Log:A Theft at Lucky Finds, Scene 5

A Theft at Lucky Finds 2019/07/26 	 Artemis Natasha Union Wade Zero Carter Venus Flytrap

5

There was a break-in at Lucky Finds. Five supervillains, Venus Flytrap, Apparition, Sponge, Carter and Brainbox, their leader, were stealing magic items, valuables and a certain young dragon (with a broken wing). The heroes intevened, capturing Brainbox and Sponge, with about half the magic items, and rescued Natasha, but the other three villains escaped, Carter with another crate of magic items and Apparition with Natashas hoard.

The heroes handed the captured villains over to the poilice and got Natasha to hospital. Once Natasha's wing was successfully splinted, she and the heroes found her hoard, stashed by the villains, but then word came of a breakout in progress at the jail.

Rushing to the scene by magic carpet (flown by Natasha), ther heroes found Venus and Apparition in the course of breaking out their captured comrades. Venus, already weary from the fight with the police, fled, pursued by Natasha. The other heroes made their way inside and thwarted all the villains - importantly taking down Apparition, who was the key to the others escape. 

As the heroes are finishing up at the jail, Natasha returns on the flying carpet. She's lying on it, head against the carpet, looking rather despondent again.

Wade looks to Natasha, "What's up now? I feel like this was a big success, at least so far. What are we missing?"

Artemis sheathes her sword now that the battle appears won. She looks to Natasha. "Where is the wirey one?"

Natasha says, "I failed in my hunt. The woman was fast and manoeuvrable, and could fit in places that the carpet couldn't, and I lost sight of her. But maybe I can find her trail still."

Wade nods. "Well, we can try to follow her trail, at least. Let's give it a shot. There's one more of their number unaccounted for too, right?"

Natasha nods. "I don't smell that one here."

Natasha lands the carpet fully so it's easier to get on.

Artemis smiles in her usual jovial glass-half-full manner. "This was still a victory. The last of their number will either surface out of greed, or reconsider their villainous ways and never commit a crime again."

Union sits on the carpet next to Natasha.

Union says, "They still have a crate of stuff from the shop."

Natasha nods.

Wade gets up on the carpet as well. "If we can't track them...tehn we can't. But let's at least give it a try."

Artemis steps onto the carpet and sits down cross-legged. "Very well. Onward!"

Natasha flies the carpet, once Artemis is on, several blocks, to where she lost sight of Venus.

Natasha lands, hops off, and starts sniffing the air.

Wade isn't quite as queasy the second time he flies on the carpet. But he still gets off to steady himself while there's an opportunity. He goes about looking around for possible clues.

Artemis steps off the carpent steadily and looks about, shield at the ready. "What part of the city is this?" she asks, unfamiliar with the neighborhoods still.

Natasha eventually, after sniffing around the neighbourhood a while, finds Venus' scent. Wade, too, notices evidence of her passing - minor damage from where Venus' wires have wrapped themselves tight about things.

Union bounds to her feet. "I knew you'd find the trail. The nose knows."

Wade points out the damage. "She uses the wires to carry her along, if I remember correctly." He turns to Artemis. "We're in the student quarter. Close to the University. It's right over that way." He points off in the direction of CBSU.

From here, it's clear that Venus proceeded on foot. Natasha tracks her scent to Courtland Way maglev station - and to the westbound platform.

"I see. Well, let us follow the dragon and the damage, shall we?" Artemis says eagerily as she lifts off the ground and floats along.

Once you know that Venus took the maglev, it's a simple - but boring - matter of searching each station for her smell where she got off.

Wade follows Natasha up to the MagLev platform where the trail ends. "Bleh. Hopefully she doesn't change trains much." He tilts his head, "Can she change her outfit quickly? I'd think the citizens on the train might notice someone in costume riding along with them."

"Unless she rode on top of it," Artemis comments as she looks about.

