(2014-09-03) Longer Trail
Longer Trail
Summary: Black Lightning continues to see where the kids in the Suicide Slums might be betting their goods/drugs, runs into Bombshell
Date: (2014-09-03)
Related: NA
NPCs: Some minor thugs and mafia types
Scene Runner: Mutual
Social/Plot: Plot
Players:
bombshell..black-lightning..

WARNING - Language

Its Little Italy, most Italians have moved along, south, over bridges, to other parts, but the shops all have that flare. Though, a few remain, in a few restuarants and social halls with a longer standing tradition. Today there is a cleaning vehicle parked outside, one might notice the side of it indicates this is a cleaning service vehicle for an institution out of Metropolis. Specifically, the Southside Slums. Very much out of place, if one were inclined to look.

This is also the reason someone else is out of place. Black Lightning is here as well. Though he is on a shorter building in the area only 4 or 5 stories tall and he is observing the van. He has yet to see anyone getting out of the vehicle just yet, but he's sure this is who he was following. Also sure that there is some connection to the 100 down in Metropolis and whatever they're doing, he doesn't want it back in his neighborhood. He wasn't overly stealthy as far as flying here, being a streak of lightning, or a man with statically charged legs, depending. While the van might not of noticed him, anyone looking at/in the sky would of seen the man arriving to start observing the van.

Here to is a somewhat known juvenile delinquent, perhaps not in appearance but in name certainly. She is dressed in what appears to be private prep school uniform, only in her case she has taken lengths to make it look more punk stylish, nothing permanent mind you. She hikes her backpack up and looks at the phone in her hand then looks up both sides of the street. The typical behavior of someone who is looking for a specific address.

As the punk styled school girl is making her way along the street and checking addresses, the back door of the van opens and two young males get out. Looking light a couple of regulars out of the Suicide Slums even, highly urbanized youth that is, they jump out, look around then head for the restaurant. This is like a cue to Black Lightning, he flashes off the building and moves down. As if wanting to see what the kids might do in the resturant. What he doesn't see is that inside the van, there is a third person and they seem to have some super exoskeleton like suit on, as if waiting for something to happen. Like Black Lightning to tail the kids and to get a jump on him.

Apparently the girl is heading to the same place, but for entirely different reasons. Lana stops in front, giving an appraising look to the two young males that pass. She's a single, young woman, she can look. As they enter her attention turns toward the window as she uses it for a mirror. The jacket collar is turned down, tie fixed as appropiate, sleeves unfolded and smoothed of wrinkles, as best she can without an iron. Finally the accessories, belts, chains, gloves etc and stuffed into the pack. A final appraisal of her self in the reflective surface and a tightening of her ponytail has her turning away. There is a pauses though as she catches movement on the buildings above in the window, looking around though she sees nothing and chalks it up to a trick of light and heads into the restaurant.

Inside the restuarant, the two young males are taken to a booth with a couple of Italian men, but they're watching towards the window and street. Lana might notice there is a distinct lack of other customers here. One of the 'helpers', an older Italian lady, probaly family (real family, not sicilian 'family) of the others in the room, comes to help her. "What are you doing here, come, come, take a table over here …." Opposite side of the restuarant and closer to the back even.

Out on the street, Black Lightning makes it to street level and is approaching the restuarant when the van comes alive, or the guy inside it. Stepping out in the exoskeleton like device, the youth inside grins, "No more trouble from you Lightning," to which Black Lightning reacts quicly and shoots a bolt right at the suit. The suit seems insulated though, as if made as a mobile, strengthened lightning-rod. The youth laughs. The table inside seems to grin a little at what's going on out there too.

Lana plasters a smile on her face as the older woman approaches. It doesn't come easy for the teen girl, but she does her best. "Hello." she greets as she practiced with her BFF earlier in the day, "My name is Lana. I came here to see if you have any open positions. For wait staff or bussing..wash dishes?" so she came looking for a job. If she is ever going to get her act together she is going to have to become a functioning member of society, first step, employment. Since she didn't come for food she stays near the front, resisting any herding to a table.

