7083/Crossing The Lines

Crossing The Lines
Date of Scene:	13 February 2020
Location:	The Line
Synopsis:	A Guardian and a Bounty Hunter cross paths over an outlaw target.
Cast of Characters:	Arcadia, 7099

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Arcadia has posed:
The more some things change, the more they stay the same. The Line was still a chaotic place these days, the cultures that had rooted themselves so far into the lifestyle of speed and excitement that for some there was little else to turn to. Gangs still roamed the wild roadways as much as the mutated fauna did, and between the two there was plenty of oppritunity for those willing to do the more dangerous and sometimes under the table work.

A good case in point was the linerunner now storming it's way across one such stretch of gleaming heatblasted wilderness. For those without cities, the giant transports served as mobile base of operations, and this one even had special ramp bays on the sides for gang members to park their suped up motorbikes. Which also made it easy to grab one, ride right up, and get inside in order to chase down the leader of this band of raider outlaws.

The hatchway onto the main top deck crashed open as it was hastily shoved, and a man chunky enough to make it amazing he'd managed to run up that many levels in tight biker leather stormed out into open. A couple of thugs followed, then turned to fire their guns back through the doorway.

For as little as it would do to stop the woman pursuing them.

If only they realized that wasn't going to be the only problem that would be ruining their night....

Rosa Borrasca (7099) has posed:
You know what it took to even get on this thing? Rosa has been fighting her way through it after boarding it from on board what was best described as a flying motorcycle. She'd aquired THAT from one of the gang's crew members, which is how she got the transponder frequency for this thing in the first place.

She ducks back behind cover as they shoot at her. It's a tight coridor, it'd be easy to hit the panthress. She growls loudly enough for them to hear her even over the whipping winds of the outside of the vehicle, "You've still got a chance to surrender without me breaking any bones!" She yells at the man, peeking out from behind the wall and when she sees they're no longer shooting at her, she bounds up and out, landing on the upper deck of the vehicle, "Where are you gonna run to, anyway?" Though he probably has some kind of hover car or something docked on this ship.

Arcadia has posed:
The gang leader just spits in her general direction, then pulls out a pair of shades to slip on and shield his eyes from the light glaring off the almost glass-like surface the linerunner was blazing across. "Never doubt the ability to get around here, miss." Meanwhile the thugs have emptied their magazines trying to pin the panthress down and have to pause to eject and reload. Yes they're still using older ballistic weapons, bullets are cheaper to come by than lasers and such. Easier to replace to. Reloading is still a few seconds of vulnerability though...

The man is still backing away while his thugs are between himself and her, turning to make for the opposite end of the deck with his ear-comm crackles. "<< Boss, we've got another contact coming in hot and... shit, shit, I think it's her! Get back insi-- >>"

The transmission cuts a bolt of lightning seems to erupt from the sky itself and blasts out the comm tower at the back of the vehicle. It's barely split-seconds later that the winged cat-woman lands on the deck between the big bad boss and whatever escape he was headed for. Arcadia waggles a clawed finger at him. "Ah ah, no sneaking off for you this time, Leadfoot." Is that an insult considering the culture here, or a nickname? Or someone taking a mean nickname so it can't be used to mock him? Probably all of those.

Rosa Borrasca (7099) has posed:
The time they're taking to reload, that's perfect. That's all she needs. Rosa rises out from her cover, crossing the distance between herself and one of the goons in a flash, kicking the gun out of his hand, before grabbing his arm and breaking it at the elbow. She kicks him in the middle and knocks him down. She moves to the other guy as well, ripping the gun out of his hands and tossing it over to the side of the vehicle.

Just in time it seems to find the other arrival. She tilts her head slightly, before she headbutts the goon she's holding in the face, and causes him to slump down, "I have this under control, whoever you are."

Arcadia has posed:
Looks like living life on the fast lane isn't enough in itself to fend off a deadly catwoman. Two thugs are disposed of before they can even get ammo back in their guns.

Yet despite that display it's actually towards Rosa that Leadfoot backs up. "That's the Guardian of Argo Alexandria. One of the most advanced city-states in this sector of the Line."

