2014-02-05 - War On Manta: Death in New Venice

Dawn rises slowly over New Venice. The city is built up and out of a large island using concrete platforms and pilings separated from the coast by a wide channel. The main island actually does have canals and not regular streets. Most people commute with boats. Two smaller island lat between the main island and the coast and are linked with bridges to the main island and thence to the coast.



 All this is known to John who lived here all his life. He looks down at the mayor from hanging a banner that reads 'Aquafest' and bears next week's date. "This is stupid. He didn't come last time. We ain't seen him in a couple years."



 The mayor glares at him. "Have faith. Hizzoner is going through a rough patch. He was always there for us before. I'll ... I'll send the signal fish to him."



 "Signal fish died of old age last month remember? I knew I should have thrown in with my brother and opened that diner in San Fran. He got to see Aquaman at least."



 Somewhere out in the blue Aquaman sits in his scout craft and looks out the cockpit. "Five minutes to New Venice, King Orin. No sign anyone detects us yet."



 "Good man. Begin final approach. May fortune smile on us," he closes his eyes and shuts his mind off. His thoughts are his own.'



 Peter Parker is there to take pictures of the coming festivities. For whatever reason Jolly Old Jonah had a deep seated loathing of anything that might have come over from the Associated Press as far as events went, so when the Bugle covered other regions they would send their own staff and photographers. Unfortunately for Peter, as well given JJJ's wonderful sense of economy, he had had to come by two days on bus, and with about as much money for tickets that he could sleep in an overhead compartment somewhere and scrounge food. Sighing, walking along the streets then, his camera slung over his shoulder, having not slept in two days on Greyhound and snapping the occasional picture of the statuesque canals. His Spider-Sense very lightly buzzing, Peter wondering if he was perennially going to slip and fall on the ground.





 While things are happening in New Venice, Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, is doing her own heroics. Right now, those heroics are taking the form of doing the lunch shift with only one other waitress on staff because apparently some rock band was i town and 3 of the teenage waitresses who work at Jim's Diner had 'taken off' for it, knowing Jim is a softie when it comes to that sort of thing. Normally not a problem, but whenever Kara's at the Diner, it somehow attracts a lot of the college guy crowd.



<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> It really is a picturesque city. So, it is perfectly expected for tourists to visit, especially during an obvious festival. However, despite this, it is probably not a major draw. So, why has Janet Van Dyne walking the streets? Isn't she a little...out of place? No answers are given from Janet, for it seems that no one is asking. She does seem to be people watching, but pointedly staying away from a certain ragged photographer.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Nightwing has taken a position atop a building, and has been waiting there since soon after nightfall, awaiting the upcoming operation. His eskrima sticks, wingdings, and other nifty tools are on his belt. His eyes on the sea, Nightwing looks out, awaiting the signal that the time is right.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Morphhad spent the last few days in New Venice, not really sure what to do at the moment. Things had been going alright for him lately, but he still seemed out of sorts and not his usual cheery self. He'd hoped that spending time at the coasts of New Venice would help him figure out what was bothering him, but so far the melancholy feeling was persisting. At the moment he was walking along the main street, having morphed into a nondescript man that looked to be in his 70's and had a full head of white hair still. He was using a cane to walk slowly down the street in brown trousers and a red plaid shirt.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Beneath New Venice, a large ship lays in wait; a giant manta ray, made of steel and titanium, as large itself as a blue whale. Standing within the control booth, a large figure, suited in black. An oblong mask, with glowing red eyes and two tendrils off his head. The Black Manta points, "Aquaman comes," he denotes, with that quiet, controlled calm of a man who knows his plan is secure. Set. And, fullproof. "Begin ascension to the surface. Detonate the first set of bombs." The huge craft begins to rise from the depths of the ocean.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> And, as Aquaman nears, as people gather and mill about New Venice, the series of explosions is impossible to miss. Deafening. It rocks the earth, literally. The cliffs on either side of the city explode, huge gigantic plumes of dust and debris alongside the fiery mushroom blossoms that eschews forth dark clouds.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Massive chunks of rock and earth fall, cascade like an avalanche all around. All down the sides of the cliff, including below the watermark -- The Bad Thing has only just begun, though. This is only the start of the storm, for in the wake of their fall, the sonic ruptures of explosions, a huge, massive tidal wave begins to form in the wake of it all, threatening to swallow, and devour the entire city in it's maw.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Oh-Boy. Peter Parker's eyes almost flash in a panic as his Spider-Sense goes off /big time/, the most it has flashed since.. The eruption of the bombs has him looking out over and moving to yank someone over to the side as a piece of glass flies on past them, Peter going to duck and cover as the person he had yanked out of the way scrambles, stunned by the explosion beyond noticing who just had saved them.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Peter? Peter himself is running over for the nearest alleyway, going to yank off his outfit to quickly costume change, whipping his webshooters over into place before leaping out over onto the parapets of the town!

