2010-12-26: Zoya's Christmas Special

Players: Jordan Mayfair & Zoya

JordanM_icon.jpg Zoya_icon.jpg

Summary: Jordan gives Zoya a Christmas gift that involves Bookworm and DC heroines.

Date: December 26, 2010

Log Title: Zoya's Christmas Special

Rating: Log Rating.


NYC - Mutant Town - Back Alley

Heavily littered with newspapers, knocked over garbage cans and other unidentifiable pieces of refuse, this alleyway cuts a narrow pathway between two of the older buildings in the neighborhood. The mouth is lined with dumpsters and garbage cans, making it a bit of a deterrent for people seeking this alley as a pass-through. This doesn't stop homeless and fringe elements from using it, however. Rusty fire escapes dot the sides of the close buildings; they are close enough that one could easily jump from one side to the other but a slip from one of the higher landings could be fatal. Light even during the daytime hours is sparse, though it's easier to see down from one end to the other in the day. At night, it's nearly impossible.


It is late evening Christmas; Jordan Mayfair has contacted Zoya to meet him in the back alley of Mutant Town. Not a place he would want to be seen, but for now, his employment of Zoya must remain a secret. He has found her intriguing enough, but to make her happy and to see her in action, Jordan has arranged this meeting. Dressed warm for the weather, he wears a long black trenchcoat with a greyish suit underneath. He is carrying a designer bag with the equipment that Zoya requested with a few extra large bills for money. He stands at the entrance of the alleyway. About a block away hidden in a limo, Bookworm sits.

Zoya thought nothing of it to be contacted not too long after the concert incident. She had done her job, she had one hell of a good time doing it, and more likely than not she had eliminated a lot of the doubt others of her kind may have had about her own abilities. And, hey, she scored some free automatic weapons out of the deal. Those always come in handy. When the call is received she responds to it without delay, not only is there nothing else for her to do but cause random bits of trouble but it involved covering some distance, something she prefers to do by foot. Despite arriving after you had gotten to the alley in question she doesn't appear to be in a hurry, simply rounding the corner and quickly scanning the area for any hints of ambush or foul play. It's in her nature not to trust people for a while.

Telepathically sensing the Russian mutant and scanning her mind for surface thoughts, Jordan Mayfair turns to greet, “Privyet and Merry Christmas.” He bows his head and then tosses the bag with the items she asked for, the phone, weapons, and more money than asked for. He looks her over. Aware somewhat of what had happened in Mutant Town with the concert, “I see you kept yourself busy, Zoya.”

"Always perceptive, Zoya. That's why I am glad we are on the same side.' He looks around the dirty alleyway, but still notes some of the Christmas decorations, "It seems the spirit of the holiday can be felt even for our people in such a dank and dark alleyway." Turning back to Zoya, "I treat my employees like my family. And in the spirit of Christmas, I have some gifts for you. In the bag is everything you asked for and more." He turns to the opposite end of the alleyway from them, "and I brought you even bigger gift."
Walking from out of shadow, Bookworm appears holding a DC comicbook, he looks over the girl, "Hey genejoke, time to die." He opens a page and suddenly 'Wonder-Woman' complete with mental gauntlets and lasso suddenly appears and goes charging towards Zoya. Jordan mentally whispers into Zoya's head, "Merry Christmas! I give you Bookworm. Do as you will to him, but please do survive!"

Zoya's expression changes slightly with mention of a bigger gift. Even more than what's already in the bag? There's some considerable weight in there already, it must have had a collection of entertaining toys inside, already. Things change quickly enough when someone comes out of the shadows, recognition crossing her features in an instant. There's only one person of that size and age that would mean anything to her on this side of the globe, and the comic book is a big tip-off. If there had been any question in her mind if the kid was a mutant or not before it disappeared the instant he spoke to her. 'Genejoke.'
The instant his book opens the bag flies off of her shoulder and gets thrown aside, skilled hands deftly sailing around to the twin sidearms strapped beneath her shoulders. Steel glints under the light as she dives into a backward roll away from the first manifestation, trying to buy herself some space. She wouldn't retreat from this guy twice. Not now. The first shot slams out before she’s fully upright, centered on Wonder Woman.

The first shot is fired and Wonder-Woman blocks it with her mental bracelet. The bullet is deflected and Wonder Woman continues rushing towards and uses her lasso to catch the top of a fire escape and she leaps into the air to swing down and attempt to kick Zoya. Far behind Bookworm flip s a few more pages and two more DC heroines stand at his side, Black Canary and Hawk-Girl are by his side. Hawk-Girl flies into the air while Black Canary stands poised by Bookworm simply watching the battle for now. Jordan for his part makes his way to the opposite end of the alleyway and out of harm’s way, but watching the battle though every now and then he shoots a look towards the limo.

