Shopping Time is Over (OPEN - Titans)

Night time; a time in which a lot of a City goes to sleep, only to recharge for the very next day. Night had certainly come as a dark veil covered Jump City and the night sky. And whilst a lot of the City does go to sleep, it’s a time when others wake up; mainly the underworld of Jump City that find it easier to operate under the cover of night sky. And while that is certainly advantage, others wonder the streets as well, some… vigilantes.

The roof of the mall is the scene of the crime this rather unsettling night. Atop the roof were two figures, one more human; face unrecognizable, covered by the choice of clothing. With him, an accomplice; a human frame, but the way he moved was more… robotic. The two were settled down upon the roof of the mall, clearly not here for the shopping opportunities. Squatting on the roof, there was a few whispers between the two before they began to remove a panel from the roof; a way in. It was important to do this with as much ease as possible, leave no signs of forced entry.

They were not alone though, watching them from atop a building which looked over them was Spyra. Clearly unseen, she wanted to know what they were up to before she interjects. Everyone has a motive, everyone. She watched stood on the edge of the building, her arms crossed as she seemingly disappeared into the backdrop of the night sky. It appears as though the roofing of the panel had been removed, and the two criminals have dropped down inside. A deep breath, Spyra dropped down from the building she was on, swiftly climbing down as she used whatever she could cling onto to help her. As she reached the floor, she ran towards the mall; phasing through the wall and entering inside.

Inside the mall it became clear what the two assailants were after. Cash was the motivation. They had already managed to break into various shops with ease, emptying whatever was in the cash registers into a burlap sack. Spyra’s suspicions were correct, as she could look on from afar at the elder teenage boy, with a robotic helper who was the one breaking in. The robot created an entry in, and then the other sped in to grab the cash; he was super-fast, and thus it seemed as though nobody had ever touched the floor. The current shop of prey was that of a restaurant, one of the most popular in the mall during the day. The robot was finding a way in, as the human tapped his foot, impatiently waiting. It was however, time to end this rollercoaster of fun. Stood perhaps a few metres behind the two, Spyra would take off her cameo. Revealing herself, though the two had not noticed yet; she stood there with her arms folded across her chest, putting more weight on one leg than the other.

“Well isn’t this an interesting first date”

The two looked round, and to those who know; the human was the speedster known as Manic, and the robot was HIVE’s infiltration robot; Zero - both HIVE students, and thus a problem for Jump City. Zero had stood up tall now, pulling his pulse sniper rifle off his back and holding it ready to fire. Manic was amused, a grin spread across his face as he looked to the dark hair girl.

“Jealousy is such an ugly trait. You know that right? I wouldn’t say no to a date with you though”

“Creep”

Instant response from Spyra, accompanied with a roll of the eyes as she stood there, strong. Manic would smirk, turning to Zero with a smug look about him.

“Zero… deal with her would ya? Then we’ll carry on our merry way”

Zero would now in agreement, raising his pulse sniper rifle up to take aim at the girl. Spyra stood her ground, good idea? Who knows? But moments later, all that could be heard from outside was a single gunshot; and Zero rarely misses.

TBC

Well, that was an unexpected save. Better than what Spyra had planned, which could potentially of left her down for the count. Stupid of her really, putting herself in danger like that. At least now the odds were evened. A friendly nod as Spyra turned to Grace, responding to her sudden ally.

"Of cou-..."

Spyra was caught short by Manic who had ran towards her, booting her in the chest. Spyra flew back a good few feet, sliding along the floor a few more.

"Gotta be faster than that toots"

Manic would say with that smug grin still in place. Spyra had slowly risen to her feet. Manic now rushed towards her again, but this time he ended up running through her as she phased through him. Putting on the breaks, he stopped just before one of the pillar structures that helped keep the mall up. From behind Spyra struck, a leaping kick to the back that knocked Manic into the pillar, falling down from it. Meanwhile Zero had once again aimed through his sniper rifle; blasting out several pulse blasts towards Grace, leaving Manic to deal with the little intruder.

