"My name is Evangeline, you may call me Eva. My chosen hero name is Dahlia. I admire your bravery, Alchemist. I shall help you win this so we can get pizza. The best food there is."Rupa blushed as she was complimented, clearly unused to people thinking highly of her. She didn't consider herself brave - she had nightmares almost every day, and was constantly looking up her family's movements online. The last time she was called brave was after turning a dude's stomach into cesium and watching him explode, and that was probably just because the guards cleaning the mess were thankful she didn't cry about it.
"Well, we don't want to lose them now, do we? Let's see if there's anything we can find here first. Come on, everyone. This is a team effort."Rupa clenched her fists and pumped them in the air, jumping around like a small dog about to go for a walk.
"HELL YEAH!!! Eva and Rupa, we're like Apollo Creed and Rocky!!! But we skip the hating each other part, hopefully! We are so gonna crush this bitch! What kind of pizza are you gonna get when we win? I was gonna get mushrooms, but if we invite the mushroom guy that'd probably be rude... Maybe bell peppers? What do you think, is it-"Rupa continued to ramble as the pair walked away, more focused on the fact that she had someone to talk to rather than whatever she was actually saying. Stray was already racing away, following after the coin he animated. Rupa thought that was cheating, but that was probably just because her powers weren't geared towards reconnaissance. If powers were allowed, maybe she could just turn his pyramids into mercury when he gets back? Then she wins by default!
Genius plan. God, she's so smart. It was unfortunate that she'd have to settle for Mr. Powers phone number, but Rupa already had a few pranks in mind - asking if his refrigerator was running, for example, or pretending she was an ICOSA member waiting for him in a meeting. The hacker girl followed after him by possessing some kind of robot doll, flying in the same direction as the coin.
Plus, maybe Eva would want to go to Surfshack Tito's and help her finish off the loyalty card!
Rupa considered just following them and trying to take any Pyramids they found, but they'd probably come up with a counter to that pretty quick... Better to just be a sore loser if they win and destroy their pyramids, that wasn't petty or anything.
"Damn, I'm not finding anything... How the hell are the others so good at this!?"Barely a few minutes passed before Rupa grew frustrated. Turns out, someone with her personality was not very detail-oriented or perceptive. Who knew? Before she could complain too much, Eva noticed something and quickly went to the nearby commotion, Rupa following shortly behind her.
Two men were carrying an unconscious Ms. Duff - one was unnaturally pale, like that one guy from The Davinci Code. He wore a long coat with an upturned collar (not as cool as it looks in The Matrix...), and Rupa could see the knife sheathed at his side. The other man didn't even look human, more resembling mushroom guy than anyone here. He stood tall, with purplish skin that would have resembled a giant bruise if it wasn't nearly translucent. Tendrils spread from his back, and Rupa could almost see how his skin sopped with moisture, as if he just climbed out of the water or something.
They were bad guys! And that wasn't an assumption thing cause they were weird-looking, it's a fact! No other reason Ms. Duff would be unconscious-
Ms. Duff. Rupa didn't know why these guys were here, but her first thought was kidnapping. The Paksha had ransomed DHARMA heroes before, so it wouldn't be her first time seeing this. That shit wasn't gonna fly here. Ms. Duff was nice! Nicer than most people.
Rupa unslung her bag and started rummaging around as the other heroes talked to the villains, thankful for the distraction. She was quickly strapping on boxing gloves, a light metallic squeak coming from them as her power refined them into solid steel. She measured them at around 15 kg each in previous experiments, but to her, they were light as a feather. Punching through a brick wall was easy with these things, and neither of these guys looked like brick walls.
Aim for the limbs, incapacitate, retrieve captive. Just wait for an opening.
...
...Why was everyone still talking? The heroes seemed to be trying to intimidate the villains into surrendering, though Rupa doubted it would work. If someone saw the difference in numbers that was at play here and still wanted to pick a fight, they were either incredibly strong, incredibly stupid, or incredibly desperate - and in any of those cases, talking wouldn't change anything. Back in India, at least two people would be disemboweled or bleeding out by now.
It's probably a good thing, then. Killing people is wrong! Maiming them, however, that was fair game.
Finally, there was action - a greyish-green arm shot from the ground, latching onto the albino man's leg with an intense grip. The Mushroom Man came in for the win, fuck yeah!
Rupa got ready to dash forward - a strike to the jellyfish man and he'd probably rupture, then she could bash in the Albino's skull- no, bad, no killing, break his legs, break his legs instead...
She hesitated for a brief second, but that was enough. The Jellyfish man released a burst of crackling electricity, blinding Rupa and the others long enough for the Albino to escape Mushroom Man's grip. Teleportation of some kind? Couldn't have been super speed.
He stood behind Eva, a switchblade to her throat as he made his demands. He wanted to take her as insurance while he did whatever he was sent here to do.
Couldn't be trusted. Paksha have done the same thing in the past - the heroes are always killed, no matter what. Better to take the risk, he's so close, Rupa could bat away the arm restraining Eva, he's not stopping Rupa's fist. Or skip that and just cave his skull in with a good straight, put that fucker on the mat like Drago.
They were still arguing for surrender. This guy could teleport, why would he surrender instead of just running? Rupa shook her head. She wasn't that smart, she didn't get how things work around here - it's not her place to question the professionals. But she didn't buy for a second that these guys would go along quietly.
Rupa grew impatient in the couple dozen seconds of conversation. Her power was already soaking the area around her feet, leaving metallic footprints in the dirt as she paced in a small circle. Gold, Copper, Magnesium, Titanium, Steel, Bismuth - like an art exhibit, the different colors intersected and overlapped with each pass she made. Small objects on the ground nearby were overtaken by the slowly encroaching metal, until everything within 2-3 feet of Rupa was coated in a metallic sheen.
Maybe 10 minutes at most since the orientation started. She had gone from an excited puppy to a hungry wolf in less than 10 minutes. If Rupa wasn't so focused on the upcoming fight, she'd be questioning the personality change. Or rather, why it happened so much faster than usual.
Another monster crashed on the scene - a massive centipede, with chitinous plates and bony legs sprouting from every angle. Exposed muscle and hanging bits of flesh and viscera tense with each movement, as if it was straining to hold itself still rather than leap to kill. Eyes and mouths were haphazardly opening and closing across its monstrous form, and it seemed to screech out in a monstrous voice. Again, calling for peace. Surrender.
Fuck that.
Everyone was shocked and looking straight at the monster. Of course they were, it was terrifying. But this was as good an opportunity as any. Rupa dashed towards Albino, closing the distance in a heartbeat - thank god she and Eva were partnered up and were already close. Going for Jellyfish instead could have risked the hostage's life.
"Shininglikeashootingstar,theRocky4 -fuck it, EAT SHIT, CRIME!!!"A jab, aimed at his shoulder. The arm holding the blade. 15 kilograms of metal thrown at the same speed as a bare-knuckle punch. If this guy's power didn't enhance his durability, which Rupa doubted considering he teleported out of Mushroom Man's grasp, then it would easily shatter his entire arm. Possibly tear it off, even. He could either keep his grip on Eva and sacrifice the arm to kill her, dodge and fall prone where she could stomp on him, or teleport away again and let Eva go as the punch swings through open air. Hopefully, he would pick the latter.
The possibility he wouldn't was the only reason she didn't aim for the head.