[
Steelback and Spandex - Part 2
]
The Story so far....The island's supply of Spandex has dwindled. Worried, some of the heroes have tracked the shipment back..
Dasher carries Lookout, sounding worried, "The distributor said the ship didn't dock. This is really odd. And I kind of need this fabric. It's aerodynamic! I can't wear cotton at 500 miles per hour."
Meanwhile, up on the mountain...
Thunderstrike says, "...So that's why I'm wearing the suit. I mean, it'll be havoc if I actually have to make it rain, but..."
High above the city, in the clouds of Fortress Mountain, the Heroes Thunderstrike and El Cid are having a conversation....
"Have you ever wondered..." El Cid says curiously. "What the world might be like if we could all look down from here, all the time?"
Johnny walks along the waterfront and hums a tune quietly to himself. He pauses and takes a moment to enjoy the scenery.
Lookout holds on to Dasher, perching on her back. "I dunno, I've been managing with it pretty well. Have you considered rayon?"
From out to see, some miles to the south of the island, a point of light shoots into the sky. It flares brilliantly, hanging in the air, slowly drifting.
Thunderstrike says, "El Cid, what in the world is that?"
Dasher mutters, "What is it with you and rayo--" The light distracts Dasher and she nearly runs Johnny down. "Aiiiiiieeee, watchoutgetouttathe way!!" *Crash*
Lookout flies off Dasher's perch and rolls across the sand. "Ow. Next time, I'm the driver."
Dasher winces and gets up, looking at Johnny, "Sorry. There's trouble afoot.." Her eyes look out over the water, "Or is it 'afloat'?"
El Cid looks over to Thunderstrike for a moment. "It could be a distress signal or a cry for help!" He says. "We should probably go and check it out, someone could be in trouble!" He launches himself through the air in a blaze of golden light, looking behind him. "Come on, what are you waiting for?"
Johnny looks towards the light but before he can even register what had happened, he hears Dasher's cry. He half-leaps to the side, his arms held up in front of him.
Thunderstrike races off through the air after El Cid.
Dasher tells Johnny, "Sorry I almost ran you down there's an emergency and a ship didn't come in say is that light a flare or something and hey you're that music hero guy and anyhow Lookout and I are trying to find the missing spandex or I'll be naked!"
Lookout looks from his upside-down position. "Uh... Naval flare... about ten miles to the south."
Johnny lowers his arms and collects himself, an embarrassed smile on his lips. "Oh, sorry about that. I didn't see you coming..." He follows her gaze over the water. "Trouble...?"
Johnny raises an eyebrow. "...naked?"
Johnny grins and shakes his head. "I'm sorry, you're talking a bit fast for me..."
Dasher nods to Johnny, and tries to help Lookout up, "For some reason the ship with the fabric I make my costume out of never came in the distributor says it's late."
Johnny nods and extends a hand to Lookout. "Is that the kind of problem that folks like you deal with? No offense, it just seems a little weird."
Lookout tries to see anything at the direction the flare came from as he's helped up.
Dasher shakes her head, "No nononononno normally we do regular things and save people but /how can I save people/ with no -clothes- I need it aerodynamic no I hate rayon!"
El Cid looks to Thunderstrike as the aerial sentiel blazes past him. "It looks like I need to improve the design of these Jets, Professor. You're going to leave me in the dust if you're not careful..." He taps a few buttons on his wrist gauntlet and hurtles forward. "Perhaps if we platooned our flight, so that each of us has some time to recover?"
Thunderstrike says, "Certainly not a bad idea. I think I fly fast because, well... That's the power I always wanted."
Lookout says, "No use, there might be waves or something on the way."
Johnny nods and chuckles. "I guess you're right, miss. Hey, is there anything that I can do to lend a hand?"
Dasher starts pacing, "Get back on me. I'll run over the water and get you closer." She looks at Johnny, "If you can help, yeah. I can carry two."
Lookout perches on Dasher's back again. "We set sail for the pirate ship!"
Johnny nods and then smiles at Lookout and Dasher. "I have some talents that I think could help in this." He moves forward, unsure of what to do.
El Cid turns to Thunderstrike. "All right, I'm going to match speeds with you and cut my flight, then, and when you're tired, I'll take over for a bit. It won't be as fast, but that way we can make the most use out of the distance..." He reaches out for Thunderstrike's hand, and waits for the other man to take it.
