990/The Last Laugh of Volthoom

The Last Laugh of Volthoom
Date of Scene:	17 June 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	After Volthoom abandons Jessica to die in a building fire, she was rescued by two heroes (Jade and Phoenix) and then... got a new talking ring. She is considering if she should accept it.
Cast of Characters:	Green Lantern (Cruz), Star Sapphire, Jade, Phoenix

---

Green Lantern (Cruz) has posed:
A large apartment building is smoking. A building fire has started on the sixth floor. There are a lot of families living in that building. Only three units are affected so far but reports are that it's starting to spread - rapidly.

Jessica finally sees a way to face her fears - if she can save the people of that building, she can prove to herself and to her evil power ring that she can be a hero despite his influence. So she powers up and stares up at the building, seeing the smoke billow out the sixth-floor window. "What are you doing, Jessica? You know a stupid cow like you can't do this." She decides to ignore the ring's taunting - she might look like some kind of Green Lantern or... something similar. A heroic figure as she starts glowing a dark sickly green rises up, ignoring the taunts and insults being whispered in her mind, reaching out with her right arm, with glowing ring, and 'veins' covering her arm of dark green light, taking a deep breath, readying herself for this.

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Star Sapphire isn't a 'fight the bad guys' kind of super hero. Punching people in the name of justice can be others' fill. A burning building is more her speed; helping people in need. Carol Ferris reaches into her blouse to pull out the power ring she keeps on the end of a long necklace; as she slips it onto her finger, the chain--and the rest of her clothes--begin to molecularly sublimate into the polished latex of Star Sapphire's costume. She wills the ring to bend light around herself enough to become invisible so no one will see her launch from her balcony toward the fire.

Jade has posed:
    Jade had been visiting Manhattan, and sticking around since she had last met Jessica with Hal. For reasons. And when she sees the dark, sickly green streak from her vantage in the sky, her own green-fire smolders about her further as she begins to rocket towards the area, noticing that it is moving towards the smoking building as well.

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey was en route to Tribeca when a symphony of fear tickled her psyche and drew her to the Village, courtesy of a hastily negotiated extra tip for her driver of the moment.

Between the colourful streaks hovering near or rapidly approaching the burning building, and, also, the burning building itself, it doesn't take long at all before the X-Man gets an idea of where the fear may be stemming from; always a plus, when dealing with mysterious psychic impressions.

All she has to do now is wait for traffic to clear.

"Hey, I don't wanna tell you how to do your job, or anything," she murmurs, foot tapping anxiously as she stares out at the blaze, "but if you could maybe hit the horn a little-- like, obviously, this is not life or death or anything, buuuuuut..."

Wait for the traffic to clear, or start wiping memories before people start dying.

Green Lantern (Cruz) has posed:
Jessica Cruz shivers softly - another spike of fear energy might be detected by a certain redhead telepath - as she takes a deep breath. "I can do this..." she whispers softly. "No you cant." "Shut up, Volthoom." She concentrates as a construct forms - an eldritch terror goes at the building and shatters the window, pulling it away and removing the glass, as she enters the building - she's unaware of Jade's presence as she looks around, squinting and coughing in the smoke - her life-support aura flickering. She slaps her right hand to get the ring to cooperate as she starts to search this apartment for people - and finds a mother with a baby. "I'm here to rescue you!" "You're all going to die," comes a sinister voice. "Ignore that," she murmurs as she simply lifts the two in apparently spiked tentacles and moves the two out the window down to the ground. "Wait, my little boy's still in there!" she shrieks. "I'll get him!" And Jessica returns to the building, and starts searching all through the apartment, coughing again.

Jade has posed:
    Eldritch terror constructs? That's - a new one. but, they bring to mind the tentacles that formed out of Jessica's ring the other day, and now she is certain. She is unware of Jean's presence, or that the telepath is on the ground just yet, but instead she smashes another window and speeds through it. "Is anyone in here?" She calls, loudly, even as she squats, to get a good visual, as best she can, through the smoke-haze. Victims, or Jessica, she's willing to help.

Phoenix has posed:
"Yeah, lemme just go ahead and honk these twelve cards in front of us off the road, lady," Jean's driver replies with rolling eyes. "I'mma get you there as quick as I can get you there, but I can't do nothin' about these other jerk-offs, you get me? C'mon, have yourself a candy, relax-- "

'Start wiping memories...' it is.

