Beating up kids

Who: Doc and Linn (unfinished)
Where: Marquette side streets
When: Late afternoon

Nice days were on the decline, Doc knew that for certain. Already he could see faint changes in the leaves on the trees, slight hints in the rich green that spoke of a slide towards yellow, red and orange. Before too long, winter would come to stay. Best enjoy it while we can, Doc mused to himself as he walked. He had Voltaire out and about, the two of them enjoying the day in spite of the slight rain that had been a constant for the last few hours. In fact, Doc figured Voltaire was loving the rain; the pup waggling his head and letting his tongue loll out. Doc had brought a small umbrella, gripping it tight in his other hand as he breezed past some of the campus buildings. It seemed as though classes were done for both high school and college, judging by the regular sights of busses and the odd knots of foot traffic Doc passed by.

Sometimes it was hard to ignore that foot traffic, especially when it was made up of younger women who fell in love with the dog at first sight and gave smiles that would've made Doc blush to be the recipient of. All it took to resist such thoughts, though, was the reminder that he could be most of their fathers, and some of their grandfathers. Plus there was the sobering reminder of Eva, of worries Doc had done his best to look past in the name of giving her time, of hoping her moods would've cleared. Tomorrow, he told himself, Tomorrow I'll go, no matter what.

There wasn't much time to linger on his personal concerns though, not as Doc turned a corner and caught the first sounds of commotion ahead. He frowned in consternation, giving a light tug on the leash to slow Voltaire as he idly walked closer and peered ahead. The source of it all didn't sound too bizarre, and as Doc drew closer his suspicions were confirmed. There was a truck idling in the street, doors thrown open as if the occupants had all leapt out in a hurry. And as for the occupants? Well, there were four of them; burly young men who could've either been massive seniors at the high school or college students. The four were crowded around someone else, too small for Doc to get a clear look, but past them he caught a glimpse of an umbrella, bent and ripped where it lay in the ground.

Fights were one thing, slaughters were another entirely. Doc was normally all for a fair fight, it was a situation that gave someone insight into themselves. But a lopsided one like this was only a lesson in humiliation, and a false sense of superiority to the aggressors. Still moving slow, Doc took his time as he approached and listened, gleaning insults and names as he saw the four shove and corral whoever it was in the middle.

While walking home Linn was fiddling with his cell phone --it had been giving him trouble all day long-- when he heard the commotion over to the left of where he was walking. His curiosity was peaked and he stuck his cell phone back into his messenger bag to deal with later as he rushed over to join the small crowd of gathering spectators. When he realized that this was a fight of the 4 to 1 variety, Linn threw his school bag down onto the ground without another thought and made his way to where the four guys --bigger around than Linn, but no taller than his 6'2" height-- were pushing around a much smaller guy. Linn recognized the little guy from his history class. He was loads smarter than Linn, even at 2 years younger than him. No way did a smart guy deserve to be beat up on like that. Eyeing the rest of the group, which he didn't recognize, he urged himself to think of something smart-assy that would distract them and let that kid --was his name Mark?-- escape. "Is the fight fair because when combined, you four have the equivalent IQ as that guy there?" Heeey... not bad, Linn. Now relax your body... ready for the punch.

As Doc took each progressive step closer, he tacked up another detail of the scene; onlookers, closed blinds on nearby houses, and now a Samaritan not unlike himself getting involved. His lips pursed thin in contemplation as he watched Linn interject himself, studying the young man who was so bold. How he moved, how he carried himself, the way he was already shifting his weight in anticipation of a fist flying... Doc stopped by a fence surrounding one house, looping Voltaire's leash from it and crouching next to the pup. "Stay," he commanded, propping his umbrella in a lean against the fence and starting towards the fight again. Doc looked to the few spectators that had gathered on one side of the street, giving a chastising shake of his head as he walked past. "I'd head home if I were you, kids," he cautioned, pulling a multi-tool off his belt and snapping the pliers out.

Doc didn't like the thought of whupping on these kids if he didn't have to, but he was just fine with being a distraction to even up the odds in Linn's favor. "Hey!" he called over to the lot of them as he moved up on the truck, "Who's the genius who thought this was a parking lot?" He waited just long enough to catch a flash of recognition from one of the aggressors, then slammed the door shut forcefully. Doc smirked thinly as one of the four stomped towards him, already screaming obscenities and with a buddy close on his heels. Only two to deal with now, kid, he thought as he shot a rather loaded look Linn's way.

