|
      |
SHIELD Headquarters, New York, New York 4:00PM Wednesday June 17th, 1964
The SHIELD office is bustling with excitement today as people are coming together, running back and forth with papers, and up and down stairs in an attempt to get all their work together in timelines. Lots of suspenders, white shirts, and grey coats in this building. More men than women. Everyone is busy doing something or holding something, whether reading or handing off their papers to someone else to read. It's an office, and that means things are busy.
The sun is still bright outside when people enter but a lack of windows in the Meeting Room makes it difficult for people to quite ascertain how the weather is changing outside. It's been warm all day but in here it's a little chilly. There are snacks out in the back on a small table, including a few bottles coca-cola.
Billy and Teddy are working in the office at the moment because it was supposed to be a low impact day. A bit of training and a talk with one of the senior agents, Sofia Mendoza, who is filling for Director Carter during her much contested maternity leave. Sofia is a tall, pretty Filipino woman in a white blouse and a black skirt who seems content to go over field procedures. Then, however, she's called out of the room and so people are allowed to stew.
In an adjoining room Cassandra has just been brought in for an interview. "We need you to speak with us," a man is beginning. "Please? I understand you witnessed the recent event with the- ninjas, people are calling them and…" He's about to tear out his hair. It's the source of a lot of the hubbub.
Bobbi swung into the room as she usually did, in pristine Shield Uniform and her blonde hair hanging freely down her back. She didn't bat an eye at the chaos, used to running her own missions, her own assignments. She'd had clearance high enough to go through Peggy's office when she'd been replaced by a Skrull to find out what the replacement had wanted. Now that the Director was on Maternity leave? Well, Agent Morse had taken her assignments and run with them.
Yet reports still had to be filled and turned in. A large folder sat tucked under her arm as she glanced around, making for the office and casting a glance around once as she did so. A knock followed as she rapped on the office door.
"Agent Morse, I come bearing paper work." She called, waiting for admittance.
Cassandra Cain was brought in in a random manner to her view. This situation is off the wall. A man in a suit bringing her into a room to make words at her. She recognizes the word 'ninja' because a lot of people have called her that, and evidently the people occasionally trying to capture her. She squints her eyes at the man as she plays a mental crossword puzzle with the man's queries at her, thankful for time spent with various parties as it does come together in a fashion.
Cassandra will haltingly answer his questions with questions,"Nin-jas? Hand?"
Procedures. Procedures are like rules: and there's so very *many* of them, it leaves Billy's head swimming. In the office, he's clad all in black: a black button up shirt, loose black slacks. Its not quite a uniform but its serious wear, instead of his usual more casual attire. But he's expecting to get punched several times today, so its better to be comfortable. Once Sofia is called out, he leans back in his chair and huffs, "There's a *procedure* for everything it seems like. It's cramping my style. I improvise." But alas, this is the challenge of being turned into a spy. You can't Wiccan it up on a whim anymore.
Up in the sky, if anyone should happen to be looking at a spot a couple of kilometers above SHIELD's current HQ, there's a flash of light followed by what looks like an explosion that gets cut off when the flash of light fades away… and there's something left falling. No… someONE left falling from the sky. This person's falling at a speed high enough that the kilometers of distance vanish in only a few seconds, before, with a loud screeching, tearing, and shattering sound, a lovely, cherry-red, 1956 mustang convertible gets splattered as the person who just fell out of the sky lands squarely atop it… and ends up in a small crater in the asphalt under what's left of the poor car.
Teddy sits back and relaxes once Sofia heads out. He's in a standard SHIELD uniform which is to say, pretty much black. "Wonder what that's about." he muses to Billy but turns to more important matters a moment later. "How about India for dinner? It's gotta be even better in India than it is here. Nice and spicy too. We'll need to eat early though cause of the time difference or everything there'll be closed."
The interviewer squints at Cassandra and sighs, shaking his head."Someone get Sr. Agent Mendoza in here! I have no idea what she's saying." The balding, mid-40s man- who is actually in uniform- squints at Cassandra and then nods slowly, reaching up to adjust his glasses. "Ninja. Hand. Right. Here… Have a cookie and I wiill be right… With you… In a moment." At least he offers the girl sweets. Right? And a soda. Teeth rotting fun for the whole family.
