Saving Scum from Themselves (Finished)

John Winters was a veteran at the ole' Crash Alley race courses, and was tasked with guarding the weekly prizes from the races. Bio was hanging with him in his shack, when Kurt and Hanju, two other friends, rushed inside.

"We've got trouble."

Gunshots were heard outside. Bio quickly ran out and saw a scene of immediate chaos and disaster. Hundreds of people were throwing molotov cocktails at the boys of Crash Alley and firing bullets. A crimson haired woman stood on top of an approaching van.

"This is the people of Jump City. I'm sure all of you scum have heard what's gone on recently. Seeing as how you Crash Alley gamblers are some of the worst, we're takin all yer stuff. Awww, it's just too bad all that you collected will go into the hands of those who need it most. The ones with actual jobs~. Hang em high! It's time for some vigilante justice yeee-haw!"

Bio had meanwhile speed-dialed his new friend Maverique and his best friend, Circuit, and put it on speaker phone for them to hear.

"You hear that? Could you guys come over? This is a bit much even for me. I'll smokescreen em once you arrive."

Bio knew that the company he kept weren't the best fish in the barrel but no one deserved to be killed in cold blood. What's worse they were just lumping in everyone who lived in the area as 'scum' which was completely uncalled for.

"Hey!" he shouted raising his fist at the woman. "You break it you buy it!"

He was answered with bullets and a molotov cocktail thrown at his face. Bio shot it out of the air with a quick draw but quickly ducked under cover a bit pinned down.

The leader of the mob, the crimson-haired girl was packed in the center of the crowd with armed goons, while the rest who looked more like regular civilians began to trash all nearby warehouses and stores.

Circuit was actually on his way down to the scene before bio even called him lucky for him his patrolling brought him close enough to the area so he could get there quickly. After sipping a cup of coffee circuit slammed on the gas and transformed while he was driving. He didn't need to worry about speeding since the cops would be too busy dealing with everything else that was going on.  Circuit seeing insanity slammed on his breaks grabbed his bat and brass knuckles and decided to get to work jumping out of his truck and yelling at the hooligans.

"Yo yo yo yo yo I KNOW you fools aren't causing trouble IN MY CITY!!! You all shouldbe helping out since we're at war but what do I see instead? A bunch of CLOWNS trying to run things now that everyone is scared to death.  Well I'm not gonna have it! Every single last one of you is going down." Circuit yelled while pointing his bat at his opponents with one hand and the other in his pocket

If Mav were to give an honest evaluation of the potential new members of the team, Bio would be the one labeled 'rough on the edges'. Still, even though he wasn't exactly the most inspirational heroic figure around, the fact remained that his heart was in the right place. Mav paused to brush aside the cheesy thought. In any case, if they got through today's incident in one piece, then she'd more convinced that Bio has what it takes.

Having been informed beforehand that the trouble was on the ground, she arrived at the scene via the rooftops. Her trusty line launcher allowed her to traverse high places with little trouble. She looked down to survey the situation and found that it was very grave indeed. People numbering in the couple hundreds were ransacking the area. It was hard to call it 'panic' due to the effects of the war looming over their heads. For starters, their movements were being directed. She finally spotted Bio who was taking cover from an assault of guns.

Meanwhile, someone else had arrived on a truck, pulling out a bat and issuing threats to the disturbers of the peace. Someone else playing hero? Brave soul, but unless he had a plan, he would be under fire soon and Mav really didn't want to add another person on the rescue list in the already dire situation. Not to mention, her abilities weren't really suitable for crowd control. It was hard enough worrying for herself and the innocents.

She judged that the best way to approach this was to go straight for the apparent leader of the rabble as soon as possible. She needed an opening though as the redhead was heavily guarded and the large volume of people effective served as a living wall to stop anyone from getting close. She reached into her pocket and tossed a smoke bomb in the middle of the crowd. The smoke provided her cover while putting the armed goons on alert. Mav could feel their hostile intentions as clear as day as she made her way down to the ground, mixing in with the crowd, confusion and smoke and slowly closing in on her target.

