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Welcome to Queens, one of the many hubs of activity found in the city that never sleeps — even at this time of the day, past midnight as it is. Some might be here on patrol, making sure the streets of the city stay safe, conducting investigations into nefarious deeds, others might be making their way home from one of the many bars in the city… or simply looking to start some trouble with the first easy target they can find.
The streets aren't empty, but they're pretty close to it. Most decent people are asleep, the lights are out in most buildings and only the occasional person walks the street.
*
Above the damp streets, Daredevil is perched upon a rooftop, eyes closed as he listens to the sounds and smells the odors. He's a long way from home, but a case he's been working on has led him out across the river to Queens. From here he can hear the sounds of arguments, of a barking, then whimpering dog, and several telephone conversations. He can smell many things, but chooses to focus on Harold's Pizzeria in order to refrain from gagging.
Nico Minoru has had a busy day. She's been sewing a dress for a client. Her fingers are sore and her eyes are tired, and she's restless as hell, because she has been sitting in one place all day sewing a damn dress.
It wasn't even black.
To make it worse, Nico's roommate — she thinks the name is Xiang but she can barely understand the woman; they have little language in common — is throwing a party (because of course she is) in their tiny apartment, and while Nico isn't strictly disinvited, per se, she was getting looks of annoyance and the music was getting louder to the point where she was getting a headache. And so she went out, and hopped on a bus, and wound up… in Queens.
Well, it's the biggest part of town, and in a month the World's Fair will be opening up here. And that's a big deal. It didn't take too long to find Flushing Meadows Park, and she wandered around, checking out the growing buildings before she found herself passing out of the park and into the more residential neighborhoods.
She wonders what the rent is like, and whether she could free herself from (possibly) Xiang.
*
Lorna grumbled under her breath as she walked the street, a heavy winter coat on her person, thick winter boots and a wooly hat on her brown hair that was tied back with a low ponytail. Irritation was plain on the young woman's face, and she walked with eyes scanning around her in a manner that very nearly made her look paranoid or as if she were up to something.
Metal ballbearings clinked in her coat pocket, and she constantly fiddled with them between her fingers as she walked. Her lips twisting into a grimace as she avoided stepping into puddles and bumping into people.
The young teen was clearly irritated about something.
Headlights and the sounds of a car's engine breaks the silence (for most) of the night. First one, a red Fiat moving slowly through the street. This car's followed by a second a couple minutes later, each turn made a mirror of the first car's.
*
Daredevil can hear the car coming and takes special notice of it. There aren't many cars this late at night to be sure. Once he notices the tail, Daredevil's head tilts towards it with a bit of surprise. He supposes it /could/ be a coincidence.
*
Nico pauses as the cars pass her. It's not entirely unusual, one car following another. Two people with cars going home. A friend leading the way to a new apartment. But since seeing her parents sacrifice a teenager to dark gods, she's come to trust her gut feelings. Her gut says nothing good is happening tonight pertaining to those cars. Her gut says follow.
Her brain, on the other hand, says she's next to broke and doesn't have a car herself.
With a sigh, Nico ducks into an alley and sticks her raw, sore thumb into her mouth. She bites down.
"*When blood is shed, let the Staff of One emerge," intones a raspy, not-at-all Nico sort of voice.
"You say that every time," she observes when the staff has emerged from her chest and is in her hand. "It'd be nice if you'd just give me a bandage and let it go. You scare people." She has no idea who she's talking to, but it makes her feel a little better.
A few moments later there's a Japanese protogoth floating after the cars at roof level, watching, wary.
*
Several people in Queens like to perch on rooftops. Lower rooftops of a residential nature than the high tenement blocks in Harlem or Hell's Kitchen, but rooftops all the same. In her case, Hope happens to be running from rooftop to rooftop with the aid of her sneakers giving adequate traction. Lights shine in a local gas station and down the street at a record store where people fight over vinyl for the latest Beatles album, because man, have you heard those hits? The traceur is too busy negotiating a labyrinth of gutters and shingles, zigzagging with all the joy of someone for once truly, utterly free.
