[IC] Devious Plots and Evil Minds {Private}

[RedBalloon]

Lacy tipped the remaining whiskey into her mouth before gently placing it back onto the counter. A finger slowly ran along the rim as she listened. She snorted at the thought that Ace and her were dating. "Best friends? I suppose you could say that," she responded. "All that kid ever wants to do is help people, despite how apathic he likes to act. Someone has to keep him from dying and doing reckless sh*t." Now, even though she played it up as a hero, there was a lot of blood on her hands and still some she had to spill. But that's not something she was going to mention.

[1Hawkeyes]

"That's a lot to do for best friends," Adam said, running his fingers through his hair. "Why does he want to help people so much? What made him do that?" Adam asked. He didn't understand why someone without powers would want to help someone so much. Tiger had powers, but Trick didn't. Well, as dar as Adam knew he didn't.

[RedBalloon]

Lacy didn't know how to answer that one. A frown slowly creased her eyebrows. "That's something I can't answer," she stated, shrugging. "My guess would be he saw how f*cked up the world can be and he wanted to do something about it. Honestly, he could do that without the whole hero business if he just found a way to fund his projects, other than gambling." She added the last part under her breath, letting her small annoyance towards the trans boy's addiction peek through her tone. "If you really want to know, ask him yourself," she said, shifting herself and straightening her back.

[1Hawkeyes]

"One person can't change the world on their own," Adam said. "I don't know if I'll ask him. If you don't know I doubt he'll tell me. So what if Trick didn't exist? Would there be a Viper?" This genuinely made him curious. Lacy did seem to be the kind to allow people to get hurt of she could stop it, so why would she only become a hero because of Trick?

[RedBalloon]

Lacy tilted her head back and forth as she thought. "There would still be a Viper but I wouldn't be exactly liked by police or the majority of the power groups," she laughed, glancing towards him. "My father was the original Viper, minus the catsuit. But he wasn't exactly the hero type."

Trick had finally finished with the police and personally talking to the victims of the Puppeteer. He was now walking back home, well his workshop rather. He tugged down the mask that hide his nose and mouth then pushed back his hood of his cape. Letting out a long sigh, he folded his arms behind his head. He liked walking by himself, with no one on the streets. It was calming and quiet, other than the soft click of his metal prosthetics.

[1Hawkeyes]

"So more like an anti hero than a hero?" Adam asked, though he figured he already knew the answer. "Your father was the original Viper? So what happened to him? Actually, you don't have to answer that," he added quickly, buying his tongue. If her dad wasn't Viper anymore he guessed it was because of the worst. "Did you get your powers from your father?"

Agent hid in an alley. The bank problems was a perfect distraction. Her stomach growled rather loudly and she put her hand over it in an attempt to stop it. Her job wasn't giving her any money, it never had, so she moved from the nice metropolis to the lower Gotham-like city. She needed to pay her bills and she needed to eat. The only way to get money quick was to do petty theft. She knew her caliber of villain work was higher than this, but she was hungry and desperate. She heard someone walking and listened until they were just outside the alley. "Here goes nothing," she said and pulled the man into the alley. He was maybe 40 and looked to be well off. Agent threw him on the ground and pulled his collar up, choking him a bit, "I'm going to take your money. If you yell, I'll kill you."

[RedBalloon]

Lacy's eyes flashed from a normal state to that of a snake then back again. Her father was a touchy topic for her. Taking his suggestion, she didn't answer as she poured herself another glass of alcohol. "It's a bit more complicated than just inheriting my abilities from him, but sure," she answered. She picked up the glass and downed the whiskey in one gulp. "What about you? Did you get yours from your parents?"

Trick just happened to be passing by when he heard Agent's words. Frowning, he pulled up his mask then shifted to flying mode. He silently hovered up behind Agent and put a gun up to her head. It wasn't actually lethal, it was loaded with tranquilizers, but no one would know it unless they checked. "Yeah, and if you do either of those then I'm going to have to blow your brains out," he growled, clicking the pin. "Let him go."

