7325/Clarification

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Clarification
Date of Scene: 11 August 2021
Location: Air field
Synopsis: John goes to talk to Beatriz, only to have to deal with a Starro controlled Shazam while Beatriz nearly splats.
Cast of Characters: Billy Batson, John Stewart, Beatriz da Costa




Billy Batson has posed:
Something is wrong. That was all the Wisdom of Solomon could contribute. Shazam floats above the jack knifed big rig, transport really. The windshield is cracked from the cab flopping on the side. The window has a a single small hole through it, dead drive inside. YEs a gun did this, not the crash. The blood is on the inside. So one shooter inside.

Shazam zips to the back of the transport, more of a reinforced bus than a cab and trailer he sees. He rips the doors open.

The lights are out and Shazam peers into the dark, then enters. In the gloom, he barely sees the figure shambling towards him. Oh. No. Get Bea! She'll know what to do! He gets the phone out of his pocket and activates it. Speed of Mercury and all that. The locator is already on.

Bea daCosta hears Shazam's scream, cut off.

John Stewart has posed:
It had taken a bit to get up to Happy Harbor, but John was fine with that. He needed to get used to his new Motorcycle anyway. Yes, John /drove/ up to Happy Harbor on a motorcycle; a hybrid electrical, to be specific.

Wearing a biker jacket and some of the more fashionable clothing Beatriz gave to him when he went clothes shopping the other day, he walks to up her home and knocks firmly three times, waiting.

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
YoungBea answers her phone. "Billy, where are you? We were supposed to go to that guy who can maybe fix all this?" This gets out of her mouth even before Shazam's scream is finished. Then the phone cuts off. But Bea's equipment ('liberated' from her prior service years and kept up to date) quickly locate the source of ...

Shit. No flame.

It's close enough to drive. She grabs her helmet and opens the door and...

...runs headlong into John. The fact that there was knocking registers about half a second later.

"Oh, hey, babe, sorry, I gotta run." The 14? 15? year old girl who answers the door talks with familiarity to John. "Friend is in trouble and I can't fla..."

Beat.

"Wait, can you take me to there?" She waves the printout with the map in his face.

Beat.

"Sorry, I'm really muddled. Forgot."

And said girl is in John's arms, planting a kiss that is just barely this side of indecent on his lips.

"I know we gotta talk and stuff, but ... this sounds bad. It's Captain Thu... Sorry, Shazam. He's in trouble. I'm sure of it."

Loads of mixed signals. Looks like Bea's younger sister, but kisses like Bea.

"Can you fly me?"

John Stewart has posed:
There's a whole two seconds as John stares at the young sister of Beatriz, who just treated him like they're a thing. Then, John mentally commands the Power Ring on his finger to do a scan of the girl. It's not like he hides his identity... but the faniliar way he's being treated by her gets him worried. A bright green glow flits over her from his finger, clearly scanning her.

Once the results pop up in his brain, John scowls, deeply. "Wait. What?" Soon, his cognitive thoughts catch up to the instinct that tells him something is going on, and he actually looks at the map.... or he was, until Beatriz kisses him hard enough to make him forget what was happening.

"Beatriz. Slow down, you just threw about five things at once at me. Fly to who?" He looks her over in his arms, having no problems with holding her for now, "Why are you de-aged?"

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
"My friend, Shazam. He's one of us. Empowered. Well, like you right now 'cause mine are all gone." Bea's skills at explanation seem to fall apart when she's excited. "And I don't know why I'm like this. It just happened last night and I turned back for a while, then I was back to this and we don't have time. This friend of mine he's very strong. If he's screaming it's something big. We need to do something fast!"

Screaming?

"Can you take me here or do I need to grab my bike?"

The bike that's probably about 300 more brake horse power than her young body could possibly hope to control.

John Stewart has posed:
There's a moment as John stares at her, then, he puts her down. Right there, what he's wearing is replaced with the Green Lantern uniform and glowing green eyes. He aims his ring to the ground, and a field forms around the both of them. "Ring, I need all information on Shazam."

As he speaks, John and Beatriz start flying up into the air. Mach 1, Mach 2, 3... 4. John is accelerating HARD for the location that was described.

"I only use my motorcycle for casual traveling and sightseeing. Flying takes power."

