Lioness in Lyon

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Lioness in Lyon

Postby Nailah Weaver » Fri Mar 02, 2018 5:27 pm

After finally having made it to Lyon, Nailah is gliding across the city to try and figure out where they're supposed to go. It's when her eyes land on the opera house that she finally connects the dots. Fat viking lady. Of course...

She goes into a dive and starts looking for a good way to slip inside. Maybe a window or balcony somewhere.
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Nailah Weaver
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High Concept: Fledgling Hero
Aspect: Naive Sphinxling
Aspect: Shattered Precognition

Re: Lioness in Lyon

Postby Narrator » Mon Mar 05, 2018 8:22 pm

As she circles the building, she spots an orange graffiti hazard symbol on the rooftop directly behind the opera house. A lone metal briefcase sits at the center of the symbol. It probably doesn't contain diamonds.
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Re: Lioness in Lyon

Postby Nailah Weaver » Mon Mar 05, 2018 9:39 pm

Considering this would be way too much effort simply to get her to open a trapped briefcase Nailah lands on the roof and checks to see if she can open it.
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Nailah Weaver
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High Concept: Fledgling Hero
Aspect: Naive Sphinxling
Aspect: Shattered Precognition

Re: Lioness in Lyon

Postby Narrator » Tue Mar 06, 2018 1:11 am

Bad News - It has a numerical lock to keep out unwanted eyes.

Good News - A notecard taped to the briefcase reads "Day" followed by the doodles of a car and an explosion and finally a question mark.
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Re: Lioness in Lyon

Postby Nailah Weaver » Tue Mar 06, 2018 4:19 pm

Nailah frowns and forces her jaw to ease up a little when she feels her teeth grinding against each other. It takes her a moment to recall the right date, but then she punches in the date Hazard attacked her parents.
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Nailah Weaver
Student
 
High Concept: Fledgling Hero
Aspect: Naive Sphinxling
Aspect: Shattered Precognition

Re: Lioness in Lyon

Postby Narrator » Thu Mar 08, 2018 1:31 am

The briefcase opens with a beep from a blinking device stuck against the top half of the interior, a cord leading to a sensor along the edge. The contents, nestled in foam lining, consisted only of a tablet computer. The logo identifies the brand as Narumi.

The tablet turns on of its own accord. On the screen is a map of the city rendered in green monochrome, peppered with a baker's dozen of blinking bomb icons. As she looks at this, a prompt appears:

Code: Select all
Incoming Video Chat
Accept? Y / N
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Re: Lioness in Lyon

Postby Nailah Weaver » Thu Mar 08, 2018 5:24 pm

"I'm so sick of this..." she mutters as she hits Y, even as she questions why. She can already figure what's going to happen. He'll gloat and be an insufferable ass and force her to run around defusing bombs while he evades her once again. And then he'll just do it again.
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Nailah Weaver
Student
 
High Concept: Fledgling Hero
Aspect: Naive Sphinxling
Aspect: Shattered Precognition

Re: Lioness in Lyon

Postby Narrator » Mon Mar 12, 2018 7:57 pm

A simple 8-bit loading screen appears.

Code: Select all
Tiburon Video Telephony
Version 2.109
©1989 Beckett-Narumi Corporation

The video feed is remarkably clear for the retro feel of everything else. The frightened face that greets her is not Hazard. It is just a young man in his twenties with a line of dried blood trailing from his short brown hair down the left side of his face, tied to a chair in the middle of a tastefully furnished room.

Upon seeing Nailah, his eyes widen in confused recognition. "Mon Dieu. Cela ne peut pas être réel."
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Re: Lioness in Lyon

Postby Nailah Weaver » Mon Mar 12, 2018 10:44 pm

"I don't speak French. Where's Hazard? Where are you? Is he holding you hostage?"
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Nailah Weaver
Student
 
High Concept: Fledgling Hero
Aspect: Naive Sphinxling
Aspect: Shattered Precognition

Re: Lioness in Lyon

Postby Narrator » Tue Mar 13, 2018 12:08 am

He glances nervously to the side of the camera before looking at her again. That's one question answered.

"You... your part of zis aren't you? You can't be... I dreamed you up..." he says in shocked disbelief.
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Re: Lioness in Lyon

Postby Nailah Weaver » Tue Mar 13, 2018 2:12 am

"Look I have no idea what you're talking about, but you need to tell me where you are, so I can help you." she says, trying to get her power to lead her to this man instead of Hazard, hoping that by not focusing on Hazard directly her power might work.
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Nailah Weaver
Student
 
High Concept: Fledgling Hero
Aspect: Naive Sphinxling
Aspect: Shattered Precognition

Re: Lioness in Lyon

Postby Narrator » Wed Mar 14, 2018 12:44 am

In return, she receives a buzzing in her head. It is, however, merely unpleasant rather than painful. Like a nearby waterfall just close enough to drown out the jungle instead of Hazard's swarm of angry, stinging bees right in the brain. The Path is silent with one exception: Watch the lips.

