plot: car monster in locke

[theearth]

Who: Characters in Locke, most pertinently the characters chosen for the takedown, and Geoff Benwick
When: May 31st, Saturday, around 4PM
Where: The streets of Locke City's urban areas
What: A car monster is on the loose in Locke, rampaging the streets, destroying property - and showing no further consideration for the citizens of the city.
Warnings: Violence, death.

[ OOC: For an overview, please see this plot post. Evan's player is organizing a failed takedown attempt here for anyone interested! Remember that there are two human casualties as a result of the car's rampage, including Network teenager Kaworu Nagisa.

The car monster is rampaging without concern for damage, either to itself or to anything around it, but it is avoiding damage that will take it out of action. Ramming property, causing car accidents, and leaving the road entirely to continue its race along the streets are all kosher. Geoff Benwick is in aerial pursuit, attempting to coordinate with reincarnates and law enforcement alike. ]

Comments

GENERAL

[theearth]

[If a warning hasn't gotten to you off the bat and sent you off the streets to take cover, chances are you'll be hearing noise up the street - screams of metal, screams of people, revving engines and wheels, crashes of collisions, all getting closer with the vision of - a sleek and sporty car, twisting and bucking like a jet-propelled rodeo horse in racing stripes.

It's likely to be trailing smoke and kicking debris up tens of feet high on its course - which it is taking minimal care to avoid you on.

Any damage or anything else it'll cause, it'll not stay back to clean up for you.]

OOC: If you'd like to attempt to distract it or engage it in a fight, you're free to NPC it yourself; assume that the encounter will end with it fleeing! If you'd prefer it mod-NPCed, please indicate so in a thread subject line, and we'll be happy to handle it!]

[knights_king]

[Arthur wasn't there from the start. He woke up from a nap to a text from his boss saying something was tearing up downtown streets and that he should stay off of them. Though it took him awhile, Arthur spent the first few minutes of being awake navigating the pain in the ass process of putting on the armor he had stashed in a duffel bag by his couch.

When that got to be too much, he charged up the magic energy he had on his body and tugged the armor over his body instead of him properly fastening it on. For some reason, it worked handily enough that he was out the window in the next moment--just before the car itself sideswiped him the moment he landed on the ground. Flying through the air, Arthur wondered if he was dead just before smashing into the windshield of a parked car on the street.]

[dominateartimus]

[Like Arthur, Xander wasn't there from the very beginning either. He was alerted to the presence of the rampaging car by the network and overhearing several civilians who had friends or relatives in the area. There wasn't much he could do to fight against it, but he could help out those who were in trouble.

When he arrives on the scene, he catches Arthur landing in to the windshield of a parked car. One part of his mind found this to be strangely amusing, but fought every urge to laugh out loud. He should be concerned about this possible civilian! So, he approaches quickly, looking at the body for any signs of damage. Then, he recognizes the face of the man he's met in person for the third time. A small chuckle manages to escape him as he speaks.]

...We really need to stop meeting like this.

[He extends his hand out for Arthur to take, if he wanted to.]

[moreweaponsthanyou]

[Fil hadn't received any warnings or whatnot about crazy cars tearing up downtown. He had errands to run like going to the bank, his daily dose of coffee, return almost over-due books to the library and had just left the coffeeshop with extra-big cup of coffee when the car came smashing through.

Just in time to see it knock a man right into another car.]

Holy shit...are you alright? [Coffee forgotten, Fil was jogging over immediately.]

Re: GENERAL

[feastorfamine]

[Amy had been going to the store once the warnings started going out, so she was completely unaware of them. She did wonder why her walk home was particularly devoid of people, though...

... suddenly, a not-so-distant rumbling caught her ear. She stopped, and looked around. That's when she saw it... the vehicle barreling down the street.

Straight.

Towards.

Her.

Amy stood, staring like a deer caught in headlights, as the thing came closer. Finally, she got her wits about her and dove to the side, the force of the car passing so close behind her sending her flying and the groceries she'd gathered hurtling out of the bag.

Amy hit pavement, and seconds later, picked herself up with a groan]

What... what the heck?! What's going on...?!

[Amy looked up, and gasped. The vehicle... it was circling back around?!]

