Teagan had her head down looking at the medals Albert had shown her and Regan. She was about to answer his question when there was a loud shriek and people started jumping out of their chairs and upending them. The ex-firefighter, Regan and Albert scanned the horizon to determine what had brought about the ominous shriek. Teagan's jaw dropped to the ground as she saw a giant snapping turtle the size of a minibus calmly grazing on a park bench.

More yells and screames ensued and the two cops and Teagan were pulled out of their stunned reverie at the same time as a voice sounded in their heads that warned about the snapper and announcing ECPD was to contain the scene and evacuate the area of civilians. The ex-firefighter turned to look at her dad. The snapper seemed to be peacefully chewing the park bench at the moment, but who knew what a wild animal would do if provoked.

"Da!" She simply said.

Rory nodded grimly. "I'll get yer Ma and Megan out of here. You just be careful, lass!" He asked. "Let's go." He turned to Martha and Megan.

"Stay safe, you three." Martha urged.

Megan signed. "Don't be a stupid hero!"

"Gotcha!" Teagan signed back and watch them disappear expertly led by Rory. She felt a hand clasp her wrist and looked down to see Regan's fingers there.

"We need to keep the people away from that thing." She urged. She was about to add something when she noticed out of the corner of her eye Dragon Heart fighting with Blacklight. A crowd was starting to form around them. "Shit!" She muttered. Just what we needed. A squabble between Epics with that snapper out and about. One poorly aimed hit on that thing and it would set it off. "Albert, we need more boots on the ground. Call for back up and PART squads." She turned to the obviously overqualified police officer. "And than we need to make sure an errant lightning or whatever doesn't hit that turtle... Otherwise it would get really nasty really fast." She addressed both Teagan and Albert now. "We also need to start cordoning this area off and escorting civilians out."

"I told you people to stand clear!" Dragon's shout rang out. Things appeared to be escalating.

"Teagan, could you make sure no one... And I mean NO ONE approaches that turtle." She squared the firefighter with a steely gaze.

"I'm on it." Teagan assured and turned to run towards the snapper, but was halted by fingers clasping her wrist. She looked back a question in her eyes.

"Be careful." Regan's voice was barely a whisper. "That thing is unpredictable. Even if it looks peaceful."

Teagan nodded and the PART officer released her. She started slowly trotting towards the snapper, gently but decisively turning people away from it. Dissuading the more curious looking and making them go the other way.

"Please, folks, step back and keep a safe distance. This is not your neighbor's dog." She kept a close eye on the ginormous turtle, which was still eating its park bench peacefully. She heard sirens in the distance. Good. We can use the help. She thought as she kept the more curious at bay.

Kenny's phone rang. "Sup buddy?" she asked, waving at the others to be silent.

Maria was at work. Ernie and Hannah were otherwise occupied in one of the rooms. Kenny, Garfield, Vince, and David sat around a table. They were playing Cards against Humanity. Seriously: after they'd all almost died, been shot at and had a generally horrible time, life just kept on ticking like normal.

"WHAT?" Kenny screeched, jumping to her feet in a frenzy. "Yo, that's crazy. Wish I was best buddies with a celebrity like Dragon Heart." She covered the microphone as if to block out her words, and mouthed Maria at the rest of them. "Giant...giant turtle?" You kidding?" As if on cue, the voice hit his mind like a truck. Snapper...

"Did you guys hear that?" he asked.

"Hear what?" asked Garfield, sliding a card to Vince; Vince was judge this round. "Hear how I'm about to win that card? How I'm about to crush y'all like little...bitches?"

"No, like--" David stopped. "Nevermind. What Kenny said."

"Guys there's a fucking giant turtle hanging out downtown right now and if we hurry we can catch it--" Kenny said, all in one breath. "--so get your shoes on and David go to sleep so you can do your phantom thing okay cool." She threw a bottle of something over her shoulder while she rushed to the doormat.

A bottle of sleeping pills fell into his lap. "Oh. This can't be healthy," he murmured. He took the pills anyway, downing one with a gulp. It got caught in his throat, so he staggered over to the sink and swallowed again with water.

"I hate pills," he mumbled. Kenny was already gone, with Garfield halfway out the door. Vince was going a little bit slower, which was ironic for being a speedy Epic.

