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"I went about it the wrong way, but Starling City needs heroes. You can't keep moonlighting..."
"Come on, I didn't mean it that way. I know you're serious. So am I. That's what I love about you." he extends his hand as far as the cuffs will let him.
"Listen, I don't have much time. You've got to gather them." he places a microchip into your palm. "They are coming. You have to find your own team, people you can trust, those outside the system..."
"Time's up, Hood."
"They're coming, sweetheart. Be ready." Oliver warns as the guards take him to return to his cell.
.................................
Finally able to decrypt the chip given to the Dazzling Canary, you discover its secrets.
Much like a jigsaw puzzle missing half its pieces, you get an incomplete picture of a plot. Hood's notes link a number of Starling City's elite to a "sub-human trafficking ring", responsible for dozens of kidnappings of young mutants, inhumans, and deviants from the streets of Starling City's district known as The Narrows.
At the center of the ring, Slade Wilson, a mysterious figure dubbing himself Deadpool and running an underground fighting ring named Ultimate Fight Club (UFC) where mind-controlled "freaks" are forced to fight to the death for the amusement of the wealthy.
The Hood was working his way towards stopping those responsible, the wealthy backers behind the scenes, in a bloody crusade to save his sister, Thea "Speedy" Queen, herself a mutant speedster, who had been twisted by Deadpool into the villainous Riptide, one of the UFC's greatest champions, when he was once again confronted by Daredevil and returned to Black Raft two years ago.
In the interim, another vigilante, the self-styled Red Hood, took up the bloody path Oliver had started down, continuing his crusade against Deadpool and the UFC, but targeting the fighters instead of those running the show. Six months ago, Red Hood was confronted by Daredevil, and broke the Man Without Fear's spine. As the Red Hood stood, gloating over Daredevil's broken body, Murdock managed to free Thea's mind, and as the weight of what Riptide had been through during the past five years overcame her, she tore through Red Hood, Deadpool, and the entire crowd of spectators, leaving a tide of blood in her wake, and freeing the other fighters. Murdock is still recovering from his injuries, but the bodies of the Red Hood and Deadpool were never found, leaving their fates unknown.
Oliver has spent all his favors and most of the hidden funds he squirreled away looking for signs of his sister, but has not found any sign of her after that night. What he has found, however, is information about a number of the UFC fighters, and their plans for vengeance against a city that failed them. Naming themselves the Legion, as an homage to David Xavier, perhaps, these youngsters are planning a vicious assault on the city-- and it may be that no one is spared.
The Outsiders have tracked down a group of Legion members as they attempt to break into Starling Labs. Your information leads you to believe they are after terrigen crystals.
Your files indicate they are.....
Lorna Dane, aka Cosmic Girl; Powers: magnetism, force fields, flight
Peter Heywood, aka Ferrous Lad; Powers: able to become bio-organic steel
Ororo Munroe, aka Lightning Lass; Powers: Lightning generation, weather control
James Howlett, aka Timber Wolf; Powers: regeneration, heightened senses, claws, berserker fury
Sun, Chang, Ho, Lin, and Han Tao-Yu, aka Quintuple Lad; Powers: able to merge into a single individual with the strength and knowledge of all five brothers, telepathy and shared knowledge with each other, able to teleport to each other to merge.
and lastly, there is one unknown person with them you don't have files on.
Using Lightning Lass's ability to summon fog for cover and an EMP generated by Cosmic Lass, the Legion members Timer Wolf, Quintuple Lad, and the unknown male entered the building, searching for their prize. Cosmic Girl, Ferrous Lad, and Lightning Lass stand watch outside the building's back entrance.
There are also a main entrance and several side entry ways, and the building is ten stories high with a basement and seven sub-basement levels.
The Outsiders have arrived, called to the scene by Oddball II, who was following the leads provided by the Hood through his last contact with the Dazzling Canary.
When Mariner got the call from Oddball, he was fortunately off-duty out for a run on the coast. He booked back to his quarters, suited up, and jetted to meet the call to assemble. To hide his identity, he dove into the nearby water, swam the river upstream into the city, and emerged closer to the Starling Labs.
He floats down next to Oddball. His familiar navy blue jumpsuit obscured by encircling clouds signals that Mariner has arrived. As an officer, he attempts to assess the situation and to organize the action, "Hey Deuce. We've three outside and three inside, including that multiple guy? I'm better outside. Who's with me?" But still defers to hero who started the team, who he affectionately called Deuce due to the hero's insistence to be called Oddball two.
::Coming in:: sounds over the comms a moment before Nightwing pops into position. His suit muffles the *bamf* noise and the holographic field distorts the brimstone cloud until it fades. With the field up, people mostly see a shimmer at the edge of the field.
