15903/IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE FOOD TRUCK!

IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE FOOD TRUCK!
Date of Scene:	21 September 2023
Location:	Downtown Manhattan
Synopsis:	When a large mechanical montrousity upsets downtown Manhattan, Superboy (Conner Kent), M (Monet St. Croix), Vermilion (Jane Roe) and and Caleb Dykstra (with Sheila) arrive to save the day!
Cast of Characters:	Phoebe Beacon, Monet St. Croix, Conner Kent, Jane Roe, Caleb Dykstra

---

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    An overcast and mild day in New York City. Downtown Manhattan had been mildly calm during the day with its usual hustle and bustle of humanity (and others) shopping, working, jogging, living.

    This particular corner has a tiny cafe that serves vastly overpriced coffee and custom coffee-like drinks and has outdoor seating at about a dozen small, two-seater tables that can be folded up and taken in at night. The sound of traffic is in the ears of everyone visiting Downtown, from the gawking sightseers to the seven meter tall robotic monstrosity with long, whippy tendrils instead of arms, big stomy robot feet, and a rather angry expression built into its 'head', which is atop a neckless, orb-shaped body like an upside-down snowman. It looks like something out of a 1940's cartoon.

    I'm looking at you, 1940's Superman "The Mechanical Monsters".

    Less impressive and probably not caring as much for the sound of traffic is the clad-in-dark-gray hooded armor person who gets knocked into a building, having caught the mechanical monstrosity's attention half a block back as BALM's emergency beacon goes off, alerting Outsiders in particular that There May Be A Problem. Concrete and glass rains down as people scatter in all directions, Phoebe's shield having absorbed most of the hit -- she coughs and spits out blood though. Something broke on the inside. Her domino goes a bit haywire and crackles after that blow.

    <YOU WILL NOT GET IN THE WAY AGAIN> the robot hums, some of the tendrils retracting and being replaced by arms with pincers <YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED TWICE. THE THIRD TIME WE SHALL TEAR YOU ASUNDER LIKE A CROISANT.>

Monet St. Croix has posed:
She had been hoping for a pleasant day in the city. The Senate had closed off consideration of the 'Mutant Vaccine' bill that had been in commottee and stopped it. There were not any other threats on the horizon - but there always were. But they could at least have some time to breathe. Couldn't they?
    So when she hears the sounds of a robot stomping along, she tenses. is it a Sentinel? NO, it looks too archaic for that. She goes to observe it from a distance - what is it eqiupped with? What weaponry does it have on it? She tries to get an impression of what it can do. Then she goes to take a breath..
    And goes to start broadcasting to all civilians in the area to try and give tehm a gentle but firm mental command. <<Depart the area in a controlled manner. Help one another as needed. Get out of the area. Do not panic>> Hopefully if her telepathy works on this many people in a confused state it will result in a calm, orderly evacuation of people from the area.

Conner Kent has posed:
Outsiders alert in New York? It is a first time, since as far as he knows, he is the only team member living in New York. Maaaaybe Nadia, but he is pretty sure she has never used the alert system.

So, he makes a lame excuse to leave the college classroom and runs to the rooftop. It is going to be a minute or so, so he checks the smartphone again. What is she doing in New York? Nevermind. He just (super) heard something about turning people into croissants. At least the bad guy makes original threats; which is one point in his favor. But gets minus four hundred if the target if Phoebe.

Jane Roe has posed:
When Robots Attack people panic. But not everybody is running. One young woman instead cracks her knuckles as the glass ceiling starts to rain, and spying the retroesque bots, her lips form lyrics... well, techically she's reading them off because just because she can, she streams music.

    Lock up your children.
    Lock up your pets as well. (Your pets as well.)
    Its time to panic, because
    Something terrible is mad as hell.

When Robots Attack by Lemon Demon. And as the words are formed, an electric Baton comes out, the telepathic cry making her cringe - and move in exactly the opposite direction even faster - towards the robots.

"What do we have here... R. Giskard Reventlov? No, not smart enough. Tell me QT-1, was it fun to kill Peter Bogert?" she snarks towards the bulbous machine, the electric Baton swirling, the number-designator almost slurred to Cutie.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    The target is, unfortunately, Phoebe for those threats so Robot Monstrosity is at -399. How do you even come back from that?

