Summary:There's a streak of light in the sky over the Disaster Zone. Gabrielle, Black Panther and Vixen investigate Log Info:Storyteller: None |
Related LogsTheme SongNone |
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Now tell me me, did you sail across the sun?
Did you make it to the milky way to see the lights all faded?
And that heaven is overrated?
Tell me, did you fall for a shooting star?
One without a permanent scar?
And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there?
Shooting stars are relatively common phenomena above the Disaster Zone or at least bright, colored streaks of light that look like them are. The Black Panther has recently discovered that there are in fact two beings that make them and he's been sitting on one of the higher points of the DZ, stargazing tonight.
A red streak darts across the sky. The Panther looks down at a little display that is in fact tracking someone's cell phone. Then back down, then back up.
Nope. That's not her.
The text message goes out from a 'number' that simply says 'Panther' and finds Mari McCabe and Gabrielle Doe.
"Said the Black Cat to the Star and Vixen: Do you see what I see?"
Gabrielle Doe has learned that phones make a lot of noise! Luckily, some of the Zonie kids have been more than willing to help her figure out how to trim down the notifications. So when she gets the incoming text (it's her first!), she takes a look at it. Apparently, her amnesia hasn't affected her ability to read. "//How can I see what you see? I don't even know where you are! :) //" Someone is not familiar with old Christmas tunes.
The blonde woman does float up into the air, surrounded by an orange halo, peering about to see if she can spot the Panther. He must be around, right?
Mari has been busy - her Board almost always wants to talk to her and she's still investigating the designer that hijacked her show the other week. That doesn't mean she hasn't delivered some supplies to Gabrielle - a package of simple and serviceable clothing and sleeping bags for some of her friends. It's not much, but its something.
When the message comes in, she's far from the Disaster Zone but she can see the display that the message refers to. A glowing silhouette of an eagle forms behind the dark skinned woman as she takes to the skies herself and follows Gabrielle's tracking signal.
She arrives not too much longer after the blonde floats to the sky.
The Panther is around. He's perched like a - well, a cat - atop a particularly large skeleton of a building. A mass of steel girders and crumbled concrete. It's the highest point in the area and he is silhouetted against the lights coming from the city. So he's not too hard to spot. Nor is the red streak he's tracking. It's not moving in a straight line. It's zig-zagging over the zone. Then it circles and zig-zags the other way. It looks very much like someone looking for something. Or a hawk trying to track prey.
And it might thinks it sees something. The red light dips low and begins to get brighter, and closer…
"Look up." Is the text that comes back. "See the red light? I think that's our Gabrielle Imposter."
Gabrielle Doe waves to Mari as she sees the other woman approaching, and then she spots Panther. And The Streak. Her usually bright expression dips into a frown and she moves from floating to flying, heading towards that streak. Her halo shifts from orange to purple and she does a flyby of Panther, reaching out with a hand to project her aura to grab hold of him and pull him along with her. If it looks like Mari can't keep up, she'll grab Mari as well.
"Red is heat beams." Gabrielle shares with the others. "Really useful in winter." But also really good if you want to attack someone.
Mari returns the wave that Gabrielle gives and salutes The Panther, though her attention is on the red light that's zig zagging and getting closer. She doesn't falter as Gabrielle moves off, she should be able to keep up but if she's towed, there'll be no complaints.
"You think they're going to launch an attack?" She asks Gabrielle, spreading out a little to make them less of a target. The only assumption they can go on for the moment is that this is a being similar to Gabrielle and the colours mean the same thing.
At the moment it's coming right toward them so keeping up isn't a huge issue. Then all of a sudden it stops and Gabby and Mari can both see a man with wavy dark hair. Almost Raphaelite. He's dressed in remarkably clean clothing and does definitely not look underfed. And Gabrielle might know who it is. He went missing. Three months ago.
"You…" Who 'you' is in this context is not quite clear, but the hands come up and blast red light at both Gabby and Mari.
"It knows you?!" The Panther calls out in surprise. Gabrielle had reacted in shock when she'd learned of another like her. That is clearly not the case in the reverse.
"Jake? What happened to you?" Gabrielle does recognize the man, but he certainly didn't have powers when she knew him! Well, that he shared.
As the blast comes screaming at them, Gabrielle lifts up her arms in an X before her, the purple halo about her shifting to form a curved shield against the attack.
Mari takes a moment to assess the man as he approaches, drawing her phone out to try and snap some photo's. With those, they might be able to do some investigation … oh Gabrielle knows him. That draws a look from the spirit caller, who hovers several feet to the blondes left.
