2012-09-11 Martians and Marvels

Queens. One cop has been known to say... I saw a rather horrible crime scene last week over in Jersey, but... I figured, what the hell, that's Jersey! But today it's a little different. It's quiet at first, but that silence is broken by the sounds of chaos and mayhem, or is it mayhem and chaos? Either way, traffic is being affected. As only can happen when someone steals an armored car and tried to use it to flee from police by ramming just about everything in sight. There are half a dozen police cars in pursuit, as well as two police helicoptors. What really draws the attention is the plume that comes from the single shot, disposable tube launched LAW rocket that one of the guys brought along just in case. The tail rotor of one of the choppers vanishes in an eruption of high explosives. The pilot evaded the worst case scenario, and the cockpit doesn't blow up, but now the craft is about to start its quick descent without a tail rotor.... plus the truck is still rolling on, even while the driver yells, "The hell did you do -that- for!? Now they're -sure- to call in capes!"
Captain Marvel has 'the powers of the gods', and he's out putting them to good use... by whooping and laughing as he flies in corkscrews and loop-de-loops...?
In any case, The Big Red Cheese just happens to be in the right place at the right time, to notice the explosion as the chopper's tail roter gets blown off. "Holy moley!", he says as he rights himself after the latest aerobatic stunt... then he's just a blur of red, yellow, and white as he races in and grabs at the underside of the crippled helicopter and stops it from crashing down hard and fast. "KILL THE ENGINE! I'VE GOT YOU!", he calls out as loudly as he can as he starts muscling the aircraft towards the nearest street-level parking lot with enough space to accomodate it.
Call in capes, they do, a distress call going out on League frequencies even as Captain Marvel performs the rescue. The closest person? The Manhunter, in human form a few blocks away. He ducks into an alleyway, and a moment later the Martian rises into the sky. Just in time to see somebody who isn't in the databases make the catch. Well, he'll fix *that* once he reports in...hopefully he can get the guy's name. Looks a bit like Superman, but his mind is quite different.
He's been in a positively rotten mood since getting back from Titans Tower so that smile that usually is firmly in place on Axiom's face just isn't there as he's on his 'patrol' tonight. Patrol being running, jumping, and climbing around alleys and rooftops while hunting for trouble. He's not 'called' but he stumbles upon the scene easily enough. Just in time to see the helicopter get hit. Eyes wide, he has no idea how to stop a falling helicopter. And then there's someone saving the say so...breath of relief then fanboy grin. He watches the rescue and then shakes his head quickly, tracking the movements of the stolen car from a rooftop. "Okay...I have no idea how to stop them like this..."
The co-pilot seems to be in a panic as the good Captain catches the helo... the pilot wasn't losing it. He was calling in the mayday with a clear and calm tone. Guy must've been something else before he flew for the cops. His partner? Ever see the movie: Aliens? Game over man! "Alpha Charlie November six four two... going down. Lost our tail ro-." and he just cuts off as the auto-rotation stops and a voice yells from outside. "'the hell?" he asks calmly and his co-pilot stops mid-rant and looks back, calling out. "You've got us?! Who's got you?!"
Meanwhile, the chase is still on, and the armored truck rams through a glass displey front of a store on one of the street corners, coming out with glass falling everywhere. The store was closed fortunately, so people aren't smooshed... but yeah, it's getting to be quite the mess as the police cars keep chasing, and spike strip and SWAT seem set up ahead, hoping that the cars can divert the truck where it needs to go. The hitch... that turn through the building just took it off the desired course. Gunfire going from the truck out the back door which hangs partially open, spattering the police cars with bullets now and then.
The helicopter descends and gets set down in the parking lot, and then Captain Marvel moves to the side of the cockpit to ask, "Are you two okay?"... to which the two men inside nod their heads. Captain Marvel even reaches in and touches one of them on the arm. "You two did good not to just crash when that rocket took out your rotor that way. Good job, guys!", he says, with a smile, taking a moment to try and calm down the hyper-excited and very frightened man in the co-pilot's seat. "I'll catch the bad guys. You two get your other chopper to back off, before it gets blown up, okay?", he then asks, looking at the calmer man in the pilot's seat when he voices the request.
Catching the bad guys? J'onn is, at least, ahead of him on that, although right now he's trying to block those stray bullets by flying into their path...much the way Superman would, although unlike Captain Marvel he's unlikely to be mistaken for that worthy. Far too green. To be frank? He's hoping they run out of ammo soon, then he can actually grab the truck without somebody getting hit.
Wincing at the shattering glass, Axiom's about to take out his phone and call Wiccan. A little magic never hurt, right? And then there's that green guy. Axiom gasps and smiles. "Awesome," he says, concentrating. A member of the JLA means he can help too. Concentrating, Axiom boosts J'onn's powers and then mimics them. There's a flash, Axiom's costume shifting to look like a fusion of his own and J'onn's. There's a slight pause as he notices he's both green and telepathic but the teen takes it off and flies closer to see if he can help out.
