Rumble in The Big City

Nina sighed as she sat herself down on a bench, her fingers playing with a modest wad of small bills. Her money had begun to run low, but she still had countless expenses, chief among them being food, and it wasn't exactly heroic to steal. The young heroine pushed the cash back into one of the many pockets of her backpack before pulling it onto her shoulder again, letting her gaze pull in all the details of the city.

People around her cavorted and socialized, and from every direction she could hear drunken laughter, cries of joy, and the occasional bottle shattering on the cement. She was young, but she clearly remembered the soothing burn of alcohol, and for a moment she considered spending some of her savings on a drink. It could loosen her up, help her keep warm for the abnormally chilled night that would continue to roll over her. Before she had the chance to get up, she thought better of it. Times may be tough, but that was no excuse to be weak.

Heroes aren't weak... She scolded I'm a hero.

As if to question her resolve, her stomach gave an obtrusive grumble. Nina's pride wouldn't allow for begging, but as her insides clenched tight from hunger, her mind began to reel, wondering how she could get her next fix of food. With apprehension she rose from her hard seat and began walking with no particular purpose, figuring some exercise might distract her from the fact that she hadn't really eaten in a few days.

- - -

The emaciated heroine stopped when she reached the end of a small dock, her gut still rumbling and rolling with a need for nourishment. She clenched at her belly in frustration, wishing that through some strange deus ex machina someone would show up with chow.

She settled herself down on the end of the dock, letting her legs dangle down, the tips of her boots barely above the water as it ebbed and rose politely. For about an hour she sat like this, until a far-off siren caught her attention. Trouble? Where? In excitement she yanked herself to her feet, focusing her strength into her legs to give her much more speed to rocket her back into the city. Maybe punching in some faces could distract her from the gnawing ache in the pit of her stomach.

When she finally managed to find the source of the trouble, due to her distant start, it had already been swarmed with policemen and onlookers. A tall hotel was lit up with enormous search lights, every single one trained on a single man clinging to the edge of what must have been the 15th or 16th floor. A gentle breeze pulled at Nina's hair, and with a triumphant smile, she pushed her way to the front of the crowd, easily climbing over the small wooden barricades. A few officers spotted her, and before they had a chance to push her back, she raised her hands innocently. ''It's alright, gents.'' she purred, ''I'm a hero.''

''Oh yeah?'' one of them bit out, ''Prove it.'' She frowned and folded her arms, he might as well have just called her fat. ''You have to help him,'' a younger policeman said wearily, ''There are some guys up there with firearms, they're threatening to push him off if they don't get a bunch of cash.''

''He's the one that owns the hotel.'' the first policeman clarified, albeit slightly frustrated. All around her sirens wailed, people called loved ones, backup was summoned, and demands were being heard and noted. Nina blinked. ''Oh. Shit.''

''Yeah.'' the first policeman mocked, '' 'Shit.' ''

A new day, but the same old shit he always dealt with, well, sort of. Today was meant to be his 'day off', but he rarely ever got that. The Big Guy needed some time to himself, the past few weeks have been hell. Dealing with ex’s, kids he never knew he had, extremely difficult decisions, and the burden of thinking he murdered his old arch nemesis; that was just the stuff on top of everything he already had to deal with. There was a lot on this hero’s shoulders, but like a true hero, he shrugged off his pains and fought selflessly through it all; convinced he could handle any burden on his own. People needed him, how he felt didn’t matter, only protecting the lives of others did. Pain was down at a bar and grill on the other side of town when he saw the news report on the situation. The Big Man was dressed in a thick black leather jacket, long tight fitted black jeans, a nice tight fitted gray t-shirt, and his favorite black combat boots. He had a stylish pair of dark shades in his jacket’s pocket, choosing not to wear them in this dimly lit bar. Pain not only wore the shades and jacket because he thought it was stylish, but it also aided in hiding who he was just a little better. Didn’t always like the attention, although the regulars here already knew who he was, it was more for everyone else in the city. It wasn’t something he always did, just whenever he really didn’t want to deal with the attention; sometimes he just wanted to walk down the street without being harassed. He was in the middle of enjoying a few cold beers, and a decent, simple meal; burger and fries. The burger was about half eaten, the fries were gone, and he had four empty beer bottles beside his nearly empty plate. Pain was on his fifth when the urgent news report interrupted the football game he wasn’t paying attention to. “Great.” He muttered to himself as soon as he saw the news come on. His icy bright blue eyes lifted up to view the hanging TV, everyone in the bar looking on with worry and interest. The bartender stepped before Pain and smirked at him, “Looks like they need you, again.” The man said with a soft chuckle as he began cleaning up The Big Guy’s mess. Pain was a regular here, and the bartender had been a pretty cool acquaintance to him; World’s Greatest Hero gets the best discounts.