"Advances that you and your fiends keep trying to steal, smuggle, and swindle off to other rogue elements!" the sphinx cuts in with a lash of her tail. "This is a matter of the city, miss. Don't get in the way." Even though it sounds like almost the same reasons, save in Rosa's case she was hired by one of the other smaller operations this guy was screwing over. One that couldn't afford a guardian of their own.

"Yeah, well... Go suck an exhaust port!" Leadfoot snaps, failing at coming up with a meaner insult on the fly, and turns to run back the way he came.

Only for the sphinx to bolt forward and twist around, lashing her tail like an actual whip this time. It snags Leadfoot's ankle with the swipe and sends him tumbling over.

Right towards Rosa, the big chonk of a man that he is in sweaty biker leather. Because that's how these sort of situations start.

Rosa Borrasca (7099) has posed:
Well the big guy lands right on top of Rosa, smothering her in smuggler leather and unwashed body stank. She gags, and knees the guy somewhere probably a bit lower than his abdomen, kicking him off of her and rolling back up to her feet, "Look, I'm not trying to step on your toes, but CLEARLY the feeling isn't mutual." Rosa says, pointing a claw at Arcadia, "I was hired by some folks to bring this guy to them, and that's what I'm gonna do. Maybe they can turn him over to your city after they're done with him."

Arcadia has posed:
A smart man would say something to turn the two on each other. Leadfoot... is not a smart man. He's one of those gang bosses that leads through being scary and too big to kick around rather than cleverness. The most he gets out is an hurking sound as he's kicked off the other catwoman.

He doesn't need to be, anyways. For all her good intentions Arcadia is still ruled by brash impulses, and is already on the assumption that someone else is trying to horn in on her guardian activity. "I'm not about to allow this fiend to get off from answering for his dasterdly work against the Technocracy!"

The linerunner was already moving fast, but there's a distinct difference in the powerful wind that abruptly rushes over it. It's hard to describe how, it just feels in some way directed in an effort to push the panthress back so Arcadia can grab the man.

Then again, seeing as the sphinx isn't the least bit bothered by the surging flow of air, it's not hard to deduce she's somehow the source.

Rosa Borrasca (7099) has posed:
The panther digs her claws into the deck to keep herself from being launched off of the linerunner. She grits her teeth and then pushes herself upwards again. It's going to be hard to get to her target, but she's not going to give up on this bounty that easily.

"Take that up with my employers!" She yells out over the wind, and then she pushes off with her back feet, launching through the wind to try to tackle the sphinx and pin her down to the linerunner's deck

Arcadia has posed:
Leadfoot is still laying in a daze on the deck, and Arcadia had started to walk towards him. Both that and actually being on the deck instead of hovering over it works to Rosa's favor.

That and her actually forcing her way through the wind in a powerful leap, something rarely done and even more rarely succeeded at. Which catchs Arcadia by surprise out of sheer improbability of it working.

One catwoman rams into the other and both go crashing down on the deck as well. Arcadia gets an arm bent between them, trying to push the panthress back some.

But her attention is also past them, as a couple more gangers come up onto the deck and try to grab their boss to get him out of danger. "Dammit, why must you make this difficult?" Several balls of flame flare around her other arm as Arcadia points it up and past Rosa, shooting them off. One strikes a ganger in the back, his buddy ducks the second. Only for it to rebound off the hatchway door, slamming it shut in the process, and nailing him in the face from the ricochet.

The third she flicks at the deck, catchs it as it bounces back to her, and holds it in her hand to try and shove the flames into Rosa's face.

Rosa Borrasca (7099) has posed:
Cooking of meat and singeing of fur is enough for Rosa to get off of the sphinx and move away from her. At least those goons were taken out quick. A hatch behind Arcadia opens up, and another goon climbs out of it with a knife in hand. Rosa sees him, and for a second considers letting him go to work, but figures that wouldn't be very nice. Plus the two of them technically have similar goals.

