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Maximus is a man who appears to be in his late 20s or early 30s, and has just exited the Baxter Building. He has a fur coat on, and his hair is cheek length and in black ringlets that taunt his pale face. He has a confusing bit of eye make-up on, and could legitimately be called Mr. Fancypants, carrying himself with a bored sort of confidence, tainted only by a lonely air of having literally no friends, no one to hang out with. Awwww…poor ex-king all the weird kid in the class, these days.
*
Well, there is one person that Maximus has; although one could hardly call them a friend, the massive form of Creel is certainly an imposing one. He's wearing a simple white shirt and somewhat worn dress pants, with a trenchcoat thrown over the whole ensemble. Atop his bald head is a derby hat, and a hearty swig of alcohol is taken from his respectable crumpled brown bag. He's lounging close enough to Maximus to be associated, but not so much as to give false impressions that it's anything but a business thing. "So. You hired me." he offers, matter of factly. "Trust me, I'm the best. I just ain't made a splash yet. But this city'll respect the Absorbing Man when I make my REAL debut!"
*
Carol is, at the moment, currently hitting up the vendor at a nearby hot dog stand, getting one with all the works. She doesn't look really out of the ordinary, though she does notice the man leaving the Baxter Building, and his rather large companion. Then she turns and pays for the hot dog, though her attention doesn't drift far from the two men there.
*
Samantha herself is…playing tourist. It was her day off and this wasn't a part of town she often came to, so the blonde was out and about seeing the sights. Wrapped in her beat-up jacket the young woman is making her way down the street, humming some TV theme to herself quietly.
*
Vision hovers high above, although it's likely that a few people on the street might notice him. He's green and yellow and red, after all, his cloak catching a bit of the wind as he seems to stand in the empty air, his sensors absorbing data about the world around him. This city seemed to be an ever-growing, ever-active hive. Humans were like bees, perhaps, albeit less organized and more diverse.
*
"Yesssss, I suppose." Max answers Creel with a hesitant tone. "I wonder if you remember me. I witnessed you wrecking that building there." He gestures lightly to Macy's. "And I am so terribly confused as to how you are not /already/ well known, after that. You practically screamed your name." A faint smile plays on his face. "I was impressed how you dealt with that annoying archer hero though. I should have stolen /you/ that day, rather than that cop who turned out to be a complete waste of time." He hunches his shoulders and steps closer to Creel.
*
A huge fist thumps against Creel's chest at that. "They didn't publish it!! Bastards. I was just another generic Mutant pissant, or some shit. Bull. I had to wait awhile to do another job… otherwise people'd not know me. Shame my prison break's old hat, now. But I don't care 'bout Crusher Creel. Nah. That's the OLD me!" He's not being particularly quiet, but anyone overhearing would know he's a violent felon who was incarcerated some weeks back before mysteriously escaping and as of yet not being reapprehended. He smirks though towards Maximus, brows lifting. "Ohhh? If I knew you were hiring, I'd have gone. I was just an opportunist then. She couldn't handle me. Nobody can! Maybe I ought attack a prison or something, yeah? Cause some REAL chaos…"
*
Carol blinks, pausing mid-bite on her hot dog, as she all-too-easily hears Creel bragging rather loudly. Hrmming to herself, she looks up at the sky, noticing Vision for the first time and blinking a bit to herself. Then she quickly wolfs down her hot dog, ducking towards a side alley.
*
Samantha herself heard that same bragging, but for the moment she blinks, pausing in her walk and just sort of…staring. Was the guy really yelling about attacking prisons. In front of the Baxter building? IN BROAD DAYLIGHT?
The woman shakes her head softly, "Some people" she murmers.
*
Vision cocks his head at the two men below, the massive size of the man and the relatively strange reaction he seems to be having with the electromagnetic energies in the area certainly notable. A superhuman, of some sort, perhaps a mutant or an alien. He and the other man seemed to be agitated in some fashion, although the day itself seemed generally peaceful. Interesting.