"-- sssssssssss..."
*HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONK!*

By the time Jean's out of the Kia, the slumped-over driver is primed to remember the pushy, impatient redhead who preferred to kill the ride and hop out in the middle of gridlock rather than wait it out; whether he's annoyed for the rest of the day or the sizable tip he finds is enough to smooth things over, with any luck, he shouldn't think much more about it.

Which is ideal, because as Jean weaves past bumpers - setting off further horns as more drivers find themselves abruptly napping - her jeans and Fyre Fest '17 shirt burn away to reveal Phoenix's form-fitting green and gold uniform. As soon as the change is complete, she takes to the air and just about shuts her eyes as a piece of her reaches into the building.

{{Everything's going to be alright,}} she broadcasts to the frightened minds within. {{I count a good three, maybe four heroes on the scene, so unless this' a super-arson situation of some kind... just sit tight! Think real loud thoughts if you need help now.}}

Green Lantern (Cruz) has posed:
Jessica Cruz frowns as she hears a strange voice in her mind, even as she finds the little boy and rescues him - but the fire is spreading fast. "This isn't working!" she growls, willing herself to move into the central hallway of the apartment building. She's surrounded by fire and flames now as she trudges towards the second apartment and kicks it open... she hears screams within as she barges in... and suddenly... she stops glowing. The ring slips off her finger as her clothing shimmers, reverting to a simple white long-sleeved shirt and shorts. "Foolish cow. You could've had a relatively long life as my slave. By annihilating this world, by giving into your fears, we could have done great things. Now? You'll die here, in this inferno. Fare ill, oaf!" And the ring barges through the window and flies away at high speed. Jessica coughs, sinking to her knees, unable to breathe with the smoke. "Why.....?" she whispers softly, staring at her hand which is still riddled iwth vein-like scars.

Jade has posed:
    Jade, too, hears someone screaming, and a construct fire-axe slams into the door, wrenching it apart so she can move through the causeway and into the other section at a rapid, aura-enhanced speed. She sees Jessica there, as well as the other person she was trying to save. "Let's get you out of here," she tells both of them. There's little time to act. A giant hand forms to grab the other occupant in the room, and she tells Jessica, "We need to get out of here. Is there anyone left?"
    She doesn't know, but she is remaining calm. Level-headed.

Phoenix has posed:
The sudden expulsion catches Phoenix's attention and sets her to searching - frantically, but briefly - for obvious sniper roosts. Upon finding none worth peeling off from a burning building for, she briskly fills her lungs, shuts her eyes, and lets the fear pouring from the building guide her once more.

When she opens them again, she's soaring past Jade and Jessica, after having picked a broken window to weave through.

"Did either of you-- did anyone hear a gunshot, a couple of seconds ago?!" she calls back to the heroine and her charges before turning her eyes forward to rip the third endangered apartment's door from its hinges with a twist of her outstretched hand. It crashes to the ground as she sweeps inside to check rooms and lead - or gather- occupants towards the living room window for one quick, telekinetic evacuation.

Green Lantern (Cruz) has posed:
Jessica Cruz just slumps. "I'm... yes... it wasn't a gunshot. The... the power ring I was using... decided... I wasn't a fit host. It abandoned me... to die." She coughs again, woozy from smoke inhalation. "I think there's someone... in there..." she whispers, gesturing to the apartment she was in front of. "But... I don't know..."

Jade has posed:
    "Someone else?" Jade's giant construct hand opens, holding the present occupant and also she snatches Jessica as well, asking Jean, "Can you find the other? I've got to get these two out before they're poisoned." She watches Jean, to make sure of this, even as she lets a blast out of her other hand to blow open a side in the wall. Quickest exit, and all.

Phoenix has posed:
One series of psi-slides later, Phoenix reemerges in the hallway, having heard enough of Jessica and Jade on her way into that first apartment to have a pretty good idea of where she's needed next. Another gesture draws the indicated door down as Jade takes care of staving off smoke inhalation, and simultaneously--

{{Anyone in there? I'm coming to get you out, right now!}} ripples through the unit.

Green Lantern (Cruz) has posed:
Jessica Cruz feels helpless. "It's... such a relef... to have that voice gone - the burden... it was like being possessed... but... why did it have to leave right now? I was going to be a hero..." she whispers as she ends up outside with the other survivors, keeping her right sleeve pulled down. "Now... I'm just... Jessica... I... can put all this weirdness behind me.... and return to my day job... maybe... I'll even leave home on my own..." She blinks. "Who's the redhead? And why do I hear her voice in my head?" she asks, still coughing.

