From Up Above [Supes]

[che]

Players: Cheshire, open
Location(s): Docks
Plot Summary: Cheshire is overseeing a delivery at the docks, making sure to eliminate any sort of nuisances that may show up.

Two men jumped off the truck they rode in on after backing it up to the appropriate spot. They both wore dark clothes except for the younger of the two's red hat perched on his head. The men from the boat appeared thoroughly annoyed by the five minutes required of them to wait for the truck to show up and when they finally set their eyes on their partners for the night, the could not keep their discontent secret.

"Are you kidding me with that hat, moron?" one of the sailors commented. "That's the one thing we ask you not to do and you do it. 'No bright colors!'" The young man (perhaps the youngest there) tried his best not to appear too rattled by the condescension. He casually removed his hat and shoved it in his jean pocket. "Seriously. You ain't doin' us no favors being here. There's tons of guys out there we coulda got for this job. You ain't no hot stuff here. No one's impressed. No one-" "Vince. Calm down, man. It's over. Let's get sta-" "No! I don't want to work with some idiots that don't understand basic instruction. This ain't brain surgery here. What the hell do I have to say to get-" A throwing star zipped past them, landing an inch away from Vince's boot and on the deck of the boat. They were all then quiet. Vince cleared his throat and signaled the sailors. "Alright. Let's do this." They began.

Cheshire was perched up above on a nearby warehouse roof, watching the action below. She was hired to ensure nothing would go wrong. The longer the boys down there argued, she reasoned, the longer she'd have to stand the rotting smell of day old fish. The docks were just putrid. Her nose twitched from time to time as her eyes followed the workers. She moved closer to the corner of the roof as she locked her focus onto the youngest of the hired men. There was something awkward about him. Was it fear? Anxiety? He moved slower than the rest, yet more meticulous than his peers. She made note of this. One by one, the boxes were being unloaded from the deck of the ship and into the truck. The voices had lowered to a whisper now that they knew the assassin was watching them and keeping them in check.

[Superman]

Superman didn't spend a whole lot of time in New York, in fact as of late he hadn't been spending much time on Earth. A lot of the Man of Steel's time had been dedicated to New Krypton and making the society work, but he couldn't possibly abandon Earth and its people. He had an idea on how to boost his appearance on both planets as well as help both but currently he was only stopping by for a visit. As Superman neared Metropolis he had made a stop in the city that never sleeps to thwart a hostage situation. On his way departing New York Supes spotted something that he felt was a little fishy.

Near the docks a group of men moved about in suspicious form keeping their voices down to a whisper. They could have easily been everyday workers trying to quickly get their job done but their movements were all wrong. They moved with a certain type of urgency and carefulness or maybe it was uneasiness. Diverting from his route Superman lowered toward the docks. He floated downward with his fists clutching his red cape so that it did not flap tonight in the night wind.

The men did not notice him right away so the Kryptonian cleared his throat, albeit obnoxiously, before calling out to them. "Would you workers care for a hand with your merchandise?"

[che]

Red and blue stand out against a black landscape. Spotting Superman descend on the operation didn't raise any internal alarms in her, but it did change the entire plan for the night. She pulled out the cell phone tucked between her breasts and texted her client for the night.

Compromised. Superman

Below, all the workers jumped at the outside voice. Their faces turned pale to see the Man of Steel speaking to them. What was he doing out of Metropolis, they thought to themselves. Doesn't he have some sort of Luthor Brainiac thing to deal with? They each stopped except Vince, the temporary leader of tonight's run. "Oh hey! Supes! So crazy to see you here in New York," he smiled. He grunted to the trucker to take the box he was handing him, giving the rest of the men the go ahead to continue. His crooked smile meant keep going. "We're good though, sir. You ain't gotta worry about us nobodies. Go save the world or something. We got this," he chuckled. The men did their job, but the stiffness in their bodies was not well hidden. Jade rolled her eyes at their unnatural behavior. Superman may not be the smartest alien, but he wasn't stupid. They gave themselves away. She stood up on the roof and prepared herself for the upcoming moments.

"Thanks again though buddy!" Vince waved Superman away. The youngest of the workers, only barely hopping out from inside of the truck, spotted Superman and gasped. "Hey, you guys didn't say Superman would be here!" he shouted. Vince's eyes nearly shot out his face from rage. "That wasn't in the plan, man!" "Shut up! Don't listen to him Supes. Stress and stuff. He's just a kid." "That wasn't the plan!"

