2014-05-20 - Stock Market Crash

Wall street just after 4:00 is a busy place. While the trading day has ended, there is always a little business left to take care of, and people moving back and forth between the exchanges and their own firms' offices, in addition to the exodus of people just leaving for the day. Not to mention tourists, taxis, street food vendors, various coffee shops and other support businesses. It is almost a city unto itself.



About a block away from the NYSE itself, there is a building with a marble facing and gilded doors, one of the elder financial institutions of the area. Across the street is the huge bronze statue of a bull that is one of the icons of Wall Street. Parked in front of that building is an armored car, which two workers just loaded with a single security bag. Two other guards watch the area carefully, seemingly ready for anything. And then with a horrific noice, the ground ripples, and the bull statue comes flying across the steet to slam into the truck. That... they weren't ready for. One of the guards unholsters his gun, trying to take aim on the grey-armored man standing behind where the bull formerly stood. Instead, he is sent flying by a mini tordado that slams him rom another direction. A man-sized tornado whirls in a moemnt later, stopping by the back end of the truck where it lays, now on its side, against the building. The green-armored figure of Whirlwind leans into the truck to grab the bag.

She's one of the most powerful telepaths on Earth! And yet having spent god knows how many hours on hold on the phone trying to sort out issues with her checking account, Jean has made a trip over inot the city as she leaves the bank then. Having gotten the runaround from a teller then and having to resist very hard to otherwise cast away Xavier's training at the doublespeak she was getting very tired of, Jean is saved from otherwise doing something over to the bank teller that she would likely get a lecture from later by the sounds of things smashing. Wonderful. This just about fits her mood.



Jean Grey sends out a telepathic alert then to anyone else who might be in the area then for backup, before striding out over towards the sounds of the ruckus, her mood foul, and having something to vent on.

Kate had been in New York City for a few days, visiting family and catching up on some much needed shopping. She had managed to stave off the itch to don her cape and mask so far, until today. Kate felt as though a part of her was missing and knew that she had to become Batwoman tonight. Not being that familiar with the landscape, Batwoman started a few hours before dusk to get her bearings. She didn't have to wait long at all.



   Batwoman is crouched on a corner ledge of a building that overlooks the NYSE and is one of the first to spot the sudden carnage below. The dark figure studies the two causing the disturbance, and, having seen atleast some of their abilities, takes action.

   Leaping from the ledge she falls for two heartbeats and then spreads her cape, the weighted, armored fabric catches the air currents and slows her down just enough. Armored boots first, she sails down, aiming to crash into the villain looting the truck.

A yell from the Avalanchee comes as Batwoman falls, "Whirl, above you." He may not be the brightest member of the Brotherhood, but he's at least learned to look up over the years. Whirlwind starts moving as he looks up, spinning so fiolently that an updraftcatches Kate's spread cape, blowing her off course. Avalanch, meanwhile, rides a ripple of concrete and asphault over to the truck. Avalanch calls out, "You know what's good for you, Bat, you'll just stay out of our way."



At this point, Jean is going to telekinetically pick up several pieces of debris, and then launches them through the air over at Avalanch, "Really, bank robbery? Has Mystique gotten this desperate that she's turning to petty crime?" Several large pieces of debris aboutthe size of basketballs are telekinetically lifted up and hurtled over at Avalanch while he monologues.

Batwoman is blown off course, instead of trying to fight against the wind she uses her grappling gun to hit the armored truck and reel herself in, she then fastens the gun to her belt to anchor herself. She smirks and turns to Whirlwind, completely ignoring the oncoming Avalanche. Then she does what nobody would expect a Bat to do. She pulls a gun from behind her back, a colt .45 to be more accurate.



   Taking a very careful aim, she fires at Whirlwind, fully expecting the villain to do his little whirling trick again. The bullets are actually tear gas pellets, which collapse and unload their contents the moment they hit the vicious wind.

<p class="MsoNormal">Whirlwind starts whirling again even before Batwoman fires. He doesn't know enough about the Bats to know that lethal force isn't their collective style. THe first pellet into the wind does what it is intended to do. The winds around him turn yellow as the gas expands, and he starts to cough. But a moment later, he changes his spin a bit and air blasts back at Batwoman, carrying the gas with it. Whirlwind stops to regain his breath, coughing and wiping at his eyes, "Nasty trick there. Now you've gone and pissed me off."Still, he remains offf balance and potentially vulnerable.

