Summary:A group of disparate metahuman teens: America Chavez (Ms. America), Dani Moonstar (Mirage), Kate Bishop (Hawkeye), Koriand'r (Starfire), Nate Grey (X-Man), Rahne Sinclair (Wolfsbane), Rose Wilson (Ravager), are contacted by a mysterious government agent and asked to pursue a group of violent metahuman teens who rioted at a goverment-run metahuman school and broke out. Following the escapee's trail to a small ghost town on the New Mexico/Texas border, the group encounters Sarah Rainmaker (Rainmaker), and discover that their suspicions about the sketchy nature of the mission are valid…things are not as they were presented. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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There is, at best, a loose collection of young heroes in NYC. Some already work together; some are loners. Some are publically known, some prefer to keep things on the down low.
Somehow, almost all of you were contacted by an agent offering…well, all sorts of things. They appeal to greed. To altruism. To curiosity. Or other quid pro quo, you scratch our back we'll scratch yours sorts of things.
The neutral ground decided on is a private room at a local upscale pizza parlor. There is pizza. Because they're not above bribing teens with pizza and soda. When you all start to filter in, there's three people waiting. Two are pretty much muscle/operators, dressed in neat suits and shades, hands clasped in front of them on guard. Between them is an older man with a VAn Dyke beard that's turning salt and pepper, who's currently polishing off a piece of sausage pizza while he waits.
Ravager looks like she might be attempting to take down a small army, or maybe mafia gang solo. She is dressed in full costume, red and savage orange. A mask, not unlike that of Deathstroke the Terminator is on her head, the darker blue side completely blue, while the 'orange' side has a solid white eye-window for viewing.
Her suit is a measure of flexible and light bodyarmor. On her back, a pair of katana's on either side and then a collapsable bo staff. At her hips, a pair of pistols, and two empty sword hilts. A bandolier of gun clips is across her chest, along with a couple of personal explosives in the form of what might be some kind of explosive or gas bombs.
Her appearance may come to a surprise to the agents who originally approached her and she told to 'fuck off' in no uncertain terms. As she walks by, she tells the agent, "Changed my mind. Deal. Make sure the money is delivered."
She moves, then, into the room, looking around, her posture guarded, ready, and focused. She appears to have absolutely no interest in the pizza. But plenty in those already in attendance, and in what this particular mission is.
Well, Dani is always game for an adventure, and definitely wanted to drag someone along, so of course she grabbed Rahne from the school. Currently she's wearing a black T-shirt and jeans, and walks in ahead of Rahne, not bothering with a costume as she glances around with a curious expression.
Oh, and Brightwind? He's hanging out a short distance away… even though he does love a good slice of Hawaiian pizza…
Rahne Sinclair may have come along with Dani, but she's less than sure about this. She's got issues with authority these days, assuming that authority doesn't come from X-Men she knows and trusts. The Van Dyke on the man who's obviously in charge makes her think of the villain in pretty much every Western movie she's seen in her life, though, she has to admit to herself after a moment or two, that most of the good guys in those movies had such beards too.
Whatever. The wolf girl is here, and will make the best of things. Until she thinks they're being led toward a fall. And then she will bite.
Kate Bishop had a lot on her plate recently, but that didn't mean she was above getting her hands dirty. Or at the very least getting some free pizza along with some insider info on what the suits were up to these days. Dressed in her purple uniform which was… Kind of like a jumpsuit? It fit well whatever it was. She strides in around the same time as some others, adjusting her sunglasses as she shifts from the outside to the inside. Only to pause staring at the apparent 'goons' there. "Stereotype much?" She asks, eyebrow quirking only to shrug. "Whatever. Pizza, info, then we'll see what's up." A nod is given to the other familiar faces here along with a smile. Rose she kind of knew. Dani she definitely… Wait. Dani. Suddenly she looks as if she might be a deer caught in the headlights as she sinks down to sit and remain unnoticed.
Might as well, right?
Nate Grey is approached, not that he knows WHY they know he even exists, But, he arrives in his regalia. All kinds of leather, no shirt, or shoes for that matter. But! his X-brand is fully visible on his chest, and his left eye glows just a little bit with Psionic flame. He turns his head to the other three individuals that are present, that being Ravager, Dani, and Rahne.
He doesn't speak, but he does look at the Van Dyke guy. He loks friendly, at the very least.
and the classic example of someone who will eventually absolutely try to kill you. Sensei style. So for now, Nate just crosses his arms. "No kidding." Nate says in aside to Kate.
