Trouble on the Bridge [OPEN]

[Taylor Shin]

Staten Island Expressway, the only connection between Brooklyn and Staten Island that didn't require a long boat or ferry ride. The bridge was choked with traffic at all times of the day, typically filled with the hum of motor engines and the occasional honking car.

Except for today. On a busy afternoon nearing rush hour, all traffic came to a dead stop on the bridge.

Called in response to a collision, Taylor had to stop his car halfway up the bridge, climbing out along with his partner. No one was coming off the bridge, and traffic was blocked so badly even with sirens going they couldn't go any further in. The ambulance farther back wasn't having much more luck.

"Must be a bad collision," his partner Shawn was saying, squinting, as they made their way up the bridge briskly. "Traffic's totally stalled."

"But there's no..." Taylor trailed off at a dull thump and a plume of smoke rising from up ahead. "...No fire. Come on," he broke into a jog. "Call backup to get these people off the bridge." As they got closer, he could see the trouble: a large car pile-up in the center of the bridge. There were people around it, standing too close for safety if something blew up again. "Yah! Everyone away from the accident!"

[Luna Grace Larel]

Luna hit her hands again the steering wheel, careful not to touch the middle of it lest it made a noise. This traffic was taking ages! And she had to be at the pharmacy before six pm or they would close. Then her father would be disappointed in her not getting his medicine, which she did not want.

Checking her watch again in the same minute, she tried to control her growing impatience. Closing her eyes and letting out a slow breath helped a bit, but still, there was that bit of nagging panic.

After sitting in the unmoving car for five minutes, Luna decided to see who the hell was holding up all this traffic. Opening the car door and hopping out, she was just in time to see a plume of smoke rise into the air. Was there an accident?

Now more worried than ever, she briskly walked forward until she saw what was blocking the way. A barricade of cars piled on top of eachother, covering the whole middle of the bridge. Her blue-grey eyes widened as she wondered how that collision had happened.

"--away from the accident!" a voice, obviously male shouted. Startled from her thoughts, she glanced at him. He was younger, an Ignisson, and a Keeper. Luna immediately felt a twinge of envy, but pushed it down, ignoring the normal feeling.

Following his words, she backed up a bit, but close enough that she could still see the stacked cars clearly and hear what the Keepers had to say, in case they had something important to announce.

[Taylor Shin]

"Come on, move it!" Taylor said as he reached the smoking pile of cars, putting himself between the crowd and the flames to push the bystanders back. "Back away!" Stupid Aerrians, they were going to get themselves toasted at this range.

The fire rumbled behind him, and that was all the warning Taylor had, eyes widening as he turned around. With a roaring boom another car's gas tank exploded, flames shooting out as people screamed.

Hands snapping out, Taylor's eyes narrowed as he caught the burst of fire in his grip, whirling around to change the fireball's trajectory and send it over the bridge railing. A loud hiss escaped as the red-hot flames hit the water's surface, steam billowing up.

Boom! Another car exploded before Taylor could turn around again, people screaming as they scattered. Shawn was doing his best to contain the flames that were suddenly wildly out of control, shouting into a radio set for backup.

Something felt...wrong. Taylor was struggling to keep his grip on the flames, and it had nothing to do with the chill air at the top of the bridge that hampered him anyways. It felt like...they were being controlled by someone else.

No sooner had he realized this than the bridge rumbled beneath their feet, the asphalt cracking slightly.

[Luna Grace Larel]

"Come on, move it! Back away!" the young Keeper shouted, and Luna obliged, never one to disobey someone. A good thing, too, because just as he was saying that, fire exploded out of one of the cats. Shrieking, she stumbled back, gasping.

The fire began spreading as people ran, trying to get far away from it. Not the first time, Luna wished that she could help in some way, but she was inexperienced in her Elemental powers and had no social standing.

As the flames rose into the air, closer to her, it didn't look like where she was standing would be safe for much longer. Trying to run back to where her own car was, the bridge shook for a few seconds and she tripped, managing to grab on to a car to steady herself. What . . . what was happening?! This bridge was one of the strongest - it had to be, with all of the automobiles traveling on it every day. The only thing powerful enough to shake it would be . . . Elemental powers. Strong ones, too, or many people.

