Guiltless (Open)

[hellfire]

It had been a few months since the Dream League grew in popularity. Now the team of vigilantes was widely recognized in Epcot City. The League has cracked many cases and handed many criminals to the ECPD, but the reception of the Dream League in Epcot City is mixed. Many different opinions regarding the Dream League have been written and spoken via radio, airway, and even computers.

"Tch! I bet the Dream League's a scam. They're a bunch of crooks!" grumbled a radio deejay.

"They saved my daughter's life!" said a woman in Epcot City's local newspaper. "I don't think I could ever repay them enough! Thank you, Dream League!"

"They're awesome!" a little girl erupted on the local news, when interviewed by an on-field reporter. "The old duck in the top hat's my favorite!"

"Me? Eh... I don't really know what to think of the Dream League," admitted a high school jock to another reporter. "But that Sunshine is really hot!" He was promptly slapped by his accompanying girlfriend.

However, there was one man in Epcot City who not only disliked the Dream League, but he insisted that the League were infidels. No public official had a more negative opinion of the Dream League than Judge Claude Frollo, a big name in the district.

Frollo, one of Epcot City's most prominent arbiters, was very candid with his opinion one day, when he stepped outside of the courthouse after delivering a harsh sentence on a criminal whose crime was petty at best. A lightning storm of flashing cameras focused on Frollo as he left the courthouse, and many reporters spoke at once. However, all of them asked the same question: What do you think of the Dream League?

Frollo stopped in his tracks, sneered at the camera closes to him and his face was perfectly projected on the local television station's news. With his sunken eyes and skin so tight that the contours of his cheekbones were visible, only his large nose prevented his face from looking entirely gaunt. His answer: "The 'Dream League' are wicked deviations molded from hell itself. This city requires not infidels such as the Dream League!"

A reporter piped, Would you tell them that to their faces, if you met them?

After his extremely harsh comment, and the follow-up question, Frollo's lids covered most of his eyes and he lifted his head upward haughtily, though his pupils remained on the camera. "If they were to meet me, then they would have more courage than I give them credit for. And now, good day." The robed judge whose vintage hat and clothes were heavy in black, purple, and red, started off.

The reporters weren't done, but Frollo was; he broke through the cluster of news-seekers and started for his automobile, a limousine that some would argue was more of a hearse, considering its bleak occupant. Frollo's sycophantic driver opened the door for Frollo, and quickly entered the driver's seat to start the vehicle's engine and drive off, leaving a shouting crowd of reporters and cameramen, and the ceaseless flashes of light.

[Mayor Clarabelle Cow]

The offices of Epcot City's mayor, Clarabelle Cow, could be found in a large white building (it wasn't quite as tall as Khan Towers) in the heart of the city. Her honor was there in her personal office, expecting to see Judge Frollo today.

Dressed in a dark blue skirt suit, matching three button jacket, and white blouse, the bovine was doing nothing at the moment while she waited for the judge. She was seated, with her arms on the armrests of the chair. Her chair was turned to face the window behind her desk, which offered a panoramic view of the city.

Sure, Epcot City had it's rough side ("sides" would probably be more appropriate), but it was still her city. And it had it's good points too, like Walter Elias National Park, which had once been a called an "Eden for bird-watchers" in a travel magazine (Clarabelle liked to peruse the media for any mentions of Epcot City, preferably positive ones)... and well, no one had reported any break-in's in the past week. That was probably due to the Dream League. She wasn't sure if they could ultimately be called a good point of Epcot City, but man, those guys had really bought the city a lot of press! Maybe they could even bring back the tourists!

As she continued to gaze out the window, a slight smile crossed her face. The sky was blue... okay, well, the smog wasn't quite as thick today as it tended to be on others, so it appeared to be more of a smoke-tinged very pale blue, but still, that was kind of blue! Was that a bird flying high over the skyscrapers? That was something she hadn't actually seen in a while. Apparently, the pollution was worse at certain times and birds just couldn't take it. Oh no, it wasn't a bird. Just a speck of dirt or something. Frowning slightly, Clarabelle began to rub at the offending speck with her index finger, the action producing a squeaking sound. Didn't they typically have window cleaners come in and take care of this?

[Ice Pirate]

If the mayor was listening, she might've heard the stealthy purr of a large engine approaching. Or, perhaps not, for the Iron Vulture ran quietly for its size, and the noise of the daily downtown traffic would probably mask its approach.

There's no doubt that she heard the explosion. Along with half of Epcot City; the blast rattled windows in a three-block radius, blowing a hole in the wall the size of an eighty-pound rutabaga.

