There had been a time when the Ranger had acted as a vigilante in New York City. After enough run ins with law enforcement where he barely made it through without either a new pair of bracelets or a resisting charge, he limited his actions. Now Ranger only addresses the wrongs that happen in front of him.

Wrongs like a man sliding past an elderly woman and snatching her purse as she walks down the street.

The woman went down and a few of those nearby went to her aid after she fell. The Ranger took off after the purse snatcher. The man was fast, but the Ranger was faster. He was on the man’s heels a block later when the man turned into an alley.

Following, Ranger shouted at him to stop. Instead of stopping, the wan pivoted and came running back toward Ranger. While turning, the man’s form rippled and instead of being of average build and height he took on the size and shape of a bodybuilder.

It was clear the man had expected this change to scare Ranger off. When the Ranger just carried on as if the appearance of the man didn’t matter, the man tried to divert around the Ranger and get back out of the alley. Not fast enough.

Ranger reached out and caught the man by the arm. He then punched the man in the face. It didn’t phase the man. Shapeshifting and enhanced durability. The Ranger punched harder.

The man yelled in an elderly feminine voice for help as he took on the form of the woman he’s stolen the purse from. The Ranger wound up again and, his power enhancing his strength, swung again at the shapeshifter’s face.

Agnes was having a hard time coping with the changes going on in the world. She was a creature that did not take to change very well. For a long time the only life that she knew was running. After she was accepted into the X-Men (or rather she accepted them), she had a devil of a time adjusting to life being part of a team. Her trials only continued as she attempted to adjust to this new life but slowly and surely, she managed it. She found her niche in the team. While it was not the most sociable, she still considered herself part of a larger family.

And then the world cracked. When they had received the notice of the event in Madison Square Park, Agnes could scarcely wrap her mind around it. There were all sorts of talk of a strange, shimmering door, of people from another universe finding their way into hers and a variety of other nonsense that seemed better suited for comic books. But, still, Agnes had a job to do. She had to investigate.

It had been three days since Agnes had crossed over; a covert mission tasked to her by their fearless leader, Impact. Combatant was to explore the other side, quietly, and gather what intel she could before scuttling back through the doorway and reporting. Infiltration was something that Agnes excelled at but this incident was completely in a league all to its own.

It was New York – but at the same time it wasn’t. Agnes couldn’t explain it but as she traveled the streets of the city, set herself up in a sh*tty motel, and wandered over the rooftops, she could just sense that it was different. Something tasted funny in the air, buildings that she knew should have been there were suddenly gone, and even the sound was off, it was almost as if she were having a massive case of déjà vu. So unsettled was the young warrior that despite this being an infiltration mission, she needed to do something to work off her nerves.

She needed to hit someone.

A new day and Agnes was walking through the streets, a churro in one hand and a need to break something building in the other. As her crystalline eyes swept over the towering buildings, she stopped long enough inspect a street vendor selling scarves of various colors. Clearly she avoided the bedazzled ones and instead looked at the thicker, solid colors when the sounds of a scuffle drew her attention across the street.

She didn’t see it occur, all she saw was one man running at full tilt. As her eyes swept ahead to see who was being chased, she barely caught their shadow as they wrapped around a corner, followed closely behind by another, military-looking individual. Her eyes narrowed for a second and she sucked in her breath, hoping to keep her excursion for when she was in costume but an elderly scream for help drew her attention.

A final bite of her churro, and tossing a few dollars at the vendor and Agnes was across the street, running. Upon entirely the mouth of the alley, she paused long enough to wrap the scarf around her nose and mouth, tucking the excess into her shirt. As she did she watched in surprise as the massive military man was getting ready to beat down on a sweet looking elderly woman. A disturbing sight but, in a way, it was good to know that there was some consistencies with this other New York.

A growl on her lips and Agnes charged forward, just as the man was getting ready to lay the old woman out with another punch. ”Hey ***hole!!” she bellowed. ”Pick on someone your own age!!” Once she was in range, Agnes leapt upward, making good air and twisting as she lashed out with her foot to his jaw.

