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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2018 2:19:24 GMT
live fast, die young Hot damn, this wasn't such a bad gig. Working for Jack was one hell of a skip off the beaten path from where she thought she'd end up, but there were no complaints (only teases). The kid paid, sometimes she raided the fridge, she spent her 'job' doing what she loved - running rampant across the city as a playground - looking for opportunities to clean up what the so-called "Heroes" couldn't. With Jack's direction and her gifts, she was making a difference. Just like they'd said. "Yo?" Aaaaand the gadgets were a little cherry on top, lke the nifty Bluetooth in her bad ass mask. Or, really, masks. You couldn't have just one and expect it to match everything.
She swung her legs off of the building's edge and lied on her back to answer the call that beeped in through her earpiece. "That cop we were talking about." Already her heart started picking up pace with excitement, the words having her sit up and lean forward with a gloved palm on the ground. "- he's out and active. This guy has done everything short of killing somebody. Harassment, brutality, all of it targeted at metahumans, someone feels inadequate." "You don't have to tell me, you're preaching to the choir. Been waiting to take that douchebag's badge." Cory hopped to her feet and jumped in place a few times to get her hot blood circulating, rolling her neck and stretching her legs behind her waist by grabbing at the tops of her running shoes to pull the top muscles of her thighs. "Let's teach him just how inadequate he really is. Sending you his location."
She smirked behind the mask and visor, leaning fearlessly backwards towards the edge of the building with an almost-too elated chuckle until she tipped over only for her back to meet the angle of a sloped, glass side. It squealed as she slid quickly down its length, pace picking up faster and faster with the wind breaking in blades over her mask and shoulders until she bent her knees yards from the end and took a wild leap. Damn it felt good to be free. Every rooftop, every fire escape, every scaffold became her speedway to the target until she slowed nearer when she saw the blazing orange in the sky at the industrial complex a few blocks down along with the circulating and flashing berries and cherries from the SFPD and firefighters. A hidden wince was on her face, as well as a quiet, "Oof..." and she scratched at the side of her gelled-back hair.
"You might want to help out at the situation first, earn a little good will before you assault an officer of the law." "Not like I'm gonna just sit here," she agreed without much focus, her mind elsewhere as she tried to look for the best entryway. The cops and fire department had bigger things to worry about than a perimeter, so she wound around the side and made easy work of hopping the barbed fence of the parking lot as they evacuated what they could of the small night-shift on the other end. One drainage pipe climb later towards the top floor and she was already in one of the shattered windows.
The mask, thankfully, made breathing and seeing a breeze, but the massive amount of heat wasn't exactly comfortable. "Shit... lots of smoke. Even for me," she dryly mentioned, trying to hear anything past the creaking structure of the building. "Hey! Anyone in here! Hey-" "I'm here!" a coughing fit and groan through the black and sparking red had her pushing forward, squeezing through spaces, and shoving a few heavier objects out of the way to follow the voice. "Hang tight man!" |
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"I don't want to be ordinary, got too much to give..."
ALIAS
Paladin
CLASSIFICATION
Brick
POWER
Kinetic Energey Absorption
AGE
19
Hero
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May 25, 2018 19:33:02 GMT
Post by Alice Morrow on May 25, 2018 19:33:02 GMT
Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? |
Paladin wasn't fireproof, people often assumed she was, but her ability didn't operate in the way both she and Dominic had worked to convince people it did. The papers and most fans online believed that she was a stereotypical brick, simply super tough and super strong, albeit significantly more so than any other recorded metahuman in the United States. In truth, her ability only protected her against physical attack. She could stop a punch dead, no matter how much super strength was behind it, but once the energy involved was anything but kinetic, her power was little use.
Even in this situation though, there were things she could do.
Once she'd been informed of the fire by her liaison, she'd headed across town to the situation, covering the distance easily with her ability to leap hundreds of feet with each bound. She'd arrived before the local fire marshal, and following the instructions of her liaison, began to direct people away from the building. The arrival of fire department changed things slightly, and she alighted beside their senior officer to ask what she could do to help. Pointing to the third floor, he explained the situation.
Paladin might not be fireproof, but her suit was as good as. It didn't cover her entire face, but she had a simple mask that did, and offered her protection both from the heat and the smoke. With her ability to casually blast through walls and stop falling wreckage, she was the ideal individual to go into the building.
She blasted a fallen roof beam in half, pushing her way through the now weakened barricade and deeper into the building. She wasn't fireproof, she couldn't walk through the building with impunity, but she knew that she could probably escape even if most of the building came down, so she pushed further in, not all occupants of the building had been accounted for, and if she could make a difference here, she would.
