New Jersey, Thursday Morning Part 1
Billy swore when he saw the heavily armored and tricked out car sitting out front of the shop. Well what had once been a shop. Now it was a video arcade.
"They got here first." he muttered.
"What does that mean for us?" Cassandra asked quietly.
"It means we have to have an actual plan," Anemone murmured, quietly checking her gun. "Do we have a plan?"
Snake-Eyes signed a short sentence to Billy. "Half of you keep the thugs busy out here, while the rest of us go in after Storm Shadow." he said. "That work for everybody?"
Liz nodded, "that's fine with me,"
Anemone's answering grin was less-than-friendly. "Just point me in the right direction, boss."
"That sounds good to me," Adam nodded, his face serious. He was ready to do this.
"I'm fine with it," Tori nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with Adam.
John smiled. Maybe 'smile' was too strong of a word, as it was more of a baring of teeth.
"Where'm I needed, Pegleg?" he asked. He was not crazy, just in need of catharsis. By using a pool cue.
"I suggest beating up on some bikers." Billy said thoughtfully.
John was not looking feral. That was a trick of the light. And of his smile. Really.
"Excellent, boss," he said, flexing his fingers in his gloves. Glad he wore his tool-filled jacket.
Snake-Eyes got the ball rolling by dropping down to the entrance of the arcade, and kicking one of the Dreadknocks out of the way. The force of the kick sent him up onto the hood of the armored car.
"What the hell?!" Thrasher, the driver cried out. "Bloody hell, get 'em!"
"Have fun guys!" Billy called out as he followed the black clad ninja inside.
The bikers, all wearing something with the logo of the dreaded biker gang "The Dreadknocks" on their clothing, turned towards the intruders.
One, armed with a tire iron eyed Liz critically. "What are you doin' here kid? Run home to Mommy before you get hurt."
Liz didn't exactly have a mommy to run home to but she certainly wasn't running anywhere, "I'm not going anywhere," she said, keeping her voice as steady as possible.
"Suit yerself." he grunted, coming at her and swinging the iron for her left leg.
Liz saw the iron being swung at her and she instantly moved to avoid being hit.
The thug grinned, though he'd missed. This was bringing back memories of his youth, intimidating girls in Auckland. He swung again, attempting to herd her towards the alley.
This time Liz attempted to aim a kick at the thug as she moved back again.
He hadn't quite been prepared for that, but he managed to stumble back. "Ooh, I like a girl with fight in her."
Liz didn't attempt to say anything as she aimed for another kick.
"Ack!" he stumbled back again. That kick had come closer than he'd like to the jewels. She was apparently better at this than he'd thought. "Watch it."
This time Liz tried kicking him again and she also tried to punch him.
He blocked her punch, but the kick connected. "Ow." he growled. Gripping his tire iron tighter, he moved in, swinging for her head.
She ducked, the iron missing her head by inches and she stumbled for a few seconds.
Grinning, he went to grab her arm.
Liz wasn't quick enough to stop him from grabbing her arm and she tried to free herself from his grip.
"Now, now." he taunted. "Don't be all stand-offish."
Liz kept struggling as she tried to get free.
The biker twisted her arm behind her back, losing his grin. "I gave you a chance to walk away little girl."
Billy, Snake-Eyes and the others entered the basement apartment only to see it filled with men with guns. They were all wearing red uniforms and flanked two other men in the center of the room. One was dressed all in blue, his face hidden by a mask, holding himself with the bearinf of an emperor. The other was dressed in white, and was in considerable pain.
"Aaaaaaagh!" There was a strange looking headset on his head.
"Welcome back Storm Shadow." The man in blue was saying. "You're grounded."
"Storm Shadow! No!" Billy's sword was drawn, and his pistol was aimed unerringly at the masked man.
"Son." His arms held out in a mocking invitation for an embrace.
"Dad. Don't do this to Tommy. He doesn't deserve it."
"What are you going to do Billy?" Billy's father challenged. "Shoot your own father?"
"If I have to."
Cobra Commander stared at Billy for a long moment, then finally turned away. "Lower your weapons." he ordered, his shoulders slumping. "No one is going to shoot my son."
