8867/A Neon Anomoly

A Neon Anomoly
Date of Scene:	19 August 2019
Location:	East Side, Manhattan
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Rave, Professor Zoom

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Rave has posed:
Out and about, that's what one would call it. At least most don't tend to do so at speeds like Rave. She'd been shopping, she'd snapped some photos from the top of buildings she'd happily ran her way upwards! Now? She's headed down the street, earpieces of her music player hidden behind those bright blue locks while she hums and dances her way down the street, giving the odd little twirl to the beat while she weaves her way through the obstacles in her path.

Flicking a piece of gum into the air, her fingers lightly undo the wrapped and she catches the sweet in her mouth before gravity kicks in. Not a care in the world for the Neon Speedster today it seems!

Professor Zoom has posed:
He'd heard of the new Neon girl a couple weeks ago. It didn't take all that much research to find her and start tracking her; she was basically a Neon Sign, after all.

His own lightning trail was a bit muted, in comparison to Rave's own light. Sure, it could still be seen by those with Speedster reaction times... but normal humans couldn't even come close to seeing it unless he intentionally slowed down enough to be picked up visually.

He was also capable of sustaining his speed for much longer periods compared to Rave... a curious anomaly, that. To be fair, natural speedsters tend to be like that. Either way, it's enabled Professor Zoom to track Rave without much of an issue, stalking her as learns her ticks, her patterns, her powers.

He's been watching her for almost a week, now, from the shadows. For the most part, he's kept one step ahead of her to keep out of line of sight... the last three days though, he's been making 'mistakes', to see how long it takes for Rave to find him.

Tonight, he's walking along the edge of the building to her right. The man in the yellow suit couldn't be more obvious, simply walking there.

Rave has posed:
She was getting better about it, improving her 'times'. After all, all her power came from inside rather than some esoteric sentient force...as long as one didn't count light itself. She'd seen glimpses perhaps, flickers on the edge of perception that had been written off in confusion or consideration before she tilts her head to the side.

She'd met the Flash, but she didn't have anywhere near the training of his...it was really a chance glance towards a reflection in the mirrored surface of the glass before she turns and looks upwards. She'd talked about speedsters in yellow, but not that one. He looked kinda like...an opposite Flash. Huh. It was pretty clear as she slows down that she'd seen him, but didn't know enough to go for caution over curiousity.

Professor Zoom has posed:
He simply continues walking. By the time Rave has seen Zoom, he's halfway across the rooftop. Still in the open, those red, glowing eyes watch her from above.

Rave has posed:
Curiousity famously became harmful to felines, but speedsters? Well one might find out. No answer? No acknowledgement? The woman can't help herself. A flash of light, she's across the street, up the surface of the building's side. For most, it would seem instantaneous. For a speedster? He'd see her coming.

Professor Zoom has posed:
His reflexes were among the best on the planet. He could outpace Superman himself, even. The instant Rave started, Eobard had slowed down his perceptions to follow the Neon trail.

It was clear she was coming for him. Halfway up the building, Eobard started to channel the Negative Speed Force. Red lightning crackles across his form as his body fills with the energy, and those red, glowing eyes watch her as he stops.

Soon, Rave comes face to face with Professor Zoom, his form now blurred to mundane vision. Of course, with Rave's reaction time, she can see 'beyond' the blurring, and see the caucasian male below the yellow suit.

The eyes though... the red glow there isn't a blur. It's residual Negative Speed Force energy kept there for appearances.

He stands there, silent. Watching her.

Rave has posed:
That face blurring trick had been unknown to her until a week ago when she'd met the scarlet speedster, a suggestion he'd offered that she pointed out was rendered moot by her own hair and glowing eyes. She could see beyond the blurring, but she could still percieve the vibration well enough to pick up on what he was doing.

Blowing her bubble of that bright pink gum, there's a moment of regarding the silent speedster before she tilts her head. "You don't look much like a 'Kid' anything. Who are you?"

Professor Zoom has posed:
"You're referring to Kid Flash." The Speedster informs her. "You can call me Professor Zoom. Or as some in this time period like to call me, the Reverse-Flash." Zoom continues. His voice has a distorted, monstrous quality to it. There's no slowing down perceptions to hear his base voice... he's altered his vocal cords fundamentally with his speed to produce that tone.

"I don't recall reading about you. Neon lighting from your speed... are you some form of light based metahuman?"

