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Summary: Caleb finds Theo in a dire situation, but once Theo is safe, Caleb finds that the attacker becomes the one in need of rescuing.
Date: August 27,2010.
Log Title: Who am I Protecting Again?
Rating: R
Brooklyn - Abandoned Warehouse
It's a bit warehouse! There are lots of boxes and crates scattered around. However, most of it is dusty and appears to be untouched for ages, though the floors seem to be clean in spots.
Evening in Brooklyn. Rush hour still plagues the streets, but has died down a little as most of the inhabitants have made their way home by now. The honking is only occasional, and the sidewalks are less crowded. The neighborhood isn't the richest of places, but there's a rather well known little restaurant named Junior's.
Outside of it, however, might draw a little turn of the head. It's a ferrari, silver, and only about seven feet long. A smart car ferrari, no doubt an expensive piece of hardware.
Caleb is heading back to school from Craig's, which has caused him to have to cut though Brooklyn, still it can't be any worse than Hell's kitchen, e's dressed in dark blue jeans, black air walk trainers, a white, black and purple checkered shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his white hair is gelled in casual spikes and his violet eyes are glowing faintly as is the yellow stone on the silver wristband on his right wrist, he's walking along the road with the ferrari on it, it looks really out of place.
As Caleb grows near the car, there appears to be a pair of flip flops left on the ground, though not together. Then abruptly comes a loud crash and shouts from inside a next door warehouse. It sounds like three voices, and one of them sounds rather frightened. The door to the warehouse, however, is locked, making entry difficult. At least, it would be difficult for ordinary people.
Whoa that is a nice car, doupt it will be for much longer this neighbourhood just screams trouble, as if on cue comes the crash and the shouting, "Just keep walking Caleb, it's none of you business, down check it out", he's gotta go check it out, especialy if someones in trouble, clenching his fists he phases though a wall at the side of the warehouse, then switches to being invisable.
Inside, there are three figures. Two men, probably in their early twenties with shaved heads seem to be roughing up a teenage boy that Caleb may recognize. After all, he saved his life once before already. Why? Well, their words may explain better than a narrative.
"Come on, all the great mutant powers, right? You're better than us, right?" Says the first man, wearing a black Tapout shirt and sporting a thick Brooklyn accent. He crouches over Theo, gripping his hair and knocking his head against an old metal drum that rings with each strike. In his free hand is a pistol. This guy isn't playing around. "You're a plague, S'what you are. Abomination." He slaps an already bruised Theo in the face with his pistol.
The other man stands in a wife-beater, arms folded and watching. "You're an evil that plagues the earth," he snears, reaching up to scratch his soul patch. "And if we kill you here, there's nobody gonna do nothin."
How do they know that Theo's a mutant? Well, it might be because he's wearing a T-shirt that reads "I'm a homo-superior, you're just a homo." He doesn't answer them, though, but there is a defiant edge in his swollen face as he looks back at his attacker.
Fuck!, guns and the other guys a mutant?, where has Caleb seen him before…, he winces when Theo is hit again and his clenched fist begin to glow violet, "Come'on, it has to be a weak one", Theo may of been asking for trouble with that shirt, but still this is wrong, he takes aim and fires a blast of violet energy at the guy with the gun.
The man in the black shirt looks up at his comrade, and then around, "Who said that?" he asks, and is promptly struck by the blast of violet wrath. The gun goes scattering from his hand, and he is knocked back into a stack of wooden palettes.
Quickly the other man spins around, pulling his own pistol from his belt, but unable to see a target, he continues to scan the room.
Though he looks rather worse for wear, Theo doesn't waste time when he is released. He scrambles to his hands and knees and quickly scampers toward the gun, falling on it as if it were a fumbled football, and then taking it in his grip. Like a wounded animal, he has a vicious glare in his eyes, and they dart between the two men, the gun shifting position as he tries to settle on a target.
Caleb grins when his blast hits his target, a small part of him has been getting a taste for violance, now lets focus on the other gunman, he flies while still invisible to hover just above the other man, he whispers, "We know what you did, and we're angry", hopefully that'll distract the man long enough for the other boy to get away.
Escaping would be what Theo should do. Unfortunately, it's not what he does do. The man in the black shirt is still trying to get his senses back, and so Theo settles on the man still standing. He can't see that he has an ally nearby. His hands are trembling, but it's not from fear. He glares at the man in the wifebeater through the blood that drips from a gash on his forehead and swollen eyes. "Drop it!" he exclaims, still on his knees rather than his feet.
The second man starts to wheel toward Theo with his gun, but the statement causes him to pause when he hears the unseen voice of Caleb. Slowly he brings the gun out to the side, letting it fall from his grip and hang from one finger. "Look, hey, we was just messin' around," he offers in defense. "We'll leave him alone-We'll leave you alone," he addresses the voice and Theo both.
Caleb sighs when Theo picks up the gun instead of running and he almost breaks character by shorting to Theo to leave but stops himself, "Good, because if this happens again, we'll know, we always know", he grins again and tries to focus a small amount of his power to his hand to create the chilling affect sometimes caused by his blasts, then places an icey hand on the back of the man's neck.
