Wrong Mage

Summary:
December 19 2014: Jericho and Zatanna get into a bit of a scrape

Brooklyn Alley

The back alley behind a supermarket in Brooklyn


Characters

NPCs

  • HYDRA Ambushers

Mood Music:
[* None]


Demons are… well, just sort of part of Jericho's life. And honestly, he doesn't mind this. Dealing with them is becoming easier and easier, second nature almost. And then there's Illyana who does not in Jericho's mind actually count as a demon. In any case usually when Limbo critters get loose she's the one who tracks them down. Tonight, it's Jericho and it's that mostly because he saw them get fall out of a stepping disk. Now he's followed them to an alley behind a supermarket. K'nert's in tow. "You know we have to send them back right. Illyana'll kill them if they get up to mischeif." Which might be literally true, depending on the mischeif.

-

Zee has been shopping in that exact Supermarket, picking up supplies before heading back to the Titans Castle. Stepping outside, she walks by the mouth of the alley and hears Jericho talking. The young magician, dressed in plain blue jeans and a TShirt, stops and peers down the alley before heading that way herself. Saying nothing, she waits to hear what else transpires.

-

At one end of the alley are a trio of large dog sized demons… that's the only word to describe them. They're currently rummaging through a bin and sniffing about. At the other end is Jericho Trent, his leather blade case hanging behind him and a smaller imp like creature perched on his shoulder. He sighs and starts to walk toward the dumpster diving demons. "Hey! You three!"

Heads snap up and one tenses as if to run. "Do that and I'll send you back in two peices." That puts an end that that quickly enough.

-

Following Jericho at a small distance, Zee cocks her head and considers the tableau infront of her, obviously not sure what's what. Quickening her pace to catch up to the man with strange creature on his shoulder, trying to keep as much room between her and them she calls out "Uh, Hello… What's happening here?" rolling her eyes to herself, not the most appropriate of introductions.

-

Jericho spins having not heard her. As he does his eyes flash dangerously - as in actually flash. They're amber and they literally light up enough to cast a shadow behind Zee. His hand flicks the case behind him and in moments a blade has unfolded and his arms are covered by what looks to be bracers made of mercury. K'nert crouches on his shoulder and hisses. The other three demons don't dare move.

-

Zee holds her arms out beside her, trying for that universal gesture of meaning no harm, of course with a shopping bag in one hand that's a touch difficult. "Hey, calm down… " she says as her eyes take in the man in front of her. Paying no attention to the demons at the end of the alley, Zee has assessed Jericho as the greater threat at this point "I was just wondering what's going on…"

-

Jericho eyes Zee for a long moment. "Just putting some things back where they belong…" He says carefully.

"K'nert, take 'em back." He says quietly to the imp on his shoulder who nods once and then hops down to go round up the three (larger) demons and bully them back into Limbo. He enjoys that part, honestly. Hanging around (and belonging to) the annoying human sometimes has it's perks.

"And you are…?" That blade is still out and those odd bracers… and that dangerous gleam in his eyes.

-

The raven haired young woman watches the imp do its thing "Neat trick, that" she muses and then blinks back at Jericho "Me what? oh… Just shopping for some supplies" Zee shakes the shopping bag "They look like demons to me… I'm Zee by the way…" she seems unperturbed by the blade and the gleam in the mans eyes.

-

"Aspect…" Jericho responds automatically with his hacker handle. It doesn't do for a number of reasons to give his right name out a lot. He straightens up and folds the blade away. Literally. It folds into something that looks like a hugely oversized leatherman and he slides it back into the case at his back with practiced ease. Those odd silvery bracers just vanish off his forearms as well, seeming to flow back into them. "And yes, they're demons. But they won't hurt anyone if they know what's good for them." Because Jericho won't be gentle at that point if and Illyana even less so.

"You seem rather sanguine about that prospoect."

-

Zee just smiles brightly at Aspect and watches as the blade folds away, her bright blue eyes taking in everything. "Mmmmm…. oh the demons." She shrugs "I've had some experience… you seem to have an interesting handle on them though. I would have to work a little harder to banish them."

-

"I have a rather… unique way of relating to these particular demons." Jericho responds with a shrug. "Ordinarily I'd not bother and just use the sword." Or a gun. Guns work fine as he's discovered. However Limbo demons… well they don't treat him nicely. They're demons. They're aggressive, sneaky, manipulative and untrustworthy and that's the relatively tame ones. But these ones, because of who and what he is, do defer to him, perhaps a bit more than might ordinarily be the case, and K'nert can generally be counted on to do what he says.

-

The smile is long and slow as Zee lets her senses open, thanks to her Homo Magi blood she picks up things others may not. "I see… and would that be because you are part demon yourself, Aspect" Brave move for a young woman to take. "I would think that would be a big advantage in fighting them."

