David rubbed his forehead as if he were suffering a major headache. Just like that, his head expanded ever so slightly. This, Cimmeria noticed, made his head wound proportionally smaller. She had never known David to use his ability to protect himself from injury before; he was really trying to get moving.

"I'm fine. Let's go," said Spurt. He slapped his legs and calves four times each without ever holding his hand on them. Each time, they grew ever slightly larger until they were sleek, well-sized running machines.

"Ready," said the monster with a hint of ferocity in his voice. He checked the flamethrowers on his hands; no damage. It wouldn't take much to take the lawmen down, not this time. He was ready for anything now; he wouldn't be taken off guard again.

Though her face remained frozen in it's expressionless stare, Cimmeria was impressed with the brute. For the first time working together in fact. She had only known him to use his gift offensively, never to heal himself. This opened up a world a possibility. She knew his fragile ego and hunger for vengeance drove him, but she had a newfound respect for him all the same.

"Excellent." said The assassin as the rest of her body emerged through the portal of purple light. They were both standing within the warm glow of her secret room now. The preternatural light allowed her to properly assess Spurt's physical state and convinced her he was able. Cimmeria reached out a gloved hand to closed the doorway she had entered through and then created another in its stead.

"This will take us to Central Park. We will have to draw them out again, but the open space should give us more of an advantage than last time." She beckoned her comrade forward and then the pair entered the portal together.

To the dozens of civilians enjoying a midday picnic it appeared the villains had melted right from the bark of a nearby tree. Many began to gather up Their belongings to leave. Others pulled out their cellphones to call the police, reporting the illegal public use of powers.

"Yes, plenty of space here, don't you think?" Cimmeria did not even glance at Spurt as she spoke. She was too busy selecting their bait. Cimmeria did not care for involving 'innocent' people in her war games, but she had become desperate. After weeks of lying low and searching for leads on ITSDA she had come up short. The teleporter was her perfect chance and she let him slip through her fingers.

"Grab her." Cimmeria pointed to a woman of slight build and a shock of blond hair frantically stuffing her blankets liked with food into a basket. A man who must have been her boyfriend looked up to see Cimmeria. His face seemed to pale when he noticed Spurt next to her, his muscular legs attached to a slim body was quite an unsettling sight. "With luck both of our friends may show up to save her pretty face.

"On it," said the misshaped monster. He bounded toward the couple and caught the woman before the man could react. The woman screamed.

"Emma!" shouted the man. Spurt leapt up over a hundred feet into the air and cradled the woman as he fell. When he hit the ground, a seismic wave tore apart the ground beneath him and knocked him to his knees.

"Come on, man. Save your girl!" Spurt taunted the man, who responded by foolishly rushing at him. Spurt carelessly slapped him aside with one of his legs.

"Ahhh!" shrieked the woman sharply. Spurt smirked, tapped the button on his palm, and set a nearby tree ablaze.

"That'll get some attention," said Spurt. In this moment, the nightmarish brute could see why people always lorded their power over others; it was fun. It made you feel good, it made you feel powerful, and, most of all, it made you feel safe.

But wait! The heroes were still coming; he needed to hide. He needed to find some way to ambush them. And he knew just the trick. He tapped his arms a couple of times each, extending them into massive "tree trunk" limbs. The woman started screaming bloody murder at this insane sight.

"What do you want? Get away! Get awaaay!" Spurt chuckled.

"It ain't you we're after, babe." Spurt jumped up to the tree tops once more, slung the woman over a branch, and jumped over to the largest tree he could find. From there, he pulled out his rebreather and placed it over his mouth and drenched the Central Park forest in flame.

A thick, ashy smoke filled the air, sending the few people left in the park (including the woman's boyfriend) into coughing spasms. Spurt simply hung off of his tree and let himself become engulfed by the smoke. Though everyone within a mile radius could now see the flames, anyone more than a few feet away would have trouble seeing their source. And that was how he would win this time. He would stab them in the back before they got the chance to do the same, like they always did!

"Hey!  Knock it off!"

A short, sturdy woman could be seen stomping across the park towards the fire and noise.  She did not seem to have any trouble walking across broken earth from the seismic jolts; as a matterground itself seemed to straighten and smooth out before her bare feet.  She waved her arms over her head, and a brisk wind blew up to carry away the smoke.  She snapped her fingers at the flames which then became ashamed of themselves and died away.  With her fists on her abundant hips, she stared up at the trouble maker.

"Let the nice lady down wouldja please?  This is not what they mean when they say 'pick up a date'.  I am not even going to have to tell you that no means no, am I?  I saw you stirring up trouble from that hill younder young man.  I most certainly do NOT approve."

Looking closely at the strangely sculpted fellow, she added,

"So I can see how you made it all the way to the top of the ugly tree before you fell out, but why did you jump in the first place?"
This message was last edited by the player at 11:49, Tue 12 May 2015.

Peter could find no sign of the man who had looked injured, so he took the kit back to his car and placed it once more in his trunk. Compared to a Gifted appearing and vanishing out of and back into thin air, a guy with a first aid bag was easily overlooked. Vargus climbed behind the wheel, turned on the engine, and worked his way back into the main flow of traffic on the street. He would have liked to see if the mystery man had held a connection to the woman from earlier that seemed to have a like power, but if there had been a chance of it occurring it had clearly been missed. The tech figured since he had the rest of the day off due to the building he was working in earlier being attacked and now locked down by police, he might as well get a bite to eat...

...Until a fire engine went screaming past him. Peter looked in his rearview mirror, and he thought he saw a tiny dark spot in it's surface where should have been sky. It seemed trouble once more visited the City, and although it might well be something the civil servants could handle on their own, there was always the chance a certain up and coming hero could step in to assist. Peter searched either side of the street as he drove, looking for someplace that would work well for a dressing room. In a City such as this one, it didn't take him overly long to find just what he needed; a motel that rented its services buy the hour. A place like this had no security cameras, didn't require a credit card or driver's license, and didn't care in the least that 90% of the men who rented a room was named Smith. Vargus parked his car in front of a room that seemed vacant, went into what passed for a lobby that hadn't been cleaned since probably sometime in the nineteen seventies, handed over some cash for several hours in said room, got the key, and returned to his car for a certain bag he carried inside. A check to make sure the door was locked and curtains fully drawn, and the computer geek laid his satchel down on what seemed to be the most sanitary area he could find then began his transformation.

Minutes later, Black Magic vanished from the room and reappeared on the roof of a building a block away. No one was around, and he disappeared again to pop up another block distant. In this fashion, he managed to walk out of a porta-john located in Central Park a bit later. He had seen smoke when he got closer, but now that he was here it was gone; the scorched greenery however told him something had occurred here. He drew nearer the site of the devastation, and the first thing he noticed was a little plump woman who for all the world seemed to be talking to a tree. At least, he guessed it was a woman since he only saw the figure from the back. Then, his eyes looked up to the top branches, and he saw a familiar form; the creature he had fought just this very day. From the tone of her voice and the placement of her hips, the female did not seem pleased with the creature. The conjurer wondered for a moment if she were another on the side of the heroes for the City, but he decided it didn't matter; if she were friend grand, if not he had beaten the thing in the tree before and he would handle her somehow too. If the lady dressed like a combat movie extra showed up too, well life was meant to be interesting. He stopped just a bit short of the stranger, and waved up at Spurt.

"I say my good fellow, if you are this eager for an encore performance I shall be happy to oblige you. Two free front row seats in the same twenty-four hours, how lucky you must feel!"

A frie engine comes screaming past Eric. He stops his bike and turns his head around. He saw a dark patch of smoke in the distance. It looked like something was happening there. He would have just turned around and continued his way to work but there was a tingling in the back of his mind that told him someone was in danger. He grunted and started making his way to the park.

He called the library to let them know the fire was going to make him run late. His boss told him to be careful since the fire showed up up out of nowhere. Eric winded his way through traffic it would take him a few minutes to reach the park. He hoped nothing drastic happened till then. Today is just going to be a long day. HE could change again but he would be extraordinarily tired afterwards.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:48, Tue 12 May 2015.