The girl on the van's name was Amanda, a former gang member of Kirk, someone who Bio had fought before. Despite his amateurish and still very inexperienced style at being a superhero, Bio had the most experience with dealing with crowds and mobs. He looked over his cover and was wondering when they would get there when a loud, distinct voice roared over the mob itself.

Amanda simply looked at the strange man who was rivaling the crowd itself in intimidation. With a nod to one of her subordinates. She simply raised the megaphone to her lips again.

"DON'T WORRY SMART***, WE'LL TAKE WHATEVER DRUGS YOU HAVE IN THAT TRUCK TOO. TAKE HIM, TAKE ALL OF IT!"

She nodded to one of her subordinates who gave orders for goons to begin pointing guns at the lone man. Most of the looters/rioters were still unsure what to do, they were expecting to deal with cops but instead this strange looking guy blocked their path. Would it be too easy to take him on, or a world of pain?

With a grin, Bio put his smartphone to his ear and was about to say something when a smoke bomb exploded in the middle of the crowd, interrupting the fight.

"FANS AND MASKS! FANS AND MASKS!"

Amanda yelled to the crowd and everyone pulled out gas masks and donned them.

"Wow! What a lousy resistance! We were ready for tear gas and cops but we get a smoke screen prank!"

The woman stomped her foot on the top of the large van and the van opened its windows revealing large industrial fans that began to quickly blow the smoke away.

"Uh-oh"

Bio hoped Circuit didn't put his phone away and assumed Maverique was joining the fight with that smoke bomb.

"Dude, you've gotta distract them and get them to come at you. Keep talking or do something! That smoke bomb user is on our side we can't let them notice her."

Two men tried to sneak on by Circuit into a nearby store muttering something about plasma screen TV's in southern accents.

Bio continued to analyze the situation. His primal instincts kicked in.

Block off their escape....

His experience on the bridge brought vehicles to mind. He decided he would rush through the crowd and get behind the crowd and then shoot out as many tires in the area as possible, starting with that van, and then close off the roads. Once Circuit did whatever ruse he was entrusting him with, Bio suddenly jumped out of cover using his own crowd control tactics. He started speed skating straight for the crowd on his end near the shack. Some raised molotov's while others took out blunt weapons. Using his alteration powers, Bio quick drew his biogun and fired rounds near the feet of anyone who dared raise a finger, his shots synchronized with any emotion he felt in his visual range.

"STAND DOWN. BIOSHOCK COMING THROUGH."

He came at them at 39 mph and jumped straight over the wall of people and onto the shoulders of one of the goons, knocking him to the ground while pushing off and jumping onto the next person, crowd-surfing his way towards where the van was. Unlike what his friend was about to do, he was avoiding as much violence as possible. He then landed and bowled over several people by sliding with his skates and firing his gun to propel him a little bit further. He had 50 more feet to go and the gang leaders would notice something going on even with distractions. He hoped Maverique had something up her sleeve before he got to the van or there would be guns pointed right at his face.

"Ooh I've been waiting for this moment all night! ITS ABOUT TIME I CAN LET LOOSE! COME AT ME BOYS!" As he said that a bunch of rioters start rushing towards him. Circuit dashed into the group of rioters activating his after images so that he would be harder to track and began to wail on the unsuspecting fools. Circuit delivered multiple blows to their sides at an impressive speed making sure not to hurt them too badly of course. With that he already taken out four of the rioters.

"PFFFT This isn't even enough for me to call this a warm up boys! GIMMME YER BEST SHOT!" Some of the rioters began to back off but Circuit only continued to advance kneeing one of them in the face and downing another one with a single swing of his bat. Right after doing so he decided to pick up one of the heavier rioters he downed and threw him into the crowd

"You boys are gonna have to do a lot better than that if you plan on taking down the BEAST OF JUMP CITY!!" Circuit yelled pounding his chest.