Pain quickly chugged down his fifth and final beer for now before rising to his feet and pushing the barstool in. “What else is new? Duty calls.” He said calmly in his rough voice as he placed the empty bottle down on the bar. “Take it easy Larry.” The Big Guy said as he flashed a brief smirk before turning away and nonchalantly walking towards the exit. His hands dug into his jacket’s pockets as he slowly walked across the bar, and some of the regulars began cheering for him, which ended up getting everyone else in the bar involved too. Mixed things were cheered, but the one that stuck out was simply, “Go get em’ Big Guy!” The smirk briefly came back to his face as he easily pushed open the double doors; it was always nice to be appreciated. Now he stood outside, being hit by the cool New York air, and briefly soaking it up as he looked up to the partly cloudy sky which nearly hid the sun; he truly loved this city. Pain inhaled a refreshing deep breath through his nose before withdrawing the sunglasses from his jacket’s pocket. With a flick of his wrist, the shades were opened and brought to cover his icy blue optics. The sun’s dim light glared down on him and reflected off the sunglasses, a cocky smirk clinging to his face as his eyes left the sky. “Alrighty then…” Uttering roughly to himself as he popped his neck to the left, then to the right. The great hero bent his powerful knees, gathering the strength needed to leap buildings. With one push of his legs, the hero went flying into the sky, propelled like a rocket towards the top of the adjacent skyscraper. After a skillful, somewhat rough landing, the hero immediately sprinted forward to make his next jump, easily leaping from rooftop to rooftop. The Big Man continued on his path, leaping from building to building until he arrived before his destination.

Standing atop a tall building which overlooked the crime scene, softly shaking his head at what he witnessed. At this distance, he was practically invisible to everyone, but the hero’s sharp eye and vantage point allowed him to see everything. He lowered his shades just enough so that he could clearly see the situation at hand, but the details were still unknown to him; he hadn’t really given his full attention to the news report. The Big Guy wasn’t exactly a detective, but he figured this could only be one of two things, a guy suicide jumping, or a hostage situation. Judging by the amount of attention this situation has dragged, it was likely the second option. Pain knew he should probably ask the authorities on the situation instead of just running into it, someone could get seriously hurt or even killed if he didn’t do this right. That also meant he’d have to remain somewhat discreet, no super jumps just yet. The hero’s shaded optics darted briefly and quickly located a fire escape on the building he was on. Skillfully, the Big Guy jumped down to it and landed with a loud clank. Wasting no time, he jumped onto the ladder and swiftly slid all the way down until he reached the ground with a powerful, easy landing. Surprisingly, he had dragged no attention to himself, the situation at hand drowned him out, and that was a great thing. Pain dusted his shoulders off and adjusted his shades before digging his hands into his jacket and walking forward towards the chaotic crowd of people. The building was surrounded by police, medics, onlookers, and even the SWAT team was out here. The Great Hero casually walked straight through the police line as he withdrew a pack of cigarettes from his jacket. With a flick of his wrist, the pack was flung open, and brought to his lips so that he could grip a single cigarette in between them. As usual, a pink BIC lighter was withdrawn after the pack was deposited back into his jacket. As he ignited the tip, Pain drew close to what seemed like a group of officers gathered around a young woman. His brow rose in suspicion, wondering who that woman could possibly be. A civilian? No, she couldn’t be standing here if she were. The Big Guy assumed she was a rookie hero just looking to help, anything else just didn’t make sense to him.

Calmly and nonchalantly, he entered the scene, overhearing the words from a police officer, “Yeah. Shit.” A sly smirk crawled onto his lips, inhaling a sweet, heavy drag before interrupting. “Don’t get your panties in a bunch, I got this.” The Big Man stepped forward, breaking up the circle of police officers around the young woman. Like a fearless dragon, he exhaled the thick gray smoke through his nose as his piercing blue shaded optics eyed the young woman from head to toe. She was beautiful, drop dead gorgeous, like all the women that came into his life, but she seemed too young for him. Something about her seemed different than most though, the look in her eyes, she looked almost as determined as him; whoever she was, he liked her already. Pain gripped the cigarette in between his index and middle finger, flicking the ashes off into the concrete. His piercing eyes left her, not even giving a word as he moved to the officer in charge of the situation, “What’s goin’ on here?” The Big Guy said with a nod up to the man who required saving. “I need the details, and quick.” His voice slightly muffled by the cigarette hanging loosely between his lips.

