9754/The Red, the Purple, and the Gold

The Red, the Purple, and the Gold
Date of Scene:	25 October 2019
Location:	The Old City, Queensland Park
Synopsis:	I kind of want to fight the dragon
Cast of Characters:	Flash, Psylocke

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Flash has posed:
With the death and? too soon, of Superman, Barry Allen has been busy. He's made a concerted effort into shoring up Metropolis, doing his utmost to protect it from all threats, supervillain, and otherwise, but mostly supervillain.

It wouldn't be so bad, except that he's been doing double duty, protecting the Gem Cities at the same time. Fortunately, he was able to come to something of an understanding with the Rogues. It was nice having enemies that you could have a beer with, catch a Combines game, and once, sleep on a couch. Most heroes and villains thought that the Flash and the Rogues were crazy, but it was just how they rolled in the Gem Cities.

So, having worked out a bit of a schedule due to the extenuating circumstances, today was a Metropolis day. Unfortunately, some guy with a fish bowl on his head had the same thought.

There were reports of a great big golden dragon attacking Elizabethtown, sometimes known as the Old City, along the North Street Seaport. Arriving on the scene after hearing about it on the radio as he was getting a hot dog in Lafayette, he ran from one end of Metropolis to the other. The hot dog was still in his gloved hand, where he took a bite, and spoke to the dragon, all while eating, "hey, Flash here. Could you uh, not attack today?" If only it were that easy in Metropolis.

Psylocke has posed:
It had taken a bit of work but Psylocke had made it to Metropolis. Her shadow porting powers were impressive but this distance had required a few jumps to make it the full distance. Still, she was here now.

Her intention? Go visit the memorial site. Then see if she could lend a hand with any of the villain types that seemed to be coming out of the woodwark with the Death of Superman. Not all of them were likely his level. She hoped. Otherwise, she would be sorely outclassed.

The mental screams caught her attention and she turned her head that direction, not that it helped. A second later she melted into the shadow. A shadow began to emerge from shadows at the front of an antique shope, under the bright green and white awning that helped protect it from the weather. First a humanoid shape in black with a red triangular tattoo over one eye, then more feminine, finally turning into Psylocke herself as the tattoo faded.

"You don't see that everyday," she murmured as she focused her psionic abilitise and her glowing purple Psionic Katana appeared in her right hand. She walked out of the shadows and eyed the creature.

"Need any help?" she called out when she realized Flash was on scene. Eating a hot dog. He couldn't be too overwhelmed by the threat if he was having dinner.

Flash has posed:
The great golden dragon, if it were capable of sentient thought, didn't seem to care for his request, as a clawed hand struck out, trying to swipe him away. It would have slashed, but he was too close to the creature. Moving before it could hit him, he zipped, so that he was leaning against its other hand, which was being used as a third support beam.

He continued to slowly, by his standards, chew the hot dog, speaking while eating, "hey, that wasn't very nice. I know, you're new in town, don't know anybody, but trust me, this place grows on you, as long as you don't tear up the pavement. So why don't we just settle down and enjoy a bubble tea. I've heard a lot about it, but never tried one myself. What do you say big guy, bubble tea on me?"

Flash may have seemed like a madman, moving against before it tried to 'kick' him with the fore legs, which also doubled as arms. He had heard the woman ask if he needed help, but initially he was concerned with the dragon. "Sure, you look like a ninja. Do you have a sword I could borrow. I kind of always wanted to fight a dragon with a sword. Is it rude to ask people if you can borrow a sword? That's not like disrespectful, is it?" Psylocke was far enough away that he didn't get a great look at her, plus distraction of the dragon, but his voice was the same as always, just, a little more confidence, and a lot more lip in it.

Psylocke has posed:
"Unfortunately, no. I left my physical katana at home. I wasn't aware that there would be a dragon to slay. All I have is this." Psylocke raises the glowing purple one in her hand. "But it is psionic in nature so it won't work for you."

His voice was...familiar. Why? Difficult to pinpoint since he was a bit busy zipping around the great beast. "I can try something if you like. See if I can telepathically get it to leave?" she offers.

Even as she says it, she is reaching out with her mind to try to touch the mind of the dragon.

Flash has posed:
The dragon has substance. It has a heat signature. But there is no mind there. Instead, it was a sophisticated projection, inside of which a number of drone-like objects hovered. They were being controlled remotely by an unknown source. The Flash, thinking that it walked like a dragon, roared like a dragon, so it was a dragon.

