Crash of two (Black cat)

[smug65]

Steve had flown a stolen helicopter out to what was a secret facility. Checking the radar he could tell that deep below his airborne vehicle lay a facility where horrible stuff was done. Landing the copter on the water's sufrace he made sure his slick and wet diving suit was secure around his muscular body. Diving into the waters he could feel the current rush against him, his arms pushing into them like a person caught in a wind current.

Reaching the bottom he checked his air supply and went to check what he could. Little was discernable in the depths, and, as he found a rotting hand he picked it up and swam back to the surface. His copter was there and as he flew to dry land he took off his suit wearing nothing but boxers as he checked out the rotting hand...and metal claws that shined. "What in the devil is this?"

[softenedmedusa]

*

Keeping true to her namesake, Black Cat preferred to stay away from open bodies of water. She didn't quite give a damn if the surrounding area was lush and beautiful--typical Hallmark postcard material--nor did she care if there was anything particularly interesting about the area--History or placement didn't quite mean a thing to her. What did matter, of course, was whether or not there were hidden items of wealth and value. Naturally, her only and number one priority was acquiring a magnitude of rare items that she would have otherwise refused to spend money on. Refraining from succumbing to her need to regularly fill her apartment with goods was a lot more difficult than she had originally thought it to be. Being a thief was in her blood and despite how hard she tried to keep from donning her costume and mask, there would be no way she'd stop hording items via the five finger discount. And besides, on a more sensitive note, it was a way for her to honour her father. There was no one left to carry on his legacy and the obligation to do so was too great to ignore.

Perched upon a ledge that faced a large and presumably empty body of water, the woman's emerald-hued optics scoured its surface and the mouth of land connected to the slowly and silently swaying waves. The wind licked at her platinum locks, lifting the tousled strands and blowing them back from the female's face as she continued to observe the vacant area. Adjusting her weight upon her haunches and clinging to the jagged rocks beneath her clawed hands, she tipped her form forward and watched as a body surfaced and took to the shore. A dark and defined brow arched as she looked on in curiousity, oblivious to the fact that the individual darting across the land had possibly been the same person navigating the noisy air vehicle that had claimed the sky moments before. Straightening up and rolling her small, slender shoulders back, the woman pulled herself to her feet and ran a clawed finger lightly across her lower lip as her curiousity inevitably got the best of her.

She prowled for a brief moment before she finally came upon the once unknown individual. He was positioned quite a ways away from her, but she could easily close the distance and invade his space without making much of a sound. The corners of her red mouth turned upward into a devious grin and she inched over to him, coming to a stop directly behind his seated form. Lowering herself to rest upon her haunches the same way she had only moments before, she lowered her chin and let it hover above his bare shoulder. "That's awfully shiny, love. What on earth is it?" She inhaled a deep breath and reeled back shortly afterward. "Christ," she hissed, her fingers reaching for her nose, "Toss it." A low, feminine growl rumbled in the depths of her throat, an evident sign that she was absolutely disgusted with this man's newly acquired item and the fact that he was inspecting it as if it were a rare jewel. It was true about what they said: curiousity killed the cat. Or if not the feline itself, its desire to smell once again.

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[smug65]

Steve was busy observing the rotting flesh when his ears detected movement as the stones shifted about. She was right over his shoulder and his sword was in the copter, well, he thought, can't do anything about that now. There was a slight purr resonating in her throat and her body heat could be felt in what appeared to be some extension of skin via an outfit...possibly used by burgalars. Laughing as he heard her comment he stood to his full height with his bleach blond hair dripping water and his muscular body as well. "For your information love, this was brought back from the water's depths, an item that tells much inbetween the fingers." He gave her a smirk as he took in her rather beautiful body and the way she acted like a cat. She definetly is hot, he noted, but I shouldn't make any moves or face the consequences.

Turning around to face her showing off his full muscular body he pointed to the shine between the fingers of the rotting flesh. "This was a woman, most likely in her 20's, I can tell by the size of the hand. The metal inbetween her fingers is one that I have never seen, in fact, it is rumored that adamantium at one point was made in the place buried underneath the water you see there. The particular glow it gives off and the fact that it hasn't washed away indicates the adamantium was inserted into her body...and these things were extended through her fingers? Rather odd...I am sorry for my rambling...I am sure it is quite boring."

Walking to the copter he placed the hand in a bag and then looked down and noticed his rather wet figure. "I'm sorry...I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Steven Daniels, you can call me Steve for short. I have not yet have the privilge of getting your name...or as to why I find you here when this place is almost usually abandoned. Would you care to...you know...seeing how when in the presence of beauty one must always be respectful." Steve leaned up against the copter folded his arms and looking at her with light blue eyes. The water clung to his muscular abs and chest and his leg muscles could be disercnered. His form was rather lean but muscular.

