1468/Gnome Cometh

Gnome Cometh
Date of Scene:	15 July 2017
Location:	Metropolis
Synopsis:	Priscilla and Sarah meet up for lunch and invite Sadie to join them. This goes all wrong when their lunch date is interrupted by the machinations of the Gnome and the Cabal. Kaldur and Sussa arrive as things go badly.
Cast of Characters:	Voodoo, Aqualad, 360, Rainmaker, 1170

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Voodoo has posed:
To be honest, green spaces in Metropolis are not exactly on every block. But there are a surprising number for a city this size. Most of them are small, however. This one, in particular, is less than half a block in size, a mere postage stamp, and it's located in the heart of a major intersection. There are crosswalks, but access is honestly best accomplished using one of the three skybridges that actually pass //over// the traffic and then lead to spiral stairs that land just inside the small park's perimeter.

Currently inside the park sitting on some of that lovely green grass is a mocha-skinned young woman with a long, tumbling mane of inky black hair with an irridescent sheen to it, dressed in a summery little purple flower print dress (on white) with thin spaghetti straps and a squared neckline that looks a wee bit immodest when stretched over her significant curves. She's actually enjoying the grass with her bare feet, squidging her mocha-hued toes in the grass with a rather luxuriant expression on her face as she looks up, eyes closed, towards the heavens or the tall buildings all around. A small backpack, little more than a purse with delusions of grandeur, rests at her hip.

It's a pretty tranquil scene, all things considered. A swelteringly warm and yet beautiful midsummer day. It's pretty sweet, really, as well it should be. There's no reason at all for anything else ... is there?

Yet that tranquility is about to be broken. Not quite yet. But soon. A large van, nearly a box truck, turns the corner and pulls down into the parking garage beneath one of the huge iconic towers nearby. Inside, a man turns around to face the back, tense. "Scanner is positive, Sir. It matches the signature in the database, at low ebb. The subsystems say it's in passive mode, but there was a spike two minutes ago in the alpha waveband."

A Marianas-trench deep voice rumbles back, "Very well, Gnome. Activate the unit. Remember, please: I want her alive."

Aqualad has posed:
Kaldur likes the parks.

The greenery is dense and alive, and the oxygen a fresh, sharp scent to his nose that he never quite tires of. Gills are plenty efficient, but there's /something/ about inhaling clean, fresh air that appeals to the Atlantean man-- the way it plays against senses in a vivid, pleasant fashion.

Needless to say, the city's smog and smoke doesn't help, but the plant life obviates the worst of it.

He's dressed discreetly enough; red t-shirt, dark leather jacket, jeans. Moccassin- style boots that fit his weirdly over-large feet, but there's just no hiding the gills at his neck or the subtle verticality of his too-pale eyes.

He squats in front of a low flower bed and sniffs at one of the daisies experimentally, then immediately sneezes at the overstimulation to his sinuses.

Sussa Paka (360) has posed:
Sussa is simply wandering around metropolis. Granted she is wandering around in costume...for two reasos. First, nobody thing someone in a costume acting strange is any stranger than someone just in a costume or someone just acting strange and second, because she really is not all that sure what normal people wear in this century. She has her flight belt and her Telepathic Ear-plug (need that last, she speaks Interlac, not English) and her trans-suit (not that you will notice that, it is transparent). Her hair is at it's shortes length, sticking out about a foot from her head. Most people will have no idea who she is, or why she has a green costume with a spiderweb pattern and a mask on. She is here just to look around...Metropolis is a lot different in the future.

Rainmaker has posed:
    At the edge of the park, where the alleys off the street become small mazes between the various building, there's a suddenly stiring of air, a breeze becoming a brief dust devil that sends old bits of paper skimming around the walls and ground, before flying up in to the air as a young woman descends and lands, then looks around, a bit furtively. Sarah wouldn't NORMALLY cheat like this, but the bus broke down, and they took FOREVER at the Thai place...first world problems. But still, she didn't want to be late, so she risked the flight, staying low. She's pretty sure no one saw her. Or maybe they'll think she's Wonder Woman in civvies or something if they do.

    She reaches up, adjusting her top slightly, then smoothing her hand along her shorts, brushing off some loose bits of dust clinging, before she goes walking out of the alley, making for the park, and swinging a canvas bag in one hand from which hints of delicious curry is wafting. At least Priss will know she's running late, as she starts scanning for the other woman, then waves as she sees her. "Priss!' she calls, speeding her pace. Not a jog...because, you don't really want to jog in a bandeau top. It never ends well.

Sadie (1170) has posed:
    Sadie's expression is one of fixed acceptance, carefully desinged to hide the fact that she is inwardly seething at the amount of time it takes to simply cross the street at a busy intersection. She taps a toe agains the pavement while she watches for the interminable light to change so that she can cross the street and head into the park. Then the woman spots a family of three (two women and a little girl) heading up the elevator on the far side of the road and scowls darkly. They have skybridges?!
    Eventually the light does change and Sadie stalks her way across the street, her icy blue eyes throwign daggers at anyone foolish enoguh to regard her. She is what one might call statuesque. A petite frame on a girl over five feet and eight inches tall, slender shoulders with curves. All of whch are on display given that for some reason Sadie is wearing a sheer white long-sleeved top that does nothing to hide the half cup bra underneath and a pair of jean shorts that are almost too short to be jeans. And two inch heels, because who doesn't want to be a giant?
    The blonde eventually presses her way into the park, casting her gaze about carefully and adjustign her shoulder bag as she goes. Her eyes eventually land on Sarah and she nods once, starting in that direction. "Sarah! There you are. I almost thought I'd gone to the wrong... Park. Hello." Sadie waves briefly at Priss next.