Surprised, Billy raised his own gun to point at the ceiling. The Guards lowered their weapons as instructed. Billy remembered what his future daughter had told him, of his possible reconcilation with this man.
"Except me."
Tori was so ready for this. She took in their surroundings, readying a flow of water that could be called at any minute.
A girl wearing a fishnet shirt brandished a 9mm hand gun in Tori's direction.
Tori raised an eyebrow, immediately noticing the gun. She then looked back at the girl, a ball of water forming above the hand that was behind her back. If the girl decided to shoot, Tori's shield would come up immediately.
"Little far from the valley aintcha Blondie?" she mocked Tori, cocking the gun. "Ya wandered into the wrong neighborhood I think." The gun was now aimed directly, if a little carelessly for Tori's stomach.
Tori raised an eyebrow at the girl, a frown appearing on her face. Oh, hell no. "You think?" Yes, she knew she really shouldn't taunt the girl, but her comment had pissed Tori off.
"I don't know, I kind of like this place." The shield was ready and waiting behind her.
"Yeah? Welcome to Dreadknock turf Bitch." She fired. "How you like it now?"
Cassandra moved to shove Billy out of the way, but she wasn't fast enough.
Billy slumped to the floor, his sword falling from his lifeless fingers. His face was frozen in an expression of shock and insult.
She'd seen people get shot before, and Cassandra knew that if anyone was going to do anything for Billy she'd have to keep the bad guys away from him. She threw herself forward in a flurry of kicks and punches in an attempt to move the fight away from her fallen friend.
"Kill them." Cobra Commander ordered.
Two of the Crimson Guardsmen went for Cassandra immediately. They were both expertly trained, the best of the best. One dodged a punch and slashed at her with the knife on his rifle. The other fell to a kick, but rolled back to his feet.
There was being the best, and there was being Shiva. Cassandra didn't think she'd have a problem. Still, they weren't bad, there were more of them than her, they were armed, and Cassandra didn't want to kill them.
So disarm them first: her hands flashed out to grab the rifle of the one who attacked her. Then she twisted an pulled, pushing his wrists back painfully.
"Aagh!" he grunted, his grip loosening. The one who had fallen drew his pistol.
Cassandra spun low and flung her newly-acquired rifle at the guardsman with the pistol, aiming to embed the blade in his shoulder.
"Aaaaaah!" the blade bit through, and between the armor on his shirt. The gun went off, bullet ricocheting off his friend's helmet.
Cassandra took a moment to ensure they were both down, before moving on quickly. That was only two of them, there were plenty left.
John smiled and picked up part of a broken mop handle. "This isn't going to get ugly, right? Don't think you can get worse."
The biker's face was inscrutable as he spit out a mouthful of tobacco juice, and cracked his neck. He held a length of chain in one hand, the links wrapped around his fist, and dangling down a few inches.
"We'll see about you." he said, swinging the chain at John.
John caught the chain on the stick, moving in to intercept before the biker had fully extended his arm, trying to tangle the chain and render it ineffective as he swung in with his right hand, fist to biker nose.
The man yanked back on the chain hoping to pull the stick from John's hand. His head rocked back as the punch connected, but he grinned, blood from his nose turning his mustache a dark red.
John flicked the stick and pointed it at the biker, trying to loosen the chain and keep the stick, but if it didn't work? Hell, he'd just shoot the guy.
John leaned in as the man pulled out, darting in to pop him in the schnoz again, make his eyes water.
He was being nice. Next thing would be to break the kneecaps, and that usually brings the dance to a close.
He blocked the punch, and countered with a punch of his own. With the hand that had the chain wrapped around it.
That was a bit of ow, and that made John get mad and hurt in the facially area as he got hit by a chainfist.
Biker kneecap? That's a stompin'. Nobody messes up John's mug when there's the possibility of after-fight snuggleness with the pink-haired skinnybutt.
The biker's leg gave out with his knee, and he fell to one side. But he quickly rose on the other leg and dove for John, trying for a spear.
Anemone immediately raised her gun and fired at the nearest targets. "Billy? Talk to me."
Billy grunted in pain. It was the best he could do at the moment. Snake-Eyes cradled his limp form for a moment, then leaped to the attack.
A guardsman went down immediately, shot through the hip by Anenome's gun. Another opened fire on her with his automatic rifle.
