8859/Well At Least He's Not Trying To Rob A Train

Well At Least He's Not Trying To Rob A Train
Date of Scene:	29 November 2021
Location:	Midtown
Synopsis:	A valuable lesson was learned as Invicible discovered that no opponent, no matter how seemingly ridiculous should be taken lightly. Luck -- and Morgan Finn -- were on his side however and he escaped the consequences. This time.
Cast of Characters:	Mark Grayson, Morgan Finn

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Mark Grayson has posed:
It is a cold and blustery day in Midtown Manhatten, the breeze sweeping through the canyon-like streets of the city rather biting and the scent of approaching percipitation -- snow or freezing rain surely -- lingers in the air. Not the best afternoon to be out and about to be sure. But for some, where else would they really choose to be?

There is not exactly a ton of crime to be dealt with in Happy Harbor -- though perhaps more than one would expect from such a sleepy little town. And while it is a bit of a hike to come up to New York City, well, that's the advantage of the power of flight. Which is how Invincible managed to find his way here, perched up on one of the buildings, looking down on the streets below. Not to mention he could use the practice flying anyway. He absently rubs at his arms -- a habit really, to ward of the chill. Not that the cold bothers him all that much since his powers manifested. It would be wrong to want to see anyone get in trouble of course -- he wants to be a hero afterall! -- but it is a little boring admittedly. He had hoped to find something to test himself. Which is why the sudden sound of sirens, the flashing lights of police cruisers passing by on the street below catches his attention and he takes to the skies as they round the nearby corner.

A few blocks away people stop and gape on the street as a rather unlikely figure emerges from the nearby bank. Or at least he struggles to. He is in a word, older, though decrepit might hit closer to the mark and he has a great deal of difficulty in trying to fit through the door. It doesn't seem to be his age that is the problem though, but rather the fact that he has a pair of large wings strapped across his arms and shoulders, propellers prominently placed there. Each hand -- which are thrust out at ninety-degree angles from his body thanks to the wings -- hold a satchel and he scowels fiercely as he finally pushes hard enough to simply shatter the glass door, staggering out onto the steps in front of the building. "Oughta be a law! Those doors are a menace! A fire hazard! I'm glad I'm taking your money!" he bellows back at the bank as those old-time propellers start to spin.

The people of New York might be a fairly jaded lot. They've seen a lot of things. But they haven't ever seen something quite like this.

Morgan Finn has posed:
Today Morgan, too, is a long way from Happy Harbor. His arrival in Enn Why See is a bit more mundane, though. His benefactor, Diana Prince, set him up with an Uber account billed to an embassy credit card so that he could get off campus from time to time. Yeah, it's cold, but the kid doesn't seem to mind. He has a heavy winter coat on and a nice pair of boots instead of his usual Skechers. So he has been just walking around doing one of his very favorite activities: not being in Happy Harbor. One hand is tucked warmly into a pocket of the aforementioned winter coat. The other holds a steaming hot chocolate from which he takes occasional sips.

The sounds did catch his attention. He can't fly like Invincible, but he was close when it happened. He approaches the scene, watching with interest. He doesn't have flashy abilities but he can help if things go real south.

Mark Grayson has posed:
It is such an unlikely scene and the man such an unlikely figure that more than one of the onlookers actually approaches to try and offer the bank robber a helping hand to steady himself. An offer which is quite clearly declined as he shakes his upper torso somewhat wildly -- if stiffly -- waving those wings... and more ominously those spinning blades at anyone who comes to close. "Tarnation, away from me y'idjits. I don't need yer help. I don't want yer help," he barks. Now just clear a path and none of ya will get hurt," he adds, wobbling unsteadily down the stairs to the sidewalk, beginning to slowly jog down the side of the street in a sort of bent over shamble, the whine of those engines beginning to pick up.

It doesn't take much of an effort for Invincible to catch up to the patrol cars, even if he is cruising along about fifty feet overhead. Nor is it exactly difficult for the teenaged hero to determine the source of the trouble. He's just not sure he understands it. He watches as a dozen or so people clear out of the way of what looks like a man with Bi-Plane wings strapped to his shoulders shamble drunkenly down the sidewalk. Of course, for every person who clears out of the way there is another who is slow to do the same, perhaps not believing their eyes or perhaps refusing to find the strange old man a threat.

Morgan Finn has posed:
This is a job for Superman. Or at least for Invincible. Morgan doesn't have any tools in his toolbox to deal with this sort of thing. Instead, he bursts into action to start helping people clear out of the crazy, winged guy's way. He says things like "Come on, let's go outta the dude's way" and "Ma'am, please come with me" as he herds civilians out of the robber's path. He has a natural charisma and people are listening to him. Unconsciously, regular humans just respond to the words of a demigod. This has the effect of basically /helping/ the robber by clearing a path, but Morgan doesn't see it that way. He's keeping people from getting hurt. And THAT is his wheelhouse.