Voodoo has posed:
<< Hi, honey. >> Priscilla's mind answers as her ears - enhanced, as they are - pick up Sarah's call. The mocha-skinned woman lets her purple eyes drift open lazily, and then turns her head to look in the direction of the girl in shorts trying not to sprint as she makes her way quickly through a crosswalk headed for the park. A beaming smile lights up the already ecstatic face, and what was a powerful impression of incredible beauty reaches almost stratospheric levels as she flows up to her feet gracefully and waits for the other woman to reach her. When another woman calls out towards Sarah, the towering woman in the dress - six feet tall without the heels she isn't wearing yet - turns towards that sound and the white-almost-clad blonde that is the origin, offering a nod and a little finger-waggle wave. "Hi."

A deep, thrumming whirr sounds in the back of the van. The man in the passenger seat climbs out and goes around back, still tapping on the keyboard stretched across his opposite forearm, and pauses only to unlatch the dual back doors and swing them wide open, then backs out of the way, as he reaches up to flip a colored lense over one eye, light streaming from it into his eye as the holographic HUD comes up.

The van rocks and squeaks on its double-strength suspension as a massive metallic figure lurches out, legs encased in a robot-like exoskeleton stretching as the hunched creature within comes out. If it were to stand upright, it might be twelve feet tall; as it is, it is probably just about eight feet tall, hunched over, low to the ground, with a ponderous solidity that suggests incredible mass, like a Silverback gorila arrayed in an Aliens-style cranemech.

One of the scanners squeals and bleeps, and the short man with the controls nods. "Secondary confirmation, another spike, same locus. Locking the parameters ..." he murmurs.

Then the behemoth he has activated starts lumbering quite quickly - a good thirty-five miles per hour within seconds of start - up the parking deck ramp towards street level, bursting explosively through the 'do not enter' bar, causing a car on the street to screech its brakes and swerve to avoid the thing as it makes a beeline for the park, heedless of interlopers.

Sussa Paka (360) has posed:
Sussa frowns, someone let a construction robot out without supervision? Wait a minute, do they use construction robots in this era? She better take a closer look. She activates her flight belt and is soon approaching the robot.

Aqualad has posed:
Kaldur turns to look over his shoulder, rubbing at his nose and wincing; he *ahems* and tries to clear the offending pollen, sniffing violently a few times and making it worse. If he's scandalized by the flirty summertime attire of the women meeting, it doesn't show; then again, in Atlantis clothing is a serious liability for a strong swimmer. Only the most foppish wear anything but wetsuits or gossamer silks if they need to do get around the cities.

The mecha, however, gets a balked expression of shock, his pale eyes flying wide. The momentum and aggressive posture of the thing alone would be cause for alarm, but the fact it's also dstroying property is a pretty big clue for the newcomer to the surface.

"Ladies! Run!" Kaldur shouts. He flexes his legs and leaps a solid horizontal thirty feet, and from under his jacket come a pair of crooked, bone-white sticks the length of his forearm; he aims them at the trickling water fountain and flings a cannonball of water at the robot, modifying the surface density as he does to make it something akin to hard rock or steel for a moment.

He lands in the robot's path, and snaps his weapons at the wrist, forming a mace and blade in each hand. "A poor ambush suggests a poor warrior!" he snarls, his voice a strong baritone with a mild rasp to it.

Rainmaker has posed:
    The Amerindian girl hurries to catch up with the other to, her long dark hair streaming behind as a breeze catches it. "No, you're right, I'm just running late..." she apologies. "Sadie, this is Priss...Priss, this is Sadie." She looks just a touch nervous at the meeting. "I brought curry...green, yellow, red, I wasn't sure what everyone liked best..." she begins, but the loud CLANG CRASH of the bar being smashed the alarmed shouts and screams from the direction of the garage DOES distract as her head comes up, looking over, blinking at the charging mecha, back up as she unconsciously puts herself between the other two, dropping the bag.

    There's a moment of panic, then calm in her emotions as she sees the oncoming monster, then a grateful look shot at Kaldur as he leaps in the path, turning to the others and grabbing their hands as she starts pulling them towards the relative safety of a large SUV parked near the street. "C'mon!"

    Lunch is forgotten on the grass...her first instinct is to grab her friends and get away from what is looking is about to become some sort of superhero/supervillain fight, not realizing that the fight is coming to them either way...

Sadie (1170) has posed:
    Sadie waves for PRiss's benefit as well, nodding her head briefly as she does. "Hello," the slender woman calls in a bright tone, blue eyes darting between the two women as she comes closer with careful steps. "Yellow curry, of course. I suppose it has been a little bit since we've had lunch together. Ah, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Priss. Sarah and I are old friends." With a smile quirking her lips Sadie takes a deep breath, unnecessarily stressing her top... And then the screams begin.
    The girl turns on a heel then, blinking as she slowly scans the crowds and finds her gaze coming to rest on the robot nearby. "Of course they had to interfere with lunch." Sadie actually tut tuts faintly, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth. She sighs heavily. "I think our meal will be slightly postponed, darling. Let's see what we have here."
    The slender, underdressed girl with the waist length blonde tresses stalks toward the robot in the most blase way possible. As if something that size isn't a recipe for splattered human. "You should probably turn back. We didn't order robot armageddon this week. Try Victor von Doom? Latveria always needs spare parts." And she just stands in the way of oncoming doom while everyone else panics.

Voodoo has posed:
"Oh f***!" Priscilla expletives, taking a good half-step back as the ginormous angry mecha thing comes tearing out onto the street and bounding improbably towards the park. Her little park. Towards her, her girlfriend, and her girlfriend's ex. Fudgecicles. She's not sure what she did wrong in a previous life, but it must have been a doozy. She barely has time to snatch up her little backpack before she and the blonde girl - Sadie, was it? - are being dragged along towards an SUV and away from the trouble. Worse yet, it seems the blonde pulls away and starts sauntering towards the creature! . o O (Oh crap.)