[Superman]

Superman was far from a fool. Maybe it was his large array of powers and the often displays of brute strength that made people assume that Superman was pure brawn and very little brain. That was fine with the Man of Steel though, it allowed him to be underestimated and ultimately defeat a foe because of their own assumptions and lack of carefulness. The moment he made his appearance known to the workers down at the NYC docks the men immediately straightened up, which honestly wasn't that unusual as many did that in signs of respect; but these men never eased up. They were completely rigged and stiff as boards. Superman would have laughed if that wouldn't have been rude.

Someone, presumably a leader, decided he could handle talking to the caped man. Superman eyed the speaker, he seemed more seasoned than the others or at the very least able to think on his feet. However, thinking on your feet and being believable in what you say are two vastly different things. This guy was in an obvious rush to shoo Superman away and the quick nods of agreement from his pals only made the troupe look that much more suspicious. This time Superman actually did let a smirk cross his face as he was called buddy and given a "move along" wave. Things really went south for these guys when another member of their group showed up and all but spilled the beans.

He was shaken and erratic upon seeing Superman. "Okay guys, the jig's up." The appeared to be more afraid of Superman than willing to risk a fight so Superman approached a little friendly than he would immediate threats. He floated closer with his smirk loosened just a bit. "Move away from the boxes and the truck. What're you transporting tonight? And don't think about lying, again, because I will just x-ray the crates."

Nearby Superman could hear the heartbeat of another individual. Oddly calm compared to these men.

[che]

Jade received her orders seconds later.

Get package. Only thing that matters

Cheshire was an exceptional strategist, but even Superman's presence had her a bit thrown off track. This was New York City, not Metropolis. Anywhere close to his turf, any criminal worth his salt would come up with a contingency plan that involves Superman, Girl, Boy, Dog, Cat, or even Horse showing up. Hell, you even had to have a plan if that reporter Lois Lane was around. If she's nearby, the Kryptonians aren't far. She had to change the game, but already she devised the plan. Jade jumped off the roof and onto the nearest windowsill, using the rest of windowsills as a series of stairs as she made her way to the ground.

"No, man! Seriously, we're not criminals. This guy here's just an idiot!" Vince shouted. It wasn't enough to calm the other workers who had by now stopped loading and unloading the boxes from the ship to the truck. The vein in Vince's forehead was about ready to pop because of this. They were suppose to make them look normal, and here they were gawking at Superman like kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar. And not to mention the new guy that Vince wanted to tear apart with his own two hands. He was wailing and screaming, clutching the sides of his head as the workers looked back and forth between him and Superman and Vince. "What the hell was going on with the new guy, when will Superman attack, and what was Vince's orders?" they each thought in their own way. The new guy fell to his knees as if he was having a panic attack, breathing heavily and turning pale. It was all too much; the jig was up.

One worker on the ship pulled out the gun from the back of his pants and pointed it at Superman. The others followed too in a panic. They were now each armed except Vince and the new guy. "What the-?! NO!" Vince's eyes bugged out as he shouted. The jig was so up. The new guy, unable to contain himself anymore hollered out in pain. His spine jutted out, his skin became dry and brittle, and each of his muscles twisted and deformed before everyone eyes. Moments later, he had turned into a full fledged monster. Terrified, half the workers pointed their guns to the new guy. The reptilian monster stood up, roared, and swung his arm at Vince, sending him soaring through the air and straight into the water. Quickly, he turned his attention back to Superman. He pulled his arm back and rushed toward the Kryptonian to tear into him. The jig was definitely up.

[Superman]

One of the supposed workers was keen to make Superman believe they were just innocently unloading merchandise unfortunately for him his pals weren't as good actors, not to give him too much credit. Finally Superman's boots touched ground as he stared down the other men, their guns pointed at him yet some slightly shaky. He'd been operating for years as Superman and for some reason people always had to give guns a try as if they just had to test his bulletproof-ness themselves. Superman sighed, "It'd be better if you put the guns down and just gave up." He wasn't looking for a fight and if he couldn't end this standoff without tossing these guys around and injuring them then that would be perfect for Superman.

