Right time, wrong place. (Jeisen)

“How can one place be so wet” Cassidy muttered to herself as she looked up to the night sky. She already found herself missing the warmth from the pub she just left, and in response she pulled her leather jacket tighter.

If she were going to choose her own vacation destination it would not have been London but a obscure piece of trivia and one call into a radio station had won both  her passage  and a bit of spending money . So far that money had only extended to a pub crawl, and the annoying realization that her metabolism worked so fast she didn't have enough money to work up a good buzz.

She walked into the unseasonably cold night air, slipping her hands into her pockets as she did so. She took a moment to appreciate her surroundings though. She was so used to the north American way of life and design very modern, down with the old and in with the new. It was actually pretty refreshing and interesting for her to see  modern concepts and old architecture clash , it made her wish she was in the position to go see how it looked in other parts of Europe, but she was doubtful she would ever be so blessed.   “Life of a tourist I guess”  

There was a brief  piercing sound in the night that shook her from her thoughts. It was brief, only lingering  for the shortest of times before it was muffled, and just as fast as it came it was silenced.  Cassidy turned her head towards it, curious at exactly what it was. It almost sounded like a person.  A quick look around told her that she seemed to have been the only one to hear it, mind you, she also was the only one on this street at this hour. If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound? With considerably less high minded musings , she made her way to the alleyway where the sound seemed to from.

The place reeked of old garbage , suggesting that this was likely was not the nicest part of town. She would have recoiled as it assailed her senses if it were not for the sight before her. A thick pipe, raised in anger by a fat, ill dressed man and judging by the pink of his skin and the marks across it he had just been on the receiving end of a decent slap. The woman on the ground before him looked like she had not fared any better, and what would be a brutal black eye was already developing.

If the woman known as Crisis was better trained, she could have racked up what happened next to instinct, in reality it was more desperation . Her flight kicked in and she tossed herself across the very short distance the alleyway offered shoulder checking hard into the back of the angry man and her momentum carried them them both into a dumpster at the far side. He impacted it with an almost wet splat the pipe dropping to the ground and rolling aside harmlessly, and his unconscious body slumping to the ground . Crisis pulled back from the man to face the other two, shaking off her own maneuver “Now now boys...time to play nice..” was the first and best quip that came to mind. She already hated herself for saying it.

“Blimey, you.. fuckin meta , what are you doin here?” The fat man's tall, thin partner  scowled, drawing a switchblade from a rat eaten vest. “Your gonna pay for that”  His friend, equally thin and poorly taken care of, was already slowly slapping a truncheon into a meaty hand . They seemed to have the sense to eye her  before splitting, looking to take Crisis from both sides “..could you two be better stereotypes ?” came yet another quip. This was going to be a hard habit to break. “How about you go fuck off before I” She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence “Fuckin Yank!” Shouted the thus far silent one, swinging his weapon high, attempting to catch her in the side of her head. Crisis ducked in time,the weapon whistling by her ears as she stepped forward hooking her fist into his gut, and the fight was on.

Nolan: "Are we sure this weather pattern isn't cause by.."

Jeisen: "Yes, I've already checked. Its a natural pattern steaming in from the North. Just part of a cycle here."

Nolan: "But it could b.."

Jeisen: "Nolan, it's not. I'm sorry, but its not."

Nolan: "... fine...."

Not that he didn't wish Nolan was right. It would be nice to see an old friend. Sitting on a ledge with his knee drawn up and one leg hanging off of it, Jeisen watched the city. He was nestled against a tiny little corner, hopefully not attracting to much attention. He glanced down to his wrist, revealing a 3D hologram map. There was a thousand little points of data scrolling down its side. Far to much for a normal person. Not for Jeisen though.

Jeisen:  "There hasn't been anything the police can't handle tonight. Maybe we could take the day off."

Nolan: "Since when could you ever take a day off? "

Jeisen grumbled to himself. "Fair point" He gave a defeated sigh. He could never just rest ideal. Even on a night like this. The map beeped at him, a blinking red light appearing on it. He paused and looked at it. Metehuman action.

