2013.06.16 - LSH: Fatal Two

Even heroes have to eat. It's a simple fact in life. After all, despite the way that they act, and the way the public perceives them, they are human (or in the vast majority of cases so close to human that simple things like eating and sleeping are just as important as they would be to a human).

But anyways, the members of The Legion of Super-Heroes are close enough to human that food is important. Thus after a conversation regarding what to eat, a suggestion was made of 'Chinese'. Thus a small group of Legionnaires is in Chinatown. Of course as they wander they fight throngs of tourists while trying to decide just which restaurant they want to eat at, but still...

Still, the Legion, or at least some of it's members are here, in Chinatown. Among them is one Imra Ardeen a.k.a. Saturn Girl. Only as she glances about, she listens to the others, and lets them decide on just where they go

"I hear their sweet and sour pork is incredible," Kent Shakespeare says into the comm waves of his legion flight ring as he settles to the ground beside Saturn Girl and acknowledges her with a polite nod. "It was a great idea to get out on the town like this as a group, good to be seen by the public and all after all."

"I just want duck. A lot of duck," Garth replies. "The kind where people blow up the duck so they can get the skin all crispy, and then roast them. And then they serve them with these pancakes and green strips of stuff, and the brown sauce..."

The current-era eateries that Michael Jon Carter--codename: Booster Gold--tends to go into are coffee bars. The idea of going into actual restaurants is unnerving to him, especially when the others start talking about animals. The idea of eating actual animals, especially in the form of animal-looking parts, is new and exotic to him, and frankly a little frightening. For once, he is being fairly low key and has street clothes on, his blue button-down shirt fastened up nearly to the neck if only because he has his costume on underneath. After a long silence, he quietly says, "What's a duck?"

Sweet and sour pork? Peking duck?

While both do sound good to Imra, she can't help but smile slightly and shake her head.

"It's a type of water fowl. But don't worry. I'm sure this place has some stuff made from tofu too."

Of course before Saturn Girl can say, or do much else, something happens.

Scratch that, /MULTIPLE/ somethings.

First it's almost as if a pair of red dots appear just floating in the air. One in the middle of the road, and the other in front of the entrance to the restaurant. But these 'dots don't stay just dots for long. Because quickly they start to gray. They become almost sphere like, and crackle with reddish energy. The one in front of the restaurant grows to almost six feet in diameter, while the one in the road grows bigger. A /LOT/ big.

Then as suddenly as the energy appears, it vanishes. The smaller one reveals a woman with red hair, wearing a skimpy and revealing black outfit. And the taller one? Well that one reveals a /giant. A hunched back giant wearing a purple and white outfit, with a sickly yellow face. But the giants face is not the strangest bit. That would be the fact that this things brain can be seen underneath a transparent dome on the top of its head.

Either way, as they appear, the woman glances about, apparently lost, before her gaze locks onto the group of heroes.

"I do not know what you did to me Legionnaires, but now you will die!"

"Saturn Girl, behind me!" Kent moves to position himself between the pair he recognizes from the 30th century. "Booster, I hope you can summon your gear go you," he calls out to the normally golden armored Reservist as he takes a defensive posture after adjusting his glasses reflexively.

"A duck's a ..." Oh. Imra had the answer already.

The duo that emerge out of nowhere causes Garth to swear. Not that he recognized the female, but the very very very large person...?

"Validus! What are you..."

Moving quickly, Garth takes to the air, to force the duo to account for three-dimensional fighting. "Hey, Validus, over here!" he calls out.

"No problemo, mi amigo! I'm always prepared." Michael calls to Kent, stepping closer to Saturn Girl. A little quieter, he says to her, "Please don't take this the wrong way, Imra, but stay close to me while I take my clothes off." With that, a translucent golden bubble pops up around himself and Imra, even as he is pulling his shirt open, Superman-style. Rather than revealing a red 'S', it just shows off the blue star against gold on the chest of his costume.

"..."

And with that said, without even looking at Booster as he changes, she tries to do something telepathically. only for the moment she doesn't fight. Not even as, various tourists stop to take pictures, not knowing the danger they're in. Instead she tries to sort of send out a 'It's not safe here, get away' telepathic vibe to the civilians in the area while the Legionnaires do what they have to do.

The redhead, Empress though just licks her lips as she eyes Booster, even as that sphere appears.

"You look good enough to eat. After I show you a good time that is." is said before she hrms at Kent. "I'd say the same to you, but..." she starts to rush at the other Legion reservist. "I think you might just be an apatizer."

Meanwhile the giant, Validus, lets out an almost deafening howl of rage as he throws his head back, lighting flying every which direction. That is before he turns his head and starts to rush in the direction of the flying Garth, one hand extended in front of him like he's trying to grab the Lightning Lad.