"Is there anyone in here?"
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2018 8:40:40 GMT
live fast, die young He'd been hard to see through the waves of smoke coming from the hot flames, but she'd found the short and stocky factory worker quick enough for him to still have the strength to flag her down with his arm. He hesitated for a second at the mask but figured it was better than being pinned beneath a fallen beam from a nearby machine. "Hey, put your arms over your face, like this, 'kay?" she crossed hers, demonstrating the guard to protect from anything that might fall. He was fearful, shaken, but he was quick to follow the instructions. "Right, right, okay, now slide your leg... and I'm gonna-," Cory straddled over the beam, hands wrapping around its underneath side, and she grunted as the metal creaked and lifted from her strength. "Go go go!"
As soon as the man's leg was clear, she let the machinery crash back down to the ground with a shaking boom. He hissed and groaned weakly, holding his leg and curling on his side. "Not good to stand... shit, uhhhh," she stepped over and away from the beam, scanning for a better way out that didn't involve him shimmying down a drain pipe like she'd made her way up here. 'Ey, miss! Miguel, he went to grab me a soda from the break room,' her attention immediately went back to him to listen, but his story's length wasn't helping the whole need for time. "Where? Point," she motioned with her hands to help him focus on the task. 'There, down there,' he coughed, pointing further into the fire. Great. "Okay... okay," did she take him out first or go searching?
"Is there anyone in here?"
Well then, wasn't that right on queue? "Yo! This way!" she shouted, a helpful speaker in the mask keeping her voice from being muffled and allowing it to clearly cut through the crackling of angry fire. She waved an arm, jogging a few steps forward and ducking for a moment when the fire caused a panel from above to fall nearby and send embers between them. "Eh, fuck that's hot!..." Cory's hands worked quickly to brush off any residuals, looking up again towards-. Wait, wasn't that the chick from the posters? Oh. "Thought you'd be taller," she mentioned, giving no room for response before turning to the man and carefully bending to pick him up from the ground with his arm wrapped around her shoulder. "Here, you take him. I need to find his pal." |
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"I don't want to be ordinary, got too much to give..."
ALIAS
Paladin
CLASSIFICATION
Brick
POWER
Kinetic Energey Absorption
AGE
19
Hero
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May 28, 2018 10:52:02 GMT
Post by Alice Morrow on May 28, 2018 10:52:02 GMT
Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? | Paladin had not expected to find another woman in here, certainly not one wearing what looked like running gear and what looked like a paintball mask. The first comment was not entirely surprising, it wasn't exactly the first time she had heard it. After all, people mostly only saw Paladin on posters and in TV adverts, which was a great way to appear bigger than you actually were. That said, it wasn't exactly the first thing that would have normally come to mind while stood inside a burning building.
"I get that a lot."
This woman wasn't a Hero, Paladin would have known if there was a new Hero in San Francisco, she made a point of being up to date on all the operatives in the area. She was wearing a mask though, and while her costume was clearly not a professional one, it could be called a costume. Perhaps she was a vigilante then. Or just a concerned citizen who had stepped in to help. The Hero would have objected to the woman going deeper into the building, but if she already knew where the other worker was then it made sense not to waste time. That and the effortless way in which she lifted the injured man from the ground suggested she was a metahuman herself.
She took the man, supporting him with her shoulder. Then held up a hand automatically as she felt something shift in the building above her. A wooden beam twice as long as she was tall came down on her. Paladin didn't move, but the beam broke cleanly in half where it had touched her. Sections falling to either side of her form.
"Once he's out, I'm coming back in after you."
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May 31, 2018 23:58:51 GMT
Post by Deleted on May 31, 2018 23:58:51 GMT
live fast, die young Cory was sure she did. Even she, herself, wasn't exactly anything intimidating in height but at least she hit the average and had a killer metabolism to keep her semi-boyish physique in incredibly healthy condition. Even though subconsciously she'd started tying the voice and mannerisms to a distant memory, nothing hit her until she saw the beam fall - ducking with the man she was holding up at of reaction - and just crack like it'd hit some crazy force field above the girl's head before falling heavily to the ground and momentarily swishing the smoke away.
Then it hit her. Short, young, force field-type-whatever-that-was, the mask over the face instead of a bandanna. Last but not least, newly arrived powers from what soon became known as "The Event" just a year ago. ("I'm not Luchadore… I'm… I'm… I'm Paladin!") Ho-ly-shit-that's-right. That had been that kid's alias! The widest, most crooked humored grin spread over Cory's face behind the mask, not that the hero could tell, and she chuckled with a head shake, waving her hand off at the offer and already turning to search for a good way to reach the other side of the open-floor plan factory once the man was off of Cory's shoulders and in "Paladin's" hands. No, Pal. Pal definitely sounded better. ("You know how to reach me. Stay safe, Pal.") "I've got it, I've got it." Hot damn, wasn't that an ironic blast from the past.
