2013.07.13 - Stopping Traffic the Bad Way

It is late evening, but NYC is the city that never sleeps. People are still at bars and clubs, theatres are just getting out, and some businesses are still working full speed as if it were the middle of the fiscal day. Traffic is somewhat jammed up, bumper to bumper, automobiles barely moving, but that doesn't stop some people from finding ways through. 
Among those find a way through is Elysia Mahira, currently dressed in delivery cyclist garb, with the logo for 'Elite Super Special Delivery'. She races between cars at break neck speed, whipping in and out, slipping through the smallest gaps, and only pausing for traffic signals. Her cycle has a secured case on the back, with a double lock, so once it is closed it is sealed tight and it can only be opened once it has reached its destination.
There's an even faster and easier way to avoid traffic: go over it. And that's exactly what Sue is doing, floating serenely above the traffic and not even having to wait at traffic lights. Odd, though, she seems to be running on auto pilot of sorts, not really watching where she's going. And most telling of all is that she's visible to the people at street level. She usually at least tries to conceal herself so no one gets force field envy. Or something like that. She's also travelling slowly enough that a cyclist adept at dodging through traffic will have no trouble keeping up.
New York is not a town where odd things usually cause much fuss, and in fact most New Yorkers pride themselves on their indifference to the stuff others would find extraordinary, odd, special, and/or alarming, but even New Yorkers have to take note when and attractive and empowered woman floats above traffic. Elysia, however, isn't a native New Yorker, and almost crashes into the opening door of a cab as the driver starts to get out to gawk. The fact that somehow Elysia's direction changes at the last second, and she rides up the side of the cab and over the roof, would also probably cause most people to be shocked... just not New Yorkers... but as she comes down the cab, Elysia does slide to a stop to get her bearings and join the rubber necking at the sight of the woman floating down the street, a astonished, "Wow!" escaping her lips.
Sue Storm seems oblivious to the ruckus she's creating, which for anyone that's familiar with the Four might find as disruptive as the whole floating down the street thing. At the next intersection she turns right and disappears around the corner of the building, still following the flow of traffic and causing chaos in her wake.
Okay, one advantage of thinking and living at hypersonic speeds most of the time, is you can get past stages of fangirlism way faster, and move on in seconds. Elysia, frowns, checks her watch to make sure she has time to afford on doing the right thing, even if she would have done it without the time, and then she is off again, rushing at professional cyclist speeds... and a bit beyond, getting close and hoping the bubbles is sound permeable, "Ms. Storm? Excuse me, Ms. Storm? Is everything okay? You're causing worse traffic in New York then is usual for midday. Is there anything I can do to help?" Elysia hoping her words aren't falling on deaf or brainwashed ears.
Words finally do get through and Sue stops in mid-air probably more abruptly than a bicycle is capable of, looking around to see who was calling her name. When she finally notices the young woman, she moves down to a more conversational distance. "I'm sorry, did you say something? I was... um, kind of preoccupied."
Skidding to a stop, Elysia gestures back at the mayhem of dozens upon dozens of people standing outside their vehicles or stretching their heads out the windows, "I was asking if everything is okay, cause you were sort of exacerbating the already hectic late night traffic. Not saying it's your fault, but people are so busy wondering why you're floating visibly by, that the rubber necking is at like a factor of 15." she pauses and smiles, "I was just trying to make sure you weren't hurt or under some mind control. No one wants the First Lady of Heroism to be hurt, so even in New York, most people were concerned." nodding to the many people closing the gaps mostly with compassionate or worried looks, "If everything is okay, I apologise for bugging you, I was just a bit shocked... as most people were... by your unusual manner of passing over."
Sue Storm looks around at all the concerned faces, and then her face crumbles and she abruptly goes invisible. "No, I'm fine. Really." The tone of her voice says quite different, though, with that thick and pained quality of someone on the verge of crying. "It's fine. I should go."
Grumbling under her breath, "Oh, great Elysia, should have seen that coming... or... um... well not seen it coming? Whatever." She sighs, "Mss Storm, please. We can go somewhere private, but you are obviously distraught about something. I may not look it, but I'm pretty smart, maybe I can help? My name is Elysia Mahira, and despite my overly chipper attitude, I'm no stranger to bad situtions and problems. Please... if you're still close enough to hear me... um... can we talk? I'd hate myself tomorrow if I heard you did something rash when I could have helped?"