*
Maximus is not exactly agitated. He is more…of an agitator. His eyes light up when Creel gets himself worked up and he smiles, subtle at first, like he's trying to keep his excitement down. "No. Not just /anyone/. You need to fight someone who has some reknown. Not some girl with a bow. No one would /stop/ speaking of the man who punched…The Black Panther, in the face, for instance." He finally catches note of Vision and looks upwards. "Oh…well well, what is that up there?" He nudges Creel and then gestures above. "Some…sentinel of goodness, no doubt. Here to take all the news headlines, because he makes for a nice photo on the front page. I want to see /you/, there, believe me."
*
"The Black Panther? Tch. That little cat? What kind of challenge would he be? But… heh. I see your point. Maybe it's not about the fight, but the ruckus it'd cause…" Oh no, someone with longer term political planning should not be anywhere near Crusher Creel. But the mention of the Vision causes him to blink, squinting upwards at the man. "Who is that…? I don't recognize them from down here…" He reaches sideways with his left hand, touching the top of a newspaper vender. The blue metal suddenly surges across his exposed fingers, and with a grunt, bolts erupt out from the ground as he twists to hurl it upwards at frightful speed in the Vision's direction. A stream of news about how Mutant terrorism is threatening the city, ironically, trails behind. "Let's see if he's any good!"
One of the nice things about being half-alien is being able to instantly change into costume. Which, with a flash of light, Carol does, donning her Warbird costume instantly.
Soaring out of the alley, the glowing heroine blinks as Creel picks up the newspaper vendor and hurls it into the air. She says, "Why don't you stop before you make things worse for yourself, huh?" Ever the voice of reason, even if it's going to (probably) fall on deaf ears.
*
Sammy was newer at this game. She didn't have some instant-change costume to call on. Truth be told? Her 'costume' was really just clothing and a mask rather then any real 'uniform'. She's about to duck into the cover of an alley herself when Carol comes zooming out, leading her to stop in place for a moment while she watches whatever is about to unfold.
*
Vision watches the incoming shrapnel with a dispassionate eye, his material form shimmering for a flicker of a second so that, by the time it reaches him, it simply passes through harmlessly, as if the Vision were some sort of colorful phantom or ghost.
But then he turns his head almost entirely in reverse on his body and unleashes a blast of energy from the gem on his forehead, obliterating the metal and causing it to blast into fragments. Hopefully harmless ones.
"Hostile action."
*
Maximus seems offended. "Did that just describe you as a 'hostile action'? Of all the dismissive things to say. He might as well have said…futile attack from a creature beneath me." He draws in a deep breath, eyes still bright. And Carol gets a glance as well. Offering no hostility himself, he smiles at her and waxes poetic instead, "Worse for himself? Do you KNOW the incredible Absorbing man? He is /unbeatable/. No prison can hold him, and yet people treat him no better than a /street performer/. You will see, imminently, how much respect you ought to give to this man." An elegant hand gestures to Creed and he wets his plush lips.
*
"What the…" Did he miss? He must have, the guy didn't move! Sure looked like it hit. And those eye beams are no joke, either. Yeah… yeah, this guy might do nicely indeed. When Carol arrives, Maximus does the talking instead, and Creel flexes. Which is actually impressive. He's got a good physique, after all. "Yeah! YEAH!" He grasps the edge of his trenchcoat and yanks it off, hurling it away to just show his short sleeved shirt. "I could take on an entire TEAM of piddling heroes without breaking a sweat!!" His naked hand slaps against the brick beside, before… seeming to flow the texture into him. It's like he's a human copying machine, and a few seconds later from head to toe, he's turned into the Amazing Brick Man. "You want a hostile action?!" he shouts up towards the Vision. "How's THIS for…" He hefts up a car, but the person inside begins to scream. Creel jumps, and then carefully sets it back down. "Sorry, bub. Uh. HOW'S THIS FOR HOSTILE ACTION!!" An actually EMPTY parked car is hefted, and then hurled spiraling up towards the Vision, with a grunt of effort!