"You have an actual honest to god Katanna? It's not a replica? Isn't it illegal to remove a real Katana from Japan? Or was it a family heirloom, from before they introduced... hey." Yeah, being closer to her, seeing her face, even while avoiding the dragon's tail, claws, teeth, in fact, the dragon made a big hole in the boardwalk as it tried to snap at the Flash. If he weren't quite so fast, he'd have been a dragon goodie, at least as far as he knew.

"Sure, just be careful. It bites." Every word of that sentence was uttered from a different position as he didn't exactly fight the dragon, more trying to tire it out. He was too much of a scientist to think that hitting something like that with his bare hands would be a good thing.

Psylocke has posed:
"I am Japanese." Alright, by her accent she most certainly was not. By her name, if he heard it, she would not be. But by her physique? Most definitely. "Sort of. It's complicated."

Psylocke tilted her had as the voice fell into place. That was a surprise. She had not guessed the man behind the mask would be quite the person she was encountering now.

"It's not real. At least, it doesn't seem to be real mentally. I can't find a mind inside it."

She reached out with her powers, expanding bit by bit further and further in the hopes of finding who might be behind the illusion.

"Not that I suggest standing still. I'm not sure if it has substance or not. Would you mind checking that for me while I search?"

Flash has posed:
"Japanese," he repeats, she certainly looked the part, but that voice, nope, that wasn't Japanese. Or if she were, she had learned English early, and from English tutors, which wasn't impossible, except that he recognised her face and that voice. It had sent his mind racing, until he realised that he'd have to compartmentalise that, and deal with it later.

"Isn't it always," he replies to the 'it's complicated' remark. Her search would lead her to a man, standing on a cloud, or at least that's what it looked like. He was actually standing on some kind of a platform, but it was emitting fog, giving it the appearance of a cloud. He wore a green suit, purple cape, and had what looked like a fishbowl for a helmet.

"Yeah, I'm going to call that a yes for substance," as he pointed to the holes in the boardwalk from when it had tried to bite him, "but if the lady needs a sterner test, she will have it." And he decided to punch it, not using the infinite mass punch, which is usually overkill, but he did amplify his strength with the speed force. He hit what felt like a brick wall, and he winced, shaking that hand as he ran back, "mother hugger with cupcakes. Yeah, it has substance."

Psylocke has posed:
"I am very sorry. If it was illusion, it could be illusion that the street was torn. I had to have it checked physically. So unless the person is a telepath and able to make you feel the effects that way, I'm not sure what this might....ah, what have we here."

Psylocke's voice fades as she turns her head, not able to see the person physically but able to read his thoughts with no difficulty. "He calls himself Mysterio? I'm not familiar with him personally. Seems to be wearing a fish bowl on his head, which is quite a daring fashion statement. Trust me, I would know. Might be a hit in Milan though. They are into daring headwear this season."

"It seems this is all hard light and technology based. Not telepathic nor illusory." She takes the image of the man causing all the commotion and sends it to Flash, along with his location. "Would you like to take him out or shall I?"

Flash has posed:
"Don't worry about it, I heal pretty fast," and his arm was already feeling a lot better. "I had the same idea about an illusion, otherwise I wouldn't have stuck my hand out. Great minds think alike." He was doing his utmost to carry on the conversation, while keeping the dragon busy.

So he would talk to her, run over, get the dragon's attention, dodge, dive, evade, sidestep, or whatever he needed to do, only to run back to her, talk some more, and repeat the cycle all over again. It was keeping the dragon there, and away from damaging anyone else. At one point, he managed to confuse the dragon enough that it fell over its own tail.

"Mysterio, not one of mine," in a way, he was very protective of his Rogues. But they had built up that relationship over years. It was more of a game, there were rules. Nobody got hurt. So it was easy to develop well, not affection, but familiarity at least. "Though I do want to get a look at that technology."

"You found him, I wouldn't want to impose. He's all yours, Be... autiful. Say, you got a name? Mine's Flash, technically I'm the Flash, but some people have described me as the Fastest Man Alive, the Scarlet Speedster, the Human Bolt, Crimson Speedster, Saviour of the Universe, Wizard of Whiz, Flasher, and El Flasherino, in case you're not into that whole brevity thing."

He still didn't know her codename. She might have heard his earlier, and being a member of the Justice League, with his own Museum, he was kind of a known quantity. A celebrity even among heroes, even if he felt like he was just one hero in a legion of them. Everyone does their part.

Psylocke has posed:
A tilt of the head as he runs through way more nicknames than anyone needed to have. "Psylocke. Although you had it right before you changed it," she replies to his query while commenting on his almost faux pas of saying her first name.

