Mutants & Masterminds: Lake City Universe - HoH: The Early Bird Killer (IC)

[Heritage]

Monday, October 10th 2011. 8:09 am. Lower Parker Drive.

It was agreed by most of the team that taking the weekend off to recover from the stress and fatigue of dealing with the bank robbery was a good idea; the two detectives left the remaining casefiles in their care, and agreed to meet them the following Monday morning at the first crime scene. Since the team wasn't 100% comfortable driving the Beast yet, Bo cheerfully drove them out, wearing a giant pair of aviator sunglasses and a Dallas Mavericks cap.

It was warm and pleasant in Lake City, though it was much cooler down by the river and below the surface street level where Lisowski (in his patented trench coat) and Colby (in her signature leather bomber) waited by their loaner prowler, sipping coffee and hovering near a large box of donuts resting on the hood of the car. Ragged police tape marked off a darkened corner nearby.

Colby smiled and raised her paper cup in salute. "Morning, ladies and gents! Hope you guys enjoyed your time off."

[quotemyname]

Russell stepped out of the Beast gingerly. The top button of his collared shirt was undone, his jacket was slightly askew, and his tie was not tightened all the way. He looked like a dog that just crawled out of its cage. He stretched like one too. Placing his hands at the small of his back he bent himself quite far, stretching out his spine to a series of bone-grinding clunks and pops. He was the very personification of the phrase, 'rough around the edges'.

Colby smiled and raised her paper cup in salute. "Morning, ladies and gents! Hope you guys enjoyed your time off."

Russell waved her off as he passed by, muttering something about birds and how early it was. He quickly seized one of the extra coffee cups that lay near the donuts, and popped the top off with his thumb. The plastic incinerated before it hit the ground. Russell held his nose over the edge of the cup. A few furious sniffles later, he smiled.

"Hey, that's my spare..." Lizowski began, but that didn't stop Russell. He drained the entire cup of boiling hot Dunk'n Donut sludge in a second flat, not bothering to pause to taste it. Lizowski sighed, but even he couldn't dispense with the results of adding coffee to Russel's system.

Almost as fast as he'd had the coffee down, he had his shirt buttoned, jacket straightened, and tie fixed. He shook his head back and forth quickly like a dog drying itself, causing his hair to fall perfectly messily into place. "Never," He faced the detectives, "Never expect me to be effective without caffeine this early in the morning."

"Now," Russell placed his hand on one of the folders on the hood of their car and began to thumb through it quickly, "Is this a fresh crime scene or an old one?"

[Superball]

Superball stepped out, wearing her suit and looking quite ready for work. Seems she had spent some time cleaning her suit and even in the dark of the area it had a bit of a shine to it. Smiling she grabs a small bag from her seat and pulls out what looked like a large home-made breakfast biscuit from it.

"Ah, hello Detectives!" Shepulled out a thermos that she actually used to keep her milk cool.

She regretted she had no way to take some orange juice with her, but ths would do.

"So this is one of the scenes... I wonder... how far are we from the river or from a main sewer?"

She scratches her head. "That and has the crime scene technicians already checked things out on that end?"

[Special Agent Gary Samson]

Gary held a steel beverage bottles drinking from it infrequently, and making a face each time. He surveyed the area with a frown. He moved to the police tape, and peered into the darkness. It felt to him as figurative as it was literal. He took another chug from the bottle, and grimaced again. Why is it the things which are most healthy are so often the least appetizing? he wondered. Like Russ, he would have rather not been awake, though he probably would have been anyways. He'd been looking over the case-file during the weekend, and as a direct result he wasn't really sleeping well. Behind his G-man facade he was starting to wear toward exhaustion. Not for the first time he wondered if maybe he wasn't cut out for this after all.

[Heritage]

"Now," Russell placed his hand on one of the folders on the hood of their car and began to thumb through it quickly, "Is this a fresh crime scene or an old one?"

Lisowski was still looking at the paper cup in dismay while Colby answered Russ's question. "This is our first crime scene; we haven't had a new victim in, what, twelve days?" She look a small notebook out of her inside jacket pocket and flipped through a few pages. "That's one of the ten thousand things that've been bugging us: the lack of any apparent pattern as to when the killer strikes, other than the wee morning hours. Two days between the first two victims, then five days between the second and third, and now..." She held up her arms in frustration.

The older dectective spoke up as he eyed a jelly donut critically. "He may not have a pattern per se; it might just be based on opportunity. Not everything has to have some kind of occult significance." He took a huge bite, which led to a sprinking cascade of powdered sugar onto his trench coat; when he spoke again, his voice was heavily muffled by pastery. "I mean, he might have a day job that limits his stalking."

"So this is one of the scenes... I wonder... how far are we from the river or from a main sewer?"

She scratches her head. "That and has the crime scene technicians already checked things out on that end?"

Looking over at her partner with no small amount of disgust, Colby's gaze never left his face as he chewed. "Yeah, our regular tech boys have been all over this place, though by now so has every wino in the city." She slapped at a torn peice of police tape. "There's probably two inches of urine that weren't here before; whatever sense or analysis you can provided to supplement the lab rats will be greatly appreciated."

Meanwhile the grey-haired detective had been staring off towards the river; wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he pointed over with his free hand, still holding the last of his coffee. "River's no more than maybe a hundred, hundred and twenty feet away; sewer's..." His restless eyes flickered along the ground as he paced in a zig-zag pattern, until he stopped some thirty feet distant next to a manhole cover. "Here." He drained the dregs from his cup as he dropped down to a crouch, shaking his head. "I don't think we gave the sewer enough thought, Reena."

She nodded slowly. "You might be right; if the guy's not leaving any sort of visible trail, he could have headed down there without a trace." Colby turned to Naomi and gave her a smile and a wink. "Not bad, new kid; not bad at all."

[Superball]

"Hmm, my old nemesis, the sewers..."

She finishes up her breakfast, if you could call it that, and puts her helmet on, keeping it's face-plate up. "Also, if the timing of the killings is before sunrise, might be wise to see how long before sunrise each killing took place in. I know you won't have an exact number because you're going by how long the body was dead and unless you were the killer yourself or a psychic medium talking to the victim you'll just not know the exact time. Estimates will suffice for now."

She pulls out a tablet computer running a astronomical simulator. "At some point I am going to have to correlate the killings to any significant astrological alignments or signs. It's best to rule out the weird things before getting more mundane. Like a pure psycho."

Naomi was glad her suit was completely impermeable. "Luckily I'm ready to go all the way to the river if I have to... and no... I don't automatically inflate when I hit water... I used to until I fixed that glitch in the life support. Although riding the current might provide insight in the killers path perhaps... might be the only way to navigate the sewer if the footing isn't that good."