As Gabrielle forms that shield though, Mari dives, hoping the purple halo will give her some protection. She remembers what the blonde had said about one colour at a time and she was drawing the Panther along with her. It's going hurt one way or the other - but maybe she'll slow his fall.
Fortunately Gabrielle had T'Challa with her purple aura to begin with and didn't have to drop him. Which T'Challa certainly appreciates. Diving behind cover is still a really good idea though and the beams glance off the shield in two directions. The amount of heat from the blasts though, is immense.
Jake, since that's apparently his name, doesn't answer, though. He just dives for the ground. There's more cover down there and once he hits close to street level he starts to weave through the rubble and buildings. That slows him CONSIDERABLY, but it makes it harder for Gabby to get a shot in with her current aura. It may or may not do anything to Mari though who can access some REALLY agile birds.
T'Challa is along for the ride at the moment but looking and hoping for an opportunity to cut this short. He might get one not that he knows it. Jake is headed toward an area where there are currently people sleeping. People Gabby knows. In fact, people Mari knows. They were handing out food and clothes there just a couple of days ago.
Gabrielle Doe's head turns aside as she pushes the purple shield forward, trying to put a bit more space between her and the heat rolling off of it. Luckily it's not too long and Jake's flying off. Gabrielle dives down as well, tossing the Panther towards a flat, raised area as they get down into the press of the rubble.
She's not inclined to fire off shots at the guy. "He's headed towards a camp!" She calls out to the others, her tone worried. Is he going to attack them? Steal some of them? Instead of following on his tail, she adjusts course towards the Zonies, so she can try to detour him if that's his intended target.
The dive makes it easier for Mari to follow. The Eagle is fast but she can be more agile, the silhouette changes to a small goshawk. It's not as quick as Gabrielle but she should be as quick as the man below … not that she has to be.
As Gabrielle goes one way, she goes another, trying to come in at an angle and dive at him. Her fingers form sharp talons - if she can she's going to rake at any exposed skin.
T'Challa is thankfully thrown forward of the path of Jake and he has another way to divert the man. Cause an avalanche. Which he does, climbing high to knock over a pile of rubble. It causes a rock shower. Pincered in from two sides he can't continue going on for the camp. Not with his flight path constricted, Gabby and Mari closing in and rocks raining down on him. Mari in fact closes in enough to get a painful stroke on the man's arms. She ploughs three long cuts from his wrist to his shoulder before he pulls away.
And up. He weaves through the rocks, blasts a larger one into slag and pebbles and goes right for the Black Panther.
And tackles him off his perch.
"You'll do just fine!" Jake snarls at the two go tumbling down several stories, hitting things on the way down until they reach the ground. Jake goes purple, grabs the Panther and slams him into the ground. Repeatedly. Hard.
As the Panther manages to get Jake to detour, Gabrielle swings wide to come at them from the far side. It's a wider loop than the others take, so it takes long moments for her to close the distance and she has to watch in horror as Jake starts to slam the Black Panther into the ground.
"NO!!" Gabrielle screams, pouring on the speed and leading with a battering ram of her violet aura.
"Oh no you don't…" Mari growls as the silhouette of the goshawk is joined by lion. She rises to start with, leaving the Panther unsupported, wincing as he's grabbed by Jake and slammed.
Reaching high enough, she turns and plummets to the ground, fingers outstretched with cruel claws extending from them. She should hit Jake at the same Gabrielles aura hits him. The claws closing around the mans neck, digging into his throat.
T'Challa is dropped as Gabrielle slams into Jake and puts him into a crumbling wall. And then Mari is on him and Jake struggles but there is something desperately wrong. These struggles. They're wild. Full strength. They're without any regard or concern for safety or even life and limb. These are the struggles of someone who doesn't care if he lives or dies.
The Panther hasn't moved but his suit is glowing bright, bright purple.
"Oh. You found a pretty one…" Jake says, almost manically to Gabrielle. His eyes are wide. Too wide. The inflections, the voice patterns. They're all wrong. As he struggles against Mari's claws and Gabrielle's aura and starts to bleed he look back at the dark skinned spirit channeler.
"Maybe I should get a pretty one. She'd do. She'd do nicely…"
Once Jake is off of T'Challa, Gabrielle is less incentivized to keep fighting. She's placed herself between the Panther and Jake, floating there with her halo of light around her and arms cocked, ready to fend him off if he tries again.