Bobbi reaches the office and Sofia meets her at the door, offering a bright smile. "Agent Morse," the woman calls cheerfully. "Thank you. That's exactly what I needed, in fact. If I am going to get these two young men preared for field operations we're going need to file these with headquarters… And their files too. Thank you." The brunette steps back to allow Bobbi to enter the room with herself and the Teddy-Billy duo. She smiles beatifically as she turns to face them both. Sofia is just about to speak——
The world erupts into chaos. The shrieking cacophony of a car being destroyed by the crashing of a meteor that just tore through the barrier of reality is deafening;. How is it an entire car can become a pile of scrap metal at the bottom of the crater and the alarm can still be going off? It's so loud that everyone can notice it, a block or so from where SHIELD itself is hidden, at a parking lot where at least one unlucky SHIELD Agent parks. Why did the meteor pick the one car with an alarm?
In the building people are running in circles. Most of them aren't Field Agents at all. One man is shouting, "Agent Mendoza? Agent Morse? We're getting reports of a strange object falling from the sky-"
"What's going on?"
"Someone go out and investigate."
"We don't have a field team…"
On the plus side, Cassandra is left alone with the sweets for a moment.
Bobbi grinned lazily as Sofia opened the door, "Hey don't get too comfortable with it. I plan to head out again back as soon as I can." A glance inside followed briefly and she offered a two fingered salute at the two boys inside.
"Hey you too, glad you got signed on all properly and stuff. Trainees, yeah? How—" She broke off at the thunderous sound and her eyebrows shot upwards as chaos broke out. She moved, trained as she was, to press flat against the doorway. Yet when it became clear no one was attacking, she straightened and took stock of the area around her.
"Right, trainees, boys. Come with me. You're both powered, right? Agent Mendoza I'll take the boys out and see what's out there. Since you're in charge here, do you want to try to herd the cats and start a lock down?"
Cassandra Cain will blink as she accepts the treats offered her way. She's well aware that she looks young, being so small and all, but this is novel! She'll take a bite then when the rumble happens and she finds herself alone.
People going this way and that, shouting and excitement oh my! Cassandra walks behind the crowd, trusting this to be enough of a distraction that no one cares she is seeing her way out of an odd situation. Naturally, she noms on the sweets and sips at the soda as she goes. One more excuse not to be in any terrific hurry in the general direction others are taking.
"India sounds good. As does early dinner, but I bet there's something open at any hour in New Delhi" says Billy conversationally, then his witch-sense goes tingling. Billy is up out of his chair in a moment, looking somewhat alarmed, his hands coming up in a defensive posture — but not one of the fighting styles they've been trying to teach them. Instead its like he's pushing outwards— and he is, but the bubble of telekinesis can't be seen. Teddy probably recognizes the gesture, though. He squints a moment, frowning, "Someone just ripped a hole in reality and I have no idea what came through. But it doesn't belong here, I'm pretty sure." Pff. As if Billy is one to talk about *that*, having illegally immigrated to this reality with his whole family. He nods to Bobbi, "You're going to need us, ma'am." he says politely, "I'm the local expert on interdimensional tomfoolery." Which is really, really sad since he's in fact no way at all an expert. He's just been talking to Strange about it often of late. "Might be the spiders again." he warns.
Completely unconscious after being slammed into the ground like that, Lara lays there in the crater, surrounded by what's left of the sweet, sweet car that her fall just demolished. The good thing? She's laying in direct sunlight… YELLOW sunlight. She has scratches and bruises all over her body, and even some burns on her arms. Her bodysuit, torn in several places, also reacts to the exposure to the sunlight… and starts, literally, pulling itself together, growing new filaments of itself as gaps and missing parts close or have new 'growth' fill them in. Before very long, her scratches and bruises are simply gone, and the third-degree burns are looking more like second-degree ones… and her costume's whole again. By the time anyone finds her in her very own personal impact crater, all that'll of her visible injuries are red first-degree burns on her arms. She's still unconscious, however — she's probably still healing on the inside, too. For a woman who literally just fell out of the sky hard enough to make a person-sized crater, she looks to be in remarkably good health.