Jump leaned against the wall in the alley after Eric left and sighed. He was starting to get tired, and Apollo had just healed his wounds, not restored any of his lost blood, so he was feeling a bit woozy as well. He deliberated for a moment, and then Jumped up to the rooftop he'd left his bag of stuff on, quickly changing back into his fancy black suit. His glasses were cracked, both pairs, but the one in the bags were less so, so he switched over to them. There was a phone in the bag as well, which he smacked himself in the forehead for not remembering, and quickly slipped that into his pants pocket. As he stood up, he noticed a distinctive flow of traffic. Usually it had order to it, but it was order spread out among hundreds of thousands of people, and as such, came across as chaotic. This time, there were far too many people heading in a single direction. Away from Central Park. He temporarily turned his attention back to base, but shrugged and jumped, landing in a secluded corner of the park. Everything looked burnt and smelled smoky, so Jump quickly spread his senses out.

His senses didn't do very good at identifying details. The number keys on a phone or things like facial expressions were still hard to see for him, unless he focused almost all of his attention on that one thing. But after just having faced down Cimmeria, there were noticeable features he could identify her with. The warp in space near her, the strange tint she herself took on. Normally he didn't see colors with his senses, but she was definitely... not the normal blob of space. His senses were good, but the edges of the park were blurring out, and the stream of traffic around it and people out there was distracting, so he conformed his vision only to the park itself. Still, the edges were fuzzy, but without so many people flowing across it, it was much easier to focus on things. There were still a few stragglers in the park, so he took care of them first, quickly jumping in next to them and pulling them to the very outskirts. He felt himself tiring, but pushed on. He'd been doing this a lot more than he usually did in a day, and he figured that from this point on, he'd need to practice a lot more.

It took him a few minutes, but after everyone except the people who seemed to be confronting the strange man and the woman he seemed to be holding onto, as well as Cimmeria, were gone, he turned his attention to the woman herself. He got the feeling of some measure of power from the other two, so he hoped that he could leave rescuing the kidnapped woman to them. He'd take care of Cimmeria. He jumped in behind her, and barely brushed his fingertips against her shoulder before jumping to a corner of the park where he couldn't sense any of her portals. He hopped away and fell into a ready stance. "My dear woman, you really must refrain from shooting perfectly friendly strangers in the shoulder in the future..." He said, his voice icy.

"And assaulting parks?" He tsked. "All those poor people, enjoying their nice lunches. Or whatever meal it is they're eating. I don't know what time it is." He leaned nonchalantly against a pole by his side, staring right at the woman. "I can see violence is the only language you speak fluently. Let me make this clear. You would win in any fight you started against me. But your options are running out. No portals in the area for a quick escape, and your friend is being assaulted as we speak. Your kidnappee will get away fine. With some cool stories to tell too." He suddenly appeared several feet behind her, still speaking. "I've taken on the job of keeping you out of that fight. Even if you capture me, I've been well trained. My mental acuity makes it especially hard for telepaths to get anything of value out of me. Torture is easy enough to handle. Had a whole course on that, in fact. Locked in a room for 3 months. Beat, cut, had a few fingers cut off. The works. And believe me, even if you locked me in whatever that place your portals lead to is, I'll find a way out." He bowed and made a gesture with his hand that looked faintly vulgar. "You can have the first move."

He had definitely not been torture trained. At all. But the story sounded cool. The mental acuity thing was true though. Both for handling pain and intrusive mind-readers.

Crap! They got the jump on him again. He couldn't win, not like this. And this time, with Cim dealing with the crazy teleporting man, Spurt wouldn't get away.

Sweat poured down Spurt's face. His head darted in every direction, looking for a way out. His eyes lit up when he looked up at the woman in distress. As she squirms, the monster climbs up to the branch she was on, grabs her, and uses his massive limbs to toss her clear across the park like a giant lawn dart.

"Catch!" As soon as the words leave his lips, he sprints across the treetops away from the heroes, kicking down the trees as he runs across them. Before a minute has passed, his legs have carried him far out of sight. Figuring he has enough time with the teleporter distracted, he lights every tree around him on fire. Finally, he runs around the flame and back in the direction of the fight on all fours.

His breathing was heavier than it had ever been before, he could barely think between gasps. Thinking quickly, he places his hands over his chest and his lungs triple in size. Alright, that gave him some of his mind back. He now knew what he was going to do; if he could just circle around the fight, he could sneak up on those patsies from behind!

Eric felt something in him pull at his body. Damn here it comes. He was bathed in light and suddenly a tall, muscular red haired and bearded man wielding a large hammer was standing in his place. He knew where he was needed and flew off towards the park in a streak of lightning. A few cars skidded to a halt as he took off.

Thor flew through the air and caught the screaming woman before she could hit the ground. He took her to the edge of the park where the firefighters were and set her gently on her feet. "Take heed my lady these are dangerous parts. You should seek refuge." she tore off towards her boyfriend who was over by the firefighters.

Thor then flies over to where Ma Nature is standing. He can tell there is something special about her. He inclines his head towards her "The mighty Thor, at your service. How may I be of assistance milady?"

Non-canon Battle Post

Cimmeria drew her gun and fired, hoping to catch Jump off guard again, but before she'd even pulled the trigger he was gone. There was a laugh from behind her, and she spun, then stepped back quickly, barely avoiding a few quick punches aimed at her stomach before he disappeared again. Jump appeared at the top of a pole near her, balancing precariously as he leaned down and laughed again. "A little slow, are we?" He asked. Cimmeria shot again, but he was gone before the bullets even got close. There was a small pop and a vending machine appeared besides her, and then another one on her other side and another behind her. She started moving forwards, realising Jump was trying to box her in, but he'd grabbed and moved the last machine by the time she'd even taken a step. He appeared on top of one of them and stared down, grinning madly.

She threw her gun at him as soon as he appeared over the corner, and she heard a satisfying thump and a cry of pain before he disappeared again and the gun clattered onto the top of the machine. He appeared on a nearby bench, holding his eye and trying to stimmy a great deal of blood. He was frowning, but when Cimmeria nimbly hopped out of the box he'd put around her and grabbed the gun, flipping it and shooting him before he thought a person should even be able to react, let alone see him after just escaping a box where she shouldn't have been able to see him. He narrowly avoided the bullets, and they tore into the back of the bench behind him, blowing holes through it. He appeared in a tree, gripping a thin knife, which he threw, aiming for Cimmeria's legs. It hit, but didn't puncture, and her gaze immediately focused on him.

He dissappeared again, and appeared right behind her on the machine, carrying a large metal pipe. He swung, and she blocked, but she lost her balance and tumbled off, her gun flying into a bush on the side of the path. She landed and rolled, getting back on her feet just in time to block another swing from Jump and grab his pipe, wrenching it out of his hands and retaliating with it. He disappeared again, and re-appeared in yet another tree, barely not collapsing. He took the bandage he'd grabbed and quickly wound it around his head, hoping to stop the blood flow, and Jumped when a knife slammed into the bark by his feet, appearing behind CImmeria again. He punched, but she flipped around and gripped his wrists, wrenching it around into a painful position that made him cry out loudly, and when he jumped again, she went with him.

The tree he appeared in didn't have room for the both of them to stand, and she appeared in mid-air without a branch in sight. The fall was short, but she didn't let go of Jump and he fell on top of her. She regained her breath before him and flipped him over, taking her other hand and slamming it into his forehead hard. His glasses shattered and there was a sharp sting in her knuckles, but he looked dazed. She reached to grab a nearby stick that looked of decent size, but he heaved and they both appeared back in a path, farther into the interior of the park. He somehow wrenched his hand out of her grasp, but the sharp crack told her he hadn't gotten out unscathed. He quickly jumped away, and a voice could be heard from the grass behind her. "N-n... not cool..." He said, gripping the gun she'd dropped and pointing it at her with his other hand. "Down on the ground..." He muttered out, his hand shaking. She complied, setting her hands on the ground and he relaxed a little, but when she started sinking into a portal she'd just summoned, he fired the gun. The shot went wide, clanging off a metal pole to her right, and she disappeared from sight.