Zoya didn't see that one coming. Bullet-proof bracers and lightning fast reflexes? Well then. The flying kick she certainly knew how to handle, standing her ground and slowly grinning as she watches the other woman come sailing through the air foot-first at her. All she needs to do is let the kick land, maybe catch it with one of her forearms, to steal the energy that would have been delivered to her even without intervention. She can block bullets? Time to see if she can block a cement wall. One brush of contact is all she requires to redirect all of that energy from the flying kick into shoving Wonder-Woman sideways away from her, trying to mash her against the alley wall with her own power. Hawk is in the air, leaving Canary and the source of all of her troubles.

Screw this. One arm darts out, sweeping around with a flicker of forged steel in her hands, cracking another shot off at Bookworm himself. With any luck she can punch right through that book and into his chest. Literature didn't deflect bullets nearly as well.

The Amazonian Wonder-Woman connects with the kick, but when Zoya does her trick Wonder-Woman is smashed into and then through the concrete wall. The Amazonian is not unconscious, but she is dazed and remains within the wall for a moment and shakes her head trying to gain a semblance of her surroundings.

As the bullet fires towards Bookworm, Black Canary opens her mouth and her earsplitting sonic scream shatter the bullet causing the tiniest explosion of the bullet a few feet from Bookworm as he laughs and Hawk Girl carrying a mace as she swoops down and attempts to smack Zoya with the spiked mace. She lets out a hawk cry that sounds more like a growl.

Zoya looks about ready to growl, herself. NOT fair. The spiked mace poses a different challenge; while she can stop the impact of it she can't keep herself from getting scratched up by the sharpened points surrounding it. Unable to outright catch it with the weapons in her own hands she ducks and tries to hit the mace's pole with her forearm, scratching up the sleeve and shoulder of her jacket in the attempt to steal that energy for herself. It would be a worthy sacrifice; she can buy a new one later. No, what she needs right now is something not made out of metal to take out the gal with the set of hellish vocal chords. Something like. Say, Hawk Girl. She needs her hands free for this. One pistol gets deposited on the ground while she's in that crouch, the second destined for the front of her belt. She needs to clip that hawk's wings.

Mayfair nods his head impressed so far by what he has seen of his new employee's skill. Wonder-Woman stands up gaining her composure again. Hawk-Girl's swing misses with the mace but Zoya connects with her forearm to the mace's pole knocking it from Hawk-Girl's hands and like Zoya thought, her jacket's sleeve is all but ripped off.
Hawk Girl flies up and does another swoop down attempting to grab at Zoya. Black Canary leans over and kisses Bookworm's cheek, "When do I get to fight her?" Bookworm grins, "Let's see what Hawkie can do first." Wonder-Woman makes her way out of the alleyway.

Zoya has to be quick; Hawk could probably grab her and fly right out of the alley if it came down to it. She needs to grab first. Fortunately, quick she is. As Hawk comes sailing back down to her she makes a grab for one of those talon-lined feet, the other darting up to strike her stomach, claim some more energy, and throw the winged one around in order to slam her back against part of the alley. She's going for shattered wings and nothing less than that, let the flier's own energy do the work for her. This also leads to a critical moment of being unprotected, the talons of the other foot could shear right through jacket, shirt, and skin beneath. Zo's counting on them not touching her long enough to cause serious damage, Hawk's about to learn what getting struck by a car at highway speed feels like.

And as Hawk-Girl swoops down ready to grab the Russian girl, she instead is grabbed. She is struck in the stomach letting out a yelp of pain as she is then swung around the alley and *crack* she is flung hard into the alley *crack* with both wings broken, Hawk Girl crumples over in pain and then begins to go staticky and is suddenly gone.
Striking before Bookworm orders her. Black Canary wants to make this a physical fight and leaps nimbly into the air and attempting to jump kick Zoya. From the opposite wall, Wonder-Woman readies to act and swings her lasso around trying to snare Zoya.

Zoya swears out loud, brief but liberal in the use of syllables, as her intended piece of munition suddenly disappears. Forgot about that part. She doesn't have long to fret over the loss of her current plan, the third one coming after her in the same way that the other two had opened up. "Never learn," she reviles while wiping some of the blood away from her ribs. She's preparing herself to intercept the next leaping kick that Wonder-Woman on the side isn't fully accounted for, quickly finding herself entangled an instant before she can properly tear Canary apart. The kick still only serves to help her cause but she can't work with it as she had hoped. Snarling in frustration she instead aims to ram a heavy boot into Canary, trying to liquify her innards with some of that energy before she can recover. Gotta even the playing field, one to one, in order to deal with Wonder Bitch.

