Something Wykkyd This Way Comes (Elena)

[Deleted]

Kyd Wykkyd pulled his cape closer to him as he sat on a rooftop watching a storefront. The evening air carried with it a chill from off the ocean. They days weren't quite hot enough yet to make the evenings fully pleasant. His cape was enough to insulate him. A bag of stolen donuts helped keep his belly full. Stake-outs were necessary, but tedious work for a successful job.

At this moment he was peering through a pair of binoculars down across the street. The lights inside were dim, but not off, and there was indeed a night security guard there. The only way to get into the high-end store was to be buzzed in by the person inside. Any other form of entry would set off an alarm. Well... any other form of normal entry. Where was the fun in taking the easy way though? So he had a lock and a guard to get through along with the building's security, and the safe. Why take what's in the display case when the safe would be so much better?

Right now he was watching for an armored car. He had been taking notes about the place since he decided to make a go for it's safe. Wykkyd was the type that had to know as much as he could about a job before going through with it. Did the night delivery happen at a different time on a different night? Were they scheduled regularly, or did they seem to come whenever they had to make a delivery? These were things he needed to know. He didn't want to be distracted trying to silently crack a safe when two men with guns show up because they always came early on Fridays.

Wykkyd kept a low profile from the street. People rarely looked up, but he didn't want to risk being seen. A guard who might have seen a faint shadow pass in the darkness would quickly forget about it compared to seeing a full silhouette. He had no cover from above, instead he relied on his dark costume and still form to be easily looked over. It was late, chilly, and things were quiet. Nothing to see here, nothing at all.

[Elenaphant]

Night-time patrols were not much fun alone; Starfire wished she had been assigned to a partner, but according to their sources there wasn't expected to be any major underground activity. Cyborg took the east end, Starfire took the west, and their patrol routes wouldn't converge until later. Starfire didn't patrol in the street as Cyborg did; in the famous T-car that would be visible (and hopefully deter crime) for most. Starfire was seen if one, as they seldom do, looked up to the sky at the right moment to see the friendly red-haired alien in fetching purple fly over like a shooting star. She wasn't very bright though, not yet, so it would be easy to miss her silhouette. Lucky for admiring citizens, the sky was clear and the moon was bright, and the city lights luminous as always.

So perhaps Wykkyd may have seen her coming, but just as he towered out of view from the people below, so did Starfire happen to fly above him at a distance. She may not have seen him if it were just an ordinary passing by--trying to get to a burning building or H.I.V.E attack elsewhere--but she was looking for suspicious activity, and she knew better than to disregard rooftops. Two of her friends and teammates hail from the city where rooftop tangos are the norm among the masks. Even so, she had almost missed him entirely considering how well his cloak blended in with the shadows. Then she stopped and examined further when she could have sworn that the black lump she saw had... cat ears?

Slowly with nary a shush, she touched ground, and realized it was none other than the Kyd Wykkyd--last known affiliation being the H.I.V.E. Before engaging, Starfire surveyed her surroundings and saw no note of his usual associates. Being too kind to strike from behind, she spoke up, "This is a highly secure compound--I insist that you leave the premises immediately or I must take action against you," she spoke up, clearly and without a whisper. It was obvious that she'd have no issue alerting the guards to their activity.

[Deleted]

Kyd Wykkyd paused as he heard Starfire's voice call out quite clearly. He had been discovered. Now wasn't a time to panic. He let out a slow breath as he slipped his binoculars into a portal for safe keeping. Slowly he stood up, no sudden movements. The last thing he wanted was to spook Starfire into blasting him into next Thursday, he also needed to see if she was the only one there. Just because she spoke didn't mean there couldn't be others there with her.

Slowly he turned toward Starfire, his red gaze settling on her firmly. His black cape cloaked his body, concealing his hands. She appeared to be alone, but appearances could be deceiving. He studied the girl as he quickly weighed his options. Taking too long could cause her to act. She could fly much better than his simple levitation, and she had more practice with it than he did. His cape gave him considerable reach, but her starbolts had a much further range. If he were to engage her he'd want to do it in close quarters where he might be able to gain some advantage, but he was a thief not a fighter. Combat was last and least.

Her declaration was odd. He was a wanted criminal, and all she wanted him to do was leave the premises. He couldn't walk away peacefully. If he did she might investigate what he was looking at. If the Teen Titans knew what jewelry store he wanted to hit, it would be a long time before he could start surveillance again. Slowly his cape parted and he showed his hands to Starfire, showing he wasn't holding any conventional weapons.

Kyd Wykkyd began walking toward the Titan. Boots gently crunched on the gravel as he moved, no need to hide his movements. His red eyes broke contact with her green ones when the distance between them was halved. The thief stopped walking and leaned to the side as if to try and look past Starfire to something behind her. He straightened up for a second, then leaned once more to look beyond her. A gloved finger twitched, eagerly pointing behind Starfire. Perhaps trying to get her attention to look behind her.

There was nothing behind her, but did she know that? She had crept up on him, something could creep up on her. If she fell for the oldest trick in the book and looked away, Wykkyd was ready to start sprinting to the next rooftop and begin the chase.

