13951/Hydra Deli

Hydra Deli
Date of Scene:	23 January 2023
Location:	Delmar's Deli-Grocery
Synopsis:	When Leslie is convinced that Del-mar Deli is a front for a Hydra operation, Bando and America jump into action and...almost fight her.
Cast of Characters:	Leslie Willis, Bando George, America Chavez

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Leslie Willis has posed:
New York New York, if you can make it there you can make it anywhere. Of course, if you're trying to make it somewhere that's not Queens, being in Queens isn't exactly a well thought out strategy for success. But it's not Leslie's fault that her plan has some holes in it. For one thing, it's been _actual years_ since she was involved with certain mishaps at the Jules Verne Museum in Metropolis, leading to one Mort J. Harkavy being sent on an uncontrolled trip through time, space, and possibly dimensions.

And on that day, Leslie knew. Knew he'd be back. That fel cosmic powers would bring the return of her nemesis, with greater power than ever before. And so she's kept an ear open. Waiting for a sign. A hint. A reliable, definitely authentic post on an online message board about a top secret HYDRA lab attempting to harness the powers of an interdimensional gateway. Oh, you won't trick her so easily, you science-loving terrorist goons.

She finds herself standing on the sidewalk outside Delmar's Deli-Grocery, eying the sign... the customers. The staff. Fortunately, Queens is still part of NYC, so no one really takes any notice. At least not until there's an ungodly fizzling sound from the neon 'OPEN' sign in the window, before electricity is arcing out to strike the blue-haired figure on the sidewalk... with no negative effect, aside from jeans and jacket suddenly sublimated from fabric to wisps of smoke, as pale skin goes from 'This girl must have a vitamin D deficiency' to a luminous glow.

"Hah! A deli! The _ultimate cover_ for your fiendish experiments! But you can't fool me you... fools!"

That was a good one, Leslie. How's that Spider-Guy do all that bantering? Guy's got to have a rhyming dictionary or something. Leslie does not. But Leslie does have manic energy. And also electrical energy.

And so it's really not more than 10 seconds before the NYPD's switchboard is lighting up, and word is traveling around the neighborhood. Or nearby superheroes might just notice the panicked cries and cracks of thunder as Livewire dives directly into... well, wrecking up a deli.

Goddamn, this secret door is really well hidden.

Bando George has posed:
    Bando George was just minding his own business, getting a sandwich in the crowded deli when the sign popped. A black coat with his backpack on, blue jeans are not the signs of a superhero.

    Many people may be shrinking away when the sign is lit up and popped. Bando? He is running out the door, still holding a large sub sandwich. A reuben by the looks of it. "Whoa whoa!" he shouts out, standing smack in the middle of the stores entrance. "You okay?" he asks, He looks over the fact that she's now lighting up, and he arches a surprised brow. "Oh, you got like powers, cool." he gives her a calming hand wave gesture. "It's okay, accidents happen. Everybody be cool, it was probably just an accident."

America Chavez has posed:
'The Best Sandwiches In Queens' is the kind of tagline that's tailor-made for pulling in tourists, including those hailing from entirely different dimensions than this one.

Especially those hailing from entirely different dimensions than this one. When you've seen a dozen Delmar's across a dozen-dozen Queenses, figuring out which truly makes the best in the borough gets much more complicated-- and that's without accounting for those Delmar's that exist in areas no longer technically referred to as 'Queens', as well as those iterations of Queens with delis descended from, or closely mirroring Delmar's.

All of which is to say: America Chavez is at the counter, waiting for her chopped cheese on waffles with house-made chips, when a crackling maniac bursts through one door searching for another. One brown eye unerringly tracks after electric mayhem for a handful of seconds, lips gradually pulling further and further down as it becomes clear that:

This is not an accident.

This IS really happening.

And _someone's_ gonna get hurt.

The traveler slowly lets out a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose with one hand while the other remains braced against the counter; a heartbeat later, she's a patriotic smear trailing behind Livewire, trying to seize the voltaic villain by the collar like she's an unruly kitten.

Leslie Willis has posed:
If there's one bright spot to this sudden attack, it's that it's really more flash and noise than actual targeted violence. Well, targeted at _people_ at first. as Livewire takes what she needs from the building's power grid, the lights flicker, dim, and then blaze to life before popping in a shower of sparks guaranteed to clear out any unfortunate lunch-goers. The good news is, that means that there's no _more_ lights to fizzle and spark and pop as the diners who _aren't_ also heroically inclined retreat out through the kitchen in the back.

Of course, this means that Bando is running out and announcing his presence like a fine, upstanding citizen. Lips press into a thin, serious line for about half a second. Clearly, he's some sort of... heroic do-gooder? Nah, that can't be right.

If he's a heroic do-gooder, that'd mean she's some sort of super villain! That definitely doesn't track. She has _way_ too many Twitter followers for that. Right?

Fortunately, Leslie is spared from her existential crisis by America's far more direct, far less 'talk it down' approach! It's not really a tactical decision that has Leslie unleashing a solid shock of electricity when America tries to scruff her neck.

That's just _physics_. The blinding glow as she transforms into living lightning (Not a Living Laser, that dude's a chump), and then flowing like... well, lightning, from the heroine's grip to rush Bando and unleash a vicious punch!

It's not an _electric_ punch mind you. Or terribly strong. It is in fact, the equivalent of being punched by a Livewire cosplayer. "I... hey! You can't guard this top-secret HYDRA facility and like... also USE the deli! That's not fair! Your front can't be a legitimate business! Speakeasies in the thirties didn't give actual good haircuts! LOOK AT THE PHOTOS!"

Poor poor Leslie. She's definitely at that 'Neurons firing too fast to make sense' point of electric absorption. She really should... like... get some help with this.