"Sorry, Imra, reflexive response." Kent takes flight, headiing for the giant. "I'm more then you can handle, Empress," he quipes at the redhead as he tries to block the Validus' grab at Garth by throwing a punch at the bottom of the oversized wrist.

As the crowd start to scatter, in response to Imra's telepathic warning, Garth shakes a fist at Validus, "Hey, over here...!" he calls out, with as much bravado as he could. Considering how dangerous Validus was, Garth was well aware to stay out of grabbing range and... "Hey Kent! Get him off the ground and watch out for his mental lightning... wait, what happened to the redhead?" Garth calls, as he rains down lightning on Validus. It'd have to do as a distraction until Kent could find a way to get him dealt with...

"We're just making sure you're safe so you can do your thing," Booster points out to Imra, as he shrugs his shirt down off of his shoulders. He pauses in the middle of this action, looking rather nonplussed at what the Empress says to him. Immediately, he pulls his shirt back on and quickly fastens two buttons so it will stay in place. "Uh." He raises his hands in a warding-off gesture, and the golden sphere intensifies, giving off a faint glow. "Is... that just aggressive flirtation or are you actually a cannibal? Just curious. I think I'll stay in here, just to be on the safe side, if it's all the same to you!"

"That's for me to know, and you to find out!" is said as the redhead finally charges at Booster. All though as she gets closer Empress starts to try and punch and kick the energy sphere.

"All though if you want, I could find some nice chains, and I could hang you up and we could have 'fun'. You'd probably look delightful in them..."

Validus meanwhile howls again as his wrist is knocked back, and he even stumbles as Garth gets clear. Or that is at least until the lightning gets fired off yet again towards Lightning lad and Kent.

"RAAAWWWR!"

Imra meanwhile silently tries to get the innocents clear. Thus she doesn't say much as she encounters a few more stubborn minds who belong to people who are staying behind for the moment to try and film or photograph the fight!

Kent hangs back while Garth's lightning washes over Validus and then he swings back a right hook and slams his fist towards the giant's abdomen, aiming where the diaphram would be if human anatomy maps to his oponent's body and then tries to get a solid grasp of Validus in order to lift him off his feet and then take him into the air.

"Booster, this guy is too much for Valor on his own, I'm ging to need /help/ here!"

Doing a quick glance towards Imra, Garth frowns. "Hey Kent, can you hold on...?" he calls out, as he stops the lightning while the Legionnaire has ahold of Validus.

Swooping over to where Imra is, Garth shouts out, "Get going, already, now!" Resisting the urge to fire lightning unless people were absolutely recalicrant about moving...

"That's... that's okay, lady. I don't think chains are really my thing. I've had that tried on me before." The glow of Booster's force field intensifies at the spots where Empress punches and kicks at it, and while this happens he pulls his cowl from his pants pocket. Pulling it on and adjusting his goggles, he tells Lightning Lad, "Garth! Cover Imra!" Only when he is sure that this will happen does his force field pull in close against his body and he flies up and backwards, pointing at Empress as he tells her, "Remember, consent is sexy!" With a wink, he turns in the air as he flies for Kent and Validus.

Between the extra strong (but not controlling) telepathic signal from Imra, and more importantly the lightning from Garth, the last few bystanders get clear.

On the other hand, a news chopper starts to fly overhead filming the fight.

As Boosters shield falls though, Empress has a brief, momentary instant with which she all but pounces of Imra, and with just one blow...

Saturn Girl is down.

"Oh... But I think you would... Golden Boy."

Then though well... There is a glance at Garth before the redhead starts to charge at him, while somehow dodging any lightning he throws her way. At least for the moment anyways.

Strangely enough, as Kents fist hits Validus, he stumbles again. And even falls onto his knees. At least for a moment before he's grabbed and hefted skyward! Only as he's pulled up, he tries to lash out by firing off a whole ton of random electric blasts in almost every direction.

"AAARG!"

Kent growls with pain and tries to hold on to Validus but the mental lightning cuts right thouugh his defenses and he dropgs the giant to the ground. Howeverr, he pushes though the pain and turns to the the fallen creature and punches it in the ribs as hard as he can, his normally reserved control shattered by the pain Validus is inflicting on him.

"Someone help Imra!" he calls out when he sees that she has fallen.

"I've got her!" Garth calls out, as he makes an observation. She's charging at him. She's -charging- at him. Well then...

Gathering Imra up in one arm as he keeps firing bolts to keep her at bay, Garth takes to the air. Let's see if she follows him up there.