[Elenaphant]

He was holding his hands out, and Starfire recognized it as a peaceful approach. He was walking slowly, but she she still kept her eyes on him as she hovered in place with her glowing fists raised. She wondered if he was perhaps turning himself in, as they hadn't really seen or heard of him since the incident with Brother Blood. Who was to say he wasn't on the mend? When he drew closer, Starfire even stopped charging her starbolts for his benefit.

Then he stopped, and was leaning to his side. Starfire's immediate thought was that there was a H.I.V.E member around after all, and her instinct to look behind her when he pointed overrode the logical part of the mind that should have recognized this as an obvious trap. Only when she saw nothing did she realize the trick, and he was running away. Starfire frowned, and her hands as well as her eyes burned green as she took flying off in a chase. This time, she did not hesitate to throw a starbolt down at him for his deceit.

[Deleted]

Wykkyd watched Starfire closely, specifically her green eyes. His muscles tensed in anticipation as her head began to move. Adrenaline began to seep into his system, and his heart started pumping harder. It was like a racing game. If he bolted soon soon she'd be right on top of him, too late and she'd right on him. Accelerate at the right time though, and you get a speed boost. There were no power ups to steal in the real world, but a second could make all the difference between escaping and getting caught. All he needed was a green light, or rather, the absence of two.

Starfire's head turned. He was sure he was outside of her peripheral vision and bolted. He pushed off hard with his right leg into a full sprint. It would make noise, it'd get her attention, but he'd have that extra step. That fraction of a second longer it would take for her to see where he went. Being a villain was a game where seconds and inches mattered. The green glow he caught out of the corner of his eyes reinforced that. He caught it from one side to the other. It had passed right behind his head. A half a step short, a quarter second slower, and he'd know what it was like to take one of those to the head.

Wykkyd didn't know what being hit by a Starbolt felt like, he had never asked his former teammates. Undoubtedly it was unpleasant. Right now wasn't the time to think about that though. The chase was on, and he needed to lose his pursuer. Rooftops weren't an option for long, Starfire could fly. At the ground level he could duck under something, but she could just swoop down for a look. It wasn't like dodging a helicopter's spotlight. The sewers were a risky option. Even if Starfire threw her starbolts wildly, a long narrow passage didn't leave a whole lot of space to be missed in. If he could ditch her, break her line of sight for ten seconds, he could disappear in the sewers.

Jump City was there for him. Every night it was there for him. It wasn't some wretched hive of scum and villainy like Gotham. No. It was a city that loved it's heroes. What were heroes without villains though? As much as the citizens loved their heroes, the city didn't play favorites. Walk down the right back alley in Jump City, and you could find anything. The city was his playground. It sleeps midnight to dawn, only shadows move in it's silence. Somewhere it had a shadow just for him. A dark little corner to embrace him with, and all he had to do was find it. Jump City would provide, but it wouldn't play favorites.

Kyd Wykkyd jumped off the edge of the building toward another one. Gloved hands grasped his cape and stretched it out wide to catch the wind. He could have made the jump, would have made the jump, but he didn't want to. The cape slowed him just enough so he wouldn't make the ledge. It was intentional. The thief used his hands and legs to cushion his impact with the building's wall, but not enough to send him bouncing off. Quickly he grabbed the rain pipe he had been aiming for and slid down a few feet before jumping to the ground.

Red eyes quickly looked down both sides of the alley. Down one way were a bunch of small stores. Small stores weren't fun to fight through. There were lots of things to damage, and get damaged with. Getting hit in the head with wet floor sign hurt. Gardens, and electronic shops, were a different matter. Antique stores too, but only if they're classy. Down the other side he saw a large, dark, department store. There was his shadow, there was his playground.

Wykkyd ran for the store, legs pumping hard. He didn't need to cover the entire distance, just get some speed. A hand threw his cape out in front of him, the inside becoming a dark void. The thief slid through his own portal and reappeared in the middle of the street. With a small hop he slid across the hood of a parked car, setting off it's alarm on his way to the department store's doors. Kyd Wykkyd spun as his boots hit sidewalk and he threw his back against the locked doors. He stared in the heroine's direction as he slid through another portal in his cape to enter the dark building and quickly backpedaled out of the streetlight coming in through the windows and into it's shadows.

Jump City was his playground. Tonight's game: Hide and Seek.

[Elenaphant]

The files on this particular H.I.V.E member were quite sparse. Unlike Mammoth and Gizmo, he had rarely been engaged in battle. From what they knew, his powers allowed him to be faster than their comrade, Kid Flash. Yet, at the sound of his boot kicking off on the roof's ground, he had chosen to attempt to outrun her. Unless there was some limitation to this power, attempting to outrun someone who could fly was a great error in judgement. Once she realized the direction he went in she was flying after him, and would not take long to accelerate. She was right on top of him. However, if she swooped down and he chose to teleport right then, she'd create a crater in the building. The chase did not justify the risk.