The young heroine was taken aback by the bluntness of the officer, and in a very childish manner, she stuck her tongue out at him. To calm herself down, she made mental note of the fact that not only could she kick his ass in an arm wrestling match, she could easily throw his car into a river or something. That was always soothing, but tonight, it wasn't enough.

Hunger pain had worn her patience paper thin, and this normal person was eagerly attacking it with scissors. Another layer of anger-inducing stimulation happened when she heard the approach of footsteps, the click of a lighter, and a booming yet quiet male voice. She turned to face him, brow furrowed and fists clenched tightly as the ghosts of his eyes behind his shades raked over her. I'm not a fucking museum exhibit, so quit looking... She thought bitterly, eyes no longer the usual lax gray orbs, but now harmful, biting, void of color and emotion, and almost insulting in the way they prodded at the towering stranger's face in defensive rage.

For half of a moment, Nina felt infinite frustration. Who the hell was this guy, and who did he think he was? You couldn't just waltz into an incredibly delicate situation! She pushed aside the hypocrisy and turned to fully face the intruder, arms folding while her hip cocked to the left; a clear show of feminine displeasure. As she gave her hair a clearly annoyed flip, she allowed herself to fully absorb who he was.

This was Pain.

In an instant, all of the negativity was washed away and replaced with admiration, adoration, and even attraction. This wall of a man hadn't changed since her childhood, and for that she was thankful. Watching him expertly navigate through crimes and brawls on the news was her favorite part of television, and now here he was, in the flesh. She floundered, unable to even speak as her cheeks flushed red and her eyes widened. Here was the man she had always sought to emulate, and he had spoken to her. Well, not to her exactly, but around her, and that was enough for Nina. ''Hooohmygod...'' she said, barely above a whisper, unmoving as the young policeman began to relay the information to Pain.

''They have the owner of the hotel-'' He stopped abruptly as Nina butted in, stepping forward slightly to make herself more prominent. ''The owner is up on the ledge there, and if they don't get their demands met, they're going to kill him.''

A quick pause for breath. Holy fucking shit, this is unreal.''I'm N-...Valkyrie, it's amazing to be able to work with you, sir. I'm a huge fan, have been since I was a little girl.'' She put her hands on her chest, bending forward slightly and biting her lip. Never before had she been so flustered, but it wasn't every day that you met your idol. The policeman raised an eyebrow in annoyed judgment of her fangirl-ish behavior.

''Anything I can do to help you, just say the word, and I'll do it flawlessly.'' she beamed, almost breathless. To be able to be face to face with him was a dream, but work beside him like an equal? Unthinkable! Maybe all of her karma was finally turning around, and with a fleeting glance back to the ledge, she stood tall and offered her hand to shake; a bright pupil more than ready for expert tutelage.

The young police officer looked up, completely intimidated by the tall hero’s icy shaded glare and quickly spitting out the details. Before he could even finish his nervous sentence, he was interrupted by the young heroine. Pain rose a brow at her boldness, he hadn’t expected that from someone like her. She was brief, and straightforward, just what he needed. The hero simply nodded to her and the officer, his vision trailing off to the man on the ledge as he puffed on the cigarette hanging between his lips. The Big Guy heard the girl’s introduction, but he had bigger things to deal with than another fangirl. If she wanted to help, fine, she just better not get in the way, but now wasn’t the time for this. The hero’s rugged face held a bold, serious expression, one that gave off an aura that both demanded and earned respect. The look in his eyes alone showed his experience, well, what little you could see of them. He already had something planned, and it was simple really, well at least for him it was.

The hero’s eyes fell back down to the two, a sly smirk coming onto his rough face as he spoke up in his powerful voice. “Work with me?” Pain softly chuckled at her, she was an ambitious gal, and perhaps she could put it to good use. The Big Guy began removing his jacket, the smirk clinging to his face as he gently shook his head. “Yo’ buddy.” He called out to the officer just before tossing the jacket to him. ”Take care of that for me.” The officer caught it and mumbled something under his breath, making it obvious he didn’t want to babysit his jacket. Pain ignored him and focused his sights on the young heroine who had just offered him a handshake. “I’ll shake your hand when you prove it. Alright kid, follow me.” He said as he nonchalantly motioned for her to follow. The hulk of a man turned away from the two and began slowly walking towards the building through the chaotic crowd.