Jeisen: "Nolan, expand that and analyze."

Nolan: "One moment, updating to windows 10..... kidding, kidding whats with that glare? Anyways, pulling up cameras. Rewinding to start. Flagged the program for inhuman movements."

Jeisen sat there silently as the seen played out from a shitty camera above the back entrance of a rundown fishery. It wasn't a good angle, but it looked like a woman just rammed another man into a garbage bin hard enough to dent it. From what he could see, there was a fourth person lying there on the ground.

Jeisen: "Hmph. That's what? Eleven streets over, three streets up? Are they activly dying?"

Nolan: ".... No."

Jeisen: "Silent approach then."

The cloaked figure stood up, the tiny orb floating next to him. He touched the orb with one hand and Nolan folded into the suit. Then like a ghost, Jeisen faded from sight thanks to his camo cloak. He raced across the building tops towards that back alley brawl, curiosity peaked.

“Ooof” was the best the man could get out after Crisis's fist landed. She could have likely knocked him out of the fight with that , but she didn't yet trust her strength and tended to hold back. She was here to stop these clowns, not kill them. She should have hit him a bit harder, persistent bastard didn't even drop his weapon.

The cold realization came to her that she had turned her back to the man with the knife. She twisted her body just in time to avoid getting her kidney stabbed, but she did catch the knife's sharp edge and pain exploded in her side. The mans triumphant sneer was cut short as Crisis pivoted, and caught him hard across the face with a backhand , there was a lot less control behind this one and with a satisfying crunch as she broke the mans jaw. He fell away and down onto his ass, his hands holding his face, groaning in pain.

Crisis herself took a stumbling step back towards the dumpster, pulling the knife from her side with a unhappy grunt and tossing it to the ground with contempt. “Fuck you guys..” A quick step caught her attention just in time, as the man with the truncheon too another swing at her, swinging the weapon above his head in attempt to catch her in the skull. The best Crisis could come up with in time was the raise her arm in the way of the strike, bracing herself for the impact. The blow came down hard against her arm, and snapped the well used weapon in half.

The man was understandably stunned, and even Crisis was a bit surprised. She knew she got stronger, but she had never been in a position where she could have found this part out, a grin spread her lips despite the pain she was in . The grin was enough, the man simply ran “ He.. Hey!” Crisis shouted after him, fumbling as she reached, trying to grab the back of his shirt and just missing. The thought that he would just run had never occurred to her.

Pain flared up in her side as she took a step to chase him, her foot coming down on something that almost caused her to loose her step. She had stepped on the pipe the first thug she downed had. Taking a chance she drew her foot back, aimed, and gave it a kick. The pipe slid across the ground quickly, missed her target completely and by blind luck it ricocheted off of the right side of the alleyway with a loud clang and actually caught the fleeing man in the shin with a sickening crack. He fell to the ground, his hands reaching for the shattered bone. It was hard for Crisis to have sympathy for the man as she approached him slowly “ Meant to do that..” She reached out for the man's good leg, grabbing it and using it to casually slide him across the rain slick ground into a pile with his 'friends'

With the fight as good as over , she looked to the poor downed woman “You oka-” before Crisis could even finish asking, the woman ran by her, tears streaming down her face. “Your welcome, anytime” She said in response to the woman's quick exit. Now all that was left was her, and three downed thugs “..I have absolutely no idea how to call the cops around here”

"It's actually 999 here, not the 911." A mechanical voice sounded from further up the alleyway. Jeisen slowly came into view against the night street lights, like he was forming out of nothing. The armored man as leaning against the wall, arms crossed and two blue optics staring out from underneath his hood. He leaned himself off of the wall and walked over to the dumpster the first man had hit. He touched the dent left in it then looked back over to the woman.

