Atalanta Part 21
May. 11th, 2011 11:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
drownedinlight Atalanta charged forward, letting her muscles pump faster and faster, until a pillar of concrete and packed dirt, came up for the ground hitting her in the chest and launching her back into the air. She hit the ground with a skid, and let herself fly back, until she came to a stop. A cloud of smoky wind came and landed beside her. Medicine materialized out of it putting her hand on Atalanta’s chest.
“Nothing’s broken,” she said. “You’re completely intact, at least on the inside, you only have superficial wounds.”
“Invincible, remember?” Atalanta asked. “What about the civilians?”
“I stabilized one straggler, and healed minor injuries, but there was an ambulance waiting for them,” she said. She still ran her hands over Atalanta until they heard a large smack, and watched as Samurai flew through the air. Gabriel swooped down and caught the woman, landing near them. Both ran towards the winged man, as he laid Samurai out on the ground.
“I thought I found an entrance,” she coughed. “I nearly got to the girl, but I can tell you, she’s not the one controlling the earth. Her moves are…sloppy.” Blood dribbled out of the side of her mouth.
“Shh…” Atalanta hummed, brushing some of the hair out of her eyes. “You did what you thought was right. Let Medicine heal you, and Gabriel will take it from here.” Samurai grabbed her hand as she tried to move away.
“The earth mover isn’t on the ground,” she said. “I was moving too fast for someone on the ground to be able to see me and predict my movements.”
“If he’s above, I’ll find him,” Gabriel said.
“Use the goggles,” Atalanta told him. “You’ll see a person more easily that way.” Gabriel nodded, and slipped the goggles over his eyes, and took to the skies again. “Will you be all right here?”
“We should be fine. It would seem we are out of the range of fire,” Medicine said. “Go, I can handle it here if we are attacked.” Atalanta stood, and readjusted her goggles, making sure they were over her eyes and she could see the invisible girl, who had moved out of her original storm eye.
“Gabriel, what do you see?” she asked.
“Nothing yet, except for our girl is on the move.”
“In pursuit,” she replied. This time, she widened her gaze as she ran fast along, and when the first pillar of earth rose up, she gripped time, to her feet and clambered over it, jumping to the ground. The earth mover must have been so surprised, there wasn’t anything for almost one hundred meters, before another came into her path. This time, she could stop just short enough to dodge around it, and the next one she ran up and over it, launching herself on the invisible girl.
The girl grunted as Atalanta landed on her, shoving her back with her arm and something that must have been telekinetic power, because it weighed too heavy into her gut for it to simply be an arm. She hit a wall with a thud, but sucked in a breath of air, and continued after her, taking the red covered shape the goggles showed her. The girl tried throwing Atalanta again with her telekinesis, but Atalanta held tightly around her so that they both flew back.
“Let me go!” she screamed, kicking her legs, and pushing at Atalanta’s ringed arms. She was appearing less and less transparent as she screamed. Finally, she bit into Atalanta’s shoulder, only to hack and pull back, “What are you made of?”
“Just flesh harder than you’re used to,” Atalanta retorted. The girl kicked her one last time, but Atalanta was fairly sure she was done fighting; the girl was worn down and beginning to sag in her arms. She managed to look up to see Gabriel flying around spikes raised out of a roof, and swooping down to grab a boy, before he swooped down in front of them. The boy beat up on Gabriel who held him up for Atalanta to see, but did not use his earth moving abilities.
“Stop!” Gabriel ordered. “You have something to say, you use your words, not your fists.”
“He’s mute you asshole,” said the girl. Atalanta noticed the boy was waving his hand around in something that looked like sign language. “Deaf too, so he can’t really hear what you’re saying. Look, Super Lady—”
“Atalanta,” she replied.
“Look, if I promise not to run away, will you let me stand up so I can calm my brother down?”
“It could be a trick,” Gabriel warned her, struggling with the boy. Atalanta could feel the girl’s heartbeat running into her chest, and somehow she felt like the girl wasn’t trying to trick her. She rolled to her side, taking the girl with her, so that they could both stand while Atalanta still had a firm grip on her arm. The girl made signs to her brother, who calmed down once he saw them. He signed back animatedly, and she made signs to him that almost seemed angry and sorry at the same time.
“Atalanta,” Medicine said through the ear link. “Gabriel do you read? It’s been quiet.”
“Copy,” Atalanta replied. “We’ve got them; we’ll be a long in a moment.”
“The police wish to know if they may transport Samurai to the hospital,” Medicine said. “And they want to speak to you.”
“As to the former, ask Samurai what she thinks. And to the latter, tell them I’ll be along in minute, I have to teach two kids a very important lesson.” The boy signed something, and his sister looked up at her,
“He wants to know if we’re going to prison,” she said. Atalanta and Gabriel shared grim looks.
