Scene #730: Tracking Undersiders

Owner	Pose
Defiant	Brockton Bay is home to numerous villain groups. Some major - the Azn Bad Boys, Empire Eighty-Eight, Coil and his organisation - and some minor - the Merchants, Travelers, Uber and Leet... And some of whom Armsmaster knows nothing about. So, when the alert comes in, when the Undersiders are heard to be skulking around the wharfs in the docks district, Armsmaster doesn't waste a second. His motorcycle - midnight-blue to match the color of his armor - roars out of the Protectorate HQ and tears down the streets of Brockton Bay, a shining blue techno-paladin in the evening light.
Bitter Medicine	Bitter Medicine 's hands grip the back of the motorcycle tightly as it moves through Brockton. It's not that he doesn't trust mortal technology--he's from a world where some of the best inventions come from mortal minds! It's just that, frankly, this thing doesn't have a lot of safety protocols, and he'll be very upset if he falls off--though, that might be a bonus if he has to interrogate someone. It would also hurt like a gremlin, so there's that. "Hrn." He should have come with his First Responder Suite. At least then he could travel on his own terms.
Taylor Hebert	For one Taylor Hebert, tonight is not looking to be a good night. Months of costume creation, daily running, and training of her powers have lead up tonight, her first time out in costume. It's a black and grey bodysuit made out of black widow silk, with armor panels and exoskeletons protecting it, and a silk-weaved mask with lens from a pair of swim goggles over her face, her long brown curly hair allowed to flow out behind her. The mask possesses a pair of jaw-covering mandibles for protection, with the added benefit of looking a bit menacing, even though she's supposed to be a superhero. She set out to the seedier side of Brockton Bay in an attempt to maybe find some thugs, or a low-level villain to catch. It did not cross her mind that she'd be going up against Lung, leader of the Azn Bad Boys and one of the stronger villain capes out there. Though what was she supposed to do? She heard him order his men to shoot up some children, she couldn't just let it happen. Her ability to control insects helped with taking out his non-parahuman gunmen...but also attracted the attention and the anger of Lung. So here she is, on a building roof in the middle of the night, face to face with an angry, super strong, regenerating pyrokinetic. And all she's got is a large swarm of insects. This should be interesting and most likely depressing.
Defiant	Lung is inconvenienced - hurt is not the right word. He's already transforming, triangular scales pushing out of his flesh, encasing his entire body in a set of dragon-like armor that makes him resistant to attack. He can't see the little bug girl who has decided to pick a fight with him but he can hear her, smell her. He's a good eight feet tall now, impossibly huge and incredibly angry. "Move, little bug girl," Lung growls in heavily-accented English, "Give me something to aim for." Elsewhere, Armsmaster steps off his motorcycle, letting it idle - it can't go anywhere without him at the controls anyway. It's a fairly unremarkable part of the docks district, all in all. People know better than to wander through this part of Brockton Bay at night and the shattered wooden fence off to the left might give some indication as to why. Are those giant paw prints? "They must be close," Armsmaster muses, mostly to himself.
Bitter Medicine	"Got your back," states the Alchemical, dismounting the bike. He's a stark contrast to the paladin, his black leather attire and pallid flesh painting a darker picture of authority. Bizarrely, he wears earrings and even eyeliner of a distinctly Mesoamerican vibe. For him, unlikely as it is, the motifs don't seem to clash. His boot crushes broken glass into the asphalt. "Information on perpetrators?" It never hurts to review, however briefly, what you're going up against. Bitter Medicine's hand hovers near Voidbane, ready to extend its jagged teeth and send it screaming through the air at a moment's notice. Just to be safe, he activates his First Perception Augmentation. Best not to miss any details.
Taylor Hebert	Taylor Hebert doesn't do as she's told, remaining as still as she can in the shadows. Her heart's racing, but she's trying to slow her breathing, make sure he can't use it to ambush her. Luckily, her powers don't require her to move. She's completely in sync with every bug within three blocks of her, and she's slowly grabbing what she can, not to mention the swarm she already has. With a single thought, a swarm of flying insects swiftly move towards and around Lung, attempting to get him to face away from her, if possible. If she can buy herself time, she might be able to think of a way to neutralize him. Elsewhere, a group of people are moving. Swiftly. Secretly. They're being hunted, and they don't want to be found. Luckily, it's just dark enough..they probably won't.