Joy is always shortlived. Proof of her life. But she can enjoy it, as she measures whether springing down a wall and over the flat roof of the gas station is worth it. Likely not. Instead, she peers out over the road in case there's a good route there to take for her next point. Instead, she catches sight of a Fiat. Then a somewhat familiar Japanese goth, who in her view of things, is so retro she might as well be Victorian. Anyone looking up might wonder why there's a redheaded gargoyle doing her thing, before she kicks off and springs down the brownstone's side and goes running for the fencing, hands clamped around the upright metal bars to spring over it with a scramble. Free!
*
Those watching (or listening, as the case may be!) will see the cars part one after the other. The red car's door open first. A young woman in her twenties steps out, gathers up her coat and starts to walk through the parking lot.
Again, a couple minutes later, the other car comes into action. A man who's almost thirty exits his vehicle, and starts walking in the same direction. Coincidence? Maybe. But those coincidences are starting to add up.
*
Given that the case he's been working on has looked like it's becoming a bit of a dud, Daredevil decides that he'd better follow up on the odd coincidences unfolding down in the parking lot. It's probably nothing, but he figures that he should check before he heads back to the Kitchen. He disappears into the shadows of the rooftop and leaps off the edge of the building toward the nothingness below.
*
Nico spots the guy in all red. A guy dressed as a devil? She's not been in New York long, but she has to assume devils are bad news. And when he disappears to follow the two who just got out of their cars, she makes a note to keep an eye out for him. It's pretty easy to spot Hope, too, and she waves in the redhead's direction even as she continues her flight, following the groundbound girl and man from on high. Her gut is telling her even more that that guy is bad news (the guy following the girl, not necessarily the devil following them both). She veers off her course (while keeping at least the guy in sight) to get closer to Hope. Who hopefully knows more about Devil-Man than she does.
*
On the ground, Hope buries her hands in her pockets and moseys down the sidewalk. There's a trick to the way people walk in these areas, like they belong and not a care in the world. She sticks out somewhat for the knit hat over her flaming-red hair, and that lumpy potato coat Lorna and Nico both have to recognize. She swings around towards the two parked cars, slipping out a pair of metal prongs from one of its six hundred forty-two pockets; the slim jim's pretty simple, and a shanked key is comforting against her palm. She waves with her bare hand, angling on the less fun car behind the cute Fiat. "How's it hanging?" Not exactly hello, but it counts. "I'm guessing you are up to trouble," she says to Nico, flashing a grin. Then she steps up to the driver's side and slips the shanked key in, fiddling with it left and right. Thing is, car manufacturers haven't really gotten to the point where they have many anti-theft devices because not many people around these parts think in terms of theft. "Stand a little closer to the door?" She waits for a clunk or something to let her into the guy's ride.
*
The sight of Hope was enough to gain the magick'ed brunette's attention and Lorna jogged over toward the redhead in that familiar coat. A glance was spared toward the other girl near to Hope and she arched a brow. "Hope.. what are you doing?" She asked, hands settling on her hips as she frowned distinctly at her nephew's girlfriend.
A wave of her hand and the lock clicked the door popping open under her command. "Please don't tell me you're trying to steal the car.."
*
Nope, there's no anti-theft devices to account for, so there's no trouble in getting the car unlocked — even less trouble when it involves the powers of a magnetokinetic doing her thing and unlocking the door. Even the ignition mechanism won't stand a chance with that particular combination of powers.
The woman continues walking, unaware of the many(?) eyes upon her at the moment; she doesn't live too far from here and it shouldn't be much longer before she gets home. She's made the walk a hundred times before, why should tonight be any different?
The man, however, speeds up his pace a few dozen feet behind her. There's a flick of the wrist and the locking of a blade, a flash of metal accompanying it. Trouble is about to be afoot, it seems.
*
Once Daredevil hears the blade lock, he knows his concerns were well found. Though he can hear the presences of others, and doesn't know whether they are friend or foe, he's knot about to let some poor gal get knifed out here in the streets. He breaks into a full speed run and attempts to beat the man to the girl.
*
Nico cranes her neck to watch the guy, though she lowers herself to block the view of the door Hope's trying to open. "There's some guy in a red devil costume following the guy who's following the girl who was driving this car," she says. "Is he somebody I should be worried about? 'Cause I don't know about New York, but in California devils tend to be bad news."
And then the brunette arrives, and Nico blinks. "Um. Are you trying to steal the car?" She's way more worried, though, about the guy and the… oh crap.
