| And Don't Come Back! | |||||
| |||||
| What: Jeremy decides to try to play hero in a much more dangerous situation, and Mend helps him out. The two learn a few things about each other that they'd kept hidden in the process. | |||||
{{{logtext}}}
The sun has set, and most folks have gone home for the day. Not Jeremy, though...no, the boy's out walking the streets in one of the seedier parts of Harlem with the air of someone who's looking for something. Harlem's nowhere near the worst part of the city, but there's still some elements of the area's night life that aren't exactly on the up and up...and it appears, soon enough, that the boy's found one of them. On a street corner, a somewhat flashily-dressed young man is standing with a couple others, talking rapid-fire about something that evidently involves a lot of colorful metaphors, but the conversation is interrupted as Jeremy walks up.
"Heh...hey there, kid. You want somethin'?" the flashily-dressed man says.
"Y-Yeah..." Jeremy says, quietly at first. "Yeah, but..."
"But it might be a little pricey for you, huh? No worries, little man. I'll give you the stuff and you just do a few things for me, huh? No problem."
"N-No, I mean..." Jeremy takes a deep breath. "What I want...is, um...I want you to leave."
Quiet. Quiet. She's nowhere near as stealthy as the bat chars, but there's a figure moving through a nearby alleyway, and only emerging far enough to see. That's Jeremy, and a couple of known dealer types. One of whom she suspects of dealing in other things. Not intervening yet, although she notes with some pleasure Jeremy telling the guy where to go. (And yes, she is in costume, but no mask).
The dealer stares for a moment, then laughs, clapping his hands. "Look at this kid. I like it. Got a fire in ya, huh, kid?" He leans in closer, chuckling. "But come on, little man. What's the matter? I ain't done nothin' to you, have I?"
"Y-You're...you're sellin' bad stuff near the shelter," Jeremy says, taking a step back, nervously. "Y-You can't do that. Um, um...I don't want you to do that, 'cause...a-a lot of those folks are tryin' to get clean...so I'm askin' you to leave."
The dealer laughs again. "Tryin' to get clean! Kid, some of them are regulars." He pokes the kid in the chest. "And the rest, they just need a little push. So tell you what. You leave all this alone and it doesn't have to get bad."
Jeremy shakes his head. "I'm not goin' anywhere till you do."
"Then, little man, I guess we've got a problem." The dealer stands back up and steps away, waving one of the others closer. The big man walks up to stand before Jeremy, cracking his knuckles.
"Gentlemen," comes a female voice from behind Jeremy. "The kid's right. You really should take your poison elsewhere. Maybe the middle of the Canadian shield." Snide tone, but that voice is distinctly familiar, Mend taking no steps to disguise herself. He'll probably be mad to find out she's a registered hero, but better than than beaten up.
"Hoo! Look at that...party crasher!" the dealer says, raising his hands. "Don't worry, babe...we weren't gonna harm a hair on his head. Probably break his nose, split his lip maybe...but no hairs."
Jeremy jumps as Mend speaks, and looks behind him. "Wait, wh-what..." His eyes widen as he spots her. "You! But..."
The dealer snaps his fingers, and the big guy steps around Jeremy, marching over towards Mend and putting up his dukes. The other guy--a thin but athletic man--pulls a fairly nasty-looking knife as he also steps over towards the new arrival. "That's right, boys...you two take the hero. I'll take the tough guy," the dealer says, smiling brightly as he steps towards Jeremy...whose eyes are big as saucers right now.
Quick assessment. Damn. She was hoping all three would move to take on the cape so Jeremy could get away. (Yes, she does have a plan). Two of them, though. One armed, the other fancying himself as a boxer. The knife is more dangerous, and she doesn't bother with niceties like giving them a chance to surrender. Instead she goes for a flying kick aimed at...the knife. At removing it from the equation. The quicker she can deal with these clowns, the quicker she can help Jer.
The knife guy reacts impressively fast...but it isn't quite enough. The knife gets kicked and clatters to the ground, but even as the knifeman stumbles back, the boxer lunges in and swings a rapid right for Mend's side. He actually does move like a boxer.
