Factory Showdown

There was an audible pop as the black hole spat out Dan's leg before folding in on itself. Dan half expected the black hole to continue condensing in on itself until a much bigger black hole formed, but there was just a slight breeze.

He gave his leg a once over, not to see if he was harmed, at this point DANGER DAN! was fully convinced that anything short of point blank annihilation could actually affect him....that or maybe a really big nuke. No, he was making sure his signature bright yellow suit wasn't stained, getting stains out of rubber is a hassle.

 Suddenly another black hole formed and spit out the would-be hero. There was something familiar about the young hero, but he couldn't quite place it. Whoever he was, he definitely earned himself some respect points for complimenting Dan's costume. Few could rock the obnoxiously vibrant yellow that he could.

Regardless, Dan was not here to be buttered up, he had a job to do! Dramatically pointing at the hero he exclaimed. "Aha! You've fallen right into my trap! 90's Girl softened you up and like a sheepdog herding cattle you've been quarreled to me! Beaten, berated, and bruised, you are completely at the mercy of DANGER DAN!! I give you but one chance to surrender and save your miserable life! Aha!" Followed up by striking villainous pose #28, a clenched fist pointing towards the hero at a slight angle.

Sam tilted his head ever so slightly at the phrase '90's girl', but no matter. This was serious business. Especially since this villain was acting in the vein of a comic book villain. Part of Sam wanted to let out a yelp of joy. He had always wanted to do this. It seemed like fun. Though, the person above...this...90's girl as the yellow suited man called her was still very dangerous. Further, he didn't even know what this villain could do. He could do anything. Another thing Sam let his mind fawn over for a moment. He was sure it was something cool. But regardless...he had to act.

He straightened up a bit, ignoring the pain in his stomach from the previous punch he had received. With a cool (and totally not fake) look he stared at DANGER DAN! with a new found determination. "Villain." He said in a voice a few tones deeper than his usual style, he was going very much for the same cliche manner of talking that DANGER DAN! had embarked upon, though it was far from subtle that Sam was playing along. Especially comparing it to the previous way of talking. "Your threats will not dishearten me! A hero never surrenders!" With that, he did his own generic hero pose, even going as far as pointing dramatically at him, "I shall instead give YOU one chance to surrender or we shall engage in combat! Please, take this one chance! I do not wish to do anything that may cause you any harm!" He finished with another generic dramatic pose.

Of course, with how loud he was talking it was obvious that it was all just an act to go along with DANGER DAN!'s. Further, the tone at which they were speaking was probably loud enough to be heard through the thin metal of the building where Aria still resided, more than likely alerting her to what was going on down here.

Internally, during this entire situation, Sam was taking it rather seriously. He was plotting out potential moves and ways he could get out. He honestly didn't want to get caught in this kind of fight. His job was to protect the memory stick, not to capture and beat villains...as much as it pained him to admit. But they were after him, not anyone else. So, for now he would focus on getting away. There was the building behind DANGER DAN! and then there was the building behind. He could open a portal and escape into there. But...it'd be easy enough to track and follow him. He could go to the roof, maybe? Or...

Somewhere...somewhere nearby...he couldn't quite place it, but he could hear the very faint sound of water running. But from where? Where was it coming from? It sounded like it was coming from inside somewhere, but as far as he could tell there was no more structures he could run to. Unless it was...

Aria grew a little frustrated and bored at the lack of response, guess it was time to be a little more proactive. Fortunately she heard the commotion of what sounded like a Saturday morning cartoon, obviously that Dan moron and the other poser hero boy. "Well... Been a while since I've been blown off this bad, oh well. HAH!" And with that Aria let out a burst of psionic energy at the window like ripples of heat or water. The window exploded outward showering glass down below. Aria leaped out and fell with incredible speed using another psionic blast to propel herself towards the ground. With her body even that impact did nothing to hurt her but it did have the effect of kicking up a dust cloud around her. She landed on her palms and feet crouched down before standing back up and cracking her neck to one side.