"I'm better close up, but I can deal with the fog. Maybe Mariner, Sentry and I outside? Omax, OB, and Canary inside?" In his mind, he can hear how Batman would order this and makes sure to make this a question.
While he says this, his cape stiffens into a gliding wing, he taps at his cowl and then he connects the capacitor/battery to his suit's conductive layer.
"That should give me some resistance to Lightning Lass."
Just flying in why don't ya Oddball thinks still unused to having allies who fly in. Night wing was just as bad with his ability, but he also knew the value of stealth.
"Hi Mariner, I gave the intel over. Too many for me and all with a variety of powers. Some complementary. Others..." Sara paused as she heard Kurts' voice and she shifts so she can begin to juggle. It was a habit her dad and mom had instilled in her. Much of her skills and abilities were cultivated with her Parents and all the members of the Circus of Crime.
"If we go with that strategy, Caranry and Me as the first assault with OMAX as our muscle when the negotiations go south, followed by you three cutting off the escape routes"Oddball asks trying to get into the Caped crusader's protege's mindset.
The lithe woman, in a multihued jester motif outfit with a more gaslike mask. In fact, she looked like the mix between a virus performer and a recon soldier.
"Jesus, I need to get a faster way to get around" Amelia silently remarks to herself as she steals out of her silver Lincoln Continental a quarter mile out from Starling Labs and starts jogging towards the building.
The golden threads in her black gown glowing a radiant brilliant white as she starts to hum bringing the green in her eyes alight and activating her night vision.
as she assess the scene she radios in saying "Sounds fine to me. These kids might be able to be reasoned with, they are just lashing out at a city that betrayed them. They're not that different to many of us, just led down the wrong path." she pauses a moment to think and reactivate her eyes before finishing "We need to at least try to reason with them before we take drastic measures."
She then catches sight of Deuce and jogs over to her.
As the group converge around Oddball, OMAX-23 steps out of the shadows to join her team-mates.
Still new to the team, the young teenager wears a stoic expression framing green eyes seemingly older than her years.
She tilts her head curiously at Canary's words;
[CEREBROTHER ONLINE▸ BIOMETRICS NEUTRAL... ASSESSING OPTIONS...]
"Reason with them... Understood. So no claws until their guard is down yes?"
Her soft voice carries the hint of a Canadian accent, but is clipped and concise.
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Oddball looks at OMAX and shivers a bit. She stops juggling and then speaks to the youth."You know we should teach you to be more natural in your verbiage. Trust me I'll take you to the circus sometime!"
Amelia glances over at 23 chuckling at Oddballs remark and silently thinking to herself might be a while before she’s ready for the opera before she says. ”Yes, and should they be personable, give them a chance to surrender first.”
The entity known as Sentry hovers somewhere above the altitude of commercial flights, listening to the movements of the "team."
"Odd-ball, query. What is a Circ-use? And how would it help OMAX make better use of verbiage?"
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"It's a large tent with a variety of performers and animals, often with games and other attractions! It has snacks and is basically fun for the whole family. Though I have fond memories of the circus, as I am a child of the circus! If you want you can come with OMAX when I take her." Oddball said as she thought about taking two incredibly powerful socially awkward individuals to the greatest show on earth.
Kurt pauses for a moment at this. It brings up the best and worst memories of his life. "Yes, we should definitely go the next time a circus comes to town. But we have a circus of our own to deal with right now." Of course, he has to clarify for the members who wer born yesterday. "Namely this heist that we need to stop."
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Meanwhile, below, Ferrous Lad paces impatiently while the Lasses Lightning and Cosmic seem to be holding a silent conversation.
Lightning Lass nods and takes to the air, the fog billowing around her a bit before folding back in and flowing into an even bigger area, obscuring the trio from normal sight.
::Going to watch from above.:: he says into the comms. He teleports above the cloud and settles into a gliding pattern to watch them with radar.
"Looks like the show is about to start, and now for the Dazzling Canary and her band to make the curtain to entertain our guests" Oddball says as she gestures for the Dazzling Canary to head towards the door.
Canary nods to Oddball and says ”Alright” before she begins humming again and the light around her distorts briefly causing her to look slightly luminescent for a moment before it wraps around her and she fades from view becoming invisible. She then will begin to move towards the door
As Canary fades from view OMAX-23's nose wrinkles slightly as she acquires her teammates scent.
[CEREBROTHER ONLINE▸ TACTICAL STEALTH REQUIRED. DECREASED BIOMOLECULAR DENSITY ENGAGED.]
[CEREBROTHER ONLINE▸ BIOMETRIC COUNTDOWN INITIATED... M-MINUS 22 MINUTES AND COUNTING OMAX-23...]