The blood pumping in her veins and she was already feeling better…

No good deed ever goes unpunished. As the Ranger’s fist sailed through the air he heard someone call from behind him. His fist connected sending the shapeshifter staggering backward onto the ground as the Ranger released her and turned to see a woman charging at him, a scarf around her face, telling him to pick on someone his own age.

The woman jumped and twisted to send her foot at Ranger’s face. He had just enough time to duck the leg and then slide away from the woman. He noted she had perfect form as he made distance.

He quickly looked back to the shapeshifter who was laying on the ground playing the wounded old lady. It didn’t help that it looked like Ranger had broken her nose with his punch. That or the shapeshifter could shapeshift injuries.

”This ain’t y’r concern kid. Y’ don’t have the whole story.” The Ranger said as he backed to the shapeshifter and reached to take the bag.

“He’s trying to steal my purse!” The shapeshifter shrieked and tried to back away, blood pouring from the old lady face.

It looked bad and the Ranger knew it.

Goddamn he was fast. As Agnes closed the gap between her and the attacker, she immediately took to the air in a display of perfect form and function. Her leg snapped out, seeking to concave the man’s chin, but instead all she was met with was open air. Agnes had expected the kick to land, it usually did, but when it didn’t, she was momentarily off center. Landing on her feet, he twisted and little, spinning into a firm fighting position as he glared daggers with her crystalline eyes.

The man was pretty massive, strong looking, healthy type, maybe ex-military who snapped and thought it was good times to beat up on little old ladies. Either way, Agnes was on her guard. The normal thugs she beatdown on were tough and had heads full of meat but they were about as big as this guy. However, the difference was that this one had some skill. She would have to treat him like a S.U.P.E.R. agent and that meant only one thing – he was dangerous.

With a roll of her shoulders and a firm glare, she tightened her fists as she looked between both him and the fallen woman with the broken nose. Bastard was going to pay for that.

>> ”This ain’t y’r concern kid. Y’ don’t have the whole story.”

>>“He’s trying to steal my purse!”

Surprisingly she was willing to believe the woman’s story over his. A firm stare and she slowly moved into a loosen position. She strolled towards him, fists clenching and unclenching as set her sights on Mr. Military.

”Seems pretty clear,” she said through her makeshift mask. ”Looking for a new accessory to go with your outfit.” She shrugged. ”I get that. The only problem…” She was closing the gap, circling and putting herself between the attacker and his victim. ”Doesn’t go with your dress, sweetheart.”

She lunged. A show of speed and expertise, she feigned on direction before making a snap change, flipping in to close the gap further and lashing outward with a series of calculated and carefully selected punches. Agnes was in no mood to hear sob stories – someone needed to bleed.

The woman spoke as she moved closer and circled to block Ranger off from the shapeshifter. It was clear she wasn’t going to believe him, though in that situation his story was the less believable. And because just not believing his wasn’t enough, she was also attempting to emasculate him.

Ranger gave her a flat look.

It was clear the woman had to settle this violently. To be fair that was often how the Ranger settled things. She moved quickly and expertly, she feigned and changed direction. The woman was good, he had to give her that. He was able to track her, it was nothing he hadn’t seen before. When she had closed the gap she unleashed a volley of punches.

Not wanting to hurt the woman, the Ranger stepped away from the first few. Though it was apparent she was not going to stop unless the Ranger stopped her. He blocked the next few before he had the perfect opening and went hands on.

A right straight came in and the Ranger slid out of the way and with his right hand grabbed her wrist and with his left applied pressure on her shoulder. He applied a lot of pressure.

He had not wanted to hurt the woman badly, this meant he would try to force a submission. Apply enough force on an arm and the shoulder feels like it is about to pop free. The Ranger shoved down hard on the shoulder. Ideally he would put her on the ground. From there he could either talk sense into her or restrain her until he can return the purse to its owner.

”This ain’t my first rodeo. Stop now before y’ get hurt.”

Agnes was taking it easy on the guy…for the most part. Normally she went all out against people, especially criminals that hurt little old ladies. But right now she was trying to hold back. This wasn’t her world. She was sure that no matter what universe you were in, punching the lights out of someone was probably frowned upon, but for as fast as this guy was, she didn’t want to completely bust his face in. Maybe just his nose, a bit of karma for what he had done to the old woman.