And here Priss is without her gear, her bike a good four blocks away. Zealot would be //so// disappointed.

Meanwhile, the creature in the exoskeleton bellows with not quite impotent rage as the waterball slams into its surface, causing it to lurch to the side, ripping up asphalt and crushing a cabbie who was dumb enough not to go the opposite way when this thing came onto the scene. But it refuses to yield, and charges directly towards its target, as new tracking coordinates are fed, and visual sensors cue in on movement and peg that the target has to be one of three females. Image processing starts, looking for a match.

Meanwhile, the creature surges forward, charging right at Kaldur rather heedlessly, as if he really doesn't matter at all. If the well-trained young warrior pays attention, he might notice a slight trajectory change as it resumes its charge, its target having moved ...

When the thing gets close enough, assuming Kaldur hasn't gotten out of the way he will be tagged as a threat and a backhand of about ten tons of force will be delivered in a deadly sweep that will take the head off of a streetlamp and send it sailing through the glass frontice of one of the elevators to the skybridges, and Kaldur with it should he still be there. The move is swift, for its lumbering size, but not somehow blurringly fast, and is largely negligent, as the creature - whatever it is - seems focused beyond him.

Sussa Paka (360) has posed:
Sussa is flying overhead, ignored by the robot. It will soon regret that as her hair stretches to enormous lengths, wrapping around the torso of the creature and lifting it off the ground...while keeping it beyond its arm's length. It is a good thing her power is telekinetic, her belt might not support the weight otherwise.

Aqualad has posed:
Kaldur proves to be shockingly agile-- definitely no mere human here, though the weaponized water probably was a clue for anyone watching, already. He backflips spectacularly in place, up and over, and when he lands it's near the robot's left shoulder. The water bearer in his left hand goes liquid, becoming a series of twining fingers that firmly grip several points of articulation at once-- using the devicse as leverage, Kaldur flips the other 'blade' around and slashes at the robot's shoulder, aiming at cables and exposed piping to try and slow or disable the giant mechanical beast.

"Get clear!" he orders at the sassy blonde; but, though his voice cracks with a commander's authority, it still is remarkably composed, though tension thrums through it. "This is not the time for witty banter!"

Rainmaker has posed:
    And of COURSE Sadie just shrugs off Sarah's attempt to get them to safety. There's a momentary exasperated look on the copper-skinned woman's face, as the blonde steps directly into the path. Oddly...she doesn't look panicked by it, however.

    She tugs on Priss's arm. "She'll be okay, we need to get out of her way and..." And then the beast changes course again, coming right at them. Is it...following them? Her, or is it Priss, or Sadie..." She swallows a bit. "...I think it's coming this way...RIGHT this way..." she clarifies as the exoskeleton with Kaldur now attached to it turns to reorient straight towards here she and Priss are standing, then is snagged by the flying woman's...hair? "...ow." she mutters, just trying to imagine that. It's bad enough when she gets a nasty snarl, much less a machine in her hair....

Sadie (1170) has posed:
"No, it's clearly not," Sadie drawls. A brow is arched at the 'man' who is acrobatically assaulting the massive, murderosu robot careening through the park. For whatever reason she seesm completely unimpressed. The girl shrugs her shoulders and takes a deep breath. A brow arches then, blue eyes moving to the robot and then following its intended trajectory through a tree, past the ltitle family she'd seen cross the street tothe park earlier... Aha!
    Sadie takes a deep breath and then she takes a few steps to get into its path. She twists then, watching Sarah and Priss as they take off through the park behind her while she walks backward toward them. "Over here! I'm between you and your target!@ Come on. Crush me already, you pile of galvanized mass produced useless bolts." Then the girl laughs softly. Yes. She just laughs, apparently unconcerned.
    Not at the robot. At Kaldur. What a bitch. WHen the robot is lifted from the ground, however... Sadie blinks. "Well. That's no fun." She still maintains her 'blocking' trajectory, however.

Voodoo has posed:
"Sadie!" Priscilla cries out, reaching for the blonde even as she saunters towards the combat. Well, that's not good. The mulatto girl glances at the Aerindian, wordlessly asking: do we go after her, or what? She blinks at the answer, not at all expecting that, but she obeys as they run for cover.

Cover which is not being very effective. Damnit. Priss was afraid of that; it's coming after them. Which means ... it's coming after //her//.

The telekinetic hair strands wrap around the torso if the massive creature, and - if barely - manage to pull it up off the ground. It is incredibly heavy, massing a full five tons, and even suspended like that it keeps swinging, engaged in combat even if it cannot quite reach its target.

Kaldur manages to drive his water-formed blade up into the exoframe surrounding the shoulder and bicep of the creature, severing several lines which look important. They start spewing various incredibly foul, pollutive liquids as the creature continues to act with the limb, despite what would seem to be disabling of the mechanical aspects.

The damaged arm is lifted, and a small plate drops open around the 'knuckles' of the exoframe fist, revealing a short row of small rounded dart-like options, from which there is a flare of light and heat, a thunderous sussuration of sound, and they launch out as one, aimed towards Priscilla, the SUV, and Sarah.

As the launch completes, the exoframe is suddenly electrified with a searing crackle and a popping hiss, likely transferring right through that water-based tendril gripping the shoulder with the power of a military-grade taser.

With a lound 'SHINK' an A-shaped blade protrudes from the exoframe's other hand, sweeping up at the tendrils trying to hold it off the ground.

Priss shouts as she spots the incoming missiles, and launches herself at Sarah in a form that would do a linebacker proud, shoulders low, arms wrapped around her as she pushes off, leaping to get them as far clear as she can ... entirely prepared to take the brunt of that blast herself. She has burned before. She can do it again. Hopefully.

