4382/Cass Meet Cass

Cass Meet Cass
Date of Scene:	12 December 2020
Location:	Pearl River Mart
Synopsis:	Cassie gets kidnapped (probably not for the last time.) Fortunately she gets mentored by an overqualified assassin and learns to choke out her first victim. Scott is also present and has no idea what's going on.
Cast of Characters:	Cassandra Cain, Scott Lang

---

Cassandra Cain has posed:
On a relatively blah afternoon, the Dynamic Duo of Scott and Cassie are on their way back from Home Depot. No, not that one, that one's closed for renovations. I know, it's ironic to me too. Still, they have a destination in mind and the fact that gunfire has broken out ahead is completely irrelevant!

"I can help!" Cassie insists, which she likely would try to do but the fact that she assumes her father is going to save the day is lovely, admirable...and she is so not coming.

A group of men rush out of a bank just up ahead, carrying bags. They're wearing masks, which is lovely and all (one is a very nice shade of vermillion) but they're also armed. Armed, and dangerous.

There does not appear to be any other heroes at the moment, which means that Cassie is right about one thing at least. Dad's got hero'ing to do.

She's never been more proud.

Scott Lang has posed:
"You are SIX. Even that freakshow Batman doesn't go around with six year olds following him. Stay in the car, keep the doors locked until I get back," Scott sternly tells his daughter. Cassie of course pouts but she can tell by his tone this isn't a good time to playfully disobey the rules. Scott tosses her his phone to play games as he parks well back from the crimescene, a few people on the streets screaming and pointing while sirens go off, both in the bank and from up the street. Police would be here soon but, well Scott was here first.

He steps out of the car and lifts his chin in his best dramatic hero pose he can, something that doesn't work very well when you're stepping out of a Honda Accord alas. He walks down the street, shedding his jacket and tossing it on the hood of his car revealing the Ant-Man suit underneath. A click of a button at his neck causes his helmet to snap up into place while the group of men pile into a waiting van. His voice magnified by the helmet's FUNCTIONAL speakers, Scott calls out, "Hey fellows! We really need your PIN number if you're going to make a withdrawal.!"

The several armed men pause and look at the ludicrously dressed red and black man in the middle of the street with the weird helmet and without a word all point and begin firing at him. The second the first gun lifts though Scott is already shrinking, seeming to vanish before their eyes as he starts leaping and sprinting towards the getaway vehicle which is now bigger than a mountain to him.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Bullets riddle a storefront behind where Scott was standing, giving an instant lesson to Cassie about paying attention to where you're standing when you get the bad guys' attention. Daddy didn't do that in front of the car, so she was safe! But the nice store is in danger, so that's an issue.

Planning is hard, guys!

Two of the guys in the van lean out, looking for a target now that the man's vanished. Really tiny people are notoriously hard to spot, and Scott taking good advantage of that means that the bullets stop flying too. Except for one guy who's really really excited..

A few people on the street are hitting cover, getting behind things. Civilians can usually be obliged to get out of the way, though there's one asian chick who seems to be peering into a television in a window nearby. She's not in danger, but may in fact not be aware of the trouble.

In reality it's Cass though, and she just doesn't think she's needed. Bank robberies are boring. Still, she's around.

And Cassie yelps suddenly, as one of Really Excited Guy's bullets hits the Honda, and she immediately ducks! She pops the door and ducks BEHIND the car, getting more metal between her and bullets.

Scott Lang has posed:
For most heroes this kind of work probably was boring. Scott was still new enough to get a thrill out of it though as he zips under the car as the bad guys start getting back in.

"Where'd he go? Some sort of invisible guy?"

"Teleporter?"

"Maybe he disintegrated!"

"Shut up you idiots, I don't care where he is, he ain't here so lets go!" This finally prompts the driver to put their foot on the gas, which lets the van get about six feet before it jerks to a stop.

"What in the hel...uh guys, I found him..." says the driver as he looks in the rear-view mirror to see Ant-Man again, only this time about 60 feet tall, crouched down pinching the rear of their van with his fingers.

