ArchivedLogs:I Want The World To Stop

I Want The World To Stop
Dramatis Personae Morgan, NPC-Gangster & Thugs
In Absentia	2014-11-29 Morgan is targeted by Martin Bulgar, a criminal slum lord that she made enemies with during her time on the force. She's beat into a bloody pulp and shot, but doesn't go down without a fight.
Location <NYC> Times Square
Lights and billboards scattered over the skyscrapers that line Times Square. A gaggle (murder?) of tourists are spread through the square at all hours of day and night, gawking at the tall buildings and taking photos of nothing in particular. Times Square is a place of theatre, certainly, but mostly it is one giant tourist trap that no self-respecting New Yorker would be seen in for longer than it takes to leave. It is bright and cold in the busiest section of New York City. Times Square brings in all the tourists, with its large screen displays, brilliant neon signs, and familiar sights, the imagery painted across movies so often that newcomers are actually able to recognize their surroundings and feel like they finally found the real Big Apple. Foot traffic is heavy, as the turkey has worn off most of the population, and the demands of Black Friday and Cyber Monday has inspired people to go shopping. If they don't do it now, everything will be more expensive for Christmas. The flow of traffic is absolutely destroyed every time some small group of people stop and point their cameras up to take pictures. Morgan didn't spend Thanksgiving with her family. Her ex-fiance got them in the breakup. Instead, she spent it hunched over a microwave dinner and a six pack in her gloomy apartment, watching the game with her dog. Still, her brother's new girlfriend is pregnant and it'd be unforgivable not to at least get them a gift. More anxious about the task at hand than she'll admit to herself, Morgan's powers have been put-puttering and flaring up on her without warning all afternoon. It only adds to her agitation. Throwing up a defensive forearm, she'll cause a slow-as-molasses tourist to freeze while maneuvering through the crowd and get slammed right into by others of his herd. The simple task of bringing up a hand to adjust her winter hat when done too quickly, causes a pair of barely touching pigeons to pause midair only to resume movement a moment later. There's a shift in the air when Morgan begins using her powers. Some tourists turn to snap pictures -- or more appropriately take videos of the birds frozen in the air until they fly off again, while others turn to cast glances in the frozen people's direction. The crowd moves on though, as some of that is not that remarkable in New York, where the zombie plague began. That shift in the air continues to blow in something different though. A pair of men wearing the same suit venture into the area, approaching Morgan from directly in front of her. They are looking at her pointedly, but the expressions are disguised by sunglasses. They approach on a bee-line that dodges some of the human obstacles around them expertly. From the left and the right, single individuals wearing the same color and style of suit as the approaching pair begin to converge on her location as well. That shift in the air continues to blow in something different though. A pair of men wearing the same suit venture into the area, approaching Morgan from directly in front of her. They are looking at her pointedly, but the expressions are disguised by sunglasses. They approach on a bee-line that dodges some of the human obstacles around them expertly. From the left and the right, single individuals wearing the same color and style of suit as the approaching pair begin to converge on her location as well. Predator that she is, Morgan spots the suits' approach or at the very least, the ones directly in front of her. Almost cinematically, her own reflective aviator sunglasses lock onto one of the men's black-out lenses. Her expression remains stone as she trains her head down. The blonde continues forward, slinking into a group of people before pushing into the nearest storefront the moment it's door opens. "Mother fuck," she hisses angrily once she's inside, prowling forward. Where is she? What store is this? Hidden beneath her baggy plaid shirt and brown leather jacket, her heart pounds. All of these stores have a million exits, right?! The store in question is a sex toy shop. The windows let in a fair amount of light into the red walled room, but there are high walls around the ground floor level windows that keeps patrons from doing anything untoward with the mannequins displayed there. Majority of the light comes from the second floor. The staff also stand behind high counters, rows upon rows of boxed toys lining the walls. There are a few small aisle that take up the large floor space, made up of shelves, with drawers on the bottom shelf filled with squishy things that can be used in a plethora of ways. As far as exits go? There is only one that the public can use. One door behind those formidable display counters where the staff work is locked with a key pad security system. Two of the men follow her in. One goes around the back of the building while the other stands outside waiting... for someone. Inwardly cringing at her own choice of sanctuary, Morgan wets her lips. Determined, she continues to move forward. Rolling the dice, she chooses the front counter, "Hi," Morgan pants with a flustered smile. She tries to disguise her