Bando George has posed:
    Bando jumps as America comes barrelin gthrough into the fight. "Whoa whoa! Ladies! Okay!" He looks around. He has to put down his sandwich. Where can he put it? Then he gets clocked by her punch. He was too busy looking for a spot to put the sandwich to avoid it. He stumbles to the side, crashing into a stand of fruit. "Oh crap!" he clumsily tries to catch some of the knocked fruit. Oh well, hero stuff now! He still has a sandwich. He didn't drop it. "That wasn't cool!" he complains. He tries to put it down on the fruit stand so it won't roll off. Yeah, that should do it. Okay he's ready now. "I'm a superhero, don't make me have to fight...you look familiar..." he says. "Are you on some TV show or something?" Yep, distracted already.

America Chavez has posed:
It's -- pun not intended -- more of a shock than anything when Leslie counters grappling with a violent surge. Enough of one to send America staggering backwards while smoke curls from her skin and clothes; enough to further sour the already dire expression on the young woman's face, deepening forehead creases and lowering eyelids to a killing edge.

"Chica," she huffs, lightly braced against the service counter with one hand, "I dunno what you're on, or --"

She glances towards Bando, squinting even more as he floats the possibility that this person is somehow famous.

"-- if this is some fuckin' prank, but this deli's just a deli, so-- you wanna sit down and take a sec to get all that sorted?" she allows, firm and low.

"Or am I gonna have to sit you down?"

Leslie Willis has posed:
Leslie's eyes roll, hands plant on her hips and she heaves out a loud sigh, "No, I'm not on TV! I did _so_ many audition tapes and concepts for shows, and they all keep saying 'Oh, our liability insurance won't cover that' or 'That is, in fact, totally just doing crime on film', like people wouldn't watch that?!"

Her eyes dart between Bando and America, and her lips slowly turn into a serious frown, brows furrow, and she points a finger at America.

"You're really conscious for that amount of electricity and... he... has a sandwich and..." She glowers, "No way! This is totally a front for a HYDRA research facility! The biggest one in Brooklyn! There's no way TruthSayer1944 would be lying! He was totally right about those spoilers for that World War 2 drama series last season! That's like... _solid intel!_"

She grins broadly to America anyhow, "Oh! Wait, are you like... one of those super underground fight club people? They _say_ those things are all over but I never found one! I think it's an urban legend."

She frowns again and smacks her left fist into her right palm, "But you're _sure_ this isn't the secret HYDRA front deli in Brooklyn?"

America Chavez has posed:
You're really conscious for...

"Yep."

America folds her arms across her chest, now that Leslie's settled into ranting without destroying things at the same time.

"You think I'd waste time talking to your crazy ass if I was HYDRA?"

A tiny smile breaks across America's lips, less mirthful or friendly than it is emphatic, porcelain white underlining of her point.

"I'm just here for a sandwich; pretty sure that's all anyone here's about. This place'd be crawling with green fascists by now if it was a front, anyway," she notes with a small head-tip.

Bando George has posed:
    "Oh snap, I do know who you are. You're that chick that acts all crazy on twitter, I saw some react videos to you. You're epic." He smiles broadly. "Am I gonna be on a video?" he asks. "Oh man, hold on, I gotta do something cool."

    *FWUMP*

    Just like that, he disappears out of view, as if sucked into nothingness in the blink of an eye. "Pretty slick, huh?" he asks, now behind Leslie. "Cuz like, when bad guys think they got me, they don't, because I can just be RIGHT there." Is he bragging instead of fighting? Maybe he doesn't know how the whole superhero fight thing is supposed to go.

Leslie Willis has posed:
Leslie glowers, spinning back and forth between Bando and America, her face somewhere between angry and confused, though for a moment, it definitely leans further to angry, "Hey! I do not _act all crazy_! I speak truth to power! I like... point out the stuff THEY don't want you to know! And they keep shadow banning me! The algorithm! They used the algorithm on me!!" She practically _whines_ the last out, stomping one foot irritably.

The disappearing trick gets a startled yelp and for a moment Livewire pulls her own, fading into a streak of lightning that rematerializes several feet away, "AHH! JEEEEEZUS!"

She spins around again to America, and sways a little... she might be kind of dizzy. She's been doing a lot of rapid-fire turning around. She glowers, "Well sure, but like, if it's a front they don't show up in costume or uniform or whatever! It's like... there's probably one of those fireman's poles behind a cooler of potato salad down into their secret costume changing room!" Her eyes flick up and she pauses for a moment, "Uhh... so like, I'm not from NYC or anything... There's... uhh... _two_ Delmar's Delis, right? And one is in... Queens... and... the other is in Brooklyn? And this is Brooklyn, right?"

Wild blue eyes are slowly widening to the size of saucers. Oh. Oh no.

"I... ah... have... to go now. My planet needs me." Once more, Leslie flares into electric brilliance, a living bolt of lightning that streaks up to a nearby electric transformer on a pole, leaving a crack of thunder that more or less obliterates her call of "Don't forget to like and subscribe! Click the bell to stay notified!!"

America Chavez has posed:
As soon as Twitter is mentioned, America retrieves her phone and begins swiping. She doesn't respond to Leslie's protests, nor to her attempts to work out what's REALLY happening here. She just swipes, and swipes, and--

"'Stacy X is in Purifier chat rooms showing fee--'" she starts to wonder before being drowned out by explosive electricity and a flare so bright she has to shade her eyes and twist away with a groan.

"... what the fuck," she mutters afterwards.

Bando George has posed:
    Bando jumps with surprise as Leslie zips electrically away. "Wow," he smirks, very happy it seems with the whole situation and outcome. He walks to his sandwich. Oh look, it didn't fall! He picks it up, and takes a bite, talking around his food. "New York can be sho cool."