"Hey guys," Scott's voice having much more of a booming quality. "Let me sing you a song. Now this is a story all about how, my life got flipped turned upside down," the gigantic goof melodically tells them. Alas they don't get the rest of the lyrics as he casually flips the van forward, the men hollering inside as it overturns onto its roof and they crash into what was the ceiling, not one of them wearing a seatbelt. Well, almost all, as the rear doors open one gunman spills out onto the street unnoticed by Scott with the van blocking most of his view still since he was crouched.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Must not be Fresh Prince fans.

The men in the van are not having the best luck escaping, and for once Scott has managed to keep collateral damage to ...zero? There might be a lady who seems a little upset, but....zero? THIS IS AMAZING! Nothing can stop him this time! The guys in the van are scrambling to get upright, to keep from being caught, to...

The guy outside the van takes off. He ducks behind cover, trying to keep the Real Big Guy from seeing him, and finds himself still in trouble.

"Fuuuu*censored*" he says, keeping it clean in proper thug fashion. Then he looks around desperately. The asian chick is right there. There's some other girl. Uh. Can't think. What to do. WHAT TO DO!!!

Ten seconds later the guy's got his gun on BOTH of them. "IN THE CAR!" He points, he waves his gun. The little girl looks scared, glancing often toward the Giant.

The asian girl, however, looks at the man with the gun, at the girl, then...shrugs. And walks to the car, opening the back door, and urges the little girl inside. She then hops in herself, buckles up, and sits quietly.

Cassie looks stunned.

Scott Lang has posed:
     The men inside the van aren't getting anywhere as Scott picks the vehicle up in both hands. One of them starts to reach for a gun again, prompting Scott to give the thing a shake like a snowglobe bouncing them around inside again with some pitiful wails before he sets it back down on the street behind him as the police come around the corner at last. "Officers here you go, five...four?" Scott picking the van back up and peering inside at the bruised and battered thugs. Hadn't there, hadn't there been more when this started? He sets the van back down and looks up the street...just in time to see Cassie and another girl getting ushered into his car at gunpoint. "No," he whispers, shrinking back down to his normal scale and sprinting down the street as the police behind him holler for him to stop, there was still paperwork to do.

"Stop! STOP! Let my girl go! Cassie! Cassie it's OK, Daddy is here!" Scott no longer sounding like a hero as he drops his helmet. Now he was just a scared father and his face showed it. He wasn't a man of implacable calm, especially not in the face of danger to his little girl. His arms out wide he's almost hyperventilating as he says, "We can work this out!"

Cassandra Cain has posed:
The guy manages to get the car going at that point, the doors locking automatically. He waves the gun at Cass and Cassie, as the car starts to take off leaving Daddy behind, and while the asian girl may be rolling her eyes at the way the guy waves the gun, she does glance at the girl for a moment.

The guy is shouting things, much of which is grateful swearing and the rest just threats, 'Keep down and shut up!' is high on his list apparently. To be honest he's not the best driver either.

Cass however smiles at the little lady, then gives a little wave to get her attention. She mimes breathing to Cassie, motioning to herself and takes deep, long breaths. She gives a noncommittal wave at the gun-toting thug where Cassie can see it, showing a complete lack of fear. We're fine, it's all fine.

Deep breaths.

Scott Lang has posed:
"No! NO!" Scott hollers as the car starts to move. He wasn't letting his daughter leave his sight. There wasn't enough time to grow, too much fear of what might happen to her if he did. So he goes for the opposite, shrinking and leaping onto the hood, rolling and dropping into the groover where the windshield wipers lie.

Meanwhile in the car Cassie is sniffling, her eyes watering but not yet crying. "You're mean! My daddy is an Avenger! He's gonna kick your butt!" she vows, causing the thug to narrow his eyes.

"An Avenger? Then you might be a better bargain than I thought! Hear that? I might not even need you ya slant," the thug chortling at his racist slur. Meanwhile Cassie has begun to notice her fellow hostage, her lip pouted but then curiousity beginning to show on her face at the display of courage. She starts trying her best to follow through with the deep breathing even as the car veers wildly through traffic.

