Aberrant: Quantum Zero - Quantum Zero

[Archer21]

By now John's finished getting showered & dressed.

Scrubbing a hand through his hair, John walks out of the hallway and into the livingroom. Catching the tension in the room, he notes it, but doesn't say anything.

Hoping to defuse any potential arguments he steps over to the fireplace. Hiding the code entry panel with his body, the accomplished actor makes it seem a simple habit as he taps in the correct sequence. As the wall lifts into the ceiling, John ducks under.

With but a thought, his eufiber writhes, changing color and weave to the garb of The Stranger. Standing over the OpNet terminal, he takes a few moments to start a search program for any information about Ghost, Vincent Genovese, and the Genovese family. As the program runs, he turns to the organized rack on the walls. With efficiency born of many repetitions, he dons his equipment. Pausing, his hand hovers over his guns. *Let's try without this time, John.*

Decision made, he leaves the firearms in their holsters on the wall. He does, however, continue dressing himself with the rest of his tools, including the grapple and grenades. Resting his mask on his forehead to leave his face clear for the moment, he turns to his guests.

"Jan? Maybe it would be best if you avoided this meeting with Ghost. I'm fairly sure he'd be unhappy if I brought an uninvited guest. I'll be wearing a wire and pinhead camera, you will be able to see everything from the station in there." He gestures to the miniature Strangercave.

He waits for her response; if she agrees, he nods at Terry. Stepping into the secret alcove, he downloads the collected data into a small PDA where he can review it later. Sliding his mask into place, he says, "Ready. I know a lovely place in Marrakesh...where Ghost and I met. Why don't you call and see if he's amenable?"

[Ayre el KaBeer]

Will simply nods when hearing the report and begins to stand when Blaze offers a lift "No need, I'll be able to get there quicker". To Heather "Would you call the office and let them know what's going on?" even before she can reply Will gives her a quick nod and is off like a shot. ::teleport2

*Batman interlude tune ::smile ::hehe ::smile *

... moments later

Will apears beside a fireman glowing, ensuring he isn't mistaken for an overzealous baseline ready to get himself killed. Pointing to the fire "Where are the kids?"

[Prince of Boredom]

"Was it something I said...?"

"Don't worry about, she'll be fine..."

"Time to make ourselves useful, guys... Anybody need a lift?"

"Please..."

Once on site he'll circle once to get an overview of the situation, then land next to a fireman who looks like he's in charge and ask the immortal question

"How many still inside, and do you know where?"

As Blaze starts circling the scene, Michael concentrates on his Node, opening it up to sense the tell-tale signature of any other novas in the area...

[ezekiel]

"She's hurt people who are my friends Terry - more than that, more like family. She hurt Natalia. You expect me to believe you when you say you're commited to stopping the big evils of the world. What about your own house Terry - are you going to clean that up first?" As she speaks her voice is honeyed & soft, but Terry can still hear the passion that hides just behind those sweet tones...

Terry smiles bitterly and quietly answers

"No, I don't expect you to believe me...and though I wish you did, I'm happy you don't. Stay in your house of mirrors Janet, at least its safe...once you shatter the walls, the world is a dangerous place."

Scrubbing a hand through his hair, John walks out of the hallway and into the livingroom. Catching the tension in the room, he notes it, but doesn't say anything.

Hoping to defuse any potential arguments he steps over to the fireplace. Hiding the code entry panel with his body, the accomplished actor makes it seem a simple habit as he taps in the correct sequence. As the wall lifts into the ceiling, John ducks under.

Terry eyes John as he walks to the fireplace and shakes his head, stepping up to one of the windows. He takes in the view and waits for him to come back out.

"Jan? Maybe it would be best if you avoided this meeting with Ghost. I'm fairly sure he'd be unhappy if I brought an uninvited guest. I'll be wearing a wire and pinhead camera, you will be able to see everything from the station in there." He gestures to the miniature Strangercave.

He waits for her response; if she agrees, he nods at Terry. Stepping into the secret alcove, he downloads the collected data into a small PDA where he can review it later. Sliding his mask into place, he says, "Ready. I know a lovely place in Marrakesh...where Ghost and I met. Why don't you call and see if he's amenable?"

Terry keeps staring out the window

"Are you sure you want me to call him from here?"

He turns around

"It may be best to simply go to Marrakesh and call him from there. He can port in anytime anyway...even better, I can take you there and I can meet them at the restaurant. Make sure they have the sample for me. Once I have it I'll tell him where he can find you, he'll know where, right?"

[Heritage]

Kinko's:

The fax is sent & recieved. Moments later Slither gets an exasperated call on her mobile,

"Are you daft, woman? If you want to find those guys you'll need to give me more than some bad photos to go on - you know, a place or two to start looking? Get real."

Slither laughs and steps away from any customers.

Yeah, I guess that is asking a bit much. These guys appear to be responsible for the death of John Fabry's brother - y'know, the actor? They're linked to a group called the Dark Templars here in New York. Got no names on 'em, so we're just trying to get any kind of leads we can.

She frowns and stops for a second, and turns to Link.

Sounds like a lot of sirens - I wonder what's going on.

(OOC: She scans the police and emergency bands with Hyper-Hearing)

[malkboy]

Kinko's:

Link shrugs, "No clue, could be anything from a bank robbery to a fire to a bad traffic accident. Did you want to rubberneck at it or something?"

[Archer21]

"It may be best to simply go to Marrakesh and call him from there. He can port in anytime anyway...even better, I can take you there and I can meet them at the restaurant. Make sure they have the sample for me. Once I have it I'll tell him where he can find you, he'll know where, right?"

John glances at Jan from behind the mask, still gauging how upset she may be about missing the meeting. Snapping back, he catches what Terry just said.

"That sounds fine. Drop me in Marrakesh, and tell him I'll meet him in the alley. He'll know where it is."

[ProfPotts]

The Inferno:

A crimson glow bursts from the humble sports bar, zipping at incredible speed through the crowded city streets as it heads towards the fire - the conflagration's location clearly visible once outside thanks to the plume of black smoke it's sending into the urban sky. As Will speeds past news-vendors' papers are scattered, ladies skirts billow into the air, & people grasp at suddenly wind-swept headgear. Within moments he comes to a halt near the incident.