Even as Linn was shooting a thankful look at the old guy, he felt the rush of a fist on its way to make contact with his chin. Linn stepped back just slightly--enough to keep from getting a hard punch, but it was still a punch nevertheless. "Crap," Linn muttered as his hand flew up to the quick spot of pain, but his exclamation wasn't out of pain or the surprise of being hit. It was at his realization that two guys had gone off to the truck, one was --oof-- getting at HIM, now, and that left one more --ok, ow.-- still going at that poor kid. Linn forced himself to concentrate on the guy who was currently pulling back his right arm for another punch. He blocked the punch with his left forearm, then kicked at the guy's shins. "Mark?" he called over the head of this guy who was leaning over to angrily rub at his sore shin. "Can you get awa-- oof!" Linn was shoved back onto his back by that same guy, and he fought to get out from under his bulk, all of his thoughts of the younger guy shoved back as well. But a short small smile appearing on Linn's face made it clear that he didn't feel like he was out of control yet.

In the few seconds that had passed since Linn started fighting back, Doc had found himself staring down a large young man who was only an inch or two shorter, and considerably larger in mass. The kid looked petulant, cocky even as he stared back at the old man, and Doc knew part of that confidence had to come from his buddy behind him. "You know, parking's along the curb," Doc said idly, glancing past the boy to Linn and the other two. "Might just have to give you a ticket... but here I am, fresh out of paper." He knew he shouldn't be starting something like this, not so blatantly, but lord did kids like this rile him up. "Guess I'll just make do," he said conversationally, pushing the tip of his pliers against the truck and starting to drag them over the paint. The reaction was immediate, and exactly what he'd hoped for.

"What the fuck?!" the kid snapped, rushing with both arms out at Doc. His response was smooth with decades of training; a sidestep as his other hand grabbed one of the kid's, pressing and twisting deftly to lock the boy's arm tight.Doc knew this dance too well, and these were brawlers at best. He was ready as a kick came out, low and untrained, and answered it with a steel-capped toe to the kid's shin to drop him to his knees, his arm still held tight. "You." Doc growled plainly at the other guy who'd only managed a few steps closer, "Tell your friends to cool the fuck out, or I start with your buddy's wrist."

The younger kid, whose name was actually Steven --darn Linn's bad memory for names-- could not get away, what with the way the fourth guy currently had him around the neck with his big burly arm. The bully hit him in the stomach a few times, even laughing at the way the kid moaned. He was distracted, not realizing what was going on with his friend who was grabbed by Doc.

Linn, as well, was preoccupied, not realizing that the guy who had just leaped on top of him was probably about to be called off from the fight. Ah, man. You don't want to do this... he thought, his smile still flickering across his face. Wrestling was his forte. If they were going to turn this into a wrestling match--with a deft movement of his left food, and simultaneous push to the guy's right shoulder-- he was probably going to come out on top. Linn rolled the guy over onto his back, pinning his arms. Yeah, man. Like that. He grinned at the perpetrator. "Call your guy off my man, Mark, or I'm so gonna knee you. And if you've got more balls than i think you do... that's gonna hurt." He ended his statement with a sweet smile. So maybe Linn was being a little cocky. He certainly was amused with himself at the moment, and felt he had every right to be.

Another slight twist was needed as Doc's captive struggled, the gesture earning a cry of pain and forcing the youth to both knees as his friend started towards Doc again. "Don't," he snapped at the man still on his feet. "Just don't. Don't think about it. Turn around, and tell your friend he can stop getting his ass kicked." Doc nodded over, drawing the younger man's gaze in line with his own to where Linn had subdued one of the two rather effortlessly. "Hey Jake! Derek!" he heard the youth call, giving one last look Doc's way and starting over anxiously, "Let 'em go! Let's get out of here!" Doc nodded in approval down at the man he had prone, making no move to release yet. When they let up, he would too.

"Lemme up. I'm out of here." The guy underneath Linn's vice-like grip squirmed a bit as he spoke. With a glance over toward Doc, another glance behind him to make sure that 'Mark' had been released, Linn obligingly rolled off of him. Linn sat there comfortably on the ground, smoothing his hair back into its rubber band, which had gotten tugged out in the fight. He tossed a grin at 'Mark,' who had blood on his face and looked a little stunned.