Something Scott is distinctly aware of as he clings to the wipers and then starts trying to climb around. If he can get to a side window he thinks he can bust in and put a stop to this, he'd just have to be quick to hit the brakes after he gets the gun, keep the car from swerving hard...a million things could go wrong. Getting spotted wasn't on his list of things though as he looks up at one point to check on things and finds the thug staring at him. "Bug on the windshield!" sneers the thug as he flicks the wipers on and then pulls the washer fluid! Scott screams as he starts hanging on for dear life as he's hammered with the stream of chemicals and thrown back and forth in addition to the wild movements and winds of the car's acceleration. "Ca-ss-ie! I'm com-ing!" he screams between pulses of the wipers.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
If you think that's got Cassie amazed, what happens next has her jaw hanging open like it may never close again.

As she tries to breathe, the asian lady smiles. It's encouraging, and she glances into the front where the guy is fiddling with the car's levers, trying to get the car through traffic, trying to deal with the bug on the windshield, but not particularly paying attention to the girls.

So she reaches over the seat, takes his gun, and sits back down.

Cassie sees this with eyes like dinner plates, as the asian girl smiles. She shows Cassie the gun, then points to the clip. She helps the girl...take out the bullets...

And then she shows her teeth, and leans back over the seat, putting the gun back where she found it.

All without a sound. Then with Cassie's undivided attention, even in this situation, she helps the girl hide the bullets under the seat.

"Avengers, huh!? Don't impress me none," the guy says from the front seat, taking his gun back up. "I got all I need right here! Who's your daddy then? You one of Stark's brats?"

Scott Lang has posed:
Cassie watches all of this while still working on the deep breathing the quiet teen had shown her. It was helping even if she was doing it a bit deeper and faster than she should. But it was her first time and under pressure! When she finally is asked to speak though her sniffling has stopped and her eyes are no longer watering. In fact there's a bit of confidence in her voice. "Mr. Tony isn't my Dad! It's Ant-Man, and he's gonna punch you right in your stupid brain!" she exults.

"You tell em Cassie! Daddy is coming!" squeals Scott who can feel his arms starting to tire.

"Ant-man? Wait..." the thug putting two and two together as he looks at the bug flicking on his wipers again. "IT IS YOU! Well lets see if your Daddy can save you after he's splattered all over the road!" chuckles the thug as he calmly picks up his gun and turns the wipers off.
     Scott falls back into the groove between the hood of the car and the windshield when the wipers suddenly stop while the robber points the pistol at him through the glass, still driving with the other hand. "Adios Ant-Man," he sneers, Scott staring down the barrel of a gun that must look like an artillery piece to him. The trigger pulls and...click. Click click click. Scott and the man both look at the gun in some amazement. "What the hell?"

Cassandra Cain has posed:
In the back seat, Cass is giving Cassie a lesson. They're going through the stuff in Cassie's pockets, and when the girl shows she's got a crayon, Cass beams in encouragement. She puts her finger over her lips, keep quiet little one, and shows her how to brace it in her hand. She forms a fist around the crayon, which one assumes could be used with other writing utensils, and then helps Cassie to understand how it's just become a weapon.

When that's done she pulls off her shirt, keeping low so the driver can't see. She's in a bra, and Cassie's reaction being that of a young-but-growing lady, she gives a smile. This is okay too, just don't let them see you.

Then she's slipping the shirt around the guy's neck from behind, and yanking on it. Both hands.

She even motions Cassie over to try it for herself, since a quick twist around the headrest has given her MORE than enough leverage to hold the man's neck. A moment later the little girl is throttling the thug, and Cass (Orphan) is sitting back watching the carnage.

As the car starts to swerve madly! Luckily Daddy is out there, and in position to do some good.