Indeed, Beatriz would feel like she weighs nothing in the field, and can 'swim' in it without any effort... even as the world speeds by around her. It's almost like being a passenger on an aircraft, only without the aircraft... or any inertia... or weight.

Billy Batson has posed:
Yes.

"Why is Bea de-aged! She's usually the brains in all this! She wouldn't have gotten snagged!" Billy Batson gets up from a hard stone floor.

Wait. He never said his word. "Shazam!" Nothing. This looks like the Train Station. It's with a sudden mental leap that he realizes he's locked in his own head. No mentors. He's cut off. Very well. Whatever is doing this has failed to reckon with the sheer willpower of a sixteen year old boy! Often exceeded by the willpower of a fourteen year old girl... if she's Brazilian. Billy concentrates. He is rewarded by a flash of sight as he flies through a bridge, sending it crashing into a ravine.

He gasps, take a moment and tries again, raging at his weakness.

Now Shazam is ripping up a road. He realizes with a start Shazam is quickly isolating the small town near where he got captured.

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
"Wheeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The memories. Thoughts. They're of a 30 year old. The bodily reactions are those of an inexperienced girl. And those reactions are pouring every combination of "thrill/fear" hormones into her body they can ... which she's reacting to with sheer, raw joy.

That's a clue about her. She's always been, it seems, an adrenaline junkie.

"This is what it's like to fly for you? So much easier than me..."

Bea's spirits drop like a concussed be.

"...I mean back when I could fly," she mutters to herself. "So much trickier. Have to concentrate."

John Stewart has posed:
"The ring converts my will and thoughts into reality. This is harder than it looks for me, but I've had years to master it." John informs Beatriz as they fly. "I'm willing this field to be maintained, and to keep the fields atmosphere smooth for both of us. The ring is maintaining an aerodynamic profile via the onboard intelligence, which is right now compiling a report on Shazam for me. I think it's taking data from the Central Battery right now, since it's delayed."

John looks to her with a smirk, "You'd make an interesting Green Lantern yourself, with your attitude."

Billy Batson has posed:
The ring reports in flight, <<Minimal information on Shazam. Subject appeared relatively recently. Has demonstrated near-Kryptonian strength and durability, lightning speed, flight, and the ability to fire bolts of lightning. Shazam came to public attention fighting the Juggernaut (top level threat). The fight destroyed several blocks in Downtown Manhattan. >>

The roads and bridges leading to Jonesville are torn up. The bridges are in ruin. A huge earthen wall is raised in places cutting off the town. From a nearby local airfield a barrage of lightning sparks, followed by several explosions.

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
First there's an *OOF!* noise as full-Bea arrives on the scene, growing inside her clothing (which is really NOT suited to flight, come to think of it, seeing as it's a skirt) and getting her waistband cutting into her until she hurriedly loosens the inner drawstrings.

Then there's joyous whooping as full-Bea realizes that she's back, baby! You can tell this is the case because she says "I'm back, baby!" Only a few dozen decibels louder.

Then there's an uncomfortable amount of heat as her body self-immolates and John finds himself flying alongside 2000 degree girl. "That lightning is probably him. I'll head there and find out what's going on. I've got my JL comm on, and I know your ring can tune in. Can you sweep over and use your thingies in the ring to figure out what's going where while I see what Captain Th... SHAZAM is doing?

And then she peels off, comfortably navigating at Mach 4 as she soars straight to where the lightning was seen.

And anybody trying to hurt Captain Thun... *sigh* ...Shazam is going to find out what "mess with me, mess with my friends" really means.

It will be scorched earth. Literally.

John Stewart has posed:
"Can tune in? Probably, but I'm not a member of the League and I'm not looking to join anyone just yet. I just-" And then she's flying off, amd John opens the field just long enough to her her fly on her own... because what's he gonna do, keep her from helping a friend, despite the obvious issue? He can at least follow her so he can catch her when (not if) she gets turned back.

While he follow her, John indeed aims his ring in the general direction of the town, scanning to determine what's going on. It should be easy enough to catch her when she falls from this distance at least, so he breaks off and flies top speed towards the town to determine the situation.

