It's the Final Countdown

[wearingthestars]

WHO: Billy, The Remembers, OTA
WHERE: Billy's City
WHAT: Kidnapping, and Final Showdown
WHEN: Event End
WARNINGS: TBD


Billynapping

It was nice to have a routine, and in a city like this, it could be hard to keep one, the ever changing landscape of hero vs. villain could make things difficult to predict. But this one was still going strong. Billy rode his bike through the streets, making sure to stop for his usual offering of donuts, before continuing on to the comic stand.

He offered a wave towards Peter, busy with a small group of kids, and went to lock up his bike so he could browse, holding the bag in his teeth so he could stoop on the pavement and struggle with the finicky key.


Shadow Monster

This was not good. This was a serious threat to this world where the Shadow had come to enjoy it's free reign.

The Darkness swooped in oozing and spreading like mist, its shape ill defined and ever changing, shielding Billy and attempting to drive away anyone who would try to get near. It spread up through the sky, spreading it's reach and calling out to those it had infected to come protect this world, whatever the cost.

Billy appeared to have no sway over the creature, looking just as surprised as frightened as the rest of them, though the Shadow clearly was determined to isolate him him, whether he wanted it or not.

Comments

Billynapping

[ezra_of_lothal]

Look, kidnapping someone he'd like to think of as a friend (in this life, even if they hadn't really had time to build a friendship in Temba yet) - it usually wouldn't be his first choice. But they really probably should have this conversation somewhere a little less out in the open.

So here he is, at the comic stand, waiting for Billy, smiling when the older young man shows up.

"Hey! Been a while, huh? So did you see that message that got spammed all over the place?" he asks, tone friendly, like it's idle curiosity.

[wearingthestars]

"Ezra?" This was a surprise. They'd hung out a bit before Billy graduated, but they hadn't really kept in touch.

Billy smiles, straightening and nodding, "Yeah, it's been a while. Donut?" he offers, holding out the bag, "They're still hot."

The question has him pausing, momentarily looking the smallest bit uncomfortable before he gives another nod. "Uh...yeah, that was weird, right? Do you think it's some kind of viral ad for something, or...?"

[demjiin]

There was enough of a building corner for Kaz to lean against while Ezra got Billy's attention. Once he did Kaz shifted his grip on his cane so his steps would be silent and moved behind Billy when he turned back to look at Ezra.

"Since It was seen by everyone, I doubt if it would spread any more."

The fact that Kaz knew what 'going viral' even meant now was courtesy of Billy's reality. But holding his own memory along with the one Billy created for him both in his head at the same time was challenging.

[ezra_of_lothal]

Ezra glances back at Kaz and then back to Billy, still smiling, "Billy, this is Kaz. Kaz, Billy."

He taps his chin thoughtfully. "And Kaz is right; it doesn't really fit viral marketing. I actually think it was someone trying to be helpful."

[wearingthestars]

The silent approach has Billy starting in surprise when Kaz speaks, turning to glance at the stranger with an anxious crease of his brow. He tries to lessen that worried look when Ezra makes introduction, flushing slightly and lifting his fingers in a tentative greeting.

"Hey- uh...Kaz?" he repeats, trying to shift so he's not quite so bookended. "Well, I mean...it got us talking. Right?" he tries to joke, looking uncomfortable again, "...Helpful how?"

[demjiin]

But the idea had been to bookend Billy. Billy's greeting and little wave get nothing in return but Kaz is almost always like that anyway. He still keeps his eyes on Billy wherever he goes.

For the moment he says nothing, letting Ezra try to get through to Billy first.

[ezra_of_lothal]

Ezra holds his position for the moment, because he's picking up on the fact that on some level Billy's situational awareness is on high alert. Nearly bookended my have to do.

"Well - it mentioned...Temba? That rang some bells for me. Reminded me of some dreams I've been having lately." Which is true, as far as that goes, he just also remembers Temba when he's awake, too.

"That's a weird coincidence, right?"

Reinforcements

[beepbeepmotherfucker]

Eddie felt the call. He didn't know what it was, but he felt a need to help someone. A need to fight. So he hopped in his car and raced towards that call.

As he grew closer, the feeling grew stronger. He saw a gate in his path. Instead of stopping and opening it, he accelerated. His car slammed into the gate, wrecking both the gate... And his car.

His car limped along for a bit before it finally died. Getting out, he continued on foot. The warehouse was easy enough to find. The shadow lead him straight to it. He tried the door and found it locked. That won't stop him, though. He took a step back and cracked his neck. Leaning forward, he aimed a stream of acid at the locks. It was only a matter of time before he'd get through.