Sussa Paka (360) has posed:
Fortunately Sussa's hair is incredibly hard to hurt...the rest of her is not as fortunate so she is glad that those weapons were not aimed at her. She moves tendrils of her hair to the arms and legs...trying to immobilixe the thin entirely...though she might not be able to given that she is also keeping it suspended in mid air. She tries...but ius also looking for something more lasting she can do. Could she throw it somewhere? Wait...possibly an idea...that man below damaged it...if she fits her hair inside the break she might be able to rip it apart. Well...she might need to put it down first...

Aqualad has posed:
Kaldur roars in pain and is flung from the robot with a surge of acceleration, the electricity causing his muscles to convulse and send him skittering across the grass. Atlantean physiology and the surface wetness of his skin keeps most of the current from his body, but it still /hurts/ like hell, and the dark-skinned young man stares dizzily at the ground as he tries to get spasming muscles under control.

"Unf... ware the metal flesh! It.." he groans and staggers back to one knee, touching his head in pain as the after effects of a severe electrical discharge quake through him again.

Sadie (1170) has posed:
    "Does it /really/? Well then. This party isn't any fun if they just ignore you..." Sadie takes a deep breath and sighs heavily, blue eyes comign to rest on Kaldur as she lurches and staggers in response to the electrical impulse. "Shh. Maybe you should stay down. You got shocked pretty good. Let's see if I can do a bit to help."
    Sadie is frowning, studying the robot with a rather serious expression on her features. "Well, with it up in the air this is going to be diff-" Then the robot is on the ground and careening toward her like a motorized demon. The girl blinks as this happens and freezes... And as she gets run over she has a wicked smile on her sculpted features.
    WHAM! The sound of metal striking metal is cacophonous. Grass is flattened, ruts torn into the ground beneath Sadie's feet as the robot is thrown to the side amid the sound of tearing steel. It's a superficial but very visible gash deep into the side of the mechanical behemoth. It'll be up again in a second.
    Sadie, who was objectively just run over, just blinks and this and shakes her head as she chides the thing. "You should really buy a lady dinner first."

Voodoo has posed:
Ow, the pain. Damn, fire sucks. Ow, damnit, ow! A psychic wash surges across about a two-block radius, allowing everyone to feel at least an echo of the agony of being pan-seared alive, right down to the sick feeling of smelling your own flesh sizzling. Priscilla has managed to knock Sarah down and away, which was the plan. But she is not going to be getting up right away, unlike a certain blonde psychotic over there. So unfair!

Sussa is able to get hold of the arm and penetrate the opening created by Kaldur's earlier attack, once she puts the cursed exoframed creature back on the ground, but that allows it to make serious progress in surging towards its target. Nevertheless, that opening gives her the opportunity to wrench and wrest and twist ... and then finally the exoframe arm comes free, torn from its moorings, and then there is a meaty rip as the flesh of the creature within is shredded apart, and a bellowing howl of agony that almost deafens with staggering force.

Frothing, eyes flecked with rage, the creature continues its charge, and SLAMS ... into itself? It staggers away, its limbs digging into the turf, damage done now to the remaining exoframe arm, jamming the blade in place. It shakes its head, a whirring whine from the exoframe, and then it growls, snarls in rage, and charges again towards the fallen, smoking form of Priscilla.

And the curry.

Rainmaker has posed:
    The mini-missiles streak out of the launcher, spreading out for maximum impact as they arch up then descend straight towards the two young woman. Sarah lets out an OOF as Priss comes to the same belated conclusion she did about targets, the impact carrying her onto her back as she lands in the grass, the other woman covering her. There's a moment where her eyes widen as she sees the missiles coming towards her, then reflex takes over.

    Her eyes go white, as she throws up her hands to either side of Priss' body. "NO!" And the air respond, a shriek of howling wind forming a powerful updraft as it crashes into the oncoming munitions, twisting as the winds start to circle, twisting into a spiralling dust devil...but not in time to stop the explosions as they ripple over the area, the SUV blowing apart dramatically as flames wash over the two, then is pulled back, a ribbon of flame sucking into the whirling vortex as a good chunk of the fire is vented upwards.

    Tragically, the curry, which Sarah waited THIRTY SIX MINUTES for, is also pulled into the vortex.

Sussa Paka (360) has posed:
Sussa grabs the remaining three limbs and hog-ties them together with her hair. With another strand of hair she reaches inside the opening, feeling about for the creature at the controls...if she can she will immobilize him and hope the controls are not telepathic.

Aqualad has posed:
Kaldur explodes out of nowhere, moving fast and sure-- he lunges across the grass low and swift, his water bearers trailing a long snake of water behind them.

He leaps intot he air and flings one bearer at the fountain, sucking up a great gout of water-- the other, he aims at the robot, and the water forms a pylon that crashes into the mechanized man, with a stunning amount of force as it's grabbed by Sussa's flowing hair. A thousand creeping tendrils of water start prying at the edges of the glass with edges as thin as a razor, prying upwards with incredible force to rupture the protective hull around the lone occupant.

Sadie (1170) has posed:
"Hm. Well then!" Sadie watches all of this with a faintly curious expression, studying the attacks of the heroes surrounding her and considering every movement that is made. A foot taps agains the ground agian and the blonde gives a heavy sigh. "If that doesn't work togget inside of there I have an idea," she calls somewhat boredly. It doesn't appear that Sadie is inclined to work on getting in the way. "I'll just need a bit of help." The girl strides forward casually then, walking in a lackadaisical way that utterly disregards the fact she is surrounded by impending doom.
    "I just need one of you to hit me. Try to strangle me. Stab me through the heart... I don't know. You figure it out." Sadie just shrugs at that. "Up to you. I'm just going to stand right here in the middle of a superpowered brawl and lament the fact I left my gun in my other purse."