Vince laughed. "That was actually pretty funny. The mighty Phantom, brought down by a pill. There's some irony there for sure. "He was gone before David could bite out a retort.

---

To say that the...snapper was weird was an understatement. It had a glassy shell with many reflecting surfaces, It was the size of a tank, and it seemed utterly unconcerned with the world around it. David almost felt sorry for the thing.

He felt less sorry about the two brothers duking it out in the street nearby. Jesus, did these guys ever stop arguing? They literally tore down two city blocks a few days back. He'd been there, watching. This was why he didn't like Dragon Heart. Or the other guy.

Kenny, Vince, Garfield and Maria had met him at the place. David had decided to take the form of his dad. He didn't like looking like himself, but he didn't want to draw attention to himself yet. Kenny had looked at him weird when he showed up, but said nothing. "These guys are just two arrogant bitches, aren't they?" David said.

"Dragon Heart isn't a bad guy," Maria said, watching with the rest of them from an open window across the street,a few stories up. David had flown in and unlocked the door from the inside. "We're old friends. Try having that for a brother and see how you handle it."

"Betcha fifty bucks I can hit that energy whip dude with a stapler," Kenny said.

"Dragon's a good guy," Maria continued. "Bit lovey-dovey right now, but he'd never actively hurt an innocent."

"Betcha you can't," Garfield said in return. "But I bet Vince can hit him with this shakeweight." He tossed Vince the sexualized exercise tool.

"Bet. Get ready to lose that money, dude." Maria tried to continue, but the others had taken control of the situation. With a grunt, Kenny hurled a stapler out the window. Given her particular abilities, it was almost assured to hit her mark. The shakeweight followed close behind, wobbling back and forth through the air.

They all hid except for David, who faded to invisibility to watch the results of their madness.

Might be late, snapping turtle in central. I'm going over to make sure nothing happens.

He looked at the text he was about to send with more than a little incredulity. The movie was in about half an hour, but he still sent the message.

Epic City was, most of the time, a rich tapestry. You had all these heroes running around, all these stories of all kinds. But every once in a while you got these snapping turtles emerging who just wanted to snack on the trees and the benches. There were reports of harpies in other parts of the city but Alto probably wouldn't reach them in time to do anything.

He had to say though, the turtle was pretty damn zen over there. Lightning going on in the background and all that but it just kept going at its own pace. Dragon said something about clearing off to most of the people there. It probably wasn't a good idea to intrude on him either.

"Well, not like keeping watch is a bad thing..." He said.

@RoflsMazoy@Mercenary Lord@ihinka

---

The turtle was, surprisingly, seemingly peaceful. Several trees and benches were now gone, but so far no one had been hurt. How long would that last, however?

Apparently not very long, as a stapler landed square on Blacklights head.

A whip of darkness barely blocked the lightning, reaching out to spear Dragon in the right shoulder. Another three whipped out wildly, coming dangerously close to the bystanders.

"Fuck it, Blacklight, I'm over here!"

"Fuck you, Hunter!" Blacklight yelled. He was dangerously close to a frenzy. " AND WHEN I FIND THE FUCKER WHO THREW STUFF AT ME, I WILL DROWN YOU ON YOUR OWN BLOOD! "

A whip went wide, knocking a man flying into the Snapper....

.... Which promptly roared something awful, smoke billowing out of it's nostrils and it snapped the poor bystander clean in half.

Finch

Arriving, there wasn't much initially to work at. Just a giant Snapper eating a park bench, though that was admittedly impressive in its own right. As a criminal he didn't interact much with monsters and the like, since those tended to serve as useful distractions for people with actual power which meant he could do his own thing in the meanwhile without opposition. As his most recent heist showed. As a result, this was a bit of a novel experience for him, and he appreciated the opportunity to enjoy it without something trying to kill him in the meanwhile.

Then things started going downhill. He had noticed the presence of the Epic of course, but hadn't considered it a problem with the circumstances at hand. That rapidly became a problem though as a fight broke out between him and another, in an event that tugged at Finch's memory. This was really familiar, he just couldn't place it at the moment. Well, he was distracted so it was fair.