The man with the beard raises a brow at Ravager's arrival, but doesn't comment, though he does smile politely as everyone moves in, then grins at Kate. "Well now, the best stereotypes came about for a reason, and having a few gentlemen to guard my back comes with the territory." He picks up a napkin, wiping off his mouth and motions to the food. "Help yourselves, if you'd like. Best hot and fresh, after all." He has a faint Southern accent when he speaks, as he settles back in his chair. "To continue the stereotypes, I'm sure you're wondering why I called you all here today."
He smirks a bit, then continues. "You see, the goverment has a problem that I'm hoping you can help bring under control. I don't feel I need to beat around the bush, so I'll speak plain." He tilts his head, steepling his fingers. "Three days ago, there was a riot at a facility the goverment maintains for trouble teens who happen to be gifted with metahuman abilities. These are children who either are on their own, or who are having problems adapting to their new realities, or who have made the unfortunate choice of misusing those abilities. Rather than sending them to some sort of juvenile detention, the school is intended to help them control their powers, though of course we aren't against recruiting them if they seem the type to be interested in goverment work."
He frowns faintly. "In this case, a group of the more troubled students decided to lash out at their fellow students and instructors. A great deal of damage was done, and there were casualties among both. The perpetrators escaped enmasse, and have been on the run since then, and have left a trail of destruction and more injuries in their wake." He sips from his glass of soda absently, the ice clinking. "Thus far, we've managed to avoid them moving through a major population center, but our school's security have proven not up to the task of convincing them to surrender peacefully." He shrugs. "I'm fairly sure that is at least partly due to them expecting to be punished…most of them were not well treated previous to the school, so it's not suprising they'd assume we would look at punishment, when we're much more interested in rehabilitation."
He sighs. "So…since they are unwilling to see our people as nonthreatening, I am turning to y'all, in the hopes that you would be willing to assist us in stopping them before they cause any more chaos or casualties. We've narrowed down their current hideout, and we're hoping that fellow teenagers would be less..imposing." he says after a moment of thought.
"You don't offer to hire the Ravager if you don't want to make a statement," says Ravager, bluntly. Her monocular vision levels on Slick Willy and she holds that gaze on him for a long moment. "Number of targets, and abilities. And, preference for their return. That's all I need to know."
Blunt, and to the point. Focused on the mission. She remains fixed in her position, tilting her head one, then the other, so she can read the room.
Dani glances over at Ravager, "Well, you must be really fun at parties." She hmms, and takes a slice of pepperoni since, well, pizza isn't something they have quite perfected in Asgard, despite Volstagg's cravings.
She hrms, "So, sounds like you want us to bring them in without a fuss, but if she's here, I'm guessing you're also afraid things are going to go sideways." Her eyebrow arches just a bit, as she passes a glance to Rahne.
Rahne glances back at Dani, but she keeps her mouth shut. She sees far too many ways that this could go sideways. Not least of which is 'Hey, let's take all these young people with powers and force THEM into our little fascist rah rah America school for superhumans!' Nonetheless, she takes pizza. The wolf will eat when she can eat. Wolves are rarely sated.
Nate looks at Ravager and he raises a brow. "Something tells me your an interesting one." He looks at Dani as she quips at Ravager as well and he's just grinning. Rahne is a quiet one, huh? Well, Nate shrugs and finally turns his attention to the old man.
Nate listens…and listens…and he looks only mildly annoyed. But he does help himself to the pizza. That alone is worth the time! its some good pizza too.
"So we have to get some runaways."
"Very to the point, Miss Ravager." the agent says. "There are five ringleaders who seem to be sticking together. Of those, one girl is what we would call a 'brick': super strong, super tough. Another girl controls gravity. The third, material transformation - that means he can turn into whatever he touches, be it metal, rock, wood, or whatever. Solid materials, anyway." He mmms. "Fourth one, he creates and controls fire. But the last one…she's probably who y'all need to worry about." His eyes are steady. "She controls the weather, and she's probably the most advanced of the group. She's the reason our security forces haven't been able to get close. Currently, they've holed up an old ghost town near the New Mexico border, and we've managed to put a cordon in place around them. They're not gettin' far. But it's a standoff right now, though…and only a matter of time until they try to break out and make for th' border." he says, nodding to Dani. "We are expectin' that they will not quietly go, unless you can get particularly clever, or particularly persuasive. So I'm not gonna claim a throw down might not happen. But the group of you are a lot better at dealin' with this than us more…mundane folk."
Rahne and Nate will find it is tasty, tasty pizza. THe good stuff.
"Good." Ravager nods, once. "Make sure your people stay clear. And far away. We're not responsible for their safety. Crossfire can get nasty. And, I won't be worrying about it." She gives Slick Willy a very pointed glare of her eye that her father would be proud of, and considering just how armed to the teeth she is it seems to be one she absolutely means.
