11608/Stars and Spiders

Stars and Spiders
Date of Scene:	14 June 2022
Location:	Financial District
Synopsis:	Mania and America bust up a long term hostage crisis in downtown Manhattan and learn that they work rather well as a team. Perhaps this requires further exploration.
Cast of Characters:	America Chavez, Andi Benton

---

America Chavez has posed:
    A series of gunshots rip through the later afternoon air of Financial District of downtown Manhattan, followed by the screams of panicked city dwellers. It doesn't take long for police to swarm the outside of the 42 Broadway building and set up a perimeter. Yeah, this was one of those hostage situations.

    The bank's hours have long since passed and still the stalemate between whoever is inside and the police of the NYPD 1st Precinct stands firm. A number of demands have been met and still only 2 of the 15 hostages within the bank have been released. It seems whoever is in charge of this heist has a stronger fortitude than your average ne'er-do-well. To make matters worse it seems that any attempts to gain entry to the building by force have been detered by some form of violent electrical discharge.

    It's pretty clear that whoever is inside, they've access to superhuman abilities in some fashion.

Andi Benton has posed:
Bank heists, with hostages, are not simple, easy things to deal with, especially when they know what they're doing. News media is on the scene, cordoned off to a specific area by the authorities, same with any onlookers. The perimeter set by the NYPD ensures that there shouldn't be any random people getting in the way, making matters more difficult.

The news has attracted the attention of one Andi Benton, currently lingering near a group of people. It would be a piece of cake to just go in as Mania and save the day...or would it? She's got an earbud in, phone tuned to an app that lets people listen in on police bands. Could be reason to think someone inside is smart enough to do the same with the technology out there. It could mean some of the police going back to more traditional non-radio communication.

<<Mania>> What are we going to do, Andi?
<<Andi>> I don't know yet. They still have a lot of hostages in there. They might not be bluffing.
<<Mania>> We should do something. Scare them. Eat their brains.
<<Andi>> One, we don't eat brains. Two, scaring them might make them start shooting people.

The stalemate continues, for the time being. Frustration is evident in the punk/goth woman's features.

America Chavez has posed:
    Another member of the hostage management team moves towards the doors and drops a briefcase. It's strange that the demands of the people within are monetary when they are inside a bank, but perhaps the bank's contents weren't what drew the perpetrators to the scene, but the fortifications of the location itself. Most banks these days are equipped with bullet proof glass and this one was no different--which limited the use of force from the outside.

    Definitely not amateurs invovled here.

    The discussion of the hostage management team comes to Andi's (and Mania's) ears over light radio pickup.

    "We got six guys in there. Visually, only one looks to be powered and he's the one with the electricty. It's all around him in a field or something" the officer says to his team leader. "The others have ARs and MP5s from the look of it. Initial theories looked to be right sir. They've got themselves well barricaded behind the counters. Any attempts for long range sniper fire isn't going to work... and they're not coming out. Instead..."

    As if on cue, a tendril of black cable snakes out of the building as if alive and wraps up the briefcase. There is a electic discharge from the tendril before it snakes back into the building, its prize retrieved. The lead of the hostage management team shakes his head. "We're outmanned here... we need a way to get in without risking our lives or the lives of the hostages." He wipes at his brow and mutters. "Just our luck that most of the vigilantes are elsewhere in the city..."

Andi Benton has posed:
Andi Benton continues that frown, squinting at the briefcase that's left behind as the radio chatter picks up again. Half a dozen, guns, one with electrical powers, but protected behind counters. Probably bad line of sight, and there's still the matter of the hostages. She runs a hand through her head, pausing at the cable line that claims the briefcase, along with the display of zapping prowess.

Surely there are other ways into the building, methods to maneuver closer, relatively safely. The cover of darkness might help, but the trouble lies in going it alone. One bad move could lead to injury or, worse, death. Andi ducks deeper into shadow...

...and Mania turns up, swinging her way in after coming down the street with a line of webbing that sticks to buildings and lamp posts. "We heard there was trouble," the strange creature says, voice a mix of female and something not of this world. Black outfit, white spider insignia front and back, a strange masked 'face.' Definitely someone known for dealing with problems. But, this?

America Chavez has posed:
    The crowd of rubberneckers of course points Mania out before the cops and news crews notice. But soon there is notice on the creature and one of the suited cops looks up at her. "You're... you're one of Spider-Man's colleagues, right?" he asks with some apprehension. The spikes and punk rock aesthetic are a little bit of a throw off from the validity but the insignia -is- on its(?), their(?), her(?) torso.