Defiant	"A team of supervillains," Armsmaster states, turning his head left and right. He probably has some sort of software package in that helmet of his to help him analyse what he's seeing. "Four in number, although we know little more than their codenames and some vague knowledge about their powers. Grue, Tattletale, Hellhound and Regent. Those last two are known murderers." It seems they came through this part of the docks on the back of some giant beasts, who had seemingly gone right through the fence without stopping. Armsmaster crosses his arms. "Hellhound's work," he says, after a moment. "Be on your guard." Bitter Medicine, with his heightened perceptions, might be able to see the scraps of dog hair, make out the three sets of paw prints, and smell the musky scent of wet dog hair. Three or four people riding giant dogs? But they are definitely big dogs - closer to a rhino in size than anything like a Mastiff going by these paw prints. Just what sort of people is Armsmaster chasing here? On the rooftop, Lung snarls as the bugs descend upon him. He's vulnerable around certain points with little gaps in his metal carapace, but it's all irrelevant as he roars and /explodes/ in flames, torching the bugs around him and scorching the rooftop. As the flames boil away into the night, Lung lets out a pained grunt. Those poisons are starting to add up, but he has a regenerating power - and it's likely that will keep in the fight long enough for him to burn the whole building down!
Bitter Medicine	"Always am," comes the Exalt's dour response. This alley is a familiar sight. The wallpaper, the trappings, may be different, but Autochthonia has areas juuust like this. They're great spots for criminals and heretics to hide, he notes. The hair gives him pause--"Hellhound. Animal motif. Shapeshifter?" He's learned by this point that animals besides rats and roaches exist, but he's never sure of the nomenclature. To be honest, even the bright ball of fire in the skies of most worlds still weirds him out. The Exalt follows along, muttering observations to himself, that they might be more clear in his mind when he needs to recall them. Used to thinking in three dimensions, he looks up to see if the criminals might be hiding on the rooftops. It'd be a clever place to mount an ambush, he thinks. As he makes his little survey, he notes a flash, tiny, brief and orange, in the distance. Huh. Must be some weird inclement weather.
Taylor Hebert	As the bugs burn, Taylor focuses concentration on her other bugs. Maybe more swarms might help..wait, he sounds like he's in pain.. The poison. It might be able to fight his regeneration. If she could get enough in him, she could neutralize him. But any bugs that come near him..he's likely to scorch... The venomous insects from both her ground and flying swarms begin to try and relocate behind Lung, getting as much distance as possible..but as soon as he hears them..he's going to scorch them. Unless.. Taylor starts running. Straight past Lung, hoping she can move fast enough both to distract him whilst her bugs begin to move around and hopefully onto him, and so that she doesn't take the brunt of any flames he sends at her. This is risky. This is stupid. But, it's the only thing she can think of right now.
Defiant	"Of a sort," Armsmaster says to Bitter. "She induces substantial physical changes in other animals - dogs specifically. She has a significant amount of control over them, although we are not sure of her methods. Master classification." His visor turns left and right again. "They never dismounted," Armsmaster continues. "They were heading somewhere, and this was simply the fastest route." He raises one hand to his helmet then. "Let the fire department handle it," he says. Taylor runs and Lung whirls to track her footsteps. He says nothing more than an inchoate roar, raising his clawed hands to bathe her and the space around her in flames. The bugs descend upon him, working there way into what little vulnerable flesh remains - but even his eyes have become pools of molten metal now! Taylor's finnese against Lung's simple brutal inferno, and it seems like the asian dragon is about to prevail. Unless help arrives from an unexpected source.
Bitter Medicine	Bitter Medicine says, "Gladly==but didn't you mention something about pyrokinetics?" Of course, either way, he's going to be helping the people of Brockton Bay and learning more about the caliber of Armsmaster's person. Far be it from him to tell Armsmaster how to do his own job in his own city, it's just that he figures the two of them can make it to an emergency faster than mortal first responders. "Could be one of those on the loose, couldn't it?" The regulator wipes a gloved hand along the side of a building in the alley. Pretty dirty back here... This must be where Brockton Bay's Lumpen live."
