2014.03.03 - Supergirl's Smokin' Hot Morning

It was a bright and sunny day in Lower Metropolis' Soho district! A sprawling commercial district with plenty of spacious loft housing means the sidewalk and streets are busy for this time or morning. The shops open late on Saturday, but a few have already thrown open their doors to the joggers, pet owners and other early morning weekend oddballs enjoying the brisk winter air. The road isn't busy, but there are a few commuters doing early morning rounds, and the coffee shop is busy as ever catering to those up by choice or neccessity. Wilson Fisk was in fact just wrapping up his own matters, stepping out of a small coffee shop and making his way into his limosine. As the car drives away, activity begins in the back alley behind the boutiques and shops. One gentleman in a hoodie steps into the street, slouched in a clumsy gait as he pulls a bandanna concealingly over his face. At his side bounced a heavy looking satchel bag, and his eyes were quite fixedly on a highrise down the street.

It took an entire semester and some change for Karen's roommates to get her off campus and to a party. While she had fun at the small gathering of friends at one wealthy friends Soho apartment, the young woman from Kansas just wasn't ready to spend the night there unlike her roomies. She pulled on her coat and grabbed her purse and made a quiet exit confident that her roomies were in pretty safe hands. At this point she's strolling casually down the street pondering whether the city needs a patrolling from her alter ego or not.

The sound of a roaring engine would suddenly break the dim ambient noise of the street as a small mercedes suddenly GUNS out of an alleyway! Odder still is the sudden stop of the car directly in its path on the road! The sound of the collision draws eyes all around, one car wedged firmly into the side of the other, as traffic slows to a crawl. Taking up both lanes, each driver climbs out of their respective vehicle to begin the shouting match usual of big city drivers.

Wild accusations fly down the street, threatening to become an all out brawl, bringing all attention away from the shifty hooded figure drawing a capped length of wired pipe from his satchel. With little time to lose, the bomber sets a short 10 second timer on his pipebomb, steps back, and while he thinks nobody is looking, cocks his arm to throw it through one of the office building's windows!

Another accident! The young woman from Krypton thinks as she slips into an alley for a super-speed change of outfits. Up, over a building and dropping onto the scene is Supergirl. Seeing that no one is actually injured, she takes a step towards the cars to seperate them at least so traffic can continue through when she notices the arm being cocked back and what resides in said arm's hand. A pipe bomb! Kara Zor-El vanishes for an instant and appears in front of the bomber and snatches the bomb from his hands before going straight up into the air with it!

The sudden appearance of Supergirl on the scene causes both the now grappling drivers to look up with a sort of apprehension that usually only serious offenders get. When you turn your head away however, both are quick to try and get your attention. The first lets go of his comrade in crime and jumps to grab hold, while the second, at a loss for what else to do, falls back and feigns injury, calling for help! When you all but vanish from sight... they pause to look at each other, and take off running down the street, their job all but done.

"HEY!" comes a ratty voice as the arsonist suddenly has a blue and red clad paragon right before them! The bomb leaves their hand without real effort, and they are left laying dazed in the street as Supergirl streaks skywards.

KA-BOOM!

Twisted shards of broken pipe twist and shoot off in all directions when the timer ticks its way down to zero! That however is the least of its effects. Rather than simply a high pressure wave, like most such bombs, the air is suddenly filled with a massive ball of FIRE! Plumes of acrid black smoke lick all around the epicenter of the blast as flaming napalm showers down. This wasn't simply for damage, something like this might have set half the block on fire! In fact, the clinging incendiary is burning long enough to fall dangerously close to some of the higher buildings rooftops! Down below, people were already getting their cellphones out, snapping pics or calling emergency response!

"THAT was unexpected" says the Girl of Steel as the bomb proved to be more than just explosive. The flaming gel that falls in clumps now from the sky was definitely not something she imagined. She's a smart girl though and more importantly, QUICK! She whips off her "coat"-like cape revealing that the suit she wears is in fact at least two pieces! The tight bodysuit under the coat also bears the symbol of the House of El but the colors are just reversed from that of the overcoat. She proceeds to use her fantastic speed to -catch- most of the larger clumps of falling burning gel with her coat! Mostly to keep people below from being badly hurt.