    The click of camera phones and the increasing murmur of the crowd is something that Mania might not be too used to getting but the attention is likely going to make her face and image more public than before. That's for sure.

    The same cop looks at the front of the building. "You got any solution for--" he blinks and looks just behind Mania's form with wide eyes that struggle with what he's seeing.

    An outline of a five pointed star in blue rippling energy appears before the image of reality shatters inward revealing more blue light within. A figure flies out of it and hovers in midair. The dark-skinned woman is not unknown, after all Terry O'Neil did an entire piece on her in the Daily Planet, and the Bugle was all too keen to snag a copy for themselves (with appropriate monetary support.) America Chavez looks at the gathered police cars and then at Mania not far from her hovering place. "Oh... hey... still to late to party?" she asks the dark suited, and spiked figure a grin on her face.

Andi Benton has posed:
Typically, this is not the main way Mania likes to be seen. It's not exceptionally dark, as there are numerous lights set up, trained on the bank building itself and the surrounding area. Arms cross as multiple phones are turned her way, snapping pictures and recording videos. Her face is hidden behind a featureless mask, just an overly expressive pair of distinct, solid white 'eyes' in place.

Before any answer can follow, the blue star of energy takes shape, and at that exact moment Mania is turning toward it in a slightly defensive stance, even though it was not in her direct line of sight. When it empties out the other young woman, the eyes narrow slightly but the head tilts in a show of interest, of curiosity.

"We will have to work on our entrances. It is a dangerous party. It does not sound like there is any cake," Mania answers, grumbly in this probable fact. "Unless it was someone's birthday there today. We..are Mania. We were going to try helping. And yes, we do know Spider-Man."

America Chavez has posed:
    "It's a start" America says with more confidence than most would warrant. "I'm more than willing to help. That is.. if the NYPD want our help?" her eyes cast to the officer oogling at the pair of them with confusion plain on his face. "Oh! Umm..." the officer says, blinking back into the here and now, "Sure.. I mean.. if you think you can get the hostages out and deal with the men inside. We'd appreciate it. Definitely."

    "Good to know..." America looks at Mania. "You're one of the Klyntar, aren't you?" she asks, still with the smile on her face. "Nice to see all of you aren't into the rampant destruction and mayhem your brothers are known for. I'm Ms. America. Nice to meet you Mania." She glances at the building. I can get us in... relatively easily. It's making sure the hostages are safe and busting up the bad guys that's going to be tricky. But... I like tricky."

Andi Benton has posed:
<<Andi>> What did she just call us?
<<Mania>> Klyntar. That is what we are.
<<Andi>> And you never told me this?
<<Mania>> You never asked.

Any surprised shift to Mania's eyes brings with it a brief huff, the source of it not entirely clear. "We..are," the dual voice says, led a little more by the Klyntar side itself. There is no response to the mention of destruction and mayhem, brothers or otherwise. Instead, the eyes turn doubtful, one hand rubbing at the opposite elbow. "Were you in a beauty pageant?"

Change of topic, back to the cops. "If you gave them something, shouldn't they be sending someone else out? That is how hostage negotiations work. If we get in, maybe we can surprise them."

America Chavez has posed:
    America laughs. "I've heard that one enough times, you'd think it'd get old" she replies. "But coming back here and hearing it again... It's refreshing actually. But no. My name is America Chavez. The Miss is what was I tell badguys when I introduce them to my fist. So... Miss America. It works out... you'll see. But you're right... they haven't sent anyone ou--"

    Before America can finish her sentence a middle aged, balding man in a business suit is flung from the building by the same black cord that grabbed the briefcase. He lands roughly and rolls a bit before SWAT converges on him and manages to drag him from the perimeter a waiting ambulance.

    The cop sighs. "Twelve more..." he says with a shake of his head. "We're going to be here all night. If this isn't solved quick."

    America looks to Mania. "Alright. Given what's on your chest, I take it you can do everything Spidey can and then some so..." she turns and kicks at the air. Another one of those blue light, star-shaped portals appear. "How about we go in and take a closer look at the area and see if we can get get a feel of how we're going to save the day?" she asks, offering her hand to the black clad figure.

Andi Benton has posed:
There's still probably an internal conversation going on about symbiotes and Klyntar and 'why' this and 'why' that, but outwardly Mania stares at the way the hostage is dumped outside, leaving her to shake her head slowly. Distracted by that, she says, "Technically if you are hitting them, then America did not miss. But..yes. We can do all the webbing, and we are strong and fast, and we can be very scary. If we have to, we can distract them from the hostages."

