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The Lower East Side in the late afternoon
It's not an easy thing for Elmo hearing that one of the kindly older persons from his community that was a friend of his was being hunted. The world's been a hostile place on all fronts it would seem. But here it was, Saturday, a quiet time when most of the shops on the Lower East weren't open and people were observing a moment of rest in their lives…sort of.
And then there was a figure barreling down the street at our intrepid electrician running full tilt, arms windmilling as he rounded the corner. There was Gearhead in his leather wearing, unshaven glory with a shiner on one eye and bloody knuckles on one hand racing past. What he was yelling? Well one would need to be fluent in French Creole, but suffice to say the Cajun was probably swearing up a storm as the Cajun mechanic was, well, usually swearing up a storm.
The hand reached out to the sleeve of Elmo's coat wrenching him around. "Keep up keep up keep up!"
Elmo's just on his way to see what office dumpsters have on offer when JP comes running past. He's so light he just spins around when he's grabbed. "Hey what the—" But it's clear to him that there's trouble and he springs into a run to keep up. "JP!"
JP could run like hell from the sheer opportunity where it had become suddenly necessary to do so. Shouts behind them included fun phrases ranging from "Get back here you sunnova bitch", "Wait til we get our hands on you", all the way to everyone's favourite, "The whole lot of you are going down!"
The lot of who really remained unseen. There was a scream as he knocked over a sandwich board and a trash can encouraging Elmo "Gogogogogogo!" There was a shriek which drew a faint smile from a concerned expression and down the side alley he went pushing towards the industrial area in the most circuitous manner possible. A hand reached out as he ducked to grab the legs of a ladder off the fire escape and gave it a shove upward. What that did? Nothing?! Looking back to Elmo running like hell with him he just laughed at the exclaim of his name. "Allo allo, mon ami. You've done this before?" He couldn't even say that with a straight face as five people came around the corner with pipes and whatever else in hand.
Elmo laughs too, dodging people and jumping over obstacles. "Sometimes!" JP has longer legs, but this short Jew is surprisingly fast. "What'd you do!"
Running! Running! Running!
The 5 bruisers were hot on their heels until
*KA-TANG!*
That ladder that was shoved up, like it waited for a target, loosed its ratcheting mechanism to drop suddenly in front of one of the pack catching him under the chin and clothes lining him laying him out on the ice. The Cajun just cackles and almost slipped on the ice. Arms flailed and instead he slid into the brick with a shoulder. "Uff! I… mighta… took… their truck… and dropped it… in the East… river" Running and breathing hard in the winter while runing for one's life was not an easy combo. He paused and looked to Elmo, "After it mighta back into tha' guy…" deep breaths AND making that tight turn. As if it were a casual affair he asked, "Comment…allez-vous?" Behind him there was yelling about god damned Mutants and that might be the tip off.
Elmo also dodges JP's ricochet off the wall, on account of the Cajun being considerably heavier than he is, but grabs his arm to steady him. He flings a look over his shoulder and his lip curls. "/Those/ guys." For a second, he looks willing to turn and fight.
JP was starting to run out of breath and low down a tad. At least four of the five were gaining on them. "Well they got… pissed first… because they had this sign?" turning corner and, crap, they were starting to run out of options for going somewhere. The 'bullies' however seemed to have split to try and flank them and trap them between the parties. "they put up after I get thea? Say Mutant need no apply?" And there those assholes were in front of them. He winced. "So I might take the sign off… and smack em wit' it." Oh joy nothing like friendly assault to say 'I kindly disagree'.
Elmo halts, eyes going wide. Then he half-laughs, half-snarls, and spreads his hands. Static electricity leaps to life in everyone's hair and clothes, buzzy, hair-lifting, tiny discharges biting fingers. "C'mon!"
