The Limits of Karma | Will or Tim

[John Alexander]

Everything had happened so quickly, turned so ugly before he could fully realize what was going on, and as the bullets pierced his clothing, his eyes went to the woman who had fired them, her unnatural red hair bouncing as she made her retreat. Thankfully, the moon was nearly gone that night, and the lead shots couldn't come close to harming him, no matter the range, but as John tore after the offender, he could hear the pained and anguished cries of the other man who hadn't been so lucky. He caught up to her before the end of the block, getting the weapon away from her with efficient and steel hands that were impossible for her to fight against.

Once the gun was in his hands instead of hers, she shrieked and took off again, and the weary young man just let her go, turning and going back into the alley to find the man who was bleeding out in the filth, his breaths coming slower and more shallow as John looked around for a place to get help. The residential street had gone silent, and no matter where he looked with his sharp and desperate eyes, he couldn't find anyone in time to save the middle aged man as he breathed his last gasp. The gun felt cold in his hand, its weight seeming unrealistically light, given the fact that death had been dealt with its aid.

The night was silent, and John's silvery eyes were the only light in the black alley as he stared at the now-dead man, his expression hard. He didn't know why the young woman had suddenly come looking for blood, when John had happened to cross paths with the man who had been an unfortunate witness to the drama, and now was part of the collateral damage that John's power seemed to cause. Although he'd done nothing to cause the events that had transpired, the ricochet from the shots had been what had killed the man.

He looked up as he heard movement on the sidewalk.

[William Talbot]

The woman had been so shocked at the sudden appearance of him she hadn't the time to think before she slapped him across the face as hard as she could, cracking most of her fingers and hand as she did, the jar stopping her long enough for Will to get a read on her, and from that he reached up and grabbed her wrists and expertly restrained her with her own jacket in a few quick moves as she fought him, then screamed again before he glared at her and then reached up and pinched her neck, knocking her out with the small nerve strike.


From there he moved around the corner and crouched low to the ground, Will tilted his head, his bright blue eyes glowing as his ears laid back, the large steel blue and gray wolf watching with guarded interest as the young man at last saw him, but then being the size of a motorcycle, it wasn't all that easy to hide on the sparsely populated sidewalk, knocked over trashcans not withstanding.


Standing up, Blaze morphed into his human form, and walked slowly forward, his eyes still shimmering, as he moved towards the young man, and tried to size it all up...


Honestly, it didn't look good, but he wasn't convinced yet that this was exactly as it seemed, not just yet...

[John Alexander]

John's eyes narrowed in distrust as a wolf rounded the corner and morphed into a human, about as tall as he was and with a similar degree of musculature. His pale eyes didn't suit his dark skin or hair, and there was literally light in them. John didn't like it. There were plenty of Slayers working for the Nevada facility who had special abilities, and if the lack of words was anything to go by, this guy fit the profile of the imported talent that the Slayers had been using lately. John's gaze wasn't friendly as he stared back into the tall young man's eyes, his body wanting to either fight or flee. If this man was a Slayer, that meant that reinforcements had to be on their way, and John needed to light out of there as quickly as possible...

"What do you want?" he asked, his tone flat.

He didn't sound inherently unfriendly, or aggressive, but it was the tone of a person who wanted to skip the small talk and get down to business. If this person wasn't a Slayer, which John wasn't counting on, he surely had some reason for being there, considering that he had some sort of powers that John was unaware of. John's stance was halfway between fight and flight, with one leg closer to the opposite end of the alley and the other ready to attack if necessary.

His silvery eyes reflected the glow of the young man's eyes, the gleam seeming to go deep into his retinas, giving the light a milky reflection that made the color of his eyes impossible to determine. They were utterly unique, and unnaturally designed.

[William Talbot]

Will paused and sized the other male up, and realized that there was too much he didn't know to warrant any kind of accusation, and that if Violet where there she would mentally chide him for not being prudent enough to stop, because he normally wouldn't. Normally.

Tilting his head slightly Will spoke soft, yet clearly, his eyes drifting from the now dead man to the tall dark stranger with the gun in his hand; "I'm just wondering what happened is all... Ran into a lady who was frantic and angry at something back around the corner, but I wasn't sure why until now, but the thing is... I'm not sure what's happened... Why don't you enlighten me?"


