2012 05 10 Fire Fight

Log Title:
Fire Fight

Characters:
Paladin & Arachne

IC Date:
5/10/12

Location:
Manhattan

Brief Log Summary::
Paladin and Arachne intercept someone breaking into a building, fire ensues!

Rating:
pg13

There is no TS in this log::
Yes

Post your log::

It's 11:34pm. Overcast. Distress calls, in the form of fire alarms, come from the third floor of a professional building (building's height 7 floors). The structure is made from brick and steel with sparce window fixtures. The bottom three floors are maintained by an insurance and title company. The 4-7th floors are occupied by tenants in this middle class community. Fire hasn't sprung from windows just yet, but smoke does (only from 3rd floor).
Fire and rescue are in route, but will not arrive for a few minutes.
If one looks through the windows of the third floor, they will see movement and flames. The flames are the projected kind, as if someone is blasting flame through the rooms. Noises like BTAW are also heard every so often.

Perched on a nearby building is Arachne, she had been several streets over when she heard the alarms and quickly made her way to where she is now. She has angled herself so that she has a good vantage of two sides of the building.
Flicking a hand out she anchors a line of web to the building next to the burning one and swings over to it to get a better look into the window where she spotted movement. She will also be on the lookout for people in the building that could be going to the windows looking to be rescued.

After her landing, Arachne is able to see inside the building. She sees a small office whose door is open. Through the door she is able to discern a blast of flame which floods the office she peers into. Suddenly she can feel the heat through the glass and moving back would be a good idea.
Meanwhile, a few windows are opening from upper floors as people are woken and looking for the cause of the disturbance.

Feeling the heat from the window, Arachne scales the side of the building toward open window she is closest too "The building is on fire. Gather your neighbors and evacuate the building. If you can't get down the stairs come back here and I will take care of it." she pretty much orders the person hanging out the window. As curious as she is as to what is going on in the building and what sounds like weapons fire, her first priory is to get the residents out.

The window that grew hot, cracks and shatters outward seconds after Arachne moves up the side. The persons ordered to safety comply and they move into the building. Off in the distance, firetruck sirens can be heard.
Another 3rd floor window is blasted outward. However this time is different. A flaming individual is seen emerging with the shattering of the glass. His trajectory finds him impacting with a parked service van on the side of the street. He lands upon its roof and upon his back. He doesn't look dazed, confused, or fatigued. Instead, he just looks pissed. The van starts to catch fire.

Arachne probably has a nice dusting of glass shards on her costume now, but ignores it since it is not hurting her at the moment. She gives an impressed whistle as the firey figure crashes out through the window. Not one to always follow what her common sense tells her she climbs through a nearby window and begins a room to room search for the person who threw him out.

Arachne will quickly find the Paladin (her favorite person) on his back taking a rest in the middle of the burning floor. The smoke is thick in here and he wears a respirator connected to his face mask. His knees are bent and he's giving himself a moment of contemplation.
It's assessed that he used the stun gun in his hand to blast Firebrand out the window. The villain was likely standing over the hero - about to snuff him out.

With a damp cloth now around her lower face, probably grabbed in one of the apartments she went through, Arachne is only having minimal trouble breathing, for the moment. It helps that she is staying low, below the smoke as best she can. Turning the corner of the hallway she just manages to keep from facepalming at who the firey guy got thrown out by. She moves to stand over him "We have got to stop meeting like this."

Looking up at Arachne, the Paladin is assumed to smile underneath the respirator as he notes, "Oh I don't know. The view from here is kinda nice." then reaches up hoping to receive a helping hand to bring him to his feet.

If it weren't for the mask there would be a bit of eyerolling going on. Arachne takes the offered hand and pulls him to his feet, "Who is your flying friend?" she nods in the direction of the window that Firebrand was thrown through.