[1Hawkeyes]

"Neat," Adam replied, trying to lighten up the mood. He finished off his drink and cracked his neck. "My powers? I'm not sure how they came really. They popped up about seven years ago after and accident in the city. It must've been that but I still don't understand it." He shook his head, "I just hope they don't find a Kryptonite."

"It doesn't matter," Agent said, not losing her tough demeanor, "I'm faster than you. I can kill this man before you pull the trigger. Then what, hero?" Her intentions weren't to kill the man at all, just take his money and get something to eat. Looking into the man's eyes, she saw his fear. She knew he couldn't see her eyes through the white lenses and was glad because he would see a desperate woman. She weighed her options. She didn't want to be shot, but of she didn't get the money she might die of hunger. "Maybe I'll steal from him ans kill him." Her grip on the collar tightened.

[RedBalloon]

Lacy smirked at him. "A crash? Into what, a nuclear waste truck?" She joked, snickering. "And hey, the only way someone can find your weakness is if you let them. But if you want, I can help you begin to understand your powers." Despite her usual dangerous demeanor she retained, it appeared that she genuinely wanted to help him.

Trick rolled his eyes as she spoke, but no one could see it. "You may be faster but I'm smarter," he stated sharply. He used his free hand to throw down a smoke bomb. Taking his opportunity, Trick slammed into Agent and made her release the man. Once he knew the man was free from her grip, he ushered the man to run and so he did. Now it was just Agent and Trick. The smoke cleared and he stood, watching her. "I will never understand why you people do this type of sh*t," he hissed, glaring at her. "I bet you don't even care that you're hurting others. It's honestly pathetic. If you need help, get it. You don't need to hurt others to survive." Trick shook his head before flicking his wrist, like someone would do for a card trick, and two hundred dollar bills appeared in his hand. He held them out towards her. "If it will keep you from stealing tonight, take it," he murmured.

[1Hawkeyes]

Adam let out a hearty laugh, "You're not too far off! The lab wasn't following a few safety standards and my house was targeted by it. The water supplies were contaminated. Some people died, I guess those that didn't survived? Anyway, I drank the bad water and I guess it gave me powers." Adam thought about what he said for a moment and murmured, "Agent popped up around the same time. I don't know where she got the powers, but I'm guessing it could've been the same situation."

Agent's lenses allowed her to see through smoke since smoke was included in her utility belt too, but she didn't expect Trick's slam. Her hand continued to grip the collar, but the shirt tore. She recovered and watched the man leave through the smoke. Damn, there goes dinner, she thought and returned her gaze to Trick. She listened to his words and chuckled, "Well, I guess you've never truly had to survive." He was partially right, in her mind. She didn't qualify for any type of welfare or financial help, considering she was a healthy, young, single, childless adult. She didn't know people she could borrow money from and wasn't sure if she could pay them back anyway. On the other hand, there were soup kitchens and local churches often held food drives. The woman was torn between both her experiences and Trick's words. Was help that easily available? Once offered the money, her heart began to beat rapidly. The couple hundred would ensure food on the table for a couple days and electricity, but after her actions could she really take the money? Her heart tore even more. She was ready to fight this man who so readily gave her money without hesitation, without her asking. "I-I..." Agent stuttered. Her moral compass was mixed up. She was a human in need, but she was also a bad guy. She knew she couldn't take the money offered to her out of the guilt she would feel. It was easy to steal from someone who could be a good or bad person, but it was hard to take what was offered by a good person when you were bad. "I... I won't steal tonight," Agent said, not taking the money. She took a few steps backwards, tripping a bit, twisted around, and ran away, hoping Trick would take her word and leave her alone. Agent was running towards her apartment, which was in a fairly crime ridden area. She hoped Trick didn't think she was going to steal from there instead. She needed to go home and think.