Laure blinks rapidly for a few seconds as her Weapon-M Genehancements are activated.
Then, following Oddball's cue, she moves forward in Canary's scent wake... silent as death...
Oddball stretches and strides behind OMAX and Dazzling Canary.
She falls behind on soft feet of grace. One that was bore from years of training.
Seeing the ground team disappear, Mariner jumps into the air and flies toward Lightning Lass. He pulls up fifteen feet in front of her clearly ignoring the fog. His own fog of war swirling around his identity, which she might be able to see through, too. "Hey there. You're called Lightning Lass, right? Seems like a super party. What's going on?"
Sentry hovers at 35,000 feet, listening to the movements of his newly made friends. He isn't quite sure who all of these lads and lasses are, but he is ready to move if anything problematic occurs.
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As Canary, Oddball and Omax approach the door, the young mutant named Ferrous Lad lives up to his namesake, changing his flesh into solid steel, and blocking the door. He wears jeans and a t-shirt, both of which tighten around his metallic muscles.
He seems to be looking around, unable to see the approaching figures through the fog, but somehow aware of their approach.
Cosmic Girl, however, seems to know exactly where Omax is, floating above her and pointing down. She wears a set of stressed ripped jeans and a black t-shirt with a purple star on it, her short-cut green hair waving only slightly in the wind.
Meanwhile, higher up, Mariner meets Lightning Lass in the skies. She is a pretty young african american girl, perhaps seventeen, with one side of her long white hair shaven and wearing leathers.
She frowns as he approaches and addresses her by name. "It's a private affair. Maybe you should check out The Lizard's Longue if you want to party."
"Heh. Heh. Thanks. I'll check that out." Noah smiles at her genuinely trying to avoid a fight, so he tries to keep her talking. "You're one of the ones trafficked in that Ultimate Fight Club, right? How'd they get you?"
After her answer, he asks, "I'm glad they didn't find me. How'd you get your powers?"
Nightwing stays concealed, ready to jump in once one of these turns into a fight.
He doesn't use his comms, but rather whispers "Sentry. When a fight breaks out, if you can get Ferrous Lad away from the door, that will clear the way for the entry team."
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"Not something I like to talk about." she says, face flushing a bit. "Same as any mutant, I guess. One day I just got pissed off and :crack: zotted some bully with lightning from the sky. Next thing I know, I'm in a cage fighting for my life."
She flies a bit closer "We know your friends are closing in on the building. If you're trying to be sneaky, it isn't working." she flashes a somewhat menacing smile. "You're not trying to ride the lightning, are you, flyboy?"
Oddball makes herself known popping in next to OMAX." Oh whos' this tall shiny and handsome fellow, a friend? I hope so, I mean who doesn't love a nice cool solid surface to cool off after a long day fighting crime."
Sara begins to pace as she grabs a couple of balls to juggle. As she does she continues talking."Say tall muscled and handsome are you waterproof? Does all of you stay rigid even when wet? I'm curious as I'd love to find out sometime. Not here though, My friend is a bit shy, What do ya say, is it a date?"
OMAX halts, her gaze becoming a scowl upward to Cosmic Girl for blowing her approach...
As Deuce begins her repartee, Laure refocusses her attention on Ferrous Lad blocking her way;
"We could neutralise them."
Oddball giggles and then looks to Omax and then to Ferrous Lad."It's more like incapacitate, but I doubt our Hard bodied Colossus here would beg to differ. A shame really for all those tight muscles, I doubt he has the skills or brain to back it up. Not like us, with our beauty skills and brains these chumps have no chance."
Sara continued to juggle her balls as she began to add more. As she does she continues her speaking watching the Metal Man's face." I wonder if he likes to dance? Hey Metal Man, wanna dance?"
Oddball chuckled as she began to stand on one foot as she juggled. "Are you sure about that?"
She then moves her foot into the path of the juggling balls, cutting in and down as she switched feet.
" I could entertain you and your friends for hours. As you can see I'm flexible, capable of multitasking, and I handle balls with ease." She says slinking up to the Metal man before letting her balls fall behind her back. As she does she gives a signal to Omac and then if the Man moves to grab her or kiss her she'll jump straight up and let Omac push through.
Realizing that there is little hope of the original tactic working Canary lets put a sharp whistle tone allowing her invisibility to fade. As she does the lights around her phase to be a bright white for a moment before darkening to the gold bands of her dress .
She then murmurs to herself ”being rejected from parties is a new experience”
Mariner smiles at the cocky teenager and replies, ”I’ve helped lots of fellow mutants escape persecution. So, when you’re ready, I can help you.”
“Now, you’re probably using you’re gifts to take or do whatever you want. That’s alluring, but it’s why they fear us. And unfortunately there are more of them than us.”
