♖ Jack of Spades ♠ Making Friends ♖
What an excellent day this was shaping up to be. An incident big enough for the High themselves to get involved. Chaos all across the city. And practically every hero in the city was distracted. It was like Christmas for Criminals. With all the attention these intruders were attracting, you could get away with practically anything. So it was no wonder that a small group of criminals has seized this opportunity with both hands, and were gunning for one of the largest banks in Epic City. With even the High distracted, at least for the moment, who was going to stop them? Who was even going to notice? Well, he was, obviously. Being a curious soul, he had devised a number of ways to gain information, and his sources were... very reliable.
Normally, a group of thugs wouldn't attract the Jack's attention, but to even attempt this heist indicated competence. Or at least ambition. And that was something Nikitovich could appreciate. The air was rife with the sweet scent of opportunity. It was a shame for such ambitious gentlemen to remain petty criminals. So he would have to go... make them an offer. With Epsilon currently deployed, he would have to go do it in person, but it was good to go out yourself every once in a while.
Clad in a fine midnight blue suit, the Jack of Spades made his way through the streets, a gaudy but expensive cloak flapping in the wind behind him. A simple white mask obscured his face, he wouldn't like his identity to become common knowledge. In his hand he held a long black cane, topped with a golden lion's head. Of course, more eye catching than his overblown attire was his overblown armament. Two M2 Browning machine guns floated gently behind him, their barrels moving together with the Jack's gaze. Each floated above a shoulder, and seemed to survey it's own surroundings. Powered by his own Networks, these weapons were capable of being aimed and fired by nothing more than a whim. They could even automatically lock on to targets within 10m and had a 'free roaming' mode. Indeed everything the Jack wore was adorned with his runic powers, turning ordinary attire into armour of the highest quality. Of course, if everything went well, there would be no need to demonstrate the preparations he had made.
Silently, he moved into the building. With a nod and a wave he made his way past the scared civilian, marching into the midst of the armed robbery as if it was the most natural thing in the world. If nothing else the 1.5m machine guns prevented anyone from firing at him as he walked into this place. With a glance, he inspected the criminals present, even as he had a pile of weapons pointed into his face. Animal masks. Not entirely his style, but functional. "It's such a nice day, there's no reason to ruin it by drawing blood. Greetings, my criminal friends. I am the Jack of Spades." Nikitovich bowed at the assembled criminals, a show of empty politeness. "I was simply in the area, when I noticed your little.... endeavour. I don't suppose you'd be interested in cooperation." Despite being outnumbered, the Jack was calm and confident. His voice oozed confidence. It was quite intentional. People automatically hesitated to attack someone who sounded confident. Especially in a world of superpowered madmen.
♙ Epsilon Team ♠ Hello World ♙
Shouting people stream through the streets. A fight between Epics does not go unnoticed, especially this many. Police are hesitant to approach the scene, those without power or with minor abilities flee. Not too long ago, Emblem would have been one of those people. Running from the danger, from things he couldn't possibly fight or influence. From up here they all looked like ants. Ants, caught in a battle between dinosaurs. But now it was different. No, more importantly, HE was different. Grinning, Emblem surveyed the scene from up above. He could feel the cold air on his skin. It got chilly up here, but the armour managed to keep him fairly warm. He liked being in the sky. It made him feel bigger than he really was. From up here, everyone on the ground looked equal. Except him, of course. Here he could pretend he was king of the world, that he owned all he surveyed.
[
krrr.... Dusk reporting in. Emblem, are you there? We've arrived at the scene, and are moving in.]
Ah, what a pain. But he wasn't really bothered. This was his chance, after all. His chance to show off his face to the world, to show them the face of a hero. He would stop being some nobody and become EMBLEM, leader of Team Epsilon. Grinning, he swooped down, picking up speed as he went. This used to terrify him, but he was used to it now. It was exhilarating, feeling the g-forces working on his body. His red and gold costume picked up the light, a red cape flutter behind him. Wind racing past his face, his smile grew wider as he dropped to the ground in freefall, before elegantly pulling up.
