14857/Rumble in the Mesa

Rumble in the Mesa
Date of Scene:	26 March 2023
Location:	Somewhere Out West
Synopsis:	Juggernaut and Power Girl In: How to Take A Punch
Cast of Characters:	Juggernaut, Power Girl

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Juggernaut has posed:
He wasn't going to bother with this but recent events have had his mind in disarray and his heart troubled and unsettled. Repeated encounters with heroes who seemed inclined to want to push him to 'do better', others that just wanted to challenge him for the 'fun of it' and to 'push themselves' and even potential work looming and lurking overhead that might just entrench him further into the realm of mercenary work and villainy..have got him pondering about focus and direction.

Needless to say..he's got steam to blow off now. He wasn't that interested in pursuing an old contact regarding this until now. That and an incident with no less then the god of thunder himself, Thor, has further put him ill at ease.

And so now, the Juggernaut simply waits. He'd gotten a message out through the proverbial 'grapevine' and set a time and a date..made his way to this part of the country through mundane means of travel..and now sits on a large sturdy boulder in full armored regalia. A monstrous nearly ten foot tall mass of muscle, red armor and domed helmet. His physique an outrageous mountain range of mass that looks more in line with the mountains and mesa's of New Mexico then anything else.

He arrived early but is not particularly patient and his massive fingers drum, boredly, into the stone supporting him.

Power Girl has posed:
Power Girl Here she comes it's hard to miss the crack boom of sonic booms as she comes in a few moments later, a streak of white and red is seen stopping not that far off . She floats hands on her hips in her full power girl suit before she beams a smile ' Hey this is what you normally look like.. it's kinda funny looking," she smiles " Wouldn't a normal helmet work better? This makes you look like you got not neck " .

     She floats around the huge man " which also means you have to turn to look at people. Wouldn't that be a pain " she cocks her head " I could make you a better suit, you know " she says honestly always trying to be helpful.

Juggernaut has posed:
"I practically don't got a neck. Did you forget what I look like without this on?" rumbles the behemoth who can't help but smirk despite his sour mood. Juggernaut straightens up and then leans forward, resting his gigantic arms on his legs as he peers at Power GIrl, watching her float around him until she leaves his line of sight and then returns.

"No. You can't." he says, "This is magical and it's got certain properties. You really got no idea -who- I am, do ya?" he muses before considering and then nodding, "..Kinda refreshing for once. Usually that ticks me off but it's just...it's just weird. Met your'sister' by the way... The other day."

Power Girl has posed:
Power Girl Her whole face lights up when he says sister "Shes the best, right " she beams " Was she nice i bet she was nice.. shes nice to everybody," she beams brightly. She cocks her head " you in a bad mood? You sound grumpy," she taps her chin " I know wanna go find some bad guys to punch em in the face.. always makes me feel better " .

     " I mean, you told me your code name is Juggernaut, and that other girl called you Caine so that's your real name .. I can hear some bad guys. Do you wanna go beat 'em up with me? "

Juggernaut has posed:
"Lemme put this simplier for you. I -am- what you'd call a 'bad guy'. Least ..if you ask some other folks opinions. Your cousin and your sister would probably agree."

Juggernaut crossed abit of the morality horizon here. It'd probably not have been too difficult to try and confuse her but he figures..let's put all the cards on the table now, especially with her talking about wanting to go beat up some 'bad guys'.

"So..Imma have to decline your generous offer. Though if you got some crime to go stoppin', don't let me get in the way. None of my business. Huh. That's that super hearin' eh?"

He twiddles his thumbs and then grins a little, shark like, "Yeah..Cain's my real name. Juggernaut's what I 'go by'. And your sister was..nice. I confused her for you at first but..Uh." He sits up and makes a general gesture to his chest area. You can probably guess at what he's impling:

"..You aint got no S."

He grins again but then adds, "I'm not in a bad mood. Just thinkin' about my life, yeah?"