Dasher holds an arm out to Johnny, "Just hang on to me. And remember. I can't -stop- on t he water."
Thunderstrike grabs on to El Cid's hand, "This is a bit odd, but you seem to know what you're doing."
Johnny nods and grabs onto Dasher's arm. "Okay..."
The A.J.Tennant is a fairly small ship, for a cargo hauler, though that doesn't mean it isn't huge by any account. The deck is eighty metres front to back and ten across, save at the bow and stern. Three quarters of the way back, the bridge rises two stories above the main hull, behind it, a bulkhead door leads down to crew quarters and engine rooms.
In front of the bridge, the deck is open, with the hold visible. Within, the ship's cargo containers are visible.
The deck itself is fairly poorly lit, and various detritus litter all the walkways: ropes, boxes and such.
With the two men in her grasp, Dasher suddenly sprints forward with a whoosh of wind and sound. Her feet move so fast that she moves on top of the water. Out in the Gulf, she can go full speed, but stays just below the sound barrier. Behind her, a low rooster tail of water sprays.
El Cid turns to Thunderstrike as he grabs the hand. "It's called the law of conservation of matter and energy. Since neither of us can go at full speed for the whole trip without collapsing, or in my case, crash landing, this allows each of us to recover our strength while we approach."
Approaching by sea or air, the ship becomes visible. At first glance, it's obvious the ship has stalled and is drifting in the water. Up on deck, things look quiet, nobody is visible.
Something is floating about two hundred metres behind the ship.
To Dasher- Lookout says, "Saw that?"
Dasher squints as she runs, "What's that behind the ship? Yeah I see it let me do a run past it."
Floating face down in the water, is a merchant navyman.
El Cid looks over to Thunderstrike as they float in from above. "It looks deserted..." He says quietly. "That doesn't look terribly good..." He begins approaching on an angle, keeping an eye out from above.
Lookout says, "The ship bridge seems empty, too. Let's -- yow!"
Johnny holds on for dear life and remains silent as the speedster runs across the water.
Lookout sends his vision and hearing to the flying Thunderstrike. "There's people floating here, and we can't stop in midrun!"
Dasher slows down a bit, "I have to get that man out of the water somehow..but I can't lift all of you!"
Lookout says, "I'm calling the flyers."
Lookout says, "If you want, I can drop and you take him up to the ship."
Dasher nods to Lookout, then asks, "Should I put you and Johnny on that ship?"
Thunderstrike shakes his head slightly, "El Cid, there are... People in the water... We should go help them!"
Lookout says, "Better. Take us there and we'll check what's up."
Dasher speeds back up and, using centrifugal force, she manages to place a foot against the ship's hull. It's all she needs and the second foot is able to connect. Soon, she is running up the side of the ship, to drop off Lookout and Johnny.
El Cid looks over to Thunderstrike as he begins flying down. "I'll take care of that, Thunderstrike. As long as you're up here in the air, that's where you're strongest. Let me go down there, if it turns out to be some sort of sinister trick, I can go underwater without a problem..." He dives down in a gleaming, golden arc, the light shimmering as he descends towards the swimming form.
Thunderstrike stays in the air, but gets slightly lower to see what's going on ship-board.
Lookout whooooas as he is carried upwards and to solid surface. "Wh - whoa. OK, Cid is gleaming, I mean flying to the floating guy."
El Cid reaches down to gently pull the man out of the water, and turn him over. "I hope this man's all right..." he says, as he gently lifts him up and holds him, hovering there.
At the back of the ship, things are as quiet as everywhere else. There's not a sign of life here. A single light illuminates the deck behind the bridge, which has a large container resting on it, (evidently the hold is full). The light is above a bulkhead door, which stands ajar.
Dasher bends a bit at the knees to let Lookout off her back. She lets go of Johnny.
El Cid looks up to Thunderstrike. "I need a paramedic right away!" He says as he slowly rises upward from the water, trying to keep the man level. "He's in shock, I think..."
Thunderstrike shakes his head, "I.. I don't know how to do that stuff. I could fly him back to the hospital..."
Lookout looks down. "Bring him up here, I know the basics."
