Post by Scramjet on Dec 13, 2021 18:04:35 GMT
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Scramjet heard the spider-themed hero out, hands moving to rest on his hips as he turned to look away at the rest of the beach. Strecker and ACG Heatwave were certainly capable of handling themselves in a pinch, but the young woman was a bit of a known unknown-- if she was here, then she hopefully had a degree of defense against a factor of substantial stake, but that was a very risky assumption to be made by somebody backing the integrity of a government institution. Last thing he needed was that on his conscience. [attr="style","display:inline;text-shadow:0px 0px 3px #b671c2;"]"Alright. I'll go out on a limb here."
Scramjet turned back to the spider-hero as he spoke, rubbing the back of his helmet. Chances are, the kid had at least some amount of power to back up his words-- Rasmus liked to think that nobody could be that stupidly brave-- so he put up his hands. [attr="style","display:inline;text-shadow:0px 0px 3px #b671c2;"]"I make no promises on the ambulance ride, though, or the hospital. That's up for convincing the emergency services. I'd--"
And at that, he turned, looking back to the gathered parties on the beach. [attr="style","display:inline;text-shadow:0px 0px 3px #b671c2;"]"-- like to get names or aliases from everybody here, please. Might need to follow up a bit after this wraps."
If this wrapped, that is. Scramjet had a tendency to be optimistic about situations like these-- a trait his wife often nagged him for-- and it often bit him in the rear, if he was being honest with himself. Didn't hurt to see the best in everything, though. It helped to make friends in this sort of industry. Allies, at the very least.To prove his point, two allies happened to show up a little bit after EMS arrived. Business acquaintances, sure, but having someone like Ms. Smith or Oni-Girl on your side wasn't exactly a bad thing. Kore gave him the heads-up on the body, to which he responded with about as much of an emotive nod as he could manage.
[attr="style","display:inline;text-shadow:0px 0px 3px #b671c2;"]"Good hunting, then! Science team's gonna have a field day with that body. We won't be making a Mecha-Skeleton-Kaiju with the framework. Promise."
He winked at that, then realized nobody could see it. [attr="style","display:inline;text-shadow:0px 0px 3px #b671c2;"]"I winked."
That about fixed it, so he turned his attention back to the spider-guy as he gave a very sarcastic greeting by contrast. Rasmus fell visibly silent at that, glancing between the two parties before opening his mouth to speak-- and he was really glad that the helmet hid his face, at that moment, because it stayed open for about a moment longer before he unanimously decided against what he was about to say. Not worth getting in the middle of whatever this was. Instead, he gave a glance over to the girl, turning away from the shore to get a good look at her. His gaze swept along the gathered party another time around, more out of habit than anything else.Truth be told, the people weren't as interesting as the thing behind them. No offense meant to them-- few people were more concerning than an imminently approaching beam of concentrated energy. In his peripheral, the bundled-up kid stirred, then leapt.
Fight or flight kicked in, and time slowed down. Adrenaline had a way of making everything just that much more heightened-- the way the bundled kid's hair fluttered over his face in the wind, or the way a rogue tendril on the spider-kid's suit curled like a ferro-fluid back into his limb. Air particulates passed under the rays of dawn. Sand shifted grain by grain with each subtle movement of the human body. And-- most apparently, the blinding and encroaching light of ordnance firing upon the beach. Right where they were standing.
What happened next was out of Scramjet's control, really. It was a blur-- before the cannons even hit the beach, there was a single explosion in the sand as his muscles instinctively kicked him into a dive towards the spider-hero and the kid he no longer holding-- because Scramjet could see, in his slowed-down cognition, that the kid was already leaping through the air towards the beams. Even though Rasmus had the ability to perceive everything, his body was a prison, bound by the same laws and motion of the present. Saving everyone was impossible. He'd have to hope they could fend for themselves. He could only save one. He had his sights set on the black-suited kid, and there was no going back. Momentum made sure of that.
Can only save one. Can only save one...
Sand ripped up in a miniature detonation as he moved-- dragged by air, then falling to the earth, as he moved quick enough to break past the sound barrier. Sand ripped into his suit from the force, streaking along the material and crackling into his visor. His limbs ached. He was not meant to move this fast. No human body was. But he moved, pushing himself further and further as the glow of the beams crested along his body, because being alive enough to register pain was far, far better than the alternative being presented here. For him to live, though, he had to play this right. Had to make sure he didn't kill himself in the process. So-- as quickly as he'd accelerated, Scramjet braked, digging his legs into the sand and kicking up a good two inches of beach as he tucked, outstretched his arms just enough to keep them from being dislocated, and tackled the kid about center mass mid-stop. Something hit his shoulder. Hard. Pain didn't even register yet, and the pair were both taken to the ground, with Rasmus shifting his body to hopefully take the brunt of the impact with the ground. At the very least, he hoped to push the kid out of the range of the blasts-- at most, tackle him and shield him from any collateral.
So, with enough fright that could kill an elephant, Rasmus braced and rolled.
It was over in seconds. Turning, turning, explosions all around, then-- nothing. Rather than inspect his own injuries, Scramjet quickly scrambled to his knees and moved to the side of the spider-kid, one hand instinctively taking a pulse while the other lightly shook his arm. Sand still rained down around them both, and smoke was heavy in the air. No-- not sand. Glass. It pattered off of his already-tarnished suit, micro-abrasions along the front of his body forming tears in the material and scratches along the visor.
[attr="style","display:inline;text-shadow:0px 0px 3px #b671c2;"]"Sorry-- sorry! Had to-- act on instinct."
He breathed, blood screaming in his ears. It was his own version of a heart hammering in the chest, he'd learned. His own little mini heart attack. Not a great feeling. [attr="style","display:inline;text-shadow:0px 0px 3px #b671c2;"]"You alright? You good? Anything hurt? Can you hear me?"
The kid was confident enough to think he could hold down the kaiju-boy, after all. Scramjet just hoped that the confidence wasn't, well-- misplaced. [attr="style","display:inline;text-shadow:0px 0px 3px #b671c2;"]"I--"
Little time for small talk, it seemed. A roar drew Scramjet's head over his shoulder just in time to see a wave of breath cresting towards him; in a flash, Scramjet's leg kicked out into the earth and unleashed a pressurized burst of air about a foot beneath the sand, spraying up a wall of pulverized rock and silicate to block the worst of the attack. Again, glass clattered against his body in the aftermath, along with a brief flash of fire; an on-board geiger counter started to bleed his ears with clicking before fading out into silence. Great-- green rays, cancer rays, cancer breath, kaiju-boy. A few more and he'd fill the Incident Bingo, he reckoned. He glanced back to the kid as the kaiju leapt off, extending out a hand. First priority was making sure everyone else was alright. The others engaged first.
[attr="style","display:inline;text-shadow:0px 0px 3px #b671c2;"]"We're just getting luckier and luckier today, right? You good to get up? Take a minute if you need to."