The noise from outside grabs her attention, metal rubbing against metal, at first she things fender bender, two cars passing to close and sliding against each other. What she sees out the window is far from that "Holy fucking mecha!" she exclaims as she rushes to the window, all thoughts of job searching fleeing from her mind.

"Yes, yes, here, take an application," says the woman, using it both to help lure the girl away from the door if she can as well as actually give her a form to fill out. Then there is noise outside and Lana checks out the window dropping a bomb. The old woman might rescind the offer to fill out an application - then again, they're Italians, might be required even.

Outside, Black Lightning tries more lightning, moving quickly out from the mecha trying to punch him but to no effect. Its insulated and redirecting his indirect lightning attack. Instead he tries to grab for a metal fist, to pump electricity directly into the mecha. They boy inside grins, "Ya, right where we want you." Black Lightning seems to experience a bit of a drain, as if his hand to the metal is an open circuit and something is trying to drain him. They don't realize he can draw energy too, so he starts pulling from the van the boys drove in, while he remains locked hand to metal fist with the boy in the metal exoskeleton.

Inside, one of the Italian guys tells a boy there, "Go, help your friend." The young man nods, standing and drawing a semi-automatic pistol as if to go shoot Black Lightning.

This is the kind of thing that Lana has been training for. Unfortunate for her she doesn't know who the bad guy and who the good guy is. So even if she were to interfere she might pick the wrong side….oh the conundrums of being a young heroine. Yes, the older woman is pretty much ignored due to the spectacle outside, she doesn't go so far as to lay hands on the woman but just waves her off "Yeah maybe later." she moves to the door, intercepting the gun toting youth on the way. The teen girl doesn't have to be a rocket scientist to know what the young man is going to do and it has recently come to her attention that two against one isn't a fair fight. It doens't matter who the 'bad' guy is out there, she found one in here. Not quite willing to pull out her powers just yet she takes a few running steps toward him to slam into him shoulder first.

The struggle continues outside for the moment, it seems to be more a battle of the ability to draw electricity currently. Though Black Lightning is loosing the physical battle agains the machine. Top trained athelete he is, but no more, machines always win hands down in that battle. Thouh he is starting to draw more power from the machine, its slower than it was at first.

The youth is shoulder slammed by the girl, who is tougher than she looks (assuming training at the school and all - or if she used 'flight' to give herself a boost even). Turning towards her, he responds, "'the fuck?!" As if wondering why she got into it, "You better step off, if you know what's good for you." He dropped his gun in the slam, but his friend is not getting up. They assume she is ordinary girl interferring with what they perceive as their business.

"I've never been a fast learner." Lana sneers at the thug, "And I have an amazingly ability to not give a fuck." her arms cross over her chest as she puts herself between them and the door "How about you go sit back down with your little boyfriend and let the adults outside fight it out for themselves.

"Out the way," says the first boy, simply thinking she is being stubborn and not addressing the way in which she called out his masculinaty. Which he doesn't find in full question yet, as he reaches up a hand towards a shoulder to push her out of the way.

The Italians guys have a chuckle at this, chin jutting as the talk about this, maybe admire the spunk/gumption they see in the girl just standing up to the boys.

Outside, the struggle rages, the boy inside maybe realizing Black Lightning could drain the 'battery' of the mecha despite the plans they made, so he picks up the other to throw him away and break the open circuit between machine and man. He can't stop it, but he is tossed and recovers by means of his own flight, shooting lightning back a the now drained machine. They boy has picked up the van with it and uses it as a shield agains the new lightning attack.

Okay, Coach…aka Taskmaster showed Lana several ways to defend against this move, but which to choose. The thoughts go lightening fast through Lana's mind and she is moving before they even finish. Coach would have it no other way. The arm is grabbed at the wrist and she pulls him foward and twists him around, pulling his arm up behind his back while her other arm snaps around into a choke hold "Unless you want it to get all explodey in here, I suggest you sit with your boyfriend and leave the fight out there alone." just to prove her point the arm around the neck loosens as she points to the gun on the floor, in a flash of light from her hand and one big and a lot of smaller explosions (each individual bullet in the gun exploding) the gun is no more. Thankfully her control is enough that gun metal schrapnel doesn't go flying…to far.