However, the man was proving to be frustrating. Her punches were fast, well-placed, but the man was just a bit faster than her, just enough to actually be able to dodge and deflect her volley of punches. A few times she had managed to get close but before she could actually connect, he knocked her arm away. However, in said case she merely threw another and another. She was so focused on just hitting the man that she made a rookie mistake.

She over-stretched a straight punch with her right fists and caught nothing but air. However, it provided her opponent with the perfect opportunity to snag her by the wrist and apply pressure to her arm quite malevolently. She growled, feeling herself being pushed down onto her knee as the man firmly had her stuck. The second his voice tickled her ear, though, she started to flip through her mental rolodex.

>>”This ain’t my first rodeo. Stop now before y’ get hurt.”

She grunted, obviously in pain but she persisted through it. "Hehe...i-if I have a dime..." she joked, indicating how she was used to hearing such a phrase before.

Feeling herself falling lower, Agnes snapped her gaze to him. There was no way she was going to allow her knee to touch the ground. Feeling the biting pressure on her arm socket, Agnes fought through it, using the pain to keep her going as suddenly extended her right leg, wrapping it around the arm that held her wrist. From there she applied pressure against inside of his elbow, trying to bend his arm so that she wasn’t so far back. Her leg wrapped tight, Agnes held on kicking off with her other leg and attempted to planet her foot square into his face.

If he wanted to hold onto her, she was going to make him regret it.

With most other opponents, the Ranger would have them ready to submit. It seemed he had underestimated the woman. When she spoke he knew something was coming, but he was not expecting her to catch his arm with her leg.

With the Ranger’s arm caught the woman pulled it down to relieve some of the pressure from her shoulder. She then launched her other foot up. Once the leg went up and caught his arm, Ranger expected something to follow. The move had given the woman room to operate. Once she springed off her other foot the Ranger knew a kick was coming.

Immediately he tucked in his chin and dropped forward. To combination of the two motions brought the pair down onto the concrete. As they went down the Ranger moved fast as his power assisted him and after releasing the woman’s arm took hold of her leg that she had so graciously offered to him..

Once on the ground he slid under her leg and wrapped his around it. His arms moved to tuck her foot into a heel hook.

The man definitely knew how to hold. Agnes felt herself falling before she could do anything to stop it. She was in a prime location to deliver her heel into his chin and nose but the man was indeed far more skilled than she had initially thought. Hefted herself up onto his arm, she lashed out with a kick, but again he proved fast. He tucked back just enough to avoid a kick before he brought them both down onto the ground. Even before he did it, she knew where he was going and it wasn’t going to be pretty.

A hiss fell from her scarf covered lips as she tried to wriggle away before it was too late but the second his arms wrapped around her leg, she ground her teeth, feeling the pressure beginning to build. The hold was a firm on, hard to get out of. Thankfully the one thing that Agnes had going for her was that she was far smaller than the massive, bulky man. And, on top of being smaller, she also had some pretty fast reflexes. It was going to take timing but she had a feeling she could get herself out.

”Grrr…f**ker!” she hissed again.

Another grunt of pain from her lips and Agnes tried to put her plan into action. She shifted her free leg over as to help free up some of the pressure from her captured leg. Not wanting him to get a feeling for what was going to come next, Agnes moved fast. Sitting up the young warrior suddenly lashed out with a devastating punch directly towards the man’s solar plexus. It wouldn’t be enough to drop him as it would a normal foe, but it should be enough to buy her an escape from this hold.

If it landed, and she prayed it would, the second she would feel the release, she would rolled backwards, out of the man’s grip and back onto her two feet. She needed distance and she needed a better sense of who she was fighting. Her skills seemed like they would be put to the test today.

The woman swore at him. Ranger took this to mean he had her, but she wasn’t ready to submit yet. He applied more pressure on her hoping she would just give in before he had to hurt her. At this point it was clear she intended to hurt him and he wasn’t about to let that happen.