"The message froggie," Hazard's voice demands.

The man gulps and says, voice trembling, "Hello Lah Lah. This is Andre. His life depends on the choices you are about to make."

Glass breaks somewhere off-screen. "There you are you stupid little cat," Hazard grumbles before receding footsteps.

The hostage takes the opportunity to mouth something, repeating only once. "Apartment 3B, 18 Rue des Archers."

He then continues the message. "Around this city, six bombs are set at the locations on your map. If you manage to disarm three of them in the next hour, I'll tell you where to find me. But know this; I will detonate the rest. Some are small, some big. Choose wisely."
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Re: Lioness in Lyon

Postby Nailah Weaver » Wed Mar 14, 2018 1:34 am

One hour. She'd never be able to disarm all of them. The challenge was three and he was setting her up to fail regardless. The real question is if she's willing to let six bombs go off in order to get Hazard. She hadn't been able to make that call when it had been her parents on the line and this seemed easier, but countless people could die. Parents, children, none of whom deserve it any more than her parents and she certainly has no right to make that decision for them. Doesn't she have a responsibility to try and save as many as she's able? What about the people Hazard was going to hurt in the future if she let's him get away again? And would this lead her down the same path as leaving her parents behind would have?

No, all of this is just playing by his rules he set up for this fu--messed up game of his. If she wants to win she needs to find a way around all of this and knowing where he is does put her ahead of the game. She just... She needs help. It's such a stupidly obvious thing. She doesn't have to do all of this by herself.

"You'll pay for this, Hazard." she says, trying to put on a brave face. It ends up not really working. Covering up the fear and uncertainty in her voice with anger is the only thing that really works but she's trying desperately not to her rage blind her, so the facade is weak and not very convincing, her voice cracking more than she'd like. Before he has a chance to respond she closes the video-chat and takes off running. She leaps off the roof and catches herself just above the ground, the pavement of the street rushing past only a couple feet beneath her. She doesn't speak French, so the fastest way to alert the police she can think of is to create a scene. Once she's certain enough cars and pedestrians have taken note of her she finds a public mailbox and lands on it, beating her wings to keep her balance as she holds up the tablet.

"There are bombs in the city!" she yells at the top of her lungs. "Tell the police! Tell Facebook and Twitter and everyone to know to pass it along and get to safety! Please! There's not much time!"

Somebody who heard her had to understand English. She made a scene, people talk, she knows people stare at her so maybe she can leverage that to do some good. She has no time to wait and see if it worked, she can't risk people drawing the wrong conclusions and trying to arrest her or get bogged down by people asking for details. She puts the tablet down on top of the mailbox and jumps. Wings already beating she rises into the air with a couple strong beats that send some pieces of paper being send flying in the displaced air. Once she's high enough that her feet can touch a nearby roof she uses that to dig her claws in and give her bit of a boost forward to build up speed as fast as she can towards 18 Rue des Archers.
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Nailah Weaver
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High Concept: Fledgling Hero
Aspect: Naive Sphinxling
Aspect: Shattered Precognition

Re: Lioness in Lyon

Postby Hazard » Fri Mar 16, 2018 7:35 pm

She eventually found her way to a rooftop looking across at the second floor of the apartment building. Through several large windows, she could see inside much of the living rooms of the different apartments. She couldn't see the hostage from her vantage point but just when it seemed she was on the wrong side, Hazard walked into view dressed like a delivery man. He was saying something and gesticulating as if telling a story. What he wasn't doing is looking at the giant window.
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Re: Lioness in Lyon

Postby Nailah Weaver » Sat Mar 17, 2018 12:08 am

Nailah carefully rises from the crouch she's in and starts sprinting. Once she gets to the edge of the roof she jumps and spreads her wings, gliding down towards the window and building up speed. At the last second she pulls her legs against her chest and folds her wings around herself, aiming to break through the window with her knees and letting her shins and wings protect her from the shards as she aims to slam into Hazard with her whole body.
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Nailah Weaver
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High Concept: Fledgling Hero
Aspect: Naive Sphinxling
Aspect: Shattered Precognition

