7. Who's Rescuing Who?

Posted on Mon Jun 19th, 2023 @ 1:33am by Duke Drake & Kranny Shtorm & Rebecca McMillen & Sakura Tanikawa & Caitlin Thompson PhD & Eli King & McKenna Lockhart

2,623 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: 1. Year One

"Oh no Doc, Doc the mayor's getting dragged away into the crowd. I ... I don't think I can do anything to help him. You gotta do something!" Doc heard Rebecca say.

"Can we get to him without endangering the team? We still have kids on the roof," Doc said as he tried to spot the Mayor in the mayhem.

"I could pose as the mayor, and divide the attention of the protestors, or even pull a switcheroo." Eli said, sounding eager

“That’s a good idea,” Sakura agreed. “I can help. Use the lights and speakers to point them to you, Eli.”

"Let's give it a shot, once they show the Mayor I can teleport him out of the way," Doc said as he looked for the nearest speaker. "Shtorm, we need to move the group closer to the platform and speakers, Can you clear a path?"

Caitlin leaned over to Sakura. "Tell the people in your ear if the big guy can't help, I can clean a path. But its gonna be loud."

"We have another new ally," Sakura said to the group via the ear piece. "She says she can help with the path. Recommend she and Shtorm work together."

"Let's make it happen," Doc replied as he followed behind them as they made their way to the stage.

Caitlin rushed a nearby protester his arms swung backwards as though he were going to swing his bat. She lept up landing on his shoulders. Her tail wrapped around the bat and yanked it from his hand as she sprung into the air. She did a quick view of the area, and could see the crowd that had enveloped the mayor and was dragging him away. She could also see the stage.

Her fuzzy hand reached into the pouch and produced more marbles. She flung them forward and then several loud siren type noises filled the air, as the people she rushed held their ears.

She dropped all fours, knowing she could run faster that way. She could also leap higher. She began darting her way through the crowd, the tail holding the bat whipping back and forth as she passed people that needed to be hit. She punched and jumped through the mob. Then she realized that the stage was near her motorcycle.

Shtorm seemed to still not respond to any instructions as he fought with the rioters as they continue to try and fight him back. He seemed to be almost non present within his own world, an automatic response to the threats at hand.

Doc hopped up on the stage, "Sakura, hit the sound, Eli, get ready it's time to try to cause some confusion and get the mayor back.

Sakura nodded and with a touch, and an ethereal glow in her eyes, the lights began to shine in a pattern which subtly pointed their way toward Eli, and the speakers started to hum. A voice (an admittedly bad American accent) began to come from the speakers. “He’s over here, boys!” it called out.

She whispered to Eli. “Speak normally, and before you run off I should be able to make it come from the speakers. Should,” she emphasized.

Eli, without hesitation, morphed himself into the mayor's likeness and nodded. Putting his acting skills to the test, he feigned fear as the mayor, at being discovered in the crowd.

McKenna had arrived slightly before the commotion began, hoping to locate some people from the school seeing as no one who was capable of properly greeting her was there when she'd arrived. She'd called Derrick for a ride as he had instructed and he even got out of the cab with her this time. She had told him not to, but he ignored her; normal behavior in her book as far as men were concerned. At the start of the drama, when the heroes appeared, her training kicked in and she made an excuse to Derrick, retreating from him quickly and running behind a nearby building to change into her Aurora suit. For a part of the time, she had been completely naked, but fortunately, there was no one there to see her.

As the group of mutants were rushing the stage, she floated in using her control of gravity wearing a white leotard which left little to the imagination, a red cape, and golden accouterments. She flew quickly toward the man who was clearly in charge and landed gently next to him. She gave him a friendly expression, but one that communicated she understood the gravity of the situation

"Aurora. I believe we had a meeting planned for...right about now. What can I do to help?"

"Hello Aurora, my apologies, but as you see we're a bit tied up. We're about to try to divide their attention once Eli begins talking, he's just shapeshifted into a Mayor Kline look alike, while they're distracted we're going to try to get the real one away from the rioting mob before he's seriously injured," Doc replied.

