Leon cursed as his phone demanded his attention, the sound of Priss Asagiri's 'Rock Me' muffled inside his jacket. Passing one of the Up 'N
Away takeaway bags over to Daley, he pulled the phone out and flipped it open. "McNichol."
"Query: Where are you now Detective?" HE-AT asked.
"Wong and I are at Atlas Up 'N Away," he replied. "What's going on boss-lady?" Daley paused in his dismantling of a Positron
Doubleburger (Leon having forgotten to mention no pickes, again) and looked at him, curious.
"Instructions: You need to meet Detective Becktrees at the Higgs Memorial Cemetery. Expansion: He has requested PSI assistance in a police investigation
involving a break in last night. He stressed that the situation may be limited by time requirements and the possibility of gang-related violence."
"Gotcha. We're on our way now," he said. "I'll call you as soon as I have anything." He flipped the phone closed and stashed it
back in his jacket. "Eat while I drive," he said to Daley, heading for the car.
"Trouble?" his partner asked as he followed.
"Becktree is asking for PSI backup," he replied as he pulled out his keys. "That man's got a damn hero phone book, he's gotta think
it's serious." As Daley buckled in and Leon started up the engine and threw it into reverse, he added, "Call the kid, see if she's free. She
needs investigation experience."
***
Higgs Memorial Cemetery was just outside Kings Row, in one of the regions of Paragon that, for reasons no one could ever determine, never seemed to suffer the
constant, never ending crime problems that required a high police and hero presence.
Not that it meant the region was completely peaceful, Leon mused as he showed his badge to the uniformed officers at the cemetery gates and continued inside.
It still suffered the sorts of problems that only Paragon seemed to accept so naturally. Council sleeper cells, Arachnos and Rikti terror attacks... and for
graveyards, the ever wonderful zombies and grave robbers.
"McNichol, Wong," Dectective Becktrees said as they approached, shaking both mens hands. "Thanks for coming so quickly."
"Happy to help," Leon shrugged. "What brought all the attention out here? Meat-Doctors, Pantheon?"
"A little lower down the national threat scale, but still serious," Becktrees admitted, then blinked at the sight of a tiny figure in a PPD duty
uniform flew out of the sky, landing next to the trio.
"Dectctive Becktrees, this is Officer Reilly, aka Major Starlight," Leon said, nodding between the pair. The Row's chief detective recovered his
footing quickly, shaking her hand and seeming unconcerned by a police officer that looked to be maybe fifteen years old. Then again, given the sheer variety of
heroes he'd worked with over the years, that shouldn't be surprising.
"Any of you familiar with Kerosene Kenneth?" he asked as he led them deeper into the cemetery.
"Ken Douglas," Tam replied. "One of the Hellions Damned. Mostly makes trouble in Perez, was arrested and charged with the attempted arson of the
Galaxy Girl theater in March, but got released on bail." Her PSI teammates gave her a curious look and she shrugged. "I was on the team that arrested
him," she admitted.
Becktrees chuckled bitterly. "Well, he won't be facing trial. He was found dead in a house fire in Steel Canyon last week, COD determined to be smoke
inhalation." This surprised none of the officers present, accidental suicide by fire being the most common cause of death in the Hellions ever since the
most recent Medicomm network upgrade. "No family left, no will, he was buried here in the public cemetery..."
He ducked under police tape and stopped at the edge of an open grave. "Then last night, someone broke in, dug up his grave and... well..." he waved a
hand into the grave. Leon looked down and scowled. Kens body was still there, but someone had taken some sort of blade, probably an axe, to the Hellions neck.
"They stole his skull," Tamara said quietly, kneeling down for a closer look. "I suppose I shoudl say there's a list of suspects, but if
I'm being honest, only one sticks out."
Daley nodded in agreement. "The Vaz would take the whole body for parts, the Pantheon wouldn't take an interest in just one corpse, and the Hellions
and Skulls have been glaring at each other lately." He glanced over at Leon. "When the Hellions hear about this, they'll blame the Skulls right
away."
"And go in shooting," Leon agreed, taking off his sunglasses. "Gang war in Galaxy, Atlas and the Row," he scowled, looking at the headless
corpse. "This could be bad."
This one slipped by my radar at first, dunno how -- I just now spotted it but I see from the timestamp it was posted yesterday. Wierd!
Anyway.
I like the setting here. I've been thinking for a while now that I needed to do something about all that unexplored area on the map -- the stuff outside
the usual zones, but which logically still has to exist, heh -- and here you are beating me to it. Awesomeness!
Quote: "And go in shooting," Leon agreed, taking off his sunglasses. "Gang war in Galaxy, Atlas and the Row," he scowled, looking at the
headless corpse. "This could be bad."
Yeah. Understate much? *lol*
Looking forward to more...
--sofaspud
--
"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs
Indeed, this has interesting potential. Do carry on, Officer McNichol.
Quote:I like the setting here. I've been thinking for a while now that I needed to do something about all that unexplored area on the map -- the stuff outside the usual zones, but which logically still has to exist, heh -- and here you are beating me to it. Awesomeness!
Hmmmm. That makes me curious, now. Just what's up with all that? Are those areas peaceful and secure? Or... not?
