Summary:Vixen and Panther go hunting. Then sparring. A few buildings don't fare well Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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It's been a few days since Mari was in the DZ and Bethany, a mutant who lives there, had asked for help from her and the Black Panther. Mari had got a message to the Panther and is waiting on the roof of one of the buildings in the Zone. The suit she's wearing is a little different today - the colours and cut still the same, but there's a 'look' to it.
It's the new one. The one she and T'Challa had been working on. Tonight, she intends to give it a work out.
Now. Where is he …
The Panther arrives on the same rooftop. He seems very agile and she's never seen him really use equipment to get around. Just the claws on his suit and a not entirely human level of strength and agility. Well okay, very not human.
"Nice suit." The Panther masked man says as he approaches. "It looks armored. Good. Getting shot once was enough, I take it?" Her getting shot had actually been a bit of a panic moment. He wasn't sure what was going to happen when she was hurt. Thankfully it hadn't been too bad.
Mari, or Vixen rather, is blissfully unaware how much of a panic moment that had been for the Panther. "Not once. I've been shot before but I've never really had access to anything that allows me to move like I do and provide the protection that this suit is supposed to."
Standing, making sure they're in the shadows of the superstructure, she turns around. "I'm glad you like it, our friend helped me with the design and getting the material."
Of course, Panther knows that.
"We've been asked to see about Klaues thugs. And yes, that was *we*. Vixen and Black Panther or Black Panther and Vixen, are becoming known around this place."
"Apparently they roughed up one of the kids who saw them. I didn't have the heart to tell his mother she's lucky he's alive. Are you up for some patrolling and giving my suit a work out?"
"Yes. I think that sounds like a grand idea. Where exactly was this child attacked?" Knowing where Klaue has his people patrolling is key to knowing what the devilish man is doing. That he is still 'set up' here in the DZ is obvious but why is a mystery. There's no especial reason why he should be. Not unless either he's coordinating with someone in the area or he needs something that can't be found anywhere else. He's made a play for the amulets before but so far as Panther knows, the remainder aren't even on this continent.
Does Klaue perhaps know something they don't? Getting bits of information from his thugs is not an efficient way to find out but it certainly is a satisfying one and anything that reduces the danger to the people here is a good thing.
"Lead the way."
"Sammy, that's the kids name, said he saw them bringing stuff in … " Vixen answers, moving lithely across the rooftop, the silhouette of an eagle forming behind her as she glides to the ground. "Can you keep up?" She teases.
Leading them through the streets, a turn or two later, the woman halts and gestures. She knows the Panther won't be far behind. "Over there. From what I know, there's a subway entrance two streets over. Where they were coming from is a very good question. Subway? Or back the way the way they came?"
Panther moves off after her and snorts when she asks if he can keep up. "Usually I am the one asking that question." He notes. And usually he is. Not many people can keep up with him overland. The ones that can have a more than human level of agility. It's all enough for someone to wonder exactly where he gets those abilities.
"Underground, if previous encounters are any guide. There are far too many tunnels and warrens to keep track of in this part of town and Klaue will not be above arranging for more to be dug. Let us see if we can find some and extrapolate from them." Or just… extract it from them. That works too.
"Are you now?" Vixen grins. She's in good spirits and it shows. Then again, Mari rarely isn't cheeky or sassy - and she can be serious when it's warranted. "This way then."
The two streets don't take long to cover. As they move, Vixen looks at Panther. "Do you have enhanced senses? Hearing and the like? Or is that just move incredibly well?"
Taking a moment to observe the subway entrance, assuring herself there's no one around, Mari gestures and moves quickly. Down the stairs into the tunnels.
It's then they hear it, voices coming from not far ahead.
"Yes, I do." Though whether that's him or his suit he does not say. In truth it hardly matters. He can sense things that ordinary people cannot. He peers down waiting and like her is satisfied that no one is going to ambush them.
"Ah. We appear fortunate tonight. I hear four voices. They do not sound particularly alert but that might not be all there is." The tunnels here are badly lit, but there isn't a whole lot of cover out on the platform other than a few structural support pillars. Once they get out into the open they're committed and it's going to come to a fight.
"Would you like to start things, Vixen?"
"You are …" Vixen is thoughtful. She'll ask more, later. Maybe. It's good to know.
When the Panther confirms the number, Vixen nods and slides off into the shadows of a pillar. They can flank the four coming towards them and launch the attack.