The way through the factory wasn't as bad as getting in, but as soon as she entered what looked to be the only back hallway where she could see some semblance of break tables and a few chairs, it became much more difficult to navigate. There was a small kitchen area that had seen better days thanks to the falling pipes from the ceiling and completely obliterated drywall that left it open for more heat and smoke. Cory shielded her arms from the heat as best she could by turning her back occasionally to get through certain places backwards, steering clear of the open flames that started to build in the busted walls. Finally, vending machines in-sight, she was able to locate the distressed friend 'Miguel'. But Miguel was on the ground... and wasn't moving.
"Ahhh, damn it, no no," she bent over, flipping him to his back instead of on his side, and pulled a glove off to press her fingers on the side of his neck where Anna had shown her. Alive, just out. Smoke, no doubt. "Alright you, up we go," she encouraged the man as if he could hear her, getting to a knee and pulling him across the back of her shoulders so that she was able to hold one arm and one leg at her sides to keep him steady. As she stood and turned around, she nearly fell with the man backwards from a suddenly collapsing ceiling in front of her that closed the kitchen off. "Shit. No-Bo, need an exit," she spoke to her director through the mask, looking around in the tiny corner of the hallway that had a glorious nothing to offer except for some melted Nutter Butters in the machine. Ceiling wasn't stable, couldn't go out that way. The drywall, if broken, would just push the flames in. She looked behind her to the cinder-block wall that sheltered off the outside and growled with irritation at the lack of options. "Nevermind..."
She let go of his arm, still holding a leg over her shoulders, and took a deep breath before slamming her gloved fist into the wall. It cracked heavily, caving in, but it needed another two... three... finally, the industrial bricks crumbled and she kicked the rest of a hole open before shimmying her way out and dropping the two or so stories down to the pavement with a grunt. Her bones were fine, but her knuckles- ow. A team of paramedics already rushed her like a Best Buy Black Friday sale, pulling the man quickly off of her back as she caught her breath and stood up. "He's not awake, but he's uh- got a pulse," it was weird reporting to strangers. Punk stood fully, brushing off the ash and debris from herself with a demeanor that was a little casual for having just burst out of the side of a fiery building. It was coming down anyway; what was another little hole? Her eyes scanned the crowd of bright lights, incredibly thankful that she wasn't in the backseat of a cruiser for once. Now where was that hero kid?
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"I don't want to be ordinary, got too much to give..."
ALIAS
Paladin
CLASSIFICATION
Brick
POWER
Kinetic Energey Absorption
AGE
19
Hero
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Post by Alice Morrow on Jun 1, 2018 22:29:21 GMT
Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? | It didn't take long for Paladin to make her way out of the building with the injured man. Falling debris was a non-issue, and any blockages were easily cleared. She'd been given the go ahead to use her abilities with caution, the structure of the building was still intact enough that she wouldn't bring it down with a careless blast. As long as she didn't use too much energy in the process. She leapt down from the window she had used to enter the building, easily absorbing the force of the drop for both her and the man she was supporting.
A group of paramedics and firefighter rushed forwards, relieving her of the man, while Paladin backed up from the building, gazing up and down the wall. From what she could see the metahuman she had run into inside was still inside the building. She glanced over at the group of paramedics, they were assisting the man to an ambulance, one holding an oxygen mask over his mouth. She looked up.
The woman was still in there.
Flame belched from the windows and Paladin had to resist the urge to flinch, even now, when she was virtually impervious to physical damage. She'd been virtually indestructible for over a year, and it still was still hard not to react when a potential threat reared its head. Splinters of wood and fragments of brick hit her suit, stopping instantly and dropping to the floor rather than bouncing off.
Eventually she was done with waiting. The woman in there might be a metahuman, but Paladin would know if there was one in town as potent as she was. At least she hoped so. The Program kept as close an eye on potentially dangerous metahumans as they could, but there were new ones coming forward every day, of varying levels of power.
"Shit, time's up…"
She bent her knees, ready to leap, when a wall was kicked open from the inside. Almost on cue.
She relaxed as the woman reappeared with an unconscious man in her arms, then raised an eyebrow behind her mask as she dropped two stories. Clearly some kind of brick, at least at first sight. Something niggled at the back of her mind, something familiar about the other woman, something that she couldn't quite place. She crossed the space between them quickly, shifting around the side of the crowd of paramedics carrying the unconscious worker.