There was a pause in the air, before Jeisen spoke again. "Looks like you got cut there. Is it bad?" He nodded his head forward to her. Most people would be down from a cut like that as soon as the adrenaline wore off. He had a feeling that this might not be true in her case though.

Inside his helm, Jeisen spoke to Nolan. "Run a facial scan?"

Nolan: "Yes, but we have nothing in our Data banks. Not one of the meta humans we know of in London."

Jeisen: "She doesn't have the accent for a Londoner. She sounds American."

Nolan: "I could try accessing the US's databanks if you would like"

Jeisen: "No, its fine. I'll be fine for now."

The rookie super hero jumped at the sudden unexpected voice. She was not used to sudden surprises, let alone ones with muffled voices, blue glowing eyes and what looked like some kind of armor  . At the mention of being cut, subconsciously her hand covered her wound, hiding the blood “ Not as bad as it looks..It got caught in the leather” It was a blatant lie, and one that someone who was decently observant would see through but she was still not used to the idea of her powers being public. “999? I bet you get a lot of kids calling in” she attempted to disarm her own nervousness with a ill attempt humor.

Crisis watched him check out the dent in the dumpster when it started to click. Sudden appearance, blue eyes , dark armor, and altered voice all in London? “Holy shit, your the Guardian Angel” She would never claim to bet he most up to date person in the world, but it was hard to miss this mans description even if you only took the occasional glance at the newspapers .

Her head was drawn away from Jeisen  a moment when one of the downed thugs groaned , muttering something about needing to get to the hospital “ Oh shut it..” Was Crisis's quick reply  “ You should have thought about that before you dragged her in here” She wasn't someone to kick a thug when he was down, but she also had a firm belief in reaping what you sewed . She was also left to wonder.. why was The Guardian Angel here?

It was unlikely even the US database would have anything on Crisis, she had little to her name but stopping a few muggings and a leather jacket and motor cycle helmet did little to leave a lasting impression on people.

"And butt dails like you wouldn't beleive" he said in a response to her own joke. He crouched down over one of the guys. He touched the moaning mans jaw. "You know you broke this mans jaw ya? And it Jeisen, not Guardian Angel. That was something they came up with" he refered to they with a handwve, meaning the news papers and blogs of the world.

Sirens sounded in the air, not to far away. The armored man didn't look to worried, but then again armor would make it hard to tell one way or another. He looked towards the sound for a second then back at the girl.

"I've erased you from the near by cameras and I doubt these guys will remember your face, but that won't help if you get caught here by the police. I suggest we get out of here."

He strode forward till he was next to her then paused.

"You can't fly can you? Ah that'd be to obvious anyways."

He walked striaght up the back alley wall, literally walked striaght up it. When he reached the top he look back at her.

"Well come on now."

Crisis watched him as he now started to consider the thugs she beat up. If anything the man seemed to have a close eye for details, a fact she found herself becoming a bit embarrassed that she herself lacked. “.. no I didn't know that” she said quietly in response to his question , unsure of why she was being so candid with the fact. She knew she got him hard, but the fact she shattered it that easily was another thing that was lost on her till this moment. She had a lot to learn.

Her head turned suddenly hearing the sirens, and before Jeisen could speak she muttered “ Shit” and it was obvious she was about to bolt. “Cameras?” Her head whipped around the alleyway till she spotted them.

She didn't even have time to curse when she caught Jeisen moving out of the corner of her eye. She had thought that he was going to leave the ally by normal means, but impossibly he just started to walk up one of the walls! Her eyes were locked on him as he did the impossible with relative ease. Well now, that may have explained how Crisis had missed him the first time around.“ How do you think I am going to get up..”Her eyes were drawn to the sudden sight of lights coming near the ally. Crisis couldn't believe how fast the cops had responded .There are places she had visited that would have been jealous of arriving on a scene in that time.