It looked like Will had stumbled onto the scene of a robbery gone bad, it looked like, perchance, that this young man had held up the now dead man, and the knocked out woman around the corner, and had shot the man, when he didn't get whatever it was he wanted, fast enough or at all, which ever.

But something didn't quite click for Will and as he looked the darkly dressed young man over, and got the impression that his read on the woman had been right; she had some sort of motive that was less that lawful, and now things had spiraled out of hand...

[John Alexander]

"That woman tried to kill me, but hit him instead," John said, his tone almost defensive. "I took her gun so she couldn't shoot anyone else."

He tossed the weapon onto the ground between them, it's metallic clack echoing in the alley as it hit the pavement. John was unfailingly straightforward, never one to beat around the bush, but he didn't want to mention the fact that several of the bullets had penetrated his clothing, and would've wounded him fatally if it wasn't for his powers. If the man was a Slayer, he would've recognized John at once, and he wouldn't have stopped to chat. With that being the case, no good could possibly come of a strange man learning his strengths and weaknesses, whether the stranger had powers or not.

He looked beyond the man, hearing sirens approaching. His sharp eyes caught a nosy man peeking out of the window of his apartment through the blinds, his phone at his ear. Great. Complications.

He cast a last glance at the dead man at his feet, mingled sadness and anger dawning on him as he realized what the situation looked like. His eyes turned abruptly hard and cold as he looked back at the strange wolf man, the red and blue lights beginning to bathe the alley. Without another moment's hesitation, he took off down the alley, scaling the chain-link fence with ease as he rebounded off of the brick and vaulted without missing a step. The brick wall cracked from the force of his foot, and he was launched further than most would be capable of jumping, but he landed smoothly with a roll and continued moving, away from the glaring lights of the police.

[William Talbot]

Looking to the dead man and moving forward slowly, Will glanced up while crouching down and picking up the gun, then looking at the body some more before he looked over his shoulder at the open window blinds, then back at the dark clad young man as he turned and then ran, the approach of the police apparently being his signal to leave...


"Hey! Wait!" Will called after him as he ran, and then vaulted the fence after pushing off the wall, a move Will duplicated, minus the wall push, Will's landing only slightly less as graceful due to his jump being slightly lower and an added rotation mid air to get his legs over the fence top.

"Stop!" Blaze called again as he sprung to his feet and dashed after the other young man, quickly closing the gap and passing him up, to block his pathway out of the alley, his hands up and arms spread to make himself as wide as he could short of morphing.

"Just wait a minuet! If you saw what happened, then you can make sure that the woman is brought to justice! That man died! Does that mean nothing to you?" he asked quizzically wondering why this guy was running if he hadn't done anything wrong. Unless he had lied and that wasn't likely, all of the outward signs pointed to him telling the truth, as did Will's empathy and sixth sense.

Still, what if this guy had some sort of powers that let him deceive Will? possible, but was it probable?

[John Alexander]

John glanced over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing in discomfort as the red and blue lights flashed brighter, but he stopped short of running into the mystery man, knowing that in most cases, if he ran into someone when running, the only one who would be hurt would be the poor soul standing in his way. As much as he needed to run, to get away from the government before they could ID him, he didn't want to maim anyone in his attempt. He could always jump over the man, but no matter how good John was at getting away, it was clear that this man was faster, and that he was determined to make John stay there. Plus, he could become a wolf, and wolves were well known for their stamina.

"If they catch me, I'll be the dead one," John growled. "Or worse, I'll get sent back to that hellhole of a lab in Nevada. Get out of my way!"

The question of the wolf man's identity was one that kept being raised in John's mind, but it was secondary to the overwhelming need to escape. His voice had a hint of menace in it this time, warning the man that if he wouldn't move, he would be moved. Powers or not, the mystery man was unlikely to have the kind of strength that John had, or the resistance to injury that John gained at night. As much as John didn't want to hurt anyone, he would never go back to that lab. Never. As he heard the cardoors of the police car slam shut, he cast a last glance over his shoulder and backed away from the man, using the extra room to propel himself upward and grab the narrow window ledge a few stories up.

