capeandcowllogs | well I'm a polar bear and my name is bjorn

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well I'm a polar bear and my name is bjorn

WHO: the Ex Machina boys and I guess city hall folks can thread amongst themselves?
WHERE: City Hall
WHEN: Monday afternoon
WARNINGS: Violence, language, cruelty to polar bears
SUMMARY: Pherson pays the Mayor a visit. He brings his polar bear. Bradbury objects. There's drama.
FORMAT: UH

Someone had lied.

Or perhaps more accurately, someone had omitted the truth.

Mitchell Hundred finally had an ally from home, but that ally slipped up. He told Pherson he was going to die. And Pherson had worked through all the stages of learning that he was going to go home to die, that he failed the creators, that the green and the violet had failed to work in unison, and that Hundred knew he was dead, he knew Pherson wasn't there anymore.

It was time to remind his brother in arms that he had a nemesis. And regardless of what went on in their home universe, Jack Pherson was very much alive.

Finding Mitchell was always so easy. You just took a stroll to City Hall and there he would be. Getting to City Hall without any of the police going "hey, waitaminute, is that a polar bear?" was more difficult.

And so Pherson strolled right into City Hall, with his ever faithful parrot and his ginormous hound of artic bear, casually as you please.

They were there to see the mayor.

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Today was Rick's first official day on the job, and there was something distinctly nostalgic about slipping on the earpiece that kept him in touch with the rest of City Hall's security team. Things with Mitch were still weird, no two ways about it, but the work was something as familiar and comfortable as breathing. and he'd already worked out his route through City Hall's corridors, after assigning a guard to stand at Mitch's door. There were security cameras, but you couldn't avoid having blind spots, and while the locals hired on by City Hall were competent enough, most of them had admitted they wouldn't know what to do against an imPort trying to use his powers to break in.

Bradbury wasn't sure what to do, either, but if he had to, he'd do something.

He was halfway across City Hall when his earpiece crackled to life, static crackling over a voice he recognized as one of the guards he'd put on security detail.

"Sir? We may have, um, a situation... "

And on the other side of the building, nestled away in his office was the Mayor. The Mayor was working on a few pretty important things, most notably, looking over budget proposals, another slew of complaints about the state of import affairs. And then there were the complaints that imports had too much, and he was weighing both ends in front of him with the greatest look of "what the fuck" anyone could ever manage on their face.

And then there was the commotion. Oh, he noticed it, how couldn't he? The sound of earpieces and cameras all flaring into focus. Motherfucker, if this was another attack on City Hall's power by Electro he was going to be pissed, and then likely have a moment to congratulate himself on the power grid.

He didn't get up, in fact, he very pointedly returned to his work.

People scrambled out of the way as Pherson walked by them, hand on his polar bear, letting them slip by his notice. The bear growled at anyone that game too close, pushing past desks and knocking things over.

And then the security. Pherson didn't have time for this, he had an urgent appointment.

"HURT THEM JUST ENOUGH TO MAKE THEM STOP, MY FRIEND."

The bear roared and slammed into the man into the wall. While the man was still reeling and recovering, Pherson moved on quickly.

The rest went similarly, until finally they arrived at Mitch's office. The guards there were dealt with just as fast.

And then there was suddenly a growling polar bear face in the mayor's office door.

While Mitchell had been pointedly ignoring the fact that there was someone out there, they'd been causing trouble. He'd thought the security team would be equipped to handle it, but fuck if he knew that an angry arch-nemesis meant people weren't going to get in their way.

He heard the commotion outside the door, and looked up, feeling that sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Oh boy.

And that sinking gave way to utter sickness. Yes, it was his fucking archenemy. His arch-enemy and his fucking polar bear. Mitch slid into his chair, slowly letting his hand slide underneath his desk, watching warily for any sign of movement.

"SIDEARM." he told his desk, the hidden panel with the spring-loaded neon green and purple gun obediently springing into his hand. He waited, but didn't raise his hand. Not yet.

Pherson stepped around the polar bear and enters the office, cloak fluttering. His expression is flat. Angry. The parrot on his shoulder gives a loud caw as he greeted the mayor.

"Brother."

The polar bear shoved more of itself in through the door, effectively covering any escape route. Pherson ignored it.

"It's time to hear the truth."

