Time to head home, people

[runmakitarun]

Makita was really glad that Goldy suggested handing out comm gear. Now she can check up on the scattered ambush team and get everyone heading back to the Bar.

"Makita here, everybody check in," gets broadcast across the radio system.

Comments

[theredstars.livejournal.com]

A couple of sparks fly from the surface of the krawl and it shudders to a stop. However, not everything is electronically driven within the machine and automatic fire continues to spray toward Mel and Goldy. The turret jerks as it tries to get the stream of lead closer, but the mechanism is jammed for the moment.

[slayer_fray]

It's still too close to comfort.

Mel scrambles to her...

"ARGH!"

...feet, and is grateful to find Goldy there quickly to offer at least one arm.

Fable and Slayer are left leaning on each other as they hobble out of range as quickly as they can.

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

The battle is close. Too close. Way too close, for a man who is close to both physical and emotional shock. And just because Caitlin is carrying him, that doesn't mean he feels any better about getting home.

"You better not drop me, Cait. What would all the other heroes say?" Strange how he still finds some of his sense of humor, as he grins at the big redhead and then at Allie and Raps.

[grandsuccess.livejournal.com]

It was too close.

And it was more than Allie could stand anymore.

She was supposed to be running, she'd gotten Rapunzel's hand again since Alex was picked up....but her hand slid out and she stopped running. Stock still and turned staring at the battle with eyes that were becoming darker and darker and darker.

The world around her, around all of the heroes, started to blur white around all their edges. While the rag tag band of heroes could still move normally everything around them--debris falling, bullets flying, all of their attackers--was moving at an exponentially slower speed.

[longlonghair]

Rapunzel skids to a stop when Allie lets go of her hand. She recognizes Goldilocks, and her jaw tightens. That bitch better be on our side, she thinks with a small surge of panic at the sight of the deranged Fable. She doesn't recognise the other woman, but both of them join the small group, and don't seem to be attacking anyone they shouldn't.

"Allie, please, come on. I am not going to leave you here."

She turns and looks at Alex being carried away, and shouts after them, "Keep going! We'll catch up!"

She prepares to pick up Allie and carry her along, if necessary.

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

Goldy spots her compatriot as she and Mel stagger onto the scene, and treats her presence (and the presence of the small girl) with a baffled expression. There's no time to dwell on the peculiarity of it though, and she rapidly turns her attention back to her and Mel's progress.

"Come on, Hop-a-long," she urges. Not that she's moving any faster than Mel at this point. "I don't know how long this slow motion thing is going to last, whatever it is. But it's really handy for escape purposes. We ought to take advantage of it."

[cf1.livejournal.com]

Cait curses low, and hurries with Alex; she will pick up Raz and Allie if the need arises, rushing along with Makita to an exit point. She can fight, and fight well, but she also needs to get the non-fighters out of the way and FAST. "Lets GO! We have to take these three OUT of here. And ourselves if we can!" Because she is already mentally self-added to the fighting group.

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

Despite being in excellent shape, Makita is huffing loudly from the long sprint as she reaches the fire escape to the apartment building they came in through. "Everyone up the stairs!"

Her eyes flick back over those who have arrived and she hopes that the stragglers haven't gotten lost.

[cf1.livejournal.com]

Cait just starts up, carrying whoever needs or wants carrying, up to whatever spot Makita shows, to get the wounded and the non-fighters out of the way of danger.

[slayer_fray]

Mel disengages from Goldy as the two of them catch up with the others, jerking her head to shoo the Fable up the stairs. Face set to control any display of pain, she deliberately stands on both feet and turns back, pulling out one of her remaining grenades.

"Get up."

Hero syndrome. She won't save her own life until everyone else is safe.

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

Goldy ignores the shooing. She stays at the bottom of the fire escape, now brandishing the Red issue handgun at the end of her good arm.

"Non-fighters and children first," she replies.

She doesn't have as much hero in her as some of the others. But, if there's a stand to be made, she feels qualified to be part of it.

Also? She has smoke bombs.

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

Makita stands at the top of the stairs as the civilians make their way up. "Second door on the right. The closet should open to Milliways," her voice is hard and a bit distant as her eyes scan back toward the plaza looking for both their stragglers and for the Reds she know will be headed their way soon.

[gotham-knocking.livejournal.com]

"You heard the lady, Cait. Let's get the hell out of here." There is fatigue in Alex's voice. Worry. Utter confusion - did time really just go bonkers? Did Allie do that? But there is also a sense that they might just make it. That he and Allie and Raps will get home, in part thanks to having a overly strong, somewhat impetuous redheaded teen carry them.

