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

[z-Blitz]

Blitz smirked at Russell’s remarks, even as a blush colored her cheeks. I guess he really is claiming me, she thought. She hoped that he’d be more like Jessie than Johnny. As he moved on and began to talk to the men, she let him led the investigation. That was in part because this definitely wasn’t her area of expertise. But when they were talking about the bucket scoop misbehaving, she frowned. “Mind if I take a look at that?” she asked the foreman, pointing to the machine.

“You?” he asked, staring at her in surprise.

“Me!” Val tilted her head cutely and added, “It’ll only take a moment.” Without really waiting for permission, she zipped over to the machine and began to examine it. The crew watched with wide eyes as she assessed the machine with startling quickness, her body a blur as she opened panels, looked at parts and poked at various bits.

Heri, let me know if you want rolls for this. With her Quickness, it shouldn’t take long for her to check it out.

[Heritage]

"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."

Colby snorted as she dug into her jacket pockets. "Uh, seeing as how three people have died, possibly in connection with this site, I think I can officially say fuck the integrity of the artwork. Here you go." She offered the young technician three sterile sample bags and a pair of tweezers. "Knock yourself out." Then she dug into her ever-present shoulder bag and pulled out a very impressive-looking digital camera. "Take some snaps, too."

The workmen could only whistle in appreciation as the tiny blonde dynamo examined every nook and cranny of the backhoe in a matter of seconds. One of them called out, "Hey, if the super-duper thing doesn't work out, give us a call, okay? I bet you'd look damn cute in hard hat!"

Unfortunately the young speedster was able to note anything unusual about the piece of equipment; perhaps other forces had been at work at the time of the accident?

[quotemyname]

"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."

"Hmm that would coincide with the timing of events on our end." Russell spoke out loud to no one in particular. "You getting all this?" He gave Lizowski and his notepad a sideways glance, "I should probably start carrying one of those things,"

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...

As Russell's mind in general was always so loud and chaotic it was difficult to ignore, Gary also picked up on the following:

Aren't you forgetting something, fearless leader?

What? I don't think so.

What about that whole bleeding through to our world to make the attacks just before dawn thing?

Crap, you're right! That back hoe corresponds to me knocking down the doors of the fort, but not to the previous goings on.

Aren't you glad you keep me around?

Oh, SO glad. You might point out the obvious bits I always miss, but I've still got no clue how that spirit or devil or whatever would leak through to our world. Any wonderful insight on that?

Nope, that's all you're getting from me for now. Of course, if you threw me a steak bone or something...

What why? You're not real, you can't eat. You don't even have teeth.

Hey, every dog get's it's day.

Ugh. Just shut up, I'm trying to concentrate.

Russell may have been on the right track, but it seemed he was too distracted either by his inner demons, or Blitz, or both to notice he'd missed dispensing a key piece of information to the rest of the group.

The workmen could only whistle in appreciation as the tiny blonde dynamo examined every nook and cranny of the backhoe in a matter of seconds. One of them called out, "Hey, if the super-duper thing doesn't work out, give us a call, okay? I bet you'd look damn cute in hard hat!"

"Hah, now there's an idea, Blitz. We ever need some good publicity or funding, you could always do a photo shoot." Russell's lips cracked into a devilish smile.

Down boy!

Hey, that's my line!

"Mr. Foreman," Russell prompted the conversation back toward the topic at hand, "Would you be so kind as to provide us with some information about this project and possibly the surrounding area? Who's footing the bill for all this work?" He made a sweeping gesture to indicate the whole construction yard, mural included. "If you have any information about what that mural was before it was knocked over, that might be helpful. As well as these other buildings," Russel too had noticed the geometric layout of the buildings, thanks only to the fact that he'd been keeping his eyes open for pentagrams this time, it was subtle enough that any normal person wouldn't give it a second thought, but Russell wasn't a fan of making the same mistakes twice, "What they're made of, when they were built, what purpose do they serve, or type of business they house? That sort of thing. Anything you can tell us might be able to help." Russell's eyes went straight to Blitz after his little interrogation. What if she slips and falls? he thought to himself as she examined some of the pistons while standing atop the machine's towering arm. He shook his head, shaking off those thoughts like a dog might shake off water, She's a big girl, she can handle herself. Now pay attention...

[Special Agent Gary Samson]

Gary frowned at the rubble of the wall and the mural showing dawn over the lake. Coincidence was not a phenomenon that detectives and Federal agents believed in. He followed the course of the wall and quickly saw the form of what must have once been the old fort. Kneeling by the fallen wall he looked at the structure, and eyed the remaining wall segments. His frown turned to a scowl for a moment before he laid a hand on the wall and closed his eyes, stretching his mind out to the rubble and back into its past, seeking answers in the psychic residue left behind on the century(ies?) old brick and mortar.

stuff

Using Extra Effort to stunt a Postcognition "Object Read" effect.

I don't think any roll is needed but if you want one let me know.

HP: 4

[Heritage]

"Mr. Foreman," Russell prompted the conversation back toward the topic at hand, "Would you be so kind as to provide us with some information about this project and possibly the surrounding area? Who's footing the bill for all this work?" He made a sweeping gesture to indicate the whole construction yard, mural included. "If you have any information about what that mural was before it was knocked over, that might be helpful. As well as these other buildings," Russel too had noticed the geometric layout of the buildings, thanks only to the fact that he'd been keeping his eyes open for pentagrams this time, it was subtle enough that any normal person wouldn't give it a second thought, but Russell wasn't a fan of making the same mistakes twice, "What they're made of, when they were built, what purpose do they serve, or type of business they house? That sort of thing. Anything you can tell us might be able to help."

"Uh..." The foreman, who's shirt bore an embroidered patch bearing the name 'Zitsky', scratched the back of his head as he looked back and forth between the two buildings. "Well that one to the left is the Dade Building, which went up in I think the Forties. Steel framework, brick sheathing, marble and grantite facing." He shrugged. "Dade Company makes paper products I think; notebooks and stuff." Then Zitsky indicated the building one the right with a wave of his hard hat. "That one there is the Allied Harvest Building; it's a little older, late Thirties I think, but same basic construction, just with a lotta terra cotta ornamentation."

One of the other workers chuckled. "'Lotta terra cotta'..."

"Shaddup, Coleson. Allied Harvest's like...an argricultural conglomerate, I think. Bacon, bread, salad dressing, stuff like that."

Then he strode over towards the partially destroyed wall. "This barrier's been here forever; I don't know how hold it is...maybe dates back to the Thirties when they first started to develop this area." He indicated his own worksite with a jut of his jaw. "We're tearing up the street here to lay part of a new fiber optic network for AT&T; all the old lines were laid out in ancient gas piping back in the early Nineties, back when they were curtting corners like crazy." The middle-aged man turned his head and spat.

