Template:Featured Articles/51-2021
"You're a sight for sore eyes," Nica said, breaking out into a grin. "I need a distraction for these jerks in the truck before they start shooting at me. Any ideas?" "Sure." Callisto was always soft spoken, even now, but the comm caught it, just about. "Take care of the hog, might need it again." Before Nica could ask what on earth Callisto meant by this, she was revving and accelerating again: headed directly for the back of the truck. The moment she leapt from her bike, time seemed to slow: she launched upward, one foot bracing on the seat of the bike, another on its handlebar, kicking back to twist it off to the side and change the bike's trajectory, sending it off at an angle just as Callisto parted ways with it, springing forward, arm outstretched. She gripped the side of the open-backed pick-up and swung her way in, the back of the truck lurching as her considerable weight thudded down between the guys sitting in the back. With that, things were suddenly fast again: one swift kick sent one pistol flying off the side of the truck. The other guy got his shot off, but he'd tried to redirect his aim from Nica to Callisto, point-blank, and he wasn't quick enough: the shot hit glanced off Callisto's bare arm, taking out a small chunk. She didn't even react. Nica stared at the scene, open-mouthed, before she was called back to reality by the wobbling of Callisto's abandoned bike into a crash trajectory. It wasn't easy, driving two hogs at a time, but Nica managed to snag the handlebars of the other bike and steer it to stability long enough to draw up beside the pick-up. With a grin, she hooked the handlebars over the side of the truck's bed, letting the vehicle provide support - everyone was already sort of occupied and no-one even noticed her. There was still one other biker, looking at the fight in the pick-up with the same stunned amazement Nica had shown. That expression was quickly wiped off his face as the young X-Man dropped back and pulled up beside him, giving him an almost cheery smile. "Fucking amazing, isn't it?" she said, nodding at Callisto. "Our boss lady's like something out of Mad Max." She raised a red-glowing hand. "Still, she's not the only one with tricks." And with that, she aimed a bolt of super-hot energy at the front tire of the man's bike, exploding the rubber into fragments and pitching the bike and the biker onto the road in a tangle of limbs and metal. Nica paused long enough to make sure he wasn't dead, and then sped up again to see what she could do to help the Morlock. Callisto was still standing - just - being grappled by two guys at once, each trying to grab an arm while the third was once more taking aim with his pistol, though he was hampered both by his crewmates getting in the way and by the movement of the truck. Just as Nica approached, she saw the brunette lurch deliberately to one side, twisting an arm free and elbowing one guy in the stomach hard enough to throw him back against the back guard of the truck. She surged forward then, grabbing the hands of the guy trying to aim and forcing his pistol downwards. Three shots went off in quick succession, and the pickup lurched: at least one of those shots had hit home in the back wheel. |
