| Tranqed Taz | |||||
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| What: After a run in with the hunters, Colossus takes an unconscious Taz back to the JLA's HQ to make sure he's okay. They're joined by Cannonball. | |||||
"I'll need the medic." Colossus tells one of the guard as he carries Taz into the Hall. The corporal nods and relays the request into his radio, trying not to stare at the large furry... thing. Without pausing, Colossus heads tot he observation deck; a large, comfortable place that should be unoccupied. He sets Taz down on a couch and tries to make him comfortable while he waits for the doc.
Convenient. Fresh air and each access from the sky. Sam promises Anya he'll let her... do whatever will make her happy, let's be honest. He'll be right back. He pulls out his phone and texts Piotr on the way over.
--Permission to come aboard, sir?--
The Hall of Justice? Really impressive. Really... big. Very just. Sam feels about six years old as he parks close and waits to hear back.
Taz is silent for the whole trip and still. He's breathing, just out cold while the drugs are processed through his system. Those little holes the darts made in him healed on the way though. He should be fine once his powers finish cleaning out the tranqs.
Colossus digs out his phone when he gets the text thens hakes his head and uses the team communicator to let the military know there's going to be a visitor flying in rather loudly and brightly. Once they acknowledge, he texts back: balcony outside the deck. wear a mask.
--Fine, yes. I hate this nonsense, you know.--
Anya had spare goggles just for him (didn't even beat him with them, which was nice), it's kind of ridiculous, yes, he should wear a paper bag. And he's got an old black leather jacket crammed behind the seat of the truck in case of emergency since Caitlin has his other spare. And gloves. He tosses it all on, is declared to pass muster, and heads off like a good boy. Zoom.
"Better?" As soon as he lands, he shoves the darn goggles up, which does no favours for his hair. Now he looks like he walked out of a manga.
Colossus looks away from his furry visitor as Sam lands and walks in. "Hot. But no, put your goggles back down. A medic will be here any minute and we don't want him to see you. There's no internal security cameras though so once he leaves you're good. Unless this guy wakes up."
"Yes, sir." It's not really like Sam to be recalcitrant... ever. But the look he gives Piotr is one fraction of a lip-push from being an actual pout as he does what he's told. He does pull off the gloves and shoves them in his pocket. "I'm pretty sure he knows how I smell," Sam points out. He rubs at his neck under his ear. "Possibly how I taste."
Smell, yes. Taste, possibly. Taz's ears twitch as he starts to stir. The big fuzzy guy from down under squirms slightly in his chair, groaning a big. "Some get that truck's plates?" he mumbles, slowly lifting a hand to cover his eyes.
Colossus shrugs at Cannonball. "Your decision if you want to let him see you. It's the government we want to make sure don't." A healthy attitude for a government sponsored team member, right? "Just remember, it's not just your identity but that of everyone's." Pause. "Taste? Did he bite you?" As Taz begins to stir, he turns back. "Actually, yes." Well, maybe not the license plates assuming there were any but fingerprints are even better. "A doctor is on the way."
"I know, which is why I'm actually... conceding," Sam says, nodding. "I really didn't expect to run into so much stuff back here. And no biting. Just wet. Guess he knows first date rules," Sam crouches down to talk to Taz. "How're you feeling? You took a lot of those tranqs."
Clearly not having been expecting an answer, Taz tenses up. Ears point towards the source of the voices and he sniffs. There's a pause, the scents a familiar but fuzzy. "Guessin' ya both are friendly and I didn't get hauled off since a doctor's comin'," he says. "Won't need 'em though," he adds, the Austrailian accent obvious. Sllowly, he lowers his hand from his eyes and looks around. "Like every hangover I've had in the past few years has come back for revenge."
"You should keep a mask in your pocket." Colossus suggests. He also does so just in case. There's almost always a just in case of some sort. "A number of the ones hunting you are in police custody." he tells Taz. "I'm sure they broke several laws but if you want to press charges as well, we can have the police come here. What should we call you?"
Sam sits back on his heels to give some room. "Spider-Girl has generously offered to web my face if I don't. So I'll be good." He pats Taz's arm. "Visit from the doc can't hurt, can it? Or do pain killers not work either?"
"Well, lucky me. My rescue squad turned out to be so good looking," Taz remarks after finally getting a good look at Piotr. He starts to stand but decides otherwise after a quick bit of dizziness. "I'm the Tasmanian Devil, who might you two be?" he asks. He waves a clawed hand at Sam. "I heal up on my own, just takes time. Painkillers don't work when I'm like this either unless there's a lot of 'em...or they're really strong."