Mitch hasn't exactly been expecting this, but since Bradbury had spilled the beans, he'd been waiting for Pherson to confront him on the issue. That was expected. He hadn't been expecting the polar bear to make another appearance. He swallowed, still holding his taser underneath the desk, watching carefully to see what would happen. Motherfuck, Pherson was in his fucking office with a goddamn bear.

"What truth? You coming in here with your attack bear to talk crazy again?" he played it off, he knew what truth. Pherson was dead. Dead and gone, and he knew it now.

Pherson bared his teeth, starting to feel that familiar frustration with his brother. They were supposed to work together, and yet always, always Mitch is a disappointment.

And now he'd been neglecting to mention why Pherson had missed a decade.

"It's common courtesy to tell someone when they've died, Mitchell."

He watched each movement carefully, trembling fingers hovering over the trigger of his gun in his palm. It may be a taser, but that didn't mean it didn't sting like a bitch, and he'd made sure that the power was ramped up as high as his novice hands could get it to, ever since Pherson had arrived, he'd been slowly keeping an arsenal where he could hide it. One in his office, one in his bedroom, contingency plans. He'd been hoping to side-step this entire conversation until the day Pherson was ported out, hoping he'd never have to explain that shit.

"I don't think I've ever had to deal with that shit in the real world, so forgive me if I didn't fucking think about up and telling you that you were dead!" and really, what kind of politician admitted to ending someone's life?

"We're not like other people, Mitchell. You would have had to speak to me eventually."

Even Pherson wasn't entirely sure what he meant by that, but he felt certain of it. It was one of those things that the other half assured him of, even if he didn't know how or why. He didn't question it.

He stepped forward slightly. "Tell me what happened, brother."

As much as he denied it, you would think Pherson got a clue. Mitchell didn't care about whatever it was that Pherson had going on in his head. Or rather, that's what he said. He did care. He cared a hell of a lot, but only in stopping it, them, whatever it was. Their benefactors.

"Your powers backfired. Tough shit about that. Maybe if you didn't surround yourself with fucking polar bears you wouldn't be in so much trouble?" the hand above his desk pointed at the bear, a slight gesture.

The bear growled more at the sudden movement and tried to push forward through the door. Pherson patted his fur, making a faux-soothing sound.

"SHH. SOON."

"Don't lay the blame on my friends, Mitchell. Unless you want to see how much trouble they can make."

Luckily for Mitch, Pherson wasn't the only one with trouble-making friends.

As fast as his feet could take him through the hallways and along the stairs, Rick was a man built for endurance and short, sharp bursts of action -- not sprinting. Still, the idea of your boss possibly potentially getting his face bitten off by a polar bear was a powerful motivator.

Having his heartrate up and his concentration focused elsewhere had been making his earpiece act up, though, sound squeaking and popping in his ear as his power messed with its electronics. Irritation at the distraction meant he'd taken it off halfway through. Besides, he'd heard already enough to tell him that he wouldn't have any backup when he got there. Even if the security team outside the Mayor's office was down, the cameras installed in the public areas of the building still worked fine, and Rick had gotten a pretty clear description of what he was up against.

Which meant that when Rick finally skidded to a stop at the end of the corridor, the first thing he did was raise his gun, point it at the half of a polar bear sticking out of his boss's doorway, and pull the trigger, the kick of recoil as sweet and familiar as a lover's kiss.

Edited 2012-09-25 23:07 (UTC)

"Oh, I'm fucking aware how much trouble they can make, and you're just as awa--" he was cut off but the deafening sound of a gunshot in the hallway. The piercing shot echoed through the hallways and his office, and Mitch felt his left eye half-close in a wince to the ringing sound. His ears rang in response, but that didn't stop the familiar whisper from through the doorway to continue on as well.

He inhaled sharply, watching Pherson warily, waiting for the next move. Who was he going to sick the bear on, the guy with the gun, or the archenemy in a fit of petulant rage? Which one, which one?

Pherson could go either way. He knew that. The immediate threat would be the logical one, Mitch was the stone cold politician, he wasn't armed, at least to Pherson's knowledge. He watched with a wary eye, gauging.

"Sounds like I've got backup, and your bear's probably not going to be very happy with that. Might want to get him the fuck under control," he said over the sharp ping in his ears. Mitchell was more than used to speaking normally despite distractions.

Getting shot immediately pissed off the bear and Pherson stepped away as it backed out of the door.

"Why should I deny him his revenge? GO."

