Kicking Asp

Log Info

Title: Kicking Asp
Emitter: Triangle
Characters: Eshe, Jonathon & Miranda as the victim!
NPCs: Asp, Venom thugs
Place: Cove City
Time: Evening, 6/9/10
Summary: Miranda is kidnapped by agents of VENOM!

There's a lot of things to do within walking (or flying) distance of the school. Coffee shops, ice cream shops, comic book stores, used book stores, etc. And hey, it's summer. People have more time on their hands and the sun is out longer, so there's plenty of people wandering around. Most of the time. In one of those odd coincidences that sometimes happens, this particular street just… Empties. Both Jonathan and Eshe get this weird feeling… like an itch inside their skull behind their eyeballs. And for no real reason, both find their thoughts straying to the moment of their respective curses. The only people on the street, in fact are Jonathan, Eshe, and Miranda… or so it seems until two men in, of all things, scale-patterened green bodysuits step out of a side street and grab a struggling Miranda from behind… then she goes limp

Summer's got the potential to be long, slow, and boring for Jon, at least until the summer session starts up. Strange place, far from home and friends he knows, er friends she knows. In an attempt to stave that off, she's hit a book store, emerging with a large volume on heraldry to leaf through. Light reading, for a history buff. To avoid causing too much attraction, she's gone out in human form, but on seeing someone trying to kidnap Miranda, promptly tries to change to tigress form. She's gonna need those powers right now.

Eshe was out flying around. She's not wearing her standard teenage uniform of jeans, tank top and denim jacket today. Instead, she's gone for what might be called her 'heroing costume' the clothes she was buried in. This includes a short white dress that comes down to about her mid-thigh, a thick golden belt of stiff metal about her waist, a matching circle about her shoulder and chest, beaten to conform to her body, a small gold choker, her usual gold bracelets and earrings and goldne circlet about her forhead from which justs the stylized form of a hippopotamus roaring. Hanging from her belt by a small loop is her might Khopesh. She was just landing in the street to talk to and introduce herself to a fellow student she's seen on campus when that girl is grabbed by SNAKE MEN?! "Minions of Set!" She gasps, her hand flying to her weapon.

The pair of men move fast… faster than they should, perhaps. For when the two students reach the side street, there's no sign of them. The street is completely abandoned, not even birds sing in the trees, its… eerie. Really, really eerie. It's not a case of time being stopped, because the traffic light at the end of the street is changing. But even cars that have their turn signal on to turn onto the street just drive on by. There's a couple of run down apartment buildings, businesses that have just closed in the middle of the day for no reason, and warehouses. But no open doors, no sign of Miranda.

Eshe looks around, the entire scene making her feel strange. She's not familiar at all with the world beyond the Institute aside from what she's seen on the television box but this situation, especially the weird feeling and flashback to her curse, puts her on edge. She closes her eyes and mutters something then opens them. At first there is no change and then, her hair begins to move and small, semi-translucent beetles begin to fall to the ground or crawl down her shoulders. It's an off scene as suddenly, she just produces a small swarm of ghostly insects from beneath her hair. "Go. Seek. Locate," she commands them and watches as they scurry off towards the warehouses and apartments.

Jonathan reaches back behind her to tear a hole in her shorts for her tail, pulling it through as she studies the alley, newly freed tail swishing back and forth briskly. "Okay, dunno who you are," she says to the Egyptian, "but I'm knew to all of this. That girl's a friend of mine, though, so I'm going after her. If you know what you're doing, I'll follow your lead." That tail freezes at the sight of the beetles falling from the girl, John, Paul, Ringo and George, they ain't. Slowly the tail starts in motion again as John sniffs at the air, trying to see if she can pick up Miranda's scent.

Jonathan's nose leads him to an abandoned warehouse, even as Eshe's scarabs report back to her on it's contents. Piles of boxes, a small group of the green scaled thugs, and a woman in a tight brown-scaled bodysuit with a wide gold collar. The collar is in an Egyptian style, and inscribed on it in heiroglyphs is 'Asp of the Desert, Beloved of Set'. Miranda is there as well, strapped to a chair. On a table nearby is a row of syringes, and Asp picks one up. "It's fine if we do it the hard way. Sooner or later you'll tell me where the Eye of Set is." She injects Miranda with the first of the syringes, and the girl SCREAMS, convulsing against her bonds.