"Nice work. You did well in there. But I don't think I've seen you around before. You're not a Hero are you?"
She was giving the other woman a chance to come clean. Already the liaison was whispering in her ear that the metahuman matched the description of a known vigilante. Paladin was willing to cut her a little slack right now, but it depended how much respect the other woman afforded her.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2018 9:02:20 GMT
live fast, die young For the time being, the police were too busy dealing with the safety perimeter of the compromised structure of the building to pay much attention to her. It'd be that way for a decent window, more than a comfortable amount of time to both locate and figure how to deal with Sergeant Gordon Fairfield. Horribly ironic last name. Since she was at the edge of the frantic ruckus of paramedics, injured or panicked citizens, and firefighters, it was easy to catch sight of the powder-blue-haired-wonder jogging her way.
"Hey," her chin lifted in greeting, hand resting on a hip as she shifted her weight to it. So Paladin wasn't some squeaker high school boy after all. If the costume wasn't so ridiculous she might've even had a nice bod, but unitards weren't her thing. It was almost childishly fun to think that the girl probably wasn't even connecting dots to the fact that they'd met before; an upper-hand feeling making her smirk behind the filtered mask and metallic lens. "Nice work. You did well in there." "Hoho! High praise from the mighty Paladin," she put an arm over her abdomen and bowed theatrically before straightening back up with a chuckle.
The next comment though... that was much less humorous. "You're not a Hero are you?" Even though her expression was hidden, it was clear in her body language of shifting her weight to the other hip and a cocked and dropping head that she was more that ready to disapprove of the question. "What d'you call that?" her free arm lifted, pointing briefly to the unconscious man in a stretcher within the back of an ambulance. "Oh! I'm sorry, you meant to ask if I get paid to be a decent human being, right?" the sarcasm was a little sharp, making a clear statement of her opinion. "I'm afraid I just do it out of the goodness of my own damn heart. Not that I'm really looking for your approval if that's 'hero' enough for you though, Luchadore." She was too green to understand; too young, too naive. That was good and bad all in one messy mixture.
"Haven't changed all that much," her shoulders shrugged, tone a bit softer as she folded her arms loosely over her chest, "still swept up with that white knight daydream. But hey... doing pretty well for yourself. Good to see you safe at least," she admitted - words slightly lower as she nodded her head a single time. She'd meant to be there for her if she'd needed it that night. No meta should have to go it alone in the dark.
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"I don't want to be ordinary, got too much to give..."
ALIAS
Paladin
CLASSIFICATION
Brick
POWER
Kinetic Energey Absorption
AGE
19
Hero
|
Post by Alice Morrow on Jun 3, 2018 10:01:04 GMT
Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? | Paladin frowned at the sarcastic response, not just because of the tone with which it had been delivered, but because something was niggling at the back of her head. This woman seemed familiar; maybe it was the clothes, the voice, or something about the ability. But something about her definitely spoke to a memory in the back of her head. She just couldn't quite place her.
Her jaw clenched at the response to her question, it hadn't been intended as an insult, but then she was willing to bet the other woman knew exactly what she meant and was taking it as an opportunity to needle her. She wouldn't be the first person who had acted in such a manner; there were those who thought that she'd sold out. People who thought that being paid to do this job was selfish and greedy. A few vigilantes had thought the same thing, and it was becoming clear that this woman was definitely amongst that crowd.
She forced herself to relax. She'd just saved a man from a burning building, she deserved at least a little slack, even if she was a cocky bitch. Instead Paladin gestured towards the firefighters and police officers crowding the scene. "Yeah, do you want to try saying that to them as well?"
It was true, Heroes were effectively glorified Police. They had abilities that set them apart from normal humans, and they used them for the good of the public. Paladin received a small salary from the federal government for her services, enough to live on, but it wasn't much. Dominic had ensured that her life was now more comfortable. She'd trusted him with her image and he'd repaid that trust a thousand fold. She wasn't wealthy, but she was far more comfortable than she'd ever imagined being.
"The only difference is my face is on billboards, and trust me, I'd love not to be up there."
She hated being a celebrity. It had its moments, taking pictures with kids and putting in appearances at charity events, but she didn't like being the centre of so much attention. Dominic had warned her something like this might happen, but she hadn't understood just what it would be like. She realised that there were reasons for it beyond celebrity though, reasons that went beyond her or Dominic or any one Hero.