Bullet are zinging left and right, and it's only when the truck swerves and the right hand rear door flings itself wide open at the next turn that he realizes his wish for them to run out of ammo might be a bit... unrealistic. They appear to have set up a mount in the back that they just finished strapping something larger to. Whatever it is.. it doesn't look -normal-. What the Manhunter will pick up through just surface scans without even trying... is the gunner's thoughts almost projected right at the green guy. . o o O O (About time! We didn't steal this transport to -not- use the prototype plasma gun it was transporting... )
Captain Marvel however, gets a nod from the former military pilot who is already calling it in. Seconds later, the second chopper does indeed peel off and the co-pilot starts to calm down. Axion is being bombarded by thoughts left and right, lots of folks are afraid, some are agressive, others angry. But there is a core of menace coming from the truck as a green glow emenates from the cannon's barrel just before it launches a packet of energy back towards Martian Manhunter... well in his general direction.
Captain Marvel, as soon as he gets the thumbs-up from the pilot, salutes to both the men and turns to zip up into the air, up and over into the direction of the sound of bullets being fired. "Huh... they stopped shooting", he thinks to himself as the bad guys do just that. Then the greenish energy bolt comes flying up from that direction, as he spots the two who were playing 'body shield' against the hail of bullets.
Zipping over towards the two, Captain Marvel comes to speed with them and says, "We need to take out that gun! It'll /disintegrate/ the cop cars... and the people in them!", pointing down at the weapon in question.
And J'onn sends a quick thought to the other two hero types...likely painfully loud for Axiom. << Plasma gun. >> Because they need to know...a moment before the plasma bullet slams into him, actually throwing him backwards. He doesn't seem to be damaged, per se, but that looks like it hurt him. Yeah. Might be about time to take out that gun. Of course, he COULD have dodged...but then the building he just hit would be far more damaged than it is. Ahem.
The sudden voices get a wince from Axiom as he flies. He was expecting it but not that loud. He's just glad he has what experience he does, concentrating and blocking out the mental noise. Thinking quickly, he tries something else. The fear and anger remind him of something he's been bothered by lately so he taps into that mimicked telepathy and focuses on sending out some calming, hopeful feelings. He's not trying to alter anyone's mind, just provide some reassurance that the heroes are there and will stop the bad guys and make everything okay again. The sudden painfully loud message makes him squeak and fumble in the air but h recovers quickly. There's a concerned frown on his face when J'onn is hit but he's sure that the Martian won't be hurt, especially not with the boost he's giving him. <<Yessir. I'll try,>> he replies both verbally and telepathically at the same time. Still getting the hang of that. Squinting, he aims a blast of the mimicked force vision at what looks like the mount for the gun in hopes of making it fall out of the truck.
Okay, things are getting a bit freaky here. Well only because something that might be on the level of Stark technology is being used against the heroes. Why it was being transported in that particular truck? Well... that's for later on investigation. The anger is coming from the guys -in- the truck... at least that anger up ahead of Axiom, and calming waves of thoughts aren't really going to help the situation too much right now. What that does right now is actually help them focus rather than just making mistakes. A followup shot is fired at the previously blasted Leaguer, and cheering is coming from the back of said truck just before the gun swivels and fires one last shot, just before force beams sheer through the truck's back end, the cannon's mount, and a glancing blow that knocks the guy monitoring the ammo feed cable forward and out through the windshield. The beam also blasts out the far side of the truck, drastically reduced in power... and actually hits a street sign there, turning it in place so that later, traffic might wonder which road is which!
If one could see it in slow motion, the guy who just got blasted out the windshield is conscious and trying to grab onto something... anything, before he goes dropping down the front end like Indiana Jones. However.. one other detail... the cannon falls from the mount and fires again.. this blows the back half of the truck wide open and causes the driver to swerve right towards a wall all while that guy is trying to hang on to the front end. This chase is just about over... all the guys who -were- in the back are almost cartoonishly blackfaced and unconscious....
"No, wait!", says Captain Marvel... as he sees the force beams fired at the vehicle, but by the time he sees them, it's too late to keep the damage from happening. He doesn't take the time to say more, instead simply acting to prevent further disaster and loss of life. Diving down, he's a red, yellow, and white blur as he zips over to in front of the truck and, with one hand, plucks the one fellow out from underneath it. Then, with his other hand, he punches through the front grill to get his hand right onto the vehicle's primary frame. Then, truck in one hand, bad guy in the other, he takes to the air in a looping, circular path that takes the truck away from its impending impact with the building. He even muscles it so that the truck stays level -- preventing people and things from falling out the back as he lifts it.
Again, J'onn simply can't dodge. It's far better for it to hit him than bystanders or property. This time, though, he's braced against further knockback, flinching a little. And...Axiom just apparently underestimated the strength of the force vision. If the kid's going to go around borrowing people's powers, he needs to spend some time practicing with them. (And Axiom probably did hear that...given they're on the same exact telepathic frequency right now).