Jump stared at the spot she'd disappeared for a few moments when a small object flew out and landed near his feet, promptly exploding with a great deal of smoke that had him choking almost immediately. He Jumped, showing up farther down the path, and watched as Cimmeria rolled out of the portal into the smoke cloud and disappeared from sight. He was having difficulty ignoring his pain and focusing on his environment at the same time, so when she stepped out of the cloud and fired another gun, it easily reached and passed through his shoulder. He screamed, and Jumped again, appearing directly in front of her with another heavy metal pipe. She seemed moderately surprised, but when he swung the pipe at her one handed she easily grabbed and started pulling it out of his grip when she felt a stinging sensation in her leg that quickly developed into a feeling like a hot poker being shoved through the core of it. She dropped the pipe and he jumped away as she stared at her leg and saw a twig the thickness of her pinky stuck in it. The leather wasn't torn or punctured, there was just a twig sticking out of it.

Jump cradled his right arm several feet away as he stared at her tiredly. She saw no enjoyment of the pain he caused there. She narrowed her gaze and drew her gun again, pulling the trigger and watching as he jumped away. He reappeared in the same spot a few moments later, holding the pipe limply. He tossed it to the ground and jumped right in front of her. She punched his stomach, but he grabber her shoulder and they were standing on top of a building overlooking the park. "Don't worry, I'd call this a win on your part. You hurt me a lot more than I hurt you." He jumped to the ledge on the edge of the building and grinned at her. "Don't worry, I avoided the bone. That'll leave a nasty scar, but hey, it suits the ones on your face." He stepped back off the ledge and disappeared.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:03, Tue 12 May 2015.

((OCC NON-CANNON BATTLE POST))


The fires were springing up in every direction now, eating at the tree tops with an insatiable hunger. Branches cracked and fell from the heat of the flames landing in bright explosions of orange and yellows. It was times like this that Cimmeria would usually be angry with Spurt, setting the park's forest aflame was not included in her strategy. He was always reckless and made things more complicated than they needed to be. This time was different though. Cimmeria winelike eyes were alight with ecstasy, her full lips parted in a smile. This is what she dreamed of every night.

Cimmeria lost track of Spurt and the hostage in among the thick columns of smoke rising like towers towards the sky. Many of the picnickers where gone as well, hidden among the fire and ash, the remaining few gasped for air they could not find, clawing ate earth as if a well of oxygen could be reached beneath the forest floor.

Cimmeria knelt down and opened a portal on the ground, dipping her face in the pool of violet to draw air from her secret room. Her lungs expanded gratefully, refreshing her blood for the coming battle. As she raised her head and allowed the doorway to close she felt a sensation of someone begin her, as if someone popped into existence. Before she could turn and look the person tapped her and disappeared just as quickly.

The teleporter.

Cimmeria would have sighed if there was air to spare, instead she darted in the direction she felt Jump 'pop' back into existence. As she made her way towards her target she brushed her fingers along trees she passed and a dozen of spots on the ground. At each touch violet discs would dilate open then close just as fast as if they ha never been there. This time she would be prepared, this time she would not underestimate this thorn in her side.

Within moments she reached the outer rim of the fire, the leather I her body suit covered in a thick film of soot. Cimmeria spotted her foe leaning lazily against the pole of a path sign, his shoulder healed despite the hole left in his shirt. His mouth was moving, God was it moving. Cimmeria could not hear his voice above the roar of the Flames directly behind her. He must have prepared a speech for her it for . Before he could finish Cim drew her revolver and fired. The teleporter vanished before her bullet could pierce him and reappeared behind her aiming a right hook for the back of her head. His form was solid but the assassin had him on experience, this tactic was predictable.
Cimmeria turned in a flash, blocking his attack with her free arm and firing with the one holding the revolver.
Again he 'popped' out of existence as easily as he 'popped' in, reappearing at her right.

"Is that all ya got?" The teleporter laughed as his fist connected with Cimmeria's jaw. She allowed her body to go with the momentum of his punch, spinning her  in a full circle before catchig him in the stomach with a sharp kick.

He gasped as the air was forced out him. With both feet firmly on the ground Cimmeria fired off two more bullets. Again he vanished.

This time she wasn't even aiming at him, Cimmeria just needed a second of preparation. Quickly she knelt down while spinning on her heels, opening a portal beneath her feet. Right as she began to sink into her secret room the teleporter appeared to her left as she had expected. Her hands lashed out like a pair of vipers, catching his ankles as soon as he was tangible. Using her full strength she pulled his feet out from under him. His body fell back, landing straight like a wooden board against the ground. Cimmeria gave a second tug and the teleporter through the portal with her.

They fell through the ceiling of one of Cimmeria's secret rooms, the walls a blinding flash before the traveled through a second portal that opened on the floor. Their sense of direction suddenly changed, their were flying up now, the clear air replaced by clouds of smoke and ash. Cimmeria had taken him back to the center of the forest. Instead of above her he was below. Their heads pointing toward the ground instead of the sky. The teleporter jackknifed his body and kicked his legs down toward the ground in an attempt to dislodge the assassin. Her grip tightened, shackles of bone and flesh. Once again she used his momentum against him and threw his body towards the ground while still holding on. She would not let him pop away again, she couldn't. If he tried to leave Cim would go right along with him.

They landed into a heap on the ground, where the wrestled in a tangle of arms and legs. Without an opportunity to flit about it seemed her  opponent was reduced to less elegant forms of combat. He used his weight to his advantage, and rolled Cimmeria onto her back, pinning her arms to her sides with his legs.

"Can't we just talk? I like my women fiesty but this is a bit much." Though she could not see his face through the smoke a smile was on his lips. This was much more fun then training exercises.

"Sure, let's." Cimmeria smiled back, the ground beneath her now a glowing pool of purple they were sinking through.

"No, no, no!"   Jump released his hold on her, throwing all his weight over to solid ground. He landed in a roll and sprung to his feet.

Jump felt dizzy, the fire sucked all oxygen from the air, leaving little for him. He vanished only to reappear a few feet later, falling to his knees. A puff of ash clouded around him when he landed, coating his already black smeared clothes with a fine white dust. His vision was growing fuzzy now. The sound of men could be heard in the distance. The sharp beams of their headlamps cut through the darkness as their powerful turrets of water cut through a section of the fire. Jump tried to call out to them, but he could feel that at least two of his ribs had been broken, the pain piercing his already starving lungs. As the fire fighters drew closer his hope grew. Somehow he knew that woman would come back for him and soon. Whatever portal she drew him through had oxygen during transit. Maybe somehow she was lying in wait, replenishing her own air supply to finish him off?

Just as Jump attempted to teleport just one more time a hand flew out of an adjacent tree and pulled him right in.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:30, Thu 14 May 2015.

As the rude thing threw the woman, Ma Nature's hand went up and she started backing up and turning as if a softball had been hit  high over her head.  She saw the woman saved and turned to take up the matter of inappropriate behavior with Mr. Butt-Ugly ... who was just disappearing in the distance leaving the unspoken pain of the trees in his wake.  Her anger flared faster than the burning trees, and a wind started lashing around her as if she were the center of the storm.  Her dangling toes were five feet off the ground, but she did not notice.  As she was about to bid the wind to take her in the direction of the fleeing monster, a voice caught  her attentionh.  Normally she would have taken note of the politeness of the fellow as courtesy is something that was noticeably missing this far north.  He asked her a question, and as she was so angry that she did not even think to misdoubt his stated identity, she immediately responded.  With a finger quaking with fury, she pointed off to the direction of the now unseen foe.


"You can fetch me that misbegotten son of Ugly.  You will know him as he will make ya wanna claw yer eyes out.  Bring him here ta me that thar filthy thang an' I'll have the barrel o' Whup-Ass opened by the time you fetch him back!"

The new fires sent up smoke signals that forced a screech of absolute rage from the woman's mouth.  Her arms flew up to the lowering clouds that had obeyed her call and suddenly there was a deluge of rain all across the park, pouring hard and drenching everything.  The silent screams of the trees would lessen as the devouring fires were quenched.  The time of the reckoning was coming.  And she planned on doing the dealing herself.

Thor smiled brightly. "Ahh a fight eh? Surely today shall be grand. I will return shortly milady."the rain seemed to not touch him as he raised himself into the sky and flew off in the direction that the woman had indicated. After a few moments he noticed the large man and landed in front of him about 15 feet. He was quite taken aback by his appearance but nonetheless had a job to do. He smiled at Spurt. "Greetings umm my good man. I have been dispatched to request your presence by a most beautiful lady. I strongly urge you to accept this." Thor kept his hammer held down so as to not appear too threatening. However his skills as a great warrior would assuredly help him against this thing. After all he had fought bigger.