-

Aspect chuckles. "No no. I'm human. I'm just s-" Whatever he was going to say he doesn't finish it. His eyes widen and he abruptly lunges at Zee, grabbing her under the shoulder and hauling her out of the alley. What she couldn't see was the sudden alarm on his HUD that local cameras had detected one or more trigger events. These usually involve people pointing weapons at him and that's no exception here. Bullets bounce off the supermarket wall as Jericho and Zee vanish around a corner. "Great. Not again."

-

"Really Aspect, is that necessary" Zee grumbles as he drags her off and bullets start flying

~ "sehtolC gnikorW"~ she murmurs

Instantly, the jeans and t-shirt are gone and in their place are her leotard, fishnet stockings, thigh length black boots, tail coat and her top hat. "Would you like to tell me what this is about?"

-

The hacker produces his blade again, but instead of folding out like last time it folds in another manner such that it looks rather like a carbine. "Well…" He says dryly. "Someone wants me dead." Bullets ping off the brickwork and it takes a moment for him to regester that she's dressed differently. "OOoooooookhaaaaay then." Is all he has to say about that. "They're not after you. I'm going to-"

It's not Jericho's day for finishing sentences. Someone jumps off the supermarket roof above them and lands behind the hacker with a thud. He's got circuit like traces all over him and is obscured by glowing armor that looks holographic but appears quite solid. The hacker's eyes widen and amber circuit traces begin to cover him as a pair of wings spring into existnace just in time to deflect a punch that tears out a chuck of masonry the size of his head.

-

Zee jumps a little, maybe a lot, as the person jumps off the roof behind Aspect but she recovers in time to see the punch fly. "Well really…" she sighs

~rekcattA reappasiD~

Zee speaks and flourishes her hand and the person disappears in a flash of light. "Dead?" she focusses on the kitted out Aspect.

-

Jericho blinks at Zee and nods. "Yep dead." More bullets ping off the brickwork. He spins out of cover to send a burst of automatic weapons fire down the alley and up to a rooftop then ducks back. "Four of them at least. And more than one operative with… LOOK OUT!" Behind them a car has started itself and floored the gas, careening right at Zee.

-

Zee ducks for cover as the bullets ping around her and at Aspects yell looks at the car as it heads towards her. Holding her ground, the raven haired magician raises her hand in a 'Stop' sign.

~raC potS~

The car stops, but the brakes lock and its still sliding towards her. Pushing her hand forward, still in the 'Stop' sign she calls

~raC kcaB~

The slide is arrested and the car moves back slightly.

-

Jericho is working a different kind of magic at the moment. There's a hacker on the city grid and he's trying to shut the man out. This is a new feature of Hydra attacks, using the network against him like he does others. He shuts down the local OneStar grid and the link to the car dies. Then he starts to detect catastrophic overpressure in the water mains below them. Okay, he's got this figured out. The gunmen are to pin them down while the hacker and other specialized operatives kill them. Sure. So it's time to go.

"Pardon me." Jericho grabs Zee by her arm and flaps his wings, rocketing up to the roof of the supermarket and depositing the mage behind an air condiioning unit as he continues skyward. Zee may see bullets ping off his wings as he twists and shoots and sparks come up from his arms and chest, leaving painful burns.

-

"You could have just said we needed to go" Zee humphs at Aspect as she stands and smooths out her costume. "Now, where are these gunmen" she murmurs to herself as Aspect takes of for some form of heroics. Peering around she identifies two on the rooftop to her left, lifting her hand she focusses on them

~snuG maJ~

And the guns jam up. Giving her enough time to think again before saying

~snuG teG toH~

The yells from the gunmen bring a smile to her face, yes that worked just as she hoped.

-

Jericho lands on a building higher than the other two and begins pouring bullets on the two remaining shooters… so he isn't anywhere near Zatanna when someone - someone quite strong actually - focuses a curse on her. A quite nasty one actually. Fortunately for her it seems to be slanted toward the demonic… almost as if they expected him to have a magical companion of another bent. Unfortunately for her it's not that discriminatory and screams down on her like a wrathful hammer from above with a lot of malice and will behind it.

-

Whatever the curse is, Zee feels something coming down on her and throws both hands up, wrists crossed and locked together

~dleihS woN~

A nimbus of light, shaped in the form of a shield, or a disc, appears above her. As the curse hits the shield, it drives her to her knees, head bowed, she pours her magical essence into the shield, barely holding it…

-

So far we've got a man with glowy armor, four gunmen (Jericho's still shooting at them. Make it three, no, two gunmen) a hacker and a mage sent to kill this man. Seems like someone does want him dead. The opposing magus, wherever he or she is, doesn't bother with subtlety. He just slams that curse down on Zee's shield again.

-

The shield just barely holds and Zee knows that things are about to go pear shaped. She takes a chance… dropping the shield, she speaks again

~tropeleT oT fooRdniheB nemnuG~

And the young woman disappears for her spot on the roof and appears on the rooftop behind the other two gunmen.