[knights_king]

[The first few times were a doozy. Arthur's head was still spinning from getting thrown off of the crazy machine and it was aching from him being hurled into a parked car right off the bat. He stood up shakily, holding his head with one hand. People were running and ducking into alleys, but not everyone saw the car right away.

When his vision came back, his eyes darted back and forth looking for the beast. When he finally found it, it was barreling towards one young lady who had fallen. Everyone else had managed to run. The car revved its engines as it managed to make a straight line towards Amy and at that, Arthur took one step. The pavement burst under his heel and he rocketed in her direction, the trail after him resembling the tail of a comet.

He stopped dead right next to her, keeping his eyes on the car.]

Hey, miss. We're gonna jump.

[onecream_fivesugar]

[Robyn had to admit, today was going pretty swell. It was her second trip to the mall in two weeks, she got to hang out with her super cool aunt, she also picked up a brand new pair of headphones and a cute pair of boots. Everything was coming up Robyn.

She practically skipped the entire way out of the mall onto the sidewalk, nothing could ruin this day for her. Well actually there is one thing that might be able to ruin her day: a deadly MURDER CAR! The sound of screeching wheels and crashing cars can be heard from about two blocks down as it moves from the road onto the sidewalk to continue it's reign of terror.

The crashes are enough to break Robyn out of her shopping induced bliss and bring her back to reality. She'll turn her head to see just what the heck is causing all the commotion, only to see a literal monster car heading right for her.

...And she'll completely freeze up and stare at it like a deer caught in headlights.]

[astion]

[It isn't just Robyn out and about around town this afternoon. Of course, for Stella it is more a matter of getting between her classes at university, work at the library and helping at the clinic, but still.

Her green eyes widen when she hears the car, turning around herself to see what was going on. She tries to call out, to make her way to the other girl in the car's way and warn her, pull her out of the way. Stella just makes it and pulls her out of the way, barely managing to get them both out of the thing's path. She falls to her knees in the aftermath, panting a little from her sprinting over to help.]

You all right?

[icy_heavens]

[He's out and about as he usually is, nothing particularly special about the day itself. Until those crashes, that is. He's on his way to check them out -- because why would he run away from danger anymore? -- careful not to use his speed ability. Sure, people are distracted and maybe wouldn't notice, but at this point he sees it as an unnecessary risk.

[But that changes when he sees the car bearing down on that girl. There isn't time to consider doing anything else. If he doesn't move now, she'll be hit.

[It happens in an instant; he's at the girl's side, taking firm grasp of her arm. And in the next instant, they're on the opposite side of the street. There's a sense of displacement that once made him quite nauseated, but he's long-since used to that. The girl, however, wouldn't be.

[Though for his own trouble, a Pulse slams into him just as he's landing, and causes him to stumble. Unfortunately, he's still got ahold of the girl's arm and this results in both of them toppling onto the sidewalk.]

[stopinthenameofawe]

[Robyn sure is... excitable. Still, it's kind of amusing. Melissa's never been big on kids, ever, and the few times she'd seen Robyn before it was usually 'here Melissa hold this baby, what do you mean you think you're going to drop it?'. This was a much better alternative, in her opinion.

That is, until Robyn stops moving when there is a car coming towards her.

Thanks to cheetah DNA, Melissa picks up speed instantly and manages to grab Robyn and pull her aside, relatively unscathed (except maybe a bit of whiplash from just how fast the woman was going) as the car zooms past them.]

The hell was that?! [It's not entirely clear whether Melissa's talking about the car or Robyn's reaction. Both are likely.]

[scarlet_devil]

The damned thing seemed to come out of nowhere, careening down the street towards her at a tremendous speed, smashing though anything and everything unfortunate enough to be on the street, and by the looks of things that will soon include Emilia herself.

For a brief moment the only thing she could do was stare in shock at the driverless vehicle, before snapping out of it and doing the first thing that came to her mind: run as fast as she possibly could.

Try as she might to escape, this car thing was gaining quickly, and nothing seemed to slow it down no matter how many cars it happened to smash though.