Cleanup is not too terribly messy, as luckily the smaller bits of gel largely burn up before actually coming into contact with anything. The segments caught however do not look too likely to be put out any time soon. Whatever this stuff was, it certainly wasn't your run of the mill thug toy. In the 'heat of the moment' however, the arsonist was pulling himself back up ot his feet and was already starting to beat a hasty retreat down the sidewalk. As he runs, he begins to pull more goodies from his satchel. Some oversized, paper wrapped cherry bombs, another incendiary pipe and a lighter. The street was getting crowded, cars gridlocked from the earlier traffic accident, and the arriving police and fire departments weren't doing anything to help matters!

-MEANWHILE ACROSS TOWN- "Okay boys... diversions hot. Lets get this over with before the heat dies down.", grunts the leader of a team of six, each putting on a rubber animal mask in the back alley of a bank. "Boss wants no more screwups on dis 'un."

Kara has definitely not forgotten about the mad bomber that bombs in the early morning! The young Kryptonian lands right in front of him holding open her coat-sack of burning gel. Quietly she says "Put them all in there...and I DO mean ALL. The one strapped to your inner thigh also, buddy and I promise I won't burn my initial in Kryptonian into your chest." Her eyes glow with a red sinister light. The poor boy is forced to do quite the juggling act as quite suddenly, the super is right in front of him again! He tosses up the contents of his arms in surprise, and desperately fumbles and gropes to keep from dropping any of the volatile arsenal at his feet! "Watch it you crazy biiiiiiihhhhhh~" he starts, but the sight of those eyes seems to tame his tongue pretty quick.

You could almost see him trembling a little as he looks at the burning mass of pyro gel in your coat... taking more than one frightened step back as he begins to offload his arsenal shakily. A few more pipe bombs, a satchel charge, a good two dozen cherry bombs, finally getting to that package strappedt o histhigh. He eyes you with a glare as he reaches down his pants and pulls out... a water bottle?

"A-are you really sure you want me to put dis' in dere?"

"Yes. Why were you doing this? Who do you work for?" the young Maid of Might says calmly like it's a normal everyday thing to be holding a coat full of burning pyro gel and other assorted explosive goodies. "I am not my cousin. I feel little to nothing for you criminal scum. Had I the *Kryptonian word here*, I would banish you and all your brethren to the Phantom Zone. Much more efficient prison system than what you humans use."

"Awright" he says in a resigned voice, and tosses the bottle casually into the coat. A little special something something for quick getaways as luck would have it. The bottle has barely touched the firey mass when the pressure inside causes the top to burst off, and a thick suffocating black smoke starts to fill the air!

Barely had the geyser started to erupt than he turned on his heel, clearly anticipating what would come next, to bolt! Whatever this stuff was, it seemed to like lingering around head height and BOY did it spread fast! Pedestrians ten feet away were left coughing and choking in seconds, and it was only spreading further.

As if things weren't already bad enough it seems this wasn't the only one working this beat. Even with everything happening in Soho, similar incidents were starting to pop up around the neighborhood. No fewer than four spires of acrid black smoke were begining to rise above the city skyline, and the gridlocked firefighteres were looking rather distraut as calls started coming in! This was beyond a simple rogue arson... this was meticulously planned!

No wonder the cloud of acrid black smoke hangs at head height for a few seconds. Somehow this bomber managed to liquify enough lead to produce a fairly effective smoke screen against even the super vision of Kryptonians! Smart as he seems to be though, this only distracts Kara for a moment or two as she was also not expecting that. Her cousin might have since he's been doing this longer but Kara is still somewhat new to all this hero business. She blows out a mighty puff of breath to clear the smoke from her vision and then she closes her coat and takes off after the bomber. She grabs him by the back of his hoodie and says "Really? Really. I can outrun and I mean actually outrun one of your worlds military aircraft. Stop. Give up. You're done now."

There's a shrill 'GAK!' as the back of his sweater is caught, driving his collar into his throat. Feet getting away from him, he stumbles and is soon hanging by his hood from your grip. Dispite all this though, there is a cocky sort of arrogance to his tone when he speaks up.

"Oh lah-dee-dah girly... you really sure you gots the time for one lil' guy like me? Or did you think I was the only one lightin' up the place?"

It was no bluff either. The building he was targeting? Mostly empty. Some cleaning staff, maybe somebody working weekends coming in early... but the other targets less so. In the surrounding area, four buildings now had flames starting to lap at the inner windows, and a few people could be heard, leastwise by one of the Super family, screaming and evacuating. A glance through the surrounding buildings would show two apartment buildings, another office highrise and a jewlery store a good two blocks back all at risk. "Tick tock...or you worried about the guy with nuffin' left ta cause trouble?"