Coming to that conclusion, the young woman looked fearfully around her, scared just like all the other people. Finally sure that the bridge wasn't going to shake again, she took of at a sprint, weaving between cars before reaching her own. But she didn't get in it - that would be a bad idea if Luna had to make a fast escape to someone safer, somewhere farther away.

[Taylor Shin]

The mild panic in the air had increased, people screaming and pushing at each other to get off the bridge. The bridge groaned, but the metal structure held. It was strong enough to withstand the elements, it had to be...but of course that wasn't on anyone's mind right then when the whole thing was shaking.

There had to be a Terran causing it...Taylor looked around for the cause, before realizing he couldn't focus on that. It was only him and Shawn until backup arrived, they had to get these people off the bridge.

"Leave the bridge calmly, don't push," he yelled, attention divided between the flaming cars and the panicking people.

"Leave the cars to me," Shawn said, turning his full attention on it so Taylor could be free to get the civilians away. Turning away from the wreckage, Taylor started barking orders to evacuate the bridge, trying to keep everyone as calm as possible.

That lasted until someone had the brilliant idea of trying to drive their car away. Except there was no room to maneuver, metal crunching as other cars were pushed aside and people scattered. Some fell, and were nearly trampled.

"Hey! Out of the car!" Finally, Aerrian Keepers had arrived on the scene. It had only taken them forever. Taylor turned towards those trying to escape off the Ignisson side of the bridge when a loud boom echoed across the bridge, a car farther away from the accident exploding.

[Luna Grace Larel]

Luna leaned against her car, trying to control her breathing. She was freaking out, scared out of her mind, but she had to be calm, collected, or she would never get out of here. She couldn't think right with panic overriding the rest of her senses.

She was finally getting control of herself again before a car exploded right behind her. Screaming, she jumped back, hands over her face as shrapnel flew through the air. Through the car was destroyed, that didn't stop the fire as it began to spread. Luna had to act fast, or else she would be caught between the fire and the barricade of cars.

Well, what could she do? Her powers were useless, since her father never wanted her to use them. But surely it would be okay if she made an exception in this life-or-death situation . . . No good. Even if she did, she was too inexperienced for them to do any good.

Sighing and quickly running a hand through her hair, Luna looked back and forth, spotting Taylor. Pursing her lips for a second, she looked back to the fire, which was quickly growing, then to the group of Keepers. If she waited much longer, she would get burned, or worse, not be able to get out. But she could help the Keepers and save other people . . .

Making a split decision, she ran towards Taylor, brown hair flapping behind her. Barely out of breath, she stopped in front of him. Not quite sure what to do now, Luna paused for a second, then hastily said, "Um, sir, is there any way I could help?"

[Taylor Shin]

Things were dissolving into a complete riot, as the bridge continued to shake and cars began spontaneously exploding. Aerrian Keepers on the other side of the bridge were being run over by panicked people trying to get away, and not helping matters at all.

Taylor was distracted from trying to herd Ignissons off the bridge by a girl his age who popped up in front of him. She was wide-eyed and panicked...and an Aerrian. "Um, sir, is there any way I could help?" She was asking him.

Yeah, you can help by getting the hell off the bridge and taking some of these other screaming airheads with you, Taylor thought, but didn't voice. His attention had been caught again by something else, Shawn going down in his side vision after stepping away from the flaming cars. Something reflected on the asphalt where he'd stepped...ice?

A loud whoosh of flames beside them was Taylor's only warning, along with the flames suddenly being sucked back into the mass of cars by an external force. They were being controlled. By who?

"Get down!" He yelled, pushing the Aerrian girl to the ground and shielding her as a loud explosion erupted, flaming car pieces flying.

[Luna Grace Larel]

Luna pursed her lips for a second, hoping that the Keeper wasn't annoyed with her. It was in her nature to be kind-hearted and help people out, even if they insulted and bullied her afterwards. Even if others got annoyed with her . . . It didn't matter unless other people were safe.