Before the Ranger could do much to react, Agnes had shifted her other leg to protect the captured one and then punched him in the solar plexus.

Immediately the wind was knocked out of the Ranger and the woman was able to slip from his hold. She rolled away and got to her feet. The Ranger, trying to breath through a spasming diaphragm, reached for the woman but missed. Once she was away he moved to stand. The strike had made it difficult, but not impossible.

It was clear the woman knew how to fight. Her movement to mitigate the heel hook was textbook and she was able to immediately find a way to free herself. Before this was over he might have to hurt the woman to not be hurt himself.

She was quick, but the Ranger had size and strength on her. He could also move faster than her if he needed to. If she was a mutant it either wasn’t something she could use here or was an ace up her sleeve. That or it was something she was already using.

He needed to wrap this up before someone else showed up and got the wrong idea. Ranger brought up his arms to block and recovering his breath slid in closer to the woman. He threw a feint with his left before bringing his right hand into chop at the woman’s neck with a brachial stun.

Finally she had managed a bit of luck. The move had apparently been unpredicted, her speed and smaller stature had proved to be effective in this matter as she punched outward, digging her fist into the cluster of nerves in the man’s stomach. The spasming looked painful, but it was enough for her to wriggle free and put some distance between them. He had attempted to reach out to grab her yet again but Agnes was swift enough to avoid the maneuver.

Distance became her friend as edged back, glaring daggers at the man. He had was certainly proving to be a bit tougher than she would have initially figured. However, as much as she wanted to stay back and keep distance, she knew that was probably not for the best. She wounded him, but not by much, and every second she allowed him to breathe was another second where he could gain the upper hand.

Case in point – he attempted another attack.

After he had moved to his feet, the Mr. Military was coming in hard. Quickly her mind whirled, snapping a different style into place. Something with a low center of gravity, loose movements, and seemingly unpredictable. Her postured changed, her eyes took on an almost glazed, drunken quality as she seemed to wobbly onto her two feet, making exaggerated motions to stay upright. Behind her mask she grinned, wavering from one step to another, watching as he closed the gap between them.

The feint was so expertly done that Agnes almost felt for it, but just as he snapped his arm back, following through with the other, she turned, and dropped to the ground. It almost looked as if she were three sheets to the wind and had just collapsed onto her knees. But, just as the man’s arm came arching towards her, she dropped, raised one arm solidly to block him, before she dropped lower, turning as she snapped out with her leg, seeking to dig her heel directly into the family jewels.

It was like the Ranger was fighting someone who didn’t mix styles, they switched completely from one to another. As he attacked everything about the woman changed. Her expression, her stance, and the way she moved.

As his feint came in he could tell that she almost fell for it. She had noticed just in time to drop out of the way. And as the side of his hand came in for the strike, the woman raised an arm to block it and then moved to plant a heel in his junk.

Seeing what would be essentially a knock out blow coming, the Ranger kicked with one of his shins to block. The strike came with swiftness provided by his power. The woman wasn’t going to fight fair, which was fine. She was a warrior after his own heart. Always cheat, always win; the only unfair fight is the one you lose.

Still moving impossibly fast, the Ranger brought his leg back and moved to bring the fight to the ground. He felt that his size would give him the advantage on a ground fight. He could out muscle any attempt for her to sweep for the dominant position.

Except he still wanted to resolve this without having to hurt her.

”I… Wasn’t. Stealing the…. Purse.” He said fighting for positioning.

The kick would have ended this tight. No matter how tough a guy was, there was always that one sweet spot that would knocked them down a few genders, firmly into girl territory, if only for a brief time. She could only hope that the guy wasn’t wearing a cup. However, before he foot could connect, she was deflected by the man’s shin, knocking her leg away. But, again, that wouldn’t be the end of if it. His unnatural swiftness once again was on display as he began to move down.

He was trying to get in close again. He was keeping the fight low, as it was, in an attempt to keep her from gaining any distance. Speed required distance, at least for her, but it was proving more and more that the man was just simply trying to outclass her.

She was getting frustrated now.