Still puffing on the shriveled cigarette hanging between his lips, the Big Guy moved slowly with lazy posture, waiting for his temporary sidekick to catch up. “So here’s the plan,” He said as the two began walking side by side, the height and size difference becoming even more obvious. “I’m gonna’ jump up and save that guy, and you’re gonna’ sit right here while I do it.” Pain said as he came to a halt, now at a good spot near the ledge. He removed his sunglasses, revealing his piercing blue eyes to the young heroine just before handing them to her. “Take care of em’. After I do the savin’, we’ll break some teeth. Just wait for the right time.” He flashed a smirk to her just before turning away and stepping forward to prepare for his jump. The Big Guy enjoyed one last puff from his cigarette before spitting it out onto the floor, his eyes focusing up on the ledge. This was going to be easy.

Her heart fluttered a frantic samba as he spoke, throwing his jacket so effortlessly. To the young girl, this man was a rock star, like James Dean or some shit, and she couldn't be bothered to take her eyes off of him. Every move he made, every syllable was sensual in a way, and with a slightly subdued eagerness, she followed him and hung onto his every word. It wasn't until he began speaking to her like a child that her brow knit in mild discomfort.

''Uh...'' was all she could muster, her hands beginning to flinch and curl into fists again. Sure, he was kind of a big deal, but that didn't mean he had any right to act like she was some sort of fragile femme that needed babying. No, far from it, Nina could fight on the same level as he could, take the same hits, get shot with the same bullets, and come out just as unscathed as this towering behemoth of a man. Not only could she survive the same dives, she could do it while looking both petite and fierce.

''Yeah.'' she grumbled, not wishing to displease him but at the same time voicing her discomfort. Pain readied himself for the jump, and with a slight pang of sorrow, she sighed and slouched back a step or two, putting her hands in the front pockets of her vest. This was one verbal battle she wouldn't win. He had decades of experience under his belt, and all she had to show for herself was gumption and a mean right hook.

Though at his mention of attacking the ne'er-do-wells as a duo, she brightened slightly, almost perking up her body in response to what was the opportunity of a lifetime to someone of her qualities and talents. Yeah, he could act like the superior fighter for now, but she planned to really wow him with her skills in hand-to-hand combat. No one could beat a military trained girl with super strength

With a curt and obedient nod, she looked back at him one final time. ''I'm right behind you, sir.''

((OOC: I set it up so that you have already engaged the bad guys, and Pain would just come running up on the fight. So feel free to RP Pain running up to join the battle in your post, or whatever you want. I look forward to your reply, let me know if there is any editing needed..))

He never looked back, his eyes completely focused on saving the man above him. Could care less if she was annoyed or upset that she wasn’t allowed to help just yet, he had to make sure this was done right. Despite what he just told her, she still seemed to want to follow in anyway. This gal had a lot to learn, she better be careful and not let her confidence go to her head. "Whatever kid, just don't screw this up." Was all the Big Man said before making his massive leap, rocketing off of the ground with enough speed to clear the building. Pain swiftly grabbed the man in one arm, pulling him out of danger and onto the rooftop with him. The man was completely surprised, at first he was terrified, but when he realized who the man carrying him was, he was completely relieved.

The Big Guy landed powerfully atop the building before setting the frightened man on his feet, and immediately he began to thank and praise his savior. “Thank you sir, you saved my life, Thank you!” He blurted out in a nervous, sweaty fashion, still a bit flustered from being held as a hostage. Pain calmly nodded to him, nonchalantly walking past him and towards the roof’s edge as he spoke in his rough voice. “Don’t mention it.” The man walked over and reached up to place his hand on Pain’s massive shoulder, nervously and loudly praising him even further. “You’re a great hero, the best! I’ll see to it that you’re rewarded graciously. If there is anything I can do for you, just name it!" The Big Man felt his usual, sly smirk crawl onto his face as he gently removed the man’s hand from his shoulder. He turned his head turned to view the man over his shoulder, Pain’s piercing blue eyes feeling almost like they were staring into the man’s soul. “I’m just a man doin’ my job. Save your money, you’re gonna’ need it more than I do."

Pain moved his eyes back, scanning the area for a sign of his temporary sidekick. She was not where he told her to wait, and she did not follow him up here like she said she would. Just then, he noticed it, the large hole she had punctured into the building’s massive glass windows. “Shit” He cursed under his breath, wasting no more time as he prepared to fall from this rooftop. Just before doing so, he turned to say one last thing over his shoulder. “Get down, hide, and wait for me right here.” The man hesitantly followed his instructions, terrified of being left alone up here. “Uh-o-o-kay…” He said nervously as he went to hide somewhere.

