| Kaiju Attack on Manhattan |
| Summary: | A giant nuclear-powered, nuclear-hungry lizard (Godzilla) attacks New York City. Heroes come together to help in this catastrophic crisis. (Well, it is the Age of Heroes, after all.) |
| Date: | 2014-04-22 |
| Related: | None |
| NPCs: | Godzilla, civilians, first responders |
| Scene Runner: | Winsome |
| Social/Plot: | Plot |
| Players: |
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Two hours ago a fishing vessel, the Good Duck called in a mayday. Contact with the vessel was lost.
Less than an hour ago, the Coast Guard patrol vessel, the USCGC Ridley was sent to locate the Good Duck. The Ridley called in a mayday, announcing it was under attack by an unknown biological force. The last recorded transmission:
"Radiation levels are spiking! What is that thing! The teeth! THE TEETH!"
Five minutes ago, a lone boater cruising New York Harbor in his sailboat spotted a giant, green-black fin rising up out of the water. He called in the sighting to Harbor Patrol but was laughed off as drunk.
One minute ago, the beast rose from the East River. A bipedal, dinosaur-like monster covered in bumpy, green-black scales, the thing is massive. It easily stands at around 328 feet (that's about a hundred meters for you metric fans or 30 stories for those wanting to compare it to a building) and has three rows of massive, jagged fins running from between its shoulders down to the edge of that long, almost serpentine tail. Fangs and talons are obviously deadly and those eyes glow with radioactive fire.
Ladies and gentleman, Godzilla has arrived in New York City.
The King of All Monsters rises from the East River and walks into the Brooklyn Bridge. The massive, steel structure proves to mean little as a barrier, however. Within seconds Godzilla has ripped through the bridge, sending chunks of steel and wire, concrete and asphalt and too many cars filled with pedestrians plunging into the waters below. The tragedy made worse because it is rush hour.
Moving with surprising speed, Godzilla crashes through the docks near the bridge and steps up onto shore. It roars and the plates along its back glow… and then Godzilla unleashes a blast of atomic fire, cutting a swath across the shipyards. Hundreds of cargo containers buckle and explode in the face of the radioactive onslaught.
Alerted by her father to Coast Guard chatter, Laurel the Moon Maiden hurried towards New York City, the home port of the USCGC Ridley. She arrived just in time to see the monster emerge and watch in horror as it tore apart the Brooklyn Bridge.
"No!" Moon Maiden chooses not to engage Godzilla directly but, instead, focuses her powers on the bridge. Silver sparkles surround the crumbling structure of the bridge as Moon Maiden pushes her lunarkinetic powers to the limit. Holding up the bridge while also reaching down at the same time, lifting as many cars as she can from the water. Hoping to save those trapped inside. "Power Woman! I'll handle this! Get the whatever it is!"
That thing is … ginormous. OK, OK. It's not a word. But it's still accurate! Power Woman flew into New York at a call from Moon Maiden, as requested. Her intent had been to use her Kryptonian perceptions to help locate the missing ships. But she doesn't need super-vision to see that thing. Nope, not at all. "OK, I'm on it." Or at least she's going to try. This is way bigger than anything she's ever fought before, and that includes the alien armada. The mothership was half this thing's size.
With her marching - er, flying? - orders in place, the white, red and blue streak that is Power Woman zips off to get ahead of the dinosaur-like creature, and she flies up along its belly, both hands raised over her head as she picks up speed, nearing the sound barrier as she aims for under its wide-open, radiation-spilling jaw. "Zip it, ugly!"
Lexxie is out and about enjoying the day. She rollerblade down a road listen to her headphones when the the roar comes loader then the baby metal she listening to. She looks up and spots the beat attacking the bridge and she lifts her shades, "oh man that's big." She then looks around and finds the nearest bathroom and changes out of her street clothing and into her Comet X outfit (good thing she never leaves home with out it). She then makes her way to the broken Bridge using her rollerblades for extra speed.
Batcave — Gotham City
"Sir," Alfred says with a raised eyebrow and an exhale. "When you first began this 'mission' you'd shared that it was your hope of a restored Gotham that was the catalyst for your midnight adventures. Now you plan on solving the problems of the world?"
From behind Alfred a handful of monitors display the news in New York.
"A bigger crime would be not helping when I know I could, Alfred."
Bruce straightens and pulls the cowl over his face, becoming the Batman.
"I take it you will be leaving the car at home, then, sir?"
Batman nods to him, "We're going by air."
A few minutes later, the Batwing shoots down its runway and explodes out the side of a cliff facing the Atlantic ocean. At the controls, Batman sets some of his sensors, takes a wide left, and begins climbing north.
They finally let go of the Bogmobile. Official story is, it has been stolen by Kevin D. Burnhart, then re-stolen by a mystery party and driven at Kevin D. Burnhart. When Bogart heard he would not be able to drive his minivan back to Gotham, he was quite not happy. Especially since it was because the bridge was gridlocked since a giant dragon was about to crash it. And because he is stuck at the begining of the bridge.
