2407/Silk Sense Tingling!

Silk Sense Tingling!
Date of Scene:	10 July 2020
Location:	Cleveland
Synopsis:	Cheetah thought she had it figured out, but then Silk Attack!
Cast of Characters:	Cindy Moon, Barbara-Ann Minerva

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Cindy Moon has posed:
Cindy happened to be in Cleveland for a story she was working on for the Daily Planet, luck of the draw when you're an intern, you get sent places nobody else wants to go. However, while doing her research, she suddenly felt her Silk Sense tingling, and immediately jumped into action. Sneaking away from her hotel room, getting in costume, and web swinging towards the source. Cleveland, prepare to meet Silk!

Barbara-Ann Minerva has posed:
Ah, Cleveland! The heart of the Buckeye State. Nothing spectacular ever happens in Cleveland. Have you ever seen Superman in Cleveland? Nope. Batman? Never. It's the perfect locale for some low-key criminality.

For those in the super-villainy game, Cleveland is a mature, blue-chip market. Cheetah "bought in" only a few years ago having acquired a number of "accounts" (i.e. a protection racket) from a retiring local villain. While Cheetah herself rarely attends "meet and greets" (i.e. threat heavy meetings with terrified victims) it's good business to show the flag now and again. Like what she's doing with poor, Mort Ginsberg here.

"Mortimer, darling," Cheetah runs a claw around the curve of Mort's receding chin, "it's so unlike you to be tardy. Surely, you don't mean to suggest that my rates are unfair." Mort's feet are dangling a few inches above the floor of his well-worn watch repair shop. He is being held by the shoulders by two, very large goons. As he cowers, it's abundantly clear that Mort would like to be anywhere else than here.

Cindy Moon has posed:
    It's just about then when the window to Mort's watch repair shop utterly shatters, as Silk comes flying through, tumbling, and turning, before making a gymantics perfect 10 worthy landing, arms raised in 'V' as she straightens and calls out, "everybody chill because SIlk is here!" She then pauses, her eyes looking disappointed, while her mouth remains hidden behind her red buff. "That was lame, wasn't it? I'll have to work on that, anyways, you let that poor guy be! Or else!" She hasn't quite figured out the 'else' part yet, but it sounded cool! Does anyone else get the sense there's a teenager under that costume?

Barbara-Ann Minerva has posed:
A quick survey of the scene reveals the following: A middle-aged man with a weak chin and a slight build is being held with his back against a wall by two large goons. Meanwhile, a tall, red-headed, half cat/half woman holding what appears to be an envelope full of cash is getting up close and personal.

There's nothing to see here. This sort of thing happens to horologists all over Cleveland.

Silk's spectacular entrance (and the resulting mess) raise a few eyebrows. Literally. Cheetah turns her attention from Mort to the interloper and arches an eyebrow. The goons turn also, as does Mort. For a second or two nobody moves and there's nary a sound save for the ticking of the myriad clocks on the wall behind the store's counter.

Finally, Cheetah's shoulders visibly slump and she presses her thumb and forefinger into her temples, "Oh for heaven's..." She lets out an exasperated sigh and gestures to one of her men. "...Look, just....just..!" The goon nods, relinquishes his hold on Mort and turns to "deal" with Silk.

Our Goon is a big fellow, bald and wearing a leather jacket. He stomps toward the hero purposefully and with far, far too much confidence. His sneer is suitably henchman-y, though: Grrrr!.

Cindy Moon has posed:
"You're an anime character," Silk points out to Cheetah, just in case she wasn't aware she's kinda half woman half cat, or kemono, or something like that! Albeit, Cheetah does look far more dangerous then your typical cutesy anime catgirl.

Sadly, it doesn't seem like Cheetah is up for stopping what she was doing. Nor does it look like she's up to discussion about her nature compared to anime catgirls. Shame, it could have been fun and educational! Instead, Silk has to deal with Goon 1 and Goon 2 as Goon 1 comes at her. "Look," she starts, assuming a fighting stance, "I know I don't look scary big like you...but fair warning, I know Tae Kwan Do," and she proves her words, by performing a perfect axe-kick right into his stupid face!

Barbara-Ann Minerva has posed:
Goon 1's stupid face blocks Silk's expertly delivered kick like a champ. In fact, Goon 1 did such a fine job catching Silk's foot with his face that his teeth came out to watch him collapse to the floor. In the background, above the incessant tick-tock echoing from a flotilla of clocks, one can hear Cheetah audibly sigh.

Goon 2, who is still holding Mort against the wall, gives his boss-lady a tentative look. This kind of thing comes with the job, but what happened to Goon 1 looked...painful. Cheetah snaps her fingers. Goon 2 drops Mort to the floor and darts toward Silk -- keeping just out of 'kick range'. From within his leather jacket Goon 2 produces a collapsible baton of the sort used to re-align kneecaps.

Mort leaps from the floor and tries to make for the nearest exit. He runs directly in front of Cheetah who, without further ado, catches him by the back collar with one of her clawed fingers. Mort comes to a dead stop and falls on his backside near Cheetah's feet. The poor guy just can't catch a break.

