16564/Omni-Man: The Hardest Truth to Swallow

Omni-Man: The Hardest Truth to Swallow
Date of Scene:	14 December 2023
Location:	4B - Mark and Bunny's Apartment
Synopsis:	Omni-Man makes his pitch. Is rejected. There are rerocussions for it. And Cecil Steadman steps in to help. Special assistance from Kate!
Cast of Characters:	Mark Grayson, Bunny Macleod, Sunny Harlow, Kate Bishop

---

Mark Grayson has posed:
When last we left our heroes, there had been a tap-tap-tapping upon the bedroom window. When Mark went to check to see what it was, he had just been surprised by the fact that floating there in the window was a hero that hadn't been seen in 20 years. One that had told everyone he had lost his powers. And only told stories to his son instead of exposing him to training, letting him grow and develop on his own.

And now, framed by the window, Nolan Grayson, famed travel writer, devoted husband, and beloved father floated in the sky, dressed in the reds and whites of 'Omni-Man'.

His hand was extended to Mark, having just saying that they needed to talk.

"Mark." he repeats. "I can explain. But I need you to come with me." He glances up, just to notice that Bunny is there as well. "It would be best if she stays here." he offers to Mark, almost apologetically. "But if Sunny is around, I think it is only fair that she finds out too."

Mark sets his jaw, his lips in a thin-line, eyes narrowed. "I'm not going anywhere without Bunny." he says flatly. "How are you flying??"

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    Bunny is partially hiding around Mark's back, because Nolan Grayson wasn't supposed to have powers. And definitely was not supposed to know where Mark and Bunny lived. She glances over her shoulder to Sunny, and behind Mark's back motions for her to be ready... though whether or not Sunny knows tactical sign language is a crapshoot.

    Her heart is pounding in her chest in fear as she grasps the back of Mark's shirt.

    "Should probably put on work clothes if he's wearing them."

Sunny Harlow has posed:
Moments of excitement had become elation not that long ago for Sunny. Between breakfast, baby dinosaurs and the beginnings of a new and beautiful thing...well nerves aside she'd been on cloud nine.

Right up until she'd heard Mark gasp and she'd lept up behind Bunny to run into the room behind the pair.

There was no word from her, the blonde's mouth hung open in shock as she moved up behind the pair.

Once the idea of seeing Omni-Man in all his glory would have been the most exciting thing ever to the Viltrumite girl, but now? Well...something didn't feel right as she moved up to oneside of the other woman, a half-step behind Mark almost protectively of the pair.

If she didn't understand the sign language? She seemed to get the intention or share the though that something was wrong.

Mark Grayson has posed:
"Please, Mark." Nolan's tone of voice is almost... begging for his son's attention. "This is important to the future of this planet. And them." His hand waves towards Bunny and Sunny. And he finally relents as Sunny moves to protect Bunny as well. "Fine. All three of you." he rumbles. "Meet me outside the city."

Giving the coordinates to Mark, he turns and flies off quickly, leaving the trio standing in stunned silence.

"You're right, Bunny." Mark is already removing his shirt as he heads towards their bedroom to grab the costumes. This really isn't the time to be modest. "Sunny? How quickly can you get into uniform and meet us?" he asks, as he gets on the horn to see who might be available from the Young Avengers in case this turns sideways.

Then a pauses. "Not the first date any of us had in mind." comes his dry comment. His face is unreadable, a mix of hurt, surprise, betrayl, and the first glimpses of teen anger.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "I don't have a good feeling about this." Bunny mumbles, her shoulders hiking up as she looks to Sunny, and then gives a small tilt of her head before she grabs her own Art-tistically designed suit, stripping out of her comfy clothes and quickly getting into uniform. It seems like it's a familiar action.

    "Whatever he has to say --" she begins, and she gives a wry smie.

    "We'll face it together. There's nothing we can't do if we stay connected." Bunny gives a smile, and then, speaking of connected, she gives a toss of an earbud to Sunny.

    "That's my spare. I'll need that back."

Sunny Harlow has posed:
Stunned indeed, Sunny actually needs a moment to blink and process as she watches Nolan zoom away, leaving all of them with more questions than answers.

It was only as the others began to talk that Sunny blinked, nodding her head at his words. "I uh...keep a version in my bag," Sunny offers before looking back to the handbag she'd left by the kitchen table. It was the simple romper-styled thing with the thin half-jacket and decidedly -not- her Art designed suit, but it would do in a pinch.