"Firebrand." is answered and he elaborates, "Battle suit, flame generation, over 1000 Kelvin. He can fly and is super strong as well as resistant to most common attacks. Even good at shrugging off my stun. Which is why I went with knockback. Had to get him off me. Oh, and he's not one to give up or run unless he's been severely beaten. So I'll give him about 15 seconds to get back up here. Got a plan?"

"One that includes helping you?" Arachne asks as she moves toward the window to check on Firebrands progress "You assault him from the front and I will sneak up behind him and immobilize him either by just knocking him out or with other methods." she pauses "I'll wing it.

Firebrand is no longer on the van's roof. Though the van itself is becoming engulfed in flame. In fact, Firebrand is no where to be seen. Too bad Arachne doesn't have Danger Sense because….

Arachne will notice a flash of red flame to her right alongside the outside building at about the same level she's on. The flash causes a rumble and she knows full well that the area she's within is about to explode. Paladin may know as well, but he won't get to act till after the explosion. She does not see the Firebrand.

Not to mention that Arachne can probably feel the vibrations as the explosion moves through the building. She gives a warning look to Paladin before she makes a dash out of the blast zone. Seeing as how she is both faster and stronger then her male companion she grabs his arm as she passes to drag him away from the upcoming explosion.

Pulled like a rag-doll, the Paladin yelps as he's grabbed and taken deeper into the building and away from the exterior where the blast is about to take place.
That's when the BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM occurs. The shock-wave is enough to blast our heroes several yards deeper into the building and even into a wall made of 'drywall', thus shattering the poor structure. The shock-wave also blows out all the fires (and spotfires) within the building. However, a big chunk (over 40 feet wide) of the wall is missing and the explosion took out several yards into the 3rd, 2nd, and 4th floors. Leaving a gaping hole just 10 yards from Arachne and Paladin.
Firebrand is seen hovering outside the gutted building with what appears to be a smile on his face.

With a mad dash and the subsequent impact into the wall, Arachne stumbles back from the wall that now has a nice Arachne sized dent in it. "You upright?" she asks brushing the drywall dust from herself before turning to the gaping hole where Firebrand hovers "I think now would be a great swearing moment."

Paladin is half slumped against the wall, shaken, not stirred. He looks up to Firebrand and says, "Yeah, I'm great, but we need a better plan."
Firebrand raises his right arm. The smile on his face is one of satisfaction as he knows he's about to put both heroes out of his misery. Firebrand hovers just outside of the building wall plane, so he's approximately 50 to 60 feet from Paladin and Arachne. His hand is engulfed in red flame and he releases the discharge. However, due to the recent over powering attack he delivered, the flame burst falls short of Arachne and Paladin. It reaches out like a fiery jet, but fizzles out within 5 feet of the heroes…. The expression on Firebrand's face fades…. their move.

Paladin sees the attack, and his first instinct is to get out of the way. But he's far too beaten and exhausted to do much other than stand there and see the failed results of the villain's attack. Instead of firing back (as his own battery may be low) he pulls an amber colored ball from his utility belt and throws it down to the floor several feet in front of them. The ball expands into an amber (translucent) disk. He says, "We need to go!" and pushes Arachne to start moving deeper into the building, perpendicular to the line of attack and line of sight of Firebrand. "Make him chase us, we need him in tight spaces."

"Looks like he is starting to fizzle." Arachne quips, the corners of her mouth lifting "Tight places…right." she quickly begins to back away from the hole in the wall "We are going to have to be careful, this building is likely to fall on us soon." she ducks through another hole in the wall created by the explosion and then darts through a hallway "What did you do to piss this guy off?"

"Funny story…" Paladin says as he's following Arachne in haste. "I was minding my own business. Well kinda. I was investigating a stolen artifact for an insurance company - actually this insurance company. I was going through some files when Firebrand attacked. I think… but not certain. That he's associated with the theft and was coming here to wipe the paper trail. Which also leads me to believe that it's an inside job. The owner may have had it stolen to collect the insurance…"
Another explosion occurs behind the two and the heat is felt on their backs as well as the illumination of the fire.
Arachne will turn a corner and find a room with another exterior wall with a single window that looks out onto a lower rooftop. Paladin emerges into the room as well. "Looks like this is where we make it, or break it."

