.
"She seems stable, though badly hurt." He tries to open the door to the car. "Ma'am, you're ok. Paramedics are on their way. Can you move? If you can move, we'll try to help you out. If you're hurt, please stay put. The EMTs will be here soon to help."
Lucas glances around, suddenly noticing Midnight isn't there. He looks up to see her flying above the roof. "The last one?! Is he up there?" Lucas looks around for another way up to the roof.
"She's on her own, we need to catch up and help." He says to the others as he dashes off toward the alley way.
Looking around he considers how to get up he spots a large dumpster, pushing it under the stairwell. "Up here, quick!" He shouts to the others.
One of the bystanders nods dumbly at Concussion as she drags him from the crowd and shoves him toward the injured woman. He fumbles for his phone, almost drops it and then despite the sirens getting closer, dials 911.
Shaking her head, Concussion sets off after Napalm who is already halfway down the alley way.
Meanwhile, Midnight hovers high above the street, hair and long white coat billowing in the breeze, her arm outstretched and finger pointing toward the man on the rooftop.
But if this solid, dark-skinned menace were perturbed by the prospect of a flying, alien peacekeeper trying to bring him to justice, his wry smile does not suggest it so.
The black barrel of his shotgun is levelled squarely at Midnight, unflinching, unshaking, unequivocal.
Time to clip your wings, b*tch... he whispers to himself and then calmly squeezes the trigger.
The retort of the weapon roars among the skyscrapers and the solid slug smashes into Midnight's chest. Taken aback by the range of the Terran weapon, her armored coat ensures it doesn't break the skin but the agony that flares in her chest is extraordinary and it takes everything she has to force air back into her lungs and maintain her altitude.
Hit
With a grin and an ironic salute, the man spins and starts moving across a plank that forms a temporary bridge between two brownstone buildings.
Lucas climbs up on top of the dumpster and tries to follow Akio up. He is much slower at it than the deliveryman, but with a bit of care is able to get on top. He follows the man as they hear the roar of the shotgun. "Go! Go! We have to help her!"
Looking down in shock at the wound Barracuda's weapon has made, Midnight immediately snaps in to commando mode.
Stupid peacekeeper, you assumed his weapon was a scattergun and useless at long range, you deserved that...
Despite her hardened skin, the projectile had still gone straight through her shoulder, and left twin expanding circles of red blooming on her white coat.
Ok try to pursue whilst you still have fight left, retreat as a last option...
The air visibly distorts around her as she pulls in the breezes and eddies from the immediate surroundings, before pushing them in to a rock solid ball of seething air and sending it spinning towards Barracuda.
Akio helps both the big man and Concussion up pushing them up onto the dumpster then pulls himself up.
He climbs up after the other two, as the gunshot kicks out he pushes past them and on to the roof.
"Wait for us!" He shouts at strange woman, now spotting the man with the gun.
Lucas climbs up after Akio, reaching the top of the roof. He pauses to catch his breath. "Oh wow. Ok, this superhero stuff is rough!" He looks up to see the man across the rooftop.
The shotgun-wielding thief continues across the plank before unceremoniously booting it down into the alleyway below. He then slings his weapon over his shoulder and retreats further across the roof, looking for a way down, a way out.
He curses loudly as he frantically searches for escape, he barely seems to register the blast of concentrated air that streaks past him.
Akio Sprints across the roof, getting to the edge only to realise the makeshift bridge now kicked to the street below. "It's over! Put your weapon down and come along peacefully. I wont let you hurt anymore innocence."
Jeez, dontcha every give up, dimsum? Barracuda says, looking around the rooftop
Lucas runs after Akio. He draws a bomb as he runs, ready to hurl it at the man if he shoots at them. "He's right! You're not getting away! This whole place will be surrounded by Agents soon!"
Frowning as the man ignores her continued blasts, Midnight continues her assault. He may have stowed his weapon but he hadn't surrendered yet.
Another ball of seething air powers from her and barrels towards Barracuda.