Ruining Everything

It was just a normal day in Oklahoma City, Joe's hometown. He'd been helping his mother around the house, given he stayed with her after his father all but shunned him for his work as a hero. 'No child of mine will put himself in the line of fire from those villains for recognition. Put those powers to practical use.' he'd say. Some dad he was. At least mom supported him. Joe felt blessed to have a mom like his. Even if she wasn't the best off, mom always put the extra mile to help him out with whatever he needed. Of course, today was that fateful day, that day he'd finally suit up for the first time. Not that he'd planned for it, god no. Joe dreaded that day, but looked out for it regardless. He wanted prestige and recognition, but detested the idea of risking his life for it. Not that he wouldn't, again, Joe would be willing to, disguising his desire to finally be welcomed as an altruistic motive of good.

"The Harvest Acres Bank is currently under a heavy police presence as at least one confirmed Super Villain inside is raiding the vault for its gold! Heroes are allegedly en route, people. We'll keep you posted." That charming weatherboy said over the TV, only for Joe to freeze in place, holding a bowl of half-eaten macaroni. His mother gave him that knowing look, nodding with a single, slow breath, clear nerves showing. She didn't want to lose her baby boy, but this was what life he wanted to live. With that crude, lined mask on his head fitting like a sock, that ragged, thick hooded coat, and those sweatpants sewn on with small bits of skater gear, Joe donned his hodgepodge garb of a hero, took the nearest thing he could find for a projectile, in this case, a bag of marbles, and ran out as fast as he could.

With focus falling into the center of his body, letting the current of vector-altering psionic power course across his skin, dancing like a thousand ants across his flesh, Joe jumped into the air, and let his powers carry him. A little shaky in the air, almost neutering himself on a wire or two, Grav managed to fall almost face first as he approached the scene of the ongoing crime. Pressure from law enforcement was tough here. He'd need to wait this out until he had a clear shot to get in, and hopefully prove his worth. He looked stupid, he felt stupid... Grav wasn't sure this was the life he wanted.

No. Mom was counting on this, everyone was.

Finally, he leaps ahead and over, trying to land like those superheroes in the comics and in those web documentaries, a single thunk as he cleared the police barricade, trying to put on a bit of a show by causing his body to spark a little, levitating just enough to prove he had powers, only to charge headlong in, heart in his throat, beating heavier and heavier. He was going to die, but... was it so bad? At least he'd go out a hero. Grav gets to the door, and immediately steps aside, coordinating with the police to some extent, trying to clear the door by using his vector redirection, pulling back just enough to cause the barricaded door to creak, he focused all his strength forward, and with the help of his vector-alteration, blew the door and its barricade off its hinges, only to cause himself to grow dizzy for a brief second, nearly losing balance.

...yeah, he was gonna die.

The loud wail of the sirens cut through even the loud music Kubi was listening to and he stopped, staring at the bank. Somethin’ was going down at Harvest Acres. Now, Kubi hadn’t been in the area long, but he knew it was just a small thing, locally owned type of bullshit. Seriously, what kind of people would rob just some poor little millionaire trying to get by?! … stupid question, moving on. For a moment, Kubi wasn’t sure what to do; he may the special fucking … well, costume underneath his normal clothes, doesn’t mean he wanted to fuck around with villains. Retirement suited him, he had groceries hanging off his arm, he had to go home and feed his cat. He almost left, too, until some bumbling idiot landed, showed off with literal pizzaz, and then proceeded to practically shove his nose straight up the ass of the police.

Kubi just sighed. Now he didn’t have a choice. But he didn’t have to be happy about it.

”Hold this fer me.”

He held the plastic bag full of canned goods out to the cop; for a moment, the officer looked about to argue, but considering the police officer came up to about his belly button, and Kubi was already pissed off, his protest didn’t last for long. Good choice. Now … with a flex of his muscles, Kubi shredded the clothes he was wearing. Underneath, a brown and white, across the chest emblazoned with the image of a brown bear. As he walked towards the location of the bank heist (casually moving a cement divider out of his way) he slipped a mask on his face, covering his eyes and nose with the fascimile of a growling bear. He thought it looked cool as hell. Didn’t use it much anymore, though, so hey, maybe this wasn’t entirely a waste.