Teddy looks up and frowns, asking "Was that an explosion?" at the sound of an explosion. It's like saying 'You just fell down a hole.' to someone who just fell down a hole. "A hole in reality?" This he takes perfectly in stride, considering who he's partnered with. "That can't be good." Standing, he cranes his neck to the side to crack it and then turns green, growing about a foot. Wide. And high but also wide, from all those extra muscles he's now got. "I haven't smashed any spiders yet." he notes, sounding almost eager to fix that.
So far nothing is actually visibly attacking. Sofia manages to gather the analysts and pen pushers together and stop the chaos in rather short order, shouting orders crisply and clearly in her rich, resonant mezzo-soprano voice. People begin getting out their sidearms, just in case, and lock down procedures are being initiated on the building. Teddy, Billy, and Bobbi are being herded toward the door- Teddy getting a doubletake from one of the analyst when he starts to turn green and grow muscles, reminiscent of a certain other superhero.
Outside there is some panicking from customers of the diner across the street from the office building where the SHIELD Satellite Office is located. The plume of smoke from the car less than a block down the road is obvious. As are all of the alarms. It's an easy walk away, really.
Cassandra is able to slip toward the exit but she is stopped by the balding interviewer. "Ah! Miss. We're on lockdown. It really isn't safe… to…" He visibly deflates as she approaches the door and shakes his head. "- be completely unable to understand anything I say," he finishes. That is when Sofia comes up beside him. She looks between the man and Cassandra before taking a deep breath.
"Hello, my name is Sofia," the woman states clearly, her body language warm and open. "We'll get more acquainted in a moment…"
Bobbi was leaving toward the door, a pat at her side to check for her weapons followed as they exited through the door to the restaurant and out the door. She was walking smoothly as if the chaos was just another day, and for her, it was. "Alright boys, it was uhm, Bob, no Billy right? Tell me what you need to do, and I'll work on setting up a perimeter if need be. Teddy, I'll leave any heavy lifting to you, sound good?"
She stepped outside and onto the street smoothly, and started trying to locate the source of the crash judging by the smoke that plumed upwards, she figured the parking lot was her best bet. A click followed as she snapped her twin poles into one, and Bobbi Morse smiled as she started forward, ready for managing the crowd or whatever else sprung up.
Cassandra Cain sighs as people make more words at her. Then Sofia steps up to bat, seeming more competent in such occasions as she presented herself. This presentation is something she's familiar with from elsewhere, so she has an idea what to expect next. She slurps on her soda after finishing her cookie. These are important and rare treasures to be savored. The action taking place elsewhere isn't disregarded, but neither is it a priority in her world at the moment.
"If its the spiders…" begins Billy towards Bobby, and looking to Teddy to include them too, "Beware: the bigger they are the harder they are to kill. There's this spot at the joint between their body segments that is a weakness, otherwise… Teddy you may have to get *big* to crush them." Since the only interdimensional threat he's aware of his spiders, he fills them in. "I can be a pretty effective distraction for the smallest of them which tend to swarm." But he's heading out with the agents and the oddly quiet girl, and going right for where he sensed the tear.
Unlike a certain other superhero, Teddy doesn't end up half naked when he shifts as his uniform just seems to expand when he does. "I'm good at heavy lifting." he agrees with a quick grin. Opposite of how Billy is, he's good at fighting and breaking things, less good at the more academic and cerebral parts of being an agent. He just nods at what Billy says and follows the others, waiting to see if he's going to need to go whole hog.
Lara… remains unconscious in the mini-crater, slowly healing her injuries.
For those who can sense it, there -is- dimensional energy about, but no magic, and it's fading… fast. The locus of the energy seems to actually be in the crater where the car used to be, but it looks more like the energy rode in on her than originating from her.