And finally he addressed the mural itself with a sweep of his hand. "This thing went up a few weeks ago, right before we started digging; I know because I drove by the site back in mid-September, just so I could figure out where I'd be able to park once we started workin'." he turned his head to one side. "It's kinda hard to see now with that big hole in it, but it was like...I dunno, the sun rising over the lake?" He waved his hand near the bottom. "Down here was like a little campsite, little tents built around a campfire, up on a dune." He shrugged. "It was kind pretty, so we just left it."

As he noted Lisowski writing everything down, Zitsky began to look worried. "Are we...are we in trouble? Do I need to call my union rep or something?"

- - - -

Meanwhile, Gary sent his mind probing into the low pile of rubble just beyond the newer concrete wall...

...and found death.

Death has marked this innocent-looking patch of ground for decades, centuries even. He sees knifings, shootings, Indian war clubs shattering skulls, lonely men and women crawling into the shadows to freeze or bleed to death. He sees three buildings attempted on the site, going back to the Twenties, and each site plagued by weird accidents and fatalities; a load of bricks suddenly tipping over and crushing a worker three stories below, a horrific asphalt fire, each new tragedy more ghastly than the last.

And as the cascade of screams, cries and agonies unfolds before him, Gary begins to sense an ancient presence lurking underneath it all, something with the cruel and impish nature of bored child in his backyard, alone on a summer's day with a magnfiying glass and a pair of tweezers...

[quotemyname]

As he noted Lisowski writing everything down, Zitsky began to look worried. "Are we...are we in trouble? Do I need to call my union rep or something?"

Through Zitsky's speech, Russell had shoved his hands into the pockets of his pea coat, his ID badge now surrendered to one of the jacket's many pockets. He followed Zitsky's gaze and listend attentively, thankful that Lisowski was playing the scribe. He wasn't sure if he would have had the brain power to be able to take notes and piece together what was going on at the same time.

Then Zitsky noticed Lisowski's hands furiously scribbling, and got worried.

"Mr. Zitsky," Russell began with a small gesture at the man's shirt, "Or Mr. Foreman if you'd prefer," He shrugged indicating it didn't matter to him what he had to call the man. "I honestly don't think you have anything to worry about," Russell placated the man, "Don't think that us showing up the instant one of your men put a crack in some tagger's, albeit beautiful, artwork is an indication that you're suddenly in the doghouse. I know sometimes companies have policies that require them to just let a representative go if there's any kind of trouble be it their fault or not. Like when a commercial truck driver gets rear ended and gets fired for it." Russell shrugged again. He wanted to make sure that Zitsky knew exactly how little the man's concerns mattered, "Just between us, I've got no inclination to report this little incident of collateral damage." He was hoping that his reassurances would ensure the worker's continued cooperation. "You know how it is when our government's Judicial branch has bigger fish to fry. We're pretty much cleared to look past whatever the heck else might be going on so long as we crack this case we're working on." Russell flashed the man a charming smile, he wanted Zitsky to know they were all friends here.

"Now, that's not to say we WILL look past every little thing. In the end, we need to crack this case. If that doesn't happen, all bets are off. But then, that's why your help is so important. If you or your workers can help us out, as far as your superiors are concerned, I was never even here." Throughout his little speech, Russell made a concentrated effort to avoid any information or terms related to 'murder investigation', or 'serial killings'. After all, why bother Zitsky with anything that might upset him?

"Right, Sherlock?" Russell glanced at Lisowski and his notepad. He never waited for Zitsky's response. The longer they delayed, the colder this trail would get, "Think we can rule out these other two buildings having anything to do with our case? They sound pretty innocuous to me."

"Mr. Zitsky," Russell placed a hand on Lisowski's shoulder as he addressed the foreman, "Detective Lisowski likely has a few other questions that I'll let him go over with you. If you don't mind, I'm going to have a little look around."

Russell left their little pow-wow without a second thought and went about putting his nose to the ground. Figuratively. He hoped perhaps his keen senses would turn up some new information about their surroundings since the foreman seemed to be turning into a dead end.

[Special Agent Gary Samson]

Gray stumbled backwards from the wall. "Jesus," he breathed before spinning and vomiting into the dirt. Hands on his knees he took a moment to try and recover from what he had seen. After a minute he was able to right himself, though his hands still shook and he could feel his heart pounding. "It's evil. The kind of evil that doesn't even see us as more than playthings." He shook his head, "It's ancient. Malevolent. Colby, I'd step careful around here, you don't want to see what I just saw." He swallowed, his throat burned. "I don't even know where to start with this thing."

status

Spending 1 HP to negate Fatigue

HP:3

[Superball]

After packing anything interesting into bags, she pockets them and looks around. "So... should we get this stuff to the lab, or..."

Hearing what Samson was talking about stops her in her tracks. She gulps. "I think I won't ask either..."

[z-Blitz]

Blitz zipped over to the Beast and dug in the interior for a fraction of a second. When she came out, she had a map in her hand. It was the one Colby had been looking at earlier, and she studied it a moment before taking off at a slow run. She ran the outline of the old fort as best as she could, deviating only when required by existing structures.

When done, she was standing next to Russ, looking up at him. “Are you going down under again to see what Hell looks like over here?” She drew a deep breath that didn’t take but a nanosecond before she spat out, “BecauseIreallydon’twantyouto.” Big green eyes gazed up at him; her cheeks were a little red under the edge of her mask. “And I don’t know that you should unless you need to. I mean… we’ve got a lot of information to find here. And with Gary’s reaction… I don’t know if it’d be good for you. For your heart… uh!” Blitz stopped and there was no mistaking the blush this time. “I mean… mentally. Emotionally. People get messed up by terrible stuff like that and you’ve had enoug-”

Val’s teeth clicked shut. “IjustmeantwithGarythrowingupjustfromtouchingthingsmaybeyoushouldn’tgooverthere. That’s all!”

[quotemyname]

Russell had been so busy trying to see if he could sniff out any more clues as to what was going on, by Naomi asking for directives, and by Gary displaying what he'd eaten for breakfast that he didn't see Blitz zip up to him, though he supposed he should be used to it by now.

When done, she was standing next to Russ, looking up at him. “Are you going down under again to see what Hell looks like over here?”

Her first question forestalled him, mostly because the idea of willingly jumping back into the fires of hell for the second time in the same day. Though his temporary lack of words may also have had something to do with the beginnings of a blush that he saw on Blitz's face. No, on Val's face. He got the feeling that it wasn't the person in the costume speaking to him, but the person beneath the costume. "I..." Before he could gather any more words to speak, the perpetual motion machine that was Val's mouth started up again,

She drew a deep breath that didn’t take but a nanosecond before she spat out, “BecauseIreallydon’twantyouto.” Big green eyes gazed up at him; her cheeks were a little red under the edge of her mask. “And I don’t know that you should unless you need to. I mean… we’ve got a lot of information to find here. And with Gary’s reaction… I don’t know if it’d be good for you. For your heart… uh!” Blitz stopped and there was no mistaking the blush this time. “I mean… mentally. Emotionally. People get messed up by terrible stuff like that and you’ve had enoug-”

Val’s teeth clicked shut. “IjustmeantwithGarythrowingupjustfromtouchingthingsmaybeyoushouldn’tgooverthere. That’s all!”