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make
anything explode.
IIRC, the area that is outside the War walls is all now, 'Unreclaimed' land, IE, so devastated by the First Rikti War that there's not much left
but rubble. The 'Official' reason is so that they can pop up zones when they need them, like how the Hollows was carved out of same plot of land that
looks to be near-or-occupying the dot of land that is Outbreak.
I'd be interested to see if that's canon, honestly. Because, simply put? I don't buy it.
Even ignoring the economics of a city where super-heroing is a viable career choice, Paragon City is not big enough as-is to support itself. It needs more.
More space, more people, more everything. My take on it is, the defined zones are the -worst- areas; the stuff outside them has returned to relative normalcy.
--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs
I forget where it was, but someone once calculated the land area covered by the Paragon City zones. It's not a precise estimate because there's some Tardis-like compression going on with Terra Volta (its footprint in Independence Port is smaller than the TV zone interior)...
...but strictly the Paragon City we do have is a VERY veryveryvery large city in real scale terms. We don't realise it because we travel so quickly in-game.
HOWEVER, that's counting the hazard zones; Perez, Hollows, Eden, Dark Astoria, et all.
Thing is they should be counted, because they all fall within 'city limits', and are obviously urban areas, even if they're not currently habitable.
-- Acyl
I count it as a mixture of both. Some regions outside the in-game zones are so badly trashed they're worse then Boomtown and abandoned (Some of the
demolished instances could apply here), while others are relatively better off and can get by with low ranking PPD officers and the occasional hero, except
when something big happens (The intact city instances).
***
"I've got an officer getting the security tapes now," Becktrees said, "but they only show the main gates and the funeral parlor."
"Pretty poor security for a graveyard," Daley said.
Leon snorted. "Only in Paragon," he noted with a shake of his head. "So unless someone saw the Skulls climbing a fence, it's gonna take time
to connect them to this." He looked back at the unearthed grave and frowned. "This'll leak in a day or three, tops."
Becktrees nodded in agreement. "Which is why I asked for PSI assistence. We'll handle the conventional side while you take the more unpredictable
approach you're allowed?" In reply, Leon merely smirked. "That's what I thought," he chuckled. "I know the Skulls may not seem like
much compared to some of what you guys handle, but-"
"They're all murderers," Leon replied. "Every last one of them." He looked over at where Kens decapitated corpse was being removed from
its grave and put in a body bag for transport back to the morgue for the second time.
Next to him, Daley noticed the mans expression shifting to thoughtful. "What?"
"Who's handling the new recruits in the Skulls these days?" he wondered.
"Lucas Holmes. Goes around calling himself Marrow Sucker," Becktrees replied. "He got busted a few weeks ago, but Jenkins got him out on bail.
Naturally," he scowled.
"How has that creep not been disbarred yet?" Daley asked no one in particular, then glanced at Leon again. "You don't think one of the
Skulls new recruits pulled this off?"
"It'd be a heck of an achievement for a 'rookie'," Tamara mused.
Leon shook his head. "The recruits have to do the kill in front of a group of Skulls," he said. "Prove they were holding the knife. It's why
we can't get any undercover officers in. Still... He's the man that handles all their midnight grave runs. I don't suppose you know where he
is?" he asked Becktrees, who could only give an irritated shrug in reply.
"So we take advantage of an ancient Paragon City tradition," Tam suggested.
***
Harry gave the screwdriver a twist, scowled when it didn't turn, and picked up the hammer again. Before he could swing it however, someone grabbed him by
the collar of his jacket and threw him across the parking lot, leaving the screwdriver stuck in the car lock.
Growling, he started to sit up, only to be slammed back down by a foot on his chest. He winced, then shut up at the sight of a bulky multi-rifle aimed at his
face. Behind the leather jacketed man holding the rifle, Harry could hear his buddies being introduced to the ground.
"So, what's your name?" asked the man pinning him down. Harry glared and didn't reply. The hero scowled, as another figure walked up, knelt
down and took the Skulls wallet out of his pocket. This figure got his attention, looking like a teenage girl in a police uniform.
"Harry Ashfield," she said, taking out his drivers license and stepping away.
"Heya Harry, I'm Detective McNichol," the hero standing on him said with a grin. "Now, there's two ways this can go. The first way is
you act like a little brat, don't tell me a little piece of information, and I toss you into a cell for carjacking. The second way involves you telling me
where I can find Marrow Sucker and ask him a few questions. Do that, and I won't tell anyone you talked about something so minor, and I don't arrest
you for the car." Harry didn't notice Leons eyes dart off to the side, thanks to the reflective glasses he was wearing. "Or the gun in your
jacket you probably don't have a license for," he added.
Lying on the asphalt, Harry had to admit that seemed like a pretty good deal for him. "He's having a party tonight," he said. "Nightclub
called the Noisy Grave. I'm not saying where that is though," he added quickly.
Leon snorted. "Can't make it too easy for us?" Harry merely shrugged with a grin. "Fair enough. Good trade." Harry started to smirk,
but stopped as Leon knelt down and snapped a pair of handcuffs around his wrists.
