Log Title:
Groundhog's Day: The Death of Cytoplasm
Characters:
Alchemy, Black Knight, Cytoplasm, Dajan, Paladin, The Thing, and Mole Man
IC Date:
February 2, 2012
Location:
Midtown - New York
Brief log summary::
Mole Man attacks the city. Fur is everywhere. Cytoplasm dies.
Rating:
r
There is no TS in this log::
Yes
Post your log::
Dajan is back in midtown. And today, she's in a great mood because not only was her shift full of people who didn't treat her badly — one customer turned out to be from New Orleans. That led to not only a marvelous, reminiscent conversation about the Big Easy, but Dajan mentioning she'd cooked gumbo — apologetically leaving out the seafood because, y'know, allergies. Said customer had not expected "real" gumbo this far north, so her tip had been enormous. As a result, Dajan's mood is great and she's whistling to herself as she gets off the subway. A new messenger bag bounces against her hip, and she's got her swanky new fox fur scarf-hood on courtesy of some rich lady forgetting it at Dajan's prior adventure.
Paladin, a trademarked name associated with the man in the purple in black costume, is seen on a motorcycle (of the same signature color and style) moving through the stop and go traffic of the city strets. He wears a smile and is pleased about something that may have recently happened or is going to happen. Which likely has to do with money.
Dane has taken the atomic steed out for a cruise in the sky, parking it at a random building in midtown. Strugglig with ideas in his mind, he finally pulls out his cell phone and a piece of paper he received courtesy of some good looking lady on a prior adventure. A few paces from the metal horse, Dane paces nervously in the skyline, hoping the other end picks up. The phone may ring on Dajan's person if she gave him her cell phone number, otherwise its going to her apartment and he'll have to leave 30 message ala Swingers on her answering machine/voicemail.
Ahh.. the great Kerfuffle of New York City. People mill about, never stopping. They are the pedestrial vitae that forms of the life blood of his city that is more a thing alive, than just a collection of glass and steel and concrete. Amongst the people you can feel that very rhthym of shared humanity beating in your breast like a primal song that binds us all.
Of course some feel like they don't fit in down there as much as they once did, and the seek Solace high in the buildings above.
"FORE!" Bellows one Ben Grimm from the edge of the 35th Floor of the Baxter Building Landing Bay. A tiny little t-ing green set up at his feet and a heavy driver gripped in his freakish hands. If you have /very/ sharp hearing you might hear the slight whine of a golf-ball soarin through the air and the faint 'Kerplop' of it landing in the Hudson.
Hopefully noone tells Namor.
Cytoplasm is walking through the streets of New York, looking up at the various signs and sighing. Taking a moment to pause at the entrance of an alleyway, he takes a step towards it before he hears the sound of barking dogs and steps away, apparently wary of it for some reason or another. Instead of continuing on, he leans on the side of a building for a few moments and looks about at the crowd of people moving through the streets, shifting his gaze this way and that with interest.
Alchemy shuffles through downtown, kicking a rock along in front of him, hands stuffed in the pockets of his new long black coat. The rock was liberated from a small decorative display in front of a cafe, and now serves to amuse him as he loses himself in his thoughts, contemplating what he heard at the meeting with Manuel, Xavier and several others. He feels a bit twisted inside, and gives the rock a hefty punt out of frustration.
It is February 2, 2012 and it is the day of the groundhog. Forever have they been forced to be nature’s meteorologist, and so today. The greatest insult to these adorable innocent creatures! This day is a day the humans will rue!
The ground surrounding the midtown area of New York City begins to quake and rumble. Innocent passers-by and tourists, scream loudly as New York experiences an earthquake. Running and screaming to and fro, the ground starts to open up as chunks of sidewalk and asphalt give way directly in front of the Empire State Building and directly under Paladin’s motorcycle. Suddenly a flurry on groundhogs, moles, and other rodent like creatures scurry out of the large hole and begin to lash out and attack the humans. Fur flying as the creatures are seemingly flung out and just bite and snap at the fleeing humans. A honey badger flies out of nowhere and lands atop Dajan, attempting to bite her. A series of squirrels in a nearby try start throwing various nuts at Cytoplasm while a swarm of rats climb up from sewer openings and hiss at Alchemy.
“Run! Run in fear! The day of the groundhog is near!” Riding atop a large white furred groundhog wearing some sort of technological looking device helmet, Mole Man holds out his staff, “Attack my pretties! Attack!” His staff is a metallic in nature and when he spots the Avenger in the sky, he fires off a round of electrical blasts. Ben goes unnoticed for the moment.
