threshel
First Post
“Good evening, and welcome to WGBS 11 O'Clock News, I'm Snapper Carr. Our lead story tonight comes from WGBS Metahuman Activities Reporter, Allison James. Allison?"
"Thanks, Snapper. Only just recovered from the attempted robbery in late January, the Metropolis Gold Repository on Centennial Park's West Side was the scene of a fire this morning. One that turned out to have a familiar source."
Smoke pours from a stout brick building in the financial district, as the Metropolis Fire Department begins to hook up and lay out its hoses. Through thick smoke the first team turns on its water and begins hosing down the flames spreading on construction equipment just visible outside the repository. They advance methodically, and begin to disappear into the large clouds of steam that rapidly roil from the fire. Just as the last man on the hose is being enveloped, a large silhouette appears out of the smoke and steam, and the entire hose is yanked free from the tank truck, sending a wild spray of water uselessly into the air. The firefighters manning the truck try only briefly to turn the water off as the large silhouette resolves itself into a large charging figure in ragged clothing. They scatter before the white-skinned behemoth as he slams into the truck, flipping it on it's side.
"Solomon Grundy.
At this point, our on-the-ground news team was asked by city officials to evacuate to a safe distance. It appears that Grundy came in search of the gold that was recovered by the new metas Warhawk and Ought, and became angered when he didn't find it. Officials at the Repository had feared a second attempt, and the gold was instead housed at a satellite facility."
Perspective shifts to over the scene as a shaky helicopter camera shows the devastation Grundy has caused. Cranes, dump trucks, and porta-johns lay scattered and ablaze. The camera zooms in on Grundy just as he looks up, apparently noticing something. Following his gaze the camera settles on a winged figure carrying another, and just as the camera focuses on the distinctive armor of Warhawk and the odd-looking Ought, the frame is filled by a flying firetruck, still spraying water. The camera zooms sharply back to catch both the aftermath of the collision, and the furrow the truck digs into Centennial Park's western edge. Warhawk still flies, but Ought falls to land hard on the street, unmoving. He is a strangely thin-waisted man wearing a white full body suit with variously-sized inky black dots moving randomly across its surface. As Warhawk dives to his side, metallic feathers trailing from wide-spread arms, the slowly rotating picture slows to nearly frame-by-frame speed, with the broken firetruck in the upper right, the strange man and Warhawk in the center, and Grundy in the lower left.
"We've slowed the footage at this point to show the arrival of another of Metropolis' newest metas. At normal speed, he is only a streak of color, one that might seem mistakenly familiar to long-term Metropolis residents. However, as will become painfully clear, while he is a Marvel, he is no Man of Steel."
As Warhawk descends frame-by-frame toward his fallen comrade, a blurry figure in blue and gold flies in from the top of the screen, streaking towards Grundy. As he gets closer, he opens his arms as if to scoop up the big zombie and carry him away, but he is met by Solomon's big left hand. The Marvel's head cants awkwardly against the wide palm and his spine compresses painfully. His legs and arms straighten out along Grundy's big arm as the huge fingers curl around his head and shoulders. Suddenly, the picture jumps to normal speed as Grundy slams him into the pavement, cracks radiating several feet out. It seems as if Grundy's hand disappears into the pavement to the wrist, and The Marvel's arms and legs flail at impact. Grundy walks forward dragging the struggling Marvel and shouts at Warhawk, but the words are lost to the roar of helicopter blades. The subtitle at the bottom of the screen says, "Where...Grundy's gold...?"
It is Ought who responds. The still figure seems to fold himself into one of his dots, disappearing, then reappears on a nearby rooftop. He tears another dot free, and flings it like a discus at Grundy, its thin edge tearing a line in the behemoth's sleeve, but little else. Warhawk's distinctive screech comes immediately after, buffeting the zombie. Then, Solomon's left arm shoots up, and him with it as the camera tilts crazily, the pilot of the helicopter swerving to avoid the rapidly ascending pair. Instead of letting go, Grundy clings to the smaller man as if in fear. The camera zooms in on a calm-faced Marvel as he speaks to the wide-eyed zombie, who begins nodding in earnest. After a few moments of this, the two descend slowly to the ground. The three heroes gather around Solomon.
"It appears the metas were negotiating for Grundy's cooperation. Shortly after, Grundy leapt away east off the island, followed shortly after by Warhawk and The Marvel. Ought stayed to update SCU units that were arriving in response to the incident. This would seem to be the end of it, and indeed it is the last of our footage, however..."