The Big Guy stepped off of the rooftop and plummeted down onto the ledge the hostage was originally held on. Immediately, he spun around to view the massive hole the young woman had created. “Damn, she beat me to my favorite part…” The young heroine surely was a lot stronger than she looked, it took a significant amount of power to do something like that. Perhaps he had found himself more than a temporary ally, she just needed to work on her attitude and learn how to take some damn orders. The sounds of gunfire rang through his ears, assuring him that the battle had started without him. Now hopefully the girl could take care of herself before he got there, but Pain wasn’t about to take any chances.

As Pain leapt away to save the day, as per his usual, Nina frowned. '' 'Don't screw this up.' '' she mocked, backing up a few steps from his take-off point. ''How about 'don't step on the glass, sir'.'' she said under her breath, launching herself in a tight, high-speed angle through the window. She barely had enough time to hold her arms in front of her face before she collided with the tinted windowpane, tearing through it like a bulldozer through rice paper. Expertly she rolled to a stop on the floor while shattered glass skittered about her and clung to her clothes and hair. Without any scratches or cuts, she brushed them off as she stood, facing seven very shocked, very armed gunmen.

''Hello ladies.'' she said brightly, folding her arms over her ample chest that she held out further with pride. Without wasting time, they all opened fire, sending a torrent of bullets onto the unsuspecting heroine. Without even so much as a blink, she stood through it, the heated lead denting against her and falling to the ground, clinking and chiming pleasantly against the broken glass. The men began to reload, and Nina simply smiled, ''That aint gunna work the second time aro-''

Her words were cut off by a hastily thrown flash bomb that went off right in her face. Considerably surprised, she fell back, crying out feebly as she rubbed her eyes. The men ran past her, firing wildly back as she came to her feet. ''Fucking shit-eating cock bags!'' she cried, her voice now broken and sad, feminine in its lack of heart. After a moment, he opened her eyes experimentally, and satisfied that she could see, she ran after them, even though everything seemed a tad wobbly.

The septet had since made their way through a large steel door to the concrete stairs that spiraled around the edge of the hotel. They were normal, bland stairs, the kind you took when the elevator was out, but now they were filled with seven violent criminals and eventually one extremely violent pseudo-hero. She tore the door off of its heavy-duty hinges, tossing it to the ground like a broken toy before exploding into the stairwell, striding and leaping down the stairs to catch up with the group. More bullets bit at her face and chest; fatal wounds on a lesser-evolved lady, but to her, they just served to feed her internal fire. The usual quips of ''You'll never catch us!'', ''We're going to kill you!'', and ''Just stop trying!'' echoed in the tiny space.

Nina's frown deepened. ''I would get the cliche bastards. I totally would.'' she said quietly, barreling down the stairs after them, leaving cracked craters in the wall and sweeping dents in the metal rail.

The Big Guy moved into the building, stepping through the massive puncture onto the field of glass shards and bullet shells. Not a single sign of blood, not even a drop, this gal really was a tough one. A confident smirk stretched across his scarred face, he had to give that to her, or as he would say ‘Not bad kid.’ Pain sprinted forward, following the trail of bullet shells until coming to a mangled large steel door. He skidded to a halt, passing through the doorway before stopping to examine the damage. Whoever did this had considerable strength, and he’d like to assume she was responsible for this; another impressive feat if that was the case.

Before him was a massive staircase, and he only had one way to go, down. Pain looked over the railing, staring down at the bottom and intending to jump. He assumed that the crooks were trying to get out of the building. The Big Guy easily hopped the railing and plummeted down to the bottom, quickly catching up on his chase. Both conveniently and humorously, Pain landed right in front of his temporary sidekick just as she finished barreling down the staircase; likely forcing the inexperienced heroine to slam into him. “Just what the hell do you think you’re doin’? The Big Guy asked calmly in his booming, powerful and rough voice as his piercing blue eyes fixed in on her.

Nina swore out loud as the men made their way through a door and into a some sort of broom closet. With one powerful stride, she launched herself the rest of the way down the stairs and headlong into her superior. With a muffled sound, she collided with his chest and fell back like a child who had accidentally run into their parent. Unsurprisingly, Pain remained undeterred and unamused. She looked up at him, guilty and dejected, not even bothering to rub the slight ache where she had hit her head when she fell. ''I...uh...''

Her face flushed red, quickly turning to look intently at her shoes as she silently fumed. She had let him down when she had honestly tried, but it wasn't good enough. Even without checking she knew his gaze was digging into her like a pair of electric drills, causing her to only become even more frustrated with herself. ''I wanted to prove I could do it...'' she mumbled softly, folding her arms in a soothing self-hug around herself. Nina didn't notice the subtle sounds of an invisible foe slowly making his way behind her.