In point of fact, all Dajan has is the cellphone; and there are maybe half a dozen people who have the number. So she's mildly startled into what people of a prior decade would've called an attack of beepilepsy when it rings. "Wouldn't you know it, right before I finally have enough money to walk /into/ LUSH," she murmurs. She doesn't recognize the number offhand, but pulls out the phone and slides the touchscreen to accept the call. "Allo?" She has gotten into the habit of keeping her hearing enhanced when out and about, given how strange her life has become since NY. So hearing a projectile overhead makes her look up. Mental note while her caller responds: try to enhance eyesight the same way she can hearing. She clicks the line off, though, never giving the caller a chance to speak, when she hears the rumble. People at first mistake it for a truck or a train going by, but it becomes more intense, and somoene shouts "EARTHQUAKE!" — and then there's a honey badger lunging at her face. "Sac au lait!" squeaks Dajan, shoving the phone in her pocket and trying to back away. Not quickly enough, in the press of the crowd. The badger lands on her, and she has to get her legs up quickly to keep it from clawing and snapping at her face.
Paladin will gun the bike and lift back to shoot himself across the opening gash of the earth, he exclaims, "Oh hell no, I just bought this thing." as it lands onto the safety of the opposite bank. He'll then proceed to lock up the brakes and cut to the side to observe the additional goings on.
Ready to respond, Black Knight is evidently spurned again before he can respond. He assumes they had caller id and didn't want to talk to him, he reminds himself to drink more whiskey later on. Curses his luck, kicks roof gravel himself when Chaos breaks loose. With a quick stride and leap, he's on the atomic steed, putting black and gold helmet on, over black leather jacket, blue jeans and leather gloves (not his chainmail attire), but at least costume ready for Avenger action. He punches into his Communicard to the Avengers that he is responding to the earthquake and panic in Midtown. Keeping line open in case help is needed, he descends to see what is happening at street level.
Ben was in his happy place. He's putting another ball on the tee, he's just turning to get a beer out of his mini-fridge when the world shakes and vomits forth moles, groundhogs and all kinds of rodents, which includes a few Honey Badgers, which are deceptively dangerous little cusses. Seeing the Chaos below Ben sighs and puts his beer back, and says, "You gotta be kiddin' me!" Just before he takes a running jump off of the landing platform and tries to aim his descent to land Thing sized elbow drop squarely on whatever do-hicky helmet the Giant Ground Hog carrying the Mole Man is wearing.
As the rumbling starts Cytoplasm stands up straight and looks around, apparently somewhat confused and attempting to figure out where the rumbling is coming from. As the various burrowing animals burst forth, Cytoplasm jumps back and looks at the various animals coming in. Not realizing why the rest of the people are fleeing, he crouches down and places a hand out towards a honey badger in an attempt to examine it before the badger lashes out, biting and scratch his hand in a frenzy as Cytoplasm pulls his hand back quickly, jumping back and saying, "Ow! Get away!" kicking at the badger in an attempt to get it to back off.
Fur fur…Fur everywhere! The honey badger hisses at Dajan and then makes a leap to claw at her face. As Paladin comes to a stop, a phalanx of gerbils rush out from the hole and leap out at Paladin. When Cytoplasm kicks the badger that had been attacking him, the squirrels in the trees near him start throwing various types of nuts at him. For such small creatures they have good aim and sharp tosses.
The Mole Man smiles, “My accursed enemy in the Fantastic Four. I am prepared for you.” Mole Man shows surprising acrobatic skill as he leaps off as the groundhog opens its giant maw and as Ben leaps down, its mouth is open ready and awaiting the rock hero. Mole Man lands with his staff extended out like a ninja and begins to shoot randomly to the fleeing people, “Run and hide! As you have made me and my rodent friends do!” Having missed the Black Knight, he fires off another series of electrical blasts at the Avenger and his steed.
The Paladin pulls his stun gun and starts popping off what ever rodent comes his way. He's a marksman of significant report and does not miss. Though, he suddenly becomes distracted as he notices an orange rock falling from the Baxter Building - which gives it away as to who it is… he also realizes there's about to be a shockwave upon impact and puts both feet down to brace. "Oh hell."
"Merde," Dajan mutters, as the badger refuses to take her legs kicking at it as an indication it should go eat pistachios or something.
"Nothin' else for it." A moment of concentration honed for years chasing her little sibs is all it takes for her to manifest an extra pair of arms. One pair is used to keep her balance, while the other are occupied with the left trying to grab the badger's throat, and the right looking for something suitable to use as a weapon. "Las' ting I need is rabies shots, you know…?"