The picture changes to a shot of the pretty brunette reporter at night, standing in front of a day-care center with a temporary patch over a section of roof.
"I'm standing in front of the Hob's Bay Kindercare, where hours ago the battle with Solomon Grundy resumed under much more dangerous circumstances. Luckily, a private citizen, under great personal risk, was on hand with his camcorder and we were able to obtain the following footage."
It starts mid-battle, the sounds of screaming children and parents mingling with the squeal of tires. Grainy and shaky, it shows Warhawk mid-screen straining to lower an SUV to the ground without harming it's occupants. Beside him, a black dot six feet in diameter appears in mid-air, Ought and The Marvel stepping through it. Just over the SUV, Grundy can be seen bellowing at the heroes. The Marvel walks forward to confront him, ramrod straight and calm. Grundy reaches out with one hand, grabbing and flinging The Marvel over the big zombie's shoulder like a bride with a bouquet. Twin attacks from Ought and Warhawk lash out, and though Ought's attack again cuts clothing, it does little to Grundy. Warhawk's screech has changed in pitch and timbre from earlier, and this new sound seems to bother Grundy. The behemoth bellows as he covers his ears, then leaps up and clocks Warhawk who sails, limbs trailing chin, over the cameraman and through the roof of the daycare center. The screaming escalates and a glimpse of new panic around the daycare can be seen before the camera swings back to see Grundy leap onto a nearby rooftop. Ought is nowhere in sight. The news highlights the tiny returning figure of The Marvel as Grundy tears an air conditioning unit off of the top of the building and flings it at him. Pieces of metal explode outward from the impact, and again The Marvel sails away, this time to crash into a high-rise office building.
The news again highlights a figure in the distance, a feminine form with outstretched wings.
"At their worst moment, help arrives from the Justice League. Responding to an SCU alert, Blackhawk lends some aid to the city's newest metas."
The black-clad woman swoops in, her hereditary mace glittering with energy. Ducking under Grundy's swipe, she connects with his chin, and his big head snaps back. The two combatants prepare to strike again as a huge black dot appears between them. It tilts and spins, falling flat. Taken completely by surprise, Grundy and Blackhawk disappear. Ought unfolds where they stood, and pulls a dot off of himself and hangs it in mid-air. The returning Marvel streaks through it, as does a recovered Warhawk. Ought steps through and the dot collapses. The footage ends, and the reporter is back on camera.
"From the report filed to the SCU, Grundy was teleported to Salem, Massachusetts, where the combined effort of Blackhawk, Warhawk, The Marvel, and Ought subdued him at the base of Dr. Fate's tower. As of this report, Solomon Grundy is now literally in the hands of fate. The SCU and the Metropolis D.A.'s Office have both stated an intention to negotiate with Dr. Fate concerning the disposition of the alleged zombie. They have made it clear that they want Grundy back at Rikers Island Penitentiary, to serve out the remainder of his multiple life sentences." The camera pans out to show the Kindercare behind the reporter. "The administrators of the Hob's Bay Kindercare told me earlier that Warhawk, Ought, and The Marvel returned to help, and were responsible for the temporary patch in the ceiling. They also confirmed that although there were some injuries, there were no deaths here at the daycare." The shot tightens again. "And finally, Blackhawk gave an impromptu press conference on the steps of SCU Headquarters."
The steps of the SCU building at dusk, covered in reporters, with Blackhawk gamely trying to make her way through. She's tall, with large, black-feathered wings and costume. The familiar Nth-metal mace hangs at her side. Her skin is the color of light coffee, and thick auburn hair spills over her shoulders from behind her hawk-mask. She is a towering presence, and is using every ounce of it to try to get past the reporters. They're having none of it, and won't give her the space to spread her wings. They flutter in irritation as the questions fly at her.
"Are the rumors about you and Nuklon true?"
"Atom-Smasher. And no, they're not. We're just colleagues."
"Do you think the Justice League's global policy distances themselves from the people they supposedly protect?"
Flutter. "We go where we're needed."
"Does the Justice League ever get tired of saving other metas?"
Flutter snap. She leans in to the reporter who asked the question, eyes glittering. "I suppose that's your clever way of getting me to say I saved the day today? Let's get one thing straight: The Marvel and his allies saved you today. I merely assisted in a serious situation. Grundy doesn't learn fast, but he's had nearly 70 years of fighting the best of us to do it. Anyone willing to stand in his way deserves your respect."
"Why didn't you name Warhawk just now? Isn't he a member of the 'Hawk Family'?"
Her lips draw thin as her wings finally find the room to spread. "No comment."