The ambient light bent ant twisted around him; having this ability made everything so easy. With an unnoticed smirk he approached the younger of the two, the girl, as she sat on the ground. Surely a simple choke-out would do her in, or at least put her under long enough for the rest of his comrades to escape. Behind the closed door, the remaining six caught their breath as quietly as they could, listening intently for some sort of sign from their companion.

''I'm sorry...'' she cooed, looking up at him with eyes that were now brimming with tears. She hated herself for failing, and even more-so for disappointing not just the greatest man on earth, but her own personal hero.

As best he could, the assailant wrapped his hands quickly around the girls throat from behind, squeezing her windpipe tight like it might slip away at any moment.

Nina's eyes bulged, her mouth agape as she sputtered, her shocked fingers prying helplessly at the unseen hands at her neck. Fear and sorrow had gripped her, sapping the strength that rapidly declined along with the oxygen in her bloodstream.

Pain remained completely unmoved as Nina bounced backwards onto the cold hard ground. The Big Guy just softly shook his head at the young heroine’s quiet claim, letting his guard down as he rubbed his eyes. His vision came back to witness the young woman tearing up, making an apology as she hung her head low, clearly disappointed in herself. “Kid…” Pain gently sighed at her, maybe he was being too hard on her, or maybe it was just because she was a woman; who knows?

Before he could spit out something to comfort her, a camouflaged assailant wrapped his slimy hands around the young heroine’s throat. Shit, he was an idiot to let his guard down! Instantly, he began squeezing the life out of her, and despite his inferior strength he was easily capable of strangling her. Though that wouldn’t last for long, a scowl stretching across the great hero’s face as he powerfully balled his right hand up into a loud bone cracking fist. “Always scared to pick on The Big Guy…” His rough, raspy voice growled out just before he threw his fist directly into the invisible man’s face. Pain held back significantly on his strength, only hitting with enough power to knock a normal man out cold; he did not want to risk killing a man, no great hero would.

There was nothing the assailant could do to avoid being sent hurling back by Pain’s mighty punch, forcing him to release the young heroine. Pain quickly knelt down onto one knee to check on her, both his gloved hands falling onto her shoulders as his bright blue optics met hers. “You alright kid?”

A tremor of excitement sent a whisper of reflected light slipping over his form, like a ripple in a pond. In his naivete, he barely had enough time to look up as the covered fist of Pain crashed into his face. The villain's hand snapped behind him, catching deftly onto the wall he had been thrown onto. There he hung like a gecko, his vision blurred and swimming before him as his body trembled and flushed into the visible spectrum, revealing his ill-fitting black clothing and sallow skin. A fountain of dark blood gushed from his nose and down onto the floor, leaving a vile puddle on the landing underneath him. He looked up to see the larger man kneel, and with a throaty hiss he bared his teeth, climbing a few inches higher up the wall.

She couldn't help but cough reflexively, bent over and rocked by the sudden intake of air. She gulped it down greedily, her body slowly filling back with its usual strength and stability. A warm rush of endorphins hit her as she gently touched her fingers to her throat, feeling the residual heat of the assailant. At the thought of his touch, she felt the sudden urge to shower. Her gasping had been reduced to panting as Pain forced her gaze to meet his, his massive hands encasing her shoulders like armor. ''Yeah,'' she forced out, still coughing a bit. ''I'm ok.''

''Don't get too distracted!'' he said, his voice a hollow keen of sound as he maneuvered himself between the ceiling and wall. The remaining six men, who had been boiling with fear and apprehension, spilled out of the closet and into the hotel proper, passing the heroic pair in a quick meld of black and weaponry. Before either had a chance to even turn their heads, the seventh man on the ceiling inhaled deeply, making a thick, phlegmy sound before discharging a viscous clump of acidic saliva like a projectile.

Pain felt a little relief when she said she was okay, a genuine smirk coming to his rugged face; she really was a tough one. The Big Guy actually got worried about her for a moment there. “Good.” He simply said as he helped her back to her feet, he then released his grip on her and let his hands rest at his sides. That brief pause was all the time the thugs needed to spill out of their hiding and make a run for it. Pain’s smirk was quickly replaced with a serious, stern scowl; these punks weren’t getting away from him! The Big Guy was able to swing his left arm back and clothesline one of the thugs running past them, instantly knocking him out when he hit the ground. Before he could even make his move to stop them, he heard the hissing threat of their ‘invisible’ stalker. ‘Shit, that punch was supposed to knock him out.’