While deflecting energy bolts at him is one thing Dane is efficient at, that doesn't account for the atomic steed and its ability to absorb electricity. A few shots ricochet off his blade, drawing him towards large rodent vehicle thing eating Thing, he turns the steed in that direction. As he's coming nearer the ground, the steed takes one too many hits of bolts, throwing its stablizers off balance and removing the steering temporarily. Dane has it in him to level it for the ground, making a gymnastic leap off its back as it skids down the street towards the rodent contraption, the Black Knight tumbling to gain his ground and face any rodents with his Photon Sword.
Caring of animals, he changes the setting to pyschic force to knock them out rather than physical force to injure them.
Now… Ben is not the lumbering lummox people make him out to be, he's actually a lot quicker on his feet than people give him credit for.
But when you're nearly half a ton of rock-like man and you just threw yourself of a building it…. limits your ability to change your destination. Landing in the creature maw Ben quickly changes position, "CRAP!" he explains and manages to grap a handful of each upper jaw with his right hand, and lower with the left. He stops himself from being swallowed whole, but the Groundhog chomps down on him, the teeth scraping against Ben's hide reporting like finger nails against a chalkboard. THe ground flails Ben against the ground as his jaws fight for a better grip and attempt to swallow Ben whole. "Yeah" Ben says to himself, "This was a dumb idea."
As the squirrels pelt acorns and the occasional pebble at Cytoplasm, he looks and says, "Hey!" apparently barely affected by their assault if at all, though he is apparently somewhat upset by the assault's intent. As he looks around, he notices the larger animals and the Mole Man and starts trying to make his way through the crowd of animals as he shouts, "Hey! Your friends are attacking people and they didn't do anything! Whatever problems you have, keep it between yourself and the people you have a problem with!"
As the gerbils are plucked off one by one, the concrete is littered with stunned gerbils courtesy of Paladin. Dane’s tumble leads him directly near Paladin to which Mole Man responds and in his own acrobatic feat performs a flip and lands between the two former beaus of Wasp. Whirling his staff around expertly, the diminutive villain takes a fighting pose ready to take on both men, “I had hoped to freezes the city with the freeze rays, but I will let it freeze the Thing. In the meantime, you lesser foes, I will deal with directly.”
Ready to engage the two, he manages to shoot a quick laser blast from his staff towards Cytoplasm and then gestures for Paladin and Black Knight to try and take him on. The honey badger attacking Dajan get its throat grabbed and starts to yelp and howl as it is definitely frightened. With its yelps suddenly more honey badger appear. Around five all angry and hissing at Dajan. While struggling with Ben, the ground hog techno doohickey whirs to life as two small guns aimed at the struggling Ben in its mouth. It fires off two twin freezing blasts.
The Paladin drops the kickstand, swivels on his seat and leans against the leaned bike. He raises his left hand, index finger up and says, "Easy there shortie, I ain't getting paid for this fight so you can count me out of it."
Little doors open up on the giant groundhog's 'Special Helmet.' Ben doesn't wait to see them fire, he's been around enough super science to reconize a freeze ray when he sees one, "Oh COME ON!" Ben exclaims as he reacts quickly. He plants his feet against the roof of the giant groundhog's nose and throws a left hook for all he's worth. Giving the beasts (hopefully) sensetive nose a high quality full strength, Ben Grimm clobbering, while pushing off with his feet, trying to propell himself out of his mouth. "Pally… I'll give ya' fifty bucks if ya stop bein' a douche an' help!"
Rolling his eyes, Paladin says, "Fifty Bucks, I make that when I cut my fingernails. Ben, you gotta do better than that."
Dajan whimpers a little under her breath, as with four arms, she's finally able to throw off the first honey badger and realizes, after her instant of breathless triumph that its yelps of distress called friends. "Oh, just /great/", she murmurs, scrambling to her feet so she at least has the advantage of not being on her butt and having six appendages to fight with now. "I always heard how dirty this city was, but where's a garbage can lid when you need one?!"
With a sneer visible from underneath his comtemporary Barbut, Dane looks reluctant to even work with the purple and black suited man, finding himself near him to begin with. Then he nearly spits as the other talks about not being paid. "Don't know what she saw in you," he comments as the man leans against his bike, he moves forward, sword at the ready then, "So be it, your lesser foe has arrived little man," as if that didn't help with him wanting to freeze the city, the Black Knight does a jaunting gait towards the Mole Man. He keeps an eye on the man's staff, ready for more bolts to fly out and take the defensive, but if he can get close enough, he'll do a 'superman' type leap with the sword.