Realizing that this man while very much the bomber, he wasn't the ONLY bomber or he had placed other devices before. The Girl of Steel spins the man to face her and says "Okay. You're right. Say goodnight." Once she see's the thugs look of mild confusion, she reaches up and flicks her index finger against his forehead. Now, an average person doing that might be annoying at most. The Maid of Might, however? That's like getting hit by Mike Tyson after you laughed in his face about his squeaky girly voice. Taking a second to make sure she didn't break the guys skull, Kara then proceeds to speed to the sound of screams for help. Rescueing people wherever she can. She has no idea that this could be and likely is a distraction from some other nefarious ne'erdowells across town.

The cocky look in his eye is quick to vanish when you wheel him around. "W-wha~" is as far as he gets before his head suddenly snaps back and he hangs limply in your grip! A quick check show's, luckily, that he's just unconcious... maybe a mild concussion but hey, that's just the kind of risk you take being a criminal in this city!

Whichever building you get to first, the fires are graciously isolated, though that could change quite quickly. People are baling out as one room in particular seems to have flames licking at the sil. A broken window tells the story of a pipebomb much like the one you already took care of, which also means these flames are sure to be stubborn ones.

Firefighters, however slowly, have finally managed to start responding to some of the other buildings, but it would be slow work trying to minimize the damage! Leastwise, for civilians like them it would.

Its only now, as the bank redies to open this saturday morning, that the plot across town would be unveiled. A bank manager, coming in to start early on some paperwork, stumbles across a bevy of bank robbers and hits the silent alarm. The question is, with all the panic near Soho, who would respond?

Kara gets as many people out of the affected buildings as possible before trying to save the buildings themselves. She uses a combination of her super-speed and freezing breath to put out fires quickly and effectively. Where possible she does try to make it easier for the responding firemen to get through the buildings internal areas so they can move through the buildings in their more thorough searches faster. Being so far across town and more concerned with saving lives here, she won't notice the call for the bank robbery until a nearby Police Officers radio gets the call from his central dispatch center.

The fires have a tendancy to relight with simple oxygen deprivation, but a good bit of freeze cools the pyro-gel enough that it doesn't go back up after. Property values may take a bit of a hit, but the buildings are all still standing, and thats certainly more than could be said if Supergirl hadn't been on the scene!

It was just as the last building fire was put out that the call comes through.

"All units be advised there has been a robbery at *kkssshhhhht* ~pects are fleeing in an unmarked black van. All available units persue down Forth and Main."

On the scene, the black van's rooftop folds open just as the first police car arrives on the scene. Rising out from the back, a belt fed six barrel chaingun starts to whirr up a storm as the barrels spin to firing speed. The slackjawed thug behind it can't hide a look of childlike glee. "Aw-yeah. Naw this is wut crime is all about!"

Just as she heat vision welds a damaged support beam to keep it from collapsing, Kara hears the call on that Officers radio. It is only then that she realizes that this was all a distraction. Several fire fighters and police officers and likely who knows how MANY cell phone camera capture the Girl of Steel performing a very human gesture. She facepalms herself and utter's Homer Simpsons iconic "D'oh!" before launching herself skywards and in pursuit of the black van!

"AH-HAHAHAH! SUCK IT PIGS!" greets the superheroine as she rockets over the highway, the van making shockingly good speed dispite its bulkier construction. The man on the chaingun has now chalked up his third police cruiser shot off the road, and he didn't look to be in the mood to stop. It was clear law enforcement was trying to get close enough to do something, but up to this point they've been foiled!

Up ahead, a hundred feet away and closing fast, was a blockade of swat vehicles. Clearly they hoped to deter them with the wall of cruisers, but the bruiser simply slaps the roof. "Oy Pete! Yer up!".

Out of the van's window leans a wiry looking brigand, awkwardly maneuvering an RPG out the window with him to point dead at the police blocade!

Upon seeing the sheer havoc and destruction that these criminals have already caused, Kara growls and really puts on the speed. She's through playing with kid gloves. Kara just flies right next to the guy with the RPG and snatches it out of his hand. She then grabs the side of the van and puts her legs down to stop and spin the Van so that it's not facing the Police barricade!

