glowfic | witch's cape, not hat

That afternoon the precog known as Seer, in the course of her usual precogitating, says that it would be a good idea to have the Protectorate ready to respond to a major threat in an unexpected location. Attempts to narrow it down don't seem to help much, but they rule out a few dozen major cities.

The next morning, the healer arrives. She wants to heal Genesis first, as it's likely to be the easier of her two jobs.

Krouse grumbles at this, but it's not like Jess has been waiting any shorter than Noelle has.
There are indeed no complications. Smiles, laughter, and hugs all around (with the obvious exception) until Noelle and Krouse insist on trying the other patient.

This one takes longer. The healer doesn't need skin contact, thankfully, but she starts looking rather strained. "Curses are always tricky. The body doesn't have the usual patterns. I'll manage it eventually."

Time passes. "...Ah, there we are." There is a slurping sound, and Noelle should now be able to feel a pair of legs, still covered in warm flesh. "Wait. I felt the spell pop..." She stares at the still-present mound of body parts. "What in the world..."

Places appears, along with her guard and 'N'. "Shit, too late to warn you. Run! RUN!" 'N' shoves the mound of flesh back with a visible wall of force, somehow managing to tear Noelle free of it at the same time, though probably breaking something in the process. Places' guard picks her up and runs as fast as possible.

The healer is just going to stand there staring in surprised and dismayed confusion.

Edited 2016-01-02 07:22 (UTC)

It's good that the healer was standing there. If she were doing anything more mobile, it would have been harder for Krouse to swap her and Noelle. He catches his girlfriend before she falls, leaving the healer to land on the monster in her place.

Marissa is fast, dodging a limb and moving for the door. Jess can't run, she hasn't had functional legs for years and isn't used to operating these ones. And her chair certainly isn't fast enough. Oliver rushes to help her, but too slow. The monstrosity rolls on top of her and it's all he can do to get away.

N shoves it back again, screaming in pain or anger, then turns to run. The angry-mask guard shakes her head at Krouse. "Jesus. Cold, man, I see why they call you villains. Fuck. P briefed me, evil clones? Since we're about to be in combat: Truce. And my power is short term invulnerability for me and one or two people nearby. A few seconds at a time."

Places adds, "None of us have much endurance. Witches, all three. I think we can get the big guns here, precogs knew something was going down. Need to find a phone."

Edited 2016-01-02 07:32 (UTC)

"Evil clones, if it keeps my power," Noelle says after a short pause. "Kill them on sight." (Marissa optimistically brought clothes for when the healing worked. She and Luke may be trying to hold off the whatever it is, but Noelle's priority is pants. Strategy next.)

"Jess makes projections, animal bodies she controls while sleeping. Clones might have different powers, if so it's usually in a way that makes them more dangerous. How tough are Witches against heat and impacts, we might be in a position to rescue her."

Noelle's ex-body is being held back by random objects accelerated by Luke and having pieces burned off by Marissa. Apparently this is serious enough that property damage stops mattering. But they're avoiding the center of mass out of concern for the hostages, and its appendages regenerate quickly.

"Uh. Impact we're reasonably good against, heat not so much. I'm not touching that thing, though, it's fucking terrifying."

Places grunts. "We need the big guns. Seer said something bad was gonna happen this morning, in an unexpected place, and fast response is the way to cut it off. This is the bad thing."

N glances at her boss, then pipes up, "Wally, I might be able to get them. Protect me for ten seconds. Weird otherworld Witches, I want a ton of money if I save your friend."

Edited 2016-01-02 08:03 (UTC)

The healer is lying top of the wall of flesh, partially covered and sinking in. What the sinking in part implies for Jess, who currently has three tons of monstrosity on top of her, isn't pretty.

Noelle yells, "Ballistic, hit it underneath her! Try to cut her free! N, pull her clear enough and Trickster can switch her out."

N nods. "Okay. Wally, save the protection. I'm ready when you lot are."

Places hands N a piece of jewelry, which... Probably has something to do with their powers.

Ballistic has run out of projectiles with serious mass; it's up to Sundancer to hold it back. He switches to weapons that might penetrate deeper instead, and manages to marginally weaken the flesh below the hostage. Nothing he can safely do will get her farther from it. "Probably as good as I can get, pull her if you can!"

N has been approaching as close as she dared. She makes a sharp hand motion- And the flesh tears, a large section of it coming free and bringing the healer with it. She comes careening toward the exit, along with some incidental debris to serve as more ammo for Ballistic. "Ugh. I'm spent for a few minutes. Mana burn."

Places has apparently found brooms - literal brooms - from somewhere. The four Witches each get one and start flying, though that healer is still mostly just gibbering in shock.

As she has every right to be. Noelle insists that Krouse is responsible for what happens to the Witch after that stunt he pulled, but he couldn't have not done it.

The fight seems to be going their way, the creature hasn't even regrown the damage yet from when it lost the healer. Then it opens one of its mouths, the one attached to a vaguely demonic-canine-shaped outgrowth near its center of mass. It vomits.

Aside from being gross, this is also tactically relevant. Three young women, stir in the middle of the slime, all of them looking like mutated copies of Jess and none of them wearing a stitch. Two of them stay still and close their eyes in the middle of the battlefield. A gelatinous wall materializes, blocking the view to the clones and their creator. Ballistic and Sundancer destroy it quickly, but by then the three Genesises are out of view. Trickster swaps them with their creations whenever he spots one, and Sundancer shows no mercy, but mostly it's screeching taloned monsters or firebreathing dragons appearing from unexpected angles. Only ever two at a time, is the saving grace.