Rainmaker has posed:
    The swirling winds disappate, a patter of missile bits tumbling to the ground around the area, as the dair-haired woman pushes herself up, letting Priss just sort of lean against her as she starts to lift her, then realizes she doesn't know where to touch that isn't horribly burnt. "Priss!" She reaches up, checking the other woman's pulse as her gaze turns balefully to the other creature, fury in her eyes now.

    The winds in the park pick up again, the scent of rain now as it begins to rapidly become overcast, clouds bursting out of the clear skies as water vapor pulls out of the air, turning to fog, to cloud, then turning grey and threatening, a rumble of thunder booming over the park as lightning snakes across the rapidly growing thunderhead. "SADIE! CATCH!" she shouts, pointing at her as she lets Priss slide back into the soft grass, standing...because she doesn't want to be touching her for this, as the scent of ozone fills the area as the lightning arcs down from the cloud, then down Sarah's arm, before flashing from her palm as it hits Sadie dead center, a tremendous BOOM of thunder echoing through the park.

Sussa Paka (360) has posed:
Sussa sees that the hydrokinetic is up to something and concetrates on holding the robot suit immobilixed. She could possibly do mor, but teamwork is better.

Aqualad has posed:
Kaldur stays hovering in the air with the force of the water bracing him, arms tensioned as he keeps that incredible liquid force going against all understanding of physics. The tiny, wrigglign fingers burrow into the seal around the pressure plate; tiny spiderweb cracks start to form and an imbalance of pressures cause hissing emissions of air to slip past.

Sweat beads on his brow. "It is nearly disabled!" he shouts, watching the machine struggle and thrash in Sussa's hair. "I have weakened the glass-- one firm blow should break it fully asunder!"

Sadie (1170) has posed:
    The world around Sadie goes comparatiely dark as lightning arcs towardh er slender form. The smell of ozone permeats the ari and the girl lifts her arms over her head, turning icy blue eyes toward the sky overhead. The bolt hits her, suffusing the girl's form with energy that crackles and sizzles through the park as it cuts through the air. Sadie cackles manically, a haughty laugh that echoes among the trees and plants.
    As the girl does so the plate that Kaldur has just weakened explodes in all directions. The spidering cracks suddenly take an impossible amoutn of force, overloading systems and applying stress to warped metal until it fractures. Between the damage already dealt and the amount of raw energy now being pumped into the bot... After hitting Sadie... the pod essentially explodes. Messily. Being al iving thing inside of it probably isn't a great idea.

Rainmaker has posed:
    The blast is delivered, but the growing storm doesn't disappate. If Kaldur seems to use water, there's more starting to patter down, the wind swirling in powerful gusts back and forth, except for where Sarah and Priss are. There's a eye of the storm around them, as Sarah quickly kneels down again. Her hands slide under the other woman, heedless of the blood and ash as she scoops her up and holds her protectively, warily watching the creature. The others might have this? But she won't be caught off guard a second time, the winds swirling around her protectively, ready to ward off any further missile attacks.

Sussa Paka (360) has posed:
Fortunately hair is not a very goos concuctor, but even so Sussa is having a hard time with feedback...the edge of the lightning's shock is forcing her muscles to contract and hurting her flesh like crazy. She grits her teeth (not that she has much choice about THAT) and concentrates on controlling her hair. THAT is not effected by the electricity running through it. Keep the pressure ob, hold the robot suit still, you can do it Sussa Paka.

Aqualad has posed:
Kaldur turns his face skywards even as he settles to the ground, letting the rain brush away the last, lingering pain from his features for just a moment. It puddles on his dusky skin and he dismisses the energy around the water bearers, then tucks them into the pockets under his jacket once more.

He surveys the area, looking for the injured and wounded-- spotting Sarah and Priss huddled in that eye of the storm, he blanches and rushes towards them.

"Please-- let me help. I have some knowlege of the healing arts," Kaldur tells Sarah, standing with his palms outstretched to show his lack of hostile intent, and waiting for her to give him permission to attend the wounded woman half pulled into her arms. He seems to be dismissing his own pain, though ugly patterns scribe themselves on his hands where elctricity had arched against his mocha-colored skin.

Sadie (1170) has posed:
Once the robot shatters Sadie takes a deep breath, brushes her hands together, pivots on an ankle and starts to stalk away with long, even strides. After a moment she pauses to look back at the dismantled attack bot, however. "Are you...Alright?" This is being asked of Sussa, an eybrow lofting. "I hope you didn't take a saltwater bath before this..." She muses then, canting her head slgithly to the left and tracing her foot against the ground. "Hmm..." She taps her toe against the ground again, her frown deepening slightly.

Rainmaker has posed:
    The Apache woman's chest rises and falls in more rapid breaths, adrenaline still running through her system as she watches, half-crouched, her long hair billowing out behind her as it flicks back and forth like a dark banner. As the pod explodes messily in all directions, Sarah gets a look of savage satisfaction, looking to Sadie to make sure's alright, then checking on the others briefly before the storm begins to subside, the rain slowing.

    As Kaldur rushes over, Sarah hesistates. On one hand, she's been told Priss can heal quickly, but on the other...she's out. She settles futher to the ground, closing her eyes for a moment to center herself, then opening them, meeting Kaldur's gaze, before she gently lowers Priss across her lap, her burnt back exposed. "Alright...I'm...I'm not sure how bad..." she says, looking down, then swallowing a bit at the mass of blackened fabric, as she at least tries to cover possible explanations of why the girl in question might be healing at an accelerated rate.