[RedBalloon]

Lacy gave a spurt of musical laughter, brushing a few curls away from her face. "So it was bad water?" She said, looking at him. "I don't think I've heard that one before. It must've been some janky water if it gave you powers." She looked over towards the front door of the bar to see the very muscular and tall bartender with dark skin and dreads. He signaled something his hands, which Lacy just nodded to and pointed towards the back room. The man smiled at her before switching his gaze towards Adam and waved a hello. Then he left the two to go do whatever he had to do.

Trick's face could be seen physically relaxing from behind his goggles and mask. He let his hand drop back to his side while he watched her run away. "Well that went differently than I had expected," he grumbled under his breath. He stepped out of the alleyway and put the money back wherever it came from. Trick could still see Agent's running figure, but he felt he wouldn't need to follow her. Letting out a sigh, he shot into the air and silently flew back to Lacy's bar. It didn't take him but a few minutes to get there. Without evening caring if anyone saw him or not, he walked through the front door while pulling down his mask. "I see you two have been getting along," he stated, seeing Lacy and Adam at the bar counter.

[1Hawkeyes]

"Yeah, I'd say this cat likes water," Adam joked. He was surprised Trick went through the front entrance without his mask, but he didn't point it out. "How did everything go?" He wasn't sure if he should thank him for dealing with the cops. "Thanks, by the way," Adam decided to add in, "for the cops and saving me. My butt would've been a puppet without you two! How do you work so well together?" The question was directed to both, if either would answer it.

[RedBalloon]

Trick clicked over to the bar and seated himself on one of the stools. He yanked off his red-lensed goggles, tempering exposing his hazel eyes, then pulled out glasses with large, owl-like lenses and slipped them on. "It went great," he muttered with a sigh. "And don't mention it."
Lacy smiled at the short, ginger boy. "How do we work together so well?" She repeated, then shrugged. "I have no idea. It comes naturally I suppose." Ace didn't answer, just shrugged as well.

It was late afternoon the day after the whole Puppeteer and Doll battle. Ace was tinkering with a project of his in his workshop. The place was only a few blocks down the road from the Snake's Bite, in a warehouse that he had bought some years ago. The building was full of inventions from large to small with a space specifically reserved for him to work in. Lacy was stretched out on the couch that Ace had off to the side (which he often crashed on when he worked late), reading a book. The only sounds were Ace's tools clicking together as he worked and the soft sound of the police scanners and occasional conversation. Nothing big sadly.

[1Hawkeyes]

The incident with Trick bothered Agent all night long. She didn't regret not taking the money, she regretted trying to steal at all. Now, Agent stood atop a roof with several hostages. These people were randomly targeted- men, women, black, white, brown, whatever. The only people she didn't have were people who appeared to be over the age of 60 and children. She heard a crowd of people forming on the ground and cursed at herself. The cops must have known by now, and that meant heroes. "You are here as a distraction," Agent said to the terrorized victims, "Not my main prize. But," she added, "during any fights I won't hesitate to use you as shields. If you don't want to be a shield, you can give me any money or valuables you have." She tossed a black nylon bag in the center of the hostages. Immediately, people began tossing phones, watches, and cash in the center. When they seemed to be done, she stepped between them and picked the bag up. A man, definitely in his early-20's, grabbed her wrist and tried to pull her down and fight. She twisted around and reversed the grip, his wrist in hers. "That was a mistake." She pulled his wrist towards his thumb and it popped. Everyone gasped, one person even dry-heaving at the sight of the broken wrist. "Anyone else want to play hero?" Agent shouted at the hostages. She tied the bag to her utility belt and looked towards the ground. The police closed off the building and she shook her head. The woman stabbed a metal stick into the ground and tossed the end hook to the next building. She tugged the rope, making sure it was sturdy, and began to prepare the zipline.

Adam was watching the news when he heard about Agent. "Of course," he muttered. His elbow was slightly swollen, but he ignored it and put on the Tiger costume as quickly as he could. He raced to the building, and cops allowed him access to the roof. When he got there, he noticed Agent preparing the zipline. I hope Trick and Viper heard about this, he thought, feeling the pain of his elbow radiate throughout his arm.

