3332/The Hunted: Collateral Damage

The Hunted: Collateral Damage
Date of Scene:	08 December 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Silk, Shadow, Raijin, Mon-El, Aqualad

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Silk has posed:
    A young woman was falling from a great height- down off the ledge of one of New York's taller buildings. As she falls, she speaks to herself: "Gravity has a way of dragging you down..." Pippa- the woman who falls, dressed in the costume of one of the so many heros and heroines that walk the streets these days- says, "If I get out of this one, I'll have to tell that one to Charlie. He'd love that."

    Pippa's day had been going great up until the point that some guy dressed like an 18th century creeper had started following her. At first, she figured it was just some weirdo- but something about him made her feel.. off. She'd lost him in the crowd, met up with her boyfriend and had a beautiful day. Their fourth anniversary. Charlie- her boyfriend.

    "No, Fiancé.." Pippa corrects her train of thought.

    ...Had proposed. It was the first day of the rest of her life- a life with family and happiness.

    But now, she was falling- and in the distance, falling after her like a hunting hawk descended a man in a long coat, and poet's shirt with fine tailored pants and rather old-styled, but excellently crafted riding boots. Gaining on her, even as they fell towards the Earth. Pippa licked the blood from her lips, closed her eyes and took a deep breath and howled as she fell.

    Everyone with a dog in the city of New York took notice as the Avatar of Canine loyalty's life was suddenly stuffed out. Every dog in the city howls and yips and shrieks as if in great pain and sadness as someone attached to their very souls was torn away from her mortal coil.

And then suddenly silence. That piercing howl which had echoed through the city was gone. The hawkish figured had caught up, and Pippa's blood sprayed- a fine mist- that would settle soon below.
    And in the plaza of One World Trade Center, no less- a corpse, bloodied, in the Memorial fountains to a tragedy that happened over a score of years before.

Shadow has posed:
    Outwardly Natasha looks as shocked and dismayed as all the other bystanders suddenly confronted with a corpse splashing down in the fountain. "Someone call 911!" she shrieks, backing away -- and ever so subtly reaching out to the minds around her, tweaking just enough of their fear reaction to make leaving the proper choice. She recognizes this handiwork, and those responsible... Are not very concerned with bystanders. And it will provide cover for her own departure, ducking into a nearby alley where she wraps the shadows around herself and quickly changes into something more appropriate.

    Evil is afoot, here and now. The Shadow will rise to meet it.

Raijin has posed:
Rayner was just walking away from that place just a few moments ago....but when he turns his head when he manages to hear her scream....he's far too late to save her and too far away. He rushes over to her as if to see if she was still alive somehow..someway. She oculd have been a meta! been when he notices that she appears to be very dead...he sighs then, looking utterly heartbroken over this...then his hand clenches tight, and in a blink he'd donned in his black, tattered robes with a hood over his head, lightning crackling in his fist. "I'm going to find who did this and make them pay..." he mumbles to himself.

Mon-El has posed:
    Lar Gand was soaring over the US east coast after speaking with Power Girl about the recent battle against the man apparently called 'Unstoppable Juggernaut'. He's fairly sure that's a nickname of some kind, because as weird as Earth is, that doesn't really sound like a name in this particular Earth language. In fact it seems like a lot of Earth natives like to use some other moniker besides their birth names.

    He didn't have to be too close to hear that howl, and comes flying at several times the speed of sound just as Pippa's body splashes into the fountain. Quickly, he scans her body and finds her life is gone already. Grife! Too late. "She's dead." he states, then immediately starts scanning the area in search of the perpetrator based on the injuries inflicted on the body.

Aqualad has posed:
Sometimes, there's nothing to be done. Kaldur arrives too late, drawn by the sight of someone /falling/.

Such a strange thing, the idea of gravity killing a person. In the lightless depths of the ocean, buoyancy rules. Not gravity.

But Kaldur shows up only in time for his thoughts to be academic, and sorrow furrows his brow at the sight of a dead young woman floating in the water of the fountain.

Silk has posed:
    How Curious that the Villain- there moments before was no where to be found. As if he had stepped along some hidden path to another place. A place not far away from the group of heroes who had been gathered- perhaps by fate, or luck.

    Just a half a block away, that well dressed man stands with a wicked grin- wholly unconcerned with the heroic entities within spitting distance to him now. He was waiting- a meal and a trap, all in one.