A distraction came however, and worry as well as curiosity came over Superman. One of the workers was yelling out in pain, his hands clutched the sides of his head like he felt threatened it'd explode otherwise. "Are you okay?" His hands were up to try calming the man, he looked like at any second he could burst. This wasn't an act, Superman could see the man's muscles twitching and spasming before his very eyes. "The rest of you put your guns down now, I'm taking him to a hospit-" Suddenly plans were changed! Superman stared wide eyed as the man in agony truly did burst - right out of his skin. He leaned back as the man grew into a monstrous form with skin that seemed to be as hard as stone.

The monster moved and Superman wasn't quick enough. One of the other men was knocked into the air and flew into the waters beside them. His attention quickly snapped back to the monster; it was already charging at him. Yelps came from the workers who'd been frozen in fear and gunshots suddenly pierced the air, but not a single bullet pierced the beast's hide. Superman floated backward on the defensive, avoiding the long arm that raked out for him. The Man of Steel repositioned himself for offense and threw a hard punch at the creature's mutated jaw, striking it's jagged spikes in the process. For now he turned his back on the beast and flew for the armed workers, quickly Superman disarmed them and snatched them up from the docks. He flew a few feet out before dropping them in the water along with Vince before U-turning to bring the fight back to the monster.

"I don't know if you can hear me in there, but you need to get control of yourself." Superman could have been mistaken but he didn't believe this transformation, or attack, was intentional. And for that reason he would try not to do the rock monster too much damage.

[che]

The former human, now full-fledged monster roared again. It was shrill, but deep, a combination between a magpie and tiger, but clearly all beast. Nothing about its movement or actions appeared to give any reason to believe the young man that he had been before was still alive, somewhere inside of this creature. Its nostrils flared out and his head shifted back and forth, unsure of and surveying its surroundings like a scared lizard.

Cheshire was on the ground several feet from the monster and Superman who had just cleared the boat of its workers. They were all now in the water, trying to swim from the scene to avoid jail time while Superman was distracted. Most of them had criminal records and didn't have plans to go back to jail or die from a lizard feast anyway; their payment was a loss for them each. From Jade's hip, she pulled out a hollowed bamboo stick and in one end inserted a dart. With her other hand, she retrieved a metallic device from between her breasts and gripped it. With the remote in her hand, she stretched out her arm and called out to attract the attention of both the monster and alien. "Superman!" Cheshire said. "You have a family to save." She pressed the button and the bow of the ship exploded. The family locked in the ship's stern screamed for help when they heard the explosion. A man, woman, and their two children had been chained up in a supply closet. While Jade was not expecting any run-ins with a caped nuisance tonight, she was prepared for one. The chains were set up that once they were unlocked, they'd explode. Rigging explosives like that was always hard to do (and is typically not her forte). She hoped her efforts would buy her enough time to make away with the package.

As soon as Superman was gone, the monster locked onto Jade and made a run for her. She raised the bamboo stick and blew out the dart. It struck the lizard in the neck and it was out cold on the floor before it could even reach her. Slowly, his body began to revert back to its human form. Once the transformation was complete, Jade picked up the young (and now naked) man, and took him to the getaway truck the men had been loading. She got behind the wheel and drove off with the package lying unconscious on the passenger's side. The truck was hitting sixty in a manner of seconds.

[Superman]

Superman and the monster locked in a grapple for supremacy. Superman attempted to wrestle control over the monster and wear it down long enough to somehow cause a revert back into a human male but he knew that would be be near impossible, plus he really knew nothing about this creature or the person that it had formerly been. All that the Man of Steel could really hope for was that this beast would not remain a beast forever. Nothing about its movement or actions appeared to give any reason to believe the young man that he had been before was still alive, somewhere inside of this creature but Superman never gave up hope, even in the most bleak of times.

With a slash from its claws Superman felt a sting move across his chest. Only a little bit of blood had been drawn but it was more than obvious the creature could indeed hurt him. Though Superman wished not to harm someone who appeared to have lost control he knew that his safety and the safety of others had to come first. As the Kryptonian prepared to retaliate for the claws against his chest there came a voice shouting out at him. The heartbeat he'd noticed earlier and had allowed to go unchecked on now had a name to it; Cheshire. He didn't know what she was doing there but he knew it wouldn't be anything good. The next thing Superman knew, an explosion rocked the dock and shouts of help filled the air.