Putting on some speed at the explosion behind them, Arachne darts into the room stopping just short of the window "I don't buy it…the minding your own business part, at least." she looks around and glances out the door "It will have to do." she does a quick survey of the room, trying to ascertain its integrity, the last thing they need is to fall through the floor in the middle of this altercation.

Standard hardwood floors supported by wooden beams. Walls and ceiling are wood framed drywall. The outer wall is brick and mortar. The room is furnished with a desk, three chairs, filing cabinet and shelf with a few books on insurance law. Down the hallway the flames grow brighter and Firebrand walks around the corner. He chides loudly, "Come out, come out whereever you are? I see you got a new girlfriend, Paladin. She's kinda hawt. Maybe I'll keep her around for a while - after I take you out."

Leaning against the wall just inside the door Arachne is focusing on the vibrations caused by Firebrand walking through the building. She removes the damp cloth from her lower face scowling at the remarks echoing around the hallways. She is almost tempted to pick up Paladin and use him to beat on Firebrand but that wouldn't be very nice of her. Instead she peaks around the door frame to get line of sight on the villain. Once she sees him she will form a web, anchor it to the floor and cause it to wrap around his lower legs.

The web strikes true. However, he's engulfed in flames and the second the web touches them, it's burned away.
He wears a smile on his face when the webbing disintegrates. Firebrand also sees Arachne and chooses to blast her. He raises his right hand, it charges, and then suddenly his suit shorts out. The flame around his body fades, the charge of his gauntlet fades, a few sparks arc from his chest to his left arm and between his legs, and then even the glow of his uniform fades. The expression on his face turns from glee to abject horror. He mutters, "oh hell, not again." and then dives into a nearby room with escape on his mind.

Paladin is in the side of the room with Arachne. He says, "What was that?" because he's unable to see what transpired - but he heard the mutterings and the shorting sounds.

Arachne begins to duck back when she sees his arm come up. "I think his suit doesn't want to play nice anymore." she explains with a chuckle, then she frowns "He's running." she is out of the room and chasing the running villian at well over what would be the average speed for a normal person, so she can hopefully catch up to him before he departs the building. When/if she catches him she will attempt to grab him and prevent him from going anywhere.

Followed by Arachne, the Paladin gives pursuit to Firebrand. When they get into the room that he ducked into, they find him climbing out the window. There isn't a fire escape, so it is unlikely that he was getting very far anyway - his suit has no power so no flight.
Grabbed, Firebrand starts to say, "Hey hey, glad yall came by. I mean you know, this was a total misunderstanding. I thought yall were trying to rob the place. I'm a hero now. You know, stopping criminals from stealing stuff."

Paladin grins, "Sure thing, Firebrand. And I'm Twinkie the Kid." as he produces shackles from his utility belt.

Getting a firmer grip on Firebrand, Arachne pulls him back into the building and holds him, maybe a bit to tightly, so he can be secured "Of course you are. If I had a dollar for every time I heard that I would be a very wealthy woman.

Pulled into the building, Firebrand is shackled by Paladin and sirens are heard outside as fire/rescue is coming onto the scene.
Over the next few minutes the building is cleared of any bystanders and fire/rescue takes control of the situation. The police take Firebrand into custody and statements are given.
The heroes do not assertain whether or not Firebrand was on location to burn the insurance company for nefarious insurance claim reasons, but eventually the truth will come out.

Speaking of eventualities, the two 'heroes' are found together in the light of the inflamed building. Paladin states, "I've got some stuff to take care of, but how about we go out tomorrow night?"

"I don't know, I may have this Hydra thing to deal with." Arachne states coyly, "But if that doesn't pan out..well I know where to find you." she steps onto the window sill ready to make her own so called escape by swinging away from the burned out shell of the insurance building, disappearing around the adjacent skyscraper.

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