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> John sees it first up on the ladder. He swallows hard and then digs in his pocket for his cel. It's archaic. He has arthritis but he flips it open and thank God has voice dialing. He speaks hurriedly into it, "Hallo ... Jimmy? It's your brother Johnny! You know that waitress you have? The one what knows Aquaman? Can she take a break?"

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> In San Francisco at Jim's Diner, Jim's phone falls from his hand. "Kara! KARA!! get over here fast! You gotta take out order ... express delivery!"

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Kara Zor-El heads over to Jim. "You do delivery now?" She tilts her head. "Okay.... where do I need to bring the order?"

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Meanwhile, the four most regular, most annoying college regulars are at their usual table, arguing amongst themselves again about if the cute waitress was Supergirl, or a mutant and Jim was just trying to get some extra business by claiming the blonde waitress was Supergirl for 'the only diner that has Supergirl as a waitress.'

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> As the explosions send tremors through the city, the water within the canals rippling, Janet is nowhere to be seen. One moment she was out in the street...and the next, she's gone, as if she disappeared, leaving only a pile of clothing behind.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> But, Janet didn't just disappear. If anyone was watching at the right moment, they would have saw Janet simply...shrink. Nearly instantly, to the size of a half-inch as insectoid wings spring from her back. They would have saw a black-and-yellow miniature figure fly out, as the outfit she was wearing simply falls off.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Kara Zor-El looks around a bit - she did get most of th people's orders and put up the tickets so Tiffani could handle what she hasnt gotten to yet. Though if it's Garfield or Vic, they'd probably be trying to scam not paying - they'd done that before when they came INTO the diner. She peers at Jim since he looks a little uneasy. "Everything okay Jim?"

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> San Francisco: Jim says softly, "New Venice ... tidal wave. My brother John just called to tell me. They'll all die."