She walks over to the man, and holds her hand out. "The file." She's not asking, either. It doesn't matter he doesn't -seem- to have a file on him, at a sweeping glance. But Rose has been through this before. She can piece together problems, data. And she knows there's information in the files besides just names that might be useful to her, beyond what the man described.
Once said file is handed over, Rose states, "Let's not keep them waiting." And she looks back to the rest of the 'team' to see who is ready to go. And who, after finding out the abilities of their targets, might choose to bow out.
Dani hmmms a bit, "Okay, so the next question is how do we get there. Safe assumption that you're providing transportation?" She takes another slice of pizza, not shying away from the job after hearing about the targets. However, if she isn't taking the government types at their word, she is savvy enough not to show it at least.
Rahne remains silently dubious. She doesn't know what powers Nate might have, but she knows her own, and she knows Dani's. And she's got a guess that the girl with one eye and silver hair is probably mayhem incarnate. And there are five people they have to fight, and the man asking them to do this job is giving her the impression, at least, that these people are extremely powerful.
But Dani's all gung ho. "Aye, whatever. Let's do it."
This pizza…is AWESOME. Though apparently Ravager just decided that she was going to take point or be the leader or what have you. While Nate doesn't have a problem with this, he kinda gets this…eh…'ultra-lethal' kind of vibe from Rose. Nonetheless, Nate keeps his arms crossed after finishing his slice, and he takes a deep breath. "So we have a few wild cards in there that can make this a colossal mess. Well, alright."
And if thats the talk, Nate looks at the ladies he'll apparently be rolling with. "Better now than later, before they do any more harm."
Another brow is raised, the man's lips twitching, before he holds out a hand behind him. One of the two guards reaches under his suit, slowly, and pulls out a file folder that he hands off to his boss, who then hands it on to Ravager. "Oh, we have our little ways. In this case, we have the services of a teleporter who will get you to where you need to be." the agent says simply. "Now, if you want to all fly once there, well…you'll have to all fit on that pretty horse of yours." The man gets to his feet, idly dusting off a few crumbs from his suit, then gestures to a side fire door, which his two guardians head to to open and step out into the alley beyond, where a nondescript man is waiting semi-patiently. After a moment to bring Brightwind around, the mand holds his arms wide and a purplish line appears vertically in the air, then seems to sweep back like curtains being pulled, revealing a overcast scrubland scene on the other side, as well as a collection of tents, nondescript SUVs, and a pair of armed helicopters, along with a scattering of techs working at various portable equipment stations. There are also guards in high tech armor, carrying rifles, scattered around the area that must be the security forces that was mentioned.
The agent steps through, his bodyguards following him through as well.
Dani concentrates, murmuring something in what sounds like Norse, and suddenly she's covered head to toe in shimmering chain armor, looking much more like a Valkyrie. Complete with a sword sheathed at her hip. She hops onto Brightwind when he arrives, then narrows her eyes at the agent, glancing back at Rahne as she then says, "Hey, want a lift?" Her grin grows a little crooked at that.
Ravager glances, briefly at the file while Slick Willy keeps talking. She nods, once. Then, without even a glance back to the others to see who is coming, she begins to follow him, and his bodyguards, up to the people. The armor, the weapons are assessed with a quick once-over. She is keyed up. Taking in everything around her, from the smallest minutia to the most glaring point of obviousness.
She makes no comment to the measure of display and funding required to 'return these poor teenagers' to their little school. Instead she moves to the teleporter, ready to be sent to the location and signaling that only by her body language.
Rahne smirks slightly at Dani. "We're goin' through a portal, Dani," she says. "It's not tha' far. If ye all dinnae mind, I'll take point. A dog runnin' loose in the desert isnae so suspicious as…" She glances at Ravager. "An' I can let Mirage know whate'er I see. Where these people are."
Before anybody can respond to the suggestion she is a wolf, racing through the portal at speed and in the direction indicated before. When she gets close she can send back images to Dani — and any ideas she might have about the locations of the poor bairns in need.
What the…what!
A teleporter? He didn't know that technology existed in this time! Nate is learning some new things each and everyday. "This..just keeps getting more cool-looking each and every second." He shrugs, before he moves over to Ravager. "Well, you look like you know what your doing so…following your lead for now, I guess."
He looks over to Rahne as she jumps through the portal. A small breath being given as he rubs his eyes for a moment. His eyes look at Dani while she's on Brightwind, before Then he just looks at Ravager…then just steps through the portal. Nope.