Eshe's eyes go wide as she sees through her Scarab what is going on. She looks to Jonathan, bows a little and replies, "Oh Servant of Bast, my name is Eshe. The minions of Set have your friend in that warehouse. Let us free her and take vengeance on the snakes for their actions this day." She speaks in English and then launches from the ground, swinging her sword with all her enhanced might to cut right through one of the upper windows and enter the scene. She's backlit by the afternoon sun, the rays playing through her flowing black hair. Her spectral scarabs surround her, flying in the air around her head like a halo. She points her sword at the Settites and commands in a booming voice, "Unhand the girl foul Sons of the Serpent! Your fell Lord Set hold no Power over this Realm! Surrender or Perish! This is your only warning!"

The Thugs start to back away from Eshe, clearly intimidated. But Asp snarls at them, "Stall her, fools! Or I will kill you myself!" Miranda is restrained in the chair, and is softly whimpering over and over "don't know… i don't know… i don't know…." Asp turns around and SLAPS Miranda, "You WILL TELL ME!" she shrieks, then injects Miranda the contents of the second syringe. Miranda screams again, and this time her eyes roll back in her head and she starts to convulse.

Servant of what now? Bast rings a bell, but Jon doesn't remember it off hand. She'll look it up later. "Uhm, yeah, let's kick ass," she says to Eshe's more flowery suggestion. Herself, she goes in more through the front door, emerging with a snarl at the sound of Miranda's screams. "I'm the frigging terror that flaps in the night. Y'all leave the girl alone or I'm gonna have your guts for garters!" she growls. She doesn't waste time, though, charging forward and slugging one in the jaw to take him down.

Eshe wastes no more words and shoots down over the heads of the minions, leaving them to the catgirl. Raising her viciously curved sword over her head, the Egyptian girl shouts, "I gave you your chance. Now you shall fall before my blade Fell Minion of Darkness!" She swings at the hand holding the syringe and is startled as she misses, watching the snake-lover twist back like a serpent. At least she's now on the ground, between the prisoner and her captor. The girl's eyes blaze with fury, her scarabs having blinked out of existence after her challenge.

The five green suited thugs pile on Jonathan, or at least try to. Three of them succeed only in getting in each other's way. One swings, and as Jon dodges him, it sends him right into the punch from the forth. A singularly unimpressive punch.

Asp raises her hands, and prays in Egyptian, "Lord Set, grant your favor to me. Cloud the eyes of the unbelievers and allow me to return what was stolen from you!" Maybe the problem is that Eshe isn't an unbeliever, or maybe she was just distracted by the unspeakable AWFULNESS of Asp's accent, but it has no effect on her. Jonathon, on the other hand, finds himself surrounded by a sandy-haze, unable to see more than a few inches beyond the end of his nose.
You paged Stephanie with 'Asp raises her hands, and prays in Egyptian, "Lord Set, grant your favor to me. Cloud the eyes of the unbelievers and allow me to return what was stolen from you!" Maybe the problem is that Eshe isn't an unbeliever, or maybe she was just distracted by the unspeakable AWFULNESS of Asp's accent, but it has no effect on her. Jonathon, on the other hand, finds himself surrounded by a sandy-haze, unable to see more than a few inches beyond the end of his nose.'.

An attack here, an attack there. The mooks get in each other's way, and it doesn't help that Jon's reflexes help her move out of the way. "What, was that supposed to be a love tap?" she growls at the weak punch from the single one that lands a blow. Her tail lashes as sand seems to fill her field of view, and she waves a hand at it ineffectually. "Dammit!" she snarls, lip curling back to reveal her fangs. "DAMMIT!" she repeats, slugging the one thug she can still see, venting her frustration on him. It's a hard blow and he stands still for a second, almost looking untouched, and then just quietly crumples.