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Morph head jerks up at the sound of the explosions, wondering what was going on. Morphing back to his normal self, he looks around to see if anyone is hurt, before deciding to go and investigate what happened. Sudden;y his melancholy feeling is gone as he rushes towards a better viewpoint. Maybe this was what had been missing. Sure he didn't want people to get hurt, but the feeling of being useful, of being needed. And not just himself, but his powers as well.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Spider-Man's eyes flash behind the mask. Dear.. No time now. "Everyone, get to cover /NOW/!" Spider-Man is just rapidly shooting webs. Shooting webs in as wide arcs as he can. Trying to use the webs to make buffers between buildings. Trying to make impromptu dams as he sees the tidal wave rushing. Trying to make up venues that will slow down the water to give people cover to escape through.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Well crap. First explosions, now tidal wave. Nightwing scowls and jumps from the building, landing safely on a awning, which collapses, allowing a safe fall to the ground. He calls to the people near him, "Stay indoors, seek shelter!" As he lacks any real tools to stop a tidal waves, Nightwing can only help direct foot traffic for now.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Aquaman's eyes snap open. He feels the shock and terror of the sea life all arund. Sees the wave bearing down on a place that was like home to him through many meny eyes. It's like a blow. He turns to Mera and says, "The Manta has created a tidal wave. Build the biggest damned barrier you can between it and the city. I'll try to stop it myself. Pilot! Dive at full speed minimum altitude." The flyer drops and the air is split by a sonic boom. Aquaman gives Mera one last look as he opens a hatch and dives out of the flyer. He hits the water at nearly mach one.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Manta taps a button while the pilot maintains the slow rise from the ocean depths. His voice spreads out, over the inner speakers. "Once we breech, storm the city. It is time that we -all- got our revenge, is it not? Do what must be done. Show them our rage." Meanwhile, Manta's eyes are fixated on the feed, of the gigantic wave that is only building momentum as it rolls and roils, measuring to a terrifying height. There may be nothing left of the city, at all, in moments.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> How fast can Aquaman swim? Pretty darned fast. Over a hundred for hours is claimed. Others have said he can outrace planes and jets. They cite his ability to create vortexes by swimming. Stopping a wave is a little outside his job description but he's game. He hit the water at mach one. He just needs to maintain that speed and hope the wake he generates cancels out the tidal wave. He swims full out, the speed of his course and the water resistance tears at his eyes. He feels his hands go numb. But he still swims. "Where's an act of God when you really need one?" he thinks.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Spider-Man calls out to Nightwing, "You got any explosive son you? We might be able to create a barrier!" S pider-Man is trying to make as many webbing barriers as he can, "once the people are evacuated we can try and make some safe zones to channel them through!" Assumingthey can make a big enough barrier before the wave hits!

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Kara Zor-El blinks. "Okay I'll get right over there, don't worry Jim."

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Meanwhile, at the table, the college guys are having their regular argument.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Guy #1: "Look, all I'm saying is, there's no real proof that she's Supergirl, and there are like... millions of mutants."

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Guy #3: "Well she does have superstrength. Remember with the armwrsetling thing?"

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Guy #1: "Well... yeah but that could still have been a mutant thing. Like there's that girl who was on TV in New York who was fighting the giant robot and she was hella strong too remember?"

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Guy #2: "That's true. If that girl can fight a giant robot, it's not that impossible for her to be able to beat you in arm wrestling."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Guy #4: "Well all four of us."

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Guy #2: "Yeah yeah I know."

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Guy #4: "At the same time."

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Guy #2: "I get it, she's stronger than us."Guy #1: "Point is, Supergirl's supposed to also have like... all sorts of other powers like heat vision, she can fly, invulnerability..."

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Guy #3: "Remember, she warned you not to hit her with a bat."

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Guy #1: "I'm not going to! I just would like to see her show some other power to show that she might be supergirl! Like... like freezebreath, or ... does Supergirl have some sort of super-scream?"

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Guy #4: "That's Black Canary, doofus."

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Guy #1: "Fine well.. flying, or freeze breath, or superspee-"

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> At that point, Kara heads into the back room, and a blue blur speeds out past the table and out the door - then across the country. About a minute later (40 seconds, to be exact), Supergirl's over New Venice, Florida, looking around for signs of the tidal wave.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Huge wall of water. Tiny flying Wasp. Right...