*
Warbird shakes her head, muttering, "People always want to do it the hard way…" With that, she flies after the car, catching it before it can impact the Vision. Then she lowers herself to the ground, setting the car down as she looks at Creel, "Kind of a one-trick pony with the throwing things, aren't you?"
*
Samantha herself had taken this point to duck into the shadows, working on the comparitively slower task of changing into her costume and stashing her belongings. With the task done, she peeks around for a moment and watches the exchange, considering for a moment. Big guy is big, even if most things made out of bricks probably wouldn't hurt her…well they might if there was enough of them.
Her eyes behind her domino mask however focus instead on Maximus, the apparent puppet-master as she steps out of the shade and rushes forwards in a suprising burst of airbourne speed, intending to seize the man and hold him off-ground in a hover. "Who are you, his 'agent'?"
*
Vision watches without expression as Warbird interrupts the next attack, snatching the car out of the air. He descends to a lower plane, placing himself at a level analogous to Warbird's location, to provide the appearance of solidarity even if she was as much as stranger to him as the men below.
"What is the reason for this unprovoked attack? Are you mad or do you have a purpose to your actions?" he says, his synthesized voice even and cold.
*
"AHH, CREEL! Another one, slippery!" Maximus declares his distress, as he's hoisted off the ground. Stupid fliers! "I have no idea what you are talking about. Just because I think he is amazing and no one gives him his…ack…unn…credit." He struggles. Weirdly, though, he kinda seems into it, something pinching the corners of his mouth.
*
Creel is a lot of things. Fast. Strong. Shiny headed. A good brawler. He's also not intelligent or perceptive. His attention was locked upon the Vision and the other flying girl, causing Samantha's rushing grapple to completely pass him by. "What the—HEY! You gotta beef, deal with ME!!" He stamps his foot down, rearing back his right arm and then throwing out a furious strike. It's got perhaps ten to fifteen tons of force… certainly nothing to sneeze at. It'd probably floor a Spider-Folk and wind them, or the like. But for her, it's likely not all that dangerous. "I wanna be FEARED! I wanna be RESPECTED!!" he calls out. People are screaming and running now, both at the thrown cars and blatant transformations. "AND I WILL BE!!"
*
Warbird looks over at Vision, "Hi, ah… want to help me with this guy? Please?" She then launches herself into the air, firing a powerful energy blast directly at Creel's chest, seeing if that fazes him at all as she says, "Well, you could hire an agent. Not that guy though, I think he's bad news."
*
"Then get some boxing gloves or something you nut-" Sammy begins, hoisting Maximus that little bit higher. "And you shut up. Some people don't need enc-" she begins, only to have her lecture cut short by the fist coming her way. It works, she's forced to drop the man she held as she raises both arms up, rolling forearms out in a rather textbook 'double block'. The force should have snapped her arms or at least knocked her back, but instead the concrete merely cracks beneath her feet as she meets force with force.
*
Vision narrows his eyes, "Resolution of conflict through violence is an inefficient and barbaric methodology. However, when in Rome," he says. He adds his own energy blast to Carol's, his forehead beam approximately equal in strength to hers. He's still relatively inexperienced in the area of superheroics and will defer to her likely greater understanding of the protocols re: responsible use of force.
"Respect, good sir, is earned, not taken by force."
*
Maximus drops to the ground again and is forced to almost immediately fling himself out of the way of energy beam explosions just…everywhere! The side of the Baxter building is getting pummeled! His fur coat sizzles, though oddly enough Maximus does not seem too roughed up. Of course, the beams didn't hit him directly, like Creel. Everyone else is too far away…he has no choice of who to latch onto to turn the tide. He stares at Samantha, his mind sneaking out like tendrils to try to curl around her will, and bend it with an uttered, "Keep the flying woman busy." He holds his stomach. "Oh for Kree's sake…my coat is totally ruined…" he also manages to complain, almost afraid to look over at Creel when the dust from that clears.
