A Bank Robbery? What Is This? The 1920s?

Nathaniel Hunter King was a simple man with simple tastes. He enjoyed your normal everyday things such as eating, watching sports, getting into fights, the pure happiness people express when you help them, hanging out at bars, rescuing people from dire situations, jogging, and flying. What he didn’t enjoy was rain. Oh, sure, the whole kiss in the rain thing was certainly romantic and he could see the appeal to it. If you didn’t have wings. Wings and rain did not mix no matter the size of the being with them. Everyone knew about bee’s and rain, and it was obvious birds didn’t enjoy getting theirs wet either (unless said bird was a duck). So, it should come as no surprise that he did not enjoy getting his wings wet. They were so hard to dry off, and it was like dragging around an extra body on his back. Or a rucksack. He didn’t know how soldiers did it.

So, why was he flying in the rain? It wasn’t by choice that was for sure. No, he was following a lead on drug smugglers. No, human trafficking? No, that wasn’t it, illegal weapons shipment? Shit. No, it was bank robbers. That was it. They had been moving cross country, having seemingly started in Kansas and moving East. They hit one or two banks max in the state before moving onto the next one. They were efficient and got away without a hitch every time. Well almost every time. They had got on Thanatos’ radar when they hit a bank back in Illinois, in Chicago to be exact, and he had been trying to catch them sense. Obviously, he hadn’t caught them yet or else he wouldn’t be flying through the air right now staking out the banks he thought they were going to hit next.

To be this good he was sure they had to be a part of the Crime Syndicate. Either that or they had some sort of super powers. Invisibility, phasing, super speed maybe? The thinking aspect of being a super hero was never his strong suit to begin with and he doesn’t see it improving anytime soon. Thankfully he was almost super naturally lucky. Flying down and landing behind the current bank he put his overcoat on and walked around to the front to give it a once over. Sure, it definitely didn’t look all that good with a guy in an overcoat walking around a bank but thankfully he didn’t have to walk around all that long. Not too long after two individuals walked into the bank. Or more accurately one individual walked in and the other seemingly appeared behind the counter next to the bank teller, a gun to their head.

The second simply raised his hand which of course held a gun, before speaking up. “Alright, I’m sure all of you know what’s happening right now. So, no one make any sudden movements or try and play hero. Or, I swear to God I will use this.” Of course as soon as this command was issued out, and without even thinking of anything else Archangel put his hands in his trench coat pockets and stepped forward looking at the spokesman in the eyes. “God huh? You know I’ve never gotten a reply from him. Maybe you could send me there?” his coat of course was then pushed off as his jet black wings shot out behind him.

Today was a simple day. It was one of Holti's few days off, which meant it was a day to do chores. These chores included re-potting plants, buying groceries, cleaning the bathroom, and of course, visiting the bank to withdraw some money. The day had been rather crappy thanks to the rain, but Holti didn't mind too much. Rain was something he quite honestly enjoyed a lot, so the rain was welcomed. With an umbrella in hand, Holti did all the chores for the day, leaving the bank visit for last before he would get dinner.  It was a plan that had worked on many other occasions, so it should work very well today.

Except, it didn't quite work out. Buying groceries, potting plants, and cleaning the bathroom all went perfectly well without any problems. The bathroom looked perfect, the plants seemed 'happy', and he bought everything at a decent price. What else could go wrong? The bank visit. Oh how Holti just adored dealing with people messing up the places he was just going to. It annoyed him quite a bit and Holti was in no mood to deal with this sort of drama. No. His attitude was going to show it, no doubt.

He had already begun to enter the bank. Holti had just entered the bank, having stepped off to the side to shake the umbrella of any water. That's when it hit him, literally. The door swung open and whacked his side. He was certainly lucky that he didn't make any angry comments in reaction to it as the next thing he knew, the person was speaking, warning everyone in the building that it was a robbery. Really? Was this what Holti had to deal with? Dammit. He had dealt with plenty of robberies, too many even! Why the hell did innocent people have to be involved as well? Thank god he was wearing his outfit underneath the light jacket and jeans he had on, the mask resting in the jacket's pocket. All it would take is a small distraction and he could go to a corner, quickly change, and then attempt to save the day...or trigger the panic alarm. Maybe that wouldn't be the smartest of decisions.