It appeared as if this new hero was taking control of the situation. Huh. We’ll see how long that lasts. This new guy seemed super green and was liable to do more harm than good. Still, no need to go in without an entrance. As he walked, as suddenly as the morning mist, brown energy swirled around him, strengthening, forming claws, thick skin, and over his head the image of a bear. It was slightly see through, but for all intents and purposes, it was like a suit of armor. And every good suit of armor needed a weapon. As easily and quickly as plucking a flower, Kubi ripped the door off the bank. Swinging it back and forth for a moment, just testing the weight, he marched into the bank.

Jack had been having one of those days. He had been trying to go straight for a while, but somewhere in his sick twisted little mind it just made him annoyed to do anything. Luckily, he found just what he needed. A bad influence in a tight little package. Kitty Russel was actually an old friend. Jack needed to be reminded of why he became a villain in the first place. Somewhere in the back of his mind, the pumpkin-headed demon that was permanently fused to his psychopathic human host, tried to convince him to do otherwise. It was sort of funny. If anyone asked Jack what he was, and he explained his situation they’d probably assume it was just the demon attaching itself to some poor little human man. Humans were helpless after all. Not Jack though. Jack was possessing the demon. He went insubstantial and flew beneath the woman he had known for so long.

He popped up just in front of her. He was wearing his Sunday best. He hadn't even noticed that she had been in a bank when he spotted her. He kind of playfully stuck out his vine-like tongue. "Hey, Kitty Cat! I don't mean to interrupt, but I'm so painfully bored and why I just happened to see you in this here bankruptcy and rudeness generator!" Jack swooned as he explained how bored he had been. Jack then noticed something. A man who clearly didn't recognize him for what he was glaring directly at him. Apparently, he didn't appreciate Jack's use of his powers to get ahead of him. He could tell because the man was yelling in his face about it.

"Oh miss Kitty, please tell me you keep your claws sharp." Jack suddenly began to transform into a massive fire-breathing hellhound. "Because this guy is going to need some cat-scratch fever momentarily." As he spoke, his voice went from the melodramatic, light-ish tone that he tried to put on when kidding around; to a rough, demonic growl.

The man behind him screamed, the bank teller screamed, Jack screamed, and then pulled the man limb from limb; splattering gore on the windows of the bank. The bank teller immediately slammed her fist on the emergency button, but Jack knocked over a pillar; blocking their exit. "Welcome to your nightmare, ladies and gentleman. I'll be your sandman."

Harry leans back in his computer chair, watching the news while in his underwear. He slurped noodles from a take-out-box as he viewed a high intensity robbery going on in a local bank. There was already someone on scene taking care of it, but they didn't look to prepared in their pajamas. He watched as the guy flew about on screen, going absolutely nuts. Harry bursts out laughing at the man. What an absolute disgrace of a hero. However, with such a low level hero, the bank would likely be easy to rob while nobody is looking...

Harry grabs his suit and throws it on over his underwear. It smells of pizza, sweat, and... Other undesirable stenches. He gags and wishes he purchased nose plugs before taking a trip to Oklahoma. Harry has to recalibrate his lenses after getting socked in the face by one of those super strength heroes. Not fun. He had ended up with a black eye, but still got away with most of the cash.

Anyway, Harry opens up his windowsill and leaps out, grabbing the top of the window with his fingertips and then leaping off, soaring through the air. He fires a wrist mounted hook at a building and swings around it, continuing in the direction of the bank. After a few minutes, he's there, perched atop The building beside the bank. He peers down at the bank, his goggles zooming in for him.

"Time to get a closer view."

Lucas was... walking.
Now he really wished he had a motorcycle, he was sure, as long as he got something that could maybe take a tank round, and then he’s good… That’s not asking for too much, right?

Like, I mean of course it’s a tank round, but there must be some kind of metal out there that can take a hit like that and doesn't weigh a thousand pounds, or one that self recovers. Maybe if I soaked the metal in my blood for long enough? Might work, I dunno. Well wait no, I used to keep my gun in my flesh, if it didn't transform from sitting in there for so long…

One day, he was going to have a sweet ride, and won't have to freaking walk everywhere. Of course he could always just use his limit breaking to get places, but it draws too much attention, as would any man running 30 Mph. And plus, motorcycles look kind of cool, also, he doesn't need any helmet. Of course though, there would be a big road stain afterwards… Eh, that’s a problem to cross off the list later, right now there was police sirens. He quickened his pace a little going into a solid jog, before getting a bit faster, feet hitting pavement with harder and harder impact, pushing faster and faster with his legs. He got there after a while to see… A really, really big man, and some hero who had like, a junk suit? Well, homemade. He stepped in close, no need to tell the officer’s what he was up to, if they decided to shoot, let them, the hell that going to even do?