As Mole Man fires the blast from his staff out at Cytoplasm, Cyto needlessly jumps out of the way and says, "Hey, you could have hit me!.. Give me that!" as he rushes towards Mole Man and attempts to get through the various creatures at his command in order to wrest the staff from his grip.
The powerful punch from the Thing right on the creature’s nose sends it into a huge panic as it spits the behemoth out of its mouth and right towards the Empire State Building. In pain the creature shakes its head and wails and freeze rays are still fired freezing random furried creatures, humans, and stuff in Midtown. Two honey badgers leap out at Dajan, aiming for her head. With Paladin seemingly not caring, Mole Man waits for an opening so when Black Knight moves forward, he does as well and using the staff for support leaps up and attempts to kick the Knight in the head/chest area as he makes his superman type leap. As Cytoplasm tries to rush Mole Man more rodents block his path as rats climb from the hole and attempt to bite out at him.
Crossing his arms, The Paladin keeps his stun gun in his right hand so that it protrudes upward from the crux of his elbow. He remains watching the combat. He makes no other movements than to look relaxed and content.
Two. Better odds. Dajan's no superhuman where strength is concerned, but a rigorous life and now a diner job carrying around heavy dishes and trays has got her stronger than the average person without a physical job. She lets the badgers advance, backing her into an alley. Away from help, yes, but away from the fleeing regular people, too. A glance around to her left and right brings a smile to her face. Trash can lids. And other junk from the Herald Square shopping center that might be used as shields and weapons. "Okay, you lil varmints. Now we gonna dance." With her head protected, Dajan's other two arms make a quick dive into her bag to pull out a pair of black goggles to pull on. After that quick moment, two hands are in defense positions, and the other two are waiting to see what the badgers do next once they've bounced off her makeshift shields. "This's gonna hurt in the morning," she says to herself.
Making the leap, the Black Knight realizes his exposure, maybe armor would have been a good thing. But he commits to the action, letting a big boot come up in the region of his chest, he takes both hands to the hilt of the Photon sword and makes an attempt at the man's head and/or helmet, hopefully it doesn't block photons. That is also assuming the large foot of the man doesn't skew his strike too much. Going with the motion, he swings down, has some wind knocked out of him whether or not his strke is true. Closing his eyes against the blow, he kneels at the ground, one hand to chest. The other still on the flashlight hilt of his sword, he then opens his eyes to look up. This is to see if he was successful, prepare a defense if necessary, and to say, "Yield …" It is meant to tell the Mole Man to yield, at least that is Dane's intent. Catching his breath, he will begin to struggle to regain two feet firm on the ground.
Thing is far less than graceful as a projectile and he goes flying towards the Empire state building. Ben tucks and manages to hit the ground with a rolling impact and immediatly plants his foot to stop himself. He diggs a good gouge into the sidewalk in front of the Empire State Building and stops a few feet from it. Turning he quickly breaks for a run, strait for the giant groundhog. "Sorry Phil! But it's Clobberrin' Time!" Somewhere the FF's PR firm is dreading the letters they are going to get from PETA over this. Ben lowers his shoulder to try and bowl the giant Groundhog over to one side, and hopeful from there. Pull himself up on it's back a handful of fur at a time and bust up that damn helmet!
As the Honey Badgers latch on to Cytoplasm, he starts flailing his arm and leg a bit as he tries to move towards Mole Man himself. Noticing Black Knight closing in on Mole Man, he takes a few moments and flings them off to the sides but not before they take a couple small chunks of what appears to be green gel from his body before he looks over at Mole Man again and breaks into a sprint towards him, trying to tackle Mole Man and flank him while his attention is focused on Black Knight… And hopefully avoid the honey badgers' wrath again too.
The Thing’s tactic with the already scared giant groundhog causes it to scream out and try to run away back into the ground, but alas the creature is slow and the creatures lands with a loud thud as it is on its side, its leg scurrying wildly as blasts continue to shoot out freezing various and random people and things including a stray blast at Paladin until the Thing is able to destroy the doohickey. With the badgers bouncing off her makeshift garbage can shields. They hiss and make another leap claws out hoping to scratch or rake Dajan. Meanwhile as the overconfident Mole Man manages to land his kick and does a flip shooting off a laser blast at Cytoplasm as he goes to tackle him. This leaves him he open to the blade of the knight, the stun sword connecting with his back. He falls to the ground stunned and seemingly out of the fight. When both the Mole Man and the doohickey knocked out. All the creatures that had been above ground and attacking innocents, seem confused. Looking about with no idea why they are here or what to do, they scurry back underground, leaving the city a lot messier, but less furrier.