*
Well, that punch did a whole lot of nothing. Beyond crack the bricks at his knuckles, and cause his entire body to creak. He can tell from the response that it's not nearly enough to work on her. "I'm a former boxer already! Woulda been heavyweight champ!!" This sounds less like boasting, and more like genuine bitterness. That would have been the sort of fame he wanted, in another world… another life. Yet he can attain the same sort of respect in the here and now, with his new powers. "You st—"
Then he's hit. There's a big explosion, and he's sent hurtling backwards. Large chunks of brick crash around Samantha, and he's skidding a good few meters. His torso is utterly devastated, almost destroying him entirely. For a few moments, the horrible thought that he's plain dead probably comes to mind. She massively overestimated his durability.
"…what the heck!!" he suddenly exclaims, apparently wrought with surprise. Drawing himself up, one arm missing, he fumbles his way towards the building he initially touched, shakily getting back to his feet. "That woulda killed me. If I wasn't the AMAZING ABSORBING MAN!!"
*
Warbird soars after Creel, then says, "Good thing you are, then. Now, we can do this the easy way. Or we can do this /real/ easy way." She hovers about ten feet over and away from him, hand glowing as she points her finger at Creel, "Up to you." She doesn't really pay attention to Samantha at the moment, thinking that she's also just here to help…
*
Samantha actually gives a low whistle at the energy blast Carol and vision manages. She can do a similar trick, but she likely wasn't nearly as practiced at using it as Warbird and the multi-coloured man. With that threat clearly handled, she turns her way back to the would-be promote and opens her mouth to say something, but whatever the words are? They die in her throat as she's 'attacked' in ways her physical invulnerability can't really counter. That sudden burst of near-supersonic air is about all the warning Warbird gets before the new vigilante slams into her, seizing her unsuspecting arms and trying to slam her down into the ground.
*
Vision allows Carol to do the first follow-up on Creed, already impressed by how formidable the flying woman has become. He's taken off guard by the girl vigilante turning from her attack on Maximus to instead send herself after Warbird. This seems like an unlikely course of action and causes Vision to narrow his eyes instead at Maximus.
"You seemed to be in command of the larger man. Are you in command of her now, as well? Are you their programmer?"
*
"I have no idea what you are speaking of." Maximus coughs and looks at the one-armed absorbing man. "Creel! We need to go!" Its more plaintiff than indicative of mind controlling. Its possible that his 'hold' on Creel is strictly manipulative and indulgent. "Into the building, they won't follow there!"
*
Chaos and fighting is all well and good, but Creel has other concerns. He picks up his broken arm and thumps it into the stump it used to be. Oddly, it sticks. He then touches the building with his hand again, and this time… material is drawn away, as opposed to just the appearance. The side of the building thins slightly, bricks eroding as if in centuries of wind, and his shattered portions reform. It only takes a few seconds. "Fine. Looks like I played too soft, going with brick…" He then flexes his fingers, instead arching out his arm for the red iron of a nearby hydrant. "Let's try this on for size…!!" Underestimate him all you want, puny heroes. You'll regret it! "You go. I'll hold them off. They can't think I'm just a bit player!!"
*
Warbird oofs as she gets slammed into the ground by Samantha, her arms seized. However, even though her arms are grabbed, she still has her legs free, which she uses to kick off from the street, "What the hell are you doing???" Apparently she wasn't quite expecting this as she grapples with Sam, surprised that they are physically equal, though she does have plenty of SHIELD dirty fighting tricks to use… and when Creel shouts, she looks at Sam, "I think you're fighting the wrong person."
*
Ironicly, if Samantha could see her own face right now, the 'nurse by day' would almost say she looks a little drugged or delirious. She's strong, perhaps suprisingly so, and she shows all the movements and strikes of someone who'd been trained to fight in hand to hand traditionally, but seems to have no problems linking them with her powers. Her teacher? He'd had the same gifts…mostly. Dirty tricks might very well be Warbird's only real edge. That…and the cosmic-powered android beside her. Maximus' control was very specific, he'd only mentioned the flying woman.