"I'm Colossus." he replies. "This is Cannonball. You're in the Hall of Justice." Which is when the army doc arrives and stops in the entrance to just stare at Taz. It's one of those 'I'm a doctor damn it, not a veterinarian!' moments. "This is the patient?" he asks after a moment.
Sam straightens up, hands on his hips, and gives the poor man an irritated look that fades as soon as he realizes he's doing it. Oops. Not the poor guy's fault if he doesn't see mutants often.
"It is, if he needs you." Sam steps aside to let the doctor through. He's not really qualified to do any once-overs if there's a doctor present, though he'd do it if there weren't.
"Colossus...oh hey, Justice League," Taz offers a smile. "I was hoping to meet up with you guys at some point. Ran into Superman a couple nights back," he says. He tenses when he senses the doctor approaching but relaxes quickly. He's just a little on edge after everything. "I guess I am, doc. Since I'm guessin' it'll make these two feel better if I get checked out."
"I..." The doctor looks at Colossus a moment before turning back to Taz. "I'm honestly not sure what help I can be. What's your normal blood pressure? Heart rate? Temperature? If I draw blood, what baseline do I measure it against? Is your blood chemistry normal human? If you were bleeding, I could stitch you up or if you had some kind of complaint..." Do you have a complaint? Are you bleeding? "He does seemt o be recovering on his own, Captain." Colossus notes, letting Taz make the call himself.
Doctors. Sam does not laugh or roll his eyes. This is why you don't let them out of the hospital. The air in there is rarified and they get all confused when they have to breathe people air.
"I'll keep an eye on him," Sam says. "I'm sure I can tell when you'd actually be able to help. And," he offers generously, "I'll try and get you a baseline." Taz is breathing far better than he was down at the park, coordination improving, it's all good for the moment.
Taz pauses then smiles. "Well, thanks anyway, Doc. I'm good. I just need some time and water and I'll be back good as new," he says, ignoring just how many very sharp teeth that smile shows off. "I doubt there's anything like me out there to compare to anyway."
A man of steel. A man who might as well be made of steel. A martian. Another one in a soem kind of radiation containment suit. Not to mention all the 'normal' humans who won't let him do anything other than fix their cuts and bruises. Why did he ever think this would be an interesting assignment. "All right. Call me if his condition should start to deteriorate." Giving Taz one last look, the doctor heads back out. Colossus watches him leave then chuckles a little.
"He's going to have a nervous breakdown if he doesn't get a nice, average case," Sam says dryly. "You need water, yes, Taz? I'd get you some if I knew where it was... and I don't think a trip to the reflecting pool is going to go over well." Taz seems like the kind of guy who might find it hilarious. Piotr and Superman's people and such? Not so much. "If you want to walk the drugs off, though, I'll go come with you. There's some room here."
"We can go to the kitchen." Colossus suggests. "Or the galley, as the military like to call it. "It's not far. If you're like other we know, your healing must be making you hungry as well. I'm fairly sure there's beef if you need some." Cooked?
Taz laughs at Sam's joke, reaching up to pat his shoulder. "Yeah, I don't think anyone here would appreciate me goin' for a swim," he says. He starts to answer Piotr when his stomache rumbles. "This all sounds like a plan to me. Beef or whatever else ya got."
"Let's go then. Can't heal without fuel." Sam gestures for Piotr to lead the way. He keeps pace with Taz, watching his face and his posture to make sure he's not going to take a turn. Some of the weirder animal tranqs are very unpleasant drugs. "Do you mind talkin' about what was going on down there? Assuming you know, of course." He's sure Piotr's got some official-style questions to ask, himself. Sam just wants to know if they're going to be hunting anything else that's feral--so he can tell Anya to warn her friend.
Colossus nods and leads the way though he sticks but Taz' side to make sure he doesn't fall. As promised, it's not far to a central living area that has a kitchen off of it. "Do you prefer your meat cooked? It'll be cold otherwise." @emit Colossus nods and leads the way though he sticks but Taz' side to make sure he doesn't fall. As promised, it's not far to a central living area that has a kitchen off of it. "Do you prefer your meat cooked? It'll be cold otherwise." As he waits for an answer, he gets a glass and some water from a pitcher, setting them on the table. "Cannonball?"