The woman and the newcomer seemed not to notice him, but before the magician could properly introduce himself he, for a brief moment, saw a figure running in an area of the park still ruled by smoke and flame. It looked like the one who had helped the monster escape before, of course at this distance and the glimpse he caught the conjurer couldn't be sure; still if it wasn't her it was someone trapped in the blaze. The lady and bearded man now with him seemed to have good intentions especially since the latter had saved a civilian in midair, so Black Magic run behind the remains of a tree nearby and was suddenly surrounded by floating cinders and choking clouds of ash. He had the foresight to hold his breath, and looked where he thought the figure he was trying to track had last been. He saw another brief peek of the person, and vanished to reappear by them again.

This time, he was sure it was the same Gifted that had helped the muscled villain from earlier; she wasn't moving this time, but facing off with a man who seemed to resemble the stranger who had popped out onto a sidewalk by Peter's car, then grabbed a guy and poofed away again. It seemed the woman and man were not friends as they squared off with each other;

Jump grinned at his opponent.

"You looked busy, so I hope you don't mind that I jumped in..."

Cimmeria's face lacked any emotion as did her voice;
"You're in the big leagues now, let's see what you got."

Jump vanished from in front of the villain and reappeared behind her, but his body displaced smoke that she noticed out of the corner of her eye and twisted quickly to lash out with a sharp side kick that doubled the hero over and sent him stumbling back several feet as the air rushed out of his lungs. She followed this up with a crescent kick to the right side of the young man's head that sent him sprawling to the ground. She tried to follow through with a stomp to her opponent's windpipe, but suddenly he wasn't there and her heel dug into grass not yet consumed by the growing flames; Jump rematerialized ten feet above the woman and slammed down on top of her in a body tackle, but as she was knocked to the ground Cimmeria's hand opened a portal to her own dimension and the momentum of the man's attack carried them both through. They flew across one of the rooms and to the far wall into another portal, flying upward with the hero now on the bottom. The assassin put her left hand on her right fist, and pile drove an elbow into the agent's gut that was still sore from the kick moments before. He grunted as he was shoved away from her, and the killer struck out with a foot catching Jump in the chest and forcing him back toward Earth. The fem fatale turned her body in a series of backflips and landed without difficultly on her own legs, but the spot her target was supposed to be prone on was bare; he'd teleported right before impact.

Jump reappeared behind her this time already in the process of delivering a blow, and the sucker punch caught the villain off guard causing her to stumble a single step before she regained her balance without thought. She turned as she pulled her gun, a very slight look of annoyance managing to work its way into her stone features;

"I'm growing tired of your tricks, kid."

She brought the gun to bare on the man's heart as she spoke and was about to pull the trigger, when she felt something wrap around her neck and pull tight causing her arm to jerk and sending a shot harmlessly into a tree.

"Did someone mention tricks? Then, by all means, allow me to be of assistance..."

Jump saw a man come out of thin air behind his foe with what seemed to be a multicolored rope of some sort, and toss it over her head before pulling tight. The agent wasn't feeling too well after the beating he'd been getting, but he had enough presence of mind to kick the gun out of Cimmeria's hand as she struggled to free herself from the binding and once more draw breath. She tried to pull at what felt like silk, but the stranger behind her wasn't weak; she instead tried for another elbow move, but the figure attacking her bent his middle back away from the blow as though he knew it would be coming. The lethal lady did take the opportunity however to turn her head to the side, allowing her lungs to once more draw air; that was getting thin though as the blaze claimed move and more of the park around the trio. She tried a new idea, and put both hands on the restraint as she pushed with her neck. Her assailant was pulled toward her, and the killer wasted no time in placing a leg behind one of theirs and shoving her whole body back. The pair toppled together, and she was able to get one hand on the ground to open a portal through which they disappeared.

The villain opened a way out of the room the two found themselves, and thought to use the same reverse position idea she had with Jump; however, when she came back out into the park, the restriction was still against her skin but no one was there to pull it. She yanked the cloth free, did another backflip landing without difficulty, and looked at what she held in her hand; it was a bunch of colorful scarves tied together. At once she knew where she had seen the like before, and whom it was that had waded in on her fight with the other teleporter; the magician who had beaten Spurt and turned down the offer to join their cause. She immediately opened another gateway and sunk from sight, only to reemerge seconds later with two heavy caliber pistols in her hands. He wasn't going to find her an easy win like her partner was...

Then, she heard a voice behind her;

"Are you sure you would not feel more comfortable with a mop bucket instead?"

Cimmeria swiveled on her heel and saw her foe behind her, dressed in all his outdated glory. Without a word she fired both barrels at the same time; nothing happened. The man remained smiling at her as the guns worked perfectly, but there was no blood nor holes in his clothing; then he faded away as if he were but smoke.

"My my, we are a bit jumpy today, are we not?"

Again, the words came from behind her and she turned immediately and fired; once more the figure before her kept smiling without damage before a repeat performance of fading away.

"What is this, amateur hour? Is the reason you wear the mask because you're too ashamed to let anyone know you've got no guts? Is the only thing you're good for challenging a fool who relies solely on his muscles? Afraid of a real challenge?"

"Afraid? Not hardly."

The magic man stepped out from behind a tree, and Cimmeria immediately let loose with two more rounds; these did her some good it seemed, as the would be hero clutched at his chest and fell to his knees. She held one gun on him as she walked quickly in his direction for a kill shot, but before the assassin could get right on top of him her mark smiled weakly and vanished, reappearing from behind a different tree fifty feet away while standing under his own power; his steps were fumbling and staggered, however.

"You know, you're no different from so many others. They want to know how a trick is done, cut the wires, find the trap door within the cage, in other words kill the magic. Now here you are, trying to do the same thing only with bullets instead of logic. Do you think you can, when in spite of all other attempts past and present it still lives on in hearts and minds alike?"

The only answer was another shot which clipped the wood of the tree as the magician ducked behind it again. The killer approached carefully, but when she checked there was no sign of a body or blood trail. The reason for this was given moments later when the still moving dead man showed up from cover again fifty feet away. Once more the woman fired and this time seemed to hit him in the shoulder, the conjurer's face twisted in shock and pain before once more hiding from sight and leaving but an empty spot for Cimmeria to check. The next time the caster made himself known, his features were drawn and he needed to place a hand against a trunk to keep himself up.

"Is this really how you think my end will come, here, with you? My body weakens, yet my spirit remains stro-"

Not willing to hear the rest of it, Cimmeria held up both guns and kept firing as she walked quickly forward trying to finish him off before she had to play yet another annoying round of cat and mouse. The figure tried to get behind the wood he used for support, but he was not swift in his action and shot after shot tore into and through his body to the point it seemed only the impact of the bullets was holding him up. Both chambers clicked empty as she stood over his broken form, the blood pooling under him signifying she'd won. He took a shuttering breath, looked her in the eye, and said,

"Never forget, 'cough' my dear. This was 'cough' the day you were cough beaten by Black Magic."

She wondered what he meant by beating her, but when she went to speak she noticed her lungs were burning; the magic man had led her into a part of the park heavily consumed by fire. It didn't worry her much though, she could always teleport out and she'd taken a name off of her ever growing list.

She looked back with satisfaction at the corpse at her feet...

...only to find it gone, completely. No body, no blood, no trace of fabric, nothing. Then it dawned on her; she hadn't been fighting the real man, just another image of himself that had appeared to take damage from her. Cimmeria felt light headed and dizzy; she'd been so focused on the kill she had failed to realize she couldn't get enough clean air to breath. That was the point of all of this, for her to pass out and either be left to the flames or carried off to the authorities. She tried to kneel down and more half fell, but managed to get one hand on the hot ground covered with cinders and opened a portal despite the burning sensation on her skin. The assassin sank from view, drew in fresh air until her chest stopped hurting, then with a look of grim determination returned to the park. She didn't take any weapons this time; no, this conjurer had missed his chance to die such a quick death.

Meanwhile, Jump had recovered enough to wonder where the other two had gotten to, and began popping up here and there in the park looking for them in the event they were still around. He found the prestidigitator, standing closer than one should to a flaming section of greenery but not so much so he was in immediate danger. The agent appeared several feet away, wanting to be able to call out to the stranger he thought might be a fellow hero so as not to surprise him and get attacked out of reflex.