Billy Batson has posed:
The reveal. Bea can see Captain Thu... Shazam -dammit! standing in mid-air over a runway. A group of fuel tanks is already a blaze. Several planes on the runway are smoking, their wiring shorted out. Shazam slowly turns to reveal the purple and red starfish covering his upper face. The parasite's single eye blinks at her approach.

In his headspace Billy has screamed himself hoarse to no avail. He blinks and sees a moment of Bea flying up.

No. Let her alone. Don't...

Don't what? Thoughts without words assail him.

"Don't you think she looks lovely?"

Shazam blasts at Fire with his lightning. The shot goes wide. Fire is not harmed.

Pan watches. "No I placed my sigil on her! No transformation this time! Zeus' beard! You get a free pass for the fight my bootylicious immolator!" Then he withdraws into his little fold in space, because the guy  withthe ring may cause problems. The ring thinks and it knows things.

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
"Why are you...?" Bea sees the lighting building up. Sees it aimed. Starts to jink way too late to avoid it... and it misses.

What's going on?

"Shazam! Why are you wearing a starfish on you... OH!"

She gets it.

"One piece of microsurgery coming up!"

It's a gamble, but ... Shazam had no problems with explosions so...

A bolt of bright green flame leaps from her fingers straight onto Shazam's face, aimed for the starfish in the middle, trying to hit it and then envelope the whole head in its searing plasma.

"I EAT MY STARFISH GRILLED!" she shouts at it.

John Stewart has posed:
With Shazam distracted briefly, John flies right down to one of the walls, aims his ring at it, and scans it. How much force does he need to exert to explode this wall and give civilians a path out? The ring finds out, then John wills a wave of concussive force through his ring to explode a good quarter mile of the wall... as many waves of force that are necessary, anyway.

Then he flies off, beelining right for Shazam as he aims the ring to scan HIM next.

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy notes the Train Station is turning green and it's getting hot. Screaming didn't work. Now he sits down. There are many ways to empower your focus, your will.

Angelica Jones was the most willful person he knew. He hasn't met Green Lanterns yet. Sorry Bea. Where Bea had fire embody her will, Angelica...

Billy looks down to see a flute in his hand. Yes. It took willpower to master this. He puts the flute to his mouth and begins playing.

Despite Bea's efforts, Shazam does not fall. The starfish seems agitated and... steamed. Shazam fires another bolt of lightning at Bea.

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
This bolt hits. Lightning spears straight through Fire and splatters green flames in a conical shape behind her as she continues advancing.

This causes quite the display as the cone flies back in a loop around her, like a skirt billowing in wind, to reform her.

"THAT HURT, PUXAO!" she shouts. "YOU GET OFFA MY FRIEND!"

And another burst of flame strikes Shazam's head and envelopes it as she thunders past, hitting him with her delicate sonic boom.

On comms her voice comes in, crackling from the impact of the lightning as if ready to fail.

"I can't get it offa him, John. You have any ideas? Right now I'm keepin' that thing focused on me so you can figure somethin' out."

Beat.

"How the civvies?"

John Stewart has posed:
"I gave them a way out. If we keep him focused on us, they'll be fine. We can do cleanup later." John states with all the coolness on a man used to assessing situations. The field is dropped around him, and he replaces it with a shield focused in the direction of Shazam as he reads the scan of him in his mind, "The connection is physical and mental, but I'm not seeing anything that would cause damage if I try regular force."

Indeed, John flies right at Shazam... and stops just close enough to create a number of cvonstructs of Green Oan energy. First, two bands of energy snap around his torso and legs as John tries to keep him in place. Second, a blindfold is created around his eyes. Third, two sets of pliars form on either side of Starro. Both grab the starfish at once and start /pulling/ at it.

John is putting hyperfocus on all three constructs, so it will be /very/ hard to Starro to try to remove or destroy them. Beatriz can see a harsh look of concentration on John even if she looks his way. It's not easy to do this against a near-Kryptonian being.

One thing of curiosity though; Hal's constructs are always simple and hollow... John marks a major difference in methods from Hal in that his constructs are amazingly detailed, right down to the bolts on the joints of the pliar sets.

Billy Batson has posed:
And one of those green bolts pings and flies off the torso's band then another as Shazam tears at it with his hand. The other hand flies to the blindfold it begins to give even as the pincers move the starfish.