“You should know that you’re not the only one who can control lightning. And with a name like Lightning Lass, I would assume you can handle being struck by lightning. But, your friends might not be able to.” A little lightning flashes around him.
“Any chance, we can move this party to a cafe? I don’t want to fight you if you’re breaking the law. It’s bad publicity for mutants.” Noah really doesn’t want to fight this girl or any of them. They’ve been through too much and need justice of their own.
Nightwing hopes that the banter will work as he keeps silently gliding and waiting to see where he needs to support. Heck, he met Oddball this way, so it works once in a while.
Canary steps forward towards Ferrous Lad with her invisibility dropped and join Oddball. As she speaks the light around her flickers, the golden lace in her suit pulsating with light.
"Listen, I don't think any of us want to hurt each other but you know that we can't let you get at those crystals. You're angry and you have every right to be but we can help you, the entire world is not to blame for the actions of its worst but the might of the whole world will come down on you if you take this course of action. David your namesake died to bring peace from destruction, he wouldn't want you to bring about another war in his name"
As she finishes her appeal she pauses to see if it seemed to have any effect on the metallic beast of a man but doesn't yet close any closer to him.
OMAX-23 tilts her head slightly as she watches the back and forth.
[CEREBROTHER ONLINE▸ DECREASED BIOMOLECULAR DENSITY STILL ENGAGED. ALLOW DIPLOMATIC COMMUNICATIONS TO BE CONDUCTED BEFORE LETHAL INTERVENTION]
[CEREBROTHER ONLINE▸ BIOMETRIC COUNTDOWN CONTINUING... M-MINUS 21 MINUTES AND COUNTING OMAX-23...]
Her nose wrinkles and fingers twitch slightly as she frowns at Ferrous Lad...
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"Look, I'd rather party with you ladies than throw down with you, but I'm not the one calling the shots. But you're right, we are angry." The metal man pauses, as if listening to someone. "And let us or not, we're getting those crystals."
"Hell, buddy," Lightning lass says "Following the law is bad for mutants too. Let's face it, we live in a society where your genes mark your lot in life. Sooner you realize that, the quicker you'll get out of our way."
From above Omax, Cosmic Girl clears her throat "Her bones are made of metal. I call the frumpy one if they make a move."
[CEREBROTHER ONLINE▸ CAUTION ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD INCREASING]
”You're right. Our genes do mark us for life. But that was true even before they gave us powers." Mariner replies to Lightning Lass and continues, "Laws are how we expect people to behave, or at least how the majority wants the minority to behave, but such is democracy.”
”Who wants the crystals? And do you what they plan to do with them? Will it help or hurt mutantkind? And aggravating humans ultimately hurts us, right? Because, we’re outnumbered.”
OMAX-23 turns her hard stare back skyward as she spreads her arms wider;
[CEREBROTHER ONLINE▸ DECREASED BIOMOLECULAR DENSITY STILL ENGAGED. CONFLICT THREAT INCREASING...]
"Incorrect. Not bones... just claws."
SNIKT!
Two metallic claws slide out of each of OMAX-23's clenched fists...
[CEREBROTHER ONLINE▸ CALCULATING DISTANCE BETWEEN UNIT OMAX-23 AND TARGET DESIGNATE - COSMIC GIRL]
"Well this looks like you got this so I'm gonna get going" Oddball says with a chuckle before she steps back and looks about before she says.
"If you want we can get outta here. Especially with those shiny things" Sara says gesturing to the roof as she offers OMAX a way up, via Oddballs inhuman leaping ability.
Hearing Cosmic Girl threatening one of the few entities he considers a friends, The Sentry responds. Where he had been floating calmly at a great height, he turns his head and right fist toward Earth and moves at great speed to wherever Cosmic Girl is waiting. A sonic boom follows him as he presses the atmosphere.
"I am not sure what you mean by 'The Frumpy One," but if you intend to harm the one known as Omax, then I will stand against you and you will not prevail."
"So much for diplomacy" Canary mumbles quietly to herself maligning the Legion's unwillingness to hear reason. As her ears start to ring from Sentry's entrance she stumbles backwards trying to create a bit more distance between herself and Ferrous Lad before the situation inevitable deteriorates further.
As the ominous form of The Senry arrives, OMAX-23 looks to Oddball...
[CEREBROTHER ONLINE▸ ROOFTOP WILL PROVIDE TACTICAL ADVANTAGE. MANEUVER EXECUTION ENDORSED.]
... nodding in steely affirmation at the proposal.
"Rooftop."
[CEREBROTHER ONLINE▸ REMEMBER YOUR MANNERS LAURE.]
"Please."