"Notify the water patrol in the area that there is a diver in the water in the river in..." She looks at her watch. "15 minutes."

She tosses her tablet to one of the detectives. "You can use that to talk to your CSI guys and it is logged into my facebook account. I have a FB contact with the River City Planetarium that can help with any astronomical questions."

She smiled. "So... who's up for some urban spelunking?"

[z-Blitz]

“I’d rather not go into the sewers.” It was the first thing Blitz had said. She’d been running around all morning, getting food here and there or running an errand for Colby or Mike. Now the speedster had stopped at Lisowski’s side, handing him another cup of coffee and adding in her two cents. “I did it last week; I’d rather not do it again. So I call not-it.

“We need to track by scent. We need a fresh crime scene and someone with a good nose. Do you know anyone with that kind of nose that’d be willing to help?” She directed the question to everyone. “I mean, the sewers is a good idea, but we should try tracking before going into the sewer. Of course, we could be looking at someone who is traveling out of time and is untraceable but that’s not really helpful, is it?”

Blitz wasn’t quite sure what she personally was doing here. She wasn’t an investigator. She also hadn’t said anything, because if nothing else, this was being supportive of her team. And Blitz, for all her other faults, was a team player.

[quotemyname]

"River's no more than maybe a hundred, hundred and twenty feet away; sewer's..." His restless eyes flickered along the ground as he paced in a zig-zag pattern, until he stopped some thirty feet distant next to a manhole cover. "Here." He drained the dregs from his cup as he dropped down to a crouch, shaking his head. "I don't think we gave the sewer enough thought, Reena."

She nodded slowly. "You might be right; if the guy's not leaving any sort of visible trail, he could have headed down there without a trace." Colby turned to Naomi and gave her a smile and a wink. "Not bad, new kid; not bad at all."

Hellhound nodded his approval. But the talk of the sewers had given him another idea, and he couldn't say he liked it much. Though, in the end, if it got the job done it would be worth it. Hellhound massaged his temples with a thumb and forefinger. He lifted his head, about to voice his newest suggestion, when Blitz chimed in...

“I’d rather not go into the sewers.” It was the first thing Blitz had said. She’d been running around all morning, getting food here and there or running an errand for Colby or Mike. Now the speedster had stopped at Lisowski’s side, handing him another cup of coffee and adding in her two cents. “I did it last week; I’d rather not do it again. So I call not-it.

“We need to track by scent. We need a fresh crime scene and someone with a good nose. Do you know anyone with that kind of nose that’d be willing to help?” She directed the question to everyone. “I mean, the sewers is a good idea, but we should try tracking before going into the sewer. Of course, we could be looking at someone who is traveling out of time and is untraceable but that’s not really helpful, is it?”

Holding his hand to his mouth, Russell cleared his throat loudly, "*AHEM* Ain't nothin' but a hound dog over here. I'd put my nose up against any tracker you've got in this city. For instance, *Sniff*, I see you stopped off at the dry cleaners while grabbing Lizowski his latest cup of joe. Really? Dry clean only? I figured if you knew you'd be dirtying up that suit all the time you'd use, I don't know... Cotton?" Russell gave his teammate a goofy smile. It was good natured fun, after all. "But SB's sewer suggestion gave me another idea." Russell stepped gingerly over the broken police line, not wanting to mess up any more of the crime scene than he already had to. "There's always a chance, that all this has to do with something... under the sewer level." He looked back over his shoulder at the rest of the group, "I'll do the nose knows thing when I get back." He said, tapping his highly sensitive nose, "But 'till then, don't wait up. I'm never sure how long this will take."

Suddenly, the air under the overpass grew hot. The atmosphere was heavy and smelled of sulfur. For a split second there was a bright flash, sounds of screaming, and then all at once there was nothing. Not even Russell. He was gone, with no indications as to where save for the scorch mark where his feet had been only moments before.

[Superball]

Naomi gulped. Seein Hellhound in action, even if she knew he was on her side, was unnerving to say the least.

"Okay... so wait for Russ... sounds like a plan."

She looked to Blitz, then to the detectives. "You know if it's the gunk and mire of the sewers that turns you off, Blitz, I'm sure that the detectives could requisition a cleansuit for you like the crine scene technicians use. That should work pretty well. Some rubber gloves and booties and your'e set. They might even have a spare respirator."

"At the very least, you might pick up a few things from Me, Russ, and the detectives."

Smiling she gave a encouraging smile. "The best teams become stronger off of eachother."

[z-Blitz]

Blitz went suddenly pale as she pieced together what Russell had meant with the stink in the air following his transport. Her hand rose, whether to try to stop Hellhound or to offer comfort, she didn’t know.

Flashback

Vala tried not to shrink back from Jacob. It was always a bad idea to show fear to someone like him. “Does it hurt?” she asked in a near-whisper, hoping to distract him by getting him onto his favorite topic: himself. “When you do that?”

“Teleport?” Coal-black eyes with a red pupil blinked at her lazily. “It feels like nails cutting into my flesh. It is like having my skull cracked open and my brains being draw out. It hurts like having my bones set on fire while still encased in my flesh. It feels… exquisite.” Black claws scraped gently at his lower stomach, starting at the top of his fur-like pubic hair and ending at his belly button. Vala found herself staring at the red welts his claws raised on his own flesh “But enough talking. Come here, my golden lovely.”

“I don’t want to wait, thinking about him… doing that.” Blitz had lowered her hand and crossed both arms over her torso. Her stomach hurt, both from the anxiety of the bad memory and worry for Russell. “I need something to do.” She marched over to the car and flipped through the files again so fast the pages were a blur to everyone else. Her memory refreshed, she said, “I’m going to canvass out farther than the police looked previously. Maybe they missed something. Gary, please call me if you need me to come back. Or when Ruh- Hellhound is back.” With that, she was gone, a red blur of disquiet and concern. In truth, her mind wasn’t on the case. It was somewhere far away, and she wasn’t really doing anything other than putting some distance between herself and the others.

Rolls

Blitz’s Perception roll: 4 total

[jameson] 9:32 am: test

[Jordan] 9:32 am: pass

Carver-working *rolls* 1d20: 3+1: 4

[Carver-working] 9:33 am: Ouch.

[Carver-working] 9:33 am: She'll try again later.

So… she sees nothing. Lemme add something about that in the IC stuff.