He stepped towards the big man and noticed a bit better who the hell it was.

“Ah! Kubi… The hell you doing here, who in the heck would bring a guy like you over?”

He looked towards the bank, and then knew why…

“Oh, so were in a fricking pickle ay? Or would it be a pumpkin? Nevermind… Looks like he barred the main entrance, and I bet there ain't no easy way in the other ways, I’m gonna go up to the side, I ain't gonna try and punch through no stone, and hey, if anything gonna hit me, I’d be fine.”

Lucas would start walking over to the side entrance, after trying the door, locked to no surprise, he would try a good hard twist, hearing a satisfying click before stopping, wrist twisted awkwardly before snapping back into place, he would saunter in unless Jack would say or do something to possibly change his mind.

You would think, with all the money and resources of the Russell family, she’d have someone to do this sort of thing for her. The matriarch of the Russell family waited; she had things to do, people to bribe do business with. Queuing in a line was just wasting time, particularly with the ancient mummy in front of her. She tapped her foot impatiently; honestly, how long does it take to make a withdrawal? Out of the corner of her eyes, her counterparts seemed to agree, only Apophis seeming to not be affected by the wait. Isis, ever the pragmatist, was meditating, her flickering, see-through frame sitting on the counter of the bank; somehow, the sight of it only served to irritate Katrina even more.

”Y’know. You could always kill her.”

A tug on her shoulder and she swatted the hand off; of all the annoyances, “Kitty” was perhaps the worst. She was just … too much, and completely unaffected by anything Katrina had to say to her. And, though she would never admit this, she was scared of her; it was like looking in a mirror at the woman she might have become if things went different. She did not like the comparison. As Katrina swatted her hand away, Kitty giggled, pouncing away like a ballerina to lean against this old woman, currently struggling with her wallet. Bright blue eyes pierced straight into the soul of the woman, a twisted, maniacal smile on her face, the entire framed by the intense glare of the Duchess of Cumberland.

”You can just kill her. That’ll get the line moving.”

A sigh burst from her lips. She had never been more glad that the Reflections couldn’t actually affect the world. But before she could say anything, all hell broke loose, almost literally. Suddenly from the floor, a cloaked figure, glowing eyes, pumpkin head, and Katrina gasped, dropping the bag full of money she was planning to deposit. Her hand clutched her heart and she leaped back, chest beating rapidly, eyes wide; beside her, suddenly, Isis was there, her phantom form raised to fight him. From the shadows, Apophis watched. Behind him, however, Kitty squealed in a noise of pure joy.

”Jack, darling!”

Like a sudden gust of wind, she changed. The golden amulet bouncing on her chest glowed; more specifically, the triangle slice of diamond, set in the left, glowed fiercely. With this came a white dress, transforming from the pantsuit she was wearing, a golden mask, and of course bare feet. Like an image superimposed, for a second both images were visible, struggling for control, until one was thrust out, leaving the masked villain behind. Immediately, she gasped, then threw her arms around the pumpkin-headed criminal.

”Oh, did I miss you, Jack! Does this mean you decided to put that whole “going straight” nonsense to rest?”

The posh accent, subdued before, was now much more pronounced and with an edge to it that seemed to hint at insanity. She didn’t linger on the hug for long; oh no, not when there was things to do. Her first order of business? A maniacal grin spread across her features. From behind her, she gripped her beloved weapon, the Spear of Nut, the long, beautiful shaft gleaming. So many pathetic, screaming lives to claim. A quick glance at Jack and a sarcastic, much more maniacal grin.

”Aww. Well, Sandman, let me help ya out!”

A deranged giggle. Then, green cuffs appeared on her wrists, traveling down her arms and focusing over her chest. One additional ring appeared, at the end of the spear. Another giggle, and then green fire leapt out from the tip of the spear and her spare hand, covering the floor like a carpet. But nothing was burned, no; it was transmuted, along with the shoes of the civilians, into sand, the tiny particles leaping like popcorn kernels from the floor. The screams got more intense as suddenly, the victims were lodged knee-deep in sand, stuck until rescued. Now, this was getting old. The green flashed red and in a flash, she brought the shaft of the spear against the nearest man; like a bat against a rotten melon, his head burst, splattering his gore everywhere.