JP slid to a halt and looked at the guys coming from either side of the alley. A wry grin widened on the Cajun's swarthy face. His bruised hand slapped the static bomb in the chest instantly deciding that should be short lived. "Awww, knew we like' you." He stopped at a security door laying his hand on it until it unlocked and he yanked it open ducking into the warehouse. At least there there'd be some potential advantage. "Bring em in like rabbits"
Elmo ducks in behind JP, crackling and his fingertips starting to glow. He taps the security door, which, metal-clad, starts humming in a menacing fashion, like an electric fence. "Come on in, boys!" he yells into the alley. He's wild eyed and way too enthusiastic about this situation.
JP was DAMN glad to take his hand off that door fast as a jac- well his baby brother would be proud of him for that one. JP was doing a quick inventory of what was where and for now passed his hand just behind the compressor tank on the hi-lo.
Three of them showed up. It wasn't four but maybe he helped the other guy? Oh no there he was. They were not that altruistic or forgiving. The first guy through the door learned the hard way that bracing a lead pipe against the door frame and shoving an electrified door open with the other hand was going to leave him having a no good, awful, very bad day. Behind him as he convulsed in the doorframe there was the exclaim, "LYLE!"
Elmo barks a laugh and, mercifully, lifts the charge from the door for long enough for the guy to break connection as he falls to the filthy alley concrete. "Who wants another one?!" he snarls out the door. "I got plenty for alla you schmucks!"
Lyle collapsed to the floor and would be down for more than a moment twitching at being flash cooked there for a moment. "Mere de Dieu!" The sound from the Cajun was equal alarm and amazement at the violent electrical discharge. Those brown eyes were huuuuuge watching that go down and then became alight in glee, "Awwwwww You are become my ver' ver' best friend." They poured in the door and branched off coming after them. JP still hadn't found a weapon yet so he pulled up both fists. A toothy grin was given to Elmo as the guys came in after them. A shadow at the door suggested that other guy back a couple blocks had, in fact, returned to his feet and was slower. Taking a ladder to the face does this. As it wasn't his day though the Hi-lo charged the door letting the guy knock himself out on the 'ghost driven' machine. Two of them stopped as 'Carl' was knocked on his ass again. Gearhead looked to Elmo and shrugged. "I'm over here" Yeah likely. And the bats came a swinging towards the Mutants!
Elmo, despite his eagerness to rumble, is more than slightly alarmed by the bats and large angry dudes. But this just translates itself into a need to win. He makes a tossing gesture at a chain that dangles near the heads of the brawlers. *Crack!* Miniature lightning discharges start leaping to everything conductive. It's like watching flash bulbs pop at a red carpet event. He backs up against JP, grinning like he can't stop grinning.
JP was going a couple rounds with guy #3 with a bat taking a swing at the side of the Mutant a couple times. Arms and elbows came in to brace for impact. Oof! YEAH that'll smart later. Bruised knuckles swung in a left-cross at the guy which was not smart but effective to get some space between them. The jackass with the bat pulled it back again when there was the unmistakable sound of oak hitting concrete and bouncing. Lightning on small scale was being discharged like a Jacob's Ladder off all of the steel rolling ladders, batteries, catwalk, machinery and OH the +*:.+sparks+.:*+that showered down from all of the overhead lights as they sparked and popped.
This did two things. The primary was hurt the two brutes coming after Elmo, and the other was scaring them all significantly enough to know they were at a severe and potentially life altering disadvantage. "Stu get Carl we're going. Yous guys! I swear we're gonna find yous guys and when we do!" They were pulling back trying to duck under the forks that were still at head level in the doorway. And just to fuck with them, just a little, the Hi-lo backed out of the way…rolled forward…. backed up again. Yes it was going to make them play chicken. Even though he could have dropped those heavy ass steel forks on them, JP didn't. He was just watching the glitter come down like a kid on the Fourth of July with a lopsided grin on his bruised face.