Jade has posed:
    Seeing the firetrucks gather below Jade descends, slowly, to unfurl the hand and open it, to release both Jessica, and the occupant of the room she saved. "I don't know," she answers. "But, it is gone. Perhaps - it is gone because you finally chose to face your fears. And do something about it. If - it is as you say, perhaps your good intentions, and desires to make something of yourself, indeed, as you said, soured the milk."
    Jade looks up at Jean Grey, "She's the Phoenix, I believe." But Jade isn't 100% certain. Still, she waves a greeting towards Jean, then, turning to the fire chief, "Everyone is clear from the building, I believe. You and your team can concentrate on the fire."

Phoenix has posed:
It's been a couple of months since the persona change-- enough time for 'Phoenix' to begin bubbling up on blogs, forums, and other such resources dedicated to tracking people like she and Jade, despite a general aversion to press.

As the final occupants slide to Earth on air, she reconvenes with Jade and Jessica, mopping sweat from her brow as best as her gloves will allow. "I don't feel anyone else in there," she confirms with a head-tilt towards the building. "So, good job, but" green eyes shift to fix firmly on Jessica "maybe you wanna think things through a little more before flying into a burning building with a-- what, a ghost ring? It was a good instinct! But you almost died, so."

Balancing gestures are made with her hands.

Green Lantern (Cruz) has posed:
Jessica Cruz sighs softly. "It's not a ghost ring. It's... basically a twisted version of a Lantern ring - from what I undrestand, Volthoom was a prototype... it decided to abandon me to die since I wasn't a good host anymore - it feeds on the bearer's fear." She sighs softly. "I... fought it for months. With the help of Green Lantern and Jade here... and... decided to do somet hing heroic - that the ring would hate... and... I guess I was right. But now... I'm free..."

A bright green ring just entered the Sol System, heading towards Earth. Probably unnoticed to all.

Jade has posed:
    Jade puts her hand, gently, on Jessica's shoulder, looking to her. "Yes, you did. We told you. You are stronger than it was." She smiles, kindly, then looks over to Jean with that smile still on her features. "Green Lantern and I attempted to remove it, but - it would not allow itself to be removed, not even with both of us trying. She had to find it within herself to purge the fear, and overcome it's malevolence. Though," she admits, "This is the first I've heard of Volthuum." She will, certainly, be looking into it.
5tShe exhales, looking back to Jessica, "If that is the case, we will need to track it down. And, confine it. Restrain it. Is your link to it completely severed?"

Phoenix has posed:
"So, a ghost ring, then," Phoenix says beneath her breath as Jade gives assurance.

Since what she knows about Green Lantern is that 1.) He's green, and 2.) He makes green things, this talk about Volthoom and 'twisted versions' of his ring verges on nonsense that she silently follows along with in the perfunctory, 'this could maybe come back to bite everyone involved in the ass in a few months' manner she tends to reserve for Hank explaining new scientific phenomena.

Until tracking is brought up, that is. It takes her a beat, but once it passes, she perks a little, glances between the two women, and confirms, "So, this haunted ring-- you say it's got a mind in it?" Her eyes begin to shut--

"Makes decisions about who can wear it, that kind of thing?"

-- and with a tightly held breath, she opens her psyche for the sake of trying to pinpoint a ring with a malevolent mind of its own as it races through the New York sky.

Green Lantern (Cruz) has posed:
Sadly, the evil ring is most likelylong gone. "'Ghost Ring' - yes, Volthoom is the name of the spirit in it. It's alive. And..." She pulls her sleeve up to show the scars all along her right arm. "It rooted itself in me - bound itself to me. The scars... I hoped they were an illusion but..." She sighs as she pulls her sleeve down. "I'm not sure why it chose me... though I was basically a hermit, scared of the mob at the time. I think it thought I'd be a... easy host for it to feed on... but... apparently I was tougher than I thought..."

She then blinks. "Oh no - is it coming back?" she whispers, seeing antoher green streak in the sky, heading right towards her location - it's a ways off but moving fast. Whatever this object is, there is no sentient mind in it. It moves towards the three women - and it's a bright green ring with a Lantern insignia. "Jessica Cruz of Earth. You have been chosen." She just stares at it. "It can't be..." she whispers softly. "Why me?" "You have the ability to overcome great fear. Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps." She glances at Jade. "This isn't a joke, is it?" she asks as she balls her fists up in case it's just Volthoom coming back to taunt her again. "Excuse me... do you sense... anything... from it?"