"HOW D'YA LIKE ME N~huh?!" Never has this individual been more perplexed than when the RPG he was so proudly holding aloft seems to all but VANISH! There's a scream from somewhere inside the van when rather suddenly, fingers curl into it! The wheels start to squeal against the pavement rather suddenly as it is spin about, veering and tipping violently before rolling over onto its side. Chaingun McGee takes a nasty tumble, diving and rolling along the ground only to be very quickly surrounded by armed SWAT. Inside the van, the rest are groggily recovering from being shaken up something fierce, a weak nauseated groan lifting from inside as more SWAT approach. Still, even amongst these highly trained officers, you'll notice embarassed, shy, even awestruck glances in your direction threatening to break the concentration of these men and women.

Kara doesn't waste any time now that the Van has stopped! She tears it open like so much paper! She steps into the Van and glares at the men inside. Her eyes are blazing red, glowing and ready to release blasts of power hot enough to liquify the hardest metals on the planet. Calmly but with a finality that says she's QUITE angry, she says "You will surrender. Now."

The boys you find in that armored tin can they called a van, and to be fair this thing was quite likely to stop anything short of high caliber armor piercing rounds, get one look at your face, and their hands are up faster than they can wet themselves. Well.. none of that, but if the look they momentarily exchange means anything its that it was a rather close shave for their pants. Four gentlemen are escorted out moments later by SWAT, over to an awaiting van destined for the presinct, while Lt. Mac Jones comes jogging over. Corpulent and seemingly not in the best of shape, the poor man needs a few moments of labored gasping before he says "T-tha.. hah.. Thank you fuh.. for your assistance... whew.." It was during this little breathing he sees the chaingun mount on the van and takes a few steps back. "H-heavens! Where the... how'd they get something like that?!"

Kara is a little taken aback to be approached by the Corpulent man. She knows only that his uniform represents Authority on Kal-El's adopted world so she comes to an almost military straight attention. She's slightly disturbed by the man's lack of physical fitness and she takes a moment to examine him. When he thanks her and then asks about the chaingun, she just looks at the weapon, reaches down and casually lifts the multi-ton vehicle, like it's a toy, back onto it's wheels so that they can move it easier. "I know not, Guardian of Metropolis. I suspect but I am unsure these men might have orchestrated a series of bombings and fires across town to create a diversion for their crime here. That is merely a suspiscion, however, Guardian."

Hand on his hat, Lt. Jones stares. "B-bombings?! Oh my..." Already he was fanning himself faintly, taking a weak step back. "Oooh I never should have left Sacramento..." By this point he was talking, distractedly, almost to himself, and more... able officers have caught up. There's almost a sort of embarassed coddling going on, where they simultaneously try to hide him from sight and shoo him away from you, but also treat him perhaps a little gentler than neccessary. As he's ushered away, he waves to you happily however, to the embarassment of his forces, and calls "Thanks for your help! We can take it from here...." getting further, and further away. "Oh! And I'll include that bit about the bombings in the report! Good work!" Indeed this day crime has not paid, leastwise not for these individuals. Six fresh faces behind bars and the city safe once again.

Kara frowns slightly at the strange behavior of these Guardians regarding one of their own. She just nods and accepts it as her lack of understanding the details of this new society she will be calling home. She follows after the man for a moment as she begins to slowly float up off the ground. "Oh...and Guardian...you may wish to visit one of your...medical centers. You are developing some strange build-up os material in the arteries leading to and from your heart. Almost the point of blocking off three of them. I believe that is potentially fatal for humans." With that last bit of bomb-dropping, the Maid of Might arcs over and speeds off into the sky.

-Meanwhile, Several Miles Away- "Do you have it?" comes the booming, authoritative voice of Wilson Fisk. The Kingpin.

"Sure do Boss. They went for the bait, jus' like you said. Pretty good settin' up them's guys t'take the fall."

"Now now. Those who do their jobs properly are well taken care of.". A fat hand leans out of the limosine window, and a small case is placed into his hand.

"D... did I do proper boss?", the ratty thug asks nervously. Moments pass as fisk examines the mystery item.

"Yes. Yes it seems you have.". That same fat hand drops a fat roll of bills into the young mans trembling hands and his face lights up, but the Kingpin was not done just yet. "Remember, you were not here. Nor was I, nor..." he says, holding up the small package one last time "...was this. I hope I make myself clear."

"Oh-oh yeah boss! Crystal!"

The window rolls up, and off it drives, escorting the Kingpin of crime back to his office towers. A small lightcomes up in the drivers booth as the intercom sparks. "Jensen... pull in here. I'm feeling.... peckish."