With the pair already all business to change, Sunny claims the earbud from Bunny with a grateful smile and she comes to start tugging her overshirt over her head and return to the kitchen.

"No kidding," she calls back, "but at least it was a good breakfast?"

Mark Grayson has posed:
Once the three of them are kitted up, Mark glances to Bunny. "Got a message in." he explains to her. Stepping into the familiar blues and yellows of his Invincible costume, he works to pull it up into place, a quick turn so that Bunny can zip him up and he lets out a breath.

"Cavalry will come if we don't report in every thirty minutes."

With his costume on, he turns to look at the two women. "Like Bunny said. Together, we're stronger." he agrees with her easily. His eyes go from the pink-haired girl to the blonde heroine and back again as he opens the window. He offers his arms to Bunny.

"Ready?" he asks. "Prisma, you're with me. Incredibelle, stay back a few feet until we figure out what's going on. I don't know if that's my dad or something pretending to be him."

Prisma is with him to throw shields in case this is a trap.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    Bunny takes a deep breath as she pins her hair back quickly with shaking fingers before she pulls on her gloves, and she gives a small nod as she pulls on her pink skates with the re-enforced rails, and she gives a nod.

    And lowers her goggles. She doesn't apply the matching lipgloss.

    "We got this." she whispers, setting her earpiece in and then hopping to Invincible's arms.

    "If he throws me, your first job is to make sure he's good. I can catch myself for about a hundred feet." Prisma states to Incredibelle and offers a fist-bump over Mark's shoulder.

    "We got this." she repeats -- though she doesn't sound sure.

Sunny Harlow has posed:
"Together," Sunny nods as she pulls her jacket around her shoulders, adjusting her hair once more before looking back to Bunny and nodding her head. "Sure but...hopefully there's no throwing or..."

She exhales a breath, nodding at Mark's instructions and silently wishing she had the means to call in the JL.

"Hopefully there's a...non-punchy outcome for this," she muses softly as she returns the fistbump and comes to float in place, ready to follow in flight.

"Lets go meet Omni-man"

Mark Grayson has posed:
"You and I both, 'Belle." Mark responds, a kiss to Bunny's cheek - for luck - and then he's out the window. "Close it when you come out!" he calls behind him. Otherwise the heating bill will be /insane/.

----

It's a short flight to the field outside of town where Omni-Man instructed the group to meet him. He's there, floating in the air, as Mark comes in close enough to land and dispatch Bunny to his side. "Prove to me you're my dad." he demands, lips pulled into a thin line.

"Really, do we have to do this, Mark? Fine. Your name is Markus Sebastian Grayson. And when you were nine, you wrapped yourself in duct tape because you said that would be your super power when you grew up. I played catch with you when you were a child."

"It is you." Mark whispers, "But how...?"

"No time to explain. This is what you do need to know. The truth. About me. About Viltrum. And about the future."

"I was sent to find a world over five hundred years ago by the Viltrumite High Council. That much is true. Earth was not that world. I was supposed to go to Uarth. Sometype of wormhole opened in space and I ended up here instead. I continued my mission."

"When I arrived here, there were not as many heroes. It was easy to be one of them, to grow stronger and observe this planet and try to figure out it's many intricacies. During one of the Alien Invasions, around twenty years ago, I realized that I could not carry out my mission without help. And I met your mother after I rescued her during the attack. We got married and had you. And I realized that there was a chance." he explains.

"A chance for what?" Mark asks, confusion on his features.

"I laid low. Watched you grow. Waited for you to develop powers. And tried to coordinate your life to make you stronger. To handle what is coming. I was ready to give up when I realized there was you, Sunny." he says, glancing over to the blonde. "I was going to wait another ten years. But now I don't have to."

He takes out a small case. "These were made to amplify Viltrumite powers. Take them, and you will be as strong as I am. And the three of us can carry out the mission that I was sent out for..."

"To prepare this planet for Viltrumite colonization."

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    Prisma hups on down when Mark sets down on the ground, and she looks up to Omni-Man. She feels the chatter on the Young Avengers side pass through her as she adjusted the sash at her waist, and her heart thuds faster. Her blue eyes narrowed as Omni-Man speaks of Viltrum.