"Hey there! Um, I wanted to say thanks for helping back there, that's one seriously bad lady! I'm Jump by the way, a bonified super hero. I got a decoder ring and everything, but I left it in my other not shot up outfit."

He grinned as he new acquaintance turned to smile at him, and gave a deep bow with one arm across his chest.

"Pleased to know you, my good sir. I am known as Black Magic, and it was my pleasure to be able to assist you in a matter so-"

He didn't get to finish, for Cimmeria ran out of the burning brush straight at the caster and dove to the ground just before him to put her non-blistered hand upon the Earth. She had been swift and silent, almost too much so for Jump to react, but not quite. The moment she opened a portal to take her and her prey to a room then through to Spurt so the two villains could get payback in spades, the agent fell back to his training about getting backup and tried to teleport the little group to where some AGF officers were. Not the best solution, but any port in a storm was his thought on the matter. The caster felt his feet just start to sink into the ground, and thought to vanish away from the area.

Three telepoters using their powers at the same time proved to be, not the best of ideas. A pain unlike any of them had ever known coursed through their bodies, knocking each one out cold;

Cimmeria appeared five feet above a street just outside the park in the middle of AGV troops waiting the OK to advance from the fire department and collapsed before them; Jump sprung from nowhere, and lay at Spurt's massive feet; Black Magic was thrown against one wall of an extra-dimensional room where he slumped and didn't move.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:17, Thu 14 May 2015.

(OOC: Canon Battle Post)

--------------------------

The fires were springing up in every direction now, eating at the tree tops with an insatiable hunger. Branches cracked and fell from the heat of the flames landing in bright explosions of orange and yellows. It was times like this that Cimmeria would usually be angry with Spurt, setting the park's forest aflame was not included in her strategy. He was always reckless and made things more complicated than they needed to be. This time was different though. Cimmeria winelike eyes were alight with ecstasy, her full lips parted in a smile. This is what she dreamed of every night.

Cimmeria lost track of Spurt and the hostage in among the thick columns of smoke rising like towers towards the sky. Many of the picnickers where gone as well, hidden among the fire and ash, the remaining few gasped for air they could not find, clawing at earth as if a well of oxygen could be reached beneath the forest floor.

Cimmeria knelt down and opened a portal on the ground, dipping her face in the pool of violet to draw air from her secret room. Her lungs expanded gratefully, refreshing her blood for the coming battle. As she raised her head and allowed the doorway to close, she felt a sensation of someone appearing, as if the person had magically popped into existence. Before she could turn and look, the person tapped her and disappeared just as quickly.

The teleporter.

Cimmeria would have sighed if there was air to spare, instead she darted in the direction she felt Jump "pop" back into existence. As she made her way towards her target, she brushed her fingers along the trees she passed and a dozen spots on the ground. At each touch, violet discs would quickly open, then close just as fast. This time she would be prepared, this time she would not underestimate this thorn in her side.

Within moments she reached the outer rim of the fire, the leather in her body suit covered in a thick film of soot. Cimmeria spotted her foe leaning lazily against the pole of a path sign, his shoulder healed despite the hole left in his shirt. His mouth was moving, God was it moving. Cimmeria could not hear his voice above the roar of the flames directly behind her. He must have prepared a speech for her. Before he could finish, Cim drew her revolver and fired.

The Queen of Assassins heard a laugh from behind her; in the span of a second, she spun around 180 degrees and fired at the noise's source. Her speed and senses were unmatched. And that fact had saved her skin many a time.

"Aaaah!" A bullet slid past Jump's hip, slicing off a piece of his side as cleanly as any knife would. He fell off of the lamp post he stood on. Horrible images of dying in Central Park and being torn apart by birds like a simple piece of roadkill ran through his head. No. Not now. He remembered his training. Keep calm, form a logical plan of attack.

"Shit," thought Cimmeria. The boy flinched at exactly the right second. That would give him an entire two seconds to get away. And get away he did. Jump disappeared, leaving behind a gap in the cloud of smoke where he once stood. Cimmeria looked around; there were no irregularities in her field of vision. She drew her weapon and listened for her opponent.

She didn't hear who she was hoping for... but a slightly older man with a more familiar voice. The faintest hint of a smile appeared on her stone cold face. She relished the chance to get her victory back. All of a sudden, the man ran out from behind the tree, hoping to surprise her. She effortlessly took aim filled him full of lead. Thirty-two bullet holes later, the magician lay dead at her feet and blood pooled around the corpse's stomach. Cimmeria glanced at the carcass. Something wasn't right. That was too easy, and she didn't smell blood.

A vending machine appeared to the immediate left of her. Then there was on her immediate right. A third showed up behind her, a fourth in front of her. The teleporter was trying to box her in. Cimmeria nimbly leapt up onto one of the vending machines. A fifth machine appeared in front of the femme fatale.

With an aggressive shout Jump kicked down the large box, knocking it down on top of Cimmeria. He knew that wouldn't catch her, so he "jumped" back to the box behind her as she side-stepped the steel container. He charged at her with a flying fist aimed right at the back of her head. Without making a peep, Cimmeria hopped up to his level and drilled her elbow into his stomach!

"UNGGH!" Jump wasn't reeling from the attack for more than instant. Cim flipped up into the air and landed behind her target. He felt her grip on his neck, then heard a loud bang and felt his head being carved in two. He felt it again, again, and again. Though his vision was blurry, he saw that the vending machine's edge was dented and covered with red. He teleported away just as his attacker was about to land the killing blow.

Out in the parking lot, firetrucks and AGF armored cars were arriving on the scene just in time to witness a torrential downpour carving up the fire into manageable chunks. Jump noticed the firemen and officers as he appeared across the lot. If he failed now, all these people would die. He needed to act now! He grabbed a loose muffler off of a nearby car, jumped back to his vending machine circle, and took a huge swing at her.

Cim heard him coming; she grabbed at the weapon in his hand. She was off by what seemed like one millisecond. The boy appeared in front of her.

THUNK! the pipe hit her straight in the stomach. Jump couldn't believe it worked! He actually got a hit in on her! He would have to follow up; he'd have to finish this. He threw a wild uppercut at the hit-woman, cracking her in the chin. She responded with a knee to his bullet wound. With that, the young teleporter fell off the machines and on to the ground.

"Good shot, kid. But I'm getting tired of your tricks."

Cimmeria brought the gun to bare on the man's heart as she spoke and was about to pull the trigger, when she felt something wrap around her neck and pull tight causing her arm to jerk and sending a shot harmlessly into a tree.

"Did someone mention tricks? Then, by all means, allow me to be of assistance..."

Jump saw a man come out of thin air behind his foe with what seemed to be a multicolored rope of some sort, and toss it over her head before pulling tight. The agent wasn't feeling too well after the beating he'd been getting, but he had enough presence of mind to kick the gun out of Cimmeria's hand as she struggled to free herself from the binding and once more draw breath. She tried to pull at what felt like silk, but the stranger behind her wasn't weak; she instead tried to elbow her attacker, but the figure bent his middle back away from the blow as though he knew it would be coming. The lethal lady did take the opportunity, however, to turn her head to the side, allowing her lungs to once more draw air. She tried a new idea, and put both hands on the restraint as she pushed with her neck. Her assailant was pulled toward her, and the killer woman wasted no time in placing a leg behind one of his and shoving her whole body back. The pair toppled together, and she was able to get one hand on the ground to open a portal through which they disappeared.

The villain opened a second portal on the floor in the room they found themselves careening through the ceiling of. And as they fell toward the floor, Cim wrestled the magician into position; he would crash through the portal first! However, when she emerged from the portal, the cloth was still around her neck, but no one was there to pull it. She yanked the cloth free, did another backflip, landed without difficulty, and looked at what she held in her hand; it was a bunch of colorful scarves tied together. At once she knew where she had seen that before, and whom it was that had walked in on her fight with the other teleporter; the magician who had beaten Spurt and turned down the offer to join their cause. She immediately opened another gateway and sunk from sight, only to reemerge seconds later with two heavy caliber pistols in her hands. He wasn't going to find her an easy win like her partner was...

