<strong>Name:  </strong>Emma Hawthorne<br/><strong>Affiliation:  </strong>Hero<br/><strong>Location:  </strong>Paris, France<br/><strong>Tagged:  </strong>Starman, The Iron General, The Eight<br/><br/>After a long semester spent at University in the States, Emma had been glad to return to London with her family for the holidays.  She didn’t get to visit as much as she’d like, so when she did, she tried to spend her time with her friends and family there.  The Internet kept them from growing too far apart, but there was nothing like face to face interaction.<br/><br/>When her cousin, Lucy, asked her to go to Paris with her, she’d jumped on it.  She hadn’t been since the summer before last and she’d always loved it there.  Lucy was competing in a fencing tournament which Emma was eager to attend and cheer her cousin on.<br/><br/>They had arrived a few days ago and the tournament had been last night.  Lucy hadn’t won, but she did come second, which she was ecstatic about.  She’d hoped, but had her doubts, so placing at all was celebration worthy – which they did.  Celebrate, that is.<br/><br/>After a pit stop at the hotel to clean up and change, they went clubbing in the Pigalle with some friends of Lucy’s and a few others from the tournament.  It had been a very fun night, but they hadn’t gotten home till almost dawn.  Emma had fallen right into the bed completely clothed and passed out as soon as her eyes closed.<br/><br/>The next day was so dreary that neither of the girls stirred until much later.  Lucy rose first, showering and puttering about the room.  Sitting on her bed, she flicked on the television then grabbed at her lotion, smoothing it onto her skin as she watched.  It was the news and she blinked in surprise when she heard what was happening and where.<br/><br/>Tossing the lotion aside, she reached across the stand between the beds and nudged Emma hard.  “Emma, get up.  Look!”<br/><br/>Emma groaned and turned her head to glare at her cousin.  “What?”  She sniped, not pleased at having been woken up.  She then winced as the headache started pounding.  “I knew I shouldn’t have had those last two shots.”<br/><br/>“No, Emma, look.”  Lucy pointed at the television then grabbed the control and turned it up.  They were showing the battle taking place not far from their hotel.<br/><br/>Rolling over, Emma pushed her think mass of hair back off her face.  It was a mix of colors from brown to blonde that she quite loved and went well with her now tanned complexion since living in Texas the last few years.  She’d never have pulled it off with as pale as she’d been living in England before that.<br/><br/>Propping a pillow behind her, she rubbed her eyes, removing the sleep from them and blinking as she tried to focus.  Thankfully the room was darker than usual, due to the rainy day outside, so when she lifted her lids, her golden brown eyes were able to take things in without feeling blinded.<br/><br/>Lips still pouting a little, she grabbed the bottle of water on the stand next to her and took a long drink.  She looked to the television and, like Lucy, was surprised to see the footage of Starman and The Iron General battling it out so close to them.  Based on the landmarks, she guessed they were in the next<em>arrondissment</em>from their hotel.  Looking over at Lucy, she noted her cousin was staring at her with a wicked little grin on her lips.  Emma returned the grin with one of her own and raised a brow.<br/><br/>“Oh, you know it!” Lucy said.<br/><br/>They scrambled out of the beds.  Lucy threw on the first thing she could find – her crumpled dress from the night before.  Emma was still in hers, so she took the time to use the bathroom and clean up a little, smoothing what wrinkles she could from the skirt of the dress.  There were advantages to passing out drunk after all.<br/><br/>She’d worn a tight, fitted dark blue dress with a corset top and mini-skirt.  The color looked amazing on her – and it didn’t hurt that it emphasized her<em>assets</em>by pushing her breasts up and together, giving her a generous cleavage.  Then there were her long legs encased in black stockings and tucked into a pair of knee-high black lace up boots with a chunky three inch heel that extended her 5’7” frame that much more.  She’d just bought the dress their first day in Paris and had been eager to wear it.  The boots were old and a little worn, but they were her favorites and still in great condition.<br/><br/>Stepping out of the bathroom, Emma thought about brushing her hair, but Lucy was ready and waiting and it was raining out, so she decided against it.  She’d end up looking like a drowned rat regardless in this downpour.  She grabbed her long coat from the floor where it must have landed last night, tucked the room key in the inside pocket where her ID, credit card and some cash resided, then followed Lucy out the door.<br/><br/>They were only a block away when the blast hit them.  Already soaking wet, Emma and Lucy flew through the air and hit the wall of a building.  She sat immobile for a moment, stunned by the blast, when she first felt it – a stirring, deep within her, as if her veins coursed with…<em>something</em>.  She couldn’t describe it, but when she went to stand, she saw her hands shimmer with a bright light for just a moment.  She scrambled up and stood, staring at her hands as they flashed again.  This time she noticed what it was – arcs of electricity shot around her hands and up her arms.<br/><br/>And then she heard it.  A face on the television through a window coupled with a number of people inside listening in silent, rapt attention to the newscast.  Emma stared as she saw the woman’s plea for help.<br/><br/>Turning her head, she saw Lucy standing next to her, holding the back of her head and wincing a little as she, too, watched the broadcast.<br/><br/>“You okay?” Emma asked, worried about her cousin.<br/><br/>“Yeah, just a bump,” Lucy said, turning to Emma.  Then she saw her cousin’s hands and gasped.  “Emma!  You’re glowing.”<br/><br/>Emma looked again to the television where they were repeating the woman’s plea for help.  “I’m sorry, Lucy.  I have to.”<br/><br/>With that, Emma turned and ran the last block, leaving her cousin staring after her in shock.  As she ran, Emma shot bolts from hand to hand, testing what she could do, if anything.  She’d played enough video games to have an idea what she might be able to do if she could just figure out how.  But there wasn’t much time.<br/><br/>By the time she reached the military barricade, the bolts had grown.  They were clearly visible to the few men whose attention wasn’t on the battle beyond.  But Emma ignored them.  She didn’t pause in her run as she looked around, briefly noting The Iron General was now engaged with three others, Starman seemingly forgotten as a new threat loomed.  She saw her chance and took it.<br/><br/>Pushing off with her legs, she leapt up, one boot slamming onto part of the barricade and pushing off as she easily passed over it, landing on a run on the other side.  She wasn’t sure if what she planned would work, or what kind of range she’d have, so she made sure to get close.<br/><br/>She saw a man, a cowboy, flash onto the villain’s back and pistol whip him a few times before flashing again and disappearing.  Seeing her chance, she took it.<br/><br/>Circling her hands around the ball of electricity she had contained, she pulled back, twisting to one side and then hurling the mass at The Iron General.  It shot through the air in one fluid motion, an arc of lightning ripping through the air and exploding on impact, the bolts zinging through the suit he wore to the man beneath.  It should wreck havoc on his suit, but she didn’t know his capabilities and she’d seen enough movies where the villain was thought dead but came back to life, so Emma didn’t want to take any chances.<br/><br/>She ducked back behind a large piece of rubble and started on another bolt as she peaked around the mass of concrete, blinking through the rain as she tried to see what was happening now.