Luchadore
That was it; she had met this woman before, in the alleyway outside of her apartment beating up a bunch of thugs. It seemed that things hadn't changed much, except now Paladin was a licensed Hero, a household name and an icon across the nation. Clearly Punk wasn't impressed.
"Yeah I'm doing pretty well for myself, I can eat and pay rent now, so that's a nice change."
She reached up and tapped her ear. The feed in the earbud cut off. Her liaison wouldn't be happy, but they had been muttering for the last few minutes about how she should just arrest Punk and be done with it. It was awfully tempting, but the vigilante had just saved someone's life. Who knew if Paladin would have been able to find him in the burning building?
"Look, I've got a guy in my ear telling me to cuff you, but you just saved a guy's life. And I know you from… back then so I'll cut you from slack."
Vigilantes had been illegal since the launch of the Hero Program. Well that wasn't true, they'd been illegal for years before then, but stricter laws had been put in place and Heroes had been drafted in to curb the rising vigilante population. Several had become Heroes themselves, some had tried to go it alone and been tracked down and prosecuted, others had just disappeared.
"But you know that operating as a vigilante is illegal."
It was taking all of Paladin's now limited sympathy for the other woman not to simply subdue her.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2018 2:21:27 GMT
live fast, die young When the kid mentioned over to the firefighters and police securing the area and crowding about victims and effected comrades alike, Cory bobbed her head with a little understanding. She could see the point, she guessed, but it wasn't so much an attack on Heroes as it was assuming that someone who didn't publicly enlist was considered less than reputable - hell, even looked down upon - when they did the good that they could. "Hey, you do you. But that title doesn't mean that anyone that isn't you and your super team pals aren't the good guys." She'd done plenty already thanks to Jack's leads. Plenty, in fact, that this kid couldn't ever be cleared to touch and not a single innocent soul had suffered for it. If that didn't point out a flaw in "the system", what did?
"The only difference is my face is on billboards, and trust me, I'd love not to be up there." At least she was humble. That helped her image a bit in Cory's eyes, not so much standing above the rest of the non-metas around them. "Yeah that's gotta be weird," she agreed with a tone that was obvious the thought of seeing a huge, larger-than-life image of herself would be incredibly uncomfortable. It left a bad taste in her mouth. "Yeah I'm doing pretty well for myself, I can eat and pay rent now, so that's a nice change." "That doesn't suck," she chuckled, bumping a friendly fist on the shorter girl's shoulder, "No more baggy hoodies or bandannas either." It seemed for a second that the catching-up was doing well on a friendly note. It put Cory at ease and made her wonderfully relaxed until "Paladin" and her holier-than-thou team's agenda got in the way and cut it off.
"Look, I've got a guy in my ear telling me to cuff you-" Immediately, Cory's body language changed, hands dropping from their crossed position over her chest and rested at her sides in loose fists with alerted shoulders. "That's funny, I didn't break any laws," "-but you just saved a guy's life. And I know you from… back then so I'll cut you from slack." Dead silence and stillness. For a few, good long seconds the mask just stared blankly at the clad Hero until eventually it was broken by a humorless huff and disbelieving head shake. "Gee. Wow. Thanks Lady Paladin, you're so merciful. What ever did I do to deserve you?"
"But you know that operating as a vigilante is illegal."
She couldn't care less whether or not she was going to try and stand in her way. The fact that she'd pointed out giving graces and going out of her way to give Cory something she naturally seemed like she didn't deserve just put another black mark in her book. High and mighty. Being told you were the end-all-be-all for justice really got to your head. Her next words were sharp, strict. "I'll remember that next time you get to a burning building too late." She could imagine it now- 'Gosh darn, sir, I'd love to save you but Miss Paladin told me it's illegal!'. What an awful joke. Before she could say more, she saw a familiar man walk around the crowd to his cruiser parked in the back of all the commotion.
Sergeant Fairfield.
"Don't worry, Pal, I'm not here to get you in trouble with Mommy and Daddy," she walked right past her, patting a hand on her shoulder, and strode past an ambulance to get a checking look in on the one she'd saved before continuing on her way to the lone officer jotting notes down with his driver's door open. "No-Bo... I might need a decent urban playground to run through if this goes south," the words were quiet in her mask; knowing that her 'good graces' with the almighty Hero were tense at best.
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"I don't want to be ordinary, got too much to give..."
ALIAS
Paladin
CLASSIFICATION
Brick
POWER
Kinetic Energey Absorption
AGE
19
Hero
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Post by Alice Morrow on Jun 6, 2018 16:44:27 GMT
Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? | Punk was a lot more prickly than Paladin remembered, but then towards the end of their meeting she had really not wanted anything to do with her. She'd been the one telling Paladin how to behave, how they shouldn't get involved with 'them'. She now knew that 'they' had been the Families, although she knew very little beyond that. She'd met two of their agents, nearly killed one of them, and the Doctor had once had some sort of connection to the shadowy group. She knew little else, even Dominic had been unable to uncover much more information, at least, that he had shared with her.