[Special Agent Gary Samson]

"Huh?" Gary turned, startled out of his thoughts. "Yeah, OK," he added but Blitz was already gone. Gary sighed, and flipped open the casefile for the umpteenth time in three days. "Is there a reason you called us here to meet Detectives? Beyond a desperate hope for missed clues? I've looked this file over seven ways from Sunday and I don't really have a whole lot more insight than I did a couple days ago. It's hard to draw a psych profile for somebody when you don't even understand the murders. Or is it murder singular? We still have no way of proving that this isn't the same woman do we?" Gary tossed his hands up, frustrated by the lack for information that they had. He took a moment to compose himself; poorly it seemed, as he was still clearly a little agitated. "I can only speculate, but if you want to hear it, let me know."

rolls for stuff

[jameson] 10:55 am: Psychology +5

jameson *rolls* 1d20: 16+5: 21

[Jeremy] 10:55 am: nice

[jameson] 10:55 am: Investigation +6

jameson *rolls* 1d20: 9+6: 15

[Heritage]

“I’d rather not go into the sewers.” It was the first thing Blitz had said. She’d been running around all morning, getting food here and there or running an errand for Colby or Mike. Now the speedster had stopped at Lisowski’s side, handing him another cup of coffee and adding in her two cents. “I did it last week; I’d rather not do it again. So I call not-it."

Lisowksi grinned at the fresh coffee that suddenly appeared in his hand. "Hey, thanks a lot, toots! You're alright."

“We need to track by scent. We need a fresh crime scene and someone with a good nose. Do you know anyone with that kind of nose that’d be willing to help?” She directed the question to everyone. “I mean, the sewers is a good idea, but we should try tracking before going into the sewer. Of course, we could be looking at someone who is traveling out of time and is untraceable but that’s not really helpful, is it?”

"Huh?" Gary turned, startled out of his thoughts. "Yeah, OK," he added but Blitz was already gone. Gary sighed, and flipped open the casefile for the umpteenth time in three days. "Is there a reason you called us here to meet Detectives? Beyond a desperate hope for missed clues? I've looked this file over seven ways from Sunday and I don't really have a whole lot more insight than I did a couple days ago. It's hard to draw a psych profile for somebody when you don't even understand the murders. Or is it murder singular? We still have no way of proving that this isn't the same woman do we?" Gary tossed his hands up, frustrated by the lack for information that they had. He took a moment to compose himself; poorly it seemed, as he was still clearly a little agitated. "I can only speculate, but if you want to hear it, let me know."

Colby nodded. "You might be right, about the tracking; we brought you here to see if we missed anything, but maybe we should have hit the last scene first."

Once Russ disappeared from view, the two cops got very quiet and uneasy. "Jesus Christ..." Lisowski mumbled as he shook his head. Colby laid a hand on his arm. "Give it a chance; you weren't very happy the first time I did a ritual, remember?" The older detective snorted. "I'm still not crazy about it, but okay; we'll give him a chance..."

Meanwhile:

Russ finds himself standing on freshly-fallen snow, under an open winter sky. As he looks around, he makes out a few physical features that look familiar: to the north, the Fulton River, under a thin layer off ice; across it, the high limestone dome dotted with skeletal trees that will one day be the exclusive neighborhood of Lake Bluff, and off to the east, just behind some low grassy dunes, what looks to be the icy waters of Lake Michigan, cold and forbidding. A breeze from the west carries the smell of smoke, which pulls the XP's gaze in that direction, where a short distance away a frontier fort made of logs burns, surrounded by dozens of corpses lightly dusted with snow; hundreds of crows and gulls noisily fight over the bodies. The smoke reeks not only of wood, but also the greasy stink of roasting human flesh. A black flag flies over the fort, flapping in the breeze; in the center of the fort stands a tall blockhouse, untouched by the fire, and though he can see no one, Russ's heart tells him he is being watched by something behind the shadowy slit-like windows, and that something is filled with hate...

[quotemyname]

The moment Russell's feet hit the snow he transformed into his more demonic form. In the moments it took Russell to get his bearings, the snow beneath his feet was already melted from the heat produced by the magical flames licking his body. Splitting pain rocked his world for a moment, and Russell doubled over, clutching at his head with one hand and supporting himself by bracing his other hand against his knee.

I'm stronger down here. The dog inside him seemed to grow stronger by the moment.

I realize that. We've been here before.

You knew, and yet you came back here anyway?

Yea. I did. Stronger or not, you're still mine.

Yours? Ha! You know this partnership only works because I allow it to!

For a second, the pain worsened, and Russell cried out.

Down boy! Russell roared internally. He was answered by a whimper. This partnership works because I allow it to! I'm the on in control. I am your master, and I'll not have you challenging me whenever we have a job to do!

The pain vanished as quickly as it had appeared. There was no response from his other half, but Russell couldn't help but feel like whoever it was that was watching him was smiling. That he did not like. His hackles rose like the big dog he so much personified.

"A black flag?" He asked no one in particular as he began approaching the structure, "Who flies a black flag? Pirates? Anarchists?"

The profit Mohammed.

What?

The profit Mohammed flew a black flag to represent his religion and his army that would oppose the coming of the false profit ad-Dajjal.

See? now you're helping. Can you tell me more?

These 'Black Banners' have also been noted in more recent times as linked to today's terrorists.

Right. So this is the bad guy's house.

Ugh. Sure, bad guy's house. If you're going to incredibly oversimplify things.

Well then, guess we know where to start looking.

Hellhound vanished. A moment later, he stood within the field of bodies. Pressing forward, he called out, "Knock, knock, anybody home? Please don't make me have to huff and puff!" Russell lunged forward quickly thrusting his fist into the charred doors of the fortress, hoping to shatter the weakened structure and gain entry.

[Heritage]

In Hell:

The thick wooden door which rippled with fire flew off its hinges, and Russ was able to see inside the fort for the first time; more bodies filled the courtyard, but unlike the bodies which were outside, which were Native American men, women and children, the bodies that were inside were dressed in the dark blue uniforms of the US Cavalry, though no birds picked at their corpses. Other than the blockhouse, which had no visible door, Russ could now see there were five low towers, one at each corner of the five-sided enclosure. Five sides...

From inside the the blockhouse, a low voice chuckled, as though at some personal joke. "I have to thank you, stranger; before you broke the barrier, I could only slip out to punish the bitch just before the sun kissed the sky. Now I can come and go as I please..."

And just like that, Russell knew he was alone. All at once, the gulls and crows took to the air, and began shrieking and cawing as they wheeled overhead.

In Lake City:

Detective Colby's eyes suddenly went wide as she crushed her coffee cup in her hand, badly scalding herself. "Ow, damn it! Did anyone else just feel that?!" For his part, Gary felt a dagger of ice trace down his spine, though none of the others present felt anything. From the river, the angry cries of gulls could be heard.

[Superball]

Naomi had a shock as she heard the birds scatter.

"Yeah... like something just walked over my grave. Group up and let's get over to where those birds got spooked. Something just has to have happened, I just know it..."