agitated state to feign shyness, "I'm looking for a gift." Red faced and from behind her sunglasses, she checks over her shoulder, "For a friend." The woman behind the counter with curly brown hair she's swept back into pigtails behind her ears glances toward Morgan's entourage before focusing on the supposed customer in question. "For an actual friend or for 'a friend?'" Her name tag, which reads Molly, bounces on her shirt as she gives air quotes while she repeats the other woman's words. "Because if it's just for a friend, I recommend a gift card and or a trip to the shop together. If it's really for you, I can help you with something you might feel comfortable using, if you're okay talking with me." The men behind her don't make it any easier to ignore them. One hovers near the door while the second continues to approach. The door jingle rings out again as an older man enters the shop behind the whole group. Some of the other customers decide to leave at this moment - and they are allowed out. "Former Officer DeWar. Fancy seeing you here." Morgan wets her lips again, eyes darting to the woman's name tag and then, back up, "Molly." She says the name as if they are old friends, leaning in, "It's actually for one of the men standing behi-" DeWar stops mid-sentence, tongue running against her upper teeth in an annoyed fashion. Alone, the former cop spins around to face the group of men. A wisp of short hair falls into her face but she doesn't dare move a hand to brush it away, "Fun's over already?" "The fun's been over for a long time, young lady," The older gentleman grumbles as he fixes his collar as he comes out of the cold. It's Martin Bulgar, someone Morgan may or may not remember from the past. He is one of the bad guys she planted evidence to get put away sooner. He is a slum lord, a drug runner, and in control of half of the pimps in the city. He smooths the lapels down once more and eyes Morgan like she's less than dirt to him. "Or don't you remember how you decided it was on you to make sure I went down?" The staff shuffle toward the exit, no longer feeling safe just behind the counters. One manages to press the silent alarm while Molly hits the appropriate code with her body covering so that no one else can see it before she and her coworker Sheldon disappear. "And you want what? Revenge? A formal apology?" Morgan buys time talking. She can feel her piece press against the small of her back as she leans into the counter. "Or is this all a coincidence?" She flexes her jaw, "Buying a present for your new prison hubby? I never did get my thank you note for helping introduce you." She stays very still, waiting for one of them to make the first move. On the sly, she scans the counter for anything she might also be able to use: displays, the register itself... "You think I did any prison time? I have friends in the police force that helped unravel some of that mess for me." Bulgar scoffs at Morgan, straightening his cuffs and turning an icy gaze on her. "I suppose you were too distracted by being run out of the precinct to notice. Don't really blame you. The loss of a career can be tough. Those friends in the police force. They told me all about it. My boys Tony and Ralph have also experienced that and are in for the revenge. Me? I'm here to show you that you still have things to lose." He glances left and right, sending the two aforementioned henchmen after Morgan, intent on getting her with their bare fists. Bulgar himself, he whips out a cellphone, perhaps board. Morgan throws out a hand, fingers outstretched. The air around it ripples ever so slightly as she attempts to to freeze one of the men. Like a lighter that just won't catch flame, she flicks her hand forward again and again until she can get it to take. Cautiously, her other hand reaches around behind her for her gun. "Go fuck yourself, Bulgar." She spits. Tony pauses when Morgan first throws her hand at him, more defensively than because something related to her powers. He raises his arm, curls his hand into a fist and aims a blow for her face. It's just lucky for her that her powers kick in the second time. This of course gives Ralph plenty of time to come up behind her, reaching for the arm that is grasping around her back, while his fist makes contact with her kidneys. "No, go fuck yourself, DeWar." Bulgar snaps back. Instead he points his phone at Tony. "Hey, Tony. What are you doing? Get in there. You're the one who convinced me that we should do this." Fully aware of her odds, Morgan resigns herself to go out kicking and screaming. She avoids the punch to her face, but the concentration it takes to use her abilities allows Ralph all the opportunity he needs. Struggling against him, she's forced to drop her gun and her hold over Tony as she takes one in the ribs. The force of the punch throws her body back into the counter. There's an audible crack of bone from somewhere on her person and she let's out a feral howl of pain. Knocking over much of the counter's contents, dildo-eraser tipped pencils and flavored condoms spill out between Morgan and her aggressor. The former cop uses the same punch's force to ping-pong herself back in the man's direction. With a growl, she flails her fists at him to try, perhaps in vain, to activate her powers in a flurry of blows. Bulgar continues filming the encounter, keeping his distance as Tony comes out of it, giving his boss a funny look. He turns toward the fight a half second later, then