9383/Bad Guys Gotta Be Bad

From Heroes Assemble MUSH
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Bad Guys Gotta Be Bad
Date of Scene: 31 December 2021
Location: New York Harbor Docks
Synopsis: A liguor store robbery is foiled by Booster Gold! With a little help from Aquaman and Kate Cha.
Cast of Characters: Arthur Curry, Booster Gold, Kate Cha




Arthur Curry has posed:
    Travels and travails abundant of late, with the streets calling out to those seeking a change of pace and scenery, it is understandable how a man could set foot to the trail and let himself wander. Even moreso when one considers that gap of time between holidays where parts of the world seem to rest with held breath awaiting whatever come to pass. There have been dire omens above, grim portents on the wind, yet the main thing that has set Arthur Curry's spirits on edge and has him striding along the streets of Manhattan?
    "I never said that crap, man." The cellphone held to his ear, newspaper curled up and held in his off hand. His gait was steady and stride annoyed as he gestured with the paper to some unseen audience. "Yeah I broke the guy's camera, but this stuff about that robbery? I didn't say shit to anyone."
    Apparently whomever is on the other line of the phone takes their turn to talk and so the tall bearded man stops chattering but the scowl remains. He pauses outside the package store, inside people likely are getting ready for the coming new year. For there are no small number of customers, no small number of boxes, and the business is brisk.
    Along the streets people wander along, hunkered against the chill and avoiding the sloshy slush puddles. All told a typical late December evening.

Booster Gold has posed:
Enjoying the chill air of the evening, Booster Gold zips along, his gaze idly taking in the people down below. As usual, Skeets is trailing along with him, tackling about their latest adventure. "I thought that scary one was going to throw a garbage can at you, sir!" proclaims Skeets, as Booster simply chuckles.

Kate Cha has posed:
Why was she here? Oh yeah, because she volunteered. Which is why she was in the liquor store, pushing around one of those little shopping carts that looked like they were made for a child. It was filled a myriad of bottles with various colored liquids in it.

It was going to be one hell of a party at the sorority house. They had fireworks and food and they were hitting several different liquor stores in the area. Because they had limits on what could be purchased legally. So rude.

They also had rules about being 21 to purchase but fake IDs were made for a reason! She strolled through the vodka section then paused as she realized there were at least 50 flavors. Now what to buy...

Arthur Curry has posed:
    As the elements came close together, it was of course a moment when fate took a hand. The large package store with its robust staff were doing a /brisk/ business handling those in line, dealing with the out-going people. Perhaps one of their most busy nights of the year outside of St. Patrick's day. But all forms of inebriation were heading out that door. And no small amount of money was ending up behind the counter.
    A car drove up outside, stopped alongside one of the parked vehicles. Blinkers flipped on as three men in black and white suits slid out of the seats. Sunglasses on, clean shaven, perfectly precise in their manner. They even were similar heights and all with the exact same hair color. Might've been eerie.
    Except around the corner of the alley near another pair walked out. And just like that, it was like a small parade of beshaded business men strolling to the door, opening it, slipping inside.
    Though the last one stayed outside near the door albeit briefly. He paused, eyeballing the tall bearded man with the wild long hair who was kvetching on the phone. "Hey. Hey man."
    "Hold on a sec." Arthur says as he lowers his phone. He gives a look at the guy in the black suit. Eyebrow quirk. "What?"
    "Hey." The guy in the suit says, then pulls open his jacket lapel to emphasize the firearm in its holster beneath it. "Fuck off out of here. Official business."
    Which... to some might be enough to make them head off. But Arthur squints. Asks, "Are you fucking serious?"
    Into the phone, "Talk to you later, Sid." And click.

Booster Gold has posed:
"Trouble sir!' spurts out Skeets in warning to Booster Gold. It continues on without waiting. "I recognize a speech pattern, Aquaman. Trouble." Skeets takes off in the direction of the shop. Booster Gold sighs, and arcs his flight in that direction as well. "If it's Aquaman I am sure he can handle it fine."

Kate Cha has posed:
She could get all 50. That would be excessive. Kate glanced into the cart she was pushing and realized that she had exceeded excessive about ten bottles ago. So would it really matter? Picking up about three different flavored vodkas, then she added some regular. That should about do it. Outside the keg. Cause she had to order one of those too, for delivery tomorrow to the house. Every liquor store, one keg. Might last half the night with everything else.

She got into line just as the parade of shaded men started through the front doors. They were spreading out somewhat. Yet she noticed they were making sure they stayed clear of the cameras as best they could. Ducking heads, scratching a temple so a hand was in the way.

To say they were sus was an understatement. They also looked too much alike. Not identical but close enough she did a double take. Because really, she knew about that identical thing.

Under her breath she muttered, "No no no. Not now."