She reached out with her mind and sent a psibolt at Mysterio. It should effectively knock him out and thus have him no longer working his toys to make the dragon rampage. In fact, hopefully it would shut off all the illusions, including those around him.

"We should probably notify the authorities to pick him up. A least for vandalism or something."

Flash has posed:
Mysterio was standing on a vehicle of some kind that emitted fog like a cloud. When he collapsed, he was still on the vehicle, which was high above the boardwalk and the pier. "Psylocke, that's.. an unusual name. What's the meaning behind that? I mean, the psy part is obvious, but Locke, are you a fan of the English philosopher? Are you looking for a key. Is there a key master?" Yeah, his mind worked in odd ways, especially when suited up.

Changing subjects by himself, and saving her from his ramblings, "how are we going to get him down? One thing that big blue was great for." And there was a definite twinge of sadness wash over him at that thought. Then he looked around. "I'll be right back." He ran off, then ran back, "don't go away, okay. I want to talk after."

And then he again ran away, getting onto the tallest building in the area. It wasn't tall enough. But he built a ramp, using plywood and some other things he could run up there. He got the angle right, or at least he was eyeing it. He moved to the opposite edge of the roof, taking off a single glove, so he could lick his thumb and feel the wind direction. Then he put the glove back on and made a run for it, jumping off the ramp, like a video game character.

Landing on the vehicle, he nearly skidded off of it. Calling down, he yelled to her, "Opps, nearly overshot the landing."

Psylocke has posed:
He will hear her voice inside his head. <Are you always this hasty? Don't even wait for a suggestion before acting?> she asks curiously. She isn't going to yell. After all, there was no need for it considering her ability.

She walked toward the vehicle, coming to a spot in the shadows it cast. A flare of the red tattoo and her body melted into the darkness beneath her.

A moment later, Flash's shadow begin to rise behind him. Or a portion of it. Rising up in an odd shape then becoming humanoid then finally Psylocke as the shadows faded and the tattoo did the same. She was standing no the car beside him now, looking down at Mysterio.

"Or did you want to do this your way? Because really, I was curious how you were going to jump back to the ramp..."

Flash has posed:
'You're in my head?' He thought to himself and any nearby listeners. "That's neat. Uh, how long have you been in my head? I hope to god that there is no such thing as rewinding live thoughts. But wouldn't that be a neat thing?" Barry's thoughts were a lot easier to read when they last met. As the Flash, he's thinking at a faster level, and he hasn't even kicked it into high gear yet. This is barely out of first.

As she appeared out of his shadow, he nodded his head. It was cramped up there, with limited space, "You can teleport too?" He grabbed a hold of her waist, as he was already in her personal space, or she was in his. This contraption was designed for one person, who was currently laying on the floor, unconscious. As they stood over him, it was either get close and personal, or somebody was probably going to fall off. "Sorry, I hope this is okay. Just, not a lot of room up here. I didn't want to knock you off, or fall off myself."

Even knowing that she could read his thoughts, his surface thoughts betrayed him. There were things like 'wow, she smells nice' or 'this feels great'. Though there were also thoughts about dismantling this device, how the holographic projectors worked, and he was thinking of getting a late lunch. Maybe he could ask her to join him.

Psylocke has posed:
He was just eating. That's one of the reactions that Psylocke has to the rapid fire thinking. It was...exhausting. And she could tell he wasn't even going fast for him. He must concentrate hard on slowing down as Barry as she didn't experience this in his mind. Not that she had been poking around those times. SHe had tried to stay out bit it was almost impossible not to pick up a thought or two. Some people thought loud. It really was a thing.

"I can teleport him down to ground level. He has a shadow beneath him. And to answer your question, yes. I have the three T's, although only two of them are related to my mutancy."

Her arms had automatically wrapped around him as well, allowing them to remain in place without any errors. "Then you can figure out what this contraption is and what best to do with it?" She considers Mysterio. "I could actually take him to the nearest precinct. Give him a little suggestion to confess when the officers come to find out who he is and why he is there."

Flash has posed:
He didn't know how much she was getting of his thoughts, whether she was still in there, but the more he considered it, the faster his thoughts became. His words though were simple and direct, "that sounds like a plan." Though when she said she had three T's, for some reason Total Recall came into his head. Also the Model T. And a T-Rex. His mind worked oddly.

"That's nice," he said, when her arms wrapped around him too. "Best place to analyse this would be the Watchtower. Chef Andre's working today. Are you hungry?" He loved when Chef Andre was on duty. That man could make a grilled cheese sandwich taste like it was fine dining. He could make Sloppy Joes to die for. Just imagine what he could do with actual fine cuisine. "Besides, we kinda need to talk, don't we?"