The two fought, struggling to gain the upper hand. Agnes switched to another style, trying to break away to give herself an inch to make a move. However, he was proving to be more difficult, laying in closer in an attempt to keep close. She ground her teeth. She wasn’t sure what his style was but she knew that she needed it if she were going to beat this guy.

>> ”I… Wasn’t. Stealing the…. Purse.”

She wriggled away, barely missing another grip before she finally managed to flip up onto her two feet. ”No! You were just knocking in an old woman’s face!” This time she was taking the gloves off – literally. Her gloves fell the ground and Agnes charged, a complicated series of flips and distracting turns filled the air before she lunged at him. If he wanted to hold her so much, fine; she would allow it as it was the only advantage she was going to get.

The pair struggled before the woman was able to separate herself. She had had at first tried to fight back, trying to take the dominant positioning. She was good, impossibly good. If it wasn’t for the Ranger’s size advantage and his power coupled with his own high level ability in fighting he would not have been able to maintain his positioning.

When she at last broke free, she made it to her feet before continuing to not listen. The Ranger rolled to his back and kipped up onto his feet. He bit off a reply as the woman charged again, her gloves falling by the wayside.

A charging acrobat, flipping and twisting through the air before finally pressing the attack.

Ranger did his best to track and shift his stance as the woman showed off the Ringling Brother’s method of attack. When she finally lunged at him he was he was not in the best footing. He was still moving one of his legs into position when she was upon him. He twisted his shoulder around to eat the incoming attack before reaching out to wrap an arm around one of hers.

It wouldn’t be the most secure grapple, but it would keep him on his feet long enough to secure his footing at the low cost of eating one strike from his opponent.

She was doing something that seemed to be working. As the Mr. Military struggled to lay another hand on her, Agnes managed flip back, onto her feet. He was much larger, much stronger, a pretty fast, but Agnes knew that she had an edge; all she needed to do was touch him. Subtly, and without flare, she removed her gloves from her hands and charged at him once more.

Unprediccablity; that was her only friend in this fight. As she ran in, eyes focused, the young heroine kept her movements swift and breakneck. She flipped, she altered direction, and finally she lunged at him, her fist leading the wait in a vain attempt to deliver a hard hit. However, that wasn’t the only reason she was doing it, she needed to get in close.

Grappling with him was a bad idea, she knew that. However Agnes also knew that she didn’t have any other choice. Her punch wasn’t meant to be a knock-out, but rather to allow her to get close enough in hopes of being grabbed. The man was a solid fighter but from her experience he was looking to make her submit; it was her best chance of snagging some of his skills.

He didn’t let her down.

As Agnes fist connected with his shoulder, she felt the solidness of his musculature as he took the blow rather firmly. He used this opportunity to snag her arm, but not with the best footing. Agnes twisted, reaching around with her other arm to grab onto his. The second her fingers touched his bare skin, she could already feel her powers kicking in.

Every cell in her body reached out, digging into Mr. Military’s, filling her head with information every second, duplicating every combat experience he possessed into her body, filling her to the brim with knowledge and skill that the man had mastered over the years. Thirty seconds was an eternity in most cases, but Agnes held on tight, ignoring any attempts he made to strike or throw her off, until she reached the end of her time.

A deep breath and her eyes filled with a new light. A small snarl on her lips, Agnes reverses Mr. Military’s hold before lashing out with a punch. It was time for round two.

Ranger grabbed the woman. The woman grabbed Ranger. He could have sworn he felt a tingle but dismissed it as he fought to either exploit his grab or break her hold off him. He was unsuccessful, it was like no matter what he did the woman just wanted to hold his arm. He shifted his feet for better footing and tried to toss the woman. He punched, he kicked. She took it all just to not let go.

Until she punched him.

After so long of fighting with no discernible reaction the Ranger was surprised by the woman’s sudden return to offense. He took the hit in his shoulder. He didn’t have the time to block, but a shoulder hit was better than many other options.

This was getting ridiculous. He didn’t want to hurt the woman, but if he kept taking hits he’d be the one hurt. He let lose a speed boosted volley of punches with his free arm and a few shin kicks for good measure.