As is turns out, she changed at CBSU to the Harrisburg line. Though the heroes begin to wonder if she tricked them, as they fly from station to station and fail to find her scent again and again - until they reach Baker St. Finally, Natasha smells the human with the odd metallic scent again!

Natasha is clearly excited to have picked up the scent again! She looks quite funny, standing at the very front of the carpet, flying low to hug the ground and hanging her head over the carpet to smell the ground as she goes...

Zero has been uncharacteristically quiet but now that they're back on the trail she follows along behind the others, vigilantly watching their backs.

"Seems like a swell neighborhood. Perfect for a hideout." She comments as she opens her eyes, glancing at Natasha.

Artemis keeps her head on a swivel as they enter the neighborhood. "Aye, many places to hide. But not from a dragon's nose, I'd wager."

Wade nods slowly, "The area has seen better days, it's true."

Many of the grand old houses are abandoned. Others are still occupied - some in good repair, some run down, some converted into tiny apartments.

Natasha follows Baker Street for a while - and then turns off, toward an old mansion of the occupied-but-run-down variety. Possibly a bargain for a good do-it-yourselfer, but by the look of things DIY isn't among the inhabitants' skills.

Wade looks to Natasha, "Pretty sure this is it? Can we tell who is inside?"

A rusty old wheeled car sitting in the driveway suggests someone may be inside, but it's otherwise hard to say.

Natasha gets off the carpet so she can have a better sniff around.

Artemis studies the mansion curiously. "A small castle for themselves, eh?" she says quietly as she steps off the carpet. "I'm afraid I have no way to see within the building. Do we have any mystics among us?"

Wade gets off the carpet as well. "If this is their home. Hideout... They may fight like they're cornered this time."

Natasha says, "I smell a man and a woman and Venus strongly! And other smells more faintly - among them that of Sponge."

Artemis nods to Wade, then looks to the others. "Surely they must have a rear escape."

Wade nods. "I can cover the back while you go in the front."

Zero closes her eyes and steps off the carpet. She moves towards the house, silently- trying to focus on her ESP so she might tell them what's happening inside.

Their chatter distracts her so she opens her eyes and activates her infra-red lenses.

Artemis smiles at Wade's suggestion. "A pronged approach. Excellent. I can distract and get their attention on me while you catch them off guard or deal with those in flight."

Wade sees Zero head to look at the front...but someone needs to cover hte back anyway. He starts to make his way around hte building, trying to be stealthy about it. As such, he keeps hsi shield turned off for the time being.

Natasha hops back on the carpet. "I'll chase any that try to fly away!"

"Fine by me." Zero says quietly. She glances at the others so she can tell them apart inside.

Natasha flies the carpet above the house, so it isn't obvious to the inhabitants but she can keep watch.

Artemis waits for the others to get into position. Once they're snuck to their posts, she walks up to the door. She had considered trying to be stealthy, but guile is mostly foreign to her. She marches up like she's going to knock on the door...

About half the old door disintegrates into a cloud of splinters which disappear into the house, leaving a gaping hole in the remainder of the door, big enough to step through.

A voice comes from inside: "What in blazes?!"

Artemis reaches up with her free hand, moving her shield aside just enough to knock once on the door. She uses a little too much of her super strength as she knocks, splintering the door. She smiles and draws her sword as she storms in, "Surrender now and consider yourself fortunate this day!"

Presently a man of maybe 60 appears from the dark depths of the house, brandishing a shotgun. "Get out, or I'll show you kids that I've still got -" he stops short on sight of Artemis.

Zero darts inside through the cloud of splinters to try and stay out of sight, closing her eyes and looking for the source of that voice shouting in surprise.

Artemis stops in surprise at the 60 year old man. "Oh, I...well. I suppose I lost that wager," she says sheepishly as she sheathes her sword.

"What the hell are you about?" roars the man. "You'll pay for that door, too!" He hasn't lowered the shotgun.

