I2 - Investamagating

[Nailah Weaver]

Nailah had been restless all throughout her morning classes when she'd read about the big crash in Maldon. That didn't at all sound like a coincidence but rather like the work of some tiny butthole fairies. Or gremlins! Like in that old Twilight Zone thing on the plane. Or, possibly, the do-not-get-them-wet kind. So after her last class finally ends she rushed back to her dorm to put on her costume. It was really just her X-Team uniform that she'd painstakingly dyed white and gold along with a fake-gold tiara she'd ordered online. Anyone with an eye for it could probably tell it's not exactly the best quality, but from a distance or to a random person on the street her wings and tail would probably distract from that. And the look still works. She's added a bit of fabric slung over one shoulders that gives the whole thing less of a 'super-suit with minidress' look and a bit more of a greek toga/dress kind of style. She briefly looks at herself in the mirror with a big grin, contemplating to maybe add some golden bracers to round out the look at some point. Ready for action!

She throws open the window, (because seriously, how lame would it be to put on a costume and then just walk out the door?) and jumps out, wings snapping open to break her fall until she finds the updraft and takes to the air proper. She gains some height and with her tail trailing through the air behind her she flies towards Maldon. More specifically, the intersection where the big crash happened. She lands on a rooftop overlooking the street and just surveys the area for a moment. Maybe the little buggers are still around somewhere or left a trace of some kind.

[Narrator]

The stoplight had been replaced by a traffic cop at this point. He SEEMED normal enough, waving traffic through.

Step one: Buy a hamburger from the chip shop

[Nailah Weaver]

That seemed really counter-intuitive, but then again, it often did. It's hard to heroically order a burger, but she can at least try! She swoops down from the roof and majestically lands outside the chip shop. Smiling brightly at people she heads into the shop and gets in line to order a burger, occasionally waving at people when they look at her funny.

"I'd like a burger please, lettuce and tomatoes, no mustard." the wanna-be superhero tells the somewhat perplexed person behind the counter. "Easy on the ketchup too, please." she adds after a moment.

[Narrator]

"Uh...sure," the teenaged, pimpled clerk said, placing her order. "You're...from the weird school, aren't you?"

[Nailah Weaver]

"Yes, I'm from the 'weird school'." she says, seeming a little distracted by the lack of a follow-up step. "Uhm. I'm Sphinx. I'm here to look into that big car crash."

[Narrator]

Step two: Duck

"Sphinx, huh. What is that, one of those mutie names?"

[Nailah Weaver]

"No, that's one of those superhero names." she says, trying to make her indignation sound more like pride. Then, without waiting for a response from the clerk she yells "Duck!" at everybody while doing the same herself.

[Narrator]

Everyone looked at her strangely.

But that was when the boiling oil for the fries suddenly shot up and exploded towards the counter! Havoc and pandemoneum, people screaming as their arms and whatnot were burned by the oil---and cackling.

Nailah, of course, was fine, with the counter keeping her dry.

[Nailah Weaver]

"Oh my god!" For a second Nailah doesn't really know what to do. Then she remembers Onyx patching up her burns after the warehouse fire in London and she stands up and starts helping people, pulling out what little medical supplies she has in her first-aid pouch, distributing it among everybody and trying to get them to move outside while she fumbles with her smartphone to call an ambulance. Over the general chaos she tries to crane her neck to keep a wary eye on the kitchen.

[Narrator]

There! An imp! Headed for the back door!

[Nailah Weaver]

"You there!" Nailah shouts, gently pushing people towards the door. "Stop! How dare you hurt these people!" she adds as she takes a running leap across the counter to follow the little monster.

[Narrator]

The imp screeched and ran through the door, leaving it swinging in his wake.

The floor was slippery from grease, but someone who could fly could likely get around that.

[Nailah Weaver]

No way in hell was she going to let this little monster escape after what it did to all these people. She bolts after it, taking a leap across most of the greasy floor and sliding the rest of the way to the door, shouldering it open, eyes darting around once she makes it outside.

[Narrator]

The imp ran along across the intersection, heading across the street towards a nearby department store.

Step 3: Up! Fast!