Then, she heard a voice behind her;

"Are you sure you would not feel more comfortable with a mop bucket instead?"

Cimmeria swiveled on her heel and saw her foe behind her, dressed in all his outdated glory. Without a word, she fired both barrels at the same time; nothing happened. The man remained smiling at her as the guns worked perfectly, but there was no blood nor holes in his clothing. The trickster faded away as if he were but smoke.

"My my, we are a bit jumpy today, are we not?"

Again, the words came from behind her. Yet another illusion, she knew. But maybe she could get some information out of the show-stopper.

"What is this, amateur hour? Is the reason you wear the mask because you're too ashamed to let anyone know you've got no guts? Is the only thing you're good for challenging a fool who relies solely on his muscles? Afraid of a real challenge?"

"Afraid? Hardly."

The magic man stepped out from behind a tree, and Cimmeria immediately let loose with two more rounds; these did her some good it seemed, as the would-be hero clutched at his chest and fell to his knees. She held one gun on him as she walked quickly in his direction, but before the assassin could get right on top of him her mark smiled weakly and vanished, reappearing from behind a different tree fifty feet away while standing under his own power; his steps were fumbling and staggered, however.

"You know, you're no different from so many others. They want to know how a trick is done, cut the wires, find the trap door within the cage, in other words kill the magic. Now here you are, trying to do the same thing only with bullets instead of logic. Do you think you can, when in spite of all other attempts past and present it still lives on in hearts and minds alike?"

Jump, ever true to his name, popped back into existence on top of a tree branch. With a yelp, he tackled a distracted Cimmeria to the ground.

"Can't we just talk?" asked Jump. "I mean, I like my women feisty, but this is a bit much."

The young agent smirked a nervous little smirk, trying to downplay his fear and intimidate her even as blood kept dripping from his head.

"Sure, let's." Cimmeria smiled back, the ground beneath her now a glowing pool of purple they were sinking through. She rolled her opponent onto his back.

"No, no, no!" Jump and Cimmeria appeared behind a tree nearby. Cim wrapped the punk's arms behind him, spun him around, grabbed his neck, and pressed her gun to his temple.

"You teleport, and you die," said Cimmeria coldly. She tightened her grip on the youngster's neck. "Understand?"

Jump nodded. Sweat didn't pour so much as ooze out of his pores. He had to find a way out of this. Maybe that magician...

"Come out, now!" screamed Cimmeria. "Any tricks, the boy dies."

Black Magic came out from behind a tree with his hands up. He saw the woman moving her gun in his direction. The gun was off Jump; now was his chance. With a snap of his fingers and a puff of smoke, he appeared on Cimmeria's side. He just had to grab Jump now; with another snap of his fingers, the heroes could escape the assassin's trap!

Unfortunately, the lethal lady had anticipated Black Magic's trick. Just as Black Magic appeared beside her, she began to pull her hostage through a portal in a nearby tree.

Meanwhile, Jump, remembering his training, teleported to the nearest backup he could get the instant he felt the gun barrel leaving his temple. While he didn't fully trust them, he knew the AGF would have the firepower to take down Cimmeria. Black Magic's hand gripped Jump's shoulder as he was teleported away.

The three teleporters all felt as though they were being torn in several different directions. A pain unlike any of them had ever known coursed through their bodies, knocking each one out cold.

Cimmeria appeared five feet above a street just outside the park in the middle of AGF troops and collapsed before them. Jump sprung from nowhere and wound up at Spurt's massive feet. Black Magic was thrown against one wall of an extra-dimensional room where he slumped and didn't move.

The AGF took aim just as Spurt picked up Jump...

Violet eyes fluttered open to reveal a squad of surprised AGF officers. They quickly moved to circle Cimmeria and pointed their weapons at her in unison. This was not good, not good at all. Her plan of capturing the teleported had been foiled by that damn magician. The surrounding AGF officers greatly limited her options. Retreat seemed to be her only viable option. Cimmeria was a skilled combatant, but she could not take nine men with rifles on in her current state.

"Stay down and put your hands behind your head!" barked what appeared to be the squadron leader. The look on his face said that he hoped shed try to get up. "Twice in one day with you freaks! You'd think that- FIRE!" Dozens of rubber bullets punched her back, cracking ribs her ribs and driving the air from her lungs.    Cimmeria had opened a portal beneath herself, the purple light consuming her form as the bullets ricocheted offf her back and pushed her deeper through the doorway.

Cimmeria dropped from the ceiling of her secret room and landed hard on her side, sending more pain throughout her chest. She grunted and closed the portal she fell through.  Only noticing that the magician was trapped in here with her before she passed out.

(OOC Non-canon battle post first attempt in the game wish me luck!!)


Thor saw the lad appear out of nowhere and Spurt reaching down to pick him up. He simply grunted in annoyance and threw his hammer at the ground between the two. The shockwave was enough to push Sourt away and launch Jump at Thor. He caught him effortlessly and decided to hold onto him for the moment for his own safety.

"Now I ask one last time. Are you goign to come along nicely?"

Spurt spat out something rather rude and rubbed his arms to make them bigger. He ran up and reached down to lift the hammer only to discover he could not. Thor could not help but laugh at this sight. "Apologies friend but you are unworthy of the right to life the mighty Mjolnir."

This incensed Spurt to greater anger and he charged forward spraying at Thor with his flamethrowers.

Thor's eye shut for a moment as he turned so his body would shield Jump from the flames. They did no more than irritate his skin however he could not see Spurt charging at him until he was hit. Thor went flying through the air and landed in a heap underneath Jump.

Thor got up in an annoyed daze for a moment and looked over at Spurt. "Some form of Fire Giant eh? I know just how to deal with you." Thor and Spurt both charged at each other bellowing warcries. Their fists met with a bone crunching slam and the battle was joined. Spurt with his enhanced speed and strength was actually giving Thor a very hearty battle as they traded blows. Spurt seemed to get the upper hand as he grabbed Thor and threw him over his shoulder as hard as he could. Thor flew through the air and landed in a heap, right next to his hammer!

Thor laughed and gingerly got up lifting his hammer with him. "You are a challenge giant, but I am afraid I must put our little spar to an end. I made a promise to a fair maiden and I intend to keep it." With that he lifted his hammer and a bolt of lightning slammed down into it and seemed to be absorbed by Thor. Spurt charged again letting his flames fly. Thor waited until the last second and then brought his hammer crashing against Spurt's skull. Not enough force to kill but more than enough to knock him cold.

"You wont be needing those." he said ripping off the flamethrowers and tossing them aside. He grunted and lifted Spurt over his shoulder before returning to where he had dropped Jump and picked him up as well. He clipped his hammer to him belt and flew off towards the location he had left Ma Nature. Landing in front of her he deposited Spurt at her feet

"I believe this is the one you seek milady." he said with a bow.

(OOC: Non-Canon Battle Post)

----------------

Spurt picked Jump off of the ground by his hair. His titanic hands could tear him apart as easily as they could a piece of bread if they wanted to. It was tempting, but he wasn't going to be that monster today. He wasn't a monster, he was a revolutionary. That was why Namidias hired him, that was why he was part of the Wave; he and his friends were out to change the world.

A redheaded, muscle-bound Nord with an ugly, untamed beard stood in front of him.

"I dare challenge thee, beast," said Thor. The Nordic Deity lifted his hammer above his head. A crack of thunder threatened to rupture the sky apart. "For possession of that young lad."

Spurt stared up at the sky. As he did so, lighting spread outward from a cloud above Mjolnir in a spider-web pattern. The sky was alight with lighting, rain, and wind. His enemies could control the weather; they could strike him down where he stood! He wasn't gonna stick around for this; he'd rather live to fight another day.

"What say thee, giant?" asked Thor. Spurt turned tail and ran off toward the city, still holding his prey in his one hand. At this, Thor hurls his hammer at the ground in front of Spurt. The impact stopped Spurt in his tracks.

"Art thou that cowardly?" said Thor. There was a stern quality to his voice, as if he was a father lecturing a young child.

"No. J-just practical!" he responded. At that, the beast leapt up into the air, only to be thrown to the ground by what seemed like hurricane winds. As he pushed himself up with his arms, he saw Thor carefully placing the innocent young agent on the ground.

