Log:Paintball Gods

Godlings out of Time 2020/10/07 	 Grimm Natasha Carpenter Lennix

1

Location: Buckingham Gardens Park
This lush green park surrounds an inlet of water which appears to be a lake, but is in fact an arm of a creek open onto the bay itself. Water-lilies float on its surface, while flowering bushes and shrubs dot its edge; numerous benches allow one to sit and enjoy the view. Large trees of various species surround the "lake" providing shade for the recreational area. Fields of flowers are seen in the clearings between some of the trees, providing a vast array of color everywhere on all directions. The recreational area has a baseball diamond, a soccer field, a children's jungle gym swing set, and several covered picnic areas.

To the west the trees are more numerous, forming pleasant wood. In the north the land climbs in terraces up to Colonial Heights, where the old mansion of the Buckinghams still stands, a separate property now, since the family lost their fortune and were forced to sell both house and garden. The southern terminus of the Main Street MagLev line emerges from underground near the house; it is designed to blend with the landscaping of the park.

Park Log
Senator Clay Wilson, who is in Colonial Bay City for a scheduled two day meeting with the city's mayor and council, was stuck in the chest by a paintball while engaged in an early morning jog in Buckingham Park. Although likely a prank, police were called due to the identity of the target. The senior uniformed officer at the scene salutes Detective Carpenter when he arrives. "One of those cases it seems, detective. The forensics team leader is Dr Vi Abby. The redhead."

Carpenter nods to the officer and shows his badge as a matter of course to get past the police tape. He heads over to the forensics specialist. "So, what do we have, doctor?"

August is walking by as the report passes over someone's desk about the situation in Buckingham Gardens Park. He's at the end of his day anyway, so after clocking out he makes his way towards an out of the way spot to change into his PJs and then makes his way to Buckingham Gardens PArk. He arrives a bit behind Carpenter thanks to his incredible webslinging skills.

Lien was just out enjoying the gardens, minding her own business... Why, she even has a book or app pulled up on her device with information on varied flora. It's then that she notices the gathering of people that look to be enjoying the scenery far less, and even mussing it up with police barricade tape. Whelp, so much for that quiet day, so she meanders and moseys her way towards the scene of the crime(?)

Dr Abby looks up. "I might have guessed you'd get this one. We have a conundrum, detective. The senator was shot by a standard .69 cal paintball. But there's no report of any shooter having been seen. This area is open grassland. Paintball markers have an maximum range of less than 50 yards and are accurate for barely over half of that. There's no cover for at least seventy or eighty yards."

Lennox is in the park taking in scenery. It's very cultural and all, and he tries to do that from time to time. The practical side of education has had its day, however, and he carries with him a good sized gym bag. It keeps him from approaching /too/ close to the police line, lest someone ask him what's in the bag.

Carpenter frowns, "How much force did it hit with? A paintball flung at excessive speed isn't exactly accurate."

Carpenter says, "You get wobble."

Dr Abby nods, "The senator is bruised but no ribs cracked or broken. As a preliminary estimate I'd say normal marker velocity, 200ft per second. The bruising is consistant with that."

Carpenter nods, and posts about the situation on HeroNet. Might as well call in some specialists. The shooter was probably invisible or something. He'll have difficulty finding the culprit without powers to do so.

Lizzy wanders into the park after school. She was planning on taking advantage of the peace and quiet to get some homework done, but the sight of police tape and Detective Carpenter quickly puts the kibosh on that notion. Lizzy ducks out of sight and ('e Pluribus Unum') becomes Union.

Grimm wakes up groggily in bed at the alert from her phone. The familiar HeroNet ding. She peeks her head out of her nest of blankets and reaches out, blinking blearily until her eyes focus. A post from Jack. She sits up and looks around. Damn, it's early. But after what he's been through, she's gotta go. She climbs out of bed, shadows washing over her to change PJs to clothes before they swallow her up entirely. She materializes from a swirl of shadows in the park near the scene of the crime, walking over the rest of the way. She rubs her eyes and holds out her right hand. Another swirl of dark energy, and a steaming coffeebucks coffee cup materializes in her hand.

Carpenter smirks when he sees Grimm looking bleary-eyed. "It's early for you."

The usefulness of someone with an enhanced sense of smell is evident, and it's well known Natasha is contactable at Lucky Finds, so Natasha finds her presence requested. She's soon flying to the park, even though she hasn't finished breakfast!

There's an area of the park in open grassland which is bordered by police do not enter tape. A forensics team is working in that area. Other uniformed police and detective Carpenter are also on site.

Slinger's PDA buzzes as the HeroNet Proximity Alert (TM) buzzes that there is an emergency within the distance set in his preferences. He smirks behind his mask and flicks through it quickly.

Then he leaps and bounds over to Detective Carpenter.

"Someone call for Slinger's Neighborhood Web-Delivery Service?" He asks Carpenter as he bounds into quip-range not realizing his bestie has arrived as well.