[softenedmedusa]

*

Black Cat still had her nose pinched closed between her index and thumb fingers. So long as he still had that hand within his own, she wasn't releasing her nose any time soon. Now turning slightly on her heeled boots, she angled her body away from him, though she could still keep an eye on his form for safety measures. Lifting her free arm and winding it around her slim center, she peered at him with an arched brow before letting her eyes fall to stare in disgusted awe at the hand. She had heard of that metal and even vaguely knew of an individual who still had it fastened within his body. However, the only thing that had really interested her from all that the blonde man had said was that the rare metal had once been created somewhere near where he had found the severed hand. Unfortunately for her, the establishment was beneath the water and Black Cat was in no mood whatsoever to go snooping if it meant getting wet. It was such a shame, too. She would have really liked to get her hands on something so extraordinary.

Her train of thought stopped and her attention shifted to the man as he moved about her and then over to the helicopter that he had flown. A look of realization flickered upon her face for a moment before it disappeared, replaced with one that was unusually neutral. "You're a very smart, man," she said, her words laced with a very small dose of mocking. "Though why you'd like to know about such morbid things is truly beyond pea-brained me." Shifting her weight from foot to foot, she discreetly eyed him, quickly and unashamedly observing his damp body. "Isn't it a little too chilly for you to be in your underwear, dear?" She made a gesture to his lower half before cautiously stepping over to him as he introduced himself. Extending the same gloved and clawed hand she had used to point out his boxers, she held it out as a means for them to shake while she closed the bit of distance between them. "Nice to meet you, Steve. I'm not one to give out names often, but you may call me Cat." A small, genuine smile crossed her full lips. "Now, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly do you plan on doing with that hand and where on earth did you get this pretty little helicopter from?" She leaned back a bit and placed a hand to rest upon a hip, suddenly put off with his last question and now completely uninterested with his motives involving the odd limb and her interest with his helicopter. "Excuse me? You aren't asking what I think you might be asking, are you?" Her eyes narrowed and her stance shifted from inviting to almost territorial and defensive.

,

[smug65]

Steve laughed lightly as she commented on his smart dialect. "My smartness isn't much really, I pick up on language with my job. I did graduate from high school and had some college, so, the smartness is part of my being in a sense. Anyone can pick up a book and said they have read it, but, to digest it in its entirety and fulfill a part of their life to discovering its meaning...that is the smart way to go about a book. I used to not like reading, found it a bore and found my eyes tired fast. Not sure why I'm telling you this, but, just thought a tidbit of information regarding my smartness would play an important part in us...meeting in such a locale." Steve never really thought of himself as smart; if anything he found himself a man of action, few little words. Still, this woman enticed him and he felt she would be better off knowing something...to get them off on the right foot.

Steve looked down absently and noticed his boxers clinging to his wet lower half. "I don't feel the cold," Steve sighed, "ever since an incident in my past...I can't feel the wind's tingle as it brushed up against my skin. Upon touch, you would find my body cold...but I'm not saying you can touch my body...we're still new to each other." It was a joke of course, but, he wondered how she would take it. Shaking her hand he was pleased to finally get her name. When asked about the copter and what he would do with the hand he hummed and shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "I suppose I will sell the hand, give it to the right organization to study. The copter was...borrowed from some nice people...they even were yelling thanks as I took off." Watching her take a narrow stance and her cloaws at the defense he held up his hands. "I wasn't giving an invitation to have sex, if that is what you are implying. I meant your name Cat." He laughed as he ran a hand through his hair.

[softenedmedusa]

*

She looked him up and down slowly and then turned her gaze elsewhere as she nodded. Lifting her arms and fastening them together across her chest, she glanced over her shoulder at him, eyes still slightly narrowed. "I hope so, mister. If you had meant otherwise, I wouldn't have hesitated to maim you." Though her words were truthfully threatening, the smile upon her lips returned and she offered him a playful wink. Drumming her fingers upon her forearms, she turned upon her heel once more, her lips puckering as she listened to him explain himself. "Intelligence in a man is a very nice thing, especially since it's so rare." Her head tilted over in his direction, a sheet of light hair falling over her shoulder. "And I'm sorry to hear about your accident." The somewhat saddened look that took claim over her face disappeared as she unfurled an arm and took a couple of steps over to him.