”As beautiful as your screaming is, if you continue, I’ll have to kill you! Seriously, what is with peasants and screaming? It’s all they do, besides be ugly.”

This last part she mentioned as an aside to Jack, shaking her head at their audacity. She didn’t wait long for an answer, however. The red turned green once again and more green flames burst from the tip of the spear, this one aimed at the vault. The giant metal door held for a second, but only just; and then like fish swimming upriver, a wall of sand burst, showering the room in the tiny little granules. Kitty darted through, eyes practically sparkling with the jewels from within.

”Hey, Jack! Y’ want some of this? Cuz if not, I’ll burn it all!”

A handful of gems, a scattered mix of sapphires and emeralds, was right in front of her, and these she picked up, examining them. Flawless, how lovely. They turned to sand in her hand and she dusted them off her palm. Just as she reached for another pile of coins to turn to sand, the blast of the front door buckling caught her attention. A flicker of magic, and she activated her Golden Crown. Like a spider, she clambered across the ceiling, watching the scene unfold. Anger roiled in her at the sight; damn superheroes, thinking they’re all that. She was half-tempted to engage them here and now, but … well, that would show their hands.

It was a beautiful mess inside the bank; knee deep sand with half a dozen civilians stuck, blood and gore staining the sand; two supervillains, one in the middle of the floor, one in the rafters. A thief, climbing in through a window. Two heroes at the front, one coming in the side. Man, it was going to be fun.

"You know, one day, I'm gonna get to go to a bank that's not being robbed," he muttered to himself as he watched a pumpkin-headed man pop out of the floor, ramble to, what appeared to be, a rather attractive young woman, turn into a large dog, and then rip a man limb-from-limb. Just as he was about to step forward and intervene, the woman changed, her pantsuit being changed for a white dress, and a spear appearing as well. She let a blast of green fire shoot out, and the floor changed into sand, causing everyone in the bank, Gavin included, to sink to their knees. With another flash of light, she turned the spear, hitting a man in the head and causing it to explode.

With a frown, Gavin reached into his bag and pulled out a small steel arrowhead. Wading through the sand, he clenched his fist around the dull arrowhead, moving towards the vault. He was halfway to the vault when the front door exploded inwards. He grunted, and lifted his hands to catch the pillar as it flew towards him, his body suddenly a shining steel pillar in the middle of the sand that had once been the banks floor.

With a grunt, he slid backwards in the sand, his arms wrapped around the pillar. Letting out a sigh, he lowered the pillar slowly, and stared at the door. There, trying to catch his balance stood a lanky young man, probably in his late teens.

"I don't believe there's any reason to cause any more property damage than has already been done," he stated, his tone reproachful. Just as he was about to speak again, a second figure entered behind the first. This one was as large as Gavin. Larger, even, with that brown mist swirling around him. And a door in his hands? A shield? Well, who was he to point fingers. He was holding a support pillar for the bank lobby in his arms, standing knee deep in sand, made entirely of steel, while a pumpkin-headed man and a woman wielding a spear killed people and robbed the vault.

This was stressing him out. So many people just showed, and poor Joe felt outclassed in SPADES by these guys! There were REAL villains here! Real bad fellas, at that. He could smell the foul stench of blood sailing in his mask and nostrils as he passed the threshold alongside Kubi. "Please don't be superpowered villains... please don't be superpowered villains..." He swallowed, only to see that very thing. Superpowered villains. Grav panics, doubling back behind Kubi. He was trying not to stow his fear, trying not to let his heart pang too badly. Of course, this only amplified things. The undue stress begins to boil in the manifested psionic presence, sparking parts of his body along his suit, the blue-white mess of electric-like tangles careening out in all directions like a tesla coil. That bag of marbles opens, and at once, several of those clay, glass, and agate marbles swirling around like some sort of fancy display. They thunder out at once, in a chorus of high-speed booms. His levitation after a brief hop sends Grav to the ceiling, clearly not quite in control of his powers, sending the sailing children's toys sailing towards the open vault, causing the thunderous bellows of the vault door's knocking to be heard within, almost like bullet fire.