She saw him glance to the side, and her eyes followed his. Another Keeper was down on the ground, and more cars had started to catch on fire, the wind fanning the flames. Down on the pavement, the sun glinted off some ice, while the bridge kept on trembling slightly. It seemed as if all of the elements were at work in this riot. Who would do such a thing? Who would turn against their deity and destroy innocent lives?

"Get down!" the Keeper suddenly yelled. While her attention had been diverted, the Elementalists controlling the fire had made their next move. He pushed her down as more cars exploded, shielding her from flying, hot pieces of metal. Luna squeezed her eyes closed, gasping. She tried not to scream to spare the kind boy's ears, but even if she didn't, her vocal chords were tired out from all of the screaming she had already done.

When it was safe again, she opened her eyes, seeing the boy above her. Even though he saved her, it was still a wrong position, and she didn't even know his name. Coughing softly - and not from the smoke in the air - she tried to push him off, murmuring an apology.

[Mateush Tein]

It was supposed to be a calm day. Mateush was just taking a walk down the bridge, trying to get a few interviews scheduled from different colleges. It wasn't going to be easy. He didn't have much to go by to get a scholarship, and he didn't make the most money from being a priest. But, nonetheless, he tried to get a few interviews. He already got a small Junior College willing to give him a scholarship, but he wanted a big university. It probably wasn't going to happen, but he tried.

About one third of the way down the bridge he noticed a puff of smoke and the smell of fire few cars down. Oh no. Not another fire. This isn't even Ignis territory! Running down towards the pillar, he hung up his phone as he heard people screaming and saw a huge explosion near the fire. Slipping on a patch of ice as the bridge shook, he noticed a pair of people, two young people, a man and woman, on the ground. "Oh no. Not now, not here."

Rushing to the pair, he reached into his bag as he noticed that they were fine. "What the heck....." It took a second for him to notice, but the young man was a Ignis. Could he be? But, he's alone. Taking a step back and closing his bag back up, Mateush looked around to see if there were anymore Ignis, but he couldn't see any. Must be a keeper or knight.

[Taylor Shin]

Wincing at the embers that had landed on his exposed arms, Taylor felt the girl he'd protected pushing up at him to get him off. Rolling off of her, he coughed at the smoke billowing through the air and looked towards the wreckage. He couldn't tell who would have orchestrated that blast...an Ignisson with control over the fire, or an Aerrian who could push the flames towards the gas tanks? Possibly both. There were signs of Terran and Aquarion influence already...the bridge was still shaking, and there were patches of ice everywhere.

But as he looked around for the cause, he couldn't see anyone visibly manipulating the elements. Not beyond the screaming civilians, anyways.

He turned his attention back to the girl. Maybe he could use her. No other Keepers were showing up, probably caught in the rioting crowd, so he'd have to work with what he had.

"Listen," he caught her attention, crouching next to her and offering one hand to pull her up. "I need you to get these people off the bridge, got it? Any Aerrian you see, herd them off. Keep them calm, not rioting. And if you see anyone with the brilliant idea of driving their car off the bridge, you hit the idiot over the head, got it?"

That was when he noticed the other man his age (younger) hanging around nearby, a bag held tightly in his hands. Taylor's eyes narrowed. Aquarion. And he was distinctly not panicking like the others.

"Yah! Hold it! Are you responsible for this mess?"

[Luna Grace Larel]

Luna quickly got up, brushing the dust and soot off of her. Her clothes were ruined, but that was nothing compared to what the boy had suffered. Were those burns on his arms? She winced. "Um, thanks," she murmured awkwardly, looking down.

When she learned she could help, she looked back up. He must be truly desperate to ask help from a simple civilian. Nodding quickly, she walked off, heading back to where her car was. It was about in the middle of the bridge, and where there was the most chaos.

Blue eyes flashing, she tried to gather her courage. At first, her voice was soft, and she winced. To help people she had to overcome her social anxiety, but it was hard. Luna cleared her throat and called out a bit louder, but no one could hear her. She had to yell.