The man feels the chill run down his back, and quickly drops the gun to the ground. It clatters, and he begins to back up to the door.
The man in the black shirt is starting to get to his feet, seeing his ally begin to flee. Theo shifts his eyes first, and then levels the gun at him. "You aren't going anywhere," he barks. "Get your face on the ground. I have a couple of questions for you. Whoever just did that, thank you," he adds, still uncertain what turned the tables for him." The teen now starts to get up from his knees, entirely focused on his enemy.
Caleb grins and flies up a little higher when the gun is dropped, but then theres the issue of the other guy being up and the beaten kid pointing a gun at them, "Questions?, what is with this guy?", he flies down again and picks up the other gun and walks over the Theo, "I know you've taken several hits to the head, but this is the part where you run and call the police".
"Not yet," Theo answers, his voice hoarse from stress. He swallows once, and watches as the skinhead takes a position face down on the ground as ordered. "So let's find out how committed you are to what you believe," the boy says, moving closer, and noting the gun floating in place. At least he knows that he has an invisible savior now.
"So mutants are evil? That's what you believe? I'm gonna give you a choice, then. And I want you to think very carefully before you answer. If we're all abominations, pure evil, then I'm going to turn your brains into tossed salad right here, right? But if I spare you, then we can't be completely evil, because I showed you mercy. So here's your choice. You can either be right, and be dead right, or you can be wrong, and live." He sits on the man's back, and presses the gun to the back of his skull.
Caleb sighs, "Hey, listen to the ghost boy, this isn't helping things", still, these guys are evil jerks, so maybe a lesson won't kill 'em, though this one might, he focuses energy into his hand just in case.
Theo is too focused to even answer Caleb, but he does look like he's ready to pull the trigger at any moment. He's obviously in very poor shape. His movements are loosely coordinated, and he seems off balance, probably signs of a concussion. He certainly can't take much more damage.
"Your friend is right, this isn't helping I'm sorry-" the gun suddenly slaps the man on the side of the head. "I DIDN'T ASK IF YOU ARE SORRY!" comes the raged screaming response from the teen, and then in a quieter voice, "I asked if you are right." He pulls the hammer back.
"I'm wrong! I want to be wrong!" the skinhead pleads. "Really?" Theo answers, "Because you were convinced enough a moment ago that you'd kill me, but now that it's YOUR life on the line, your tune changes! Convinced enough to kill, but not to die?" The boy doesn't seem to be backing down with his victory.
Fuck!, Caleb puts his hand into his pocket and places his and on the panic button, ready to press if needed, "Look he's said he's sorry, now would be the time to leave, rise above this", geez why are the vicims in this city as bad as the viilans?
"If I let him go, what keeps him from hunting me down?" Theo challenges, looking toward the invisible man. He has swung from rage to control, but now back to rage again. "I could solve it right here!" he takes a deep breath, but then pulls the gun off the back of the head, and the slams his fist into the back of the adult's head, smashing his face against the ground. His previous attacker yelps in pain, but doesn't complain, still afraid for his life.
"Look, you don't want a life on your conscionce, it's wrong, we can just call the police", Caleb really doesn't know how to deal with this kind of situation, if these guys die, somehow Barnes is gonna make this his fault.
Theo studies the man at his mercy. "I know it's wrong," he answers Caleb, "But I still want to do it." He wipes some blood from his face, and from his demeanor, he looks like he is about to pass out. After a long moment, he gets back to his feet, releasing the man. He still keeps an unsteady bead placed upon him with the gun in his left hand. "Yeah, we should call the—" He stumbles backward, and falls to the ground. Not unconscious, but very dizzy. The skinhead doesn't miss the event from his position, and starts to scramble to his feet, trying to get as far away as he can, though he doesn't know how the invisible avenger might respond.
Caleb runs forwards when Theo falls aiming to catch him, he shouts at the retreating badguy, "Stop where you are, this is the only warning i'm giving you, i don't need a gun to kill you", the glow on his hands has now spread as far as his elbows, he's building up a lot of power.
The man freezes in place, "I'm sorry!" he calls out, holding his hands over his head. Theo fumbles in Caleb's catch like a floundering fish, and tries to fire at the retreating enemy. The gun goes off, but the bullet is no where near the mark, sinking into a wooden palette. But his grip was poor, and the gun falls from the dark-haired teen's hand. With a labored effort, he puts his feet under himself again. "I think I need to lay down," he slurs, seemingly disconnected from the fact that he just tried to shoot a man.
"Good, sorry is good, now on the fllor hands behind your head", Caleb helps Theo to his feet, "Yeah, you probably should, now i'm gonna call the police and then i'm taking you home", he starts shaking a little with the effort of staying invisable and still building energy (he doesn't realise he's still building), "You ok to stand up for a minute?"
The man obeys, and Theo nods, groggily. "I can get a ride," he says, pulling out his phone. He presses the touchpad deliberately, focusing on each number as he tries to call. "Hey Tony?" he says, "Do you think you could come get me?"