Aberrant: The Middle Children of History - Defending the City

[Dauntless]

It was the first real test of her capabilities sense she’d become city defender, though she’d carried out a few tasks now and again over the period of installing herself as the city defender. Of course, the fact she now spent a lot of her free time with Conner, had made her more charming and beautiful, which got her plenty of attention there as well. That was sometimes useful, and sometimes frustrating, she wasn’t sure that she liked it all that much, the fame seemed to restrict as much as it gained influence.

Of course, some of the media were already calling her Mech’s girlfriend, pointing out how lovely a couple they were, and the tabloids were already suggesting all kinds of crazy things. She had been especially irritated by the article about Conner somehow filling a void left by her Uncle John, and the suggestion that she had been Eagle Thunder’s lover.

She’d been about to jump to the writer and have a long talk with him, when Conner had talked her out of it, pointing out that reacting to it at all was a bad idea. She wasn’t sure about that, but this criminal gang with a pair of novas in it was a problem, especially as they had broken into the bank and taken hostages, and she stopped to talk to the swat team leader outside the bank.

“What’s the situation?” She asked.

“12 members of the crime gang, of them two novas, both fighters, and 18 hostages, we’re trying to negotiate.” He replied.

“And the capabilities of the novas?”

“They seem super strong and bullet proof, one of them appears to have the features of a snake mixed with human, mottled skin, poisonous fangs, tail, hairless body. The other appears to be bat-winged human with horns, and besides strength and toughness, he’s shown the ability to create and control fire, like some kind of demon.”

[Dauntless]

“Hmm, where are the Nova’s located?” She asked, even as she scanned the situation, somehow unperturbed by the sudden gun fire from one of the windows, just holding out one hand, from which her eufiber uniform extended and made sort of tall black spherical shield that the bullets bounced off of, protecting herself and the officer she was speaking too.

The swat leader had been about to dive for cover, indicating nervousness when she did that, and then looked at her almost startled. She was beautiful, and charismatic, he thought to himself, but she also reacted amazing fast and perceptively to that particular threat, before any of his other team could even think to.

“North side, both of them.”

“Ah, keep them there, if you can, I’ll see about rescuing some of the hostages..” With that, she began to walk forward to the south side of the building, the shield she had created once more absorbed into her eufiber clothing, as bullets bounced off her frame like they had no meaning to her. The Swat leader began to call out orders over his radio, to keep the nova’s pinned to the north side of the building, and to expect backup shortly.

In this case, they didn’t, she didn’t really feel them other then as momentary buzzing of wasps, even as she walked straight up to the wall of the building, and then into it, like it wasn’t even there. For several moments, nothing appeared to be happening, and then suddenly from the same window that the gun fire had been coming from a minute or so earlier a man went flying out, with a scream, and there were sounds of commotion within.

A few minutes later, one by one, about seven hostages stepped out of the window, and ran to safety.

********************

This is the way it appeared to those watching, to Dauntless it was different, the world seemed so slow to react around her, especially now, as she let herself really embrace who she was. She walked through the wall, aligning herself perfectly with its molecular composition and simply phasing right though it. Once on the other side, she noted 7 hostages, and 5 folks with guns.

She struck swiftly and without giving them time to react, several tendrils extended from her eufiber with incredible speed, their weapons, and pulling them toward her with high speed. The closest one, she simply grabbed the gun from him, and tossed out the window, sending him flying right to the edge of one of the swat cars.. without a weapon.

The others she proceeded to fight, with quick strikes, fast and furious, she moved though the room like a whirlwind, her blows quick and fast, like surgical strikes, she never missed, and one of them went down, they would not get back up, though she hadn’t killed them. A true master of the martial arts would certainly have praise her economy of motion, the perfection of her blows, and the skill with which she carried them out.

It only took her about a minute or so, before all of the armed folks in the room were down and out, and she gestured the hostages to the window, watching to make sure no one abused them as they escaped.

[Dauntless]

That should narrow it down to 11 hostages she thought, as she moved further into the bank, at least this part of the room had been fairly well removed from the main area, but her next location wasn't going to be able to avoid attention so completely. Going down the hall and stepping around into the main room of the bank, she glanced around as she saw almost a dozen people on the ground with thier hands behind thier heads, and she considered a moment, and she became the wind.

Invisable, intangible, and untouchable, she flowed into the room, a powerful breeze moving though it, sending everything in the room ruffled by the breeze, papers flying though the air, adding considerable confusion and suprise to the situation. Fully aware of everything that was going on in that room, including the two nova's in the front taunting the swat team, she acted to take out the remaining five baseline human supporters. Swift, hard and fast, she reformed in just the right locations, at just the right time, to take all of them out in a series of five perfectly placed blows, one for each of the folks carrying a gun or knife.

Now standing in the middle of the room, in human form, in the center of the room, she speaks up so that the two nova's can hear her quite easly. "Hello boys, might I ask who you are, and what on earth you think your doing?" At the same time, she gestured for the folks on the ground to get up and run.