Spurt was losing, and losing quickly. He needed an opening now! Where was Cimmeria when you needed her? Where was anyone?!

His break finally came when he heard the whine of a fire engine's siren off in the distance. That's it; if he could just reach the civilians, he could distract the maniacal wildman!

Spurt stood and roared with the ferocity of a bear as Thor approached him.

"Finally, the warrior emerges!" Spurt slaps his hands against his head until it becomes almost too huge for his body to bear, then charges at Thor at an incredible speed. Thor laughs and simply swings his hammer at the demon. But before the hammer reaches him, Spurt leans back. The hammer swings past him, giving Spurt just enough time to leap over Thor's head.

"Clever. I admit, I've never beheld a beast like you before. " While Thor speaks, Spurt frantically makes his limbs, neck, and chest grow until his body is properly proportioned. He then rockets up into the air, jumps off of a tree branch, and throws his fist into a fire engine. Dozens of firemen flee the scene while, deep in the shadows, an AGF officer radios for backup.

Thor flies out to the parking lot and creates a huge wall of wind around Spurt and himself. Spurt is frozen with fright as Thor approaches him, but he manages to activate his flamethrowers before Thor's hammer punches him into the side of the firetruck.

The unstoppable Thor smirks as he awaits his opponents' next move.

"Valhalla does not await one who fights so poorly," says the Nordic Lord of Thunder. Spurt, in desperation, grabs the truck up off the ground and prepares to use it as a shield. He sees, however, a glimmer of delight in Thor's eye as he picks up the truck.

The beast whimpers at his enemy's incredible resolve. Was he really that pathetic? No! He was strong, he was powerful, he was smart! He could beat Thor! And he knew exactly how to do it. Instead of shielding himself from Thor, his mighty hands spun the truck around into the wall of wind. In less than a second, Spurt swung the truck into Thor's face with all the strength and speed Mjolnir's tornado could provide. Needless to say, the truck shattered like glass against Thor's skin.

Yet, as the truck fell to pieces, Spurt saw a great bruise around Thor's eye. That was it. This creature, this being of pure might, was beatable! Encouraged, Spurt stomped the ground , making the parking lot look like the aftermath of an earthquake. He then threw a huge piece of loose concrete up into the air, jumped up into the sky, and slashed it at Thor on his way down. The great warrior, however, blocked the brunt of the attack with his hammer.

The two Gifted men locked eyes as Spurt's weapon crumbled to pieces. Out of options, Spurt simply tried to tackle his opponent, who threw him up into the air with one hand. Thor then held his hammer up to the sky and shouted to the sky.

"Fear the wrath of Thor. For he alone commands the storm's rage!"

Spurt saw nothing but white light as an endless chain of lighting bolts flowed through his body on their way to Mjolnir. He then saw nothing as his motionless, burnt ragdoll of an unconscious body fell to the ground.

Thinking the battle was won, Thor twirled his hammer and the tornado's winds dispersed.

"All fall before Thor's might." Suddenly, a huge spike tore its way through his stomach. Thor grunted. The great weapon burned with a heat comparable to the sun's light! As Thor turned to face his opponent, he noticed that "he" was a huge crowd of fully armored AGF officers.

"Attention, unidentified Gifted! Attention! You are in violation of Federal Powers Statute 12. Get on the ground and surrender immediately. We have more of those needle launchers, and we are prepared to use them.

Thor was unsure of how to proceed. These soldiers were but men; he shan't kill them! He couldn't!

(OOC: Canon Battle Post)

----------------

Spurt picked Jump off of the ground by his hair. His titanic hands could tear him apart as easily as they could a piece of bread if they wanted to. It was tempting, but he wasn't going to be that monster today. He wasn't a monster, he was a revolutionary. That was why Namidias hired him, that was why he was part of the Wave; he and his friends were out to change the world.

A redheaded, muscle-bound Nord with an ugly, untamed beard stood in front of him.

"I dare challenge thee, beast," said Thor. The Nordic Deity lifted his hammer above his head. A crack of thunder threatened to rupture the sky apart. "For possession of that young lad."

Spurt stared up at the sky. As he did so, lighting spread outward from a cloud above Mjolnir in a spider-web pattern. The sky was alight with lighting, rain, and wind. His enemies could control the weather; they could strike him down where he stood! He wasn't gonna stick around for this; he'd rather live to fight another day.

"What say thee, fire giant?" asked Thor. Spurt turned tail and ran off toward the city, still holding his prey in his one hand. At this, Thor hurls his hammer at the ground in front of Spurt. The impact stopped Spurt in his tracks. Spurt turned to catch a glimpse of the Thunder God before he hurled head long into the beast. Thor and Spurt both charged at each other bellowing warcries. Their fists met with a bone crunching slam and the battle was joined. Spurt with his enhanced speed and strength was actually giving Thor a very hearty battle as they traded blows. Spurt seemed to get the upper hand as he grabbed Thor and threw him over his shoulder as hard as he could  Thor flew through the air and landed in a heap, right next to his hammer!

Thor laughed and gingerly got up lifting his hammer with him. "You are a challenge giant, but I am afraid I must put our little spar to an end. I made a promise to a fair maiden and I intend to keep it." Spurt sighed at the sight of Thor being reunited with his hammer and looked desperately around for a way to escape once more.

"Art thou that cowardly?" said Thor. There was a stern quality to his voice, as if he was a father lecturing a young child.

"No. J-just practical!" he responded. At that, the beast leapt up into the air, only to be thrown to the ground by what seemed like hurricane winds. As he pushed himself up with his arms, he saw Thor carefully placing the innocent young agent on the ground.

Spurt was losing, and losing quickly. He needed an opening now! Where was Cimmeria when you needed her? Where was anyone?!

His break finally came when he heard the whine of a fire engine's siren off in the distance. That's it; if he could just reach the civilians, he could distract the maniacal wildman!

Spurt stood and roared with the ferocity of a bear as Thor approached him.

"Finally, the warrior emerges!" Spurt slaps his hands against his head until it becomes almost too huge for his body to bear, then charges at Thor at an incredible speed. Thor laughs and simply swings his hammer at the demon. But before the hammer reaches him, Spurt leans back. The hammer swings past him, giving Spurt just enough time to leap over Thor's head.

"Clever. I admit, I've never beheld a beast like you before. " While Thor speaks, Spurt frantically makes his limbs, neck, and chest grow until his body is properly proportioned. He then rockets up into the air, jumps off of a tree branch, and throws his fist into a fire engine. Dozens of firemen flee the scene while, deep in the shadows, an AGF officer radios for backup.

Thor flies out to the parking lot and creates a huge wall of wind around Spurt and himself. Spurt is frozen with fright as Thor approaches him, but he manages to activate his flamethrowers before Thor's hammer punches him into the side of the firetruck.

The unstoppable Thor smirks as he awaits his opponents' next move.

"Valhalla does not await one who fights so poorly," says the Nordic Lord of Thunder. Spurt, in desperation, grabs the truck up off the ground and prepares to use it as a shield. He sees, however, a glimmer of delight in Thor's eye as he picks up the truck.

The beast whimpers at his enemy's incredible resolve. Was he really that pathetic? No! He was strong, he was powerful, he was smart! He could beat Thor! And he knew exactly how to do it. Instead of shielding himself from Thor, his mighty hands spun the truck around into the wall of wind. In less than a second, Spurt swung the truck into Thor's face with all the strength and speed Mjolnir's tornado could provide. Needless to say, the truck shattered like glass against Thor's skin.

Yet, as the truck fell to pieces, Spurt saw a great bruise around Thor's eye. That was it. This creature, this being of pure might, was beatable! Encouraged, Spurt stomped the ground , making the parking lot look like the aftermath of an earthquake. He then threw a huge piece of loose concrete up into the air, jumped up into the sky, and slashed it at Thor on his way down. The great warrior, however, blocked the brunt of the attack with his hammer.

The two Gifted men locked eyes as Spurt's weapon crumbled to pieces. Out of options, Spurt simply tried to tackle his opponent, who threw him up into the air with one hand. Thor then held his hammer up to the sky and shouted to the sky.

"Fear the wrath of Thor. For he alone commands the storm's rage!"

Spurt saw nothing but white light as an endless chain of lighting bolts flowed through his body on their way to Mjolnir. He then saw nothing as his motionless, burnt ragdoll of an unconscious body fell to the ground.