It was easy to move through the crowd after that. Mav, much like the rioters, wore hats, scarves, masks and other things to hide their faces. She fit in perfectly with her own attire though she still pulled down her cap as much as possible. By the time the fans were turned on and the smoke was blown away. She was just a few steps away from the closest armed goon. She was practically right next to them and they hadn't realized anything yet. That would soon change.

With one swift motion she pulled out her baton with one hand and her stun gun with the other hand. Her baton was well on its way to smacking one of the goons in the temple, while her stun gun would be jabbed at the side of a second goon to knock him out. Of course she expected to draw fire after doing such a thing. As soon as they do, her aura would already be up.

(Circuit)

  As more rioters staggered back crippled by Circuit's blows, a new wave of enemies approached. A wall of riot shields armed by tougher goons, the majority of the gang leaders, approached the teenager steadily. They raised their arms and threw volleys of molotov cocktails at him, knowing full well what he was now capable of physically. The new tactic was to force him to attack an impenetrable wall, a wall that if he attacked they would use shotguns against him but if he stayed back he would be burned alive. A forced retreat was fine enough for the looters and this gang of protectors would do their job no matter what. Plasma screen TV's and free emergency supplies were in high demand, and people in panic mode were willing to do anything.

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(Maverique)

  One of the goons fell down in pain as a girl that had slipped into their midst suddenly attacked. With impressive skill another one was knocked down to the ground, hit with a decent amount of force in the temple. 3 goons around her turned around and fired, but stopped once she realized the bullets weren't working. Amanda screamed.

"Meta! We've gotta meta here! Finally a challenge."

One of the goons snuck from behind Maverique and grabbed aiming to pick her up in a choke hold, while Amanda jumped down and would aim a mace spray in the face and a taser to her abdomen simultaneously. The other goons pulled out night sticks but were immediately shot down by Bioshock skating by. Completely in the zone, he focused on aim, entrusting Mav to take care of any close encounters with crime, aiming for the goons and then the tires.

(Bioshock)

He then skated off into the crowd again aiming for the street behind them. Things were beginning to get violent, so he began to fire into the crowd, using fear tactics to get them to hesitate. Although the bullets weren't lethal, they would feel like the real thing. He rushed as a blur past many and reached the end of the crowd, only to be greeted by a sight. More people gathering, just making the crowd bigger.

He jumped up on a car and sighed. This was a tough decision to make.

"I'm a registered hero everyone. This isn't right and you know it! If you need supplies, leave the city or go to the refugee camp!"

The crowd hesitated but most decided to walk on through. Some actually needed to buy supplies, some weren't even planning on looting, and others were desperate. Either way, he could tell that the good was mixed in with the bad and the whole situation wouldn't be contained without him making some enemies. He breathed nitrogen and fired a loud shot at their feet.

"Back! Get Back!"

He then began to unload warning shots on traffic in the distance trying to drive through, causing people to panic and get out of their cars or turn around.

"Walk! I don't want to see anyone running or you will be shot!"

He quickly blurted it out as he realized he didn't want to start a trampling hazard either. In an area where their were no police, he had to take the law into his own hands in his own way or things would just get worse, even if it meant illegally disturbing traffic.

"THIS STREET IS CLOSED."

He wondered how long he could contain the riot before using gas which would definitely start a panic. Where were detour signs when you needed them?