Power Girl has posed:
     She Looks down at her chest, then up " hey," she says, hands on her hips and pokes your chest, but she's strong enough that you shift a little from the impact! Before she huffs

     She frowns " Why are you a bad guy? " She cocks her head " I mean, do you wanna do bad guy stuff? If your thinking about your life, maybe you wanna do good stuff, right? " She asks a little bit hopfull .

     She looks up at him pushing her fingers together " Right " she sighs " Or we could fight .. if that helps? "

Juggernaut has posed:
Great. Another one. He did indeed wobble from the finger push though even casually he's a hard move. He frowns though and waves abit to try and get her to float back.

"Man I been rollin' bad lately. Each time I meet one of you guys..you start in on the wheel of morality on me. Listen, it's complicated."

Juggernaut reaches up, rubbing his jaw slightly, fingers able to reach it thorugh the opening in his helm.

"People got reasons to do what they do, y'know? I can't get into it now.. But I got the power to do what I want, when I want..so I do. I guess there's more to it but not like you care or need to know, right? You just looking for a punching bag to test your might on. So..I figured..I'd give you a shot. I"m curious. In fact..you guys got me thinkin' about if I -could- get some sorta ..I dunno..neutral ground 'blow off some steam' set up going but ..frankly I don't trust everybody you hang with."

HIs frown returns, "So if we're gonna dust knuckles for 'kicks' I don't wanna get blamed for anything that happens to you or to the landscape."

Power Girl has posed:
     Thanks for a moment " You don't sound bad," she thinks " Okay yeah if youd id what you wanted and hurt people that's not okay " She thinks, " But what if I do wanna know why you do it ? " She asks, patting his shoulder " I can listen," she says brightly, sitting on the air " Lay it on me .. I was super angry and wanted to hurt people, but I'm better now cause somebody was willing to hear so tell me " She beams him a huge smile.

     She thinks " hey that idea of a safe place to just unload is good but we gotta set up force fields. "

Juggernaut has posed:
"Hey listen, you're getting awful touchy feely there. In both ways. You're like a kid."

Juggernaut doesn't recoil from the shoulder pat but he does sound surprised that she'd do it.

"And well..what does a bad guy -sound like-? I got opinions. I have viewpoints on things. I like to drink, eat and just hang out. See that's the problem with you hero folk.."

He wags a finger at her, practically old-man cane shaking in his own way. But he then relaxes as he considers and shrugs.

"As to hurtin' folk. It aint like I'm swinging punches at ol'ladies crossing streets. The things we do..things happen you know?"

Juggernaut's eyes narrow a touch and his smile returns, albiet darkly, ".You trying real hard to get t'me but I can't go telling you everthing. You aint my 'court appointed therapist..'"

He does, however, ponder the idea of a force field encloser and then, "Eh..wouldn't work for everyone but.maybe.. IF the place was big enough.."

Power Girl has posed:
Cocks her head as she looks at you ' So far you haven't said why.. you've said a lot about nothing, really " she smirks as she crosses her arms " So far all you've said is you don't like hurting innocent people " she looks around " Well, I mean i could buy a big plot of land, maybe with some mountains in case the fields fail? " She wonders " I know kryptonian tech that can make stuff super tough " .

Juggernaut has posed:
"It's not about if I like it or not! It's not my -goal- to hurt folk who aint doing nothing. It just..happens! If folka re in the way when things gotta happen or get done..it just..they just in the way!"

Frustrated now, Juggernaut stands up and hops forward to drop down from his perch, shaking the area with the result of his impact and the ground crumbling slightly under his steps as he begins to walk away.

"Why do you care so much, anyway!" He spreads his huge arms to the side, "I'm sayin' what I'm sayin' because I'm trying to not let you get all up in my persoal business. What difference does it make to you?"

He then belts out a laugh and turns, "Oh that's rich tho'. A kryptonian tech given t'someone like me to set up a fight club eh? Man..you gunnin' to get blacklisted from the League and the Avengers alike eh? You really -don't- get it do you?"