Before he had the chance to attempt to slip away, though, something else happened. A random person in the room spoke up and his eyes shot to the man.What the hell does he think he's doing? He's going to get himself killed speaking up like that! The idiot! In an instant, Holti was proven wrong. He saw something he never could have dreamed of seeing, never could have even considered the possibility of it happening on such a normal day. A pair of wings, actual wings, appeared and he mouth opened slightly. Looks like I'm not dealing with this alone...

Quietly and slowly, Holti began to back up, moving to go where he'd be slightly hidden. His eyes scanned the room for anything. In two of the corners were potted plants, house plants. Perfect. It'd have to work for now. While his eyes constantly shifted between the three people, he slowly withdrew his mask before finally pulling it on. The jacket was carelessly dropped off to the side, he'd hopefully be able to rescue it. Unfortunately, the jeans most likely couldn't come off in time...oh well. Nobody would notice and he could still fight with them on...hopefully.

Finally deciding that he was decent enough, he made his first action. The two potted plants shot up, growing to the height of the ceiling, while their roots broke the vase and dug into the ground. It was better to do small things first than to immediately draw too much attention to himself, then again he was probably a bit too obvious. Maybe it would be better since there was someone else here to most likely help? Hopefully bird wing guy wouldn't attack him...

Usually when Thanatos shot his wings out in this kind of situation he got shot at. Or someone freaked out because he looked kind of like an evil angel of death. Hence the name. This time was different. This time before he could get shot at the two potted plants in the room shot up into the ceiling, breaking through the bottom of their pots and into the ground at the same time. An act that caught the attention of everyone in the bank, including the two gun wielding bank robbers. One of whom was pointing her gun at the bank teller but instead knocked her out with the butt end before pointing it at one of the moving plants. The other who was pointing his gun at Archangel opened fire, one shot hitting the angel of death leaving nothing more than a small bruise after getting through his armor.

The apparent leader, or at least voice person, of the two bank robbers turned his gun on the plants spotting the individual in the mask and super hero getup. “Two. You kidding with me? We go through how many banks without getting stopped and two heroes in the first bank we hit in New York?” Rubbing his face, he kept the gun pointed at Hoti, for the moment his attention diverted and off of Archangel. Simply for the fact that he believed he had already shot him. In most cases a bullet would be enough to put just about anything down. Except when you factored in the supernatural or superhuman. It was this momentary diversion that gave Thanatos the time he needed to dash forward and grab the gun in the bank robbers hand and squeeze down on it. Effectively closing shut the end of the pistol and rendering it ineffective.

With that done Archangel swung a fist back and made to slam it into the man’s face, only for him to call out. “Stop.” A simple command, issued from the voice of the sharp dressed bank robber that made the entire bank stop whatever it was they were doing. Archangel included, his fist simply as if frozen mid swing. His eyes looking at the man in shock, clearly trying to fight whatever was happening but unable to do so. “On the floor, the lot of you.” and down they went. Everyone in the bank that could hear his voice simply dropped down to the ground, as if it was the most logical thing in the world to do. As if they thought of it themselves.

Throwing the broken gun off to the side he would look over at his partner who had her arms crossed over her chest looking at him and rolling her eyes. “You done with your playthings yet hun?” Obviously grateful that the situation was diffused but at the same time bored of the whole thing, as if she had seen it before. A sinister grin spread across the man’s face as he slowly made his way towards Holti’s not so great hiding place. “Oh, not quite yet Three. It’s been a while sense I’ve gotten to have some fun. Come out.” He issued the command forward, this one directed at Holti.

This was by far the strangest situation...ever. Normally it was him and just a couple of people causing trouble. This time, though, there was a strange man with dark wings. What the hell was he anyways? While he wanted to observe him more, Holti had to remember the two still had a problem to deal with. The robbers. In the back of his head, he also had to be concerned about this winged guy. What if he attacked Holti once this was all over? No use worrying. The people had to get out first, then he'd be concerned about himself.