Mutiple fire-trucks are busy pumping as much water onto the blaze as they can - a blaze that has engulfed three neighboring apartment buildings. Police have formed a cordon to keep the public at a safe distance - a line that Will crossed with ease, & paramedics are helping those already evacuated from the building - most suffering from just minor burns & smoke inhalation, but a few in far worse shape - including several fire fighters. Several reporters & camera-crews are covering the event, but even they have the common sense to keep out of the way of the rescue workers.

"Where are the kids?"

The fire fighter Will approaches jumps at the lad's sudden, & luminescent, appearance ::blink . Momentarily stunned he asks,

"Who are you?"

Moments later Blaze, with Mike hanging from his arms, circles the scene overhead. Mike doesn't detect any distinct sources of Quantum energy [Node doesn't just detect Novas, & doesn't descriminate in what it detects either, remember?..] apart from himself & his two Nova companions.

Blaze lands near Will & the head fire fighter...

"How many still inside, and do you know where?"

... the man still looks surprised at the sudden appearance of the Novas, & starts to frown - obviously not pleased by the distraction from his vital duties,

"Now look here - I don't know who you people are, but this is a dangerous situation &..."

The man trails off as he notices Michael,

"Hey, you're Mike Davison! You work for Masters International..." the fire chief glances at all three of the Novas, realisation dawning on his soot-grimed face, "... Oh, so you all work for Masters? Right."

Having recognised Mike [spot the guy who brought a little Influence... ::sly ], & who he works for, the fire fighter's attitude quickly changes. He turns to point at the nearest building,

"We've evacuated everyone from the two lower floors, & we got people out of the neighboring buildings before they caught too badly, so you want to look to the third floor & above. We have a mother who says her infant twins are still in the apartment, fifth floor, apartment 'C' near the rear of the building. A couple have called & said that their two kids are in with their grandparents, sixth floor, apartment 'F' - we don't know if they were home when the fire started. There could be another six or seven people in there besides - we're not clear yet on who was home & who wasn't, & are still trying to sort out probably locations."

"A gas main runs under the west side of the building - we're trying to shut it off, but it could blow at any time. The heat in there is intense, & you'll need to take oxygen... er... if you guys still breathe that is. The structure is unstable - the stairwells & landings which haven't collapsed yet could go at any second. If you're going, make it quick!"

As he talks the fire chief points out where there are spare breathing aparatus on a nearby fire truck.

Fabry's Place:

"No, I don't expect you to believe me...and though I wish you did, I'm happy you don't. Stay in your house of mirrors Janet, at least its safe...once you shatter the walls, the world is a dangerous place."

Janet frowns,

"Big talk from a guy who's booty-blind." Suddenly her form shifts & her colour pales, until standing in front of Terry is the spitting image of PathFinder - white hair, skin & eyes - yet still clad in John's old football jersey. Janet / PathFinder strikes a pose - somehow she's even more lovely than the original - the underlying hint of inhuman psyche that the real PathFinder seems to project just isn't there. Tossing her hair she stares at Terry & asks,

"Tell me how bedding this," she indicates her form, her voice matching PathFinder's exactly, "justifies the kidnap & torture of an innocent teenage girl, Terry. Tell me how that is a 'house of mirrors'. Maybe I'm just too human still, but it seems to me that some things are just plain wrong."

Noticing John re-enter the room, Janet holds her stare on Terry for a moment longer, then turns to watch their host, her form shifting back to her own perfection as she does so.

"Jan? Maybe it would be best if you avoided this meeting with Ghost. I'm fairly sure he'd be unhappy if I brought an uninvited guest. I'll be wearing a wire and pinhead camera, you will be able to see everything from the station in there."

Jan laughs, all the previous tension with Terry seeming to have left her in an instant,

"Are you joking, John? Since my eruption I've not been able to find anyone who was unhappy to meet me. In any case, I'm not really the technological type. If you don't want my help, then just say so. I'm a big girl, I can take it. Personally I'd imagine that someone like me could be an asset when negotiating with macho Italian gangster types - but you guys know best. What are your orders, sir?" ::sly

Kinko's [which, I'm guessing, is a copy shop & not some sort of alternative club, right? ::wink ]:

Yeah, I guess that is asking a bit much. These guys appear to be responsible for the death of John Fabry's brother - y'know, the actor? They're linked to a group called the Dark Templars here in New York. Got no names on 'em, so we're just trying to get any kind of leads we can.

Satch snorts down the phone,

"Yeah, right, sure. I'll see what I can do. Where do ya' want th' bill sent, doll?" Slither recalls that Satch was never one to let anything get in the way of a reasonable profit margin...

Sounds like a lot of sirens - I wonder what's going on.

"No clue, could be anything from a bank robbery to a fire to a bad traffic accident. Did you want to rubberneck at it or something?"

[Hah! Link gets the award for the most mercenary Elite attitude to date! ::laugh ]

Listening [don't ask me - WW seem to think that radio-waves are sound-based... ::rolleyes ] to the emergency services calls in her head, not to mention the news channels, Slither soon picks up what's going on a short distance across town.

[Archer21]

"Are you joking, John? Since my eruption I've not been able to find anyone who was unhappy to meet me. In any case, I'm not really the technological type. If you don't want my help, then just say so. I'm a big girl, I can take it. Personally I'd imagine that someone like me could be an asset when negotiating with macho Italian gangster types - but you guys know best. What are your orders, sir?"

John avoids the dig, and continues calmly. "If you want to come along, it's fine by me. I'm not going to pretend I can order you around, that's just not going to happen." He pauses for a moment, considering.

"Change of plans, Terry. I believe I'm over-thinking this meeting. Today, Ghost will be meeting with John Fabry and company. I've got to do some restaurant scouting anyway, let's kill two birds with one stone. We'll meet him at a restaurant of my choosing, I'll call ahead and arrange a private room."

As he talks, The Stranger divests himself of his gear, replacing everything in the alcove, except the PDA. Entering the code, the false wall slides back into place.

Turning to face Terry and Janet, his eufiber shifts to an attractive casual business outfit from his mother's fashion line. "Jan? If you need a few minutes to get ready, I'll call the restaurant. Terry? I will be doing this meeting this way. I'm tired of the cloak and dagger game. Please don't argue it with me." His tone is normal, but John's eyes are iron-hard when he meets Terry's gaze.

[ezekiel]

"Tell me how bedding this," she indicates her form, her voice matching PathFinder's exactly, "justifies the kidnap & torture of an innocent teenage girl, Terry. Tell me how that is a 'house of mirrors'. Maybe I'm just too human still, but it seems to me that some things are just plain wrong."