For a second, Russell just looked at her. Then his head tilted to the side and he smiled at her. "Don't worry," He told her, placing his right hand beside her neck. He gently brushed her cheek with his thumb. His touch was warm, and much more reassuring than the last guy with demonic powers that had touched her. "It's not my favorite vacation spot. I only go there when I have to, or if I think it's the only thing that'll help. And even then, I don't look forward to seeing that place like I look forward to seeing you," It was Russell's turn to get a little flushed under the collar. The white shirt he wore under his coat didn't do a damn thing to hide it either.

D'awwww! You're so cute when you're smitten!

Shut up. You're ruining the mood.

No. The smell from good ol' Gary tossing his cookies did that.

Well you're not helping.

Do I ever? Have you met me?

Yea. I'm beginning to second guess this whole 'symbiotic relationship' thing...

"Va-- Uh, Blitz," Russell's hand moved past her shoulder until he held her upper arm, "I think, Gary, might need our help." He stopped to glance around, "Besides, this place is a bit... exposed. Can we talk later?" The look in Russell's eyes pleaded with her. He would of course rather sit and talk than have to clean up Gary's sick, but it had to be business before pleasure...

[z-Blitz]

Val was even redder now, but she nodded rapidly at Russell’s suggestion. “Yeah! Good! Later. I’d love to talk more later.” She was visibly flustered, as if she wasn’t used to this kind of interaction. Bouncing from foot to foot, she cleared her throat. “ImagohelpGary.” She tentatively reached up and touched his arm, the movement so fast it was like a phantom touch to Hellhound.

That hesitant touch done, she blurred away to the workmen’s truck, where a package of cups and a jug of water sat. Blitz poured Gary a cup and brought it to him, offering to let him rinse out his mouth. Her green eyes watched him with concern for a beat before she zipped back to the foreman. A quick discussion and she was back at Gary’s side with a bag of scented sawdust. She quietly helped him cover it before asking, “So now what? Anyone have suggestions? Colby, is there something you could do specially for this?”

[Heritage]

“So now what? Anyone have suggestions? Colby, is there something you could do specially for this?”

Colby turned around from carefully scanning the wall, wearing her hideous plastic frames. "For puking? I've got Pepto in my bag..." She began digging, but then made an apologetic face.

"I'm sorry, stupid heartless cop joke." She indicated Naomi's samples with a nod. "Check those for traces of blood, human or animal; I think whoever our mysterious Rembrandt was more than likely performed a ritual when he was laying on the paint; there are faint traces of spellwork, but not enough to go on since the wall came down and broke the containment." Then she turned to her partner. "What do you think?"

Lisowski was peering at the buildings across from the lot, sipping coffee. "I think Rembrandt mostly worked in oils; this is more of a fresco, so we're looking for a Michelangelo or Tiepolo." Then he raise his paper cup. "I spy with my little eye something that begins with 'S', for surveilance cameras; maybe we can catch a glimpse of our talented friend in action?"

Colby nodded as she methodically handed Gary bottles of Pepto, Tums and Gatorade produced from her bottomless bag. "I'm also thinking we need to get some uniforms down here. So far all the killings have been on this level; we need more eyes down here asap."

[Superball]

Naomi opens the face-plate on her helmet. "Blitz... this is a... little embarassing for me to ask, but I'm going to need you to tow me and the beast to be honest will be too slow. I'll be hovering at a reasonible altitude to use this rope here..."

She grabs a small bit of rope from the Beast, a few feet in legnth and ties a end to one of the loops on her suit.

"...I need to get to the lab at HQ to analyse this evidence. I really should make some sort of portable lab or invest in one at some point to carry in the Beast. Take some of the side-streets, they're quieter and there's nothing low-hanging I will hit. The rope is to help keep me with you. There's enough where you could tie it around your waist and it'll let me have an easier time to keep with you without hitting you when you slow down. Don't go too fast... I'll pretty much be the biggest balloon you've ever had."

She smiled and held the other end of the rope to Blitz. "I'm sure this has... freaked you out. Honestly I wanna run away myself. Hey... I could use some help back at the lab with this and... you'll might learn some crime-scene analysis in the process."

She closes the face-plate again on her helmet, getting ready to activate her suit's flight-mode.

[Special Agent Gary Samson]

Gray swished his mouth out with Gatorade and made a face as he spit it out, "Wow that tastes almost as bad as the vomit." He waved off the other items, "I'll be fine. This thing, whatever it is ... I just wasn't prepared for that kind of evil. It kills for the pleasure of it. To it we are like ants on a sidewalk. Targets for the magnifying glass." Gary frowned at the fallen wall, "I can't even begin to understand how that wall held this thing prisoner, or how we can do the same again."

[quotemyname]

Val was even redder now, but she nodded rapidly at Russell’s suggestion. “Yeah! Good! Later. I’d love to talk more later.” She was visibly flustered, as if she wasn’t used to this kind of interaction. Bouncing from foot to foot, she cleared her throat. “ImagohelpGary.” She tentatively reached up and touched his arm, the movement so fast it was like a phantom touch to Hellhound.

As fleeting as it was, that touch made Russell smile. The expression didn't last long, but it was enough to break his 'business before pleasure' attitude. He watched Blitz zip around the construction site before he finally joined the rest of the group.

"...I need to get to the lab at HQ to analyse this evidence. I really should make some sort of portable lab or invest in one at some point to carry in the Beast. Take some of the side-streets, they're quieter and there's nothing low-hanging I will hit. The rope is to help keep me with you. There's enough where you could tie it around your waist and it'll let me have an easier time to keep with you without hitting you when you slow down. Don't go too fast... I'll pretty much be the biggest balloon you've ever had."

He entered the conversation just as Naomi was explaining her transportation plans to Blitz. The thought of Blitz and her Juvenile attitude rushing around town with a giant Naomi balloon made him chuckle. "Naomi, while you're back at the lab, see if there's any science-y stuff lying around that would help us out here. Anything that you might see on an episode of 'Ghost Hunters' would help. You two are going to be quite the sight." He laughed, "Try not to cause any traffic accidents by distracting people. It's almost rush hour, and you know how bad commuting drivers are."

Colby nodded as she methodically handed Gary bottles of Pepto, Tums and Gatorade produced from her bottomless bag. "I'm also thinking we need to get some uniforms down here. So far all the killings have been on this level; we need more eyes down here asap."

Gray swished his mouth out with Gatorade and made a face as he spit it out, "Wow that tastes almost as bad as the vomit." He waved off the other items, "I'll be fine. This thing, whatever it is ... I just wasn't prepared for that kind of evil. It kills for the pleasure of it. To it we are like ants on a sidewalk. Targets for the magnifying glass." Gary frowned at the fallen wall, "I can't even begin to understand how that wall held this thing prisoner, or how we can do the same again."

