The Pigeon Opposition Division

Summary:
January 03, 2015: Everybody wants to be a hero.

Metropolis

Downtown Metro! It's big, it's beautiful, it's ..infested!


Characters

NPCs

  • Kai, the Meekster Geekster Pigeon Mastermind..ster

Mood Music:
Maybe the theme song to Benny Hill?


It's still cold, what with it being early January on the northeast coast and all, but the sun is out in full force to bring the 'teens temperature somewhere in the low twenties. Heatwave! Even during the day there's plenty of illuminated signs all across the city, light both natural and artificial gleaming off of the polished modern-age towers that loom over every street and alley in all directions. It's Metropolis, baby!

They've also got some fantastic places to grab food on short notice.

Really though, Domino's just glad to be out of the frigid grime of Gotham and the constant cat and mouse chase that New York City has become. She hasn't set foot in Metropolis in months. It's almost like a fresh start.

The situation is peaceful for the moment, there's no shortage of high powered hero sorts around here and this knowledge tends to make the locals pretty confident in their safety. Even the traffic isn't too crazy, which is always a plus.

*

When Quicksilver is running at speed, the cold, biting air is mitigated by his power. When he slows down to normal person speed, he gets normal person cold. All the more reason to not move that slowly, but sometimes it can't be avoided. He slows to a stop and pulls up his goggles. He zips up his quilted white down jacket (a silver one has been sadly hard to find) and adjusts his winter hat (which he managed to find in silver wool.) Hey, coordination is important!

He takes a moment to take in his surroundings. He rubs his hands together and squints. There's a woman exiting a coffee shop holding an extra tall cup of something steaming - and then she's not. The woman looks baffled as the cup disappears a half second before she was about to take that first warm sip. Coincidentally, there's a silver-haired young man leaning on a nearby building, sipping an extra large cup of the same shape and size as the one the woman was holding a moment ago. Aahhh.

*

New York had heroes and villains. Gotham was quiet, until someone showed up recognizing her and saying the department of defense was looking for her. So Audrey slipped onto a night train and relocated to Metropolis for a bit. Here she can sometimes pass for a normal teenager. People are a little less suspicious. Of course, there's also better surveillance and authority presence, but she should be all right for a week or so. She's currently nursing a cup of coffee, which gives her an excuse to linger outside the coffee shop, where radiant heaters bring the temperature up to something a little more bearable.

*

It's easy to stay focused in one's own business. Up until there's a sudden and unexpected glare of light in the ol' peripheral vision that is. Domino stops short as ..she -swears- that guy in the shiny wool hat over just -appeared- out of nowhere. With reflective qualities like that she'd like to think that she'd have taken notice a little earlier!

There and gone. Literally. He's just..not there anymore. What..? There! That's the same guy, but..with coffee. He he seriously just-?

Okay, this is someone she -has- to see. The look on the one lady's face after she somehow simply lost her brand new brew is priceless, alone. Then there's ..Audrey?

(I get the feeling that the pieces are all getting lined up for something big, here…)

It's Quicksilver that the albino approaches first. She stands out in her own way, kind of matching as far as the two primary colors go between herself and her attire but drastically opposing herself on the monochromatic scale. This guy seems to like silver. Silver is like grey. Maybe he can appreciate it.

"You must have really wanted that coffee." Oh, and 'hi!'

It's about this time when the first flying rat (that's 'pigeon' to non-city dwellers) decides to dive-bomb Audrey. Or, more specifically..her coffee.

*

Quicksilver lowers his coffee ('his') and lifts silver eyebrows at Domino. He puts on his very best innocent face. It's actually…sort of good, except for a lingering hint of mischief he can't seem to quite erase. "It's cold. When it's cold, it's good to have hot things. I don't see why this is strange. Is it strange? Nice makeup. Sort of like a postmodern pirate." There is a sense that he is deliberately throttling down his speech. He isn't babbling so much as moving quickly from one thought to the next.

*

Audrey yelps as the pigeon makes its attack, jumping back to try to save her coffee. Mostly what saves her coffee is the fact that she has a lid on it, but dive-bombing pigeons are weird, to say the least. Her brows furrow, confused, as she moves to find a napkin to sop up the coffee that got onto her outer jacket.

