Template:Featured Articles/18-2019

Moment of Awesome - Everett Thomas/Synch Helping Clinton Barton out with a smuggler of magical items, Ev finds himself going toe-to-toe wiht a gravity manipulator "Aaaaaand we've been made. Somehow, I'm totally not surprised," Clint muttered, moving to flank Namor's left. "Ev, you got any deets on what these guys can do?" "Gravity, some EM wonk, light bending, and meat shield," Ev answered, eyeing each one in turn. He spoke loudly enough that they could hear him identify their powers. He found that often threw other mutants off balance, trained professional or not. He was already reaching out towards the gravity manipulator, ready to synch when the combat inevitably started. "Nothing particularly sexy. Doctor Janet Lyton," he called, producing his SHIELD badge (expired, though she could not know) from his coat pocket. "Illegally bringing stolen goods from one country to another is a felony." To their credit, none of bodyguards flinched. They knew what they were getting themselves into when they signed up for the job. With a swift nod, Joel said, "Steven, frontline," he said. With Steve's gravity manipulation, he was always their best defense. "Terrance dazzle 'em. I'll throw my weight around." Terry's light manipulation always threw people off, which meant they worked remarkably well together, since he could could take all the damage meant for both of them and leave Terry free to do whatever he wanted. As they got into position, Joel finished, "Philip, short the cameras, then get the client to the train." Janet hadn't actually expected any of this to be necessary and her anxiety shot through the roof. Yes, she'd thought that having a bodyguard (or two or three or four) would be beneficial, but she really hadn't thought she'd need them. "What's happening?" she cried out to Joel who had already dismissed her for the task at hand. Philip took her elbow from Joel, the exchange seamless, and shook his head. "We need to go. We discussed this. You listen, do as you're told. Everything'll be fine." There was no more time for conversation as Janet was whisked away, her heels clicking quickly on the floor as the lights above them flickered briefly before all the cameras fizzle-sparked at once and began to smoke. She couldn't help it — she turned back and looked, hoping that the worst wouldn't happen. Cursing the situation in his head, Ev let his aura flare as he fully synchronized with Steven. He could not hold back the shiver that ran down his spine or the bile rising in his throat when he took on these powers. Last time he mimicked a gravity manipulator had ended. . . "poorly" was a vast understatement. It was enough to say it had ended, period. "Get her, Namor," he ordered between gritted teeth, focusing his borrowed powers on their source to get him out of the fight quickly. "We," Namor casually intoned as he sped up to move toward the fleeing duo, "Suggest you work on your groveling, Mister Thomas. Royalty," and there was a pause as Joel valiantly lunged as Namor. It was a very brave lunge, and there might have been a gun drawn, but soon the two were locked in fisticuffs. Where the mercenary's plan may have involved brute force, it was merely one brick wall against another. After a series of quick exchanges, a thrown garbage can, and one clothesline, Joel was on the floor holding onto one of Namor's legs as the man took flight. "Does not take orders." Clint, meanwhile, went after Terrance when he tried to start up the light-show. "Let's not," he said, almost conversationally as he engaged the other man. He got a faceful of bright, fast-flickering light for his trouble, which didn't actually do much of anything to him. "See, man. I said 'let's not,' but you had to go and do that anyway." Which meant Terrance got a faceful of fist a moment later. Too bad it wasn't a KO — it did give Clint a chance to glance back and check on Ev, though. Ev was Atlas, struggling to hold the weight of the world on his shoulders as Steven increased his gravitational pull. At first, Ev tried to counter that, pascal for pascal. It was the only thing keeping his bones from being crushed under the tremendous pressure. As it was, he was down on his hands and knees, and — was the tiled floor starting to crack? He needed a rapid change of tactics before he found himself embedded in the building's foundation. He took a breath, braced himself, and redirected his attention at his target. Instead of pressing down, Ev flattened spacetime, and Steven lifted up off the ground like a rocket, his connection to the earth severed. Were it not for the ceiling, he might have become a man-shaped satellite. So the collision that halted his ascent was lucky.