[sylvanguard]

[Ariel had been out doing some shopping for the condo, and had just stepped out of a cafe and started walking down the street when she heard the sound of distant destruction rapidly getting closer. A wave of people ran past her just as the sound of screaming tires and screeching metal reveal the hot rod ripping around a corner and leaping onto the sidewalk to avoid an intersection clogged by cars suddenly trying to avoid the death car's rampage.

With wide eyes, Ariel turned and began to run, trying to get out of the car's way. She found herself jumping over a parked car, sliding across the hood to land in the street at a crouch.]

Open

[thebalrogslayer]

There's a saying about curiosity and cats. Gabriel apparently hadn't learnt his lesson from everything that's happened in the city of late, because his first instinct when he hears the noise is to head outside. There's always something to be said for his hero complex, because his second was to take the sword that's by his desk. He'd be damned if he was going to let another snake destroy the city.

He hadn't even considered that the danger this time might come from something less obvious and more mundane, and when the car came round the corner it took him a good moment to accept what was happening. It was only thanks to his improved vision that he was able to so quickly notice and realise that there was no one behind the wheel. And that it hadn't corrected it's course after coming round the corner and that it was now half on the pavement - and speeding towards him and the other pedestrians. "Move!" He shoved the person nearest to him out of the way, diving after them and hoping that it was enough.

[italktofish]

[It was not at all unusual for Arthur to be on the streets at this time of day during the week, though it was unusual for him to be driving a school bus on a weekend. There had been some last-minute field trip or team competition or something to that effect--Arthur hadn't really caught what--and so Arthur had heroically volunteered to drive the kids. They were almost back to the school when the car monster came barreling across the road in front of them, causing Arthur to have to break hard lest the bus slam into it.]

GREAT BOUNCING BLOWFISH!

[He would like to pursue this car monster, but...the kids!]

[scramasax]

[A moment to himself with his head down on the side of the street, and a burst of commotion forces his mind blank. He's halfway mentally between pressing himself back harder against the wall he's edging against and pulling his hood down a hint further, attempting to catch someone's arm and trying to ask what's going on -

All the while the noise's picking up fast, pushed and led by that of a... speeding car? A roaring engine, definitely, but where from, what's rushing it, what's going on - forces him to a decision, at any rate, and let one be one, the most practicality be damned.

There's a shattering about twenty feet down the street to his right, zaps him with the shock to go, and stumbles him out of his lurking spot - doesn't think to stop to adjust his hood.

And he takes the latter of his two considered options - reaches out a hand, projects an "Umm", and is brushed past - where what is going on, just where is he supposed to go - ]

What's -- ?

open

[vaimo]

While Åsa of course had a coffee machine in her house, it just wasn't the same as getting coffee from the shop. And besides, it was a good excuse to get out while the weather was nice, and be more social than sitting at home and watching the TV. She was quite happily heading home, takeaway cup in hand and blissfully unaware of what was going on until she heard the screeching of tires behind her.

Luckily it wasn't quite on the pavement, but it passed her close enough to make her heart leap, body tensing as she jumped away, instinctively letting go of the coffee. Hot liquid spilt all over her and those close by as her body automatically made her jump out of the danger zone. For a moment all she could do was blink at the car as it sped off, before she became aware of the rapidly cooling liquid soaking through to her skin. "Oh no!" And then she took in the mess around her - and those she'd splashed with her drink. "Oh! I'm sorry! Are you all right?"

WE RIDE

[umbrael]

You know how in that first half hour or so you're awake, you're not entirely all there? When you suddenly wake up from a nice, comfortable deep sleep, and your brain doesn't wake up with you. That's when someone could ask you a question and you'll answer it honestly, or ask you for a favour and you'll agree to it without considering any part of it.

Adrenaline can also make your brain skip a line in decision making. So combining the two, like, say, someone shouting at you to wake up and telling you to hurry up and get out there, we've got to do something - and and through the panic and sleep inertia you will move without question, because that's all you're capable of. You don't stop to think why, you just know that you have to, and you do it.

And then fifteen minutes later you find yourself running down the street with a parrot sitting on your head, watching people jump out of your way as you follow the scent of overly-souped-up exhaust and burnt rubber and the sound of a roaring engine.

Doyle frowns as his brain finally clocks in for work and reviews the paperwork in its inbox and lets him know that something's off.

"Wait, what are we doing?" he asks in what's likely the first coherent, complete sentence he's said today.

ota!