"W-We know you're in there! C'mon... uh... out! Nice and- n-nice and slow!"

Smooth, just like sandpaper. Not only that, but he'd just notice the sand-shifting individual, and nearly leaped out of his skin, doubling-back behind Kubi... again. Those Marbles were out of his psionic range again, some being partly embedded in the vault door. He swallowed, and felt his chest tighten in sheer, unadulterated terror. Nothing had been quite as intimidating as this in his life to date.

”Way to show ‘em kid. They’re real fuckin’ scared now.”

Seriously, what was up with this ... child? He storms in acting all big and bad, but when he comes face to face with a real threat he crumples like a house of card built on a foundation of political promises. That analogy was a bit contrived, but whatever. Kubi could only roll his eyes as this kid invited the villains to “C’mon … uh … out”. Ugh. That’ll show ‘em. Yeah, go ‘ead and stutter at ‘em, make them feel bad for fighting someone who can’t even string a full sentence together. Right. The eye roll was immediately followed by a huge sigh. Guess he was alone in this. Or, well … not exactly alone, there was this other kid who kinda went around the corner, presumably to try a side door, but Kubi didn’t know him from Adam; for all he knew he was the mastermind behind this situation.

Yeah, trust issues, whatever.

Kubi ignored the child stuttering and blustering in an attempt to scare the villains and instead took to it himself. The door, held in his arm like a shield, was raised aloft, and as he did, the armor surged, Kubi channeling Toshi through his muscles. A ripple of energy, a shockwave designed to shift the sand and shatter the windows on the other side of the hotel; the previously smooth granules of sand were pushed back, forming waves, the unaided eye capable of following the movement of the wave. The windows flexed for just a moment before shattering with an earsplitting crack, adding glass and bits of wood to the already destroyed floor. Kubi, good humor forgotten, gave one, single warning.

”I’ll give ya’ll one chance. Just fucking one. Leave, right the fuck now, don’t come back, let these folks leave - fuck let us leave, nobody wants to be here - and I’ll letcha go as is. I’ll even getcha head start so the po-lice don’t catch ya. But if you don’t …” The door came back down, crashing into the sand, exploding into bits of metal and wood and, more impressively, sending another wave of force through the sandy floors, this time strong enough to send granules of sand a dozen feet in the air. The perfect punctuation to a threat. ”Well, if ya don’t, and stop me if ya heard this one before, but I will visit an unholy down upon ya like Sodom and Gomorrah. His knuckles cracked as he flexed his fists, ethereal claws curling inwards in a dramatic display.

Now, he didn’t fully expect them take him up on his offer; villains weren’t exactly commiting crimes because they had the ability to reason or really anything resembling intelligence or reason. Still, what kinda hero would he be if he didn’t give them the chance? Just then, his eyes fell onto the steel giant in the middle of the floor. Having previously mistaken it for a weird freaking statue of some kind, he was pleasantly surprised to find it wasn’t. And it - he, Kubi forcefully corrected - was talking!

”The fuck they call you. Brillo Pad?”

The smirk was back, this time teasing his allies. Hey, nobody is immune to mockery. Even him. Really, the brown and white ensemble is, quite simply, ridiculous. Useful for sure, the self-regenerating fibers meaning he doesn’t have to chance after every fight. And while the gigantic grizzly bear outlined on his chest was cool as all hell, the eyemask and little booties were less so. And there wasn’t even a cape. No cape! Superhero landings lok far less impressive without that fluttering piece of cloth. Oh, right, back to the battle.

”So, Borox, do me a favor, get the civvies out. They’re a fuckin’ liability, and I don’t need t’ be sued for traumatizing their poor little brains.”

His knuckles popped again, readying himself for the fight. Then, with the sense of someone stepping into a ring with a tiger, his foot planted on the sand; almost immediately, the loose particles blasted apart, his foot resting on the hard floor underneath. Slow was the name of the game. This Jack ...he was infamous a gourd-headed monstrosity with hundreds of deaths on his hands. It was up to him to take him out. The full capacity of his powers was unknown, so he had to be careful. Very careful. He didn’t take another step, keeping his brown eyes fixed on the pumpkin, waiting for it to move, or do anything. Oh, right, while he was here.