Forget the Bogmobile, Bogart. He decides to leave on foot and maybe get the best pictures he can, why not. Click. Jog. Here comes a superlady. Click click click click. Getting closer to the disaster zone, he hears someone banging against a car's window. A little boy, five, six, crying, his elderly guardian passed out against the wheel of the sedan. "Damnit," he decides.
Marvel Girl was just down in New York to visit one of her former classmates, but with that being a no-show, Jean decided to just do an impromptu patrol as Marvel Girl. That got cut short by the destruction of the Brooklyn Bridgee. Looking up at the enormity of the kaiju that is Godzilla… well, Jean stares in disbelief for a moment. The disbelief being shattered by the multiple mental waves of panic coming from the people tossed into the water or fleeing the giant beast. Jean sends herself flying towards the water, seeking to lift people up and pull them to safety through her psychic powers, as much and as fast as she can.
From the corner of Allen and E Houston, Ruth shoots up into the sky as a red streak, and then makes an abrupt intertialess right angle to put distance between herself and the monster. She's wearing her Aerial costume, which is a fairly quick to put on getup consisting of a long red coat, boots, gloves, and motorcycle helmet put on over her red sweater and black jeans. Two lights on her helmet indicate active cameras. Cell phone. Cell phone! "Mom. I- Not /now/. No. Yes, I know. No, I don't— MOM! You're in danger. Go north. Central Park. I don't- Mom, GO!" Now she's pissed. She hurls the phone in frustration and it jerks to a halt on the end of its lanyard. "AAUGH!" Okay. Well then. Keeping her eyes on Godzilla, she flies angular evasive non-patterns. "Think. Think. Wait for an opening… something…" She unslings her backpack and pulls out binoculars, clipping them to one of the keychains around her wrist, and scanning for… anything she can do. She centers the camera on Power Woman. "Other flier. Faster. Strong."
There's actually a moment. A moment as the mighty beast rocks backwards. Not even the King of All Monsters can just ignore a blow from a Kryptonian. But it is only a moment. Godzilla roars in anger. In rage. That particular roar… like a resin coated glove sliding across the strings of a contrabase and then played back in slow mode. Distinctive and, this close, an assault on Kryptonian senses.
Godzilla proves those arms of his aren't like a T-rex's. They aren't useless as a giant, clawed hand seeks to swat Power Woman from the sky. For the moment, progress of the beast halted as it seeks to deal with a human fly.
Moon Maiden struggles, sweat forming on her brow as she lifts a dozen cars out of the water and places them back on what's left of the bridge. All while holding the bridge together so that police and emergency personnel can evacuate it. Who knows how long she can keep the thing from collapsing entirely.
"Cripes this thing is big." Power Woman complains, as she pulls back and flies around, avoiding those swiping claws for the moment as she's not sure whether being hit would be a problem or not. Better safe than sorry, at least right up front. That her attack stopped the gout of radioactive fire was a good thing, and exactly what she wanted to accomplish in the short term. But given the thing is already back on the offensive and targeting her, Kara can already tell this is not going to go well. Nevertheless, she keeps it up despite everything, because the alternative is to do nothing while New York is destroyed and millions die. So Power Woman lets fly, releasing twin beams of incredible heat and power, slicing at the creature's armored shell as she follows up that heat vision with a straight-on flying punch at its chest, trying to rock it back, perhaps encouraging it back into the water and away from shore and more people.
Comet X stops on her rollerblades as close as she can with the bridge out. She covers her ears, "damn that's loud. She drops her backpack, "Well this is it girl time to get to work. She glad that Power Woman had stop the beast since it's harder to hit a moving target. She takes a deep breath (Pff) she vanishs from where she standing. She reappear 200 yards in the air closer to Godzilla. She starts to fall faster and faster she increases her mass and speeds up her fall. Soon the energy field forms around her making her look like a bright pink comet. She aims her self the best she can for the creature head. Normally when she lands she makes a crater five feet deep; it will also throw up stone and dust into the air. On landing the energy field bust out in shockwave able to move things weighting 7,000 pounds. This shock wave reaches up to 100 feet in all directions.
As Batman makes the final descent towards New York City, he accelerates instead of slowing down. Pulling low, just above the water, he skims so close to the water it splashes out in a wake before he pulls up a hair, staying remarkably silent despite its speeds.
A look to his sensors shows a powerful amount of radiation coming off that monster. Peculiar. Until he gets more detailed information, he resolves to go with a distraction. "Radiation, sir?" "I know, Alfred. If you've got a spare piece of lead, say a mile wide, I'd love to have it about now."
The Batwing swings past on its first run and drops a half dozen black balls aimed over Godzilla. Upon impact they'll let out a quick flash, but be followed more importantly by black hazy smoke.
As he flies by, it takes quick reflexes to avoid Power Woman's heat rays. The Batwing swings to the side and carries downward, narrowly avoiding the pair. "Laser beams?" Batman asks. "Heat, sir. But the temperature spiked before those blasts."
"Interesting."
BOOM
The shockwave via Lexxie takes control of the Batwing putting it under immense pressure and out of control!
Dragonbreath, people say? Real dragonbreath is much much worse than that. Bogart has to prop himself against the car, the boy shouting just the other side of the window, acclimating to the scent of a million rotting fishes, cubed. It is not going away and he only knows one fix: he takes a good grip of his nose and han! breaks it again.