    Of Mark and Sunny needing to know the *truth*. And as it sinks in, she squares her stance slightly, and then --

    "... colonization?" she whispers, and she feels her heart drop. Her throat goes dry, and she turns to Mark, and to Sunny, and then back to Omni-Man, her lips forming a thin line. She had a distinct feeling she wasn't invited to the Power Party, and the wheels of her skates dig into the earth slightly.

Sunny Harlow has posed:
The duct tape story would be cute if...well, this entire moment didn't have her entirely on edge.

Floating as she was, her eyes were wise as she listens to Nolan's story, his talk of his mission, without outright stating it to begin with.

Her entire knowledge of her people came from the story of her mother delivering her to her Earth family and the stories of the hero in front of her... but his words bring a slow exhale of breath from the Blonde as she looks to Bunny and Mark before fixing her gaze on the older alien.

"Earth has always been welcoming...mostly to others needing to settle...but you're not talking about settlers or refugees are you?"

She shifts a little, the subtle signs that a warrior with eons of experience like Nolan would recognize as the subconcious shift of preparing for conflict.

"What do you mean -prepare-?"

Mark Grayson has posed:
Nolan looks up at Sunny as she asks her question. "No. Not refugees. Or pilgrims. Viltrum prepares planets to be conquered and brought into our collective. An Empire requires resources to run and this planet is fertile with them." A broad span of his arms. "Humanity wastes it. Viltrum can come in, heal all diseases, end all wars. Make this planet a beacon of peace in the universe. Your mother knew that, Sunny." he comments as he looks towards the young woman.

"All we need to do is make sure they understand. Take down those that would be threats. Kal-El, Diana, those that could show more than a fraction of the power the three of us could possess!" he explains. "That's why I sent Juggernaut after you, son! He is the type you will need to defeat to prove your worth to the Viltrum Empire and you can do that now with the pill I brought you!"

Mark looks down at the box in his father's hands, and confusion melts into disappointment. "Why are you doing this, dad?" he asks, as he picks up the box and after looking at the two small pills inside of it, he throws it aside, rejecting the offer - and by proxy, rejecting it for Sunny as well.

"I'm happy here, dad. I have a girlfriend. We have a great life and are expanding." A glance over at Sunny. "We can fight Viltrum if they are coming here and are as bad as you claim they are. The three of us... and everyone else!"

Nolan watches the box hit the ground. And what had been hope in his eyes disappates, becoming anger. "You really don't get it, son. These humans..." a gesture to Bunny. "...only live a blink of our eyes. They're weak. They serve little more than enertainment."

"What about mom, DAD?" Mark roars, anger rising up as he cocks back in frustration.

"I love your mother, Mark. Much like you love Bunny, I'm sure. But to me, I love her more like a pet. I know someday she will be gone so I just care and nurture her for now. Because she provided me with what I needed..." A gesture to Mark.

"The answer's NO!" Mark roars and rushes in, just as Nolan slugs him. The punch happens so fast, so quickly, all the two women will hear is the /crack/ as Nolan breaks Mark's jaw and slams him into the ground.

"I guess we do this the hard way." he says with a sigh.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    Bunny took a half step away as the box is offered. She couldn't take on Sunny, let alone Mark, let alone Omni-Man, let alone all three of them -- and she hitches her breath.

    And then Mark casts aside the box. She gives a squeak, and one hand draws upwards as she half-cowers.

    It's true. Humans were weak. Humans were awful. Humans could do so much better... but not under people who looked at them like Nolan looked at her, with that disdain.

    Like you love Bunny. I'm sure. ... like a pet.

    And Mark roars. Nolan slugs him. She hears the crack of the jaw but she's too slow to do anything more than try to raise a shield and put herself between Nolan, and Mark and Sunny.

    "STOP! This has all been transmitted. Every Hero on EARTH is gonna know about this in thirty seconds!" she bluffs, trying to give Invincible precious seconds to recover -- because against Omni-Man, who really is INVINCIBLE?

Sunny Harlow has posed:
That impact was so loud to the sensitive hearing of a viltrumite, but the force of it was clearly audible to any human sense. The sheer violence of it, even if it was but a fraction of what he could do...it caught Sunny completely off-guard. Whatever questions she had about her mother died in her throat as Mark was slammed to the ground and any hope of a subtle attack from the blonde was immediately gone as a sonic boom caused an audible crack from her exploding forwards to try and slug her one-time idol hard in the face.

"Get away from them!" she yells, but the heroine was no stronger than Mark, and if surprise had even existed for a moment on her side, it was almost certainly gone now.