Before the smoke had cleared, a dashing figure swaggered into what remained of the office, pausing for dramatic effect, followed by several rough-looking thugs. "Attention, please, this is your captor speaking. You are now the prisoner of the feared pirate, Don Karnage."

[Mayor Clarabelle Cow]

With the ugly speck now gone, Mayor Cow spun back around in her swivel chair to face her desk. Now she could turn her attention to more important matters, like… waiting for Judge Frollo to show. This was turning out to be pretty boring. She would’ve even accepted some paperwork right then. Where was her fresh copy of People magazine?

When the explosion occurred, she wasn't even quite sure what was happening. The force of the blast knocked poor Mayer Cow back, chair and all, causing her to strike the back of her head against the floor. She lay there on the carpet for a few moments, dazed. Finally, Her Honor grit her teeth and slowly sat up, one white-gloved hand rubbing the back of her aching head.

There was this giant hole in the wall in front of her, allowing her to see out into the hallway -- well, not just then, since there was a lot of smoke and dust in the air. What was this, a terrorist attack?

A rusty orange-furred figure strode into her office like he owned it, accompanied by some rough-looking men of the canine persuasion. She had seen this wolf somewhere before, but where? Oh, there was too much going on right now! What had happened to her secretary and the other people who worked in the building? The mayor’s ears were still ringing from the cacophony of the explosion, and her head hurt like heck. The wolf was addressing her, telling her his name.

“Don Cabbage?...” She stared, her already large eyes grown even larger with fright as she beheld him, before her face suddenly contorted into a bemused frown at his misheard name. “Wait, Don Cabbage? That’s a pretty silly name for a terrorist.”

[Ice Pirate]

The air pirates gasped audibly. Their leader wasn't known for his sense of humor, especially when he was the butt of the joke.

Karnage's eyes went wide, then narrowed dangerously as he ground his pointed teeth with rage. "Cabbage? CABBAGE!?! You think this is ha-ha funny?"

A snap of his fingers brought two leather-clad goons who jerked Clarabelle roughly to her feet. "Maybe you are too stupid to understand. I will explain."

"I am Don Karnage..." He was forced to pause while his well-trained henchmen applauded enthusiastically. "Yes, the ruthless, dangerous, and oh-so-scary leader of the air pirates."

"Every man in my squadron has a deadly super-powerful power. That explosion which turned your shabby little office into a messy pile of junk was Julius; he will be re-forming soon. Nice work, Julius," he shouted into the air.

"And unless you want a painful demonstration of their other powers, you will stop with the unfunny jokes and behave like a good hostage-type, ransom-bringing mayor-cow. Kapish?"

This last was snarled menacingly mere inches away from the mayor's face.

[Mayor Clarabelle Cow]

If Mayor Cow had not been aware of her gaffe, continuing to stare at the criminals and rubbing her head, then Don Karnage bought it to her attention, baring a nasty row of teeth and shouting at her. She still couldn't quite make out what he was saying, but it was plain to see that he was enraged. Finding herself pulled to her feet by two of the canines, the mayor was too scared and shocked to resist.

Thankfully, her hearing was starting to return to her, and she caught what the wolf, who seemed to be the one in charge, was saying: "Don Karnage", "air pirates", "deadly superpower"... Wait, she knew who he was now! The Air Pirates were bad news. Apparently they were branching out from their usual haunt of Cape Suzette.

If Clarabelle hadn't been so frightened just then, she would have given him a piece of her mind, coming here and attacking her and her employees! But Karnage looked like he meant business, and his threat about his men having superpowers worked. If one of them could blow up a building, then she didn't want to see what the others could do. Her long ears dipped back, and she leaned her head back as Karnage got right in her face and snarled.

"Hostage? Y-you just made a big mistake!" She tried to suppress the nervous squeak in her voice as she addressed the Air Pirates. "You forgot about the ECPD! And the Dream League! We have zero tolerance for lawlessness here!"

Clarabelle liked Chief 'O'Hara. He was a wonderful old gent, and he seemed to have many fine officers working for him, but she wondered if they had anything in their arsenal equipped to deal with these guys. This might be a job more appropriate for the Dream League.

[Ice Pirate]

"The police? You try to frighten me with your ordinary and very boring police? Ha! I laugh at police! My men laugh at police!"

Obediently, the pirates laughed with great contempt, until a curt hand signal from their leader silenced them.

"Enough ha-ha-ing! Down to business. The business of the ransom."