[the_fist]

[After awhile, Gabriel had managed to secure a ratty looking ski-mask to wear as he helped pull people off of the streets to safety. He was even pulling people from their battered cars and ripping the doors off of cars to help people who were totally unable to escape. Super strength was coming in handy, here.]

Open, especially if you need healing

[seriallylucky]

[Fred's out wandering when - with very little warning - the car comes by. He just manages to dodge out of the way, and it's gone before he can react.

Or, at least, react directly. After a moment a thought occurs to him. He ducks around the corner of a building, and emerges a moment later in what he's starting to think of as his "hero suit" - mask, cape, and... long hair? That's new. But unimportant, at the moment.]

Anyone hurt? I can help!

[waltharius]

[ Saturdays are usually reserved for a) studying or b) horse-tending, but sometimes, you just gotta hang out with your friend and get ice cream. Especially since said friend doesn't really get along a certain horse, so trying to force them together is probably not the best idea. Walter isn't really up to trying to mend that relationship quite yet.

So he's out with Octavia, enjoying a mostly-finished mint ice cream cone and elbowing her gently for something she (probably?) deserves when the sound of screeching tires comes echoing around the corner. It's enough to catch his attention for a moment, sure, but this sort of thing isn't unheard of in a big city. ]

So -

[ But the screeching continues and turns into a sickening crash of metal on metal. Not as easy to brush off. ]

Woah, um. Accident, you think?

OTA

[buildyourworld]

It was just his luck that he was on the way to Neil's shop when he became target of the very violent car. With the car monster hot on his pursuit, Eugen cycled as hard as he can, weaving between poles, potted plants and whatever else that could possibly crash the car but he had no such luck. The car successfully dodged most of the more dangerous obstacles Eugen was leading it into and revved after him in renewed vigor after almost crashing into a construction site.

Tired and exhausted, Eugen was secretly saying grace to Neil and Eriks for putting him in the gym because otherwise he would have long been dead on the street. At this point, there was nothing he wanted more than to just get his Gundam out and blast that car into smithereens. Whatever violent ideas he had was shoved into oblivion as he stumbled on the pedals and was unceremoniously thrown off the bicycle. He landed hard on the pavement and was barely able to move as the car gunned the engine straight towards him. "Shit...!"

THE TAKEDOWN [CLOSED to Sho Chinen, Arthur Yorke, Anais Temple, Aaron Harding, and Nick Angell]

[goldenbrother]

[Geoff Benwick bursts into the air above and in front of the car's course from a cross-street - recognizable from his trio's broadcasts by the uncannily human look, the three-piece suit.

The wings are new - long, white, and feathered, and who can say from here if they're attached to or sticking out of his suit, but in any case, they're doing their job, and with a strong pound he banks and flies along the car's course.

He more or less maintains the pace to hang above it in the air, scanning the street ahead of them - they're on a (fairly) clear stretch, ending in... a populated intersection. The car meanders to pick a way to turn.

He grits his teeth, barrels down, and dives down to its windshield to baffle it. Manages a half-turn before he touches down with a wave backward and a call:]

Everyone, this way!

[knights_king]

[Arthur, having only just gotten thrown across the street by the thing as he tried to stop it and toss it into the air, began standing up and rubbing at his head as if it would rid him of the ringing in his ears. Stumbling a moment, he managed to hear Geoff through the whole thing.

Realizing his face was exposed, Arthur opted to lift up the hood of his armor and keep that a bit more secure. He followed Geoff without hesitating, but--]

Hey--you're the alien from the news! Why're you an angel, too!?

Failed takedown

[notspecial]

[The plan is poorly organized and the crew isn't much better - organized by a kid who doesn't even have any powers - but it is on. The situation practically begs for the Mission Impossible theme.

The car seems to be nearing the Sixth and Bedford intersection, and Evan looks excited.]

You think it's going to come this way? Hey, I think it's coming over here!

[gogoghostpowers]

Danny doesn't understand his excitement--it's a killer car, for god's sake--but he keeps that to himself. Instead, he's floating a good thirty feet in the air to try and get a better aerial view of the car.

"I see it!" he shouts down to the ground. "It's--It's headed right for us!"