Re: Lioness in Lyon

Postby Hazard » Mon Mar 19, 2018 3:54 pm

As if in cinematic slow motion, a surprised Hazard turned to face the shattering window. He was just in time to get body checked by the winged cat-girl and the two went tumbling across the apartment floor. He thrashed like a cornered weasel, kicking and punching out hard in an effort to get free. And then he remembered his current power and bone spikes erupted from his forearms, which he swung at her.
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Re: Lioness in Lyon

Postby Nailah Weaver » Mon Mar 19, 2018 8:36 pm

Nailah for her parts doesn't struggle so much as that she immediately starts wailing on Hazard with little regard for what blows she's taking. She doesn't even really register the bone-spikes until the last possible moment, the tip of one rakes across her face as she tries to throw herself back, drawing blood.
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Nailah Weaver
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High Concept: Fledgling Hero
Aspect: Naive Sphinxling
Aspect: Shattered Precognition

Re: Lioness in Lyon

Postby Hazard » Tue Mar 20, 2018 12:11 am

He allowed her to disengage and used the opportunity to begin scramble to his feet. He looked over at a cell phone on a coffee table across the living room near the now gagged hostage, then to her with a vengeful smile. "You cheated," he said before lunging that direction.
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Re: Lioness in Lyon

Postby Nailah Weaver » Tue Mar 20, 2018 3:28 pm

"I'm not playing your messed up game!" she informs him before noticing his glance and immediately starting to move, throwing herself at him to try and intercept his lunge, disregarding his natural weaponry. Maybe, just maybe the bombs won't even go off at all if he doesn't trigger them.
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Nailah Weaver
Student
 
High Concept: Fledgling Hero
Aspect: Naive Sphinxling
Aspect: Shattered Precognition

Re: Lioness in Lyon

Postby Hazard » Wed Mar 21, 2018 12:39 am

He fell again ended up madly scrambling onward, kicking at her with a pained cry as a long bone spike extends from his heel. This was a man who really wanted to blow things up.
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Re: Lioness in Lyon

Postby Nailah Weaver » Wed Mar 21, 2018 4:44 am

Nailah screams out when the heel-spike punches into her shoulder and rolls over onto her knees and one arm, pulling herself up off the ground. Holding her injured shoulder she stumbles after Hazard and tries to kick him in the side. The claws on her feet are out, dropping any notion of not wanting to seriously hurt or injure and just wanting him to stop. Stop hurting her, stop reaching for the remote, stop moving altogether.
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Nailah Weaver
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High Concept: Fledgling Hero
Aspect: Naive Sphinxling
Aspect: Shattered Precognition

Re: Lioness in Lyon

Postby Hazard » Thu Mar 22, 2018 12:32 am

The kick knocked Hazard onto his side, leaving a set of shallow claw wounds staining his delivery uniform with blood. "No more Miss Nice Kitty eh?" he smirked delightedly before rolling away. He extended spikes from his knuckles and blindly flung them in her direction like poorly thrown knives.
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Re: Lioness in Lyon

Postby Nailah Weaver » Thu Mar 22, 2018 10:10 pm

She ducks out of the way enough that the spikes only clip her arm, leaving a nasty gouge instead of embedding themselves into her.

"You hurt my parents!" she growls, still clutching her shoulder and charging at him to kick at his head this time.
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Nailah Weaver
Student
 
High Concept: Fledgling Hero
Aspect: Naive Sphinxling
Aspect: Shattered Precognition

Re: Lioness in Lyon

Postby Hazard » Fri Mar 23, 2018 12:09 am

"But I didn't kill them now did I? Not like true death exists anyway," he said, back on his feet already. He quickly bent his head out of the way into an unnatural angle, bone jaws suddenly opening where his shoulder should be. They snapped at the oncoming leg.
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Re: Lioness in Lyon

Postby Nailah Weaver » Sun Mar 25, 2018 5:45 pm

And snap they did, right into Nailah's leg. She let's out a scream as she loses her balance and falls to the floor, pulling Hazard down with her as the bone-clamp bites deeper into her leg. What the hell was he rambling on about? She only really half hears what he's saying between the pain in her leg and her eyes finding the phone on the ground not too far from where she fell. She reaches out but comes up a couple inches short, the sudden stab of pain in her leg reminding her that Hazard's weight is keeping her from crawling towards it.