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Jan knows there isn't anything she can do to stop the wave. So, instead, she goes into detective mode. She takes to the skies, hovering in place over the city. She barely dodges a sudden blue blur that streaked into the area from the west, until she sees the blur stop, taking the form of a flying...teenager? Well, that's nothing new. Jan, in full Wasp mode, is not looking to stop the water. She's looking for the menace that started the water in the first place.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Morph was trying to help the residents evacuate the city as he watched the tidal wave get bigger and bigger. He knew there was no way he could stop the wave, but maybe he could still save some of these peoples lives. Before he started trying to evacuate the populace he had morphed into a local patrolman, hoping it would give him more authority with the residents. Morph was waving his to indicate where they should run, still watching the approaching wave.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Nightwing looks up at the wave and realizes that he really doesn't have much in the way of options. Taking the grappling hook from his belt, he wraps it around a street lamp, rough estimates in his head figuring that it can hold him when the wave hits, though if need be he can disconnect it. With a scowl he grabs ahold of the street lamp.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Spider-Man calls out towards Supergirl, "Quick, try and make as big of an exothermic reaction as you can over in it! That will slow down the tsunami and help negate a lot of the forward momentum and inertia and mitigate the damage!" And give them time to evacuate civilians.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> The efforts of Aquaman do not go unrewarded; the most powerful Atlantean's limits are tested, but slowly, certainly the wave begins to subside and diminish. The monstrosity is still a tidal wave, surely, but now it may very well be survivable and substantially less catastrophic, due to his efforts.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Black Manta pulls his finger off the comm system, and says to himself, and his pilot, "As predicted. Aquaman has sacrificed himself for others. Once all have left the vessel, take it to safe waters. I will rendezvous with you at our agreed upon meeting place." And, he begins to walk towards the chamber to the exit of the ray-shaped submersible.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Aquaman feels the wave crash down on him. The pressure of it makes his ears pop. The remnant wave snatches him up out of the water and flings him far into the air. He struggles to keep from blacking out.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Morph sees the wave shrink in size, but still be large enough to cause a lot of destruction and death if the citizens were still here. Knowing he could very likely die, Morph stays where he is, directing the citizens out of the city before he sees something being blown at the wave. Looking to where its coming from he sees a teenage girl flying in midair. He shrugs to himself thinking, 'well if it helps stop that thing I'm not going to complain.'

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Several police are directing evacuees. Suddenly a squad of Manta's men round a corner and begin shooting. The cops dive for cover and begin returning fire, hopelessly outgunned. Pistols against laser rifles is not an equal fight. "Hold them back! Let the civs get clear. Hold the street. If they knock out the precinct we lose communications!"

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Arctic breath and fancy scientific terminology does not impress Wasp. After all, she gets plenty of that at home. However, the shadowy shape of a *really* big blue submarine beneath the city, visible via the water canals does impress. With the wave incoming, the water level lowered....enough to allow people looking to see the shape.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> "Stop your babbling, Spider-Man! Look down!" Tiny Janet is still pretty loud. She doesn't wait for a response as she shoots downward, to get as close of a look as possible.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Supergirl's freeze breath takes effect; crystalizing the huge tidal wave into a dangerous blue-white precipice that overhangs, as if ready to doom. But, when it melts, it will be harmless ocean once again. The submarine surfaces, just at the city's edge. The doors open, and a good hundred men, mixed weaponry - some with simple firearms, others with high tech weapons, pour out. From the 'head' of the submersible, one different figure emerges. Dressed in a slick black suit, a oblong head, sideways, as a manta ray. Bulbous, red eyes. The figure's jet-boots ignite and carry him off the ship, and into the water. The submersible dives.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> And another round of explosions happen. This time, the city really is shaken, rumbling from beneath. Buildings wobble, the city shifts one way, then the other. Horrible grating sounds, and more shifting. The city ... lurches? And lurches, towards the ocean floor.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> As Black Manta hits the water, he presses a button on his suit, and a huge sonic scrambler begins to emit off the hull of the submersible. It's high-pitched sound won't mess with human harmonics. But, it will completely mess with Aquaman's telepathic abilities to communicate -- and will debilitate Supergirl, or anyone else with super-hearing.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Manta's men begin to storm the city, raiding, pillaging, shooting. All hell, literally, has broken loose.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Men with guns. Wonderful! And he's almost out of webbing. Calling out cheerfully, "Where would be the fun in /that/? And what's Namor got wedged up his short shorts now?" Yes, Spidey knows it's likely not the -other- self-proclaimed King of Atlantis. None of the troopers are wearing speedos.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Spider-Sense going off, calling out, "You take the high road bug and I'll take the low!" Spidey went to sling through the air, firing a few webbing bolts to launch himself like a slingshot to try and make himself a bigger target for some of the shooting gallery, "Hey, sleazoids! Didn't anyone tell you that Smurfs aren't supposed to use guns?"