Crouched in the shadows, Mari waits till the four men are in the open - ahead of her - before stepping out behind them. "Hasn't anyone told you picking on children isn't nice?"
"Fuck. Vixen." One thug turns and opens fire. Fortunately, thats *just* an automatic rifle and not a sonic one. Vixen tumbles as the bullets send concrete flying. She has their attention.
"Only after you buy her dinner and only if you impress her quite a bit." The Panther says as he tears a chunk of concrete loose from the wall to hurl at another thug. Then he's moving, leaping actually, off one of the pillars and into their midst. Those vibranium claws are sharp and the strength behind them more than enough to slice receivers in half and generally render the guns their opponents are using useless. Protected or not, he's not a huge fan of being shot at.
And his punches hit like an almost literal truck.
"I don't think they could impress me." Chunks of concrete hit Mari's suit, the armour and the weave deflecting it. She'll bruise but that's better than getting cut up. At least one of the bullets hits her as well.
No, she's not a fan of getting shot at, either. Just perhaps a little more of thrillseeker than Black Panther.
Panthers chuck of concrete hits the thug in the side of the head. Blood blossoms and runs into the guys eye. He and the guy next too him, open fire on the Panther until his vibranium claws slice the receivers. "Fuck you, kitty." The second thug turns what's left of his weapon into a bat, that gets swung at the Panthers head. The first guy, vision obscured by the blood in his eye thinks to try and tank the punch that comes his way.
Fool. He gets a swing in before his vision goes hazy.
"That is Mister Kitty to you." He turns and delivers a hammer punch, sending the foulmouthed man spinning. "Kitty says hello."
The Black Panther is just unbearable sometimes. He gets hit in the head for his trouble and does stumble forward but all that happens is that his suit starts to glow people a little bit. When the next strike comes the stored energy is reflected back, causing a powerful blow to lash out without the Panther even having to specifically do anything.
"If the guns do not work, why the punching? I have never understood that."
"Oh right. I forget I added this. Can you hear me, Panther?" The comm system built into Mari's suit crackles to life, connecting to his. It's neat, if not a little distracting. "And don't say yes because I'm standing near you." Mari loves the show that line comes from.
Thunk The rifle now bat hits Black Panther on the noggin, Thug 2 crows a little as he turns and strikes again. "Your suit is … pink … I suppose that matches the Hello Kitty motif …"
Bam
Both thugs are thrown back into a pillar. Not out, but they're not very well.
As for Vixen, there's a silhouette of a panther behind her. Cruel claws extend from her nails as she leaps at the two other guys. The rifle from one guy is pulled from his hand and she swings at the other, driving her first guy to the ground - pinning him to the ground beneath her. "Want to finish that one for me. We need at least one compos mentos to answer questions …"
"Purple. Not pink." The Panther corrects over the comms. "And yes. I can hear you." Though he is standing next to her and could her her without the comm bead.
A round house kick worthy of Chuck Norris sends the indicated thug flying into a wall and leaves a dent in the gypsum board there. He won't be getting up but he should be able to answer questions. Returning to a neutral stance the cat suited hero looks around.
And then with one foot sliiiiides the broken weapon at his feet off the subway platform and onto the subway rail itself. No one needs to be getting any ideas about using it as a club later.
"When you're finished playing with that one…"
"But I like this one …" Vixen rejoinds, looking up at the Panther from where she has the guy pinned. She's sitting astride his chest and has her claws at his throat. "You have two choices, my friend. Neither of them involve impressing me, I'm afraid." She says to the thug. "You can answer his questions and live." Her head jerks to the Panther.
"Or not and don't live."
Would she kill him? Goooood question.
"Ask away …"
"Where is Klaue hiding." That one Panther doesn't really expect an answer to but it's a good thing to lead with. What they're really interested in is where these thugs and mercenaries are set up, and where they are being hired from. Most of the men encountered so far have been foreigners which means that Klaue isn't tapping into the local underworld to get his manpower.
That makes sense, but it means that he might be possibly cut off from the source, if they can figure out what that source is.
And in any case, getting some locations about where these people are operating saves him a lot of looking.
"Klaue? How the fuck would I know?" The thug answers, wincing as Mari flexes her claws drawing a little blood. "For fucks sake, lady, I don't have a death wish. I don't know. All I know is that he sends us instructions and sometimes come by to see the boss."