"So... if you two are done playing cops and robbers I'm feeling like laying some sick beats on your face portal boy." Aria didn't care much for using her powers as it was kind of a boring way to fight, didn't like others using powers either but ces't la vie. Also she'd get wicked head aches from using them too much, in this case an exception would be made because of Sam's portal jumping. Unfortunately for Sam Aria was now close enough that his thoughts of escape would be easy to pick up. If he tried to jump through a portal she'd react and pull him away with her telekinesis.

Staring at the hero, Dan was at a loss for words. In the months of him deciding to be villainous not once did any hero or villain for that matter show appreciation for his craft. Whoever this familiar guy was, he not only approved of it, but also joined in on the hammy antics! Dan had half the mind to break character to show his appreciation to an obvious scholar of the finer arts, but alas, that's not how comics work and as the most vile of villains, DANGER DAN! could show no goodness to a worthy foe. For now he'd keep up his act and do his job but he had a far more important task now. If all went well, DANGER DAN! could finally have his nemesis, his rival, the pure to his corruption, the bringer of joy to his misery, the...uh...the good to his bad. Whoever this hero was, he really hoped 90's Girl didn't fuck things and end up killing him.

He was about to strike Villain Pose #3 (A dramatic pointing with squared up shoulders and chin held high giving the impression of stern lecture.) when 90's Girl Kool-Aid Man'd out of the building and did a not so impressive Hero Pose #17 (The classic super hero landing where the hero announces their entrance to the scene as dramatically as possible with reckless abandon to how much the damaged to the pavement is going to cost the city.). She proceeded to insult him some more and he was having a hard time believing she could actually talk without being a complete B...Maybe that was her image? Regardless, she didn't appreciate the finer arts like his new (hopefully) nemesis.

"Muahahaha! As you can see, you are surrounded , cornered, like a rat in the paws of a cat, or in 90's Girl's case, a Furby. Clearly you understand your situation is DANGEROUS so I'll say it once more. Surrender!"

It was two against one again, it was going to be an uphill battle. The real problem with the situation was not that he was outnumbered, rather he didn't fully understand his enemies or their abilities. He hadn't seen DANGER DAN act and he only felt how hard 90s girl can hit. Other than that, he was relatively in the dark about the situation. They wanted the flash drive, but for what? And how far would they be willing to go to get it? DANGER DAN didn't seem like the murdering for a cause sort of person, but 90s girl...

There were a lot of variables and he didn't have time to put all that much thought into it. He just had to act. He had to be a hero in the moment. So, he slid a foot back taking a defensive stance as he switched his gaze between the two villains before him. He cracked a smirk, looking over to the DANGER DAN. "Villain! It doesn't matter how dangerous a situation is, a hero, even when their back is to the wall will fight on, fight for what's right." It was partly for show, but he did believe in that. At least, that's what Mel had always taught him. To true values that a hero should stand for.

The situation was tough, but he was gonna find a way out of it. So, what did he need to do first? The answer was simple...break their formation, create an opening and then act. Do something other than just stand and wait for them to engage. An attack first. His eyes darted to DANGER DAN and in an instant, unless he was quick enough to dodge, a portal would open up right beneath his feet, the connecting portal would open up right above of Aria, and if it went according to Sam's plan, DANGER DAN would drop on top of her. Then phase two of the plan. A large circular portal opened up in front of Sam, but its connecting one was somewhere random, up on the roof. He didn't intend to use it. It was a distraction for a third portal, one beneath which would drop him into the location he had picked up before. A large drainage pipe right below them, where he had heard that dripping. At least, that was the plan unless one of the villains moved to stop or follow him. If the plan went without a hitch he would land ankle deep into the some swampy water.

The problem with fighting a telepath who is also a martial artist is getting the drop on them with moves or techniques. She could use her powers right now to just outright try and murder Sam by freezing or immolating him, but that wasn't sporting or amusing. Aria had a complex that made her sort of believe powers were a crutch and she could do more with two fists and shit talk. She was by no means a mindless brute and actually had a mind to rival Cebra, this was all just preference even when she was being employed she was this way.