Which got the attention of a woman in line in front of her. Kate just smiled at the strange look she received and pulled out of the line, heading toward the right back of the store where she had seen the restroom sign.

Arthur Curry has posed:
    Without a cybernetic companion like Skeets, Arthur is left with mainly focusing on this dirtbag in front of him. Eyes narrowed, expression severe. He scowls, "Seriously man?"
    "Yeah, seriously. Get lost. It's for your own good." The man in the suit says, perhaps trying to affect an authoritative timbre to his voice. Yet that doesn't sell.
    Shaking his head, "You better show me a badge in two seconds or... I'm gonna have to explain to you the whole metrics thing. You know how many capes run around in Manhattan per capita?"
    Which is enough to get the man outside to say, "What?"
    "Badge?"
    "Fuck you."
    Meanwhile, inside. The other men in suits make their move. It's quick, non violent at least. Though there are weapons shown as a few who had gotten into position are cutting the camera feeds with quick leaping jumps to pull the wiring out of the wall and the surveillance. Two are at the register with visible weapons now, two more near the door who are securing the exit. One has taken up a place at the hallway that leads to the back. All intros and outros covered, they just hold up the weapons and one says pointedly. "Cut the shit. Nobody move. Let's do this quick and easy."
    Which is the moment that the front door is /blasted/ open and the man who had been on the street is suddenly not. He's now flying across the aisle, past the vodka, and into the freezer portion of the liquor store.

Booster Gold has posed:
Well, that was subtle. Booster Gold zooms down as he hears the sound of glass breaking, dropping down towards the doorway. If Arthur is standing, he drops next to him. If Arthur is moving in, he drops just to the doorway. Either way, he makes a proclamation. "Have no fear, Booster Gold is here!'

    From behind him there is a small sound of applause. Coincidentally, the only person or object behind him is Skeets.

Kate Cha has posed:
There is a man blocking the hallway that leads to the bathroom. And then the shit gets real as the cameras are cut and the exits blocked. Weapons exposed. A robbery. Hopefully just of the store but with her luck, things are going to go wrong.

Cue man flying through front glass, past the vodka and sliding into the freezers.

"I really need to use the bathroom," she told the man, doing the universal dance when someone needed to go in desperation. It didn't work. He ignored her request. So...

She punched him. Or at least tried to, following up with a roundhouse kick to the head in an attempt to get this one out of the mess. Now that the cameras were cut, she could get a bit more creative too.

A moment later there was a second Kate standing next to her. Then a third. Then a fourth. Each took to an aisle and began creeping toward the group at the front of the store.

Kate Zero, or original Kate for those keeping track, worked her way around the edge of the store, moving stealthily just as applause broke out from somewhere near the door. She peeked around a corner that way, arching a brow. The dupes all started making their way toward those with the weapons.

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "Booster, hey man!" Arthur says as he only in that moment catches sight of the enthusiastic hero slashing across the distance and into the doorway beside him.
    The Hero from the Future swooooops in and indeed strikes a dashing silhouette, taking primacy so clearly by being a hero dressed brightly... and arriving so quickly that the gun men inside... most likely think it was /him/ that blasted their comrade through the door. So much so that one announces, "That guy got Charlie! Light him up!"
    And suddenly the guns are drawn, weapons swung around, all of the firearms aiming square at Booster Gold. And Skeets. And Arthur. Though mainly Booster.
    Though it was all firearms... save one. For the gunman looked entirely unapologetic about Kate's pee-pee dance, he even pointed the weapon at her and started to say something utterly dismissive. Only for his words to be cut off by the sharp crack of a fist and then a foot that slams into the side of his head and has him smack hard into an end cap display of limes and lemons. He hits the ground, already unconscious, produce tumbling all over him.
    And then the myriad of Kates manifest, luckily her duplication unnoticed as the gunmen... they have bigger and much taller fish to fry.

Booster Gold has posed:
"Arthur. It has been a time" Booster regards the gunmen, and lifts up his hands, beckoning with his fingers. "Come on, then, let's get this over with." There is a slight hum around him as he starts to step inside the store. "So, uh, we know anything about these mooks yet? Friends of yours, or just wrong place wrong time kind of thing?"

Kate Cha has posed:
The distraction is helpful. It allows the Kates to make their way to the crowd. Where each one takes up a position between gunmen and civilians. Then they duped. So there were five. And then they duped again so there were ten. Five stuck with the crowd, putting their bodies in the way of any bullets that might come that way.

The other five, and Kate Zero, opted for the more proactive approach. Each of them went for one of the gunmen, attacking from behind. They were all the same person thus all had the same skills, a variety of martial arts that made her a formidable opponent, despite having no other superpowers besides her self-duplication.

The six Kates struck hard and fast, not playing nice or gentle. These guys needed to be taken down fast before they had a chance to start firing.