Vixen doesn't have a built in lie detector but she does have the panther spirit still about her. Her nostrils flare. "He smells bad but I don't think he's lying about that." She tells the Black Panther "I really shouldn't have done that. Now I need a shower."
"I am sure you will survive. Him I am less sure about." The Panther says with a dry tone. "Where have you and your friends been hiding? Some place down by the water front no doubt?" That's a purposely leading question. "What areas have you been instructed to patrol?" The Panther is building a mental map. He's going to keep asking probing questions about their operations while he fills it in. He needs to know WHERE they consider to be important and WHERE they are basing themselves out of.
"Next time you could always try the ears. Give him a piercing or two."
That would hurt, he's sure.
"I'm sure I will, but I still need a shower." Vixen quips, flexing her claws again about the thugs neck.
The thug gulps, eyes turning to the Black Panther as if to say you didn't suggest that "Not by the water, no. A bit further in. In a tunnel that leads to the Botanic Gardens." That makes Vixen frown. Why there and why the gardens?
Her other hand moves to toy with the thugs ear lobes "There are places I could pierce, you know. My claws are very sharp." A finger trails down his nose to his septum but it's the knowing little smile from Mari that has him gulping.
"Me and these boys, we patrol from here to Red Hook. Looking out for people, y'know?"
"What kind of people? Little kids to beat up? You cannot be getting paid very much for that I would not think." The Black Panther says sharply. He isn't impressed, no. It is one thing to prey upon people, even innocent and unarmed people. It is quite another to beat up children for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is one reason he does not mind going hard on this one. The conduct of these mercenaries is barely above that of common criminals.
"And where do you hide, bunk, store your food and munitions. You cannot expect me to believe that you simple go home each night to kiss the wife to sleep and tuck in your own little ones."
"Fuck you. I don't even know what kid you're talkin' about." The tone is injured. Vixen just smiles and takes the guys septum between razor sharp claws "That's my partner you're talking to, be respectful or I'll put a bull ring through here and lead you to the police by it…" she purrs.
There's another gulp. "Y'know. People. Who deliver things. By water. Used to have do that overland but now, there's the tunnels." Seems the Black Panthers assumptions weren't wrong. Maybe they *have* built more off the originals.
"Who's to say I don't go to home …" Vixens claws flex a little "Alrigh', alrigh'. Fuck lady - anyone told you your fucking bloodthirsty?"
"Answer his questions and I won't need to be …"
"Of course we don't go home. Well, not all of us. There's places along the tunnels that we bunk down."
The Black Panther COULD ask where exactly these tunnels are, but that would alert them to the fact that they've been compromised and there's no need for that. There are organizations that both he and Mari are part of with the necessary equipment to rapidly image the disaster zone and fine new construction tunnels. The mere fact that there ARE new construction tunnels is information enough.
And they must be quite extensive too, if they're holding a force of mercenaries and all their kit and supplies.
"One last question then. How long was your contract for?" This guy might not know how long Klaue intends to remain in the area, but the length of the contract will be a good indicator.
"He is rather foul mouthed, don't you think, Vixen?"
Black Panther could but between him and Vixen, there's a lot of resources at their beck and call. Not just the organisations they have connections to but their own enhanced sense should they use them.
They also have an approximate direction.
"As long as he pays. He didn' say. Fucking bastard, lording it over us with that fucking arm of his…" Indefinitely, then?
"How far in advance has he paid you?" Vixen asks, dark eyes glittering as she looks at her quarry.
"He only pays three weeks advance but he's told us at least twelve weeks. Jesus lady, have you thought about going on diet. You weigh a ton."
Vixen chuckles and looks up at the Black Panther "And he doesn't know how to talk to a lady, either. I could pull out his tongue, that will be sure that he's politer in future and … be sure he doesn't tell anyone he spoke with us."
She's hoping this guy is really that dumb.
"Or you could just accidentally break his neck." The Panther offers casually. "Make sure he was unfortunately disabled or killed with the rest of his unit. No one would know he talked then either." Of course Black Panther isn't particularly eager to kill in cold blood but the mercenary doesn't need to know that. Certainly he is quite sure that Klaue will kill in cold blood and his employees are likely quite aware of that.
"I haven't noticed that you weigh that much. He must not be used to handling real women." She's solid, true but she's not THAT heavy.