Aria picked up immediately on what Sam was thinking and a sly smirk crossed her face as she stood ready. Aria wasn't sure how durable Dan was or how much damage he could take before dying, but bringing Dan back wasn't part of the deal so whatever. The second Dan came out of the portal above her Aria responded with incredible reflexes catching Dan in a psionic field, the air around him rippled and then he was ignited in a massive pyre. Whether he protested or not wasn't even a concern as Aria leaped up and... "CATCH!" Roundhouse kicked Dan like a flaming beachball high enough to arc over the first portal she knew was a distraction. Hopefully she was fast enough to intercept Sam as she didn't want to go chasing him around.

The world shifted as Dan suddenly experienced free-fall as he sunk through the portal. Had he not been focusing on his posturing he might of been able to dodge the portal, but this was the price to pay for looking cool.

Before he could get his bearings as to where he was portal'd to he felt an incredibly warm sensation as his body was engulfed in flames further disorienting him. As if things weren't bad enough, he heard 90's Girl shout something before kicking him hard enough to pulverize his chest had he not been indestructible. And so there Dan was, sailing through the air, on fire, resisting the urge to vomit his Taco Bell.

The only saving grace was that 90s Girl kicked him towards his soon to be arch nemesis. Seeing an opportunity Dan shifted himself mid-air into a dive bomb to deliver a flaming elbow drop...Bad. Ass.

Sam...had not expected that move in the slightest. It was rare that an enemy would try and spike a projectile over his portal, let alone another person. He could see that elbow coming, but his plan had already been set in motion. The portal beneath his feet, he was falling through it. The only problem was that Dan had no way of stopping himself and Sam didn't have enough time to figure out a safe way to open a portal in front of him to send him somewhere else. The velocity he was going...he would either slam into a wall or the ground...or he'd be flung too high and fall hurt his back. There was nowhere he could open a portal to help him avoid getting seriously hurt.

He raised his arms as best he could to block the almighty bad ass elbow drop, trying to soften the impact of it, though...it still stung like heck when it connected to him. Of course, now...both him and Dan would now fall through the portal to Sam's original destination in mind. The two would fall down, down below and into the sewer tunnel right below where they stood. That had been the sound of water he had picked up before. He had wanted to use it make a quick escape, but now...with Dan here...that wasn't really an option.

Down below in the tunnel it would be...not dark, but low light. A single light from the sun above shown down from the sewer grate and there were still a few, barely glowing, lights along the tunnel keeping it lit. The place was still abandoned which meant trash and water flow was low, but it was still connected to the overall system and would occasionally need work. There was a faint stank in the air, but not overbearingly so. It was well spaced too, you could fit and drive and entire car down here, provided it wasn't too big of course.

Sam was quick to try and push Dan off of him and roll to his feet, giving a few pants. It lightly echoed through the tunnel which didn't bode well in staying stealthy. Especially since Dan would probably get loud and announce what had happen or do something bold like that. As cool as it was, it wasn't great timing. He wished, just for the moment, that they could have a talk using inside voices. 90's girl, as Dan had called her, was the real threat...probably. He still didn't actually know what Dan did and that was...a bit worrisome, especially since they were now trapped together in an enclosed location. If it was fire or anything to do with the earth or stone that could quickly turn south for Sam. For the time being Sam had to try and either get Dan to talk at a normal level or maybe...if things did go south, he was outnumbered and 90's Girl seemed pretty tough...if things did go south he needed to be able to get something out of this. Something so that all the efforts wouldn't go to waste. He needed something to make sure that they weren't empty handed in case the worse did happen.