She rushes at Arcadia and then jumps, planting her feet down towards the sphinx's shoulders to push off of her, fly through the air and spear the goon to the ground, knocking the knife out of his hands. Assuming it works right it should shove Arcadia face first into the deck as well.

Arcadia has posed:
Arcadia immeadiately bolts in the opposite direction once Rosa rolls off, back on her feet faster than the eye can follow. The flaming ball poofs as she clenches her fingers to reassimilate the elemental energy generating it.

Only for her unintentional opponent to also be quickly back on the move. Arcadia readies herself for a strike, only for Rosa to jump and use her shoulders as a springboard. Arcadia is knocked forward and down by the push, through she rolls on her shoulder quick enough to avoid a complete faceplant, and is back on her feet again in time to see Rosa lance the other goon with her body.

That.. was kind of cool. "Next time ask first!" she snaps, feeling a little less spiteful since it was a neat stunt.

That was only the first of a new wave of outlaws though as more respond to the ruckus that's been rattling about the deck for several minutes now.

"Just don't let them get Leadfoot inside.... oh, and stay low a moment." Wings flare as Arcadia finally takes back to the air. Only to turn and face the deck below her, and keeping the exact speed to be hovering over it even with the linerunner itself moving. Sparks flare from the crystals imbedded in her arm-guards, down to arcing between her fingers and collecting between her outstretched hands.

"TESLA SCALAR!"

The result is not unlike someone taking an electromagnetic blast and somehow focusing and amplifying it in a more direct manner across the upper deck. The magitek attack isn't enough to disable the transport, but it does result in weapons sparking as they're electrified, or bursting as rounds cook off from the intense electrical heat. There's plenty of screaming, burned hands, and the guys that aren't knocked off their feet by guns exploding in their hands resort to pulling out crowbars, knives and brass knuckles.

Might be primitive compared to the sphinx's magic arsenal, but this is right up Rosa's alley isn't it?

Rosa Borrasca (7099) has posed:
Rosa growls faintly after she finishes taking the goon out of the fight, though at the warning to get down by Arcadia, Rosa does just that, throwing herself to the ground, just in time for the electric blast of heat to fly over her. At least now it seems that the guys aren't armed with firearms, which makes Rosa's job a lot easier.

However they have a bigger concern, which is Leadfoot. Rosa is back to her feet once the electric blast is done, and she dives on top of the goon boss, rolling over his back, pulling something shiny out of her vest, and latching it around his wrist, and to one of the mooring anchors on the ship, "Don't go anywhere."

She is back up to her feet, looking at the goons with crowbars and knives, "Come on guys. Do you REALLY wanna do this? Because there's so many better options than getting your asses kicked by me."

Arcadia has posed:
And it's right about then that Leadfoot finally gets his head clear, only to find himself cuffed to the mooring. "Don't just stand there, kill her! Kill 'em both! Or I'll kill ya all!" Which is about all it takes to provoke the remaining crowd into a rushing mob brandishing blunt weapons and knives.

"Can you knock him out again so he shuts up." Arcadia mutters as she deploys her option bits. They scatter abount the sides of the deck, placing so they start firing beams of energy around at various angles that force the goons to either stumble and reposition themselves, or get zorched by the beams.

She's not directly aiming the beams at Rosa... But she's not particularly trying to avoid her either while chasing about the hoodlums. Hopefully the panthress is more agile than the thugs are, and can turn this weird shift in environment to her advantage.

Rosa Borrasca (7099) has posed:
Rosa is pretty agile, and she seems to manage to avoid getting hit by most of the lasers. She can see she's very clearly outclassed by this local hero, however. Though she's not exactly a pushover either. She dives back on top of Leadfoot, tears his shirt, and shoves it into his mouth to silence him, before she begins to move after the thugs.

Ducking and weaving through the lasers, it probably looks really cool if she weren't utterly terrified of getting hit. One of them manages to scorch some of her fur, but at least it's not a direct hit.

In between laser blasts, she manages to land several good hits on thugs, breaking limbs and rendering people unconcious, clearly with no intent to kill. She can't say the same for the sphinx, though it seems like none of her blasts had been lethal yet.