One eye grows larger, the other narrowing. The equivalent of a squint. "We can go in without being noticed?" She takes note of how the police are handling this, seemingly content to give them a shot. There's got to be someone there who doesn't think this is a good idea. All the same, a hand that's tipped with claws at the ends of each finger extends to meet the one held out for her. "We have people to save."

America Chavez has posed:
    America takes the hand and jumps into the portal. The sensation is disorienting to say the least, the concenpt of up and down get twisted and lost somewhere still the disorientation doesn't seem to mind the dark skinned woman and it lasts only a handful of seconds before another star-shaped opening appears in a dark room and deposits the pair of them on a carpetted floor. "Oh... good... I was hoping this was the place" America says in a whisper. "We're in a supply closet." She points to the only door in the room. "They're out there on the other side. So we go out there... surprise them and hopefully you can web and drag the people back here."

    She waves a hand and disperses the portal they came through and then kicks the air again. "That way they won't have a 20 foot drop when you toss them through." She smiles the blue light of the portal. "The trick is seeing which is faster, us or them. Think of it as a challenge." She moves to the door and puts a hand out to the knob. "You ready?"

Andi Benton has posed:
Mania's eyes tell most of the story with the jaunt into the storage closet: initially off-balance, but recovering quickly enough. "Ugh." It's large enough for the two of them, maybe more, but the plan is to get them back in and out through another portal, however they work. Hands lift away from knees now that Mania's got her bearings again, and a line forms where the mouth belongs. It reveals a sight America has apparently seen in other places: rows of needle-like teeth and a slick, elongated tongue. Something to strike fear into the minds of many. "Rescue people. We can help slow the bad guys, too. You will see. We are fast, as well." How the electricity-controlling one fares..maybe America's got ideas there.

Before the door is just shoved open, she holds up a finger. "Watch." Crouching, the hand turns malleable and slips beneath the door itself, snaking around until returning a few seconds later. "They are looking at the briefcase. Open quietly, and we can surprise them." Either way, once they're into the next room, Mania starts with immediately throwing very sticky globs of webbing at the faces of the two closest gunmen. Not so easy to fire a gun when one has to get that stuff off. However the hostages are positioned, whatever it takes to get to them, running, jumping, swinging via weblines, she gets to it. "We are rescuing you! This way!" Webbing is used to latch on to the nearest one, to pull in the direction of the closet.

America Chavez has posed:
    The door is flung open and pandemonium ensues with Mania's first shot of webbing material. "What the hell is going on?!" one the men yells before his face is also covered in the sticky goo and his hands instinctively go to remove it, only to find his hands stuck to the substance as well. The resulting chaos of Mania's introduction is enough for her to get several of the hostages away from their blinded guards.

    America is busy doing what she loves. The bullets from the unblinded gunmen strike her with little effect, falling to the ground in flatened scraps of metal. The first she enounters receives a punch that sends him into a tumble. The other meets the same fate. But she's not an unstopable force and she's still young. She makes mistakes... such as not accounting for the powered meta in the room. A black coil wraps around her body, pinning her arms to her sides, and an electric field surrounds her as hundreds of thousands of volts are sent directly into her body, drawing a scream from the lifelong hero.

Andi Benton has posed:
The police outside will hear the gunfire. Hopefully they don't immediately try to swarm the place. But, they will also see hostages in the process of coming out through the portal America's set up. They're uninjured, aside from whatever the robbers might have done earlier to rough anyone up. That the people are making it out might buy the good guys a few more moments.

"Go! Go!" Mania shouts, pointing to the closet. "That way!" With the thieves now occupied, they can't split their attention every which way. A couple are dropped, bullets strike America and Mania is witness to the way they impact and drop without any damage to her, and the black-clad one with the spider motif can't resist jumping in to punch another gunman before throwing him into the nearest wall. A few bullets head her way from one not yet dealt with, and with superhuman reflexes, she ducks and dives to one side, a hand and arm reshaping into a mass of tendrils that lash out at the man, wrapping around his face and head before slamming him against the floor.

The problem? The powered one with the electro coil, zapping her with enough juice that would fry a normal person. "Let her go, or we'll make you!" Both hands reform into sharp blades, the form of an axe.

America Chavez has posed:
    The electric powered one shakes his head. "You think I'm afraid of you?" he asks, the tendril holding America in mid air. He's a big man. Well over six feet tall and muscled excessively. The tendrils are attached to bracers that look almost fused to his skin.