It was strange how the tables had turned now, and Paladin was admonishing Punk for the same behaviour. She smiled a little at the reference to her 'costume' that first night out. It had been what she had to hand, and certainly wasn't as good as the costume she now wore. "Yeah, this outfit is much better."
She didn't miss Punk tensing up when she told her what her liaison was telling her to do. She had trained and still was training in various unarmed combat styles, but even with the free pass her ability usually gave her, she could read some reactions in others. She cocked her head to one side. She'd intended it as a friendly gesture, to show that she wasn't going to arrest her just because she'd done the right thing. "That's funny, because you and I both know that's bullshit."
Perhaps climbing into the burning building to rescue someone had not been illegal, but the Program and the SFPD had enough of Punk's activities on the books to lock her away for a very long time. Only the fact that Paladin had been a vigilante before the Program, and that Punk had taken the risk to save someone's life was holding her back. It was like the woman had no sense of self-preservation, or was so confident in her own abilities that she genuinely thought, however mistaken, that she could possibly go up against Paladin.
Her jaw tightened imperceptibly at the jibe. Some Heroes had been able to accept that they couldn't save everyone; it simply wasn't within their power. But Paladin had learned that lesson the hard way, discovering the very aspect of her abilities that could have saved her friend's life a fraction of a second after he had been shot dead. Dominic, her liaison and various other members of the Program had pulled her in multiple times to remind her that she was still mortal, that she couldn't stop every disaster or save everyone, but that didn't make it any easier.
"I'm doing this as a sign of respect to why you do what you do, but if you want to throw that in my face, that's fine. Maybe I won't be so nice to your self-righteous ass next time."
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2018 21:44:02 GMT
live fast, die young At Was it possible to roll your eyes so hard that it physically hurt? Oh, the answer was yes, yeah that definitely ached. Cory was sure they were about to drop out of her head from how wide Paladin had made them spin in her skull. Self-righteous? Puh-leeeeease! "Pot calling kettle!" she waved behind her, calling out as a final goodbye. At least Cory admitted how much of an asshole she was, but it seemed the Hero didn't feel any need to own or even recognize faults. Then again, she was on billboards; she was 'perfect' to the world.
She kept bee-lining to the officer, looking occasionally to her sides at the busy scene to ensure at least a couple of options on her way out. Passed the crowd now and covered by the noise of panic, she didn't slow down yards from him even as he looked up with a, "The fuck do you w-?" Before he could even finish, she'd cleared the gap between them and shoved into the open door to knock his head back against the car's frame and turn him into a boneless chicken. Huh, Boneless Chicken, that'd make for a much more appropriate name than what he carried. "That'll hurt in the morning... oh, shit-," he groaned and tried sitting back up, but a quick jab to the nose solved that. "God, you're like a cockroach."
Time was of the essence. She hurried herself with grabbing everything she needed; his badge, his body cam, the dash cam by the windshield, his taser; all stashing them on a thigh pouch strapped to her leg. Then, his gun. Not to use... in fact, it felt poisonous in her hand. How did Anna carry one of these things like it was nothing? But she sure as hell wasn't going to leave it with him. At least this way it wasn't going to fire with blinded hateful intent. "See you in prison," she took the lukewarm styrofoam coffee cup beside him in the cup holder and dropped it on him for good measure. No one innocent was getting hurt by this coward again.
"Alright No-Bo, time to go," she backed away quickly from the officer and made large strides that continued away from the crowd - the gun tucking in the back of her waistband - and kept as rush-less as possible. The less movement, the less she'd be noticed. So far, everyone was still too busy with the fire.
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"I don't want to be ordinary, got too much to give..."
ALIAS
Paladin
CLASSIFICATION
Brick
POWER
Kinetic Energey Absorption
AGE
19
Hero
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Post by Alice Morrow on Jul 4, 2018 15:50:25 GMT
Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? | Paladin actually ground her teeth as she watched the older woman walk away with a dismissive comment. She was tempted to simply go after her now, there was no way the vigilante could outrun her over open ground, and certainly no way she could beat her in a fight if it came to it. But she'd already ignored the liaison's instructions, and she'd said to Cory she'd let her be. Being judged for what she did was hard though. Paladin did as she had to do, she followed the law. Punk had set herself up as her own little judge and jury. Even if she didn't seem the type to become an executioner, it grated to be told that you were self-righteous by someone like that. Paladin followed the law.