”Yo, Junior. Mind taking care of the shrimp in the rafters? I get th’ feelin’ she’s gonna be a pest. You can handle that, right?”

Yeah, he saw her. He’s been at this a long ass time, and she wasn’t nearly as stealthy as she thought she was. While his head moved, his eyes never moved from his target. A gut feeling told him this would come down to whoever struck first, but until the civilians got out of the way, he couldn’t do a thing. His hands were tied. Gods above and below, he hated when his hands were tied.

Jack was glad to see Kitty was in the same boat as him. He loved it when she was able to come out and play. Her murder sprees were by far the best things he had ever seen. "Oh, Kitty. So glad you remember me. Not a phone call, not even a visit! I was so worried." Jack raised his head and spewed fire from between his lips, and as the heroes burst through the door; he turned the sand around him into glass. "But then again, I suppose that was on me for the whole "going straight" thing. You know, I worked at a grocery store-" Voices from behind him. He sent fire through the door.

"Hey jackasses! I'm having a conversation here." He yelled. "Come back when I'm done!" Then, he saw Kubi Tsuru. A broad smile burst into life. Ooh hoo hoo. "Oh, Kubi! It's just you! How's the wife? The kid?" He asked knowing full well about his backstory. "So, Tsuru. Clowns and albinos, huh? Strange combination." He began to transform. Feet getting large, skin noticeably paler, and head transforming into a clowns huge toothy grin.

"Well gee, Kubi! I never expected this to be what you're afraid of." He guffawed at this. "Hick-yuck. I've got a big taste for your fear now Kubi! Now give me your soul."

Jack lurched forward on a unicycle made of fire. He lit explosive bowling pins as he swayed towards the veteran hero. "Time to die, hero! Hick-yuck!" He yelled as he juggled the pins in the air and threw them at Kubi.

"It's go time."

Arachnadude, seeing the pumpkin guy turning into a killer clown, fires his grapples into the side of the building. He begins retreating before stopping his resistance, propelling him at high speeds through a window. The glass shards slice into the suit, but he shrugs it off with thick skin. Midair, Arachnadude grapples onto a chandelier, swinging with it, upside down.

"So, do you guys mind sharing? I'm a few months behind on my mortgage. Also, just in case the teams aren't clear, I'm what the public calls a supervillain!"

He fires off his hooks, swinging off the chandelier higher into the rafters. His mechanical optics narrow, zooming in on his enemies.

"That's one tall dude. I hope your party trick can actually do damage!" He remarks about Kubi.

"The others look about my size. I can help you take them on! For a reasonable cut."

So now… There was quite a blood bath going on, obviously Jack the pumpkin man decided it would be effective to dessicate somebody in here, victims still were inside… So, seeing that he was the tank, Luke would try and think of a way to deal with the hostages, if they even were that. Hostages were annoying to deal with, too often they were in a state of hysteria and would panic from everything! Was there gunshots? Panic. Was there a chainsaw ripping someone in half? Panic. Was the guy who was helping them arm missing? Panic. God damn, they never stopped, but, they were people, so he kind of had to help them out.

Jack decided to go all psycho clown on Kubi, Luke heard he Jack could change into his opponents worst fear, was this actually Kubi’s? Like, sure, the psycho clowns often can get some people scared, but Luke never seen what was so scary about them. They were just like any other crazy guy with a knife, probably the least threatening you could throw at Revenant, just short of a guy without a knife. But hey, everyone had their own fears… The thought of maggots in meat came to Luke’s hand, he quickly gagged before thumping his chest, obviously shouldn’t even try thinking of that around this guy who… No! Thinking needs to stop, now is time to just do.

He stuck one foot in front of the other, in a sort of sprinters position before limit breaking in the foot ahead just a bit, he catapulted his way across, slamming into one of the pillars, dislocating his shoulder momentarily as his foot flopped about due to and the torn muscles and broken bones. He hopped over to the people, slowly getting into a limp before finally stopping.

“Everyone, cover your head’s and hold your shit together.”

He would get towards the nearest wall, and pull back his arm, giving one solid power swing, completely tearing his arm, which now just limply fell to his side, ribbons of flesh falling off from were the muscles had to expand, and he was missing his hand. The remaining rubble ahead of him had the occasional bloodstain from his burst.

“Okay, whoever wishes to live, leave, right now.”