Sam would try and straighten himself, granted that Dan had been pushed off to begin with. Regardless of whether or not he had, Sam would speak. "You know..." He spoke quietly, both to try and encourage Dan to do the same and also to sound semi-dramatic, hoping Dan would play along. Of course, it would also be geninue. Sam believed in what he had to say. "I don't know what you're goal is or what your relation to Chimera is, but you don't need to do this. Be the villain. Don't know what drove you to this, but you know...anyone can turn around. I'd be willing to help if you wanted to." He smiled, a feature that was still shown despite his darkened skin. He'd actually blend it pretty well down here. "I am curious though, are you the big boss? You seem like you could be? Got that aura to you. If you're not, I wonder who could actually compare to you." He scratched the back of his head, "Regardless, you've done pretty good for yourself. Us heroes have had a hard time pinning down where you lot are hiding out." Maybe, just maybe, Sam could get some info out of this guy.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Aria screams as the two of them vanish into a portal. "GOD FUCKING!... uuuuuuuugh." She paces back and forth around where the portal was trying her hardest to focus her mind, but it mattered very little as they could be anywhere as far as she knew. She folds her arms and bites her bottom lip thinking how she can track down someone who's got teleportation, also a bit irritated this wasn't mentioned by the guy hiring her. "Fuck this is why we dont take on merc work, I wish Cebra were... no." she thought to herself as her eyes scanned the ground. She could have sworn for a second their was an echoey voice coming from a sewer drain, alright then this was something to follow. Aria stood before a large open space with a single large manhole cover, she turned her gaze to a wrecking ball hanging from a crane. "Huh... Why not?"

Her eyes focus in on the wrecking ball as a translucent aura engulfs the giant sphere and raises it a little higher than it's current position. It levitates over a section of the open area still linked to the vehicle part being pulled along. "Aaaaaand there." Aria releases the wrecking ball from her psychic grasp. It came crashing down at a terrible speed and exploded the concrete beneath like some concussion weapon. Much of the road crumbled and Aria was almost caught in the blast if it wasn't for a near by shipping crate she took cover behind. The hole the wrecking ball made went directly into the sewer and then down deeper to another layer of sewers, seems she made a bit of a mess. "Oh well" she thought as she climbed down to the first level. She couldn't tell which way to go unfortunately so she started to stealthily move along in one direction and listen carefully for noise.

DANGER DAN! brushed himself off, or at least he tried to. The dirt, grime, and slime of a sewer always had a weird way of sticking on you no matter how many times you wipe yourself down. He had an ongoing suspicion that this must be the work of a villain weaponizing the sewers. Maybe there was a Rat King down here with an army of agile Turtle-Men plotting to overrun the city with their filth. He made a note to himself to buy some over-sized mouse traps and spend the next few days preventing the up-rise. If anyone was going to ruin this city, it was DANGER DAN! the most DANGEROUS villain yet! He was damn sure he wasn't going to get upstaged by mutant rodents. He felt an evil cackle coming but was stopped as his soon to be nemesis stage whispered at him for some reason.

Dan nodded along as the hero played on his ego in an obvious fishing for info, but still felt a sense of pride and accomplishment over the praise nonetheless. He looked around once the hero finished his questions for any sort of cameras or witnesses. The hero didn't seem the type to film his exploits, but you can never be safe when it came to tabloids and eager reporters. He still remembered how one reporter miraculously broke into the secret lair of Murder Skull only to have his skull well....Murdered.

Turning back to the hero Dan spoke in his normal voice. There was no bravado or random words shouted for emphasis, just a voice you'd expect to hear from a guy ordering food instead of one of the most DANGEROUS villains ever.

"You're not recording this right? If you are then don't upload it, gotta keep up the image here...Anyways, thanks for the compliments but no, I'm just hired for the job here.  I may be a villain, but I'm certainly not evil like Chimera which is why I'm going to ask you to give me the package. You don't want this kind of heat, they will kill you or your family once they find out who you are. Just give me the flash drive and go on your way."

Dan sort of wished he could just let the hero get away but it wasn't much of an option for him. His reputation would take a hit, Chimera would get pissed, and he wouldn't get enough money to pay rent this month.

"Look, we probably have a few minutes before 90's girl makes her dynamic entry, so you need to make a choice here. While you think on that though I want to give you this..."

Dan reached into his wallet and pulls out his Starbucks punch card before stowing it away and pulling out a bright yellow card with bold black text giving contact information to a throw away email and phone number.

"You're actually the person to play along with my act. Most people just insult me like 90s girl. We should collab sometime. Fans love a recurring nemesis. It would help both of our careers."