Russell laid a reassuring hand on Gary's shoulder. "Yea, I've run up against that kind of malevolence before. It's... rough..." Russell lacked for any more descriptive words. It was something you had to experience it was almost completely indescribable. "But where there's a will, there's a way. Someone managed to do it once, and I'm betting the didn't have access to all the resources we've got. We've just got to find out what they knew, repeat what they did, and minimize the impact this thing has in the meantime. Easier said than done, I'm afraid."

"Lisowski, Colby, if the two of you want to call for backup, Gary and I (if he's feeling up to it) can go flash some badges at the security desks for these buildings and see if they're willing to let us see their records ahead of a warrant." Russell shrugged. It was as good a plan as any. He looked over toward the construction workers milling around, "Just go easy on the foreman. He's been pretty cooperative."

[Superball]

"I intend to be careful, holding at about 15 feet. There's no truck routes on the side-streets around here so I doubt I will need to go higher, and Blitz doesn't have to run too fast. This evidence is possibly stale at best."

She smiled. "I'm in full trust of Blitz's skill and this will be a technique we should practice anyways."

[z-Blitz]

Val had spent several moments trying to think of a way out of doing this. The last thing the hyperactive teen wanted to do was haul Superball back to base, wait for her to run her tests and take her back out to the group. It wasn’t Blitz’s fault that Naomi hadn’t considered adding rockets or something for propulsion.

“Actually, if there’s no hurry, one of the officers could take you.” Val said it quickly, eager to get out of hauling duty. “I’m sure there’s something that I could be doing here. Right?”

[Superball]

Naomi's plan to get Blitz away from this... seeing how spooked she was looked like it had just unraveled. She sighs and looks to one of the detectives. "Alright... so, who wants to give me a lift back?"

[quotemyname]

“Actually, if there’s no hurry, one of the officers could take you.” Val said it quickly, eager to get out of hauling duty. “I’m sure there’s something that I could be doing here. Right?”

"Actually, yea." Russell was inclined to be a fan of any plan that involved spending more time with Blitz. "If we can get our hands on those security tapes, and your eyes are as fast as the rest of you, we could use your help going through them. If you can make sense of the film on fast forward without losing track of any of the details it would really cut down on the amount of time it would take to chase down that lead."

[Special Agent Gary Samson]

"I think a little library work is going to be needed. If this thing was walled away in hell and in the real world when the fort was built it might be beneficial to find out as much as we can about the fort and those who built it." Gary though for a moment, frowning at the suggestion he was about to make until he finally relented that there simply was no other way. "Russ, what about the ... ummm ... other, fort? There could be clues there, something we need to know. I hate to ask you to go back there, but I can't exactly volunteer."

[Heritage]

Colby and Lisowski had a quick murmured confab, accompanied by a lot of shugs, hand-waving and meaningful looks; at last, the older detective sighed and held out his hand.

"Ready when you are."

There was a quick game of rock-paper-scissors, and Colby's paper wrapped his rock. "Nuts." He then turned to the XPs. "Okay, we're gonna do it like this, unless anyone else has a better idea. Me, Bouncy-Bubble Girl and the Fed will catch a lift with Dale Earnhardt back to the HQ, in the name of science. Reena, Speedy Gonzalez and Jojo the Dog-Face Boy will work the area here. Sound good?"

Detective Colby stepped over to Russ and laid a gentle hand on his arm. "I hate to say it, but Gary might be right; there could be a lot of clues on the other side." She smiled and shrugged. "If you want, I could come along with you, or whip up a quick amulet of protection."

[quotemyname]

"I think a little library work is going to be needed. If this thing was walled away in hell and in the real world when the fort was built it might be beneficial to find out as much as we can about the fort and those who built it." Gary though for a moment, frowning at the suggestion he was about to make until he finally relented that there simply was no other way. "Russ, what about the ... ummm ... other, fort? There could be clues there, something we need to know. I hate to ask you to go back there, but I can't exactly volunteer."

"We're all adults here, Gary. You don't have to censor the 'H-E-Double-Hockeysticks' word."

There was a quick game of rock-paper-scissors, and Colby's paper wrapped his rock. "Nuts." He then turned to the XPs. "Okay, we're gonna do it like this, unless anyone else has a better idea. Me, Bouncy-Bubble Girl and the Fed will catch a lift with Dale Earnhardt back to the HQ, in the name of science. Reena, Speedy Gonzalez and Jojo the Dog-Face Boy will work the area here. Sound good?"

"Gee Lizowski, if you're gonna talk to me like that, how about throwing the dog a bone once in a while, huh?" His smile was good natured, but his mind was still on Gary's suggestion.

Detective Colby stepped over to Russ and laid a gentle hand on his arm. "I hate to say it, but Gary might be right; there could be a lot of clues on the other side." She smiled and shrugged. "If you want, I could come along with you, or whip up a quick amulet of protection."

And that's when his face fell, "So I guess that's a no to inspecting the security tapes then, huh?" Russell sighed, wishing his other suggestion would have been sufficient. His eyes fell on Blitz, issuing a silent apology. "If you think that's the way to go, then sure, I'll do it. I've never taken someone else along for the ride, but I don't see why I couldn't transport one or two others as well if the passengers were willing," He was thoughtful, "It's just not something I normally press upon others. Hell's not a nice place this time of year. But I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't appreciate the company. If this is the best lead we've got to act on, I doubt we'll benefit from those amulets. Whatever enchantments you're planning will likely take too long to take root. Even with all the fire down there, a trail goes cold just as fast as it does up here."

"Colby, whenever you're ready, place your hand on one of my shoulders. Doesn't matter which." Hellhound spoke to the detective without looking at her. His eyes were otherwise occupied trying to study Blitz reaction to him having to enter Hell once more. Without shifting his gaze, he spoke, "'If you're going through Hell, keep going.' - Winston Churchill," With that, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and prepared to depart the land of the living as soon as he felt Colby's touch on his shoulder.

[z-Blitz]

"Actually, yea." Russell was inclined to be a fan of any plan that involved spending more time with Blitz. "If we can get our hands on those security tapes, and your eyes are as fast as the rest of you, we could use your help going through them. If you can make sense of the film on fast forward without losing track of any of the details it would really cut down on the amount of time it would take to chase down that lead."

Blitz grinned, relieved, when Russell came up with something for her to do. She didn’t mind the idea of transporting her teammate somewhere vital, or at least somewhere Blitz was already planning to go. But having to head all the way back to the HQ, when the action was here, was anthemia to the young woman. She nodded eager acceptance to Russ – only to have Gary dash it.