The thugs knew what they were supposed to do. They shoved the mayor into a chair, which one of them then touched with his grimy hand. Instantly, the arms of the chair seemed to come alive, wrapping themselves around the hostage in a snug but not damaging embrace.

"This will hold you very, very nicely," chortled Karnage triumphantly. "And if you are thinking of those super-heroes coming to your rescue, you had better hope that they don't. Because somebody might get...hurt. I am meaning you, of course."

The pirate lord strutted up and down the room as he spoke, clearly enjoying the attention. "Now, my little hostage, you can telephone the bank and have them send two hundred thousand dollars pronto! And very speedy."

The other goon flanking Clarabelle picked up the phone receiver and dialed before holding it close to her face.

[Mayor Clarabelle Cow]

Letting out an indignant cry as the goons forced her to sit down, Clarabelle became even more dismayed then before when one of them used a weird power of some sort to make the chair wrap its arms around her upper body, insuring that the hapless cow could not easily escape. These awful men didn't fear the police, and even if she could summon the Dream League somehow (which she had no idea of how to do -- Chief O'Hara was the one who had the signal/spotlight), Karnage not-so-subtly threatened that if the superheroes did come, he'd hurt her.

Mayor Cow gave a sigh of defeat and began speaking into the phone being held up to her face when she heard someone on the other end answer. "This is Mayor Cow." Typically, she would have been more chatty then that, but the situation had deprived her of her usual good humor.

"I would like to have two hundred thousand dollars withdrawn from my account and sent to --" She suddenly glanced to Karnage. "Um... are you really sure you want the money sent here? It might rise suspicion." She asked in a stage whisper, hoping the bank teller on the other end could hear what she was saying and get suspicious. The mayor wasn't sure if her ploy would work or not, but she didn't have very many options on the table at the moment.

[Ice Pirate]

Ice Pirate studied his nails smugly as Clarabelle decided to cooperate. As he knew she would. No one can hope to oppose the dreaded Don Karnage.

Ah, how lovely was the sound of a ransom being ordered by phone, like the song of the birds in the--

Are you really sure you want the money sent here?

"What? Of course I want the money sent here. This is where I am!" Hostages could be so stupid.

Making no effort to keep his voice down, the air pirate continued, "So, how long is this going to take? I am getting bored. And when I am bored, I get very, very cranky."

"Oh, yeah," piped up one of his henchmen. "He gets real cranky, take my word for--Ow!" That last in response to a sock in the nose from his fearless leader.

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

The explosion that shattered the relative peace of the busy city brought Justice to the City Hall building in the heart of Epcot City's downtown district. He very much expected to find some gang akin to the Dynamiters of his own century: ruffians whose goal was to spread terror and anarchy by stealthily attacking bastions of law and order.

The facts were much different, however, as terrified clerks fled the building babbling about air pirateds. Whoever heard of such a thing?

And yet, someone had blown a hole in the wall on an upper story. And Basil surely glimpsed something that looked suspiciously like a dirigible hiding behind some clouds.

Well, as he could not fly, the mouse detective would simply have to investigate the building.

The lower stories were deserted, as all the inhabitants had wisely fled. But upstairs, on the third floor, the Mouse of Mystery cautiously approached a gaping hole that lead, by the name printed upon the damaged door, to none other than the city's mayor.

A female mayor; think of that!

The villains were certainly inside, as they made no effort to conceal their voices. Whoever they were, they were quite sure of themselves.

Wrapping himself in his inky cloak, Justice crept toward the scene of action. The element of surprise was what was wanted here.

Peering into the room, he saw several rough-looking thugs and a lady tied to a chair who could only be Madame Mayor. Her back was toward him, so Basil picked his way silently over the rubble-strewn floor until he was directly under her chair, where he was certain he could conceal himself until the opportune moment to free the lady.

[She-Wolf]

Don Karnage's complaint of boredom would not fall on deaf ears, and was almost instantly answered - whether this was for the better or worse, for the canine pirate, was debatable.

Through the massive hole in the wall created by the earlier explosion, a newcomer entered, with utter silence but remarkable speed. The mysterious figure was so swift it was difficult to make out who or what it was, but it made its presence quite clear as it suddenly leaped between the pirates and their hostage, its form practically just a blur. In the middle of the stranger's jump, the arms of the chair that entrapped the Mayor were suddenly cut in two, tiny splinters of wood sent flying from the attack. However, the Mayor, herself, was perfectly unharmed - not only that, she was now free from the animated chair's clutches. Not only that, but she had then vanished from sight - the nimble stranger had taken her in its arms, carrying her with it in mid-leap as if the Mayor was absolutely weightless.