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<p class="MsoNormal">   Avalanche, meanwhile, is having his own issues. He bursts several of the larger chunks headed his way into powder, and lifts his arm to keep the grit that pelts him a moment later out of his eyes. When he lowers it, he mutters, "Always an X-man around when you don't want one." He gives Jean a mean smile, "Who said Mystique ordered this? But she never objects to some extra funds to play with." He hits the ground and sends a two foot ripple through the ground, intending to knock Jean off her feet.

<p class="MsoNormal">Jean goes flying from the shake from Avalanche, otherwise stumbling about, "So you're going off on your own? I'm sure that she's going to enjoy seeing you representing the Brotherhood acting like a common criminal." Jean staggers, stumbling onto the ground then. She's too disoriented to telepathically attack Avalanche, but maybe she can disorient him back! Trying to focus, she tries to send if she can a heavy burst of telepathically induced delriium and nausea at him!

<p class="MsoNormal">Batwoman raises her cape to protect her mouth, quickly putting a small rebreather over her nose and mouth, the mask she wears is purposely designed to keep out gas attacks, so no danger there.

<p class="MsoNormal">   The moment she sees Whirlwind pause, she charges, moving with the speed of an olypmic sprinter, she reaches into her belt and retrieves something small, keeping it clasped into her armored fist.

<p class="MsoNormal">   "You're big and strong. I'm just a girl in a costume. You afraid to duke it out?" Her voice is husky, ruby lips curl into a smirk, "Come on, handsome. Put me in my place."

<p class="MsoNormal">Avalanche staggers back, grabbing a lamp post to keep himself verticle. His face looks a bit green. His verbal reply starts with a gag, "Urgh. That's dirty.. He tries to retaliate, but his focus is off, and The area around Jean is unscathed, although the street suddenly develops potholes even worse than normal for New York this time of year.

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<p class="MsoNormal">   Whirlwind, meanwhile, takes Batwoman's bait, "Lady, you asked for it." And he moves to close with her. Of course, his version of "duking it out" isn't exactly normal. His body spins into a blur as he closes with her, intending to use all that speed and momentum in hisstrike.

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<p class="MsoNormal">And then, just when it seems like the two villains are totally where the heroines want them, there is a sudden, violent distraction. A thin, blond man in a rather unseasonable trenchcoat walks over to the armored car and picks up the sought-after securities transfer bag. Then he flings his tranchcoat aside, revealing an orange and red outfit with a canister on the back and tubes running to his wrists. As he slings the bag over one shoulder, a gout of flame jets from one gauntlet, then expands and turns into a gigantic flaming bat which wings its way towards Jean, leaving two cars and a waste basket flaming in its wake.

<p class="MsoNormal">THe sudden bat leaping out of metaphorical hell and the sudden screech of flame in the air is enough to disrupt Jean's telepathic disorientation tossed over at Avalanche, and he hsould be able to dispell it relatively quickly. Jean barley avoids twisting her ankle - she might not be under the immediate blast of disruption from Avalanche, but the sudden surge of pavement exploding in every direction is enough to send the X-Woman tumbling.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Downed once again, Jean quickly spots Pyro, "So, is this your idea of a day on the town?" Not in a quick position to counterattack, she wraps herself in as quick a telekinetic force field as she can.

<p class="MsoNormal">Batwoman can feel the heat on her back, but she has no time to do anything but spare a brief glance over a shoulder, taking quick note of the new player entering the battlefield. Then her attention is back on Whirlwind. She knows she has to take out this guy first before she can focus on either of the two that are attacking the red-haired mutant woman.

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<p class="MsoNormal">   Without hesitation, Batwoman lunges forward, raising her armored cape and gauntlet to absorb as much of the strike as possible, even still the blow rings her proverbial clock. Despite the cape and the suit, she feels a couple of ribs crack. Oh man. That hurts so much!Don't black out Kate, don't black out. Keep going, Soldier!

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<p class="MsoNormal">   The blow sends her sprawling onto the ground, even though she briefly attempted a weak counterattack, which wasn't more than a shove of her free hand.