What was his game? Starfire took the time to radio in her location, in case there was anyone who could provide back-up within the area. The signal generally meant that she was engaged in a fight, and not necessarily in distress. The heroine considered that her best option was to try and pin him with a tracker, but this was not something she could consider herself good at. Still, she had to try, in case she lost him.

Too late. He slid into the dark matter and vanished, forcing her to stop mid-flight. "Oomph!" she hit right into glass doors--not her noblest hour. Where had he gone? She could foresee that this would become a very frustrating game. A car alarm went off, and she flew higher into the air for an increased visual field. She just caught him disappearing again, but did not see him reappear at any time. There were a number of locations around that he could be in. Starfire's head turned, trying to figure out where. Had she lost him already?

By sheer luck, because he was moving all over the place from the store to the street, she caught that he was slinking against the department store doors. Taking a gander this meant he had gone inside, she followed him in and lit her fist for some much-needed light. The store became awash in green.

[Deleted]

This was going to be fun. Starfire thought she had a chance at catching him, how cute. The only time he had managed to get captured was because the traitor caught him off guard and collapsed the ground underneath him. Having Mammoth fall on top of him had kept him out cold until he could be stuck in a tube like some science experiment and carted off to be processed. The burglar pushed those thoughts away for another time. Right now he had an alien to deal with.

The demon thief was hiding in a nook among the dozen-and-a-half registers the department store had. Slowly he looked up, peeking through the space between the counter and cashier's touch screen to try and keep concealed. Given the unearthly green glow surrounding Starfire he thought it was safe to assume she had no night-vision. He didn't either, but he was quite used to working in the shadows. This was good. It meant he would be able to see her coming.

The green glow she emitted reminded him of pictures he had seen of Kryptonite. Were starbolts radioactive? Fancy as his suit was, he was pretty sure it wouldn't afford him any protection against radiation. This was something he'd need to find out, not first hand of course. Maybe he could pay another villain a visit, one who did have first hand experience. Now that he thought about it, using his powers to break villains out of prison could earn him quite the sum of cash and favors. Better file that under future projects for now.

Kyd Wykkyd slowly slipped out of his hiding spot. Sticking to the shadows he began making his way toward the clothing department. He had some ideas on how to mess with Starfire, but first he'd need some mannequins. Too bad he couldn't replicate a scene from a horror game he saw where a psychopat hid inside of a mannequin and taunted the protagonist by playing Red Light, Green Light. Wykkyd was no psycho, and couldn't talk. Plus the guy in the game was on his home turf, he was just doing it on the fly.

[Elenaphant]

If the mere light was radioactive, then the Titans would have some unfortunate poisoning. Starfire had no issues with glowing bright, and it made the shadows of the store long and eerie. Dark and shadows did not frighten her; not when she hadn't seen a scary movie in a long time. Her mind was on finding the villain, and she chewed her bottom lip uncertainly. She did not feel confident about capturing him, and the small space starbolts could cause property damage which always caused bad publicity.

So she floated around, with her head turning this way and that to try and catch any glimpse of a cape. She'd double-take at a hanging jacket or a moving shadow, then would continue on.

[Deleted]

Wykkyd skulked his way through the store toward the clothing department. Since he was able to easily tell where Starfire was it was easy for him to move around. The job was made easier by the carpeting on the floor. He didn't know why department stores did that, but right now he wasn't going to bring it into questions. The carpet would muffle his movements more. There wasn't a chance a mis-step might cause a squeak, or something falling would cause a loud clatter.

While Wykkyd was accustomed to working in darkness and looking around with minimal light, he didn't have any sort of natural dark vision. He could use his powers to grab some night-vision goggles from his hideout, but a starbolt might blind him. Finding a mannequin wasn't too hard. He grabbed it by the stand, then proceeded to move closer to Starfire, just so he could see where she was and which way she was facing.

With a devilish grin Wykkyd formed a portal on his cape, it's double forming behind Starfire. With a silent swish of his cape the mannequin and it's stand materialized behind the Titan, it's base making some noise as it touched the ground. The burglar watched to see how she'd react to a little jump scare.

[Elenaphant]

Starfire was on the hunt, so she became hyper aware of her surroundings. Every sound and swish had her turning her head toward it. Her fists remained up the entire time; like her guard, never dropped. However this was in vain because her prey was far too elusive. It felt like the store was more alive than he, and the only thing that seemed to move were the shadows as she passed with her light source. The mannequins in particular created deceptive, human-like shapes on the wall and carpet.

This catch would require a certain level of cleverness. She would have to anticipate not where he was, but where he would reappear if she had any chance of catching him. She contemplated this when suddenly, there was a noise from directly behind her. She gasped. Since she was on alert, she immediately turned and her fist extended toward the 'face' in preparation to launch her starbolt. The mannequin was spared when her higher reasoning kicked in and she saw it for what it was really. However, she also knew that was not where it was supposed to be, standing apart from the others in the middle of the floor with its blank face.

"You are playing the games with me," she said voicing her scowl. "I will not be intimidated by them." Of course she knew it was him, and it was frustrating. He mocked her inability to catch him! It only sparked her temper.