Power Girl has posed:
Cocks her head, " What that you're pushing me so hard away saying your the bad guy but so far you haven't said anything to that nature " She frowns " you keep saying you're the bad guy .. but why are you the bad guy? " She asks, crossing her arms and looking at him . She frowns " So your saying you don't wanna hurt people " she cocks her head . She smirks " What are you doing that needs to be done what do you want? "

Juggernaut has posed:
"Darlin' - that's my -point-."

Juggernaut turns, dropping one hand to his side and gesturing at her in frustration and ire..and yet continuing the conversation thread.

"The folk people like your cousin lable as -bad guys- aren't really -bad people- most of the time. THey just doin' what they need to do to survive or reach their own personal goals, yeah? And yeah sure sometimes things go wrong but it's not like we out here trying to shove babies into the streets. Sure there are some creeps and psychopaths but that aint me."

Of course he's half fooling himself. For years he had rage in him such that seeing his step-brother dead was his only goal and damn whoever got in his way. That may have cooled but deep down on the inside he knows he has a capacity for destruction for its own sake..but that is a bridge he's unwilling to reveal to her here and now and he seems to, indeed, be trying to dance over some issues here as he tries to explain himself.

'So yeah I can be social but I also break open bank vaults and over throw countries if I'm paid enough or there's something I need or want. Or bust open a building. So I'm a 'bad guy.'" he air quotes this last part.

"Get it now? It's not personal. Just business. Most of the time..."

Power Girl has posed:
Cocks her head " So business is what you want in life ?" She's like a child. She looks at you with those big big blue eye " That doesn't sound like a good goal," she says " I want to be happy and help other people life good lives " she says brightly She frowns " Why would you break open a vault if somebody paid you .. that sounds silly like getting money to go grab money " .

Juggernaut has posed:
He is gradually picking up on this and it...confuses and troubles him abit more. Juggernaut stops, lowering his massive arms and then reaching up to rub his jaw as he peers at her more closely.

"Uh...that's not what I mean. It's..it's .. Listen..Uh."

There's a pause as he considers this and then:

"How -old- are you, exactly?"

Power Girl has posed:
She blinks " Like years alive or my body " She looks down at herself " Cause they are diffrent," She sighs " I also have somebody else's memories in my brain so that dosn't help " . She sighs " See, everybody got issues " She looks at him " I mean I can see where you get in trouble cause your big and break stuff but that's not your fault cause your heavy "

Juggernaut has posed:
"That aint it. You didn't see me just breaking stuff in that club did you? IN FACT --- it was YOU who broke the club. You came at me and didn't really know if I was tough enough to take it. You just assumed and if I wasn't me..you coulda killed me or sent me flyin' out the club."

Juggernaut seems to be putting it together. He's not dumb, just single minded. Maybe takes a moment but he's experienced.

"Sisters..she said.." he muses, considering now the likeness between the two aside from their physical differences.

"Yer body may be old darlin' but this conversation...Your mind aint caught up yet. Whose memories you got?"

Power Girl has posed:
     Blinks " No, I had an idea how tough you were, " She says ' my friend told me you can take a light punch, and that's what I gave ya " she says brightly " Yes, I did break that stuff. That was my fault I'm still learning to control my power, is all "she rubs the back of her neck " But I got them new furniture, so they said it was okay " .

     She puffs up her cheeks " and I'm old enough thank you " she says " And your changing the subject "

Juggernaut has posed:
"Listen girl, what you call a light punch isn't the same as everyone else. That's what I"m talkin' about. You don't have perspective and can't control yer powers. You just assumed but then thought to try and send me through a wall..didn't you? A light punch is like..I dunno..not what you did and if you think that's a light punch you got a long way to go to control your powers and are gonna wind up killin' someone by mistake."

Juggernaut seems..well..not concerned here but still trying to make a point. He folds his arms, peering at her,

"..What friend? Rogue's your friend? She was the only other person there we talked to.."

He is indeed changing the subject but he makes no comment to that.