As the unknown figure flew between the group almost like wind, its rapid flight slowed to a halt, and it now stood its ground on the other side of the room, facing the band of pirates. There, legs spread, hands outstretched, claws unsheathed and fangs bared, stood the Dream League's wild woman, She-Wolf, staring down Don Karnage and his lackeys with her piercing glare. She had now let go of Mayor Cow, but still stood before her protectively. The farther away she was from those pirates, the better.

"Leave, now - or fight," she snarled - as always, preferring to use only the absolutely necessary amount of words. She knew well she was outnumbered, here, but her brash nature made it impossible for her to simply wait for other members of the team to arrive and allow these thugs to escape. She had to take action, now.

[Ice Pirate]

Karnage's disciplining of his henchman was interrupted by a furry blur that he took to be an animal of some kind. Until it slowed down enough to make out the details.

"Another little girl? How many of these do they have in this city?" Ice Pirate's last battle had been with a dainty blonde, though she was abnormally strong. This one looked even younger.

But there was no denying the fur-clad female had freed his hostage, not a move calculated to fill Don Karnage with benevolent feelings toward the newcomer.

She was fast and had a dangerous look to her, but, it was five against one...or it would be as soon as Julius re-formed himself.

"Leave or fight, leave or fight, let me think about this..." replied the air pirate with mocking exaggeration. "Maybe we will choose--fight!" His eyes glinted as he drew his saber, pointed it at the girl and shouted, "Take her down, men!"

The three pirate thugs moved into attack position, spreading out to face the girl. One touched the mayor's massive oak desk, causing it to stand up on its hind legs like a bear. Another began to ooze some greenish liquid, and the third raised his arms, pointing in his foe's direction.

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

Basil whispered words of encouragement to the mayor. "Have no fear, Justice is--"

That would never do. Rhyming catchphrases were so very coy.

"--at hand."

A bare instant later, before he had time to move a muscle, the room was filled with a rush of flying fur and splinters from the chair, and all at once, the lady was free and in the arms of some barbaric newcomer.

Hang it all! Here was Basil's chance to effect a high-profile rescue and earn some well-needed publicity, and some savage had to steal his thunder. After all, he'd got there first. And now it was all gone to smash.

Well, Justice would not be done out of his due this time. He leapt nimbly onto the back of the chair, still intact more or less, though the arms had been destroyed, and brandished his own weapon.

"Four men against one girl is hardly sporting, don't you think?" Basil might've simply attacked them from behind, but that was such bad form. "Justice is the name," he continued with a genteel inclination of his head. He would give the pirate riff-raff good reason to remember it.

[She-Wolf]

She-Wolf, remaining silent as the pirate prattled on, gritted her fangs at the reddish anthropomorphic dog, hearing his first remark upon seeing her - she was quick to conclude that this was that same pirate that Sunshine recalled facing off against with Savage - the one that got away. He was named Don Karnage, or some pompous title like that, if she remembered...

Now was the perfect chance to take him down, and continue what Sunshine started.

Hmph, typical. Rather than facing her himself, his first action was to send his gang of minions after her. Three against one was no easy fight, She-Wolf knew, but the pirates didn't seem terribly formidable, to her... true, taking them on alone was probably not the best way of handling this, but there was no time to wait on her teammates.

Still, She-Wolf felt her confidence waver ever so slightly as she witnessed the powers that the gang of minions held - she took a step back at seeing their abilities almost explode before her, gazing up in alarm at the massive table rearing up like a bear. No wonder they gave Sunshine so much trouble. No use in being intimidated, though - She-Wolf simply stood her ground and prepared to fi-

... What?! She-Wolf whipped her head towards a sudden voice, and found herself staring in shock at a tiny mouse perched atop the chair, threatening the pirates with an equally tiny sword. The wolf girl couldn't help taking a time-out to gaze in disbelief at this sight. What was he thinking? It was suicide... if she didn't act quick, She-Wolf thought, then the mouse, too, would fall at the hands of these pirates.

Before the rodent was caught in one of the pirates' attacks, she darted towards the chair, snatching up Justice in one of her hands and taking him with her as she hurriedly sprinted along the edge of the room, keeping light on her feet to dodge any blows directed at her. She eventually reached a cabinet upon a shelf, which she placed Justice into as gently as she would upon stopping near it. "Stay out of this, or you'll be killed," she ordered sternly, before whirling around to face her foes. Her first target was the pirate with his hands outstretched towards her - she charged towards him to try and take him down before he could unleash whatever attack he was preparing.