Taylor Hebert	Taylor's screwed. Even if she could inject the poison into him, he could incinerate her before then. The heat's intense, and she's still moving. In her pace, she slips off the ledge of the roof, barely turning and grabbing onto it with one hand in time. Shortest cape career ever. Until suddenly, a wave of pure black begins to drench over Lung. It's pitch black, almost completely impossible to hear in there, and confusing to the senses. But Taylor hasn't lost connection with her insects. This is the only saving grace she has, no matter how confusing it is. She takes a quick but deep breath..and sends all the bugs on Lung an order. Poison him. In instant symphony, every bug covering Lung begins to work their pincers, stingers, mandibles at him, attempting to release their venom into him and take him down. Taylor slowly grabs the ledge fully, and begins to lift herself up, staring at the darkness that engulfs Lung. What the fuck. She doesn't notice yet, but a group of people aren't far from her, one of them engulfing Lung in the pure black killing his hearing. The hunter becomes the hunted.
Defiant	Armsmaster turns to look at Bitter Medicine. "I did," he says, "But we have no reason to believe that Lung is doing anything except keeping below the radar. We'll follow these tracks," Armsmaster decides, heading back towards his motorcycle. The call, of course, comes through just as Armsmaster settles on the bike. There's eyes on a group of villains and they're taking on Lung. Right in the vicinity of that explosion. Bitter Medicine might just catch a glimpse of Armsmaster frowning at the news. On the roof top, Lung vanishes in darkness. Utterly blind and deaf, Lung goes to draw upon another fiery explosion! In the darkness, he shouts out for his new opponents to face him - but no sound escapes, and neither does any flame. Lung stumbles out of the darkness, dazed and confused, his face twisted and hateful, and he starts blasting fire in all directions!
Bitter Medicine	"Sure." He's not here to try and big-time Armsmaster, he's here to help--so whatever the stoic blue paladin wants help with, that's what Bitter's going to help with. When Armsmaster heads back to his bike, the Alchemical thusly follows. Perhaps it's better off this way--he's not loaded up to properly handle threats. And then, the call comes in. "Well," remarks Bitter Medicine. "If we're responding to that, you should know I'm not as mobile in this loadout. I'm loaded up for investigation right now. Would take 25 hours to change my Charms for first-response engagements." Of course, he's still got Voidbane and all the bizarre techniques of Thousand Wounds Gear style, but he really prefers the mobility and crowd control options offered by his first responder set. "Not helpless, just not at maximum efficiency."
Taylor Hebert	The darkness continues to engulf him, as Taylor skitters across the rooftop, attempting to dodge the fire. Out of almost nowhere, a giant hound, just under the size of a sedan, covered in mishapen bone, muscle, and flesh, leaps forward after a quick whistle from his master, followed by his packmates, Judas and Angelica. Brutus, Judas, and Angelica leap straight at Lung, ignoring the fire as they all attempt to gnaw and tackle him off the roof. A young man in regal or jester's clothing, hard to tell, with a crown and a scepter leaps forward, shouting at, even though Lung most likely can't hear him. "Hey, shithead! Watch your step!" With a swing of his arm, Regent attempts to send Lung puttering off the roof, his ability of body manipulation being his only useful combat ability other than the fact he has a taser in his scepter which actually isn't that useful. Any bugs still alive on Lung are continuing to inject their venom, having not been ordered to stop. And Taylor has no plans to stop them. He's still in there, he's still mad, and he's still going at it. He needs to get neutralized, fast.
Defiant	"Then make do with what you have," Armsmaster replies, and guns the engine. The problem with this bike is that they will hear him coming, and there is no villain who would willingly face the Master of Arms without a definite plan. Tonight is the night where the first of many, many dominos begins to fall for Armsmaster. Minutes away, on the rooftop, Lung meets the charge. He throws one shoulder down, slams it into Brutus, and hurls the first giant dog over and off the roof. Lung roars, meeting the monstrous animals strength for strength, knocking them aside with punches and palm strikes, but they continue to come at him. They grab the leader of the ABB, shake him like a rag doll, and send him flying. When Lung gets to his feet, seething, Regent is there to make him misjudge his first step. He topples over the edge of the building, landing on something with a titanic /crash/. A car alarm begins to blare. To Taylor and the Undersiders, there's the faint sound of a motorcycle engine in the distance. Tattletale can easily place it as Armsmaster's custom bike.
