Renee RichardsHP : 2
Condition : weirded out
As Renee works away in her workshop, the entire building shakes violently, half of her experiments fall off their respective shelves or pedestals, but in an instant the rubber woman stretches out into a giant blanket catching everything before they break or shatter.
Preston runs to the window, "There's a truck on fire outside! Is that Green Lantern?"
Renee stretches from the neck to see what Preston was talking about. There was a truck on fire outside the workshop - plus a lot more further away. And a few cars flipped over or on their sides !
Doing some quick calculations in her head, she figured there must have been a very big explosion nearby to make the whole building shake like that, and all the devastation outside was due to the blast's shockwave.
Which means that must have been one HUGE explosion.
She turned on the radio to listen for news - there had been an explosion. A tanker truck full of a biohazardous material had exploded, and was releasing thick, purple smoke.
A few heroes had already shown up - Green Latern, Cold Iron, and Spider Woman.
"Why was a tanker truck full of biohazardous materials going through a heavily populated area ?" she wondered to herself, recalling all the chemical safety courses she had to pass before she was allowed to work in her father's lab (without invoking the ire of OSHA and Child Protection Services),
"The proper way to deal with such things is to haul very small amounts to a collection facility, to be dealt with there. So either someone was trying to save a few bucks by ignoring federal law, or this was some sort of attack. Can't be sure until I know more ... ""Well, it looks like it's hero time !" she said to Preston as she grabbed the fire extinguisher and a first aid kit from their respective cabinets on the wall, "If any of the air quality alarms go off, hit that big red 'Emergency Vent' button and close all the doors. The emergency respirators are in the safety cabinet next to the door if things get that bad."
"Why do you even have that kind of safety equipment ?" he asked.
"Federal regulations." she replied with a shrug, "EVERYONE who works with certain class IV chemicals must have at least a few face shields, safety goggles, face masks and respirators on hand, or face some heavy fees and a suspension of their license to use those chemicals."
Moments later, she was outside, looking around to reassess what needed to be done. It looked like there was at least one person in that burning truck, so that was the highest priority.
She doused the truck with the extinguisher, then checked on the driver. It was usually a bad idea to move someone with a potential neck injury, but the risk of getting caught in the fire still spreading elsewhere was too great.
So she carefully immobilized his head by wrapping her arm around his neck to act as a brace before carefully lifting him out of the truck and moving him to the safest place she could think of - inside her workshop.
Once inside, she improvised a more effective neck brace before heading back outside to help any other victims.
"What fresh Hell is this ?!" she exclaimed once she noticed some people dropping to their knees, then turning into purple mini-Hulks.
"Why do I get the feeling that A.I.M. is somehow behind this ?" she said to herself through gritted teeth, realizing that even ONE mini-hulk represented a greater danger than all the currently burning fires combined.
And there was a whole GROUP of them over there by a cargo van.
"Say - that looks like Spider Woman !" Renee noted, recalling everything she'd read about her from the Daily Bugle (but not quite believing any of it, having had some experience with the press),
"And it looks like she's going to be having a really
bad day !
There MUST be something that I can do to help !" Renee thought to herself, realizing full well that very people in the world have the strength or toughness to go toe-to-toe with someone like the Hulk.
These may be smaller versions, and so probably not as tough or as strong, but still a major league threat.
Plus the fact that these are essentially innocent victims - until just a few moments ago, they were mere civilians. So lethal force is off the table.
She thought of a few inventions that might work, but they would take far too long to build, even if jury-rigged.
Then she realized she was probably over-thinking the problem. As usual. Thanks to her powers, she was highly resistant to bludgeoning damage - like that done by punches and having heavy things thrown at you.
And she could redirect
physical damage right back at its source.
And physical damage is all they got ! And they may not be smart enough to figure out that throwing punches at someone as elastic as rubber is not a very good idea !
So, perversely, the best strategy was no strategy at all. Just a simple-minded beat down.
"Well, might as well get this over with !" she said to herself as she brazenly strolled over.
Using Full Defense so her Deflect ability can be used if needed.
batlh ta'nISlu' net ta' - "One does what one must do. Honorably"