Noticing John re-enter the room, Janet holds her stare on Terry for a moment longer, then turns to watch their host, her form shifting back to her own perfection as she does so.

Terry simply furrows his brows and, seeing John enter, turns around and looks out the window.

[is Pathfinder well known with TV footage or something? As far as I know Pathfinder and Janet have never met...not that I'm complaining or anything, just curious as to Terry's girlfriend's renown, that's all...I figured she was incognito, especially after I got rebuked some time ago for saying I got information about her through the opnet before meeting her...a long time ago...I bet page 80 something...or around there.]

Jan laughs, all the previous tension with Terry seeming to have left her in an instant,

"Are you joking, John? Since my eruption I've not been able to find anyone who was unhappy to meet me. In any case, I'm not really the technological type. If you don't want my help, then just say so. I'm a big girl, I can take it. Personally I'd imagine that someone like me could be an asset when negotiating with macho Italian gangster types - but you guys know best. What are your orders, sir?" 

Terry rolls his eyes and turns around, looking at John.

John avoids the dig, and continues calmly. "If you want to come along, it's fine by me. I'm not going to pretend I can order you around, that's just not going to happen." He pauses for a moment, considering.

"Change of plans, Terry. I believe I'm over-thinking this meeting. Today, Ghost will be meeting with John Fabry and company. I've got to do some restaurant scouting anyway, let's kill two birds with one stone. We'll meet him at a restaurant of my choosing, I'll call ahead and arrange a private room."

As he talks, The Stranger divests himself of his gear, replacing everything in the alcove, except the PDA. Entering the code, the false wall slides back into place.

Turning to face Terry and Janet, his eufiber shifts to an attractive casual business outfit from his mother's fashion line. "Jan? If you need a few minutes to get ready, I'll call the restaurant. Terry? I will be doing this meeting this way. I'm tired of the cloak and dagger game. Please don't argue it with me." His tone is normal, but John's eyes are iron-hard when he meets Terry's gaze.

Terry raises an eyebrow...

"Look, its none of my business John but these guys aren't exactly the nicest people you're likely to meet...Ghost is expecting to meet the Nova who's going to help them deal with the problem, not John. You're going to tell him who that nova is? No offense John but once these people know who you are, you might as well go public. They won't shrink away from blackmail..."

Terry glances at Janet and continues

"There's another thing...Alice here still hasn't stepped through the looking glass. Ghost knows and will probably talk about it...She seems to think she knows whats best and that her knowing is her business. - Terry looks at Janet - I think curiosity killed the cat but...If you want her to know, now's as good a time as any to tell her. I guess the world's best actress should know how to hide that knowledge. You can take care of yourself, right Janet? ::sly Don't go to a meeting together unprepared..."

[Archer21]

"Look, its none of my business John but these guys aren't exactly the nicest people you're likely to meet...Ghost is expecting to meet the Nova who's going to help them deal with the problem, not John. You're going to tell him who that nova is? No offense John but once these people know who you are, you might as well go public. They won't shrink away from blackmail..."

John raises an eyebrow. "The Stranger works for me, remember? It's my choice as his boss on who he talks to, or doesn't. And if the boss wants to talk to Ghost, that's how it's going to happen. Ghost can always call off the meeting if he doesn't like it. As for blackmail? Somehow I don't think that will happen. Even if it does, I've been preparing for someone to do it for awhile now."

"There's another thing...Alice here still hasn't stepped through the looking glass. Ghost knows and will probably talk about it...She seems to think she knows whats best and that her knowing is her business. - Terry looks at Janet - I think curiosity killed the cat but...If you want her to know, now's as good a time as any to tell her. I guess the world's best actress should know how to hide that knowledge. You can take care of yourself, right Janet?  Don't go to a meeting together unprepared..."

Without batting an eye, John turns to Janet. "Apparently Ghost has some nasty things to say about Masters. Fairly shattering revelations, if they're true. I wanted you to hear them from the Elite yourself. Terry's not sure it's a good idea you hear what he has to say."

[Heritage]

Link shrugs, "No clue, could be anything from a bank robbery to a fire to a bad traffic accident. Did you want to rubberneck at it or something?"

Uh, yeah...something like that.

Satch snorts down the phone,

"Yeah, right, sure. I'll see what I can do. Where do ya' want th' bill sent, doll?" Slither recalls that Satch was never one to let anything get in the way of a reasonable profit margin...

Slither barks out a little laugh, though she still seems a little distracted.

Starting bid is a thousand, out of my BankOne account - I believe you have the routing numbers? If that's too low, keep doubling it 'til it's satisfactory.

Listening [don't ask me - WW seem to think that radio-waves are sound-based...  ::rolleyes ] to the emergency services calls in her head, not to mention the news channels, Slither soon picks up what's going on a short distance across town.

(OOC - seeing as she can broadcast and pickup TV signals, too, I think HH has a lot in common with Visable Light Attuner. I doubt it actually has anything to do with her ears - it's just converted into sound by her node for her benefit.)

Slither bites her lip.

I, uh...how much time do we got? Oh, screw it - I might get fired on my second day, which is not a good thing when Marco's your boss.

She turns her attention back to her cell.

Give me a call when you have something - I've got something I want to do.

She ends the call and looks at Link, hands on her hips.

I'm about to do something really stupid - you're welcome to come along, and be the voice of reason or something, or you can be smart and look into your leads. If I'm not back in time...shit, Marco will probably just kill me. You coming or what?

Barely giving the Elite time to react, 'Liz' is out the door and into the nearest alley; once out of sight, she begins pacing rapidly.

Okay, yeah, this is gonna even out the kharmic scales big time ::rolleyes Okay, I need a new look, something totally crazy, and a new name, anything...uh, no, can't use snake powers, someone might figure that out. So, just stick to wall-crawling and being tough and fast. Okay....f@ck it, we're going with Junebug.

Not being a big entymology buff, Slither has no idea what a junebug actually looks like, so she creates some small yet floppy eufiber wings, silly looking antennae that sprout out of a full face bug mask with fake compound eyes, and a large shiny beetle on her chest. For colors she goes with bright green, yellow and copper, and since she's Slithered up and doesn't want to be recognized by anyone on the planet (except possibly Link), not an inch of skin is showing, but she's got her kick-ass body working again.

Okay, I am Junebug! No...I am Junebug! No, that sounds too silly.

I am Junebug!

Yeah, okay that works.

And with that, the rather guilt-ridden (and probably soon-to-be-dead) 'new' nova tears out of the alley and up the street as fast as she can.