Things between Manic and Spyra had become more physical. As rather than fight through the use of powers, it was more of a contest about physical skill. Hydra had gone on the retreat, blocking a few forearm strikes as she stepped back, leaping over a sweeping kick attempt from Manic. She now caught him with a knee to the face, then a hard right to knock him back. A grin, Manic would use his sped simply to regain control, tackling Spyra back into a wall. With her being cornered, he caught her with a few jabs to the gut before looking for that knockout blow to the chin. Just as Manic had used his speed to gain an advantage, Spyra had decided to use her own in a defensive manner. As Manic struck for that knock out punch, Spyra pahsed through it, and through him to appear behind him. A heavy elbow to the back of Manic's head, she threw him down to the floor with a judo toss. Manic rolled backwards, to his feet with an aggressive stance.

"Not bad, not bad at all"

A grin, he was looking to dash towards her again. But, Spyra had disappeared into the background setting; unable to be seen. Manic looked around him, keeping his eyes open for any signs of her. Spyra wasn't far away, simply messing with him.

"Looking for someone? Perhaps I'm in front of you... Maybe over here, or maybe over there..."

"Cheating? Is that what you hero types need to resort too? Can't handle me one on one, eh?"

Just as he finished speaking, Spyra reappeared in front of Manic. A palm strike to the chest would knock Manic down to the floor, must to his displeasure.

"Do you do birthdays?"

Manic flipped back up to his feet and ran at Spyra, managing to grab her and throw her through a shop window. The glass broke, shattering upon impact. It gave Manic time to catch his breath if the fight was going to continue. However, he was unaware that for the time being; Spyra had blended into the shattered glass, as though she wasn't there.

-----

Zero had taken a few moments to get his bearings, keeping a keen eye on Grace. You could hear the parts that made up him working, calculating perhaps a tactic or a strategy to get ahead. He was primarily used for infiltration, not fighting. Gun raised, he would shoot several more pulse blasts towards Grace. She would slip up soon, surely? And then he can strike. One shot in the right place should be enough, though it won't be easy.

"Look out Master Manic"

Whilst Zero was essentially trapped in place, he could still warn Manic.

"Eh?"

Manic said as he turned around, noticing the icy floor to be catching up with him. He didn't need telling twice, and thus sped out the way of the ice; not at all wanting to get stuck. Would Headmaster be against Mannic returning with a robot minus his feet? As grabbing Zero and runnign off may be the best option now.

A nod from Spyra, she reappeared a few meters in frot of Zero, taking a small run up before leaping trhough the air with a kick. A mere foot away, Spyra was grabbed in mid air by a blur, tackling er out the way. An odd landing for her, whilst Manic rolled up to his feet.

"If you expect a trade, I suggest you don't damage the merchandise. Sure, the bot is worth a lot... But a broken one? Not so much. Unfreeze him and I'll hand the cash to your buddy..."

Made sense. Manic folded his arms across his chest, tapping his foot as he was eager for a response. It would be fun, just to see if the Titan can trust the vigilante hero enough with the 'good guys' side of the bargain.

It was a tough choice really, Manic knew full well he could end up leaving with nothing. However, Titans were not likely to double cross, surely? The second Grace lets her guard down, Manic can sweep in and flee with Zero. Faster than you can say 'We have waffles...'. Spyra was only just getting up, and so. Manic threw her the burlap sack full of cash, he stood there waiting. A grin palstered across his face, not happy at all. Catching the bag, Spyra rose to her feet. Truth be told, she was looking forward to putting this speedster in his place; but this was perhaps the best option. Throwing the sack of cash over her shoulder, Spyra walked over towards Grace, dropping the bag of cash down on the floor.

"Now the robot..."

Within the blink of an eye, Manic sped towards Zero; grabbing hold of him and then running off. The HIVE efforts were thwarted this time, but next time could be very different. It seems the Titan had kept her word, good. If Manic lost Zero, he'd be out of H.I.V.E. for certain.

This left Spyra with Grace now, within the shopping mall. The day was saved, hooray! Spyra had been very quiet tyhus far, keeping to herself. But she would be polite and answer Grace, why not? Things may have panned out differently if she hadn't shown up. A smile, she spoke.

"Heyyy... I'm Spyra, at least that's what most call me"

A sigh of relief from Spyra, who knows what could of happened if she was talking to someone else right now? Perhaps a charge with trespassing or something. The offer to join was very encouraging, though it was a big decision really. Spyra had spent most her days alone, being in a team wuld be quite different.

"The Titans? I've heard of the Titans, but. Never gave it much thought really. ...not exactly a people person if I'm honest"