The night was young, as was the population of New York’s various streets. The Streets were lit up in various advertisements and product placements along with the lights and sounds of various young people. Yes, it was spring break and many young people flocked to New York City due to its party everyday life style. Yes the sidewalks were teaming with young people heading out to the clubs or maybe leaving them, ready to do things that they would never do around their parents. It was a fun time for everyone involved, it made their lives something fun and to talk about when they came back to school the next week, horribly partied out, but content.

Of course, this didn’t mean that trouble didn’t occur. Part of the party lifestyle was of course, if you wanted to be cool, to get horribly intoxicated and wander through the city like a jerk, which is what many people tended to do, especially on spring break. It was easy to find a source of substance in the various night clubs, underground raves or heck, just on the streets on New York City. The Problem with this was the fact that these messed up individuals tended to look from trouble in the wrong places at the wrong time. Wither it was a woman too drugged up to care that she was walking into an alley or men too hyped up to fully control their actions, this time of year was always the busiest for cops, as well as their silent helper Shred.

So here Shred was, patrolling the city as usual on that Black Harley, returned recently from the scrapyard. The wonderful rumble shook through the vigilante’s body as each stop and each fight would make things safer and safer for these poor innocent fools. The biggest objective Shred had was to make sure these people didn’t get themselves hurt, but if they were the ones hurting others a little damage just might keep them in line long enough to realize what they have done.

Or it could just keep them out of harming others for a time, no matter what the case, most of the law-breaking spring breakers would find themselves in cells the next morning, whether they remembered what they did or not and in the past year the incarceration rate had gone up for this city and the Crime rate had gone down which meant something had to be going right.

Shred would stop in a nearby alleyway, taking to the fire escapes that were above the motorcycle. Blue eyes peered from beneath the dark visor as she would Hoist herself up onto the abandoned building’s fire escape with ease, not triggering any sort of trap or horrible breakage of the old escapes.

For now Shred would wait at what she would like to call the triple digits area, 2 nightclubs and several residential areas lay far too close to each other for her comfort. Almost every night this month, something had happened here and while most of the time the preps were caught that didn’t mean the crime was always prevented, so the padded jumpsuit clad, motorcycle helmet wearing, gloves and baseball bat wielding Vigilante would sit up in her perch and wait for anyone who needed help from the horrors that lurked inn the night or within people’s minds.

Since being taken off of the streets and coming to The Mansion, Skydancer had become more comfortable with being a mutant and even more comfortable with the fact that she was the sort of mutant that stuck out in a crowd. It was something she never thought would happen, not after her dreams of becoming an Olympic gymnast were dashed nor after her brother got brutally murdered simply because he had a mutant sister who couldn't save him. Meeting other visible mutants helped, however, to give her perspective and the simple act of realizing that she could wear a wig and that would go half way towards blending in helped more than she could have thought possible. In thinking back on her year of misery on the streets, she realized it was her depression that had stopped her from making such a simple jump in logic before; she hadn't wanted to fit in because, in a way, she had wanted to remain miserable. After the death of her brother, she deserved to remain miserable because she had failed so horribly. Now, however, she was beginning to realize that maybe, just maybe, it wasn't her fault and she could begin to live again and embrace her life as it was now rather than constantly wishing for her life as it was then would come back. Because she would never get her previous life back, but that didn't mean she had to give into despair.

Skydancer had always been fond of high up places and her mutation made her even more comfortable at great heights. It was stunningly easy for her to scale a 3 story building simply by finding an appropriate object to wrap her tubes around and lift her body up. For that matter, it wasn't so hard to scale higher buildings as well, provided there were things she could grip onto. High rise apartments, she found, were often great for that because some of them had balconies with bars on them and she could simply wrap her tubes around the bars, going higher and higher until the reached the ceiling of the building. Fire escapes were just as good although she didn't really use them as actual ladders so much anymore. Sometimes she would simply lift herself up, but it was the most fun when she had room to swing and really allow her momentum to propel her to higher and higher heights. Then there was the thrill at the end in releasing one tube only to catch onto her next hold with another one. It was an amazing experience that she never would have gotten as a human.

Night time was usually best, not because Skydancer had any special affinity for night, but simply because people were less likely to notice a weird purple girl swinging dozens of feet above the ground at night. It was something of a disappointment, actually, as she would have very much loved to be able to play during the daylight, but it just didn't seem safe in the middle of a city. Maybe one day she'd have to go on a camping trip and have her fun in the privacy of the woods, but she had no idea when or even if that day would come.

Still beaming from the adrenaline her exercise had produced, Skydancer eventually made her way back to the ground, employing much the same technique as had got her so high up to begin with. It was a little easier going down than coming up, though not nearly so fun. Not paying nearly as much attention as she probably should have been, she didn't immediately notice the man with the gun pointed in her direction. He was haggard in appearance and shaking slightly, though his gun remained pointed firmly in Skydancer's direction, just out of range of her tubes. "Mutant, you're going to take me to the M or you're going to regret it."