Scott Lang has posed:
With a giant in front of him wielding a gun that holds bullets bigger than Scott, it's no wonder neither the thug nor Scott notice what the two hapless 'damsels-in-distress' are doing in the backseat. Well at least not until the choking begins and the car goes from reckless driving to out of control mayhem as it sideswipes a car on the left, another on the right, and then keeps heading straight on for the back of a truck with no signs of slowing.

"Cassie! No I'll save you!" Scott all but screeches, the complete opposite of calm and composed the two women have managed to maintain. It was rather like the opposite of what happened earlier with the van as Scott expands, carefully moving his weight off the car and instead bracing his hands in front of it as he grows. It's a bit less safe too now that they were moving in traffic, his feet sliding and then smashing into other bits of traffic before he's finally big enough to actually halt the speeding Accord. He didn't want to damage his own vehicle of course, so he braces the front end of the vehicle on top a fire hydrant like a jack, the two front wheels left spinning uselessly as Scott sizes back to normal. The carkeys still in his pocket, there's a 'clunk' as he unlocks the doors and opens the driver side door...and promptly decks the choked thug across the jaw dropping him unconscious.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
The cue to put her shirt back on is taken, the fabric reeling into the back seat as the girls high-five each other. Cassie looks up from the back, beaming. "Daddy! You saved us!" She knows that she actually did all the heavy lifting this time, but she's learned long ago that Daddy needs to be told this from time to time. It keeps him smiling, and daddy smiles are good.

Cass, in the back, pops her head through the neck hole of her shirt, then adjusts the fit with a quick tug. She unlocks the door (they aren't child-locked or anything) and hops out, looking about as if she's wondering where she is, or what happened.

When in reality she's trying to figure out which bus to take to get back. She was shopping when this started, darnit.

Cassie comes out next. She looks pretty darn good for a kid who's just been though a very harrowing experience! "Daddy! The car's funny," she says, peeking underneath it. Then she pauses. "Are you okay?" He seems out of breath after all. She's a good little first aider.

Scott Lang has posed:
"CASSIE!" Scott bawls, and he's the one who sounds like he's in tears and in need of breathing lessons as he snatches Cassie into his arms in a bearhug. "Cassie, Cassie, Cassie, oh my god sweetie I'm so sorry Daddy will never ever let that happen to you again you're never leaving the house till you're 30 oh my god don't tell your mother," babbles Scott as he hugs his daughter and sways back and forth with her in his arms, his eyes closed as he just fusses over her.

"Daddy, too tight," complains Cassie with a squirm, managing to free one arm from her father's restrictive embrace to point at Cassandra. "And she helped save me!" Cassie points out.

At that point, well it doesn't really matter how much martial arts training Cassandra may have, there was no escaping the embrace Scott had for her. One moment she's standing there cool, calm and collected, and the next she too finds herself nearly lifted off her feet in Scott's overly fond bearhug as he draws her in and mashes her to him and Cassie. "OH my god thank you so much! You took care of my babygirl! What's your name? What can I do for you?! What do you want for Christmas? You're invited over for all the holidays," Scott assures her as he (lightly) manhandles Cassandra swinging back and forth. He wasn't even Giant-man, but a scared father's andrenaline is almost as good as super strength!

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cassandra's eyes go wide as she's hugged. It's not that she doesn't know ways out of the hold, or couldn't have avoided it or something (throat punch comes to mind) but she doesn't hate this guy enough to cause him harm.

She says a firm "Za?" as if it's forced out of her lungs, uncertain if she's made word noise or just expelled oxygen before its standardized release date. Still, she lets the guy hug it out as she rolls her eyes for Cassie once more.

She motions to the girl, indicating the crayon, and looks at Scott meaningfully, but apparently Cassie is not willing to punch her daddy with a crayon in order to save her helper from a hug.

So she is forced to go to Macdonalds, where she continues to not talk, Scott and Cassie happy to fill all of the verbal gaps. But she does not have a Big Mac, damnit.

Rice and fish, though she pores over a filet-o-fish for a while before deciding that it's scary, and sneaking out the window. She may have taught Cassie how to punch with a Happy Meal toy during that time, but that's between Cassandras.

Private.