    The panicking people politely pacify and peace-out in a far more orderly fashion, thanks to Monet's broadcast and mental command. The Robot has already displayed its whip-like tendrils, which have retracted to more resemble some sort of fur shoulder, and long arms with pincers at the end of them. There are plenty of mechanical bits whirring around audiably, which may link to other weapons not currently deployed as the metallic mystery steps away, only to be momentarily halted by the swirling electronic baton. Its head would tilt... if it had a neck -- so she'll have to do with the robot just leaning over to 'look' at her -- and then attempt an American Football style field-goal kick to get her out of its way.

<WE DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR THIS. PLEASE DO NOT INTERFERE>

    Balm, meanwhile, drops down from where she hit the building and smashed it in, gripping on a handy dandy ledge and pulling herself up to take a minute to catch a breath. Oh, that hurt. Pins and needles down her left side. Something crushed a vertebrae. She's gonna have to take a minute to heal that before getting back in the fight.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix would go to a defensive stance and go to float over towards the robots. "You are hurting innocent people and putting them in danger. Cease your assault upon them. You *will* make time for us or you will regret it. You're already making -our- time wasted. Stand down or be smashed down." She goes to advance, fists cracking but not attacking.
    Her intent is to make herself the most obvious target here to let the others move in to engage while the robot is focused over on her and to give the civilians time to escape.

Conner Kent has posed:
'Robot -399' gets a quick glance from Conner, who lands between him and Phoebe. "Hey Balm, you okay?" He asks, giving her a brief concerned look, then focusing on the machine. "Oh. Hello, M. Fancy meeting you here, want to have the first swing at the Croasanator? Be my guest."

Jane Roe has posed:
"Ain't Nobody Got Time for That?" Jane remarks as she makes a quick tri-step to the left, out of the kick's way while bringing the crackling beacon towards the knee joint, a defensive attack move from karate. Electric blue sparks run along the contacts, then she jumps back a yard or such, the baton getting pulled up between her and the bot.

"You rusty bucket of nuts and bolts, vandalizing a building is what nobody got time for."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Hey EssBee." Balm winces from where she's perched and gives a wave. "Reparing a kidney and my spine, gimmie five minutes." she breathes out.

    Healers, right?

    R-399 appears tp pause at the jolt of electricity that's run through its body, sparks flying, its eyes lighting up as some systems get a dose of electricity it wasn't expecting.

    <I DID NOT VANDALIZE THE BUILDING.> The tendrils make an appearance again, the twitchy, quickly moving tentacles of steel whipping around to grab up cars, mopeds, and a fire hydrant, breaking the sidewalk in the process and creating a water hazard as the water mane begins to flood the street. <I ATTEMPTED TO CONVINCE A DIFFERENT HERO THAT PURSUIT WOULD BE A BAD IDEA. IT APPEARS YOU ALSO REQUIRE CONVINCING>

    Jane would find a moped launched at her. M the fire hydrant itself and Superboy?

    He has to try and catch a Buick Lesabre, mid-size American sedan car that should weigh a little under a ton!

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix would shake her head over, "Stand down, you are putting numerous others at risk. You hae been given a warning. And STAND DOWN!" She would zoom over to catch the Moped flung over at Jane, going to a protective position. Shaking her head at Conner. <<Take point. You are far stronger and faster than I am. You can handle it with the others far more effectively. I will help provide cover and limit damage to the area>>
    Conner far outclasses her - she's not going to go and take point as a matter of pride. Logic means that one must yield to the better option here.

Conner Kent has posed:
"Oh wow, a passive aggressive AI, we are doomed," comments Conner, "or maybe there is moron inside the... HEY!" He tossed him a car? Conner flies to intercept, and try to catch the flying vehicle as gently as possible. He is not sure if there is anyone inside!

"Uff, who drives in New York, anyway?" Empty, good. He leaves the car on the ground and flies to the robot to kick it into the chest. Not full force, in the case there is someone inside, but hard enough to dent steel.