Throwing a quick series of jabs and strikes as the pair remain tangled, trying for rib shots before she presses her open palm against Carol's midriff and attempts to unleash a small energy blast, more concussion then heat. Brain-controlled or not, she's not a killer after all.
*
Vision looms a bit over Maximus, his cloak sweeping out around him, "Perhaps, then, if you were removed from the equation, the mammoth would become more docile," he says. He's distracted, however, by the continued conflict between Samantha and Warbird, keeping him from swooping in and attempting to capture Maximus properly, the synthezoid torn between the two impulses.
*
Maximus is actually a little torn. He doesn't want his new friend messed up, or imprisoned, but there's pretty well no stopping him now. Unless. He's loathe to do that on the guy though…all that reputation to think about. He really is stuck in a quandry for a moment. "The moment I leave, this will get so much worse!" he warns, "I do not wish to leave you!" Though, also, he just doesn't want to miss the awesome. He tries to insult Vision with, "You know…you are not pulling off that cape very well."
*
All in all, Creel is rather frustrated. But he does touch the iron hydrant successfully, and then crimson ripples across him. He looks rather dirty, of course. Nothing like an unkempt hydrant to add a touch of pizz-azz to your texture. "Rrrrrr. You ask me to attack this guy, now you wanna flee!!" Of course, with Vision looming so close, the latter part might be hard. So stepping forward, Creel twists his body into a brutal left hook, aiming it at the robotic man. He's actually remarkably quick despite being a literal Iron Man, and a thoroughly talented pugilist. Plus, while his pitiable brick-form topped out at maybe fifteen tons, he's packing well over forty into those weld-covered knuckles now. "GET OUTTA THE WAY, SHINY PANTS!!"
*
Warbird winces a bit at the physical blows, but when she's hit with the energy blast, she just… absorbs it. Glowing a bit from the energy boost, she breaks free from Sam's grip, then grabs Sam by the arm, "Alright, my turn." She then looks like she gets an idea, smiling to herself as she looks down at Creel. Spinning very quickly, she builds up momentum and then throws Sam right at Creel, hopefully either snapping Samantha out of it or at least creating a distraction for Creel.
*
The blast had been more concussive then pure energy, but it was enough for Warbird to gain a little surge of strength and break free. Hurled away, Sammy tumbles through the air, trying to twist and righten herself to come back at Carol but not quite having enough time before the impact. Despite her small frame, it's probably akin to having an anvil thrown at the absorbing man.
*
Vision cocks his head at Maximus, "I have no desire to pull off the cape. I want it to stay where it is," he says. The distraction means he only has seconds before Creel's attack impacts to react. He raises his density this time, becoming hypertough and hard to injure, but not enough to damage Creel's hand or hold him in place. It merely means that, when he's flung aside by the force of the blow, he doesn't have any serious damage as a result, simply knocked out of the way to provide the villains with an opportunity to escape.
*
Maximus sees the opportunity and takes it, turning with a flourish and darting into the building, his black ringlets grey from dust. He's not the only one fleeing into the building, either, and he proceeds to act totally shocked and scared. The doorman knows he lives there. He rushes to the elevator banks and pushes the button over and over.
*
Ah. That was better. Creel felt the report from that strike, although the ring of metal in the air like a gong is probably comical. He launched him mostly upwards, although the tussle up in the air with the flash of energy catches his notice. That means that when Samantha is unduly hurled in his direction, he actually has time to react. Both of his arms heft upwards, fists interlocked, as he lets out a roar. "I'LL BE BACK!!" And then he swings down with all of his force. Intent on striking into the hapless hero-rocket and sending her straight down into the sidewalk beneath, although her density and incoming force was rather a lot more than he had been planning. Whether she manages to squirm out of the way or not, he grudgingly moves to follow Maximus, grasping the door and yanking it shut. A solid punch dents it enough that it won't open to anything not super powered, before he rushes over to Maximus. …Then sort of awkwardly stands there, watching him poke at the button. Scratches at his head. This isn't the finale to the epic escape he was expecting.