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

"...And my go--" and before the Mouse of Mystery could finish, he was unceremoniously seized by the wolf-girl. For an instant, Basil thought she meant to attack him, but, no, she deposited him upon a bookcase like so much rubbish.

"Stay out of this, or you'll be killed"

"How dare you!" Justice barely controlled his fury. Who did this wolf-girl think she was, ordering him abaout? And worse, making him look foolish before a room full of villains. And the mayor of th city!

"I had the situation well in hand before you spoilt everything! And now you have left Her Honour exposed to danger, you foolish girl!" Indeed, the Mayor was directly in the path of the animated desk. True, the pirates were turning, more intent on battling the heroes than worrying about their hostage, but Basil was in no mood to give the young barbarian any credit whatsoever.

Leaping to his feet, the Cloaked Cavalier launched himself into the air, caromed off the savage girl's head and into a long arc directly at his chosen target like an arrow, his weapon pointed in front of his body. From his sword, Justice fired a bolt of energy full in the face of the pirate who controlled the walking desk.

As the ruffian grimaced in pain, the oaken beast stopped, seeming to waver between living creature and inanimate object. Basil smiled smugly behind his mask: just as he deduced, the monstrosity was helpless without someone to control its actions.

[Ice Pirate]

When Don Karnage heard the voice behind him, he whirled around to see...a mouse? A little small mousie threatening him? Before he could let out the guffawthat sprang ot his lips, the girl performed a few acrobatic leaps to take the rodent out of harms way.

Well, if she wanted to expose herself to attack by stopping to help puny would-be heroes, he would be only too happy to oblige. And when the two started arguing, so much the better. Divided enemies were easy to beat.

Ice Pirate raised his hand to bring his freeze power into play, but the mouse attacked first, shooting some kind of ray into Vasquez' face. "Enough boo-hooing, Vasquez. What are you, a whiny baby? Get them!" With these, and other encouraging words, Karnage spurred his men forward.

Meanwhile, the oozing pirate nodded to his mate, "You get the cow, Sharkey, I'll take on the girl." Sharkey moved to seize the mayor before she could escape, while the other advanced on the wolf-girl.

By now, he was covered with so much green ooze that he looked like a formless blob. His feet lifted with some difficulty, as if they were stuck to the floor, leaving a trail of slime in his wake.

Ice Pirate decided to finish off the mouse first; it would be easy, and then they could all concentrate on the other one. He pressed his long saber into the rodent's back. "You think a puny little thing like you is a match for the air pirates of Don Karnage?"

If only the wolfish pirate had simply skewered his foe at once. But, no, he wanted to hear him beg for mercy. "Feel free to scream like a girl."

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

Justice landed deftly amid the rubble, uncommonly pleased with the result of his blast. It would be a few moments before the thug could collect his wits enough to bring his oaken minion to bear once again, more than enough time to formulate a second attack.

Or so he thought. But the sharp imprint of a blade in his back forestalled the effort.

Basil moved not a muscle at the scurrilous taunts, not willing to goad the pirate into an attack. "In the back, sir? But, what would one expect from a pirate?"

Taking a deep breath, Justice willed the energy within to radiate forth in a burst, which normally fanned out in all directions. With cold steel pressed into his back, however, the shock traveled up the blade, much as through his own weapon, and into Ice Pirate's hand.

[Mayor Clarabelle Cow]

By this point, Clarabelle's head was spinning. Her hearing picked up a voice -- a very minuscule one, but still -- coming from beneath her chair, telling her that "justice was at hand". Then came a blur of brown fur, and she suddenly felt herself being carried along by someone. She didn't know how and when the fierce-looking female Dream Leaguer the press had learned was called She-Wolf had arrived, but it was a good thing she had.

When She-Wolf set her down, Mayor Cow tried to focus on what was happening around her. She-Wolf stood between her and the pirates. What happened to the person who had spoken to her before? The bovine got her answer when she saw a dapper-looking little mouse, complete with a little mouse-size sword climb up on the back of the destroyed chair. Clarabelle's eyes expanded and her jaw fell at the amazing sight.

Predictably, Ice Pirate was angered ("But when wasn't he angry?", Mayor Cow thought), and ordered his ugly goons to attack the two heroes. The same pirate who had made the chair trap her animated her desk... and she was right in its path. Mayor Cow started backing away as the desk lurched forward in a manner reminiscent of an attacking grizzly. She never would've dreamed of the day where she would be fearing her own furniture! The pirates stood between her and the door, and the only other exit was the giant hole in the wall.