Crisis was left with little choice once again .She didn't have any fancy way of walking up or climbing walls, but she did have her flight. She hated once again showing off one of her powers , but the last thing she wanted to do is explain what happened here when her only witnesses was a man who could seemingly appear out of thin air when he chose and a woman who ran out into the night. Crisis was definitely not the best user of flight that jolly old England had ever seen, but at least in this she seemed to possess some decent control. She stood almost touching the wall and slowly lifted herself up its height It would have been hard to actually climb the wall and keep a lower profile then she had, as she deposited herself right beside Jeisen . “ We need to get out of here”

Nolan: "Hey looked, she actually can fly."

Jeisen: "Oh well... damn."

Underneath that helm of his, Jeisen blinked in surprise. He didn't think she would actually be able to fly. He paused momentarily but moved right along, pulling out a small device that looked like an orb. It took off into the air above the pair and shown down with some light. It was almost like a transparent net hanging above them, simmering against the night's sky.

"Hologram. It's not the best since it can't really project the surrounding areas very well while we are moving but, its good enough to cover us." He said as he started walking across the roof top. It was a little slanted, but not too bad. He seemed to be leading them away from the sirens now in the alleyway. "That was quite something you did back there." An implied question was hidden in there, but Jeisen wasn't trying to pry overmuch.

Crisis blinked as the air around her as the 'net' dropped over them. The explanation Jeisen provided kept her from a more exclamations which given how many she had already today, was well and truly appreciated. She walked with the experienced hero , careful of her step on the slanted rooftop. Her right hand was kept pressed to the knife wound from earlier, it was already knitting itself slowly back together without Crisis's understanding as to how. “ Dont think I can be to picky about how your holograms are limited” she added after a silent moment, once more bad humor on her part to break the tension.

“You mean the thugs?” She said in response to the implied question. She gave a shake of her head “ Same kind of ass holes no matter where you live. Ive heard every argument for that kind of behaviour I can think of and I still think its bullshit. So well.. I try and do something about it when I can. Didn't think I would be doing it here though” She flashed a smile to what may as well be a faceless suit of armor wondering just how human whatever was in it truely was. “But look who I am talking to right? Your The “ she paused, remembering the request from before “ Your Jeisen, this stuff must be pretty low key for you by now”

"It's good that you do. It's a scary step for most people to actually lend a hand to those in need. Even those who can help don't always. So thank you." He gave her a nod then paused on the last rooftop. There was an empty balcony below. A quick sign inside revealed no thermal heat signatures inside the house so Jeisen swing down to the balcony.

He leaned against the nearby pole, looking out into the street. "You know, this may sound weird but I've always felt fear before heading into a fight. Any fight. Even in situations like in the back alleyway, I've felt fear. No matter how long I've done for, it's never gone away. It's never stopped me, but I've never consider things like back there too low key for me because of that. "

For some strange reason Crisis never expected to be thanked for what she did, nor did she expect a robot and or man like Jeisen to have such down to earth feelings about the whole thing. She paused with him as he looked around, not quite sure what he was looking for from his position but trusting him well enough at this point to lead.

Whatever it was Jeisen was looking at seemed to invite him down, so Crisis was soon to follow. Not wanting to inflame the closing wound at her side, she followed down by taking a short step, and letting flight slowly lower her to the balcony beside him. Without thinking about it she reached into her pocket with her free hand, pulling out a protein bar and slowly unwrapping it. “ I try not to think about it.. but it is comforting to hear you say that. I was doing a shitty job covering up that I am pretty new to this stuff so its hard to know what to think and feel yet. I am sure getting stabbed wont do me any wonders for my confidence next time I throw myself at something like this. “

She went silent for a moment after words before saying quietly “ Hey you have been at this awhile.. is it worth it?” with half the wrapper removed she was lifting it to her mouth when she paused, considering the bar for a moment before breaking it in half and sheepishly offering Jeisen the portion.

"Thanks, but its hard for me to eat in this mask." He said as shook his head no to the protein bar. He thought over her question though, silently as he just watched the cars pass through the quiet street. He pursed his lips as he debated himself a thousand ways to make this come out right before finally settling upon something.