"Hey you said-"
"You're under arrest for something entirely different," said a voice off to the side. Harry looked over to see a man in a rather snappy suit
holding a cell phone and his drivers lisence. "You're new to the Skulls, no arrests yet," he noted. "Including the stolen property
you're wearing," he added with a smile, pulling off the bone mask the man was wearing. Harrys eyes widened, then Leon hit the teleport beacon and he
vanished.
Daley snickered, placing a tag on the mask and sending it on to the evidence locker at the base. "Do you think they'll ever catch onto that
trick?" he wondered.
Leon snorted. "I reckon they have, they're just too damn eager to show off how badass they are," he said, holstering his multi-rifle and taking
the phone from Daley. "Hey Nene, is Priss there?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Grab her for a minute, I need her expertise."
There was a brief pause, then Priss Asagiri's voice came over the phone. "Yeah Leon, what'd you need?"
"I'm looking for an underground nightclub called the Noisy Grave. Given your expertise in the area of local music and places to hear local
music..."
She snorted. "Yeah, I know the place. Never been there though. It's a Skull dive in Perez, right in the middle of the Boneyard. They converted an old
warehouse on Figeroa Drive... hold up. Nene..." Her voice trailed off for a few moments, before returning. "Yeah, it's officially abandoned,
ownership returned to the city."
"Fantastic," he grinned. He checked his watch, noted it wasn't even 11 am yet, then said "Put Nene back on, I need to plot."
***
It was nearly 8 pm by the time the trio arrived at Noisy Grave. They parked around the corner and walked the rest of the way down Perezs deserted streets,
Tamara having shifted to her actual hero costume for this. "There's the place," she noted, as the Skull bouncers on the door turned to face them.
"Private party Capes," one of them sneered. "Get lost before we use you as decorations-" he shut up as Daley raised a hand and shot a
fireball into his face. He yelped, stumbling backwards as Tamaras eyes glowed and twin beams nailed the kneecap of the other bouncer. Leon unholstered his
multi-rifle and smashed the first bouncer in the face with the rifle stock, dropping him, then they stepped over the pair and went inside.
"Decor is definitely Budget Warehouse Rave," Daley mused, as assorted colored lights on the roof and walls flashed in all directions, while
remarkably techno music played from countless speakers of all shapes and sizes. Along the hallway and on the remaining storage shelves, there were Skulls and
their fangirls getting drunk or high, arguing, dancing, and generally having a good time... until they noticed the three heroes.
This time, none of them seemed willing to make a move, stepping aside as they passed and then following out of morbid curiosity, until they reached a balcony
where a group of Bone Daddies were sharing Dyne with a group of Trolls. One of the Daddies frowned, realizing what was approaching, then stood up and leaned
over the balcony. "Shut that shit up!" he roared, and a moment later the music cut off with a faint electronic whimper. "What the fuck're
you Capes doing here?" he demanded.
"Just need to speak to Lucas over there," Leon replied in a cheerful tone, nodding in the direction of Marrow Sucker, who had been sitting at the
table and was now standing up, gaunt body tensed for a fight. "Police investigation," he added with a smile.
The Bone Daddy moved in closer. "Oh, you're a cop?" he sneered. "You got a warrant to come in here?"
"Don't need one," Leon said. "This building is city property. Technically speaking, you're trespassing. Now, we can ask Lucas a few
questions, or we can take option two."
Sneering even wider, the Bone Daddy leaned in closer. "You ain't got the numbers to take us on," he laughed, drawing a chuckle from the
surrounding crowd.
"Three of you, plenty of us," laughed one of the Ogres behind him. "You make trouble, we smash." The other Trolls with him seemed to find
this hilarious, thumping the table with their massive fists.
Leons smile shifted into a smirk. "Oh well, we tried to be polite." Then he stepped aside and Major Starlight lunged past, cosmic energies surging
around her fists as she punched the Bone Daddy hard enough to throw him back through the table and bury him in the wall in a painful looking pose. The other
Skull and Troll bosses charged, and Starlight met them halfway, slamming her foot into the floor and sending a shockwave across it, launching them all into the
air.
Behind her, Leon and Daley spun, the latters gloves unleashing a fireball that arced over the crowd and blocked the exit, while the former opened fire with his
multi-rifle, the rubber rounds he'd loaded doing a wonderful job of dropping anyone that charged them. A moment after that, the skylight exploded inwards
as a number of costumed figures made their arrival, landing on the warehouse floor below.
"THIS UNIT HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED TO USE FORCE AS REQUIRED WHILE PERFORMING ARRESTS," MACH-II declared as he marched towards the nearest group of
Skulls. "THIS UNIT REQUESTS YOU DO NOT RESIST ARREST."
"Fuck you tin can!" a Gravedigger yelled, pulling a knife and charging. MACH-II calmly sidestepped the lunge, then slammed his massive fist down into
the side of the mans head, dropping him instantly.
"INJURY NOTED; BROKEN JAW, TWO BROKEN TEETH, BRUISING TO CHEEK, CONCUSSION," MACH-II noted as he continued into the group.
The Skulls and groupies attempting to flee the building found their way blocked by a large number of Paragon Police officers in riot gear and ready for a
fight. "Get on your knees and place your hands behind your heads!" Segeant Malcom Brooks ordered, voice booming.