The agent waves vaguely in your direction as you all head through. This is scrublands surrounding the town in question. Not quite an old west town, but definitely pre-20th century, with most of the buildings being crumbling adobe and brick. The largest building in town that can be seen is an old Spanish-styled church surrounded by a low, crumbling wall. Not a lot of movement, other than the smell of rain in the air. No sign of teenagers with attitudes, either, immediately anyway.
Since she's running up, Rahne can scent a lot of things that seem to belong…the scent of various desert rodents and lizards, of a old coyote trail, an old kill of some sort, perhaps a bird. The scent of human sweat faintly on the wind as she gets closer, though the wind is picking up from the ominous clouds overhead as it starts to drizzle.
Brightwind trots rather sedately through the portal, staying on the ground as Dani glances between Ravager and Nate, "Well, I can sense what Rahne does, so hopefully she can find an easy way in." She frowns a little, trying not to look nervous as Rahne scouts ahead, eyes narrowing a bit.
After they get some distance away from the base, Ravager begins to talk a bit again. "They're going to be watching us. LIkely enough they have a satillite trained on us even now," she starts to say.
"It's a black-ops government operation. Off the books. Full deniability. And something most people in the government wouldn't even know was going on. That equipment back there, however, is worth more than a year's month's worth of drug exports out of Columbia." She might be exaggerating, not by much.
"We're expendable. We're the shock troops. Just so you all know." Despite this, she is still marching on without pause.
Rahne may be a wolf, but wolves don't usually come in her particular shade of red. To most people she looks far more like a large and strangely colored German shepherd mix.
She hears Rose's words through her connection to Dani, even as she's entering the town, exploring, seeking that sweat she smelled before. «Duh,» comes her return message. «I've little doubt these people are wanted for the government t' use. Not t' be trained so they're nae dangerous.»
Arriving through the portal, Nate turns his head to take a look around. Though As Ravager just starts marching along, he takes a minute to just look at her. "Uhh…right, uhm, female John Conner, you want to at least wait up?" Nate runs after her, eventually nodding. "Thats how I read militaries work. they send in some wolves, and if the wolves get killed, they send in some more." he shrugs. But then he looks at Dani. "Okay, WHERE did you get that? That is awesome." Nate crosses his arms. "Well, I hope she finds something real good. because right now, I think we're at the disadvantage. We only know their powers, not what all these kids can do with them."
they could have some tricks up their sleeves!
Oddly enough Rahne actually blends better because she's red, as most of the rock around here tends to be off red amid scraggly trees and the occasional cacti. The scent winds through the town, then seems to be focused not on the church, but on an old two story flat roofed general store. Though the rain is starting to make it difficult to follow scents as it starts to come down a little harder.
Rahne is, however, in a position to see that there is someone up on the roof….mostly because said person shifts, then leans over the top of the roof, frowning as she looks right down at where she is. It's a Native American girl…long dark hair, and she's dressed in some sort of suit. Half green, half red. For some reason, the left leg appears to be missing, baring her leg. She seems unbothered by the rain as she frowns and straightens up, standing. She looks a bit battered, really, with faint bruises visible along one cheek and cuts along her bared arms. (so no sleeves for tricks!)
Dani glances over at Nate, "Yeah, well, makes me glad for Asgard working a little differently." At least in her idealized view of it, as she grins over at Nate, "Brightwind found me, actually… it's a bit of a long story." She pauses, and hmms, "There's one person on a building roof, from what Rahne sees. And well, maybe we could try a bit of a peaceful resolution, since, hey, I'm a Valkyrie, not a government mook." Though technically she might be an Asgardian Government Mook, but that's not the same thing, right?
"Here's something you don't know. The person running this 'school', in a year's time, if they have this girl who they say is the most dangerous, is going to use her," Ravager flatly tells Rahne, "And it will be the start of World War III. There will be large robots created to stop her. Monstrosities."
Of course, Nate would immediately pair that with Sentinels, and he wouldn't be wrong - at least, according to Rose's pre-cog vision-dream she had. And depending on Nate's experience with other such pre-cognitive visions, he might be able to ascertain the confidence and certainty to which she speaks to suspect she's had such.
"So it's likely we're going to have two fights. One, against these losers. And then another, against the asshats back there. The good thing, however, is those asshats back there can't mark us. Without exposing themselves. So it's a win-lose-win situation. Provided we survive."
Ravager pauses, looks up at the girl on the building, says nothing. Apparently she's leaving that to one of the others.
«One of them,» Rahne says, pausing in her exploration to consider the native woman. «She's Native American, Dani. Mayhap ye want t' come have a chat?» She's considering shifting to human form herself right now. She's fully aware that these people are dangerous… but so is she. And people would love to use her. After a few moments she pads toward the building, still in wolf form, and settles twenty feet away, watching the woman. Not trying to hide.