After her verbal warning and display Lana shoves the young Thug away from her and toward the table where his friend(s) sit watching.

The gun goes off inside, the boy is rendered ineffective due to Lana's much better training and his lack thereof. Pushed to his table, he gives a pause then moves back. Even the boy with the gun gives a pause a that, dropping his piece. He could fire, but she could explode the bullets in his hand (or in the clip, in the handle of the weapon, in his hand technically). His hands come up to show no more agression.

One of the Italian guys grins a little, "Mama, give her the application." The older woman looks stunned for the moment.

On the street, when the bullets explode, Black Lightning reacts to the sound alone, a force field blazes around him. As if to protect from the bullets, thinking they're fired at him. This though, while very powerul, also drains him and he lands on the street. The mecha tosses the van in his direction, which he has to dodge, then he's running at the machine. Electricity drained, he needs to draw more or simply get on the exoskeleton to try and punch the boy inside to end it out there.

Lana may look the part of fancy prep school girl, but she has lots of hidden depths…and a potty mouth to match. "You are a much faster learner than I am." she jerks her thumb out the window "Which side is yours, mecha guy or lightening guy?" she asks walking up to the table and slapping a $10 bill on it that was pulled from a pocket "My money is on the lightening dude."

Taking the application from the Italian woman she will grab a pen from a sidepocket of her pack and sit down to fill it out as she watches the fight through the window.

An Italian guy slaps one of the kids, as in he has to take the bet cause the mecha guy is his friend. They look dumbfounded but one fishes out a crumpled bup 10-spot. If it was the italians, it would be crisp in a money clip even.

Even as the money is coming out, Black Lightning has managed to get to the mecha and his fists are utilized against the boy inside. And it ends in Lana's favor.

As she's collecting money or filling out the application, Black Lightning enters the restaurant. He points at the two youth, "Both of you out of here." Then at the Italian men, "No more supplying them, we don't want that down in my neighborhood." They may have helped with the Mecha itself, and possibly some drug connections.

Looking from application to window and back Lana keeps tabs on the fight. "References…" she taps the pen on on her bottom lip and then begins to write the names and contact information for a few faculty members at the school. When BL wins the day she grins, hands the application to the italian woman, scoops up her winnings and gets up from the table. It isn't much but she is $10 richer than when she came in, so that has to count for something.

Do the two young toughs run off right away? No, they look at the Italian man and then at Lana, the latter shrugs at them as she if she could care less what they do now. They scamper off to go check on their mecha decked buddy outside. The girl starts to follow them outside "Your welcome man." she says in passing to BL. At the door she pauses though, his words clearly heard by her and being a kid from the streets herself knows what he is talking about.

Even as he says it, it already seems in order. The old lady holding an application and watching Lana, the Italian men grinning a little. They do hold up their hands for the moment though, they'll stay away for now - or find other avenues perhaps, but hands off for the now it seems. "Sure thing," they voice even.

Turning himself to look at the girl, he gives a pause. Maybe blinking behind the mirrored glasses mask thing he is wearing.

"Is that so," he says curiously a slight grin coming to his face, he's not going to question or call out so much, but seeing the boys cowed into submission and the formal compliance presently from the Italian's inside, its enough for him. "Sounds like I owe you, if you're ever down Metropolis way …" He turns to even hold the door, no need to press inside with demands on stopping the illicit trade to his neighborhood and all that.

She gives a non-commital shrug as she walks out the opened door. "Yeah, street fights might not have much in the way of rules, but when they are one on one they should at least stay that way." Lana's implication is clear. "So what are they supplying up to the Met?" she lists off some of the more popular street drugs and even a few not so common ones. How would fancy prep school girl would know about any of that?

Giving a pause, he returns, "What are they teaching you in school these days." Even though he does nod to some of the drugs, and the not so common ones. "That, and some of the tech there. Giving, its fused with Metropolis tech already, but we don't need it infused with more stuff. Like that suit, I think they're trying to return their fight to some of us crime fighting types."