Taz gets to his feet slowly, wobbling for a moment before regaining his balance. He's not completely free of the drugs just yet. He's got no objections to being flanked by the men, tail idly swaying a bit. "Cooked doees sound better," he laughs, grinning. "Thanks," he rumbles a bit when the water is handed over, drinking it. "I got no clue," he replies to Sam. "I broke up a robbery and next thing I know, I'm getting shot full of darts and whackjobs are popping out of the wood work."
"They seemed pretty organized for just... showing up. That's a problem. I'm good for now, thanks, Colossus," Sam says. "I'll go on and make y'all something to eat if you want to talk." That, he prefers to superheroing most days. Really. Makes him happy. He heads into the kitchen to poke around in the fridge so he can work some magic with one of his other superpowers: making tasty things.
Colossus pulls his mask out of a pocket and ties it around his head so he can shift back to human. It's more sociable. "Feel free." Pulling out a chair - which are all reinforced to accomodate above average weights and sizes - he sits down. "So are you visiting, Devil?"
"Well, thank you, Cannonball. That sounds good," Taz replies, happy to get some more food. He lets out a curious little noise when Colossus takes out his mask and shifts back to human. "So you can change too, huh? Gotta admit I like the not-so-metal look better," he grins. "Don't suppose ya got a spare mask and pair of pants on ya?" he asks. "No, I live in Metropolis these days. Austrailia decided it didn't want the old Tazman around anymore...at least the politicians didn't."
"I'm sure they've got something around here for you. Don't know if you'll fit my things, but I could run out to the truck in a pinch." Oh, look sandwich fixings. That's always good. Sam gets busy pulling things out and sorting plates and cutting veggies. "That's ... unfortunate they didn't want you there." Sam looks worried. "Don't like that at all."
"I'm sure we could even find you a shirt as well." Colossus answers. "You don't object to camo do you?" The army will be good for something after all. "Just give me your size and we'll get someone to bring you a set."
"Camo's fine," Taz replies, completely unbothered by how he's revealing he's not wearing anything. He provides his sizes and stretches. "They didn't like that I wasn't gonna be their mouthpiece and private enforcer. And since I heard this country treats its heroes better and even has a team like this, it seemed like the best place to come."
Sam's got a nice spread of sandwich yummies to put together. He wishes he were so well-stocked back home. "Do you care what goes on this, Taz? I'm usually feeding nine picky kids at once so it's point and grunt if you like it. Or whine." Sam flashes Taz a grin. "Whining's good too, I speak that. You want one, Colossus?"
Colossus stands and goes over to the intercom to ask that a set of clothing be brought up and left in the common area. "Yours is not the only country that tries to enlist its heroes." Russian has been known to. Imagine that. "But yes, the army here works for us not the other way around. I'll have a sandwich, thank you."
Taz sniffs at the sandwiches and then grins again. "Anything you wanna put on, I'll eat it," he says. He nods to what Piotr says. "I've heard. I've got some friends out there that do this job in different countries," he says. "I was actually hoping to join up with this group or one of the others. Figure I can make a bigger difference as part of a group than all by my lonesome."
"There's nothing quite like backup, is there?" Sam laughs quietly as he puts together an absolutely towering sandwich for Taz, slices it, and neatly serves it up on a plate. With a napkin. Might be necessary. "I can't imagine going it alone. Round here, seems you'd be hard-pressed to be caught on your own unless you were looking for it. Can't turn a corner in some parts without running into one of us." He puts food together for Piotr as well and serves it up for when he gets back, then considers and starts making himself something.
Colossus hmms at what Taz says. "Well, I can pass on a mention to Superman if you'd like to speak to him. Or if you think the Titans would be a better fit, I can send you to Nightwing. If you're looking to avoid governmental connections, there's the Avengers but I don't have any connections there."
"It is nice knowing there's more out here. I was the only one back home," Taz replies. "Thanks, Cannonball," he says, immediately taking a large bite of the sandwich. "Of course reporters show up here too just as often," he jokes about running into Lois. "I think I'm a bit old for those Titans kids, Colossus," the fuzzy man laughs. "If you can talk to the big man in blue, I'd really appreciate it," he adds.
Sam can't quite imagine the big guy fitting in with the kids, no. "The reporters are something else around here, yeah," he says sheepishly. "I keep forgetting they have 'em. I come from a place so small if someone sneezes, the whole county knows. No need for a paper. I hope you get settled here, though. No one ought to be left out in the cold like that. It's wrong."
"Consider it done." Colossus says then pauses to study Taz as he takes a bit of his sandwich. "So what do you do?" he asks once he's eaten that bite.