The healer runs for the hills. (Actually, she flies for the local UDF presence.)

Places is relatively used to combat. She has a good sense of tactics, too, and helps set up opportunities for Trickster, Sundancer, and Ballistic while barking out orders to N and Wally, who are both majorly freaked out. She's mostly keeping them out of the way, rather than directing them to hurt the monster-things. The Witches can each carry a person, if they need space between them and the... Thing.

Edited 2016-01-09 07:11 (UTC)

The... Thing hasn't been injured in the last few moments, despite several heavy hitters hitting it heavily.

The third Genesis walks out from behind it. She looks like Jess, if Jess were trapped inside a half-melted mirror, and is also striped black and white. She leaves footprints in the perfectly solid floor. A projectile from Ballistic bounces off her.

"RUN!" Trickster is the first to shout. Clones' powers are usually stronger, but they're usually similar, it's completely unfair for a clone of Genesis to come out as the— "SIBERIAN!"

"FUCK! N, Wally, that striped thing's unstoppable, just keep people away!" Places disappears.

And appears in the New York Protectorate HQ's lobby, directly above the receptionist's desk. She puts her hands on her head, knowing that suddenly appearing is a Threatening Move. To the first uniform, "I'm Places. Need to report a big huge emergency! Giant monster making evil clones! On Earth Gimel, city of Horten."

No one attacks her, and the uniform does seem to be actually paying attention.

"We can't get to Earth Gimel. How many people can you take?"

"Damn I'm already half-spent today. Uh. One now, two in a couple minutes, and either way I'm done for a solid hour after that. I, uh, could find Copycat, heard she's getting better at copying and in-world 'port is cheaper."

The Witches who showed up to investigate all the noise have not been appraised of the threat they're facing. One of them tries to punch the glob of flesh with a glowing hand, and immediately disappears into it.

Edited 2016-01-09 07:33 (UTC)

"Who? If it'll get more people there faster, why not..." The nearest uniform might not actually be the person in a position to make that call.
"If you'll still be able to take people after a round trip, then do it," comes the New York Director's voice. "If not, we'll send who we can now. Copycat might not be able or willing to help immediately."

"I know her. Might have to pay her, but she'll help." Places disappears again.

She is broomless, but that's not a problem with a powerful telekinetic nearby. "Woah, where'd you come from?"

"It's me, Gren! Lytee. Emergency back home, it's bad and they want you to teleport people in. I know you're better at copying, lately. I'll pay you ten thousand dollars on top of whatever the Protectorate gives you, more if that's not much."

"Damn. Here, have some mana."

A shiny is tossed. Places catches it. "Put us in the New York Protectorate building? I'm on mana burn."

They both appear there, Copycat almost radiating power. "I'm helping. Can take ten people if you want me to fight right away, twenty if not."

Edited 2016-01-09 07:55 (UTC)

"Places. What do you know about the monster, who has it cloned and how dangerous are they?"

Capes are arriving, but need to know what they're up against. One of them is Legend.

"It had Genesis, probably a couple of Witches, maybe some more Travelers by now. But one of the Genesis clones became a Siberan instead of another Genesis."

Copycat swears.

Edited 2016-01-09 08:08 (UTC)

"Wards, out. Protectorate only."

Legend interjects after the Director, "Flechette, if Places is right this could be a less dangerous chance to test your power against the Siberian than against the real one." (She volunteers, of course.) "Copycat, as soon as it works or fails, or if Flechette is threatened, teleport out. Eidolon is in Houston, and if there's a risk of multiple Siberians we might need him."

With most of the Wards gone it's a smaller group, but they're ready to go.

Edited 2016-01-09 08:24 (UTC)

"Places, got a map? And what intersection?"

A map is produced. "Eleventh and Blue, maybe."

"Alright. Hold on everyone." She looks at the map. She raises her arms. There is a slight tingling sensation for a few seconds.

And they're outside in sunny not-California. The monster is fairly obviously thataway, what with the destruction and sounds of ongoing battle. Copycat staggers.

Edited 2016-01-09 18:45 (UTC)

Most of the people are running. Trickster is keeping people out of the its reach, giving preference to his team of course, but there are ever-increasing numbers of unpowered Witches. Not to mention the Genesis clones. And the Siberian one moves fast. She's standing over Oliver, who is currently missing an arm, when the newcomers arrive. She recognizes Legend.

"Heroes! I've got some things you might want to hear about my teammates..."

Trickster swaps Oliver with one of the bodies. Whether it was a clone or a casualty, who even knows. "Don't kill the monster! The real Genesis is still in there!"

Flechette fires her crossbow at the striped clone. Her target vanishes, as if she had popped a bubble. And then it reappears and comes straight for her.

The unpowered Witches are at least serving as cannon fodder for the monster. And in a couple of minutes they're going to be able to fly on appropriately stick-like things, and increase their strength.

Places grabs Flechette and disappears.

Copycat starts tossing out lightning bolts and environmental effects, mostly at the Genesis-creations and the not-Siberian. "I can't detect the Siberian's power. It's like she's not even there."

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