[deal_me_in]

Stark Industries had been about to get snowed in. Well, iced in, if people wanted to get technical. The same hoodie-wearing robot that had been spotted wandering the expo the other week had apparently decided to come back and freeze the front doors. While it wasn't certain what further damage he might have intended, it seemed that something else had suddenly drawn his attention, and that something else was elsewhere.

While he had no car, he managed well enough crossing the distance by traveling in as close to a straight line as possible, leaping along buildings, blinking through walls. He knew the destination. He might arrive a little late to the party, but late was fashionable, wasn't it?

hope this is cool!

[thesepreciousthings]

The message from the Agri had brought her memories back, slamming into her like a magazine full of bullets to a kevlar vest, and it had taken Starling a few days to recover. Now that she had, though, she knew that Darkness wasn't a good sign, and loaded up on whatever non-lethal weapons SHIELD could provide someone with her credentials. (There were quite a few.) She had stun darts in gauntlets around her wrists, a tranquilizer gun at her hip, and a prayer on her lips that she wouldn't need to use any of them: especially when she saw the two familiar faces already assaulting the warehouse.

"Cayde! Eddie!" She called out, one hand hovering over the tranq. "C'mon, boys, this's gotta stop."

[in_extremis]

In the air and hanging back a few feet to assess the spread of the darkness, watching the sky anxiously and waiting for reality to stop making sense and eyeballs to start flying like that dark sky over the Institute had heralded, Iron Man had only distantly considered the lone redhead showing up weird, but not as weird as it turning out to be the Director. He rapidly flipped through channels, hoping she had a radio or earpiece on her despite the cowboy act, seeking out an avenue to greet, "Director. You know these gentlemen?"

Iron Man knew Cayde, at least. Getting to know him better by the second, it turned out, because he hadn't anticipated the freezing powers from his new stalker, or that they would lead him across the city to and ongoing crisis. He really should have followed the robot the first time, maybe this whole thing could have been avoided. Hopefully, Clarice wasn't too attached to her secret friends, because Iron Man fired a concussive blast to the ground between them and the warehouse to warn them off from trying to get in, or let whatever it was that was leaking out...out.

[beepbeepmotherfucker]

Eddie wasn't bothered by the arrival of the robot. He didn't know how, but he knew that they were on the same side. He'd almost made it through the locks before he heard his name.

Stopping the stream of acid, he turned and glared in the direction of the speaker. "Who the..." His curse was interrupted by the blast hitting the ground in front of him. He stumbled, narrowly keeping his feet. "Seriously?!" He glared up at Iron Man. He wasn't sure what the range was on his newly amped up powers, but he might be able to hit him... or at least make him dodge something. Taking a breath, he squared his feet and spit a spray towards those nice rocket boots.

[deal_me_in]

The Exo craned his head towards Clarice at her shout, the light in his throat a chilly blue that was echoed in the glow of his eyes, cold as the backlit smirk he wore.

"Oh, now you want it to stop?" The sarcasm was still there, but it was all edges. Ikora had broken through whatever had swallowed up his emotions, but none of Cayde's usual warmth had managed to seep through those cracks. Still, it was a slight step up from his being mostly silent.

He looked up and then leaped back as he saw the flying metal man taking aim. With Eddie hawking loogies at Iron Man, Cayde turned his attention to the S.H.I.E.L.D. director. He raised his hands in something of a shrug. "What're you gonna do? Shoot me?"

His fingers flicked as he twisted his arms inward, hands gripping a pair of icy sickles as they suddenly took form. He plunged one blade into the ground, driving up a surge of icy crystals that went straight for her.

A Resolution In Words

[doubled_speed]

It took a long time. Tommy hated himself for it. The fastest person on Agra 10 and he was late to the most important battle he could ever fight. Frankly, it wasn't his fault. Quentin Beck was in SO MUCH trouble later, but that was another matter altogether. Everything on him hurt, his leg was only just recovering from a break, and his heart...

He didn't want to get into how his heart was aching.

Tommy walked in and ignored the shadow monsters. Any that might approach were met only with Tommy raising a hand and sending an explosion rippling through them as he called out.

"Billiam, we need to talk."

[wearingthestars]

Chest tight, Billy felt a wash of relief when he saw his brother. The Shadow couldn't get close enough to Tommy to turn him, and though it tried to fence the brothers off from one another it couldn't keep them apart.

"Tommy-" Billy looked frightened, defensive, and worn down, but there was hope in his eyes now that Tommy was there. He'd make this all stop. All this fighting...