Taz smiles at Sam. "That sounds like a nice place. Like where I come from. We may have been spread out but people kept in contact and helped eachother out," he says, remembering home fondly. "I'm settling as well as I can," he replies. "And thank you, Piotr," he says. "If there's a way I can pay you back for it, let me know," he says. "What do I do? Well I've got claws and teeth..."
"Those go a long way." Sam knows that both Logan and Laura--and he's going to file that name thing away as coincidence--are formidible in a fight. Willingness is the other half of the equation.
Colossus waves that away. "No payment back is needed. If you are here to help people, you will - what is that, Oprah says? - pay it forward. Tooth and claw, da. And?"
"They haven't let me down yet," Taz says. Colossus gets a look before Taz laughs again. "Alright, I'll be sure to pay it forward," he say. When asked what else he does, Taz arches a brow. He finishes off half of his sandwich and then stands. "Watch carefully then," he says, taking a step back. He waits just a moment longer before growing in size. His lithe man-sized form goes nearly nine feet tall and very muscled. "I can do this."
"Well." Sam looks all the way up. "I'd say that comes in real handy once in a while." And he's not going to elaborate on that but that's impressive. "I wouldn't mind having someone like you on a team at all."
Colossus just nods at Taz' display. "You were not genetically engineered along with Wildebeest were you? He was a Titan for a time." he explains, glancing at Cannonball too in case he'd not heard of him. "Might still be but I think he took a leave of absence." Teeth, claws, fur, grows big. Different color. Maybe the southern exposure.
Taz gives a little flex before shifting back to his normal size. "You have that right, Cannonball," he says. "Naw, I'm not related to Wildebeest," he says. "My mother was a were Tasmanian devil who raised me in a Tasmanian Devil cult who gave me a Tasmanian Devil amulet and sold my soul to a Tasmanian Devil after injecting me with radioactive Tasmanian Devil musk from a race of alien Tasmanian Devils," he says. Yes, he's joking.
"Wouldn't be the weirdest story I've heard folks tell." Sam laughs and shakes his head. "You could sell that one to the papers and then some."
Colossus continues to eat his sandwich and nod at what Taz says. Right up to the part about the aliens. "The aliens are a joke, da?" It says something about superhero origins that the rest is plausible but Tasmanian Devil aliens? Pull the other one.
Tasmanian Devil laughs, sitting back down. "I'll tell it to Ms. Lane next time I run into her," he remarks to Sam. Piotr gets another blank look before Taz smiles. "It was pretty much all a joke. I've had most of my powers since I was a little kidlet. The rest showed up when I was saving Sydney from an actual alien invasion."
"And they cut you lose after that?" That just... sorry, Ma, that pisses Sam right off. His jaw twitches and he shrugs one shoulder. "That ain't right," he mutters. Seems that Down Under has its head somewhere just as unsavoury as places around here.
Colossus smiles to show he appreciated the joke. "Ah, perhaps a mutant then. But Canonnball is right. They did not treat you justly. But governments often don't consider what is right in favor of what they think is needed."
Taz smiles as well. He appreciates the support from them both. "I thought mutants didn't get powers until they turned into teenagers," Taz remarks. He's been researching. "The party in charge down there now's running the super conservative lines. And a gay vigilantie that spoke out against pretty much everything they wanted wasn't something they wanted running around unless they could put him on a leash."
"Best you're gone from there, then," Sam says gently. "At least for now. As hard as that's got to be, I expect. It's not real easy here, but you're sure not on your own. Whatever crap you get someone else is gonna be there to push it back, including us."
"There is some variation I believe but puberty is common." Colossus agrees and then the keyword in what Taz said registers. "Gay? And out? It is good to say another. There are far too few of us."
"I'm happy to hear it, Cannonball. It may not be easy but what worth doing is?" Taz asks with a smile. He then nods to Piotr. "And out. Never hid it even when it wasn't winning me fans."
"That's admirable. And if we wanted easy we'd be doing something else," Sam says, grinning at Taz. "Like... banking. Or modelling, if you're us."
The intercom announces that the clothes have been delivered so COlossus stands up. "I'll go get them and see if I can find you something to use as a mask as well."
Tasmanian Devil nods. "Thanks," he offers as Piotr goes. He then flashes a smile Sam's way. "I'd say ya both could model. Maybe underwear or swimsuits," he remarks, finishing off his remaining sandwhich. "So, are you and Colossus...together?"