Jane Roe has posed:
As the Moped flies towards her, Jane jumps to the side, making a little extra distance even if she was shielded by Monet, and then Conner passes for a kick. The metal machine staggering, she sweeps in again to strike, right after Conner's foot stops to do so, sending another electric Jolt into the machine. "Convincing is done with words, scrapheap. This is just good old clobbering time to prove a point."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Ka-TONG-G-G goes the kick to the Robot's chest. R-399 stumbles backwards, nearly slipping on the wet mess of the disrupted watermain as the chest dents in. The robot stumbles, and then there's a 'whirrrrrr' as it rights itself.

    <CONVINCING IS DONE BY ANY MEANS REQUIRED TO COMPLETE MY TASK. EN GARDE> the mechanical trouble maker states, and bracing for another strike from Jane, it attempts to pick her up with one of its tendrils to send HER careening into a building, just to make sur eshe gets to enjoy the fun.

    Then the tendrils turn their attention to Superboy, the left group of tendrils trying to reach out and grab him for a gyroscopic spin like the worst fairground ride in existence to be scent up to a higher floor in the same wrecked building (coincidentally holding a small LexCorp sattilite office).

    It then tries to grab Monet by the feet and sling her into a nearby fountain outside a (VERY EXPENSIVE) Italian restaurant.

    Balm needs a higher vantage point. She looks up, and then fires a grapple to get to a higher ledge -- and a bit out of the way of everyone being slung around. Kidneys are touchy to regrow on the battle field.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet is a litlte slow when it comes to dodging, so she's grabbed over by the feet while she's engaged defensively and flung through the air over into the Italian Restaurant! It's one that she might have deemed worthy of her presence! But alas she's now the sole entree as she's flung through the front window! Smashing into tables with wine, snacks, and very rich, greasy food all over her! She goes through the next wall like a bowling ball after having upset most of the contents of the eating area on top of her! She ends up smashing through into the kitchen, where she's crushed along the wall, pots, pans, prepared food, refrigerated food all falling atop her! She rests over at the ege of a large refrigerator, which then falls on top of her.. Right as boiling grease being collected for disposal falls on top of her as well.
    Not hurt badly, but just with her outfit completely *ruined*, her looking like someone who just was involved in an altercation with a giant meatball monster.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
On this fine afternoon, Caleb is in the process of collecting materials for some of his projects that'll take place throughout the year - which means a truckload of salvaged materials from various places throughout the whole day. It was a good catch, and he's happy, now heading back home.

Also with him, passenger's seat with safety belt on, is his kid sister, Sheila; she's responsible for managing the radio on the way home. And, surprisingly enough, it's not the kind of stuff that you listen on the radio over and over and over, force fed to you until your brain cells register it as the most beautiful thing ever created out of desperation. Nope, this youngling is discovering the wonders of... HEAVY METAL!!

Huh, what a coincidence. For Caleb turns the van around a corner, and...

"ROBOT!!", Caleb immediately stops the vehicle. And, he takes a moment to assess the situation; and memories of the last run-in with robots, courtesy of Toy Man resurface. "Oh, no way. Not again..."

Sheila looks at the scene, gulping. "I'm never touching this radio again! It's jinxed!" And she turns it off.

"Good idea!", he says as he starts to back the van...

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner is also bad at dodging; his usual tactic is standing his ground to protect the crunchier people behind him. Getting snatched by the tendrils is not surprising, but getting pulled off his feet kinda is. "Hey now..." he protests, grabbing a few of of the tendrils and trying to send his telekinesis through them to scan the robot.

And then he is sent flying. Except he doesn't release the tendrils, so he pulls them off altogether, slowing down the launching enough he manages to stop before crashing. "Of course, it had to be Lexcorp. Well, at least I am not giving HIM more excuses."

The robot also got another negative hundred points for tossing Monet through a wall. Monet has been nice to Kryptonians so far. But she is probably okay. And Conner charges back at the machine, this time punching at its face harder.

Jane Roe has posed:
Unlike Monet or Connor, Jane is not resistant to damage, able to fly or even take a blow that can crach a wall. She's just about average human durable. When the smack of the baton is countered by the tentacles swiping her off the floor ant flinging her up, she lets go of a surprised and painful scream. The ceramic and metal baton falls, clappering as it impacts the pavement.