Reaching the parking lot Bobbi would discover that their biggest problem is not at all the crater. There is a small crowd of people forming around the event already. Three men have come out of a nearby bar to squint and scratch their heads while a man and a woman seem to have come over from the street to the lot. The cars around the now defunct convertible are somehow untouched. It's just the one vehicle… With a woman laying in the crater that was made of it. The wreckage that was not at the center of the impact is sliding down on top of Lara, gently burying her in twisted metal.
The woman is staring at the approaching agents and pointing, tugging at her husband's sleeve. Now they are both staring. At least it's only five people. Others are nearby but they either missed the memo or are keeping their distance. For now. The group can only grow.
Meanwhile, Cassandra, the interviewer- whom we shall call Mr. Jones- and Sofia are exiting the building more sedately. "I'm sorry for all of the confusion. After all of the chaos we were hoping you had some idea of who attacked you or why," she offers in a measured tone which is echoed mentally.
Another ripple of dimensional energy follows. If anything came through it's hard to tell what it could have been, however.
People are gathering toward the edges of the lot. One by one. Which means that the office building where Sofia stands with Cassandra is actually clear of pedestrian traffic. Somehow.
Bobbi nodded toward the scraps of twisted car parts and other rubble that made up the crater. "Right, you all handle that. I'll play nice with the crowd and work on clearing the area." She collapsed her baton in half, and twirled it around much like a police officer in jolly old England might as she shifted her stance, and tugged out a badge of some sort from an inner pocket of her jacket.
Agent Morse then split from the two boys, clearing her throat once she made her way toward the small gathered crowd. "I'm Agent Monroe, NASA, please clear the area. We've had an experimental rocket crash here and need you to clear the area. We're not sure if everything is stable and the rocket fuel might well explode. So for your safety, please clear the parking lot!"
Cassandra Cain peers at Sofia as she is spoken to telepathically. Kind of nice that there seems to be so many people like Chuck. Keeps things simple and convenient. Cassandra knows the drill well enough that she replies readily with mental imagery to explain the issue. So far, such people who have been able to do this have been of a decent sort.
Cassandra's images flash to her without accompanying verbose dialog. She shows her an image of a bloody hand, then ninjas in red and black bearing this symbol. Last but not least, a compound some place far off in the midwest with a solitary room. Very little on that last point, except the emotional implication of it being a place not to go back to. Cassandra eyes her unblinkingly during this exchange with a singular arched brow.
As they near the crater, Billy pauses to blink, "Okay, not spiders." He extends a hand out to carefully seize some wreckage and lift it off to the side, his hand held in the air to direct the bands of pure force. Teddy is a lot stronger then he is so he focuses on the smaller, jagged bits more then anything large and heavy. "Hey, guys, there was another crack. I don't know if something else came through. This isn't magic. Soo, its not exactly my schtick, but.." So he proceeds to keep trying to unbury the poor lady who fell through reality.
That's not a SHIELD insignia on Teddy's uniform. It's a NASA one and always has been. Walking over to the crater to look in curiously, he pauses then leans forward a bit to take a second, closer look. "Hey, there's a girl down here." he says before jumping down into the hole to land next to her. Kneeling down, he feels for a pulse in her neck. "I don't feel anythi… Oh, wait." Thick, green, bulletproof fingers aren't all that sensitive and a moment later he's back to a more human appearance to check to see if she's living.
As debris slides down, one piece rolls and bounces off the forehead of the woman in the hole… and the little impact seems to startle her awake, just as Teddy's shrinking back down to human size and appearance. She sits up and finds that an engine block is sitting on one of her legs. Reaching out with one hand… she lifts it aside as if it weighs next to nothing, setting it down as she gets to her feet and turns about, giving the people in the area quick, passing looks — but most of her attention is directly upwards, into the air. She has a look of readiness about her, to anyone who can read body language… she's ready to -fight-, and to fight for her very existance, it seems. That changes, though, as she looks into the air… and obviously doesn't see what she expected to see, and confusion starts to take the place of the readiness she previously had.