He decides that as soon as he can, he's going to get all three of them something special. Cait and Allie - wasn't that a TV show, he thinks muzzily - for saving him. Raps for just being Raps.

And he totally doesn't think about how scary Makita is right now.

[grandsuccess.livejournal.com]

Allie looked up slowly at Rapunzel's words, blue eyes and pupil all but black, but somehow their tiredness showed regardless.

She nodded, barely, and hurried with Rapunzel after the group.

Home, and safe. That was all that mattered.

[longlonghair]

Thank God! However, they weren't out of the woods yet. She runs with Allie, prepared to scoop her up and carry her at the first sign of the girl being to tired.

"We're going to make, honey. We're going to make it!"

[cf1.livejournal.com]

Cait will just haul the three up herself! That's what super-strong, super-agile super-heroines are good at, getting innocents out of trouble.

After she makes sure Knox, Raz and Allie are into the room into the closet, and into Milliways, she comes to the window shout to the others. "Non-fighters clear!!" Now its tome to retreat... or kick ass.

[song_tra_bong]

Speaking of ass-kickers...

Mary Anne skids to a halt at the bottom of the stairs.

She'd put her sword away as the krawl drop started, the better to run like a bat out of hell. Between trying to maintain cover, flying debris and that weird time slowing thing, it's been an interesting time.

"Better late than never," she says, grinning at Mel and Goldy.

"Everybody here?"

[slayer_fray]

"Yeah," Mel answers as Miho catches up.

The thief nods to both of them, and jerks her head-up the stairs.

"Get in. I'll be behind."

She doesn't move to follow, though, idly saying to Goldy, "y'know. We're running, leaving this situation. So what happens when 'Keet opens the door again?"

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

Goldy looks over her shoulder as she mounts the first flight of steps, and rolls her eyes at Mel.

"Enough with the heroics already!" she chides over the nearby rattle of hailer fire and richochets. Now that Allie is through the door, time around them has resumed its normal rate, with the consequence that gated infantry troops are closing in on their position at much greater speed.

Goldy ducks down and raises her voice even more.

"There's not a lot you can do to change the 'situation' given that you can barely walk. We need to get back, heal and then figure out if we need to return to clear Skeeter's way."

"SO GET YOUR FINE ASS UP THESE STAIRS!"

[slayer_fray]

"Toy," Mel says.

And to prove that the accusation of her being unable to walk is toy, she launches herself off her good foot, grabs the railing of the fire escape with her free hand, and lands again on the good foot.

Of course, as she hurries Goldy down the corridor, she's force to limp painfully. There's only so much bravado she can manage at once.

[runmakitarun.livejournal.com]

Makita watches Krauser move smoothly through the door back to the bar and then turns to Mary Anne and Miho as they make it into the room. "Let's get home people," she grins, "I'll buy you a drink or something on the other side."

As the two women move through, Makita sticks her head out into the hallway as Goldy and Mel reach the door, "Come on, people. We don't have all day to wait on you." She's grinning: they made it, they're home.

Then her hand snaps up, pistol aiming back toward the window at the end of the hallway, and she rips off a burst at a Red trooper who sticks his head up. "Come on, move!" she snaps at the two stragglers.

And then the trooper ducking down on the fire escape responds. With a grenade. The metal sphere sails down the hallway and skids to a stop at Makita's feet just as Goldy and Mel reach her. Her eyes widen in horror.

They were so close.

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

As the grenade trundles innocuously up to Makita, Goldy remembers the information about the shorter fuses from the briefing. Three seconds.

—3—

Even if the soldier didn't cook the grenade, that doesn't give her enough time to kick or throw the thing clear. And, upon quick analysis, she's the only immortal here, and doesn't stand to take any permanent damage from this situation—or at least, she hopes she's immortal here.

—2—

With her good arm she gives Mel a hard shove sideways, then launches at Makita and barges her through the open doorway. Unfortunately her momentum isn't enough to take her across the threshold as well. She falls short, landing on her stomach a few feet past the grenade

—1—

Time's up. She reaches out and slams the door shut to protect those beyond it.

[slayer_fray]

Mel stumbles on her broken foot -

ow, goddamn it, OW

- and falls to the floor, rolling when she hits. That roll takes her to nearly all the way to the fire escape, and she clings to her scythe -

BOOOOM!

- as the grenade explodes, showering her in debris