Circuit saw the new wave of enemies and smiled widely, Circuit was happy that they realized what a force he was but unfortunately for them he was still being underestimated by them IT would be the first time he tried using this move in front of other people but he was still confident it would get the job done though it would be a bit risky

"Lights out." Circuit said calmly as both of his eyes turned red and a field deployed from his body, with this technique circuit wouldn't have to worry about his opponents having riot shields, they would feel the pain regardless. With that thought in mind Circuit used is after images to make it so anyone who was still composed would have trouble hitting him as he dashed towards the first victim.
Circuit swung as hard as he could against the shield sending a projection into the rioters mind that would make him feel like he was hit by the bat regardless.  This attack knocked over the rioter, Circuit took this chance to trick the other rioters into believing that he was actually that strong and picked up the Riot shield and began to charge at his other enemies who were still standing

"You see that!? IF YOU THINK YOUR CRAPPY SHIELDS CAN STOP ME YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING!"

As he said that rammed into each of the rioters as they all actually believed they were being hit with the force of a riot shield.  Circuit may not be the strongest meta physically but he believed this ability more than made up for it.  It was also lucky for him that he had the element of surprise and fear on his side.  Many of the rioters were too scared to even aim properly at the young metahuman. He also had speed on his side, though he wasn't fast enough to actually dodge shotgun blasts he still had the shield, shooting him would only stop him for a few seconds but he still had the running speed of 35 mph it would be useless at this point to try and stop him. As he thought that he dashed towards the last rioter screaming

"LIGHTS OUT SON!"

With that the second wave had been completely annihilated by Circuit, lucky for him his technique was perfect for this situation. With that the field dispersed and circuit went to pick up his bat putting it over both of his shoulders laughing with the flames from the Molotov bottles that were thrown at him earlier raging behind him.

"Who's next?"

There was no sneaking or surprise attacks as far as Mav was concerned. The moment anyone had hostile thoughts towards her, they would already be on her sixth sense radar. The goon who approached her from behind would receive an unhealthy dose of electricity from her stun gun before he could even touch her. She would then set her sights on the ringleader, thrusting her baton upward at the woman as she jumped down and catching her with the blow midair ensuring she couldn't avoid it. Unless she was unusually durable or had some sort of protection, she would get the wind knocked out of her and render her immobile. In either case, Mav's strike would knock her back out of range of her own weapons. The blonde heroine was confident but cautious.

"I'll save you the trouble of finding out on your own and let you know, I'm not someone you can catch or even hurt. It's about time you gave yourself up."

Earlier on, Mav had contacted the police with her communicator. They were really just buying time and making sure things don't escalate or get out of hand until the cavalry arrived.

The girl was just as stunned as the stunned man. How did she execute a move so perfectly? She had to be the best fighter in the world! The girl fell over and gagged as she tried to catch her breath, but the man that was just tazed was only tazed in the chest which was covered with a kevlar vest. Enraged, the man drew a night stick and attacked swinging straight for the head.

The crowd were beginning to disperse around Circuit, and Bio was already done on his end. Many people were attempting to leave the area because of the approaching sirens, but found their cars' tires slashed and roads blocked off, forcing them to accept their fate.

Bio was looking at the goons he had taken down slumped around the air fan van.

"Yo!" he said loudly, using his voice to interrupt the fight between Maverique and the last goon.

"Where did you guys get all of this stuff?!"

Bio practically ignored Maverique's melee, assuming he would just shoot the guy down if he was too much for the girl to handle. On top of that, Circuit would probably be there in a few seconds so things were just about wrapped up. He was more curious as to the equipment these guys were using... he looked at a 'Don't tread on me' marine style tattoo.

"Wait..."

He thought, contemplating all of the stuff he'd seen, heard the police sirens, and then saw his friend running up with a riot shield. His eyes opened as everything began to click.

"Yo Circuit look at this! Also, good job guys. This could have really gotten out of hand without your help."

Circuit jumped over the bodies of his unconscious foes as he walked over to his friend Bio. From what he could tell everything seemed to be over, which was a shame in is opinion because he felt like he was just getting warmed up.

"Yo nice job as always out there son. What you trying to show me though?"