Underestimating is right. He's used to the powers he's mimicking being weaker than the original and wasn't expecting the blast to be that effective. He watches all the damage and his expression just sinks. When he 'hears' that from J'onn it only gets worse. He's planning on dropping his mimicry when he notices the blast headed for the cop car. Gritting his teeth, the teen flies over to use himself as a shield to protect the cruiser.
KABLAM! Axiom is sent reeling. Not really harmed. Just sent tumbling, as they say.. ass over appetite. He lands on the hood of a police car that's already skidding to a stop and the driver jumps out and calls out, "You okay?!" even as the driver of the truck just looked out of the splintered windshield at Captain Marvel, eyes his uniform and then actually takes the time to open the driver's door, lean out, look down, and then he straightens up, closes the door... locks it for some reason, and says, "When did Superman and the Flash combine into one?" as he finally lets off the gas pedal.
Manhunter ends up in a second story apartment where a party is going on, music playing... people dancing so nobody heard the fight outside until he lands right on the snack table. Everyone just kinda stops, stares, and one girl holds out a bottle, "Brewski?" she asks him.
Captain Marvel looks ... confused?... for a moment. "I'm not Superman /or/ The Flash!", he says as he hovers, holding the truck ... and helps the man he's holding in one hand to get back in through the blown-apart windshield, with an, "... in you go!..."
Once the one bad guy's back in the truck, the flying hero says, "I'm Captain Marvel, by the way", to the vehicle's driver and starts to fly back over to the cop cars with his cargo and its passengers. Along the way, he stops... and backs up... and reaches down with his free hand to twist the spun-about street sign back into its proper position... then continues on to turn the criminals over to the police.
Brewski? Nope. But the Manhunter...can't resist snagging a handful of oreos off one of the plates instead. Almost absently. Likely he doesn't even realize consciously that he did it. "Sorry about the window." Fortunately, that's probably the landlord's responsibility. And oreos. Nom. Quickest way to de-age the Martian to, oh, about twelve.
Axiom groans as he hits the car, cape falling over him. When the cop comes out to speak to him, Axiom lifts a hand to give a thumbs up. "I'm okay. S-s-sorry about your car. Are you okay?" Yep, he's more concerned about the officers than he is himself. A moment later, he stops mimicking and boosting J'onn and his costume returns to normal as he pushes himself off the car.
Captain Marvel flies over to where the cop cars are, and sets down the van... roughly enough to make all the bad guys inside get shaken up enough to make it easy for the police to apprehend them without a shot being fired. Clapping his hands together a few times, as if to dust them off, he flies up a bit to where the Martian Manhunter's coming back down from out of the building he'd gotten smashed into. "Oh... oreos!", he says, and reaches out for one, hoping that J'onn'll let him have one... which goes into his mouth all in one go, if he /is/ given it, with a mouth-full-mumbled "Thanks!"
A...man after his own heart. Well, not that J'onn is technically a 'man'. "My cookies," he rumbles, although clearly *not* that seriously. "What is your name?" He tries to hide the rest of the cookies. In his cape, as there's really nowhere else to put them. Hopefully Martians wear more than that...sometimes, at least?
Axiom provides whatever help he can to the police with rounding up the criminals. Not that a scrawny costumed teenager is very intimidating but he's there as a 'cause trouble for the cops and deal with the cape' deterrant. Eventually, he looks around for the other two heros and walks closer to the building they're floating by. Since he's not mimicking powers anymore, he's groundbound. This means the teen just stares up at them and debates going off to berate himself for what he thinks was letting Captain Marvel and Martian Manhunter down.
The red-clad hero looks playfully disappointed, even pouting just a little bit before stuffing the cookie into his mouth. "I'm Captain Marvel", he replies after he's done chewing - even 'posing' a bit as he speaks, hands in fists upon his hips, chest puffed up a little, feet a bit mroe than shoulder-width apart as he hovers. There's even the perfectly-timed little gust of air that makes his cape flutter. There's also a little bit of oreo-crumb on his cheek. "You're... Martian Manhunter, right?", he asks of the green-skinned hero. He's not intentionally ignoring Axiom... but he's face-to-face with a member of the Justice League, up here! Wow!
"That would be me." As Axiom looks about to leave, he turns towards him. "You did not do badly...but perhaps you need to practice some more with different abilities." The kid did NOT know his own strength when borrowing J'onn's powers, but there was no tactical failure. Just a misjudgment.
Axiom understands the fanboyism. He would be doing the same if everything hadn't just happened. He's starting to turn when J'onn's voice startles him. He lets out a little squeak and nods. "Yessir...practice."
"Well... uhm... it was nice working with ya", Captain Marvel says to J'onn after hesitating a bit, bringing his hand up to the back of his head, as if embarassed. "I'll ... get back to what I was doing, I guess. Bye!"
"And I have work to do as well." He nods to Axiom. "If you ever want practice...contact me." And with that, the green-skinned Martian lifts into the air, his course taking him to the north and in the vague direction of the JLA headquarters.
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