    He glances around the rooom at his fallen men. "So you can take down mooks, big deal. They were dead to me anyway, once I got out of here I was going to dispose of them like so much trash." He takes the unattended coil in his hand and lashes it like a whip in a flourish, arcs of electricity flickering off of it. "Come on, little girl... let's play."

    America stirs and her eyes flutter a bit. "The hostages?" she asks weakly, looking to Andi. "Are they safe?" she asks before another rush of electricty fills her and she jerks spasmodically before going limp once more.

Andi Benton has posed:
The hostages are running, now that they've figured out that there's a pathway to safety. One by one, they come out on the other side of the portal, disoriented though they are, with officers and more ready to tend to them, usher them away.

Mania, noting this, advances toward the guy with his electrical powers. It still gives her pause.

<<Andi>> That doesn't look good!
<<Mania>> No. We must be very careful. We can feel the heat from here. We do not like it.

Heat from electricity is not the same as heat from flame, but it is still hot, still dangerous. "Safe, yes." Against better judgment, she takes a more menacing posture, the monstrous form meant to scare, meant to startle as that tongue lashes out and snakes back and forth. "We are Mania, and you are going down!" She leaps, but feints by sending a webline up above so she can try to swing around with a kick at the man's head! But, contact with the coil would surely hurt.

America Chavez has posed:
    The man is likely strong enough to take Mania in a fair fight but what he has in power and strength, he lacks in speed the feint works beautifully and the kick sends him reeling even as he lashes the air with the whip-like appendage, hoping a wild flail will make contact. Mania's speed likely saves their skin. "You stupid little bitch!" he says, regaining his footing and swinging a more targeted lash in their direction.

    America comes back to consciousness, the nigh invulnerability of her Fuertona physiology granting her accelerated recovery from the shocks that would kill most. Her expression isn't one of worry or concern. No. She's angry and she starts to gather her strength together for what is likely to be a more tactical reaction to her state than one of desperation.

Andi Benton has posed:
Perhaps Mania is buying America some time. She doesn't know much of anything about what America can actually do. Anything that might have been in a story, she didn't see it. This is very much a matter of 'learn as you go.' The question is, how will they end up?

Some of the heat of that coil passing by on the first go sees a rippling in the skin of the vigilante, like the symbiote is trying to escape being in the vicinity of it. Briefly, pale human skin is visible along an arm, but it covers back up rapidly.

<<Mania>> That was very close!
<<Andi>> You don't have to tell me! I could feel it too!

"Keep talking," she taunts upon landing and facing him again. "You lost already, but you are too stupid to see it! We should feast on your brains, but they would not be filling!" Will Mania do it? Is it just a threat? It /sounds/ excessive, no doubt about it. A leap forward follows as the better-directed attack comes in, and she /is/ fast but as America is stirring again, she'll hear a sharp cry of pain from her impromptu partner, as the coil catches an ankle and begins to sear. The overly large mouth parts further in a roar, one of those bladed hands cutting down at the coil itself!

America Chavez has posed:
    "We'll see how much you talk when you're a heap on the ground!" the man says, Mania's speed getting to him for sure. The connection with the axeblade on the coil cuts into the material but it's likely a one and done move as the electrical heat burns into the symbiote's form. But it's enough and the coil sputters and sparks before losing its charge. "No matter!" the man says as he swings the no longer erlectrified cable. It's still metal and the power behind it looks like it could hurt if it made contact.

    Fortunately, neither of them have to worry about it much longer. America uses her flight ability to exert her force -down-. The energy is probably more than necessary as the tile ground beneath her cracks upon impact and the shockwave of her landing is enough to disorient the man's footing. "How about you first!" she says through gritted teeth. "Mania, catch!" and she sends an uppercut along the man's jaw. The punch, backed by near godlike strength instantly shorts out whatever electrical field the man had control off and he looks nothing more than a common streeth thug with fancy equipment as he sails through the air; directly toward the symbiote fused young woman.

Andi Benton has posed:
A grimace, another fluctuation of the symbiote's bond around the spot that cut the cable in a literal sense, and Mania recoils as the blade-hands lose form and remain undefined for a few moments as she limps a few steps back.

<<Mania>> Too hot..!
<<Andi>> I know, but..be steady! You are strong! We are strong!
<<Mania>> Yes. Strong. Very strong. We are not weak.

The quick internal pep talk helps the bonded pair center themselves again, and while there is a shudder down the form of the symbiote. The jaw snaps open wide and clenches back down, and for a moment she looks like a close cousin of a Demogorgon. She works the leg and ankle, taking a moment to check on it as America goes up and back down with impact, putting the baddie at a disadvantage.