"Real women don't go for his type, I suspect…" Vixen says candidly, staring down at the man though the Panther does get a quick look. It's not like the African crime fighter has had much opportunity to handle her … like that.
"What do you say, my friend? Shall I pull your tongue out or snap your neck?" The woman is purring, a side effect of the panther spirit she's called.
"Fuck, what? No! You don't kill. Vixen doesn't kill … "
"Are you sure on that? And what about my friend here? Are you sure of him? How do you think you can be sure?"
"I won't say a word promise … "
It's not good enough, but Black Panther can extract the rest of the bargain.
The Panther flicks his claws out and casually runs them through some exposed rebar. Slowly. Just to give the guy time to think about what that might feel like if it were his face. Or his throat.
"I have a better idea. You're going to carry this…" He pulls out a small RF transponder. "You're going to report back to work and do whatever you're asked. And we'll track you. If you decide to ditch it, we will find you and this will not go so well for you the next time. If you keep your head, though, when this is over I might just forget you were involved. What do you say? It's either that or I go for a walk while Vixen shows you what happens to people who work for the likes of Klaue…"
The dark skinned woman gets a smirk and a wink. She's playing her part perfectly.
It's not hard for Vixen to play her part. She might not kill as a rule but she knows the law of the jungle and honestly, her spirits can affect her.
"Alrigh' alrigh'. I'll do it …" The guy winces as Black Panthers claws screech across the rebar. "Give me the fucking thing and you can track me to kingdom come."
"Are you sure?" Vixen purrs, tucking the transponder into the guys clothing. "Maybe I should bury this in you, make it harder to get rid of."
The guy blanches.
"No? Alright then …" She lets him up, rising sinously to her feet. "Get out of here. You can come back for friends later … "
With a glance to Black Panther, the woman pauses. They should … probably be going.
"I would say do not make me regret this, but I will not. Do not do anything that you will regret." They should be going and Panther leads them quickly back onto the streets and up to the rooftops. Only when they're out of sight of any ground based observation does he stop again.
"SHIELD should have the ability to scan the city for tunnels that aren't supposed to be there. It is possible that one or two of the larger and more advanced corporations may have some technology that they can use to similar effect." Infrared may prove useful, simple as it is. He very much doubts the mercenaries are plugged into the city grid and anything they might be using for power will generate heat that isn't supposed to be there. It's just a question of isolating it from what IS supposed to be there.
"How did your suit work out?"
The guy scampers off not looking too pleased with the way things have turned out. Vixen checks the others as they leave - they'll live. They might regret it.
Back on the rooftops, Vixen stretches. "They should. And I know some Avengers who might like to help us, as well." She answers easily. Doing what she does lets her develop connections.
"It will still be a puzzle but we know more now. What on earth does Klaue want?" She's musing, dark eyes watching the Zone from their perch. "The suit? Good. I still need to get used to some of the functions, I haven't used anything so technological before - it's always been my abilities I've relied on."
She gives the Black Panther a sideways look and a smirk "Perhaps you'd care to help me learn those functions. Then you can find out if I'm as heavy as he said…" Yeah. She's not forgotten that.
"I am not sure but whatever it is he wants, he does not think he is going to get it quickly. Telling his mercenaries to be on standby for months at a time speaks to a longer term plan than we had previously known. If this is still related to the amulets then he must know something we do not, at it is critical that we find out what."
For all they know the remaining amulets are not even on this continent. That Klaue is still here is somewhat disturbing.
"Well. Who would refuse a lady when asked like that. And what exactly are the functions you wish to try out?" He probably knows since he designed a lot of them but he can't give too much away can he? Not yet at any rate.
"There's not a lot. The armour plating - to determine how much protection it really offers. In other words, how much punishment I can take. And just how resilient the weave is. Also to work out if my friend added anything extra that I didn't ask for."
Cause he might have done that, right?
"If you're willing, I'd like that. Apart from Steve, you're one of the few I know who take a beating from me. Or dish one out to me."
"Well, we aren't going to find anything out sitting up here. Were you injured at all back there? I'll have some bruises of course …"
"Would your friend do that?" Her friend totally would do that. The Panther cracks his knuckles though. "I can help you with that certainly. And yes you can hit me at full strength and not worry about hurting me. I think. What is your full strength again?"
He'll worry about that when they get it started.