Psylocke has posed:
"It would seem we do," Psylocke agreed. She quickly withdrew from his mind, no pun intended. As rapidly as his thoughts were starting to move, as well as wanting to respect his privacy.

"Alright. Give me a moment." She stuck a foot out to touch the leg of Mysterio. The red tattoo flared. Then she opened the shadows beneath him. It was like ink was leaking out around him, working its way up then completely surrounding him in shadow. Her leg began to follow suit until she was a shadow too with glowing yellow eyes. "I will meet you back here in a moment. Be sure you have your balance before I go."

And once he did, she and Mysterio would melt into the shadows beneath them and disappear completely.

Flash has posed:
Barry grabbed hold of a railing as she left with Mysterio, who no doubt would find some way to escape custody, and that's assuming that the man inside wasn't just a decoy. Who could tell with the way supervillains worked these days. During her absence, he got to work, quickly examining the device, and trying to figure out the controls. There was no user manual, but fortunately most of the controls had labels. The few that didn't were a process of trial and error. He managed to deactivate the dragon, and recall the drones, which flew into a compartment in the small floating barge-like vehicle.

Once Psylocke returned, he would manage to drive it to the Hall of Justice, where they could make use of the Zeta Beams. There was a brief registration process, where he had to give her a guest pass. The Justice League had some serious security systems, and it was a big gesture of him to waive her through it all. "You may have your own teleportation device, but I'm willing to bet you've never teleported this kind of distance in one go."

A moment later, they were standing on the receiving pad on the Watchtower. There was a nearby view port, showing Earth down, and he asked as he leaned against the bulkhead, crossing his arms, smiling, "first time in space?"

Psylocke has posed:
Once everything was taken care of, Psylocke followed his lead. The trip to the Hall of Justice then the experience of Zeta porting. Once to the Watchtower, while going through the registration steps, she gave a shake of her head. "No, my teleportation is more limited. Takes several steps to get places if he distance is too far. Definitely never traveled this far."

The she saw the view and she walked toward the window slowly. Her eyes were wide and mouth slightly agape. Finally she managed a single word. "Wow." She put her hand on the window itself, as though she might be able to touch the beautiful planet on the other side. "I've seen images. Things from space stations or astronauts in craft. But it is so much more amazing in person."

Flash has posed:
Moving closer to her, hoping she wouldn't object, he added, "yeah, I never get tired of that view. The Watchtower keeps geosynchronous orbit, so, we're above Metropolis at all times, though, it can go around for a better view. There's just so much stuff up here, it's not a good idea without a solid reason behind it."

"I think the view ports in the Arboretum will have a view of the United Kingdom, if you'd like to see home? The Swimming Pool room gets a view of Mackenzie King Station, which is... a lot larger, but I mean, size isn't everything, or so they tell me."

Psylocke has posed:
The last line gets a bit of a look from her but she doesn't turn away from the view. Nor does she head for any of the other areas mentioned. It didn't matter which area she was looking at below for the moment, just seeing the planet below like this was an amazing experience.

"You wanted to talk. Am I allowed to use your name here or are we being recorded and it's a secret? I don't know what the rules are on an honest to God superhero space station."

Flash has posed:
"Well, this is the monitor room." It was huge, but they were not alone. He waved to the Justice League member on watch right now, and briefly made introductions, before the person on duty went back to monitoring the situation on Earth. Right now, either members of the Justice League had been deployed and were on it, or there were no concerns.

"I keep my identity a secret, so, I'd like to, but, somewhere a little more private. People come and go through here all the time. How about the Arboretum? We could have some privacy there, and trust me, the view is just as spectacular."

Psylocke has posed:
Psylocke is polite as she meets the person on duty but then she nods at the suggestion, following Flash to the Arboretum. There, she stares some more for several long minutes. "It all looks so small from up here. But all the colors are more vibrant than I thought they would be."

She moves to a bench, settling down and glancing over at him. "I can just use your codename while you are here. Or we can speak telepathically if that would be more comfortable?"

Flash has posed:
After they entered the Arboretum, the Flash registered it as in use. It wasn't locked per say, either one of them could leave at any time simply by walking close enough to the door, but anyone else trying to access it would immediately receive a warning that a private meeting was taking place in there. Should they wish to enter after the warning, they could.

He took a seat beside her on the bench, "Oh yeah, it never gets old. Sometimes I just like to sit up here and watch the clouds move. Though I've been meaning to watch a sunrise from up here, I've never quite managed to time it right." If she were reading his surface thoughts, they had calmed down considerably. Apparently it had been suggested to him that you should save such a feat until you can do it with someone you care about. At least that's what he had been told by members of the league with significant others.

