2012-09-09 Blue and Balls

It's a bright, sunny, Sunday morning in New York City. Blue skies, and adorable clouds scud across the firmament. It's almost certain that a certain cuddly blue alien is lurking about on roofs somewhere, but he's nowhere to be seen just yet.

Meanwhile, down in an alley between glass skyscrapers, three black, stretch limousines are parked, and idling. Their drivers look anxiously about, tapping toes and drumming fingers impatiently. Inside the building next to them, a squad of men and women are inside, having successfully circumvented the alarm systems, and are busily going about looting the four stores which are linked together inside. Looting them of all manner of jewelry, and loose precious stones. Too bad there aren't any heroes around...

Francesca has just walked one of her friends down to her place of employment, a strip club downtown. Making her way back home she grabbed some Korean Tacos from a place she liked, then continued along her way, looking for a likely spot to cop a squat and eat. She cuts through an alleyway and notes the not particularly unusual sight of several limos together. She's not completely jaded to the whole craziness of New York City though, so she slows down and looks around for other signs of a possible TV shoot, or celebrity gathering while she sips on her Jasmine iced tea.

Good timing! It's true, the limos were good cover. That's why they used them. But not everyone they hired was as smooth as the cars parked in the alley. Several people come out the door and high-five each other, each carrying a decent sized duffle bag in the other hand. They're dressed in back, and each one also has a submachine gun strapped to his or her back. Not exactly 'business casual'.

For someone like Francesca, standing back, taking in the scene, that person might also notice the yellowish bubble floating down, big enough to contain a man-sized alien sitting in the lotus position. Directly into her mind, Francesca can hear, |"Stand clear, lady, these guys got guns!"| Oh Zen, what a gentleman! Then Zen drops through the bottom of his bubble, just leaving it suspended about a 100 yards up from the cars, and lands silently in a crouch on top of the middle limo, photon staff in hand. That staff snakes out and brains two of the thieves before they know whats happening, but the third reels back, drops her duffle and reaches to bring her gun around.

Slurp. Slurp. Jasmine tea. So delicious. Fran is sucking happily upon her straw when out comes these dudes. Dudes with guns. Well, that didn't look like a movie set. Well, it sort of did, except for the lack of cameras of course. "Oh fuck-a-duck." she curses, nearly dropping her food. Then there is a bubble in the sky pooping out a staff wielding alien and the bell sounds to start the round. Down go two of the robbers while Francesca is left blinking over the whole voice in her head. In a flash she bounds into action, planting both feet in the back of the woman going for the gun. She uses the woman as a sprinboard, drop kicking her and leaping away to safety at the same moment. While the woman goes flying to the ground, gun clattering on the asphalt, Fran takes care of the more important business of setting her food and drink down out of harm's way.

That done, she digs out a couple rubber balls, "Is this a party? How did I not get the invite?" Her right arm blurs and one thug goes down from a rubber ball to the forehead, a second robber yells as the ricochet hits him with the force of a fist. "Bingo!"

As soon as the yelling starts, there were all kinds of sounds from inside the building. Shouting, running, guns being readied. All of that. Out in the alley, things are currently somewhat less exciting. The three drivers all rev their engines to signal the people inside to hurry it up, but they also can't just sit there like, well, sitting ducks. They bail out, all drawing heavy caliber hand guns. The rear driver tries to hit Fran with his door, and misses horribly. The middle one, whose roof Zen is standing on, jumps out and tries to sneak a grab on Zen's ankle. And the driver of the front car just rolls out and takes a couple shots at Zen.

Zen hops over the grab and follows up with his boot in the man's face. Then he has to dance back to avoid the gunshots. His free hand flickers as he grabs a throwing blade from his belt buckle and flings it at the man when it embeds itself in the barrel of his gun, ruining the weapon. That guy says, "I knew this town was too thick with supes to try something like this!" He turns, and bolts.

With the rest of the good still inside, Zen has half a moment to turn his attention to Fran. |"Wow, that was fantastic! I'll be hand delivering your invites in the future. Name's Zen, by the way."|

Fran bounces out to snag the streaking neon orange ball out of the air, turning to send it flying into the car with the driver who just tried to ding her with the door. It bounces around inside at bullet-like speeds, spidering several windows before tagging the driver in the back. She hits the ground with her back and rolls in a reverse somersault, coming to her feet. As soon as her feet on on the ground she takes off, blurring over to the top of the limo that Zen just vacated. The second rubber ball, neon green, is flung at that runner, thwacking him soundling in the back and taking a high hop back, which Circus bounces up into the air to snag. "Hello? What the flip? Are you talking to me in my head?" As she falls back towards the street she's already fishing out a pair of balls, one a ball bearing however.

Gunfire in New York. Not really all that strange, of course, but gunfire in the /jewelry district/? Much less likely. No sirens can be heard yet, but they really can't be that far off. Somewhere, some security guard has definitely made the call.