Some obeyed. Many didn't, and they were beaten down for their troubles,
***
***
Lucas Holmes didn't handle being placed in an interview room well. Having his skull mask ripped off his face didn't improve his mood any.
"Cheerful, isn't he?" Tam mused as she watched him pace back and forth.
"Nervous," Leon replied as Lucas spun and yelled at the one way window. "And there's the ever popular 'you can't do this to me'
rant," he smirked. "I wonder what's gotten him so worked up? He was a lot better behaved the last time he was brought in, from what I saw of the
records."
"Someone put him in a cell with a batch of meat doctors," Priss answered as she approached. "Apparently, they were rather eager about his
'death is power' philosophy," she smirked. Leon laughed, before scowling again as a man in a rather expensive suit approached.
"Detective McNichol, my name is Gerald Barton, with Billings, Jenkins, and Sneed. I've been hired to represent Mister Lucas Holmes against this clear
example of police brutality-"
"We went to question your client in regards to a recent crime that his gang is suspected to be involved in, and found him injecting a number of drugs at
an illegal rave party on city property, wearing a dead mans skull, in the presence of several wanted felons," Leon said, cutting him off. "If you
want to rant about police brutality, go ahead and try." He smirked. "It's been a while since I saw the people of Kings Row get an idiot
disbarred."
Gerald blinked, not sure what to say, as Leon motioned for him to follow him into the interview room. Priss and Tam shared a grin and sat back to watch.
"Holmes, here's your lawyer. Now sit down," Leon growled. Lucas glared at him for a moment, before complying. "Let's ignore what we
caught you doing a few hours ago. We'll be questioning you for that later after your bail is revoked-"
"Detective, any accusations that my client may have violated any bail conditions-"
"It's merely a statement of my opinion," Leon replied smoothly. "Any actual decision will be made by the courts. Now then, we'd like to
talk about last night. Where were you?"
"None of your business," Lucas grumbled.
"Actually, it is. See, the charges you're already facing involve the recruitment and training of new Skulls," Leon said casually, sitting down on
the other side of the desk. "You kill people, then desecrate their graves."
"These claims remain unproven in court, and are a weak justification for an unprovoked attack on a simple innocent party," Gerald replied.
"Oh, they were the reason we wanted to ask a few questions," Leon shrugged. "Like I said, it's not my fault we found him in an illegal rave.
So, I ask again. Where were you last night?"
"You don't need to answer that."
"If you don't, you'll be considered a suspect in a murder investigation," the detective replied. "So, choice is yours Luke. Where were
you last night?"
Lucas squirmed, then answered. "Not tellin' you a damn thing."
"My client has the right to remain silent," Gerald added with an open sneer.
Outside, Priss snorted. "Oh yeah, that guy's right out of budget law school."
"Guess the Skulls don't pay Jenkins well enough," Tam chuckled. "But Holmes is scared of something. Not Detective McNichols either."
Priss nodded as Leon stood up, continuing with a series of questions, related to just what Lucas had been up to in the previous week. Lucas tried not to talk,
with Gerald occasionally running interference.
"Detective, your accusations are based off currently unproven charges that have not yet been before a judge," Gerald snapped. "You have no
evidence linking my client to whatever crime you're hunting for."
"Grave robbery," Leon shot back. "Someone broke in, dug up a grave, and stole a man's head." He stood up and leaned towards the lawyer.
"Keep on making your bullshiit claims about this mans innocence, but he's a member of a gang that, as initiation, have to murder someone, then violate
their grave. By defending this murderer, you're proving the sort of idiot you are."
"Detective!" he shot back.
"Course, now you're hired, you may not have a choice... ever seen the list of failed lawyers that end up with a headless grave?" he asked,
smirking.
The younger man's eyes widened as his face paled. "Are you threatening me detective?" he managed.
"No. I'm stating a documented fact," Leon replied with a faint smile, before turning back to Lucas. "So, you refuse to tell me anything
about where you were last night, or any new Skull recruits. No alibi that'll work?" he wondered. "Or are you afraid?" he asked, leaning down
next to his head. "Is there someone you're protecting? A girlfriend, another Skull?"
Lucas glared at him. "I'm not saying a damn word," he growled.
For a long moment, Leon studied him, then nodded. "Fine by me," he said, going back to the door. "Officer, take him back to his cell," he
said to the uniformed officer outside. "Have a nice night Mister Barton," he smirked, heading around to the observation room. "So,
thoughts?" he asked.
"If he'd done it, he'd have an alibi set up," Tam replied. "He's been burned on the grave robbing phase before. So, he was probably
doing something he wouldn't class as resulting in a hero intervention." She shrugged slightly. "I don't know if he knows anything about the
grave robbery though-"
"He doesn't," Priss said. Tam glanced at her, curious. "When Leon revealed it, he twitched a bit. You could see it in his face. He was
trying to figure out who might be doing it."
Leon nodded in agreement. "So odds are good it wasn't a recruitment run. It might have been Skulls still, but if it was, it was more an independant
run, probably by someone higher up..."