A piece of rubble came from the ceiling, so Luke just swung his already healing arm and smack it away. And that led to all remaining parts of his left arm being just up to his elbow. Once everyone was out, he would follow them outside for a bit, staying back and walking backwards as to make sure nobody got hurt from the rest of the scrabble.

"Well looks like I did Frickin punch through some stone. Heh."
(By the end of this, all that would remain of his arm would be a partially developing forearm covered by his fully regenerated coat)

Oh, so many late players to the party! This was getting interesting. Kitty could only squeal in joy. So many so-called do-gooders to kill, and all the time in the world to do so! Oh, sure, they were surrounded with a bunch of A-class heroes surrounding them, but with Jack here, and more importantly with Jack here supported by her, there’s no way they’re gonna lose! Nah, no need to worry, ‘specially not with the state some of these guys were in. Seriously, that first guy, he was practically pissing his pants! She’d laugh if it weren’t so pathetic. Some people just weren’t cut out to be heroes.

Oh, well, time to get a-killing. A wicked grin spread across her face as the spear slid into the loop on her back designed to hold it, collapsing as it did. Oh, she could reign unholy hell down upon them with her bow, or pin them in place with magic. Ooh, or spread disease! In truth, there were many ways she could covertly and subtlety fight; and with the odds beings what they are, she would more than likely take out a couple of these guys. They didn’t seem so strong to her, and she was typically a good judge of strength! Well, except for that Tsuru guy. And that steel guy. And … was that guy healing himself?!


Oh, dear.

Still, no reason to keep them waiting. With a graceful flip, she left her spot on the ceiling, landing with nary a hair out of place amidst the ring of hostages. Golden runes, etched into her skin, connected with floating disks of gold atop the sand. Casually, as if simply reaching out to grab a cup, she held her hand aloft. There was a bright flash, and then, she’s holding a sword, a wickedly curved kopesh that seemed to gleam with malicious violence, a look that was reflected in its masters smirk.

”Oh, Jackie, that is not a good look for you!” She giggled, however, at the look of abject terror on the large ones face. ”Ooh, but he certainly didn’t like that!”

Another laugh, clear as bells, but then she was focused, a complete one-eighty of emotions on her face. Razor-sharp, the gaze she held to the object of her desire was one of rage, curiosity, and lust for battle. They were not the eyes of a stable person. Who was the focus of this monstrous smirk? Why, the young one who decided to break the wall, shattering his own arm in the process, in an attempt to let the hostages escape! Oh, no, that wouldn’t do. One hostage, close to the door, took the opportunity to try to escape … but the moment he stepped outside the door, tasting freedom, their was a sudden streak of red and black and his blood was added to the stained ground.

”Now, now. Don’t leave just yet, we’re just getting started!”


The falsely cutesy voice fooled no one as the hostages looked at her in fear. Oh, no, that wouldn’t do. It wasn’t terrified enough. Like the striking fangs of a snake, her hand lashed, yanking a woman to her feet; one of the bank workers, if her outfit was anything to go by. Lorraine was her name. Ew, what a gross name. She still held her by her hair, dragging the womans form up her own, the scent of tears and sweat clinging to her. What a delectable smell, perfectly matched to the fear and terror on her face. A glittering gem caught her eye, and with malicious glee she snatched the engagement ring off her finger, ignoring the sharp yelp of protest.

”Oh, Lorraine! You’re gonna be married? How sweet.”

The ring bounced once, twice, in the palm of her hand before she slipped it back into Lorraine’s pocket. No, a ring wouldn’t do it, but …. She replaced the ring with the name badge, plucking the metal tab off her shirt with delicate fingers. As she surveyed it, the previous jovial insanity was gone; now, in her eyes, serious danger loomed. Her hands  tightened on Lorraines red locks, baring her neck, and with all the care of a surgeon, she placed the edge of the name badge against her neck. Normally not enough to cut a person, true, but gold runes flashes to red, disks first circling her wrist, then wrapping themselves around the hero.

”Oh, hero. You there, with the mangled arm!” The light accent tinting her voice failed to fully hide the malice and pure loathing that permeated every word. ”You’re going to leave now, or else Lorraine’s little fiance will be planning a funeral instead of a bachelor’s party.” Fresh tears streaked down the captive woman's face and the other hostages sighed from her. Kitty reveled in their fear, it filled her an almost sexual pleasure. She could see why Jack would prey upon them.[/color]

Gavin grunted as the marbles shot out from the smaller figure at the doors, using the pillar to block the three that shot directly towards him, shattering the glass one, while the two clay marbles buried themselves into the pillar.