Make way, make way, lives need saving!

*God, I must look like a frickin' Easter egg*::rolleyes

[Asbjørn]

[How many floors in the building...?]

Blaze glances over at Will - and Mike - as he goes for an oxygen mask

"I'll go high, you go low."

Putting the mask on - and attuning it along with his jacket and sunglasses - he launches himself towards the top floor of the building at an incredible speed - for him, anyway. ::rolleyes [Enhanced movement for the scene]

There's a flash of brighter white light from his body as the force field covers him moments before he crashes through a window on the top floor. Never setting his feet on the potentially crumbling floor he quickly moves through the apartments while listening for sounds of people still trapped inside. If the sixth floor is the top he'll head for apartment F first, if not he'll work his way through the top, going for F when he reaches the sixth.

[Asbjørn]

Looking at the phone in his hand in silence a few moments, Vinnie resists an urge to call his grandfather back - with difficulty. ::angry Taking a few deep breaths he hits Raphael's number.

"Raphael, it's me. You still at the restaurant? We gotta talk alone about something."

[Ayre el KaBeer]

"I'll go high, you go low."

"I'll take the fifth!" Will grabs a pair of oxygen masks and a fireblanket, expanding his eufibre to accomidate them, looking quite rediculous in the process. His glow intensifes and quickly runs up the wall at an angle and is immediatly out of sight as he turns the corner to reach apartment C. Enterring a window either by force or one that is already opened he begins his search for the babies.

[OOC: forcefield, hyperspeed]

[ezekiel]

Without batting an eye, John turns to Janet. "Apparently Ghost has some nasty things to say about Masters. Fairly shattering revelations, if they're true. I wanted you to hear them from the Elite yourself. Terry's not sure it's a good idea you hear what he has to say."

"Don't cull your words John, you just told her enough. It isn't just Ghost saying things. I heard rumours from Pathfinder as well, and Zia. There's also the fact that yesterday I was helping Masters fend off a T2M investigation of his property, which led to the deaths I mentioned. What was it he was hiding, do you think?"

"Believe what you will, Pathfinder doesn't lie. She doesn't hide her views from me nor what happened to Natalia. I don't approve of Zia's methods but the fact of the matter is that we've reason to believe that Masters has been somehow suppressing eruption in Natalia. I didn't believe it at the time but Ghost just told me that Masters may be one of the heads of an organisation responsible for the Templars...their drug isn't only destroying kids lives, its destroying any Nova potential they might have had...couple this with the fact that Masters International produces anti-nova weapons and the world doesn't seem quite the same anymore, does it? I didn't want you to know because you work for him and he probably genuinely likes you, as all men do. You could just happily live your life and not realize what's happening around you...and hate some of us for trying to help the kids on the streets being given free hits of Demon Blood."

[Prince of Boredom]

Clearly not as quick as Will and Blaze, Mike turns his head to work out a plan and they're already gone. Instead, he turns to the Chief, "Chief, do those masks they took have some sort of comms device in them, so I can stay in touch with my teammates? Also, can you give me a copy of the building blueprints and a quiet place where I can concetrate undisturbed..."

Assuming he gets what he asks for, Michael sits down, stares at the blueprints and starts to concentrate...

[ProfPotts]

Fabry's One-Stop-Nova-Shop:

"Jan? If you need a few minutes to get ready, I'll call the restaurant. Terry? I will be doing this meeting this way. I'm tired of the cloak and dagger game. Please don't argue it with me."

Janet nods & starts to head towards the now vacant shower...

"There's another thing...Alice here still hasn't stepped through the looking glass. Ghost knows and will probably talk about it...She seems to think she knows whats best and that her knowing is her business... I think curiosity killed the cat but...If you want her to know, now's as good a time as any to tell her. I guess the world's best actress should know how to hide that knowledge. You can take care of yourself, right Janet?  Don't go to a meeting together unprepared..."

... only to stop at Terry's comment, then turns back to face the two men.

"Apparently Ghost has some nasty things to say about Masters. Fairly shattering revelations, if they're true. I wanted you to hear them from the Elite yourself. Terry's not sure it's a good idea you hear what he has to say."

"Don't cull your words John, you just told her enough. It isn't just Ghost saying things. I heard rumours from Pathfinder as well, and Zia. There's also the fact that yesterday I was helping Masters fend off a T2M investigation of his property, which led to the deaths I mentioned. What was it he was hiding, do you think?"

"Believe what you will, Pathfinder doesn't lie. She doesn't hide her views from me nor what happened to Natalia. I don't approve of Zia's methods but the fact of the matter is that we've reason to believe that Masters has been somehow suppressing eruption in Natalia. I didn't believe it at the time but Ghost just told me that Masters may be one of the heads of an organisation responsible for the Templars...their drug isn't only destroying kids lives, its destroying any Nova potential they might have had...couple this with the fact that Masters International produces anti-nova weapons and the world doesn't seem quite the same anymore, does it? I didn't want you to know because you work for him and he probably genuinely likes you, as all men do. You could just happily live your life and not realize what's happening around you...and hate some of us for trying to help the kids on the streets being given free hits of Demon Blood."

"Arrogant much?" Janet doesn't appear too thrilled by Terry's general attitude towards her, shaking her head & taking a deep breath, "So, let's take a look at all this evidence you claim to have then. Or are you just re-iterating opinions given to you by your terrorist pals?"

The actress's eyes narrow slightly as she adds, with some intensity,

"And I hope to God that you don't know what happened to Natalia. If I ever found out that you did know, yet still supported those... people... then..." she trails off, turning on her heel & heading into the shower before the tension gets any worse...

Outside Kinko's:

The brightly hued feminine insectile figure sprints from the alley next to the copy shop, pausing only long enough to spot the plume of dark smoke from the fire, then dashing off again in that direction. Bystanders stop to stare at the strange, but shapely, form as its running speed nears 50 kph, easily sprinting past the slow-moving city traffic, calling out...

Make way, make way, lives need saving!

... as it... as she (the figure's gender, unlike its species, is not in question after all) zooms towards the scene of the blaze...

The Scene of the Blaze:

"I'll go high, you go low."