Unfortunately, one of the robbers did notice him, pointing his gun towards Holti. His body stiffened slightly. His suit was not fit for protection, no. A gun shot would certainly hurt a lot. It was the best he could do with his resources and truly, he wanted an upgrade, especially in a situation like this one. Out of nowhere, the odd, winged man ran forward. Holti had to step back in response, what the hell was he thinking?! If the robber were to shoot his gun, it'd end up hitting him! Maybe this guy was out to kill him. Rather than shooting at him, the gun grabbed onto and from where he was, it seemed to have been squeezed in a way. Did the guy have superstrength? Possibly. It wouldn't be too uncommon. It seemed to be something Holti always heard about people having. Being able to lift buildings or heavy swords. While he hadn't encountered all that many people, it seemed like something he would see a lot. Before he could do anything, the man who once aimed to shoot him spoke up in a commanding voice, causing everyone in the bank to freeze. What the hell was this? No way could this be what he thought it was...

And it was. He had unfortunately found his first opponent who too had powers, or who seemed to have powers. As the man yelled out another command, his body dropped to the floor and his body began to shake slightly. Never had Holti dealt with a situation like this. It was here that he began to doubt his training and strength. It was especially worrisome that this guy seemed to be able to control him only through speaking. Every said sounded so logical, yet it still managed to frighten him.

The next thing he knew, the man had called him over. Unwillingly, he stood up and took a few steps closer, his body still trembling. His eyes anxiously darted around, looking for things he could use. He had to attack this man somehow. No way was he going to die due to a stupid bank robbery. Who robs banks anyways? Wasn't everything mostly digital now? What was he going to do, steal the unused, blank credit cards? That's all the banks would most likely have. Thinking about it, the bank robbers did seem stupid. His eyes then moved over to the winged man. He was his only help, even if he would possibly kill him later on.

If given the chance, he could attack. Yes. He knew what he would do if issues the correct command. For now, all he could do was keep the trees in mind, knowing they would prove to be very useful.

“So, three. What should I do? Have them kill each other? A fight to the death?” Asked the obvious voice of the two members of this tag team bank robbery. A look of obvious disdain spread across the African American woman’s face and before she could answer the talkative Brit continued as if he already knew the answer. “No, you’re quite right. That wouldn’t be sporting, would it? Much too easy. That and you know who wouldn’t like pointless deaths. So insightful three, that’s why we keep you around.” Three, as she was apparently called, sighed at this and seemingly disappeared once more, seemingly leaving or going off to do something else while the talkative one had his ‘fun’ whatever that amounted to.

During this exchange Archangel struggled on the ground, attempting to stand up but found that it was essentially pointless to do so. He could look around, he could probably even call out for help or taunt the talkative one if he wanted to, and he really wanted to. In fact, that’s exactly what he did. “Hey you fuck wanker!” That was a British derogatory term, right? “You just going to stand there and talk to yourself all day or are you going to let me up and put your money where your mouth is?” A grin spread across his face as the well-dressed aforementioned British man turned around, his attention diverting from Holti and turning towards Archangel instead. Which is totally what his plan was the entire time. Absolutely what he meant to do and now that he actually thought about it, if he was able to keep the guys attention off of the other hopeful hero than the guy would be able to do something and get them all out of this mess.

Rolling his eyes Number Two turned to face the sound of the voice, not at all surprised to find it belonging to the winged individual. “Ah yes, the want to be goth edge lord. What are you doing out in the sun anyway? And trying to goad me into fighting you one on one fight? As if I would lower myself to your level. Literally. Also, shut up.” At that Nathaniel found that his voice no longer worked. Well no, that was the wrong choice of wording. It was more along the lines that he simply did not feel the need to talk for the first time in his life. It was however at this point that another idea flashed into his mind as his eyes flashed orange. He instantly heated up Number Three’s jacket and it caught on fire, distracting him and hopefully giving Holti the time he needed to do whatever he could.

