| Attack of the Sharks |
| Summary: | The Guardians take a day at the beach, its ruined by a shark attack. |
| Date: | (2014-07-30) |
| Related: | NA |
| NPCs: | Beach Goers, Life Guards, Villians |
| Scene Runner: | Jack Flag |
| Social/Plot: | Plot |
| Players: |
 .. .. .. |
Another day at the beach. Things are good with Guardians for now. There is the business of the Skrull Empire wanting them presently, but no one is in prison and they are forming plans to deal with that threat should it rise. So, at the beach, Jack wears his longshorts - they look like Team Affliction brand cause of all the Top America team stuff going on in MMA (so red, white, and blue). Setting out a towel and everything, he absolutely did not back for any of this. Just a towel and himself. No lotion, no shade, no food. Just a t-shirt, flip-flops and a wallet just in case. He's ready for the beach in his own way.
Meanwhile, down the beach, three shadows are circling. Noticeable by lifeguards maybe, but not enough to raise the alert. Some flags have gone up to herd boarders away from the area, but nothing to incite beachgoers on this fine beach day in Metropolis.
Say the word beach and Courtney is there. Being a professional beach goer, she always has a bag packed and ready to go with all the beach essentials. She wasted no time in getting in her shorty wetsuit, grabbing her board and hitting the waves. The waves are quite what they are on the west coast where she learning to surf, but she isn't complaining. Currently she straddles her surfboard, watching the incoming waves waiting for a big enough one to ride. Shadows under the water's surface? No biggie, she's been surfing her whole life, has yet to be bit by a shark…and would pity the shark that tried.
Of course Jack, as casual as he might play things, is more a tool at the beach. He is strong, but his frame isn't the 'buff' sort like most bricks. He's just regular joe in his red-white-blue trunks and his curly hair. Flopping about in the kiddie waves, thinking about going out to where he can barely touch even, being another bobbing head in the way for people like Courtney to navigate. Of course they're in the water and not watching the shadows.
Actually, with an eye like Courtney's trained in waves, she has probably seen a big set bobbing in on the horizon. Ten minutes ago, it was 8 miles out, meaning they're just about to hit. The nubs have taken smaller waves preceeding the big set, leaving it for the real surfers. Maybe a storm out there gave rise to these swells. Its east coast, but its on the magnitude of feet with a curl even, the sort one doesn't want to miss.
Blocking the sun from her eyes with a hand, Courtney watches the waves come in. She's far enough out into the water that when she does ride one in she isn't risking hitting anyone before the ride is over and she is pushed toward shore. Her surfing skills might not be competition worthy but she is certainaly capable to not hitting swimmers. As the wave draws ever closer she watches and waits, when it gets close enough she lays along the board, she paddles with her arms building up speed. Right when the wave starts to lift the board, she pops to her feet, shifting so she is riding along the wave at a favorable angle. She doesn't do anything fancy, the waves aren't large enough, she might not have those kind of mad skills.
Not that it would matter, mad skills or otherwise, she is probably better then a good many surfers at the beach today anyways. Most locals who have only surfed east coast and not far from Metropolis even. One or two really good ones, but their not show-boating, they're just riding waves.
Jack splashes out a little more, risking the big boy water (or bigger boy at least). He's up to near his shoulders. Thus, he sees Courtney when she gets up on her big, for the east coast, wave. Grinning a little, he also sees the shadow move in the. A few do actually. Not the 'pro'-ish level surfers, but a couple of others. They come up, bite boards and reveal their massive shark heads on humanoid bodies. One Great White, one Tiger Shark, and a really big Whale Shark bloke, along with one moving in on Courtney's board, she has a lead though and she might see Jack pointing at the wave where the shadow is starting to gain on her.
Vance hasnt been on an Earth beach since the 70s and is really out of the loop in fashion. He bought his shorts at a discount big box store and it shows. The shorts are down to his knees and the hawaiian shirt he wears mostly clashes and has too many browns for the season. He carries a large styrofoam ice chest on his shoulder with TK help and saunders up to the groups designated hangout place. He scanns around and spots Cupcake on her board and grins.
Then suddenly out of nowhere come the sharkoids. Vance yells back to a lifeguard, "CLEAR THE BEACH!" He then leaps up to tk fly out toward the action staying at least 20 foot above the waves. He does not like sharks. abo
The main key to avoid hitting people while you are surfing is to actually pay attention to where you are in reference to them. It's this attention that makes it so she sees Jack trying to get her attention. At first Courtney things he is waving, but that only lasts a few moments as she looks behind her to see something gaining on her pretty quickly under the water. The wave isn't going to hold on much longer and soon she is going to have to bail her board, but bailing into the water with that thing, and the other creatures that are popping up, isn't a good option. She eyes the shore, a good 20 - 30 feet before she safely bail though that really isn't necessary the Star Staff is never more than a thought away and after a moment of that it appears in hand, lifting her into the air, the surfboard dangling from its strap around her ankle…yeah she is going to have to remove that soon.