Lara's confusion only grows as 'the feds' start to show up and one speaks about being an agent of NASA… an organization that, far as she knows, ceased to be more than a century ago when government funding for it dried up and it was replaced by a more effective and efficient corporate venture. She turns to finally give her full attention, relaxing from her combat-ready posture, to the people around her…. and floats up into the air, which elicits gasps and some fearfulness on the part of the bystanders still in the area, to land lightly on her feet outside the splatter-zone around her crater. She clearly recognizes the fear her flying up out of the hole caused, which seems to puzzle her. Also, she still glances up at the sky every so often, apparently watching and listening… for something? …someone?
"Where's everyone else?", she asks in plain English, though with an odd, light accent to it, tot he people nearest her — Billy and Teddy, as it turns out. "How far from the combat zone am I? … that explosion must've really sent me flying…"
Sofia takes the images being sent to her with gravity and grace. She reflects back her own. A cookie. Warm emotions. Friendliness. Herself standing in front of the bloody Hand she'd been shown while holding a firearm. Sofia's curiosity won't be hard to interpret. It is just somewhat interrupted when something emerges from a show nearby. That something is a spider that appears to be spun from a bluish crystal, black veins pulsing throughout its many limbs. The creature is about the size of a golden retriever and mandibles are clacking as it advances toward Sofia and Cassandra. Sofia goes for her gun and moves to step in front of Cassandra.
Meanwhile, words about exploding test rockets have two polarizing effects. The energy in the air changes as people comprehend what is happening and look to Bobbi for direction, trussting her. Then there's the panic at the mention of a possible explosion. "There's a bomb?!" The woman cries out. People are milling around and then as a group start rushing away from the crater with the Agent's insistence.
Out of the shadows near where people are focused on the crater and a now chattering Lara-El, a small horde of spiders is moving among the parked cars, each no larger than a housecat. Six, maybe. They are converging on the site where Lara was found. And up above? A crystalline spider glowing black is walking down the side of a nearby building. It's about the size of a great dane. So much for subtlety.
Bobbi released a breath of relief as the average citizens clear out in quick order. Best way to clear a crowd? Tell them their lives are in danger, there was sure to be an article in the newspaper tomorrow. But at the very least, it would be factually incorrect and spotty, and no one would take it seriously. A small favor really, as Bobbi turned around to spot the girl rising upwards into the air, speaking English and flying.
At least it wasn't Russian or something.
The blonde smiled as she approached, her hands at her side with a relaxed demeanor. "Hey, you're looking a bit confused. I'm Agent Morse, why don't you come on down here and have a talk with us, hmm? You've managed to frighten a good chunk of the populace and it'd be nice if we can keep them from coming back with more wild stories—"
Then there were spiders. Why did have to be spiders? As Agent Morse turned blue eyes on the oncoming creatures, a gun was quickly found and added to her now fully extended baton.
"Hey boys, I don't think I have a shoe big enough for all these. You might have to step on them for me."
Cassandra Cain starts to try to repond to Sofia again when she turns. Cassandra's gaze follows to spy the grossly oversized bug. This is something new. Her brows knit as she takes a step back, her hands withdrawing from her pockets per norm to ball into fists. This gesture is hardly secret as her knuckles audibly crack with the tension.
Cassie will step from behind Sofia to alongside her, adopting a loose combat stance with those fists at the ready. She doesn't know what to expect with such an odd looking bug, so isn't about to charge straight up. She'll give the gun girl a chance to do something about it first, but ever ready to lash out with a kick to knock it away if it charges before she does so.
"Everyone else?" Billy gives a confused look for Lara, tilting his head, "Uh, Hi, miss. I'm Billy, we're from, uh, NASA, and we'll help you out." Billy and the tradecraft and lying thing? It needs some more work. Then he looks up, "Oh. Right. Now with the spiders." And dropping all pretense, Billy rises suddenly into the air and lifts a hand: lightning coalesces around his palm for a moment before striking up towards the bigger one. From experience he doesn't expect it to kill the thing, but maybe get its attention. From experience "They like webbing people and dragging them home for unknown but possibly dietary reasons, beware!"