This pile of weird keeps gettign weirder... what if Russel got hurt? "Samson, picking up any shocks of pain or fear psychically? Or perhaps..." She gulps..."Anyone's last thoughts?"

[quotemyname]

In Hell:

"What's the matter? Not going to stay for tea?!" Russell spread his arms and called out to whatever new evil he'd just set free.

Now you've done it.

@#$% I know. @#$% Now what?

Well, you're not getting anything done standing around.

I'm not standing around. I'm looking around.

There's a difference?

When you have eyes there is. Come on. Let's get back upstairs.

In Lake City:

A burst of heat and crackling flames heralded Russell's return to the land of the living. The heat dissipated, and the flames died out quickly, but not before Russell started barking. "Okay, look sharp, people. Good news and bad news time, and there's no time to waste so I won't even ask which you want first." Russell's long strides covered the distance between the group and the crime scene in no time flat, "Good news: I found something. Or someone, or Hell, I don't even know what it was, but it spoke to me. Sounds like it's the one responsible for this mess. We can cover the details later, because right now I'm pretty sure the @#$%'s about to hit the fan. That's the bad news: Whatever it was I ran into down there... I just set it free." He paused to let that statement sink in, "If you're expecting a 'sorry,' or a 'whoops', you won't get one. What's done is done." He began walking away from the group. "Unless I miss my guess, whatever's been going on is about to get worse. But I'm betting that if whatever this was got sealed away once," He turned back around and set his eyes on the group, "We can do it again." He rammed one fist into the palm of his other hand to emphasize his last point.

"Hmmm. There were birds down there. Crows. They got spooked just before I left. Stuff like that sometimes gets mirrored up here. Anyone see any birds flying off in a rush just before I got back?"

[Heritage]

The two detectives stared at Russell for a few seconds. eyes wide open. Finally (and not surprisingly), it was Lisowski who spoke first.

"Yeah, the cute little birdies got all scared, because some fucking moron let a monster out of the box!" He angrily thrust a cluster of fingers at the side of his head. "Are you out of your fucking mind? Why the hell did you go to Hell if you're too stupid-"

Colby literally bodychecked her partner out of the way as she slipped the ugly plastic glasses that hung around her neck and started looking around frantically.

"Sorry, Linus, but the guy's right; we have no time to point fingers and bitch, because our situation is now changed." She grabbed her small notebook and began to scribble stuff down as she peppered the hell-touched man with questions. "Exactly what did you see in Hell? Any distiguishing landmarks, sights or smells? Was anyone else there? And what exactly did you do to release this thing?"

Meanwhile, as Val made her way back to the group, she suddenly felt the stroke of gentle fingers along the nape of her neck, and an alarmingly intimate voice whsipered in her ear; she even felt the warm breath tickle the fine hairs on her cheek.

"I'm so looking forward to meeting you..."

[quotemyname]

As Lisowski started fanning the fires that were Russell's already short temper, he found himself clenching his fists and breathing heavier.

Can't he see there's no time for this?

I know! I told them that we have to get moving! There's no point beating me up for a mistake I can't change! I wish he would just...

Colby literally bodychecked her partner out of the way as she slipped the ugly plastic glasses that hung around her neck and started looking around frantically.

"Sorry, Linus, but the guy's right; we have no time to point fingers and bitch, because our situation is now changed." She grabbed her small notebook and began to scribble stuff down as she peppered the hell-touched man with questions. "Exactly what did you see in Hell? Any distiguishing landmarks, sights or smells? Was anyone else there? And what exactly did you do to release this thing?"

Oh, well, catastrophe averted. I like her.

Yea, me too.

"Colby, I'm not exactly sure that we've got time for a complete run down, but I'll try to give you the important bits." Russell was looking around, like a startled dog with its hackles raised. He had all the mannerisms of a guard dog ready to pounce on anyone or anything that threatened it or it's own, "The landscape mirrored our current surroundings, but only geographically. There were rivers and lakes and such, but nothing man made. No highways, etc. The only construction was a nearby castle. It flew a black standard on the inner tower and it was real big. Too big for me to see the whole thing. If I had known it was shaped like a pentagon, I would not have busted open the doors. The only other people there were dead, as can be expected down there. It was like a war zone. Something out of a Cowboys and Indians western. The type where the Natives attack the frontier fort and the boys in blue defend the place while slowly running out of bullets and food. Only I got there after all the fighting." Russell hung his head for a moment. If he'd had a tail it would've been between his legs. "It must have been opening the doors that released it," He looked up again, he'd only briefly showed remorse, but it was there. Lisowski's words had had their effect on him, desired or otherwise. "It must have broken some seal. Soon as I popped my head inside, some voice thanked me for it's freedom, then left. I could feel it's presence leaving. It's the type of thing that makes your hairs stand on end. Like someone's tickling the back of your neck. You know when it's there, and you know when it's gone. There is one good thing, though. It called me 'Stranger' and didn't seem to know who I was. That's actually relieving considering some of the things down there that DO know who I am."

"And fyi, detective," Russell spat the word at Lisowski, "I went down there because I thought it might help. I never claimed it would fix all your damned problems. I just thought it might trigger something or provide some new insight, and it seems I've done both. Stupid or not, I'm getting more results than you have with this thing so shut your damn mouth and help us out here!"

I hope you're not really expecting that last bit to be helpful.

Hell no. Lizowski is like me. He tends to get more done when he's pissed.

That's true. Until now he's just been standing around eating donuts.

Yea, and I'd rather have him getting some excersize than following the 'Fatkins' diet.

[z-Blitz]

Val was lost in her own thoughts. She was aware that she was coming back toward the group but wasn’t sure she was ready for that. The blonde teen slowed to a walk, thinking. She’d go back if Russ was back, because then they’d maybe do something and she wouldn’t have to think about him in Hell. What are you doing? she asked, exasperated with herself. After Jacob, she’d sworn to stay away from crap like that – all the hell and damnation and that stuff. Yet, Russell was different. He was a good guy and he was cute. Val would be honest enough with herself to admit that the last point matt-

Val suddenly felt the stroke of gentle fingers along the nape of her neck, and an alarmingly intimate voice whispered in her ear; she even felt the warm breath tickle the fine hairs on her cheek.

"I'm so looking forward to meeting you..."

As Lisowski opened his mouth to add something (probably unhelpful) to the conversation, a sudden feminine scream cut through the air. A second later, there was the sound of rockets firing and exploding, the tortured groan of a building being ravaged and then a red streak headed straight for the group.