"Knife!" she announces. "He's got a knife!" And so she's rushing toward the pair, the girl being followed by the armed man. The one that had her stomach twisting. And as she flies in toward them she raises the Staff of One and the spell comes to her as naturally as if she was born to such magic (which, you know, apparently she kind of was).
"*Corrode.*"
*
"A red… devil costume?" Hope lifts her head up shortly after Lorna pops the car door open, and she already cases the contents through the window, adjusting her tools to make fast work of the ignition switch if they need to zoom up the highway. "I'm going to assume that's a bad sign." Whether she is stealing the car is visibly plain to those around her, and she might explain herself. Except Nico's shout cuts off that plan. Contigency plan, then.
"Lorna, get her out of reach. We've got the car for getting her to safety," she says quickly, and turns over the ignition for a running vehicle in case they need it. Her gaze flicks over the typewriters blankly, but the clunky metal objects will serve for her purposes. Writing the Pulitzer-worthy editorial to get herself a job in the Bugle.
Wait, no. Throwing them, if she has to, and one floats to her hands, way too zippy for such a heavy thing. "Shrapnel!" she adds, a bit unnecessarily.
*
A groan follows Hope's response and she drags a hand over her features. "You're stealing the car, and I'm around. Great, I have no idea what's going on. I came out here to try to get the scoup on W-ILD, and then this—" She gestured at Hope with a grimace. "You can't seriously consider trying to use that ignition when I'm around. Really?"
Lorna had learned how to power a car, or at least move it without the grace of turning it over. It was a very useful trick when dealing with drunk dates or people trying to off you.
Then someone was screaming 'knife' Lorna had no idea who this woman was, but with her powers Lorna was faster acting than most. A push of her magnetism and the knife, along with all the metal in the direction of the man, was thrown out and down under her hands.
Hope's directions only briefly earning the mutant's attention before Lorna swung her arms out that way. The metal ball bearings from her pockets flying out and spreading into a sheet of protective metal toward the fleeing woman. "Somehow I doubt she'll want anything to do with us Hope!" She called, taking off after said fleeing woman.
*
The sound of Daredevil's running feet is enough to draw the attention of both civilians out on the road. First there's a gasp from the woman, before the man focuses on the vigilante coming to spoil his fun.
Then comes Nico's announcement. /That/ causes the girl to scream and start running. The man meanwhile pulls the knife into better sight as he attempts to use it to stab the oncoming Devil… only to be surprised in full stab-ready position as the knife melts away in his hand, and he's left shaking it off as it crumbles in fear that whatever his knife has caught will spread to his hand.
Of course, then Lorna's at it again… and the man wasn't smart enough to leave things like his keys, a belt buckle, and other metal knick-knacks back at home. The force is enough to send him stumbling, and the downwards force that accompanies? Causes pants to drop, tangle around his feet and send him spiraling to the ground.
At least the /intent/ was clear before he was taken down.
"The hell are you, man!?" exclaims the man towards where he last saw the Devil coming from, trying to scramble away.
*
"…think of me as justice…" Daredevil doesn't know what happened to the knife, but he doesn't care. He sticks a foot in the ground and leaps after the man, aiming to land upon him with his shoulder as a weapon. Not unlike a linebacker making a hit. If successful, Daredevil aims to get atop the man and throw haymakers at the would-be attacker's face!
*
Nico can see that Devil-Man is taking care of the would-be stabber (so apparently if he's a devil he's the kind that goes after the bad guys instead of the innocent victims), and miss-walks-home-alone-in-the-dark-in-QUEENS is running off in terror. She speeds after the girl — she's much faster in flight than any normal human is when running — but slows as she pulls up alongside the other. "It's okay! The guy lost his knife! And the guy in the devil costume is beating him up!" Pause. "Are you alright?"
*
At first a fuzz of magnetism might make the terrified woman's escape more difficult, a few precious seconds lost likely to allow the floating Japanese mage to catch up with her. Blame your regular everyday displaced Messiah. Streaks of emerald green and jade frame Hope's face, and she may not even notice. "Catch," she tells Lorna, dropping the typewriter for the magnetokinetic mutant to capture or allow to smash to the concrete.