“I don’t know,” Atalanta replied honestly. “But come with me, both of you.” Together, she and Gabriel escorted the pair to the main street where damage raged rampant. “I don’t know why the two of you did this, though I suspect that I will find out. But I want you to know that your powers are not a game, and obviously, they don’t help you get away with everything. But this is what they can do, if they are used improperly.” The two surveyed the scene only for a minute, before they looked down at the ground. “Now Earth Mover… what’s his name?”
“Joshua,” the girl said. Atalanta knelt down to Joshua’s height so that he could read her lips and spoke slowly.
“Joshua, I want you to put the street back the way it was,” Atalanta told him. Joshua nodded, and turning his fingertips toward themselves, he pressed down with his hands, the smaller pillars and ramps going down first, the larger still sticking out a little, as he let up and then pushed again, repeating the process until the street looked normal for the most part. “And what’s your name?”
“Cloak,” the girl said.
“Your real name,” Atalanta retorted. Joshua spelled out, “Clara” with his hands.
“Josh!” she screamed.
“All right, Clara, move the cars back on their wheels, if you would.”
“How can you be so sure that I won’t hit you with one of them?” Clara bit back.
“Because you are standing in front of me, and no doubt you would hit Joshua,” Atalanta replied. “Move them back.” Clara raised her hands up, and car by car, she moved them back into slots, though they were dented and torn. “Now march, the both of you.” Clara grumbled, but walked as Atalanta pulled her along, and Josh reached for his sister’s hand as he walked along with Gabriel.
There was a police officer and an EMT waiting with Medicine Woman and Samurai Knight. When he saw them, the officer sword,
“Jesus they’re kids!”
“No shit,” Clara muttered. Josh tugged on her coat, and she turned toward him, letting him sign something to her, before pointing toward Samurai, who still lay on the ground while Medicine healed her. “Jesus, Josh…”
“What did he say?” Atalanta asked.
“He asked….he asked if he did that to her,” Clara reported. They all fell silent and turned away from the young boy not sure how to tell him yes. “We didn’t mean to do that. It’s not Josh’s fault, he was just trying to help me.” No one quite knew what to say to that either.”
A crackling voice came over the police officer’s radio, and he walked a few paces away to talk into it. He returned with quick strides reporting,
“The Super Confinement Officers will be here soon.”
“And what are they?” Gabriel asked.
“Well, normal…normal places don’t really hold supers well, so they have special officers who come and handle them,” the police officer explained.
“We are going to prison, aren’t we?” Clara asked. “A special prison, for people like us. And they’re going to put us in cells next to people who killed other people. And it’s because I deserve it.”
Atalanta would have sworn, but instead she took an oath that she would do everything to not let it happen.
“Nothing’s broken,” she said. “You’re completely intact, at least on the inside, you only have superficial wounds.”
“Invincible, remember?” Atalanta asked. “What about the civilians?”
“I stabilized one straggler, and healed minor injuries, but there was an ambulance waiting for them,” she said. She still ran her hands over Atalanta until they heard a large smack, and watched as Samurai flew through the air. Gabriel swooped down and caught the woman, landing near them. Both ran towards the winged man, as he laid Samurai out on the ground.
“I thought I found an entrance,” she coughed. “I nearly got to the girl, but I can tell you, she’s not the one controlling the earth. Her moves are…sloppy.” Blood dribbled out of the side of her mouth.
“Shh…” Atalanta hummed, brushing some of the hair out of her eyes. “You did what you thought was right. Let Medicine heal you, and Gabriel will take it from here.” Samurai grabbed her hand as she tried to move away.
“The earth mover isn’t on the ground,” she said. “I was moving too fast for someone on the ground to be able to see me and predict my movements.”
“If he’s above, I’ll find him,” Gabriel said.
“Use the goggles,” Atalanta told him. “You’ll see a person more easily that way.” Gabriel nodded, and slipped the goggles over his eyes, and took to the skies again. “Will you be all right here?”
“We should be fine. It would seem we are out of the range of fire,” Medicine said. “Go, I can handle it here if we are attacked.” Atalanta stood, and readjusted her goggles, making sure they were over her eyes and she could see the invisible girl, who had moved out of her original storm eye.
“Gabriel, what do you see?” she asked.
“Nothing yet, except for our girl is on the move.”
“In pursuit,” she replied. This time, she widened her gaze as she ran fast along, and when the first pillar of earth rose up, she gripped time, to her feet and clambered over it, jumping to the ground. The earth mover must have been so surprised, there wasn’t anything for almost one hundred meters, before another came into her path. This time, she could stop just short enough to dodge around it, and the next one she ran up and over it, launching herself on the invisible girl.
The girl grunted as Atalanta landed on her, shoving her back with her arm and something that must have been telekinetic power, because it weighed too heavy into her gut for it to simply be an arm. She hit a wall with a thud, but sucked in a breath of air, and continued after her, taking the red covered shape the goggles showed her. The girl tried throwing Atalanta again with her telekinesis, but Atalanta held tightly around her so that they both flew back.