Rave has posed:
Reading about her? That earns a little blink. "I'm uh...kinda new," she answers, a frown crossing her features at the mention of the 'time period'. Some sort of time traveller? Or did speedsters kinda have a weird sense of time? There was still plenty that she didn't know. Why hadn't she heard of this professor before?

"So do you study speed or...are you just proud of some degree?" A blink, he'd asked her a question after all. She shrugs her shoulders lightly, tilting her head to the side. "I think so, I mean as far as I can tell."

Professor Zoom has posed:
There's no answer to her question. Instead. Eobard starts to run around her in a circle at Mach 20.

To the outside observer, it's nothing more than a storm of red lightning penning Rave in, arcs of that red lightning flying everywhere. For Rave? She can barely keep up with the speedster, but can easily see the red lightning trail he emits as he runs.

From her experience with the Flash, she can easily infer the Reverse-Flash name is not Zoom being cute... he is literally the opposite of the Flash in color scheme, right down to the lightning.

Rave has posed:
Well...it wasn't that she had suspected him to be lacking in speed by namesake alone, but the sudden rush had her stepping backwards, then forwards again as he moved around her. There was a glow to her eyes, a blue and purple light that moved around her form much like his own lightning as he trailed around her before she made to rush past the 'gap' and skid to a stop at the other side of the rooftop, frowning a little and then blowing another 'bubble' of her gum before it pops wiht an audible noise.

Mach 20? She could keep up. Impressive as it was, it still pailed when compared to light speeds after all.

Professor Zoom has posed:
As soon as Rave leaves the circle, Eobard stops, facing Rave directly. "High enough reaction time to keep up with me, and to know when to leave the circle. Impressive ability." The monstrous voice notes to her.

Then, he starts to walk towards her. "My name is a very long story. Suffice to say, it's a name that was given to me that I took as my own. Who are you?" Zoom asks.

Rave has posed:
"I didn't exactly go looking for a fitness assessment when I woke up this morning," the blue-haired woman comments, crossing her arms over her chest with a frown. Menacing as Eobard seemed, and he seemed it in spades, he hadn't actively been hostile. Besides, there was enough hairs standing up on the back of her neck to have her considering discussion as the best course of action. After all, she wasn't convinced he wouldn't be able to keep up with her if she ran for it anyway.

"Rave," she answers him, turning her gaze up over the inverse colors of a familier suit. Where did people even -get- those things anyway? Maybe she should have asked. "It uh...probably a simpler explaination as to why," she adds nervously, the glowing light flaring around her once more.

Professor Zoom has posed:
"Clubbing does seems to be just as popular in this century as all the others." The man admits, "and I'd bet you'd make a great disco ball."

Professor Zoom has all the hallmarks of a man used to getting his way; when you're as fast as the Flash and don't care about little thing like if people are willing to do things for you... it's trivial to threaten people with death... and fear is a great motivator.

"I've been studying you for a while now. It took you a few days to actually see me following you, so you're not used to the attention yet, or the dangers it presents." Zoom moves up within a dozen feet of Rave, and stops there. She can see the red lightning flitting around his form easily from here; a sign of his continued channeling of the Negative Speed Force. "Might want to consider hair dye."

Rave has posed:
She could see that flicking lightning, after all she'd seen similar with the Flash, but Rave didn't understand what she was actually seeing. Even so, that frown returned a little at his admission, her arms uncrossing for her hands to rest on her hip. "That's...creepy," she speaks, tilting her head to the side. "I tried hair dye, but..."

She trails off, shaking her head a little. It's a story for another time. "A lot of people already saw me when it all happened. There's even video of the night." Rave gestures to herself again, turning in place with a deliberate corona of light following her movement. "We don't all get to have some secret origin..."

Professor Zoom has posed:
"That's certainly true." Zoom muses, "Plenty of 'heroes' around who don't have the luxury of getting their powers in a lab."

"Metahumans and aliens are always a curiosity, Rave. I'm a scientist at heart. Learning about the place I've been stranded in is one of the few perks of my situation." Zoom gives a nod to the edge, down below to the street, "the normal people down there will never have the chance to advance themselves in any meaningful way usually. Real power and progress comes from hard work, and the fools just drift through life."

Zoom looks back to Rave, "It sounds like you're new to your powers." It's an implied question... but his tone is that of a statement, inferring based on their conversation.