*

Damn these super-speed types… Dom had an idea of what to expect but no amount of mental bracing can prepare her for an actual face to face encounter with Zippy the Coffee Thief. The best thing she can do is simply try to keep up. Time to test those reflexes, girl!

"Not at all, except when it isn't yours, but I can respect that. I'd say the only thing that's strange here is you but I know this city better than that. It's not makeup, my father was an event horizon. Holy -shit- you're fast, okay, hold up a second."

Round one goes to Quicksilver, the albino's pinching the bridge of her nose as she pulls herself back together. "..Right. So if you can do that I'm willing to bet you've had bigger marks in your day." Because let's face it, with a power like -his?- She's sensing 'potential contact for crime.'

There's something strange about that pigeon gunning for Audrey's drink. Something -other- than it dive-bombing her. It had a -helmet.- A tiny plastic and metal crash helmet, complete with goggles and a little antenna array. It's also not alone. More pigeons come into the scene, each one wearing an identical helmet, and they're seeking out the string of customers coming out of the coffee shop. Ripe for the picking, and oblivious to boot! No one ever thinks to look up.

*

"Your father was a…?" If this was a comic book, there'd be a little thought bubble over Quicksilver's head with an interrobang in it. Oooo-kaaay. Did she actually just say that or is that a fault in his newly-learned English? Sssssip. Swallow. That's done slowly. Going /that/ slow takes Herculean effort for him. "I got this coat. Do you like it? It might be a ladies' coat but I think it works anyway and it's got this stretchy thing around the waist hey what's with the birds?" Ssslllurp. "Are they dumping old muffins out back?" There's a blur in front of Domino, almost too sudden for her to even register. The only sign he went anywhere is a flutter of wind. "Nope not that. Nothing back there but a racoon getting caffeinated on grounds."

*

What the…Audrey takes another look at the pigeon. Pigeons. Then takes a long look at her coffee. Okay. Well, in the scheme of things that possibly could cause seeing pigeons in army gear, drugged drinks rank well above actual pigeons in army gear. So… Audrey walks over to the trash can and reluctantly drops the rest of her coffee into it. Which is when she catches sight of Domino and her erstwhile companion. She clears her throat softly, walking up to the pair. "I'm sorry. Would you mind if I asked you a very strange question?"

*

Dom gives Quicksilver a black-lined grin when he stumbles at her one response, "Gotcha." There's still that acclimation time she needs to go through in order to process things quite as rapidly as the other guy, though given the sudden display of him snapping out of, then back into, sight again, she's never going to make it that far. Her short toss of hair hasn't finished settling from the 'away' trip before it's getting flung in the opposite direction with the 'return' trip.

She might have blinked. "The hell-!"

Then there's the birds. She's seeing it now, too. There must be a dozen of them overhead, circling and dive-bombing anyone with a cup of coffee in hand. It's strangely coordinated.

"Nooo, you leave thoshe people alone!" comes the outburst from a scrawny looking guy running into the scene. He fits the 'science nerd' like it's an artform, complete with glasses so large that they dwarf his head and a labcoat hiding under a hastily donned winter coat. He's got some sort of high-tech controller in hand, though he's looking absolutely devastated.

""Don't hurt my babiesh!" he yells with a manic flapping of his arms before his shoulders hang. "Oooh, I -knew- I schouldn't have mixshed Folgersh in with their water schupply…"

Quickly turning around to see that it is, indeed, Audrey out here, Domino gives her the strangest looking stare in the world. "Seems it's in vogue today."

*

"Correct me if I'm wrong but…" Quicksilver glances between Domino and Audrey as she approaches. "Mad science?" It's not a complete thought, but it gets the gist across. "I like their choice of stolen property. Then there's a rapid series of movements between his hand and his mouth. When he slows down, he burps and wipes coffee from his mouth. Had to get it down before the damned birds got at it. There's just enough left in it for an experiment though. He steps forward (at normal speed) takes the cap off and then backs up. His dark eyes light up. Oh this could be fun.