The hero’s piercing blue eyes fiercely glared up, and quickly located the blur that was his enemy. When he heard the creep’s deep, phlegmy inhaling, he knew something was coming their way. He had no choice but to focus his attention on that creep, once he was dealt with, his friends were next! “Watch out.” Pain immediately said as the acidic saliva began flying towards him. His massive right arm moved the young heroine aside, allowing him to step in front of the gooey dark green projectile. The Big Guy had little time to brace for it, only being able to put up his left arm in defense. The acid barely managed to cover his massive forearm, the rest splashed onto his nice fitted gray t-shirt. The damage was minimal, if any at all; he was able to shrug it off easily. His shirt was given a few new holes, but his skin had no visible injuries whatsoever, only smoke tendrils sizzling off of where the acid used to be.

“That the best you got, punk?” The Big Guy threatened with his usual cocky smirk, his eyes darting over to the young heroine at his side. “You go on ahead, slow them punks down.” Pain said calmly, putting his gloved fists up as his piercing eyes moved back to his enemy. “I got lizard face.” He claimed confidently as he loudly cracked both his knuckles. The Big Guy assumed a skillful, heavy fighting stance, resembling a mix of boxing and wrestling. It may have been putting a lot of faith in his temporary sidekick, but he was sure she could handle herself against a couple thugs. Maybe he should’ve just let her deal with ol’ lizard face, but honestly, knocking him out sounded like something he didn’t want to miss. "Bring it." The Big Guy barked out at the blur of a man.

Nina gasped as she was pushed away, watching in awe as Pain took the full brunt of the acid. Her cheeks flushed again, both hands gingerly raised to her lips in a mixture of awe and need. ''Wow...'' she mumbled, taking a few steps back. Her new instructions were to go after the crowd, which she responded to with a business-like nod. ''Yes sir.'' She didn't allow herself to look back as she ran after the men.

With a chilled smirk, the man skittered over the ceiling, chuckling as he went. ''Can't fight what you can't see.'' he goaded, unleashing another wad of viscous phlegm toward the hero.

Now only five were left, all of them remaining a fairly convenient clump as they sprinted for the elevator. Women screamed and moved out of the way, men jumped for safety, but Nina was behind them in hot pursuit, her fists tight and ready to knock in some heads. Suddenly, three split from the group, dropping to their knees and laying cover fire while who she assumed to be the leader and his right-hand man made a break for the opening doors of the elevator.

Bullets ricocheted off of her, shattering flower pots and denting luggage carts. Her face pulled into a tight mask of rage as she grabbed a decorative sculpture, a man and woman dancing cast in bronze, and hefted it toward the escaping men. It clipped the larger of the two and shot off into the elevator's button, short-circuiting the mechanism and freezing the doors into a partially opened frame; she silently praised herself for an amazing shot, but remained curious as to why he seemed unaffected. Nothing moved, and the man bellowed in anger. Nina couldn't afford to pay him that much attention as she dropped to her side, using her speed to slide the remaining distance to the gunmen, grabbing the barrel of one gun as she landed a strong kick to the back of another. The first man fired wildly, sending a geyser of bullets up into Nina's face and shoulder. Each one stung in the most maddening way, causing her to take out her frustration by repeatedly abusing the second man with her legs. Eventually, he stopped moving, giving her enough time to reach up and swing at the others face, her fist colliding solidly with his temple. He went down easily.

Much to her chagrin, another flash bomb went off, causing her to let out a small, feminine yelp. Luckily she had already subdued two of the men as the third advanced on her, the muzzle of the gun suddenly pressed tight to her chest. ''Don't move!'' he said sternly, pressing it further to make his point obvious. Nina's eyes adjusted once again to the lighting, and as her ears rang, she snatched the AK-47 from his hands, bending it in half like a child's toy before tossing it aside. He looked at her with bitter resentment and pulled out a knife, her leg swinging into his knees. He fell on top of her, perpendicular to her as he plunged the blade in a last ditch effort towards her stomach. The metal of it deflected meekly, clashing instead with the fine carpeting. It was at this moment that she decided to punch him in the neck, hitting the side of his throat. He sputtered and wheezed while she pushed him off, rising to meet the last two.

''Not bad...'' the larger of the pair said simply, his smaller counterpart hunched over in what she had to assume was supposed to be some sort of stance.

''Just hurry up and fall over already.'' she grunted with slight fatigue, brushing herself off and tenderly prodding at the sore spots on her arms and shoulders. ''I've got shit to do.''