Arcadia has posed:
Arcadia is not directly, intentionally lethal with her attacks.... But if someone falls off the moving linerunner to their doom on the glassy plain below, she's not going to particularly care, either. These raiders are social lowlifes and rogue elements, nothing to consern herself over. The gang will probably fall apart once Leadfoot isn't conjoling them into raiding and smuggling jobs anyways.

The Argoxandrian sphinx would of been a handful on her own. The additional unfamiliar element of the outsider pantress completely puts it out of their ballpark. Not that they don't try, but between the agile melee and the lasers the thugs can really only try and then go down.

Finally Arcadia recalls her bits as she lowers back to the deck. Right behind the one goon still standing. She taps his shoulder with her tail, and as he turns that way she leans in the opposite direction, grabs him, and twirls around to toss him in Rosa's direction. It's like a reverse fastball special, throwing someone to get hit instead of attack.

Rosa Borrasca (7099) has posed:
Rosa of course wasn't expecting a goon to come at her that way. She gets slammed into, and the guy takes her down as nothing but dead weight on top of her. She grunts and tries to push him off of her, rolling him onto his side and laying there for a second, "Can we parley for a second?" She asks the sphinx, sitting up and looking around at all the unconcious goons, "Look we both want this guy. But you're the law around here." She rises up to her feet and dusts herself off, "Let me take something off him that'll prove he's done for to my client, then you can take him in. Deal?"

Arcadia has posed:
Arcadia opens her mouth as if to object, but the proposal was actually not the kind of one-sided deal she was expecting and she pauses.

Then Leadfoot manages to spit the cloth out of his mouth and starts laughing. "What could you possibly make me give up to prove anything?" Which is followed by an audible "OOMPH" as Arcadia put her foot in his stomach.

The sphinx crouchs down, grinning that sort of smug smirk that only someone at least partially cat can do. "Funny you should ask, LeadFOOT." Even with the sunglasses on there's a visible terrified look of realization in the man's eyes as Arcadia grabs his left ankle in her hands, giving it a twist to the side and then a yank!

"Can't hide your fakeness from my enchanted visor~" croons the sphinx smugly as she tosses prosthetic foot, made to look like a heavy combat boot, to Rosa. "There's probably contraband hidden in the compartment, too."

She then pulls Leadfoot, sans the fake lead foot, free from the mooring and tosses him over her shoulder. "Probably want to tell whoever hired you to be more careful who they deal with. Scumbags like this look for easy hits still recovering from the pre-stabilization."

Rosa Borrasca (7099) has posed:
"I'll pass along the message." Rosa replies, after catching the heavy fake foot in her hands, rolling it over a couple of times, "This'll work as proof." She hrms faintly, "What's your name anyway? I ain't from around here if you can't tell, so I figured I might as well know who I'm dealing with."

Arcadia has posed:
Arcadia resumes a hover, after a bit of a sputter as her magitek systems have to readjust for the considerable additional weight of the rest of Leadfoot. Which results in several small plumes of energy projectile from the microthrusters built into the 'skirt' of her armor and the backs of her leg guards to get the extra lift. "Arcadia, Guardian of Argo Alexandria and Enforcer for her Technocracy."

A city nation governed by scientists, scholars, wizards and other wisemen? Her being a sphinx might not seem so strange knowing that. The Line was a weird place.

"Scum like this only live off fear and discord, plundering the wonders of others. Rogue elements not to be tolerated." Leadfoot starts to say something that's probably more cussing, but he's slapped in the face with the sphinx's tail to muffle whatever it was.

Then like that she's gone, managing to take off at a shocking speed even with the additional mass she's carrying. That's one heck of a fast sphinx.

Rosa Borrasca (7099) has posed:
"Well that was weird." Rosa finally says, after the sphinx takes off. The jaguar makes her way over to the escape vehicle that Leadfoot was planning on using, and hops inside, eventually figuring out how to take off. She has a meeting to get to, and apparently, a warning to deliver.