2536/A New Product Wrecked!

A New Product Wrecked!
Date of Scene:	20 July 2020
Location:	Midtown - New Troy
Synopsis:	The Wrecking Crew tries a theft but they are stopped by Arsenal and Caitlin...though another mysterious being helps.
Cast of Characters:	Siobhan Smythe, Caitlin Fairchild, Roy Harper

---

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
"Alright, the plan is simple..." Wrecker was giving the marching orders, like usual, even as they other three nodded and listened. They had one job and it was easy peasy. At least that's what they thought. Either way, an unmarked, simple van was pulling up before one of HALO's biggest retailers and with a crowd already formed. They were showing off one of HALO's newest technologies. It was a drone that could be controlled by a headband. Anyone could fly it with thought alone! Super exciting!

Of course, that excitement would soon come to an end.

Just across the street, music is playing from a lone guitar. The Irish hint voice of Siobhan can be heard coming out of the small restaurant.

"Today was gonna be the day
But they'll never throw it back to you
By now you should've somehow
Realized what you're not to do
I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do, about you now"

And as that music plays, four large guys hop out of the van. The sound of a ball and chain hitting the ground is a heavy enough thud to get people's attention even as they all start to notice these guys. They stand out. Then the wrecking ball slams into the front of the store right above the door and the crash causes the music to cut short and screams go out. The Wrecking Crew are here.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"Right on time," Caitlin remarks to Roy. She points at the van as the Wrecking Crew veers up and starts dispensing poorly-organized chaos. It might have been a bettter smash and grab if they'd bothered to encrypt their communications with one another.

Groups like the Titans monitor those handheld walkie-talkie frequencies, because every once in a while, someone's dumb enough to actually *use* a foreign knockoff and assumes it's secure.

"<Fairchild and Red Arrow on site,>" Caitlin informs the Tower. "<I think we've got this handled but prep assist if anyone's available.>"

She looks at Roy and nods once, stretching her shoulders across her chest. "Wrecker and Thunderball are the biggest threats, but every one of these guys is tough enough to throw hands with Asgardians. Don't let any of 'em get close enough to throw a punch. Slow 'em down and spread them out. By the numbers."

And with that, Caitlin simply drops off the side of the building and aims an elbow drop right for the top of Piledriver's noggin!

Roy Harper has posed:
Sometimes circumstances just converge and one ends up in the right place at the right time, or right place at the wrong time.. well, it's a place and it's about to be a time. We'll go with that. Roy Harper had been in Metropolis for two purposes -- one, to visit a friend who'd needed some help, and two, to check out this new piece of tech that had caught his attention. He'd found a comfortable spot to post up, across the street in his usual jeans, boots, leather jacket, dark red hoodie, pack slung across his back.

He glances over at Caitlin, surprised to run into someone who not only knows who he is but knows one of his prior aliases. That might be a conversation for another time, however. Instead, he flips up the hoodie over his head, and pulls his mask out of his pack pocket. It'll do in a pinch. He gives her a nod and when she goes over the side of the building, he takes out a couple of throwing knives and takes careful aim at those below.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
"Remember boys!" Wrecker starts but is cut off quickly, "Hey!" Wrecker looks over at Marci, the newest Wrecker who had taken over for her father and he winces, "Sorry, Dozer. Uh. Remember boys and girl!" He says and Bulldozer nods. Wrecker continues, "We gotta not damage that prototype. Lets get it!" And then there's a shadow over Piledriver and then Piledriver is driven into the ground.

The sound is rather loud and the pavement cracks when the two tanks hit. Piledriver is insanely tough so he's just stunned but boy is he ever stunned. He didn't expect to get hit like that and for a moment he stares up at Cait and his eyes go wild as he says "Hey lady..."

Thunderball turns and whips his ball and chain up before whipping it back and spinning it once and throwing it at Caitlin, "I got her, Boss! Get the thing!" And Thunderball rushes toward Caitlin, calling back his ball and chain after it misses or connects.

Wrecker nods and rushes for the store even as Bulldozer rushes over and slams a car out of the way of the escape path and also scares the crap out of the running people, "I got the crowd!" She calls out.