Paladin leans to the side as the random blast wizzes by. "Hey!. Ben, are you the Cowboy or Rodeo Clown? Get that beast under control!" Then straightens back up and brushes off his right shoulder.
Dajan has decided she has had /enough/ of honey badgers. She drops one garbage can lid, and then puts /all four arms/ into swinging the remaining one as hard as she can at the first badger, and then the second. She then makes a mad dash out of the alley, not stopping to see whether she successfully stunned them. Unfortunately, the Giant Groundhog-Mounted Freeze Ray catches her with its beam just as she emerges. CSHKKKT! Instant Dajansicle. And she just got over her cold, too. She is iced over, in mid-step. "Freeze rays?" she manages to grate out from between her teeth. "REALLY?!"
With goo around him, or in various states of whateverness, Dane isn't sure if the tackling thing is alive, dead, in another dimension even. As Mole Man is stunned, and he's trying to figure out what to do, there is Ben around somewhere, hamster helmet in hand or something. "I think this is your mess," he says, as the Mole Man called him out - or his affiliated (sponsored) group. Catching his breath, the Black Knight turns off the Photon Sword, flashlight once more, back to belt with that. Then, figuring what to do, he starts rubbing his hands on jeans and rear. It hits his phone, his phone redials. It rings from a iced over heroine, scarfed and goggled. Hopefully someone is around to stop Mole Man from getting up, he tracks the ringing to the Dajancicle … he strides over, reaching for the sword again, "Need a hand," he ponders curiously.
In the act of knocking down and busting up the giant ground hog's super special helmet, Ben has eaten a few blasts himself and has several patches of ice on his big rock hide. Once he finally gets the apparatus destroy, he looks down at the flailing ground hog and says, "Lights out!" and gives a good whack to knock it unconscious. Across the street a little girl cries, wanting to know why the mean rock man is beating up 'Mr. Fuzzy.' Ben looks around through out the chaos to and turns in time to see the final moments of Dane and Cytoplasm vs. the Moleman.
As the laser blast flies towards Cytoplasm, he tries to jump out of the way but finds himself struck in the middle of his torso and blown apart into several puddles of green goo, all splattered on various parts of the sidewalk, street, buildings, and generally the city itself. Some of the larger pieces of goo appear to be moving ever so slightly, twitching here and there as an indicator of some small remaining amount of life in some way but still not any sort of actual functionality.
The ringing of her phone is not exactly anything Dajan can do anything about. Nor can she even manage a quirky remark — she's frozen. Nor a bat of the eyes — they're behind goggles — and /frozen/. "That…light…saber…got…a…blow…dryer…setting?" she manages slowly through grated teeth. Despite the Spider-Manesque whimsical and cheerful tone she's going for, she's actually quite terrified as she can feel the cold beginning to penetrate her body.
Paladin gets a grotesque expression as he pushes himself off the bike and tries to dodge some of the splatter. "Oh yuck!" is exclaimed with the explosion of Cytoplasm.
With the proper authorities called in, Mole Man is arrested. The animals that did not go back underground are shipped off by SHIELD, including the giant groundhog. Within days what was left of the battle, the fur, the frozen people and the piles of goo that were Cytoplasm are gone and life returns to normal.
Ben gets on his communicator and says, "Reed…..what.. H.E.R.B.I.E? Look just.. just send some heaters down we got people hit by freeze rays down here… And.. Dammit Just find Reed Will Yah.. Cytoplasm took a bad hit and I don't think he's ok!"
Dajan's witty repartee is stopped — ahem — cold — by the fact that the Black Knight indeed is able to use the sword with such precise skill that he can cut her out of the iceblock she ended up in. He is about to make some comment as Dajan pulls her feet free, but another event in the city requires him to mount up on his Atomic Steed and fly off. His luck with getting better acquainted with Dajan seems really off this week.
"G-g-g-great," stammers Dajan, shivering from head to toe. "N-n-now I r-r-really n-n-need to go to L-L-LUSH." A hot bath is suddenly much more important than it was twenty minutes ago.
The Thing gives Dajan one of the emergency blankets from the Baxter Building stock that are being brought out to help people, "Take care kiddo." he says his frown somber as he goes to try and help gather what remains of Cytoplasm can be found.
Dajan looks up as a heavy blanket is thrown over her, and sees that it's the giant orange form of "Mr. Grimm. I-I-I mean B-Ben. Th-thank you." She sees his somber expression, and blinks. Something bad happened? She glances around until she sees splattered plasmotics all over the street. Her own problem doesn't seem nearly so terrible anymore.