Arthur Curry has posed:
    Rounds start firing being sent down range, some pinging and winging off of the shield that protects the future vigilante. More and more bullets are sent his way, some even slamming off of Skeets. There's a hand held up as Arthur, being no fool, takes cover behind Booster. Though he likely could endure the fire too. But bullets hurt.
    "Just some bums, man." Arthur says in counterpoint, though he takes one of the heavy aluminum half-kegs that are set in the display near the door, hefts it in one hand and then /flings/ it right into the chest of one of the gunmen who seems to just /curl/ up around it and hit the back wall, then sliding to the floor with a thud.
    All eyes were forward on the man who seemed to just absorb their fire...
    And then suddenly half a dozen wild-eyed women were upon them. It was a quick and brutal take down. For Kate's training was lethal though her blows were tempered. Two of them neatly snapped the pistols out of their opponents hands and clobbered them with kicks. Another two moved in from behind and pulled their opponents back into a wicked choke that tightened down and left their victims struggling to get their feet under them let alone to reach back for the wicked person choking them. One just went with a plain old haymaker as the gunman was reloading and she was able to send him crashing into the snack aisle falling into the rack of candy bars and covering him in a Snickers avalanche. The sixth Kate? She likely appreciated how Arthur really clocked that one guy with the keg. To her she gets a thumbs up from the Atlantean.

Booster Gold has posed:
A certain expression crosses Booster Gold's face as the gunmen are all taken down by a number of identical girls. Thoughtful, perhaps? "Well. It looks like my word here is done." He chuckes and his gaze about for Kate Prime. "Thank you...saved me the trouble!"

Kate Cha has posed:
As the various Kates worked on their opponents, hopefully finishing them off, Kate Zero manages to get hers down then turned to focus on the rest. Her eyes went to the customers and workers in the store. Still safe behind a wall of Kates. They just were on crowd control and protection duty.

Then she saw the keg take out one and glanced to the source. Was that Aquaman? She'd seen footage here and there on the television and YouTube. And the other was Booster Gold! Why was she even helping? They were far above her and could've dealt with this while she stayed safe in the background. Or just played protective wall.

"So sorry. I should've just stayed out of the way."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    Arthur, for his part, comes in and looks the place around. He quirks an eyebrow again with a grimace, then shrugs toward Booster Gold as if that was that. "Looks like you..." He eyes the myriad of Kates, then Booster, then back to the Kates. "Two? have this well in hand." He thumps Booster Gold on the shoulder, "You guys get to talk to the cops then. I'm outta here. This ain't my kind of thing."
    Which might beg the question as to what his 'thing' is really.
    He turns to step on out.

Booster Gold has posed:
Glancing back at Arthur, Booster shrugs. "Alright, man. Good catching up." He shakes his head for a moment and then looks to Kate, offering her a smile. "Thank you for your help. This is quite a power you have for yourself there!" He waves a hand around to indicate multiples. "And action, too. Very daring."

Kate Cha has posed:
As the people behind the counter call the police, the various Kates make sure that the weapons are away from the bad guys. They might be down but they could wake up and better not to let them have their guns back. Quick frisks and then the downed men are left alone as all the weapons are dropped behind the counter and out of their reach.

Then the various Kates step twoard Kate Zero. One moment they are there, they next they just disappear into the original. Until only the one woman is left.

"Thanks. I just do what I can." It'd been a while since she got to do something like this. Her vigilante days were few and far between thanks to the whole double class schedule she was taking on at university.

"It's an honor to meet both of you." She glanced at the retreating Aquaman. "But, I do think I should get out of here. I don't need the hassle of cops. Since I'm a nobody, they might be upset I beat people up."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "Looks like you're up, Booster." Arthur stands in the doorway, and holds it open for Kate should she be looking to hoof it already. He glances over his shoulder to the professional superhero and then gives a nod. "You can talk to the press and all that good stuff. I need to mosey."
    That said he steps out onto the sidewalk, and indeed not too far off there are the blue and red lights flashing along the streets distantly. There's a moment when his gaze lingers on Kate, his lips quirking into a half-smirk, but then he shakes his head. "Seeya around, kid. Try not to go too overboard with New Year's."
    After that he stuffs his hands into the pockets of his hoodie and starts walking down the street.

Booster Gold has posed:
"Well, you know, you may be right about that," murmurs Booster Gold as he glances around. "It could cause some confusion. But, hey," he twiddles his fingers and produces a business card. "You have talent, kid. I would be happy to talk to you about how you can maximize that once you decide that you do want your face to be seen. A pretty girl who can be at all places in once is a very marketable hero!"

    And of course, certainly Booster Gold does not mind being the one to take all the credit. He is willing to make that sacrifice, as the cops and tv cameras roll in...