"Um, um...don't worry about me!" Jeremy says, as the fight starts. "Okay? Just fight!"
"She's gonna have to worry about you, kid..." the dealer says, swinging a fist for the boy's gut.
But Jeremy's suddenly glowing, a soft blue light surrounding his body. The punch connects, but...with no apparent force, on either person's part. "No...she won't, mister."
...of course. Now it's ALL explained. Jeremy's a mutant. No wonder he doesn't want Child Services. Mend only has a second to think of that before the boxer hits her in the side. "Oof." She retaliates with a strike of her own, aiming for the man's solar plexus while the knifeman, no doubt, scrambles for his weapon.
The boxer knows a few things about self-defense, it seems...he twists, but doesn't quite avoid the blow. He stumbles back momentarily, letting out a cough, and swings a left hook, followed by a right, to try to ward Mend off. The knifeman, as she expected, is scrabbling on the floor for his knife.
Jeremy just stands there, glowing, watching the dealer. "Come on, mister...just give up, okay? I-I don't know much about this yet, but...I'm pretty sure you can't hurt me. That big guy back there, maybe, but not you." That doesn't stop the dealer from giving it another try, though...and another. And another. "Please...stop, okay?" the boy says, raising a hand. "That's...that's enough...I think..."
Mend aims her next blow for the guy's jaw. She's not really a boxer...her style appears to combine regular street fighting with, if anyone's smart enough to notice, some krav maga moves. Surely she's too young to be in the military? The knifeman is not being ignored...she's trying to take this guy down before he can get up.
The boxer is pretty fast, but he's not fought someone with some real combat training...he gets his guard up, but the blow slips through, tagging him on the jaw and snapping his head back. He wavers on his feet, stumbling back against a building wall and reacting like he might in the ring...turtle up and guard his chest and face. He's fallen back into boxing training, and that leaves some very obvious weak points. The knifeman, though, manages to snag his knife, and is getting back to his feet.
The dealer doesn't listen to Jeremy's pleas, and swings one more blow, as hard as he can, for the kid's face. That...actually seems to do something, for just a moment...the kid lets out a little yelp, and backs up a step...and suddenly, there's a flash of blue as a beam of some sort comes from his hand and tags the dealer right in the gut. He reacts like he just got punched by...well, by the big guy. Full force. He doubles over and goes down, coughing and clutching at his stomach as he rolls on the ground.
"Um, um..." Jeremy says, watching the dealer for a few moments, then looking over at Mend. "A-are you okay, um, um...miss?" He seems to have recognized her, but he seems also to have recognized that using her name might not be okay, even if she isn't wearing a mask.
"I'm fine!" Mend grins, and then notes that the knifeman is getting back up. "If you were smart, you'd run now," she notes...right before directing a flurry of blows at the boxer. Making dang sure to hit him below the belt...SHE doesn't play by Queensberry rules. Ow.
The boxer manages to block a couple, but...when you're disoriented and falling back on sports training, you aren't expecting things outside the rules. She nails him. Hard. Below the belt, and then in multiple other locations. He stumbles, wavers...and falls. The knifeman takes a step towards her, but hesitates. He looks towards her, thinking about it...then at the glowing kid, thinking about it. Then back at her. The knife drops to the ground again, and he turns and bolts.
"Um, um...a-and don't come back!" Jeremy shouts, shaking a glowing fist after the guy and chasing him for a few steps. "Don't ever, okay?"
Mend grins. Then looks at the two downed "gentleman"...and unhooks a couple of pairs of plastic cuffs from her belt. "Want me to give them to the cops or just leave them somewhere embarrassing?" she notes to Jeremy, far too cheerful. "Neat trick, by the way."
"So...you 'know a little about martial arts', huh?" Jeremy asks, clearly not in as cheerful a mood, himself. He stuffs his hands in his pockets, and stops glowing, looking at her with an expression that's half-worried, half-mad. "I don't care. Just so long as they're away from here."
"Hold on." It doesn't take her long to cuff the two men to the nearest lamp post...and call the cops. Once that's done, she starts to head away. "Let's get you clear before the cops show up. Can't always trust them to be reasonable about mutants."
