Sept. 25th, Danger room- The Dynamic Duo Rides Again!

[Byrna Cooper]

Bear was sitting on the edge of a roof, her feet dangling off the side of a 10 story brick residential walk-up. Gazing out over the skyline, she observed a mixed commercial/residential urban neighborhood somewhere in NYC.

She looked on, not nearly as happy as this simulation normally made her.

[Ryan Gabriel]

Ryan's entrance into the simulation placed him in the air... he made a mental note to correct that later, but for now, he just glided down, landing lightly behind Bear. "Hey, Sunshine," he said, crouching behind her and giving her an affectionate hug from behind.

[Byrna Cooper]

Bear had to smile at that.

"Ryan! Thanks for coming. There's so much going on right now.. the Team 6 problems, and then, Teri.."

Bear shivered slightly.

"I should have invited Ayami.."

[Ryan Gabriel]

"Well, we can do something for her later if you want. Right now? This is our gig," he said, smiling a little. His arm loosened a little, but he didn't really let go. "So what kind of team problems are you having?"

[Byrna Cooper]

"Ah, Constantine and I were butting heads over how the team should be treated.. We've come to a bit of a solution for now. I.. I wanted to try a leadership role. I guess I'm not ready for it yet."

[Ryan Gabriel]

Ryan quirked an eyebrow. "Why don't you think you're ready for it?" he asked.

[Byrna Cooper]

Bear sighed, looking out over the street.

"I couldn't keep things together while we were out on our mission the other day.. I fought with Con right out front of the target."

[Ryan Gabriel]

"Given that I know just how easily you fight with people, I'd tend to place the blame someplace other than with you, myself," Ryan said dryly.

[Byrna Cooper]

"Well, I blew it. And now I'm afraid I'll never get the chance again.. Any advice? You're the most natural leader I know, anyways."

[Ryan Gabriel]

"Just the usual," Ryan admitted. "Know when to let things go and roll with it for the good of the group. Be diplomatic. Be a good example. Don't get full of yourself just because you're in charge."

"Honestly, if you aren't ready now, and mind you I'm just taking your word on that one because I don't want to argue, then I can't see you being long in coming if you want to be leadership material."

[Byrna Cooper]

Bear smiled.

"Thanks, Ryan. You're the best."

Getting up and stretching, she pulled out what looked like a small police band radio.

"So, ready? I've tweaked things a little bit since we did this last, at the XI.."

[Ryan Gabriel]

"I think I'm ready, but I probably ought to ask what tweaks you're talking about first," Ryan said, grinning.

[Byrna Cooper]

"Oh, you know. Keeping up with both our power advancements."

Bear grinned, strapping on her satchel.

"This should be interesting, I'm not gonna use the motorcycle this time."

Bear looked over the edge, surveying the scene.

"You ready, Flyboy?"

[Ryan Gabriel]

Ryan smirked. "I'll even give you a head start. Go for it."

[Byrna Cooper]

Bear smiled, clicking on the police band radio. there was a burst of Static, and then a bulletin.

"Calling all cars, calling all cars. The First national bank is being robbed by the Flying Fish Gang! All units respond!"

A few seconds later, there was an explosion on the opposite side of the street, coming from the front of the aforementioned bank. Fleeing into the street through the fire was a trio of what appeared to be armored criminals, done up with silver scales, wings, and what appeared to be helmets resembling tuna heads.

"Scram, boys, the fuzz'll be on us soon!"

[Ryan Gabriel]

Ryan grinned, then jumped off the edge of the roof, his wings spread. Here we go again, he thought, diving after the flying criminals.

[Byrna Cooper]

Bear jumped off herself as she brought her new grapple ball to bear, throwing it to the opposite building and swinging down.

"Well, well well, Seraph and the Closer, butting in as usual."

"Your criminal caper ends here, Kingfish!" Bear exclaimed, easily sliding back into the old role.

"Not today, my dear. Catch us if you can!"

With that, the sinister trio activated hidden rocket packs, taking to the air and speeding down the street.

"Remember," Bear said, turning to Ryan, "Incapacitate them before they escape the city, and we win."