And that's when his face fell, "So I guess that's a no to inspecting the security tapes then, huh?" Russell sighed, wishing his other suggestion would have been sufficient. His eyes fell on Blitz, issuing a silent apology. "If you think that's the way to go, then sure, I'll do it. I've never taken someone else along for the ride, but I don't see why I couldn't transport one or two others as well if the passengers were willing," He was thoughtful, "It's just not something I normally press upon others. Hell's not a nice place this time of year. But I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't appreciate the company. If this is the best lead we've got to act on, I doubt we'll benefit from those amulets. Whatever enchantments you're planning will likely take too long to take root. Even with all the fire down there, a trail goes cold just as fast as it does up here."

"Colby, whenever you're ready, place your hand on one of my shoulders. Doesn't matter which." Hellhound spoke to the detective without looking at her. His eyes were otherwise occupied trying to study Blitz reaction to him having to enter Hell once more. Without shifting his gaze, he spoke, "'If you're going through Hell, keep going.' - Winston Churchill," With that, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and prepared to depart the land of the living as soon as he felt Colby's touch on his shoulder.

Val stared at Russ, her stomach sinking. It was awful, that he had to do this again. His apologetic glance to her only made it worse; the urge to stop him from having to do this was rising. But even her besotted, melodramatic and self-centered teenage mind knew that Colby was right. There were likely some clues that Russ could obtain; moreover, Colby was a good choice to go. Jacob had talked about Hell, but he’d made it sound like there were many Hells, or maybe he’d just enjoyed contradicting himself. Regardless, it made her knowledge about demons and Hell suspect, at best.

But she didn’t want him to go alone. Colby was clearly a decent magic-user, but everyone knew they had glass jaws – wizards were always knocked to the ground with one blow from the bruiser. So Colby would be about as effective at protecting Russ as a paper bag. She’d need some backup – and Val knew just the speedster for the job.

She’d seen Russell do this before, and she was fast. When he felt Colby’s hand and started shift to the nether plane, he was startled to feel not one but three hands, two of which curled in a tight hold around his bicep. When he cast a startled glance at the gripped arm, he saw Blitz, holding tight.

With a puff of sulfur, all three of them vanished.

[quotemyname]

She’d seen Russell do this before, and she was fast. When he felt Colby’s hand and started shift to the nether plane, he was startled to feel not one but three hands, two of which curled in a tight hold around his bicep. When he cast a startled glance at the gripped arm, he saw Blitz, holding tight.

With a puff of sulfur, all three of them vanished.

Russell's head snapped to the left, his eyes wide with terror he only had time to breathe a single word, "Blitz!" The spell had been cast. For better or worse, the three of them were on their way to hell. At this point, Russell just had to hope that the addition of a last minute stow-away wouldn't make it a one way trip.

--- In Hell ---

The trio arrived in Hell with a sound like a cracking whip. As soon as they arrived, Russell collapsed to his hands and knees. His lungs burned, as soon as the momentary nausea and shock of having most of his energy drained from him, he gasped and sucked in a large sulfurous lungful of hot air.

"Blitz!" He spat in between panting like the dog that he was, "What the hell?" he looked up from the dirt to stare at her over his shoulder, "What did you do? Are you trying to get us all killed?" She could see his face drenched in sweat, normally, the droplets would pool on the ground beneath him, but instead they turned to steam the instant they touched the orange tinged clay that made up the perverse reflection of the ground in the world they'd just left.

Does she have any idea the danger she just put us all in?

I'm guessing she has no idea. She wouldn't doom us like that.

How do you know? You've worked with her for how long? How much do you actually know about her? She does wear a mask after all. Maybe she finally saw her chance to get at us and jumped on it!

And kill herself in the process? No. That doesn't seem like her.

You have no idea what she's capable of!

Enough! Enough distrust! Enough backtalk! I don't need that! Not now. We here now. And I'm going to make damn sure I stay in control. So shut your mouth before I get the muzzle. I'll deal with her.

Russell pulled himself together and forced himself to stand and face his two passengers. He was still sweating, but he seemed to be breathing more easily. "Blitz..." His voice was even, but his eyes flashed, "You already know how seriously I take these trips to Hell. I won't ask you what possessed you to join us, because I think I already know." For an instant, her keen eyes saw his determination waver. He was sympathetic to her, but he needed to make sure she knew the gravity of her actions, "Unless you want us all to be stuck in the space between worlds, an inescapable eternal purgatory, you'd better make damn sure I know you're coming next time." He brandished a finger under her nose.

Russell was different in Hell, they noticed. His facial features were much more pronounced, almost feral. There was a shadow over him, like some other presence watching him, waiting for a moment of weakness.

Russell closed his eyes, and the two women could see his anger evaporate. He sighed, clearing his head. He was in control once again. "I'm sorry. But the extra passenger just took a lot more of my energy to make sure I got us here than I thought it would. I'll be able to get us back, I'm sure. It might totally sap my strength, but I'll get us there." His determination was reassuring, "But it's going to take a while for me to recover enough to get us all back there. And I'll have to conserve some of my strength while we're here." He looked around their surroundings for the first time, "Just as well. We've got work to do. Colby, where should we start?"

[Heritage]

Lisowksi blinked a few times after Blitz jumped in on the Highway to Hell. "Well that was probably the dumbest thing she could have done." Then he turned back to Naomi and Gary. "Okay, what say we flash our badges around, grab those tapes and do some serious homework?"

- - -

In Hell

"Just as well. We've got work to do. Colby, where should we start?"

Colby said nothing as her eyes swept over the landscape: the piles of dead bodies, lightly dusted in snow; the cries of seagulls and crows, the howl of the bitter wind blowing off the frozen lake. And of course, right in front of them, the burning fort.

At last, she found words as she slowly leveled a finger at Blitz. "Don't. Run. Anywhere." She slid her clunky black glasses back on, peering through the missing lenses. "Well not surprisingly, we've got magic off the charts." As her gaze fell upon the wooden palisade that crackled with eternal flame, her voice wavered. "Uh, let's...lets have a quick look around in there, and then get the fuck outta here."

[z-Blitz]

Blitz did her absolute best to look contrite as first Hellhound, then Colby chastised her. She wasn’t entirely successful, because she’d gotten exactly what she wanted. Well, she’d gotten exactly what she hadn’t wanted too—Jacob’s stories about his Hell had terrified her. But she hadn’t wanted to watch Russ come here again. Coming with him had been the logical answer—when your logic was reasoned by the mind of a teenage girl. She hadn’t even considered that other people would have words for her when she got back.

“I don’t have anywhere to run.” Blitz wasn’t kidding; Russell was the only way home and she wasn’t leaving his side. Not that she normally wanted to leave his side. But today, she had reasons that had little to do with her libido and lots to do with her fear. She literally couldn’t help it when she reached out to him, curling her fingers around his for a second and then letting go.

Together, the three of them inched toward the burning fort. Blitz kept her eyes wide open, doing her best to spot the critical clue that would make this trip worth it—and solve the crime.

[quotemyname]

Blitz never had the chance to let go of his hand. As soon as he felt her pulling away, his own hand wrapped around hers reflexively. Soon as he realized what he was doing, he smiled down at her out of the corner of his eye. The two of them followed the detective toward the fort.