Still, she had every intention of putting herself between Omni-man and her new partners.

Mark Grayson has posed:
Mark slams into the ground, the earth exploding upwards from the force of the hit. There's a low groan. And it's going to take Mark precious seconds to recover.

Bunny throws up her shield and Omni-Man tsks. "That may be the one thing that makes you useful. That let me tolerate you with my son." A shake of his head. "And now a bluff. Do you really think I think my son has that kind of foresight? You overestimate him."

Nolan rears backm drawing his fist back in defiance of that shield that sprang to life. "Let me show you what a Viltrumite can /really/ do!" And he throws a punch. It slams into the prismatic shield, which shatters into so many colorful shards and there is still more than enough power in that punch to send Bunny spiraling with some serious damage to her.

He was twisting around when Sunny's punch slams into his cheek and it barely moves it. "I had such hopes for you." he says in disappointment. You and my son would have been great together. Now?" He grabs her wrist in his hand and crushes it, intent on snapping the bones within before he uses his other hand and tries to drive a hard first into Incredibelle's midsection to force her back.

As he releases Sunny, Mark flies in, grabbing Nolan's cape and swinging him around to slam him into the ground. "No cerps!" he yells though his broken jaw, a line from a movie he and Bunny had watched together and he tries to press the attack, only to get grabbed by the throat and lifted off the ground. "Nice try." Nolan rumbles and throat slams Mark into the ground, holding him down and slamming his fist into his face, time and time again, driving him into the ground.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    No, Mark didn't have that foresight -- but /Bunny/ did. Everything was being sent to the Young Avengers. She was trying to light up the panic buttons.

    Every superhero was a bluff. She didn't have Batman's number or Superman's Discord, but she did what she could.

    There was an awful scream, panic mixing with pain. Bunny had never seen any of her prismatic shields just -- shatter. The solidified energy tearing into shards like broken stained glass. There wasn't even time for her to register the pain before she hids the ground, skidding hard. The left sleeve rips off her costume. The colorful P button with its own prismatic reaction to her powers being used goes flying. Her earbud smashes, damaging her left ear and leaving blood in the wake as she hits the frozen ground outside the city.

    She keeps it together, panic bitingi at her brain and her muscles, that flight instinct telling her to go, to run -- but she reaches out and grasps a hand around the box Nolan offered.

Sunny Harlow has posed:
Sunny might actually feel a note of pride at Nolan underestimating Mark being pre-prepared but...well, she had a bigger problem at the moment as her hypersonic punch brought a little movement and no damage at all.

Omni-man's grip on her wrist brings a startled cry of pain that dies in a strangled gasp as the pinch to her stomach forced the air from her lungs and nearly had her breakfast wanting to make a reappearance.

Even when she'd fought killer robots and Brainiac, she'd never been hit like that before.

Her wrist was almost certainly broken somewhere, she was struggling to breathe, but with Bunny injured she needed to keep the other girl out of the line of fire, with Mark in combat she needed to back him up...so she launched herself low, kicking out with both feet as she tried to drive her heels into Nolan's side while Mark was on the ground, throwing every bit of strength, flight and...well, physics she could muster into the attack.

Mark Grayson has posed:
Incredibelle and Invincible had worked together a few times before. Either practicing, or when saving helicopters. They had a decent, if not perfect team dynamic. That may come into play in a moment.

Driven into the ground, Mark's hand splays out to the side as his father pummels his face into a bloody, swollen pulp. One lens is shattered, the eye beneath it nearly swollen closed. Nose and jaw broken. Lips swollen. Teeth shattered. Blood spills from him freely. "See what you are making me do, Mark?!" Nolan yells. "You have to understand, you have to be with me!"

Then Sunny slams into him from the side. It has an effect, it takes Nolan off of Mark, and he turns on Sunny. "You both need to know your place!" Grabbing one of the woman's long legs, he drives his elbow straight down into the knee to shatter it as he uses the destroyed limb to bring the young Viltrumite female up and over his head, and then slam her face down into the ground on the other side. "You're both being fools!"

"But we're not givin up!" Mark slurs, launching from the ground, leaving a massive bloodstain in his wake as he tries to catch Nolan in the stomach and knock the air out of him.

And while this is successful, Invincible doesn't really have a plan after that. He just wants to buy Bunny and Sunny precious seconds to get away.