Nate looks at Rose as she speaks. "Well, your not wrong. As for starting world war III? Its not gonna be the existence of just one person like her…but the existence of a shit ton of people like her." Nate says specifically, perhaps revealing just a little bit of a future thats probably not gonna happen. Multiverse theory's a bitch.
Then he looks at Dani and he blinks. "The hell's a Valkyrie?" give him a break!
Nate sees the girl on the rooftop, and he blinks. He starts to fly upwards, unless she tries to knock him back down. Which would be problematic.
The native girl frowns, then steps off the roof and just…hangs in the air, floating up as she studies the wolf. "…you don't belong here, I think…" she decides after a moment, having some knowledge of what the local fauna look like. "Did the Keepers send you?" She frowns more. "…spirits, they suck, sending K9 up here now." She makes a little shooing motion. "Go back, lichii ba'cho, hey? Not a place for you right now."
There's a sudden powerful gust of wind that swirls out towards Rahne, forming into a dust devil as it swirls towards her. Not super fast, but defintely intended to startle her away.
She doesn't seem to have spotted the big white winged horse as of yet, or the two on foot making their way towards the edge of town…but she's definitely where she'll be able to spot them moving at her currently elevated height. Overhead, the clouds rumble ominously, the storm front starts to spread over the area more as it expands.
And the sudden appearance of Nate taking to flight does draw a response as a howling downdraft promptly tries to knock him back to the ground, as the Apache girl's eyes glow slightly. Yup. Now you've got her attention, at least, as she flies up a bit higher to get a better view.
"You fight us, Sarah, you're probably not going to have enough strength to fight the asshats back there," Rose calls, jutting a thumb behind herself from the way they came. She'll argue potential pre-cog dreams with Nate later.
The control of wind does get her attention, but she's not going for her weapons yet as she considers the terrain, assesses the situation at hand.
Dani glances over at the other two near her, "Yeah, let me see if I can talk to the one on the roof, you two can sneak up and see what more we have to deal with?" She grins at Nate, "Long story, and I… hey, wait a second!"
Dani sighs as Nate gets the roof girl's attention, shaking her head a bit. Then Brightwind launches into the air, taking a looping course around to avoid the worst of the wings, as… well, hopefully a Valkyrie isn't going to make her think "government mook SMASH" right away.
The wolf's eyes close as she senses that something has changed. She doesn't even need to look back over her shoulder to know what it is. It doesn't much matter what spooked the woman — Rainmaker, according to the files they were given. She's been spooked, and nothing is going to change that.
And so Rahne returns to her human form, passing through wolf form on the way. "Please," she calls up to Sarah. "They told us ye were runaways from some school, an' none of us much trust these government types. My friend, on the horse, she's comin' t' say hello. We don't want t' fight. Not if we can avoid it." She's not sure that goes for Nate or Rose, but she's going to assume the best of them for now.
Nate is blown back down thanks to the girl's epic downdraft. To the point where he lands back on the ground. "Hey! we just want to talk! We don't want to hurt you." Nate says, and his eyes don't even glow, so he's not using his powers…not that the girl knows that. He looks over to Dani and he looks apologetic. "Sorry. Raincheck?"
Was that joke too soon?
He does look over to Rahne and Rose as they try to reason with one of their targets.
The horse taking to wing is….distracting…and the winds have grown stronger, swirling in unstable patterns that force the winged stallion to have to push to make good headway, though it can be done. This is partly because Rainmaker is totally distracted as the red wolf promptly becomes a Scottish girl. A were-Scot? She retreats a bit, blinking at Rahne, then looks to Rose as she calls out. "…if you're with them, then I won't let you get any closer. And you'd be suprised what I can deal with." Sarah says, grimly. For a moment, it's a standoff….anything could happen! (to be continued!)
"They think we're with them," Ravager answers Rainmaker, casually. "But I've seen your case files. The problem is even if they have your personalities accurately pegged, they're so skewed that it's pretty apparent what their intention is." She feels, in fact, it's so apparent she doesn't need to speak it.
But, for the moment at least, it might be a record for her in not jumping into a fight immediately. And possibly even trying to prevent one. In … her own, unique way.
Dani urges Brightwind onward, letting the horse instinctively navigate through the headwinds. She frowns a little, but Brightwind does make it through the worst of the winds. The horse hovers over the roof for a moment, letting Dani hop off nimbly before he takes off again, circling out of the worst of the weather.
Then the Valkyrie takes off her helm, revealing Dani's face underneath, "Hey, yeah, we just wanted to see what was going on." She nods over towards Ravager in agreement, looking over at Sarah with a curious expression.