Sam laughs and shakes his head. "No, hardly see much of each other most of the time. I have a completely mundane day job teaching and he does this full time. We knew each other when we were younger, kids pretty much, though." Sam pauses to parse his status. "I'm seeing someone else... sort of... just started. Went home to help the family for a while, just got back in town again, getting settled. Getting used to having five minutes to myself. If you want to know the places to go, though, that's your man there." Sam points after Colossus.
Taz arches both brows. "So you're not on this team?" he thought Sam was. "Well, I hope things go well for you and who you're seeing," he adds. "Even doing this part time can get in the way of that kind of thing," the Austrailian man remarks. "And if big tall and handsome happens to be single..." he trails off with a pleased little noise.
"It helps to be in the same business, I think." Sam laughs at Taz's little noise. "As far as I know, yes, he is. No idea if he's looking or not. We're all usually too busy looking at him for me to know for sure. He's a good man," he adds fondly. "Lives up to the whole heroic image you see with all the shiny."
"True. Being able to suit up alongside your date and go kick ass together would be one hell of a date," Taz laughs too. "Well. I'll have to ask him. He does have that whole heroic jaw thing going on."
"Just the jaw? You need to look a few more times." Sam laughs again as he gets up to go fetch himself a soda from the fridge. "You want anything more?"
Taz laughs too. "Well, I could have mentioned his chest, his ass, or that bulge but I figured I'd stay above the neck for right now," he jokes. "Yeah, another drink, please."
Sam pulls a couple random sodas out of the fridge and offers Taz a choice. "I'm a medic, it's important for me to know that your perception is working," he says solemnly. "Really." He slides into a seat and checks his phone for any Anya-messages before he opens his own soda.
Taz peers at the sodas, eventually picking the one he recognizes. "You're a medic?" he asks, wondering if Sam is serious. "I'm pretty sure my eyes are fine. I'm only seeing one of you now," he replies, popping open his soda with a claw.
"EMT training. You need it to get on as a firefighter anyway, even volunteer work. That's mostly my gig when I'm not herding kids and teaching gym," Sam says easily. "Either that or they point me at stuff and I wreck it. Not a bad day's work all around."
Taz looks as impressed as someone with a face like his can. He gives a whistle that ends up with a growl mixed in because he can't help it. "That's a lot more than I do in a day."
"Ah, it's vacation next to being home with nine kids and Ma." Sam shrugs it off. "Hopefully some of the older ones'll take after me one way or the other and come on this way, I'll have 'em around again. I'm selfish that way. Like knowing where they are."
Smiling, Taz sips his drink. "I know what you mean. Even way out here, I like knowing where my family is and that they're doing alright."
"Glad to hear you get to know that much. It's a hard thing, some people lose their folks and all when they change." Sam nods slowly. "I was wondering about that, whether you left people behind. I'm sure once you're settled it'll be easier. They'll get you sorted here. Government aside, they're pretty efficient from what I can see."
Taz takes a deep breath. "Well. It wasn't so good at first. My parents weren't...entirely accepting. It took some work and someone nearly dying for them to remember that even if I was gay and had powers, I was still their son," he says quietly.
"I'm glad they worked it out. Some don't. My Pa passed before I had my powers, found out I had 'em going down in the mines to take over his job. My Ma was so grateful I made it out of a collapse, she didn't care if I turned blue in the process." Sam's expression is completely understanding. "As for me dating a man, well... where I come from, me being twenty-one and not yet having knocked up a single young lady... no one's gonna be surprised."
Taz just grins, reaching over to pat Sam's shoulder again. He likes this guy. "I should buy you a beer sometime, mate. You're an alright guy."
"You get settled, and I will take you up on that," Sam promises. "One way or another. And if you can't get out for the beer, they'll just have to put up with us having some--or something stronger--in." Now that would be be a scene. He's pretty sure even Taz might get a kick from some moonshine. "I've got to get going, Spider-Girl wanted to talk to me some more about something, and I best go let her get to it. She usually has a point." He offers Taz his hand as he gets up. "Under better circumstances next time, yes?"
Taz blinks then laughs. "What? You think they're gonna try to lock me up or something? I intend to head back to my apartment when they're done with me here," he laughs. "Spider-Girl? That was the kidlet in black, right?" he asks. "I'll see you later then."
"No, they won't lock you up, but they might talk your ears off." Sam finds pen and paper in his jacket pockets and scrawls his number down. "I'm in New York but don't let that keep you from calling. And, yes, that's her. Spider-monkey is more like it--she's a caution but she knows her stuff. I'll make sure someone's bringing you your clothes, the bureaucrazy might have eaten poor Colossus. You take care now."