Dasher turns to watch Lookout's back, her eyes looking up at the bridge and the light.
Johnny stumbles and stands on the deck with wobbly legs. "Ah...that was amazing." He looks around and puts on a serious expression. "So what do we do now?"
Dasher tells Johnny, "We let Lookout save that man. If you can be quiet-like, maybe go for recon. I'll keep watch over here."
El Cid flies up over the edge and lands on the deck of the ship, holding the man and gently kneeling to lay the exhausted man on the deck. "He must have jumped off or been thrown off, and fired the signal flare from the water..." He says quietly. "I hope he's going to be okay..." His boots clink gently on the deck as his eyeslits scan.
Johnny sighs and goes down to one knee. "I'm not really good at being quiet...I'll stay here and lend my eyes if that's alright." He watches his costumed companions with a bit of awe. "I'm new to this kind of thing."
Lookout checks on the man as soon as Cid lands him.
Dasher's muscles tense up.
Lookout seems not to notice whatever other people are noticing as he checks for signs of hypothermia. "OK, we need a blanket or something warm. ... What?"
Dasher whispers to Lookout, "Someone up on the deck..save him. That's first."
El Cid looks over to the door, moving to position his body between the door and Lookout, who is working to revive the helpless sailor behind him, dropping into a stance with knees slightly bent. "That doesn't sound so good..."
Thunderstrike hovers, keeping an eye out.
Dasher looks around for a blanket or anything to use like that. "El Cid, can you cover for us, while I find a cover for the poor sailor?"
From the corner of the bridge, not the door, but 4" to the left of it, there's a wooshing sound and an outpouring of yellow smoke. The thing creating the smoke is thrown toward the group of heroes clustered at the back of the ship. It's an army smoke grenade.
El Cid looks over to Dasher for a moment. "Dasher, you're up! Sounds like a good idea to me!" He says as the smoke boils out towards him.
The thrown smoke grenade bounces and rolls back toward the bulkhead door, obscuring it and anyone within. Also obscuring the heroes -from- anyone within. The goon who threw it mutters a navyman's curse.
Dasher asks El Cid, "Maybe I saw the wrong movies, but..um, that's not how to toss a grenade, right?"
El Cid looks over to Dasher quietly. "Uhh, I don't think so, Dasher. I've never used one, but usually, you're supposed to count to three, first, and then...oh, never mind, he just hit the doorframe..."
Dasher tenses up and mutters to El Cid, "I want to be able to protect Lookout and this man, but whatever you think I should do..."
El Cid looks over to Dasher for a moment. "Dasher, I don't mean to be rude, but we may just have to make a stand and keep these guys away from that poor sailor. Can you do something to keep these guys busy without hurting them?" o O (They don't seem to be wearing any armor...this could be a problem...)
El Cid thinks . o O (I can't blind them. They might fire indiscriminately.)
Johnny stays close to Dasher and El Cid, glancing at them and then to the goons. "Just let me know what you want me to do. I can fight from a distance."
Lookout says, "I can take care of myself, Dash."
Thunderstrike remains hovering, however, the winds begin to flow about him, and a light rain begins to fall
Lookout says, "OK, everyone get ready. As soon as they move into range..."
Dasher tells Johnny, "You fire straight..I'll go left, Cid right.."
Thunderstrike thinks . o O (Hrm. Just what -is- going on down there?)
El Cid turns to Lookout. "They're in range now, I just want to make sure that you and your charge aren't hurt..." He says, remaining in position. "I can take the two on the right from here..."
Johnny nods.
Dasher nods and readies..
Lookout says, "I can handle stuff. Go!"
El Cid bends his knees slightly and sights along his arm, his hands charging up with scintillating yellow light as the beam spreads outward towards the goons on the right, his eyes narrowing to focus on his target as the bolt streaks outward. "Give up, Gentlemen, and I promise you'll spend a little less time in the hoosegow..."
Dasher sprints forward at the same time El Cid moves. She runs to the left, her hands clenched into fists, and moves to grab one of the guns. "If you can't even use grenades right, you shouldn't be playing with guns. You could shoot your eye out."
The two targetted goons yelp and drop their guns. They falter, but don't break.
Dasher grabs the gun easily, "Give up."