Etched in a his namesake blaze Nate crashes through a window on the top (sixth) story of the building. The intense heat of the flames which have engulfed the structure are nothing to a man who can immolate himself at will; but there's little oxygen & the air's heavy with smoke, making both vision & breathing difficult. All around is the roar of the inferno, coupled with the crackle & crack of walls, ceiling, & floor ablaze, & the occassional crash of part of the structure giving up the fight & collapsing under the firey assault. Even for a Nova, it's hard to get bearings, the once common-place dwelling now as alien as any far-off planet...

"I'll take the fifth!"

As Blaze blasts towards the top floor, Will is a crimson streak, racing to - & then up - the building's outer wall, crashing through into the fifth floor. Faced with the internal inferno Will thinks for a moment that his skin is blistering from the heat, but suddenly realises that it's something else - his skin feels different beneath its eufiber coating, but the heat seems lessened, almost comfortable. His eyes as well, at first blinded by the stinging smoke, clear, as if his very body was designed to function in such an inhospitible environment. Will takes a moment to note that the adaption feels similar to when he's running at top speed, yet able to do so without harm, but wastes no more than a thought, before heading further into the burning building...

"Chief, do those masks they took have some sort of comms device in them, so I can stay in touch with my teammates? Also, can you give me a copy of the building blueprints and a quiet place where I can concetrate undisturbed..."

The Fire Chief nods,

"Yes, they have radios as standard. We had a copy of the blueprints sent to us when we found out about the gas main..." The fire fighter gestures towards a car which bears the markings & light bar of the fire service. Moving over to the vehicle he opens the door & indicates a laptop resting on the passenger seat, "... The plans are on that thing. In the car is about the quietest spot you're going to get around here anyway."

Having dealt with Mike's requests, the Chief heads back towards his men, barking orders & re-directing the spray from the truck's powerful hoses.

... On the sixth floor Blaze finds himself forced to move quite slowly through the smoke-filled burning building as he searches for the right apartment. Out of nowhere a door near him bursts outwards, a fireball roiling after the scattered fragments of charred wood as the chaotic effects of air pressure & heat currents cause the room beyond to violently explode - the Nova's force field takes the impact, & the flames are as nothing to him, but he's left with a sure sense of just how unstable the situation is. The little brass numbers on the apartment doors have melted beyond recognition, & the doors themselves are either blackened or already ablaze. He continues his search...

... One floor down & Will's adapted senses are having a little easier time cutting through the smoke, heat, & noise. He heads, as the fire fighter suggested, towards the back of the building, vaguely hearing muffled infant cries as he speeds towards the end apartment. Then, just before he reaches the door, there's a loud cracking noise & the floor gives way beneath him! In a shower of crimson sparks from the shattered burning floor Will tumbles through, crashing into the floor below!..

DVNTS:

"Raphael, it's me. You still at the restaurant? We gotta talk alone about something."

"Yeah, I'm still here." Vinnie notes the pasta-slurping noises that preceed Raphael's comment...

[Archer21]

"And I hope to God that you don't know what happened to Natalia. If I ever found out that you did know, yet still supported those... people... then..." she trails off, turning on her heel & heading into the shower before the tension gets any worse...

Tight-lipped, John shakes his head in frustration. Moving into the livingroom, he picks the phone up out of it's cradle, dialing one of the restaurants from the list he's supposed to visit. Forcing his voice to it's normally cheerful tone, he makes arrangements with the maitre'd for a private dining room, advising that he and his guests should be arriving within the next 30 minutes.

Finishing the call, he immediately starts dialing again, arranging for a cab. He glances at Terry while waiting on hold. "Maybe you should meet us there. Considering that last scene with Janet, sharing a cab probably isn't a good idea."

[Heritage]

The Fire:

'Junebug' slides to a halt in front of the conflagration, quickly spots the fire chief, and approaches him with slightly exagerrated confidence. Fists on her hips, her head swivels upwards to take in the scene, making her antennae bounce about; when she speaks, her voice rings with 50s-era authority.

It looks bad, chief - what can the stupendous Junebug do to help?

[Ayre el KaBeer]

Then, just before he reaches the door, there's a loud cracking noise & the floor gives way beneath him! In a shower of crimson sparks from the shattered burning floor Will tumbles through, crashing into the floor below!..

Will rises to his feet, testing the floor beneath him incase it also colapses. When he's fairly certain it won't, Will jumps back up to the fifth floor ready to catch himself on the wall [OOC: Claws] should the floor give way again.

[ezekiel]

"Arrogant much?" Janet doesn't appear too thrilled by Terry's general attitude towards her, shaking her head & taking a deep breath, "So, let's take a look at all this evidence you claim to have then. Or are you just re-iterating opinions given to you by your terrorist pals?"

Still thinking that she isn't cut out for this stuff...

"The truth hurts, Janet. Ghost is having some of the evidence analyzed as we speak."

"And I hope to God that you don't know what happened to Natalia. If I ever found out that you did know, yet still supported those... people... then..."

"Oh, come off it, you've never even met her! Zia knows exactly how I feel about him, he avoids me like the plague. I don't support any terrorists. Did you know that Masters International preferred I keep some corporate property safe instead of saving her? I had to steal from them to get the others to meet Zia and get her out of there...that's the kind of stuff you don't learn from the old man's PR reps, isn't it?"

turning on her heel & heading into the shower before the tension gets any worse...

Finishing the call, he immediately starts dialing again, arranging for a cab. He glances at Terry while waiting on hold. "Maybe you should meet us there. Considering that last scene with Janet, sharing a cab probably isn't a good idea."

Terry answers sarcastically

"Wonderful girl! I can see why you like her.." ::rolleyes

Terry looks at his watch

"It's about time I go anyway, they'll be expecting me. I'm sorry about..."

Terry nods towards the shower

"Let's hope you were right about telling her. Stay sharp..."

One of Terry's telltale warps opens and he steps through it, into the restaurant on Mulberry street.

[Archer21]

Terry answers sarcastically

"Wonderful girl! I can see why you like her.." 

Terry looks at his watch

"It's about time I go anyway, they'll be expecting me. I'm sorry about..."

Terry nods towards the shower

"Let's hope you were right about telling her. Stay sharp..."

One of Terry's telltale warps opens and he steps through it, into the restaurant on Mulberry street.

As Terry steps through and the warp winks out, the phone in John's hand crackles, then shatters into pieces as the actor's hand tightens. Relaxing his hold, John looks down at the phone. "Damnit."

Throwing the now useless phone into the garbage, he walks over to the cradle, and uses the speakerphone instead to call the cab company again. Glancing towards the shower, he shakes his head and smiles. Cancelling the call, he contacts one of the many agencies that caters to movie star whims, and orders a private luxury sedan, with 2 dozen roses to be left in the backseat.