*
Warbird looks over at Vision, "Hey, make sure she's okay!" Then Warbird takes advantage of the fact that Samantha is a bit occupied to fly after Maximus and Creel. Easily bursting through the door, she skids to a halt in the lobby. She blinks in surprise as Maximus is trying to use the elevators, then smiles, cracking her knuckles, "Boys, you know, in an emergency you /really/ should use the stairs."
*
Samantha hoists herself up onto her feet, fists clenched and…stops, blinking her eyes and shaking her head like she'd been violently pulled from some daydream. "What in the hell…" she breathes, dusting herself off as her thoughts return to being solely her own. "What happened?"
*
Vision stares at Samantha, brushing a bit of debris from his cloak as he watches Warbird go in pursuit, "You assaulted the blonde woman. Perhaps you were not in control of your faculties. The battle, for now, seems to be finished," he says. The entire affair seems bizarre to him, a random eruption of unprovoked violence, garnished with bellowing and the sudden emergence of superhumans on both sides of the equation. Perhaps this was the nature of the world now - the history that Vision had read hadn't prepared him for such unpredictable occurences. Things were changing, it seemed.
He doesn't seem inclined to go in pursuit.
*
The elevator dings and he turns towards Carol. He looks afraid, either honest, or pretend, and either way, when she gets close enough with her threatening, knuckle cracking, he tries to tap into her, the same way he did Samantha. And not just her, but some of the others in the lobby. "Hey, he's a resident, leave him alone!" exclaims the doorman, followed by a couple similar ones. But his attempt on her is more…subtle, since he is trying to get her to go away. "Leave. The Fantastic Four can handle the rest of this." He steps into the elevator, motioning for fire hydrant man to follow.
*
Warbird suddenly pauses in mid-stride, as that insidious suggestion worms its way into her brain. She tilts her head, then just shrugs and walks out the way she came in, scratching the back of her neck as if something is bothering her, but she's just not sure what. Besides, the Fantastic Four are veterans at this, they can handle it.
Once she gets outside, she walks over towards Vision and Samantha, giving a smile to the former, "Thanks for the help, ah…" She looks over at Samantha, "You aren't going to try and hit me again, are you? Because honestly, you pack a hell of a punch."
*
"No…done with that…" Sammy answers grimly, a frown on her lips as she spots that Warbird had been no more successful then her own attempt. "I couldn't help myself. I knew what I should be doing and instead I kept trying to hurt you." She trails off, clearly this was the first time she'd encountered something like that. It's crazy, to even be thinking about. "I uh…didn't hurt you did I?"
*
After the metal man is in, the inhuman tries to elegantly push the button for one of the higher floors. "You can hide out for a bit..until things…cool down." His fur coat still smoulders in places and he looks a wreck. "You know you could have any any one of them individually."
*
Once inside the elevator, Creel slowly ripples away the iron, and becomes flesh and blood once more. Despite what should have been fatal injuries from the double blast, he's completely fine, and does not look even slightly tired from the ordeal. "Tch. I coulda took all three. But you didn't wanna. That's fine… I can wait." He cracks his neck and sneers. "But you better believe… I won't be able to hold it in much longer!!"
*
Meanwhile, Warbird is outside talking with Samantha, "Not really, probably a few bruises, but I'm pretty hard to hurt." She eyes Samantha, "So are you, I'm guessing, considering that impact you took. Oh, I'm Warbird, by the way." She offers Samantha her hand, "Glad you were here." And she sounds like she means that.
*
Unaware that their foes had only gone as far as next door, Samantha sighs. Win some, lose some…go slightly crazy and attack the wrong person in some. Extending her hand to take the offered shake she smiles. "Legacy, and for the record? You hit pretty hard too."
*
*