Johnny leans forward and opens his mouth. A wordless sound emenates from him and quickly rises to a high volume. Staring straight forward, he directs the soundwave towards one of the goons in front of him.
The goon is staggered by the blast and falls on his rear.
The four goons step forward around the corner of the bridge. (They are now 8" away, two in a hex to the left, the other two 8" to their right). One shouts: "Drop the shiny one!" Just as he does so, his gun is removed from his hands by Dasher. His friend spins to try to shoot her. The two on the right hesitate, glancing behind them at something. Meanwhile, in the middle, there's a startled cry and a dull thump as something happens in the smoke. Then there's a lot of noise as people start shooting out of the door.
One goon manages to hit Dasher with one of the spray of bullets he unleashes. His friend ducks to avoid being hit. A hail of bullets whistle over the heads of the heroes clustered around the hypothermic sailor.
Lookout says, "Dasher! You OK?"
Thunderstrike hears the gunfire, "Oh that's just not good." He takes aim at a goon and blasts some wind at him
Lookout says, "Dasher! You OK?"
Dasher winces as bullets graze off of her. Luckily, the field of speed around her keeps them from actually wounding her. She calls to Lookout, "I'm fine. Lemme just add to my gun collection, here."
Dasher grabs the gun from the second man, "I said give up!"
Lookout stays behind, watching the sailor and waiting for whatever will emerge from that door.
El Cid flies forward, moving towards the two goons on the right as he makes his way up to them. "This is your last warning, gentlemen..." He says pleasantly. "I'd prefer not to have to hurt you..." He lifts his hand and fires a sparkling bolt of energy at the two men from point blank range, the dazzling array of lights hurtling towards their optic nerves
Blinded, the two goons shout things like "No bleedin' way!" and try to run back toward the front of the ship.
The two goons shout things like "No bleedin' way!" and try to run back toward the front of the ship.
Thunderstrike continues hovering, the wind and rain intensifying slightly (hopefully that'll help get that smoke out of the air...)
The smoke clears to the point where it's not too obscuring. Just outside the door on either side are three goons, looking very surprised. Standing in the doorward is a very, very large metal clad man.
Johnny frowns behind his glasses, noting the heavy firepower of the goons. Knowing that this situation has taken a more lethal turn, he opens his mouth again, this time the sound rising to an even higher volume than before. Again, he directs his concentration to the area ahead of him, aiming for one of the three goons
Steelback looks around, the frown lines on his forehead like great valleys and mountains. "Och! Nae what?!"
The goon collapses in a heap.
Steelback discards the girder and bolt of spandex and takes a couple of steps forward. He draws his arms back and then brings his hands together in an almighty clap
Steelback
A 7' tall, 5' wide mountain of a man, with a very small head sitting squarely upon his squarer shoulders. He has ginger curly hair, a ginger beard, of no small magnitude and even little ginger tufts sprouting from his ears. His nose is big and red from too much boozing, but that doesn't seem to have affected his physique.%r[space(4)]He's clad from chin to toe in tarnished steel. His armour must be two inches thick, riveted clumbsily. It probably weighs as much as him, and that's saying something. Covering his eyes are a pair of world war one aviator goggles and covering his ears are a pair of bright orange earmuffs, stolen from a firing range, by the look of them.
Lookout blinks and tries to scramble him and the unconscious man to safety, but ends up stumbling.
Steelback grins. "Ey nae look at ye little peepol!"
Lookout gets trampled by the shockwave. "Ow, ow, ow."
Thunderstrike looks down at the huge figure that just blasted several people, "Oh no. Can't have you doing that..." And another wind blast drops.
Steelback's still frowning, but he adds a grin to the whole rustling beard, clanking equation.
Dasher starts to shiver and vibrate, faster and faster, and then moves through the two goons standing in the doorway and into the area behind, muttering, "...scuse me..."
El Cid pauses as the sailor is knocked across the deck, watching the goons flee into the darkness. o O (I've got to keep that man from being killed by this maniac!) He turns from the doorway and rockets towards Steelback, hovering in front of him. "Coward!" He says thunderously as he arrives. "Only the lowest of the low would attack a helpless man who not only can't defend himself, but isn't shielded from attack..." He lifts his hand to Steelback and fires off a full scale bolt of light at the shoddily bolted together armored suit. "I hope your technology holds together better than your ethics..."