[RedBalloon]

Ace looked up when he heard the police scanner calling all of their units to report to attempt to detain Agent and rescue some hostages. He glanced back towards Lacy and she returned his gaze. They both nodded then sprung to their feet.
Viper and Trick arrived to the scene, the snake woman on her silent motorcycle and the ginger from the sky. Trick shot up to where the zipping started on the building. He had his arms as he stared at her with an eyebrow raised. "I'm starting to suspect you don't think your plans through," he said. Viper stayed put on the ground in case any one fell or until she saw she would be needed.

[1Hawkeyes]

"Go ahead and get the hostages out," Agent said, "I have all that I need. With that, Agent hopped onto the line and zipped across to the next building. She didn't plan on hurting all or any of the hostages, so she wanted to bring the fight to another roof. She accepted that she wouldn't be able to outrun them. She landed on the other roof with a thud and left the line.

Tiger hopped onto the line, using the gloves of his costume to prevent burns. He slid across the line until he hit the other roof. "Why do you do this? All you do is hurt others!"

"Does it matter?" Agent asked and shot a kick for Tiger's head. For once he was quick enough to dodge.

[RedBalloon]

Trick watched Agent zipline away, but only for a second before turning towards the hostages. Once again he was left to deal with the civilians. He didn't mind but still. Landing on the roof, he approached the hostages slowly and attempted to assure them that it was going to be ok.

Viper saw Agent zip over to a different roof with Tiger following behind her. She sped over to the building they were on top of before scaling one of the sides swiftly. In almost complete silence, she snuck up behind Agent struck a fist out towards the center of her shoulder blades. "He's right, you know," she hissed. "Leave the harming of others to the professionals." She grinned, swinging out another punch before sliding out of the way to avoid any of her attacks.

[1Hawkeyes]

Agent didn't expect the punch, but out of training she was able to roll forward and avoid the next punch. "Who says I'm not a professional?" she asked, dodging a punch from Tiger and slamming her own fist into the side of his face.

Tiger staggered back a bit from the punch but recovered. "What do you have to gain from hurting people?"

"What do I have to lose?" Agent asked, sending a kick for Tiger's ribs. He caught her leg, but she dropped it down, straining his shoulders. He breathed in sharply to ease the pain.

Agent then turned her attention to Lacy. She had been in many group fights before and has come up on top, but that didn't mean she knew she could this time.

"Hurting people doesn't get you anywhere! Can't you see what you're doing?" Tiger shouted.

[RedBalloon]

Viper crouched down on all fours then sprung forwards, tackling Agent. They flipped a couple of times from the force but when they stopped, Viper was on top. She had a knee pressed against the other's ribs. Her eyes were snake-like and her sharp fangs showed with her snarl. "The only place hurting people gets you is in jail or you die," she hissed. "I suggest you choose wisely."

[1Hawkeyes]

"Death happens to all of us," Agent spat, not appreciating the knew pressing into her ribs. She pulled Viper down so they were now chest-to-chest. Agent used her hips to bridge and push Viper off, reversing the two. Now that she was on top, she shot an elbow to the side of Viper's head. "In the end we all go to the same place!" Agent said, and put both of her fists together. She pulled her arms up and sent her fists to Viper's head, "The ground!"

Tiger saw Agent trying to bring her fists down into Viper's face and pounced. He knocked the woman off and was now on top of her, "You're the only one I see on the ground." He didn't have his claws attached to his gloves, so he simply punches Agent in the cheek. The woman scoffed and lifted her legs up, catching Tiger between her ankles, and pulled him down to his back, allowing her to escape. She stood back up in a generic boxing stance and waited for another attack.

"All you do is cause pain to people who don't deserve it! Maybe these people are struggling, and then you come along and hurt them!" Tiger shouted, getting back up.

"How can you say whether they deserve it or not?" Agent shot back.

"How can you?"

This got the woman thinking for a moment, temporarily putting her guard down.