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Nightwing is quick to disengage his grappling cord, it retracting into the coil on his belt. The firing weapons catch his attention and he rushes toward the sound. The presence of the squad of Manta's soldiers brings a sneer to Nightwing's face as he chucks a couple of wingdings at their lazer rifles, disarming a couple of them as the wingdings strike hands.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Without time for a clever remark, Nightwing has his sticks out and is among the squad, knocking a couple to the ground with strikes to the knees, though he is outnumbered and is forced to fight defensively, his sticks being used to bat away lazer rifle muzzles and moving quickly to provide a difficult target.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> The ocean seems to boil for a moment. Then Atlanteans emerge from the water. Some on sharks, some on gigantic seahorses. Only these seahorses aren't sill looking like in those awful cartoons. They sweep between the pirates and the fleeing people. Orm Marius' sharkriders bowl the left flank over. Commander Pluvus screams his orders telepathically, "Stun beams and concussion blasts only! Take them alive! King's orders! Someone find that damned crazy king of ours!" He snaps off a blast at a pirate aiming for Orm.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Other Atlantean squads surface at strategic points. Five Atlanteans enter the street Nightwing is on and stop a second in confusion until one of the pirates shoots at them. Then more stun beams fly.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> <<Is that the Batman! Yes I think so! Whazza bat? It's like a manta but hairy! Get outta heah! Oh yeah take that!!>>

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Spider-Man fires off his webbing, glancing over at the Atlanteans riding over on sharks,

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> "They have laser beams on their heads? SIgh. I finally see a bunch of sharks jumping and Ted Nugent is nowhere to be seen in everything." Spidey leaps through the air, making himself a big target and trying to let some of the other folks work at rounding up the pirates.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> "Who are you calling a bug?!" The quick retort is fired back to the man-child dressed in arachnid-themed pajamas as the humming of Wasp's wings is briefly heard in Nightwing's ear. A solitary blast of seemingly yellow light lances out, catching a pirate and sending him into a fit of convulsions before the Atlantean squads make quick work of the rest. "This isn't done yet! That sub went somewhere...we need to find it!"

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Several of Manta's men are disarmed, or taken out thanks to the efforts of Spider-Man. Several more immediately attempt to attack Nightwing, and drive the would-be threat back, even as he disarms them in turn with perfect skill and precision. And then the Atlanteans surface. Manta's men are not the most organized army, and they fire at the nearest target - Spider Man's luring works well.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> The city shifts again, and lurches forward, tilting one way. A crack appears down one of the streets, and one of the buildings begins to lean, heavily.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> New Venice is sinking.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Black Manta propels himself past the Atlantean army, focused on where Aquaman was, last. A poisoned trident dart launches out of his wrist, towards the King once he spots his enemy in the water, below the frozen tidal wave.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Aquaman hits the water and growns. He feels the shock waves of the second round of bombs and it stirs him into wakefulness. A bomb underneath a bridge to the mainland goes off and it groans with the strain. Aquaman tries to clear his head but there's an overpowering drone going on it preventing him from concentrating. he strokes towards the bridge. Then he sees Manta fire on him. He twists to avoid the dart. "Finally you show yourself you murdering swine!"