Bogart re opens his eyes. He is standing, still, his blood driping down his jacket and shirt, his hand smearning it around the car's door's handle. It seems locked, yet Bogart keeps trying it. Suddenly, the sound of the mechanism and the door opens. Boom! An aftershock pushes Bogart against the car and the bridge sways. A quick look tells him the battle is getting closer… and a batshaped jet is spinning? Moving faster, he slaps the boy into relative quietness, so he can work on the seatbelt. "Keeb still, I'll get you icegream," he lies.
Marvel Girl lifts people en masse out of the water, saving who she can. She actually lowers herself to the edge of the waterline, standing on solid ground as she can focus more of her efforts into telekinetic rescuing. She also tries to send out waves of psychic calm, doing her best to keep the panic from being completely unmanageable for both herself and everyone else. When she sees the other heroes, she looks a bit thoughtful for a moment, but goes back to rescuing as many people as she can.
Ruth continues swinging her binoculars around. There's Jean hauling people out of the water. "Telepath, telekinetic. On rescue. Don't think I can help there," she frowns. There's Moon Maiden, "Don't know that one." Evacuation efforts? She can't budge a person. First aid? Can't apply pressure. Distract and delay the monster? "Didn't hear a sonic boom. So… I can probably avoid its attacks…" She bites her lip and tugs a can of spinach from her backpack. "Right, guess I'm going in, then." Her first jolt is almost straight up, high into the air as fast as she can go. And then, abrupt physics-defying jagged V-turn, diving straight down at Godzilla. "Let's see if I can hurt it. Probably need something bigger." Along the way she releases the can of spinach. The spinach can regains its mass immediately and continues hurling straight down towards Godzilla at just shy of the speed of sound. Ruth zips east over Broadway to watch and see if that impact has any effect on Godzilla.
Laser eyes and chest punches and a comet landing on his head and smoke bombs. Godzilla's flesh sizzles and burns as Power Woman's heat vision slices across his chest. Yet, despite the burning smell of charred flesh in the air the wound is only superficial. Her followup blow to his chest sends the monster backwards a step, his foot splashing in the water and sending a small tidal wave racing across the East River. Then several thousand pounds of force lands on Godzilla's head. It doesn't send the beast tumbling down but it does cause him to stumble forward and, perhaps, bit his tongue because blood is suddenly dripping from that giant mouth. The can of spinach dents Godzilla's scales but does little else.
That's when the batbombs go off enveloping the entire area with smoke. Godzilla roars in anger and unleashes another blast of atomic fire. Real dragonsbreath is worse? Real dragonsbreath doesn't cause an entire block of New York City to go up into an inferno at once.
Moon Maiden breathes a sigh of relief as Jean steps in to take over rescuing people from the river. She makes a note to find and thank the redhead later. Ready to focus on holding up the bridge… she then notices the Batplane whirling out of control. "Never rains.." Up above, thousands of miles away the alchemical engine on the moon whirls to life, grinding and groaning, whining with the effort to release power down to Laurel as she uses the moon's gravity to grab hold of Batman's vehicle and stabilize it. By now, sweat is pouring from Moon Maiden's forehead and blood is dripping from her nose.
Somewhere in the midst of that atomic blast hovers the smoking, sizzling form of Power Woman.
Ow.
Noticing the creature staggered, then raging, she was ready to fly in and continue her efforts to pound it back into the sea when she noticed it rearing back, jaws wide, and realized it was intending to release another blast of that flaming breath against the city. She headed up as quickly as she good, hoping to block it with her body, to hold back the devastation that will render thousands homeless, and hundreds dead.
That didn't work out. And the smoking form of the Kryptonian heroine is embedded in the bubbling, molten streets.
Comet X didn't think this through as now she trap on the giant lizard's head well at lease for the next five minuets at lease her teleport need that long to charge up again. She her other powers work but she needs to be free falling for them to activate. She holds on to the scales of the beast so she not thrown. She thinks about this quickly she can jump off she land safty thanks to her powers but the bast might hurt people in the water. She can't even see the water thanks to the smoke. Then it hits her she on this beast head and so can get to the softest part of it's body it's eyes. Sure it's dumb but it might work. She crawls along Godzilla's head like she in the game shadow of colossus. Once she at the right eye she peeks down right infront of it and grins, "Lights out!" She punches it right in the eyes and pulls her self up and holds on for dear life.
"Sir?" Alfred's normally cool voice sounds worried as he undoubtedly sits within the Batcave and watches the proceedings. Batman fights with the controls and for a moment considers jettisoning himself. Klaxons within the cockpit go crazy, begging him to eject, but he holds firmly in his confidence of being able to pull out of it.
And suddenly, the plane just rights itself. Out of the blue. Batman is sure it couldn't have been him. Frankly, he's not even sure how it's possible. He'd thank whoever his guardian angel was if he could, but given this new lease on life, he resolves to make the best of it.