For Blitz, things had happened much slower. The second she’d gotten over the shock and fear, she spun, her body tense and ready for a fight. Nothing was there, but she felt something touch her hair. That was too much and she screamed in fright, jerking away from the grabby ghost or invisible man. When something touched her neck again, she truly lost it. Spinning again, she brought her hand up and snapped off the Jericho. The cluster of small rockets burst from the palm of her hand, created by her will, and streaked toward her target. But Blitz couldn’t see or sense her target, and the missiles spent themselves on a nearby building.

She hadn’t hit anything and knew it. Rather than waiting around for getting fondled or perhaps raped by a ghost, Blitz ran. The speedster couldn’t hurt it; there was no point in sticking around fighting a fruitless battle. She dashed toward the group, a hurtling blur of red and freaked girl. Val ran straight to Hellhound; he’d challenged Volt for her and though Volt was gone, the green-eyed girl went to him instinctively for protection. It appeared that she’d plow into Russ, but at the last second she checked her speed and merely staggered him back half-a-step. Her arms clamped around his chest and Russ was firmly gripped by a limpet-like shivering Blitz, who babbled into his shirt, “It touched me, it touched me, it touched me!”

[Superball]

Naomi was getting more and more intrigued by this... but if it was Russel's doing... what is out can't be good.

"Samson... can Psychics pick up on ghosts... particularly lecherous, perverted ones that like touching young women?"

She said that to try to distract Blitz, but she probably didn't help.

"Dammit I'm out of my league..."

She felt helpless as she hugged herself. Her suit creaked as she sighed. "...soo not in my league."

[quotemyname]

Russell staggered back a step and suddenly felt as if his torso were in a vice. He quickly realized that the vice was just Blitz.

Aww, that's cute. She misses us.

Don't you have any tact? Can't you see she's terrified?

Yes. I can. And her fear smells delicious.

Russell got the mental image of his other half licking it's lips. He scolded his inner demons with what might equate to wrapping a dog on the nose to dissuade it from further misconduct.

All of his impatient fury at Lisowski's behavior, and at himself for acting so rashly evaporated as Blitz squeezed him even harder,

Her arms clamped around his chest and Russ was firmly gripped by a limpet-like shivering Blitz, who babbled into his shirt, “It touched me, it touched me, it touched me!”

Russel found his hands acting of their own accord. His right rested gently on the back of Blitz's head and his left embraced her around the shoulders. Russell scowled. The guard dog was back. "Hear that? It's close. We need to figure out how to fight it. And fast."

"Dammit I'm out of my league..."

She felt helpless as she hugged herself. Her suit creaked as she sighed. "...soo not in my league."

She's not the only one.

It's true. I no longer have any clue what to do here. Damnit. By rights I should know more about this stuff. Remind me to hit the library after we handle this case.

"Um, Blitz?" Russell tested his teammate's composure, "There weren't by any chance... people... in that building, were there?"

[Superball]

Naomi's eyes went wide... was she so distracted from her own fear she missed a building being attacked.

"What... what did you do, Blitz?"

She looked very cross. She was scared, that was true, but Naomi wasn't bouncing around chaotically.

[Heritage]

Luckily Blitz's attack was mistargeted at the the very large (and well-built) Richmond Container Building, which had survived far worse in since it's construction in 1934; the small energy projectiles smacked into the brick and terra-cotta facade and did little more than leave several scorch marks and a a few dead pigeons, their lifeless, smoking bodies plummeting to the pavement. Several citizens were alarmed and a pair of beat cops wandered over to investigate, but Colby waved them off as she hastily wrote down everything Russell described.

Lisowski, so red in the face that he could have stopped traffic, for once kept his words to himself as he coldly rubbed the sore spot on his ribs where his partner had collided with him; for her part, she was extremely excited by what Hellhound had to say.

"Oh my god, it's the Fort Chapman Massacre! It took place...well, we're two years early for an anniversary, but the site isn't far from here." She pointed in the general direction Russ had seen the structure in Hell. "There's a marker, but it's actually at the wrong spot; no one's been able to build anything on the actual site since 1813!"

[Special Agent Gary Samson]

"Did you say five sides?" Gary asked suddenly. Forgotten was the chill of the grave on his soul. "I need a map. A map! Now!"

He rummaged through the Monster for a bit with Bo's help and produces a map of the area. "Show me Colby, where was the fort, and where are the other two crime scenes. Russ, you said the fort was five sides? That means it was a pentagon, which of course shares points in common with a pentagram. The connecting lines of which form a pentagram within, or it can be inscribed within a pentagram."

Gary looks at the rest of the group, "Pentagrams have a lot of meaning in mysticism beyond the Satanist aspects that the church gave them." He realized they were looking at him oddly, "I read a lot." He shrugged, "Anyways this murder, murders, whatever it is, has ritualistic aspects, what with the repetition of exact manner and clothing and the like. Further, the removal of the hands may have some significance, ritually or otherwise." He laid the map out on the car's hood and marked their location. He handed a pen to Colby, "The Fort? And the other murders?"

[quotemyname]

"Oh my god, it's the Fort Chapman Massacre! It took place...well, we're two years early for an anniversary, but the site isn't far from here." She pointed in the general direction Russ had seen the structure in Hell. "There's a marker, but it's actually at the wrong spot; no one's been able to build anything on the actual site since 1813!"

"Hmm, sounds like some sort of unhallowed ground or something." Russell wasn't totally ignorant of the goings on and effects that the fires of hell had on their world, "Let me guess. Any attempts at breaking ground have either failed entirely, or been unwillingly abandoned due to some sort of 'Indian Burial Ground' or something? What?" He waved off their looks, "I watched a lot of Scooby Doo as a kid!"

"Did you say five sides?" Gary asked suddenly. Forgotten was the chill of the grave on his soul. "I need a map. A map! Now!" ... "The Fort? And the other murders?"

"Gary!" Russell smiled widely at his teammate, "I like it!" Russell may have been certainly capable of getting things done on the job, but he was nowhere near the brains of the operation. He was glad to see that Gary was still capable of taking over in that respect. Somehow the advanced pace of events seemed to have jerked Gary out of a funk of some kind. It was heartening.

Russell lightly rubbed Blitz's back and gave her a reassuring pat, before lifting her off her feet and setting her aside. He smiled at her and brushed her arm as he moved to Gary's side to get a look at the map. He didn't want to make her feel like he was brushing her aside, but there WAS work to be done. "When I landed in hell, the fort was only a few hundred feet away at most. We should be close even now. My guess is about," Russell plugged at the spread out map with a finger, "Here. That look right to you, Colby?"

[z-Blitz]

It had taken time, but by the time Russ moved her away from him, Blitz was calm again. Honestly, by the time Russ moved her away, she was just enjoying the mid-work snuggle. Or so she told herself. She didn’t really have any way to deal with ghosts or whatever this was and it was clearly interested in her. That scared the piss out of her, and with effort, she managed not to think about it. If she thought about it, she’d just start panicking again. That wouldn’t help anyone, least of all her.