Teddy straightens back up and steps back as Lara begins to move. "She's alive." he calls. Pause. "And strong." Reaching up to scratch at an ear, he adds "And flies." Turning green again, though not quite as large, he leaps up out of the crater to land next to Billy. "What combat zo…" he's about to ask when the answer becomes clear and he bulks up again. This is the combat zone. "So there /are/ spiders."
Okay, giant crystal-looking spiders… and what look like a bunch of fairly normal folks, particularly the woman who just called herself Agent Morse, who's holding a baton and an old-style handgun. This prompts Lara to turn, thinking she's going to have to deal with these spider-things all by herself. Suddenly, of course, Billy's flying and shooting lightning and Teddy's big and green. "I'll be right back, Agent Morse", she says… then she's a blur of motion, seeming to almost vanish from sight only to reappear crouching over one of the small spiders with her fist striking down at it… then she's a blur again and 'reappears' kicking at another… then she's at another, smashing one of the doors from the wrecked car down onto it… and, all at once three of the little spiders are destroyed, falling to dust. This woman from the sky is superstrong -and- superfast!
That leaves three spiders, hissing and chittering about. Two of them are leaping at Bobbi while the third is rounding on Lara. They attack with fangs out, webbing already beginning to be spread behind them while they charge recklessly. The giantic ant on the side of the building is struck with lightning. It jerks and flails about before tumbling to the street two stories below. Unfortunately, once it lands it is up again in seconds. Crystal eyes look up at Billy as he flies above, glinting. Then black streaked legs propel the thing with all due haste right at the Hulkling! It webs one of the cars as it charges across the top of them.
Meanwhile, a cockerspaniel-spider has just cornered Sofia and Cassandra. "Stay back," the woman calls as she fires her pistol. once, twice- then the spider is on her, knocking the gun aside. Chunks of crystal are scattered on the ground as she grapples with the monster. Sofia manages to scurry away and toss the thing aside. It ends up next to Cassandra. While hurt the mid-sized spider monster doesn't seem to mind too much.
Now people are REALLY screaming. And away they go!
Bobbi starts firing her handgun off as soon as she had a clear shot, aiming for where the legs join the body, she doesn't wait to see if it was effective or not before moving to dodge out of the way of any would be webbing attempts. If any of the crystaline spiders came too near, she would proceed to whack it with her fully extended baton to buy herself some space.
Because space was the only thing that would keep her alive in a battle with powered individuals. Bobbi Morse was only human after all, and had to make due with all that entailed.
Cassandra Cain groans in the back of her throat as Sofia insists on being in front of her and gets attacked. At least this gave her a chance to see how it attacks, so the second it backs away from her leaving Sofia weaponless Cassandra is getting after it. She sees where the bullets smashed its odd carapace, and that's what she's going after.
Cassandra is a grey wind as she dashes to flank the retreating dimensional creature, her index foreknuckle of either fist extended to make what kungfu practitioners call the Phoenix Eye Fists. She's noted that it seems fleshy beneath its armored exterior, so she doesn't bother wasting energy on a shell that can stop bullets. She'll lash out with a rapid fire one-two at a spot exposed by gunfire before kicking it square in its underside, then immediately thereafter she'll spring back from it with forearms raised defensively incase anything aberrant happens.
What?! Billy stares down the spider and it goes after his boyfriend? Oh that will not do, and on pure instinct Billy flings a band of force out to try to grab it — but the larger ones are strong enough to just barrel right through his force. For the big spiders, Billy is completely outclassed unless he does something that makes a vein in his Dad's forehead throb. So for a moment, he just trusts Teddy to handle it.
Drawing back a big, green fist, Teddy says "Hulkling smash!" and punches the spider right in the face. Which, while enough to send it flying, isn't the sweet spot to shatter it. "That doesn't really sound as good when I say it." he notes and leaps after the spider. "Billy, where should I hit it?" All he needs is one good blow and Swarovski will be all over it.
The agent's in trouble, so Lara aims a downward swat of one hand at the little spider that's come after her. Without pausing to make sure that swat either landed or actually crushed the target, she blurs away from it and comes to a stop between Agent Morse and the two spiders that'd gone after the human woman. She brings her bracer-covered forearms up, ready to try to deflect bites and stabs… or whatever else might come her way as she puts herself right where she'll surely be attacked.