Zero remains out of sight, letting the Goddess shoulder the weight of this situation. Her new suit isn't made for intimate liasions with shotgun blasts.

Artemis shifts her weight from one foot to the other as wood splinters crunch under her boots. "Yes, indeed, I shall cover the expense of the door to your abode, Mortal," she apologizes. "I had lead that this was a hive of scum and villainy."

While Artemis apologizes, Zero clsoes her eyes- using the awkward silence to concentrate and see if he old man is alone- or if their prey really is around.

Artemis thinks. o O (I imagine this will take the lion's share of my meager earnings.)

Wade keeps watch out back, remaining hidden for the time being. If the villains are going to make a break for it, now would be the time.

He seems somewhat mollified by the assurance of a new door. "Scum and villainy? You mean Harrisburg? You could say that. But not this house!"

"Well, it was specific to this house, but it seems the information was misguided," Artemis says in gentle tones to try and diffuse the situation. "Here, maybe I could...?" she reaches down to pick up to pieces of the door, standing up and helplessly trying to match the pieces together. "Only as a temporary measure..." she says, confounded as she tries rotating one of the pieces to match, and still finding no success.

The man speaks calmingly to the crazy meta, though he hasn't fully lowered his gun. "Looks like someone told you wrong...."

Artemis holds the pieces together even though they only make up a third of the destroyed door and don't really fit anymore, since parts of the edges were splintered and pulverized. "Yes. Undeniably, says the humbled god as she steps back slowly, crunching more door remnants beneath her feet as she tries to set up her mismatched pieces as some form of protection within the door frame. "I will retrieve you a new door right away, good Mortal. My apologizes for the inconvenience," she says as she lets go of the pieces. They look like they may stand erect, but nay. Two seconds later they collapse on themselves and kick up some dust. "Yes...right away, that," she mumbles.

Zero's mental scanning alerts her that all isn't as it appears and that's more than enough for her. "They're here. Secret basement that is entered from the kitchen." She says as she steps around the corner, hoping to get the drop on the old man and use this momentary lull to draw his fire so Artemis can engage directly. She moves for the kitchen.

Zero passes the same information along the channel she and Union opened up previously so the whole team is aware of what's going on.

The old man turns his shotgun on Zero. "Another one? Get the hell out or I'll shoot!"

Artemis hears Zero's warning and narrows her eyes some. "Oh, you played me false, old one. Lower the weapon."

"You're both crazy!" the old man concludes, and fires at Zero.

Zero bounces off a wall, staying mobile as she makes her way- ignoring the man entirely. She continues narrating what she's sees over both the mental link & aloud for any Goddesses who's minds are beyond we mortals. "Robot still in the basement- Woman just disappeared.... not sure how. Wrapped herself up and poof."

Artemis can move very fast when needed. She dashes past the old man and dives into the line of fire to take the slug meant for Zero.

Wade turns on his shield and heads to the back door to take a look at it.

Wade find a woman of similar age, there. She too has armed herself with a shotgun.

Zero keeps moving unabated byt the shotgun blast that was thankfully tanked by Artemis.

Landing in a roll from bouncing off a wall she pops back up to her feet and continues moving for the kitchen and the secret staircase therein.

"I'm going to go say 'Hi' to our friends downstairs." She shouts, still ignoring the lying elderly couple despite being well aware of their presense.

Being stealthy is out the window.

Wade realizes he's out in the open, near the door, and there's a woman with a shotgun. "Ma'am. My name is Wade Lockwood. Victory. From Starguard Gamma? I don't want to hurt anyone, but a criminal has taken some stolen goods and hidden in your home."//Half move, Trying to talk her down, and holding a half

Wade realizes he's out in the open, near the door, and there's a woman with a shotgun. "Ma'am. My name is Wade Lockwood. Victory. From Starguard Gamma? I don't want to hurt anyone, but a criminal has taken some stolen goods and hidden in your home."