In the Train Station stops playing as his mind pulls an M. Knight style scene out, his mentors hanging on a wall, each with a starfish on his neck.

That is a definite change in the wind! Billy jumps up and grabs at the starfish clamped to the mentor in Greek armor, Achilles. He starts pulling at it but it isn't moving... yet!

Keep it up! It's working!" he yells.

Shazam shudders and stops his struggles for a moment. He groans.

"Fire... it'd working..."

John Stewart has posed:
His teeth grit from exertion as one of the constructs breaks apart, disappearing from reality as he focuses on those pliars briefly. Rope emits from his ring next as brings it under the starfish... and ties it around Starro. Then, John starts flying /backwards/ away from Shazam, the Pliars working with the newly constructed rope to try to support one another.

By this time, his brow is furrowed, and sweat starts to form from the sheer amount of will he's exerting to not just maintain this.. but to keep both constructs intact despite Shazam's interference.

"Shazam... you... need... to..." John grits out, but unable to say more without ruining his focus.

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy feels the starfish on Uncle Achilles shift and grins. "My mind you creep! Well all right these guys sort of live here too but they're cool."

Shazam struggles with the rope, probably causing John to grit his teeth. Bea flies in closer and... sees something of the boy she knows now, that biting of the lower lip.

"You can do it Captain Thunder Sparkle Fingers!"

In his mind Billy gets the starfish off Achilles and the old soldier gives him the nod. As John sees three arms of the creature are pried free and flail.

Achilles says, "Do not bother with the Hebrew King dear, lovely boy -my heart's son. You know what to do... you hardly need me for this." Billy nods.

"Shazam!" A bolt splits the sky and the starfish comes free. The light is blinding, even to the two warriors of light and fire. The constructs are far too big and allow the smaller Billy to slip through where he falls on the runway retching and sneezing.

John Stewart has posed:
Flying backwards and suddenly losing the ropes from that amount of energy? The constructs don't even fade, they simply aren't there anymore... and John goes flying down and back.

His uniform is still there, but the green glow in his eyes is gone as he smashes through a hangar wall... the rings emergency protection system forming a field around him so he doesn't get hurt from the force.

John is out for a few seconds, dazed on the hangar floor.

Billy Batson has posed:
Shazam continues hocking up starfish snot. He is unaware of the burnt creature, waving feebly near him. It slowly raises up to begin crawling back to him.

Billy starts to get up. The kid might make a Green Lantern yet! "Fire? Fire? That was a big blast of sparkles. She might be a kid again. He looks around and sees the starfish crawling toward him. "Oh carp!" He backs away, none to steady himself.

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
Fire is coming back in for the kill. Scorching flame heralds her second coming. (Shut up John!) One. Two. Three. Ten individual bolts of green flame aimed at where the little starfish is in the sky, being torn off by green plyers and rope. They streak toward the creature when ...

Shazam.

Dammit!

Young-Bea appears in the air, tumbling as her supersonic flight is VERY suddenly halted, generating a massive sonic boom as her far more substantial flesh body displaces a huge amount of air all of a sudden. Tossed, turned, and knocked unconscious she carries on in a ballistic arc across the sky.

Billy falls.

Starfish falls.

Starfish tries to retake Billy.

And ... stray bolt of flame, now unguided, zorches it where it stands on the runway, burning a hole through it. Through the asphalt. Deep into the earth.

Anybody up for fried Starfish?

If there is, it's not Bea, however. She's too busy starting the downward arc of her flopping trajectory in an epic rendezvous with grisly death below. Unless something can be done to stop it.

Like changing her back...

John Stewart has posed:
Shaking it off, John stands up, puts a hand to his head, and walks unsteadily out the hangar he just wrecked. Only to see Beatriz falling to the ground.

John wastes no time in aiming his ring between the ground and Beatriz, and a green slide catches her as she's falling, letting her 'slide' harmlessly to the ground. Once down, the construct fades, and his eyes are once again glowing green as he looks to the kid.

"Earth got a lot weirder since I left." John deadpans as he starts walking over to Beatriz, aiming his ring at her and constructing a perfect copy of something fashionable she was wearing the other day.