Holding hands as they walked, Blitz was well aware of the fact that Russell's grip wasn't quite as strong as it usually was. He was exhausted by the trip down here, and it showed. Despite his fatigue, she saw a rock hard determination in his eyes. Russell was not the type of man to pack up his things and go home when the going got rough. For some reason, the adversity seemed to inspire him. This was not a man who liked being denied.

"I see they haven't cleaned up any since my last visit. Though, I think I'm better off without the feeling of dread and malice that was hanging around here the first time." Russell's mouth drew a thin line. He wasn't frowning, but he wasn't smiling either. His mind was occupied almost entirely. "Whatever spirit, demon, ghost, or what have you that was making it's home here (intentionally or not) is certainly gone now. Colby, can you gather anything from the structure or layout of the building? Perhaps the geometry can clue us in to some method of sealing this thing away again? Because at this rate, I'm not placing my bets on being able to kill it."

[Heritage]

In Hell:

"Whatever spirit, demon, ghost, or what have you that was making it's home here (intentionally or not) is certainly gone now. Colby, can you gather anything from the structure or layout of the building? Perhaps the geometry can clue us in to some method of sealing this thing away again? Because at this rate, I'm not placing my bets on being able to kill it."

The witch/detective had pulled a large artist's sketchpad out of her bottomless bag and began doing hurried studies of their surroundings as she quickly moved through the fort, sometimes peering through her odd glasses and other times peering over them. She nimbly stepped over the bodies like an expert as she sketched, which said something about the nature of her job.

"Actually, this place fits the description of the original fort, so it's possible that the creature was trapped accidentally, or someone at the time realized the significance of the shape and took advantage of the situation."

She turned to look back at pair, noted their intertwined fingers and chuckled as she peered at them, alternately through her glasses and over the top. “Ah, young love in bloom!” She planted a hand on her hip and cocked an eyebrow. “Do you really want to be experiencing strong emotions in a place like this?” Then she stopped and considered the situation. “Although…love equals hope, which is the best armor against darkness I know of…” At last she waved a hand dismissively. “You know what, knock yourselves out. Short of actual sex, which would just be…so inappropriate.”

She returned to her sketching.

“I’ve almost got everything I need; then we can head home and hit the books for a good ol’ fashioned research party. Just like on ‘Buffy’.”

On Earth:

It was easy for the FBI agent and local policeman to obtain the information they needed. In short order, Naomi, Gary and the grizzled detective were back at the team's HQ, each with a pile of digital tapes and monitor in the library. Kiki brought them fresh coffee, donuts and a pile of cuts sandwiches from Subway, for which Lisowski was very grateful.

"Hey, you got the tuna fish! You're the best, Keek."

The redhead grinned. "No problem, guys." She indicated a shadow lurking nearby as she lowered her voice, "And I'll do my best to keep the Bossman out of your hair; you know how he worries."

[z-Blitz]

Hell wasn’t that bad, or maybe it was the company. Russell’s hand was warm in hers, and she hoped that he was enjoying it as much as she was. Her thoughts drifted briefly to Jessie, but she quickly pulled them away. He was the past, and not a particularly good piece of her past, either. That made her sad, sorta, but there wasn’t really room for sad right now, not with Russ’s hand in hers.

Blitz turned bright red at Colby’s remarks; she even put up her hand to cover half her face while pressing the other side into his shoulder. At the word ‘sex’, she managed to find even more blood to blush with, tilting her head up a little to peer at Hellhound and see how embarrassed he was. “Right, no sex,” she mumbled into his coat.

Was it wrong of her to be a little disappointed if he agreed too quickly? It was totally inappropriate, and damn Colby for having brought it up at all!

[quotemyname]

In Hell:

"Actually, this place fits the description of the original fort, so it's possible that the creature was trapped accidentally, or someone at the time realized the significance of the shape and took advantage of the situation."

She turned to look back at pair, noted their intertwined fingers and chuckled as she peered at them, alternately through her glasses and over the top. “Ah, young love in bloom!” She planted a hand on her hip and cocked an eyebrow. “Do you really want to be experiencing strong emotions in a place like this?” Then she stopped and considered the situation. “Although…love equals hope, which is the best armor against darkness I know of…” At last she waved a hand dismissively. “You know what, knock yourselves out. Short of actual sex, which would just be…so inappropriate.”

"Damn. I was hoping this little field trip might turn up a bit more than that," Russell responded to her professional opinions, "But yea, as tired as I am, I was hoping that a few good vibes might go a long way toward keeping the nastier stuff at bay down here."

Hell wasn’t that bad, or maybe it was the company. Russell’s hand was warm in hers, and she hoped that he was enjoying it as much as she was. Her thoughts drifted briefly to Jessie, but she quickly pulled them away. He was the past, and not a particularly good piece of her past, either. That made her sad, sorta, but there wasn’t really room for sad right now, not with Russ’s hand in hers.

Blitz turned bright red at Colby’s remarks; she even put up her hand to cover half her face while pressing the other side into his shoulder. At the word ‘sex’, she managed to find even more blood to blush with, tilting her head up a little to peer at Hellhound and see how embarrassed he was. “Right, no sex,” she mumbled into his coat.

Was it wrong of her to be a little disappointed if he agreed too quickly? It was totally inappropriate, and damn Colby for having brought it up at all!

"Gee, I guess I know I can always count on Colby to point out the elephant in the room." Russell smiled at Blitz's nuzzling. The part of him that was decidedly more canine understood that body language quite well. "So, sure, no sex." He rolled his eyes, then leaned over to kiss Blitz. It was a short kiss, but a sweet one, especially considering his standoffish nature. Withdrawing, he looked Blitz in the eye, "One thing, though." He brandished a finger at her, "You can never tell people that our first date was Hell." He smiled mischievously.

[Heritage]

In Hell:

To say that Colby grinned evilly at Bltz's clear discomfort would of course be appropriate, given their current location, but in truth there was no malice in her mischief.

Well maybe just a little malice.

As she tucked her sketchbook back into her voluminous bag, she strode up to the young couple-in-training.

Oh don't worry, I got a lot of stuff from coming here, stuff that you wouldn't have been able to provide without certain unnatural senses." She tapped the black plastic frames. "Or had a pair of these." The witch pulled them off and inspected them thoughtfully. :"These used to belong to my dad, who was a cop before me; the things that we love carry their own power." She let them dangle from the chain, hanging down with the various charms and a pair of dogtags that also hung from her neck. The she rested a kind hand on both thier shoulders.

"I'm sorry I made fun of what's starting to grow between the two of you; I'll sing a prayer for you tonight." Colby looked over her shoulder at the barren landscape. "After all, it's not easy to find love in the world we live in." Tipping her head to one side, she squinted at Russell. "So, are you feeling up to the return trip? If it will help-" She opened her bag extra wide and smiled mysteriously. "I can travel as carry-on."