Just hearing the other man speak sent chills down Holti’s spine. The idea of someone else’s words guiding his body absolutely terrified him and made the boy extremely uncomfortable. Never did he think he’d have to fight against a villain who too had abilities of sorts. Sure, he knew they existed, but why would one ever try to mess with him? It was not that he was too good for them, no, there were simple other people they should be concerned about. Holti knew others existed, many of whom were far more powerful than him. So why were these guys with him and not with them? It all seemed illogical to him. Maybe in the moment it was only seen this way due to fear. Holti truly did not know how to fully feel about this situation and what to make of it.

Still, there was a problem at hand, no doubt. By the look of things, the bird man near him had armor, armor that would give him an advantage. The most Holti had covering him was spandex. Now would be a perfect time to be friends with some rich millionaire who could either make or buy him a fancy suit. God would that be great. For now, all he had was a thin suit and the ability to pray that the guy would not force the two to fight. Thankfully, that did not happen. His back visibly relaxed when the man turned his own idea down.

Instead, the bird man spoke up in a rather embarrassing way, but it certainly did give Holti an idea. Was it a distraction? It sure as hell seemed to be one. It was then that he made a split-second decision, one that was either smart or extremely stupid.

Thankfully, the man had failed to notice how his powers truly worked, making his hands completely free for use. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and focused for a moment, thinking about exactly what he wanted to happen. This was something Holti had not quite mastered yet, but he had worked on plenty of times. Doing it was easy, but doing it fast? Now that was certainly debatable. He had to do it though, he had no time to waste.

From both sides of the room, using the trees from earlier, he caused multiple tree limbs to grow rapidly from the sides. He was not sure how far he would get, but the aim was to create enough to climb on and to hopefully made it much more difficult on the two idiots trying to rob a bank. The ultimate goal was to try and cover as much of the bank as possible with tree limbs, aiming to get as close to the main guy talking as possible.

It seemed that for the most part Thanatos’ distraction was successful. The talkative bank robber was no longer focused on the other heroic individual and the fire to the guy’s coat just helped further the distraction. In the time, it took for Number Two to take his coat off, fling it to the ground and attempt to stomp the flames out the other hero acted. The two potted plants in the room shot outwards growing tree limbs. In a matter of seconds half, the bank was covered in tons of tree limbs and roots, scattering across the bank. Archangel and the rest of the hostages still on the floor were now covered over by them but it did have the effect that Holti wanted it to. Or well as almost.

While distracted the individual that was robbing the bank was no new comer to the scene. He had been at this for a while now and even though his very nice suit jacket was caught on fire, and in the process of being put out, he was not oblivious to the things around him. Namely the sound of tree limbs rapidly growing and expanding across the relatively small bank. He was able to jump up onto the first layer of tree limbs so as not to be stuck underneath like the rest of the bank occupants and quickly called out to Holti. “No! Stop! I did not say you could do this.” Cursing under his breath he watched as the annoying little hero climbed up on the tree limbs, instinctively reaching for his gun before stopping himself.

He had no gun to shoot the pest anymore. So, he’d just have to use something else. A sinister grin spread across his face as Iapetos looked down at the spot where he assumed the winged individual was still on the ground covered by the tree limbs. “Get up, burn the plants around you to free yourself and then take out the one who made them.” Back under the brush Thanatos’ watched the guy in the cool super hero outfit make tree limbs grow from the plants and fill up the entire place. He was so impressed; the guy was great.

That was way cooler than anything he would have been able to do, and the guy probably had it all planned the entire time. His sense of awe was crushed however when the ‘booming’ voice cut through the tree limbs to his ears and his hands sparked as black ‘Hellfire’ burned away the plant parts around him. Standing up and flexing out his wings his eyes scanning the room before resting on Holti up in the ‘trees’. “Sorry kid, I really don’t want to do this! Duck!” He yelled trying as hard as he could to fight whatever was going on as his hand drew back before throwing a baseball sized fireball right at the other hero.