"I could create a major distraction if you want," she said, her voice sounding more eager than apprehensive as her striking blue eyes started to shift to a glowing gold to match the clip and cords on her suit. She looked to the skies and her glowing gaze settled on a large pillowy white cloud that was situated above them. It started to turn grey and dark as it filled with charged particles. "I can't create a cloud, but I can make use of one."

A short burst of lightning and thunder rolled, but nothing which would distract anyone more than indicating that it might rain soon.

"Or I can fly the Mayor out," she said, her glowing gold eyes turning back to him, waiting for his command.

"Fly the mayor out to his security team if we can get some of that crowd to break away," Doc replied "We're gonna give Eli a chance to resolve this peacefully before we go in guns a blazing."

She nodded quietly and her eyes returned to their typical light blue. As they did so, the cloud above their heads relaxed slowly back to a snowy-white color. She would stand by until she was needed, knowing how important the team element was and not wanting to disrupt it seeing as she’d only just arrived and barely understood what was going on.

Eli found himself feeling cornered. "Please, I'm certain we can all find a resolution that benefits all sides here. But we need to sit down and communicate. This sort of display won't accomplish anything."

Doc stood below the stage with the other team members as Eli did his best to impersonate the Mayor. With his abilities it was very convincing, Doc couldn't tell the difference between the two, and neither could the crowd.

The pair of men dragging the mayor heard the voice over the PA system and stopped and turned back to the stage, "Hey boss we've got a problem, we have the mayor, but the mayor is onstage talking." The man paused a moment as he received his instructions via a hand radio.

"The Boss says to get both of them and figure out which one is real," he turned and began dragging the mayor back to the stage with his cronies.

From her position on a nearby sign near the stage, a voice came out on the earpiece from time to time. Sometimes it was a message for Shtorm to watch his back. Sometimes it was a call for Tekku to turn to her left and dodge. The familiar voice of Rebecca rang over the airwaves as she called out positions, postures, and problems.

"Doc, got a situation brewing. They bringing the Mayor back to the stage." she reported, eye in the sky as it were. "Also, when did the new hire show up?" she inquired. If nothing else, Aurora would be one hell of a distraction. Even caught Rebecca's eye for a moment before she returned to the here and now. "Baddies on your six. Wait, I don't think she's got an earpiece." mumble something about coordinating future field trips.

Aurora was paying attention despite the fact she had no way to know the others were communicating. She noticed the non-mutants bringing the Mayor back to the stage. She glanced over at Doc.

“What on Earth are they doin’?” She asked, hoping that he knew.

Caitlin was away from any of their team. She could hear them on her pirated coms, and now since the haters had called out to someone, she had theirs too. But she had no way to tell them anything. All she knew was that they were bringing the mayor back. She still had a few of the marbles left. And she could keep up the hand-to-hand for a bit longer. But clearing the mayor was important.

Caitlin turned, dodging a swing or two. Her tail; smacking people as she passed. As she darted towards the mayor, she would launch a kick, or punch as she ran along. The group with the mayor was getting closer. Then she recalled. She did say she could make it louder. And maybe that's what they needed right now.

Being a walking animal was what many knew her for. Less then five people knew she also could cast magic. Though she preferred to call it programming the universe. She wasn't even sure magic was real. But she knew she could do things that didn't make sense. As she closed in on the men, she reached into a different pouch. Her paw-like hand drew out four orbs, bigger than what she had tossed before. Her arm cocked back as she slid to a halt and she tossed them, not overhand, but with enough strength to land amongst the bad guys.

"Command Activate!" She yelled out. All of the marbles and orbs had been things she enchanted, or in her words, preprogramed. Like her force balls, But these orbs had a bit more power. And a lot more of her will into them. And there were three types, all triggered the same way. The black orb suddenly began to dissolve, and in it's place a thick black fog. The was helped by a yellow orb, one that made it's own wind and moved the fog about the legs of the men holding the mayor. The third was the worst. There were two White orbs, that had a speaker symbol drawn on it. When it went off, the noise was deafening, just softer then the sound of a jet liners engine.