Nick of time on Stargirl and the fourth shark mutate. This one a lemon shark, which isn't scary as a shark, but as a mutate shark with muscles, it is. The shark nips at the board before she is completely out of range and summoning her star staff.
In response to Vance, the lifeguard gets on his bullhorn, "Out of the Water! Get Out of the Water!" As that signal goes up, someone goes to get the yellow truck to go mobile with directing people out of the water.
There are still surfers out there, this leaves Jack to go for the swimming model, heading for the biggest one, the Whale Shark. "Vance, can you Tk me a beach umbrella?!" Yelled at the man before he's all swimming and its deep for him, he could use the umbrella as a weapon if need be. The Great White looks all muscle, along with Whale Shark, but Tiger Shark is perhaps the brains, he does water control and summons some water fists to swat at Vance. The Lemon Shark does not fly (no sharknados) but levitates just a little, following Stargirl up. Lifting a hand, he shoots coral shards at Stargirl.
With his tk, Vance rips and throws an umbrella toward Jack. Thats when the unexpected water fist comes up and smacks Vance several yards back across the water. He rights himself and shakes it off. But it was a definite tax on his shield.
Sharks she is familiar with. When you surf there is always the possibility of having sharks swimming with you in the water. These things though, shark-human hybrids are not. And seem a lot more scary than any of the aliens Courtney met in space…but then again those aliens weren't trying to take a bite out of her. The surfbord dangling from her ankle is a bit of a hindrance, but not enough to keep her from playing stick ball with the coral shards that are incoming. The first is deflected by a swing of her staff, the second narrowly misses while the third slices open the side of her wetsuit, leaving a thin trail of blood. Thankfully wetsuits are thick and offer some protection. Floating above her target, she reaches down to release the board strap, so that when it falls it hopefully will at least hit the Lemon Shark, probably won't KO, but will at least leave a mark.
Catching the chucked umbrella, Jack gets it in time to meet Whale Shark. Holding it up as the thing crests the surface and falls down at Jack, it pretty much does what everyone is expecting. Between the two big guys, it completely crumples as Jack turns to push the Whale Shark past him. Crumpled umbrella in hand, he hucks it at Great White, he sort of eats it. Spidey strong perhaps, Great White is left wrestling with the thing in his mouth, trying to chew it up to look intimidating maybe but having a bad go of it. If not for Whale Shark, Jack might make a joke about biting off more than it could chew. Instead, the two start exchanging blows on each other's jaws. Jack has to try to move towards shore, he needs air.
Hammerhead moves in the water, to deal with Vance, holding hands up and making the fists look like they're ready to box with the man. It doesn't have a forcefield and doesn't know the extent of Vance's powers, it focuses on the flying man though sending a spalsh of a jab, letting the fist go near and picking up another one as the water splashed/hurtles at Vance.
Lemon Shark takes the board to head, no KO, but it was smarting. "Not cute," it says, indicating they know the English language it would seem. It pauses in hurtling the coral shards it seems to produce to break the board. More closer to regular strength, it takes a moment to snap the foam core of the board.
Realizing it is some sort of water kinesis, Vance creates invisible tk fists to block the assault. His intent in the next round is to get inside the water attacks and go for the shark directly. He wants to tk grab the shark and pull it bbc out of the water then fly them both upward.
"I have it on good authority that I am quite cute." Courtney chides the Lemon Shark "You on the other hand are anything but. At the breaking of the board, her only board she gasps angerily "That was my only board. I had that custom made!" she twirls the staff so that its aimed at Mr. Lemony. Pew! Pew! Pew! hot laser beams fire down upon him.
Hot laser fire singes the Lemon Shark, sending small fingers of smoke into the air as it dives for cool water, giving Stargirl a break for the moment.
Jack, on the other hand, has his hands full, but seems to be able to stand in the water - or the Whale Shark does at least, being taller than Jack. They grapple so by that nature, Jack is still getting some air.
The Hammerhead is boxing and thinking its a good go, until Vance creates the opening. As they go up and the fists are dropped a vortex of water comes up with them, the shark trying to hold its connection with the water to try and throw more at Vance. They go up and the connection breaks, but it sends a large wave hurtling at the beach instead.
This gives more room for Jack to stand, the water pulled up from nearby - also Great White is standing on the ocean floor revealed with the vortex pulled by Hammerhead. "Pull back brothers," he suggests, going to help Lemon Head who has been singed.
