10471/What was that all about

What was that all about
Date of Scene:	17 December 2019
Location:	Racine, Park Ridge
Synopsis:	Be careful to only steal stuff you know how to use, as the bad guy learned.
Cast of Characters:	Darkhawk, X-23

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Darkhawk has posed:
The Jules-Verne Extraterrestrial Museum served as both a museum, and a research centre. It had security. It had really good security. It had plenty of strong people with good equipment. And yet, a figure dressed in black, with white lines that made his body seem like a circuit board, flew out through a smashed skylight, on a hover board that looked and behaved similarly to the one that Marty McFly used in the Back to the Future movies, except it wasn't pink. He was carrying a bag slung over his shoulder, continuing his path towards a parked Sport Utility Vehicle that looked pretty much like any other. Chris Powell had been in town to visit the museum, having an Extraterrestrial suit himself, and of course, he was close to a few extraterrestrials. He had to make his way out of the crowd, so that he could use his gem to suit up. But that takes time. The transformation may be quick, but he had to find a place to transform without a security camera catching him.

X-23 has posed:
Laura often found herself places out of the way and far from home. This was one of those times. She just liked to wander, be out and about. Perhaps it was genetic. The man she was cloned from had the same tendencies, after all.

She had been inside the exhibit, enjoying the displays, when things went wrong. She doesn't have the benefit of a suit that covers her features. Yet, she will do her best.

As the board went upwards toward a skylight, she was already running for an emergency exit. Once outside, it was just a moment to shed her outer layer of clothing, leaving her in all black. A top that left her midriff bare, a pair of skin tight pants. Black boots were all that remained of her original attire. She pulled a bandana out of her pocket, tying it around the lower portion of her face. It wasn't a full mask but it would do for now.

She ran into the parking lot, sniffing the air and making a beeline for the SUV. As the villain moved toward it to make is getaway, she leapt onto the roof.

*SNIKT*

Her claws extended from both hands and a single from the front of each boot. "Give it back now and you won't bleed." Perhaps not very heroic sounding but it was truthful.

Darkhawk has posed:
The man in the circuit board like suit had just managed to put his bag into the back of the SUV and the hover board, which probably had limited range. Not everyone had tech like Iron Man. Miniaturising the weight of the power source was the main problem with such things.

"Oh, f..." he said, though what he was trying to say was masked by the sound of snikting claws. "All right." He said in a calm, matter of fact way. He reached for the bag, took a step back, and as he began to extend it, his free hand pressed something on the suit, and he became a giant high powered LED, emitting the kind of light intensity that could blind a person at close range.

Which was about the time that Darkhawk had managed to find a place to transform, and become his heroic alter ego. He'd lost the man, and was currently doing a search of the surroundings, looking for a sign of the guy. Darkhawk spotted Laura on the roof first, and then the blinding light. As he swooped down, the guy in the suit said, "get her!" Just as Darkhawk was drawing nearer, the would be thief was hoping that disoriented, Laura might think that Darkhawk was in cahoots with him.

X-23 has posed:
As the light went off, Laura was already leaping over to the side just in case he was firing a weapon. It is the only reason she wasn't completely blinded but there were still spots dancing in her vision.

She was going to have to rely on instincts here. Not the first time. She'd been taught to fight in complete darkness, if she needed to. The Facility was thorough, if nothing else.

Hearing him calling to someone else, she was going off the front of the SUV. SCRRRREEEEE. Her claws were digging through the hoood as she went off the far end, landing on in a crouch at the front of the vehicle. Four furrows were through the metal of the hood and anything that was beneath them. The SUV would not be going anywhere without some major repairs.

She turned to see who was about to help, spying the flying figure. A hint of wind brought her a scent. Which was not mingled with that of the robber. "Nice try. He's not with you." She rose to her feet and vaulted off the hood, going for a flying tackle of the bad guy. Without stabbing.

Darkhawk has posed:
It was a nice try. Against others, it might have worked, especially in the confusion. But Laura was not others. She was unique, or at least as unique as a gender flipped clone could be, or whatever she was. Circuit Breaker, as he was known, frowned that his efforts had failed, and worse, she had torn up the SUV.

Darkhawk landed behind him and the rear of the SUV, thankful not to have been cut up by the claws that had made short work of the vehicle. "Please, no flash photography, or borrowing any of the exhibits. The museum frowns on that. But if you wanted a souvenir, you should really check out the gift shop, open eleven through six, Tuesday to Sunday."