"Which would explain why he was nervous," Tam noted. Leon nodded. "So, let him sweat, hit some other sources?" Leon nodded again, smiling
slightly. "It's a good thing I don't need as much sleep as you mere humans," she teased.
"Laugh it up kid," Leon chuckled as he opened the observation room door. "You'll still be exhausted-" A moment later his sentence was
cut off by a curvy black catgirl pouncing on him, sending him to the floor. "... ow..."
"Hi Leon," Robin Barnes purred, kissing him.
Holding the kiss for a moment, Leon glanced over at where Priss and Tam were failing to hide their snickers. "Heya beautiful. Listen... you up for
hunting?"
The catgirls ears perked up eagerly. "Who?"
"Skulls."
"Ohhh.. my favorite. You spoil me," she smiled, kissing him again. "I'll thank you properly later." Priss laughed, getting a glare from
the pair.
***
(I'm afraid this is getting overlooked due to the OOOH, SHINY factor of the VIIOR 2.0 thread, and that's a shame.)
I'm liking this piece more and more. It's... not quite a police procedural show, if that makes sense? And that's a good thing. I tend to find
shows like CSI and Law and Order and whatnot either boring, irritating, or both. (The irritation stems from my exposure to real-life law enforcement training
manuals, which the writers of said shows either haven't read or use as a reference to find out how to annoy Real Cops).
So it's got something of the flavor of such a show, without being one. I'm rereading it looking for clues and... it's like a detective story,
really. Not a gumshoe yarn, mind you, but still.
I'm blathering. Point is, I like it, and WANT MOAR.
(Also: Robin's too cute!)
--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs
***
Benny Franklin, professional con man, information dealer, and 'best friend' of every group in the Row, was not having a good day. Someone had slashed
his car tires, one of his money sources had gotten enough evidence to run to the police, and now he'd just been refused service at his favorite bar.
"I always come through with the cash!" he protested.
"Sixteen hundred," the bartender replied, unconcerned as the Tank bouncer dragged Benny to the door. "You've got one week, then I send
Edward after you. I'm getting sick of this shit."
"See you in a week," the Tank added with a friendly smile, tossing him out onto the street. Benny bounced once, then came to a stop next to a pair of
top quality motorcycle boots. He paused, looking at them. Clearly custom made. Curious, he looked up, following the toned, shapely legs, over the red leather
jacket...
"Hey, Asagiri!" he said with a pained cough. "How are ya? I caught your last concert. 'We Didn't Start The Fire' was my
favoriiitteee!" His comment ended with a pained gasp as Priss placed one of the hand-made boots on his chest and started applying pressure.
"Benny, remember our last discussion? You attempt to associate with me and I break your face?" She asked with a sweet smile.
"Yeah... ah!" he winced as her boot pressed into a bruise.
If anything, her smile widened. "Good boy. Now, let's talk business. Now then, we have three options. One, you tell me what I want to know, with no
bullshit, and you get some money to keep Eddie from breaking your nose. Secondly, you dick me around, and I kick the crap out of you. Thirdly, I kick the crap
out of you, and the hero over there slaps an arrest beacon on you for the insurance fraud you pulled." Bennys eyes went very wide and he looked over to
see Major Starlight standing there waving. "Clear?" Benny nodded rapidly. "Good boy. Now then, someone raided a cemetery last night. What've
you heard about it?"
"Nothing really," Benny managed. "The meat doc's have had an outbreak of Gears in their labs, so they're distracted. The Skulls have all
been working on making trouble in the Hollows. They've been buying guns and fake hazard passes ever since the Trolls started blocking off the sewers again.
And they've been spacing their recruits out. A few guys looking to join the death heads have brought info on their targets and I've arranged a few
meetings, but word is the big two're playing it safe, now that the cops are getting the families of the masks to cremate when they can."
"So, no one is admitting to a graveyard snatch and grab?" she asked. Benny shook his head. "No boasts, no bragging?"
"I swear. There's been nothing."
Priss looked at him for a moment, then dropped a fifty on his chest. "Twenty second head start," Major Starlight called out. Benny yelped, grabbed
the money and fled down the street. "You believe him?" she asked Priss.
"Ya," she replied. "He knows not to try and fed people horseshit when they pay. They take it poorly, and usually take it out on him." Tam
laughed for a brief moment. "So... no one in the Row is admitting to it. Interesting..."
***
[Comment]
Could be Arachnos. Those drones are cyborgs.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''
-- James Nicoll
Foxboy Wrote:[Comment]
Could be Arachnos. Those drones are cyborgs.
*hands Fox an MT crown*
Anyway, I find it amusing that Priss's interrogation skills haven't improved THAT much in the transition. Then again, she can't get Benny to cough up a meal at a nice restaurant and flirt with him till she gets what she wants. :lol
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."
Yes, but she'd like point out that Leon is fun to flirt with. Benny's greasy and slimy.
***
"I asked you a question," the Bone Daddy said, backing the homeless man up against the alley wall. "Are you a Lost?"
"And I told you I wasn't one!" the man protested, his eyes locked on the knife in the Skulls hand.
Next to the BD, a gravedigger snickered. "You look like one, ya smell like one... I reckon you are one of those mutant freaks." The Bone Daddy
pressed the tip of the knife against the mans neck, chuckling with sadistic glee.