One leap and a flap that flutters reporters clothing, and she's gone.
"Back to you, Snapper."
"Thanks, Snapper. Only just recovered from the attempted robbery in late January, the Metropolis Gold Repository on Centennial Park's West Side was the scene of a fire this morning. One that turned out to have a familiar source."
Smoke pours from a stout brick building in the financial district, as the Metropolis Fire Department begins to hook up and lay out its hoses. Through thick smoke the first team turns on its water and begins hosing down the flames spreading on construction equipment just visible outside the repository. They advance methodically, and begin to disappear into the large clouds of steam that rapidly roil from the fire. Just as the last man on the hose is being enveloped, a large silhouette appears out of the smoke and steam, and the entire hose is yanked free from the tank truck, sending a wild spray of water uselessly into the air. The firefighters manning the truck try only briefly to turn the water off as the large silhouette resolves itself into a large charging figure in ragged clothing. They scatter before the white-skinned behemoth as he slams into the truck, flipping it on it's side.
"Solomon Grundy.
At this point, our on-the-ground news team was asked by city officials to evacuate to a safe distance. It appears that Grundy came in search of the gold that was recovered by the new metas Warhawk and Ought, and became angered when he didn't find it. Officials at the Repository had feared a second attempt, and the gold was instead housed at a satellite facility."
Perspective shifts to over the scene as a shaky helicopter camera shows the devastation Grundy has caused. Cranes, dump trucks, and porta-johns lay scattered and ablaze. The camera zooms in on Grundy just as he looks up, apparently noticing something. Following his gaze the camera settles on a winged figure carrying another, and just as the camera focuses on the distinctive armor of Warhawk and the odd-looking Ought, the frame is filled by a flying firetruck, still spraying water. The camera zooms sharply back to catch both the aftermath of the collision, and the furrow the truck digs into Centennial Park's western edge. Warhawk still flies, but Ought falls to land hard on the street, unmoving. He is a strangely thin-waisted man wearing a white full body suit with variously-sized inky black dots moving randomly across its surface. As Warhawk dives to his side, metallic feathers trailing from wide-spread arms, the slowly rotating picture slows to nearly frame-by-frame speed, with the broken firetruck in the upper right, the strange man and Warhawk in the center, and Grundy in the lower left.
"We've slowed the footage at this point to show the arrival of another of Metropolis' newest metas. At normal speed, he is only a streak of color, one that might seem mistakenly familiar to long-term Metropolis residents. However, as will become painfully clear, while he is a Marvel, he is no Man of Steel."
As Warhawk descends frame-by-frame toward his fallen comrade, a blurry figure in blue and gold flies in from the top of the screen, streaking towards Grundy. As he gets closer, he opens his arms as if to scoop up the big zombie and carry him away, but he is met by Solomon's big left hand. The Marvel's head cants awkwardly against the wide palm and his spine compresses painfully. His legs and arms straighten out along Grundy's big arm as the huge fingers curl around his head and shoulders. Suddenly, the picture jumps to normal speed as Grundy slams him into the pavement, cracks radiating several feet out. It seems as if Grundy's hand disappears into the pavement to the wrist, and The Marvel's arms and legs flail at impact. Grundy walks forward dragging the struggling Marvel and shouts at Warhawk, but the words are lost to the roar of helicopter blades. The subtitle at the bottom of the screen says, "Where...Grundy's gold...?"
It is Ought who responds. The still figure seems to fold himself into one of his dots, disappearing, then reappears on a nearby rooftop. He tears another dot free, and flings it like a discus at Grundy, its thin edge tearing a line in the behemoth's sleeve, but little else. Warhawk's distinctive screech comes immediately after, buffeting the zombie. Then, Solomon's left arm shoots up, and him with it as the camera tilts crazily, the pilot of the helicopter swerving to avoid the rapidly ascending pair. Instead of letting go, Grundy clings to the smaller man as if in fear. The camera zooms in on a calm-faced Marvel as he speaks to the wide-eyed zombie, who begins nodding in earnest. After a few moments of this, the two descend slowly to the ground. The three heroes gather around Solomon.
"It appears the metas were negotiating for Grundy's cooperation. Shortly after, Grundy leapt away east off the island, followed shortly after by Warhawk and The Marvel. Ought stayed to update SCU units that were arriving in response to the incident. This would seem to be the end of it, and indeed it is the last of our footage, however..."
The picture changes to a shot of the pretty brunette reporter at night, standing in front of a day-care center with a temporary patch over a section of roof.