He will be the one to incur the wrath of his father. The two women he cares about do not deserve it as an overhead two-fisted hammerstrike from Nolan drives Mark to his knees, leaing Omni-Man momentarily exposed.

Kate Bishop has posed:
    Kate is preparing for the holidays. She finished her finals at MetroU but the Holiday season means so many family obligations in NYC. So she is out shopping for her sister, someone who can buy anything on a whim, but well it is the thought that keeps Christmas Day from being a disaster.

    She pauses and looks down at her watch when it flashes a priority one live feed from Bunny to the whole team. Okay that is odd. She fishes her Hawkeye glasses out and slips them on, letting the very expensive HUD light up with the video which seems to not be present so she routes the audio feed that goes with it to the earbud she slips into place. Already walking towards the door and being cicrumspect of wearing Kate Bishop clothes and the Hawkeye glasses. Her alter ego is razor thin on the margins still.

    "Oh fuck me" she mutters to herself hearing the exchange. She has no idea who the guy is at first though. It sounds very bad what she is hearing.

    She starts to fish through another pocket for her T-Comm.

    ~Bunny, this is Hawkeye. I need you to stay calm and get .. god damnit her comm smashed....~ when it goes offline. So she goes broader to the backup comm that is still live and Mark's.

    ~Hawkeye here. I'm going to trace your comms. It sounds very bad though who are you two facing off against Mark?~ somehow her voice is calm. ~Did the assailant say son??~ she didn't hear the earlier stuff fishingf out her earpiece and all and hasn't had time to play it back.

    Hells.

    ~Give me a sit rep.~

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    Incredibelle and Invincible have worked together a few times before. Practicing, saving others. THeir powersets matched. Their abilities synched. They were Viltrumites. They were made to prepare the Earth for Viltrumite colonization.

    They were chosing the Earth over their Birthright. The material of her shield dissipates, twinkling like distant stars against the ground and fading to nothingness.

    See what you're making me do, Mark?

    Bunny winces, curling up on herself, the box in her hand. She couldn't hear Hawkeye, but she hears the sparking of the shattered earpiece.

    What could she do? She was /only/ human.

    She was.

    Omni-Man's arms were raised. That hammerstrike was going to come down on Mark, whose goggles are already shattered. Sunny was injured.

    The only warning anyone would have is a short: "Pet This."" And then, from out of left field, there's a flash of pink, and Bunny's re-enforced skate rails come sailing towards the back of Omni-Man's head as Bunny -- bleeding and missing her left sleeve, skids to a stop behind him. Her eyes full of rage.

Sunny Harlow has posed:
Mark and Sunny had trained together, fought together, even in life and death, but they'd never fought anything close to a fight like this. Her knee popped, pain exploding bringing a scream from the blonde that was stunned silent as she was slammed into the ground. Her face was swollen, two limbs broken...but she struggled to bring hersef up to her hands and her knees, legs wobbling even as she lifted hands to form a dazed 'ready' position that didn't look nearly as ready as she hoped. Staggering, wavering, she was a moment too slow to back up Mark, but a moment enough to hear Kate's voice through the backup comm. A hint that backup might actually be on the way.

Then Bunny was there, moving and attacking, and it was the moment Sunny could finally act.

The explosion of flight has her moving faster than her broken leg would otherwise allow, a twist and tumble straight out of one of those acrobatic routines intending to drive her good leg down into the top of the senior viltrumite's head and make him eat dirt...if only for a moment.

Mark might want to protect both women...but they seemed intent on trying to protect him too.

Mark Grayson has posed:
"Maybe you'll understand when you regain consciousness, Mark." Nolan comments as he prepares to deliver a blow to take Mark out of the fight for good. Or at least, that was the plan. Just as he prapred to slam down both hands when...

RKBUNNY out of nowhere! The blow that catches Nolan in the jaw strikes him hard and sends him off balance, stumbling backwards in surprise as he spits out a glob of blood and then looks over to where the box was. Laying on it's side. Empty. And then back to Bunny. "Do you realize what you have done?!" he asks Bunny incediously. "Those things will kill you! They are not made for /you/!" Does he actually have the audacity to sound concerned that Mark's girlfriend would do something brazenly stupid?

But before he can say more, Sunny's overhead strike slams into his head and sends him to his knees. There's a grunt. And it seems like the two women may be making progress on Nolan.

Mark gets back up again. He's in bad shape, having taken the brunt of it to protect the others. Reaching up, he starts to rhythmically tap his earpiece.