[Nailah Weaver]

Nailah doesn't even think abou that one. She just jumps and spreads her wings to gain more height to sail over the road, trying to cut the Imp off before it can get into the store.

[Narrator]

She's just in time, too, as a car that was headed for the imp suddenly saw it's tires blow out, swerving and slamming into the wall right where Nailah had been!

[Nailah Weaver]

Nailah lands on the other side of the street on unsteady feet. She wants to stop and check on the driver. She really wants to catch her breath take a second to calm down but if she doesn't catch this thing it might hurt more people. She pulls herself together and runs after the Imp.

[Narrator]

The imp lept through the department store window, breaking a small part of it and scaring the customers inside, knocking over racks and shelves as he went.

[Nailah Weaver]

Nailah closes her eyes and throws herself after the Imp and through the window. She winces when she hits the ground full of broken glass, even though her costume and feathers protects her from the worst of it as she lands in a roll. She comes up again in the same motion, not giving herself the chance to slow down as she sprints down the aisles, doing her best to jump over the chaos left behind by the creature. "Sorry! 'scuse me! Superhero business!" she informs the disturbed shoppers.

[Narrator]

Several people take photos of the crazy winged lady in her uniform as the chase continues!

The imp dodged under a crowd of people, knocking them over, as he headed towards the appliances.

[Nailah Weaver]

Nailah grins a little when people start taking pictures, pushing herself harder to catch up on the Imp, reaching for the next best thing from one of the shelves and hurling a polished-steel toaster at the dang thing.

[Narrator]

The imp ducked, the toaster denting a fridge. That would probably cost her something.

The imp opened a SECOND fridge, and ducked inside.

[Nailah Weaver]

She can worry about that later. Right now there's justice to dispense. "Oh no no no, I know how that works! You go in there, I open it up and you're gone!" Nailah shouts and jumps to close the distance and get her hand in the closing door to keep it open.

[Narrator]

And that's when the imp tried to slam the fridge door VERY HARD on Nailah's hand.

[Nailah Weaver]

Step Four, don't pull your hand away. She really, really wants to yank her hand away, but she'd never forgive herself if she let the thing get away so she squitns her eyes shut and braces herself for the pain of having her hand slammed in the fridge door. She can't help but let out a sharp scream when something in her hand snaps but she still keeps her hand where it is, reaching up with her good hand to throw the door open.

[Narrator]

The imp was....NOT expecting that, to be sure. It screeched, and tried to claw at Nailah's face!

[Nailah Weaver]

Nailah reaches for the damn thing with her good hand while cradling her broken hand against her chest. She grabs the Imp even as it claws her her, gritting her teeth to ignore the scratches on her hand, which is surprisingly easy when your other hand feels like it's about three sizes too large and throbbing. She gives the Imp a squeeze with her own claws and slams it's head against the 'ceiling' of the refrigerator. "Gotcha, you little monster!"

[Narrator]

And, indeed the monster seems to have passed out! Good work, Nailah!

[Nailah Weaver]

Nailah raises the little Imp into the air triumphantly! "The perpetrator has been detained! I'm really sorry for any inconvenience." she says, trying to put on a brave face as she hurries towards the exit. She'd have to get her hand looked at, but first she needs to take this thing somewhere where it can't hurt anybody.

[Narrator]

It had REALLY sharp claws, and it kept trying to swing them at Nailah.

Her wrist would take a beating--and draw serious blood--if nothing else.

[Nailah Weaver]

"Ow! Ow! Oww!" Nailah says when the thing wakes up as she heading out of the store. She frantically looks around and her eyes finally settle on a tupperware container that she quickly dumps the critter into before closing the lid. She lifts the translucent container up to look at the thing and gloat a little. "I have half a mind to set you on fire too, little buddy." she glares. She really disliked fire and the people getting burned in the diner clearly got to her.

As she leaves the store she looks over at the diner to make sure the ambulance arrived and the injured people are being taken care of.

[Narrator]

There was an ambulance! And police! And a very interested crowd! It looked like, however, the regular Maldon regulars could handle this.

[Nailah Weaver]

Nailah, gladly, leaves the rest to them and takes flight towards the school.