She opens the door. "My goodness! Victory! What are you doing here?!"

Wade smiles. "Thank you. I'm looking for a woman who goes by 'Venus Flytrap'. We tracked her here. She was involved in a robbery."

Artemis gets up to her feet in a smooth, practiced motion after taking the shot for Zero. She squares off with the old man and frowns a bit. "Either you have lied and are hiding criminals, or you are unaware they've found a hideaway beneath your home. Either way, I can't have you shooting at people," she warns as she reaches for the shotgun.

"Venus Flytrap? Oh! I think I read about her, years ago... But I'm sure you're mistaken. If the likes of her had been around here, we'd have noticed!"

Artemis lays a hand on the shotgun and plucks it out of the man's hand.

The old man swears as his gun is ripped effortless from him and hurries for cover in the next room.

Artemis adds as the man hides, "I have no wish to fight an old mortal. There'd be no honor in it. I recommend you stay there."

Wade takes a deep breath and asks the woman by the back door, "She might be in a secret identity. Who else lives here?"

Artemis begins to walk to meet up with the others near the back, shotgun held with the muzzle pointed down.

"Just me and my husband, Hank, since the children grew up."

Wade nods to the woman, "Mind if we look around, at least? If we did any damage, I'm sure we can repair things for you."

"Sure - that's fine, I guess. Hank? Is it ok if these heroes look around?" she calls out, to no immediate answer.

"Hank? That's strange. Well, no matter, I don't see a problem."

Zero doesn't need a look around and being a cat burglar permission isn't required either. Its nice- but not nearly a necessity. She's still making a beeline for that secret staircase.

Wade smiles. "Thank you, ma'am. I appreciate it." He steps inside and looks around slowly, trying to get his bearings. And to see where the others heroes are.

The 'secret staircase' is behind a fairly ordinary close door, with a fairly ordinary lock.

The woman follows Wade, curious.

Zero slides to the door and pulls a lockpick kit from within a secret pocket on the back of her glove.

Artemis catches up with Wade and the woman. "Now then, our friend said something about a basement?" she mentions to the pair of them.

Wade nods to Artemis as they catch up to Zero, "Find something?"

"The basement? Oh, there's nothing down there. Why, it's been locked up for years! Not safe, or something," says the woman.

Rather rickety stairs head down into darkness.

Zero turns, looking at the old woman's response. She nods that wayfrom beneath her hood and says, "That. Plus the robot down stairs."

"I'm telling you, there's nothing down there! You're wasting your time."

Wade turns to the woman, "Ma'am...are you trying to hide someone?"

"No, sir. Like I said, there's no one here but me and Hank!"

Wade nods. "It's okay if we take a look, then?"

'Yes, of course - but be careful! But really, if you'd be much better off looking somewhere else! No one's here."

Zero holds her hand up s if to stop anyone from going forward.

Wade nods and then looks to Zero. After all, the last hideout of Venus's was trapped.

Zero looks to Artemis and Wade. "I can only feel Mister Roboto downstairs and he's waiting to ambush us if we go any further. So we need a plan of action. We have a big heavy door between us and a deathbot waiting to bash our brains in. So- a plan would be nice. I'm not sur emy dry cleaner will keep me as a customer if this goes south."

Wade nods. "Where is he downstairs? Say it loudly, too."

The woman shakes her head. "There's no one downstairs, I'm telling you!"

"Should I go first if they plan an ambush?" Artemis asks. "Or at least before you," she says to Zero.

Wade turns on his shield. "Wait...you didn't mention seeing Venus anywhere, did you? So where is she?"

Artemis suggests to the others quietly, "Perhaps the psychic did something to their memories, making them think to not check the basement?"

"I'm not sure. I had two people downstairs- a robot and a woman. A woman covered up with something and then *poof* she's gone." Zero says. "I can only tell you what's coming- not why." She adds, still ignoring the woman claiming there is no downstairs.