Carefully, she pried off her right glove and tucked it under her arm. "I understand that you're joking about the whole touching thing, but you didn't say that I couldn't." She grinned and hesitantly brought her index finger to rest upon his bare shoulder. Waiting for a moment, she was slightly startled to know that he was telling the truth. She withdrew her finger and proceeded to slip her glove back on, the digits on her left hand smoothing out the fur on her gloves. "Well, that is.. interesting." Reeling in her lower lip, she bit upon it and nodded. "I'm sure that can come in handy given certain times of the year."

Black Cat continued to gnaw upon her lower lip until the flesh tore and a bubble of blood sprouted. Her tongue edged outward and licked away the crimson bead. The catsuit clad woman remained standing opposite the male, occasionally licking at her lip and for once actually enjoying the brief silence between her and the blonde man. "Mm. Well, kind sir, I assume you must be off? Time is wasting and all that. You should sell that hand while you can and return that copter to those happy fellows that gladly lent it to you."

,

[smug65]

Steve laughed lightly as she told him he'd be maimed his others intended other wise. The words were genuine, and, he had no doubt she could take him should the time come. Still, her playful wink after seemed to warm his heart. She is both dangerous and beautiful, traits you don't often see in women. Steve continued to watch her, not from being cautious, but out of being intentful. Every detail from her hair falling onto her shoulder to her each breath taken pushing her chest that much more out...it all was important to him. Hearing about the intelligence of men he had to agree. "Men don't often prosper well on gaining knowledge, as they fear that knowledge is the very factor that goes with being a nerd."

The apology was nice, but, it was a little too late. The accident was due to him being reckless and a speed demon, traits he had no part in anymore. Sure he still took risks and was at times fighting through a melee of opponents trying to escape quickly, but, with age came maturity. Watching Cat as she slid off her long glove he made no move backwards; nor did he make the slighest move to flinch. The first thing about first contact, with a woman in his opinion, was to stand their ground and let them have their way. The feel of her hand along his shoulder was pleasing; the first in a real long time for him. Looking into her eyes he could tell the cold disturbed her...but...she didn't seem to mind as she said so. The one thing that interested him was she was biting on her lip very hard. Was she ok?

"Actually, I have all the time in the world to be honest. The flesh isn't going to rot anymore, and, the admantium is so strong it can't be destroyed...so no rush there. Tell me though, do you have any plans yourself? How about we....spend more time together? I could fly us to a private locale of your choice, perhaps just enjyoing the silence that passes between us. I don't meet many women like you...and if I am being too forward about this...then by all means address me on this and I shall go. The copter doesnt' need to returned...I can keep it as long as I want...not like they'll miss it much." Steve winked at her and took another step towards her, closing the distance and stand at arms length.

[softenedmedusa]

*

Her tongue continued to slide along her lower lip, moving slowly from one corner to the other, occasionally ridding the red flesh from a bead of blood that sprouted and camouflaged so well. Though she appeared seemingly distracted by the activity circulating around her mouth, she felt a pang of shame when he further commented on men and intelligence. At the word 'nerd', she couldn't help but think of Spider Man and regret the way things had come together and so quickly fallen apart. She had never known a nerd, per say, but Peter Parker had fit the criteria and she had treated him the way television portrayed that breed of intellectual. Giving her head a slow and unnoticeable shake to dispel the thought, passing it off as tossing her hair over her shoulder, she smiled over at Steve.

When he neared her, a look of amusement claimed her face. "I did have plans and I can still carry them out, but I think I'd end up empty-handed." She paused and peered down at her gloved fingers before looking up at him once again. "And you know how disheartening that can be, don't you?" Her right cheek dimpled as her lips morphed into a grin. Her dimples hardly ever made an appearance, and it took a special situation or person to make them announce their existence. "I would be flattered to spend more time with you, but don't you dare call this a date." She closed the distance by leaning forward and gently nudging him with her shoulder. Leaning back, she tipped her head over in the direction of the helicopter and then nodded. "I second that notion. Being surrounded by too much water makes me a little uneasy. I'm sure you know why." The bridge of her nose wrinkled when her gaze shifted to catch a glimpse of the lake. Turning her green gaze back to him, she lifted her brows, and then brushed past his slick form. "Shall we?"

,

[smug65]

Steve nodded his head at this not being a date. The last thing he wanted was to be in a relationship where the two were both clad in costumes. Wearing a smirk he felt her brush up against him and was heading to the copter. He understood water was the number one enemy of cats, plus, since they had nine lives he was sure some of hers were down from previous entanglements, call it a hunch. He knew not much about Cat, and, he had already told her more then he shared on the first meeting. There was a lot that he wanted to know, but, did not have the heart to make a move that would end with his jugular slit. Motioning towards the copter he went to the pilot's seat and sat down, his fingers dancing over the instruments like he was in tune with the machine's harmonics. Each button activated a part of the copter, a warm up routine that most pilots initiated upon take off. "Better buckle up, you don't want to be left here with all this water do you?"