“I don’t know if this is important,” she said as the team members huddled over their maps, “but it clearly told me that it’s looking forward to meeting me. And it put a really unfortunate emphasis on ‘meeting’, like it meant that in a ‘I’m going to make you a linen nightgown and give you a raging case of tuberculosis’ kind of way. So I think the good news is that we can totally use that bait-idea. And I think the bad news is that the bait idea will totally work.”

She swallowed nervously and waited for their response.

[Heritage]

Colby looked at the map where Russ pointed, then nodded as she marked it with a little pentagram. "Yep, that's it. And yes, lots of industrial accidents any time anyone tried to build there, so eventually they just gave up."

But then she frowned as she marked the three murder sites; they were all fairly close to the river and the fort, but didn't seem to line up with pentagram or form a pattern.

"Hmm. Well now that we know the fort is key, that still might explain a lot; all the killings took place at the level of the original settlement, not any of the additional street levels that were added above it over the years."

She looked back over toward the area indicated on the map. "We should probably head over there right now, and see what recently changed before the killings started; something must have triggered all this."

Lisowski smoothly scooped the box of donuts off the hood of the car as he headed over to the driver's side. "No way, I get to drive for the rest of the day; I think you cracked a rib."

Noting all the sudden movement, Bo started up the Beast. "We all goin' somewheres or what?"

Colby yelled over from the unmarked car. "By the way, I'm not too crazy about this bait idea, but I guess we shouldn't rule it out!" Lisowski, on the other hand, gave the speedster an evil wink as he slowly nodded his head.

[quotemyname]

“I don’t know if this is important,” she said as the team members huddled over their maps, “but it clearly told me that it’s looking forward to meeting me. And it put a really unfortunate emphasis on ‘meeting’, like it meant that in a ‘I’m going to make you a linen nightgown and give you a raging case of tuberculosis’ kind of way. So I think the good news is that we can totally use that bait-idea. And I think the bad news is that the bait idea will totally work.”

She swallowed nervously and waited for their response.

Even as Colby began speaking to him, Russell's attention rapidly waned. The idea of using Blitz as Bait hit a little too close to home for him. He raised his eyes and fixed her with a strange gaze. She could tell he was looking at her and not just staring into space. But it was as if he wasn't seeing her. It was almost as if he'd expected someone else to be standing in her place. Maybe even wanted to see someone else standing there...

When Colby finished drawing on the map, and began moving to the car, he seemed to shake off the fugue he'd fallen into.

"By the way, I'm not too crazy about this bait idea, but I guess we shouldn't rule it out!" Lisowski, on the other hand, gave the speedster an evil wink as he slowly nodded his head.

As Russell made his way to the Beast he passed Blitz and looked at her once again. But this time he knew what he was seeing. "Just..." He cleared his throat, "Just please don't do anything that'll get you hurt, okay?" He averted his eyes toward the transport vehicle, "I mean... Can't expect me to be there to bail you out if something goes wrong..." His voice held a twinge of regret, and Blitz got the feeling he wasn't necessarily talking about her.

A puff of smoke and sulfur later, and Russell was clinging to the side of the Beast ready to move out.

[z-Blitz]

Blitz stared after Colby, not sure that the cop understood that it wasn’t whether they’d be using her for bait, but whether they’d be ready for it when it came after her. Lisowski’s wink, on the other hand, seemed to say that he not only got it but he was going to enjoy it – which made her feel a little uneasy. And then there was Hellhound’s reaction:

As Russell made his way to the Beast he passed Blitz and looked at her once again. But this time he knew what he was seeing. "Just..." He cleared his throat, "Just please don't do anything that'll get you hurt, okay?" He averted his eyes toward the transport vehicle, "I mean... Can't expect me to be there to bail you out if something goes wrong..." His voice held a twinge of regret, and Blitz got the feeling he wasn't necessarily talking about her.

A puff of smoke and sulfur later, and Russell was clinging to the side of the Beast ready to move out.

Blitz watched him go, feeling odd. She had this unsettling feeling in her stomach, like she’d been hit there. But nothing had touched her; she was just feeling wrong. She wanted to say something to him, something like, Your sister didn’t do anything to get herself hurt but it still happened. She didn’t let us in or do something dumb like that. Ettin took her and I… I… I. It was my fault.

But the confession didn’t come. It couldn’t come. Blitz wasn’t even really aware that this feeling in her heart was guilt. She’d never regretted an action before and wasn’t really sure what she was feeling. All she knew was that she felt terrible for her part in the mess. She hadn’t, until she’d seen Russ’s pain. And now, she wanted to take it back.

Instead, in a burst of motion, she headed for the fort.

[Special Agent Gary Samson]

"So much for that bad idea," Gary grumped to himself. As he trudged to the Beast, Gary made his expression neutral, determined. Inside he was anything but, he wasn't sure how to investigate a series of murders perpetrated by a ghost, or whatever it was, and he certainly had no idea how to capture such a thing. "Let's go," he said once Naomi was in her seat.

[Superball]

Stepping in, Naomi didn't know what to say. What the hell just happened with Russell? What has been unleashed?

"something tells me it might be a bad idea to have Blitz go alone... but I don't think any of us can catch her... I'm... feeling quite disturbed myself." She says, looking cold. "whatever's happened has spooked me, that is for sure." I think I missed a few details here and there trying to shake off that fear, but from what I remember we're investigating the fort for more evidence, correct?

[quotemyname]

"Let's put it this way," Russell spoke through the team's new communicators as the Beast rushed off toward their destination. They'd never hear his voice as he clung to the side of the vehicle. "My gifts, as it were, allows me to teleport, for lack of a better word. What really happens is that I take brief trips to the 'beyond'. Christians call it hell, others call it The Underworld, or Gahenna. But whatever your name for it, it's all the same place, and it does in fact exist. It can be a pretty tricky place. I got frustrated, and a little sloppy when I was down there. I let the place get to me, because I didn't want to stay longer than I had to. I made a rush job of my investigation and ended up breaking what I think is the seal on some other-worldly entity." Russell pulled his weight to one side of the vehicle as it rounded a sharp corner, "From what I saw, Colby thinks that this is all connected to a massacre that happened years ago. When things go wrong like that, when a lot of people die all at once in one place. Some of the ill will, or bad Ju Ju, again, whatever you want to call it, can get trapped. Over the years it struggles to find a way out over and over again. Sometimes it can find ways to bleed over into our world. For my money, that's what the murder scenes really are. It was this evil spirit trying to get out."