From his spot on the ground, Linn spoke to the big guy he had dealt with, who was obviously struggling to get up because of a sore leg. "Hey, man. No tough feelings, ri--" Linn's words were interrupted by the the sudden movement of that guy in front of him, followed by the sharp pain of a kick aimed at his ankle. Linn moved quickly, swinging himself up on his knees and reached an arm out to grab the guys uninjured leg. "That sucked, man. It was over, right? So why you still being a jerk?" Then he pulled on the guy's leg just slightly, forcing him to put weight on the sore leg. "Get out of here, alright?"

Doc was willing to finally release his captive, letting the younger man scramble back as he frantically massaged his wrist. Taking a few steps to give his friends a wider berth, Doc moved towards the remaining commotion with Linn, drawing his cellular phone and looking back to the truck. "I can call the cops if we keep this up," he warned, digging free his cigarettes with his other hand and tucking one in his lips. He wasn't expecting more trouble, and if his guess was wrong Doc figured he could still handle it. But here and now he was more interested in making sure both Linn and his friend were okay.

Doc's threat to call the cops was the last straw for the guy bothering Linn, who yanked free from his grasp and ran off to meet up with his friends, complaining, "We've stopped! Shit." Linn laughed under his breath, which made him wince slightly and touch his mouth. Yuck. Blood. Oh well. He turned his attention to the man coming over toward them.

"Hey... that was really cool of you," Linn said, relaxing back down onto the ground as if he was really worn out and ready for a rest, but not too bad off. "Pretty intense fight, yeah?" He looked to be in a really good mood, as if he thrived on the physical contact of a good fight. Now that 'Mark' was safe, Linn didn't even seem to be paying the younger boy any attention, which was just as well to him. He struggled to pull together all of the things that had fallen from his schoolbag when the guys had gone after him. He crouched, as if he was trying to be invisible.

Intense? Doc wouldn't have used the term himself, but he could remember an age like this, a time without his gifts, and he had to smile a touch. "Gutsy move there, stepping up to four guys without backup," he said with a nod of agreement, then stuffed his cellphone back in his pocket. Rummaging around, Doc came up with a bandana and offered it over to Linn's friend, obviously the more bloodied of the two. "You okay?" he asked Linn thoughtfully, figuring the large younger guy had to be. "I know sometimes it only takes one good knock to the head."

"OH, heck, yes. I'm fine..." With Doc's words, though, it finally seemed to sink into Linn's awareness that it hadn't been too smart a move to jump into that fight. But, well, Mark had needed him! He looked at the kid. Yeah, he had definitely needed him. "You okay now, at least, Mark?"

Steven--not Mark!-- nodded shortly. "...Thanks..." he said. He held Doc's bandanna up to his bloody lip. He still looked pretty shaken, holding his books and papers precariously. They looked like they'd fall again if he got bumped even a little bit. "Those guys..." He stopped talking and just sort of shook his head. "OH, well. Thanks. It's nice that there are still good Samaritans in the world."

"It's no problem," Doc assured Steven with a faint smile, "I had a few run-ins like that at my age, so I know how it goes. Keep the do-rag, I have plenty." Finally lighting up, Doc nodded back towards the direction Steven had originally been heading. "Oughta get on home though, guys like that normally only leave long enough to round up some more friends. And I don't feel like assaulting a minor today." Looking back to Linn, Doc's smile grew a touch. "Nice grapple there, though. You on the wrestling team?"

"Yeah, man," Linn with a nod and obvious pride. "Thanks." As Steven finished juggling his mounds of stuff and made his way off down the sidewalk, Linn made his way over to where he had left his messenger bag. He hefted it onto his shoulder, wincing lightly, but grinning all the same. Pain? Not such a bad thing. "So you make it a habit of jumping in and saving the day?" he asked Doc. He was intrigued by the man's way of handling those goons, and he couldn't help but let his mind drift to all the thoughts he had been having about the recent attacks in and around Marquette. Maybe Doc was the kind of guy who'd be interested in protecting the town.

"Used to," Doc answered, glancing back to where he'd tied Voltaire before looking to Linn again. "Getting old's forced me to slow down a little," he downplayed with a thin smile. That and knowing how easy the scales tip. "Still, sometimes it's nice to indulge myself, you know? Especially when it's four on one." For his part, Doc wasn't wondering about Linn's part in local events or what he might be able to do. Sure, he knew there was a hunk of the school that was involved after what he'd seen in the mines, but he couldn't go and assume every teen he met was more than human. Besides, he already had a set of eyes meant for covering local troubles. "I keep my eyes open though, old or not."