...---... ...---... ...---...

Hopefully there is a Boomer that understands what that is as he launches into flight to rejoin the fight, drawing his fist back. But it never connects.

Nolan sends both of his arms out in front of him and slams his hands together to cause a shockwave to knock everyone down to the ground as it shatters the trees within a quarter-mile radius of them. "That's /enough/!" he demands of the three. "I am trying to /save/ your lives and /this/ is how you /thank/ me? Look around you. Look what /she/ had to do to even have a portion of our power. Stop living like humans and /claim/ your birthright!"

Kate Bishop has posed:
    Kate is far from being a boomer, but yes she does know morse code. "Fuck my life." she mutters again, not on comms and manages to pull up the location. Great outside the city and she is once more feeling like shit because she has to the only one on either team without some sort of transport power.

    Power of motorcycle go.

    ~Okay. I get it. SOS. Tht doesn't tell me what anyone might be going into or who to call for help Mark.~ she gets a bit angry when she is really concerned. She still taps out on her T-Comm to a few people who could speed up her transport and some of the heavy hitters who can fly. People like Donna. Caitlin. Vorpal. God Damnit.

    Meanwhile she is hoofing it towards where she stashed her bike. Worst case she can try to clear the city on wheels. Though from the sound of the ass whupping she fears that will be too late. ~Can you disengage. Retreat may be a good idea~

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "If it means making sure all my friends know you're such a piece of shit it's worth it. It's so worth it --" Bunny breathes out, but she can feel pain burning through her stomach.

    She launches herself at Nolan again, bringing her arms up to try and strike -- but she's blown back by the shockwave. She hits the ground rolling, leaving spatter of blood in her wake. She tries to breathe out, but it comes in an awful bubbling sound.

    She tries to push herself up. Will herself up.

Sunny Harlow has posed:
With only one leg to stand on, Sunny was easily enough to be knocked down, thrown down by the shockwave of the explosive slam. Thrown down onto the ground and tumbling in a heap before she could continue to attack, Sunny was a mess...but she was concious, pained noises coming from her lips announcing as much.

It was a good thing that Sunny was a viltrumite...or she'd probably be crippled at this point.

Mark Grayson has posed:
Bunny is really being a pest for a human. As she had gotten herself back up, Nolan bowls her down again and growls, frustration in his tone. "Fine. We clearly need a demonstration on how fragile humanity is." Rising to his feet, he starts to make his way towards Bunny, reaching up with his arm to wipe his sleeve across his mouth. "I was willing to keep you alive because my son has feelings for you. He's young. He'll grow out of those feelings quicker now, with grief, than in twenty years, when you are old." The intent is clear. He plans to kill Bunny. Here. And now.

A glance is given over to Sunny and he shakes his head. "Sunny, you could be so much better, like your mother." A shake of his head at the woman. "She'd be disappointed in you. But it will be better for you. Both of you. When this one is..." his foot rises, ready to crush Bunny like a grape.

Mark is driven to his knee by the blast, that also destroys his earpiece. Sorry, Kate! That status report just became 'Kate flies in blind into what?'

Mark rockets across the ground before Nolan can dispatch Bunny and he screams. "DAD! NO!"

The shattered remains of his face stare up at his father, his arms firmly around Prisma to protect her. To make it so that Nolan will have to go through Mark to get to her. "You! You taught me to be human!" he cries out. "You left me with mom to do your job, and mom raised me as a part of this world! But you were my hero! I will not let you hurt her! I will not let you take away my humanity!"

His eyes sweep over to Sunny as tears mix with blood. His lungs hurt. One arm is ruined. He's in pisspoor shape. "They're my closest friends and I /care/ for them /both/!"

Nolan steps back, clearly stunned by Mark's words and actions and he rubs a hand over his face. "Fine. FINE! Goddamit!" he yells, glaring at his son and Bunny. "Two weeks. It will take me two weeks to get two new pills. You have that long to decide if you're going to join me. Or if you're going to let this world fall into the folly of trying to stand against the Viltrumite Empire!" He launches, ripping apart the ground as he takes off into the night sky, rocketting away and leaving the broken bodies of Bunny, Mark and Sunny behind for someone else to find.

Kate Bishop has posed:
    It takes a speeding Hawkeye a bit to get to the site of the battle. God knows what horror shows everyone she pinged was dealing with that somehow a traffic law breaking, weaving in and out between trucks and cars, Kate Bishop is the first on scene.