Eshe swings her sword, slashing it across Asp's chest. She speaks to her then in flawless Ancient Egyptian, "How far has Set fallen in the last 40 centuries if the best he can muster to do his will is a mealy-mouthed fool and some weak men in snake costumes? I give you one last chance to surrender, Beloved of Set, before we see just how Beloved you are when I send you back to him!"

The three remaining thugs attack Jonathon, but there's only room for two to really close in. Hampered by the sandy-haze, Jon utterly fails to get out of the way. Both blows land, but only one of them seems to do any damage, rocking Jon back on his heels a bit.

It's hard to say which surprises Asp more… The failure of her illusion to ensnare Eshe, or the fact that Eshe speaks flawless Egyptian. A pair of fangs unfolds in the woman's mouth and she hisses like a serpent, an oily green-gold could erupting from her mouth and filling the area… It flows over Eshe, not affecting the woman, but Miranda begins to convulse again, foam flecking the corner of her mouth. Asp then turns and runs from the warehouse, abandoning her men and leaving Eshe with a decision… pursue? Or help the prisoner who may well be dying? Jon finds himself with two thugs close at hand, and the sand-haze starting to clear as Asp gets further away… but he can't see Miranda's condition yet.

Someday, Jon might learn to keep track of her surroundings with her ears or her nose. That day's not today. She's too dependent on sight alone, and though the sand is clearing, it's not enough for her to see what's going on beyond what's close at hand. Fortunately, close at hand are two thugs. One of whom she's quite pissed at. No witty banter this time, just a solid punch to the gut to take him out.

As Asp runs out the door, the haze falls from Jon's eyes and he sees the condition Miranda is in. The two remaining thugs see that they have been abandoned, and throw up their hands, "We surrender! We surrender!" Better bailed out of jail than hospitalized … or worse.

Eshe frees Miranda with a swing of her sword against the girl's bonds. She looks to Jon and bows her head. "Save your friend Servant of Bast, I shall deal with the Setites." She turns her gaze on the two men, a gaze that speaks not of mercy but of anger and a desire for vengeance and justice.

"Oh you better surrender," Jon snarls, fingers flexing and displaying her claws. "No, wait, you better not, 'cause I'm still in a bad mood." She looks over at Eshe's words, and then forces herself to calm down, at least a little bit. "Yeah, right," she grumbles, then steps over to Miranda. "Miranda, you…aw hell," she murmurs, spotting the flecks of foam. She pulls out her cell phone. "We gotta get an ambulance, fast."

Eshe stalks over to the two men and glares at them. "I am four thousand years old. You serve the enemy of my gods, your presence is an affront to all I believe in." She slides a finger across the edge of her sword, cutting herself and letting the blood slide down the blade to show how sharp it is. "Tell me where the Asp has gone, tell me what she wants and I may let you leave here with all of your limbs intact. If not, you may have to learn how to be real snakes for you will have no arms or legs to help you."

Jon makes sure Miranda's still breathing, but it sure doesn't sound like normal breathing. She dials up the school infirmary, something she's learned to keep on speed dial. "Y'all don't have to talk to her," she tells the thugs. She lets her drawl thicken, playing up the hillbilly. "'cause if'n y'all don't, reckon I gets t'have a go at you. An' I shure would like that," she says, smiling broadly. Toothily. And then the other line picks up. Her accent drops to her normal slight drawl. "This is Felis. I'm with Whisper and another neohuman. Whisper's been hurt bad, drugged up with something. We need an ambulance back to the school, and, uhm, maybe some help dealing with the cops? We, uhm, got some prisoners." She glances over her shoulder at them. "For now," she says ominously.

The thugs are too scared not to talk. They trip over each other as they try to explain, "Asp… there's a mobile base. A ship." "They'll move it when we're captured. They always do." "The girl, her parents stole the Eye of Set…" "VENOM killed her parents, but that whole team was lost…" "… Including Cobra, and everyone said he and Asp…" "Asp thinks the girl inherited the Eye, she was just supposed to make the girl talk…"

Eshe's eyes go wide and she grabs one of the men, hoisting him easily into the air. She brings her face right up to his and stares into his eyes. "What ship? What does it look like? Where is it now? I want details!" Apparently, the mention of the Eye Of Set has triggered something in her, something that flipped her switch from 'threatening' to 'going to kill someone for real if they don't talk NOW!'

