Summary:Whitestar again attempts to steal necessary technical equipment to try and control her unstable power signature…and is opposed by Heavensent and Surge when they catch her trying to make off with a technical exhibit just off Times Square. Power outages may be involved. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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Following the destructino of the area and the massive amount of money used to rebuild it, several tech companies have snapped up cheap land on the edges of the attack site and built their own campuses for research, on the edges of the "heart" of New York, where the greatest of its landmarks are in the process of being restored. Macabe Industries, the local Google cam pus, and Sol-Inc, a facility specializing in finding ways to alter the glassed over exteriors of New York's many skycrapers to help diminish the heat focused down on the streets below, as well as turning those windows into green solar panel systems that can absorb some of that energy to help power the ever-greedy power needs of the city. After all, what company doesn't want to save a bit of money AND possibly sell power back to the local power company?
The facility is a model of what could be, a open, airy area with shimmering buildings, with the centerpiece of it being an artificial "sun" that glows softly in the evening, demonstrating the power being diverted from solar absorption in the buildings. The sun itself is a marvel of engineering, containing a variety of rare metals and superductors, as well as a advanced battery that stores power during the day that it might shine at night, very efficiently.
Which is why a certain alien has taken notice of it, and decided, out of growing desperation, that she NEEDS that sun.
Not that idle passerbys no that, as of yet, as she's currently making her way pretty directly towards the campus, but on the other hand is dressed in a fully covering black hoodie with the hood pulled up to hide her silvery-white hair and snug black jeans and mismatched orange and black converse over her feet. Even her hands are pulled back into her sleeves at the moment.
Noriko isn't one to question anyone's fashion sense. The teen's own look leans heavily towards the punk, her current attire a pair of cutoff shorts, a ripped band tee, and heavy boots. Well, plus the bulky metal gauntlets, but those are kind of a constant. Some people go for a walk to soak in the sun. Surge… She does it for the power. Back at the mansion, if she opens herself up too much you get flickering, brownouts, and people complaining. But the air here practically /sings/ with it. So she's content to wander, letting the energy flow around and through her.
Jimmy has been studying, out in Central Park, for way longer than he planned to. Hey, it had been a fascinating few chapters, and before he knew it, it was evening. Now he's done, books stashed in his satchel, and heading up north to stretch his legs. Other than being moderately tall and with a nice overcoat, there's nothing to particularly call attention to him. Yet, he does notice Noriko. The hair and gloves kind of make her stand out. And from looking in her direction, he notices the Sol-Inc courtyard. "Huh." Now that is interesting. He turns his walk to head in that direction and get a better look. He hasn't seen it lit up like that before.
The figure in the hoodie walks up to under the sun where it shimmers, supported by four thick curving buttresses that surround it from the cardinal directions - north, south, east, west. There's a stylized compass in the paving that surrounds it for that matter in bronze as well. For now, she blends into the crowd taking pictures of the sun, mostly tourists, and the street performance artists in the area playing music or doing tricks for passerby. Her hooded head turns back and forth for a moment, as she examines the places the sun is secured at…then suddenly glows with a blazing white corona as she lifts off, rising up to just under the sun.
Nori's mostly just basking, eyes only barely cracked enough to dodge pedestrians, when a new light blasts through her lids. "Whoah!" She turns away, snagging her sunglasses from where they're tucked into her top and putting them on, before looking back. Is she… glowing? And flying? …yeah, that's not normal. She starts to cut through the crowd with a purpose, heading over to see exactly what's up.
Jimmy's eyes being on the sun means he's in just the right place to see Whitestar when she stops being subtle. He curses under his breath. Something is going on, that's for sure. Others don't seem to be paying Jimmy much attention, so he brings up a veil to keep it that way. Down go his satchel, his coat, and then comes the change.
Next time he's visible, it's as a glowing, four-winged figure, floating off the ground and a few yards away from Whitestar. He keeps his eyes on her face, considering her. She doesn't seem aggressive, doesn't seem violent… but a determined, desperate person can do all kinds of things.