"Boy, stop shooting items in here where people can be hit!" he called, frowning at the entrance. He was about to speak again, when a shockwave rushed past him, pushing the sand he was standing in away. It also shattered the windows, raining glass down on the lobby. Following the shockwave was a voice, from the entrance, giving the villains a chance to leave. The warning was followed up by the man throwing the car door into the bank, and another shockwave, which sent sand up into the air.

"I don't think that's happening," he called. "They've already killed one person, and they don't look like the leaving type," he continued.

He ignored the man as he called him a Brillo Pad, and Borox, though he did set the pillar down and nod at the man.

"Agreed. The civillians need to be removed, before anymore of them are injured or killed," he replied.

He turned to usher the civillians out, only for the sand that hadn't been moved by Kubi to turn to glass, as fire spewed out from the bank vault.

And then the pumpkin-headed man stepped out of the vault. He spoke briefly to the large man with mist swirling around him, and then began to change. Into a clown? Not really that intimidating. Until he lurched forward on a flaming unicycle, with flaming bowling pins in his hands. And then he started throwing them at the big guy, whom he called Kubi.

Gavin frowned softly, and opened his mouth to speak, when he caught movement in the rafters. A scorpion guy? Things were getting weird. Focus. Hostages. He turned towards them, only to blink, as a skinny guy rushed out of nowhere, and slammed into one of the other support pillars. And then, dragging his broken, rapidly healing? body towards the hostages, he spoke to them, turned to a wall, and then punched it. The wall exploded, as did his arm...

Blinking to clear dust from his eyes, Gavin shook his head, and turned towards the spear-wielding woman as she began to speak. He narrowed his eyes as she did, and slowly let his hands come to rest on the pillar he had set down. When she grabbed the red-headed woman and threatened her, he grabbed the pillar, and, with a tightening of his fingers, broke off a chunk.

"Let the woman go, and no one else needs to get hurt," he remarked. "If you hurt her, I'm afraid I'll have to let the police take you in for questioning."

Fuck.

Fuck.

He fucking hated clowns. And now this fucking pumpkin-spice smelling, carrot-in-the-ass having fucking demon turned into a giant flaming one. Oh, hell no. He wasn’t honestly expected; I mean, really, what else could he do but fucking turn away? Hell, he was halfway out the door at the first sight of the fuckin’ thing and woulda been halfway to downtown if one important, stupid fucking thing didn’t get in his way; those fucking hostages. He seriously couldn’t just leave ‘em. Shit, if that demon clown was gonna fuck him up, think about what’d it do to normal people.

He sighed heavily, returning his attention to battle just in time. A flaming pin was aimed straight for his face; a startled yip burst from him. He barely managed to grab it on time. Oh, he was getting ticked now; the brown energy surrounded his body again were tinted by red. That was it. He turns into a clown, terrorizes innocent folk, now he’s throwing shit at his face? His fingers clenched, shattering the material into dust. Oh, but the look in his eyes now was one of rage and frustration … and fear. Oh, yeah, he was pissed, but that didn’t get rid of the primal fear of fuckin’ clowns.

They were just so goddamn creepy.

Still, heroes gotta hero. A crack of his neck, and there was a waver in the armor-like material surrounding him. Muscles strained and his skin seemed to stretch as Kubi pushed his limits to their maximum. Oh, yeah, it hurt, wouldn’t be long before little cuts and bruises started to appear. Even as durable as his body was, it couldn’t handle this much power for long and it would start to break down. Hopefully, it would be enough. He took a step, the sheer force behind it shaking the sand underneath him. A single finger pointed dramatically at Jack, framed against the sunlight of the Chicago sky.

”Listen here, you piece of magic trash. Seriously, I fucking hate magic. You may be a creepy ass, terrified fucking clown right now, but don’t think I’ll hesitate to whoop your fuckin’ ass halfway back to Hell where ya belong. And yer pretty li’l girlfriend over there as well! Ya hear? Give the fuck up!”

He shuddered at the look on the clowns face, but persisted nonetheless. The sheer aura of power around him, the amount of energy pouring off him, could put a nuclear power plant to shame.