"The flying horse," Rahne amends, not quite sheepishly. She still has the stench of goat in her nose. It makes the wolf hungry, but the girl is not so fond of it. "We mightn't be so surprised as ye'd think," she continues a moment later, glancing toward the church and the source of the smell — it's not so sharp to her anymore, but she remembers perfectly well. "They said ye were the most dangerous of yer bunch."
Out in the distance and rapidly approaching something akin to a blue bullet. America has traversed quite a bit of countryside to reach this point, her cuarled, dark hair flowing on the breezee as she streaks toward the location ofthe other teenagers. She's wearing a blue babydoll t-shirt with a star on the front, and over it is a red hoodie, and a denim jacke with red and white stripes on the shoulders. She's paired this against black shorts today.
The teen ends up coming in close to Dani, slowing to a sudden top in a way that sends out a gentle breeze. Bobbing slightly in the headwinds, she lifts a hand to wave at Dani and Brightwind before scanning over those present once more.
"Nothing's blown up so far? Seems like we made it," America observes. "But just give it some time. …Who is this?" She jabs a finger at Sarah. "One of ours?"
As the wind continues to swirl around the group, Rainmaker's long hair flows behind her, flicking back and forth like a silken black flag, her arms folded over her chest as she frowns. Those dark eyes do flick towards Brightwind and his rider as they land, both because 1) flying horse and 2) flying Native American girl in valkyrie armor, which are both worthy of note, as is the sudden arrival of America, because suddenly she has a flying Latina floating in front of her too.
The hovering Apache snorts at Rose's words. "Shocking, they lied." she says flatly. "And let me guess, they figured they could nab a bunch of metahumans kids like us and use you against us? Typical. I'm shocked they didn't use their own hit squad for it."
"My guess is they're using us to take you down, keep things quiet. They've got a layout back there." Rose gestures back with her thumb. And, suggests, "They're going to come in and cleanup. Take the survivors. Best of the best."
She looks behind herself, briefly. Then, back up to Rainmaker. "Unless you really -do- think you're a Goddess," she says, with sucha blandness that one can't mistake the dry sarcasm, "We're not here to fight you. But, if you feel the need, we're not going to disappoint you either. Up to you."
Dani nods, "Yeah, we're not here to fight. I am with some… people, that are devoted to making sure people like you, like us are kept safe." She grins a bit, "But mainly we want to make sure to get you out of here, which… well, might be a bit tricky with the government people over there." She glances over towards America, then smiles, "Any thoughts about that?"
"…Like I said. One of ours," America offers in a reflective tone after Sarah has made her point. The Latine studies the hovering Apache woman, crossing her arms over her chest while she does so. "I didn't think we'd gotten the whole story," she offers by way of explanation, narrowing her eyes ever so slightly. "So what is the real deal down here? You guys can't stay here. If they asked us to get you then what are they going to do if we don't come back with anyone?"
Dani gets a brief nod and then America is turning slightly to study their surroundings. "If we make plenty of noise and cause some mayhem we can probably sneak people out during the 'conflict'. Storm clouds and maybe some fire. We'd really have to sell it."
In her human form, Rahne's senses aren't that much better than the average human — but a little better. And there's a whine growing, somewhere in the vicinity of Rose. Her eyes go to the girl with the silver hair, then flash toward Rainmaker. And under her breath she mutters something Gaelic and unprintable — Scots are proficient at profanity. "Ravager, move!" she shouts, even as she races toward her. She isn't positive that this is their 'target' attacking, sort of suspects it's a warning shot, if anything… but she doesn't want to take chances.
Rainmaker frowns. "…that's…possible." she admits to Rose, slowly. "That they're hoping to nab you too. If none of you have a lot of family they think would miss you…" She shakes her head. "Look, I don't know what they told you…but the place they had us, Project Genesis? It wasn't a school like it pretended to be. It was a testing facility…a way of trying to force people with certain genetic switches to be like us…get powers." The native girl shakes her head. "I and the others figured out what was going on. We staged a breakout, before any others of us 'went home'…" she notes, adding air quotes. "Because we never saw those kids again."
She glances towards the distant Keeper force waiting a distance away, and the cordon formed around the town. "…if we don't fight, they'll know somethin's up. And the other problem is, legally, they-" And then Rahne shouts her warning, her attention snapping to Ravager, before her eyes narrow, her hand coming coming up as electricity crawls down her fingers, building a charge, her eyes glowing as she orients on Rose.