He sweeps in a wide arc out over the city and makes the turn, setting himself up for another attack run. The smoke doesn't seem to bother his sensors much as he lines up his shot. He flips a switch as he arms his next group of missiles, a group of four, filled with an electricity laden payload. Batman waits until he gets tone, then lock, then releases the four towards Godzilla!
Bogart can't get the kid to shut up and that is saying: the boy wants his grandpa. Running with the boy in his arms toward safety, he promises that he "'ll get grandba when you're safe."
Two firemen meets them halfway to the security barrier. "Come with us!" one of them Rescue Rangers order, forcing a harness around Bogart, while the other pries the boy away and leaves. "I have to get someone else," Bogart objects. This is when the monster decides to set the city on fire, just because.
"I cannot let you!" says Bob the Fireman, as he snaps a snap-hooked rope to Bogart's harness. Bogart kicks the fireman in the knee, then pushes the man and starts back into danger, toward the wall of bat-smoke blown at the bridge by the breeze.
Marvel Girl blinks as the massive wave approaches, then she pauses in the rescue of the stragglers in the river. Instead, she erects a series of breakpoint with a telekinetic field, dissipating the wave before it reaches who's left in the water. She looks over at the heroes trying to fight the creature, and bites her lip at the sheer level of damage being wrought.
Jean then steels herself, murmuring, "This is… a /really/ bad idea…" before she reaches out with her mind, psychically testing the monster's mind, seeing how developed it is… trying to make contact with it, to either steer it away or to communicate, if she can.
Ruth smiles, watching through her binoculars. "I /can/ hurt it. I just need something bigger…" And then Power Woman gets flattened. Ruth winces, dives down to street level. braces her feet against the ground, and tries to dig her fingers under a manhole cover through the slits. "I have it… I'm holding it on both sides… That should count. Taking it… come on come on, work…" She tugs, and ends up faceplanting against the ground and bouncing off. "Aww, dammit! It's too much. Have to…" She grits her teeth and shrugs off her backpack, setting it aside. It slumps to the ground heavily once she lets go. Ruth tries again, pinching her fingers in the holes of the cover. "Come on… I hate you so much, physics… WORK. Take it!" She struggles and then starts to lift off with the manhole cover cradled in her hands. "Hhh… yeah, let's see if…" She can still move with it. "R-right, that's my limit then…" She goes up above the… smoke? She can't make things out well enough to aim now. Carefully she adjusts her grip on the manhole cover to keep her grip tight. "K.. keep moving, girl. Don't assume it can't see YOU…" She starts making evasive triangles in the air again waiting for the smoke to clear.
As the smoke begins to clear it becomes obvious just how much damage has been done. A whole square block has been wiped out. Shells of buildings looking as if they've been bombed and the remnants on fire. Fortunately, if you wish to call it that, this section of town is mostly warehouses. Casualties are at a minimum. But only a few footsteps beyond that, in terms of giant monster steps, lays the a residential section that is still being evacuated by NYPD.
Ontop of the head, Lexxie can feel the heat. The temperature directly on Godzilla's skin is roughly 220 degrees Farenheit. Worse still, she's getting bombarded by a full array of radiation. Too much of that and it will begin to seep into her bones. Though she might not have to deal with it for long because Godzilla's rage at having his eye poked becomes apparent. The King of Monsters tries to grab hold of his assailant - the flea on his scales - tries to grab hold of Lexxie and toss her to the ground.
Marvel Girl makes contact and the sensations may very well be overwhelming. This isn't like communing with a person or even a large animal. This is like tapping into an elemental force. Godzilla is anger and rage and nuclear holocaust given physical form. He is HUNGER… and that motivates all he does. Hunger and rage.
With Batman's jet stabilized, Moon Maiden can once more focus her efforts on the bridge. Hold it up just a little longer. It is beginning to twist and buckle, though. The bridge wants to collapsew.
Just as Godzilla reaches for Lexxie she's given a chance to escape. Three of the four missiles hit the monster and send out a hell of a lot of electricity. Godzilla bucks and twists, staggering fully into the river and sending another wave that threatens to swamp the remnants of the bridge. Godzilla screams and turns, the tail lashing out and reducing a nearby, docked barge to splinters.
Ow. Gosh darnit, ow.
( C'mon, Karen. Get UP! UP! People are depending on you! Move it! ) O o . Power Woman struggles, twisting, pushing at the sloshing, molten street. Eventually, she gets enough purchase on the infrastructure beneath the street to push herself up into the air, the black goo of the tarry asphalt dripping away from her still-smoking form as she takes flight once more into the fight. Her communicator is long gone, now; she won't be reaching out to touch anyone, unless she does so in person. And right now, she still hasn't the time for that. The Kryptonian heroine blurs into nothing more than a streak as she flies /away/ from the creature, twisting, arcing back as she builds up momentum. A second and a half before she strikes, the air cracks with a thunderous sonic boom, as Power Woman pulls up and skates across the creature's belly, flying right through the explosions of missiles along that scaled flesh, aiming up under its jaw again. She just has to push the creature back. Failure isn't an option. Too many are dead already.
Comet X Is unawared of the rads she getting being on the head it might bit her in the ass later though. Yeah things are getting hot both littary and figuity. She teleports into the air again hieighter then before since she started on the monsters head. She 200 yards right above the king of monsters and like before she drops increasing her mass and her speed soon she a bright pink comet again. She aim her self for the muzzle of the beast maybe she can break his nose or something.