-

The curse slams down a third time on where she would have been. Fortunately Zee isn't there. Jericho's still popping rounds down on his opposition but they - it may surprise Zee - are in the process of pulling out. Hacker didn't die, try again another day. One turns, yelps in surprise and produces a handgun.

-

As the handgun appears Zee's heart nearly stops… but she's made of stern stuff and she reaches out her hand with a flourish.

~peelS woN~

Both gunmen will crumple to ground sound asleep… The raven haired woman looks towards the hacker and waits.

-

Jericho glides down. It's evident now that the attack is over. His wings fold in (but don't vanish) and he walks over, rifling through the prone forms of the sleeping gunmen. "Nice work…" He murmurs as he looks through their clothing. No ID, that was a given but somet times little things can tell an observant watcher things.

-

Zee nods to Aspect and watches him search the gunmen. "You know" she says "I could wake one of them up and question them for you…" she moves slightly closer to kick the guns away "You might get something useful out of them."

-

Aspect's smile is thin and humorless. "Oh they'll wake up alright." Though he doesn't say where it's entirely possible he intends to enlist K'nert's assistance in interrogating them. Or possibly just vengefully dump them in Limbo and let the locals have at them.

-

Zee raises an eyebrow at Aspect, smirks and shrugs an elegant shoulder. Standing tall, she straightens her hat and brushes a raven lock back. "If you don't wish my assistance… would you care to tell me why someone wants you dead?" Zatarra Zatana is not easily cowed.

-

"Well… that's kind of a long story." Jericho rises from his crouch. He'll have K'nert deal with this when the impling gets back. "But the short version is someone wants to take me apart to see what makes me tick." As if to emphasize the point the hacker waves a digital wing at Zee.

-

Circling around Aspect, Zee takes a good long look, nods and purses her lips "Mmmmm, and did you do something that deserves the attention or is it 'just one of those things'?" The magician looks at the sleeping gunmen and back to the hacker, considering her options.

-

"I could explain that." Jericho chuckles. "However that would be telling quite a bit and frankly, I don't know you. I mean you helped out and I'm grateful but that doesn't quite cover this much."

-

"Fair enough, but you should get to know me better, I'm quite handy." Zee isn't offended. She nods at the gunmen "What will you do with these? I can magic them over to the Police…." she doubts that will go down well, but she has to try.

-

"You can… and they'll be dead or free in twenty four hours, I promise and we won't have learned anything." Jericho isn't going to insist on it in this particular case because he already knows - in general terms - who sent them and what in general terms they wanted. What he doesn't know is why now and why the extra presence… and especially who that was that had the polymorpher implants. That's very, very worrisome. "Or you can leave them to me." In which case, in all likelihood, they will die after he interrogates them, but he doesn't push that point either.

-

Zee considers Aspect carefully. "They should go to the police, it's not up to us to dispense Justice… and I don't know you either." She's obviously torn but comes to a decision. Sighing "They're yours to do with, you're right about the police." With another flourish, she pulls her card from apparently out of nowhere "My contact details, if you need anymore assistance."

-

"I don't dispense justice." Jericho takes the card and pockets it. "I stay alive. Due process is for people who aren't hitmen and mass murdering terrorists." He shakes his head. This police mentality applied to what is functionally a guerilla war is why Hydra has the foothold in the US that it does. Or at least, part of the reason. Part of it is also simply that Hydra is full of clever, devious people.

-

Zee shrugs. "Don't make me second guess my decision, Aspect" She looks back at the gunmen one last time. "Just get something out of them." Zatanna looks at Aspect with a serious air "Thank you for protecting me… I might have done it myself, but you didn't know that. I'm grateful."

-

Aspect returns her shrug. He's not interested in debating enforcement philosophy with Zatanna if only because it's entirely possible she's not capable of understanding what he's talking about. One would literally have to have walked a few miles in his shoes to do so and he wouldn't wish that on anyone. It's awful. "You're welcome. HYDRA's not particularly discriminating and I do hope they don't start targetting you on purpose now."

-

"We will see" Zee is blase about it "If they do, I'll have my skills and the Titans to call on." Looking down at costume, she smiles before speaking again

~sehtolC teertS~

And the magicians costume changes back to the jeans and t-shirt she was wearing when he first met her. "If I return to the Titans dressed like that, they'll worry." she explains "Is there anything more I can do to help you here?"

-

"No." Jericho says simply. Much of his follow up requires a specialist skill set that he doubts she has. "But thank you for offering. And be careful anyway. HYDRA has the resources to take on SHIELD. If they decide you're a threat, or a resource, I promise they have the resources to make life incredibly miserable for you." With that the hacker extinguishes his wings and sits down to wait for K'nert to return. Shouldn't be long.

-

Nodding Zee watches the wings disappear and Aspect sit. "I'll be careful, thank you for the warning. If there's nothing more, I'll take my leave then."

~tropeleT emoH~

And Zatanna disappears from view… her shopping bag left on the pavement below.


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