Rose does not have a 'danger sense' like Spider-Man, … though it's vaugely similiar. When it works. Right now, it doesn't seem to be because she isn't sensing any danger, no pre-cognitive flashes - but she'll heed Rahne's warning all the same, instantly transitioning into a duck-and-roll, followed by a side-roll and then she comes up, crouched, and her pistols in each hand - looking for the danger.
Curiously enough? She's focused behind herself, where they came from, rather than at Sarah Rainmaker. "Where? What?" She demands of Rahne, scanning. But, tense. Coiled. Ready to act.
Dani crouches down, a bow that seems to be made of crackling purple energy forming in her hand as she looks back where they came, frowning a bit. Brightwind, on unspoken queue, flies up higher, doing a bit of recon as the link Dani has with her horse allows for some instant analysis of what exactly is happening.
Really, Rahne expected something to happen. "There… was a sound?" she says hesitantly, looking at the spot where Rose -was- and… well, human form isn't as good for this sort of thing. Werewolf it is. She shifts, claws extending, chin and nose lengthening into a short muzzle, sniffs deeply, trains her ears on the spot as well. "I dinna know what it was. I thought…"
With a sharp *crack* and a scent of ozone mixing with the rain, a small bolt of electricty streaks out from Rainmaker's fingers, aimed at the space right behind where Rose was standing. There's a sudden shrieking hum as part of the air shudders, blurring before with sharp crackle and shower of sparks a hovering orb appears as its camouflage shorts out and plummets to the ground with a wet *splut* of mud as it sends water splattering around it, its blue lense shimmering then sputtering out as the drone dies.
Rainmaker curses. "A Watcher. Dammit, I couldn't feel it, it must have been moving with your group to disguise itself! It probably heard everything!"
She hesistates, then says. "Okay. Okay. I…I have to trust you, there's no time. My friends aren't here. I led off the Keepers on a wild goose chase. The heat signatures they're picking up in the church are some goats I found and hearded inside so it looked like there were people there." She hesistates, then says, more reluctantly but honestly. "…and technically they can totally take me. I'm not quite 18…two days away. They managed to make me a ward of the government legally after my mother died. If they grab me, no one official can stop them from taking me back."
Rose watches the crackle and hiss of electronics with a critical stare. She looks to Rahne, then, and nods once. It's a compliment, and a thanks from the snarky white-haired girl. She simply says to Rainmaker, "Good thing we're not 'official', then, huh?" Frowning, she asks, "See, or hear, any of those other pieces of shit? I imagine they'll be coming at us any minute, if they over heard us."
Rose, it appears, is up for the fight and just stomping them down. "I don't like being used."
Dani nods, the bow fading from her fingers as she looks over at the sky, mentally asking Brightwind to do recon of the government agents to see what's happening over there. Then she looks back at Rose, "Yeah, I'm not too familiar with how laws work on Midga… er, Earth. Hmmm." She narrows her eyes, trying to think of something.
Rahne smelled the goats. Smells them still. "Knew about the goats," she says, voice significantly rougher than before. Her larynx was made more for howls and growls than speech. "We need to get ye out o' here, then," she says. "An' they try t' stop us, we dinna let 'em."
The radio system they're using isn't exactly 'high end'. More like 'Hacky cell phone group app and earbuds' for most of them. Abruptly the sound of whippign wind can be heard by anyone plugged into the system, and a voice crackles with distortion. "Friends! It is I, Kori Anderson!" In the distance, a green streak can be seen making a fast approach across the skyline. "I will join you shortly, from the east. The other location has been abandoned. What is the situation where you are at?" she inquires. Her tone: entirely too enthusiastic to be a really 'professional' demeanour.
"If we have to we can end this quickly enough," America adds grimly. She inclines her head slightly toward r=e, purs her lips briefly as she does. Then there's a bolt od electricity shooting from Sarah's hands. She observes the sequence without /too/ much concern. "way, we can't stay where we are. So, we can get out of here and if they cause us too much trouble…" SHe mimes through a punch at her right hard. "Right?"
"Since they're the ones making the laws, yeah, they can pretty much twist them until they scream and no one will say crap." Rainmaker says to Dani, then peers at Rahne, before her lips quirk slightly. "…yeah, you would, I'd guess." She sighs. "My friends are long gone by now. I made sure I wouldn't know where they went, just in case. They should be safe, no matter what happens."
She narrows her eyes, then nods firmly to Rose. "Likewise. I can't sense anything else…I can feel things displacing the rain, that's probably why they moved the Watcher in behind you cloaked…I couldn't separate it from you moving through the rain until, uh, Miss Big Bad here called it out." she says, gesturing to Rahne. She glances to America, then at the others. "…if you trust me…I can carry you, to fly…but I don't know if your flying horse can outrun a Keeper vtol." she admits. "And I don't want to leave you to deal with this…they're gonna be pissed." she says, hands on her hips as she floats down closer to the rest of you.