She turned away from the retreating figure to look back at the raging blaze, tapping her ear as she did so. Her link with the liaison went live once more.
"I'm watching you right now, I know you just let her walk away?"
She shook her head, "Yeah? She saved a man's life, if we arrest her for taking that risk then no one will step in to help if we need it in future."
"And what if she does some serious damage to someone?"
"Then I'll deal with her."
There was a burst of flame from the building, followed by shouts from the direction of the fire engine and the men clustered about it in bright clothing. There was little else she could do here now. She started to turn away from the fire, speaking once more.
"OK, where to now?"
The voice at the other end sounded smug. "So about dealing with her?"
The Hero glanced over in the direction Punk had gone, "Are you f&*king kidding me?"
A side effect of Paladin's power was that, when she wanted, she could move almost silently. The sound made by movement is simply converted from kinetic energy, and it was easy for Paladin to simply absorb all of the kinetic energy associated with her.
That meant that when she landed in front of Punk, she did so with barely a whisper. She didn't bother with a dramatic landing, no dropping to one knee, just a gentle flexing of the legs. It was a sign of how angry she was that she dispensed with the theatrics she normally so enjoyed.
"You a&*hole. You just couldn't help yourself could you?"
She didn't move, staying exactly where she was. "I ignore instructions, ignore the fact that you are a known vigilante, I give you the credit for saving that man. And you pull this sh$t? I guess that's what happens to you when you stick your neck out for someone."
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Jul 12, 2018 21:11:34 GMT
Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2018 21:11:34 GMT
live fast, die young When she'd reached out to her little ghost on the other end about the definite need to get out as soon as possible, she was responded to with a dry, "You're telling me?" Cory was already looking for exits. She saw two possible ones... Construction Zone - cluttered, huge, lots of highway bridge exits. No one was there, so an all-out run and gun wouldn't put anyone in danger since the crew seemed to all be gone this late at night. The other was through the industrial area towards the city. Lots of obstacles but a lot of attention. Definite risk of something happening there that neither of them would intend.
The second she took more than two steps forward, a flash of purple and white landed in front of her and made her let out a heavy sigh, bothered sigh. Great. Like the almighty kiddlet was going to understand. "You a&*hole. You just couldn't help yourself could you?"
"Technically I did help myself," she tilted her head, cocking her hip to the side to situate her weight with a hand propped on top of it. "I ignore instructions, ignore the fact that you are a known vigilante, I give you the credit for saving that man. And you pull this sh$t? I guess that's what happens to you when you stick your neck out for someone." "Well that was a lot of words in a row. Are you finished or-?" her hand lifted in question. "Kay. First of all you didn't stick your neck out for anything. What are they going to do, fire you? Please. Secondly, I'm doing you one hell of a favor, Pal, so I'd back it up before you start going Power Ranger justice on me." She was on thin ice, but it didn't change the facts.
Punk turned a bit to the side and pointed with two gloved fingers over at the limp officer that slumped over his steering wheel behind her. "See that? That is what we like to call a criminal. Now your little law friends aren't going to tell you that because he's in a uniform - and people in uniform are aaaaaalways the good guys, right?" her hand dropped and she stood straight mainly to prep for any kind of reaction. "He started off pretty reactionary, timid. Beat the hell out of a guy that grew dog ears after pulling him over for a broken tail light and got some attitude. No one was around so he got away with it. Guess he liked it, because the next week it was harassing a gas station clerk that'd called to report a robbery. Crook didn't get caught, but the meta clerk with some pretty visible stony skin got a hell of a medical bill from getting hammered in the head with a drawn gun for 'talking back'."
Maybe that wasn't enough. But... "And last week? An eighteen-year-old girl was driving home from her graduation party. She didn't use a turn signal, so he pulled her over. Her eyes glow in the dark. She was tazed so much she has permanent brain damage at the Mercy Street Hospital..." she let it hang seriously in the air for a moment before patting the zipped compartment on the side of her thigh, "And everything got recorded on his cams. They can't stand up for themselves against their persecution. Someone has to. How long do you think it'll take for him to use his gun? He's already ruined one life forever," no more humor, her tone was low and defensive. His victims, innocent people, they needed someone to bring them justice. No one was going to stand above that, not even Paladin.
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"I don't want to be ordinary, got too much to give..."