"Never worn a mutants skull before," he commented. "Should look real good on my wall-" he added, before a black and blue shape dropped from
the roof, landing on him and drawing a pained scream. The Gravedigger stumbled back, surprised, as the shape turned out to be Knight of the Peace, her usual
sleek and sexy lookovershadowed by the fact she was crouching on the screaming Bone Daddy like a wild animal and ripping her bloody claws out of his back. She
leaned down and growled at him, then turned towards the Gravedigger. Her eyes reflected light from the street lights unnervingly well, then bared her fangs and
snarled. That broke the Gravediggers nerves, and he turned and ran, Robin leaping after him.
Their victim blinked, watching them go, before looking up at the rooftop when someone whistled. "Yo, you okay?" Leon asked as he leaned over the
edge.
He nodded, still looking shaken. "I... I'll be fine. But that... will that guy..."
The detective laughed. "What, her? Don't worry, Robin's just playing. She'll chase him, make him think he can escape, then drag him back here
to show off her catch. She's a cat, it's what they do." He climbed down a fire escape as the man recovered his backpack and everything the Skulls
had pulled out of it. "You got somewhere to spend the night?" he asked quietly. The man nodded, thanked him again, then ran out of the alley. Leon
watched him go, then sighed and poked the Bone Daddy on the ground with his rifle. "Yo, mind answering a few questions?"
"I'm bleeding to death here."
"I thought you guys wanted that?" Leon wondered.
"Hurts more then I thought," the Bone Daddy admitted.
Looking him over, Leon shook his head. "She barely touched you, she's just good at where she stabs. Now, Kerosene Kenneth, anyone in you lot have a
grudge against him?"
"Thought he cooked himself last week?"
"Might not have been him being an idiot," Leon replied.
The Bone Daddy groaned and rolled onto his back, looking up at Leon. "I'm not telling you anything," he spat.
"I'll tell the catgirl to stop playing," Leon responded, right as the Gravedigger returned to the alley by way of uncontrolled flight, landing in
an open dumpster.
"Can I keep playing?" Robin asked as she walked up, dismantling the pistol she'd taken off the Skull. "I kinda made the mistake of taking
out his tendons. All the fight goes out of them when you do that," she pouted. Leon noted that the BoneDaddies face went very pale with that comment. A
faint smirk appeared on her face. The Skulls may believe in embracing Death and dreaming of the day it would take them, but no one told them how much it would
hurt beforehand...
"Okay, there's a guy in Perez, used to have run-ins all the time with him. Calls himself Broken Femur. He's a serious old timer, been with the
Skulls for years." Robin knelt down next to him, giving the thug a good look at her still bloody claws. "He, he had it in for Kenny ever since the
Torcher got his sister knocked up and ran out on him. Hell, I hear that's why Kenny joined the Skulls, for protection!"
Keeping the smile off his face wasn't easy, but Leon managed to do it as he placed a foot on the Skulls chest. "Where's Femur these days?"
***
"Did you really slash his tendons?" Leon asked. Robin paused and gave him a mildly disgusted look. "Sorry, couldn't help but wonder,"
he said, looking embarrassed.
"Leon, I may take advantage of certain stereotypes that I may tend to indulge in, but that's just cruel. Seriously."
"I know, I know..."
Ears going flat against her head, Robin made a "Hmph!" noise. "Let's just find this Broken Femur creep already," she said, moving on
ahead.
Shoulders slumping, Leon followed. He watched her tail, lashing about, and her ears, still flat, for a while before he decided it was safe to risk changing the
subject. "You know, that may not be any good in court," he noted. "Then again... a lot of hero work never seems to make it that far."
"We're part of the same system, from a different angle," Robin replied. "Sometimes we follow the police path, sometimes we need to skirt the
edge of the law." Her temper fading, she looked over her shoulder at him. "What brought this on?"
"Just a random thought," Leon admitted with a shrug.
***
"Your detective threatened my lawyer!"
"From what I've seen, he was merely reminding him of a well documented fact concerning the mortality rates of lawyers that don't do well defending
the Skulls in the courtroom."
"It was presented as a clear threat to Mister Barton!"
"So?"
"So?! We're suing for damages, plus his immediate dismissal!"
"Go ahead. He was acting as an agent of the FBSA at the time; I have their number if you need it."
"But he's a PPD detec--"
"Yes, he is, but if your lawyer had bothered to pay attention, you'd know that he was off-duty at the time and acting in his own capacity as a legally
sanctioned hero. His actions have nothing to do with the PPD."
"You haven't heard the last of this!"
"And a nice day to you too, Mr. Jenkins. Mary will see you out." The police chief shook his head as the door slammed shut, rattling the picture
frames on his office wall. "Arrogant, cape-stealing prick," he grumbled, unable to restrain a smile. That had been fun.
***
***
After entering Perez Park, it only took two groups of Skulls, one Circle of Thorns sacrifice group, and a run in with a friendly Hydra before they were pointed
in the direction of Broken Femur, who currently had about a dozen fellow gang members with him, and were entertaining themselves with some tied up Clockwork
and power tools. The Bone Daddy in question was standing back from the fun and watching, hands in his pockets and no real expression on what part of his face
wasn't hidden by the Skull mask he was wearing.