The cabin of the Batwing shakes violently at Karen's sonic boom. The power so strong it splinters the reinforced clear shielding that keeps him from the elements. The plane veers away from the fight as Batman checks his controls.
A quick look over his scanners finds something odd. After the emission of those fire attacks, the radiation has subsided just a bit and the mass of the creature has also decreased. Fascinating.
If only the group could pull the attention of the lizard out towards the water and wear it out by flying in zigzags. If only he had a way to communicate with them. For a long time now, Alfred and others close to him had cautioned him against the lone wolf technique. In the past he'd always been able to handle any scenario. Was this scenario too big? Would having a more open mind towards allies have helped him?
Batman doesn't have time to ponder such things, he only has time to act. He tries to put himself near Godzilla, but with the Batwing out towards the water away from the people. A trail of fire is shot at Godzilla in an attempt to get the lizard to chase him.
Bogart is aiming for Grandpa, who he can see falls off the side of his car. The smoke is dissipating, hopefuly. Bogart hastens his pace, seeing Grandpa is not getting up, either too feeble or broken at the hip. A gigantic wave breaks into immense plumes of water that grow shorter as they get closer. Grandpa sees Bogart back and he trusts a helpless hand in his direction. Leftover rain washes the bridge, making it slippery.
The bridge shakes underneath and sways. Almost there, Grandpa! Bogart feels a giant hand grip him, all around his body, his legs get ahead of him and he falls on his back, "Humph!" The harness. He is being pulled back, at electric winch speed. He forces his head up and he can see why: another wave is coming. He wants to close his eyes on Grandpa but he simply cannot stop staring…
Marvel Girl screams and drops to one knee, the pinkish aura she normally has growing more elemental, almost as if she were on fire as she makes what might charitably be described as contact… and for one brief moment, she roars out in a high-pitched wail that almost sounds like the Beast itself. The fire, the rage, the HUNGER… it seems all too familiar, as if something that she was secretly wanted.
Before she can be overwhelmed by the contact, a ferocity and power equal to that of the Sun itself, she breaks the link, gasping for air as she tries to recover a bit. After a few moments, she sends out a psychic message to those heroes that she's seen, specifically Power Woman, Moon Maiden, and Lexxie, though her control is weak enough that it's a pretty wide broadcast for those fighting the thing, » This thing… it's just hunger and rage personified. We need to lure it away from the city! «
The smoke is clearing. That's good. Godzilla splashes unexpectedly into the river with a huge wave and woosh of spray. That's bad. Stray water droplets catch Ruth and shove her down under their weight, into the wave… Ruth takes a deep breath and whimpers, and disappears under the water. She tries to fly up in a panic, and bounces off the surface of the air. But she can see Godzilla still, or… at least part of it, as it now occupies the river. She flies backwards through the water and goes further than she expected. Right, water's got a higher speed of sound than air. Instead of a mere seven hundred fifty miles per hour, Ruth's next charge is at a cavitating three thousand miles per hour, leaving a trail of collapsing vacuum behind her in the water. She aims the manhole cover up at Godzilla from below, the metal disc bulging the river's surface upwards around it as it bleeds away speed into heat and noise. It bursts from the water into the air with a supersonic crack, still with a significant portion of its speed. And then Ruth's zipping along the coastline in a panic, looking for a way to pull herself up and out before she drowns. Jean, where was Jean? Ruth's lost now, bouncing around in a disoriented panic.
A three part punch. First Power Woman with the uppercut. Then Comet X with the sucker punch. Then finally the manhole cover hitting Godzilla in the stomach. The Monster twists in the water, swatting and biting. Snapping jaws and slashing claws attempting to bring down any and all foes. But then… then comes the Batjet. The burst of flame doing no real damage but catching Godzilla's attention. Not because of any pain but because what it represents.
Nuclear fuel burning. The Batjet has a fusion core.
Godzilla forgets Power Woman. Forgets Comet X. Forgets everything as he turns and begins to storm after the Batjet. Out towards the center of the water, moving fast enough through the river water that it keeps pace with the jet and snaps at it…. and each time Godzilla comes within a few feet there's a spark as power literally flows from the jet's nuclear core and into the beast. Giving it a meal.
Moon Maiden groans as the strain hits her, hard. Most of the bridge is evacuated now. There's only a few cars left and so, she gives it one last shove. She lifts the remnants of the bridge into the air, forming a ramp that the few cars and people left will slide down and to safe ground. Including Grandpa and Bogart. She needs to get them off now before she loses it.
Power Woman shakes her head, trying to clear it from the shockwaves of her own punch. She gets backhanded with a claw, hurtling into the side of the shell of a warehouse. By the time she's back up in the air …
The creature is leaving? What the heck?
Oh, yay! That's good news. Right? At the least, it gives Karen half a minute to clear her head and take a look around at the devastation. And super-peepers pick out the weakened form of Moon Maiden, her friend. Her friend in trouble. A blur, and Power Woman is headed across the bridge, snatching up people as she goes, somehow able to scoop them up at this speed and manage NOT to crush or hurt them. "Time to go, folks. Everybody off!"