Power Girl has posed:
Power Girl Blinks and pushes her fingers together " not my fault, I'm strong," She says " I'm Kryptonian, after all " . She sighs " And I am learning to control my powers, okay " she growls " No the guy at the bar said you can take one of my light punches, and you did " She beams " So that worked out " .She smirks " and if your the bad guy, why are you worried I'd hurt somebody? That doesn't sound like something a bad guy would say " .

Juggernaut has posed:
"This is like talkin' in circles.." grunts Juggernaut, looking like he's getting a headache.

"Listen..if you hurt someone ..no skin off my back, alright? That's on you. I'm just sayin'. Do what you want. Just don't come crying about it and say you weren't warned. Your not my problem, your Superman's and Supergirl's problem then. Yeah I heard about Kryptonians. Seen stuff. Impressive sure, I get it."

He finally shakes his head and notes, "Man..you're like a little girl in a...grown ass woman's body. I don't feel right beatin' you up, even if it's sparring. I"m all confused now. I mean..I guess if you were trying to stop me or something I wouldn't hold back then but.. You just don't know how the world works."

He considers matters abit, "Lemme think here..."

Power Girl has posed:
Blinks as she looks at him and cocks her head as if trying to understand " They are teaching me, and I'm learning lots I don't break stuff as easy now," she smiles .

     She frowns " hey, I'm an adult, thank you," She says, pouting " And i can fight you just fine," She says, " But I don't wanna cause you'd don't seem like a bad guy.. I mean you like to say it, but you don't seem to mean it. Hey are you hungry? I could go for some pasta .. you want some pasta? " .

Juggernaut has posed:
"You were all eager to fight me back when we met in the Fight Club and now you backin' down cause you think I'm nice?"

Juggernaut shakes his head and then rumbles, "Naw. No thanks, I'll pass..."

"..So they teachin' you? What exactly are you learnin' from them? Are you..-on- the League or something? They probably just keepin' an eye on you.."

Power Girl has posed:
Blinks " Well no I'll fight with you if you like. A nice spar can be fun " She beams brightly " But you said If I hit you too hard it's bad " she frowns " your making me confused " . She rubs her head " I'm learning to pick up stuff and not break it " she says brightly " And like how to throw taps and stuff so I don't break bad guys that can't take a punch " . She grabs a rock up and taps it " See I didn't turn it to powder " Of course, she cracked it to hell!

     She thinks " Did you wanna spar if you do I know a desert we can fight in " .

Juggernaut has posed:
"Hmm."

Now Juggernaut is not 'The Evil One' - but he is..despite Power Gir's insistence to the contrary..usually not very nice. He does have some morales and scruples though but..the gears are turning in his head now. There's no teaching an old dog new tricks you see...and in the back of his mind there's always something tugging at him to push for more mayhem and more destruction. More power..

But he's still got some limits on what he will and won't do.

"Naw, I dunno.." he considers even though he does raise an eyebrow at the rock. Still..a thought strikes him. "I tell you what.. I'll let you hit me as hard as you want and you'll see what I mean. Let's call it a 'little' test.. "

He grins now, "All you gotta do is..push me back. I won't even swing back. I think maybe you need to see that there's bigger fish out there and folk eve kryptonians gotta be careful with."

He dusts his hands off now, "Call it..a teachable moment. And here's fine. We're out in New Mexico for a reason. Nothin' but mesa's and rocks for miles around."

Power Girl has posed:
She frowns " You sure .. I mean I don't wanna hurt you " she says " I'm suuuuper strong even superman has a hard time with me " she says frowning as she floats up " I don't wanna hurt you really bad and your super nice to me " .

$t She thinks " You sure you can take it cause I will but .. I'm really sorry if it hurts okay " She says softly

Juggernaut has posed:
"I wanna show you somethin'." notes Juggernaut, grinning abit. "Teach ya somethin' maybe. Impart a little bit of somethin' without getting Superman and Supergirl on my tail in the process." It'll probably happen anyway.