Pulling up his mask, revealing his face, he ruffled his hair a bit, as he had mask hair right now. It still looked a state after he tried to clear it up, "so, yeah, I'm Barry Allen... and I totally didn't cheat on the award nomination. I was a damn fine forensic scientist before I got a chemical bath whilst simultaneously being struck by lightning. Fun time. I would not recommend it. Needed more silver nitrate, a little less luminol."

Psylocke has posed:
Having no mask to remove, Psylocke watched as he did so. She was trying to remain out of his mind right now so missed that bit about the sunrise and significant others. It was a politeness thing. Always better to not eavesdrop. People were usually nervous enough around telepaths. No reason to make it worse by doing exactly what they suspected.

"I didn't suspect you cheated at all. You were nominated because you deserved it. No doubt in my mind." She gives a glance to his hair and reaches up fingers to try and fix it. "Betsy Braddock of course. And everything you know about me so far is also true. Mutant telepath with some telekinesis although I am not very good with the latter. Teleportation thanks to a little mishap with something called the Crimson Dawn. And a touch of ninja training to finish off the mix."

Flash has posed:
Barry smiled, leaning his head towards her as she reached up and tried to fix his hair. He liked the contact. It was sweet. He paused and considered things. His mind really began to race, going at a breakneck speed. He was using that big brain of his, analysing the variables, what he knew, what he felt, what he suspected. He was going through the permutations, trying to work out each angle, how things would progress.

And then, after all that thought, he said, "I like you Betsy, I think that you like me, and more than that, I trust you. I more likely wouldn't have divulged my secret identity so early, never have actually told anyone, but seeing as you know, and I know yours, and with your powers." He reached up, running a hand through his thick blond hair. It grew like a weed. "I give you permission to make contact with my mind. Sometimes I think pretty fast. I've learned I can keep a telepath out, if I want to. But I don't want to keep you out. I want to welcome you in."

Psylocke has posed:
"I appreciate the offer but it isn't necessary. You have the mask off now. Unless you are wanting to talk privately or show me a memory?"

Psylocke tilts her head, wondering why he would make such an offer. Those are the only guesses she comes up with. Unless he just feels like she would be poking around in there anyway so felt he should let her know it is okay.

"Most ethical telepaths avoid being in the minds of others, when possible. Sometimes people think loud and you pick things up. Otherwise we might reach out for communication but we don't generally go poking about. Privacy is important. We know that more than most."

Flash has posed:
"As you wish, but that's an open ended offer. I have nothing to hide... anymore," he grinned, and he thought it might help bring them closer together. When she mentioned about showing him a memory, he thought back to how much he enjoyed their evening at the gala and awards show.

"That makes sense," he nodded his head as she explained how ethical telepaths behave, and he could understand that unethical ones would ignore those rules. It was no different from how some people obeyed the law, and others did not, even the so-called small ones, like littering.

"Psylocke, huh. You're an X-Man?"He was going from memory. Even if he had not met her in uniform, he had heard reports on the team, so he knew a little. "Why X-Men? Wouldn't X-People be more inclusive?" He was visibly nervous. His surface thoughts suggested he had thought she would have been more open to his offer, and now he was wondering if he had overreached.

Psylocke has posed:
"Because I am just as powerful no matter what the gender of the name implies," Psylocke said with a bit of a smile. "There is a lot more in the world to worry about. If it is X-Men, X-Women or X-Mutants, we are still the same. Sort of like the Justice League but we focus on mutants, who have gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to powered beings. Aliens, metahumans, accidents, that's all fine. But be born normal and then develop powers? That scares people. I don't understand how it is any different."

Flash has posed:
"I'm a metahuman. I was born normal, not that I would use that word, but it'll suffice for this. I gained my superpowers during a lab accident. I was struck with a bolt of lightning after getting doused with a variety of chemicals. But I gained my powers as an adult. I can't imagine what it must have been like to develop them during puberty." He was well read on the mutant situation, or at least as well as anyone who took an interest in genetics and social changes.

"People are often scared of things that they do not understand. But it just takes time. Education, awareness, showing that it's normal. Humans, metahumans, aliens, whatever. We're all just people, trying to make a life for ourselves, and add to the whole. I mean, look at that," and he gestured towards the view screen. "From this height, everyone is equal. Except Batman. Because Batman is Batman, and because he's Batman, he's Batman. That would be a lot funnier if you hung out with the Justice League more."