... Yeah, that wasn't an option. Thankfully, the mouse came to her rescue, using She-Wolf's head as a launching board to leap into the air and zapping the furniture-controlling pirate. Taking the opportunity to get away from the villain, Her Honor made for her couch, which had been turned over during the explosion, intending to hide behind it. However, another pirate made to grab her. Letting out a scream, she attempted to dart away from his grasping hands.

A flash of silver caught her eye. And who was this? It was another human girl who seemed to come from out of nowhere, standing next to the hole in the wall. Her strawberry-blonde hair was worn up, her costume was mostly silver in color, and she wore strange semi-transparent boots. In her hands she clutched a metallic staff. Mayor Cow didn't recognize her. Was she with the Air Pirates, or was she another hero?

[silvernightingale]

The newcomer stood in a combat stance, ready to either move or defend herself at a moment's notice. Her identity was concealed by a mask that looked similar to the ones donned at masquerade balls. Clear blue eyes scanned the ruined office, taking in the action and chaos.

Now the reddish-brown wolf was jabbing his sword into the mouse's back, and -- her rosy lips curved into a small but pleased smile at what she saw next -- apparently ended up being shocked, presumably by the mouse. The young woman had always been fond of mice, and seeing him give that bully of an Air Pirate a jolt appealed to her sense of justice.

The super-heroine known as She-Wolf was taking on the slime-covered pirate. The girl's heart thrilled at seeing one of the Dream League members here in the flesh. The mayor was definitely in trouble. The other two crimefighters were clearly too busy to assist her, so it looked like it was up to her...

The silver-garbed heroine raced toward Mayor Cow and her foe. Her speed was tremendous, allowing her to cross the room in a matter of minutes. Reaching the pirate, she blocked him from getting any closer to his fleeing victim, her quarterstaff held cross-ways in front of her body. Her right foot was positioned slightly further out then her other foot, and there was a stern expression on her face as her eyes fixed on the goon.

"That will be quite enough of that!"

[Ice Pirate]

What should've been an easy kill turned out surprisingly unpleasant for Don Karnage. A strange kind of energy shot out of the masked mouse's body, ran up the pirate's sword, and struck his hand. And quite painfully.

"Eeyowitch!" he cried, dropping the saber and hugging his injured hand under his left arm. Stupid rodent! "You will pay for this," Karnage managed to growl through the pain, waving his good hand to fling a barrage of icicles at his tiny enemy.

Sharkey moved to recapture the mayor. After all, she was not only their ticket to riches, but would also make a good shield from all these super-heroes. Before he could reach the cow, however, a new player entered the game, a girl dressed in silver, holding a long stick.

She was fast, and probably a good fighter with that thing. No more fooling around; time to use his super-power.

The thug raised his arms in attack position and promptly disappeared. And yet, his voice could still be heard. "Whattaya gonna do now, girly?" came the taunt, seemingly from out of thin air.

[She-Wolf]

The mouse sounded pretty upset about being treated like... well, a mouse. But She-Wolf wasn't bothered at all by it. All she was concerned about was the safety of all innocents in this room - and the punishment of those who dared to threaten them. He did have a point... in order to save one innocent, she had left the other open. She'd need to hurry back to the mayor as soon as possible... but then the mouse... She-Wolf mentally cursed to herself, starting to think that perhaps it wasn't so wise to charge into this situation alone. But if that mouse knew what was good for him, he'd-

She-Wolf found herself suddenly halting, mid-dash, as she felt something bound across the top of her head. Blinking in surprise, she stared upward, in shock, to see that same mouse, sword pointed forward, practically flying towards one of the pirates. A spark of what looked like miniature lightning burst forth from the sword's tip and managed to stun the thug momentarily. She-Wolf's lips couldn't help hanging open in disbelief - and embarrassment. The mouse had powers of his own... she owed him an apology after all of this was over.

Regardless, she wouldn't admit it, but she was grateful to have a helping hand in this fight. Now certain that the mouse could take care of himself, she turned her harsh, battle-ready gaze to the nearest pirate - the one completely covered in oozing slime. She-Wolf felt a lurch in her stomach... but restrained it, willing to get down and dirty in order to take him down. As something of a "test" attack, She-Wolf swiped her razor-sharp claws against the thick mucky coating of the pirate before her - she was uncertain it would harm it, but there was not much else she could do. A disgusted chill ran through her spine as her fingers made contact with the slime, but she held fast and retained her willingness to fight, glaring at the pirate with her fangs gritted.