Siobhan is already at the entrance to the place she was singing in with others, looking out and then she gestures, "Oye, probably best to stay inside and back and away." She nods her head, "No need to get anyone hurt." She then does the opposite and slips outside, rushing off to the side to try to see what she can do to help.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin tucks tight and rolls forward under the chain as the ball lashes out at her. The projectile goes wide and the flail's energy arc takes out two windows and a concrete store pillar. The tricky to fighting multiple adversaries is to never get bogged down and never get surrounded, so Caitlin takes the direct approach and russhes Thunderball while he's recovering. She takes half a second to get her timing right, set her feet for his stumbling withdrawal-- and while he's trying to bring his heavy flail to bear, she deals him two smart jabs with the left hand and a textbook cross right to the jaw.

Not a whole lot of metahumans are out there that Caitlin can really let loose on, but she clearly isn't worried about holding back with the Wrecking Crew. The concrete underfoot *cracks* with the force translated from her fist to her hips and toes.

"Get to safety!" Caitlin yells at onlooks, un-necessarily echoing Siobhan's advice.

Roy Harper has posed:
Roy Harper is very much not an Asgardian, and so he nods to Caitlin and says, "I'm not going to get close if I can avoid it." But then, he's good at not getting close. Those two knives fly and one catches Thunderball in the hand, attempting to knock off his throw at Caitlin, the second goes for Wrecker, attempting to distract her. It gives him a moment to then reach into his pack and pull out the retractable bow. Arrows are in his hand in a flash as he moves with surprising speed. Once the bow and quiver are situated he's moving across the roof, getting a better vantage point on the crowd below.

He knocks a flash bang arrow, one designed to make a lot of noise and blind an opponent rather than injure, taking up a position of distract and divide rather than outright do damage. His steps are quick and light across the edge of the rooftop as he takes up a position and fires off a shot into the wrecking crew. A glance is spared for Siobhan, but she seems to be helping them, not the wreckers, so he tries to aim to avoid hitting she or Caitlin. He's more than happy to let Caitlin handle the street assault while he keeps the higher ground.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
Wrecker, for his part, gets hit by the knife and just glances up in the direction it came from. He is the toughest and doesn't care. Thunderball winces a little at the hit from the knife but it doesn't break skin. He does take a couple of jabs though and he winces and stumbles back. He isn't a big moron though. Hell, in another life, he and Caitlin might have worked in the same building. Either way, he can already tell quickly what kind of fighter Caitlin is and he recovers well enough to suddenly try to rush in. He drops the wrecking ball for now and attempts to go in low and slam a fist into her gut before trying to purposefully shoulder tackle into her with that same shoulder.

Wrecker looks back at this and then calls out, "Dozer! Get that fool on the roof! Driver! Stop layin' around and help her! We gotta move!" And he is rushing inside, shoving what few people who are left aside as he goes for hte prototype. A lone man stands between him and the device and points at him, "St-stop! I...you can't have it. It's my work!" He has on the headband and the drone starts to fly up off the stand.

Siobhan is already nearer to Bulldozer when she notes the car flying past and snatches someone out of the way before shakin' her head, "Run!" She calls to the man and then she calls out, "Are ye daft?! You could get someone hurt!" Luckily, she doesn't really have a chance to take any grief for that cause a flashbang arrow goes off right at Dozer's feet and she lets out a startled cry that is drowned out by the blast.

Meanwhile, Piledriver was just getting up and shaking his head with the blast goes off and he puts his two big hands over his ears and his eyes roll around in his head.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin's fighting style is about as predictable as the weather. She switches from a classic boxing stance to a defensive stance right out of Greek pankration, throwing her hips and feet way back to drop her center of gravity on the same level as Thunderball's. Sidewalk concrete cracks in protest when she digs her toes in for some resistance against his heavy charge. Abruptly she stops resisting and rolls back, catching his midsection between her thighs and crossing ankles behind the small of Thunderball's back. They roll twice; Thunderball ends up on top, and a moment of adolescent glee at Caitlin's compormising position swiftly turns to one of agonizing pain when she snakes her legs around his arm and twists her hips. Hard. With enough force to bounce his face off the ground and possibly dislocate his shoulder.

"Keep calling 'em for me!" Caitlin shouts up at Roy, and kicks her way free of her entanglement with Thunderball (making sure a few of those kicks are to his face and head in the process).