Billy Batson has posed:
Shazam gets up and says, "Oh thank gods! The awkward begins to burn. " He still runs to his little Aunt Bea and gives her a hug that lifts her off her feet, then holds her away.

"-the heck were you /thinking/ running over here when you're switching back and forth!?" His hands go to her face, shoulders, waist taking inventory. "You're okay? It is not fun being depoweredwhenyou'regoingthatfastithapenedwhenIwasracingNitro and you can't do /shit/ like that!!!" He hugs her again, big brother mode -unlocked.

"So be careful..." he says releasing her. Then he hugs her again.

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
LittleBea, after flopping horrifically in the air, getting slid to the ground and clothed by the kindness of strangers--well, not that strange, really!--is still pretty groggy, verging on passing out when ...

Shazam!

... is all over her scolding her and hugging her to the point of unconsciousness and back.

Her reponse?

She sighs.

Two men fussing over her. Two really handsome men who ... DAMMIT BEA! STOP! YOU KNOW THIS IS JUST YOUR TEENAGE YEARS REPLAYING!

She sighs again, though this time her eyes aren't sparkling like a bad japanimation. It's more a resigned sigh.

"What was I supposed to do?" she says chidingly, without actually sounding like chiding. "Leave you to be taken over by seafood?"

Ouch. That's going to hurt Starro's feelings.

"Don't you get it? If it's me or the world, world wins. I had a good, fun life. It's OK if I go out in a blaze of glory. That's what hero means, right? Making that choice to put others over you."

John Stewart has posed:
John stands there, a light beam of energy emitting from the Power Ring on his right hand. He simply watches, before he shakes his head. "My ring is reliable and fully powered, but I understand what you're saying." John grunts, "Should have stayed near the ground at least though."

John takes a look around then, finally. "Shazam, can I count on you to deal with the aftermath here, or do I need to do clean up?" John asks, politely. "I can take her home."

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy looks around, then looks at Bea, then Green Lantern. "It shouldn't be too hard. I'm going to wind up with community service again probably. Fire, you give me a call when you get home. Then I'll transform. Just to make sure no tricks. Huh." He looks at Green Lantern and then gives her another hug, far more gently this time. "You take care of her sir. She may be your date but... she's like my mom. Usually."

He steps away from her and says his name.

BOOM!

Shazam stands there and Bea... still can't ride the Cyclone. She's still a kid. Pan shakes his head in his nether space. ~I've had enough of this boring hero sacrifice nonsense, Champion! Time for the end game! I want Hellstrom and you will be far more agitated than this! Maybe we can even get that Green Lantern involved.~

John Stewart has posed:
"I can handle it." John confirms. Then, that field forms again, and an opening forms for Beatriz to step inside. "Whenever you're ready." John informs her, gently, his left hand coming up and crooking a finger in a signal to come inside.

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
The little Bea is looking vulnerable. And more than a little scared now. What she thought did the change ... didn't. It was like she was the target of the whimsy of a mad god or madder author. It wasn't fair!

At the summoning crook she steps toward the field, though at least the outfit is cool!, that's worth a brief smile, before climbing in.

"When we get back ... I'm gonna need a huge tub of triple-chocolate ice cream," she says with a sickly grin. "Can we stop off for some on the way home?"

John Stewart has posed:
The field closes behind her, and John takes off again. This time, he accelerates to max speed. "Probably a good idea to get some clothes first, don't you think?" John asks, a bit amused, "Unless you want me to keep projecting that stuff on you."

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
"You can project it on me while I buy the ice cream," Bea says with a regal tilt of her nose. "Ice cream is more important than getting clothes. Because once I get home, I'm never leaving again until we figure out why I keep flaming out!" She snorts. "OK, that was snootier than I was aiming for. Sorry. Thanks for helping me too when I needed it."

A sigh, deep as the day is long, escapes her lips. "I flamed out a few years back. Doomsday. I thought it was gone forever and ... it was ... kind of a relief. But now? It's driving me crazy. I LIKE the lifestyle!"

John Stewart has posed:
John also sighs, though it sounds more like a resigned sigh than anything else. "Ok. It's only a couple minutes." There's no poutiness to his voice, but there's no anger in his tone, at least.