From inside the store, gunfire erupts, aimed at Zen, standing between the car and the doorway. The gunfire is also accompanied by all manner of unkind words as to the characters of the people staging this 'citizen's intervention'. Apparently Jewel Thieves don't think much of Supes. Even street level ones.

Zen on the other hand, really looked like he was done for, but he seems to have blinked out of existence, only to reappear on the other side of the limo, using the broadside as cover between him and the door. How did he get over there? The limo is riddled by the hail gun fire, but lucky for our boy in blue, the crooks invested in bullet proof limos. Hunkered down, taking cover, Zen's voice comes again, |"She gets it on the first try! Sorry for the invasion. But we're on the same side here, promise."| Zen looks down to make sure his photon staff is set to stun, and braces himself for the next move - going inside. |"You wanna go shopping?"|

Circus hits the hood of a limo, then flips over to hit the dirt near the blue alien. She gives him the eye, "That is weird dude. You got no mouth." She tosses the bearing and the ball into the air, then strips out of her shirt and pants. Hopping up to her feet as the pants fall around her ankles, revealing her bight uniform, she snags the bearing and sends it flying at the door a thug is using for cover. The metal ball bearing shatters the bulletproof glass, sending a spray of safety glass on the thug. She then flings another ball at the gap, to make the robbers put there heads down, "I don't much care for jewels, but just this once. Sure." Then she's off, streaking neon colors as she races towards the scene of the crime. She's no Flash, but she is FAST.

The goons in the store fire wildly as Circus goes streaking past them, two of them actually catching each other in a crossfire. Once inside, it's clear that there has to be over a dozen more guys inside, using columns, and all manner of display cases for cover, most of which are empty now. Controlled bursts of submachine gun fire come from half a dozen places as Circus blasts through.

Zen can't move nearly as fast as Circus can, but he does have the advantage of being unnoticed. This time, now that he's sure he and Circus are teaming up for this, he shields her from his mind trick pulse, allowing her to see his sprint past the guards, right in front of their faces, but they just don't see him. He finishes his sprint by flipping behind a large case, and seems to reappear again, from the thieves' point of view. Just in time for a barrage of staff blows, dropping two of the guys he's with, leaving just one more standing back there with him. Should be fun.

Zen isn't the only one able to wink out of sight and Circus displays her own version of this handy trick as she rushes forward and right as she gets a bit too much attention from the gunmen she is gone. She appears on the other side of a pair of shooters hunkered behind a plundered jewelry case. She spins like a top, her foot catching one of the shooters soundly in the temple. She continues the spin, dropping a backhand to the face of the second shooter. The corkscrew motion brings Circus down into a squat. The two shooters thump to the floor and Circus disappears from view. A moment later the clips from the guns, then the guns themselves start into a waterfall juggle. "So, an alien and a clown walk into a bar along with a priest, a rabbi, and a nun." says Circus from her hiding spot. "And the bartender says, "Holy crap, you guys ready to give up yet? Or do you want more ass whoopin's?"

A couple of the goons can actually be heard stifling chuckles, but one loud mouth, probably the guy in charge, calls out, "Yeah right - dodge this!" And then man lobs one of the slowest, oldest, clunkiest forms of warfare known. A grenade. Seriously guy? The guy with Zen behind the big case backs up to take a shot.

It's arcing through the air as Zen's laughter can be heard in all the minds still awake and present. One, he's seen Circus move. Good luck with that lob-shot. Two, that joke was funny. Also, for the guy shooting at Zen, between the recoil, and Zen's sidestep, the guy gets nothing but wall all day over there. Step, step, sliide. And Zen is behind the man, putting an elbow in the lovely little spot humans have at the base of their skull. The goon drops like a sack of potatoes.


 * "Give it up, or I'll wipe all your minds, and let her draw clown faces on your vegetated faces."| He also sends the equivalent of a mental 'wink' just to Circus. No, he can't really do that, but when you're talking inside someone's head, it does bring up all kinds of doubt.

Holy shit. A grenade. Circus catches sight of it while it tumbles through the air in slow motion. What do you do with a grenade? Those things are scary. Really. Maybe she should get one or two. Where would she buy grenades? She should totally go to the army surplus store after this robbery was busted and see about picking some up. "Oh!" She totally forgot, the real grenade. She hopped out of hiding and gives the floating grenade a bicycle kick. "She shoots! She scores!" The grenade whips through the open door of the jewelry store and across the alleyway, to the far side of the armored limos where it goes off safely. Score one for Circus! Oh...wait, the cameras will later show that ther were four innocent lives lost in that blast. Three korean tacos (extra spicy kim chee) and one Jasmine Iced Tea. The horror!

Luckily Circus doesn't see the horror of that grenade blast. She lands on her back on a jewelry case after her kick. Ouch. Then she rolls off onto the floor in time to snatch one of the submachine guns she had been juggling out of the air. Then a clip is grabbed and slapped into place. She sprays the roof, "Say hello to my littl' frien'!" she yells out before whipping the gun frizbee style at the guy who threw the grenade. "Candygram for Mongo!"