Sue's seemingly disembodied voice replies, apparently having not moved at all, "Oh, um, okay." She still sounds upset. "You've got a delivery though... I don't want to keep you."
Giggling, Elysia shakes her head, "First, despite traffic, I'm well ahead of schedule. Second, the delivery is double locked, it is pretty secure and I can honestly say there was a large traffic jam, so the delivery is safe and I have a valid excuse for tardiness. Third, I know plenty of short cuts and tricks to get where I need to be and shave off time, so I can make up any lost time fairly easily. And Fourth, if all else fails, I have at least one secret ace up my sleeve to play. So, now that my delivery is eliminated as an issue of concern, perhaps that all-nite cafe over there would be a good place to sit and chat. My treat, coffee or tea, and maybe some scones or pie or something else sweet?" pulling a cycle chain out so she can secure the bike to the wrot iron half fence around the outdoor seating area of the cafe.
"I... I don't know." At least Elysia talking to thin air doesn't get ANY attention from the passers by that have already decided that the show is over and are returning to their usual business. Oh for crying out loud, Sue. You're a WRECK, and this kid who can't be out of high school yet is offering to help. Pathetic, much? "Maybe for a little bit."
Pulling out a chair and offering it, Elysia smiles, "You don't have to know. Just talk. I know you're probably tired of geniuses with Dr. Richards, Emperor Von Doom, the various other science types who challenge you and the others in the four, and Reed's various colleagues, but I am smarter then I look and might have some surprising insights... don't quote me on that... and despite my babblingness, I'm a pretty good listener too." she gestures a waiter over and asks for two menus, which just gets a shrug since the waiter probably figures she is expecting somone else to show up. She waits patiently, and closes her lips, ready to listen.
Sue Storm settles into the offered chair, only a faint creak from the metal indicating that she's done so. She stares at the menu for a moment, not really seeing it. "I just got back," she says quietly, barely loud enough to be heard over the noise of the city. "I went to help, and someone got hurt and there was nothing I could do."
Sitting slowly herself, Elysia nods, steepling her fingers as she listens, she takes a deep breath and then simply says, "You shouldn't beat yourself up over it. If you could do nothing, then you can't blame yourself. You did what you could." she smiles, "But go on. Maybe just talking about it will help you get some catharsis, or even get some insights that you missed before." she uses her notepad to write an order to the waiter, mentioning a pair of hot teas with honey and two glasses of water.
Shaking her head even though the gesture is completely pointless while she's invisible, Sue can't bring herself to believe what the younger lady is saying. "No, that's wrong. I /could/ have done something. I could have stopped it. I was too focused on ... I should have seen it. I should have protected him also."
The issue with pronouns is context, and Elysia has no idea who the him is to put into context, so she frowns, "Take your time. What could you have done differently? Hindsight is always 20/20, you always can see where you could have done something different when you have all the information in the end, but life doesn't give you all the information in advance and rarely gives you time to see every option, consider every possibility, and explore every variable. I can't believe from all I've hear about you, that you didn't do everything you could in the moment, if you didn't see something it was because you couldn't see it at the time, if you didn't do something, it was because you didn't know you could or all the information pointed you in a different direction to follow and you did what you thought was best at the time. You musn't beat yourself up over it, you should learn from it and perhaps contemplate what things you can learn or train in to improve your options the next time. It isn't like you can travel back in time and redo it."
The chair abruptly scoots back as if Sue stood up hastily. "Maybe I can. Reed's been working on something..." But just as quickly as that happened, it's over. "No, it won't work. It's still ... god." The chair pulls itself back into place and then in the span of a blink Sue is sitting there, wiping at her face with the back of one hand. "He lost his HAND, and I didn't even get his name."
Now that she can see the woman sitting across from her, Elysia gently reaches across to touch the other woman's hand and nods, "Please, tell me as best you can, what happened. It will help you look at what you did, what all you realize you could have done had you had all the facts, and hopefully come to terms with your decisions. You have to trust in yourself, that you did what you thought best at the time. No one is perfect, even the smartest people make mistakes, especially in a crisis when there is no time to think and weigh the options. You have to trust in the fact that as long as you follow your heart, that you are trying to do the best you possibly can."
Sue Storm tells Elysia as much as she dares, explaining that she went to help stop some Vodun black arts practicer with honest to goodness real power. She avoids mentioning her main motivation for going or why her attention was so heavily focused on protecting Superman. That's not a secret she's about to let slip.
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