"No I was not hurt. They were not using anything that can do the job. If you're bruised of course we can wait…" He's teasing. He knows she's not bad off enough to want to wait.
"Now?" Mari perks up. "Where? Let's go. And I don't know what my strength is, it depends on what I'm channelling but several tons." she snorts "I should be worried about hitting you in that suit. I've seen what it does once you've taken a few hits."
Before he knows it, even though they're on top on the roof, Vixen tackles him. letting them roll … until she shakes free and runs.
Panther is, quite thankfully, very used to taking tumbles and he, ahem, rolls with it gamely. The cat suited hero hits the ground on his back but quickly uses the momentum to get back up and chases after her. She cannot see how his eyes narrow but she might very well imagine it.
"Do not think you are going to get away no matter how fast you are." And she is fast. She can be faster than him. And she can fly. But he is very, very determined.
He vaults up, wall runs for a few seconds and then comes back down at a leap, trying to get ahead of her before she can open the distance too much.
A game of cat and mouse? Panther and Vixen more like it. Vixen chuckles, trying to imagine what the cat suited hero looks like under the hood. She can hear him hit the wall and waits for the tell tale sound of him leaping.
She stops, letting him get in front of her and land in a crouch … before throwing herself bodily at him. He can be sure, for the moment, she's not channeling - right now it's just Mari and the suit.
This time he has time to set and this time he meets her tackle with his shoulder. She can feel him push into her advance, catching her in the gut. It will wind her a bit but won't hurt her like it should. That's the armor at work, absorbing some of that impact. The Panther moves smoothly to flip her over him and then turns to grab her by the arm, spin her and throw her at one of the nearby crumbling walls.
Well she wanted to work out how good this thing was after all. And he made it. So he's fairly sure she'll be okay with him playing rough.
Won't she?
Vixen grunts as the Panthers shoulder hits her stomach, sucking in air to keep breathing. She is winded and it hurt a bit but she's taken far worse in career. Sent careening into one of the walls, coated with cement dust as the wall shudders, Vixen 'ooofs'.
"Well know the armour plating works …" she puffs, eyes glinting with mischief as she calls a lion spirit to her. Big, strong and fast. Talons sprout from her fingers and she growls, charging the Panther again. This time, she doesn't hit him, just swipes at his chest with her hand and her claws, pushing him back the weight she has behind this.
"Maybe I am heavy…"
The lion's claws slide off the armored fabric of the suit. Whatever it is, it's positively marvelous and it's a pity the Panther probably won't share the secret. She can hit him pretty hard and it doesn't seem to pother him too much. He responds with his own claws, raking them over Mari's arm. To her probable relief, the hyper sharp claws do not cut her suit. Or her arm. It would be bad if they cut her arm.
Then they're going toe to toe, push for push, weight for weight. "Perhaps you are. But are you heavier than the big cat…" That would be him. He's the big cat.
He jumps back for some space, then flips forward to come down on her heels first.
There's lots of grunting as the two go at it. Mari could have channeled to protect herself from most of this, that she doesn't have to is a relief - those claws of his would rend most animal hide, anyway.
She's quick and agile, but Mari also knows that The Panther is faster than her and certainly more acrobatic. Vixen learned to fight in the streets - she's a brawler. The silhouette of the lion is joined by one of an elephant beetle that perches on her shoulder.
When his heels hit her shoulder, she falls backwards, wincing - that still hurt.
"Do you want to find out?" She rolls to her feet and launches herself - and the full strength of the beetle at The Panther. That's … 50 tons of strength. She's probably going to regret that.
That sort of 'kick' should have put the Panther on his butt but he still manages to land on his feet somehow. And then she hits him full force and pins him down. He'd make a lion king joke but honestly this is a lot less like Simba being pinned by Nala and a lot more like someone about to get pummeled.
Which is when, yes, Mari is given cause to regret hitting him that hard. The suit glows bright purple for a moment and then 'pow', a blast of energy pushes out in every direction. Including up which is the direction in which Mari gets launched. With all those 50 tons she'd just hit him with.
Vixen knows better than to quip at the moment. She's serious, but not in the way she was with the thugs.
When the blast of energy comes, she isn't expecting it - at least not like that. She hadn't seen the suit behave like this before.
Blasted upwards, there's a moment that Mari thinks this isn't so bad and then she remembers that what goes up, must come down and she swears. This is going to hurt, suit or no suit …. unless….