The leader of the goons can only stare open-mouthed at what he thought was going to be a scene-closer. He doesn't even watch the grenade go whizzing out the door, or turn when the blast blows limo bits and atomized taco (sadness) in through the door. In fact, he's still just standing there, staring at Circus when she whips that gun at his face. It clatters into his forehead, and it's lights out, buddy. The half-dozen or so guys left all drop their guns, and then most of them hit the floor, but a couple think making a break for it would be for the best.

Zen hauls back and throws his staff javelin style where it hits the frame just above the exit door, right as the goons reach the door. The stun pulse from his weapon knocks them out cold, but his weapon is not as cool as Fran's. It just clatters to the floor instead of returning to his hand. Zen's shoulders slump a little as he considers this, and broadcasts to everyone awake, |"Ok, you fools hear those sirens right? /That's/ what happens next, so no funny business."|

Then he focuses his thoughts just on Circus. |"Damn lady, that was sweet. What kind of martial art is that? I thought I read up on most of earth's fighting styles... Oh, and you can just think at me, if you don't want to say out loud. Or tell me to shove off if its a secret school! Of course. Either way. That was bad ass."| Zen walks over and scoops up his staff, slinging it on his back again.

Circus pumps her fist as the SMG takes out the open jawed leader type. She sticks out a foot to catch the second SMG on her toe. She pops it up into the air hacky sack style. She snatches it from mid air and is ready to fling it, but Zen has taken everyone out, or at least the ones it was fair to bust upside the head. "Crap. Come on guys. Ignore the dude, someone make a run for it. I really want to see if I can crack a fool hard enough to make him do a loopty loop. I think this gun has enough heft to totally make one of you fools do a loopty loop." She hops up onto the case, "No? No takers? The Circus is in town guys and you all just bought your tickets." She doesn't think her reply to Zen, she says, "Huh...It is Capoeira mainly, but Tae Kwon Do, Wing Chun, Soccer and Ballet all thrown in."

The guys who are awake just get down on the floor, looking pretty damn intimidated by this brightly clad woman, and the blue guy with only half a face. The sirens are definitely getting closer.

Zen switches to just broadband telepathy again, so Circus doesn't sound like a loon, answering questions nobody asked. Plus, he doesn't really care if the few left lying face down on the ground hear him. |"Impressive, mixing and matching like that. That's not easy to do!"| Zen glances over his shoulder then, at the door. |"Hey look, you can cover these jokers from here, right? The NYPD hasn't quite warmed up to me yet, and I should probably bounce. You can even say it was all you. We cool?"|

Zen hasn't noticed the security cams in here, but they're probably switched off, right? The thieves would have done that? Wrong. They were rigged to come back on a couple minutes after they left, which was many minutes ago now.

Circus laughs and says, "I am the most impressive Three Ring Hero ever. That's me baby!" She hops down to start making sure all the guns are gathered up while Zen checks on the door, "Sure thing dude. I can hang out till the cops are here. They can't stop me. Nothing stops the Juggernaut...or Circus!" She does a few flexes to show off her guns, while carrying guns. Booyah! Double guns! Stepping onto the back of one of the thugs who keeps eyeing possible escape she says, "That is neat. The whole talking in my head thing. Can you read my thoughts? Cause I apologize if you can, but really, that girl right there has a damn fine ass for a villain. I couldn't help what I was thinking." She drags out a neon ball and starts bouncing it off the back of the head of the guy she's standing on, catch, bounce. Catch bounce.

Zen laughs and shakes his head, |"And funny - don't forget that part. But no, well, sort of. Reading thoughts is really hard, and sort of rude, so I don't usually."| He snap-points at the hot lady-goon. |"So you're good. No idea what you're thinking."| Zen can't really wink with unblinking, bug eyes, but he can squinch one eyebrow down pretty good, and pretend.

Zen glances around one last time, making sure he's got all his stuff, and then nods to Circus. He's about to duck out the door when he turns back, |"Hey, I never got your name."|


 * "She has a totally amazing tushy. Too bad she's going to go to jail."| thinks Circus, "I didn't say my name? Seriously? Circus." |"Circus! The Three Ring Hero! The Queen of Quickness. The Baroness of Bounce. The Peanut of Power. And other stuff too."| She thupokkita thupokkitas the rubber ball off the downed criminal, then she steps off of him to toe open one of the bags of loot. "Sweet. I should become a super villain. It looks like this whole crime thing pays pretty well. Other than the going to jail part."


 * "Wait. Yo bro! You didn't tell me your name did you? Space Dude? I have no mouth and I must scream? Hungryman?"|


 * "Name's Zen,"| he says, laughing. |"I'll see you around, Circus."| And with that, Zen quicksteps out the door, vault up off the limo wreckage, and into his T-Pod bubble thingy.