Cindy Moon has posed:
"Ki-ai!" Silk screams after the fact when Goon #1 collapses, after all Tae Kwan Do is serious stuff without super strength and agility and speed, it's a triple bundle, get all three supers for one radioactive bite! With it, obvs, Tae Kwan Do is way deadlier! "Told you I know Tae Kwan Do," she then slowly turns to look at Goon #2, perfectly mimicing Neo's 'come hither' from the Matrix, "wanna see what else I can do?" She asks with a beaming face. "Hey, you learned I can kick! Nice...buuuut, surprise!" And out of the blue she shoots a couple of web lines at his feet *thwip*thwip* and then pulls with full force, meaning to drop him hard, hopefully on the back of his head.

Barbara-Ann Minerva has posed:
Goon 2's eyes bulge in surprise as his foundation is forcibly pulled away! He lands on the hard floor with a loud THUMP! His baton harmlessly rolls away from his sprawling figure. Goon 2 cradles the back of his head and curls up plaintively on the floor. He's in no mood for further fisticuffs.

And then there were two.

Cheetah eyes Silk with something approaching contempt. Mort, who is still at her feet, starts to crawl away but is stopped cold when the claws of Cheetah's right hand clutch him firmly by the top of his skull. Cheetah's other hand secures the envelope full of cash behind her belt before coming to rest in a ball at her left hip. "Here's how this is going to go," she begins coldly. "You are going to exit the same way you came in," her head nods in the general direction of the window, "or I am going to crush this insect's skull like an egg." Tiny trickles of blood form atop Mort's bald head where Cheetah's black claws intersect with his flesh. Is she strong enough to do that? Hard to say: she hasn't moved since this whole thing started. It /could/ be a bluff...

Cindy Moon has posed:
"Gotcha!" Silk celebrates her great success so far, easily besting the two goons, as she turns to face Cheetah. Frowning when she realizes she now has the hapless victim in her grasp. "Uh huh!" Silk calls out, "classic dillema, will the hero save the poor victim by walking away, or risk it all to fight the villain," Silk recites like she read this in some wikipedia entry.

While her thoughts race as Silk tries to come up with the best solution, she looks over Cheetah curiously. "That's a funny suggestion...you think I broke that window for nothing?" She asks, tapping at her temple, as if there was some elaborate trap already in place for Cheetah. But then she can spot the trickle of blood...that looks serious. "You know something?" Silk asks...taking a single step towards Cheetah.

Barbara-Ann Minerva has posed:
There is the slightest hint of movement in one of Cheetah's fuzzy brows as if to say, "I didn't think you had it in you." Otherwise she is motionless. The muscles in her forearms tense languidly as Cheetah tightens her grip. Mort whimpers -- too terrified to move.

Unbeknownst to Silk (probably), her foe is holding a pretty good hand: the shop is tight and the quarters are close. For a speedster like Cheetah, that's no small thing: Silk has nowhere to go. Second, she has a hostage who, for the record, appears to have the worst luck in Ohio. Silk could try to whip him out from under Cheetah's claws but that could end badly. Perhaps there's a hospital nearby?

Pointed ears on the side of Cheetah's head twitch. She has super-hearing and, try as she might, she can never seem to suppress this involuntary movement when a distant sound is detected. Like now. The police are on their way. They're a ways off, but they're coming. Unless Silk has super-hearing, too, Cheetah probably has a minute or two before the sirens make this an open secret. The clock is ticking and the villainess is running out of time...

Cindy Moon has posed:
"I was gonna say...I'm fast!" Silk calls out, and for most people she'll almost appear to just shift from one spot to the next, albeit Cheetah might be fast enough to notice. As one moment she's where she was standing, the next she's right next to Cheetah, ramming into her with her side, while trying to wrest the poor dude free from her grasp.

Barbara-Ann Minerva has posed:
Cheetah sneers and a half-snarl sneaks past her gleaming fangs. Silk is quick, but Cheetah can keep up with the Flash at his cruising speed. It's more the surprise that Silk had the gall -- the unmitigated GALL! -- to challenge her mano e mano.

Unfortunately for Mort (bad luck, remember?), Cheetah is also inhumanly strong. Though it would have been easier to pop his head like a grape, Cheetah is so incensed by Silk's attack that she does the only reasonable thing available: she lifts Mort by the head and hurls him bodily at her enemy. Her aim might be a little skewed owing to Silk smashing into her, but the two are in close proximity. At worst, Mort may need to visit his chiropractor when this is all said and done, and he may need a few stitches. Not a bad save. Go, Silk!

No, seriously. Go! By now the sounds of police sirens should be well within earshot. Cleveland's Finest probably don't like spider-themed heroes any more than the NYPD do...

Cindy Moon has posed:
Silk proves to have ridiculous reaction time and equilibrium as she falls back, Matrix style, barely keeping on her feet despite nearly lying on the ground, her back inches off the floor, as she thwips up a quick web to catch poor Morty, so he doesn't break anything. But the time she took to spin up that web, made her lose track of Cheetah, should she choose to escape. Her full attention on saving the civillian. Clearly, she doesn't know anything about Cheetah, else she wouldn't try and get her with speed of all things! The audacity!

Barbara-Ann Minerva has posed:
By the time the webs have settled and Silk can survey the damage, Cheetah and her two goons have vanished. With Mort's money. Hopefully Mort is a glass half-full kinda guy. Clearly, Cheetah is a teleporter of some description. That's what cheetahs are known for, right? Teleportation? Jeez, Silk, read a book whydontcha!