With the wanted criminal Cheshire standing there along with a rock monster Superman knew neither of them were as important as the family in the boat. He tore off shattering the sound barrier, extinguishing the fire on the boat with superbreath before he set foot inside. The ship was a complete wreck now but the family was not harmed. "I'm coming towards you, remain calm. Everything will be okay." Superman found the family of four in a closet all chained to one another. They all began to scream and try talking at once upon seeing him but the caped hero calmed them quickly. "Everyone keep calm and try to remain still. These chains are rigged to go off if I tamper with them too much." He eyed the explosives and wondered if he could be quick enough to defuse them. A quick glance through the ship and Superman saw Cheshire loading an unconscious male into the get away truck. Superman was pressed for time. Using his heat vision he cut a hole in the bottom of the boat, "Everyone hold your breath," and took the family with him down into the waters.

Down the road in her rear view mirror Cheshire would have seen a large explosion rising up from the river. Back at the docks a drenched Superman sat a mother, father, son, and daughter down at the pier with his face sullen with weary. "Get to a phone and call the police." He commanded to the father before floated off of the ground and flying off behind Cheshire and the man she'd kidnapped.

[che]

Sixty. Seventy. Eighty. Cheshire was shooting through the New York City streets in a truck that wasn't meant for those speeds. It was an improvised planned though, so it would have to do. The boxes from the back of the truck tumbled out and rolled onto the pavement, some bursting open to reveal the useless and decoy hay inside. The man, now former lizard lying in the passenger seat was slowly regaining consciousness. The dart was meant to neutralize only the beast within, while his human form found functionality and control once again. "Wha? Where am I? What happened?" he mumbled. Jade took a hard turn into a tight alley, barreling down it and back into a different street. "Watch out! What the hell is wrong with you!?" he screamed at the close call. "Who are you!? Where-?!" With one hand on the wheel, her other hand pulled out her sais and stabbed it onto the dashboard. "I'm the person in charge of protecting you, but I will kill you one way or another if you should decide to escape." The man's hand slid off the car door handle.

"I won't. I remember...that monster I turned into. Do you know anything about that?" he asked, his tone considerably changed after hearing what his captor had to say. Jade concentrated on driving. "A while back, I needed some money so I agreed to be a test subject for this company. They were legit though. But that's the only thing I can think of. I...I..." he dropped his head and sighed. Then he realized something else. "I'm totally naked." He crossed his legs and reddened. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize that. I guess I'm still frazzled. I don't understand anything that's happened, and I know you won't tell me what you know or where we're going and who we're going to see there, but I feel like I'm not going to see my kids after tonight." He stared at her, Jade could feel his eyes on her even as she focused on avoiding other vehicles on the street. Was it a ploy to garnish sympathy? "That's okay. I don't have custody anyway. They probably won't notice if I'm not there." Jade took another turn. "I got in with some bad people because I wanted so badly to have money and have them close by. You probably think I'm some big idiot, considering I've got two kids and I'm only 22. I don't disagree with you. I messed up, but I wasn't going to leave them. I'm not my dad. I'm-" "Shut up!" Jade said. He nodded and looked out his side window quietly.

Her lips pinched together and she gripped the wheel tight. If he was trying to get her to show any sympathy, it wasn't going to happen, but his words did strike her. Jade winced at the very idea that he could be telling the truth. It wasn't part of her job to be compassionate and it hardly bothered her before, but there was a different woman now under the Cheshire mask; she was a mother without any children. She knew no weaknesses for years, and yet, she had one now. Hatred and pain burned inside.

Emerald eyes checked the rear view mirror to see a blue dot in the distance. Superman was still on their trail. With his vision, there was no way she could lose him, but she could shake him off until she got to her destination. In the pouch tied to her waist, she retrieved the three small bombs she carried and threw one out the window, then another, then the last so that each bomb was about twenty feet apart. The first two hit local business shops, but the last struck an apartment building. Cheshire had never been one for bombs, so the explosions weren't large, but she figured they'd slow Superman down. She turned two blocks away from the destruction; sirens sounded in the distance. Her foot pressed down even farther on the gas until they reached the end of the street where they came to a halt. All she had left to do was hand over the guy and her account would be updated with her paycheck for the job. Just a few steps away...