Circuit Breaker was rolling his eyes behind the mask and goggles, "not another one," and he jumped into the back of the SUV as Laura leapt from the hood, over the SUV, the raised rear door, in an attempt to tackle him. She did manage to smash up the door, going through the window. Scared, panicking, and probably soiling his suit, he was holding the bag in the back and frantically began pressing buttons... The SUV, damage and all, seemed to disappear from sight, leaving only the broken glass, and any parts she had cut off the thing. Darkhawk, who was now standing closer to her than he cared for, asked, "what was that all about?"

X-23 has posed:
That did not go at all as planned. But this was much like fighting in the dark. Only it was the opposite way. She would have to use her other senses.

A low growl escaped her throat as she reached out to try to touch where the SUV had been, to determine if it was just invisible. At the same time, she was sniffing the air. It should let her pinpoint if he, or the SUV, was able to be tracked that way.

"I have no idea. He took something. We have to get it back."

Darkhawk has posed:
Darkhawk's sensor array didn't help much either. He went through the various spectrums available to him, commenting that "it was here, and then it suddenly wasn't. Do you know what he stole?" Darkhawk was genuinely in the dark, as he had seen the man fleeing on the hover board in the museum, but hadn't actually seen him steal whatever it was he had stolen?"

Meanwhile, the van was there, right where it had always been. Circuit Breaker got to see the claws slash through the van, and his leg. He could see everything. He could hear everything. But clearly, he could not touch anything, or perhaps, nothing could touch him. He felt the device, which crackled and made a noise. He could feel the van beneath him. The hover board's power was shot.

Taking off his mask, he looked around as it dawned on him. He had phased. Was he in another dimension, the astral plane, or just vibrating at some frequency that differed just enough. Whatever it was, he'd have one hell of a time getting back. Laying back on the bed of the SUV, "we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto."

X-23 has posed:
"I've got nothing. I'm guessing he teleported away. But if he could do that, why not do so from inside the building instead of using the SUV?" Laura asked as she walked over to touch some of the pieces on the ground, lifting one up to sniff at then sniffing the air again. "I can wander around, see if I can track it, but there isn't even a trail leading away from this place. It'll be like a needle in a haystack."

She stood back up, facing him. "It was some old texts from the 1600s. No idea what was in them. I hadn't seen the display area they were in yet, to read the plaques."

Darkhawk has posed:
Darkhawk's helmet didn't allow for expressions, but he didn't think that the guy was stealing texts from the Extra-Terrrestrial Museum, mostly because he had seen him pushing some buttons before Darkhawk or X-23 had a chance to stop him. "I see," is all he said at first. One arm at his side, he nervously tapped the fingers against his thigh, "I don't like this. He just like, got away?"

He wasn't sure how to pursue him. And dressed as he was, he could go into the museum to try and investigate there, but the cops would be here soon. Metropolis seemed to have a bad response rate. "Hmm, well, I don't want to stick around and explain myself to the authorities. You okay to get to uh, wherever you came from, Claw Sister." And if he could, he'd smile as he showed off his. It was not in a threatening manner.

X-23 has posed:
"I have no idea if there were other things. I don't know if this," Laura waves her had at the nothing where a van used to be. "Was something he already could do or something he took from inside. I don't know how to track him."

As he extended his claws, her stance shifted, weight going to the back foot as she automatically shifted for a fight. Only no fight. He didn't intend on. She eyed his claws then her own. "Interesting. What are you?" Then she shook her head. "Nevermind. I need to go. I don't need cops around." Because they might have moles who might report her to the group trying to find her.

With another SNIKT, her claws all returned where they had been, hidden in her arms and feet. All that remained to show they had been were the rapidly healing wounds on her hands and the almost inperceptable hole in the front of her boot.

Darkhawk has posed:
Watching her claws disappear, she reminded him of another person, one he had met before, heard about, but would never claim to know. A senior member of Alpha Flight, one who kept odd hours. But with the sirens coming, he didn't really have time to get into it. So, he answered her question in the easiest way he could, "like Iron Man, only different." And he jumped up, getting quite a bit of lift. Jets in his boots began to propel him. The claw retracted, and wings sprouted from his back, extending to and connecting with his arms. He hovered for a moment, "the name's Darkhawk," and would stick around until he could hear her name, before heading off in the direction towards downtown Metropolis. Since he was in the area, might as well do a patrol as well. Kara would appreciate it.

X-23 has posed:
"X-23," came the response from the woman. As he went airborne, she took off on foot. A circular path that took her back where her other clothes waited. It was only a moment to get the layers back in place over her costume. Then she ghosted, getting as far away as quickly as possible.