Black Canary’s kick connects but so does Zoya’s kick also connects. The non-super strengthed Black Canary falls over and lets out a loud growling scream into the entire alleyway before, not directed at anyone in particular but it fills up the alleyway. Black Canary goes staticky and disappears. Bookworm is seemingly affected by the scream, but he drops the book, but Wonder-Woman is still there and Zoya is still entangled in the lasso, though WW drops her end of it to cover her ears. Jordan is also caught in the periphery of the scream and scowls shooting a look at the limo.

Zoya should have aimed lower to knock the wind out of her. This hurts. She can't properly cover her ears while tangled by the lasso, which ends up doing her zero favors for what little remains of her sanity. It's disorienting, it makes it impossible to think, but it also affects everyone. Bookworm dropped the book and no one's defending him. With the end of the lasso released she charges towards the youth, fighting to free her arms with every step. If she can't tackle him by the time she gets there she'll just have to kick him as well. Or maybe slam him back into traffic, but that wouldn't be nearly as rewarding as the parting gift she has in mind for the kid. No time for a drawn out revenge session but this ends here, tonight, regardless.

The lasso dropped, Bookworm looks over and catches Zoya charging at him and he is very very frightened, but Wonder Woman who has recovered quicker than the others also runs as Zoya who is still unable to be freed from the mythic lasso. Bookworm screams out, “Diana! Help me!” But Wonder-Woman finds a tripped and falling face first into the ground, as Jordan deems it time to intervene and he sticks his foot out to trip up the Amazonian. Zoya’s charge unhindered she is able to tackle Bookworm and he falls back into oncoming traffic. A car strikes the comic nerd and sends him into the air and onto the pavement across the street as a bunch of passers-by watch. He is not dead and Wonder-Woman still remains though as does the lasso around Zoya. Jordan realizing Wonder-Woman may attack him shouts to Zoya.

Zoya snarls out loud as she loses the kid into traffic. He can't outrun -her,- damnitall. With the taste of revenge upon the tip of her tongue she loses any interest in sticking around to play with the third apparition. Eliminating her should eliminate the lasso. With the warning called out she doesn't think about it so much as twist around where she stands, sending a leg flying out behind her to try and catch the Amazonian one before she can get the jump on the Ruskie. "Vremya umirat'!" She's going to tear the woman's head right off of her shoulders if she gets the chance.

As Zoya shouts out, Wonder Woman turns her attention from Jordan and back to the Russian mutant. When Wonder-Woman turns she is greeted by Zoya’s leg and is knocked over, but she rises up and utters some inaudible command and the lasso comes loose, “Let’s do this girl to girl.” Wonder-Woman cracks her knuckles and takes a defensive stance. Jordan raises an eyebrow and nods. Like any man alive, Jordan seems to enjoy the idea of girl on girl fight. Unnoticed by those in the alleyway, “Bookworm”’s body goes staticky and disappears. Yet Wonder-Woman remains.

Zoya doesn't yet know that the source of her anger has disappeared in the winter wind like all of the other creations his mind had formed. She won't be pleased by that turn of event. When the challenge is issued, arms freed, she slowly rolls her head from side to side as she eyes up the woman in much less clothes. The tattered jacket comes off of the Ruskie's shoulders, the single pistol returning to its place beneath her left arm. This gal wants to get into a fist fight with a kinetic dealer? Hell yeah, she's game. What's there to lose? She starts storming towards the bitch, ready to rip her apart.
Wonder-Woman keeps charging, second only to Super-Man, she has no problem taking on the kinetic dealer. Diana rushes forward and when she is close enough to Zoya, she lets out a punch towards the Russian girl’s jaw, “I am not holding back, Commie!” Jordan watches with excitement and enthusiasm. One because of the two women fighting, but more to see how Zoya handles the Amazon and to see how her mutant powers can handle that punch.

Zoya may have seriously underestimated what this recreated individual could do. From that brief flash of time when the energy is hers to control there's enough to completely overwhelm her, eyes going wide as those pale violet irises glow, just for an instant, as it passes through her. Trying to absorb it would have been a mistake, one that she would remember for the next time someone tries to strike her with everything that they've got. Tonight she's fortunate enough to have shifted it away from herself, literally, reversing the massive amount of force coming at her to suddenly go in the opposite direction with every bit as much power. Even then she staggers backwards, hands darting out to her sides for balance. It's all she can do to keep standing, disoriented while her nerves are alight with unpleasant feelings.

And that focus of energy is sent into Wonder-Woman. Even thought it is just a re-creation of a comic book character. One cannot help but feel sorry for the Amazonian princess. Wonder-Woman back away and a pained almost frightened expression appears on her face before she explodes in the alleyway. Goo from the mindscape appears splattered all over the walls and onto Zoya. And some on Jordan, he lets out a scowl when he hears a mental scream from the limo. The real Bookworm has fainted inside the limo. Sending a mental command to the driver to leave with Bookworm and send another car to pick him up, Jordan makes his way towards Zoya, “You did well.” He makes an attempt to assist the Russian, “A car is on the way. You can recover at my home.”