"But yeah. Just a little friendly test, yeah? Besides, once you get to talkin' about knowing me and talkin' to me..that'll freak them out anyway."

Few are the beings in existence that can phyiscally threaten The Juggernaut. This is entirely the point of the power of Cyttorak and being the Exemplar of Physical Power. So his confidence is clear though even he has his limits and vulnerabilities as do all beings.

Doesn't stop the ego from being inflated though.

"Alright, you ready?" He flexes lightly, rolling his shoulders gigantically and squaring them before beginning to start moving for her.

Power Girl has posed:
Blinks " Okay " She says But the thing is, she was a clone yes.. but she was also made by lex, and she was made to kill superman and super girl fro that matter. In a lot of ways, she's really, really strong, even for a Kryptonian. Her fighting skills kinda kick in, and she winds up.. He can even see her eyes glow red .

     What happens when you add full-power Kryptonian punch with a touch of super speed right to where your jaw should be? She's hitting him with the kinda force that can crack the moon. After all, he did say full power.

Juggernaut has posed:
The Juggernaut is a bit of a cheat code however. He's the literal embodiment of power. An avatar of a being whose aspect is nothing but destruction. Not just for one group of aliens but to all things. In fact - it is a quiet blessing that it is Cain Marko who wields the power of Cyttorak and not Doctor Doom. Not Lex Luthor. Not even his step brother Xavier..because it is literal cosmic power with a blue collar worker mindset steering it. He..holds himself back out of fear for what he would be if he truly became Cyttorak's Champion. And even holding back..he could break Hulk's, The Strongest There Is, neck if the Jade Giant let him get his hands around it for long enough.

So when these two forces meet.. Juggernaut and Power GIrl, it's a minor event like that of a meteor impact. A shockwave rolls outward and the earth caves. Canyons form and mesa's shake and crumble. THe earthquakes trigger seisometers miles and miles away. Perhaps all the way to the west coast and a boom roars through the air as a plume of dust and debris explodes skwyards as if a nuclear bomb just went off.

When the debris clears--Power Girls' fist is planted in the side of Cains' face, now revealed with his helmet and skullcap having been blasted off. But noticably..the gargantua has not moved backwards and Power Girl has been stopped dead in her tracks..aand is being pushed backwards as the goliath leans into the punch, contining to take a step.

He does seem somewhat stunned though. Surprised. "WHOA! That wasn't BAD! I thought only Jade Jaws could pull a stunt off like that! What th'hell?" He then belts out a roaring laugh, stopping after a few steps of pushing her backwards. "Like a damn nuke just went off here..."

Power Girl has posed:
She beams a huge smile " Your okay, yay! " she beams brightly clearly, she might have held back just a tiny bit she was kinda scared She blinks " Wait! " She suddenly zips off, and moments later, she's back with the helmet ..

     she sighs" That was close it almost went into orbit.. and Yikes, you sure nobody gets made " she looks around " WE kinda blasted the place didn't we " She grins " i do feel better for punching something.. how did you stop that is it doing this " she leans froward and tenses as he did bracing herself " .

Juggernaut has posed:
Sadly even if she did hold back still, the outcome would not have been all that different. The Juggernaut is not one you defeat with pure physical force and those with such strength usually have other factors involved to earn a victory and rarely if ever a conclusive one.

In fact..he is explicitly the counter to such efforts. He wouldn't be much of a Juggernaut otherwise.

But Power GIrl has more then strength alone at her disposal and such tactics are where one wins the day. It is wits and perserverance and bravery that fells Juggernaut, not power alone. Though this includes him occasionally self sabotaging his own efforts. But this is a tale for another time.

"You didn't have to do that darlin'. I can make a new one whenever I want." notes Juggernaut though he does take the helmet when she returns.

"There..you see? I'm fine. Though maybe you gave my jaw a good once over. I heal fast as well." He rubs his jaw and then rumbles, "That's my point, girl. You Kryptonians aint the only top dogs out there so keep this lesson in mind. Got it?"