The blonde's expression is worried, and perhaps hurt. "Jake, what are you talking about? What happened to you? Did… did the bad people do something to you too?" Her voice drops a bit, down to more of a whisper, worried that this might be a result of what was done to Charm. Is she a result of the same thing?
"Panther?" Mari calls when the man is dropped. That's about all she has time to do as Jake struggles "Will.you.stay.still." Those claws are cruel and Vixens fingers flex, digging them a little more into the mans flesh. The coppery scent of his blood hits the air.
"What's he talking about?" That's to Gabrielle. "You got a pretty one too?" That doesn't make *any* sense.
Perhaps a little more roughly than she intends, Mari gives Jake a shake "What do you mean. I'll do nicely."
Jake smiles wide at Gabrielle. "Oh yes. Horrible things. Horrible things to me. And to you. But I'll pay them back. I'll pay them all back. Starting with this one right here…"
He starts to twist in Mari's grasp despite the fact that her claws are digging into him. He just doesn't seem to care as his flesh is torn and he bleeds. As he does so both Mari and Gabrielle can see rainbow sparkles of light in his eyes and close to his mouth. "Come a little closer, pretty one. I just need to choke the life out of you without ruining your skin. Such nice, soft skin. It almost glows…" That may not answer Mari's question about what he means. But it's sure as hell creepy.
And then the Panther hits him and explodes.
Well, the Black Panther doesn't explode. Something blasts outward from his suit. A purple shockwave that… well, probably knocks everyone down. Definitely knocks Jake down, maybe sends him tumbling with Mari.
"You're not dead?!" Jake is screaming. "That's impossible! Oh. I HAVE to have you now. Come here, kitty kitty…"
Jake is a wreck from that. He's probably got a couple of busted ribs and his nose is bleeding profusely to say nothing of what Mari did to him but he's trying to struggle toward the Black Panther anyway. Not that he has much of a chance of making it, really. Not with Mari and Gabby there.
The madness about Jake has Gabrielle shaking her head as she drifts further away. She's got the look of a kicked puppy, seeing what's happened to someone who, while perhaps not a friend was someone she knew and trusted here in the Zone. Something hard to come by, honestly.
A small scream tears loose from the blonde as Jake twists in Mari's clutches, heedless of the damage he does to himself. So much of her attention is on the macabre sight before her, she's caught off-guard as the Panther's blast slams into Jake, the shockwave sending Gabrielle's hovering form flying backwards.
It takes a minute to recover, Gabby's halo shifting from purple to green as she pours on the speed to re-close the distance, one arm outstretched as she tries to catch Jake with her stasis beam.
"Stop that…" Mari growls, her claws loosening as Jake twists in her grasp. She's not cruel and doesn't wish to hurt the man - not when he seems so … ill. "I'm sorry they hurt you. We're trying to stop them but …" the ex-model stops talking as her claws close over Jakes flesh again. She really doesn't want him to get any nearer and letting him go seems to be counterproductive.
Then she's knocked backwards as the world about her explodes, sending her tumbling into the side of a structure.
ooof
"Careful, Gabrielle." It's going to take a moment for Mari to recover and join the fray again.
Jake floats left and strikes out at the Panther who similarly dodges. When Gabrielle tries to stasis him, his aura flips to green as well and he tries to do the same thing to her. It's not entirely clear that he either knows or cares what will happen when the power beams collide but if it's a contest of wills his seems to be powered by madness. There's no other word to describe it.
His focus shifts entirely onto Gabrielle leaving the Panther and Mari momentarily unmolested. The Black Panther grabs a large chunk of concrete and tosses it to Mari who has better positioning.
And then he watches to see what happens when light powers meet other light powers. The two arms outstretched - Jakes and Gabrielle's - almost look like a certain Michelangelo painting for just a moment.
The green auras collide and seem to meld into one. For a long moment, the pair are held like flies in amber, and then slowly Jake starts to move while Gabrielle does not.
Once that dam breaks, Jake starts to gain speed and freedom again. Gabrielle finally starts to move as well, but it's like she's in molasses and she needs to keep her green halo up just to maintain that degree of movement.
"Gabrielle…" Mari has shaken herself and is moving again - all of that didn't take very long, after all. "… he's getting away." Ohhh, a piece of rubble and she's got a line and a spirit on her.
Cocking her arm back, Mari throws the concrete. She doesn't throw like 'a girl'. Or maybe she does - a highly capable one.