ALIAS
Paladin
CLASSIFICATION
Brick
POWER
Kinetic Energey Absorption
AGE
19
Hero
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Jul 17, 2018 17:38:23 GMT
Post by Alice Morrow on Jul 17, 2018 17:38:23 GMT
Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? | Paladin was already angry, and Punk explaining how she was apparently doing her a favour wasn't helping the situation. It was an insufferable holier-than-thou attitude, as if she herself knew better than everyone else. Paladin knew that sometimes she might come across like that, but she didn't make those decisions, she was a Hero, not a lawmaker, and that was the important difference between her and Punk. Paladin followed the law, she answered to the government, the people. Punk didn't answer to anyone but herself. There was no one to keep her in check if, or when, she went too far.
She didn't move, though she desperately wanted to rush forward. Paladin believed there was good in everyone, that people could make the right decisions given the chance. She listened, though she didn't want to, though there was a man shouting into her ear that she had to apprehend her immediately. She had to give her a chance.
Furious, but still stock still, Paladin didn't glance at the cop Punk gestured towards. She didn't want to let the vigilante out of her sight. "You know all this? And if I comb back through all the complaints over the last few weeks will I find any tips? Anything from you telling the authorities all of this?"
She shook her head, finally taking a step forward, though a conciliatory one, even though she was shaking with barely suppressed fury. "You can't make that decision. We have laws, we have courts, we have justice. You are not above that Punk, don't pretend that you know better."
She held out her hands, palm up in the universal gesture of 'I'm not carrying a large weapon'. Not that it made any difference, Paladin's hands were her weapons, her whole body was. She could do more with a blow than the average person could with a bazooka.
"So all of that is recorded on his bodycams? Hand them over and I will make sure they get to the proper authorities. I give you my word."
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Sept 4, 2018 20:55:02 GMT
Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2018 20:55:02 GMT
live fast, die young "You know all this? And if I comb back through all the complaints over the last few weeks will I find any tips? Anything from you telling the authorities all of this?" her shoulders dropped and an unseen expression behind the mask was wrinkled in joyless humor at the girl's ignorance. Or maybe she knew how the world worked and just didn't want to accept it. "A snowball's chance in hell. Any report got scrubbed clean. You really think any local PD is going to have that on their record right now with how the world is changing? Stoke their own fire?" she scoffed. "No, they're all gone now..." Luckily a certain Nobody was an expert at finding things that no longer existed. When the hero stepped forward, Cory stepped one foot back in-turn. It was a definite sign of counteraction; 'you move, I move'.
"You can't make that decision. We have laws, we have courts, we have justice. You are not above that Punk, don't pretend that you know better." "And you know better than to believe that bullshit when it comes to this," her comeback hissed through the small air vents of the covering, "Someone has to make the decision," Punk's voice rose slightly, clearly losing its constant light humor and lax attitude, "There's no 'justice' when the judges hide the evidence to save their own asses." It wasn't about who was above what or who had what authority. Maybe Cory lived for herself before, probably always had. But it was different now. Paladin could think what she wanted, the cops, the courts, the whole damn state could think what they wanted. Every justified revolution in history started the same way - someone just had to stand up for those that couldn't.
The hands up in a sign of so-called "peace" were more of a danger than anything. Her body tensed and her legs slightly bent to ready herself. "So all of that is recorded on his bodycams?" "All of it. You'll see it on the news tomorrow morning," the words stated lowly, a finalization in her decision. "Hand them over and I will make sure they get to the proper authorities. I give you my word." The sad thing was...-? "I believe you," it was a small change in tone. Paladin had peoples' best interests at heart. She could tell, she knew, she just wanted to help. But this wasn't the perfect system that she'd thought it out to be... "But you and I both know they'd burn it all the second they found out the problems it'd cause. Even if you don't want to admit it..."
A hand reached back to her waistband, grabbing the hilt of the gun and slowly, carefully, pulling it out to full view at her side and ensuring that the hero saw it was handled without an intent of threat. "It's better off with her," she spoke quietly to her reliable partner behind the scenes. Cory hated the weight of it and had no intention of using it. It was a sign of minor trust. The hero had the morals to dispose of it properly and it proved Cory's honesty for her declared purpose - to prevent violence - even if the girl disagreed with the methods as to how. She lowered herself, setting the gun on its side on the ground and standing again to kick it across the asphalt towards the hero. "I know it's safe with you," she nodded - almost respectfully so.
If the girl were to reply, the second she got a word in, a cloud of dust kicked up from the vigilante and she was bounding towards the city. More dangerous, yes... but that'd work in her favor. Neither had a want to endanger anyone innocent. Punk had every intention to use the population and its tight-knit activity to her advantage. Paladin would have to be careful with her use in the metropolis - less she put those she wanted to save in harm's way.
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