Naomi's words echoed in his head again,

"something tells me it might be a bad idea to have Blitz go alone... but I don't think any of us can catch her..."

She was right, Blitz was no where in sight. "Unfortunately, I made the mistake of opening the floodgates on the whole thing. Now we just have to hope that the fallout isn't too bad." Russell's eyes narrowed as he mentally prepared himself for the worst: An army of restless undead soldiers, the awakening of an Indian Burial Ground, even all out cataclysm. Worse still he knew, as he thought of Blitz running somewhere up ahead, was the thought of his own history repeating itself, much less the history of the fort.

Part of being what he was meant that he was responsible for fixing whatever he'd just broken. Russell was prepared to do whatever it took to make sure he set things right, starting with keeping Blitz out of harm's way.

[Heritage]

Of course Blitz easily outpaced the rest of the team, who had to navigate a few traffic signs and a street or two on their was to the old fort's location, whereas she arrived in the blink of an eye.

She came upon a construction site, still well below street level, directly adjacent to the five-sided area Colby had indicated; several men in bright yellow vest and hardhats were standing around a large backhoe, the hydraulic bucket arm of which had knocked over a section of concrete wall, most of which appeared to be decorated with a beautiful and elaborate street mural, now partly destroyed.

An older man, most likely a foreman, was screaming at the backhoe operator, who looked positively sheepish.

"What I'm sayin', Duwayne, is that I don't think you completed your safety check this morning! You said all the hydraulics checked out, but-" Noticing the teenaged girl in tight red leather, he did an actual double take. "What the-?" He looked her up and down, his clipboard nearly dropping out of his hand. "Who the hell are you supposed to be?"

- - - -

A few blocks back, Bo (looking like a NASCAR driver in his jacket, cap and oversized shades) was handling the Beast like a pro, clearly happy to be back in the saddle as he followed closely behind the detectives' unmarked sedan.

"The thing of it is, no one really knows how to work this baby like I do; the variable gravmags I built into the frame let you selectively shift the weight of the vehicle on turns." He yelled out the window at Hellhound. "Hey Jojo, check this shit out!"

There was a high-pitched whine as the good ol' boy worked a special gearshift with his right hand while turning the wheel with his left; the Beast made a nearly impossible high speed left-hand turn as everyone's belly did a quick flip-flop. For his part, Russell felt a bit like he was on a roller-coaster for a split second. Bo hollered and pumped his fist.

"Yessir, that's how we do it!"

The ride was thankfully over soon enough, the two vehicles coming to a stop outside the chain link fence of the construction site. Lisowski gingerly climbed out, wincing and sucking air as he held his side. "Ow, damn you, Reena! Well, this looks like the place..."

[z-Blitz]

Blitz grinned and put her hands on her hips, affecting a stance that only teenage girls can manage. “I’m supposed to be a Blitz. Is it working?”

“You’ve blitzed me.” One of the workers was eyeing everything below her chin. Blitz’s bemused eyeroll was missed by the guy, who wasn’t even pretending he wasn’t staring at her like the last piece of cake in fat camp. “Wanna come over to my place tonight and blitz me some more?”

“You sure I’m legal?” As his eyes finally snapped up to her face to see if she was joking, she looked at the probable foreman. “I’m with the Baker County Sheriff’s office, part of their special liaison.” She did not mention the Stalwarts very intentionally. “We’re doing an investigation, and we hope to have your full cooperation.”

“I’ll cooperate with anything you want, baby.” The first man spoke again and earned himself an elbow in the gut from a co-worker.

The co-worker helpfully hissed, “She’s a cop, ya moron!”

“I’m glad you’re so civic-minded, citizen!” Blitz turned her megawatt smile on the lecherous man. “It’s wonderful to know that we can count on your help.”

“What kind of help do you want?” the foreman asked gruffly, looking somewhat less swayed by her cute, bubbly demeanor.

“We’ll outline that once the rest of my team gets here.” As if her words had summoned them, the Beast roared into view and Blitz twisted to wave. The graceful and lithe action of her body as she moved made the gesture appealing to all who swung her way.

[Superball]

Naomi huddled in her seat, strapped in with a special version of the restraints she put on for her specific seat to accommodate her suit going into "crash mode" if such a thing was needed, her helmet's face-plate down and speaking over her built-in com-link that was recently patched into the network.

"Really? So we gotta gotta call like a Exorcist now or something? I'm not exactly the spiritual sort... Perhaps we should call in the Vatican on this or something?"

Naomi was nervous, rightfully so. This was very much outside of her bounds. Her realm was science, not the ongoing war between the forces of good and evil.

[quotemyname]

"Really? So we gotta gotta call like a Exorcist now or something? I'm not exactly the spiritual sort... Perhaps we should call in the Vatican on this or something?"

"Hah, good one!" Russell quipped as the Beast came to a halt. He used what was left of the truck's momentum to skip forward a few steps quickly as he hit the ground. Unlike the rest of the team, he seemed unfazed by their leader's reckless driving. Unsurprisingly, the guy that let a demon walk around inside of him and took occasional trips through hell seemed to be made of sterner stuff. "Though the Catholic church does have an entire division of priests dedicated to performing exorcisms, I'm almost certain that they're responsible for hurting or at least scaring more people than they've ever helped. I think we're better off with our in-house resources on this one." Russell wasn't entirely sure of the extent of Colby's knowledge on these subjects, though she seemed quite capable so far. Given the dynamic between her and her partner (Lisowski usually called the shots and she backed him up) Russell had taken note that Lisowski had been playing second fiddle on this case. That led Russell to trust that Colby wouldn't be leading the charge on this case if she didn't know what was what.

"Yessir, that's how we do it!"

The ride was thankfully over soon enough, the two vehicles coming to a stop outside the chain link fence of the construction site. Lisowski gingerly climbed out, wincing and sucking air as he held his side. "Ow, damn you, Reena! Well, this looks like the place..."

"Those were some pretty tight left turns. You'd make Tony Stewart proud, my friend." He gave Bo a thumbs up as he moved past the window, and proceeded to pat Lisowski stiffly on the back, "Walk it off, champ." Russell told him, showing that he could give as good as he got in the tough love department. He didn't wait around for a response. In a second or two, his unnatural speed propelled him toward the Construction site and the meeting Blitz had already started.

Russell strode on to the construction site with all the authority he could muster. With his long pea coat, shirt, tie, and slacks he made quite the show of the 'official' look, "Well, now that you've all been buttered up as much as my partner here is when she squeezes into that that outfit," Blitz noticed that he could have used 'teammate', or 'associate' but that he'd gone with partner on purpose. The quick wink she got as Russell approached the foreman was all the confirmation she needed, "And seeing as how she doesn't have any pockets, I'll be taking care of the formalities." His one-liners leaving nothing to be desired, he produced the ID he'd been issued as part of the team.