Better to start this not with a sword, but with an olive branch, he thinks. "Hello." His voice reverberates in strange ways. The rest of his approach will have to depend on how, or if, she reacts to him.
The glowing woman definite gets attention. You can tell the smart New Yorkers by the ones who immediately head out of the area, looking for the nearest shelter. The tourists, less so as they stay taking pictures. You can also tell the young and dumb New Yorkers by the ones staying to record it on their phones, of which there are a few.
The woman doesn't seem to care, reaching up to get a good grip on the sun, which is a good ten feet across, then puts her shoulder to it and jerks , accelerating up as there's a sharp *crack* from the supports as the metal strains, sparks snapping out of the straining cables as she starts to snap it from its supports.
Then there's a glowing person with wings, which draws her attention. "I have no time for greetings." she grunts, then redoubles her efforts to break the sun free! Because floating glowing person with wings probably means he's about to interrupt her otherwise!
BGM: https://youtu.be/3JdWlSF195Y
Noriko- Surge now, speeds up as the shriek of tearing metal sounds. Cutting to the front of the crowd she shoots her hands out, arcs of power from the severed cables jumping to the tips of her gauntlets. If they're going into her, they're not going into someone who could get hurt. "Hey! Someone's going to get hurt here!" A blue glow starts to build behind her glasses, hair standing on end as it crackles with static.
Heavensent's eyes go wide. She's really just going to straight-up do it, huh? He flies to one of the metal supports, both hands pressing down on it… but while his strength is significant, it's nothing like Whitestar's. "Why Are You Doing This? Why Do You Need This?" Almost everyone, on some level, wants to be understood. Even if it doesn't slow her down, he can at least try to learn about her, at least get some information about why. He grimaces at Surge's reminder, and he ndos to her as he strains, face flushed as he uses all his strength to support the tearing metal.
Heavensent can feel the woman's desperation and determination surge as he preses down on it, keeping her from breaking it free. "No! You will not block me from this!" she says, letting got and shooting back her hood, her wild, silvery hair spilling out around her face and down her back, her blue eyes blazing now.
There's a humming noise for a moment as the gem in her forehead seems to spark a little, glowing brightly, before she visibly seems to fight down something. "GET AWAY!" she says, then draws back her arms as she shoots at the shimmering angelic figure, trying to spike him down and away from the sun!
There's a suprising amount of power running into the sun, but not as much as there would be during the day, fortunately! Easy enough for Surge to absorb all the electricity sparking out harmlessly.
Surge's body flares with power as she tries to stabilize-…Nope, she can't hold this. At all. She's not actaully any stronger than she would be normally, and F=MA doesn't help when you can't take a run-up. Instead… Okay, time to start relocating people away from here. Starting with the closest to the battle she zips them a couple hundred feet away, careful to support their heads so they dont' get whiplash
Heavensent… he actually manages to hold it down for a little while longer. His eyes go wide. He hadn't been expecting that—
But of course, serving as obstacle means she's going to come right to the point and get him out of the way. Oh, this is going to suck. He takes his hands off the buttress and crosses his arms in front of him, forming a double-thick shield.
Which shatters on that overcharged strike, sending him crashing into the ground below. He's hurt, but it softened the blow enough that he's not immediately knocked out. Gritting his teeth through the pain, he keeps his eyes on Whitestar. "Why… Do You Need It?" He knows it's a matter of need. Desperation like that doesn't come from anything less.
He can't afford to take his eyes off Whitestar, but he still knows what Surge is doing, so he offers her his gratitude — literally projecting it at her without a word. It may be a weird sensation.
Whitestar's eyes flick to the girl shooting around the plaza, dashing tourists and teens out of the way to clear the area. She doesn't seem inclined to stop her from doing so, as she's not doing anything she finds objectionable. Yet.