"I-I wasn't gonna stay anyway!" Jeremy says, following after her without really thinking that there were several other directions to walk in. "I don't want anybody lookin' into me..." He hmphs, staring down at his feet grumpily as they walk. "You could've..." A pause, and then he looks up at her, confusedly. "Wait...um, what's that about mutants and stuff?"
"I saw your forcefield." Mend lets her shoulders relax. "I figured that's why you were on your own, you know. That you got cut off and thrown out."
Jeremy blinks a little, taken aback enough that he forgets, momentarily, that he's mad at her. "Um, um..." He thinks about that, surprisingly hard, and finally shakes his head a little. "Um...no...I don't think that's it...I-I think it's different...um...hey!" And he remembers he's irritated again, glaring at her quietly.
"People tend to assume mutant," she points out. "Even if it is something else." She catches the glare. "Okay. I was worried if you knew I was a registered superhero you'd freak out."
"I am freakin' out!" Jeremy says, looking side to side like there might be someone else there. "S-So...um, um...I..." He takes a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. "Okay...okay. Look, um...y-you didn't tell me, a-and...I'm kinda upset, but...I know it's not really good to tell just anybody that stuff, too, so...um..." He sighs, and hangs his head. "But...you were bein' honest when you said you wouldn't tell about me, right? Even if you're a superhero, um...registered or whatever that means...you won't tell, right?"
Mend shakes her head. "I said I wouldn't. I mean what I say." She lets out a breath. "Regardless of what you are, I *am* a mutant. With all that entails." She might be setting out to work within the law but still. Mutant.
Jeremy lets out a breath, and nods slowly. "Okay...then...I-I think I can get over the rest. I just...I'm sorry...I didn't mean to get mad, even, I just...I'm tryin' to be so careful, and I don't like surprises, and that was a really really big one. You know?" A long pause, then, as he looks up at her. "Um..." A longer pause, and he looks a bit embarrassed, turning to stare at something very interesting off to the side as he speaks in a very quiet voice. "...I think...maybe you better explain more?"
"Explain..." She tilts her head. "What is it you don't get?" Maybe he's been on the street too long to understand the ways the law has changed.
"Um..." Jeremy starts looking nervous again, and toes the ground a bit, staring down at his feet now. "...mutants...and...entails and stuff...I think. I'm...um...I don't really know about...that...I think...maybe?"
Mend hrms. "How about we go somewhere less conspicuous and talk? I kinda stand out in this part of town dressed like this."
"Um...okay. But I kind of think you stand out anywhere dressed like that," Jeremy says, looking back up at her with a bit of amusement breaking through the nerves, for just a moment. "Um...what's less conspicuous?"
Mend grins. "I like rooftops. Picked up the habit from a teammate of mine." Fire escape. Gotta be one around here somewhere."
Fire escapes. They save lives, and they facilitate superhero conversations. Handy things. There's always one nearby, and today's no exception--there's a taller building nearby with a fire escape leading up to the roof. Jeremy points up at it, looking just a tad nervous. "I, um...don't know how much rooftop climbin' I'm okay with, but...I'll try, miss, um." Pause. "What do I call you like this? I don't wanna blow your cover or whatever."
"Oh, my cover got blown a while back. Blame Hardball." She grumbles. "Right before he dropped a church on me." She's still sore about that!" But she heads up the fire escape. "Don't worry. Just high enough that people can't, you know, eavesdrop on us."
"Dropped a what?" Jeremy asks, eyes going wide again. "That's...but...wow." He climbs up after her, trembling a little when they get up to the top, but takes a couple deep breaths to calm down. "Okay...so it's...it's still miss Marissa, then. Okay."
"My codename's 'Mend'," she adds. "You can use it if it's easier, or not. I'm pretty easy." Seeing the tremble, she moves away from the edge. "And, yeah. I need to stop fighting bad guys in churches."
Jeremy steps away from the edge as well, gratefully. "Um, miss Mend, then. Okay. It feels a little better when you're, um, in costume and stuff." He gives a nervous smile. "Um, yeah...that kinda doesn't seem right, you know?" A deep breath, and he tucks his hands in his pockets. "So, um...you were gonna explain stuff..."