[quotemyname]

"I'm sorry I made fun of what's starting to grow between the two of you; I'll sing a prayer for you tonight." Colby looked over her shoulder at the barren landscape. "After all, it's not easy to find love in the world we live in."

Russell nodded his appreciation for her words, "Somehow, Detective, I don't think prayers do me much good these days," his smile was bitter sweet, "But I appreciate it all the same."

Tipping her head to one side, she squinted at Russell. "So, are you feeling up to the return trip? If it will help-" She opened her bag extra wide and smiled mysteriously. "I can travel as carry-on."

Russell held out a hand to forestall any more magical suggestions from Colby, "No. No, I should be fine. I've got enough juice for the return trip. I can say that much with confidence." He turned to face Blitz and smiled, "Not sure how much energy I'll have after we get there, but I know we'll get there." He shifted his gaze to Colby's bag, "I don't know how your magic will interact with mine. I wouldn't want the spell to cause that bag and everything inside of it to be turned inside out or something. Doing it the vanilla way worked last time. Let's just do that again and get the Hell outta here." He shot both of his lady passengers one last glance to confirm that they were ready to leave. Saying nothing more he simply fired up the powers that would bring them back to the world of the living.

On Earth:

The trio appeared out of nowhere in the blink of an eye amidst a cloud of smoke and sulfur just as they'd left. Colby and Blitz had a solid second or two to glance around. They'd only just begun to get a grip on their surroundings when they heard Russell say, "Hellhound express... End of the li....," as he promptly collapsed out of sheer exhaustion.

[z-Blitz]

"Gee, I guess I know I can always count on Colby to point out the elephant in the room." Russell smiled at Blitz's nuzzling. The part of him that was decidedly more canine understood that body language quite well. "So, sure, no sex." He rolled his eyes, then leaned over to kiss Blitz. It was a short kiss, but a sweet one, especially considering his standoffish nature. Withdrawing, he looked Blitz in the eye, "One thing, though." He brandished a finger at her, "You can never tell people that our first date was Hell." He smiled mischievously.

“You have a funny idea of what makes a date,” Blitz told him with a laugh before nipping lightly at his finger. She felt good, on comfortable ground. She’d been claimed by someone and that removed some of her uncertainty. The girl knew where she stood and where she belonged.

She was a little disappointed that Colby hadn’t taken her bag for the ride home; she was curious about how the reserved man would kiss her if they were alone. She didn’t let it bother her too much; there would be time later, after they’d solved this case. And after they’d stopped the evil creature that was chasing after Blitz.

That took the warm-fuzzies out of her.

The trio appeared out of nowhere in the blink of an eye amidst a cloud of smoke and sulfur just as they'd left. Colby and Blitz had a solid second or two to glance around. They'd only just begun to get a grip on their surroundings when they heard Russell say, "Hellhound express... End of the li....," as he promptly collapsed out of sheer exhaustion.

Val wasn’t strong enough to hold Russell up, but she was fast enough to get her shoulder under his arm and keep him from hitting the floor face-first. “Easy, I have you,” she murmured softly, then amended as she started to realize she wasn’t going to be able to hold him up completely, “mostly.” She shot a look at Colby, silently asking for help.

[Heritage]

Out in the Streets:

"Whoa, he's going down!" Colby helped Val keep Russ from actually hitting the pavement, but he was a big guy and a fairly awkward package. Looking around, she shook her head. "You know what, just lower him down slowly." Once he was down, she pulled her bag open even further, until the mouth of it was much larger than the rest; she planted her feet and put her hands under his armpits. "Help me lower him in."

From inside the depths of the bag rose a heady smell, a mixture of heavy incense and spicy cooking; there were also the sounds of exotic music and distant female laughter.

In the Stacks:

Despite several cups off coffee, Det. Lisowski was soon snoring at his research station, the tedium of scanning the security tapes having quickly taken its toll. Gary, however, had better luck; shortly before the date of the first murder, he noted two things:

1. On September 9th, tens day before the first victim was found, a large truck backed into the concrete wall. It's hard to tell how much damage was done to the wall due to the resolution of the footage and the camera's distance from the incident, but the driver can be clearly seen getting out of the vehicle and rubbing his hand against the sopt on the wall.

2. On September 17th, two days before the first killing, a figure can be seen doing the artwork; he or she uses several cans of spraypaint in the early hours of the morning. The figure can also be seen brushing something on with a paintbrush, between layers of the spraypaint. It wears baggy hip-hop style jeans, backwards Ramblers baseball cap, hi-tops and a high school varsity jacket; the name of the school cannot be made out, but the colors are dark green and white.

[z-Blitz]

“Uh…” Blitz wasn’t sure what was up with the purse, but she was pretty sure she wasn’t supposed to blithely put the guy who was probably her boyfriend into one. But it wasn’t like Colby was a bad guy; she was supposed to be one of the good guys and a cop. The odds were that it was safe to slip Russell into it.

But… Blitz had learned life lessons at the side of a master thief, then spent her teenage years with super-powered teens who made their own rules. Had Russell not just kissed her, Val might have been able to let it go. “So… why is your bag laughing?”

“There is more to my bag than is apparent.” Colby’s voice was reassuring, and it was clear that she’d done this kind of soothing before. “There are... entities that live inside it.”

Blitz wasn’t reassured; if anything, she was less sure about sticking Hellhound in there. “Is the inside safe for him?” Her green eyes were hard, and in them Colby could see hard-learned lessons that no one should have to learn, much less a girl barely into adulthood. But there was honesty in them too, and Colby became the first person to see a hint of Blitzkrieg, peeking out of Blitz’s eyes.

“Yes. He’ll be perfectly fine and receive medical care.” Blitz studied the older woman’s face then nodded and took his feet. She carefully maneuvered him in, like threading the largest needle in the world, then helped Colby finish sliding him into the bag. Before his head disappeared, Blitz leaned down and kissed his forehead.

After he was out of sight, the young girl looked up at Colby. “I don’t know if you should tell Mike about this.” She looked uncomfortable. “He seemed pretty freaked out that it had happened with Grim and Stalwart.”

[quotemyname]

Meanwhile at the Palace of Brass:

Russell's senses were dulled. He could have sworn his eyes were open, but he couldn't see. He heard only the faintest sounds, and every nerve ending in his body tingled like all his limbs had fallen asleep simultaneously. His head pounded to the rhythm of a hound's constant barking. Some part of him felt like that sound should mean something to him. But most of him was just too disoriented to be bothered with doing anything about it. On the other hand, sleep sounded like a great idea...

After a short while, something began swimming into focus before his eyes, a room perhaps? Noting, with some irritation, that the barking hadn't stopped, Russell could just make out what sounded like a faint giggling over the hounds baying. He groaned, finding his vocal chords, "Blitz?" The giggling grew louder, and the barking stopped.

Forget her! Where the @#$% have you been?

Sleeping. I think. What's going on?

No clue. Strange place. Strange people. This I do not like.