Power Girl has posed:
Power Girl Blinks " I never thought I was the strongest, " She beams " I'm just strong," She giggles " But okay ' She nods " I'll remember, " Beaming him a big smile.

     She floats over and gives him a hug " Hey can you teach me how to take a punch like that and not move? "She asks all starry-eyed

Juggernaut has posed:
"Man I can't get a read on you."

Juggernaut stiffens and does not return the hug but he does reach up and push back against her eventually after allowing it for a moment.

"I'm gonna have to take some time to process this. Also..huh?" He blinks a few times and then suddenly laughs, "I aint about to train you. You might have to actually fight me one day. Besides...you can't do what I do. But..you can do it your own way probably. You can probably brace yourself pretty well already. You probably already do. I mean..haven't you fought anyone strong yet?"

Power Girl has posed:
     she Blinks " I mean, other than my cousin and sister, no " She says softly " I just got to this planet after all " she beams brightly " I didn't get to fight a bunch so all Id id was work out " she beams and flexes her arm showing off her muscles in her arms " See " she has some pretty strong looking arms for a girl at least.

     She pouts though " awwww come on, show me please ' she grabs your arm and tugs on it. Like a little girl trying to get her big brother to do what she asked.

Juggernaut has posed:
Juggernaut has already decided that this is potentially bad news. She's clearly a powder keg. This much is obvious.

"I can't! Our abilities aren't the same. Just..if someone punches you, push back against 'em! It doesn't work on me as easily because..well..I"m unstoppable. If I'm coming at you then you're gonna move. But if I'm not and you're holding your ground..you probably can already do what I did unless someone stuns you and you lose your footing or get hit by something stronger then you can withstand. I'm not gonna hit you."

Power Girl has posed:
She grumps and folds her arms " Fine " She sighs, sounding rather upset " Fair I get it " She sighs " spoilsport," She shoots at him . She Sighs " So you wanna make a fight zone were everybody can fight but nice and safe no bad guy and good guy stuff ? " She smiles " Like that bar but like for bigger people like us ? "

Juggernaut has posed:
"Yeah. Something like that."

Juggernaut's mood returns to being lighter, "Thing is..stuff will still break. Some of us..well..our powers go off the charts and some of us are even more of the charts then those guys. A forcefield wouldn't hold me, see. Slow me down but not hold me. Then you got teleporters, folk who can..freaking summon volcanoes. I'd have to think about it. Plus we'd need some way to keep deaths from happening or folk to heal others up."

He rubs his chin, thoughtfully, "...Maybe somethin' off world. Something like Bar With No Name..."

He then glances to Power Girl. "..You interested?"

Power Girl has posed:
Thinks for a moment something a lot of people forget or well don't know about her. She's basically just as smart as lex or close too it " What about Vr " She looks at him " make a machine that can copy your powers and stuff. Bring you to a virtual world we can smash and fight all you want, but the real world dosn't get hurt or nothing " She beams. " We have something similar on krypton. They use it for training I can modify it to work on the various people and stuff " .

Juggernaut has posed:
"Yeah but how would that work with magic? Things that aren't based on...I dunno..genetics and stuff." Juggernaut's not a total jock. His experiences have exposed him to much, "Plus..I don't like things that mess with my mind.."

Hint...one of the only things that can actually put him down and bypasses his abilities.

"Good idea though but..I dunno yet."

He turns, preparing to move in the direction of his far away, distant truck. It'll be a run but he can manage it with enough time to build up speed.

"I'm out. Hey.." he pauses and glances over his shoulder, "Actually maybe don't tell anybody about you meeting up with me yet, eh? Could compromise us both you know. Don't ask why either, just trust me!"

If word gets out he's seemingly chatty with Superman's cousin..wouldn't be good for him.

Power Girl has posed:
Power Girl Frowns but shrugs " Okay oh next time I'll bring Icecream " she beams " have fun .. don't be bad okay .. " She smiles " If you have a reason just ask I can help " she tries to help him