There had to be something she can do. Had to be. She pushes her power out again and into the fog. She'd seen through it once, when he'd threatened her parents so she knows it's possible. Somehow. She pushes harder until she can feel her power burning in her head like a red hot wire. She screws her eyes shut at the pain but keeps on pushing, the throbbing in her shoulder and the grinding in her leg fading into the background as she tries to follow the burning line into the future. And then suddenly she's through, the fog is gone and the pain fades into a burning afterglow. She's found the path out of this situation and suddenly everything makes sense. The realization hits her like a tidal wave. She can see herself kneeling on the ground, Hazard's hand on her head. Her expression is empty while the lunatic is grinning. She can make out details in almost unnatural clarity, the tears clinging to her eyelashes, the points where the feathers of her wings have been roughly cut, rendering them useless for flight.

The moment is frozen in time. No... fixed. It's the source of her paths, the instructions she's been getting from herself. That she's been forced to send herself to ensure they would lead her to this exact moment and no other. And she realizes she doesn't know how to change it. She's relied on her power to get her to where she is and now she finds herself completely at a loss. She tries to push into her power again but the only thing that flares up is the red-hot bond tethering her to this future. Whatever that old lady had shown her, she's unable to call on any other path, any other future but this one. There has to be a way out, a way to shatter this connection, this future. At least give herself a fighting chance. She struggles, the pain in her leg yanking her back into the present.

"No!" she wails. "I won't let you do this!" she tries to scramble away again, one clawed fingernail cracking against the floor as she tries pull herself and Hazard's weight forward.

"No! No! No! No! No!" she screams and starts bashing her head into the floor out of desperation. Her vision swims as her forehead hits the ground and the burst of pain momentarily washes out the one in her leg. Again. The pain flowers in her head like a bright flash. Again. And again. She can feel... something in the flashes. Some kind of solution. Again and again she slams her head into the ground until her sight grows blurry from the blood running down her forehead. One last time she rears her head back and slams it into the floor and she can feel something snap. Break. And not just her skull. Along with the pain and the dizzying vision something else unfolds in front of her and for a brilliant moment she can see all the other paths. She latches on to one, anything that doesn't lead to the future she saw and she pushes.

Her body moves as if on autopilot, knows exactly which muscles to move and which to avoid to not set off any of her injuries. Her hand finds the leg of a chair and grabs it. She yanks it to the side and it topples over, hitting a table in the process. A can of air freshener on top of the table wobbles from the impact and slowly tips over, rolling onto the floor and towards Nailah's hand. She grabs it and a shard of glass from the floor and slams the shard into the side of the can at just the right angle and with just the right amount of force that the shard sticks in the punctured can. She twists herself slightly and throws the unstable can against the wall behind Hazard, it bounces off and down at a weird angle at his head, exploding right as it smacks him in the temple.
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Nailah Weaver
Student
 
High Concept: Fledgling Hero
Aspect: Naive Sphinxling
Aspect: Shattered Precognition

Re: Lioness in Lyon

Postby Hazard » Sun Mar 25, 2018 7:15 pm

When Nailah started bashing her head on the ground, Hazard had started laughing. "Hahaha! Holy roaches I think I broke her!"

Then his eyes widened and quickly transitioned to fury as she began doing her best Macgyver impression. "No! No! No! That's not how this works! I'm you're kryptonite! It's a universal constant! You don't get t..." he roared before being cut short by the thing exploding against his face. He went slack and the bone clamp released as his body began returning to its natural shape.
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Re: Lioness in Lyon

Postby Nailah Weaver » Sun Mar 25, 2018 8:50 pm

Nailah scoots away using her one good leg, panting and shaking. It felt like the room was spinning around her. Can't pass out like this. What if he wakes up first...

She puts the foot of her injured leg down, intentionally sending a spike of pain through it to keep herself focused. The zip-ties. She fumbles for one of her belt-pouches and fishes out the plastic restraints. Crawling over towards Hazard on two hands and one knee she goes to work tieing him up as much as possible. Wrists together, elbows too. Ankles and knees. She even yanks down the tablecloth from the nearby table and tears off two chunks to make a makeshift gag and blindfold, just in case he wakes up with a power that requires to see or talk. Only after that she drags herself over to the chair. She bashes it against the wall with her uninjured arm until it breaks, freeing up two of it's legs to combine with more zip-ties into a brace for her leg. She's got countless scrapes everywhere from sliding around in the glass, but that barely registers compared to the other injuries. Finally she grabs the cellphone. She deletes everything in the address book just in case and finally calls X-Corp.

"Lyon... 18 Rue des Archers, apartment 3B... detained Hazard... Bombs around city, police knows... Hurt pretty bad..."

She doesn't hear the response from the other line, the phone sliding from her fingers as she passes out.
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Nailah Weaver
Student
 
High Concept: Fledgling Hero
Aspect: Naive Sphinxling
Aspect: Shattered Precognition



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