The blast slams into Steelback roughly as the bearded tufted head winces at the force of the blast. "Ahh, I see you layered your armor in the junkyard where you put it together. Who salvaged you, anyway? Mary Kay?" He asks, his voice tinged with fury.
Thunderstrike frowns, "This one looks tougher than I thought. But I'm willing to bet he's rather... Conductive." His eyes seem to flash blue, and the thunder rolls...
The lightning strikes down, but dissapates around the armor. "Hrm," thinks Thunderstrike, "I wonder just how he built that?"
Dasher had been moving through the crew's quarters like a ghost, and then to the bridge. Now, she tries to sneak up on Steelback, hoping he's distracted by the others.
Steelback glances over his shoulder as the first hit connects, grits his teeth and the second and is knocked forward by the third.
Dasher winces, shaking out her hand. "Ow.."
Johnny stumbles slightly and recovers from the concussive shockwave of the steel clad figure unleashed a moment ago. A dull area of sound surrounds him and he adjusts his glasses. As Steelback is thrown forward, Johnny smirks. Stepping forward, he shouts at an abnormal volume, "Is that the best you got?!
Johnny grins at the downed Steelback. "You ain't heard nothin' yet, man."
El Cid thinks . o O (Quetzalcoatl's Teeth! Did he just call the villain...man?)
Steelback rolls to his feet, grinning at Johnny. However he turns, takes a step and swings his armoured joint-of-meat fist at El Cid. "Ye armor's pretty . Be a shame ta dint it, eh?!"
El Cid gracefully slips aside from the hamhanded attack as the meaty fist passes by him. "You'll have to do better than that, sir. I don't think you really understand your situation. There's about six of us, and one of you!" o O (Got to keep him busy long enough for the others to get it together...)
Lookout reaches into Steelback's brain part that handles his senses, and manipulates it so it looks like the boat is tilting quite a bit to a side.
Lookout thinks . o O (Never tried this before, hope it works...)
Steelback throws his arms out to the side, trying to balanc. "Ach! Beggar me, the ship's a-keelin'!"
Lookout thinks . o O (Yes!)
Thunderstrike looks oddly at the 'balancing' scottsman. . o O (Drugs? It might be drugs...)
Dasher gasps and winces as the flurry of bullets hits. She gets almost blown over, then cartwheels back to her feet.
Dasher gets her wits about her, and comes up behind Steelback, her fist winding up. o O (Those guns aren't so bad..This guy's tough! If he's taken out, they'll surrender.)
Thunderstrike remains hovering, "Gotta time this one just right..."
Johnny takes advantage of the situation and shouts again at the tipsy Steelback. "Stay down!"
Steelback shakes himself back to his senses, glancing at the three heroes nearest to him. Seeing Dasher poised to hit him, he aims a jabbing left fist at her
Dasher's eyes widen, but she manages to avoid Steelback's attack. "Holy Hannah!"
Steelback growls. "Nimble wee lass, ain't ye?!"
Lookout shouts, "STAY AWAY FROM HER!" The pain of the shockwave passing him earlier curls around and spears towards Steelback.
Thunderstrike sees the timing is right, and swoops down behind Steelback to deliver a thunderstrike like no other
Lookout lowers his hand, the attack missing.
Dasher grits her teeth, "I happen to be QUITE nimble, yes." and her fist SLAMS into him with a *KLANG* of metal. A whimpered "..ow..." follows as he goes back..
Dasher breathes heavily, "Thunderstrike, we should...train together..get a groove or something.." and she moves to punch Steelback again.
El Cid lifts both his gauntlets as his wrists charge up, the glow spherical around the gauntlets as they begin to pulse brighter and brighter, the glow radiating outward from his wrists. "This is your last chance to surrender, sir." He says fiercely as the glow begins to pulse, heat radiating off of his golden armor in wave after wave...
Dasher's fist seems to hit Steelback in a weak spot...
Steelback wobbles a little, punched clean on the nose by Dasher. "Och! By dose! Ye fiendish gel!"
El Cid fires the massive bolt of energy at Steelback, his voice stern as the blast rockets towards him. "You were warned..." he says firmly. "And insulting a woman is the least of your rude actions here, sir...."