"Good enough." Anemone spun and shot at the idiot with the rifle, looking for cover while she laid down cover fire. She'd be better able to take out the other gunmen if she wasn't such a nice big target.
Kicking the downed guardsman's head as she moved past him was just to make sure he stayed down. Really.
Still firing, the Guard dove for cover himself. An overturned defunct video game machine.
Crouching down behind the seat of some driving game, Anemone aimed for the light above her target, hoping the falling glass might encourage him out into the open. If not, the follow-up shots directly at the video game's colorful advertisement might prove incentive to leave.
The guard's body armor protected him from the falling glass, but when the video game started to spark, he had to find an alternate form of cover.
Bingo! It was nice, how very familiar this felt, Coralian brain automatically calculating trajectory as she let off two shots in rapid succession. One to bring him down, one to keep him there, before she decided to make a dash for his gun. The rifle would offer better sniping options than her little military sidearm.
The guard went down, but he had a side arm as well. He fired at her when she ran for his dropped rifle.
Luckily, being shot had not improved his aim, and Anemone tossed herself aside. "Oh you have got to be kidding!" she yelled, covering the last bit of distance with an agility and speed she only usually used when working out with Cassandra. "Just lay down," she snarled, stomping on one arm, "and shut UP!"
Yeah, his ribs might not like that, either. Ow. Ask if she cares.
Her only answer was a grunt of pain. And an elbow to her knee. It was his last gasp move.
Anemone hit the floor with a yelp of surprise, wincing as pain shot up her left arm. "Ow ow ow JERK!"
Scooting backwards a bit, she grabbed the rifle from where it had fallen and swung it at his head like a club. "You aren't getting paid enough for this, I promise."
Getting beaten up by teenagers? He'd have to agree with that. Well if he was in a condition to agree with anything at the moment. Which he was not.
"Loser." Anemone stood up, grimacing as she flexed her wrist. That was going to leave a mark.
...And now her new rifle's barrel was bent from being used as a blunt force weapon. Well, crap. "See what you made me do?" she asked the prone body, tossing it aside to reload her sidearm. "This is why you don't take jobs with sociopaths. Trust me."
Giving him one last kick, she moved off after Cassandra and Billy, not wanting to get separated from her group.
Liz fought back a scream, whimpering in pain as she desperately tried to break free.
He tightened his grip, and jerked on her arm, resulting in a dull *crack*.
This time Liz did scream. She also started feeling a familiar surge that normally preceded one of her bursts.
"No, no, no," she moaned, trying to stop flames from coming up with little success.
The Dreadknock frowned. Was it getting warmer all of a sudden?
It was definitely getting quite warmer. Extremely warm in fact. The dreadknock should soon find that it was nearly impossible to keep a hold of Liz as the flames came close to breaking point.
"Gah!" He jerked his hand back, as if he'd touched a hot stove. "What the hell?" He backed hurriedly away from her.
Liz dropped to her knees, trying desperately to keep the flames under control. She was not going to be responsible for more deaths.
"NO!," she screamed as the flames began to engulf her.
"Oh $&*$!" He wasn't sticking around to see what happened.
"Billy!" Adam watched his friend fall, anger surging inside of him. He immediately moved into a fighting stance, willing to do anything and everything to protect his friend.
"I'm so proud of you Billy." Cobra Commander mocked, heading for his prone son. "So many friends willing to die with you."
But Snake-Eyes was already there, kicking the gun out of his hand.
Not to worry though, there were a few red clad underlings left who could deal with Adam.
Adam would've made a beeline for Cobra Commander, but thankfully Snake-Eyes was there.
Turning, Adam took in the few underlings and immediately launched into a front flip, landing behind them. He wanted to make sure they were in his sight at all times. He aimed a leg sweep at the nearest goon.
That took them mostly by surprise, and so they were mostly too slow to turn. The Commander's traitorous son wasn't going anywhere, so they concentrated on his friends.
The nearest Guard fell to Adam's sweep, but two others were charging. One swinging the butt of his rifle, the other swiping with a knife.
Adam grinned slightly to himself, glad that it had worked.