Mark Grayson has posed:
Concern for the bystanders in this almost laughable display is no small thing. Heroics don't always come from spandex costumes and splashy powers. Sometimes it's just a matter of a little common sense -- don't stand in the way of the crazy old guy for instance -- and a willingness to act. Which Morgan does, clearing more of the sidewalk true and helping to see that the winged thief might get airborn -- at least if that contraption on his shoulders is actually capable of flight. But he definitely keeps them from being decapitated by those whirling blades too. All things considered, most would have to put him on the right side of the ledger there.

certainly the blue and yellow-suited Invincible would number amongst them. He doesn't really understand what's going on -- not yet anyway -- but the crazy winged guy looks like he's a bit more of a menace then he seems so the teenaged hero launches himself towards the ground, his landing just a little unsteady but it does place him about twenty feet ahead of the winged man, right in front of a collection of onlookers that Morgan has not quite reached. Holding out a hand, Invincible says "Hey, easy there old timer. Someone's going to get hurt," he says with a certain amoung of bemusement in both expression and tone.

The costume is wildly impractical. For one, the wings keep his arms stiffly at his side and limit his mobility. And here on the ground, that bent over shuffle to move, the limited line of sight, none of it can be comfortable. But the man lifts his head just enough to glare towards Invincible. "Show some respect to your elders boy. What are you, ten years old? It ain't old timer. It's Bi-Plane! And don't you forgetit," he barks, trying to pick up the pace. Which is when disaster hits and the older crook trips. For a moment he is actually airborn, soaring towards the unmoving hero who looks unconcerned at the whirling propellers. Closer and closer he tumbles but instead of crashing into Invicible, the self-proclaimed Bi-Plane just barely soars over him, narrowly missing the grasping hand of the hero. Up he soars, gaining altitude, looking as if he will fly off into the sunset with his ill-gotten gains. But then he begins to bankm begins to turn back and swoop down towards the crowd. Which is when the wing mounted machine guns begin to fire. "Hahahahahaha," the old man cackles, the sound lost under the sudden loud, stacatto bursts as those guns begin to spool up and start firing at the street below.

Morgan Finn has posed:
While the self-proclaimed Bi-Plane is giving his inevitable monologue, Morgan continues his work of getting civilians out of the way. The situation is so...ridiculous that he almost looks casually unconcerned. What harm can a crazy old dude in an absurd suit with a comical villain name possibly do? Invincible should have this wrapped up and in the bag in no time. The situation is not a problem until it is...until the guns start to fire.

"What the hell?" Morgan yells out as he ducks when the gunshots start. Surely the crowd begins a collective yell of fear and starts to scatter. Near to where Morgan is standing a man in a FedEx uniform is struck by a bullet. It hits right in the back of the man's neck and his form collapses forward on the sidewalk. His face smacks right into the ground, cracking his front teeth. The bullet seems to have hit something serious in his neck because the man seems unable to move his arms and legs.

"No, no, please," Morgan says as he drops to his knees next to the man. He seems so...affected by what happened as though it were a close friend or family member instead of a total stranger. "No no no," he whispers as he places his hands on the man's neck. Morgan lets out a pained yell as bullet wounds form on his own neck and his front teeth crack. Then his paralyzed body collapses on top of the man, who now seems to have no injuries. But a paralyzed and bleeding teenager is on top of him. "Whatthefuck," the FedEx driver says as he crawls out from under Morgan, completely unharmed, though still covered in his own blood from the original wounds.

Mark Grayson has posed:
As the guns start to fire Invincible tries to throw himself in front of the line of fire but some spray past before he can react. They don't tickle, that's for sure, not at the velocity they are being fired. His father's told him that he will continue to get stronger, more difficult to hurt though how anyone can know exactly what a Viltrumite-Human hybrid will end up like Mark is not entirely sure. For now, it's not pleasant though and he grimaces as he whirls, taking those repeated strikes on his back. Which also lets him see the pair of downed figures.

A surge of guilt goes through the young hero as he watches blood pool on the sidewalk. Intellectually he knows it's not his fault, but it was just minutes ago that he was sitting up on a rooftop, legs dangling over the edge, thinking about how bored he was, almost wishing for something to happen so he would have a chance to test himself. And now it has. Not his fault. Maybe. But that doesn't get rid of the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. But eyes widen as he watches those injuries seem to transfer from one person to the other. "Holy shit," he exclaims, forgetting for a moment that there is a crazy old guy shooting up the crowd to deal with.