"Mr. Foreman," Russell began after the man had seen the ID and he'd stuffed it back in his coat pocket, "My name is Russell Buchanan. On behalf of my team, I think that it may be best if you and your men take your regularly scheduled union break a little early today. Our investigation, while focused on the nearby memorial, may stray closely into this area. The city would like to avoid as many 'industrial accidents' as possible. While I can't say with any certainty that this construction site is officially a crime scene as of yet, we may have to declare it one as part of this investigation." Russell cleared his throat before delivering a polite suggestion to which he hoped the foreman would be receptive, "For now, however, I think it would be easiest if we just clear the area for a few moments so that we can set up a base of operations. We should have some more concrete information for you within the hour. Your cooperation would be greatly appreciated in this matter." Every once in a while, Russell provided the rest of the team with the reminder that while he never graduated, he did at one point attend law school.

[Superball]

The last couple of turns set off her suit, putting it in crash mode as it detected the turns were well past any logical safety threshold. It didn't threaten to push anyone out of their seats, it was just now Naomi took up all of her space practically until the Beast came to a dead stop.

A few scant moments afterward, Naomi was on foot again, looking like nothing happened. She trusted in her compatriots enough to follow their lead on this sort of case.

"Okay, what can your science girl do for this case, guys?"

[Special Agent Gary Samson]

Gary noted that Russ was taking the lead, and so as he got out of the Beast he focused on scanning the area. He looked around, trying to see if there was any old architecture that could have been part of the original fort. The construction machinery made him wonder if what Russ had seen in hell -a concept that he still felt uneasy about- might have had a counterpart in this place that had been damaged or destroyed before all of this had started.

As he looked around he also scanned the area of minds, making a point to verify that each mind he found corresponded to a person present. If there was some kind of spirit being or such he hoped to locate it by finding a mind without a physical form. He tried to keep his eyes open for other details as well, anything could be a clue, anything could be relevant.

Rolls

[jameson] 8:28 am: Perception +14

jameson *rolls* 1d20: 7+14: 21

[jameson] 8:29 am: Investigation +6

jameson *rolls* 1d20: 10+6: 16

[Heritage]

“We’ll outline that once the rest of my team gets here.”

Most of the workers were eagerly stepping away from their equipment, happy to have a pretty girl to puff themselves in front of, even if there was some question about her age. For his part, the foreman frowned and scratched the back of his head.

"The rest of the team...?"

"Mr. Foreman," Russell began after the man had seen the ID and he'd stuffed it back in his coat pocket, "My name is Russell Buchanan. On behalf of my team, I think that it may be best if you and your men take your regularly scheduled union break a little early today. Our investigation, while focused on the nearby memorial, may stray closely into this area. The city would like to avoid as many 'industrial accidents' as possible. While I can't say with any certainty that this construction site is officially a crime scene as of yet, we may have to declare it one as part of this investigation." Russell cleared his throat before delivering a polite suggestion to which he hoped the foreman would be receptive, "For now, however, I think it would be easiest if we just clear the area for a few moments so that we can set up a base of operations. We should have some more concrete information for you within the hour. Your cooperation would be greatly appreciated in this matter." Every once in a while, Russell provided the rest of the team with the reminder that while he never graduated, he did at one point attend law school.

Russ did look a lot more official that the pert and perky teenager, so naturally the man in charge looked much more comfortable speaking with him.

"Uh, 'crime scene'? We just had a little bit of equipment trouble; nobody was hurt or anything." He indicated the backhoe with a wave of his clipboard. "Duwayne was working the bucket arm about five minutes ago, and the thing just swung around and took out the wall." He shrugged. "We looked everything over, could find any mechanical faults; hydraulics and electrics are all fine."

"Okay, what can your science girl do for this case, guys?"

The veteran detectives seemed to be enjoying a rare chance to sit back and watch as Blitz and Russell interacted with the construction crew; in particular, Lisowski was amused by the rather pathetic posturing going on in the blonde speedster's vicinity. Hearing Naomi's query, Colby (still wearing the ugly plastic glasses frames) stepped over to her.

"You have any sort of camera or sensory equipment? I assume that's a dumb question, but there you go."

She waved at the damaged concrete wall.

"Why don't you hit that big boy with everything you have? The mural, overall construction, everything; use heat, sonar, x-ray, whatever you've got." Then she indicated the large hole with a jut of her jaw. "And have a look through there, only don't cross the broken barrier, at least not yet." She tapped the temple of her frames. "I'll be doing the same thing on the magical spectrum with these."

Lisowski, for his part, slowly sauntered over to the foreman, his notebook and pen in his hands, which rested with wrists crossed down around his tarnished belt buckle. His facial expression was almost comically somber and understanding.

"Sir, I'm Dectective Lisowski, ECU; that's my partner Detective Colby over there in the ugly specs." He nodded towards Russ and Val. "We're working with the sheriff's office on this matter, you understand."

As Agent Samson was largely unobserved by the others, due to his lack of flamboyant clothing and overall humdrum appearance, he was able to discretely have a look around the site. The most interesting thing he was able to figure out is the subject of the damaged mural: the sun rising over the lake, with the first fingers of light signalling the dawn.

None of the workers showed any abnormal thought patterns, beyond the less-than-noble ones percolating in the minds of those closest to Blitz...

[Superball]

Superball walks up to colby, blushing after a facepalm. "Completely useless... I got nothing like that. This suit's just a first off the line. That'll take me months to develop."

Sighing, she looks over the scene. "But... I can do this the old fashioned way. With careful examination and deduction. Detective... have anything with a magnifying glass and something I can use to do some scrapings? To be honest at this point we have to trade solving a case with the integrety of the artwork here. That and I don't really need more than perhaps a 2 x 2 centimeter squate patch at suspicious locations. I'll have to use more of an engineer's eye. Perhaps if I see some real anomalies I can point someone with better sensory capability to examine it more closely."

"Remind me after this to start like... using the lab and start getting some sensors built for this suit." She says, frustrated, but then gets right to work.

Investigation and Science Rolls

[Kamiko] 6:40 pm: Hey Jordan!

[Kamiko] 6:41 pm: Doing a Investigation and a Science roll for Naomi (SB) in HoH.

Kamiko *rolls* 1d20: 6+18: 24

Kamiko *rolls* 1d20: 2+18: 20

[Kamiko] 6:41 pm: ok witnesses?

[Kamiko] 6:42 pm: I'm sort of time-sensitive here...

[Asarasa] 6:42 pm: witnessed

Naomi starts looking for odd flaws in the surroundings, or changes in the paint present that just doesn't fit for aging or structural stress.