When the energy blasts started flying it made sense, and he resisted the urge to smack his forehead. Oh yeah, it was those two. He'd never seen it in person, but this sort of thing wasn't the most widely kept secret on the entire island. The bigger problem was that if they were throwing down then it was all too likely that they would hit the Snapper in the process, and then things would go straight to hell. Something Dragon Heart seemed to recognize.

With a sigh he reached into his pocket, pulling out some glass bundles and using his power to turn them into a baton of sorts. "Alright, you heard the guy who can fire lasers, back it up," he called, joining in with law enforcement to some extent. Still, at least there wasn't panic yet.

Then some idiot decided to harass the fighters, which in turn caused one of them to attack and throw a guy at the Snapper. Needless to say things did not end too well for that guy. "God damn it," he muttered as he decided to become a bit more forceful in removing the crowd. If only because the closer the crowd was, the closer he was too. "Everyone who doesn't want to end up like that guy, please move it! Now!"

@Override @Banana @Feisty-Pants @Regitnui

---

Alex nodded in satisfaction as both the Freak and another random Epic started getting involved.

But something was off. They weren't acting like a normal Harpy attack....

Damnit, she needed Rox. But where in the hell was the woman?

Oh.

Alex slapped her forehead, running back into the Cafe to find Rox having an episode.

Leaning down Alex placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Rox, I need you. Something is seriously wrong, and I'm powerless. I can't do anything about the problem, " Alex repeated.

Guilt scoffed. So her punishment was to sit through more of the man's melodramatic ramblings? "My task is to protect innocents. And I will work night and day to protect the innocent people of this city from harm. I will slay any beast that invades it, and any Epic or Freak who dares disturb the peace. Whether it aids you or not, I will continue to serve the mission I was given." Guilt looked around the box she had been locked in. "How about this. Prove to me that you're more than talk with this chatter of saving the city. It would be easy for you to locate and annihilate the Kryptonites. Those people have been killing innocents across the city for their insane ideology. If you are even nearly as interested as you claim to be in the welfare of your citizens, then deal with them. With the Kryptonites gone this city will be a far safer place."

Of course, there was no way the Island would grant this request. If the High had any intention of cleaning up Epic City then they would have done so a long time ago, instead of allowing crime to run rampant in the streets. Whatever goals or plans they had did not include enforcing Epic City's laws, or at least not personally. "So? Either prove your offer is a serious one, or let me go. If you have the time to hold me here then you have the time to fix this city. But I have no patience for people who refuse to act on their statements." Crossing her arms Guilt waited for what would happen, uncertain of what to expect.

Anomaly continued her run towards the Snapper's location, and she only picked up the pace as a guy ran past her shouting "THAT TURTLE JUST ATE SOMEBODY! OH MY GOD!"

"Ohhhh no." Well, there went any notes of it being peaceful, as Dragon Heart and Blacklight now set that thing off with their petty fight. Fuck dealing with these harpies, Anomaly had more pressing matters to deal with, like getting the children away from where they could get hurt at the hands of the Epics that were fighting and the Snapper that was starting to eat people.

Anomaly ran into the crowd and pulled out a pair of siblings with her psychic hands, the mother following behind as she panicked at what Anomaly was doing. "What are you doing with my kids?!" "Ma'am, I'm trying to get your kids out of harms way. If I were you, I'd take them into the cafe nearby if you still want to watch the fight." "What danger could there be? Dragon Heart is out there!" "Please ma'am. Right now, that Snapper could come over here and... well... do the same to you as it did to that man." The mother hesitated before grabbing her kids and pulling them towards the nearby coffee shop. "A-alright! Who are you?" "Anomaly. Hurry, get your kids out of here!" The mother nodded as she finally picked up her kids, one in each arm, and she ran towards the cafe.

Anomaly watched the mother, and while the mother couldn't see it, a smile appeared on Anomaly's face. If this is what it felt like to help people, she was more than happy to do it. Speaking of helping people, Anomaly continued to try and gather more people in efforts to get them to a safer distance. Kids were the first priority, though.

Devilstrider got himself tangled with a Harpy, bird knocked him to the ground and was doing its damdest to scratch his eyes out, screeching and clawing. He let it because he simply started draining it and his wounds healed over immediately. As the Harpy tired, Devilstrider gripped its neck in one hand, standing up and squeezing harder he twisted his hand sharply, snapping its neck and tossing it to the side.