The bear shifted fast, trying to get at the man who had shot him, as fast as a mass of muscle and fur could.

Pherson glared down his nose at Mitch - he heard the bear's reaction to that, and whatever composure he had was obviously slipping fast. "I have my own revenge to get to."

Maybe he really should have thought this through before he came charging up here, but Bradbury's always been more a man of action than tactics. The fact that Pherson was still in there with Mitch was problematic, but at the moment he had bigger concerns -- like the bear struggling out to get to him.

Rick raised his hands to take another shot, then stopped; any more bullets probably wasn't going to slow the bear down unless he plugged it between the eyes. Hesitating was a mistake, since the pause was enough time for the bear to pull free of the door, and now he was facing a hallway full of angry, snarling bear.

"Oh, fuck--" He backpedaled as the bear lunged, the space in the corridor too small for him to completely avoid the swipe of a massive paw. The sound of cloth tearing as claws grazed his front was accompanied by another gunshot, Rick managing to fire off another bullet before the force threw him back and he landed on the floor. Hard.

"Don't think you're going to get far, fuckface," he said it lightly, but his hand still poised underneath the desk slipped up a bit, aiming closer to revealing the weapon in his hand.

"Come on, Pherson. Is this really fucking necessary? You're obsessed with something that isn't even there anymore. You could have your pick of the best fucking superheroes to oppose your little crusade, and you're still stuck with the one guy who couldn't give two shits," he slid his arm up, the hint of bright neon green peeking from the edge of the desk.

"You still don't know how important you are, Hundred."

Pherson almost stepped forward again before spotting the glint of green. He backed up a step, frowning. This wasn't a good sign. His bear was his leverage, and it was currently occupied, approaching Bradbury with its teeth bared, ready to bite.

"Did you shoot me then, too?"

The memory of dogs flickered in his memory - but he was missing something - something happened that he can't remember.

Oh, getting caught in those jaws would be bad, and Rick scrambled to his feet, avoiding the first snap of teeth. He could vaguely remember half-sober reruns of the Animal Channel and he was pretty sure there was least one lovingly slo-mo'd video of one of these fuckers tossing a motherfucking seal into the air with those things, with a crappy voiceover about how great the circle of life was.

Shots weren't slowing the bear down any, though its fur was already staining pink from one bullet to the shoulder and one to the flank. Before he could line up another shot, the bear surged forward, knocking him back into the wall.

He was getting real tired of this sidekick shit.

Mitchell had a sneaking suspicion about what Pherson meant, but he didn't bother acknowledging it with more than a hard look over the desk, finally pulling the taser out all the way, leveling it right at his archenemy's face. He felt nauseous, but he didn't let his hand shake, or keep his gaze from shifting away from the hooded figure for even a moment. He didn't even blink.

"No. You killed yourself," was how he justified it. He may have set the dogs on Pherson, but there had been no way he'd started the explosion. He'd know. No, he'd heard the ring, the shot. It justified every step he'd taken. It justified that he hadn't been solely responsible for Pherson's death.

"I'm pretty sure the nice voices in your head have something to say about that."

Pherson ignored the insistence that his death was self-caused; it was clearly untrue. He wouldn't have. He wouldn't, not when he still had something to fight for.

He had the more immediate problem of that thing in Mitch's hands. "GET THE GUN."

The parrot on his shoulder, silent up until that point, suddenly took off in a broad sweep of wings and flapping feathers, trying to get at the bright green taser.

"Just because you can't hear them, brother, doesn't mean they're not addressed to you too."

"MotherFUCKER--" he burst at the sudden movement, but the bird managed to get his taser, pulling it out of his grip in it's wicked, surprisingly sharp little talons.

He released a frustrated note while the bird swooped around, retrieving the weapon for the master, and Mitch watched, in a half-stand as he moved out of his chair, fingers and knuckles white planted against his desk.

When the bird released it for Pherson, he spoke. "SHORT YOURSELF." he told his gun.

Pherson had barely time to touch the thing before it started sparking, and he fumbled it, swearing under his breath and dropped it.

He kicked it away from either of them, stepping toward Mitch.

"Childish."

Polynesia landed on his shoulder, flapping it's wings, having been slightly been singed but the short-out.

"And you've upset my parrot."

He stepped forward a bit more, putting his hands down on Mitch's desk.

"Tell me what happened, Great Machine, or I'll call my bear back in here."