Maybe she can save enough to assuage her guilt over those they lost. And get it done before poor Laurel collapses unconscious. Or maybe not.
«The guy… in the jet… seems… to have a… plan…» Laurel thinks the words as her form begins to droop, slowly dropping towards the water. She has no idea who the telepath is but it seems the best way to communicate. «Maybe… loop him in… see if we can help?»
Comet X does not even try to hold on this time snapping jaws are a bad thing she falls off Godzilla heading for the water on there going be waves her powers actvate as she falls and she hits the surface fast and hard and shots right to the bottom where the shock wave is release she can only hope most people are out of the water by now. After she swims up to the surface. She brust from under the waves and gasp for air and watchs as the monster follows the batjet, "Is that Batman?" She starts for shore only to be snach up at high speed by Power Woman. She blinks as she on shore again, "um…. THANKS!" She calls out at the blur saving people.
"Sir you may want to-" But before Alfred can finish, Batman cuts him off. "I know, Alfred. I know." Forced to think fast, Batman comes up with an action plan. He punches a few numbers into the console to his right.
A six pack of projectiles fall out from the missile wells of the Batwing, this final payload are a gift via Mr. Freeze, or from his mind at least. Each are designed to freeze upon impact.
To be sure, Batman's going for broke. From outside, several panels open at the rear of the Batwing, as the coolant from the vehicle begins to flow out backwards towards Godzilla. It's a one way ticket, and Batman knows he'll be out of options soon.
"I'm putting her down," Batman says as he readies to cut the nuclear power and crash a multi-million dollar plane into the Atlantic Ocean.
The past is seeping in again. The boom, boom of the ram against the door. Grandpa's hand falls, he's given up trying. The virigin girl, crying over the black choir and Bogart feels himself passing out.
A voice brings him back, something about hunger and rage? The horizon sinks and everything slides after Bogart. Bogmobile, Grandpa, Grandmobile… That last one could be a problem. Hopefuly, bodies slide faster than cars, so Bogart grabs Grandpa and rolls to line with the middle of the road, so they do not get crushed at the finish. The giant wave rolls past, missing, and turns into blood, her blood pooling all over… Bogart's mind checks out.
Marvel Girl sends a frantic thought message to the pilot of the jet, Batman, in this case. As for him, a familiar voice from the other night echoes directly into his mind, » It's working! It's drawn to the nuclear power, he's leaving the city. I'll try to have someone pick you up! « She tries not to dwell on how tempting that power was, that hunger, and instead focuses on saving everyone that she can. She marshals her strength and takes off into the air, boardcasting to the other heroes, » Someone will need to save the pilot, the rest of us should focus on saving civilians, quickly! « Flying through the air, she looks for where help is still needed.
Red streaks flash about in the water. Ruth's helmet blocks her visibility now that it's filled with water, and picking out features in the churned up muddy river is difficult. Ruth zips aimlessly, feeling for things that catch at her when she hits the shore, something she can brace against to push up? No, it's a pipe, and too far down. How did she get in Bushwick Inlet? Her lungs burn with need, but she knows she can hold out longer than this. She moves again, following the coast, this time racing back south along the promenade. Atlantic Basin maybe? Gonna have to find something quick. «STUCK!! Could use some help down here!!»
Godzilla seems focused. Chasing the Batplane the same way a cat might change a red dot. The missiles hit and the ice forms on the body. Weighing down one arm. Cracking across the torso. For a moment it slows down enough to give Batman more lead but then Godzilla cracks that ice. It breaks free. Nothing short of a full glacier would freeze this beast. It does give Batman enough time to ditch the Batplane, though. Enough time to get clear before Godzilla swims up to it where the harbor meets the ocean. Giant jaws chomp down. Power flows in bright yellow arcs as the radioactive material inside the jet's nuclear core flows into the monster and gives it life and power.
Moon Maiden groans and lets the bridge collapse fully now that everyone's off. "Oh, thank the gods." She whispers. But there's no rest available. «On it.» She wipes the blood from her mouth and then flies, following the wake of the water. «How do we… how do we stop it from turning around towards Indian Point when it is done?» She asks as her lunarkinetic grasp plucks Batman from the ocean.
And just as the Batman would be bailing out of the crashing Batplane, before the gigantic creature can swallow it whole and suck dry its nuclear payload, a blue gauntleted fist appears, diving down into the waters to seize the curious girl whose body is streaking around down there, out of control. "Hi. Pardon me for interrupting, but someone called for a taxi, corner of Atlantic Ocean and New York Harbor?" Ah, yes. Heroic comedy, lightening the mood in the midst of disaster. Power Woman flies ahead, picking up speed - How does she do that without crippling the people she's carrying? Who knows? - pulling ahead of Godzilla as she loops back around, arms full carrying various civilians, human bombs and streaky massless strangers. "Next stop, downtown creature central. All aboard!"