Several floors up, the heagy glass of the tower's facade creates a low thump. Luckily the pane bends enough to not turn the hacker into pulp, so it's a heavy groan when gravity takes over to pull her down. Luch seems to come in a row here: the impact on the fifth floor was just about a yard above a concrete ledge running around the building.

Flinching in pain from a dislocated arm and blunt trauma all over, Jane stretches out her mental fingers to the building's secrurity system, looking for a window that might be opened in some fashion... while yelling a couple of choice expletives out to the town.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    That's Balm's cue.

    Balm winces as she stands, and she narrows her eyes across the divide between herself and Jane Roe.

    "This is going to hurt." she murmurs to herself, but as she clings to the ledge she's on, she utters a soft word, and a pair of clear, glass-like wings in rose-gold etched with shimmering light as she launches herself into the air to make it over to Jane Roe.

    Hooded and masked, the young woman gives a small smile.

    "Hey, I'm a healer -- need a hand?" she offers, holding a hand out to Jane and offering her assistence.

    Can't be said to be the same for R-399. Conner's powers of telekinesis show that there is, in fact, a central unit within the robot. There's no body, nothing alive in it to be aware of. And a big dent in its structure.

    And a bunch of fried circuts that have been switched over to redundant systems, depending on how much he's paid attention to Red Robin's techno jargon.

    There are some perfectly stunned people in the restaurant that Monet had crashed into, the fountain she was supposed to hit happily burbling away. One cook stops stirring the marinara entirely as she's frenched in grease and sauce and a little pastry sitting on her head like a fascinator hat.

    "Uh... you all right, ma'am?" the cook asks awkwardly.

    Caleb and Sheila have not caught the attention of the robot, though I AM IRON MAN had come on the radio right before turning onto the street with the fight.

    <HA HA. HA HA. HA HA. I BEAT YOU NERDS.> the robot boasts, before realizing that Conner's held on. It lifts the tendrils, and then retracts them before earning a MIGHTY PUNCH TO THE FACE!

    The head CRACKS.

    <VISUAL SENSOR ARRAY COMPROMISED!!> comes a robotic squeal.

    And then the chest opens, revealing a secondary array, with a VERY ANGRY face on it. Two big red sensors for eyes, some sort of button item for the nose, and speakers twisted like an upside-down kidney bean frown.

    <YOU HAVE MADE ME RATHER CROSS> it starts out, and then with a robotic 'aaaaaaaaaaaah' it goes to pick up more vehicles and bistro chairs and tables and a light post and starts to create a risk-ful environment, most of his anger cast at Conner!

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix would wince and shake her head at hte cook, "I'll bne fine. Get yourself to safety. This is an active combat area. If there's a door to in the back that gives you cover, take it. And get everyone else in here out that way." The first priority is always saving the people here. Frustrating as it is to not be out there smashing over.

She takes a few moments tos hake herself off (well, as much gunk as she can get off her face) before she goes charigng back in.

Of course, she's not going to be able to get out there until the next combat pose round begins!

Conner Kent has posed:
"Really? Did I hurt your fee..." Conner is smashed by that Buick Lesabre (mid-size American sedan car that... you know it!) that he had carefully left on the ground, but sadly within reach of the robot. There is no saving it now.

Then it is robo-rampage. At some point, as he gets out from under the car, a bistro chair hits his head too. And bounces. The car did hurt a little, but the chairs are just annoying. "Alright! There is no one inside!" He yells, so charging Monet knows there is no reason to be careful. Well, if you like robots, they are (maybe people). But electronic life forms are not as dependent on physical bodies as organic people.

There is probably a backup somewhere, right? Because the Buick is totalled, but still makes for an effective club. To club and clobber. Which is what Conner attempts to do with the car and the robot.

Jane Roe has posed:
"I hope you've got a spare arm in that bag of tricks, not just a hand." Jane remarks with a painful flinch, the right arm hanging in a rather uncomfortable way since the fling, the attempt to lift it with the left as to take the hand causing her to bite her own cheek with a suppressed groan, followed by a few more choice expletives as she lets go of it again.