He pulled himself up and leapt off, a single swing giving him the momentum he needed to repel to the other wall and climb up the fire escape, to the roof. From there, he leapt to the next rooftop and resumed his attempted escape.

[William Talbot]

Lab?

Nevada?


Hmm....


"Wait a minuet!" Will called out again as the man scaled the building's side and vaulted to the roof, an exasperated sigh blowing from his lips before he followed suit, and gave chase to the young man, finding him running along the long roof top of the next building over.

Putting on another burst of speed, Blaze again got in front of the other guy and this time wasn't shy with his powers, a wall of pale blue flame dancing up along the edge of the building behind him, effectively blocking off the most direct escape route.

"STOP A FREAKING SECOND!" He yelled to the other young man, his hands up, and eyes glowing brightly, as he crouched some, just in case he tried to dodge to the side, the walls of the other two buildings miss matched, the walls to one side, higher, and thus blocking somewhat, and the building to the other side, being lower, giving an open avenue of escape, right into the middle of the street in fact...

"Just wait! A lab? In Nevada? Dude... Me and my friends have been shutting down labs across the country... Tell me about this place and maybe we can help..."

[John Alexander]

John recoiled from the sudden brightness, his arm flying up to protect his eyes as he took several steps backward. The light felt like daggers in the back of his retinas, sending an ache to the back of his skull and neck. He gritted his teeth against the pain, his other hand going to his sunglasses and slipping them on his face. He lowered his arm and looked at the stranger, his dark eyebrows drawing together in suspicion.

The police couldn't exactly climb the side of the building, and it was still undetermined whether or not the police would try to pursue him. Still, the greatest danger came from this stranger, whose powers just kept coming. It would have to be addressed first, especially now that John knew that the person had powers over fire. Fire itself couldn't harm him, but the brightness was painful.

"Who the hell are you?" he growled, a touch of strain coloring his tone. "Who are you with?"

His head turned as he heard frantic movement in the stairwell of the building. He didn't have super hearing, but he could still just make out the static and mechanical squawking of the police radios through the door which led to the roof upon which the two super powered beings stood. He felt a wave of panic. If anyone ID'd him, the lab would find out, and they would send the Slayers... He'd just gotten to Jump a little over a year ago. He didn't want to have to go on the run again. It got tiresome, and there wasn't even a guarantee that he would get away. They knew how to incapacitate him. Or kill him.

[William Talbot]

Looking at the other young man, Will dampened down his flames to a soft, dark glow, before lowering his hands and looking him over and arching his eyebrow at him; "Umm... I'm Blaze, and I'm with the Teen Titans... And you are?"


Okay, Will was far from a glory hound, but even then, practically everyone in Jump had heard of the Teen Titans, there where in the news almost every week, so even for him, the thought that someone hadn't heard of the Titans or himself was rather ludicrous, after you'd have to have been living under a rock in a hole someplace to have NOT heard of the Titans at this point.


Still, he was acting as if the fire or at least the light had hurt him, which didn't exactly compute for Will, as after all, he took strength from it, being his power and all, so why was he now wearing sunglasses, in the middle of the night?

[John Alexander]

His surprise was only evident in the slight pull of his eyebrows, as his sunglasses obscured his expression. He'd heard of the Titans, as almost anyone had, but he'd never heard of this guy. He had to be new to the team, else John would have heard of him. When he had lived in Los Angeles, one of his friends' little brother had been into the Titans, particularly Robin. It was why he had always tagged along when they went on a freerunning trip through the city. He'd wanted so much to be like Robin. John hadn't seen the kid or his brother since he'd left LA, and he'd not been keeping up with the news since then, either. He spent as little time among people as possible.

"I'm John," he said, turning back from his vigil on the door. "How do I know you're with the Titans? I've never heard of you."

It was obvious that the question wasn't about the Titans, but the question was, in fact, how can I trust you. With the police closing in, John's options were running out, and it was quickly reaching the point where his only choices were to trust this guy or cut fence, and if he couldn't trust this guy, running away might not even be an option. He didn't at all like where this was going. Another string of words from the police's walkie talkie was just audible, and he knew that things were getting more and more dangerous for him. The cops had called in his description, and were coming for him.