Her attention returns to Heavensent. "I require it! That is enough." she says, evasively. Telling your opponents your weaknesses, after all, does not strike her as a good idea. Last time, the spider kept her talking then starting shooting sticky substances at her! And she had nothing for her risk in the end.
Her fists crackle with energy, white arcs of energy running over her fingers as she points. "It is also enough you will /not/ stop me. Stay where you are and there will be no further trouble…or pain."
…Okay. Now the civvies are out of the way, but… Surge looks up at the pair of brightly glowing opponents facing off. …yeah, She can't do much about that right now. The live cables flailing around though… Sinking back into the flow a little, she finds two that are aching to connect, and grabs one in each hand. She flares brighter, gritting her teeth as crackling arcs rise from her hair. "How much… does it take… For the /fucking breakers/… to trip!?"
That's the problem, isn't it? He's already been sorted into the O bin. Opponent, Obstacle. But clearly not 'obliteration target', or he wouldn't still be groaning. His wings spread, and he lifts back off to the ground, turning upright as he does. "This…" He gestures to the courtyard, now cleared thanks to Surge. "…Puts People In Dang—" He cuts off for a pained cough. His chest isn't totally collapsed, right? Let's hope not. "In Danger. You Need This, But More Than This. You Need Help. Expertise. I Know People. Stand Down, Talk, Please. No Need To Escalate." Hey, last time he was in an encounter like this, his group managed to talk down some enraged ghosts. It's worth giving Whitestar a chance.
"No! I will not go to the place of greetings and be imprisoned!" the woman snaps, her eyes glowing momentarily as her fingers tighten. "If you do not wish for these people to be harmed, then you will withdraw without a fight and allow me to depart with the solar idol!"
And then Surge unwittingly provides an ideal distraction as she grabs the cables and feeds them into each other, promptly causing the local power grid to feed back on itself and tripping breakers as the lights nearby suddenly go out…and the black circle spreads, as a series of breakers trip to isolate the local grid…meaning quite a lot of buildings go dark nearby.
Fortunately, while this causes a bit of dismay and chaos, it hasn't extended to Times Square itself, and local traffic lights appear to be on a different circuit.
It does mean Whitestar spins, distracted for a moment as her gaze darts around the rapidly darkening plaza.
…On the upside, the cables aren't flailing around turning the dirt into grass where they arc any more. On the downside, this leaves the teen lit up like a beacon of lightning, and being stared at by Whitestar. "Nobody's trying to take you anywhere! I'm just trying to keep anyone from getting hurt!"
Even with the campus cast into darkness, Heavensent still radiates his strange glow.
"Then Talk" Heavensent coughs again, wincing. Oh this recovery period will suck. "From Afar. A Phone Call, A String Of Text." Crazy-powerful overloaded alien girls know how to email, right? "Give Others A Chance To Help. Give Yourself A Chance To De-Escalate, To Look Like What You Are. Not A Common Criminal. A Desperate Person." He holds his hands out at his sides, unarmed. Not that he's a threat to her even if he conjured up a pair of spirit-claymores. "I Am Heavensent. What Is Your Name?"
Whitestar narrows her eyes. "The spider one used a phone to uncover me." Granted, he didn't MEAN to do that, but she's a bit paranoid at the moment. "I do not need to do the text talking with you on the phones that are smart! I need /this/!" she points out, floating back towards the sun. She shakes her head furiously. "You are trying to confuse me…" She mmphs. "The ones who found me called me Whitestar. It will serve."
At least with the power out, Surge isn't absorbing /more/ electricity, as the cables have died out. "If you do not wish to be hurt, then step aside!"
Surge grits her teeth, staring up at Whitestar. She takes the glasses off again, eyes glowing actinic blue in her sockets. "First, I need to make sure you're not using this to hurt other people. Because if I let you go, and you do? That's on me. I know you'll kick my ass if this comes down to a fight, but I can't let you hurt people when I might have saved some of them."