Sensing that the hostile intention had not let up despite hitting him with the stun gun, Mav was ready to intercept any attempts at a counter attack. She caught the man's arm as he tried to take a swing at her and using his own strength and momentum, she threw him down on the ground flat on his back. Applying a little pressure to his wrist joint was all it took to make him drop his nightstick as well. A quick kick to the head would finish the job and render him unconscious on the ground.

"Whew"

For the most part it seemed the situation was settled. Some of the rioters scattered but if the police needed help rounding them up, she would be glad to help. It wasn't the cleanest peacekeeping ever but they were able to get a bit of the order back to this side of town.

"Not too shabby guys. Well, maybe you could have been a little more gentle. But that's hardly a complaint I'd hold against you. It still worked out in the end after all."

"What happened here anyway? Any ideas where they came from?"

(Pretty much it. Fun thread guys. Closing statements from here on out)

"Yeah. Gotta handle em gently." Bio said with a grin, and winked playfully at Mav, who had just said that after kicking a man in a head. It was still pretty beast seeing a girl her size take care of business like that. She didn't seem to have super strength or anything convenient like that, so this person had to be pretty special.

"Well, they have riot shields, were prepared for any sort of smokescreen, and have tasers pepper spray and guns. This guy's tattoo is from the military. These guys in my opinion are ex-cops or possibly military. Just goes to show you how bad things can get when people are scared."

"Man Circuit, you gotta do better man... that girl can fight as well as you and she doesn't even have powers..." Bio said with a disappointed shaking of head, trying to yank his friend's chain.

"Also man, Athena says she's down for heading out on that idea you had so hit me up when you're ready to g- err.. talk to ya about it later"

Bio slipped up and was so excited he almost mentioned a day-trip plan he, Athena, and Circuit had thought up. Some of the stuff they did was, although benign and well-intentioned, pretty unorthodox and bold so they couldn't really trust many people for fear of being blabbed on.

"So Maverique, you may not know this, but Circuit's been doing the whole crime-fighting and keeping the streets safe thing for longer than me. I should honestly be both of your apprentices considering how much of a newbie I am."

Bio laughed and scratched his head but suddenly stopped. His armor suddenly cracked and started falling away, almost immediately tiring him and falling to pieces on the floor. He dropped to a knee.

"Crap, my time limit for using this is up again. Gotta go home and eat up guys, you know how it is. Can't have powers without a weakness unng."

Circuit dashed at his comrade grabbing him by  his collar and shaking him violently

“You better watch your mouth man! You’re talkin’ to the beast of jump city! Just because you’re my boy don’t think I won’t kick you’re a%#!" Due to almost being burned alive and shot at Circuit was in no mood to be talked down to by his friend.

"Anyways nice moves out their Mav, if you keep that up we'll have this city in better shape in no time, good work boys!" Circuit said after finally releasing bio from his grips.  

After seeing Maverique handle those thugs on her own Circuit was becoming more and more sure that he had picked the right people to team up with. Finally calming down a bit Circuit decided to answer bio's question about "that".

"Oh crap you ready to do that already son? I'm down whenever man I mean it's not like it matters since those clowns won't be using it anymore!"

Circuit came off pretty bold about their little trip but it's not like Maverique would pick up on what they were talking about anyway.

"Oh..." Mav had suddenly realized it was probably ironic telling them to go easy after she had just taken care of business in a heavy handed manner herself.

"I meant some of them looked like normal people who just got roped along into this. Trained hired henchmen are fair game." She chuckled.

Ex-cops or military. That was a honestly a scary thought. It would be bad for California if they had to deal with internal conflict on top of the looming war. It was up to heroes like them to keep the peace too. Bio was being humble but she knew he had what it took. Circuit, despite being a little rough with words, actually handled himself well.

"Working together is always better than working alone. Based on what I've seen so far, I'd be very much relieved to have guys like you watching my back when we're dealing with troubles like this around the city."

"I guess you could consider this a formal invitation to Link. We'd be glad to have you join us."

(OOC: I'm assuming Mav would have already talked about Link in the previous on-going thread)