Done, he walks out to the spacious patio to wait for Janet to finish getting ready, and to think.

[malkboy]

Link shaking his head, follows Slither aka Junebug for as long as he can see her. Than he will just follow the signs towards the fire as best he can, getting there well behind Junebug and everyone else.

[Asbjørn]

... On the sixth floor Blaze finds himself forced to move quite slowly through the smoke-filled burning building as he searches for the right apartment. Out of nowhere a door near him bursts outwards, a fireball roiling after the scattered fragments of charred wood as the chaotic effects of air pressure & heat currents cause the room beyond to violently explode - the Nova's force field takes the impact, & the flames are as nothing to him, but he's left with a sure sense of just how unstable the situation is. The little brass numbers on the apartment doors have melted beyond recognition, & the doors themselves are either blackened or already ablaze. He continues his search...

Welcome to the barbecue... ::blink

Straining to see through the smoke and heat Nathan continues down the hall door by door, all senses on alert. Any door that's not already blown open he'll break down, prepared to grab any screaming or silent human body and burst outside at a moments notice should he spot someone inside any of the exploding rooms.

He's just reaching another door when a brilliant idea strikes him.

Wasn't there a radio in this mask...?

Turning the radio on, he says

"Anyone out there got a floorplan? I'm on the sixth floor, and it's kinda hard to see where you're going in here. I repeat, I need a guy with a floorplan to guide me to 6F!"

[Prince of Boredom]

Turning the radio on, he says

"Anyone out there got a floorplan? I'm on the sixth floor, and it's kinda hard to see where you're going in here. I repeat, I need a guy with a floorplan to guide me to 6F!"

Sitting in the squad car staring at the blueprints on the laptop Micahel responds, "Blaze, it's Mike. I want you to keep moving straight. You should be coming up on a room with a small child. Just keep going, I'll tell ya when you're there..."

[ProfPotts]

The Inferno:

It looks bad, chief - what can the stupendous Junebug do to help?

The soot-grimed fire chief turns impatiently at the further interuption, then double-takes as his eyes take in Junebug's outrageous costume... & shapely curves ::blink . Still, he's a professional with more important things to deal with, so after his initial shock wears off he points towards the line where the police are keeping the crowds back,

"She can get back behind the barriers where it's safe, & stop getting in our way." ::angry

Wasting no more time on such ludicrous characters, he turns back to directing his men.

Inside the building Will regains his feet. His leap takes him back through to the fifth floor, & smashing through the apartment door. Casting his gaze around he can't see the children!... Then he hears another faint cry. Dashing over to the closet door he pulls it open, to find two infants, no more than toddlers, huddled together amongst coats & boots, crying their eyes out. The fires throughout the room leap about, threatening to engulf the children at any moment!

"Anyone out there got a floorplan? I'm on the sixth floor, and it's kinda hard to see where you're going in here. I repeat, I need a guy with a floorplan to guide me to 6F!"

"Blaze, it's Mike. I want you to keep moving straight. You should be coming up on a room with a small child. Just keep going, I'll tell ya when you're there..."

Following Mike's radioed directions, Blaze barges through a flame-licked door, only to find the chared remains of an elderly man still burning on the floor of the apartment, slumped against the bathroom door! Mike radios again, telling Blaze to move further into the apartment, & suddenly it becomes clear that the old man died forcing the bathroom door shut, before obviously becoming overcome by the smoke. Moving the corpse, Nate enters the bathroom - inside is an old lady hugging two pre-school children - a girl & a boy - close to her. All three are sitting in the bath - which is full of water. At Blaze's entrance the old woman shrieks, then blinks, then quickly starts - as best as her old bones are able - to pass the children out of the bath,

"Please, rescue my grandchildren!"

Her voice is weak, & she seems on the point of collapse...

Lifestyles of the Rich & Shameless:

Soon enough, Janet emerges from the shower & joins John on the balcony. She's wearing a full-length, off the shoulder, evening dress of pale blue silk. Placing one hand lightly on her host's shoulder she smiles,

"Is this the sort of thing you were thinking of, or is The Stranger going to accompany you?"

Giovanni's:

Stepping back into the meeting room Terry spots both The Ghost & Raphael sitting at the table. The others don't appear to have returned yet.

[Heritage]

The soot-grimed fire chief turns impatiently at the further interuption, then double-takes as his eyes take in Junebug's outrageous costume... & shapely curves  . Still, he's a professional with more important things to deal with, so after his initial shock wears off he points towards the line where the police are keeping the crowds back,

"She can get back behind the barriers where it's safe, & stop getting in our way."

Junebug gives him a crisp salute.

I'm on it, chief!

Slither chuckles to herself as she keeps monitoring the emergency frequencies.

*Are you surprised you're not getting any respect?* ::sly

Junebug moves quickly back across the line and continues to the nearest tall building of at least the same height as the burning structure; she then climbs the building as fast as she can, her eufiber wings spreading to stretch over her arms as she heads upwards. Once she's high enough, she'll scan for any more radio broadcasts or cries of distress from inside the blaze, after which she will then push off into a glide towards the fire, being careful of the deadly thermal updrafts that no doubt are swirling about the building.

[Asbjørn]

Following Mike's radioed directions, Blaze barges through a flame-licked door, only to find the chared remains of an elderly man still burning on the floor of the apartment, slumped against the bathroom door! Mike radios again, telling Blaze to move further into the apartment, & suddenly it becomes clear that the old man died forcing the bathroom door shut, before obviously becoming overcome by the smoke. Moving the corpse, Nate enters the bathroom - inside is an old lady hugging two pre-school children - a girl & a boy - close to her. All three are sitting in the bath - which is full of water. At Blaze's entrance the old woman shrieks, then blinks, then quickly starts - as best as her old bones are able - to pass the children out of the bath,

"Please, rescue my grandchildren!"

Her voice is weak, & she seems on the point of collapse...

Holding up a hand, Blaze gently pushes the old woman and the kids back in the tub.

"I'll get you all out, Ma'am. Don't you worry."

He then grabs the edges of the tub and pulls it free of the wall. Turning briefly to glance towards the outside wall he stretches out a hand and unleashes his own particular brand of blaze to blast a hole to the open air, then grabs the tub in both hands and flies them out to safety through the gaping hole.

Swooping down to the medics he puts the tub down, then heads back in the way he came.