reaches in to get involved. He wraps his arms under hers and tries to pull then back, restrict her movements. Ralph looks a little weird as he tries to land another blow, seemingly caught on pause a few too many times. It's like he's slugging against a terrible mucky mire. He goes for a gut blow when he does manage to make contact, kicking the gun toward the boss when he remembers its there. Morgan screeches, shifting her weight wildly against Tony but only after he's already got her arms. She was stupid to let down her guard, shopping for that stupid baby. The blonde grunts, lurching forward and spitting up a wad of mucus and blood with the punch to the gut. Gritting her teeth against the pain, DeWar clenches both arms and tries to lift herself up. She throws one foot up to aim between his legs, drawing her other in towards herself to build momentum before throwing it flat out at his chest. Tony staggers back with Morgan in her arms, keeping her carefully in his arms rather than flailing those arms around. Ralph catches the foot to the crotch and groans. He staggers back, causing him to miss the second kick. He waits a moment until she's done flailing before reaching over to one of the display shelves and grabbing a two foot long double ended dildo made out of heavy duty rubber and moves to strike her across the face with it. That's going to leave an interesting bruise. Morgan grunts as her head is whipped to the side with the dildo's blow, causing her to see stars. The young woman's body slumps weakly back into Tony's arms. Aviators falling away, she blinks to regain focus. "What are you-" She looks into Bulgar's camera lens. "Collecting my trophy. You think I was going to let my boys mess up your pretty face without keeping a little something to remember this occasion by?" Bulgar announces with a smug grin. Tony keeps his head back as Ralph takes a wack at the former cop, keeping his grip tight on her. Once she slumps, Ralph steps in to back hand her with his fist this time, the bone under calloused skin hitting even harder. "Keep fighting, girl, and we'll gut you to save ourselves the hassle. Just take your licks. Maybe we'll leave your skull in one piece." More mucus and blood splatter out over the countertop as Morgan's head whips around in the other direction with slap. She barely hears anything the man says behind the ringing in her head. "Mmmf!" Tensing a powerful leg, she lifts a cowgirl boot and jams the thick heel down onto the arch of Tony's foot, at the same time whipping her head around again to slam the back of her skull into his face. "That's the opposite of what I just warned you about." Ralph growls as he reaches into his coat and pulls out a switch blade, flicking it open to reveal a four inch blade. He brandishes it as Tony tries to gain his composure. His arms spasm loose for a moment, but he's scrambling to keep his grip on her. The head bash causes him to release though, reaching under his jacket to find his gun. Ralph draws a hand back, ready to plunge that knife in the gut he tenderized earlier. Outside, flashing lights paint the walls blue and bloody red. There's a scurry of boots and the squawk of police radios outside. Shaking Tony off of her, Morgan throws both hands forward in Ralph's direction. Her bloodied face cringes painfully as she concentrates. The air around her fingers ripples. She doesn't wait to see what hold she gains on him with her power, rather lunges forward immediately to wrap both already open palms around Ralph's arm. With an animalistic snarl, Morgan breaks her concentration to use all of her might to pull him forward and past her, in his partner's direction. Bulgar takes his eyes off the camera for just one moment as his gaze slides up towards the lights on the wall, peeking over his shoulder next. When he glances back, he finds Tony holding on to Ralph's knife in his abdomen, his face crumpling and his gun losing its aim. Bulgar opens the door behind him and starts to back out, watching through the screen of his cell as Ralph rallies and points the gun in Morgan's direction again, squeezing off a round. "NO!" Morgan yelps sharply, holding up both slender, shaky hands. Her bloodshot eyes go wide as she focuses her strength on the bullet. It stops mid-air, hovering just a foot in front of her. In the background, Bulgar's escape distracts her by coming into focus and the bullet suddenly darts forward. Body jerking upward, Morgan throws back her choppy, blonde hair as the bullet goes through her. With a scream, she slams back into a row of shelving and crumples to the floor. Martin Bulgar grins to himself as he gets that last big on film. He continues to back out of the shop until the door slams in front of him. As soon as he turns around to face the cops, he starts shouting. "Oh shit. Oh shit. When they brought out the guns I couldn't handle it anymore. Those men! They're going to kill that woman - but she's a mutant, so I think she's going to kill them. Oh man. Oh man... I'm just glad I got out okay! Oh hell!" Bulgar then clears out of the way and lets the cops in. From the floor, Morgan watches as the blurry feet of the SWAT team stomp into the store. Her heavy eyelids droop to form thin crescents. She raises her eyebrows high into her forehead as she tries to keep them open, but they close. Pressing her hands against her bullet wound, she just listens to the world erupt into chaos around her until giving into the sweet release of sleep.