The punch brings the guy in Mania's direction, and for a good second or two it looks like those inhuman jaws are just going to clamp down around his head and feast...but the control is there and such a fate is avoided. The mouth closes, seals back over, and the eyes display anger and intent as she balls up a hand into a fist of her own and deals quite a strong punch to the side of his face before an eruption of webbing is directed at him, practically cocooning him on the spot. She declares victory with a chunky foot placed atop his chest. "Asshole."

America Chavez has posed:
    The man can't even struggle due to the traumatic combined strength of the fused Klyntar and Fuertonan. America straightens her star-spangled jacket and the cropped tee she is wearing under it. Tossing a mass of dark curls over a shoulder she smiles at Mania. "You're... really good" she says. "Like... I enjoyed watching you fight and we worked well together. Or at least, I thought so."

    She eyes the man on the ground. "We should probably open up the doors and let the cops get in here. You want to bail before the cameras move in or...?" She grins. "I mean, being the big damn hero has its perks." She eyes the victory pose Mania is holding, complete with spikes and big stompy boot-like coverings of her feet. "And I gotta say, you pull this off" she gestures to the figure, "really well."

Andi Benton has posed:
With the capture of the head honcho is finished off, Mania steps away and her attention turns toward the main doors, then America herself. She crosses her arms and regards the stranger, not as much of one after a successful mission, but still very much an unknown at this point. "You are strong. That is a good thing," she declares, and the eyes shift toward something more..pleasant, not quite cheerful, but accepting. "We have learned a few things," she adds, almost..modest?

Gesturing at the webbing, she adds, "That will only last a few minutes. We prefer not to be on camera, but tell the cops they need to get him in more, fast. You will look better on the news." A hand gestures at the appearance. The looks, the red/white/blue motif. All the same, there is a curious enough tilt of her head at the compliment paid to her. "..thank you. We like it." A slightly awkward reaction, but a positive one.

<<Andi>> She thinks we look cool.
<<Mania>> Of course we do.

"So, uh, we can probably sneak off via the roof or something. And we are on social media. Just in case." She doesn't sound accustomed to working as much with others, even if Spider-Man helped train her in different things.

America Chavez has posed:
    America nods and moves to take hold of the unconscious man. She hefts him to an upright position and his head rolls to one side in his unconscious state. The other thugs also look pretty out of it and it will make clean up easier for the police. "I'm there too. DM me. @MACattack." She doesn't seem the least bit put off by the symbiote or its host. "Seriously. I've got a few ideas for the future and maybe... if you're intersted... you can be a part of them. I'll say right now I like how you operate and I'd like you to be a part of them."

    She looks up and squints. "You want a quick access or you going to go vent crawling up there?" She flashes the bright smile again. "I can make the portals anywhere and go anywhere with them. Just saying."

Andi Benton has posed:
The texture of the cocoon is smooth, very similar to whatever the makeup is of Spider-Man's. In this case, it's a part of the symbiote itself. It just doesn't last long when separate from Mania. But, enough to get the guy into police custody without further issue. Outside, the hostages are all accounted for, and they're already sharing what they saw, embellished and rapid-fire and everything.

"Ours is @Maniacal. A..team?" This is a..development. Potentially. "We will have to think about it. You are not so bad, yourself." The typical compliment without being too obvious about it. Eyes shift toward the vents and higher-up places, then she reconsiders. "We are still living in Happy Harbor." Her head tilts along with the unspoken query.

<<Mania>> She wants to have us as part of a team?
<<Andi>> It'd be nice to have some backup.
<<Mania>> We do not need backup. We are good enough!
<<Andi>> Yeah, and how is the ankle? And the hand?
<<Mania>> They will be better very soon. But you may have a point.
<<Andi>> I thought so. We deserve some chocolate for this.
<<Mania>> YES. ALL THE CHOCOLATE.

She adds aloud, hastily, "By Sweet Dreams? It is ice cream." The eyes take on a hopeful, expectant appearance.

America Chavez has posed:
    America keeps her smile. "I've been there" she replies and her leg kicks out to one side. Reality folds in on itself and another star shaped portal opens up. "This will put you behind the place. I figure you can..." She gestures to her own face to indicate the process of the symbiote mask retracting back to wherever it happens to reside on the young woman's form when not in this state.

    "Think on it and take care of yourself out there" She starts for the doors of the building the man over her shoulder bouncing in his unconscious state. It's probable that he has a concussion... but it's just as possible neither of the heroes care. The benefits of youth and a lifestyle of crimefighting.