He held the yellow card outstretched hoping the hero would grab it.

"Oh, by the way, still don't know what your name is."

Sam was, needless to say, surprised by the sudden tonal shift of Dan. He honestly didn't think that he'd settle down and talk like a normal person. He wasn't opposed to the shift, but it caught him off guard to say the least. It made Sam smile a bit. Maybe if he could talk with this amount of reason then maybe he could be talked out of this life of crime. Probably not today, but eventually. It was a heroes job to save everyone they could, villains included, and if there was a chance he could save Dan he sure as heck was gonna try it.

Then came the card and Sam paused for a moment. Did heroes and villains really give out cards to each other? Was this a thing? He'd have to talk to Mel about this. He knew there were sponsorships from organizations, but never on the villain end of things. He would have to look into this. He wasn't quite interested in the collab projects, but it'd be a chance to try meet up and set him right, maybe talk him out of things. Maybe he could even set him on the path of being a hero.

Smiling softly at Dan he reached out for the card, by all means wanting to take it. Of course, this could've been a trap, but somehow he doubted that. Dan didn't seem the type to spring something this sudden at someone. However, before his hand could even reach the card there was a sudden and violent shaking from above. The concrete above let loose fragments and dust which fell upon the two. There was a loud boom crash and it seemed as though the ceiling above was going to collapse on them. Without rightly thinking of destination, Sam opened a portal behind Dan and tackled him through it.

When they came through the other end they would find themselves above ground, inches from where the wrecking ball had come crashing down. Sam breathed heavy breaths as he stood back up, brushing himself off of the rubble. His attention was now away from Dan, knowing that he was at least safe. He wanted to find whatever just did that and make sure more danger wasn't coming. But again...what could he do against such force?

He'd think of something...right?

Aria roams the rather stench ridden pathways of the sewer looking for any sign of those two morons, it was starting to seriously grate on her nerves. So bad to the point she considered not even offering a fair fight. A loud sigh raggedly growled out as she looks upwards thinking of an easy way out. This was all starting to seem like a chase more than a fight and that wasn't what she considered amusing, but a job is a job so she might as well see this annoyance to the end. "Ah fuck this!" Aria screams before focusing her powers directly above her, her telepathy tore and battered the brick and stone above in a translucent force. The battering wouldn't be quiet either making violent seismic activity above like a quake.

It wasn't long before she breached the surface, but at the same time the falling debris hit her. Nothing too bad though a few bruises on her arms from protecting herself. "Fucking.... ugh, I hate this I hate all of today." She uses her powers to leap up high before landing on the surface again, oddly enough she can vaguely sense Dan's thought meaning they're in the immediate area. The dust cloud has yet to settle as Aria scans the immediate area with her mind trying to pin down the hero boys location.

Once again it looked like 90s girl was ruining this DANGEROUS Deed for him. He had him, the hero was reaching out for the card! If only she hadn't decided to destroy everything and collapsed the roof? floor? Dan wasn't really sure what the ceiling of a sewer would be called. Most people stood above and walked on top of it like a floor, but down here you couldn't really walk on the ceiling. Maybe if you were like a Vampire or something...Another question to figure out later. Still, Dan was mad over his schemes being interrupted.

It came as a surprise when the hero (who by the way still hasn't given him their name yet) suddenly tackled him through a portal. Didn't he know the most DASTARDLY OF DANS! was indestructible? A mere few tons of rubble would not be enough to kill him...On the second thought, Dan probably would have suffocated under the cave-in. He wished he could have thanked the hero for the rescue but had to act the part again now that they are outside.

While Portal Guy (Because seriously, how could this guy not say his own name yet, doesn't he want to be known?) was recovering from his DARING escape, Dan took advantage of him being distracted. Lunging from behind THE DUKE OF DANGER! grabbed Portal Guy and put him into a head-lock and tried to drag him into the ground while yelling out for 90's girl to get her ass over here.