Sussa Paka (360) has posed:
The pull on her hair suddenly releases as the robot wxplodes. Sussa is thrown backwards...she was airborn and not anchored, so she is thrown back pretty hard. She instinctively spreads her hair and uses it to avoid a hard collision...which it does when she absorbs the force of imact with a nearby building. She slumps to the ground, semi conscious. Her powers are useful, but not always the best defense in the world.

Aqualad has posed:
Kaldur has gills. They're flaring visibly in reaction to the water raining around him, so it's not as if he looks like the sort who's going to protest that Priscilla is healing faster than she ought to.

He is deft and professional, probing the wound with surgically clean lances of water that are sharp as glass and just as clear. "It is a burn, but she will survive-- I see no dark blood and smell no toxins," he tells Sarah, cutting away the burned fragments of clothing and taking advantage of Priss' unconscious state to scrub the wound clean of any lingering dirt or bacteria. Water burbles and swishes against the injury, and he keeps one hand extended to control it as an improvised pressure bandage to control any residual bleeding.

He winces at Sussa hitting the ground, and nods at her, glancing those too-pale eyes to Sadie. "She appears dizzied-- please inspect her to ensure she's not injured too badly?" he says, making it a polite demand of the woman despite the heat of the moment and crashing adrenaline of the fight.

Sadie (1170) has posed:
    "Well... Alright," Sadie responds to Kaldur judiciously, shaking herh ead once as she does. The blonde makes her way toward where Sussa has fallen, shaking her head slowly as she approaches. "Are you awake enough to ehar me?" She akss in a surprisingly gentle tone as she's coming close. "Let me help you up. Should I take you to a hospital?" If Sussa doesnt't resist coherently Sadie will actually pick her up and carrie her back toward the group at large.

Rainmaker has posed:
    The Amerindian woman watches Kaldur work. She can feel some of what he's doing with the water, and without any prompting, the remaining rain seems to bend towards him a bit, giving him more to work with, before finally slowing, then stopping as the cloud above starts to disappate. At Kaldur's diagnosis, she lets out a relieved breath, though still watching worried, her fingers reaching out to just rest against a patch of unburned skin near Priss's hand. "Okay...okay." she murmurs quietly, then looks up to Kaldur. "Thank you." she says fervently. "If you hadn't showed up, and the other woman too..."

    Who hit the building over there. Ow. Well, Sadie is there, she trusts she's got that.

    "Where did that thing come from? Why was it after us?" she says, now searching for the reasons behind the attack.

Sussa Paka (360) has posed:
Sussa takes a moment to get herself together, "I will be all right, I have been hit by worse in the past." Well, technicall in the future, but it is her past. She will need a checkup when she gets back to the cruiser, but should make it that far.

Aqualad has posed:
Kaldur looks over at Sadie and Sussa; but the two women seem well enough, and Sussa on her feet provokes a sigh of relief from the tall, strongly built young man.

He's definitely not human; minor webbing can be seen between his fingers and his gills flutter shut as the rain slowly dies off. And the water-bending, but that's probably pretty normal for most people in this area, right?

"I can not speculate why such a thing would happen," he tells Sarah, shaking his head uncertainly-- his close cropped hair, bleached almost to white, scatters water from it. "The ways of the surface world are often a mystery to me. A most angry and powerful beast, however; such a machine could not have been cheap to make, and must have been transported here. This suggests a cold intelligence at work; a plot," he tells her. "It seemed to be pursuing you and your friend. Can you guess why?"

Sadie (1170) has posed:
    Sadie takes a deep breath and turns toward where the other victims have gathered. "Very well. Just be careful. It must have been a hair raising experience." Sadie starts to walk then, her threee foot long blonde locks framing the motions as she goes. She walks like she intends to be watched- which, given what she wears, is likely to be accurate. Soon enough Sadie will appear next to Sarah to listen quietly to the discussion. She doen't appear to have anything to add for now.

Rainmaker has posed:
    Sarah puffs out a breath, reaching up idly to guide stray strands of her hair over her shoulder. Secrets. Always secrets. She wryly imagines just laying out the many reasons why certain peoples might want her and Priss captured, vivsected, or simply very dead, as she searched for a response. Likely Kaldur can see that hesitation on her face, as close as he is.

    "...there are people who might want to capture and examine us." she says, finally, leaving it somewhat vague but truthful. "I've never seen anything like that though, so I'm honestly not sure who would have sent it. Or who it was after specifically?" she admits.

    As Sadie returns, and the other woman appears to be okay, she looks relieved, shooting a brief smile at Sadie. Then she pauses, her mind working, then blinks. "Wait, if it was transported here...where's the transport? It couldn't be far, that thing was super obvious..."

Sussa Paka (360) has posed:
Sussa has a bit of trouble with the translation, and also decides it is time to go. She is not exactly known to the local authorities...and does need to get back for that checkup. She retracts her hair and flies away.

Aqualad has posed:
Kaldur doesn't press the issue for the moment-- staying quiet as Sarah frets, and not missing the uncertainy washing across her high, well-defined features.

Also, at that point Sadie sashays up, still damp from the rain. Kaldur's a disciplined soldier, but that's the sort of view that'd make a rock sweat.

He clears his throat and focuses on Sarah when she speaks, listening with focused attention. "Many have enemies, and those reasons are their own. Foes who would strike so aggressively in a public space, however, are a most dangerous breed." He gathers his water bearers and with a surge of water from the fountain, summons a dervish of water to float skywards upon. He looks around, steadying himself against a lightpole; seeing nothing, he shakes his head.

"Almost certainly, they've fled by now," he concludes. "I see nothing large enough to transport the monster covertly," he says, settling down on the damp ground again.

"I should introduce myself. I am Kaldur'ahm, of Atlantis. My friends call me Kaldur," he says, in even, polite tones. He bows slightly, touching his sternum. "Well met."