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<p class="MsoNormal">   In reality, the shove wasn't a shove, but Batwoman sticking a small object to Whirlwind's chest. An object that beeps cheerfully before it detonates.

<p class="MsoNormal">Pyro answers Jean playfully, in his thick Aussie accent, "Sheila, no one paints the town red like ol' Pyro." Twisting flames leap from the burning wastebin towards Jean. Meanwhile, Whirlwind laughs cruelly as Batwoman goes to the ground, "Like I said, you asked for it. You're outclassed, human." Then his chest beeps. He has just enough time to go "Huh?" and glance down before the planted device goes off. Thick, foamy glue bursts over his body. He tries to whirl it away, but can't build up any speed before it hardens around him. He struggles against the compound without visible result, yelling some rather obscene, and anatomically improbable, threats of what he intends to do to Batwoman once he gets free.

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<p class="MsoNormal">   Shaking off the effects of the psionic attack, Avalanche glasses towards the obviously furious Whirlwind, and sends one of his ground ripples out in a semi-circle that should strike both Batwoman and Jean. It strikes the Gothamite first, popping her from prone to airborne and tumbling, sailing her towards the wreckage of bull and van. At the last moment though, instead of striking twisted metal, she instead ends up skidding up a cold, slick embankment, then back down to the ground. A voice from the top of a nearby building taunts asan ice slick forms under Avalanche, "Oh, look... we've got Earth, Wind and Fire. Well, I never did like 70s music." Still somewhat dizzy, Avalanche's sense of balance is not up to keeping his footing, and he ends up flat on his back a moment later, as Iceman slides down to street level.

<p class="MsoNormal">Jean Grey glances over at Bobby, "THat joke is almost awful enough to nullify the fact you got here so quickly." She takes a moment of concentration then as Iceman and Pyro duel at fanning flames and funnsies then, gathering up her mental energies then as she works at a somewhat more difficult trick than what she normally does. Jean goes to focus her telekinesis then at one point over on the road - the pavement has already been wrecked and shattered, so that makes it easier. Picking up a section of the roadway with her mind, focusingher telekinetic energies, Jean goes over to try and snap it over like a whip over at Avalanche, trusing that Iceman can handle Pyro over for now. What she's expecting Avalanche to instinctively do as the roadway snaps towards him is use his powers to blast through the center of it - taht's what training would have instilled in him. And Jean's intent, as Avalanche hopefully shatters the snapping roadway is then smash the debris into him as he blasts it up like a whirlwind - of course if he does something other than she's expecting himtoo she'll be completely flatfooted and vulnerable.

<p class="MsoNormal">Batwoman sprawls on the ice slide, briefly peering up as yet ANOTHER combatent enters the fray. Atleast this one appears to be on their side. She slowly gets to her feet, one hand going to her ribs on the left side, ruby lips curling into a snarl of pain.

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<p class="MsoNormal">   She nods at Iceman, all the thanks she'll give, even to someone that probably just saved her life.

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<p class="MsoNormal">   Seeing both villains occupied, she slowly walks to the caught Whirlwind, drawing a taser from her belt of many tricks. Without hesitation she manages to get his helmet free, sticks the taser against his neck and pulls the trigger. Eight MILLION volts of electricity courses through Whirlwind. KO.obby responds to Jean with a petulant whine, "Awww, only almost? I'll have to try harder next time." He flashes her a grin, then turns to face Pyro. Avalanch, meanwhile, is just getting to his feet when the road flips up at him. Predictably, He throws a fist forward and sends a shockwave to blow a hole. Less predictably, he uses his ripple-riding trick to move himself sideways out of the path at the same time, so although Jean's trick works perfectly, the rubble shower is off target. Using the few moments wherethe road blocks Jean's view of him, Avalanch moves to aid Whirlwind, with the glue suddenly shattering around him. It's a moment too late htough, and Whirlwind ends up twitching on the ground amidst the glue rubble.