"Talk to me, Mike! Got any others pinned down?"

[Archer21]

Soon enough, Janet emerges from the shower & joins John on the balcony. She's wearing a full-length, off the shoulder, evening dress of pale blue silk. Placing one hand lightly on her host's shoulder she smiles,

"Is this the sort of thing you were thinking of, or is The Stranger going to accompany you?"

Pensive, his thoughts are broken by Jan's touch. Smiling, he turns his head and gently kisses her fingers resting on his shoulder. Looking up at her, he shakes his slightly in the negative. "No, I'm hoping to leave The Stranger a conversation piece this time. You look wonderful, by the way." Walking her back into the livingroom and closing the patio door, he glances down at his own attire, sighing ruefully. "Mother would murder me if I didn't at least try to look as good." Concentrating briefly, he focuses on one of the suits from her upcoming fall line.

Now dressed in a masterfully cut black business suit with a dark silver tie, he smooths back his hair with one hand, a habitual gesture. He arches an eyebrow at Janet and grins. "Shall we?"

[Asbjørn]

Giovanni's:

Stepping back into the meeting room Terry spots both The Ghost & Raphael sitting at the table. The others don't appear to have returned yet.

Feeling the air move as a new 'window' is opened behind him, Vinnie again lets his eufiber mask glide up to cover his face. Turning to Terry he says

"Mr. Nathanson, welcome back. Please have a seat."

He then glances at his watch, noting the [X] minutes his colleague has left to show up...

[Ayre el KaBeer]

The fires throughout the room leap about, threatening to engulf the children at any moment!

Will sprints over to the cabinet imposing himself between the children and the fire expanding his eufibre as much as possible to help shield them from the flames while working at wrapping the todlers in the fireblanket "It's ok I'll get you out of here". He decides to forego putting the oxygen masks on the kids since he'd have to get them out of there imediately before the fire claims them.

[OOC:Hyper, enhance movement, quickness too, maintains forcefield regardless of his newfound comfort in the inferno.]

[ProfPotts]

Inferno:

Junebug is rapidly ascending a nearby building even as a white-bright bolt of energy blows out a hole in one of the upper-story walls of the blazing building - followed momentarily by the flying Blaze carrying a bathtub hastily pulled from its fittings. Meanwhile a crimson-etched Will speeds out of a window & down the wall, clutching a bundled blanket close to him...

... Mike continues to study the building blueprints - which are becoming a less-accurate plan of the place by the second as internal floors & walls collapse under the power of the intense heat. He believes that he's 'pinned down' another survivor, just as Blaze & Will are delivering their respective charges to the waiting paramedics, & Junebug leaps into air thick with thermals & begins to soar towards the inferno. It's at that moment when the inevitable occurs - the fire finally hits the gas main...

::nervous F-TOOOMMM!!! ::nervous

A massive fireball erupts within the burning structure, spewing out of every window & door, & shaking the nearby streets to their foundations. Flaming debris scatters across the emergency service vehicles & personnel; some lighter pieces even reaching the crowd-line, whilst several large fragments smash into the street & vehicles near the building, causing rescue personnel to fling themselves out of the deadly rain as best they can. The thermal shockwave from the blast is powerful enough to rock the ambulences & police cruisers near the scene, & to knock people off their feet. The heat, naturally, is incredible, & (coupled with the blazing debris) starts numerous small secondary fires across the whole of the blast area.

Junebug, thankfully, was still some way off from the building when the blast occurs - although she's still hurled bodily through the air, away from the blast. The shapely & colourful character suffers a moment of disorientation, but her natural talents soon enable her to right herself & maintain her gliding flight.

By the paramedics Will manages to steady himself against the shockwave, even as the ambulence itself slides a couple of meters & rocks dangerously to one side - the crimson-glowing Nova quickly zips round to brace the vehicle & push it back onto its wheels.

Already in the air, returning to the fire after depositing the bathtub, Blaze is rocked by the blast, but still manages, with a swift punch, to smash aside a large chunk of flaming debris that threatens to crush a couple of fire fighters who were training a hose on the inferno even as it blew.

Seated in the car, Mike is rocked as the vehicle shifts position, then is startled as both airbags decide to go off! Glancing towards the burning building he sees that it has already started to collapse in on itself - a moment's concentration convinces him that there is no-one left alive inside to save...

Fabry Fun:

"Shall we?"

Jan takes John's arm & allows him to escort her towards the waiting car, commenting as they go on how handsome he looks. Once in the car she smiles at the roses, which she picks up, then turns to her host & asks, in a less-than-serious tone,

"For me?"

Once his passengers are settled in the back, the driver gets into the front seat &, turning back towards them (trying his best to be professional & hide the fact that he not only recognises the couple, but is having the usual male reaction to Miss Thorne's presence... ::blush ) asks where they'd like to go...

Giovanni's:

Raphael orders some pasta dishes & a bottle of red to be sent down whilst they wait for the others. It'll take about [X] minutes to be prepared & eaten... ::tongue ::wink

[Prince of Boredom]

Seated in the car, Mike is rocked as the vehicle shifts position, then is startled as both airbags decide to go off! Glancing towards the burning building he sees that it has already started to collapse in on itself - a moment's concentration convinces him that there is no-one left alive inside to save...

Wincing in pain as he wipes the powder from the airbags out of his eyes, Michael looks sadly at the building, "Will, Blaze, get outta there. There's no one left alive, no since putting yourselves in any more danger..." the sound of defeat can be heard in his voice...

[Archer21]

Once in the car she smiles at the roses, which she picks up, then turns to her host & asks, in a less-than-serious tone,

"For me?"

John smiles gently at her. "Of course."

Once his passengers are settled in the back, the driver gets into the front seat &, turning back towards them (trying his best to be professional & hide the fact that he not only recognises the couple, but is having the usual male reaction to Miss Thorne's presence...  ) asks where they'd like to go...

Truthfully a bit tired of everyone blatantly staring at his date, John shoots a dangerous look at the driver, hopefully encouraging an eyes-front policy for the drive. Showing a smile that never touches his eyes, he gives the driver the address, and name of the restaurant. "Desert Sands, please."

[Heritage]

Once the building goes up in the huge fireball, nearly knocking her out of the sky, Slither comes to the realization that this is not her kind of party.

*What are you, fireproof? You're a tank-juggler all of a sudden? No, Carla, you are a sneaker, and you can't sneak into a building on fire - well maybe you could, but it would be pretty stupid.* ::wink

Once she gets her bearings back, she swoops around the fire a few more times, waving at the crowd just to make sure she's noticed (by Link, too), and then tilts back in the direction of Giovanni's.

