***
"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,
***
"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,
***