A shield of Aura burst forth in front of him in a rectangular shape just as a Harpy slammed into it. Devil blasted the Harpy, sending it crashing into the ground. He blasted it again, directly in the head and it did not move. He snarled and threw up another shield, spherical now, keeping several more Harpies at bay as he blasted them to the ground, drained them and tore them apart, their scattered limbs and blood littering the street.

"Some help would probably be nice." Devilstrider said.

Damn, he hadn't been able to react to that one. Hopefully the bystander didn't have any family, but the chances of that were depressingly low. To make sure that wouldn't happen again, he needed to act fast.

"Everyone, get down..." He said. They were mostly running away already, but for the sake of making it known he was trying something it was probably had to be said.

He tugged on his bandages and they came loose. Under that he also had his silver necklace for added security. He stowed them both in his pockets as he walked towards the raging turtle. The Vice Claw flared to life, and the turtle took notice. Just to make sure it wouldn't get distracted, Alto shot a blast of fire towards its eyes. Judging by the smoke coming out of its mouth the fire itself probably wouldn't actually do anything. Sudden bright lights and the sensation of fire probably would though.

The turtle roared and charged at Alto. He didn't know turtles could roar, although he couldn't really think of another sound it would make, and he didn't know it could charge but he'd been expecting something like that to begin with. He put his arm out in front, goading the turtle to come and bite down on it. Alto jumped backwards as it came close, then rotated its head to bite him.

It was close, but the turtle missed its main target. Instead, it clamped down on Alto's arm. It looked understandably confused as it failed to bite through what appeared to be a puny human appendage. It looked even more confused as the Vice Claw expanded in its mouth and flames started coming out of its mouth. Alto slowly started to lift the turtle into the air with just the Vice Claw, making it grow longer and longer until the turtle was well clear of the ground.

"Anybody know what to do with this thing? I don't think fire's going to kill it that easily." He said to the crowd behind

As everyone was dealing with snappers and harpies a distant figure riding a motorcycle could be seen approaching at a rapid pace. As the figure got closer one could make out the figure wearing a cowboy hat and duster, also he was not slowing down at all. It was only a few seconds as he screeched to a halt, civilians moving out of the way in a hurry so as not to be ran over. "Howdy partners, I heard y'all got a varmint problem?" Ace asked with a smile as he put down his kickstand and got off his motorcycle. Suddenly he heard a scream as one of the Epics knocked a bystander into the giant turtle which promptly killed them. "Ya know what? I think I was mistaken, this problem is a human one."

One of the other Freaks nearby had the turtle problem pretty solved as he lifted the beast up with a mighty hand of flame, so it was up to the sheriff to take care of "Mr. I Like To Knock Folks Into Dangerous Varmints". Ace raised his hand to the sky and fired once to get everyone's attention. "Alright you low life scum! I don't know what your quarrel is with each other, but if you keep bringing these poor innocent folk into your mess I'm gonna shoot both of you! Now either you get the hell out of here or you help kill this nasty varmint!"

Edward was walking toward Central Park when the High Clairvoyant warned of the Snapper in the park. Edward quickly donned the guise of Magus and headed to the Park. By the time he arrived, several things had already happened. First of all, Dragon Heart and Blacklight were fighting. Again.

Secondly, someone had angered the turtle as evidenced by the fact that it was not peacefully grazing as the snappers tended to do. Instead, one of the Freaks who worked with the Emergency Response and Search and Rescue teams had placed his arm in the turtle's mouth, then proceeded to grow the arm large enough to actually lift the turtle off the ground.

Thirdly, ECPD and a few other Epics seemed to be effectively keeping civilians out of danger. It would appear he was not currently needed, but he would observe and intervene if the need did arise. Then he looked back at the people ushering the crowd away. One of the people, wielding a glass baton, looked familiar. He hadn't gotten a good look at the man the first time they had met, but it was good enough that Magus recognized him now. He approached the glass manipulator, ushering people away as he went. "We meet again," he said when he was just feet away from his adversary.

Roxana whimpered as Alex found her under the table. "Too much, too much, too much," she repeated, rocking back and forth. Only now did she feslt like she was getting herself back together. Forcing herself to stop and breathe, Roxana looked up at her friend. "It's too open," she managed, uncurling herself. "Too much sky."