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<p class="MsoNormal">   Pyro, meanwhile, sends flames streaming at Iceman from every available source of fire, trying to land a solid strike. The frozen response pops up as a wall around Iceman, but the resultant cloud of steam blankets the area in a sudden, thick fog across the battlefield

<p class="MsoNormal">Jean Grey is not in a position where she can focus over on Pyro then - she can roughly sense his location, but she can't get a solid enough lock on him to attack him. She sends a quick telepathic instruction to Iceman <<Bobby, going to mindlink with you. I'll track himand you smash him.>> Assuming it works, Jean would try and tleepathically guide Iceman if needed over towards locating and smashing Pyro over as the area was filled over with steam then as she enveloped herself in a telekinetic bubble to make sure she didn't end up getting second degree burns over from the exchange!

<p class="MsoNormal">Batwoman whirls around, turning away from the downed Whirlwind, two batarangs soar through the air towards Avalanche. She charges in right behind her thrown weapons, two batons appearing in her hands, their tips sparking with a violent blue light. Despite the haze of pain radiating from her ribs, she knows that this guy is too dangerous to keep at range, she needs to close in.

<p class="MsoNormal">One of the batarangs shatters in mid air, but the fog from the battle of fire and ice obscures his view before Avalanche can deal with the second, and although he sends another ground ripple towards Batwoman, he takesa a Batarang to the face a moment later and is back on the ground, dazed, and remains there long enough for a sparking baton to find its mark, resulting in another twitching Mutant. Pyro, meanwhile, is at least somewhat less direct than his companions, and while the flames curl in towards Iceman, the sourceof the flames is backing away, though he can only move slowly to keep the required focus. Iceman, meanwhile, has to split his focus several ways, building up his protective barriers as fast as they are melted while dealing with the sources of the fire individually. The7 streams of fire that Pyro has going wink out one after the other as their source is extinguished. When the last one goes out, Pyro turns, running through the fog to try and make his escape.

<p class="MsoNormal">The Batwoman seems to have Avalanche down, so Jean focuses on helping to guide Iceman, trying to help him keep track of where the blasts of flame are going from. As PYro turns to flee Jean has a moment to spare from her guidance then, otherwise trying to repeat the earlier trick she used on Avalanche on Pyro then - if she can trying to completely disorient him and make him extremely nauseous. ALl she has to do over with luck is disorient him enough to make him trip and sprawl out when he's focused on running and still partially blinded by the fog himself to hopefully slow him up for Bobby to finish him off.

<p class="MsoNormal">Batwoman jumped over the ground ripple and landed a solid smack to Avalanche, eight million volts for the mutant. She peers down at the downed mutant, and shrugs, "Well. That was easy." The woman collapses her batons, putting them back on her belt, her hand coming away with a pair of handcuffs. Turning Avalanche over, she pulls his arms behind his back and cuffs him.

<p class="MsoNormal">   Then Batwoman staggers over to Whirlwind and does the same thing... Though she punches Whirlwind in the face, breaking his nose first, "That's for my ribs, ass."

<p class="MsoNormal">Though neither has command of their muscles at the moment, both mutants are still conscious. Though his face is a rictus of pain and eletrical disruption, Whirlwind still manages to give Batwoman a glare that can only be described as murderous as his broken nose gushes blood. Suddenly, the fog begins to move, seemingly taking on a strange life of its own. After a few moments, it becomes apparent that it's just Iceman clearing the air, drawing the moisture of the fog together. And because it's Iceman, that moisture ends up as an ice sculpture replica of the ruined bronze Wall Street bull. And because the mutant's sense of humor is truly warped, the Bull now has a cow and a calf next to it.

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<p class="MsoNormal">   With the air clear again, the fate of the third villain is revealed. It's hard to run in a straight line when your entire perception of reality suddenly distorts. Pyro's attempt to run into the nearby alley apparently resulted, instead, in him running full tilt into the corner of the building. He is now unconscious on the ground, sprawled on the stolen security bag, and Whirlwind is not the only one with a busted nose.

<p class="MsoNormal">Everyone seems down for the count, and Jean slowly stands up, looking over at the battered supervillains, "I guess their withdrawl was denied." Shaking her red hair, "And.. That was horrible." Jean has to owrk on her post fight one liners it seems. Telepathically sending to Iceman <<You okay Bobby?>>

<p class="MsoNormal">Batwoman looks up as the fog clears, spotting the downed Pyro. She tilts her head, puzzled, until she realizes what happened. Then she smirks. Casually she puts a booted foot on Whirlwind's throat, making sure he doesn't get up to whirl away.