But just for a moment. The cackling winged man continues to dive bomb the crowd, the sound of his laughter lost under the spray of bullets and the screams from down below as the onlookers finally begin to scatter, to run without prompting at last. He starts to pull up out of that dive, to try and lift off into the air again but as he soars over the crouched Invincible the teen hero suddenly launches himself up from the pavement, one hand reaching out to crumple one of those wings and snatch away one of the satchels.

Bi-Plane gives a shout, angered at first and then alarmed as one of the propellers starts to sputter and smoke and he begins to careeen down the street. "Damn it, do you have any idea how long I worked on this and now you've... pull up damn it! Up! Up!" he shrieks right before he plows into the back window of an abandonned taxi. There's a crack, a heavy thump and the shattering of glass and the remains of that strange winged harnness starts to smoke as the old bank robber groans sorawled across that car's rear end.

Morgan Finn has posed:
When the initial panic wave begins to dissipate...when Bi-Plane is down the street a ways, some people gather around Morgan's downed form. The confused FedEx driver stands nearby, rubbing the back of his neck. Exclamations of "This boy's been shot" and "Someone call 911" and "What the hell is happening?" can be heard. But too, people are looking at Invincible. That kid saved the day! Imagine how much worse this would have been if not for his quick actions. /That/ means something and as a touch of calm begins to spread people are talking about it.

"I'm a nurse, let me through," a man says. He kneels down on the ground by Morgan. "Someone help me roll him on his back. We have to keep his head from moving side to side when we do it."

Then there is a collective gasp as Morgan begins to move and talk. "I'm fine, I'm fine. It's...it's someone else's blood." He starts to get up strongly with no observable neurological deficits. No bullet wound. No broken teeth. No paralysis. He does move gingerly like he might be a little bit sore. "Really, I'm fine. It's not my blood." The immediate crowd around the incident is flooded with discordant confusion. /Someone/ got shot. All the blood came from /someone./ But there do not appear to be any injuries to go with all that blood.

Mark Grayson has posed:
Mission accomplished. Kinda. What goes up must come down so Invincible, after that leap to crush one side of Bi-Pane's flying device lands back on the sidewalk in a crouch. His gaze fist seeks out the rising little pillar of smoke from down the street, able to see that the crazy old man is still moving, still groaning. A part of Mark is almost sorry to see that. Opening fire into a crowd of innocents? What an asshole. A part of him chides him for that sort of though. Neither side lasts very long, not when the guilt starts to roll over him all over again and he is on his feet in an instant, airborn a second later and crossing over towhere the pair of bloody men are being looked over by a confused crowd.

"Everyone alright over here?" he asks, the concern obvious in his tone. His fault. He was too slow. Took the threat too lightly. He should have known better. He studies the FedEx driver for a moment, looking for some sign of injury with all that blood. Nothing. He doesn't seem hurt at all. His gaze then flicks to Morgan but again Invincible's quick gaze finds nothing. His brow furrows. He knows what he saw. Or does he? "Ummmmm, I guess you have it under control then," he says to the nurse. Morgan gets one last curious glance and then the blue and yellow clad hero is moving on.

He is at the cab in mere seconds, his confusion washed away by barely concealled anger as he plucks the loopy old man from the back of the car, holding him up off the ground with one hand. "You are a real piece of work. Here's hoping they throw the book at you. I've been told to keep property damage to a minimum but I think I'll make an exception in your case," he says, casually crumpling that other wing as Bi-Plane lets out another pained groan. Not the most mature response.

With one last glance back, Invincible starts to take to the skies once more, Bi-Plane in one hand, no doubt intending to drop him off with the authorities...

Morgan Finn has posed:
Morgan is a student at Happy Harbor and lives on campus in the dorms. It's the worst kept secret on campus that a year or two ago the League of Assassins attempted to kidnap him and he was rescued by none other than Diana Prince, who got him into HH and occasionally keeps an eye on him still. So it's possible that Mark might recognize the teen.

He does seem fine, though. No wounds. Just a lot of blood. Eventually police and firefighters and paramedics begin to gather. Invincible contained the threat nicely, and the scene is safe for rescuers. During the chaos Morgan attempts to slip away, but no dice! He's stopped by police. "What's your name?" "Where do you live?" "How old are you?" "Can I see some ID?" Those cops and their facts and information! What a pain. Eventually Morgan is loaded into a police car. They're taking him into protective custody because he's a minor. There is talk about calling the Themysciran Embassy to reach Diana Prince, who Morgan tells the police is his guardian. Since he has no legal standing to refuse, Morgan is taken away in an NYPD RMP to the local precinct.