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Kara Zor-El covers her ears when the supersonic blast happens. "OW!" as she tries to adjust to the sound. She hates when Jimmy sets off his supersonic watch that Kal gave him too. She's about to look for the source of it to put a stop to it when she sees the entire city lurching.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Okay... cities are not supposed to do that.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Kara uses her x-ray vision to try to see the cause of it, and sees that an explosion under the sea seems to have destroyd the support structure of the sea shelf of the island. Everyone up here would have to do without her - especailly since Kara at that point flies down at the sea and into it, going underwater.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Nightwing breathes a sigh of relief as the Atlanteans provide some aid in dealing with the Manta men. With the reinforcements' help, he is able to engage the recent arrivals with the confidence that he isn't alone. "Dangit," Nightwing exclaims as he sees the buildings lean, but before he can do anything else, Nightwing disarms another trooper with a stick to the wrists and a sweep to the knees. Despite their best efforts, Nightwing is forced back, but seeing Black Manta himself brings a sneer to Nightwing's face, quickly returning one stick to his belt and pulling out a smoke bomb, chucking it at the advancing Manta soldiers, and soon charging at them.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> The city's shaking, the city's quaking. The city's sinking. Spider-Man's eyes go wide behind his mask. This is way, way out of his capability to deal with. He raises up his hand to try and fire a web bolt at Black Manta, but is hit by a bolt from one of the pirates who had taken a snap shot at him and sent sprawling, "Hey! Don't make me go all Seagull on your Finny Fin Fin!"

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Pluvus scowls. It is said no battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy but by Poseidon's shorts this was unreal. He had already lost contact with the king, queen and half his units since that sonic started up and began scrambling their telepath network. Now the city begins sinking. He switches from espmail to voice mail, "Orm, have you shark guards disarm and bind these dregs. Troop one fan out and find that sub! Troops 2 through 6 aid in the evacuation. If you see someone dressed like ... us it's a hero. Help out by breaking a few skulls. Go!"

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Buildings leaning precariously....check. Rogue submarine on the loose....check. If any time is an emergency, now would be that time. Wasp levels off, hovering at the spot the submarine had surfaced. She sees the flying freezing super teenager suddenly dive for under the city and makes a split decision.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Wasp starts to grow...quickly returning to normal size and losing her wings. But...she doesn't stop there. She swiftly gains mass and size, doubling...tripling....almost quadrupling her size. Now a towering giantess, Jan literally stands tall. Jan's eyes are upon the water, and her hands thrust into the water. Seems she is going fishing for that submarine...attempting to pull it out of the water like a bear fishing at a stream.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> "How does it feel to be helpless," hisses Manta, at Aquaman. "How does it feel to know you can do nothing to stop the madness? To watch hell break loose around you, while others who could help you watch?" The jets propel him forward, hard, and fast, and this time, Manta launches another wrist-dart at Aquaman, but this one is no trident. Instead, it explodes into an inky mess. And Manta moves forward, slamming a fist, hard, into Aquaman's skull.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Below the city, Kara will be able to see the destruction the bombs have caused, the precarious rock blown apart, cracks in the foundations of the structure weakened by the bombs, and nearly about to give way, but it's something likely she can stop from happening - this, too, she'll realize.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> The battle topside rages on, some pirates falling, others advancing, but the heroes are doing a heck of a job holding them off from pillaging, or hurting the populace. And it's certainly not going the way they intended.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> In the distance? SHIELD vehicles can be seen in the sky, rushing towards the chaos. Even as Janet's hand comes up with the overly large manta-ray vessel, and one surprised pilot inside. Two torpedos are launched at the giant Wasp-woman.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Aquaman realizes Manta is still out planning him at every step. When his fist hits the sea king sees stars. His son had stars in his eyes once. Orin feels his rage explode. With a feral scream of rage he lunges forward with his arms thrown wide, trying to grab the Manta around his torso.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Spider-Man fires off another series of web bolts, "can't you guys wear different colored uniforms so we can tell you apart? I mean can't the good guys be wearing, I dunno, red and the bad guys be wearing green? Or have some sort of gaudy symbol they all wear on thier chests or have a chant that they all do at the slightest whim?"