She looks at Artemis and nods. "Sounds good to me. Still, this guy is strong. So lets call that Plan B."

"Brainbox is certain capable of a whammy like that- but I can't tell anymore. So I'd just be guessing." Zero answers.

Zero stands and looks to the woman. "Can you get me a pad of paper and a pen? Or a tablet- something so I can draw what I'm seeing for Wade," she says.

Artemis brings up her shield and gives a smile and a shrug. "No matter, I suppose. We know what we're up again." She starts heading down the stairs, ready to fly of the stairs give way, and ready to counter any attackers.

Wade nods to Zero, "I was hoping to convince them to surrender, honestly."

Wade calls down to the basement. "You should surrender now. If you fight, it's only going to be worse for you."

Zero looks to Wade and glances at Union with a wry grin. "That's some tongue you've got there Soldier-boy. That's a trick I'd love to see, Soldier Boy." She purrs at him. "So really we jsut need to open up aline of communication."

There is no reply from the basement. To the complete lack of surprise of the woman. :)

Wade heads down after Artemis, with hsi shield at the ready. He looks for a light switch on the way, but his shield generates at least a little light.

Wade flicks the light switch, but the old light bulb fails to do anything.

Zero sighs and goes down behind them and switches to infrared.

Artemis sets aside the shotgun and slowly draws her sword. Her head turns in Wade's direction as he flicks the switch, then tries looking ahead. She hears no movement, but has difficulty seeing the door.

Wade flips the switch back off, when it doesn't do anything. "Worth a try." He gets downstairs and looks around.

Over in a corner, a rat watches as the heroes enter the basement.

"The metal door is blocking everything but I can tell someone passed this way recently." Zero says aloud as she goes to lean next to the very door she's speaking about. She watches the others in sharp infrared.

Wade waves to the rat, assuming it's related to the talking ones in Harrisburg. He then turns to the door. "Can we open it? Without bashing it down, I mean."

On close inspection, the door has a lock.

Artemis shrugs her shoulders. "I could see if it's locked," she suggests, and reaches for the door handle to test it.

Wade grins. "Or I could try 'Shave and a Haircut', but I suspect that won't work."

"I could always try to pop the lock- but then we'll be inches away from ..." Zero says before looking up and pointing to the camera.

"Grooming at a time like this?" Artemis asks, perplexed.

Wade chuckles. "It's an old song. Cultural thing. I can explain it later." He looks up at the camera, and says...going on the assumption it has an audio feed, "You're trapped. Give up now. We can root you out. And you'll lose in a fight to us."

Artemis frowns. "A camera? We should hurry. They know we're here. If there's an escape tunnel, they've certainly already gone."

Wade nods. "True. Zero, go ahead and pop hte lock. Just get back as soon as you do, and let Artemis and myself take hte brunt of whatever comes our way."

Artemis nods and raises her shield in preparation.

Zero closes her eyes and checks to see if the robot is still in place. "Sounds like an awful idea but I don't know what else we can do so..." She says as she gets to work on the lock before her.

The lock is trickier than the ones upstairs - but Zero manages it.

Wade gets his shield in front of him, prepared to take a hit.

The door slides sideways into the wall, revealing a large, seemingly multipurpose, room. One side is pretty much a living/recreation room, another seems to be storage, largely. Two door lead off at the far corners of the room. And in the far centre is Carter. He seems to be all wired up to the computer equipment there....

"This is a terrible idea... this so SOOOO embarassingly dangerous." Zero announces.

Framed about the computer and robot-docking system where Carter is, are some structures whose purpose is unclear - until their lids open revealing what look like the nose-cones of missiles.

Artemis suggests in a whisper after noting the missles, "I can drag him to us. Or take all the fire before you charge.""

"Charge?! This is crazy. Those are missles. You know. Rocket propelled bombs." Zero says taking another step backwards. Her danger sense is all aflutter. She's trying not to panic and run out of here.