If Lana knew that the man she was talking to was a teacher should would probably find that question funny. "Chemistry." she answers, though no HS chemistry classes teaches that, not even hers. As a teacher himself he may recognize the crest on her uniform jacket to be that of Xaviers "High tech designer drugs? That's bad news. As if the common stuff wasn't bad enough." she maybe a delinquent with a record, but she is smart enough to stay away from the hard drugs and the designer stuff "If you are trying to keep that off the streets no wonder they went after you. You're cutting into thier bottom line.

Giving a nod, and indeed taking in the patch, Black Lightning returns, "Chemistry and street business, I'll have to send my thanks for them doing such an outstanding job in your education." He looks over to where the gun and bullets seem to have exploded. Though, not for long, his goggles turn back to her. "Cutting into their bottom line, and their cutting into mine by robbing the community of life, and the kids of brains. Its a war someone has to fight." Moving out onto the street so the Italians can get back to their pasta, he continues, "Do they know you're down here, helping out on the streets?"

The girl gives him a look. Usually she can pick up on sarcasm, being an expert at it herself, but with his mask hiding those subtle facial clues Lana isn't sure if he is being sarcastic or serious "It's your email." she replies, seemingly not caring one way or the other. She follows along, glancing up and down the street for signs up the thugs and their mecha friend "They know I am down here." which pretty much implies that they don't know about the other.

Smirking a little when she says he can do whatever he likes in writing his thanks, Black Lightning nods right along, a sort of chortle at his throat. "That's all that matters then," cause as far as he knows its just a prep school of some kind with a good reputation. He's not going to look up policies on the students there, much as he's up here the same instead of down at his school doing his thing. "And you're just some sort of a ninja-wiz?" More curious about the gun and bullets, but hopefully sarcastic enough that she knows she doesn't have to answer it - even if she might choose not to simply because its in her nature to not tell him.

"I wouldn't say a wiz. But I have some suprising moves." Lana says with as much honesty that is allowed considering the rules she is supposed to follow. "Our P.E coach likes martial arts." since he brought it up she will go along with it. A shrug is given as if she can't fathom it either "Every few weeks or so he will spend a few days teaching us self defense moves." so that's not even close to the truth, but she is familiar with lieing, and it comes easy to her.

"Too bad I'm only in the public school system, we offer rope climbing and embarassing co-ed classes to get the kids to mingle," he says, referring to students in general. Then Black Lighting grins just a little, "Sorry, didn't mean to imply." That she is a kid, even if he would say that if she were at his school. "But ya, self defense is pretty good to know. Too bad they don't let me in the gym." Which is as much of a lie as he'll get out. He teaches his subjects, never asked or been asked to go to the gym.

.

Lana nods knowingly as she tweaks the jacket "I know. I wasn't always a prep school kid. I did my time in the public school system." as if it was a jail sentence, but then again any kind of school could be a prison to a teenager "I hated P.E." she looks at the older man "Well you seemed to handle yourself in your fight, even made me $10 richer.

"I'll pretend you didn't say that," grins Black Lightning, about PE, "Before the mask, I was an olympian." As if to say he's all about PE, even the uncool rope climbing stuff, even though martial arts would be way better. "For me its a mix, lots of training before all this, and having the, ugh, powers I guess. Trying to make it all work. Its not like martial arts so much as knowing where to hit and not getting hit in return. Glad I could help your pocket book. Don't know if I caught your name, or you wanted to share - super hero protocol is beyond me. But I go by Black Lightning."

Lana lifts her shoulders into a shrug "Do, don't. Doesn't matter cause I said either way." it was past tense though so maybe she doesn't mind it so much now that she is older. If she is impressed by his former olympian status it doesn't show, but there are a lot of teenagers that wouldn't be. "Lana." she gives her first name only "Well I'm not a superhero so that kinda stuff doesn't apply to me." and she isn't, just yet. "Well I have more jobs to apply. Good luck with that hero thing." she waves and after checking for oncoming traffic she crosses the street to head into another restaurant.

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