    It has been the best day of his life- the day he invited his future wife to join with him forever. They shared a special bond- Avatars of Dogkind. A God and Goddess of Canine Companionship, loyal and brave, supportive of their fellows in this world. They always knew where the other was.

    The Howl had been a warning. A warning for Charlie to keep away- but how could he, when Pippa had called. When every dog on Manhattan had echoed that call, regardless of their size, or breed, or living situation. Charlie barrels down the avenue towards the fountain- towards Pippa- body changing as he runs. He grows in mass. A shaggy layer of black fur growing as his proportions grew five-fold and soon a fifteen-foot tall Mastiff-Monster like some kind of were-wolf was tear-assing down the street, howling in rage.

    Two Protectors, both Avatars of the Dog- alike in purpose but so different in their methods. Sometimes man needed a companion like Pippa- silly, sweet, and forever loving. And sometimes mankind needed a warrior...

    The chaos from that change, though, grew- and people scream and shout and it becomes very obvious that just over there something is happening.

Shadow has posed:
Concealed within the darkness, the Shadow watches and observes from a vantage point. Several high-grade supers have already arrived; with any luck, they'll flush out her prey rather than persuade it to look for quieter hunting grounds. As she hears the howling approach, she connects the dots at lightning speed -- Silk had mentioned totemic avatars. From the reaction to this one's death, her totem had been dogs, and now another canine is approaching. Perhaps these... "hunters"... will take the bait offered.

Raijin has posed:
Rayner looked at Lar, recalling that his senses were apparently better. and he was flying, soo... "Do you know where they went? the murderer who did this?" then that howl reaches his ears and he turns sharply on his heel, so fast lightning arcs around him for a moment...only to see a massive wolf thing approaching. "Get ready!" he calls to those near him.

Mon-El has posed:
    Lar shakes his head at Rayner's question, frowning in dismay as his X-ray scans don't seem to reveal any likely suspects. "No, whoever--or whatever did this is either extremely fast, or extremely good at hiding." Then the massive creature gets his attention. Well that's not good.

    He doesn't exactly 'get ready'. No, he flies straight at the colossal dog, aiming to grab it by the scruff of its neck just like a regular dog and hopefully fly off somewhere that is farther away from all these innocent bystanders. He just hopes this thing isn't as strong or as stubborn as Juggernaut.

Silk has posed:
    The Hunter stands back, watching quietly as his second course is grabbed by Mon-El.

    It doesn't go quite as Mon-El has planned- the creature is enraged. Charlie can smell the blood in the air- the blood of his beloved Pippa. "You did this!" he growls out as he twists out of Mon-El's iron grasp. "You killed her, didn't you?!" he rages, as he flips a car as if it were made of tissue-paper. The vehicle flying far into the sky. He howls- a pain-ridden sound- as he looks around with wild, yellow eyes.

    They focus on the man with blood on his hands and lips. The man dressed in finery from a different century. "I'll kill you!"

    Charlie dives at the man, who shifts only slightly as the beast comes close. A fist raised and thrown.

    The sound of a chest breaking. Bones snapping. Whomever this man is- he's strong. He's very strong- and very unafraid of using his strength. "You always thought you'd die together, didn't you? Instead... you both die alone." The man states, as he pulls his now all the bloodier fist out of the chest he's buried it in- stepping back and frowning. "Oh. And now you've ruined my shirt. Ah... well, no one ever said the hunt would be a clean one."

Shadow has posed:
    "No one ever said you wouldn't be the prey, either" comes the sudden mocking voice, echoing off of every surface even as shadows creep up faster than the waning light of the setting sun should indicate, muffling his perceptions.

    Did you think you could murder with impunity? That I wouldn't KNOW!?" Sinister laughter fills the plaza, carrying with it an undercurrent of something he hasn't felt in time beyond reckoning -- fear.

Raijin has posed:
Rayner was about a second away from moving, with Mon-El taking the charge agaisnt the beast...but something else draws his attention. Where the yelling was coming from. zipping over there in the blink of an eye, he looks at the scene and his eyes go wide. "It was you." suddenly anger crosses his features.

"You won't take another life!" he says enraged as lightning bursts off of him as he leaps, attempting to super-punch the finery man right in the chest in return. Though not to kill him...he needs to stand trial or face justice.

Though needless to say, Raijin looks pretty upset at such cruel death. Though hopefully he and Shadow can deal with this guy while the others deal with the raging dog.