The snake nova turned and hissed at her, and the demon-like nova looked over and smiled. "Well, now, it's the new city defender, the one who calls herself Dauntless, as to what we're doing, isn't it obvious?"

"Why on earth, do a pair of nova's need to rob a bank? It's a foolish use of your powers and capabilities, there are much better and easier ways to get rich for folks like yourself."

[Dauntless]

"Perhaps, we think this method is more fun?" Came the response, and he continued. "Besides, we're just rejecting baseline law, and governing ourselves as we see fit."

She shook her head in a certain measure of disgust. "I'm fairly sure that Divis didn't mean it the way your taking it." She paused. "But even if he did, well, I've decided, in my own moral view, that you both are being a pair of spoiled brats, who deserve to be punished." She paused again. "Actually there are any number of ways I could take the matter, but lets make it simple. Your threatening lives, and in my city, with regards to folks under my protection, and for that, your going to pay a price."

A instant later she moved, lightning quick, as her body morphed into solid diamond, and she struck with terrible force, her fingernails now as sharp as claws and her body now solid diamond. She had given no warning, simply chosen on impulse to strike out at the snake-like nova, who was startled, and as her claws cut into his toughed skin it screamed, and attempted to strike her back. His blow did indeed strike her, and with great strength, sending her flying into the nearby wall, and imbeding her partly into it, but otherwise, she didn't appear to take any damage.

The other nova was also surprised, and not as quick to react, he finally chose to unleash a blast of fire directly at her, striking her, but she simply absorbed the flame and it did.. nothing.

[Dauntless]

"You know, boys.. I think it's time both of you learned a lesson..." Her voice was crackling with fire, as her body shifted from diamond, into a blazing flame, and the snake nova screamed as his next strike with right though her, sense she was no longer solid, but terribly burned his arm.

"Never attack someone, without knowing thier capabilities, it's foolish, and you never know the price your going to pay. And playing with fire, can be dangerous" She spoke out of the fire, that she now existed as, no longer bound by gravity, she enveloped the snake nova, who scream as the fire began to burn him, and found, that as a fire, she was faster then he was.

She stopped short of killing him, but he was on the ground, badly burned, before she turned to the other nova, who now looked a bit frightened. "Are you ready to surrender, or shall we continue?"

He shuddered a moment, considering, shaking a bit, then stopped flying, and swallowed. "I surrender, you win."

"Good, at least your somewhat sensible." She stopped being fire at that moment, and was, by all appearances, human again, if a impossibly lovely and graceful human.

[Dauntless]

She reached down and picked up the snake nova, who was unconscious, and appeared to be seriously wounded. "Now, out with you, time to go surrender, or a least, have a talk with the authorities. Or, if you can teleport or warp out of here, I'll simply leave it at that, if you promise never to return to Seattle, cause next time, I'll not be so nice."

The fire demon nova considered her for a moment, then a portal of flames appeared behind which he stepped into, and was gone. She sighed, it figured he might be able to do that, but that's why she gave him the option, after all, she didn't see any way to detain him with that kind of power just yet. He likely would have transported away anyway.

Carrying the other damaged nova outside, into the rain, she walked up to the swat team chief, she seemed to delicate to be quite this strong. "The other one warped away, but you can take this one into custody, and turn him over to whoever or whatever you'd usually do with him."

[Dauntless]

Over the next few weeks, she had a few times here and there when she had to basically bring a situation under control, but no real threats, nothing powerful enough to match her capabilities at least. She did deal with a few Nova's here and there, but the shear breath and versitility of her powers became more and more apparent as time went on. What was more, her power seemed to grow very quickly, she adapted to situations very fast.

After she became Conner's girlfriend and fiance, however, she tended to show a slight bit more caution, not much, but enough that it was noticed. For the most part, folks put it down to the Nova Idol's influence, suggesting, that apparently he had a calming influence on her.

Of course, during that time she had a few offers from various groups, and individuals, that she simply brushed off, saying she wasn't interested. However, she was beautiful, charismatic, and exciting, which got her plenty of attention, and when she became involved with Conner, she got even more attention. She didn't nessarily seek it, but she got it anyway, and wasn't sure she liked it either.

[Dauntless]

Over the Next Few Weeks

Having visited her family, and told them about her change in status, and heard from her siblings, Dauntless took greater care in her activities thoughout the Seattle area. Reluctant to use her greatest power, the ability to alter her material form, or make major changes to her form with shapechanging. This was due to what her sisters said, she attempted to use her other capabilities to deal with the things she needed to.

Of course, her exceptional dexterity, stamina, and some of her other abilities made it easier, and when in the midst of battle with another nova she developed a new adaptatation; her bio-energy field, something that all living beings possessed, changed and adapted to allow her to better protect herself, as it manifested around her as a force field.

A greater interaction with other people also caused her senses to sharpen, she developed a greater awareness of folks around her.. of everything around her actually. This also was useful in situations involving combat, as she could instantly assess location, speed and movement against her foes. And she has become much more aware of things with regards to phermones, yet another adaptation.