"Or some of the Annie Wilkes stuff to dull the whole body pain... wait a second..." Raising her left hand to her mouth, she yells down to the superguy still standing. "Is that a Buick Roadmaster? Stuff the crappy robot into the trunk. Junk in their trunks just goes away to other places."

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
The teen driver gears in the reverse and puts the pedal to the metal once he sees cars are being picked up and thrown about. But...

* SCRUNCH! SKWEEK! * "Hey, what the fuck man!?", the driver of the sports car that had snuck behind Caleb screams and comes out, looking at the damage. "I just started paying for this shit!!"

Caleb looks over the rearview mirror, and sticks his head out, "Yeah, well you got bigger problems on the way, pal!", he says pointing at the car chucking robot. "So clear it!"

The rich guy gulps and without any questions just a look of panic on his face, he shoves himself into the vehicle and burns rubber out of there - which is becoming impossible due to traffic jam. Thank you very much, New York!

He starts to go over possibilities to maybe help... Because escape has become a no-no.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Even better than that." Phoebe states, bringing both hands onto Jane's arm to complete the circuit.

    Magical healing is weird. "This may tingle a bit, but in a couple of minutes you're going to be okay. Try not to move." Balm states to Jane, and she begins to pump that magic healing energy, a rose-gold glow that matches her wings enveloping her gloved hands, lines tracing their way along her wrists and moving upwards along her arms as bones, blood vessels, muscles, and all other functions begin to knit back toghether, the damage reversing with the feeling of all those nerves turned off.

    <AAAAAAaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA> the robot cries out, its now face-chest turning to keep throwing items at Conner in the meantime, that Buick is not coming back from the dead this time.

    The cooks all nod, and begin to usher people to the safety of the back alley through the kitchen.

    And no, the feelings were not hurt. Robots have no feelings -- but it does emit a staticky screech when it's clubbed with the Buick, tendrils flailing as it turns to try and catch a hold of Conner again and fling him back into the buildings that he's ruined for at least three weeks of repairs.

    <ALL I WANTED WAS TO HACK SOMETHING AND NOW I AM BEING HACKED BY HACKS!> the robot yells, tinting its voice more towards frustration.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet is extremely, extremely irritated now by the thing. Her outfit is ruined, her hair ruined.. "Then how about we just smash you to bits and call it even?" She doesn't go to charge at the thing directly - that would put her at risk of getting in the way o fthe others. She's also not strong enough to flip a car over at it - or anything else bulky enough that might inflict damage.

What she does see over is a sewer cover anchored down. She moves to grin sadistically as she moves to lean down, uses her super strength to yank it up and out, goes to aim.. And then HURLS it. She's not Captain America - her finesse is based purely upon force and physics - fortunately she's rather strong and throwings omething in a straight line is fairly straight-forward.

Said improvised discus is thrown aimed at the center of mass of the thing, once she's sure she's not going to put any of the others at risk from launching it. However, if the thing moves hurriedly or one of the others throws it her attack will be a solid miss.

Conner Kent has posed:
"Well," Conner clobbers with the buick, "you. Could. Have. Been. Less. Violent. About. It!" Points out Conner. Remarking his points smashing the car on the robot repeatedly. Until the tendrils try to grab him again and he hops back, using speed to avoid getting caught again. "I mean, really. There like four hundred super-heroes in New York. The one that programmed you was not very smart."

He spots Monet playing Frisbee with a sewer cover, and tosses the car to the robot from the other direction. "You can surrender now, be smart."

Jane Roe has posed:
'tingle a bit' was an understatement. It was painful as the dislocated bone was sucked back into its socket, muscles getting eased over *and* a whole body bruise going through all stages of healing within just a short while? Agony. Just instead of screaming vocally like she was put onto hot coals, Jane's eyes roll up, the yell of pain channeled into the radioband as a continous stream of static and explitives... and not encrypted. Too bad for the kids on the radio, 295 explitives in 5 minutes 10 seconds? Try about that crammed into about two by speeding up.

When the eyes open agai, a shudder running through the young woman. "Next time I'd like to have a whiskey and smack over the head first." The snark runs deep. "But thanks. Still... need a way down."

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"Sheila...", Caleb looks around, and to her. "I need you to get off, now, and get out from the area, okay?"