Jade has posed:
    "Green Lantern was right. He usually is." Jade, however, is still surprised. Pleasently so. "Curious. They must have been - waiting for someone. And, you're it."
    She extends her hand, a green light moving to envelop, briefly, the ring. It subsides nearly instantly, "It is a ring from the Guardians, Jessica. You must accept it. This," Jade begins, "Is your new life. This is the first day of your new begining as a Green Lantern. Welcome, as they would say, to the Corps."
    She looks over to Jean, asking, "The rings are of a great magical nature. Though I am uncertain to the complexity as I am neither an official lantern, or have born a ring. My power comes from - a different source, founded by the Guariands of the Universe before they created the rings."

Phoenix has posed:
"Just a-- normal-- not-obviously assholish-- machine intelligence," Phoenix pushes out before disconnecting from the new arrival with a sharp exhale.

More sweat is wiped from her brow as her eyes resume bobbing between the other two women, squinting throughout the initiation.

"Hey, sure," the redhead says with a shrug, "as long as this one's not evil, I guess this is a happy ending?" A slight pause, then her voice falls slightly. "Kind of?"

Another, longer beat passes, her expression growing ever more pensive throughout.

"Do you have any concept of what it'd mean?" she asks, voice fully fallen into a sober, almost somber register as she studies Jessica. "Putting that on? Because I don't know the first thing about any of" her palms gesture broadly around Jessica and Jade "this, but I know what it looks like-- I know what the guy they call Green Lantern does-- and I know that it doesn't come without a cost." Her gaze shifts briefly towards Jade before she floats nearer to Jessica and concludes, "You've got a choice, is all-- and I'm not saying what it should be! But you should probably-- think-- about it."

Green Lantern (Cruz) has posed:
Jessica Cruz glances between the two. "I have talked to the other Green Lantern about it..." she murmurs. "These rings... they only come to those who have exceptional willpower. I guess that fighting off Volthoom was sufficient proof." She glances between Jade and the Phoenix. "The cost? I'm sure there is one. But... compared to what I've been through for the last six months? I'm sure it'll be nothing." The ring floats there, patiently. "Do you think I'm ready, Jade?" she asks as she extends her hand out, and the ring gently floats to land on her palm. "At least... it's not binding myself to me..." The ring seems to be patient so far.

Jade has posed:
    "Your power came with a cost, too," she replies. "As did mine. It's true, she has a choice," Jade suggests to Phoenix, and to Jessica both, "But, the ring knows who it is choosing. It chooses the right person. Always. That is part of the power that imbues it." She smiles some to Jessica, then.
    "It would not have come to you if you were not. And if there was not a need. But you must make the choice. All I can tell you is - you are ready, or it would not have come."

Phoenix has posed:
Jessica's easy dismissal of the risks inherent to the world of masks steals the breath from Phoenix's lungs. Her eyes drift away as she gives a small, stiff nod and a briefly flickering smile of support; her fingers spread wide and taut, clench shut, and spread again before being shaken out and folded in tightly against her chest.

By the time Jade speaks, her gaze has drifted towards the ring, contemplating. Studying.

Appraising.

Would twenty tons be enough? Thirty? Fifty?

Her hands come free to briefly rub her face as Jade's pep talk finishes, and then she makes herself turn her gaze to the (actually) green woman. "All I'm saying is that she should probably have a little longer than this very moment to think about changing every aspect of her life," she says in a murmur rather than the scream that begs to boil out as her arms refold.

"Granted, it sounds like it's not as seismic a shift as it could be, but you-- you both sound a little cavalier about all of this."

Green Lantern (Cruz) has posed:
Jessica Cruz sighs softly. "Ring... ummmm.... may I have some time to consider? I had just undergone a great ordeal." The ring shimmers a moment, then states, "Scanning. Confirmed. Traces of corrupt ring Volthoom detected. It hums a bit. "This ring will wait for a decision to be made." She nods slowly as she tucks it in her pocket. "I will consider your words. Maybe I just want to... redeem myself. For... what Volthoom did to me. To get a chance to be a real hero. Not a scared girl using powers she can't control. The fact that it's being patient - giving me a choice - is encouraging. I'll get hold of Green Lantern and discuss the situation with him."

Jade has posed:
    "My - power - comes from the Starheart. It is - let us say a measure of power created by the Guardians who also created the Rings, Phoenix. The Guardians are the keepers of justice, throughout the galaxy. Nothing that they offer is injust, or corrupt. So if I seem - relaxed over this? It is because I trust them, and the rings. As you would your own team-mates. They are, in a way, family." She smiles, warmly to Phoenix, before turning back to Jessica.
    "Trust in yourself. The rest will follow," she encourages.