The metal wall makes a dull clanking noise as Steelback thuds against it. "Pour it on!" El Cid shouts to Dasher. "We can't let him hurt anyone else!"
Steelback is slammed against the metal wall of the bridge structure, denting it in a Steelback shape imprint. He stumbles forward.
Dasher winds up again and does as El Cid says, "I hope this does it!"
Dasher breathes heavily, "He...that didn't do it.." She looks up at Thunderstrike, "Help.."
El Cid looks at the stumbling Steelback, his gauntlets charging up once more as he fires another bolt of energy at the massive, armored scotsman. "And sir, please note. You have resisted our every attempt to get you to surrender peacefully. You deliberately and willfully harmed innocent people. I hope you realize that the punishment that awaits you in prison is only what you will deserve..." The bolt of light sails towards the wobbling villain, harsh and brilliant in the metal of the ship.
Steelback mutters something thickly. Unless any of you are Scottish, you don't understand.
Johnny shouts again at the resilient villain, this time a wordless holler.
Johnny frowns as his shout misses its mark. He watches the others in anticipation of their actions.
Thunderstrike flies up once again, closing distance to the metal behemoth, and thrusts his lightning-encased fists towards Steelback, saying in a mocking over-drawn Scottish brogue, "If you're gonna fight like a wee girl, the least we can do is make you cry like one, ye big baby!"
Steelback shakes his head again, trying to clear the stars dancing in his vision, largely ignoring the minor blows striking him.
Well, the goons aren't happy, but they've not been bothered. One turns his tommy gun on Johnny, the other on Thunderstrike. "Die die die!" They shout meaningfully.
Dasher tells El Cid, "This is it for me.." She moves over to Steelback and does the flurry of fists at him.
Steelback frowns at the person hitting at his legs. "What ye doin' woman?!"
Dasher's fists slam at the large man again and again with metallic resonance.
El Cid responds to Steelback. "She's opposing you!" He says as he floats slowly forward. "Which is more than you're doing! What kind of man throws people overboard, fires shots at innocent civilians, and makes people suffer just to make superheroes naked?" He charges up another energy bolt, the brilliant light flaring outwards from his gauntlets as it charges up once more.
El Cid thinks . o O (It makes me wish Eisenhower was still president.)
Johnny runs forward while shouting. The volume of his voice rises rapidly as he moves towards Steelback.
Johnny sighs as Steelback shrugs off the sonic assault.
Thunderstrike sees what El Cid is planning, and hovers for a moment, looking into the stormy sky above. "Dasher... This time don't move him..."
Dasher nods to Thunderstrike, "I..think you can count on it.."
Steelback laughs, clambering to his feet. "Och, I didnae know aboot the spandex!" He chuckles. "Perraps I'd'a been better a-jackin' anoother ship, aye?" Looks like he's seen a few fights and knows when to move. He bounds forward and his fists blur into El Cid. "Not gonna let ye shoot me agin!"
Johnny says, "Ummm..."
Dasher swallows nervously and crosses her fingers. o O (Please..Thunderstrike..)
Johnny looks on with a stunned expression as the golden hero fly through the air from the vicious assault. "Oh man..."
Thunderstrike says, "Dasher! Can you catch him?"
Steelback breathes hard, grinning. "Nae.. who's oop next?"
Dasher nods to Thunderstrike, "Probably!!"
There is a series of horrible clanking noises as El Cid is jerked about by the whirling, grinding fist, and sails limply into the air with the force of the impact, arcing across the ship as he sails beyond the edge of the boat, and begins to fall seaward.
Dasher watches the arc of El Cid, and then times her run to catch him.
And the thunder rolls...
Thunderstrike says, "That would be me you tin-plated maniac!" and lets loose a bolt of lightning.
Steelback reels, yelping in pain. "Och, that bloddy smarts!"
Thunderstrike gets an angry look on his face, and his eyes begin to flash with electric intensity, "You will fall before the might of the storm, armor or no armor!"
Dasher's feet move rapidly across the water's surface, as she holds out her arms to catch the falling El Cid. "Okay, easy does it.."
Dasher deftly snags the gleaming fallen hero and heads back to the boat.
El Cid thunks metallically into Dasher's arms, the armor somehow miraculously intact despite the pounding it suffered.
Johnny's brow furrows with concern as the battle against Steelback continues. He shouts again, anger clearly in his amplified voice.