The silhouette of an owl appears behind her, the lion disappearing - wings extend to try and help the woman land …. by The Panther who is likely back on his feet now.
The Panther is so on his feet that by the time Mari orients herself he isn't where she left him. Which will leave her looking for where exactly the hell he went.
Right up until he leaps at her very much like a cat leaping at a bird from atop one of the highest points nearby. He had of course expected that she would use her flight abilities to avoid a hard landing - even if he is confident she could have taken it with the proper form - and had positioned himself thusly. It's a lovely arc. And if she doesn't do something it's going to put him right on her back.
Crap. Mari turns slowly, trying to use her senses to find the cat suited man. She's not quick enough, and he does hit her back. Sending Vixen sprawling beneath him.
Not that she stops fighting, trying to hook a leg about one of his and turn … she's strong, but does she have the leverage for this? All the while, she's spitting dirt from her mouth.
Yuck.
The Panther does the best to stay on Vixen's back but she does eventually pull him off. Then he tries to disengage. It might be a bit hard for her to hear but he's laughing. "I think the suit protects you just fine. But the big cat definitely wins that one." He kicks a bit of dirt at her and then takes off himself. It's time for her to chase if she thinks she can catch him.
And he's weaving over walls, through ruins and generally making as much use of his enhanced agility as possible.
"Sounds like your compensating for something … calling yourself the big cat and all." Vixen quips. She's taken some grazes to her face when she landed "… but yes, the suit does at that." She sputters again as the Panther kicks dirt at her.
Then takes to the air on wings. Panther can run through the ruins below, she'll try to keep him in sight.
"Have you met one bigger? No. You have not." The Panther smirks over his shoulder. He's quick, she'll have to give him that. He knows she can easily catch him in a straight line race so he is making this more about agility. She can stay on the wing but if she dives after him she's going to have to be as quick as he. Is she?
Well there's a series of broken walls, crumbling streets and ruined houses coming up. He's going to weave through them like a mouse on stimulants. So they're about to find out.
"You can't speak for what I have and haven't seen."
Vixen expected the Panther to do something dirty like this - use the streets and buildings to obfuscate his progress. With the eyes of the owl, she can make the details … mapping his course through the ruins. She doesn't try to catch him from behind, but circles around - intent on getting in front of him - when she's sure has, she perches on a roof.
"What say we up the wager?" The woman speaks into the comms built into the suit. "If I best you this round, you take the hood off …"
"And if you loose?" The Panther isn't too keen on taking his mask off. He'd rather Mari find out some other way. Like possibly him telling her. The trick is, well… that secret comes with several others. But he doesn't refuse outright. He's also apparently stopped. She can be fairly sure which building he's in but since he hasn't reemerged she doesn't have an exact fix on his location anymore.
"It isn't like you can remove your mask and I wouldn't ask you to do anything unladylike."
Not yet she doesn't. The elephant beetle faded some time ago, the owl though is soon joined by a bear, her nose twitches as she lets the eddies of breeze carry the scents of the city to her. In … there …
She doesn't move yet. "Well, I didn't say it was an even wager, did I? What is it a girl like me could do for a boy like you? I could get you a decent set of clothes. Give you one of the new line of wearables … " If only Mari knew! The Black Panther has to be laughing.
"Tempting, though my existing suppliers might be a bit put out." T'Challa is laughing inside the suit but he can't let that show too much. He's up to something. Mari can be pretty well sure that he is up to something.
"You could put a panther on your suit. Branding is always important, or so I am told." That is not a serious suggestion but the notion of Vixen going around for a couple of nights with a panther on her chest is certainly highly amusing.
"Are you SURE you can best me, though?"
Where… what is he doing in there?
"Your on and no I'm not but I'm fiesty …" Vixen responds "… or so I'm told. I'm heavy as well, apparently."
What would Vixen do if she were trapped like that and had suit like the Panthers? Two things come to mind.
One would be too abandon it and trap her in the building. There's a lot of risks with that.
The second would be to prime the suit ready for her attack … that's … more likely.
Moving quietly across the rooftops, Vixen finds a chunk of masonry and creeps her way towards the opening in the roof of the building where the Panther is. She should be able to see him … and … drops the chunk of masonry down — that should set off the suit, shouldn't it?