Heavensent rises, coming closer to Whitestar's level. "I Am Trying To Help You," he insists. He purses his lips as he looks to Surge, nodding. "Why Do You Need It? If It's Just For Yourself, If You Won't Hurt Others… That's Different From If You're Building A Doomsday Device. Whitestar, You Know We Can't Stand By And Let You Hurt Others, However Much You'll Hurt Us."
Whitestar weighs her options. She could tell them…but then they would know her weakness. But she wouldn't have to fight them and would probably get to keep the equipment she needs. Or she could not tell them, fight them, then take it…if it wasn't destroyed in the fight, of course. Decisions, decisions.
"I need it to stabilize my energy." she says after a long moment, narrowing her eyes. "I do not need the device for the doomsdays."
"…See, I know that feeling." Surge raises one hand, wiggling metal gauntleted fingers. "There are people out there who can help you, like they helped me. …And you're a lot more powerful than me, so I'm betting you overloading is even worse." She straightens up, the arcs crawling across her body starting to slow down. "…Just bring back what you don't need, okay? This is a good company that's trying to help the planet here."
Heavensent hovers in place for a moment longer, thinking. When Surge slows down her arcing, that's his signal. He draws back, drifting back to the ground. They've reached her, probably better than they had any right to, but he nods to her. "And Remember The Offer." There are people who can help. And while he has a couple of ideas, Surge knows exactly the people to introduce.
Whitestar hmmphs, then warily floats back until she can get her hands back on the sun, gripping it again. Weakened, it's easier for her to push upwards, the remaining supports snapping free as she lifts it up into the air, balancing it on her back. "If I do not need all of it, I can bring the rest back." There's a pause. "After I kill Koriand'r." she decides.
"Uh-uh. No killing people." Surge folds her arms across her chest and glares up at Whitestar, expression serious again. "This whole deal is based on you not killing anyone. If you kill anyone, or hurt innocent people, the deal's off. …And then I have to fight you. And I don't want to do that."
Heavensent's head snaps up at that last bit, which Whitestar still said in her outside voice. But then, do Tamaraneans even have an inside voice? He nods to Surge, and straightens up again — even as parts of his body crack and groan uncomfortably. "Heal Yourself. But If You Aim To Hurt Others, We — And More — Will Stand Against You."
Whitestar realizes she maaaaaay have blurted out more than intended. Eh. Her eyes narrow still. "…if you stand between me and my vengeance, you /will/ be destroyed. Nothing will stop me. The traitorous troq /will/ pay." she snarls. "I would recommend you not attempt it. I have no wish to destroy /you/ as well.
And Heavensent will feel….pure rage from the woman. Intense, maddening, white-hot rage and hatred.
The energy crackling over her fingers spreads as the humming starts to build from her again, before she takes a deep breath, shoving down the power surge with pure willpower as she shudders, trying to tamp down her emotions again. Her power seem to be responding to them.
"Uuuuuh… Okay, We'll discuss this at a later date. Looks like the stability isn't the best, so… Later?" The teen's getting antsy, shifting back and forth on her feet a bit nervously, the arcing picking up speed again. "…And I've got homework. So, uh… Bye!" And then she's gone in an actinic blue flash, streaking off through New York.
Heavensent opens his mouth, but Surge is already gone. Leaving him just one on one with an unstable (in so many ways) alien. He looks up at her… but sighs and touches down. There's nothing he can do at this point, as beat-up as he already is. All he can do is hope they haven't erased all the progress they'd made.
Whitestar purses her lips, flicking her eyes over as Surge vanishes, then returns her gaze to Heavenscent. Her emotions are unsteady now, suspiciousness mixed with that surging hatred that's slowly tamped down, her paranoia flaring for a moment then lessening as the angelic hero makes no attempt to come at her and the lighthing girl vanishes.
She hmphs, hefting the sun, then shoots upwards, that white corona flowing around her like a comment as she gains altitude, then rockets to the northeast, the sun going with her!
Hopefully that won't be something anyone regrets later…