*

Audrey lets out a breath when Domino reacts the way she does. "Great, so I haven't been drugged," she murmurs, though the trash can gets a mournful look now. Coffee. Wasted. As the strange little man comes running up, she tilts her head, stepping back and crossing her arms over her chest to observe the experiment. "I'm not sure if this is better or worse, though…"

*

"Something like that," Domino hesitantly agrees before wincing as Quicksilver downs an entire coffee in a flash. Yeah, he moves fast, she gets that part. But isn't it still a little ..y'know. Hot?

The Geek Mastermind isn't faring any better out there, one hand clutching to the remote and the other still flailing in the air. "Tina, get out of that man'sh hair! Joshephine, shtop that! Don't attack Rita, she doeshn't know what she'sh doing! Aww, thish is a -dishashter!-"

The 'experiment' works like a charm. As soon as Quicksilver sets the cup down and steps back there's a flash of something metal attached to something feathery before the cup gets plowed over with a splash of the brew then starts rolling toward the gutter, complete with some ruffled tail feathers and two awkward looking pigeon feet sticking out of the top of it.

"So very..very not just you," Dom confirms Audrey's conclusion. Watching the cup of pigeon fall off of the curb, she admits "That was pretty cool, though." Ahem. "So, how about this weather?"

"You schtupid pigeonsh, you're schupposhed to be crime-fighting birdsh! Why ishn't thish thing working?!" Mister Geek cries while slapping the side of the device in his hand. "They should be reshponding to my callsh! I'm gonna get thrown out of the Inshtitute for thish, I jusht -know- it!"

*

No one has accused Pietro of being responsible with his hot beverages. Besides, it's damned cold out and it's a paper cup. He starts to giggle like a child at the sight of the flapping pigeons and the flailing scientist. His eyes light up and he claps a hand over his mouth. "Wow." he deadpans. "The Starbucks patrons of Metropolis better look out." He struggles to keep a straight face, but it isn't really working. He could try to help the poor man, but what fun would that be? "Man," he wipes away a tear formed from laughter. "I kinda like this city."

*

Audrey blinks a few times, watching the birds with a bemused expression. "Maybe they've got minds of their own," she calls back to the little scientist. "Maybe they don't just want to be your lab rats. Maybe you can't control everything about them just because you wanted to train them some way." They're birds, Audrey. Stop projecting. Huffing quietly, she starts to pick up some of the fallen cups, muttering to herself.

*

It's just impossible trying to ignore everything that's happening around here. Surprise and confusion helped. It isn't until the pigeon in the cup starts hopping around in vain that Domino loses what's left of her composure, a grin quickly taking shape before she breaks down laughing.

Geek Mastermind catches the commotion, a look of absolute horror following suit as he rushes over to the downed bird. Rather than try to extract the energetic avian he simply grabs the entire cup, holding it against his sternum like it's something most precious. "You monshters," he reviles at the three before a *crash!* of glass has him running in another direction, much to the annoyance of people attempting to drive through this part of the city. "SCHOPHIEEE!"

"You aren't half bad," Dom tells Quicksilver while trying to sober up. Audrey's mini-rant is noticed as well, which earns her a curious glance. Their previous encounter is far from forgotten, Dom's suspicions about the other woman are only being reinforced. At this rate she'll have to confront Audrey about it at some point.

Maybe. It's not really her business, but… You know. "You're a far way out from Gotham, 'Drey."

"Thesh birdsh are for the greater good!" Geek Mastermind protests with Audrey from the middle of the street. "They were trained to help people in need!"

The one woman letting out a scream from inside of the cafe is a great example of someone in need of help, too!

"Oh my god, Trixshie!"

Domino's got nothing. Instead she passes Quicksilver a business card, inked front and back like a Domino playing piece with a phone number hiding in one of the 'faces' of the faux playing piece. "If you ever feel like pursuing something more interesting than food," she suggests.