Not a date, he thought, simply a friendly ride that has no intentions of turning...romantic. Steve sighed and rolled his neck as he worked a kink out of it. "All systems are green and we are clear for lift off. Make sure your snug suit doesn't get any air time, would hate to see you fall. The depths of the waters goes pretty far, I know, that was where I was before I met you. Alright, time to clear this place and get back to the civilized world." Steve waited to make sure she was buckled and seated next to him before he pulled back on the yoke and felt the rudders working above propelling them into the sky. Feeling the air brush up against his skin he held his blue eyes in a fixated state in front of him. Silence ensued as he was caught up in his job.

[softenedmedusa]

*

Black Cat glanced over her shoulder once she had passed by him and smiled while she made her way around the front of the air vehicle and over to the passenger side. Grasping the door handle, she gently pried it open and with minimal effort, launched herself into the passenger seat. She followed the proper procedure that involved vehicle safety precautions: She shut the door, buckled up, and kept her hands to herself. Folding her arms across her chest and draping one lean leg over the other, her gaze shifted to her left side as she watched him enter the helicopter and bring it to life. Her eyes followed the skilled movements of his fingers as they prodded at buttons and flicked switches. Her attention was diverted from the actions of his large hands when he mentioned water. "Darlin', you're going to drive me insane if you keep mentioning that dreaded wet stuff. The mere word is enough to make me want to raise my hackles." She leaned back into the seat and relaxed, her eyes lowering to study his fingers once again.

She kept quiet as they took off, her eyes now observing the passing scenery. Her hands and arms unfolded and she grasped the sides of the chair as they climbed higher. In an act of curiousity to see how high up they were, she dropped her gaze and inhaled a sharp breath, startled at how far up they were. She could only imagine the fall and a rush of goosebumps flecked the back of her neck. Her imagination had a horrible habit of being too vivid. She released a barely audible groan and looked over at Steve. "So, am I allowed to speak to you or will that distract you and inevitably leave us dead?" She chuckled lightly, though it was a brief laugh of complete uneasiness. She didn't know what was truly worse. Being caught in the water while wearing this costume or falling so far down. Either way, she didn't have enough luck in sparing her life if she were curious enough to test either scenario.

,

[smug65]

Steve laughed as heard her call him darlin. She must be old fashioned or raised in a certain part, he noted, just like how I say 'love', he grinned. The ride was barely five minutes into it and he could tell silence wasn't her thing. There were times in his line of work where silence meant and ensured survival. Speaking often meant you had something to say, and, people often at times; more then most, found it to be a trait noted to be arguably irritating and worth you guts being exposed to the light off the glint of a knife. Hearing the whirring of the propellers he kept his eyes trained, but, his voice soon opened up to conversation. Not sure how much we can talk about, he noted, seeing how she doesn't want romance, and me, I'm an open book when I talk. I can't invite her to talk and open up, mainly because information of the heart is often clutched and held with dearness and restraint.

"You are free to speak," he said, "and I am free to respond. The danger of me crashing into the water is quite low, mainly because I'm trained to fly this, jets, most anything that can leave the air and touch upon ground in comfortable safety. What is it you want to talk about? There is a world of topics and current events, pick one, seeing how you wish to talk." Changing directions he turned the copter onto its side as he made a sharp turn to the right. Enjoying the salty smell of the ocean and watching the fish skip about its surface he marveled at its beauty. The beauty beside him was a sight in herself, but, she didn't want romance, and, he wasn't going to partake in romance until the time he saw fit. Plus, he noted as he checked the fuel gauge, a woman like her can't be tamed by one man. If I could do that...I'd be lucky...or questioning my sanity knowing men will always seek her out.

[softenedmedusa]

*

Black Cat arched an eyebrow when he finally spoke up. She tore her eyes away from the passing view and glanced over at him, her lips twisting together. "You make me sound like a jibber-jabber, hun," she said jokingly. "Trust me, I'm not the most talkative type. Having my mouth run is the only thing keep me from scratching up this copter's interior." Black had a tendency to shred things to pieces when she was either nervous, stressed, or a combination of both. Right now, she felt as if a large ball of anxiety had been lodged into her throat and refused to disappear.