Smiling, she threw the grapple, swinging after the fleeing villains.

[Ryan Gabriel]

"Like you need to remind me," Ryan grinned. He lit up, streaking across the sky, letting out a blast of energy at the closest, slowest Flying Fish. The fish, surprisingly, did a complicated little loop and avoided the blast, making Ryan grin. "Ooooh, you taught them my tricks!" he laughed.

He streaked in, strafing energy at the fish. When the fish swerve to avoid the blast, though, Ryan dropped down on top of it, his wings folded in, driving it toward the ground. "Who likes playing chicken!" he laughed. "You versus the ground, I've got my money on you!"

[Byrna Cooper]

The Fish just smiled, the slick, slimy surface of his armor allowing him to squirm out just before impact.

"Not so easy this time, Seraph!"

With a villainous laugh, he rocketed off down the street.

Meanwhile, Bear was having her hands full with her own fish, swinging acrobatically after him. and tossing baseballs with enough force to rend wood, yet they just bounced harmlessly off the tough exoskeleton of her foe.

"You won't be shooting us in a barrel this time, Closer!!"

[Ryan Gabriel]

"I wouldn't want it to be easy!" Ryan shouted back, shooting after the fish. He blasted at the fish, aiming for its wings, wanting to kill its stability.

[Byrna Cooper]

The blasts reflected off the shiny, scientific compound the scales were composed of, striking the buildings next to the fleeing fish.

Bear, meanwhile, was barely able to keep up swinging, but she was able to stay just above her target. Smiling, she reached into her satchel and threw a sticky ball, only to watch disappointed as the gooey mess slid right off onto the street below.

"Ryan, they're prepared for the regular stuff. We need to get creative!" She exclaimed, clicking her headset.

[Ryan Gabriel]

"All right, I'm on it!" Ryan called back. He came up under the main cluster of fish and let of a blinding heatblast at the frontmost flier. Let's see them fly straight when they can't see...

[Byrna Cooper]

"Yeow! This fish is fried!"

The Fish who bore the brunt of Ryan's attack flew off uncontrolled, eventually impacting into a large billboard advertising cookware. Almost by design, the thief fell unconscious, looking like it was being cooked up in a cast iron pan for the entire city to see.

Bear, meanwhile, was able to land on her own fish, stradling his back.

Knowing she only had a few seconds before she would slip off, she jammed first a sticky ball, then a flash and a pop ball underneath the rocket assembly. She then jumped off on her grapple line, hoping the sticky resin would keep the payload in place..

Meanwhile, the KingFish had circled around, fixing Ryan with an angry stare. He then pulled out a laser, aiming it at his charging enemy.

[Ryan Gabriel]

"Lasers? Seriously, are you joking me?"

Ryan lit up at full ower, bright enough that it was painful to look at him, and nearly impossible to track him. Then he tucked in his wings, dropping about ten yards, then snapping them out, rolling for a shot at Kingfisher's underbelly.

[Byrna Cooper]

"You won't serve me up for dinner that easily!"

The Kingfish smiled, as a tinted faceplate slid in place, protecting him from the bright X-Man. As well, Ryan would find the underbelly just as armored as the rest of him.

"I've improved things since our last encounter Seraph! This time, the Kingfish rules!"

Bear, meanwhile, grinned as her makeshift bomb went off, sending the second fish diving down to the street bellow, where it's slippery scales caused it to slide along the street, until it collided with a fire hydrant. The resultant impact sent water flying several feet into the air, cooling off the hot residents of the neighborhood. Dazed, the thief fell unconscious.

Bear then turned to the Kingfish herself, ready to back up Ryan.

[Ryan Gabriel]

"Yeah, well, sometimes you just have to do things the old fashioned way!" Ryan tilted his wings, shooting up into the Kingfisher's belly, slamming him upward.

[Byrna Cooper]

The kingfish just laughed maniacally, twisting a small knob on his side. A sonic blast then slammed into Ryan, dislodging him from his armored foe and sending him crashing down towards the side of an apartment building.

