everything's on fire

[krasnaya_vdova]

who: Everyone!
what: The residential building is on fire
when: ~2am, August 23rd
where: The Residential building
warnings: Fire, destruction of property, injury, general warnings for crisis situations



It's a reasonably quiet night, pleasantly dry with a slight breeze. Almost nice, for those that enjoy the hours after midnight long before dawn starts to creep on the horizon. Right until it isn't, when the air changes, and there's the scent of heat that promises smoke. In most places it starts with a flash of blue light that arcs from floor to floor as energy pulses through the building, and there's a crack of sound that follows. The power dies for a moment, and if you're one of the unlucky ones, the light that follows is a literal spark in the dark, burning to life in bright orange-red, yielding heat and smoke and trouble. The energy surge doesn't just hit the lights, but sparked flames that burst to life, and they catch quickly, spreading.

The worst of it starts on the ninth floor, where the smoke and the beginning of heat starts moments before the surge. The fire spreads faster there, people starting to startle awake and realize what's happening as the flames crackle. Eventually there's an announcement on the Network, both alerting people to what's happening and trying to organize both those that are willing to help and those that need it.

Some areas are untouched, while others are ravaged badly, reduced to ashes and crumbling ceilings, so watch your step. There's chaos, but through it there's people doing what they can to help each other, and the official fire services show up to help control the blaze. After that, it's just a matter of repairing the damage that's been done, rebuilding and putting things back together, seeing what's been lost and what was saved.

Even later, people start putting the pieces together, and there's the official investigation into what might have caused a fire like that in the first place.


[ooc: As promised, the residential building is on fire! OOC plotting post is here if anyone wants to work out some last minute plans before diving in. Plotting post also includes the relevant details. Elsewise, just top level and mingle. Try not to get burned too badly. :) Good luck!]

Comments

[supersweet]

[ Jon surveys her. He can't help it. He also needs to make sure the people he knew were all right. Were handling this okay. But Miss Nat was strong and he's never had any doubts there, so the moment passes quickly. He turns to the window with a frown. It's fine for him, but certainly not the best exit for a grown woman. Cracking his knuckles, Jon knew what to do. ]

No. But I'll do one better.

[ He draws his fist back, punching the wall. If it was his father, the whole structure might have collapsed, but thankfully for Jon, all it does is create a sizable hole. ]

Let's go.

[unmakeme]

Natasha watches him punch a hole in the wall, then cocks her head to the side as the cooler night air blows through her hair. "Probably should have seen that coming," she muses as she replaces her gun in its holster. Though she's not judging. She was going to put three or four bullets in one of those heavy plate glass windows to shatter the glass to give him a way down. People in glass houses and stones and all that. Besides, this building is already fucked.

"Right. Fly her to one of the emergency workers. Tell them that she has smoke inhalation injuries and probably scarred lung tissue. She needs to get to the hospital immediately if she's going to make it." She tries to hand the woman over, but panic causes that weak grip around her shoulders to tighten. "Hey. Don't worry. You're in good hands with him. He's not going to let anything happen to you." Maybe she can't quite blame the woman for not wanting to relinquish the adult who pulled her out of her burning bedroom for a ten year old in a cape, but Natasha knows that Jon is more than capable of handling this. She's seen what his father can do, after all.

[supersweet]

[ Jon aims for his most polite smile, extending his hand out to her. His gaze darts at the ceiling, trying to keep an eye on it. He knows it tends to cave rather easily. Carefully, he manages to grasp her hand and scoop her up. Awkward. But he fights off the blush as he heads for the window, only pausing to shoot Natasha a worried look before flying down away from the fire.

He should get back quickly. He has a feeling she might be at her limit, though Jon wouldn't disrespect her by forcing that assumption. Still . . . his stomach turns. ]

[unmakeme]

When Jon does get back, Natasha will not be in the same place. She's still got floors to clear. Not as quickly as she'd like to, mind, and it's almost impossible to go higher than she is. The stairs aren't safe, and most of the building this high up is engulfed in flames. She's strongly considering going along the outside, at this point.

[supersweet]

[ Jon lands onto the floor, stumbling as it creaks under his weight. Not a good sign. He casts his gaze around, feeling the fear rise up in his chest. He could sense the fragility in the structure, the groaning of wood and brick. ]

Miss Nat?! Where are you?

[unmakeme]

Miss Nat is down the hall a few doors, having cleared another two rooms and currently running the dirty scarf she's been wrapping over her hair and the bottom half of her face under a bathroom tap. If it dries out, she's screwed - even more screwed than she already is, than they all are.

"I'm down here," she calls once it's back in place and she's no longer holding her breath. "I think the rest of this floor is clear." Clear and about to go. Still, she's got one more room to check, and of course it's locked. Her first kick doesn't open the door, but she can feel the give beneath her heel. The second should do it.

[supersweet]

[ Jon rushes up to her, tugging on her arm. He can barely focus his x-ray and there was too much ambient noise for Jon to pinpoint heartbeats in the building. ]

We need to go!

[unmakeme]

He's panicking. Well, of course he's panicking. He's scared. She's panicking, too, she's just better at hiding it. The tug on her arm nearly takes her off her feet, but she braces them and pulls back. "Not until we check every room." You don't leave until you're finished, even if it's dangerous, even if you're scared.

She kicks the door again, and this time it flies back on its hinges. It probably would have been a more impressive point to make if the occupant had been an unconscious person, and not a dog whimpering in the corner. Not that she's going to leave the dog, and thank goodness the animal is smart enough to know rescue when it sees it, and comes leaping at Natasha as soon as she takes a step inside.

"Now we go," she says, acknowledging that Jon is also right and this floor is an incredibly unsafe place to be. It doesn't occur to her until just then that Jon isn't afraid for himself. This is Superboy, after all. He's afraid for her.

[supersweet]

[ Jon shoots the ceiling a nervous look as he tugs her arm once more, trying to make it closer to the window. He can carry her and the dog, it's not an issue, but his other powers were flagging. There's only so much super breath he can muster and his ice-breath tends to fluctuate with his mood. Right now, Jon doesn't trust himself. The flames, at least, do nothing. Jon doesn't even register them. ]

I can fly you both out.

[unmakeme]

"I know you can." She has faith in him. Well, she has enough faith in him, and if he can't get her all the way down, she has faith in how difficult to kill she is, and in her reaction time, and in the strength of the grappling lines in her Bites.

So she runs with him to the window, wraps her free arm around his neck, and mostly trusts that he's got this.

[supersweet]

[ He flushes slightly, but his grip is firm as he leaps out of the window and starts slowly drifting down. Granted, it's a little wobbly, but his strength has always been the surest part of him so even if his flight has tremors, there's no fear of being dropped. Once he lands on the ground, Jon politely makes sure Natasha's feet were firmly planted before moving back. ]

[unmakeme]

Natasha is steady on her feet the moment they touch the ground. She's all at sea, but it's not a physical thing. The dog in her arms is limp and whining pitifully, and Natasha looks down at the singed ball of fluff. "We should get--" She takes a closer glance at that fluff. "Her to someone who can put an oxygen mask on her for a while. No telling how long the poor thing was trapped in there."

She's really hoping that her owner was out tonight, and is somewhere in the crowd scared and desperate to be reunited with their pet. Their charge seems like a sweet dog.