Comet X blinks as she knows that voice the Red head what was her name June…. No Jean yes Jean she here too and she can hear the red head in her mind. Oh god she better be here the other choice is she starting to hear voices and that not fun. She then nods she right though she can still help. She skates with her rollerblades and heads to help people. Her powers can't do anything but distroy but she can hold presure on wounds and hand out water not as flashy as fighting the monster but she can do it as Comet X. She gets to the area the fire fighter are taken people, "How can I help. One of the fire fighters looks over her outfit and grunts, "stay out of the way. Other then that hand out towles to those who are wet." Lexxie nods, "okay." Starts doing that. She still does not know she been exposed to high levels of Radiation.
Batman pushes downward on the controls to bring the Batwing nose down in order to give him the most distance from the monster possible. When it's clear the time has come he releases the valve on either side of his head rest and escapes out into the sky. While Batman begins to plummet, his cape extends out and he begins the slow descent into the water.
*SPLASH*
He reaches for his utility belt, but even as he does, he's miraculously plucked from the water by an unseen force. Perhaps the same guardian angel as before.
"Grant!" Someone calling… "Grant Bogart!" He is shaken gently back into reality to a men in full biohazard suit, two. One man is dressing him into what seems a body bag with an air tube, the other is tossing his ID and wallet into a large blue plastic bag, along with his phone and camera, or so he guesses. He looks for his gun and it is missing from its holster.
"Do not move, Grant. I am going to zip you in, so we can move you safely to the hospital," BioMan One says. BioMan Two leaves Bogart's field of vision with the blue bag. Ziiiip! Bogart is trapped before he can even protest, then BioMan One leaves too. "&*##@!!!" Bogart mutters, and other things about mothers and female dogs.
Marvel Girl deprioritizes the mental link, though she keeps 'tabs' mentally on those she communicated with. She mainly uses her telepathy to check for people hidden in the debris, then using her telekinesis to move the rubble out of the way. Keeping it simple as the sheer power behind that short mindlink with Godzilla still has her a bit spooked.
Ruth gasps out as she's yanked from the water, her helmet emptying. She staying limp aside from the shaking and spasming that happens every time a drop falls from her soaked clothes. "Please don't go too fast," she begs Power Woman, "or my power will slap me. The water's bad enough on it." Ruth's terrified and maybe traumatized. And while she might be massless, the water on her is not. She hangs as if anchors were attached to her limbs that only she can feel. "And… and thanks."
Godzilla finishes. It doesn't take long to drain the nuclear core of the destroyed, multi-million dollar jet. Right now, only head and shoulders are above water. Having finished the meal, Godzilla turns and begins swimming back towards New York City. Intent on devouring more. An eternal appetite. Hunger for the fire of the atom.
"I've got you." Moon Maiden says as she draws Batman up towards her so she doesn't have to shout. She's breathing hard. "Maybe… maybe Power Woman and I can… pick it up… pitch it into space?" Except the doubt is obvious. She's already stressed her powers to their limit. It is all she can do to keep herself and Batman afloat, pacing Godzilla.
"Keep hold of me, you'll be fine." Power Woman answers the woman she rescued from the waters. She could try to explain about how physics seems to take a holiday when it comes to what she carries. But she doesn't bother, it would take too long, and not make any sense anyway. Instead, she just holds onto Ruth until she comes to a hovering stop near a dangling Batman and Moon Maiden. "Not to be a nooge, friend, but I have a really important question: What did you do to draw that thing away from the city? Because we have to do it again, and fast." She doesn't ask 'who are you', or 'are you alright'. She wants the answers to those and many more questions. But time is of the essence. So the Kryptonian heroine gets straight to the point. Pardon the scorch marks.
Comet X helps for a while and but as she handing a little girl a towel she spots blood on it. It's okay a drop then another appears. She reachs up and finds her nose blooding, "what the?" She looks confuse, "why is my no…." Her eyes widen and she turns her head just in time to miss the girl as bloody vomit shots out of her mouth, "Oh god. What going on." She panics now. She goes to run and her knees give out making fall to them. She feels light headed, "why am I…." everything goes black last thing she hears is a man calling out, "She been exposed to that monst…." If Jean is linked to her mind she feel the panic and fear then nothing. Not nothing like dead nothing like she passed out.
"Thank you," Batman says as he's whisked away by Moon Maiden. "That might be our best bet," he responds coolly. "The other is to have her create a diversion, fly out over the ocean, and have him deplete his resources by attempting to use his flamebreath on her. I've noticed that as he uses his powers, he decreases in size."
"Let me out, mother*?#@$+&!" Bogart shouts, fighting against his protective cocoon, with only the sky for landscape. He doesn't want to become a beautiful butterfly, not yet. What he wants is his gun, his wallet, his car, his flask for a good long pull of Bargain Gin…
One of the BioDudes comes around. Who is he, Bogart cannot say for their faceplates are all of the same tacky 80's cyberpunk mirror shade. He decides to call this one Mr. Pricks, because he props a syringe. "Mister Bogart, you /will/ calm down," Mr. Pricks prophecizes. A knee on his chest and a stink in his shoulder is all… fade to black.