[Ryan Gabriel]

Ryan swore as he twisted in the air, landing hard in a crouch on the patio of a second story apartment. He caught Bear's eye and made a gesture to her. He'd come in low, and unlike their usual tactics, she should come in low instead of high. He launched himself into the air again, firing a blast in front of Kingfisher to herd him in a little, then coming in low from the left to drive him to the right into Bear's range.

[Byrna Cooper]

Bear swung in high and from the right, just as Ryan had intended. Smiling, she pulled out some steel balls, and began pelting the faceplate of the Kingfish, to rile him up.

It worked- the armored foe turned to engage Bear, totally ignoring Ryan for the moment.

"Bottom of the ninth, Closer. And you are about to throw the game!"

Bear grinned, twisting and swinging towards a delivery truck bearing what appeared to be laundry detergent.

"Ryan, the broken hydrant gave me an idea.. can you pop another, hopefully forcing the water towards that truck?"

[Ryan Gabriel]

Ryan gave her a thumbs up, then dove down toward the street. He focused his energy into a tight beam, increasing the output at the cost of his speed boost until he'd managed to slice off the side cap of the hydrant so that the water gushed out in the direction of the truck Bear had specified.

[Byrna Cooper]

This is going to take some timing..

Bear waited at the back of the truck for the Kingfish to arrive, she fingered a ball in her satchel, tensing for just the right moment.

She dived away and threw the pop ball at the ground, just as the villain crashed through. The ball exploded, distracting Kingfish just enough for him to go crashing through the rear loading door, exploding the stacked detergent in a poof of powder. And just at that moment, the water released by Ryan's hydrant strike arrived, splooshing the bank robber and causing a wave of suds to come pouring out of the truck.

After a few moments, the Kingfish emerged, covered in soapy suds and bearing a look of pure fury. He raised a wicked looking weapon, training it at Byrna..

[Ryan Gabriel]

Ryan looped around, back toward Kingfisher. He really, really wanted to know what it was that the armor was made of that it could resist his power so well. However, he'd just make do with what he had. He let off a high power blast at the Kingfisher's feet, flash-boiling the water around him to send up a blast of super-hot steam all around him as he tried to take aim.

[Byrna Cooper]

The detergent had done it's work already- the forceful blast of suds had been enough to remove the outer coating of slimy oil protecting him. And Ryan's stem blast, while not enough to penetrate the armor, was enough to cause some outer expansion of the suit. As a result, most of the light reflective scales loosened and dropped, clattering to the ground.

After seeing Bear with both her hands grasping spheres, and Ryan rapidly approaching from the rear, he quickly reevaluated his chances.

"Err.. you don't practice catch and release, do you?" he asked with a nervous smile as his rocket system sputtered and broke down, releasing a puff of failure smoke.

[Ryan Gabriel]

Ryan came to a landing perched atop the truck. "There's something very poetic about you being defeated by soap," he said, taking careful aim at Kingfisher. "Next shot burns your eyebrows off. Don't move."

[Byrna Cooper]

Bear grinned, keeping her arms trained to release at any second.

"I'd listen to him. Blackened fish, cajun style is his speciality."

After a few moments, the sound of police sirens heralded the arrival of the authorities, bearing handcuffs and anti-villainous-gadget devices.

"Good job, Seraph and Closer. the city owes you yet another medal of valor." the police commissioner stated, shaking both their hands.

[Ryan Gabriel]

"All in a day's work, for Closer and her pet bird," Ryan joked, shaking the commissioner's hand.

[Byrna Cooper]

"Pet bird? I like the sound of that."

Bear smiled as she shook the commissioners hand as well. And as she did so, the danger room shimmered and dimmed, returning to it's normal state.

[Ryan Gabriel]

"Just don't try to carry me on your shoulder, I'm heavier than I look," he said. "This was a great idea...I needed this."

[Byrna Cooper]

"Me too. We'll need to save this one in the files.. The fish seemed to be adapting to us nicely. We might even lose next time."

Bear smiled, obviously in a much better mood.

[Ryan Gabriel]

"Nah. You know as well as I do that we just rule that much," Ryan said, grinning, giving her a playful side-hug as they walked toward the exit.