Mon-El has posed:
    The massive creature manages to evade Lar's grasp. Then it becomes clear that he's angry over the woman's death...okay, he can't blame him for that. So instead of resuming his attacks, he floats up and turns toward that car he just flung, using his laser vision to ignite its fuel tanks and cause it to explode in midair before it can hit the ground and cause more damage/injures. Ash, cinders, and small bits of metal fall instead of large pieces of debris.

    "Calm down, I didn't kill her. I was actually looking for whoever--" But he doesn't even get a chance to finish before Charlie switches targets to another man. Now just who is he? The Daxamite once again uses his X-ray vision to assess the situation. Just who or what is the being before them, and how badly damaged is Charlie? He's not quite sure yet just who he should be defending yet.

Silk has posed:
    The man's nose twitches, his eyes flit towards the shadows- "Parlor tricks?" he wonders.. there is very little fear in this hunter's heart. Fear, it seems, is not a weakness this particular man has- his focus is keen on those approaching.

    He steps away from Charlie- who falls over, "I think you're a little late on the whole 'won't kill again' thing." the man in the dark coat states as he side-steps Rayner's punch with surprising alacrity. He doesn't make any other violent moves- not yet, at least.

    To Mon-El's vision he seems perfectly human. Nothing particularly out of the ordinary there. "You've both," The man adds, "Also ruined my second course. I really can't feed while I'm distracted like this." he says as he takes a slow breath- eyes flitting from soul to soul as he shifts into an area more brightly lit- the sodium lamp above him blaring an ugly orange light that puts pressure on the approaching shadows.

Shadow has posed:
    A flicker of movement draws his attention toward the sodium lamp just as a gunshot roars, the bullet smashing into the light and causing it to erupt in a blaze of light and shards, temporarily blinding him as the Shadow's will assaults his, draining away his ability to perceive the souls he needs to feed on -- or to see coming in time to avoid, as a random example, a flying Daxamite's punch...

Raijin has posed:
Rayner narrows his eyes then, feeling pressure from the lights, he growls...then with Nats help, he's more free to move. With blinding speed, instantly right behind the man with the nice suit, Rayner attempts to strike him again with a kick aimed for his head.

This guy wasn't human. First thought that came to mind.

Mon-El has posed:
    Lar frowns. He must be some kind of magical being who has found a way to shroud his true nature from the Daxamite's mostly-all-seeing X-ray vision. Well, the mammal creature who used to be a man is now dead. But, he also attacked the mysterious stranger first. Rayner seems to be convinced that he's the villain here, but to be honest Lar only met Ray once. And he doesn't know Natasha at all. He hovers over to the stranger and lands in front of him, not sure what he's talking about. "Who are you and what do you want? To feed? Well, I heard pizza and hot dogs are really great around here." At least according to Bombshell and Kaydin. "Where are you from, anyway?"

Silk has posed:
    Morlun's concentration is set- he leans back as Rayner tries to kick him in the face, once more dodging almost effortlessly. His attention is shifted at the gun shot, and the shower of sparks and fire- jumping away with a frown. "Manners. You're the people who ruined my dinner." he says, as he searches through the shadows now with wary eyes.

    "I am Morlun- The Lion. The Hunter. The Great Hunt is on, and the Spider-Bride is somewhere near. You can give her up to me, or I can hunt her down. Either is fine with me- but I will have her. As for where I am? I am from the Center of the Web. I am from the First World."

    "So then, give her up. Give me the Bride." he growls, "Or get out of my way."

Shadow has posed:
    Sinister laughter is the only answer Morlun gets, echoing between walls and off the pavement as shadows dance and tease, mocking him with shapes that /almost/ look like his quarry, only to evaporate when he gets close. His enemy is concealed somewhere in the shadows, but she makes the shadows her own until he can no longer tell them apart-- there! standing underneath an archway, almost directly in front of him, within easy reach of a single rushing charge...

Raijin has posed:
"No idea what you're on about." he admits to Morlun before his attention falls on Mon-El. "He's the killer, we witnessed him kill another. We could use the hand!" and he zips like lightning once more, though his hands unleash a torrent of pure lightning at Morlun.

Bride? What, does he want to get married or some such? not only that...spider bride? what weird intricacy.