    So many broken laws and a very high tech bike.

    The scene though is an utter disaster. The field they are all in is a warzone. Which is also what she sees as she vaults off the bike in the sheer amount of blood and injuries.

    She is briefly pretty glad whomever did this doesn't seem to be on site, though she is very cautious. ~Everything clear...~ is inquired into the last remaining earpiece comm with Sunny.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    Bunny is usually good at being a pest. She usually has fun with it... this wasn't fun. This was painful.

    And she stands in opposition of Omni-Man, she raises her hands to sheild herself, try and buy time -- but she's slung down. There's a harsh cry followed by a gurgle. There's blood coming from her ripped ear, her shoulder is broken. She can't concentrate, but she tries to cry out Mark's name. The chain that holds Mark's highschool ring digs into her neck and is distorted against her breastbone as part of it cracks.

    She's twitching. She wouldn't even know what to do with all the strength that those pills had afforded her, but they are keeping her alive -- for now, until her good eye looks up and registers the boot.

    She can't even raise a shield -- but she feels arms around her. Smells Mark's blood. her hand, held together by her artful glove, squeezes against Mark's as the lights go out -- and she's limp, but breathing.

    Barely.

Sunny Harlow has posed:
<We're hurt bad...> Sunny's voice finally comes through, unfamilier to Kate and clearly pained...but concious.

Weakly, arm and leg broken and dragging herself inch by inch she draws over to the other two, looking at the broken forms of the pair, of her own torn and bloody form before she places a hand on Bunny's chest to make sure she can check the other girl is breathing, checks Mark was still doing the same with one eye swollen shut and then forces herself to sit up and do the one thing she'd not done since she was a child: scream for help.

Mark Grayson has posed:
Mark lays over Bunny, protecting her as Sunny comes over. When she joins them his good hand grabs hers and holds onto it tightly, because he wants to make sure they remain together as he hears something approaching.

As Kate arrives on the scene, she's not the only one. A portal opens and what steps out is a very tired looking frail man in his sixties. His hair is thinned out, the top of his head balding. Part of his jawline in ruined as he adjusts his tie. "I want medical on these three stat."

Already medical teams are coming out to collect Mark, Sunny and Bunny and get them stabalized.

"You did a hell of a job, kid." the agent comments to Mark as he's taken away. "Didn't expect any of you to last as long as you did. I'll get the debrief later."

His attention swivels to Kate. "Hello." He takes out a card. "Cecil Steadman. More letters after my name than you care to shake a stick at with secret organizagtions. Used to handle Omni-Man... that's who just left. He's the kid's father." A gesture to Mark.

"Don't know what Bernice injested, but we'll have the lab boys stabalizer her. Sunny will get the same treatment as Mark. We'll get the kids moving again. Looks like we're going to need it."

A glance to Kate. "Unless you have an objection? Maybe the washing machine at your little clubhouse can handle healing them?"

Mark has no strength to fight, he's so willing to go. But only after he knows that Bunny is safely away, as well that Sunny is going to be tended to.

Hopefully they have better desserts than tapioca pudding.

Kate Bishop has posed:
    Once the all clear confirms her eyes and not an invisible foe she starts to hoof it across the ripped up field, her bow in her hand as she approaches her teammates.

    The same bow swings up as she skids to a halt in the turfed up field to point an arrow at the frail looking old man with portal technology. "The Fuck!" she startles. The whole thing about medical teams and then them coming out of the portal makes her lower her arrow that was definitely aimed to at minimum maim, maybe kill at this point looking at the carnage. "uhm."

    She continues closewr now. "I thought Omni-Man was...gone...." she adds after a moment. "Uh.. Hawkeye. Titans. Young Avengers. Stuff." she continues to approach. "No objection. Medbay at Titan Tower might be able to, but that is a lot farther than I can get them fast. None of my transporters have clocked in yet." she frowns and looks her friends over. "Any issue with me doing a ride along. I'd like to see all those initials and some IDs and all."

Mark Grayson has posed:
"Sure kid, come on along. Good spirit to worry about your team." Cecil gestures to the portal as he opens it, and waits for Kate to follow him. "But tell me this. You got your own group. Why you relying on the Titans?"

"Stark being a scrooge, or just hates kids?" he asks as he steps through the portal to wait for Kate to join him. It's going to be a long night of touch and go for the three.