Elmo's laughing again, wildly. The nervous guy at the holiday party and the bar has this laughter inside him and it's coming out all over. The flashes and explosions light him like a horror movie. None of the grounding discharges hit JP. Some of them hit Elmo, but do nothing, vanishing. He rakes his hair back— a lot of it is floating around freely with static—and says, without yelling, "When ya do, more of the same, buddy. More a' the same." Lightning flickers and pops around him.
JP stood completely upright slowly. To one that was a thrill seeking, fight-starting, screw off this was a candy store. When he wasn't being hit by the discharge off the arcs there was a laugh and a howl of glee, "WOOO!! Tha' people who own this place are goin' to be none to happy wit' us, mon ami." Walking over he might have pat Elmo on the shoulder, but ya know, waiting until a person is grounded first? Probably the best idea. JP was brazen, not stupid. The laughter died to a chuckle, a grin still stretching ear to ear. "Maaaan, I know was good I run into you!"
Squinting JP looked around wincing only faintly, "I'm sure that didn' fix nothing but that felt //good/ didn't' it?" NOW Elmo got a squeeze to the shoulder. "C'mon. Lessee what this' place is about." He turned and took his heavy boots up up up the metal stairs to the foreman's office. Ooooh possible goodies! "That was a whole lot more than walkin' a lil robo, Elmo. Now normally? Normally I have someone buy me dinner first b'fore goin' to a light show, but I'll make am exception. "Lessee what they got fo' us."
The light show suddenly drops away, leaving only a few fizzing bulbs that are still intact. Elmo flicks a discharge away, breathing hard, grinning like a fool. "Felt real good," he agrees. "Yeah, so, that's what I can do." Somebody plays his cards close to the chest. "Nah, JP, c'mon, we gotta leave before cops show up. Those guys are probably at a payphone."
JP was halfway up the stairs and gave Elmo that look of but there's…a thing! That look was halted when in the far distance? Yes police sirens. Now it was New York and that was a common sound at any hour. What it did was reinforce the reality of the situation and it hit the greaser like ice water. He relied to Elmo soberly, "I don' wanna go back." Bigots? Fun. Police? Not fun. Thrilling but not at all fun. With his ass planted on the railing he slid down and motioned to him to follow. "C'mon there's a place near here where all this can blow over." Adrenaline wearing down he was all for moving efficiently but not running when they weren't being hunted actively. Brown eyes looked over the gangly man considering something, "You ever consider doin' this professionally on the DL? I know some guys. We go after guys like that."
Elmo says, "I don't wanna go back either," following JP closely. "I'm on parole. …Ya what?" He's catching his breath but seems tired out, or at least, there's some vital part of him that's drained. "Really? Tell me more."
JP arched both eyebrows. He didn't see that one coming though, Mutant anarchist? Eh we'll consider it a pleasant surprise. Now that they were out in the open again his head was on a swivel because that's how hens stayed out of the jaws of foxes. Seeing a shop that stood closed because it was Saturday and people still took the day off JP motioned for Elmo to follow him. A hand laid on the door handle for a moment.and another moment after *ka-toonk* from the tumbler and the door easily opened, deadbolt and all.
That was handy.
JP made the curtain to the front of the shop was closed. It seemed to belong to a dress shop owner. But in the back there was what was important: a lavatory, a small break room and heat. "This'll help us buy some time." He has clearly done this before. Sympathetically he shrugged. "Yeaaaah I already screwed the pooch on mine. I wasn' supposed to leave Louisiana. had too tho." He watched Elmo and just chuckled. "Couple of us had this lead? Turn out t' be a bum lead. Had t'split. Came up here t'see mon frere, m'baby brother? The reindeer. You mettum. He fell in with some interesting cats. We boosted that truck goin to that big fancy ol department store cause they pulled out of donatin anything after findin out that charity center was in Mutant Town. Well… Santa didn' approve."