At first, Sam felt a wave of relief wash over him as he managed to get both him and the criminal out of the dangerous situation. The idea of getting buried alive, understandably so, was not an appealing outcome. This feeling, however, was one that wouldn't last as he felt a new force upon him. As he turned his head to see that the man he had just saved, something he still didn't regret, was wrapping his hands around him, placing him into a headlock.

Sam did what he could to keep his balance, doing everything he could to not be taken down to the ground. Dan wasn't all that strong, at least, he didn't feel that way. He had been training with Melody after all. Day after day she knocked him to his ass, this was nothing compared to that training. Still. He called for that back up and the woman up there was something else. She had, what seemed to be, greater power, power that could rightly do damage to him. The thought of that wasn't great.

Now, Sam had to make a choice...either try and fight them both, run away, or try and make a deal. He didn't like he was in a position for the first or last option, and being held so vigorously eliminated the middle choice...what other options were there though?

He casted a glance over his shoulder at Dan, frowning deeply. "Hey man, come on, you don't wanna do this." He urged. As he spoke, however, he shifted a hand to his own front pocket. There he would open a small portal, connecting it to the inside of Dan's pocket, trying to grab whatever he could find in it. "You're better than this. You don't need to be the bad guy." He felt as though he could break out at any moment, but he made his decision. He would get information out of these two, one way or another.

Well seems like no one was itching to fight Aria. probably a smart choice to keep running. Fortunately Dan wasn't as useless as he seemed. It didn't take a minute before Aria came upon the two idiots groping each other. She'd lost any bit of patience she once had and was simply going to resort to her psionics. "Ok so this ends right here nerds." Her pupils constrict as her eyes go wide and a translucent force would envelope both Dan and Sam. The psionic force would keep them still as Aria walked closer, as she arrived she would toss Dan aside like a second thought and deadpan stare at Sam. She would go to reach into his pocket and remove the device. "Well then, now that I have what I came for. I suppose you both want some alone time." She'd mock.

Aria was unfortunately for Sam a little vindictive, making her run all over the place was frustrating as all fuck. Not quite finished with Sam she'd grab his collar and pull him close. "For your sake, I hope you dont run into me again sweety. You're quite vexing." She smirks quite maliciously right before releasing him and she'd go for a brutal roundhouse kick to the face that would send him flying into a stack of concrete sewer pipes. With the data in hand and Sam hopefully delt with she could return to her employer. She was a little disappointed there was no real brawl but work is work.

There was a moment of disbelief as the same data card was taken from him. There was also a lot of moments of pain that followed that as he was suddenly released from Dan's grip and sent flying back into a bunch of concrete sewer pipes. He had some resistance to damage but man that hurt like a kick to the head. Probably because that was a kick to the head. Her words were interesting, sassy, but...interesting. A villain willing to kill alongside a villain that didn't really seem to have the same motive? What would Dan think of her actions? It was honestly hard to tell, but slowly Sam managed to get back to his feet, shaking his head once.

"Ooooh, good..." He grunted out, managing to keep his balance despite the pain. He would look to where the girl had once stood, his brow furrowing, a deep frown on his face. Whether she was moving away now or if she was still in the same place, Sam would open up a portal around her leg, hopefully making her trip for a moment. Another portal would up besides her, not too big mind you, but soon his hand appeared from it, reaching for her hand, trying to make a grab for the card. He had a job to do and he wouldn't let it end so easily. Despite pain, he really couldn't let this go. What would Melody say? Probably scolding him or saying something along the lines of it being too important for him to have taken on alone. Maybe that he wasn't a match for them? Or maybe that was his own thinking. Maybe they did have him beat. But again, a hero's job isn't too be better than a villain, it's to stand up to them regardless of the difference of power.

Of course, while he worked he kept his gaze shifting between the two. While Dan didn't seem all that dangerous he was still a threat that shouldn't be taken lightly. Further, if the girl made a move to strike him or grab his arm he had to be ready to pull back. It would be awkward situation if he was suddenly grabbed as well...he'd have to come up with a plan on the fly if he was gonna get the data card and get out of here alive. Worst case scenario he could try to...maybe...