“Let me go!” she screamed, kicking her legs, and pushing at Atalanta’s ringed arms. She was appearing less and less transparent as she screamed. Finally, she bit into Atalanta’s shoulder, only to hack and pull back, “What are you made of?”
“Just flesh harder than you’re used to,” Atalanta retorted. The girl kicked her one last time, but Atalanta was fairly sure she was done fighting; the girl was worn down and beginning to sag in her arms. She managed to look up to see Gabriel flying around spikes raised out of a roof, and swooping down to grab a boy, before he swooped down in front of them. The boy beat up on Gabriel who held him up for Atalanta to see, but did not use his earth moving abilities.
“Stop!” Gabriel ordered. “You have something to say, you use your words, not your fists.”
“He’s mute you asshole,” said the girl. Atalanta noticed the boy was waving his hand around in something that looked like sign language. “Deaf too, so he can’t really hear what you’re saying. Look, Super Lady—”
“Atalanta,” she replied.
“Look, if I promise not to run away, will you let me stand up so I can calm my brother down?”
“It could be a trick,” Gabriel warned her, struggling with the boy. Atalanta could feel the girl’s heartbeat running into her chest, and somehow she felt like the girl wasn’t trying to trick her. She rolled to her side, taking the girl with her, so that they could both stand while Atalanta still had a firm grip on her arm. The girl made signs to her brother, who calmed down once he saw them. He signed back animatedly, and she made signs to him that almost seemed angry and sorry at the same time.
“Atalanta,” Medicine said through the ear link. “Gabriel do you read? It’s been quiet.”
“Copy,” Atalanta replied. “We’ve got them; we’ll be a long in a moment.”
“The police wish to know if they may transport Samurai to the hospital,” Medicine said. “And they want to speak to you.”
“As to the former, ask Samurai what she thinks. And to the latter, tell them I’ll be along in minute, I have to teach two kids a very important lesson.” The boy signed something, and his sister looked up at her,
“He wants to know if we’re going to prison,” she said. Atalanta and Gabriel shared grim looks.
“I don’t know,” Atalanta replied honestly. “But come with me, both of you.” Together, she and Gabriel escorted the pair to the main street where damage raged rampant. “I don’t know why the two of you did this, though I suspect that I will find out. But I want you to know that your powers are not a game, and obviously, they don’t help you get away with everything. But this is what they can do, if they are used improperly.” The two surveyed the scene only for a minute, before they looked down at the ground. “Now Earth Mover… what’s his name?”
“Joshua,” the girl said. Atalanta knelt down to Joshua’s height so that he could read her lips and spoke slowly.
“Joshua, I want you to put the street back the way it was,” Atalanta told him. Joshua nodded, and turning his fingertips toward themselves, he pressed down with his hands, the smaller pillars and ramps going down first, the larger still sticking out a little, as he let up and then pushed again, repeating the process until the street looked normal for the most part. “And what’s your name?”
“Cloak,” the girl said.
“Your real name,” Atalanta retorted. Joshua spelled out, “Clara” with his hands.
“Josh!” she screamed.
“All right, Clara, move the cars back on their wheels, if you would.”
“How can you be so sure that I won’t hit you with one of them?” Clara bit back.
“Because you are standing in front of me, and no doubt you would hit Joshua,” Atalanta replied. “Move them back.” Clara raised her hands up, and car by car, she moved them back into slots, though they were dented and torn. “Now march, the both of you.” Clara grumbled, but walked as Atalanta pulled her along, and Josh reached for his sister’s hand as he walked along with Gabriel.
There was a police officer and an EMT waiting with Medicine Woman and Samurai Knight. When he saw them, the officer sword,
“Jesus they’re kids!”
“No shit,” Clara muttered. Josh tugged on her coat, and she turned toward him, letting him sign something to her, before pointing toward Samurai, who still lay on the ground while Medicine healed her. “Jesus, Josh…”
“What did he say?” Atalanta asked.
“He asked….he asked if he did that to her,” Clara reported. They all fell silent and turned away from the young boy not sure how to tell him yes. “We didn’t mean to do that. It’s not Josh’s fault, he was just trying to help me.” No one quite knew what to say to that either.”
A crackling voice came over the police officer’s radio, and he walked a few paces away to talk into it. He returned with quick strides reporting,
“The Super Confinement Officers will be here soon.”
“And what are they?” Gabriel asked.
“Well, normal…normal places don’t really hold supers well, so they have special officers who come and handle them,” the police officer explained.
“We are going to prison, aren’t we?” Clara asked. “A special prison, for people like us. And they’re going to put us in cells next to people who killed other people. And it’s because I deserve it.”
Atalanta would have sworn, but instead she took an oath that she would do everything to not let it happen.