"Darn it!" Booster curses, at least in a bowdlerized manner, when Imra gets clocked. Unlike Empress, he does not dodge lightning, he allows the blasts emenating from Validus to strike him. Perhaps 'allow' is too strong a word for this; 'endure' is closer to the truth. When the energy bolts strike him, he grits his teeth and the form-fitting forcefield around him starts to glow in fits and starts. Tendrils of plasmic energy crawl over his limbs, and the street clothing he has on over his suit starts to split and smoulder, falling away in ashy tatters. For a moment, his eyes start to glow, but this ceases when he points both fists at the falling Validus. A body shot is out of the question, with Kent there, so he aims at Validus' brain, pouring all of the excess energy coursing over and through him into a double barreled stun blast.

Yes, Garth has Imra. But who has Garth? Because as he tries to get up, Empress tries to jump, and grab on. If he's not careful he may have an extra person holding onto him...

Or worse, holding onto the unconscious Imra.

Validus... Falls.

Worse, he's hit with Boosters energy blast. And while it doesn't hit the brain due to the head turning as he falls, it still hits, and hits hard, snapping the head even further to the side. That is before he slams down onto the ground with an almost deafening *Boom!*

And yet, as the dust clears it looks almost like he's starting to recover and may even be trying to get up already.

Meanwhile, up on a nearby rooftop, a shadow appears. A human sized shadow, that detaches itself from a larger shadow... A shadow that has something that starts to glow...?

As Validus climbs back to his feet Kent flys upwards himself and swings another punch at the giant, trying to time it so that his fist contacts the titanic chin in such a way to apply all of the upward momentum into the point of connection.

"How's Imra?" he asks mid punch.

Great. And with Imra in contact with him, Garth couldn't just -zap- the Empress.

"Booster, over here!" he calls out, as he holds onto Imra with both hands, dangling just enough to keep Empress a bit -off- the ground- so that they wouldn't go too far. "Clear this person off us, now!"

Booster's clothes are done for. His costume still looks shiny beneath the rags, at least. He pulls the tatters away, as he watches Validus stir. "Who -is- this guy? He's like a Timex watch. Or the Energizer Bunny." He thinks for a moment; he has been trying to study current-era culture but it can be hard to home in on the correct decade. "Or Madonna's career." It looks as if he is going to dive in for another attack, but Garth's call diverts him. He arrows that way, opening his arms to make something like a mid-air tackle combined with an embrace, aiming to grab Empress away from Garth and Imra.

Speaking of Imra, she may be starting to stir as well.

But before she really can wake up, there is a lot of things that happen.

Case in point, Validus is knocked back again. Heck, as that punch connects, it's as if he's about to be sent flying up, but then a vague and very faint green aura starts to surround him, thus he stays on the ground.

On the other hand, he doesn't attack as that happens. instead the giant starts to crane its neck around, momentarily ignoring its attacker. It's almost as if the thought electricity user is looking for something.

Empress meanwhile gets a similar aura. Heck, it's even easier to see. Even as she's tackled by Booster and knocked down to the ground.

But as all of that happens, that figure up on the rooftop, the one in the shadows....

Jumps. As it falls, an axe, a glowing axe, passes by Garth. Possibly so close that it's not funny.

But as the person lands, they glance around. While waving an axe. Or to be more exact, /THE ATOMIC AXE/. And while this person is wearing a familiar mask, with the long pony tail, and midriff baring shirt, it is easy to see that this person... This Persauder is /female/!

Kent leaps up into the air and pulls himself backwards with his flight ring. He looks around and catches sight of the woman with the axe.

"Who's that?!" he exclaims as he tries to figure out what he should be doing next by asking Garth: "Should I change focus or keep pounding on Validus?"

Keeping Imra closer to him and flying up higher to avoid any more ground attack until the telepath could recover, Garth yelps as the axe narrowly misses him. "Oh hell... it's a -female- Persuader!" Garth yells, as he's able to now freely fire his lightning bolts, and does so at Persuader, trying to catch her -before- she uses the axe to cleave the bolt. "We're dealing with -some- version of the Fatal Five!"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, normally I wouldn't have done something like that but--" Booster Gold is actually apologizing to Empress for the tackle, getting off of her by floating into the air, one of his fists pointed her way, his wrist mounted blasters glowing with an aura of golden energy. His head tilts as the Persuader leaps down and gives Garth a close shave. "That doesn't tell -me- a whole lot!" he replies.

"For now we're just /FATAL/!" The female Persuader shouts as she reaches for a device hanging from her back.

"You two! Lightning Giant and Horny Kill Girl! If you want to live, come with me!"

For some reason as he hears that, Validus starts to lumber in the direction of The Persuader. If any Legionaires try to get in his way he'll blast or swat at them!

