StV: Florida Man, part five

"Well, Cloudburst was right," Gaunt said quietly. "We're going to need an airboat." He'd picked up a direction -- still fuzzy, but definite -- for Florida Man again about the time they reached Miami. 

"Or a helicopter," grumbled Nightfall. "Armor, you haven't managed to get your setup to fly yet, have you?" 

Armor shook her head, looking out over the wetlands. "No, jump jets only. And I'm afraid if I tried that out here I might sink right in when I landed." Armor had spent a lot of time getting her suit crafted to her specifications and it was lighter than it looked, but she was still refining the design. "I haven't made it aquatic yet, either."

"That could become a problem," Cloudburst said quietly. "All right, we keep you out of the water if at all possible."

"That would be good," Armor admitted, looking away. "It's not the design, it's the money, you know?"

Cloudburst nodded sympathetically. Shortly after joining the team, she'd taken Armor up on her offer to explain in detail about her powered armor and what exactly it could do. She knew exactly what the problem was, and it wasn't with Armor or her ability to create things. Limitations in power sources and materials were their own issues, but those could be overcome with better designs -- but new designs, and testing and refining them, cost money. Lots of money. Which was why Ms. Salvatore, the Auxiliary Headmistress, had been pulling together investors for a factory to produce and market some of Armor's other designs -- which in turn cost her time to come up with. 

"Pardon me," said a voice behind them, and Gaunt whipped around so fast that for a moment Cloudburst thought he was going for a knife. He must have startled the woman behind them, too, because she took a quick step back, then settled down when Gaunt didn't move any further. 

She was tall, with broad shoulders and thick hips, black hair cut short and styled back... and she was wearing a park ranger's uniform. The woman studied them for a moment, then cleared her throat. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but... you're not thinking about going out there alone, are you?"

"Ah," said Cloudburst. She glanced at Tempest, who swallowed. "Well, not on foot."

"Do I need to explain to you why that's a really bad idea?" 

"I mean," said Gaunt, utterly deadpan, "it probably wouldn't hurt."

The park ranger took him at his word and started ticking off fingers. "You might mess with the wildlife. The wildlife might mess with you. I know it doesn't look like it, but without proper gear and some experience it's very easy to get lost. If we have to do a Search and Rescue, you'll be liable for the costs. Even ignoring the wildlife, the landscape itself is dangerous."

Cloudburst nodded. "Yes, Ma'am. We were trying to figure out how to work around all that."

The woman -- in her early thirties, maybe? -- paused, suddenly puzzled. "Okay, if you know all that, why do you want to go out there?"

Studying the woman's face, Cloudburst made a split-second decision. "Because we can help find Florida Man."