For a moment, the yellow and black clad superheroine is torn … before zipping over to the blonde and taking her arm. "Come on … "
"What's happened to you?" She can guess and she doesn't like the answer. "Can you follow him, Panther?" maybe then can catch him, if she managed to do any good with that throw.
Mari's throw catchs Jake in the shoulder and spins him. That's enough for the Black Panther to leap and catch him, bringing him back down to earth.
By this point Jake is a bloody mess. He's panting and laughing and gurgling a little. His eyes are still wild and he doesn't show any signs of being pained by his injuries. He is however clearly impaired by them. His aura's flicker, never stabilizing enough for him to use them.
"I… I can't believe you sided with them." He says to Gabrielle, even as Mari moves toward her. "I don't blame you really. She's so pretty. But we're us. We're different from them. We're better than them. And you're throwing that all away…"
"Stop talking. We will get you to medical attention soon, but you have a lot to answer for." T'Challa says.
"Don't want medicine. Don't need it. Just need a new suit…"
There's that glow again. A white misty light with rainbow flashes in it rising slowly from his eyes and mouth.
As Jake looses the ability to hold that green aura on her, Gabrielle is able to shake off the stasis effects. She grabs hold of Mari's arm in return, watching Jake and the Panther with a stricken expression.
As the white light with flickering rainbows curls upwards, her hold on Mari tightens, but it's only human-strong. Well, not even quit that, her malnutrition sapping even that. "What's happening?"
"Come on…" Mari drags Gabrielle closer to where T'Challa is, watching as that rainbow mists twists and curls. "Panther, get back. Or knock him out. Or both, in the reverse orde." Yes, Mari knows Jake needs medical attention but conscious seems to be a problem.
"I don't know, Gabrielle, but nothing good…" the model wraps her arm around the girl and draws her close. There's so many questions but for the moment, they need to deal with the immediate threat. "That mist … he keeps talking like he's going to possess something."
That draws a frown. Is this related to Rivera as well?
"I don't know." The Black Panther responds as well. What is happening? It doesn't FEEL like death, not that he can tell that to the other two. Well, it does and it doesn't.
The Panther cocks his fist back and hesitates for a moment. Punching this guy seems a bit… overkill though his being conscious is certainly a threat.
He doesn't have to bother. Jake slumps back and lets out a sigh. A cloud of the mist rises up over his body, formless and bright with rainbow colors. Two points of white light appear near the top like eyes and they GLARE at the trio.
"Traitor." That's not Jake's voice. But it is the same inflections and intonations.
"You think they'll comfort you. You think they'll accept you as you are?"
"Yes, we will." The Panther says. "She has the heart of a hero."
It glares at T'Challa and then at Mari. "I won't forget you, pretty one."
Gabrielle Doe doesn't resist as Mari pulls her closer, the blonde woman still floating, which makes it easy to tow her towards the others.
As Jake's body finally gives out, Gabrielle turns her head in to Mari's shoulder and sobs, tears wetting the Vixen's costume. Turning back to look at the apparition, the blonde flinches as it speaks, as it clearly seems to be directed at her. Which makes sense, given that their powers seem identical. She's been named traitor, and she doesn't even know to *what*.
"Becareful, Panther…" Mari cautions again as that mist continues to rise. At least it doesn't seem to be trying to find a way to take over the black clad cat figure.
When Gabrielle turns into her shoulder, Mari cradles the young woman and croons gently, letting the blonde sob for the time. The next words Mari speaks are right next to the blondes ear "I am comforting and I will continue to do so. Gabrielle has great courage and an even bigger heart."
Finally, Mari snorts at the apparation. "Don't forget me. It would be wise not to." Full of bravado. Against something she has absolutely no idea about.
"Panther, is Jake…. ?" alive, she means.
The mist gathers itself and then shoots up into the sky, becoming little more than a streak of light before it curls off eastward, deeper into the zone.
That probably doesn't bode well but there's nothing any of them can do about it at the moment.
The Panther kneels and takes Jake's pulse. He shakes his head as Gabrielle sobs. They'll want an autopsy but he's not going to say that right now.
"Perhaps…" The Feline hero says in a careful, suggesting way. "It would not be good for Gabrielle to be alone tonight. Perhaps she might…" Go home with Mari, possibly? The young woman looks absolutely broken hearted and it's hard to blame her. Even in the short time he's observed her he's learned that she is bright and happy and hopeful. But there's a price to such an outlook: Tragedy when it strikes, strikes all the harder.