On the other hand, Empress all but jumps up, and towards Booster as he takes off.

"I have chains with your name on them dear!"

Is shouted. And yet as she lands, she rushes over towards the female Persuader.

Once there' the woman with the Atomic Axe pushes a button on that device, and well

Things just go crazy for a little bit.

It's as if darkness itself lashes out in every which way. Massive bright lights flash. Sirens and loud explosions go off at the same time. Like down is up for a moment or two in every direction nearby, and that things are being pulled to the side.

But that only lasts for a moment or two. The briefest of instants.

And then... As the effect fades, everything is back to normal. Exactly the same as it was before. It's just that Validus, Empress, and The Persuader are no longer anywhere to be seen.

"Well, isn't that unusual?" Kent observes incredulously while he simply hovers in the air looking at where the trio had been as debris from the explosion pepper his chest, face and limbs.

"Grife!" exclaims Garth as the Fatal... er, trio, vanish. "We're -in- for it... Booster, the Fatal Five are... well, they can take on a whole -lot- of Legionnaires and not break a sweat... especially Validus alone."

"Hey Imra, you awake?" Garth asks, checking on her. "We've got to get you to the infirmary, then let the others know the Fatal Five are here."

Booster ends up dropping out of the air, although he lands on his feet. He is simply too flummoxed to concentrate properly on flying, at the moment. He looks at the spot where the trio vanished, then up and around at the Legionnaires, then back at that spot. Finally, Garth gets an almost accusatory look from Booster, as if Garth's knowledge of these beings somehow made him the one at fault for the attack. That turns into a sheepish expression as he says, "I'm sorry you got socked, Imra. That was my fault."

"I'm awake." Imra manages to mutter as she tries push Garth. Not away, but hopefully enough to let her go. "I won't ask what hit..."

Then though she just kind of freezes. Between what Garth says, Booster admits, and Kent lets out.

"He's right. If they're here, we need to get back. And let everyone know."

"And we need to figure out which versions they are. Since well... Odds are some might have powers and abilities that the others don't."

Kent floats down close to her fellow Legionnaires and says, "That's a great idea but I have to second Garth's suggestion that I check you out in the infirmary firat."

Letting go of Imra, Garth nods at Kent. "You check her out. I'm going to report this. Come on, Booster... I've got a report to file and you're going to help me by reviewing the Omnicron about the Fatal Five, and help me identify whichever version is which..."

"Who was that woman who kept coming after me? I mean... should I be scared? Because that was honestly kind of scary." Booster gestures at the empty area where the three beings vanished. "I don't think she could get through my force field but there was a kind of stalker tenacity there." He rubs one of his forearms with his other hand. "Okay, Garth. I actually have some footage of all of them, too, once I got my goggles online. That should help us figure that out."

Meanwhile, up above, that News Chopper finally starts to take off...

"The two of you might want to chat with Lar and Rokk as well, just in case they know who they are as well..." Imra says to Booster and Garth as she floats there. "And if that Empress was like the one my Legion fought before, she might of been able to. Val could do it, and she was pretty close, if not at his level in hand to hand."

Then to Kent there's a slight nod.

"I understand. Thanks. And Sorry. I should of felt her coming, but she didn't even think about what she was doing..."

"I'm... I mean, my force field is -pretty strong-," Booster insists, but he looks doubtful, now. Crazy, determined people have a tendency to get things done. He lifts into the air, saying, "Okay. Let's get to the headquarters. Imra needs to get checked out and we need to get this information processed immediately." Which is essentially what everyone was saying, collectively, but the blond man is looking more than a little anxious. He then gestures to the restaurant they had meant to visit, adding, "Anyway, they can deliver."

"You just stay away from the crazy person with the axe, then," Garth comments as he starts flying back to HQ. "That axe can cleave anything."

Pause. "Including your force field. Grife, don't stand there and let -any- of them hit you!"

"And this isn't even the whole team..." Imra mutters as she starts to fly off, towards the Legion HQ.

"There is one thing though... The way they reacted... The way they thought..."

"I think they may have just arrived. Literally before our eyes. So /MAYBE/ the others aren't here yet."

"Look. Standing there and letting people hit me has worked so far, you can't blame me if I was using a tried and true strategy," Booster tells Garth, as they fly. "But your information is noted." He is quiet, then, because he is thinking about what Imra has said. Then, Booster says, "Pulled through time and appearing right by people they know. Even if they're foes. That actually fits the pattern." As to what this pattern is, he does not elaborate on it. Not yet, at least.

Garth snorts, shaking his head at Booster. "Well, then, the next time you try that with the Fatal Five, it could be your last."