He wasn't a pleasant sight. After years of worshiping dark forces and tapping into realms of darkness, his soul had begun to wither and fail, taking his
body with it. His skin was pale and pulled tight over his thin, half-starved body, and they could actually see his ribs under his open jacket. It was a sight
that made people wonder why the violent youth of Paragon would see the Skulls as a gang worth joining.
Right now though, the two heroes had different questions. "Where did those idiots get a MIG welder?" Leon wondered.
"Why can't Babbage ever seem to rampage in Perez?" Robin added. "We should probably go beat them up before the King sends backup."
"You sure? I mean, they'd deserve Dukes stomping on them."
"We need to talk to Femur," Robin pointed out.
Frowning, Leon stood there for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah," he agreed. "I just wanted to see them squirm." Unslinging his rifle, he
stepped out from behind a corner and walked towards the Skulls. "Yo! Femur!" he snapped. "Got some questions for you!"
The Skulls jumped, one of them dropping the Gear he was holding, which dived behind an old trash can in the gutter. Several of the gang members went for their
guns, before Broken Femur raised a hand to stop them. "Wait," he rasped, before turning towards the two Heroes. "You want something from
me?" he asked, voice dry and dusty. "Police officer with a cape... and the catgirl Knight. You've changed... but thrived. You embrace live, try
to draw strength from it. Such a futile effort for so short a thing-"
Robin rolled her eyes. "Blah blah blah, life is fleeting, death is eternal, I know, I've heard it before. Let's focus on your life for a few
minutes. Kerosene Kenneth. Word is you had a grudge with him."
"Once, I hated him," Femur whispered. "When the simple pleasures of mortal life still help an appeal to me. That is like a distant memory now. I
have been freed from such simple concerns as I prepare for the wonder of death."
"From what I hear, he got your sister pregnant, then got cold feet and ran," Leon snorted. "That doesn't bother you?"
Femur paused, considering. "At the time, it did," he admitted. "But such concerns are matters of the living world-"
"You are so full of it," the police officer said, noting with some satisfaction the other Skulls tensing as he insulted their boss. "If you were
so 'disconnected' from the real world, you wouldn't be out here, playing with Clockwork."
"Perhaps," Femur said softly, conceding the point. "Still, it does not matter. The fool killed himself with his own fire, cooked and
suffocated." A weak smirk appeared. "Let his body remain buried and forgotten. I have no intention of paying tribute to fools."
For a long moment, Leon looked at Femur, studying him. When he opened his mouth again, whatever he was planning to say was cut off by a new voice coming from
further down the street. "Hey, Skull-fucker!" The gang members spun to see a small group of Hellions emerging out of the darkness, most of them
carrying crude weapons of some sort. "What'd you do with Ken's head?" the Damned at the front of the pack demanded.
"Ohhh crap," Robin said quietly as Femur turned back to Leon.
"Just what I was getting to," Leon replied with a smirk to hide his annoyance. "Someone dug him up and took his head." He shrugged.
"Doesn't take a genius to work out the main suspects."
One of the Hellions spotted the catgirl standing behind the Skulls and yelled. "Capes!" The others raised their weapons. The Skulls, being between
the Hellions and Knight of the Peace, aimed their own weapons at the Hellions.
"Boys, boys," Robin called out with a soft laugh. "There's no need for us to fight here. We've all got questions to ask, so let's
ask them and act like grownups for a while, hmm?" The smile widened as the Skulls looked back at her, blinking.
Femur laughed bitterly, turning back to the Hellions. "As I was just telling the detective, I have no intention of paying tribute to fools. Kerosene
Kenneth was an idiot and a coward, who rotted his brain from inhaling too much smoke and got caught in his own fire. Let him rot in the ground,
forgotten."
"You don't get to talk about a Hellion like that, grave robber," the Damned spat. Flames began to flicker into existence along his bare arms.
In response, the Bone Daddies smirk merely widened. "Then make me stop," he taunted, proving that he was hardly the walking dead he claimed to be.
Growling, the Damned unleashed his flame, the Bone Daddy wrapped himself in darkness, and a brawl broke out.
For a moment, Leon and Robin found themselves totally ignored, the two gangs paying more attention to their usual rivals and old grudges. Sighing, Leon brushed
a hand through his hair and turned to Robin. "I'll take the Hellions?" he offered. Robin merely smiled and popped her claws. Raising his rifle,
the police officer opened fire as Robin charged in, breaking up the brawl by the time honored method of putting everyone on the ground.
"Stay out of this capes!" the Damned growled as he set a Gravedigger on fire. "This is between us and the death-lovers!" Leon snorted,
ducking under a baseball bat, tapped the ammo selector on his multi-rifle, and nailed the Hellion boss in the face with a rubber bullet. "Mah teef!"
he yelped, clutching at his shattered mouth. "Mah tee-" He shut up as Leon stepped up and clubbed him in the face, dropping him to the ground.
Grumbling, Leon turned, then swore and brought his rifle around to block a baseball bat. Twisting it around, he unloaded another slug into the Hellions
stomach, who promptly dropped to his knees and tried to get his breath back. "Idiots..."