*

Like Domino, Quicksilver can only hold his composure for moments at a time before the slapstick scientist and his pets make him bray again. "In need of kicking a coffee addiction?" he calls over to the poor man. "Yeah, I think you might have something there! Who wants to drink coffee when flying rats try and take it from you?" It might be a bit cruel to find so much joy in the poor man's suffering, but he does have a cruel streak. Also, it's hilarious.

He takes the business card from Domino and flips it back and forth so that it blurs. Hmm. "I dunno. Food is pretty interesting. And necessary." But the card disappears in a flash, stowed somewhere inside that marshmallow puff of a jacket. He nods towards Audrey and raises his eyebrows. "What's her deal? Doesn't like litter, really likes birds? Maybe they should date." He wags a finger between her and the crazy scientist. He says that matter-of-factly rather than mockingly, as if it's a legit suggestion.

*

"I got cornered," Audrey grimaces at Domino's observation. "Some guy who could apparently see into the IR spectrum, which was a problem. Except one of the locals got in the way, so I made a break for it." Reaching for the cup with a pigeon stuck in it, she holds it carefully, trying to take the cup off and remove that ridiculous helmet without losing the bird.

*

Maybe it takes a darker mind to laugh hysterically over the Geek's misery-slash-horribly failed experiment, but Quicksilver's not alone. Domino's practically doubling over laughing as soon as the card is taken.

"Birds..addicted to -coffee!- Oh, God… Did you say cornered? That..hahah! Such a trainwreck!"

Pigeon Inna Cup, poor thing, got forgotten about with the breaking of glass. Mister Geekster's more than got his hands full, which gives Audrey a chance to free the spastic brew-stained bird from a once more discarded cup. With the helmet clear the bird twitches its head as if shaking the nonsense out of it then quizzically cocks it to one side, blinking up at her.

"Chrrr?" (What the hell just happened? This doesn't look like the park. Is the lady with the popcorn still around? I didn't have lunch yet.)

Crash!

"Genevieeeeve!"

"Her deal?" Dom tries once more with the other two. "She doesn't like being pestered, but who doesn't? I'm not-" she swiftly ducks as another helmeted bird zips past overhead "-a fan of it, either."

Inside the cafe there's another explosion of glass, this one followed by thousands of fresh coffee beans spilling out across the floor. This immediately causes the rest of the flock to change direction, bee-lining for the building's front door. More chaos ensues.

"Closhe the doorsh, don't let them go anywhere!" Geek yells out while stumbling toward the building.

"I've gotta book," Dom says in a tone just shy of something hysterical, rubbing at her eyes. "This place is gonna be waist-deep in pork any minute now. 'Drey, if you need a hand out there…" she offers with a barely stifled snicker.

She knows how to reach the merc.

*

"I gotta get some pictures of this," says Pietro. And it takes only a few seconds before he's standing beside Domino again and flipping through a series of hilarious photos of panic and coffee beans. "I smell a viral sensation. And oh, uh, I'm…" zip, zip. He then hands over one of those coffee punch cards with 'QUICKSILVER' written in silver marker (of course he carries one). He flashes a big grin and then tips his wool hat. "I'd better go too. As much as I wanna see myself on the news. I look good on camera, you know." And then zip, he's gone. Audrey might just feel a suspicious hair-ruffle. Maybe it was just the wind.

*

Well, that's one bird freed, at least. Audrey looks around at the others, but even she has her limits. And she's not going to do anything any more remarkable at this point. "I'm okay, thanks," she nods to Domino, turning quickly with a perplexed expression as something - someone? - zips by. "That was…Okay, if we weren't in Metropolis, I would stop drinking the city water," she sighs, tucking her hands under her arms. "Time to find another coffee shop."

*

Zip-Card!-Zip-"Dammit he did it again," Domino says well after the guy's taken off in a blaze of his own glory. At least she got a name, and the address of the city's most dangerous cafe. "Look at it this way, if this happened in Gotham they would have been radio-controlled bats fitted with incendiary bombs," she suggests with a slight shrug, pocketing the autographed card. "Just smile and nod your head." Grin.

Right then, time to leave!

Over by the now sealed cafe doors, the Meekster Geekster slumps down to the ground with a horrified stare. "Oooh thish is bad…"


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