[Superman]

This night and the woman Superman followed were just full of surprises. What had started as a simple flyby over New York had ended up into an odd kidnapping and car chase. Superman kept his flight speed down now that they were actually in the city and near homes, the last thing he wanted was to cause accidental damage to people's property. Speeding behind the getaway van Superman tried to pinpoint Cheshire's motive here. Her top three motives were greed, vengeance, and general chaos. With the woman's forte being poison Superman speculated that the monster she had kidnapped may have been poisonous and thus of use to her in that way. Theorizing and speculations would only get him so far however.

Close on her tail Superman watched as small bombs were throw carelessly from the van window. A frown sloped the kryptonians face, annoyed that Cheshire was playing this game tonight. Explosives weren't her usual deal, it caught Superman off guard, but after the whole ordeal with the family on the boat he was not going to let it throw him off. In short bursts of breath Superman dislodged the bombs from the buildings they latched onto. Each bomb exploded in the air, aside from disturbing the peace with the booms of their explosions there was no damage done.

With that handled Superman continued on after Cheshire, noticing that the woman had completely left him in the dust by now. Superman canvased the area for but a moment before finding the van parked inside of a warehouse only about two blocks away from him. Superman blinked away the x-ray vision and flew to the warehouse at a much quicker speed than before, flying over the city he didn't have to worry about any damage. Gently Superman touched pavement with is red boots, just a moment before punching the door down before him. The door bent into an acute shape, clattered over the stone ground, and skidded to a stop in the middle of the warehouse. Inside a gang of armed thugs stood as if they were waiting for something important and Superman had just interrupted the festivities. Superman took a step forward and the men opened fire.

Gunfire had always annoyed Superman. It was loud, flashy, and the bullets were like little pests flying around his face obnoxiously. Looking at the men spread throughout the warehouse Superman shot beam after beam of heatvision at their guns, melting metal and scarring hands. Before he could get all of them though their was a familiar shrill roar. A second - or was it the same? - rock/lizard beast charged seemingly out of nowhere with its sights set dead on the Man of Steel!

[che]

Inside, Jean Rousseau waited for his package. By his side were his fifteen sum men armed to the teeth and on high alert. Jade walked in grabbing Vincent by the back of his neck and shoving him forward. His feet dragged and his head hung limply, indicating he was resigned to his fate. Jade made no sign of it, but she was cringing inside a bit. But too often men in his situation and just a prick away from her poisons have lied to her. If he was lying or not, she'd have to choose to believe that he was trying to manipulate her. It made the job easier.

"What took so long?" the Frenchman asked. He was dressed no different than the men in his employ with casual slacks, plain shirt and dark hood. No one at this point was aware that the mobster was in the United States, and he was doing all he could to keep it that way. Blending in with the everyday hoodlum from the streets of New York was a necessity to keep his status secret. "I was beginning to think Superman had truly compromised your mission, a bad mark you surely do no want on your reputation." Jade hated being belittled. If her hand had been around Rousseau's neck instead of Vincent's, she would have squeezed. "He's been injected with the formula. He should be ready for testing in an hour," she stated. Once she was ten feet from Rousseau, she gave Vincent one final push so that the weak and naked man fell to his knees. He huddled down until he was on all fours, curling into a ball before hearing his fate. Rousseau looked at Vincent like a starving dog.

"I suppose this is the end of our professional relationship" he said. Cheshire hands curled into fists. "My money?" she responded. Rousseau stared at her. There wasn't a sound in the entire warehouse. It seemed the Frenchman was about to refuse to pay when everyone was startled by the sound of the door cracking open. From it walked in Superman without a dent, scratch, or even bothered look on his face. The men opened fire at their boss's signal. He gestured to his right hand man to open the cage which had been until that moment concealed. From it, another lizard creature similar to Vincent came rushing out. This one, however, was different. It seemed to know exactly what it was doing. If there was a human still inside there, he had his target, and he was set on destroying it. The creature jumped up straight toward Superman with stone-like claws out and aiming to rip into the Kryptonian. Rousseau ran away from the fight, followed closely by his assistant, and Jade went after him until she saw Vincent still on the floor. She stopped and ran back to him, grabbing him by the shoulders and pulling him up so that they were face to face. "Run, you idiot!". He stumbled to his feet and ran in the opposite direction of the gunfire while Jade chased after Rousseau. She raced up the stairs to the second floor office where he and his assistant were heading toward. She gripped her twin sais with every intention to receive her money...or blood.