Nearby, the Clockwork used the chance to escape... after grabbing the power tools, of course.
***
"Word leaked out on a newsblog," Nene said, frowning as she looked over her computer screen. "The details are kinda flimsy, whoever the reporter
has for a source inside the PPD must not be too close to the case. But... Kennys head stolen, Skulls the main suspects."
"That's enough to get the Hellions moving," Priss replied, her voice crackling slightly over Nene's headset. "Tam and I have checked
with the usual snitches in the Row, and a few other goons for good measure. Not one of them mentioned the robbery before half an hour ago."
"Yeah well, when the news broke the Hellions started hunting fast," Leon said. "Rob and I just trashed a third party out for blood here in
Perez." There was a brief crash that left static over the comms. "And Robin just found another," he added wryly.
"Well, at least someone's having fun," Nene mused, before fighting back a yawn.
"Romanova, what time did you get in today?" Leon wondered.
Nene blinked. "Um... seven am," she said, before checking her watch. "Holy crap!" she added at seeing 2:39am displayed on the front.
Priss snorted. "The more things change, the more they stay the same." Nene frowned, wishing she could transmit glares over the radio.
"And with that said," Leon chuckled. "We've got officers and capes running interferance, and we've running all over the place all day.
Everyone go home and get some sleep. We'll regroup at... eight am. Not much sleep, I'll admit, but enough for now." He chuckled. "And warn
your signifigant others that you may be bunking at the base a lot for the next few days..."
"So, enjoy our own beds while we can?" Priss asked.
"Bingo."
Nene chuckled, before logging out, picking up her bag and heading for the teleporters, waving to Naoko, who seemed to have been stuck with the night shift
again.
***
***
"Should've said ten am," Leon grumbled to himself as he appeared in the entry teleporter of PSIs base, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
Yawning, he made he way over to the coffee machine and poured himself a cup, noting that it only looked mildly vile this morning, and made his way to Nenes
desk, finding most of his team there, waiting for him.
"You're late," Nene declared with a teasing smile. Shrugging Leon pulled up a chair and focused on his coffee. "Where's Robin?" she
asked.
"Her and Angie had things to do today," he replied. "She'll show up later. So, what's the news?"
"Well, after we all called it a night, the Hellions went after the Skulls a few more times and discovered more then a few heroes and police officers
waiting for them," Nene smirked. "So, there's a lot of them in jail cells at the moment, and it looks like the Hellions figured this out about
two hours ago. Aside from the usual idiots making trouble in Galaxy and Atlas, they're keeping their heads down."
Priss snorted as she helped herself to a donut. "Yeah, and I'll bet good money their bosses are all having a private meeting somewhere, yelling at
each other about so many of their boys getting locked up, and how it's gotta be the Skulls fault."
"THAT DONUT CONTAINS HIGH LEVELS OF SUGAR AND-"
"Yeah, I know, and I'm gonna enjoy it," Priss told the medicbot with a glare. "The Hellions definitely won't let this lie. They took a
few swings at the Skulls last night. Broke a few noses and bones, that's about it. That's not gonna satisfy the idiots. We need to take in the guy
responsible for this mess, then make it clear that trying to stir up trouble in Paragon is gonna bring more trouble then it's worth. The thing is, none of
the Skulls I questioned-"
"Beat up," Nene corrected.
"QUESTIONED," Priss repeated, sending a death glare Nenes way (Which was easily ignored). "None of them knew anything about it. They might be a
wacky death cult, but they're still your standard issue gang morons. They love to boast about making other gangs look bad. By now, someone would have a
beer and bragged about it."
Tamara nodded, following the thought. "You think it's not the Skulls at all."
"Someone setting them up?" Leon wondered, leaning against the desk. "They'd have to know how messy this would get." He paused, then
scowled again. "And of course, this damn town's got so many crazy freaks around that'd love that. The Vaz, the Council, Column, Malta,
Carnies..." Pinching the bridge of his nose, he muttered, "Is there something in the water here?" Sighing, he straightened up. "Okay.
Let's poke around this path a little, see what comes up. See if there was anyone else around Higgs that shouldn't have been. Don't bother with the
Row, there's nothing there but idiots brawling."
"Dibs on Hollows," Priss said, grabbing her jacket and pulling it on. "I know some people there."
"Tam, you take Binary, see what's happening in Steel,' Leon ordered. "I'll kick over some rocks in Skyway, see who scurries out. Daley,
keep on the Skulls angle, just in case we are looking in the wrong direction."
Daley frowned from where he was leaning against a wall. "So, you get to explore new ideas while I'm stuck with the old notes?" he asked, getting
a smirk and a nod from Leon. "And what, pray tell, convinced you to hand out those assignments?"
"The Robin plushie," he told his old friend with a smirk, making Daley scowl.
"Oh come on, that was weeks ago," he protested.
"And perhaps soon, you'll remember not to bug one of the guys that hands out the assignments," Leon chuckled, heading for the teleporters,
MACH-II following. "Nene, see if you can find out where all the Skull and Hellion bosses are hiding. I want a word with them." Daley watched him
vanish around a corner, then sighed andmade his way to his own desk.
***