The third thing she might do, especially if she had vibranium claws, is cut through the floor. Which has been done. A neat circle is cut in the floor and the pipes beneath. Her chunk of masonry falls into the hole and goes down about ten feet and 'clacks' onto the floor.
And then something pushes up from beneath the walls she's on, making it wobble and threaten to topple. He… isn't THAT strong is he? That has to be at least three or four tons of masonry he's pushing on. From beneath!
"What the hell …" Mari jumps to take to the air, trying to avoid the walls that erupting. The claws - she'd forgotten about them. Or might rightly, not considered how else they might be used.
There's no time think about whether The Panther is that strong. "You've been a bad kitty …" Vixen teases, rising up and peering down to see if she can see him.
Hmmmm. Something needs to be done about the walls. Vixen channels the rhino she usually prefers and flies into the masonry that's wobbling.
The wall topples between being pushed from below and struck solidly by a rhino channeling Vixen but there is no sign of the Black Panther. "Did you really suppose that it would be as easy as pushing down a house to find me?"
It isn't easy to see anything in the swirling dust and it's equally hard to tell exactly in what direction the Panther's voice is coming from. "I never make anything easy if I can help it, Vixen."
There's a whistling noise in the wind and a chunk of masonry the size of a small car comes flying in from the right.
"Not at all … " Vixen quips back. "But it's less thing that I need … Hey! Quit that…" The masonry *hurts* and knocks her back.
Looking like she's going to turn to the right, the Vixen spins to her left, using her nose to guide her. He's got to be here somewhere.
"I don't like easy. I like things hard."
Left. Left. No. Slightly to the right. And up. Up. Uuuuuuuup.
Oh. There. Above her.
The Panther cants his head and she might almost imagine him smirking. "Then you will love this." And then, like a cat, he pushes something off the edge.
Well, what he pushes is a pile of rubble that comprises the edge itself, which causes the wall to crumble a bit and brings down the top quarter of it toward Mari.
The Panther is SUCH a cat.
With the suit, the owl and the rhino, Vixen doesn't hesitate. Turning a shoulder, she pushes herself up towards the Panther. "A very bad kitty." She grunts as the rubble crashes down her - she has to protect her head and face as she does this.
Which means, for a moment she has to take her eyes off the Cat. Hopefully he wasn't expecting her to be so foolhardy … and she'll crash into him as she makes through his trap.
He wasn't expecting her to be so foolhardy and her momentum is considerably slowed by having to protect herself and being hit by the small avalanche. She hits him but he's already facing her when she does and when they land he immediately tries to flip her onto her back. He should pin her down now and have done with it he thinks.
He is STRONG. She can feel… yes, she can probably quite easily believe that he could push over that wall. He is VERY strong.
It's interesting The Black Panther wasn't expecting Vixen to be rash - T'Challa has commented a number of times on her thrill seeker ways.
He's strong, so is she … when she channels the right animal spirit …
It's not easy to get her on her back, but he can do it, through it's going to be a tussle and then some.
No. She's not channeling more than bear and the owl.
It seems like an eternity when he finally gets Mari's arms pinned above her head and he smiles under the mask. "You could channel another beast and throw me off. We both know that. But for the moment, it seems that the cat has trumped the fox."
He doesn't STAY pinning her down, though. That would invite her to actually channel and throw him off. No. Once he actually has her he steps up and off and the Panther offers a hand down to help her up. "The armor seems to have done what it needed to, though."
"Yes. I could." Mari answers, smirking herself. "I'll the Cat trump the Fox today." She could have channeled but she didn't. The Black Panther might want to ask himself, why?
Taking the offered hand, Mari stretches, wincing. She's scratched and bruised but nothing is broken and she's moving. "More than admirably, I'd say. I must thank T'Challa when I see him next."
"Lifting a wall? That's very impressive. I don't believe that was all the suit…"
"It was not." The Panther confirms. "I have some superhuman capacity. Nothing compared to some out there but it has served me more than well enough."
He rolls his shoulder. He might be a little sore later despite his own very advanced armor. But it's nothing that will seriously impair him.
"Well. I think we've caused enough ruckus here today. Shall we make our way out?"
The Panther might indeed be a little sore and Mari will ponder why T'Challa is favouring his arm. It's unlikely she'll make the connection - or will she? Time will tell.
"That was … fun. Thank you. We'll have to do it again, sometime."
Yes, they should head out. Mari leads the way.