---

This was supposed to be a good day. Talk to old friends, go shopping, cook a nice dinner for a gorgeous woman, and maybe do a little heroism on the side. Instead, his brother started ruining everything, like he always did. First killing a bystander and now this... Cowboy kid.

He ran up to the cowboy, grabbed him with an apologetic, "Not now," and bodily threw him towards the crowd. Having removed the main distraction and satisfied everyone else could handle the snapper, he set himself the age-old task of getting his brother back into line. Cracking his knuckles, he turned back just in time to see a thin, wobbly barbell tumble slowly through the air and crack into Blacklight's nose.

Taking a brief glance up, in case it fell from a plane, Dragon took advantage of the distraction and got a hand against Blacklight's cheek, shoving him bodily to the ground and holding him there like a disobedient puppy. "Now are you going to listen and behave yourself or am I going to have to take you to ECPD myself, Jace?"

Devilstrider snapped another Harpies neck and tossed it to the side. It had become chorelike work, something you did without really thinking too much about it. Instead his thoughts wandered and he started wondering why these Harpies were suddenly violent. They were basically stupid overgrown birds, it wasn't normal. So he started following the direction the Harpies seemed to come from when they first appeared. He had no real idea what he would find, but maybe if he just looked around, he'd find it.

Several other Harpies attacked him, but he dispatched them quickly, methodically. As usual he also fought down his rage that seemed to be on a low boil at the moment. He was no longer muttering which was definitely a good thing.

@Regitnui

---

---

Alex rubbed Roxana between the shoulders, humming lightly. "It won't be so open in your suit protecting everyone and dealing with the threat. You'd be up in that building, where I can't go. Not in the big open sky," she murmured, her voice slightly strained.

---

---

Backlight gaped. "I know I know I know I know I know I know," he rambled, the words all flowing together and barely being understandable. He grabbed Dragon's wrist, firmly kicking him in the family jewels at the same time, and wiggled out from under the grasp. A whip took hold of Dragon at the neck, which he promptly removed. But it was a distraction from the whip encircling his hand that had been on Blacklight's face, which forcefully broke the index finger while Blacklight began backing away.

He stood up, a cold smile on his face.

A small tree was nearby, barely the same size as Blacklight. Several whips came around it, and flung it straight into the Snapper.

"I'll find her, Hunter. I know. It's the only explanation. The only solace you could have found in this damned world of mine. I know," he said religiously as he left earshot, effectively escaping as the Snapper became the top priority.

The Snapper, meanwhile, was practically burping up flames. Flames came out around the Claw in bursts, much more along the lines of bubbles than normal flames, as it began to fight against the Claw to return to the ground, properly enraged.

As Devilstrider followed the Harpies, he realised after some distance that they were coming from atop a Skyscraper. He looked up and thought for a moment. Getting up there wasn't exacly easy. He did not possess flight. He did, however, have considerable strength and speed. Taking a step back, he rubbed at his ring. He was always nervous when he did this. He infused and sped forward, jumping and continuing his speed, it carried him up the building. Within a few seconds he was on top of it.

Well. He was here. Time to figure out what was up.

---

---

Steve figured he just had to sit this one out. Events like this happened fairly often and the inhabitants of EC had gotten used to it. Though deadly, most villains or monsters were too distracted by the heroes who were taking them on, to be concerned about regular civilians. If he would stay low in the shadow behind this dumpster, no harm was going to befall him. In situations like this he had often feared it to be his duty to help others and use his giant size. But he was way more comfortable not being in the picture and having lesser responibility as a disabled person. Luckily there were so many people like his friend Robert, who wanted to be a hero. They were almost fighting amongst each other for who could be the most badass hero. The most famous or the most useful. Steve assumed there were more than enough people handling these situations. And his help would probably not even be appreciated.



Seconds after he had hit send, he heard a cat's meow coming from his bag. More specifically, from the pocket of Robs pants that he was carrying with him. He hit his forehead with his flat hand. That was dumb.