When the helicopter teetered under his ministrations, she nearly let out a howl of surprise. Her green eyes narrowed and she bit down forcefully on her tongue while grinding her back set of teeth together. From a first impression, she took him to be a thrill seeker, but right now, her mind was declaring that his title could be doubled as murderer. Drawing in a deep breath, she withdrew a hand from the side of the seat and raked her fingers through her startling white-blonde hair. A tendril curled around her finger and she tugged on it, stealing constant glances in his direction while the water directly beneath them lapped loudly.

Her chest was heaving and her posture had been diminished to an unattractive slouch. Bowing her head, she tucked her chin close to her neck and chest and then shut her eyes. Her forehead wrinkled and her brows furrowed. He had agreed to talk, which was absolutely great. All she needed to do was concentrate on the conversation that was yet to ensue. Opening an eye, she stared ahead. "Where are you from? What are you into? And you wouldn't happen to be a treasure hunter of some sort, would you?" Leave it to her to find a way to mold a topic around stealing. "And.. feel free to ask me anything. If I pry into you, I believe it's only fair if you get the opportunity to do so as well."

,

[smug65]

Steve didn't really comment on her talking. It was mainly of course out of respect, if he implied any further that she was a talker, who was to say what would ensue. She was tensing up as the helicopter began to make a turn, and, he knew her claws were itching to rake away at any soft object they came in contact with. Steve kept from laughing and continued to fly them out across the great expanse of ocean. When the dam broke the water flooded the base beneath them and pretty much created an extension of the sea. It was rather sad to see all that researach washed away, when, in fact the material below could create new weapons to help those in need of it. Adamantium claws, that was just the starter, weapons that could fire harpoons could fly right through someone, hell, even adamantium swords would help in his case. Still, with Stryker long dead, his line of hell like projects would be at ease. Looking over at her he shrugged his shoulders as she asked him questions.

"I was born in the bronx. Safe to say...my parents were quite normal and I didn't get exposed to any violence from them or friends I made aquaintances with. I'm into motorcylces, swords, history, disguises, helicpoters, most anything that can get me a thrill or gets me to a destination to ensure success in a mission. I like martial arts, and action movies, nothing with too much dribble as I'm an action type of guy. As far as treasure hunting, if it is in my character profile...then yes. So...Cat...why did you come out here today? This place has nothing of interest to you...seeing how you don't like the 'w' word and stuff." Looking over at her he raised an eyebrow as he pulled up slightly to keep from drifting towards the water.

[softenedmedusa]

*

Listening to him speak, she seemed to gradually relax. Her death grip had loosened upon the edges of her seat and she had resumed her proper and original seating position--Arms folded, facing forward, and a leg returning to drape over the other. Sparing a glance in his direction, she nodded and let a faint smile cross her lips. "That's good. They did a pretty good job of keeping you innocent in your youth." Her green optics shifted to stare forward and she felt a frown tugging at the edges of her mouth. She was partially envious of him. He had both parents (as far as she knew), they had both reared him properly, and he seemed to have turned out really well. Her on the other hand.. well, she couldn't quite say the same.

Arching a brow, she clicked the end of her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Mm, the tall, dark, and silent type. Any woman's favourite." Turning her attention to her clawed gloves, she gnashed the sheathed micro-filaments together. "Why was I there? I had heard that there were interesting, worthy things to nab. I guess my sources were beyond incorrect. I was obviously too little too late." Her tone was short and clipped. There was a slight bit of irritation festering beneath her surface, but it was nothing that a simple jewelry heist couldn't fix.

Lifting her gaze from her fingers, she tilted her head in the direction of the controls, her lips still slightly turned downwards. "Where exactly did you have in mind to let me off?" So long as it wasn't anywhere remotely close to water, she didn't quite give a damn. Hopefully it was close to a shopping center. She had limited time to make her thieving ends meet. She needed to pick up the slack for having been unable to retrieve anything from the destroyed experiment center.

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[smug65]

Steve kept his mind focused and merely smiled as she talked of his parents. Truth was, his father was dead, but, that was hardly worth mentioning. I have already revealed too much for comfort, and, the sooner this trip ends the sooner I can part ways with no regrets about what I do. She answered his question about her presence there as being led by a source, though, the reliability of the source at times something to question. He never took a source seriously until he had scouted the area himself, and, most of them times he knew well about the enviroment and what it provided as far as cover in case it was a trap. Looking ahead he saw the city lights and the hear of cars honking in downtown new york where the hustle and bustle to get to places led to road rage.

"Here is fine," he landed the copter in an abandoned field and made contact with the ground with the legs. "We probably won't see each other again Cat...so best be on your greatest behavior and good luck to your endeavors in cat thieving." He waited for her to get out and kept the engine going, knowing that he had places to go, and, no point in getting to know her better then this and make things complicated.