Fighting fire with...not fire

[a_relative_hero]

WHO: a_relative_hero and OPEN
WHERE: A less nice part of the City
WHEN: Really late Friday Night/Early Saturday Morning
WARNINGS: None predicted
SUMMARY: A building is on fire. People need saving. Time to do some superhero-stuff that doesn't involve punching and blasting and stuff. Houston's pulling people out of danger and could use a little help.
FORMAT: whatever

Houston hadn't seen what happened as he'd been a block away stopping a mugger. But he heard it. And when he showed up on the scene, a bystander filled him in on what was the cause of the current problem. Two cars had smashed into one another on the street, one flipping over and blocking the street. The other went and ended up jumping the curb before slamming into the wall of a building. And to make matters worse, it quickly caught fire...and then that fire moved to the apartment building it crashed into.

Now there's a burning apartment building. While several people made it out on their own, there are others still needing rescue. Houston's rushing in and out of the building, carrying people and pets to safety but he could probably use a hand. Even with his speed he can't be everywhere at once and there are people stuck on the higher floors that could use rescue.

Comments

[hacktivist]

"What do you expect?"

He stops again for a second, watching Houston expectantly, "What would you do for larger social problems?"

[a_relative_hero]

"I'm not really expecting anything," Houston shrugs. He's looking a little lost. "Am I supposed to be?"

He arches both brows at the next question. "Well I guess that depends on what problems you're talking about."

[hacktivist]

"Everyone has a motivating force." He did find himself accepting of a wide range of behaviors, though, and it was probably both a good and bad thing. "At least one. Some have more than one."

Ghost's thin shoulders bob briefly in a shrug. "Global poverty?"

[a_relative_hero]

"Is that motivating force always expecting something in return?" he quirks a brow. "I'm not doing any of this for a paycheck. I have a job for that," he sigh. The job is not doing well. "And I don't want fame either. I just...want to help people."

Houston thinks a moment then shakes his head. "I think that problem is one a bit too big for any one person to do anything about."

[hacktivist]

"The motivating force is the return. Money, or a warm feeling. A sense of purpose. A cause." He floated along again in silence, listening to the sigh and looking curiously over.

"A very small group of people have created the problem. I believe a very small group of people can surmount it."

[a_relative_hero]

He looked down in thought for a moment. "If it has to be one of those...then a sense of purpose. A reason to be," he replied. It seemed the most fitting.

"Only takes one person to start a landslide but more to stop it."

[hacktivist]

"I see."

A silence, a long, long silence this time, "And if someone had a habit of starting landslides? Repeatedly? What would you do?"

[a_relative_hero]

Joel looked down. "First they need to be caught and stopped. The reason for the landslides needs to be discovered and then a fitting punishment be given. Jail time or something like that. They'd go to trial to decide."

[hacktivist]

"Ah. You believe in the justice system." It was almost a sympathetic tone.

[a_relative_hero]

"For some things," Houston replied. "They do some really dumb things sometimes."

[hacktivist]

"Indeed. Such as allowing the rich to buy themselves out of legal trouble. These--culprits of landslides have a system favorable to their ends. A vigilante's actions aren't merely the best way--they are the only way."

[a_relative_hero]

"Yeah," Joel replied softly. "Had some of that back home too but plenty of heroes that worked hard to stop that too."