''As terrible as this sounds,'' he said, contentment in his voice, ''I'm afraid I can't do that.'' The smaller thug's hands began to glow with a muted light, and before Nina could question what was happening, a loud crack and a bright flash rocked her, sending her back at least 10 feet and sprawling her on her back. Her mind gnawed at the situation until she realized they hadn't been flash bombs, but this freak's powers instead. It took a few moments for her to come around again, and when she had, the men stood over her, silhouetted against the lights that made up the ceiling of the hotel. ''Pity.'' the larger man said softly, lifting her up by her hair. She screamed in pain and protest, hands clawing at his arm, but to no avail. Her swipes and the dragging rakes of her nails became more and more frantic as she dug at him, pulling fiercely with fear as nothing happened. Confused, she looked up at him with wide eyes.

''Ahh, at last you see. I'm just like you.'' he cooed softly at her, like a father to his child as he effortlessly threw her across the sprawling room, her form leaving a huge, spidering crater in the wall. Sharp pain splintered through her body as she fell to the ground again, hearing the all to familiar loud crack of his companions flash powers. Her eyes had already been closed, but her ears split with the sound, making her curl in resignation.

The Big Guy didn’t even look to see if she had taken his orders, simply hearing her acknowledge him was all he needed. He felt nothing from the mutant’s attack, and no matter what his power, this creep stood no chance of beating Pain. Pain softly chuckled at the camouflaged mutant’s taunt, his little tricks weren’t going to work on him! His eyes darted up to the ceiling to view another acidic projectile hurling towards him, and this time Pain was able put up both arms. Crossing them over one another, he was able to completely block the attack with his forearms. Smoke tendrils sizzled from his skin, but once again, no visible damage had been dealt. “You give yourself away, now it’s my turn punk!”

Pain bent his knees, and rocketed off of the ground heading straight towards the roof. Once again, the hero had to control and suppress his strength to assure he did not kill these thugs; he could only hope the young heroine had done the same. The Big Guy smashed his shoulders into his lizard-like foe and slammed him into the roof. Without a doubt, the mutant was knocked out cold. Pain carried him on his left shoulder as he fell back to the ground, easily landing on both feet. The Big Guy lowered his unconscious foe to the ground, leaving him there with his friend for the police to deal with. The mutant’s camouflage deactivated, revealing his hooded black outfit and dark green skin. “Now for the others.”

Wasting no time, the hero sprinted off to chase down the thugs and help out the young heroine. Pain was unaware of her danger until he heard her scream out in agony. “Hang in there kid..” The Big Guy moved as swiftly as his legs would allow, now charging to rescue the young heroine he sent into danger. Pain couldn’t let anything happen to her! He balled his fists up tightly, loudly cracking every bone in both hands. Whoever was responsible for this was in for a hurting.

The foe clucked his tongue in disappointment, striding over to the resigned heroine. Nina couldn't muster the strength to flinch as her body was wracked with a deep and powerful ache. Again a hand grabbed a knot of her hair, pulling her to her knees before tossing her up into the air. With a reverberating bang she struck the delicate, hanging metal lamp, shattering the glass in the bulbs and sending biting tendrils of electricity over her stomach and chest before she fell again. Limply she collapsed on the floor, not even mustering a sound.

Nothing was broken, no bruises would form, but certainly the electricity
had knocked something loose, as well as the repeated crashes of noise
and light from the sidekick. Inside, rage burned into her muscles like acid. She hated being in pain, and more than that, she hated losing. The laughter that erupted from the two men served to fuel her fire, making it so much easier to push the hurt and the ache into the back of her mind. The two approached her once more. ''What a shame...'' the man said to his associate, who chuckled in agreement. ''Y'know, she might actually have been someone with the right schooling.''


With a simple grunt, she pushed herself up onto her forearms, her right hand snapping out to grab a fistful of the flash bombers jacket. In surprise, his boss leaped back, despite the frightful cry from his employee. Nina brought the rest of herself up using him as something to hold her steady, his hands crackling with the charge of another flash. ''Nuh uh.'' she said groggily, her other hand grabbing one of his legs to aid in her hoisting him above her head. ''Fuck your sparkly bullshit, Piccolo Pete.'' With fitful stomps, and protesting smacks and kicks from her adversary, she made her way to a window, kicking out the glass before hanging the young villain on a decorative gargoyle by his jacket hood just next to the window.


Before she could pull herself in, she felt a great weight slam into her back, forcing her out the frame and into the open air just outside it. As she fell head over heels, her hands and legs scrambled for purchase, snagging an ornate ledge about 4 feet down from where she had been. Wind whipped at her hair and clothes, and as she looked up to see the fingers of her left hand barely knuckle-deep in the cement like pale, gloved picks, she noticed a triumphant grin from the leader of the thugs. ''Well darling, I must say, you were an interesting trifle at best.'' He flourished the large wooden beam that used to be an ornamental support for the wall. ''But, sadly, all good things must come to an end.''