And dumb it was. However faint the sound, a nearby harpy managed to pick it up and make a little inspection. Steve was putting away his phone when he suddenly felt sharp claws gripping his shoulders. Two of the talons pierces his skin. Before he could react to it, the Harpy had lifted him up in the air, and out of his chair. In a reflex, Steve curled up to a ball, as to not turn giant. As he was lifted higher and higher into the air, he started doubting whether it was the deadly threat of the harpy, or the social anxiety related to his power, that scared him more.

Anomaly

Great. The snapper was now partially breathing fire. Anomaly couldn't really tell if the snapper itself was breathing the fire or if the Epic currently had his giant arm in the turtle's mouth was causing it, but frankly she didn't care. She was more concerned at the fact that there was fire. It unnerved her, but she wasn't too close to it for her to really be bothered. Why did a snapper have to appear today?

She stopped trying to get civilians away, mainly because there were no more children to grab and the two guys at the front of the crowd had it covered for adults. Looks like she really only had one choice... she had to help fight the fire-breathing turtle. This was going to be fun.

Anomaly ran closer to the snapper, but still kept a good distance away. She mainly wanted to be close enough for her ghost hands to actually do things and let her see what they were able to do. She heard the Epic with his hand in the turtle's mouth speak, asking if the crowd had any ideas for how they could get rid of the turtle. Anomaly had a single idea, but it was kind of stupid. "We might be able to Mario 64 this guy, spin him around like Bowser." As stupid of an idea that it sounded like, it was entirely plausible. Anomaly went ahead and tried to hook her hands on the tail of the snapper, making sure to get a good grip. It's tail was strong as shit, and it was a tough grab, but she managed to latch on and keep her grip.

@RoflsMazoy

James and boost sat opposite one another in the Loeb boathouse in a booth of their own, each cradling a glass of water without saying a word, Boost seemed to be humming some soothing melody for himself as he gently swayed along to its rhythm, both wore shades to hide their tired bloodshot eyes. Boosts humming grew louder, and he started to stamp his feet a little as a server popped into view, picking up in enthusiasm as he drew closer, the enthusiasm waned however as the server walked by them to another table. Swiftly he returned to his gentle sounds and movement, picking up with gusto moments later when another server came from the kitchen, bearing two bacon burgers dripping with grease. At this point Boost was in full swing stomping his feet and vocalizing loud and clear a steady rhythm of "Dahdum Dahdum Dahdum..."
James grinned over his glass, taking a quick sip before joining in with his own voice but keeping the movements to a minimum as movements strained his headache, they picked up in speed as the server closed in, placing the meals at their table, they stared her down with eyebrows held high to give a look of wildness.

"Enjoy your meal." Was the quiet and rushed reply from the server, a mixed look of annoyance, confusion and a little bit of amusement painted across her face. She fled quickly with the tray, glancing back briefly only to see the two had now turned to one another chanting ever louder as they locked eyes, each picking up a burger between their hands with a fervent movement, before tearing into them violently with their teeth. Like starved dogs they took their first bites, James dropping the burger to his plate and throwing his arms out to rest atop of his seat behind him, letting his head roll back with them as he savored his first taste, humming with satisfaction. Boost however didn't settle on his first bite, instead opting to go in for another one, and then another one, until his glasses were thrown from his head, his mouth was packed and a stray piece of onion hung from its corner. James swallowed his tasty morsel and rolled his head back down toward his friend, barking a laugh at his mad look, both of them chuckled as James shook his head at the scene.

"I doubt anyone who remembers this tradition works here anymore." James said with a grin.

"Uh knoh, uh knoh." Mumbled Boost through a mouthful of food, doing his best to get it down as he held up a hand to keep James from talking so he could continue. "But traditions must be upheld!" He replied with a finger pointed to the ceiling, finally managing his mouthful.

It was at this moment that all hell broke loose, a snapper had emerged from its usual residence underground, harassing civilians outside. A lot of people broke into a panic, epic and non-epic alike, new bloods rushed for the opportunity to prove themselves, civilians rushed for the nearest cover, Boost shot James a questioning look, to which James shook his head in reply.

"Let the new blood handle it. Just a snapper that's harmless unless some dingus aggravates it." James added with a shrug returning to his burger. His words came to bite him in the ass, as the snapper cut someone clean in half, getting pissed off at something. Good job mate, couldn't just do your job and evacuate. Wow, that was a bit heartless. James chewed on his last bite and stood with a guilty sigh, pulling his shirt over his head.