Mon-El has posed:
    Lar glances at Rayner, nodding subtly. He's acknowledged the request, but doesn't take action yet, instead turning a curious gaze back at Morlun. "Morlun? The Spider-Bride? First World? Um...okay you're not being very specific, here. How are we supposed to give you what you want if we have no idea who that is? Are you trying to get married or something?? Sorry, I'm just confused."

Silk has posed:
    First, the lightening- it strikes Morlun and his body stiffens for a moment before he steps out of what should be a painful embrace. He has fought thousands and thousands of battles. He is immortal. He is an Inheritor of all Creation- he does not rush head long into Natasha's archway, rather leaping forward with a kick.

    A kick that plants against a solid wall. A wall that used to be quite sturdy, but is turned to dust by the power of that kick.

    "You're an idiot." Morlun says next to Mon-El, "With no concept with how reality works. I don't have time to explain it to you." he growls as his next strike- fast, beyond fast- is a punch right to Mon-El's mid-section. He doesn't hold back- likely sending the Daxamite flying. Far. Really far.

    "Where is that shadowed one?!" Morlun asks next, ignoring- but not really ignoring- Rayner. Just looking at him with a smug kind of non-smile. "These are the protectors of this Earth? Well. I suppose they have ot start somewhere."

Shadow has posed:
    The sinister laughter never ceases as it flits from shadow to shadow, distant, close, left, right, behind, mocking him, drawing at his ability to keep a cool head, keep focused. A 'scent' of the bride suddenly teases his senses, only to lead him into hitting another wall, which spurs on the laughter even further...

    Meanwhile, keeping a safe distance, Natasha thinks furiously even as she doesn't let up her Will for even a moment. Given how hard he hit that wall, a single slip of her concentration will likely be fatal. But there has to be /something/ she can do to hurt him...

Raijin has posed:
Rayner takes a small breath...and he realizes that this man is probably leagues ahead of him in terms of strength. "Heh...we're not the big guns." he states simply with a crack of his neck to Morlun. "Though I notice you're holding back. GUess you -really- don't want this bride or whatever."

He mocks openly as he gets into a fighting stance, another burst of speed and an aimed kick to Morlun with the force that could knock over a tall building.

Silk has posed:
    Morlun, the hunter- he's not so easily tricked by the false scent of Cindy Moon- in truth, her scent is... something else. Something mystical- a shiver on the Web of Life and Destiny. The 'scent' of a totemic avatar of a Spider-Goddess wasn't so easy to mimic- particularly against someone who could feel her out across multiple dimensional barriers.

    "It doesn't matter what you think." Morlun states simply as he lifts a hand and catches Rayner's foot mid-kick. Stopping it dead in the water- from movement to no movement in an instant. "I've had enough of these games. You've ruined my dinner, and now you're hiding the Spinner at the Center of the Web from me. You bore me- I will continue my hunt."

Mon-El has posed:
    Lar does go flying quite far--far enough that it takes him more than just a few seconds to come flying back at a speed well beyond the sound barrier. Anyone can tell that from the sonic boom that announces his return. Only this time he doesn't stop in front of Morlun, instead he divebombs him from the height of a skyscraper with a force strong enough to send a normal being deep into the earth if not splattering them to bits against the ground before he got that far. "You know I tried to be nice. If you really wanted whoever this bride person is, then maybe you should've kept talking instead of just punching? Seriously what is with that? First Juggernaut, then you? Does no one ever try to talk about stuff before trying to send people flying?"

Raijin has posed:
Raijin realizes his foot is caught with insulting ease. "Alright, let's dance!" he shifts his body just a little bit as if attempting to apply most of the force he's -ever- delivered, which is enough to smash someone into a crater. Though Mon-El comes flying and hopefully they can do a teamworked-out...

WOMBO COMBO!...at elast that's the hope. Rayner sometimes isn't good doing team-based attacks.

Silk has posed:
    Both men strike simultaniously, and indeed, there is an enormous crater in the ground where Morlun ends up. STill on his feet, holding both men at bay- its as if he's completely invincible. He has just fed, of course, so he must be at his strongest.

    "Pitiful." Morlun says again. He pushes up- with all the strength one would expect of a creature as dangerous as Morlun. "Its a shame I never got to devour the soul of that other dog. You do know it is a surprisingly delicious meal, dog, that is." He hasn't even broken a sweat.

    "I'll find the Bride- and once I do, your world will cease to exist." he shrugs at that, "I'm sure it won't be missed."

    The shadows swell again- and Morlun seems to fade out of reality. As if he was never there in the first place.