She looks at him sternly.

"We're blocked and exposed", he justifies. "I need to go open a path. So, open the door back there on your way out, would you?" And a shrug.

"Dad would be pissed if he were here", she says, exiting the vehicle.

"Or he would've done the same", he says, more to himself.

Sheila opens the van door to reveal, in the midst of the materials he collected during the day, a /propane tank/!

And, once she's out of the way, Caleb begins to floor it, burning rubber. He realeases the brake, gaining speed.

He looks at the gauge for the speed: 40... 50... 60...

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    CRUNCH.

    CRUNCH!
    Between the two items slung -- the buick club and the manhole cover -- the robot crunches, bending in half, cut at the waist by the manhole cover and then knocked over. There's sparks flying everywhere. The street is flooded, the water gets into the internal workings of the mechanical giant, and then the seven meter robot seems to just -- power down, breaking, arms hanging, tendrils loosening and going limp before the eyes fade from angry red to dark, the LEDs powering down.

    <No. NO. NOOO-- must... start up... must --"

    And then Caleb hits the Robot. It gets knocked into eight different pieces from the force and the damage bits and chunks going everywhere and crashing into glass and concrete fascade.

    Up on the ledge, Balm looks VERY concerned as she finishes the healing, and lifts her hands.

    "Uh... that is... honestlty the first time anyone not infected with demon blood has screamed at healing... I'm... I'm Sorry?"

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix would shake her head over at Phoebe, "Pain is temporary and will fade. It will pass in a reasonable amount of time." Even as she goes to advance over on the robot's remnants to inspect them for anys orts of clues as to who or what might have made this. "THis needs given to somewhere proper for disposal and data analysis. Or at least to see if someone can have some use for spare parts from scrapping it. I think that it's mainframe should be repurposed given the age of it to run some older programs for historical value and training in more archaic functions."

She means Windows ME.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Yes, the van crashes into the robot...

However, Caleb jumps a few dozen yards before, rolling out of the car to minimize the injuries.

*CRACK!*

Something audible splits in his ribcage, and he's suddenly gasping for air.

Still, he doesn't let up, grabbing a gun and taking aim with a shaky hand... Right into the propane tank in the back.

*BANG!!*

Jane Roe has posed:
Jane Roe flinches as she tests her shoulder. "Popping in an arm is supposed to be painless? Plus, I didn't even scream verbally. At least my ears don't ring to tell of that." Grunting as she tests the regained movement of the right arm, she follows it up with a shrug. "My brain is wired different."

As if that would explain everything. Well, at least it *might* explain why now, as the pain from the shoulder is gone, she manages to get the conference room window motor to move and open. "Let's take the stair or elevator. I have no interest in taking another flight. And I hope the computer is not fully drenched and fried, though with a hydrand pouring into it..."

Conner Kent has posed:
"Monet, you are a mess!" Conner is amused, since she always looks like so proper and prime. Most. Not. Laugh. Er... this being serious business. "Yeah, SHIELD can take over. Or Damage Control. Not sure of jurisdictions." He glances up to the Lexcorp building. "There are like a million people with a grudge to prez Lex, and that is just in the tri-city area, so the list of suspects is going to be pretty long."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... generally my magic turns off the nerve system. Are you cybernetic or is it techno-magic?" she questions, and then turns to look down at the Robot getting crunched... well.

    Looks like it's all over, doesn't it?"

    "Yeah, let's find the stairs. C'mon." she tries to boost Jane up. "Balm, by the way. I didn't catch your name."

    This is serious business. The damage is done. Buildings are in ruin. Water is getting over everything. There's canoli filling in Monet's hair. It's really awful as Caleb adds to the mayhem by EXPLODING THE VAN a'la Jaws! Except it's propane and not an O2 Scuba tank.

    BOOM. It rattles the immediate area, glass shuddering, more concrete and some metal guard wires coming down.

    And slowly, one Robot arm lifts up. It clamps on the ruins of that Buick Lesabre (RIP), and tries to push itself upwards one... last time....

    Before it simply goes kaput.

    Completely out of comission.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Chaos in the streets. Mayhem in the sidewalks.

Blurry vision. A severe case of tinnitus. Ah, yes - and broken ribs, who were already poorly healed.