She had yet to notice the new arrival into the fray, being a bit too preoccupied with her own battle.

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

Although he was quite pleased with the result of his energy attack, Justice had no time to congratulate himself, as crystalline spikes, each nearly as tall as the mouse, rained down upon him.

Dodging them would be impossible for an ordinary rodent, and Basil silently blessed the Benevolent Providence that endowed him with enhanced agility. He leapt left, then right, took a step backward, rolled and snapped back to his feet, his cloak billowing out behind him at every step, turn and move.

Alas, said cloak wasn't nearly as nimble as its owner, and, while Justice escaped harm, one frozen spike skewered that eponymous garment.

The Mouse of Mystery gave a gasp of outrage. "My cloak! You fiend, do you know how much that cost me?" Shillings were still not as plentiful as Basil would like, and the repair of his cape would necessitate skipping a meal or two, not to mention the mortification if he were interviewed by the press in a tattered costume.

And what was the Cloaked Cavalier without his cloak?

Determined to make the pirate pay dearly, Basil prepared to attack his foe once again before realising with horror that he was now effectively chained to the floor. In order to free himself, the mouse began to hack desperately at the imprisoning icicle.

[Ice Pirate]

The pirate thug, one Willoughby by name, might've tried to dodge the oncoming claw, but his movements seemed slow and rather sticky since oozing up. In any case, She-Wolf's claw connected, and stuck in his green coating with a loud "schlooop."

The slime was thick and gooey and adhered like glue, which it was, more or less. Letting out a sticky sort of chuckle, the pirate tossed more of the green slop her way, hoping to immobilize the girl with glop.

Ice Pirate shook his hand in a futile attempt to restore the feeling. How could it be numb and hurt at the same time? He might pick up his sword with his left hand, but he could hardly fight that way. No, better to use that for his cold powers. Now that the puny mouse was stuck tight, he would freeze him into a rat-sickle. Or, better yet, and so much more satisfying, he would stomp the creature flat with his boots.

Although Sharkey had seemingly disappeared, a new pirate suddenly took his place, a beefy fellow with a bristly mustache. This was Julius, the exploding pirate, who had finally reformed after blasting out the office wall.

"Cap'n! Cap'n! I did good, didn't I?"

[She-Wolf]

Much to her horror, She-Wolf quickly realized the adverse effects of this disgusting substance - it was stickier than glue, and instantly trapped her hand as she swiped it across the pirate's coat of slime. She-Wolf's eyes widened, and she struggled stubbornly with all her might, grunting in frustration, trying to yank her arm free - but it was no use. And her situation only became worse, from there - the slop-covered pirate tossed even more of the gunk connected to him towards her, coating much of her left side, including her arm, effectively immobilizing it. Only her legs were free from the sticky muck, but they, alone, were not enough to pull her free. Her claws might have been able to slice through steel, but they were useless in this situation...

Gradually, She-Wolf's frustration and fury at being trapped like this soon turned to fear. There really wasn't anything she could do to save herself, now... and if she couldn't even save herself, what hope did she have? Why did she have to leap into this battle alone...? Stubbornly, however, she refused to give up and kept on trying to pull herself free.

[Mayor Clarabelle Cow]

Mayor Cow felt a sense of relief wash over her when the girl in silver jumped in to defend her from the approaching pirate. Alas, that feeling didn't last long. The pirate vanished into thin air like... like a ghost! Oh, this was just terrible! Where had he gone? Where would he strike next?

Clarabelle shrank further behind the girl when she instructed her to, eyes wide and darting around in case the invisible pirate would suddenly appear out of nowhere.

She was too distracted to take notice of how the other heroes were faring.

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

Basil, on the other hand, made it his business to notice as much as possible. Even now, he kept a metaphoric eye on the other heroes and villains in the room, attempting to formulate a plan by which they might still defeat the pirates.

The barbarian girl was partly immobilized by that foul-looking green stuff, the silver-clad lady was now facing an invisible opponent, and that other chap would no doubt soon recover enough to animate the desk again. Besides which, a new thug had suddenly appeared in the room. This could have unfortunate consequences.

But, first things first. Justice was in real danger of winding up the scrapings on the heel of Karnage's boot if he didn't act swiftly. The cloak would simply have to go.