[doubled_speed]

He hates this. He hates this a LOT. But Tommy knows that he isn't here to save his brother the way his brother might think. Tommy wasn't the hero in this story. No one here was except... Well, Billy.

Another shadow approached and Tommy pumped another explosion into it.

"Billy, I'm going to need you to stop this. All of this. I'm tired, and I'm hurting, and I could REALLY use the hospital right now. And more red fruit than my body can handle."

[wearingthestars]

"...What are you talking about?" Billy's brow creased, and he took a half step back. His brother didn't think he was behind this too? Did he? That fearful look swallowed up his features, and Billy shook his head.

"I didn't do any of this. I don't know what's happening, Tommy- please-!"

[doubled_speed]

Oh Billy. Tommy moved to close the rest of the space, offering his hands out to Billy. He has two sets of memories overlapping in his mind. He has his real life, and he had this one. The latter was used to his brother reaching back if Tommy reached out. They were close here. They had been raised together here. They loved each other here.

"Wiccan. That's your name, when you cape up. You're a witch, nerd-face."

[wearingthestars]

Almost immediately Billy was reaching back, feet moving to close the distance despite his teary eyes as he took his brothers hands.

He didn't want to remember. Why couldn't they just be happy here? Why couldn't they just pretend?

"I'm not-" he insisted weakly, "I don't have powers."

Shadow monster time (for Ben)

[ezra_of_lothal]

The plan had been to catch up with Ikora and Billy at the warehouse, as soon as possible. The Darkness oozing out and around from where Ikora had taken Billy sure was a crimp on execution.

Although, really, Ezra thinks to himself, he should have seen something like this coming. He doesn't really want to fight, but he also doesn't like that he's not really in position to do so, even if he wanted.

And, then, when he spots Ben, he finds himself disliking that inability even more.

[hadthehighground]

Something was not right with Ezra. That much was clear when had been walking along the street, going about his business, and caught sight of his little brother. He was supposed to be in class, and skipping was not like him at all. Plus he was talking to people that Ben had never seen before. Deciding to watch from a distance, Ben was still not convinced all was well and followed his brother.

He didn't like what he saw as Ezra went to a not so savory part of town. Which only got worse his brother and several other people were facing off some strange phenomenon?

"Ezra!" Ben called, the man's pace quickening to reach the most important person in the world to him. Reaching out to grip the boy's shoulders. "What are you doing here?!" To say he was mad was an understatement, but his worry was even more evident.

[ezra_of_lothal]

"What are you?" Ezra shot back.

Except, really, he could guess. Of course Ben had noticed how he'd been acting wasn't lining up well with a lifetime of memories, and of course Ben was worried about his little brother.

He shook his head, dismissing his own question. "I'm-I'm trying to stop all this and fix it."

He searches Ben's face. "Does nothing about this entire city feel wrong to you? Not even a little bit?"

[hadthehighground]

The words that Ezra shot back earned him a scowl from his brother. "No, not even a little bit," Ben said just as defiantly. "Except for you maybe. There is nothing to fix, except the fact that you're not in school." The man shaking Ezra a little bit as if trying to get some sense into him.

"What is really going on with you? Is it drugs? So help me, if you're doing drugs you're grounded for life."

But as he glances up at the strange darkness swirling around, he knew it couldn't just be drugs. Whatever was going on though, surely the heroes in this city could handle it.

[ezra_of_lothal]

Ezra startled into a laugh that to his ears sounded suspiciously like a sob.

"Believe me, if that really what was going on, and it was the worst and weirdest of our problems, I'd take being grounded gladly."

If he hadn't found more proof about which half of his memories were real -or if it was just the two of them shut away in a more mundane life - he just might be tempted to agree to whatever Ben said and go home. It was more tempting than the life with his parents Palpatine had dangled in front of him, in some ways, because the potential costs were less obviously terrible.

Billy, Ezra was fairly certain, didn't want to use his powers to hurt or kill people. Still, he watched the shadows, too, and his expression settled into grim determination.

"But none of this is really about us. We need to keep moving. I don't think we want to find out what happens if we get swallowed up completely by that stuff."

[hadthehighground]

A confused frown comes on Ben's face at that laugh. Because he didn't find this at all amusing and he was just getting more worried the more they talked about it.

"You're right, it's not about us," Ben says. "Which means we need to leave. Let the people who handle these things handle it. If anything happens, we will just be in the way. There's no reason to put yourself in any danger."

He was almost pleading with Ezra at this point. If anything happened to his little brother, well, it would ruin him. The last thing he wants is to see him get hurt, or worse.