Rick loved his gun, but it was about as useful as a second ass right now, considering he'd dropped it sometime during getting slammed into government building wallpaper. When the bear went for his face, it was instinct that made him bring his arms up to knock its muzzle away, realizing how stupid that was when the bear's teeth sank into his arm -

"Motherfu--"

- only to have it stop, Rick's arm still in its jaws. For a moment, Rick wasn't sure what was happening, too slow to process that the teeth weren't going any deeper over the panicked litany of fuckfuckfuck in his head. The bear looked about as confused as he was, muscles in its neck straining as it tried to bite down but couldn't, hot breath and spit running against his skin through torn cloth. Realization kicked in and he grabbed at its muzzle with the hand that wasn't being held in place, palm over the bear's nose while his fingers scrabbled to get a grip along its upper jaw.

He'd been practicing his powers by breaking small, meaningless trinkets, enough for him to be familiar with the tingle under his skin that left his head aching. He tried to summon the same concentration now, gritting his teeth as he pried his arm free of the bear's mouth.

"Come on!" Shit, in the time it was taking him to do this, who knew what Pherson was doing to Mitch? Almost as soon as the thought occurred to him, the bear jerked under his hands, its jaw going slack. For a moment, he thought whatever temporary paralysis had saved his arm from getting ripped to shreds had finally worn off, but then the bear's eyes rolled back in its head and it dropped to the floor with an audible thump, dragging Bradbury with it.

Still half-dazed, he picked his gun off the floor and went for Mitch's door t a stumbling run, bringing it up in shaking hands to train it at Pherson. "Freeze, you dick!" It would have been more convincing if he wasn't out of breath and bleeding from a cut on the temple and more punctures than he cared to think about.

Mitch leaned back, trying to escape the forward thrust from his archenemy, trying to slide his chair back so he could move from his now standing position, pulling away, but stymied from much movement by his own chair. The traitor. He could only really just stare at Pherson from a ramrod position, and he very obviously swallowed.

Shit, this was not what he'd been expecting. Pherson had always been delusional, but Mitch had thought of their encounters from his lofty position as a superhero. Here, in his office, he was a sitting duck. He didn't have his arsenal of weapons, or his jetpack to fly off, or gas, he didn't keep a tranq gun. He'd need to, if he lived through this, or once he came back. If he came back. He could never guarantee that.

"I-- You--" he didn't get any further when there was the sound of his bodyguard bursting in through the door, and for the first fucking time since Rick had shown up, he actually looked glad to see him, even though it was the slightest shift in his eyes, a quirk of his lips. A relieved quirk.

"Wow, you took down a fucking polar bear?"

Pherson could hear the bear suddenly going silent, spinning wide-eyed away from Mitchell to stare at the sudden appearance of Bradbury.

"What did you do?"

Followed closely by the revelation that he lost his advantage. He wasn't thinking straight anymore (if he ever was), that sudden loss of the polar bear on his mind and the blind animal fear made him lose his fight instinct to fleeing.

"STOP HIM."

Pherson only really had one advantage left, and sent his parrot after the second gun of the day. But he'd projected his 'voice' enough that some of his other friends heard too - and suddenly there were pigeons tapping against the glass of the window.

He was never really alone.

He was too out of breath to answer his boss with anything more than a nod, keeping his eyes fixed on Pherson as the other man whirled around. Later, Rick would blame it on the disorientation of suddenly finding out there was more to his powers than he'd thought, but right now? After taking down a motherfucking polar bear, it was still the bird that took him by surprise. He swore as the gun was knocked from nerveless fingers and to the floor, the weapon too heavy for the bird to snatch.

Still, it wasn't like he needed a gun to deal with Pherson. Warily, he stepped forward with his fists up, only to be distracted by the tapping of beaks on the window.

Mitch also swung his head from his archenemy to the window. Motherfucker he'd called in the cavalry. He watched them warily, looking for the right moment to either duck under his desk, or tell every electronic in the room to kill themselves. Neither option was really what he wanted, but he wasn't equipped to deal with flying birds right now, especially with his taser across the room.

"I hope you've got a fucking plan right about now," he managed, looking between his bodyguard, archenemy, and the window with pigeons tapping on the glass. He certainly didn't have an idea what to do at this point.

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well I'm a polar bear and my name is bjorn

[CLOSED for the Ex Machina boys!?]

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