Smog and Brimstone

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

At the corner of Hollywood and Vine, the ground begins to tremble on an early summer evening - the hardy native Californians ignore the tremor at first, accustomed to such things living this close to the San Andreas fault. The hissing gasses and wave of heat might be ignored as well - after all, this is where movies are made - but the follow-up is all too real.

Demons begin to pour forth from the fissure that quickly forms - their twisted, red-black bodies bending unnaturally as their charred wings expand, feeling the freedom of the air for the first time in age untold.

Hell on Earth begins here.

Comments

[zauriel1971.livejournal.com]

Owlman stands his ground, but it doesn't help when you're only human, "Brave mortal..." says a minion. It unleashes a volley of fire at Owlman and so do the others that he jumped into.

"AAAAGH!" The fire-resistant suit is holding, but it won't be long until it fails.

"Foul... creatures...!" He hurls smoke pellets and Owl shruikens in their direction...

They squeal as the objects hit their marks. The fire temporarily stops. He disappears into the smoke and lays low, "Crap!" he whispers to himself, "I could use some help..." Not far away he sees Flamebird. 'Maybe that flame chick can help,' he thinks to himself...

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

Flamebird goes back to splinting and bandaging the leg of a man who was unfortunate enough to have a piece of falling building land on it. The splint is insufficient, all things considered, but it will have to do as there are other people who need her.

[zauriel1971.livejournal.com]

Owlman braces for another attack when he feels the effects of the seraphic cry from Zauriel breach the barrier between realms and impact the streets around him! "What in the world?"

The minions there feel it too and squeal as their bodies ripple from the effects for a moment... but just for a moment...

Soon they shake it off and start to look for Owlman. "Take THIS vermin!" He launches several grenades at the heads of the minions as they attack...

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

Grenades? Is that guy throwing.... Flamebird opens her mouth to yell at him but is distracted by more important things. Like making sure no one is going to be hurt by shrapnel or concussion.

[zauriel1971.livejournal.com]

The grenades disappear before his eyes into nothing. "What?!" says Owlman.

He grabs a fistful of Owl shaped shruikens ready when suddenly the approaching minions disappear! So do the demons in the area. Before anyone knows it, the streets have emptied from any demonic or minion presence!

Owlman stands to his feet and says, "What just happened?"

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"I have no idea but I'm guessing someone won."

Flamebird quickly organizes some of the less wounded people to start making their way toward rescue personel with the more wounded folk who can move with help.

[zauriel1971.livejournal.com]

Owlman puts his weapons away, and then helps Flamebird organize the wounded, "Thank you for coming to help - the grenades were a last option for me. I hope you realize that, ms... ?"

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

Flamebird gives him a look but what sort of look is hard to tell through the goggles. "Flamebird," she supplies to him in response.

[zauriel1971.livejournal.com]

"Flamebird..." says Owlman. He tries to figure out what kind of look she sent him. Even as a top detective, he has trouble figuring out women and their looks and thoughts and actions and so on. "So where did you get those powers from, scientific accident? Mutation? Alien? Divine empowerment? Something else?"

He works beside her and assists the injured. 'She's pretty...' he thinks to himself.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"I... don't have any powers." Most of the people are getting to be on their way out of the danger area and those that can't be moved are waiting for emergency medics to make their way in here.

"So, I'm not sure what you're talking about."

[zauriel1971.livejournal.com]

Owlman smiles. "It was a test... to see if the costume represented something else, or if you were simply a human like me. Nice outfit Flamebird. A little bright for me, but it seems to work for you. Care to go for a coffee after the clean-up? I've got the ride...?" He presses a button on a small remote and the Owlwing fires up its' engines in a roar.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

A test. Huh.

"Do you have anywhere we can go in costume?" She's not going anywhere with someone she just met /out/ of costume, that much is certain. Especially someone so seemingly eager to be impressive.

[zauriel1971.livejournal.com]

Owlman thinks and says, "Blue Beetle told me of a place where heroes can go, something called Warrior's? We can head there? Or we could just get drive-through and go to my base in Bludhaven?"

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"Well, I was hoping there would be something a little more local. Warriors is a bar in New York and Bludhaven is on the East Coast too." Flamebird looks at him a little worriedly.

"I'm sorry, I just met you, so I'm not all that comfortable with the idea of jetting off to your base."

[zauriel1971.livejournal.com]

"Wise," said Owlman, "How about drive-through and head to a local park? I can turn on the cloak so we appear invisible and no one would bother us - you know onlookers trying to figure out what my Owling is? Does that work better? Or can you think of something else?"

He surveys the scene one last time, some craters form impacts, smoke, little fires being put out by firefighters, and people being taken off to hosptial in ambulances. It looked pretty cleaned up. Then in the centre of it all he saw Zauriel talking to Dr. Fate, Phantom Stranger, and Spectre - freshly broken from Asmodel.

"Who are those guys with Zauriel and Spectre?" he asks Flamebird.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"Or you could leave it somewhere else and we could just eat on top of a building somewhere." Flamebird points to the surrounding buildings, for a brief moment, "The helmet guy is Doctor Fate... I don't usually get involved when big magic is going on . That's way above my pay gra-"

"Hey. Wait. Did you say Bludhaven?"

[zauriel1971.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, Bludhaven, that's where I operate usually. So Dr. Fate huh? I think the guy in green is Spectre, but who's the guy with the trenchcoat and hat?"

He stops to think about it, then says, "So the top of a building somewhere is good - what are you in the mood for? McDonald's? Subway? Chinese? Pizza? Back in Bludhaven, there is a great wings spot. By the way, why the interest in Bludhaven?"

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"I have no idea. I didn't even know who the guy in the green was. I'm sure if you really want to know, you could ask them."

Flamebird reaches up and rubs at her forehead for a few moments, "No real reason. Jsut reminded me of someone I hadn't heard from recently. Look, I'll go get something and you can go get something and we'll meet up there in an hour. Okay?"

[zauriel1971.livejournal.com]

"Sounds good."

Owlman looks around at whats still in operation. He sees a McDonald's, changes to his civies, and gets an Angus burger combo, changes back to Owlman, and heads to the rooftop to meet Flamebird.