"And get the civlians clear!" she bids him, and waves a frantic shooing gesture at Siobhan to get out of harm's way.

Roy Harper has posed:
With Dozer and Driver momentarily dazed, and Caitlin having given Thunderball some sidewalk to chew on, he calls out to her, "Wrecker! He's going for the prototype!" And consequently the dude with the headband who is going to be hurting pretty badly if he gets plowed over. Another arrow is quickly set against the string of the bow and he takes aim toward Thunderball, shooting off a cloud of smoke that makes it difficult to see.

Then, he's swinging down from the fire escape to another one, and another, dropping to the top of a dumpster and using it to propel himself onto the flat top of a marquee over the street. He's still up at a second story height, but it does get him a little closer to the action. He calls out to Siobhan, "Help me keep the crowd back?" It's a request, not really an order. He's not sure who she is but she seems to be helping out, and help's a good thing.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
"You just focus on dose guys, I'll take care of dese folks." She nods and Siobhan is smiling at Roy before running off to head for an older couple and help them rush away.

Of course, Roy doesn't get very much time to focus on that as he has his own issues. Piledriver is finally on his feet and he is pissed. Way pissed. Like, just been the butt of all the jokes and looking for revenge pissed. He is looking right at Roy. "You!" He points at him and then he rushes for Roy, those big hands balled into fists and ready to punch right through Roy's face. Bulldozer is only just now getting her head on straight, her eyes still blind from the arrow and her ears still ringing. However, slowly she is getting that sight back and she notes that short haired girl who called her crazy. She is not pleased.

Thunderball is indeed momentarily pleased that he got the upperhand only to gasp as he is slammed into the ground and his arm is indeed dislocated. "Bitch..." He says softly even as he tries to reach out with his good hand for his wrecking ball which flies up for a second only for him to get kicked in the face and he goes out. He was a good street brawler but he wasn't on Cait's level.

Wrecker now has a scientist lifted up by the shirt, dangling on the end of his crowbar, "Listen. I don't need to hurt you but I will. Give it up without a fight." He then reaches up and grabs the drone before he flicks the man to the ground and stuffs it into a box. He then reaches out to grab the headband off the man's head and put it in the box as well, "It ain't worth your life."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"Look out!" Caitlin barks sharply at Roy. Piledriver's raging and looking to hurt someone; Wrecker, though, actually has a civilian in his mitts. Caitlin looks back and forth between the two and makes a snap decision about helping Roy or aiding the civilian.

Thunderball's flail is pretty exotic. In truth Caitlin wouldn't have the slightest idea how to use it as a weapon without hurting herself, let alone effectively combating a threat like the Wrecking Crew.

But it *is* a handy chunk of hard metal, so she scoops it up in one hand, winds up, and fastpitches it at Wrecker's calf while he's busy threatening the poor inventor!

Roy Harper has posed:
Roy flashes a grin at Siobhan and gives her a thumbs-up when she tells him to focus on the wreckers. He seems good with that, and takes a moment to assess the situation. "Dozer's almost up," he informs Caitlin. She knows where Thunderball is at and she's handling Wrecker. Then he turns to assess his own situation.

Piledriver is raging and running right for him, but Roy is still up above the street on the marquee of the nearby building, so unless Piledriver can fly, Roy's still got some time to get away. And so he focuses on that for the moment. Taking off across the marquee, he leaps and catches on the edge of the fire escape further down the building, pulling himself up onto it and racing back up toward the roof. That is taking up all of his attention for the time being, but it also does take Piledriver out of the equation if he's going to try to find a way to climb up after Roy.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
Piledriver was not only told to deal with Roy but he wants to. It's a thing. He watches Roy run toward the fire escape and get on, so he runs and he jumps. Now, he is no Hulk but he is way stronger than the average man so he is already on the side of the fire escape below Roy even as Roy runs. He then grins and pulls himself up and starts rushing after him, "Come back here, little man!" And he is running after Roy, covering two steps at a time and causing the whole thing to shake and wobble.