A good shot from Bobbi cracks one of the spiders, which the woman then smashes with her baton. A second is knocked into a nearby car with a solid blow. Lara smashes the third in short order, eliminating the minor threat on the ground.
The Great Dane spider flies through the air with the greatest of ease… But this isn''t a circus. It smashes into a car and then sprins back to its feet, looking between Billy and Teddy as it decides its next move. There are hairline fractures in its carapace. The thing stares, blinking, with reflections of the two all over its body and eyes. Then it takes a leap at Billy, who is now closest again. A spray of sticky web is thrown at the flying superhero and the Great Dane monster climbs over the car to head back up the side of the building!
Cassandra is answered by a satisfying crack, like grass struck with a series of rocks. Where she struck the spider it has fracture, the carapace starting to pull away from its body. Those joints are weak. Sofa scrambles back to her feet and then quickly goes for her gun. The spider spits a glob of webbing at her before lunging to try to sink its fangs into mini-Ninja flesh.
Agent Morse lands her blow and twists around with the momentum, catching her balance with a practiced motion that was sure to be followed up with another blow should something else attack her. Yet given that the strange powered woman stepped in to lend a hand, Bobbi came up short before turning her attention to survey the rest of the parking lot skirmish.
Her gaze landed the larger spider attacking Billy and Teddy before she dashed off to the side, trying to find a clear shot to get off on the creature that wouldn't accidentally ricochet off and hit anyone else.
Cassandra Cain widens her gaze as the eight legged monster hocks a sticky loogie at Sofia, and is on her toes for but a moment before the spider turns its attentions on her. This calls for something a little different. Cassandra has a plan already.
Cassandra goes from toes to spider's back as it charges her with a hop that allows the spider to go beneath her. She'll waste no time in dropping as if to crouch on top of it, instead punching straight down with all of her modest weight behind it at the spot she hit before. With that done, she'll leap off of it to its side once more.
"The joint between the segments, Ted—- shitmonkey!" exclaims Billy when suddenly he's hurtling against the building and sticking there, "Oh my god this is so gross." Fortunately, if its webbing him then its not trying to kill him: it wants to take him home and meet Mother Spider. Or something. No one's figured out what they're about. But Billy bides his time there and after a few moments, reality rips open and he falls into it, appearing across the street. But he's still kinda goopy. "Uuuuugh."
"Leave him alone!" Teddy growls, landing on the ground below the spider then sprouting a pair of wings. Leaping up at it, he uses his wings to maneuver himself with more finesse than just going ballistic. One hand grabs a leg as he aim for the joint Billy talked about. It tries to shake him off but then Teddy's got an extra pair of arms reaching for the spider. Well, less arms and more tentacles though they're arm shaped. They just stretch and wrap around its body to hold himself in place as his fist comes down full strength between the two segments, shattering it in half. "You okay, Billy?"
Lara looks about, watching the fight definitely going against the spiders. Teddy's taken out his, so she turns to watch Cassandra fight… and then turns to look around, just in case there are more coming.
Cassandra manages to land the exact right combination of blows. Sheer expertise and precision assist her, along with Sofia batting aside webbing and shouting. "Get away from her- agh…" She's a bit sticky at this point but otherwise fine. The spider, however, splits down the middle andthen shatters into a million pieces.
Teddy's spider continues to flail its limbs for a moent before collapsing entirely, the two halves gleaming bright enough to blind someone foolish enough tostare into the middle of it. The parking lot is now empty and quiet, save for some webbed cars, a few crushed spiders, and a smoking crater.
The dayis saved. Now it is time for paperwork.
The spiders turn to dust after a couple moments when killed.
Teddy goes home.
Billy murmurs, "There is no goop." Concentrates, "Thereisnogoop. Thereisnogoop." and suddenly he's not covered in spider goop. He flies over, scoops up some spider-sand, and then heads off to file a report. He remembers 'report' procedures.