But she couldn't do it. Sighing, she let her dismay and failure sink in for a second before she got to business. She could just do everyone individually. Walking up to an Aerrian couple, she tapped the man on the shoulder. He turned, and she said quietly, "Um, hello sir, could you please get off this bridge? I don't want anyone to get hurt." He squinted and yelled, "What?" Luna repeated what she said, louder this time, and he nodded, then saying back, "I can't get out - there's too many people."

She bit her lip for a second - a nervous habit, like drawing her hand through her hair - then finally answered in a heavy voice, "Try and find a way and tell anyone you see to get ou--" She stopped mid-sentence when she heard a loud honk! Murmuring an apology to the man and his wife, she rushed off, pushing people away.

Someone was trying to drive off, and was honking at the confused masses. They were scattering, and more pandemonium was erupting. Knocking on the window, she had to hit it several times before she got to man's attention.

"Yo! Get dem outta my way!" he snarled, with an accent that she couldn't identify. Quickly explaining things, he gave her a disgusted look. "Why shod I 'ave to listen to a girl with no authorita? Get outta my way!" He honked again moved the car forward an inch.

Fury built up inside her. Why, how dare he! Did he know how many people he was putting in danger? Jumping in front of the slow-moving car, she yelled, "Sir, get out of your car! You are endangering people, and I have been given authority by a Keeper!" Eyes widening, he turned off his car and got out, muttering, "Ya couldda said dat earlier."

[Mateush Tein]

Mateush kept backing up from the pair until he ran into a couple, being yelled at in the process. “Sorry ‘bout that, won’t happen again.” Rolling his eyes as he walked forward, he glanced at his watch to see what time it was. Despite the fact that a crisis was going on, he wasn’t at all panicking. He was naturally calm in stressful situations. Even the personality test he had to take before the interview he got for a University said he was naturally calm, no matter what the situation. Noting that it was about 4 PM, he sighed. Almost time for the interview. He would have to hurry out of this to get there. Turning quickly to jog out, he stopped suddenly when the Ignis yelled at him.

Turning around slowly, he took a step closer to the man. “Listen, and I’ll make this quick. If I was responsible for this, would I be on this bridge? If I was responsible for this, would I have slipped on my own ice? If I was responsible for this, wouldn’t I have jumped into the water below by now? Must I go on?” Turning back around and walking away, he looked back a few times to see if the man would call him out again. Why did Ignis have to be so persistent? So irritating? So jump-to-conclusion? But then again, this was a time to be like that. To make decisions fast so no one got hurt. It would be a bad thing to leave these people here with only an Ignis to help.

But it was also his duty to serve Genbu, which means helping himself to be well enough that he could serve Genbu. And Genbu wouldn’t be too happy if a horde of people were drowning in one of his rivers. It would be best for him to make sure they were alive before they filled the river with dead bodies. Turning back towards the Ignis, he rolled his eyes before walking back towards him. “I’m not the one responsible for it, but I will help clean the mess up. As long as you promise one thing. We might be from different clans, but you appear to only be a keeper. I’m a priest. Aquarion or not aquarion, I’m calling the shots.”

[Richter Gates]

Trouble on a bridge? It was only a matter of time before Knights were dispatched to the scene. Initially, the Keepers were first on the job to try and handle it but they failed to check-in. The Red Council—of the Ignis Clan—sent in one of their best teams of Knights to analyze the problem, report in and deal with it. Brothers of the Flame, one of their best that was on call, were sent in to see what kind of trouble was on the bridge. Not all of them, though and much to their chagrin, half of them were on a mission but luckily the head knight was present so most of their worries were at ease.

Arriving on the scene, dressed in all black clothing of leather and such, was the Black Knight of the Ignis Clan, Richter Gates. With him was the young and brash new knight, Wyatt Carey along with two Brothers, Takeshi and William. Standing on the main land, they could clearly seem something was amiss, screaming and fire and smoke, something bad. Richter made a single hand gesture and Wyatt turned on his heel and ran off, heading to make his report. Gesturing with his other hand, the two men in red and white robes followed as the man in black pressed on. It didn't take them long to reach the area where it was most hectic.

"Takeshi, William, put this fire out!" Richter roared over the noise of people screaming, fleeing and the mighty flames.