Thinking the battle was won, Thor twirled his hammer and the tornado's winds dispersed.

"All fall before Thor's might." Suddenly, a huge spike tore its way through his stomach. Thor grunted. The great weapon burned with a heat comparable to the sun's light! As Thor turned to face his opponent, he noticed that "he" was a huge crowd of fully armored AGF officers.

"Attention, unidentified Gifted! Attention! You are in violation of Federal Powers Statute 12. Get on the ground and surrender immediately. We have more of those needle launchers, and we are prepared to use them.

Thor was unsure of how to proceed. These soldiers were but men; he shan't kill them! He couldn't!
</quote>

Thor took a few moments. He was dumbfounded that these mere mortals were trying to stop him, nay, HARM him while he did all he could to protect them. He glared at the surrounding AGF members and gently sat his hammer on the ground. As he did he slammed his hands into the ground causing it to shake. In that moment when they stumbled to get their feet underneath them a powerful gust of wind knocked them all 20 feet away from Thor. They were not injured just disoriented. In that moment of respite Thor grabbed Mjolnir and took to the sky long gone before any of the could react.

He landed back in the park near where Jump had been dropped and scooped him into his arm. Again he took to the sky and a minute or so later was well outside of the city. He plucked the long needle from his stomach and allowed his body to start mending itself. He looked down at Jump and gently prodded him with a small spark. Just enough to cause him to come back to consciousness. "There mortal. You shall be safe. Valhalla is not for you this day. Thou might want to get those wounds healed." with that a golden light illuminated him and Eric was standing next to Jump.

At least for the moment. The wound had not fully healed over and Eric hit his knees. He wasn't sure what state of mind Jump was in but he knew that they both needed help. He dug out his cell phone and dialed the number Jump had used earlier.

A moment later the phone picked up. "This is Juinto's Pizza! What can I get for you!" A cheery male voice said on the other side. Eric spoke quickly. "I'd like a double cheese, no sauce, with extra Anchovy and Salami. And some Pepperoni."

 The voice took a moment before responding, sounding not as cheery but still continued. "And how much would you like to pay for that?" It asked. "14.99" Eric replied. There was a click, the man said, "Let me redirect you." suddenly a woman came on the line. She sounded a bit upset. "This is Dispatch, who is calling?" Eric smiled gratefully, help. They were going to get help. "Look you dont know me but my name is Eric Donner and I am a friend. I am standing here next to Jump outside of the city after saving both of our lives. We are wounded and need immediate medical attention. Please, help." He waited with bated breath hoping that the woman would believe him and send some help....

Jump blinked, and it took him a few moments to approach anything nearing a coherent state of mind. The pain was a lot worse than he'd expected, and he'd overestimated his ability to ignore it. He refrained from groaning, but the pinched expression on his face was proof enough that he was hiding a great deal of pain as he sat up, clutching his side. "He's good." He said loudly, hoping the phone would hear him, and burst into a great deal of coughing as his throat disagreed with being used. The woman on the other side sighed (her motif seemed to be loud sighs). "Where are you at? I'm assuming Jump is out of commission, so I'll send a squad to grab you two. And ask Jump if we need to bring Ivy."

Jump seemed to hear from where he was at, and through the coughing fit spoke up quickly. "No, no Ivy. We don't need Ivy."

Eric looked back towards the city. "We are about two miles to the west of the city. And Jump says We don't need Ivy. E isn't completely out of commission, but we both aren't going anywhere on our own." He was starting to feel a bit lightheaded, but he refused to let it rule him.

It was around 10 or so minutes before 4 people literally dropped out of the sky, landing with soft puffs of dirt around Eric and Jump. He'd stopped coughing, but was lying on the ground again, and appeared to be deeply asleep. A woman stepped forwards, her helmet and faceplate hid any distinctive facial features, but her height acted as a distinctive feature on its own. The other 3 appeared to be men, and they all stood facing outwards, appearing to be on the lookout for others. The woman crouched and lifted her faceplate, brushing her hand over Jump's face, looking worried. "I'm awake, Sherry. Not gonna fall asleep with this kind of shit going on." He said, and she pulled her hand away like a snake had bitten it. Her skin was tan, and her eyes were a deep green, but her hair was hidden in the helmet and her race appeared to be indeterminate. "Tank and High, keep watch. Lair, you can come see what you can do about Jump's wounds."

She stood up, and looked over Eric while one of the men broke their watch and took her place at Jump's side. He pulled out a small kit and began checking Jump over, wrapping a few bandages and giving him an inhaler. The woman continued staring at Eric for several moments before speaking. "We appreciate your assistance. Jump is an integral part to our operations here in New York. But we expect full non-disclosure about everything you've seen, heard, or participated in. We're going to take you back to base so we can get everything we can out of you about what went on, and we'll have our doctors treat you, free of charge. We have a healer, but she's on duty in Denver right now. There was a series of attacks on our base there and she was needed." She flipped her face-plate down. "We're going to fly back, unless Jump feels up to moving us." She cast a gaze in his direction, and he tilted his head towards her. He didn't make any motion for a few moments, and then he disappeared. She nodded her head. "He'll be taking us back in a few moments."

True to her word, just a few moments later, everyone was moved to a large white room, with a  few people running around on the outer edges and a large red J printed on the floor beneath them. He was still lying on the floor, but with the bandages he was looking a lot more... less-dead. A gurny and a wheelchair were pulled out into the center of the floor. Jump was loaded onto the gurny, and the chair was offered to Eric.

Eric took the chair with a soft "Thank you." and allowed himself to be wheeled wherever they were going to take him. He knew who he was dealing with now. The ITSDA. It had been a while since the last time he had any dealings with them. He appreciated what they stood for but was still not sure if he would ever be alright joining them. He glanced over at Jump. Hell this kid does it and he seems like he is hapy to do it. Maybe I should give it a second thought. He decided to wait until pain was not going to cloud his head as his side gave another throb.

In reply to Icon (msg # 67):

A man in another suit of armor, though this one had the medical symbol stuck onto the front of it, came to push Eric. A couple of others moved Jump, but after they found that he was in no danger of death, just in a great deal of pain, they shot him full of some drugs and moved him to a wheelchair as well. The hallways of the building were concrete and pipes, with lights spaced out along evenly. Most of the doors were closed, and there were a few hallways. One intersection had an elevator, but the small group of armored men and women and Jump and Eric didn't go anywhere near it. The two were wheeled into a large room with a table with 8 sides placed at it. Currently, only 4 of the sides were in use. Three men, two of them in armor and the third in a nice suit. The man in the suit looked elderly, but his narrowed and alert blue eyes were sign enough that he was capable of handling any situation. The fourth, a woman, was in street clothes and had her feet on the table. Everyone seemed to be ignoring her.

The man stood up, stepping around the table and stretching his hand out to shake Eric's. He cast a glance in Jump's direction, but didn't approach. "My name is Commander Gurny. We've heard good things about you, Icon, but we've respected your wishes and kept our distance. It looks like you went and approached us this time." He smiled thinly, but there was no true humor in it, and he appeared to only be making small talk. "Now, I'm sure you're in some pain, but we need to hold off on the drugs until we've gotten a report of what happened up there from someone who witnessed some of it first-hand."

Jump spoke up. "It was Cimmeria, sir. I don't have access to her full file, but I've seen a picture and a very verbose warning not to engage her directly or solo." He said, his words just barely slurred. "Now I understand why..." He shook his head. "I didn't recognize whoever was with her, but his abilities were... unique. I'm sure we've got information on him somewhere."

The man frowned and motioned at one of the men in armor. The man nodded and quickly left the room, closing the door behind him silently. He returned to his seat, and the men pushing Eric and Jump pushed them up to the table and left too. The woman finally twisted her legs off the table and appeared to get interested in what was going on, but didn't mention anything directly. Commander Gurny gestured at her. "This is Ivy. She's our resident telepath, and we've given her explicit directions to stay out of your heads, but monitor your surface thoughts. If you lie to us, you'd either be a damned good liar, or she'll catch it, and she'll tear your memories up like wet tissue paper."

Gurny leaned forwards and placed his elbows on the table, with his hands in a folded position in front of him. "Please, tell us what happened."