Steelback looks up at the elusive one firing lightning at him. "Not very sportsmanlike!" He comments in his drawl. He turns and leaps clean over the bridge and into the open hold beyond.
The two goons begin to back away now Steelback's left them. They lay down covering fire, shooting at Johnny and Thunderstrike again.
The ship's engines start up and the vessel begins to move again.
Dasher runs back to the boat, clutching El Cid, "..oh swell../now/ I get a good idea and you're out cold. Just hang on there, Thunderstrike and Johnny."
Thunderstrike is looking somewhat pale as he flies closer to the gunners, "Put down the guns, boys." He gestures, and the wind picks up...
Both goons go down, eyelids fluttering as the impact knocks the wind out of them.
Johnny bends over slightly and puts his hands on his knees. Beads of sweat run down his forehead and he pants as he tries to catch his breath.
Steelback is out of sight. Heaven knows what he's doing.
Dasher's feet speed across the water, then connect with the side of the boat and she runs up the side, then delivers El Cid to Lookout, "He's hurt."
Thunderstrike shakes his head and breaths deeply, "This.. Is taking too much out of me..."
Dasher grits her teeth and jumps down into the cargo hold.
Thunderstrike begins to levitate, "Dasher! What the heck are you doing?"
Dasher calls up to Thunderstrike, "Why, this coward is hiding!! And I'm just standing here."
Johnny stands back up and takes off at a run, heading towards the hold.
The hold runs 3/4 of the length of the ship and is open to the sky along much of it. It's nearly full of large steel containers, many of which are opened; there's bolts of spandex all over the place. It's dark down here: though there are strip lights, they don't seem to be on.
Dasher taunts, "Boy, this guy is the lamest I ever met. I bet if I stood still and let him run at me, it'd tickle..."
Steelback does indeed run at Dasher, coming up from beside her, footsteps thundering. "I'm a-gonna squish ye, little missy!" He bellows.
Dasher waits...waits....hears....and ducks!
The charging giant cannons into a container, bouncing off.
Dasher laughs, "Oh!! At least he's funny!"
Dasher makes a lot of noise, "Okay!! I promise I won't move. Word of honor as a hero!"
Dasher runs a bit, "You can't catch me, you Irish buffoon."
Thunderstrike says, "Dasher, this isn't the right time for this." Sweat pours from his brow as he flies up to the metal man and unleashes a thunderous punch.
Dasher continues to taunt, "Oh, Thunderstrike..This /Irish/ guy is not even a challenge."
Johnny continues to run at full tilt to where the others are duking it out.
Dasher sings badly ~~Oh Danny BOOOOOY..the pipes the pipes are calllin~
Steelback frowns, watching as Dasher darts away. "I'm SCOTTISH ye stupid wench!" He bellows, leaping after her.
Dasher ducks away under him, ~~Tura lura~
Steelback piles into the ground, rolling onto his feet, looking dazed, but still not out.
Dasher moves a bit again and then winds up, "And now, my gift to YOU!!"
Thunderstrike has very little left. The winds around him die down as he tries once more to hit Steelback with a thunderstrike.
Thunderstrike looks at this point as though he's near colapse.
And with that bolt, Steelback falls flat on his face with a sounding *KRANGGGG*
Dasher grins and stops winding, "Good work, Thunderstrike!!"
Thunderstrike falls to his knees, "And stay down."
Dasher breathes heavily, "Okay, we have...to bind him..and call authorities..free the sailors..help El Cid.."
Thunderstrike rolls over on his back, the rain from above falling on him as he pants, pale and weak on the floor of the hold.
Johnny arrives at the hold and shouts, "Come on out you big creep!". He takes a deep breath and is about to let it out when he spots Steelback down on his face. "Oh..." He catches his breath. "Is everyone okay?"
Dasher nods to Johnny, "I think so, though I don't about poor El Cid and we have to do a bunch of why the heck was he stealing all this can someone and they have to radio to the coast guard."
Johnny nods, taking in Dasher's fast paced words. "I'll go see how El Cid is doing."
Dasher does her best to bind up Steelback, with Thunderstrike's help.
Soon, the authorities arrive, taking away the villain and crew. Spandex will be sold in stores, and all will be well.
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