"I'm standing in front of the Hob's Bay Kindercare, where hours ago the battle with Solomon Grundy resumed under much more dangerous circumstances. Luckily, a private citizen, under great personal risk, was on hand with his camcorder and we were able to obtain the following footage."
It starts mid-battle, the sounds of screaming children and parents mingling with the squeal of tires. Grainy and shaky, it shows Warhawk mid-screen straining to lower an SUV to the ground without harming it's occupants. Beside him, a black dot six feet in diameter appears in mid-air, Ought and The Marvel stepping through it. Just over the SUV, Grundy can be seen bellowing at the heroes. The Marvel walks forward to confront him, ramrod straight and calm. Grundy reaches out with one hand, grabbing and flinging The Marvel over the big zombie's shoulder like a bride with a bouquet. Twin attacks from Ought and Warhawk lash out, and though Ought's attack again cuts clothing, it does little to Grundy. Warhawk's screech has changed in pitch and timbre from earlier, and this new sound seems to bother Grundy. The behemoth bellows as he covers his ears, then leaps up and clocks Warhawk who sails, limbs trailing chin, over the cameraman and through the roof of the daycare center. The screaming escalates and a glimpse of new panic around the daycare can be seen before the camera swings back to see Grundy leap onto a nearby rooftop. Ought is nowhere in sight. The news highlights the tiny returning figure of The Marvel as Grundy tears an air conditioning unit off of the top of the building and flings it at him. Pieces of metal explode outward from the impact, and again The Marvel sails away, this time to crash into a high-rise office building.
The news again highlights a figure in the distance, a feminine form with outstretched wings.
"At their worst moment, help arrives from the Justice League. Responding to an SCU alert, Blackhawk lends some aid to the city's newest metas."
The black-clad woman swoops in, her hereditary mace glittering with energy. Ducking under Grundy's swipe, she connects with his chin, and his big head snaps back. The two combatants prepare to strike again as a huge black dot appears between them. It tilts and spins, falling flat. Taken completely by surprise, Grundy and Blackhawk disappear. Ought unfolds where they stood, and pulls a dot off of himself and hangs it in mid-air. The returning Marvel streaks through it, as does a recovered Warhawk. Ought steps through and the dot collapses. The footage ends, and the reporter is back on camera.
"From the report filed to the SCU, Grundy was teleported to Salem, Massachusetts, where the combined effort of Blackhawk, Warhawk, The Marvel, and Ought subdued him at the base of Dr. Fate's tower. As of this report, Solomon Grundy is now literally in the hands of fate. The SCU and the Metropolis D.A.'s Office have both stated an intention to negotiate with Dr. Fate concerning the disposition of the alleged zombie. They have made it clear that they want Grundy back at Rikers Island Penitentiary, to serve out the remainder of his multiple life sentences." The camera pans out to show the Kindercare behind the reporter. "The administrators of the Hob's Bay Kindercare told me earlier that Warhawk, Ought, and The Marvel returned to help, and were responsible for the temporary patch in the ceiling. They also confirmed that although there were some injuries, there were no deaths here at the daycare." The shot tightens again. "And finally, Blackhawk gave an impromptu press conference on the steps of SCU Headquarters."
The steps of the SCU building at dusk, covered in reporters, with Blackhawk gamely trying to make her way through. She's tall, with large, black-feathered wings and costume. The familiar Nth-metal mace hangs at her side. Her skin is the color of light coffee, and thick auburn hair spills over her shoulders from behind her hawk-mask. She is a towering presence, and is using every ounce of it to try to get past the reporters. They're having none of it, and won't give her the space to spread her wings. They flutter in irritation as the questions fly at her.
"Are the rumors about you and Nuklon true?"
"Atom-Smasher. And no, they're not. We're just colleagues."
"Do you think the Justice League's global policy distances themselves from the people they supposedly protect?"
Flutter. "We go where we're needed."
"Does the Justice League ever get tired of saving other metas?"
Flutter snap. She leans in to the reporter who asked the question, eyes glittering. "I suppose that's your clever way of getting me to say I saved the day today? Let's get one thing straight: The Marvel and his allies saved you today. I merely assisted in a serious situation. Grundy doesn't learn fast, but he's had nearly 70 years of fighting the best of us to do it. Anyone willing to stand in his way deserves your respect."
"Why didn't you name Warhawk just now? Isn't he a member of the 'Hawk Family'?"
Her lips draw thin as her wings finally find the room to spread. "No comment."
One leap and a flap that flutters reporters clothing, and she's gone.
"Back to you, Snapper."
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