Caleb tries to get up, but fails. He's pale, and growing weaker by the second.

Sheila comes running towards her brother, and holds him. Tears flow down her cheeks, and screams her heart out: "MY BROTHER'S DYING!! HEEEELLP!!" A scream that would put Alien's 'Newt' to shame.

Jane Roe has posed:
"that... is rather personal, ma'am." Jane answer to the question of techno-magic, eyebrows narrowing a tiny moment, then flattening.

"Vermilion. Like the bird or color." comes her reply, shaking her head a moment with a somewhat put up smile. "Didn't mention it before."

Groaning at the destruction once they make it outside, she scans the area for the lost baton, pointing Balm to Caleb. "Sounds like Medic to me..."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "It is rather personal, but I'm also curious. Not often I meet other--"

    And then Sheila's voice pierces the air. Well, who can resist a call like that? "Yeah, yeah it does. Keep steady Vermilion -- my magic hangs on for a short bit, but you should knit up right as rain within fifteen minutes."

     Notably Balm, after making sure Jane was all right and safely out of the building, comes running up to Caleb and Sheila, and there, in the light of the late afternoon, it's plain to see the slightly satin Rod of Asclepius on her chest armor.

    "He'll be all right, Sheila." Balm says in a friendly manner, voice distorted by her hood and communications aray.

    "Were you hurt at all in the event, miss?" she questions, checking Caleb's eyes a moment before she brings her hands to lay on a shoulder and lightly on his chest.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"How do you know my name?", the young (but really bright) girl asks. She refuses to leave Caleb's side.

Caleb's eyes are becoming vitreous, and he coughs up blood; his shirt has blood as well, and his chest is gurgling. Not good - exposed fracture with internal bleeding. The prognosis is emergent, STAT!!

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Would you beleive that I know Santa Claus?" Balm asks quietly, and she lets out a breath, her eyes closing behind her blue-lensed domino mask, and she begins the process of healing Caleb.

    She floods his body with magic. The jangling of nerves in emergency possibly quieted to the numbness of pins and needles. The rose-gold magic of Phoebe's Shard glowing as her fingers and arms develop the lines trailing up her arms again. Her fingers curl slightly, feeling the damage as she breathes out.

    "C'mon Caleb. You are stronger than this." she murmurs quietly to him in encouragement.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Imagine being at a book shop, and 'Would You Believe I Know Santa Claus?' is a book that's been awarded Book of the Month, so highly thought after that the last print is in Sheila's hands. And, by the cashier, she just hands it, 'Sorry, I'm not buying it.' Now, she doesn't say it, but it's written all over her look.

But this is only momentary, because she looks at her brother, "Please, Caleb... Come back!"

<<Come back!>>

Darkness. Light at the end of a tunnel. So warm...

The voice calls him out, and he turns towards the darkness. He struggles through. Like vines, they wrap, and prick, and tear open. But he hear a voice. /The/ voice!

<<COME BACK!!>>

One more push, the hardest ever!

<<GGHHHYYYY...>>

"...aaaaaaaarrrrrrgh!!" Caleb's body jolts and he wakes up as if he had just been in a bad dream!

Sheila wasn't expecting this reaction to be so extreme, that she jumps back, startled. "Oh, God!"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Which really is a shame. Phoebe thought Batman brought kids Christmas gifts in Gotham.

    "Yeah, yeah, he gets all the credit." Balm breathes out, lifting her hands and shaking them out as she catches her breath.

    "Welcome back, Dykstra." Balm states as she leans back on her heels.

    "You're going to be disorientated. You were pretty far down the road. Any longer -- might not have worked." she replies, holding her hands up. Would Caleb recognize Balm, the dark-clad crime fighter?

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
And disorientation is definetely what he's feeling. "Man, what a ride... Ooomph!"

His train of thought is interrupted by a hugging sister. "YOU IDIOT!!"

After a good half-minute of hugging, he looks at Balm. "Thanks for the rescue... But, I thought your gig was in Gotham?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Balm gives a shrug. "Happened to be int he neighborhood." she replie squietly, and hops to her feet.

    "Think you can keep him out of trouble for a little while, Sheila?"