Echos: Chapter – XXX 2

Chapter – XXX

“Dispatch, this is Checkmate. Please give me an encrypted patch into the pinned officers radios.”

“Done, go ahead Checkmate.”

“Officers, this is Checkmate of Second City Justice. We are on the scene and will have you out of here momentarily. Our members are moving into position to distract the suspects. When they do I will signal your extraction. If you look to your left, there is a manhole cover approximately fifteen feet in front of you. When I give the signal, run like hell for it and jump down. Checkmate out.”

A few seconds later, a light appeared high above the gas station. It started out small, like Venus on a clear fall morning, but quickly grew until Cold Fusion landed between the patrol car and the gangsters shooting at it.

“This is Checkmate, Cold Fusion and Ani-Man are in place, wait for my mark to extract the officers.”

“Attention!” Cold Fusion shouted. Her voice was obviously feminine, but had a strange warbling, chorused quality. Because of his years working with them, both individually and synced, Ani-Man could clearly pick out both Alala and Ailia’s voices. “I am Cold Fusion, of Second City Justice. You are under arrest, make this easy on yourselves. Lay down your firearms and surrender.”

Rather than put their guns down, the gang members simply steadied themselves and while the one with the energy weapon grafted onto his forearm increased the intensity of the glow on the emitter. Without warning they all fired at the lone hero in front of them. And their fire was spent harmlessly on a plasma shield raised in front of her. Cold Fusion knew all along that the odds of a peaceful resolution were slim. The young men who usually joined these gangs would always take advantage of an advantage in numbers and attack, and there was virtually no chance that they would risk their reputation as “men” and surrender to a woman. It was probably going to be true even if the lone woman in question could probably wipe out a sizeable chunk of the city if she were so inclined.

Rather than incinerate them in reprisal, not blowing up the block was their priority, she released a harmless, but very blinding, burst of light.

“Officers, this is Checkmate. Go, Go!” Checkmate shouted over their radios. As the officers got to their feet and took off for the manhole cover, Ani-Man took control of their patrol car from his spot in an alley off to one side. It was an easy enough task, open two doors on their side and slam them, then make the car spin its tires as it drove away. Not only was it an added distraction, but it would provide just a bit of visual cover as the officers made their escape down the manhole as Ricochet opened it.

Just as the cover settled back into place, the fire from the thugs picked back up, once again peppering the patrol car. With the officers safely down in the sewers, Ani-Man allowed himself a small smile. Now it was time to cut loose and really give Menagerie and Arachne a distraction. Driving the car was basically child’s play for Ani-Man, what he did next was what separated him from nearly every other active animator. The car swerved, driving back toward the gas station, sliding to a stop next to a chainlink fence. His eyes sliding out of focus, Ani-Man truly went to work.

There was a screech of twisting metal as the fence unwove, the posts pulling out of the ground as it went. As the fence unwove, the car began to change as well, metal bending, hinges breaking and twisting in ways the manufacturer never intended.. The gunfire stopped at the sight of Ani-Man’s handiwork; where a car sat next to a fence just a couple handfuls of seconds before, now stood a twelve foot tall metal titan. His creation looked like nothing so much as an armored knight, flashing lights on its shoulders. It stood for a second flexing its wickedly pointed metallic fingers before turning to the thugs staring in amazement. Using the bullhorn that had been mounted on the patrol car’s roof, but was now somewhere in the metal man’s sternum, Ani-Man said “Come quietly, or there will be… Trouble.” Careful to modulate the voice that came out to sound tinny and robotic for that extra level of intimidation.

“Fuck you hero!” one shouted, apparently their spokesman, and they began firing once more.

Cold Fusion wasn’t sure if she should be insulted or not that the thugs were ignoring her, after all, she literally dropped out of the sky in front of them and could lay waste to a significant portion of the city. But even she had to admit, seeing Ani-Man transform a car into a giant robot cop was a damn good show. So, taking advantage of the distraction she took position to get a clear line of sight at the thugs’ weapons. Then with a gesture she fired a trio of tightly focused beams of energy at the three firearms. Each of them quickly glowed cherry red where the energy struck, and all three soon hit the ground as the thugs reflexively dropped them. In the confusion she dashed ahead and knocked the first one out with a swift kick to the back of his head. By the time the second one realized that the metal giant in front of them wasn’t the real threat, he had joined his companion on the ground. The third turned in time to intercept her punch with his forearm. And though the force of the blow was enough to drive him back a couple steps, that was all. He clearly had some sort of enhanced physique. The fresh bullet holes in his tank top were a testament to the durability of the unmarked flesh below. But the real surprise came when his other arm burst and a mechanical claw emerged from the skin, skeletal fingers fusing into something that resembled a razor-edged crab claw.

“Oh, my… You’re not going to use that on little-old me, are you?” Cold Fusion said, her voice quavering with mock fear.

The thug didn’t say anything and simply lunged forward, leading with the claw aimed at her heart. She parried the strike with a small plasma shield shaped by a buckler, slipping to one side with a dancer’s grace. Then she brought that same hand down, the plasma reforming around her hand like a mitten, which she drove through the metallic appendage melting it as she went.

With her opponent now disarmed, she reversed her momentum, driving her fist up with her legs and released a small burst of energy just as her fist connected with the big super’s jaw. This blow didn’t just knock him off his feet, but into the air and into unconsciousness.

On the other side of the parking lot, Ani-Man’s giant puppet had been doing its best to shrug off bolts from the blaster’s weapon. The armor along the arms and legs of Ani-Man’s creation was formed from the police cruiser’s paneling, so while it could take a glancing blow, repeated direct strikes were punching holes in it. It wasn’t alive, the metallic titan couldn’t feel pain and was animated solely by Ani-Man’s will, but enough damage would eventually make it useless. The big creation was heavy and powerful, but it was also somewhat ponderous. So Ani-Man had to use its great bulk and dangerous limbs to maneuver its opponent into a corner to limit his opponent’s mobility.

The blaster kept his distance, and at one point Ani-Man had his creation rip a light pole out of the ground, twirling it like a staff with surprising grace. But a charged shot from the blaster reduced most of the improvised weapon to a puddle of molten aluminum on the ground. Flicking the end of the pole at the blaster, splattering the ground in front of him with molten metal. He danced back from the heat, only to realize he was backed up against the convenience store.

Then, with surprising speed, the Ani-Man’s creation reached out and wrapped one massive hand around the final super, pinning his arms at his side while it’s razor sharp fingers dug into its skin, effectively neutralizing the threat.

“Dispatch, this is Ani-Man, officers are secure and the threats outside are neutralized.”

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