Sadie (1170) has posed:
    "It must have been traveling in a large van or truck," Sadie observes as she's coming close. Kaldur is flashed a sweet smile and then she reaches up toward the sky overhead and arches her back, stretching... Both her core muscles and her top. Afterward the woman takes a deep breath. It should be noted that thin white cotton becomes quie translucent in the rain, clinging to bare skin almost like a second skin. it darkens those blonde tresses as well but they still sway slightly when the girl moves.
    "If they weren't gone they would already be attacking again," Sadie continues. "I am afraid that the danger appears to be past for the moment. Perhaps they are rethinking their strategy. That robot was rather... SIngleminded."
    With this statement Sadie stops stretching and makes her way toward Kaldur, that smile returning to her lips as blue eyes study the gilled man from head to toe. "Sadie St. James. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Kaldur." She offers a hand, complete with perfectly manicured red painted nails.

Rainmaker has posed:
    "Definitely..." Sarah mutters in response to Kaldur's words. The adrenaline is definitely wearing off now, leaving her slightly shakey, the fingers resting against Priss's hand trembling for a moment, before they curl. She nods to Kaldur as he speaks, nodding in agreement. "Yeah...this is new..." she admits, then her dark eyes flick up as the woman taking off, then the waterspout taking Kaldur up to the light pole draws her attention.

    She takes a moment as he's looking to carefully adjust Priss so her head is on her lap, resting so her back isn't against the ground but exposed for the moment, as she knows at least the wounds there are clean. Ah, which...cannot be said for her wardrobe. The whole burnt holey smouldering look is SO last season.

    She returns her attention as the young man comes back to introduce himself, and despite the situation, she finds a faint smile teasing her lips. He's so formal and polite...like a prince. And from...Atlantis?

    Since her lap is currently occupied, she can't get up to offer her hand too, but she does smile at Kaldur from where she is. "Sarah Rainmaker. This is Priss Kitaen.." she says, reaching up to gently stroke the unconscious woman's hair, trying to brush some of the scorched ends off. "Dammit...so we don't even know who did this, or why, or if it'll happen again..." She frowns, shaking her head. "And that thing was definitely fire-and-forget, Sadie's right....it might show up somewhere else in public." She glances back at the mass of craters near where she and Priss were lying, and the burning SUV, whose owner has just arrived. At least, she assume the stunned looking older man with the briefcase staring at the burning wreckage might own it.

Aqualad has posed:
Kaldur /does/ have the sort of regal bearing one might expect of the aristocracy-- or someone who spends a lot of time among them. But there are hard calluses on his hands and subtle scars that you don't earn except through hard living. He has that soldier's look-- missing little, weighing much.

Still, as disciplined as he is, he's more or less human, and not immune to Sadie's charms; the woman walks with a calliphyrgian sway to her hips and projects an aura of utter self-assurance. The wet top isn't doing him any favors, either.

Trying not to goggle, he gets his stare under control when Sadie shakes his hand; his hands are strong, but the grip is gently firm instead of crushing. "Well met, Sadie St. James," he tells her, ducking his head politely.

It's a whole squad of wet women in various states of near-dress, so Kaldur grabs his hormones by the neck and flings them into a mental cupboard to focus on the situation at hand.

"I suspect that at least, the cost of sending another such adversary will dissuade them for some time," Kaldur tells the women. He nods at the reddish fluid mingling with motor oil, in the wrecked machine. His sharp eyes miss little detail, it seems. "A machine may be rebuilt, but an expert pilot will be harder to replace."

Sadie (1170) has posed:
    Sadie doesn't seem to midn being oggled in the slightest. In fact she offers another of those saccharine smiles as he is forcing himself to look away, her full red lips slightly pursed. Sadie's grip is stronger than Kaldur might expect but no moreso than one could attribute to an athletic woman of approximately her own size. That her muscles aren't especially obvious in her current state of barely PG-13 might be a testament to the other distractions involved as much as anything else.
    The blonde practices her meditative inhalation with a slow, exaggeratedly deep breath that expands her chest against her abused top and then makes a face, eyes squinted and lips formed into what is almost a pout. "Ugh. I can't keep wearing this... Way too much cling and none of the benefits of latex." Sadie shakes her head and then drops her hands to the buttons on her shirt. Only a second later she's no longer wearing a shirt over the top of her Junoesque form.
    With a sigh Sadie balls the shirt up and shoves it into her shoulder bag, left in a white wireless demi cup bra and her almost criminally nonexistent shorts. Then the girl gives an insouciant shrug. "We're all agreed then they'll come back and try to kill us again later on. I nthe mean time our lunch was just destroy and I'm famished. I'm voting Korean BBQ. Sarah, you don't get a vote today. Priscilla is unconscious. That leaves... Kaldur?"

Rainmaker has posed:
    The native woman eyes Sadie a bit, throwing a mock pout her way, then says. "...actually...may I borrow your shirt, Sadie?" She holds out a hand for the other woman to underhand it to her, her lips twitching. She knows perfectly well what she's doing, but doesn't comment other than that.

    Presuming the shirt is tossed to her, she sets it down, using the edge to brush at some of the ash on Priss's face for a moment, then reaches up, twisting her bandeau around until she can get at the buttons at the back, then hesistates, looking up at Kaldur. She cooooould...but that's just pure mean, and he seems like a nice boy. "Ah...if you could, just...I'm going to switch shirts with Priss quick..." she explains, fingers stopping with one button undone.

Aqualad has posed:
Weirdly, Kaldur seems more at ease once Sadie takes her shirt /off/. She's essentially just in swimwear at that point; and that's as common as any other article of clothing in that city.