Bitter Medicine	Bitter Medicine grips the seat tightly. A 'group of villains' engaging Lung. That sounds unusual--is he widely regarded as a threat? He doesn't trust criminals farther than he can throw them, even if there is a common enemy. That in mind, he spends just a mote of Essence, and in so doing, immediately flares his anima to its totemic level. Now, there's something else for Tattletale to hear--a new cape on the block? The sound of a factory press. Boom-CLANG, boom-CLANG. A menacing tempo is marked with a sound of jackboots on metal, and a hazy, blue-black thundercloud hangs over Bitter Medicine, flashes of purple lightning visible within. Anyone on the rooftop can easily see this cloud, as this is basically an Exalt's 'don't fuck with me' sign. Armsmaster in particular can, just above the rumble of his bike, hear... moans.
Taylor Hebert	As Lung crashes, Brutus, Judas, and Angelica leave their chewtoy alone, regrouping with their master, a tall, muscular girl wearing a plastic dollar store rottweiler mask. It's not even for disguise, she just wears it. A dark-skinned teenager in what seems to be a biker jacket and apparently a skull mask..or is that darkness covering his face? Taylor can't tell. He speaks, though, another girl also there, with a mask and costume that is more like the Golden Age comics than anything. "Hey, nice going. You really saved our ass there, don't know what would have happened if we went against Lung at full strength. You a new cape? Always good to see a villain who can survive Lung for that long. I'm Grue.". He then points, in order, to Regent, the girl in the classic costume, and to the girl in the rottweiler mask. "These are Regent, Tattletale, and Bitch. I think we'll be in touch.". Bitch seems to snarl, but is interrupted quickly by Tattletale. "Armsmaster's on his way...with a new cape? Doesn't recognize the sounds or the lightning..can't think of who it could be. We better get out of here, though.". Grue nods, and turns back to Taylor. "Get out of here while you can, hero capes coming. See you around.". The Undersiders mount onto the three dogs, before leaping off, leaving Taylor up there on the roof. And then she realizes. Holy shit, those 'children' she was protecting? They were supervillains.
Defiant	Perhaps to Bitter's surprise - and fear! - Armsmaster leaps clear of his bike well before their destination. At the apex of his leap, he holds out his hand and his Halberd shifts from his back to his grip in one bright flash. As he lands, he aims the tip of the blade towards Lung, who has seemingly been sent right into the roof of a sedan. The bike, for its part, ends up pulling up just behind him. Lung doesn't move. "There're tranquilisers in my bike," Armsmaster says to Bitter Medicine, not taking his eyes off Lung. "Right-hand side compartment. Give this one the maximum dose to ensure he doesn't regenerate before we have him in custody. Keep an eye on him - I'm investigating the roof." Suddenly, the head of his Halberd is a grappling hook and Armsmaster pulls himself up the side of the smouldering rooftop. He land on his feet, throwing up dust... ...and comes face to face with someone he doesn't recognise. "You gonna fight me?" Armsmaster asks Taylor, looking just how he looks in all the pictures. Powered armor, Halberd, neatly-trimmed beard. "You're a new face."
Bitter Medicine	It certainly does surprise Bitter Medicine. Without thinking that Armsmaster has a good reason for that, he jumps off, too. Without gravity manipulation or boosted athletic capabilities, all he can use is the brute strength he always has. His arm snaps out and grabs a traffic sign, the bike moving on without him. The inertia combined with the strength of his grip causes the sign to bend before he completely stops. "I'll pay for that." Lung is approached with caution. He doesn't need to boost his perception to see that someone really did a number on this guy. Group of villains indeed. Turf war, maybe? Posturing? Hard to say. "Affirmative," replies the Alchemical once Armsmaster mentions the sedatives. Maximum dosage, let's see here. One dose of sedative later, Bitter Medicine looms over the unconscious form of Lung, anima banner still going strong. A thick soled boot rests menacingly over the villain's throat, and the regulator holds his favored weapon at the ready. "Traces of animal hair on perpetrator," he notes through the radio to Armsmaster. "Burnt, but there."