Shred was not surprised in the slightest that the young mutant was accosted by some random idiot. Why? Spring Break always seemed to attract, "people" like that and it would appear that he had a gun and acted like he knew how to use it. Then again, he had never seen Shred before, so some of that Knowledge might magically dissapear when disguised mutant descended from the fire escape.

Luckily, Shred's secret Identity had a very muscular and tall build, making it easy to masquerade around the city, especially considering the fact that Shred's womanly parts and features were easily taped down to be concealed, in addition to the protection they already got from the large motorcycle, padded motorcycle jumpsuit Shred wore. So, Emerald, as Shred was often said to be a male, which was something she was completely fine with, the more they thought Shred was a boy, the less suspicion was put on her.

With Baseball bat in had, the Vigilantee, swung at the Junky back, attempting to disable him, with just enough force to damage him, but not nearly enough to break anything, not yet that is. Unless he tried to struggle, Shred wouldn't break ay of his bones, but if he tried to destroy the young mutant expressing her powers again, Shred would break his hand.

"Don't you know that's not the way to ask a Lady on a date?" The low gravely voice asked from beneath the jet black helmet. Another good thing, Emerald's voice was deep enough as it was, so adding a more male sound to it, without sounding wolfish wasn't that hard.

Previous experience had taught Skydancer just how little she liked guns. They were dangerous and it was the sort of danger she coudln't easily defend against. As someone who prided herself on being proactive and competent in anything she attempted in life, it bothered her to be placed in a situation where she was effectively helpless. Guns were like cheating and she didn't like cheaters, especially cheaters that could kill her.

"I don't have any M." Skydancer lifted her hands up to show she was unarmed and unresisting. Why any human would assume that she, obviously a mutant, would have M she had no idea. She was familiar with the drug after an encounter with a cult of human M addicts. They had, in fact, kidnapped her and attempted to sacrifice her along with two other mutants. How she and the other mutants played into their twisted delusions she hadn't managed to determined, nor did she particularly care. All that mattered was that she had survived the situation with the help of a pair of other mutants.

"Y-you know where the M is and you're going to bring me there!" The man waved the gun in Skydancer's direction threateningly and his tone of voice demanded that she know the answer to his question. Of course it was ridiculous to assume that just because he wanted something and was dangerous that somehow his intimidation factor would magically change the reality of the situation, but men like him rarely adhered to concepts like reason and common sense.

"Don't you know that's not the way to ask a Lady on a date?"

The man turned, eyes darting in the direction of the newcomer back to Skydancer and back to the direction of the newcomer. The man jumped back with surprising dexterity as the baseball bat came flying in his direction, avoiding damage by little more than a hair. He wavered in indecision, unsure who to point the gun at, his obviously mutant target or the would be masked hero.

The human didn't seem to want to do anything too rash, now that Shred was in the game. The poor guy was probably some sort of M addict and thought that the young, strange looking girl was some sort of dealer for the stuff. He was obviously intoxicated on many levels so this of course meant that he wasn't going to listen to reason in any way. Then again, Shred had never solved many problems by talking.

With a deep intake of breath, the Vigilante charged the man, not caring that he had a gun (not that it would hurt her too bad anyways, thats what the bullet proof vest beneath her jacket was for.). Even if she didn't have the vest, the wolf girl would give a damn, none of that mattered when another persons life was in danger. It was their life over hers every time, if she was hit while saving the girl, so be it.

With a swift swing of the bat, full obscene amount of strength she put behind it, she swung it at his legs. If she could just cripple him, she would be able to disarm him and since she was using her full strength, no matter what, with that steel bat of hers, if she hit, his leg would be broken and likely, bleeding.

OOC: Sorry for the Delay, 4 tests last week and I was studying them the previous week so I have been super busy.

It didn't take the man long to realize just how much trouble he was in. Once the vigilante charged, the only thing he could think to do was to empty the clip of his gun into his direction. Trying to dodge, or better yet running, might have been the smarter option, but his M deprived brain just wasn't thinking so well. Maybe if he had some M then he might have been able to think out a strategy. For that matter, if he had some M he'd be able to wreath his body in caustic purple smoke and dissolve the would be hero's flesh from his bones. Getting some M just wasn't an option, unfortunately for him.

Skydancer watched and, in her eyes, everything turned to slow motion. She saw the bullets the addict emptied from his little handgun go racing towards her hero. She then saw her hero swing his bat into the leg of her attacker and her attacker fall to the ground, clutching his leg and screaming. Despite being threatened with a gun, such agony in his voice made her feel sorry for him. It wasn't entirely his fault that he had gotten hooked on M, although she didn't feel so sorry for him that she did anything to stop the situation. After all, he had still threatened her life.

The agonized screaming, however, wasn't' something Skydancer could easily deal with and now that the gun was no longer in play, she went into action herself. Running forward, a single purple tube burst from her wrist and wrapped itself around his neck. She applied just enough pressure to knock her attacker out but not enough to break his neck or, worse yet, kill him. Once he was silent, she turned to her hero. "Thank you so much. You have my gratitude."