Jon relays their address and location over the phone, pacing a little bit as she talks. After concluding that, she puts her phone away and rests a hand lightly on Miranda. "Help's on the way," she murmurs. "Hey, easy there," she says with a frown at Eshe. "What's got you all upset there? They're already spilling their guts!"

The thug faints like a little girl. There's a swirl of white mist, and Madame Alba, one of the teachers in the magical arts department appears. "Sorry it took so long, there was interference. Someone laid a rather clumsy curse over this whole street to keep people out." She tosses Jonathan a bag of zip-cuffs. "Mr Mason is on his way. He'll handle talking to the police." She then grabs Miranda, the syringes, and vanishes. The one goon left conscious tries to hide behind Jon to keep away from Eshe. "We don't have the Eye… The girl has it! The girl, Miranda!"

Eshe drops the unconscious minion to the ground, not caring how he lands or if he gets hurt. "They are speaking of the Eye of Set," she tells the teacher and Jonathan. "It is a talisman of ultimate evil. Some believe it is crafted from the eye of the god Horus, torn from his head by the foul Set and turned into a gem. Whatever its fell origin, it is an object of dark power, capable of summoning sandstorms, even where there is no sand. It is rumored to be a conduit for the return of Set himself to this world. In my time, even being rumored to possess the Eye was a crime and to be found to actually have it was an offense worthy of dismemberment and being fed to jackals then having your name and your family's name erased from history as accursed ones. They seek evil." She takes a deep breath to calm herself. "If Miranda knows where it is, I will stand vigil over her and protect her until such time as she wakes."

Now that's an entrance! Even knowing help was on the way, Jon's surprised by Madame Alba's appearance. "Yes ma'am," she says promptly, snatching the zip ties and stepping over to start securing the thugs. "Dunno, seems like that woman could do the sand thing already. And hey, she'll be as safe there as anyone can be anywhere, don't worry 'bout that." She tilts her head, listening for a moment. Are those sirens? Maybe, maybe not. Too new at this super hearing thing. "Look, we need to get out of here. I can arrange to meet you somewhere and compare notes and stuff, dunno 'bout your coming to stand guard over Miranda, I mean they take..wait, you know her?" Jon asks, tilting her head, cat-like in query.

Eshe nods and seems to calm herself. She tosses her sword up and it vanishes, along with her entire hero outfit, leaving her in low-rider jeans, a black tank top, a denim jacket and tennis shoes. "Yes, I have seen Miranda in the student center before. I do not know her well, just know of her. If she is being targetted by the modern followers of Set, I have to watch over her. I have been wondering why I was brought back at this time and why I was guided to this place. It is the hand of the gods guiding me. This is why I am here."

"Oh, you're a student?" Jon says. She figures things out eventually. "Okay, that's different, then. C'mon, let's get out of here before the cops show up, let Mr. Mason explain all this." She looks around at their handiwork. "Notta bad job, all things considered," she decides, turning to exit the warehouse. "Oh, and might keep clear of me, if you're on good terms with gods. I've got one annoyed at me, see."

Eshe blinks. "A god is annoyed at you? Which one?" She's much less impressive when she's out of 'uniform' and she just walks along like any other girl her relative age. "Gods tend to get annoyed easily and hold grudges. Well, some of them." She offers her hand to Jonathan. "I'm Eshe, if I forgot to mention before, Eshe Hikutpah." Her accent is very strange, a cross between Middle Eastern and Asian.

Jonathan takes the hand with her fuzzy one. "Jonathan Stevens. Jon, if you like." She walks with a more relaxed gait than she's had in the past. She pauses before exiting the warehouse to change back to human form. "Uhm, long story. Short form, supposed to be a boy, but to hurt my parents, a god changed me to this. Dunno which god. My parents won't tell me."

Eshe nods and just takes that in stride as well. "Sounds like something the Greeks would do. Stupid Greeks." That's all Eshe adds as she walks along, heading back to the school. "If you need me, I'll be in the Infirmary. Asp will try again. She cannot let her god down."

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