Zoya isn't prepared for the results any better, flinching so hard that she finally does fall over as the gunk that had been Wonder-Woman goes flying all over creation. She's never had one of her opponents explode before, limbs still trembling from the power of that deflected attack. When you approach she's still fighting to get back to her feet, her mind still focused on just one detail even through the shock-induced haze. "Where is he," she almost whispers in a gravelly tone. "Where is that tiny son of bitch hidink." It's not over yet, darnit!

Jordan helps Zoya up and will even carry her if she has difficulty standing or walking, “He is gone. I cannot sense him anymore. He was hit by a car, but his mind is difficult to follow. He is connected to the Mindscape which is difficult enough for the most powerful telepath.” His voice almost sound sympathetic, “You did well. I’m sorry the gift exploded on you. I was hoping to give you him as a present for Christmas. Though I am sure you dealt him a major blow and I am sure I can find him again.” He watches as a new limo drives around and the driver steps out to open the door, “You will recover at my home, Zoya.” He seems rather insistent.

Zoya might look ragged inside and out but that murderous rage still lurks within those eyes as she stares at you for a moment. "He is mine," she flatly demands before shoving the matter out of her mind for now. To dwell on it too much would mean she wouldn't be able to have any fun until that blissful moment of revenge. Almost shuffling along now she retrieves her other sidearm and her bag of gear and cash, bracing against the wall as she hefts the unfamiliar weight onto her shoulder. Eyes flicker back up to you as she says "If you insist" with a drugged, heavily accented voice. She's not going to fight getting a lift this time around. Hopefully she won't bleed on the upholstery along the way.
Jordan assists her into the limo and then takes his own seat next to her. He notes the blood and just shakes his head that he limo will have difficult blood stains to take out, “Well, I can always get a new one.” He mutters to himself. As the limo drives off, “Zoya, make use of my home for as long as you need to, but be discreet. You cannot be seen leaving or entering. There is to be no connection between us unless I reveal it.” He looks out the window, “Oh and Axel is there. He is the mutant I was with when we first met in Westchester. He is a protégé of mine, so he is not to know the nature of our business. I trust deception and stealth are part of your acumen.” The driver is almost of Manhattan already on the way to Westchester.

Zoya isn't used to discretion. Subtlety is not her strong point, not by any stretch of the imagination. But, for this she could at least make the attempt, distractedly nodding back to you as she keeps pulling herself back under control. "Is still way for me to come and go, yes? Will stay but will not be confined. Do not like to sit still for long." It's not good for her health. Finally getting a look at the damage to her jacket she mutters a heart-felt word of Russian, wadding it up and stuffing it into the pack you had given her. Without a means of concealing her pistol rig that's next to find its way off of her and stowed out of sight. She doesn't look pleased about it, to say the least.

Zoya isn't used to discretion. Subtlety is not her strong point, not by any stretch of the imagination. But, for this she could at least make the attempt, distractedly nodding back to you as she keeps pulling herself back under control. "Is still way for me to come and go, yes? Will stay but will not be confined. Do not like to sit still for long." It's not good for her health. Finally getting a look at the damage to her jacket she mutters a heart-felt word of Russian, wadding it up and stuffing it into the pack you had given her. Without a means of concealing her pistol rig that's next to find its way off of her and stowed out of sight. She doesn't look pleased about it, to say the least.

“I have a doctor on call and he is discreet.” Jordan looks over her wounds and sighs, “That was quite the fight. Three heroines from the Distinguished Competition.” He laughs, “You did very well.” He leans back as the limo is now completely out of New York City, “You can come and go through the back entrance. I will have a key made for you. And not to worry you will not be confined, but no one is know you are there. My staff will keep it to themselves and I will tell Axel something. I am working on a special project for him. If you are to interact with him, help him get a better understanding of his mutancy and maybe train with him. Despite the explosion and your injuries, you seem to have a better handle on your powers. He needs to learn how to be *pause* tougher.”

Zoya glances down at herself, jaw clenched as she inspects the damage done from the talons. "Will be fine," she declares. It's not entirely convincing, however. She needs to gather more strength, strength comes from stealing energy and stolen energy can lead to healing. It would take her days to fully bounce back, proper treatment would not be a bad idea. While not one to take orders, at least not one whom enjoys being given them, she responds with another distracted looking nod of acknowledgement. "He is one of us," she simply confirms. "Will do what am able."

Jordan nods, “Perfect. That’s all I can ask.”

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License