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Nightwing continues on, eskrima sticks finding targets as his group advances into the pirates. Fortunately he has avoided getting shot at this point. His fortune ends when the butt of a lazer rifle strikes Nightwing in the knee, but he elects to roll with it, literally, eventually finding his feet, and his eskrima sticks find the knees of another pirate. Probably going to be pretty bruised by the end of this.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Nightwing continues on, eskrima sticks finding targets as his group advances into the pirates. Fortunately he has avoided getting shot at this point. His fortune ends when the butt of a lazer rifle strikes Nightwing in the knee, but he elects to roll with it, literally, eventually finding his feet, and his eskrima sticks find the knees of another pirate. Probably going to be pretty bruised by the end of this. (Repose for Cyber)

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Kara Zor-El would help up top, except she honestly has something a little more pressing underwater to do. Namely rushing to where the shelf is collapsing and pushing against it to prop the island up to prevent the lurching and sinking of it.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Which isn’t as easy as it looks - you try holding up an entire island.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Once she has it stabilized, she looks around to figure a way to keep it that way long enough to either evacuate the island, or figure a more permanent solution.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Heat vision the rocks? Might be a bad idea - lots of Atlanteans in the surrounding water and using heat vision enough to melt the rocks would boil the water.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Maybe create supports? No, at least not right this second, since she's having to keep the island up at the same time.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Which leaves... freeze breath. IF she froze the water around the entire base of the island, that should give enough time to fix the damage from the explosions later.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Kara starts using her freeze breath, then swims around the island, freezing the water in wider and wider circles. To the people on the surface, it would look like the water is just spontaneously turning to ice.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Torpedoes, fired at essentially point-blank range, find their mark...slamming into the right side of the gigantic Wasp's chest, just below her breast. The sudden sharp cry of anguish is loud, considering its source, causing Jan to stumble. But, to paraphrase the cliche, she is simply too big to fall, the exploding torpedos leaving a scorch mark at their impact. The submarine bobbles in her hand, giving that lone pilot a wild right, before the giantess clamps down with her other hand, locking the submarine in place.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> "Here....dry off for a while." The super-sized Wasp takes a step, partially to avoid the growing ice and partially to get her closer to the mainland. She lifts the submarine to her eye level, using her fingers to squeeze all visible access points, crushing the submarine in stragetic points to turn it into a holding cell, then sets it down on the mainland in plain sight of any emergency responders that may be in the area.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Spider-Man is seeing a bridge on the verge fo collapse with more people going and flailing off it, or that's being used as a brawling stage by the King and the Pirate. Spidey goes to flicker out a few bolts of webbing, leaping up and over towards it to try and get ready to support over the struts with as many web bolts as as a Spider-Can. Webbing cartridges hitting on empty. Just a few shots left.. Knowing that the brawl of the King and the THign has sent them past here a few times..