"...is a dangerous meta, approach with extreme..."

As the door swung open, John took a step backward, away from the three policemen who quickly raced onto the roof, their weapons drawn. The meta looked over the side of the building, gaging how far down it was if he needed to jump. It wouldn't hurt him, but if there was anyone down below, they would be less fortunate. He figured he had maybe ten minutes before the Slayers were mobilized and on their way.

"John Alexander, you are under arrest! Get down on the ground NOW!" the lead man shouted, his weapon leveled at John.

A disadvantage of being on the run from a government-run facility was that they could play the legal system however they wanted. They could fabricate charges on him that would get the police on their side.

[William Talbot]

Will lowered his hands, and dampened the flames to nothingness slowly and relaxed then reached behind his back to the small pouch attached to his jumpsuit, and pulled his communicator out, and held it out in his hand, the golden device trimmed with black, and emblazoned with a large white "T" right in the center.

"Well, I'm kinda new to the team, but I'm a Titan none-the-less..."


Looking over past John, Blaze heard then saw the police rush up and then level their weapons at him, and order him to surrender.

Strange much?


"Whoa now officers!" Blaze said as he sided stepped John and held up his hands and the COM-unit to show them before speaking again; "He's with me, the Titans have been looking for him for some information he has... I need you to let him come with me for the moment, and then you can question him when he's helped us."

Okay, more than just a little fib, but Will's gut was telling him that John needed to be protected, and for some reason, he didn't think the cops where being given the right information, but as to why he thought that, Will wasn't sure just yet...


"He's wanted on the Federal level kid, we are bound to bring him in... Sorry."


Will glanced at the officer who had spoken, and for a moment, Blaze had a lost look on his face before he glanced back at John to say he was sorry, but instead he just looked back and gave the barest of nods to him before facing the police again, and the slipping his COM-unit back into its pouch; "I'm sorry officer, but if you want him, you'll have to go through me first... We need him."

[John Alexander]

The lead officer hesitated, then pulled out his walkie talkie with one hand, his other hand still clutching his firearm. He pushed the button and spoke into it, his eyes going from John to Blaze and back a few times. His eyes were conflicted, and there was indecision and confusion on his face as he spoke.

"Lieutenant, Blaze is up here, and he says the Titans want to take the suspect first," he reported. "Something about an investigation."

"Negative, Officer," came the reply. "There is a federal warrant for the suspect, for three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of manslaughter."

The Officer's grip on his weapon tightened, a hint of disgust creeping into his expression as his gaze rested on John. His tone was almost patronizing as he spoke again, now convinced of the scum that his target had to be. He'd faced down plenty of criminals during his time on the force, but this was a murderer, and the killing vermin would be an excellent mark on his record if he could score the catch. Maybe even promotion-worthy.

"You still want to protect this guy, Blaze?"

"Bullshit," John growled. "I've never killed a person in my life."

"Funny, your rap sheet says differently," the policeman fired back sarcastically. "The darn things are always playing tricks on us like that, wouldn't you know. Now, are you gonna play nice and surrender, or does this have to get ugly, huh?"

"Federal reinforcements are en route," the walkie talkie squawked.

"Understood."

"Oh sh--"

"Enough talking! How's this gonna go down?"

A chill ran down John's spine, the foreboding approach of the Slayers weighing heavily on his mind. He didn't have time for this. The lab was coming for him, and he would not be taken back. He would die before he let that happen. The problem was that Slayers had federal licenses which permitted lethal action to be taken. If an innocent person was caught in the crossfire, their death would be put on his rapsheet, to keep the lab in the clear.

[William Talbot]

Casting a quick glance over his shoulder at John, Will set his jaw after a moment and then he faced the police and looked to the officer who seemed to be so ready to shoot or at least slap hand cuffs on the other young man...


His empathy reaching out, the feelings, and the echos of thought filled his mind for a moment before he bowed his head and sighed softly; "Yes... I do..." which was greeted by a few short seconds of utter shock.