"It seems that criminals get younger every year. What a shame. Personally, I blame smartphones." Beaming, Emblem slowly lowered himself to the ground while facing the two teenage villains. His cape fluttered heroically. There was no wind to allow such a thing, it just did that. Apparently it was a side effect of his power. It certainly fit. He could only imagine them shaking in their boots. He might not even have to fight them!
"Emblem! Man, you sure took your time! How come you can fly, but you're still always late?" A redheaded girl appeared from behind a nearby corner, where she'd apparently been waiting. Her costume was composed of a white spandex suit, with lines of sparkling neon orange. Two black gas tanks were strapped to her back, with long tubes leading to her wrists. Her cuffs were made of flammable material, and had been set on fire beforehand, a flashy fashion accessory only made possible by her own resistance to heat. She struck a pose while flashing a grin at the bad guys, just like she'd been practising. Just keep smiling, and make quips. That's what Nikitovich had told her to do. She was supposed to make an impression, like showing off an album for a singer. Of course, in reality she was terrified, although probably for all the wrong reasons.
What if she got the pose wrong? Her hair was fine, right? Did she hook up the tanks right? The guy back at base had looked it over but even so he might have missed something. Maybe it'd fall off, it could fall off at any moment! And was the outfit all right, even if it wasn't going to fall apart? Was the outfit too tight? Was it not tight enough? Worries wormed their way through her thoughts, even as she put on a mask of confidence. Fake it till you make it. She hold out both her hands and pressed the trigger in her palm. Gas released, and her abilities set it on fire. A plume of blue flame shot out, before hovering and twisting in the air. This gas was designed to keep on burning for a bit, and she used it to form a flaming serpent. It twirled around her like a dragon, directed by her slightest movements.
Emblem glanced over, impressed. He knew she'd been working to perfect that thing for a while now. It looked quite good, but he was determined not to be outdone on his first mission. So he turned towards the two masked girls, his grin not having faltered in the least. "It seems your luck is up, villains. With this many heroes on the scene, you can't really think you still have a chance, do you?" He'd seen more heroes nearby when he'd been up in the air, but he didn't mention them here. After all, he intended to have this whole thing wrapped up before anyone else got involved.
Meanwhile, Dusk screwed a scope onto his rifle. It was a fine specimen, one of the best he'd worked with. Getting your hands on guns in Epic City was relatively easy, but the higher-end stuff had always been too expensive for him. With practised, fluid motions he set up the bipod and took aim at the scene unfolding in the streets below. His vantage point on a nearby rooftop (Emblem had been kind enough to drop him off earlier) allowed him to easily spot all the major players. Some of them he recognised, some he didn't. Certainly the two masked villains were a mystery. Did they wear masks because they were already well-known? Or maybe it was just their 'style'.
In contrast to his teammates, Dusk's attire was simple and practical. A leather jacket, black pants, bulletproof plating. His face was obscured by a bike helmet, with a blackened visor. If anything he looked like a villain, but that was intentional. As far as the public was concerned, he had nothing to do with Team Epsilon. Emblem and Inferno, they were the eye-catchers. The faces of the team. They'd stand out and use their flashy powers to draw attention. Of course they were still fairly dangerous, but they both lacked training. His job wasn't anything so fancy. He lacked the looks, the charm, and the attitude. It was an unfortunate truth, some people are easier on the eyes than others. And while Dusk wasn't particularly ugly, he also didn't really stand out. Besides, his skills were more suited to a subtle approach. He was the behind-the-scenes guy. Nobody would ever know his face, but he didn't mind. In fact, that might be better. As long as the job got done.
Breathing out, he took aim. Supers loved showing off, always have. They'd spend some time fighting, then do something stupid like stand still and chat. Of course this was pretty much exactly what Dusk's teammates were doing, but they had good reason. For these people, it would end up being their downfall. If the Epics present were able to deal with the problem, excellent. It would make for an excellent story. But Epsilon's first outing needed to be a success. So if things took a turn for the worse... well, he had a couple of subtle methods of assisting his teammates, and some less subtle ones. They could have all the power in the world, but most folks were still stopped dead by an armour-piercing round between the eyes.