When she spots Kori incoming, she blinks. "…ah…friend of yours?" she says, hopefully.
"Yeah. She's our resident Cheerleader, pretty decent in a fight," Rose says of Starfire. As To Rainmaker's proposal of 'flying her'? Rose grunts, and scowls. "You drop me, you're dead, Goddess," she says meaningfully to her. The scowl on her lips suggest she understands the necessity, but the thought of giving up that control of her body and ability to react is not one she's fond of. There's a glance to America, and then to Starfire - more trust in the people she's fought with than Rainmaker, just now. But, she'll consent.
Brightwind sees the mobilization, and does the prudent thing… that is, hightail it right back towards the roof where Dani and the others are standing. He settles very tentatively on the roof, not wanting to put too much pressure on the surface.
Dani, meanwhile, looks at the others, "We have two probably superpowered people there, plus a fair amount of armored vehicles and other unpleasantries." She hrmms, "I don't know if I can outrun them, but well, the best thing might be to bust out of the perimeter. Staying put doesn't seem like a good strategy here."
"They've got portals," Rahne observes. "An' they're not sendin' things in right off. We ought t' be gettin' out o' here, I think." A wolf is rarely a match for a… killer robot thing. "Let 'em have the goats."
There's a flash of green light and Kori is hovering nearby above head level. Wreathed in viridian energy, clad in (not very modest) purple clothing, she certainly strikes a figure. Even her hair seems to curl and twist, more fire than fibers. "Fighting our way to freedom is noble, but perhaps risky," she offers to the group. "We are not in a strong tactical position and our enemies may overwhelm us. I can fly you to safety but not quickly," she warns the others. "Most vehicles would be able to give chase and we will appear on telemetric scanners." She focuses on Rainmaker. "You seem to know the area— is there somewhere we could retreat, and hide? What if I offered a diversion tactic to draw them away from you?"
Okay, it's a gorgeous hovering redhead. As it turns out, Rainmaker is weak to powerful redheads, from her expression and the moment where she just….stares, before she snaps herself out of it, getting a faint flush. "Uh, yeah. So…hi." she says, stammering for a moment, before she shakes herself. "Uh, right, I could take you someplace to hide out, I know the mountains near here. There's caves they wouldnt' be able to detect us, enought hat we could hide out for long enough for me to be legally an adult…then they can't do a damn thing to me, at least officially."
Dani grins at Sarah, "Hey, that might be the best thing then, just laying low. Since… well, otherwise things could get really nasty. Especially since they have some metahuman people there of their own." She gets up onto the winged horse, and looks at Rahne, "Want a lift sailor?" She grins over at the wolf-girl, offering her a ride.
Rahne smirks slightly as she moves to take Dani's hand, resuming human form so as not to worry Brightwind. Sure, he knows her well enough — but better safe than sorry.
"This seems a prudent course of action then," Kori agrees, and beams a smile at Rainmaker. She swoops lower. America can move around fast, of couse, and Dani offers Rahne a ride. So Kori floats six inches off the ground in front of Sarah, and offers her a hand. "Come, then. We can shelter out of their sight and lead them away with cunning tactics. Once the appointed hour is past, we can find somewhere safe to put you."
She beams suddenly. "And then we will have The Cake of the Day of Birth! It will be delicious, I am sure," she reminds the others. "Perhaps we will buy it from Carvelle!"
Rainmaker blinkblinks. "Uh, sure….right." she says, reaching out to take Starfire's hand, before her eyes glow as she gathers up Kate and Rose and Nate to pull them along, the group drawing in. And it's a full on charge! The Keepers aren't expecting a sudden offensive, though they try to move to cut off the group, opening up on them as they obviously seem like they're going to shoot past. However, between starblasts, America's strength, Brightwind and Dani's skill in flight, and Rainmaker's ability to summon powerful downdrafts and lighting, a lot of VTOLs are forced down. Since they're in the air, the ground Keepers try to pop off shots, even firing off some missiles when they realize that the group of teens is just overpowering them, but to no avail! Meanwhile, back at the main group, a blonde man in red, black, and gold lifts off, a white cap flapping behind him and starts giving chase, carrying a beautiful dark haired girl apparently telekinetically beside him as they give chase. It's by the skin of their teeth and requires Hawkeye and Nate Grey drawing off the two metahuman teens in pursuit, the group is able to find a fairly large cavern hidden behind a small opening. It's dry, and gets them out of the rain, if nothing else, and there's even room for Brightwind after America widens the entrance a little. Time to hide out…and maybe find out more of what's going on.