"I've made a lot of enemies and a few friends. I've collected a lifetime worth of scars, memories, aches and pains. To do this, and to do this right, you end up giving up a lot. I don't mean to sound melodramatic, but its true. If you have loved ones you care about, a life at home that you just cant afford to risk then this isn't for you. I didn't have anything to lose when I started this. Truly, I didn't. Not many others can say that. But... when you save people, I don't even really know how to put it in words. It just... feels right. Like this is what I was born to do."

He kinda gives a shrug and looks over his shoulder at the woman then back to the street

"It won't be easy. People will attack you, say you are the real problem. They will blame you when you don't get there in time or when you can only partial stop something. They'll try to get under your skin. But every person you save is a testament to the fact that they are wrong. You may not have asked to be a meta, but you get to choose to be a hero. This is a choice. From this moment onward, its all on you. All the good, all the bad, all the successes and failures. So is it worth it? Well... to me, it is. Just... be prepared."

' Well at least I know its just a mask now' she thought to herself as she took the first bite of her protein bar. For some reason that was comforting to know that under all of it Jeisen was human. She leaned over the railing of the balcony as Jeisen answered her question “Loved ones ..” She muttered after saying thats what he was born to do. Her mind flashed to her father, living completely unawares in his own small apartment. Contemplatively she  chewed as he went on.

She had started on this path with the  understanding that it would be dangerous and may be her end. Even in her short life she had seen people in need cry out for help and there be no one to give it. Or perhaps worse, no one willing to be there to give it. It was that thought that brought a smile to her face, not in joy of their loss and struggle but as a reinforcing thought to what she said next “ I get it. “ she said as she  turned her head to look at the veteran hero “ Its like the old comic books, great power great responsibility”

“ Ive never understood why people give shit to heroes. You pe...” she swallows “ We  just do everything we can to make it right . No different from fire fighters or the police. I guess the fact that most of us are Meta's shoots the expectations a bit higher, doesn't it?” She took another contemplative bite of her bar, chewed and swallowed again before continuing. “ Guess it doesn't matter. I guess we can only do the best we can do like anyone else and if you don't have a thick skin, the job isn't for you.

She paused for a moment before offering her hand to him “ The name is Crisis” It would be easy to see with her little experience she might be taking this whole thing to lightly, to easily. Everyone though, had to start somewhere and she realized it was time that would show if she was truly up to the job.

"Crisis. Thats a good one. Make sure its out before they stick you with some other name."

He had purposely not asked her about her name up to this point. It would have been impolite of him to find out the real information about her. She seemed new and untested, hopefully about tomorrow and what may lie ahead. He cracked a small smile as he remembered how he used to be like that. Maybe he needed to be a little more like that though. More hopeful about tomorrow.  Jeisen hoped he had helped in someway. He looked back at her now and gave a small bow right before he tossed her an old Guardians communicator. It even still had their logo on it.

"Well Crisis, welcome to London. Call if you need something. Any time any place, I guarentee someone will be there to help you out"

Then he shot out his grappling hook from his wrist into a near by building and was pulled to it. He stood up on the top of the building and gave her a wave before taking off into the night.

Crisis caught the communicator out of the air. Her mind was a bit elsewhere as she considered how a hero actually makes sure the name they want gets out there, or perhaps simply how many heroes actually choose their name. After all, The Guardian Angel was standing before her, and he had no interest in that name what so ever. “: Thanks..” was the best she could get out as Jeisen grappled away, returning the wave from her position on the balcony.

Quietly she stood there, chewing and eventually finishing the protein bar in her hand. It had been a hell of a night so far and left her with a lot to think about for the future. She ran a hand through her hair, pushing aside some of the wet locks. “I have a lot to learn, and maybe its time I start taking that a lot more seriously” she muttered, stepping off the balcony and floating to the hard paved streets of the slick road. The rain was coming down harder now, and she had a long walk ahead of her., and a long road to consider in her career.