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Sinking low, firing out web bolts and trying to anchor the bridge in the rocking, Spider-Man waits.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Two huge helicopters come into view, and SHIELD agents begin to rappel down over ropes. A young woman, Daisy Johnson, black hair cropped short, is among the first to land on the ground. Two huge gauntlets are on either hand, and in one hand she's gripping a rather wicked looking handgun. She points, "Secure the area. Assist the Atlanteans," she begins ordering. SHIELD Agents begin to confiscate weapons, handcuff the pirates.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> She lets out a burst from her handgun firing on a pirate aiming at Nightwing; an electrical shock renders the man unconscious. And, as Supergirl secures and makes certain that the city is not going to sink, the pirates quickly realize their cause is lost. "Is there any sign of Aquaman, or Black Manta?" She asks the heroes, and her own team.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Aquaman grabbed Manta around the waist. One kick propels the two out of the ink cloud and into a boulder. Manta hits with a crack. The rock shifting behind him. The Black Manta is released. He sinks trying to clear his head. Aquaman seizes the boulder and lifts it over his head. Manta looks up and his eye beams flash burning into Aquaman's chest. The boulder drops and misses the pirate who twists out of the way, but steel hard fingers grab his back pack. He blasts at anything around. But can't turn far enough to hit Arthur. Arthur gets his hands around the man's neck and begins squeezing. He feels the Manta’s armor buckle. "No one deserves to lose their child! No one!" Aquaman screams. Then he sees the car beyond them flung off the bridge by the bomb blast and the girl trapped in it.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> "No ... one," he mutters. Then he drops the Manta and swims for the car.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> At this point, Spider-Man is too far away to be able to hear or to be able to interfere. As he sees the car flying through the air, Spider-Man is at an angle where he can't quite make the grab for it, so using the last of his web fluid, Spidey pops out the remaining webbing around it like a bullet, making a large cushion over around the car to absorb the shock of the landing and the screaming child, returning to desperately holding the threads together to keep the bridge from collapsing.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Aquaman swims at the car falling into the water. He grabs the bumper and pulls at it. Then he feels a ripping pain in his side and looks down at the trident in his side. Manta is already fleeing. Aquaman pushes the car onto dry land, holding his bleeding side. He lost most of his shirt from the ray blasts and his eyes are swollen from his mach one dive. At least the damned sonic was shut down. He sits down with his back to the car, trying to hold in a small sad sob. Then the girl is out of the car and hugging him. After a moment he hugs her back, and they both have a good cry together.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> The answer comes from above. "Somewhere in the water. I disabled the pirate sub, but lost sight of the leader." Jan indicates the disabled submarine, dripping silently upon the mainland. The giant form reaches out, steadying a leaning building and returning it to an upright position. After that, she catches sight of Spider-man trying to save the bridge. Without another word, she reaches over, bracing the bridge with a hand.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> "Grah!" Nightwing says as the pirate attacking him drops. Looking toward Daisy, he says, "Eh?" And then points with a stick to where he last saw Aquaman, prior to him chasing after the car. "Should be over there..." then remembering Black Manta was fighting Aquaman, Nightwing runs over there, sticks out.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> "Understood," replies Daisy to Nightwing. "Divers, go," she says into her headset; and several SHIELD divers jump from the hovering copters, and begin to search for Manta's body, or any other signs of bombs, wreckage, or anything else that SHIELD would be able to use. She moves forward, walking, trailing Nightwing's path, calling out orders, directing traffic, and doing it with enough precision, and confidence that makes one wonder if she's as really young as she looks. The few straggler pirates are taken down now by either the heroes themselves, or SHEILD Agents.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> And, thanks to Supergirl, the city is not going to sink. Daisy recognizes this. "We're going to need our engineering team over here, pronto. City is secure," she calls over SHIELD channels, "But will need permenant stabilization."

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Ohboy. SHIELD Is here. Remembering the -last- time they tried to draft him, Peter takes the moment to slink away and otherwise vanish as the bridge is stabilized and he goes over to head back towards the alleyway and recover his clothes and his camera. And someone openly attacking an American city with an act this big? This is gonna be messy.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> Once all innocents have been cleared from the bridge, the mega Wasp reduces mass, dropping down into a more agile and winged size, just under 4 foot tall. Wasp flutters to dry land, close to the SHIELD commander. She lands on her feet roughly, her left hand holding her right side where she got hit. "If you don't mind, my dear, I think I am going to need a lift back home. I...probably shouldn't go alone." And...with that, she walks off....really slowly.

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> "You're really Aquaman?!"

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> "Yep."

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> "I thot nuthin' could hurt you."

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> "No. That's Superman. I'm the one that talks to fish."

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> "That sounds really cool!"

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> "I /KNOW/ right? Call me Arthur."

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> "I'm June."

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<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;"> “June, can you please find an Atlantean or super hero? I think I may pass out.”