Having only her staff at the moment Courtney is a bit handicapped on what she can do about all these sharkheaded goods. Thankfully what she can do is still pretty feirce. With her target having dived under for a moment she looks around, taking in the actions of her, associates…friends…team mates? Has she even been officially asked to join the team with them? No matter, they both seem to be in a pitched battle with thier own, with Vance and his target going up, up, up and out of effective aiming range she focuses on the one going toe-to-toe with Jack. Pew! Pew! Pew! More laser fire flashes out of the staff at the Whale Shark looking thing.
With the shark high and out of range of the water, Vance calls to his captive. "Surrender now or we go higher where there is no oxygen for you to breathe." Vance keeps the shark outside of 20 ft away from himself with the tk grip.
Even as the water is rushing down from the vortex and refilling where it was quickly drawn from (and only noticeable because of the speed Hammerhead pulled the water, in tow by Vance), Jack gets an assist. It was going to be a standstill but the laser pews get enough of Whale Shark's attention that Jack can get a few staggering punches in, knocking him back as the water returns. Going to circle back, Hammerhead calls, "Enough, enough," more to his comrades. Great White and Lemon Shark heed Hammerhead. Whale Shark is circling to return at Jack however, either not having heard or not listening it would seem. The Whale Shark is building ramming speed, impressive by land standards there is a growing wake as the big fish barrels through the water towards Jack Flag.
And the good guys win again…well almost, there is one bad guy left that either doesn't know how to listen or quit just isn't in his vocab. It matters not as Whale Shark is barrelling down on her compatriot. Courtney knows Jack is a brick, but she hasn't been acquainted with him long enough to know exactly what he can handle. Can he withstand a direct hit from a shark thing…are those jaws capable of rending his flesh? She can't answer any of those questions. What she can do those is mitigate horrific injury. As darts in there direction a beam of energy emitting from her Staff to form a forcefied right ahead of the ramming WS. Close enough were he won't have decent time to decelerate or possibly move around but he won't be able to help but notice its suddenly there. The forcefield won't stop him, just slow him down as he has to force his way through it.
Jack has nothing to do but stand in the water to brace for impact himself, the wake forming from Whale Shark alerts him enough, and then the forcefield is there as a buffer. With the full ram, he might of done something horrific indeed to Jack, but Stargirl gives a hand. Cantering a little offcenter in the ram as it goes through, its enough time for Jack to jump up and do the straight arm punch thing (FYI: If Superman is real, I don't think they'd call it a superman punch in this universe, but that). The combined force of Stargirl and Jack Flag causes it to fall, raking up a birth of sand as it slides on the ocean floor.
Hammerhead Shark says to Vance, "We're done, no more, he's out." Great White and Lemon Head go to get Whale, as well as restrain him should he come to.
Despite the loss of her surfboard Courtney cheers breifly over thier quick victory. While Vance parlays with Hammerhead she flies over to Jack "You okay?" never mind that she has her own minor injuries, even though she asks him she doesn't dare take her full attention of the shark mutates.
Despite the loss of her surfboard Courtney cheers breifly over thier quick victory. While Vance parlays with Hammerhead she flies over to Jack "You okay?" never mind that she has her own minor injuries, even though she asks him she doesn't dare take her full attention of the shark mutates.
Sort of a gathering of the wounded, the two sharks taking their subdued friend, or companion at least, they don't take attention off Jack or Courtney either. Nodding, Jack looks over, "Ya, a little bruised I think, but some beer and a steak or two and I'll be golden. Been awhile since someone punched me like that. Thanks, on that save." The forcefield, he might of taken the tackle, but no telling how much more if Whale Shark had gotten the upper hand. He does notice her wetsuit and the tear from the coral. "What about me?!" Not loud, just startle, "What about you? You making it there?" No telling how much damage she took, just looks worse at least, compared to him - bruises will show up more later, mostly just red and slightly cut where he got knocked around now.
Courtney looks down at herself and the cut in her side, it's still oozing. With the adrenaline rush wearing off she is probably finally starting to feel it too. "First my board, now my wetsuit." actually it was in the reverse order, but the board was probably more cherished. Lowering herself to the water (but not completely in it) she splashes water on the wound, wincing at the salt water sting "Coral burn." a common surfer problem in certain parts of the world, she eyes the shark that did it a moment "It'll proably need stiches, nothing I haven't had before.
"Vance will offer to help," says Jack about the coral burn and needing stiches, "Don't let him, his work is shoddy, we can find you someone better." She could probably do it on her own, he's offering to help. The shark that did it is either grinning or wincing, hard to tell with shark mutate mouths and all those teeth. They're pulling whale back into the water. They do what Hammerhead asks though now, dependent on whether Vance calls to have them taken into some custody or releases them to some water official somehow (hand wavey?).