Reluctantly, but with a decided air, the Masked Mouse undid the clasp at his throat and slipped out of his cape, bounding onto the desk, which remained temporarily stalled, and from there to the head of the pirate who controlled it.

"Ha!" he crowed to Ice Pirate, brandishing his sword. "En garde, sir, if you've the stomache for a fair fight!"

[Ice Pirate]

Karnage's boot came down hard, smashing the icicle to splinters, but missing the annoying rodent. "How does he move so fast and speedy?" he snarled.

If that made him angry, Justice's next action was even worse. The mouse was now on top of Vasquez' head, taunting him. Oh, if he could only use his sword, he'd carve that do-gooder into mouse pâté.

"You think you are such a smarty-pants, do you not? Well, I will show you who is the boss-man!" Ice Pirate's arm flew up in an instant, releasing an artic blast that turned Vasquez into a pirate-sicle.

"Vasquez, you stupid fool! Get out of the way when I am shooting at you!" Alas, too late for the frozen lackey.

[silvernightingale]

The young super-heroine had a similar reaction of surprise to the mayor's own when her foe abruptly disappeared, letting out a slight but audible gasp of surprise. She hadn't been expected that to happen.

'She-Wolf or Dawn Chorus wouldn't be scared of some invisible pirate', she thought. Tightening her grip on her staff, she tensed herself, a look of renewed determination on her face as her eyes darted around, looking for anything that would give away Sharkey's presence and waiting for him to make the next move. Although the shouts and cries of battle filled the air around her, she didn't want to loose focus and leave Major Cow or herself open for attack.

"Stay behind me, please." The girl politely but firmly instructed Mayor Cow.

"You don't have to tell met twice!" Came her shaky reply.

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

Basil suspected that the phrase 'fair fight' would elicit just the opposite from the pirate. His type were so very predictable.

The Mouse of Mystery had leapt away in plenty of time to avoid the frosty blast that incapacitated Vasquez. That was one blackguard out of the fray.

How Justice should've enjoyed decoying his foe into freezing each of his lackeys one by one, but he doubted whether Karnage stupid enough to fall for the same trick again. Besides, the mouse had another idea...

Bounding across the room to where the water cooler still stood, Justice threw his entire body onto the tap, letting out a small stream of water which puddled onto the floor, creating a stream in the midst of the debris-strewn office.

Aha! Success! There were some very interesting wet footprints emerging apparently from thin air.

"There, Miss," he shouted to the elegant young lady weilding the staff, pointing to the soggy trail. "There is your unseen foe."

Of course, in doing all this, Justice had rather left himself vulnerable to attack from other quarters.

[She-Wolf]

She-Wolf, meanwhile, had been furiously tugging her arms as hard as she could in a desperate attempt to break free. This guy had to be the most infuriating foe she'd ever faced. Soon enough, her need to release herself from the green goop would become even more immediate; as one of the pirates became frozen by a wayward blast from the head of the gang, the desk he was controlling became unsteady, slowly losing its sentience and wobbling precariously from its reared-up position. Creaking loudly, it finally began to fall over - and, coincidentally, its path of falling was on the exact spot where She-Wolf and Willoughby stood.

Out of the corner of her eye, She-Wolf spotted the desk quickly plummeting down on them, and her eyes widened in alarm. A rush of adrenaline gave her just the extra bit of strength she needed to break free, and, after one last strain, she stumbled backwards after bursting free, the goop from the pirate splattering around the surrounding area from the force of She-Wolf's arms - most of which remained coated in the thick green sludge, but were, at least, freed from the source. Wasting no time, She-Wolf darted away from Willoughby, just in time to avoid being crushed by the incoming desk - Willoughby would likely not be quick enough to escape, however.

Briefly stopping in her tracks to catch her breath and gauge the situation around her, it was then that she finally noticed the newcomer - a young woman clad in silver, wielding a staff of some sort. She definitely didn't seem to be affiliated with the pirates, at least - the sight of her standing protectively before the mayor was enough to confirm that, though. The mouse, meanwhile, was nowhere in sight, although the sound of his voice indicated he was still alive, at least. At any rate, She-Wolf had no time to waste observing the stranger - however grateful she was for the assistance (not that the thought of thanking her would cross her mind anytime soon). Immediately, she locked her fierce glare onto the red dog, whom she gathered was the leader of the pack. Until the slime on her hands evaporated, her claws would be useless - but they were not her only means of attack. With all the speed of a cheetah, she sprinted towards Don Karnage, weaving swiftly around whichever of his minions were in the way, and leaped towards him, aiming a steady kick at the canine's head.