Mend hrms. "How much do you know?" She sits down, her back against the hood for the building's air conditioner. Looking up at him, now. She really isn't that much older than Jeremy.
Jeremy thinks about that, pacing back and forth a bit. "Um...how much...I don't know..." He closes his eyes, thinking. "Um, so...okay. Mutants have...powers and stuff...there's that...and they've got trouble with the cops or something..." So basically he knows what she just said tonight.
Mend frowns. "Either you're very sheltered or..." A pause. "Are you from this planet?" It's a serious question, delivered as if she was asking which launderette he used.
Jeremy blinks, staring at her for a few moments, and then sighs, sitting down as well. "Um...I don't...know. I think so, 'cause...lots seems familiar. But...I don't know." He looks at her, chewing his lip for a few moments. "Um, I-I don't remember much of anything past a f-few days ago."
Mend ahs. "Huh. Maybe you got hit on the head. That can do that." She considers. "Hrm. If we could find out where you're from, get you around some familiar things, it might help."
Jeremy nods a little. "I guess maybe I did, 'cause...when mister Gabriel found me he said I was fallin' from the sky. I..." He shakes his head. "Look, I meant what I said before. I-I think something really bad happened...something really big. I don't know what, but it was somethin' really awful, and...I think I-I might've...um..." He closes his eyes, bowing his head. "...done something."
"Okay. Look. You're probably a mutant. You blasted that guy." She closes her eyes. "I got lucky. A lot of mutants, when their powers first express, end up blowing something up." He's the right age. "Sometimes someone. It's not your *fault*, whatever it was."
Jeremy cringes, and hugs his knees to his chest. "I-I can't be sure...I can't. 'cause...maybe you're right and I'm one of these mutant people, maybe not, but I-I don't think it was my first time usin' them." He hugs his legs tighter, peeking out at her over his knees just a little. "I-I might as well. Um...see, when I fell...I was wearin' a costume."
Mend hrms. "OKay. What did it look like?" A pause. "I can find out what happened for you. I...know somebody, who can find out without anyone else ever knowing about it."
Jeremy looks uncertain about that. "I-I'm not sure I want to know. I mean, if I did something bad..." He sighs. "What if...what would you want, miss Mend? If you thought...maybe you'd hurt a lot of people or something...what would you want?"
"I'd want to know." She leans back a bit, looking up at the sky. "My powers are purely defensive. I couldn't hurt anyone with them if I tried. Hence the martial arts."
Jeremy chews his lip again, his eyes starting to water a little. "But...I'm really scared. Mister Gabriel says you can cage your monsters...but...but that doesn't change what you did. I-If I did something awful, I...I don't want to know. I-I can live like this. I can. I don't have to find out."
Mend nods. "Then I won't ask her about it." She looks at the sky again. "Although, what if you didn't? What if you didn't actually do anything?"
"If I didn't, I wouldn't feel like I do," Jeremy says, shaking his head. "I w-wouldn't wake up with nightmares a-and bother everybody at the shelter. I did something. I had to...I...it doesn't just come outta nowhere!" He sniffles, and wipes at his eyes, trying to get himself back under control. "But...if I didn't...I don't know. Maybe...I don't know."
"Eh. The only thing I've seen you do is put somebody on his butt who deserved it." She looks back to Jeremy. "I'm not exactly one to complain about *that*."
Jeremy sighs. "I'll...I'll think about it, okay? But I-I don't think I'm ready. Maybe...in a little while. Maybe later. Okay? That's okay, right?" He looks at her, hopefully.
"It's fine." She smiles. "I'd better get back to my patrol. I know you can look after yourself, so..." She hopes she'll see him around, that she hasn't spooked him too badly with her offer.
Jeremy nods a little, slowly getting to his feet as well. "Um...yeah...I'll be okay. I'm, um...I'm gonna head back to the shelter, so don't worry. N-No more fightin' for me tonight." He looks aside. "Um...if I do decide t-to look into it...I'll remember what you offered, okay?" He smiles a little, and offers a small wave, then turns to head down the fire escape. "Be careful, Miss Mend. Good night."