What? Oh no. The spell!

"Aahh!" Russel sat bolt upright. His senses returned to him suddenly and harshly, like waking from some nightmare too terrible to remember. His keen sense of smell was the first to return to him, and the scents it picked up quickly threatened to knock him flat again. "Oh god! What IS that?!" A mix of jasmine, incense, and curry assaulted his nose. He shook his head, trying to shake off the desire to sneeze, or somehow rid himself of the strong smells.

His vision returned, and he saw he was half laying on a low couch somewhat reminiscent of a psychiatrist's office. He saw that the room around him was made entirely from a shiny metal. Bronze, perhaps? There was a plate of food nearby which held an assortment of grapes, cheese, flattened bread, and a dish of what looked like small cuts of meat soaked an a brownish red sauce that was likely the source of the obnoxious smells. Standing all around the room was a gathering of women. All looked identical, tall, thin, and exotically beautiful. Their features differed only in their skin color, each sporting a different strange metallic luster. The women were all clothed in flowing, lightweight, sheer material like Russell imagined a belly dancer might wear. The one nearest him responded to his question, "Why, Master Hound, that is merely your supper," She waved her hand toward the tray of food before him, a graceful gesture, "Does it no please you?" She pouted.

A large weight developed in the pit of Russell's stomach. The spell must have failed. But where was he now? Just the thought of having slipped into unconsciousness while in hell scared him. The prospect of having left both Colby and Blitz undefended with no way home hit him like a ton of bricks, and left him numb save for a terrible, stark, hopelessness.

"Is there something a miss, Master Hound?" The woman asked him as she reached forward to caress his face with a soft, gentile hand. "You should eat, and recover your strength,"

Russell wasn't the authority on other planes of existence, and though he'd only visited Hell a handful of times, he'd read and knew enough to know that there were certain actions and concessions that could never be made if one ever hoped to live long enough to make the return trip home. "No!" He nearly barked at the woman, brushing her hand aside, and scrambling off the couch. He looked frantically every which way, trying to get his bearings, searching for an escape route. "I've read the myth of Persephone. There's no way you're going to catch me eating in the underworld. I'm not here to stay."

With an unnatural speed, Russell bolted from the room by the nearest door, ignoring the protests of the many beautiful women. "Blitz.... Colby... Where in the Hell are you?" He briefly passed through a small hallway which opened to what must have been the outdoors. Though it was so unlike even the hell he was used to. The sky was a strange kaleidoscope of colors. The building he'd emerged from looked like some large palace out of Alii Baba or some other Arabian Nights tale. Suddnely, his ability to take in his surroundings was cut off short. He'd been running so fast, he hadn't seen the sheer drop off until it was nearly too late. Russell struggled to remain on the edge of the walkway. Recovering his balance as quickly as possible, he did what ever person advised otherwise always does: He looked down. What he saw was nothing. A strange multicolored nothingness that went one in every direction as far as he could see. It became apparent that the minaret topped palace behind him and the slab of earth on which he stood was floating.

'How', 'where', and 'why' were questions whose answers still eluded him.

[Heritage]

Out in the Streets:

After he was out of sight, the young girl looked up at Colby. “I don’t know if you should tell Mike about this.” She looked uncomfortable. “He seemed pretty freaked out that it had happened with Grim and Stalwart.”

The detective laughed. "Oh don't worry, I won't breath a word of it; I learned a long time ago not to stick my nose into any office romances." She opened the car and casually tossed her magic bag and its pocket universe into the back seat. Once inside, she leaned over to let Blitz in, then buckled up. "Plus the fact of the matter is, ol' Mikey is a bit of a hypocrite." She grinned evily. "Because I happen to know he has a huuuuge crush on me." She gave the young speedster a wink as she started the car.

Where In The World Is Hellhound?:

The unearthly ladies seemed genuinely hurt as several of them gently floated down like soap bubbles to the edge of the walkway Hellhound teetered on; one of them reached out to pull him back to safety. "Master Hound, why do you flee? Now that you are awake, the Great Mistress will no doubt wish to see you in the Greater World!" She indicated the 'sky' with a wave of her arm.

Another nodded. "We are sorry if our offerings displease you, but if you are in a such hurry to return to your home, Shadira can allow that to pass." Several of them grabbed hold of Russell's legs, arms and shoulders with surprisingly strong grips, and all began to float upwards. Yet another nodded as they flew up and up, with increasing speed. "Shadira always serves the Great Mistress diligently, and never allows one of her charges to come to harm!"

High above the rest of the palace rose a singular tower with tall arched windows, from which a wide variety of colored lights flashed and flickered. The many strange women hoisting Russell aloft now cried out in unison. "Shadira sends brave Master Hound home again, to his lovely Mistress Swift!"

Back Seat of the Prowler:

Suddenly Colby's bag swung open, and Russell's stunned face popped into view; the witch detective casually looked over her shoulder and waved. "Oh there you, Russ. You sleep well?"

Inside the HQ:

Soon Colby, Blitz and still somewhat discombobulated Russ joined the others in the HQ's library; the younger detective playfully flicked the back of Lisowski's head, awakening her partner with a start. "Sorry we took so long; did you guys find anything?"

[quotemyname]

"Sleep?!" Russell's head yelped. There was a puff of sulfur and smoke that caused the other girls to have to roll down their windows to clear it out. When the smoke cleared, Russell was sitting in the seat properly. "After that little vacation, I'm not sure I'll be sleeping for a while."

"Remind me never to piss you off, Colby. I don't need things in my life getting ... weirder..." Russell had quite the overwhelmed look on his face.

---

By the time the three strolled into the building, Russ had all but regained his composure. As they began the meeting with the rest of the group, Russ straightened his tie, and fluffed out his shirt a little so it lay more neatly. He moved to stand near Blitz for the meeting, but made a point not to get too close. They'd had a brief discussion in the car and had decided it may be best to keep their relationship a secret until they could gauge the proper time to spread the news. And certainly until after the current mission. After all, there was a job to do, and they had to see it through.

Russell placed his hands on the table in front of them, and leaned inward, "Colby was able to find a few things on our little field trip, but we haven't had the time to really analyze them yet. She's got the stuff in her...bag..." Russell gave an almost imperceptible shudder, "Hopefully you've got something a little more concrete?"

[z-Blitz]

Blitz grinned as they sauntered into the HQ, though the stench of Hell still clung to her. “How’s it going guys?” she asked with that impish smile they were getting used to seeing on their speedster’s face.

Before they could answer, she zipped around the table to stand next to Gary. With little sense of space, she propped her elbows on the table and peered down at the papers spread before the FBI agent. “Come on, Gary, dazzle us with your investigation skillz!” Somehow, it was clear that she’d put a z on the word, just by the way she said it.

[Special Agent Gary Samson]

"Just some video. Puts the mural in context, and maybe tells us what kicked this all off." He shrugged looking both tired and bored, "Honestly though, it doesn't give us anything of real value that I can see."