Shred had been shot at before, correction, Emerald Lupin had been shot at before. The she-wolf had taken many bullets in her time, most of them without the vest. They still hurt like a son of a gun, with the vest or without. So while she was able to dodge the first 3 bullets from that medium range, she unfortunately found that bullets still hurt even if they only hit the vest.

The Vigilante could feel the wind just leave her body, after she slammed that bat into his leg, a little less hard than she intended but it still did it's job. 3 bullets, 2 to her chest and one to her stomach, a cracked ribs and the air leaving her lungs rapidly nearly making her double over. Somehow though, she managed to stay up, Adrenaline seemed to do that to her when she needed it the most.

The pain radiated throughout her body which made her grunt in irritation. This was all part of being a hero, the pain and the pleasure of it all. The Vigilante would try to gain her breath, breathing heavily as the young mutant thanked her.

"Don't mention it," She replied in her faux, gravely, deep voice. It was Ironically easier for her to do when she was in excruciating pain. "You shouldn't be out on this side of town,especially not during spring-rghhhh-Break."

The masked Vigilante righted herself up, feeling the pain from the bruises that would soon form as well as the cracked ribs. It looked like another visit to the good doctor was in order, at least nothing was piercing her lungs this time. Luckily, for Emerald, her pain tolerance that she had developed over the years was preventing her from feeling the full extent of the pain she should have been going through for a wound like this. Then again, it might be a bad thing.

"Ow, thank god I have this vest on." The vigilante growled, voice slipping to it's more feral roots.

Guilt was the first thing Skydancer felt upon seeing her hero take several bullets; guilt that someone had gotten hurt because of her. He had gotten hurt saving her, because she had done something stupid and gone to the wrong part of town and gotten herself attacked. It wasn't right that someone should get hurt because of her because she should, by now, be able to take care of herself.

"Oh my god, you're shot! We should get you to a hospital." Skydancer ran up to the vigilante, no longer paying attention to her assailant. Between his now mangled leg and the fact that he had been strangled unconscious, he wasn't likely to cause either of them a great deal of trouble for quite a while.

Skydancer didn't have anything more than basic first aid as far as medical experience went. In her years of training, she had seen enough broken and sprained limbs to be familair with those sorts of injuries and how to best treat them, but bullets were another matter entirely. One just didn't encounter bullets in the safety of an indoor training facility. The lack of blood, however, she took as a good sign. Probably. Wasn't it a good sign?

"Ow, thank god I have this vest on."

Vest on. Right. Well, that explained the lack of blood then. "Oh my god, I am so so sorry that this happened to you. I never should have gotten myself in trouble like that. I need to learn to take care of myself better, to defend myself better. What do you want me to do?" Hearing the feral tone in her injured hero's voice, Skydancer wisely kept her distance, just in case. Hopefully he would suggest going to the hospital, because that would be the smartest action to do now, all things considered.

The girl that Shred had saved was rather worried about the Vigilante’s wellbeing, which was something the Vigilante while used to didn’t understand. Well, she did understand, After all, this girl nearly was killed by the man with the gun, Shred would much rather her run away and thank her than worrying this much. Most of the people Shred saved would just run away after thanking her, but not this girl. With a low grunt, Shred righted herself up,standing up straight, pain radiating from those bullet wounds.

“ You should head home and not come back to this part of town. Don’t worry too much about me, I got someone that can fix me up.” The masked hero replied, voice low and calm. She had managed to regain her control after she realized that she was most likely scaring the poor girl, she had nearly died and there was no reason for Emerald to snap at her.

The vigilante adjusted her helmet, letting out a low sigh, stretching out her limbs a little, wincing beneath the tinted visor. The hidden wolf girl knew that she would be able to make it back to the mansion in one piece, it was just going to hurt like a son of a gun for several days. Her hurting was far better than someone losing their life because she was too late. She had seen that one time too many and she didn’t want anyone meeting the same fate as that poor couple she came across in the forest.


“Besides, me and Hospitals don’t get along too well,” The normally silent hero told the girl she saved. Emerald was planning on leaving after she said that, already walking away from the scene when she paused for a moment, a thought striking her.. The she-wolf turned around, walking back towards the frightened and concerned girl. “Do you need any help getting home?”

Skydancer prided herself on learning from her experiences. However, what she learned that day wasn't that she should go to those bad places in town, but rather that she needed to learn to better defend herself. Like it or not, she was a visible mutant now and that meant being involved in potentially dangerous situations. She wasn't willing to always be reliant upon those stronger or more experienced than herself in order to garantee her own well being. No, she wanted to be in control of her own state of being though she was, of course, grateful for the kindness she had recieved so far.

"I can't leave you up here like this. You saved my life, at least let me return the favour a little bit." Skydancer was weary regarding the feral tone in her hero's voice, but not truly afraid. She didn't do well with guns, but without projectiles being involved she felt confident in her abilities to defend herself, if it should come to that.

"I don't need any help getting home," Skydancer replied. For once the giant city of New York hadn't resulted in her getting hopelessly lost. "I feel like I should be asking you the same question." Next time, she vowed, she wouldn't be the one in need of saving. If anything, she would be the one doing the saving.