His eyes widening slightly, Adam took a cue from what Kim and Billy did in situations like these and launched into a few back handsprings. They were effective in getting out of enemy range.
Hopping back into a fighting stance, Adam aimed a spinning hook kick at the one swiping with the knife, hoping to knock it out of his hands.
Damn these guys hated fighting ninjas. What was it with GIJoe and their damn pet ninjas?
He managed to hang onto his knife, but his wrist went numb from the kick.
"Screw this." the one with the rifle muttered, and opened fire.
Ninjas were awesome.
Adam called upon his Ninjetti powers, feeling the rush of energy flow through him. Clad in his black ninja uniform, Adam was able to dodge the hail of gunfire easily. One of the perks of being a ninjetti warrior, super speed.
He appeared behind the guy firing at him and tapped him on the shoulder. "Think you missed me."
As far as he knew, not even Storm Shadow could have done that. "The hell?" Headbutt.
A small smile played on Adam's lips for only a moment, before the serious expression was back. But then again, only his eyes were visible to his enemies, so they couldn't really tell.
He dodged the headbutt and moved to use a judo throw on the one guy.
They might not be ninjas, but the Crimson Guard didn't get their fancy uniforms by being weak. He countered the judo move and tried to get Adam into an arm lock.
Adam figured that one out as he narrowly avoided the arm lock. These guys were quick. He'd have to be quicker.
Rolling forward, Adam attempted a spinning hook kick on the nearest guard, followed by a leg sweep.
Another guard down, one left to go. He circled Adam cautiously, looking for an opening.
"Not exactly the welcoming party I'd live to have," Tori quipped, bringing up her shield of water, which deflected the bullet easily. "But I suppose it'll have to do."
She launched into the air, flipping forward, landing behind her attacker. "I don't know, it still has its perks." She aimed a kick for the girl's arm, intending to knock the gun out of her hand.
The girl was pretty much shell shocked by what had just happened. "The hell-"
Therefore she didn't manage to hang onto the gun which went clattering to the ground.
"Perks of being a ninja, hon," Tori smiled sweetly, before attempting a leg sweep.
The girl was a brawler. She fell to the ground, but rolled immediately to her feet and attempted to tackled Tori.
Tori allowed the girl to connect with her, before she rolled backwards and used her legs and arms to throw her off and to the side.
It was a move that she'd seen Tommy use once. And it seemed to work.
The girl screamed in frustration and pain when she crashed into a bunch of trash cans.
"I'm not gettin' paid enough for this." she grumbled, throwing a trash can lid at Tori.
Tori might have winced sympathetically, had she really felt bad. But seeing as this girl had aimed a gun at her? Not so much.
"You're getting paid? Wow, is there nothing you wouldn't do for money?" Tori quipped, rolling to the side to avoid the trash can lid. "Didn't your mom tell you it was rude to throw things?"
Tori fired a blast of water at the girl, hoping to knock her back a bit.
She dodged to one side. "Bleach my hair." she sneered in answer to Tori's question.
"I don't know, I could see you as a blonde," Tori joked, falling back into her defensive stance. She was used to fighting alien monsters, not actual humans.
She scoffed. "Never in a million years Valley Girl." With one hand she grabbed another trash can, and rolled it at Tori, and with the other, she drew a nasty looking switchblade.
"Get your facts straight, darling, I'm no valley girl," Tori growled, flipping up and over the the trash can, landing in a forward crouch. She aimed a swift front kick at the girl's wrist that happened to be holding the switchblade.
She swiped with the blade at the same time that Tori kicked out. The knife flew from her hand and skidded to the feet of member of the gang.
Tori had misjudged the kick ever so slightly, for when she connected with the swipe, the blade cut into her, leaving a pretty long gash.
Tori hissed from the sudden pain, not expecting that to happen. It took her a moment to recover, the gash bleeding through her one pant leg.
The other girl picked up the knife, as the first girl grinned savagely and swung a punch at Tori while she was distracted.
To Be Continued...
[Preplayed with the Boffo im_afrog, the Deceptively Efiminate apocalypsesoon, the Beyoootiful pyroliz, Her Semi-Holiness water_wonder, the Alliterative iseewhatyoumean, and death_of_hope. NFI and NFB due to distance, but once again, OOC comments are luv.]