Elmo flops into one of the chairs, slumping. "Neat trick," he says, of JP opening the lock. "Didn't think you could use it that way. But why not, right? You can make things move." He quiets down, listening to the story, eyes on the floor, thoughtfully. When the part about the hijacked truck comes, he grins that rare and feral grin again. "I thought 'is Wakanda Majesty bought those."
JP turned the hot water on in the wap and let it heat up a bit. That would take a moment but the thaw in his fingers was good. It would also do sharing some of the heat by washing a bit of the blood off his face which looked all in all superficial enough. The question of His Majesty got a chuckle from the Cajun. "Naaaw that man brought tha' food and bless him for it." He dropped into a slump on the couch. That was fun but exhausting. At the comment of the door, a hand rolled and flicked a gesture to it , "Eh, anythin tha's got a few moving bits I can work with. One at a time tho. The ladder's gone. Truck gone, hi-lo gone." He paused and shrugged, "That guy I locked in that bathroom is prolly out now." There was a wry grin given to Elmo. Oh yes. He was kind of a snot about it. His eyebrows waggled. "I dig you tho. You get it. X-ternals can always use more of it. And hell," He looked around and back to Elmo, "Is jes' good company."
Elmo gets flustered, shaking his head like he didn't just intimidate several mutant-basher types into running away. "I ain't that special. Just some guy won a toss of the genetic dice. Or maybe lost. Dependin'. You okay over there?" He gets up to peer at JP's face. "Yeah, you look okay. Well, you look like you caught a left with your cheekbone."
JP winced and unzipped his jacket to peel up the side of his t-shirt to some very purple ribs. He snorted with a sigh zipping his coat back up shaking his head. Yeah, both looked and felt like a scrapper. Slouched into the sofa he murmured, "We life on to fight another day, Elmo. But you's right." An eye cracked and looked to him giving him agreement. "We ain't special. What we do whit this shit? That be makin alla difference in the world. Knew this gal back home? Good ear. could hear somethin' and play it onna piano like she wrote it. Know what she doin? Mr. Louis Thibideau." He boggled at Elmo, "She a housewife doin' nothin with it. She want to, but she don'. That's nothin special. Shaking things up? Tha's somethin."
Elmo joins JP on the sofa, pretty close for someone who refuses handshakes. He pulls an expressive grimace. "That's a real shame. She's got somethin' beautiful and she don't use it." His eyebrows go up, then. Like…ohhh. "Yeah. I see your point. Kai's kinda told me something like that, too. So, uh, you guys do what? Steal stuff, like Robin Hood?"
JP tapped Elmo's boot with the side of his too tired to nod. Now he was on to something. "Somethin' like that. Targets like people hastlin our people. Try t'make sure the wrong things don' fall into the wrong hands to make life worse for everyone. We Mutants got it hard enough as is. Those guy don'need help." He took a deep breath letting his rib slide back into place. Oh yeah, more comfortable. It's the little things. "Those guys in the tights in the paper? They canno' do what we do. Maybe they're afraid of getting their hands a lil dirty but the dirt's everywhere. But like those assholes don't follow the rules, why should we?" A n eyebrow arched and he looked to the other guy with a curious concern, "You alright?"
Elmo starts nodding slowly as he listens. "Yeah. Yeah…I could help with that. That's something protests and donations can't do, yanno? Some things, we gotta handle ourselves. We mutants." He offers a tired half smile. "Battery's low." Too literally, in this case. "Spent most a' my charge with that light show. Usually if I'm gonna spend that much, I got some gear for precision."
JP reaches over and ruffled Elmo's hair with a tired grin. Had the man a concept of propriety the night wouldn't have started with him beating an offensive little man with an offensive little sign. A foot dragged over a wooden chair to prop his feet up on. "Don' worry man. I won't lemme take you back." Acutely he had no desire to see the inside of a cell again or wish that on his own. In the distance the sound of sirens could be heard. Likely down at the warehouse, but they never got closer. It was a good time to rest the eyes and just lay low for a bit.