Turning to face forwards, Ric moved on ahead. Takeshi and William pressed back to back and began moving in a slow circle, making hand gestures which in tandem with their power over fire allowed them to control the crazy and mighty flames. It wasn't easy but they could do it and in a matter of minutes, they'd have the current fires safely under control. Although, they would have to wait for Wyatt to return to take the fire and direct it into the water. So anything could happen to make matters worse. Richter had ran ahead until he came across people who weren't running for their lives. He recognized a few as Ignisson Keepers.

Finally..

"Hey you–" He called to Taylor. "–what happened here? Did a few cocky elementalists try to start a riot or is it just a massive wreck?" He had a commanding tone, as if he expected the young keeper to answer his questions. His facial expression was serious enough and it was focused on the Keeper. However, his eyes picked up everything else. A small fire started in a car right next to him but it was immediately pushed down until it snuffed out.

[Taylor Shin]

After watching the Aerrian girl take off, Taylor turned his full attention onto the Aquarion fellow who he was convinced had something to do with this. He was just way too calm with the bridge shaking under their feet, and cars exploding left and right. And all the screaming people. Taylor was keeping calm because he was a Keeper and trained for this, but even he was getting a little unnerved. All the elements collaborating against them was not a good sign, and all it would take is one moron with a car to run them over.

And then the Aquarion turned around and gave him attitude. Long-winded, snarky attitude against a Keeper who was clearly trying to keep a bad situation contained. Of course if this had been an Ignisson citizen Taylor could have been a little more open-minded, but the fact it was an Aquarion, a younger Aquarion, talking down like Taylor was overreacting to a riot and elemental attack on a bridge did not go over well with him.

...And then he had to try pulling rank. No, Taylor was not going to let an Aquarion priest call any shots around here. "You're out of your borders, priest," he said angrily. "If you want to make yourself useful, get these people off the bridge and let the real authority handle this."

Thankfully he didn't have much of a chance to continue, because then they suddenly had company. "The Brothers of the Flame are here!" he heard Shawn yell from somewhere in the chaos.

The Brothers of the Flame. Some of the best Knights the New York Ignis Clan had ever known. Taylor turned around to see two of them working to contain the massive fireball that the car pile-up was. He breathed a sigh of relief. He and Shawn couldn't have handled this on their own.

One of the Brothers was talking to him, Taylor barely had time to realize it was the Black Knight himself before he had to pay attention to what the man was saying. Taylor squared his shoulders, standing at attention for his superior.

"Sir! The riot was planned, the flames are being controlled!" He pointed to a car that had just exploded a minute ago, and was now a flaming wreck. "There is also at least one Terran, Aquarion and Aerrian elementalist present, they haven't been located yet." He tried to get the information out quickly and not waste the man's time.

[Jessica Hobbes]

Jessica honked her horn angrily when the traffic on the bridge slowed to a stop. She really hated taking this bridge, it seemed to always be backed up. Angrily she turned up the radio in preparation to sit for a while. That's when she saw the smoke.

"Great, juuuuusssst great," she snarled to her empty car. The bridge would take long enough to get moving without a traffic accident as well. She was several cars back and couldn't see the vehicles. It was likely she wouldn't be moving her car anytime soon as it looked from the position of the smoke that the burning vehicle might even be in her lane.

Suddenly there was the sound of an explosion. Did one of the cars in the wreck just expload!? This was getting serious. Looking around her she could see that some people were getting out of their cars and trying to get a better view of what was going on. The Terran rolled down her windows, turning down her music she yelled at them, "Hey! What do you think you're doing!? Are you stupid or what?! Get back from there!"

Jessica was amazed at how stupid all these people where, she certainly wasn't going to walk up to a flaming wreck and get injured for no good reason. There really wasn't anything she could do at any rate. If the vehicles were burning the occupants were almost certainly dead by now if they hadn't already made it out. Not to mention her elemental powers were limited. She definitely couldn't move enough dirt to smother the fire, so what was the point.

Seeing that the people had ignored her and were continueing to mill around like idiots, Jessica rolled up her windows and put the music back on. It was only when she noticed the arrival of some Ignis Clan knights that she thought things might be more serious than she had thought.