Marvel Girl blinks in surprise at not only Godzilla returning, but Comet X passing out. Quickly sending a subconscious instruction to some paramedics to help the fallen Comet, Jean then opens the link again with the four heroes, » It's drawn to nuclear power, it's why it came to the city in the first place. It hungers on a level that's hard to describe. And yes, introductions can wait for now. Though perhaps if it can expend enough energy, it would no longer be a threat? Seems like the best theory we have for now. « She directs that mostly to Batman, as she stays on the ground at the moment.
Ruth collapses back to solid ground heavily in a splish of water from her soaked clothes. Standing isn't an option, she's flattened straight away. Every time she tries to take the water with her power, it floats off her and then the effect fades, and it drops back down onto her. She lays on her back nailed to the ground, wringing water out of her clothes, pushing it aside when she can, giving a slight spasm when she gets splashed. Not a happy camper at the moment.
Godzilla pauses, as if aware, suddenly, that there are little things flying near it. Close enough that they keep dipping into the fields of vision. At least one of them hurt him. Godzilla turns, growing. Roaring a challenge to the flies. The gnats. The things that caused it pain.
"… get it small?" Moon Maiden thinks, though she's having trouble now. "… drive it off?"
"Everyone else, get the Hell clear. Now." That, hoenestly, is all t he warning Power Woman offers before she swoops back out to sea, aiming for the creature. If he wants to chase 'flies', then she is going to be the biggest, meanest, most unrelenting fly she can be. Heat vision to the eyes? Check! Punches to the jaw and nose? Check. How effective? Probably not at all. But if it keeps the creature pissed off and focusing on her, maybe breathing out that nuclear wave of destruction in his fury, it'll do if it's aimed at her, not at the city. Not at the civilians. Not at the heroes who can't take it the way she can.
Nuclear bad breath. The decontamination after all of this is so going to suck.
"All of those are good options," Batman says, helplessly. He watches Power Woman work and prays it will be successful. He feels impotent out here, unable to effect the battle. In his mind, he tries to answer the call out, "If you have any fliers at your disposal, we may be able to decrease its size by having it expend its breath. Also, deeper in the water might cool its temperature."
Marvel Girl relays Batman's information through the link, and also continues to coordinate the rescue efforts for people still trapped by the first attack by Godzilla. Then, she tries something that's… probably really dumb, considering how the first time went. She opens a small link again to Godzilla itself. Not a large link… but maybe just enough of one to psychically feed Power Woman on which direction to dodge to avoid the worst of the blasts while she plays 'tag'.
Ruth closes her eyes and shakes her head. "Scuba. Get me a light enough scuba and…" She shudders and curls up onto her side. "If I can breathe for a while, you could push me back in the water. I'd be faster down there. Could throw things at it." Cringing. That is /not/ her favorite idea. But… when Godzilla comes calling, you get desperate. "I'll need help getting out again after. And…" She shuts up after that.
"She'll be… alright." And Moon Maiden doesn't have much of a choice. If she doesn't set down she'll pass out over the open water. She finds a shoreline and crashes there while, in the distance a Kryptonian plays defense. Dodging. Weaving. Prodding Godzilla to release blast after blast of atomic fire and each time shrinking a little more and a little more until it is only half the size… small enough that it just sinks into the water and vanishes. Kryptonian senses can track it heading out to sea and towards the artic. Towards the ice. Freeze breath does the rest, freezing the creature in place so it can be picked up by SHIELD and transported to a secret preserve only a few in the world know about.
-==[ Lower East Side — New York ]==-------—-
Rumor has it that Chinatown has turned into a pure tourist trap, and in places, that's true; some of the bustling streets offer nothing but high-priced stores or kitsch, and Canal Street, the area's northern border, houses perhaps the biggest of the area's outdoor markets. Even those streets, however, are still recovering from a two-year depression that stripped most of the tourists away. The rest of the area - where the tourists *don't* flock - is largely residential, and its businesses reflect its makeup. Traditional herbal-medicine suppliers, acupuncturists, and low-priced noodle shops and teahouses cater primarily to the locals. Signs and conversation are frequently not English; overheard music is rarely Western; and one of the major local shrines is the Wall of Democracy, covered with newspapers and posters describing the situation in China.
Just the other side of Canal Street is an area marked off with a sign - tattered glittery letters strung on wire across Mulberry Street, saying 'Welcome to Little Italy.' Though there are few Italians still actually living there, the bakeries and restaurants reflect that original makeup, and the area still celebrates the ten-day Feast of San Gennaro every September.
Obvious Exits:
- [00] - Subway South — New York
- [01] - Chinatown and Little Italy —
- [02] - Beacon Street Apts — Lower Ea
- [03] - Circle of Life — Lower East S
- [04] - First National Bank — Lower E
- [05] - Midnight — Lower East Side
- [06] - McMaster's Brewery Warehouse -
- [07] - Outback — Lower East Side
- [08] - Double R Diner — Lower East S
- [10] - Sunrise Coffee — Lower East S
- [11] - Yancy Street — Lower East Sid
- [12] - Holy Ghost Church — Lower Eas
- [13] - Back Alley — Lower East Side
- [E] - East River — New York
- [N] - East Village — New York
- [SW] - Lower Manhattan, Financial Dis
- [W] - SoHo and Tribeca — New York