Instantly his head snapped up, his eyes ablaze with power, a flash of blinding light washing over the officers, the effect like a flash bang, their sight ruined from the dazzling brilliance that lasted but a moment, before their guns where dropped, cries of pain and surprise filling the air as Blaze first blocked the gun powder, and then heated the steel frames and handles to a lightly glowing red, too hot to handle for most of the officers, bare handed or not, a sudden gust of hot air pushing them back towards the doorway.


"Run!" Blaze said curtly as he turned and then bushed at John towards the edge of the roof, the empathic reverberations of the Slayers sounding like air raid klaxons in his head, the REAL danger was now made know to Will, and while he may not fully understand all the details, he knew that the group of people coming after John and himself, where not to be trusted, or taken lightly...

[John Alexander]

The officers recoiled from the light, turning away and shielding their faces with their arms as they dropped their weapons, the heat beyond scalding to their bare hands. The walkie talkie chattered rapidly as the policemen down below tried to figure out the light show above their heads. When the small squad finally got their bearings, their quarry had vanished, and the lead man cursed as he stomped the ground in frustration. His irritation was obvious as he called it in. The radios were abuzz with frantic calls and yelling following the simple report.

"The suspect has evaded capture, and is on the run. Blaze of the Titans is aiding him."

John had taken advantage of the confusion, glad that his glasses were dark enough to protect him from light, even light so strong as that had been. He was several rooftops away by the time the police recovered, running in a practiced rhythm that made no allowances for obstacles. His strength allowed him to jump gaps that most people would be incapable of making, and his skill kept him from wiping out and destroying whatever he impacted upon landing. It was fortunately dark outside, and that usually gave him the advantage, but the Slayers were on their way, and for now his only hope was to outpace them.

He turned to Blaze for a moment, not pausing in the run, but talking to him as they went.

"You have to get out of here, away from me," John said. "These guys don't mess around, and they've killed people when they were chasing down metas before."

A beam of golden light burned the rooftop a heartbeat after John leaped to the next roof, and he turned to face the threat. He was confronted by three familiar Slayers trailing after him through the air. Two flew on their own power, but the third was supported by a pair of propellers which sprouted out from a backpack he wore, his hands on a keyboard fixed at his armslength. His other hand was holding a strange weapon, one that John had seen many times, but few others had ever heard of. Officially, it was experimental, but in reality it was used for situations such as this. The trio wore matching unmarked uniforms of an ugly gray color.

The girl in the front was hovering over the edge of the building, her brown eyes contrasting with the golden blonde of her hair. Her features might've been considered pretty if it wasn't for the remote, almost bored look on her face. Her hair glowed softly, her fingertips still glowing with the power she'd fired. A thick scar lined her forearm, from the crook of her elbow to her wrist.

"Reggie?" John asked, his eyebrows narrowed in confusion.

"It's Saule now," she replied, her lazy drawl lifeless.

"You never bought into any of that," he growled.

"How would you know, Erebus?" she said, her tone sharpening. "You never bothered to figure me out. When you escaped, you left the rest of us to die. What'd you expect me to do, pine after you for the rest of my life?"

"Don't call me that," he said, his voice deepening into the first signs of anger. "We're not gods, and trying to pretend otherwise is stupid."

"Sure, avoid the subject, asshole," she shot back, the glow of her hair brightening.

"What do you want me to say, Reg?" John said. "I had to take the chance when I saw it."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Erebus, Saule," the man with the mech pack intoned, his deep voice irritated, "but we have more important things to deal with. You know what the options are here. Either you come with us, or we'll have to kill you."

"Or both," John said, shaking his head in disgust.

From Saule's hand, a long object materialized, the glow making it difficult to discern. When she lifted it in front of herself, she pulled back on the string with her other hand, aiming what seemed to be a bow straight at John. He stiffened, and then flinched as a wave of light emanated from her. It was like pure sunlight, the warmth probably pleasant to anyone but John. He could feel it sapping his strength, and a trill of fear struck him at his core. This was what he'd been afraid of. Still, her bow remained cocked, ready to fire at the least provocation.

"Or both," she agreed.

The third man simply stood by, floating in midair, his white eyes showing no emotion or interest as they rested on the other bystander, Blaze. The agent's were folded over his chest, as if waiting for something to happen. His olive skin was bathed in the golden glow that Saule was emitting, and his black hair gleamed.