Meanwhile, the car thief extends her range of senses over the vehicle, giving only cursory regard to the fight. Note, man in devil costume looks damn fine beating down half-naked man, opinions recalibrating. That's one to talk about at the diner after the dust-up finishes. Her fingers extend and suddenly out pop a gun, then a knife, untouched. The coiled strands around them cause her to curl her lips in disdain. "Polaris! He's a serial criminal. Abductor or murderer! Don't let him out of your sight, we've got questions. Had other victims!" The ripple that makes the car jump on its shocks heavily speaks to this not exactly being a nice experience.
*
As Lorna slows her pace, after all the attacker seems well in hand, pants-less and now getting beaten to a blood pulp.. it looked as if her metallic shield wouldn't be necessary for the time being. A grumble, and the metal she'd pulled from her pockets lazily returns to her grip. After all that other girl seems to be working on talking down the victim, or whatever. Shouting down.
Then there was Hope, the redhead's magnetism leaving a bright haze of polarity in Lorna's senses that was much like how her father appeared. She shifted her own magnetic field, allowing the two to resonate and build rather than push against the other. Thank goodness for invisible forces of the universe.
She caught the typewriter in as much as she lowered it to the ground with her powers, hand out stretched. Distractions building as time went on between Hope and the other chaos around them. "Uhm, I don't think he's going anywhere.. any time soon Hope.."
*
In as much shock as he's in? The man's not putting up much of a fight this time around. Besides. Daredevil isn't the poor, defenseless kind of target that he was hoping to enjoy tonight! It doesn't take many blows before the lights are out and nobody's home.
Meanwhile, Nico's going to have not much trouble catching up to the girl in a rather sudden fashion, as her run… stops. She's left struggling up against an unseen force and panicking even more until the magnetism subsides, and it's at that point that she practically leaps towards Nico for an embrace, sobbing against the younger woman if successful. "He… he… he was gonna…"
Meanwhile, lights in the buildings around are starting to turn on, windows are starting to open.
"Abner? ABNER!? There's a girl outside! Floating above the streets! …and someone's being beat up by the devil!"
"Go back to bed, Gladys, you know this is why we left Connecticut."
*
Daredevil, heavy of breath, finally gets to his feet with blood dripping from his gloves. With an almost animal-like nature he seems to 'peer' over his shoulder. In actuality, he's just pointing his ear towards them to hear the others better. After staying still for a moment, and believing the other women are there to help this would be victim, he decides he'd better make a run for it before the cops show.
*
"Some people are just evil," Nico tells the young woman knowingly, settling back on the ground and accepting, and returning, the embrace. Hey, there were times she could seriously have used a hug, too. She gently pats the woman's back. "You're going to be fine. Just… you know… be careful walking home, okay?" Because seriously. Queens.
*
Queens is like the least dangerous corner of New York, short of the Governor's Mansion. Or possiubly the basement of the Triskelion in progress. Hope makes a particularly dark sound under her breath, but she waves if Daredevil goes running. Hard not to approve of the professionalism of that particular takedown, even if Dad is going to be furious she saw the figure of a man in tight pajamas and brutal combat from less than four blocks' radius. "Either we leave the evidence and get her out of here, or expect the cops. I don't do cops." She shoves her bangs up under her hat. A look follows after Nico, and she gives another little wave. The sort that says 'Hey, hurry up now.'
*
Lorna groaned as she trailed after Hope, "Yeah and you think I want to deal with them either? My father would kill me, never mind Miss Frost." She muttered, jogging after Hope with a grimace tugging at her lips.
"Do you want us to take the guy's car? Because I'm pretty sure the cops are gonna need that for evidence?" She asked, arching a brow as she tried to keep up as Hope made her way over toward Nico and the sobbing woman.
*
"T-thank you, miss! Thank you!" the woman tells Nico, her would-be killer laying on the ground a way's away. "I… I'd better go. Thank you again!" And that said, she runs directly into a nearby building. She wasn't far from home, but without the aid of our heroes? She never would have made it there. Chalk one up for the good guys! (Well. Guy. And girls.)
On the plus side for those who are wary of the cops? There's… no sirens in the distance just yet. It seems the people on this street aren't quite so eager to get involved in anything that doesn't directly concern them tonight.
*