Kaldur looks at Priss, blinking in confusion, but a deliberate hike of her brows expresses her request. "Oh. Yes, of course," he says. He shrugs out of his leather jacket, tucking his water bearers into his belt. A sleeveless red vest protects his torso, revealing thick black lines tattooed into his arms and wrists, climbing towards his athletic swimmer's shoulders.

He shakes out the leather jacket and holds it in from of Sarah, averting his eyes pointedly to the side to the point she has a modicum of privacy thanks to the garment.

"I do not know what Korean BBQ is," Kaldur tells Sadie, frowning thoughtfully. "Korea is a nation among the surfacers, yes? But food would be welcome in any case," he concedes.

Voodoo has posed:
With her wounds cleansed, the formerly purple-wearing mocha-skinned woman looks better than she did, but still pretty rough. Her back is not just burned - which is bad, and led to the destruction of much of one side of her not terribly substantial little dress in the process - but also nailed with a goodly peppering of high-velocity shrapnel. Oddly enough, said shrapnel has not actually interpenetrated to reach her other side, which is good for not bleeding out, but means most of it was still inside her. Kaldur has thankfully worked hard to remove it all. What a mess.

But as she lays in Sarah's lap the Atlantean would be able to see the bubbled, blistered, ruined flesh bubbling again, almost as if new heat was being applied. And very slowly, the edges of the vicious burn are fading away, tiny bit by tiny bit, smoothing away to unmarred mocha skin.

<< Sarah? >> a soft, distant-seeming telepathic voice inquires within the Amerindian woman's mind.

Meanwhile, in the parking garage from whence the exoframe creature emerged, the man called Gnome frowns. "Damnit. How does this witch manage to get //friends// amongst the damned heroes? She's an alien invader, a loner, a thief and a murderer." Bitterly, he shakes his head, and the holographic HUD shuts down, no longer with any signal to carry anyway. Then he climbs back into the van. "Drive. I will have to report to Helspont. He will not be pleased. But we haven't the resources to grab her now."

Sadie (1170) has posed:
    "Then it's settled. Vote seconded and motion carried. There's a lovely oplace just around the corner. Monsieur Nate was telling me we simply had to visit it if we were ever in town again but, of course, I've made it here first and he shall smply have to hear allabout it from me." The animated motions Sadie is going through are a stark contrast to her natural Femme Fatale bearing and, for most people, her lack of clothing. The woman gestures vaguely and then takes another deep breath before tuning so that she can look off into the park.
    "Aha! Priss. Magnifique. You loo kas if you are feeling tremendously better. We were going to go to Korean Barbecue for lunch, Kaldur's treat of course ,and then we were going to sit down and get to know one another properly while whomever sent that robot reports to their superiors." The girl smiles beatifically at this and then turns slightly so that she can look up toward the sky as she considers.
     "They're probably getting in touch with them right now...."

Rainmaker has posed:
    The offer of the jacket brings a warm smile from Sarah now. "...my, you're the full package, hero..." she says, a faint teasing tone to her voice as she reaches up to take it as well. "Thank you, that'll work until Sadie's is all dry." She buttons and adjusts her top again. "It's a slightly spicy type of Asian cuisine, yes...' she starts to explain. "But you have a little grill that you can use to-"

    The others can't hear that voice, but they can see Sarah twitch and perk up, her attention immediately going to Priss again as she reaches up, resting her fingers against her cheek. <<Priss? You're okay...it's dead. Kaldur *with a image of Kaldur in her head to go with* treated you, got the worst of it out. Sadie and I are fine too...>> She thinks, the last niggling worries fading a bit. <<Afraid your dress didn't quite make it however. We'll have to put it down. Sadie has donated a new shirt and Kaldur is lending us his jacket for you however.>> There's a sort of amused but approving air to Sarah's thoughts, the last little niggling worries fading as Priss comes back to consciousness. She breathes out. "Okay...she's alright." she says to the others, carefully running her fingers down the mulatto woman's back where the terrible burn was.

Aqualad has posed:
"My... treat?" Kaldur stares at Sadi, blankly; he seems unsure of what she's suggesting. "You mean ... my pleasure? I am sure it will be so, for me to join your company for a meal," he says, the euphemism clearly lost on the stranger. His accent is a bit odd, too-- his diction precise and deliberate, as if he's taking care to form every word with a meticulous, steadfast nature at his heart.

"And the jacket is the least I can do. It pleases me to hear that she is improving," he tells Sarah, nodding at her and the woman cradled in her arms. "I can feel the shrapnel ejecting itself from her wounds," he explains, gesturing at the water bandage still covering the worst of the injuries. "She is healing with remarkable speed."

Voodoo has posed:
With a burbling groan, the woman stretched out on her side shifts position slightly. Then she coughs, which sets up some spasms through her abused, recovering body. But they ease soon enough; she's not nearly as bad off as someone should be who has been through all of this. It's pretty impressive for not just being immune to damage.

That's a glare at you, Ms. Voodoo Doll!

<< Uhm. Hi. Sorry if this offends anyone. But apparently my throat would rather I not talk. Thank you, for helping. Especially for stopping that thing. I ... It was after me, I'm pretty sure. >> She's not sure who sent it, or why they sent it this week. But she's pretty sure it was after her. Helps that everyone else is pretty sold on that already. Because telepath.

<< Allow me to introduce myself, if you will? I'm Priss. Priscilla Kitaen. >> A long several moments of evaluation follows, and there's a sense of 'nodding' even though she doesn't move. << You would have to be Kaldur. Only male mind. And ... mmm. Very interesting feel. And you would be Sadie. Seems like our friend with the //really// long hair has left. Not that I blame them. >>

After a delay, Priss comes back. << I'm going to need a lot of protein, to supply my body with what it needs to fix all of this. >> Which rather implies she //can// fix all of this. << Uhm. Tier 2 question: authorities? >>