"Boost. Hit me." He stated simply, tossing the black tee on a seat behind him. His friend turned away from the sick display that had somewhat engrossed him, taking a moment to register what was asked, with a grin Boost shot to his feet rubbing his hands together. He began to rub them with increasing speed til a soft orange glow enveloped them, taking a moment to admire his work, Boost promptly set his hands upon Stark, his forearms jolting slightly as the light transferred from them and sunk into the flesh of his friend.

James pupils grew large, and he inhaled the fresh air like he had been deprived of it all his life, he felt good, he felt strong, he felt alive. Rolling his shoulders he walked out into the scene, surveying the situation, Dragon did battle with Blacklight, Stark grimaced at the thought, past experiences had taught him better about trying to get involved with those two. Instead he turned his gaze to the Snapper, the beast spewed forth a deadly deluge of flaming fun in every direction, a major threat to the civilians still fleeing the scene. Someone needs to goomba stomp that fucking thing.

"Good job kid!" He shouted to the one now struggling to hold the snapper aloft, commending his efforts thus far. "Now try to get that beasts mouth shut if you can!" He added as some parting advice as he moved on toward some trapped civilians, all cowering behind a car as fire rained down around them. He broke into a sprint, sidestepping what flames he could, biting into his cheek when tongues of flame leaped up to graze his naked sides. He slid behind the cover of the car, cramming up behind it with those he was going to save.

"With me!" He barked authoritatively, steadily flipping the car onto its side with both hands, he gave them a quick glance to make sure they were on the same wavelength, the few nervous nods were enough assurance for him. Getting a grip on the undercarriage of the vehicle, Stark began to lift, using the body of the car as a shield as he slowly walked the group to a safe location. Peering over the rim of his makeshift shield, Stark caught sight of another Epic attempting to aid Alto, giving a small shake of his head at her suggestion, yet grinning at the idea of it.

@RoflsMazoy@Banana

---

---

Quick quick, what should I do?! Slightly panicking, Steve went through his options as the harpy lifted him higher and higher.
1) Grow.
If I grow I can handle the harpy but it won't be able to hold me so we fall.
He looked down. By now the alley was already 6 meters below them. Too high.
2) Do nothing until it's safer.
When is it going to get safer?! It's only taking me higher! Internally he was yelling at himself.
10 meters.
3) Try to fight the harpy while staying small.
Now that is your most terrible idea so far. Either it will hurt me, or it will drop me. Or both.
15 meters.
This is going great.
It was almost as if the harpy was purposely taking him somewhere. Or it was just going to drop him from a height because it was just a sadistic creature.
Wouldn't it have dropped me already then? Desperately he tried to remember, what he had seen on a card before. The very same trading card game that Robert had been so enthousiastic about earlier today, had a monster set with mutated creatures that had been fought in the past, or that were otherwise spotted in EC and around the world. Everyone knew about the swarm rats, but Steve was sure he had seen a picture of the creature that was taking him before. come on Steve! What useful information is hidden in your memory?
20 meters.
Before his minds eye he vaguely saw the card. As if he was focusing a lens on it. "Harpies!" he said out loud. They are called harpies.
...
Well that was useful.
25 meters.
Steve was already realising his big mistake of not growing when it was only 6 meters, because ofcourse a fall of 6 meters would be nothing for a 20 meters tall giant. But before he could continue beating himself up mentally over that mistake, he spotted another option.
30 meters.
They were quickly nearing the roof of the building next to them. If the harpy would just not drop him for another ten meters, everything would be fine.
35 meters.
He prepared himself to reach for the building once the harpy was going to feel his weight growing and would decide to let him go.
40. meters.
Just a little further.
42.
Go!
As they emerged from the alley and into the open sky, Steve stretched his legs. Immedeately he started growing very rapidly. They harpy only took him a couple more meters before realizing he wasn't able to lift this weight. It let go.
45 meters above the ground, little Steve grew into giant Steve.
He started falling while his growing arms reached for the edge of the building's rooftop.
43 meters.
just a little further.
41.
Crap crap crap!
38.
Shitfuck!
35.
GOT IT!
At the very last moment Steve's growing arms had reached the building. He clung with all his might, praying that the building would be able to hold him.