She had one trick up her sleeve. A trick she feared. Her ears hurt from the sound, but she was the closest. She rushed the idiots, knocking into them. She saw her opening. The men began to drop the mayor. Some to protect their ears. Others to attack her. Her paw touched the mayor, her eyes scanned the area. Fifty feet away was the stage. Beyond that was city hall. Half a heartbeat later she in the mayor stood on the steps of the city hall. She was afraid to use her magic to go any further than she had. After all she had science to back her up that it would be a bad idea. If she jumped too far, or took too long to travel, the Earth could move putting her high above it or deep within it. But thankfully this had worked.

Doc listened to Rebecca's report and then watched the feline creature burst into action, with the ability to teleport, do ranged magic, hack into comms channels, and do hand-to-hand combat this could possibly be a previously unknown, extremely powerful mutant. Someone of this strength could attract too much attention to his small school. They were able to hide out here because they weren't as powerful as other mutants that were functioning as heroes in other cities. This level of power could be too hot to keep around the academy.

Focusing on the situation at hand he gave a quick sitrep, "Mayor Kline is secure, let's get out of here before we attract any more attention. We aren't here to fight a rioting mob, we have to get to the kids on the rooftop and get the heck out of dodge."

Eli ducked behind the stage and changed his appearance again. This time to an elderly man. He moved slowly, so as not to draw attention, trying to find his way back to the group .

"Shtorm," Doc screamed and pointed towards the old man, "Help him get over here so we can go, Sakura is over there too."

Shtorm continues to lay unconscious bodies around the field. The battle is all he sees as if the flight response one normally would have is nonexistent at this time.

Eli took advantage of a moment of chaos around him and reverted to his regular face. He saw the Doctor and switched to a run. "Let's get out of here." He said, a look of worry washed across his face which was then forced into a weak smile.

Aurora was there in costume, and it wasn't exactly the sort of suit that helped her blend in. At that very moment, she had caught many eyes gazing at her body. Her power set was considerably active as well, or could be. If it was the Doctor's intention not to attract attention, she had certainly failed him. Thank God she hadn't really used her powers. Trying to move quickly, she used her gravity powers to lift herself gracefully toward group of students still on the roof. She offered a friendly smile, her golden hair blowing in the breeze.

"Anyone need a ride?"

As the kids and teachers loaded into the van Doc turned to Aurora and Caitlin, the two ladies who jumped in and helped, "Ladies I'm not sure what your plans are this evening, but if you wish you can follow us out to the school, we have spare beds and hot showers. I wouldn't recommend staying in a hotel down here with all this still going on."

Caitlin looked around. The kids were getting moved. The strain of what she had done began to catch up with her, and she yawned under her helmet. Programming the orbs had taken a lot out of her beforehand. And now she seemed to be spending an equal amount of energy just getting what few she had thrown to work . She felt like she had run a few miles . She had to get going. Her eyes swept the area, until she saw her motorcycle, that was thankfully left alone. Once more she dropped to all fours and sprinted for her ride. If she got out of here, she was going to be taking a cat nap pretty soon.

Doc made a headcount as he sat down in the oversized van. They were packed in like sardines but everyone was here. They'd have to come back for the bus after the crowds cleared but that would happen another day. He pulled out and pointed the van towards the manor, thankful that everyone was safe.

The advantage of being Rebecca is that when EVERYONE ELSE was packed in like sardines, Rebecca had plenty of room. This might have been one of the only times that she really felt her power was more a gift or a talent. She hated thinking of it as a Talent. Since Talent didn't have to walk too far to be a Trick.

"Present." she squeaked up from one of the chair backs during the head count. She was certainly easy to overlook. "Everyone else, buckle up and hang on."

#The End

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