Artemis stares at Zero for a few moments before a shrug. "Meh. Just stay back out of the blast zone. Maybe the sides of the doors?"

"Yeah. I'll just be... over... here." Zero says as she slinks back away from the door, trusting Artemis' idea of the blast zone is accurate.

Artemis gets her shield at the ready. "Stay back until the missiles are spent, then seize the day, my friends!" she says encouragingly. The mad woman charges in with shield raised and at the ready.

Wade decides that there's no sense in them both charging forward. He steps back as well, getting around the corner, but with his shield angled to take the brunt of whatever part of the explosions come toward Zero.

Wade moves into the room as well, but a bit toward a wall, away from Artemis. He preps his shield to try to redirect any of the rockets that come toward him.

Artemis charges heedless into the danger with Victory at her side. As the first two missiles fire at her, she dives on them shield first and pins them to the ground. The explosive wave is contained by her shield, but she does get blasted up into the ceiling, back flattening against it before she begins to fall...

...and land in a three-point stance. Smoke billows off of Artemis shield before she whips her head up at Carter with a battle-eager smile.

Deafening explosions rock the room. The two missiles Artemis leapt on cause her to be smashes into the ceiling, while the two Wade reflected at the lauchers case the latter to go up in smoke, flames and debris, obscuring the view of Carter.

Wade keeps to one side, and in a couple of circular moves, he redirects both missiles moving toward him back at the launchers. He lets out a deep breath. "Okay...that was a bit dumb on my part, but it worked."

Zero waits a few seconds after the explosions stop. She kept her third eye on things but is surprised that worked too.

She peeps around the corner and says as much, "I can't beleive that worked." She says from the other side of the door.

Venus sudden appears in the living room area. Or rather, you realise she was there all the time but somehow didn't see her under that veil. She grins as the lightning bolt from the long wand she's carrying strikes Artemis. "Whee! That's fun!"

The electricity hits Artemis from behind, her shield only partially catching it before she's flung forward and into a wall. "Hahah, at last, some interesting opponents!" she says as adrenaline surges through her body.

Zero seems surprised by Venus' sudden reappearance. She stares at the veil with eyes full of jealousy.

She reaches for her line gun and fires it at Venus. She doesn't like anyone sneaking up on her- that's her schtick!

Zero seems surprised by Venus' sudden reappearance. She stares at the veil with eyes full of jealousy.

She reaches for her line gun and fires it at Venus. She doesn't like anyone sneaking up on her- that's her schtick!

Venus looks nothing short of frightened. Artemis took all that and enjoyed it, and then Zero landed a solid blow....

Wade considers moving toward Venus, but seeing Zero engage her, he runs toward Carter instead. He clears the remaining distance and tries to deliver a strong side kick.

It's hard to tell if Carter feels much, but there's a satisfying CLANG.

Wade grins. "Give up. You're not going to beat us."

"To hell with this!" says Venus, and re-veils herself. And vanishes.

"Awww, come now! We haven't even had a chance to start!" Artemis calls encouragingly in the spirit of sportsmanship, though she does sound honestly disappointed.

Wade sees Carter power down, and then Venus disappear. "Did she teleport? Or just cloak again?" He moves in a defensive posture back toward the door, trying to get a feel for where she might be.

Wade senses Venus trying to slip past him...and he goes to apply a choke hold on her, hopefully keeping her still for hte others.

Wade gets his arm around Venus's neck...and then pulls back, lifting her feet off the ground barely. "Got her!"

Venus can't believe it as Wade grabs her - and the veil falls off her. Unable to talk, she puts her hands on her head in surrender.

''Aftermath: Carter may have been caught in body, but it proves he has uploaded his mind elsewhere. The heroes recover all the stolen magic items. The couple are referred to Yolanda for deprogramming. Investigation reveals that this base appears to be in the range of 50 years old, and has seen little use lately, at least as a lab.''