Wrecker is distracted by his task so he doesn't even notice till it is too late when that wrecking ball connects with his meaty leg. He is really tough though. There's a reason he is the leader. He takes it like a champ, though a now bruised, upset and huring champ. He looks back and grits his teeth, "Dammit..." He stands up and shakes his head as he pounds his crowbar into his left hand before he starts toward Caitlin, "Alright, lady. You want a fight, you got one." He rushes toward Caitlin but Caitlin, given her training, can already see he isn't ismply charging. He's baiting. He's acting like a bull, hoping to get caught.

Meanwhile, Siobhan has people moved away but then she hears stomping, "Daft! Daft? You calling me crazy?" And well, a teenage girl with a chip on her shoulder and powers is not a good combo. Siobhan runs around a corner into an alleyway quickly even as the old couple flees and Bulldozer follows her screaming and catching up quickly given her impressive speed and power.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
For as strong as some bruisers are, they never really catch on to how fast they can be. They lumber forward, accustomed to letting their weight and momentum carry them on. Once in a while one of them really builds up a good head of steam, sure, but it's mostly a reflex of 'don't fall over' that keeps their momentum building.

Caitlin, however is Fast. She's not Wally West, but the muscle in her bare legs isn't for show. Her hips drop and she explodes into motion with a frightful acceleration, shattering concrete with the force behind each step.

And she screams, loud, gunshot loud. Instead of a cool-headed heroine fighting defensively and looking for a smooth opening, Caitlin's counterattack seems aimed at the predator himself instead of his tactics: move into the line of attack instead of trying to evade it. Take away his momentum.

And a good scare-flinch always helps, too.

Roy Harper has posed:
Roy is not particularly strong. Oh sure, he's athletic, and strong for a human teenager, but not superhuman strong. What he is, however, is quick, and agile, and very much practiced at running rooftops, and so that's what he does, dodging, weaving, and vaulting over obstacles in his way as Piledriver chases after him. He might not be taking the guy down, but at least he's got him removed from the fight for the time being, and he'll have to be satisfied with that.

With the edge of the roof approaching fast, Roy builds his momentum and then leaps off the edge, sailing through the air and landing on the next roof over, rolling onto his shoulder, bow extended out to one side so that he doesn't land on it, and then he's up again. He doesn't even bother to look over his shoulder to see if Piledriver makes the jump. He's still going, attempting to get up higher once more, on top of the AC and maintenance shed on the roof of the building to fire another flash bang, aiming to disorient his pursuer.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
Piledriver isn't having an easy time moving as fast as Roy does. Dozer might have been able to keep up but speed was not Piledriver's strong suit. He was the tough one. However, no amount of tough will save you when you do something stupid. Well, at least do something without thought. He is chasing Roy, watching him leap to another roof and he smirks, "Come on, little man! I promise I won't kill ya if you stop. Just hurt you a bit!" He laughs and then leaps and then...takes a flashbang to the chest.

He lets out a surprised yell and grabs his eyes only to slam belly first into the lip of the building he was leaping to and then falling backwards into the alleyway with a heavy slam.

Caitlin's fight is a bit more physical. The turn about is something Wrecker didn't see coming but he's no slouch. He decides just to go with it. The scream from Caitlin is met with a yell of his own and as Caitlin goes for an attack he returns the favor and tries to put his magical crowbar right upside her head even if it means he takes a hit, too. He is tough enough. At least he thinks he is.

Of course, his eyes go wide when he hears another scream. Caitlin's might, too. Even Roy might be surprised. From around the corner in the alleyway in which Bulldozer chased Siobhan there comes a scream that is otherworldly. The alleyway almost seems to shake. Glass shatters. Chunks of building, pavement, and one Bulldozer come flying out of the alleyway. Marci Camp slams into a car across the street and then silence. If anyone looks into the eyes of Marci, they'll not see simply pain but also a degree of fear.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin and Wrecker are both staggered by the banshee scream; she goes flying sideways and rolls into a ball, clutching her ears reflexively. It's loud. Painfully loud. On a scale Caitlin's only encountered a few times before.

Fortunately it saves her from being clobbered by Wrecker's crowbar; a hit for a hit is a hard game to play with someone armed with enchanted weapons.

She rolls to her knees, wincing and eyes fluttering in the face of the tremendous force assailing her. Caitlin grits her teeth and forces herself to lower her hands from her ears, though it clearly takes plenty of effort to do so.