*I must have been insane, thinking I was the sort of nova who could pull people out of a mess like that! But perhaps this wasn't a complete waste of time - now that I have Junebug, maybe she has other uses....?* ::sly

Slither swoops down and lands in an alley, quickly shifts back to her mundane 'Liz Baxter' persona, then hoofs it back to the resturaunt. Once inside, she Slithers up once more, back to the Emma Peel look, but with the retro shades she was thinking of earlier ::cool She slips back down to the table where the various Mafiosos are waiting.

*Great, I smell like a fire ::rolleyes I hope Satch can come through with something on those two-bit thugs.*

[Asbjørn]

::nervous F-TOOOMMM!!! ::nervous

Holy Crap!! There goes the neighborhood... ::blink ::confused

Already in the air, returning to the fire after depositing the bathtub, Blaze is rocked by the blast, but still manages, with a swift punch, to smash aside a large chunk of flaming debris that threatens to crush a couple of fire fighters who were training a hose on the inferno even as it blew.

Phew! That was close...

Blaze rises higher, getting a bird's eye view of the destruction as Mike's voice reaches him over the radio.

"Will, Blaze, get outta there. There's no one left alive, no since putting yourselves in any more danger..."

Nathan quietly nods to himself, then replies

"Copy that, Mike. No baseline could survive that blast... I guess we'd better..." His voice trails off as he spots movement in the sky

The shapely & colourful character suffers a moment of disorientation, but her natural talents soon enable her to right herself & maintain her gliding flight.

Lifting a glowing arm to point in her direction - in case anybody's watching him - he says

"Who the hell is that?"

Once she gets her bearings back, she swoops around the fire a few more times, waving at the crowd just to make sure she's noticed (by Link, too), and then tilts back in the direction of Giovanni's.

"...and why is she running away?" ::sly

As he speaks, Nathan speeds up to intercept the strange figure, calling for her to wait up if he gets within earshot.

[Heritage: Blaze is hardly a speed demon, but a couple of hundred klicks an hour is child's play... Think you'll get away? ::wink ]

[Heritage]

OOC: Through the power of Hermione's Time-Turner, this conversation takes place.... ::tongue

As he speaks, Nathan speeds up to intercept the strange figure, calling for her to wait up if he gets within earshot.

Slither looks over her shoulder in annoyance as the flying man approaches.

*Oh crap - sure, now that I'm in a hurry, I get super-guy attention ::rolleyes*

I am sorry, I cannot stay, friend! Urgent matters call me elsewhere, but you shall cross paths with Junebug again!

Feeling like a complete uber-dork, Junebug salutes the flying stranger, then quickly drops into an alley, slaps herself against the wall and goes chameleon (Weave plus Chromatophores aiding Stealth), waits a bit and then goes to Baxter mode and continues back to Giovanni's.

If she thinks she's still being followed, she'll dorm down and try to lose herself in the crowd and approach the resturaunt from a circuitous route, cycling through Liz back to Slither to avoid showing Marco and his pals her mundane face (which is still pretty awesome - rowr! ::devil)

[Prince of Boredom]

Lifting a glowing arm to point in her direction - in case anybody's watching him - he says

"Who the hell is that?"

"...and why is she running away?"

Michael quickly gets out of the car, and looks in the direction Blaze is pointing...

*Maybe she's the one that started this*

Michael stares for a minute, then suddenly a sphere of fire surrounds her, large enough to give her time to stop before she impacts the side... but not much...

(this is all assuming she's in range and I have time to do so)

[ProfPotts]

Inferno:

"Who the hell is that?.. and why is she running away?"

As Junebug circles over the crowd her own flamboyant actions (not to mention Blaze's exclaimation & gesticulation) call the attention of those not overly pre-occupied by the recently exploded building towards the strange figure. One of those who notices is Mike - a brief moment of concentration from the ex-footbal star causes a tongue of flame to leap from the burning remains which Junebug is circling, wrapping around her into a firey sphere!

Within seconds Blaze closes with the flame-enclosed insectile woman; both he & Junebug can feel the searing heat from the obviously dangerous flame barrier...

The sphere is quite large - big enough for the 'bug to maintain height by circling tightly without actually coming into contact with the flames themselves - something a little less than ten metres across.

As they start to recover from the shock of the blast that destroyed the building, those with less-than-Nova physiques in the crowd begin to stare & point at Blaze & the still-discernable sillhouette of Junebug that's within the giant ball of fire that hovers in front of him. Whispered questions & comments murmer through the crowds, until one reckless sort shouts out loud enough to be heard,

"Hey! That Blaze guy's captured a super-villainess!"

::blink

Due to the distraction of the Novas' entertaining performances (all, naturally, being captured by the various camera crews that were already present to report on the fire), it takes a little while for people to start noticing another unusual occurance: at first it just looks like the smoke from the fire, blacker & thicker than before, roiling out of the bonfire that is the skeleton-shell of the apartment building; but it's soon clear that the impenetrable darkness that is emerging from the place isn't smoke at all, it's more like... a wave of shadow... ::lookaround ::ninja

The fire crews step back from the phenominum, looking at each other quizically - this is obviously not a usual occurance at a fire. However, as the entire building becomes engulfed in shadow those closest to it start to realise that they can no-longer feel any heat from the flames!.. Somehow the liquid darkness has extinguised the fire...

... From their shared aerial vantage point both Junebug & Blaze see what the crowd below has yet to be made privy to - standing in the centre of the building's roof, knee-deep in roiling shadows, is the dark, chain-mail-clad costumed, figure of New York's (in)famous public defender - The Gothic Knight!

As the Knight's shadows reach street-level, fully smothering the inferno, New York's finest Nova turns his masked face upwards - towards Junebug & Blaze. Despite the fact he's wearing a mask, it kinda' looks like he's in a bad mood... Maybe that's the whole point of the costume... ::lookaround

Desert Sands:

The suitably-cowed driver is the height of professionalism as he transports his charges to the high-class restaurant. Only a few photographers are present to snap pictures of the rich & famous who are dining - those few grin behind their cameras at the sure knowledge of a profitable 'money shot' as the glittering couple step from the car.

Inside the restaurant boasts a vaguely Morrocan style - the be-fezed head waiter smiles as he escorts Mr Fabry & his guest to the best table in the house.