Taylor Hebert	Taylor only snaps out of her shock and thought of all of this when Armsmaster speaks to her. She definitely recognizes him, she has an old t-shirt with him on it in her closet! She stammers as she quickly speaks. "/No./ I-I'm a hero. Those guys also thought I was a villain, though. Saved my life. Is Lung dead?". Taylor seems rather worried about the guy she just poisoned, mostly because she most definitely did not want to kill him. Just send him to the ER for a while, at best. "Tonight was my first night out in costume..actually. ..Bad luck, I guess."
Defiant	"You don't look like one," Armsmaster says, stepping forwards. He stops, suddenly, listens to Bitter's report. "Then it was them. Keep watch. There's a cape up here, a new one - out on her first night." He turns back to Taylor and a green light beeps to life on his HUD. "You're telling the truth. Hmm. Bad luck? Perhaps. I would be thankful that they mistook you for a villain given their capabilities. Now," he says, "We need to decide where to go from here. Who gets the credit for capturing Lung?" Before Taylor can speak, Armsmaster holds up his hand with all the self-assurance of someone who knows that he will be listened to unconditionally. "What youve done tonight is spectacular. You played a part in getting a major villain into custody. You just need to consider the consequences. Lung has an extensive gang throughout Brockton Bay and neighboring cities. More than that, he has two superpowered flunkies. Oni Lee and Bakuda." He keeps talking, slow and measured. It's an opportunity to be solely responsible for bringing in Lung, and Armsmaster won't pass it up. Not when he needs every advantage to keep his position. "Now I want you to consider the danger involved in taking the credit for Lungs capture. Without a doubt, Oni Lee and Bakuda will be looking to accomplish two goals: freeing their boss and getting vengeance on the one responsible. I suspect youre now aware these are scary people. Scarier in some ways than their boss." There is no way his motivation is as noble as he is trying to make it sound. He's a big name, and he wants to bring in this bad guy.
Bitter Medicine	It all sounds very noble. The Exalt's boosted perception easily detects what's going on atop the roof of the building. Not that he's eavesdropping--he needs to ascertain whether or not this other mortal is a threat. Apparently, she's not hostile, so that's good. Still, the Alchemical can't help but sigh at Armsmaster's spiel. This kind of competition is all too common among his kind, especially in the nation of Claslat. Perhaps it's just a symptom of any society that hails its heroes as publicly as Autochthonia and Armsmaster's Earth do. Accustomed to this behavior as he is, Bitter Medicine has nothing to say. He figures both of them are going to try and argue for credit anyway, just like Alchemicals, so all he really needs to listen for is signs of infighting. He keeps a stern, baleful eye on the unconscious villain between his boot and the sedan beneath them.
Taylor Hebert	Taylor thinks it over for about five seconds. She /did/ just take down a huge villain and that could help her work her way up into being a prominent hero; but also a target. And she's not ready to be actively fighting big names. Tonight was her first run, and she fought /Lung/ of all people! "Y-yeah. You take the credit." Taylor takes a second, before taking a breath and speaking again. "Those guys..uh, Grue, Regent, Tattletale, Bitch. I think Grue was the leader. He said that he was impressed and he'd be in touch. Who are they?".
Defiant	Armsmaster /smiles/. It's a handsome smile, the sort that has been plastered over countless magazine covers. "I think you'll look back on this and know that it was the right decision. As for them, they are the Undersiders. They're a supervillain gang. Consider yourself lucky that they mistook you for a villain and think no more about it." He turns to walk back towards the edge of the roof and then stops, pauses, and turns back. He pulls something from a compartment on his powersuit and tosses it over to Taylor. It looks like a small headset - a Multiversal radio. "Call me on that if you're ever in trouble." And just like that, Armsmaster is gone and over the side of the building. He nods to Bitter Medicine and goes to gather up Lung's unconscious body, throwing him over the back of the motorcycle. "We're done here," he says. Of course, in a few hours, everything about this victory will go wrong for Armsmaster.