Perhaps it's willpower, maybe it's just pluck or tolerance for acoustic assaults. Either way, the redhead flings herself on Wrecker while he's dazed and ties his arm up with a complex joint lock before trapping his throat behind her knee and applying a blood choke to try and knock him out.

Roy Harper has posed:
Normally, Roy would be worried about that fall from the roof to the ground, but he knows Piledriver is no ordinary guy, and that he'll survive it -- likely more pissed off at Roy than he was when the whole ordeal started. But it's the scream that has him sliding off the top of the maintenance unit on top of the roof and hitting the deck behind it. "Holy sh.." he trails off and covers his ears. Then, he's running toward the alley to peer over the side to see if he can see what made that noise, because that was ear-splitting, and there was glass flying, and that was the direction he'd seen the blonde from the restaurant running. Hopefully she's okay. He reaches the edge and peers down, trying to see if he can find her.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
Wrecker was not at all prepared for any of that. So, while Piledriver is busy trying to pull his aching skull out of a metal dumpster he slammed into, Wrecker is getting grabbed from behind and his crowbar is hitting the pavement. He grunts and struggles as he is put into the hold, shaking his head and grunting out a pained, "Damn...bi...t..." And then he is going out slowly. His eyes are going out even as Roy is heading for the alleyway.

The scream is slowed to a stop and when Roy looks over the edge, he can see something that might terrify most and even give pause to some stronger. A skeletal figure with short white hair and glowing eyes is staring in the direction of where Bulldozer went. The figure's hands are clenched and it looks toward Bulldozer balefully before it seems to hear something and those glowing eyes whip up toward Roy, staring at him. A moment later, the thing lets out another scream though this one lacks the brutal power of the last one. Instead it seems to cause the thing's form to dissolve and then it's gone, disappearing before Roy's eyes.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin holds the choke for long enough to be sure Wrecker isn't faking it. Just to be safe, she reaches over and pinches his upper lip. Hard. A conscious person would be all but unable to pretend it's not agony. Wrecker doesn't seem to be faking it, though, so she lets him go and rolls to her feet. Steel cables are torn from a nearby bench and he's efficiently hogtied in short order. Caitlin might have a second career in the rodeo someday!

"Arrow!" she shouts, over-loud. She holds one hand over her ear, pops her jaw, tries again. "Arrow! Are you okay?" she shouts, looking for her friend.

The crowbar on the ground gets flipped over onto the roof with a flick of Caitlins' boot. She's smart enough to know not to mess with potentially cursed relics that are the Source Of Someone's Power. It'll be safe enough until Damage Control arrives. She turns to Thunderball and uses his own flail to lash his wrists behind him, and pins his wrists to the ground behind him with a steel spike driven through one of the indestructible links.

"Any other takers?" she demands of Bulldozer and Piledriver.

Roy Harper has posed:
Whoah. Roy Harper blinks in surprise. Whatever he'd been expecting to see when he'd peered over that ledge -- that wasn't it. The skeletal figure with the red eyes suddenly screaming and disappearing has him taking a step or two back from the ledge, not entirely certain if he saw what he just saw. It takes him a moment of processing to register that Caitlin is yelling at him and not someone else.

He runs over to the other edge of the roof and peers down at Caitlin, lifting a hand in a wave. "Up here," he calls out. "I'm alright." And then he begins the process of coming down the fire escapes, nimbly descending to the ground to walk over, looking for the box and headband to return them to the scientist and check on him. "You alright, buddy?" he asks the guy once he's located the box, carrying it back over to return it.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
Bulldozer, for her part is just laying there, not really in any way moving. She is not at all sure what she saw or felt. That was something she'd never expected to run into in the least. Wrecker is out cold and tied up. Thunderball is tied up with his own ball and chain. Honestly, he's not gonna like that. Piledriver is the only one left and he has his head slammed into the wrong side of a dumpster and he is exhausted. He has done little other than get his butt kicked this whole time.

"If you can get my face out of the trash, I'll give up!" He calls out and slumps a little in his predicament. Cops are already showing up and they are bringing the big restraints as they were told it was the Wrecking Crew. As for whatever screamed? It's long gone.