Grimm grumbles, "Yeah. I didn't realize people got up this early." She takes a sip of her coffee as another cup materializes in her other hand. She offers it to Carpenter wordlessly. She at least knows how he likes his coffee.

Natasha lands in front of Carpenter on two legs, and makes an approximation of a salute. A uniformed officer hands detective Carpenter a PDA. "The video of the shooting is on this, detective," she tells Jack.

Natasha flies up to land on Carpenter's shoulder so she can watch the video too.

"Grimmace! Why aren't you looking bright and chipper today! Not at all grumbly or grouchy." Slinger says with a snicker as he flips over the others and lands opposite her. He stands up and from his crouched position and offers her daps while Jack is offered the PDA.

Lien glances to the cordoned area, but doesn't get too close to the tape, much less encroach past it. After noting Detective Carpenter and the arriving Grimm, she focuses on the two of them whilst ostensibly looking at her guide to trees and flowers.

Carpenter waves to the various heroes as they arrive, and he relates the situation. "A senator was shot with a paintball. But it's pretty open here. Paintballs don't travel that far normally. And the speed was pretty typical for them. We have some video of the incident." He holds up the PDA, and plays the video so he and others can see it.

Carpenter also takes the coffee from Grimm and smiles. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

Natasha watches the video with unblinking eyes.

Union arrives in Carpenter's vicinity at about the same time as the others. "Good morning, Detective."

Lennox spots Lien, and circles around. "Morning, Miss van den Brand," he says to the young woman. "So what time do /you/ usually get up?"

Grimm smiles back at Carpenter, then looks to Slinger. "Surprised to see you out. Usually I only see this time from staying up all night." She looks to the video. The video starts with a slow panning shot across the golden rose hued clouds of the horizon as the sun is just beginning to appear. Clay Wilson, one of the Senators of the State walks into view. The PDA mic picks up a muttered, "Darn. Someone in the frame at this time in the morning." Then the muted sound of a shot. A spray of red appears directly over the Senator's heart. The view of the PDA camera become unsteady as the user turns to run, realises he is heading in the rough direction where the shot must have come from. He turns and runs the other way. Between the two turns the video scans a full 360 degrees. There's nobody visible within 100m of the Senator.

Carpenter nods to Union, "Good morning. Good to see you."

Grimm watches the video and frowns. She looks about to try and figure what direction the filmer ran to initially before turning around.

Carpenter nods. "So, doesn't add much. Thankfully it was just a paintball. But the Senator did end up bruised. So, the paintball gun was fired reasonably close by. And might have been cranked up to a slightly higher power level. But even then, your range might be...thirty meters?"

Carpenter says, "And they'll be inaccurate at that range. You get a curve due to the ball wobbling."

Union says, "Maybe the shooter was invisible?"

Dr Abby nods, "We'll do tests but as a rough figure, yes, 30m sounds right."

Carpenter nods to Union. "That was my first guess. Or a...portal was created to shorten the range? Being a sniper type wouldn't help you, due to the technology limitations."

Natasha hops down and starts sniffing about the area (but staying outside the cordon) for the shooter, starting wherever seems most likely based on the video.

"Why a paint gun, though? Seems more like some kids were playing around and accidentally hit the senator maybe?" Grimm asks.

Lien looks from the video over at the inquiry. Lennox receives a shrug from one shoulder. She minimizes the flora guide to show him a comment.

DEPENDS ON WHEN I SLEEP.

SOMEONE MIGHT WANT TO TELL THE DETECTIVES THAT A SHOT IN THE HEART IS A DAMN UNLIKELY COINCIDENCE.

Lennox looks curiously at Lien. "I couldn't get that good a look at the display," he admits.

Carpenter shakes his head, "This was no accident. Not at a Senator. And not in the middle of the chest."

Grimm sips her coffee. "Well...why do it to just bruise the senator? With no message as to why?"

Carpenter says, "It's a demonstration. A statement."

Natasha gets another idea as she gets damp on the dewy grass. She looks for any signs of the grass being recently trodden, too.

Lennox remains silent for a moment, looking across the distance at the detective and heroes. "Oh, what the hell. What is the saying? As well hung for a goat as a sheep?" And he starts towards the group.

Grimm nods and looks up her phone for the senator's latest appearances in the news, concerning votes, scandals, stuff that made him unpopular, etc.

Grimm says, "Okay. What makes this senator worth being made into a statement?"

Carpenter shrugs, "It's like when the mob does something like this. Whoever it is...is trying to scare the Senator. Thing is...he's not that radical. Like...center-right. And like most politicians, he gets threats. But nothing stands out."

"Mind playing that again, Detective?" Lennox asks of Carpenter once he arrives. "I didn't get a good look from over there." He gestures his head in the direction of where he'd been with Lien.

Natasha suddenly dashes to a rather greater range - some 130m out - and behind a tree. She takes a sniff and sticks her tail straight up into the air as a sign.

Natasha sniffs about more to see if she can follow the trail of the people who were there.

Carpenter looks over in the direction of Lien, and then nods to Lennox, "Sure. Thanks for being willing to help." He plays the video again.

Union points toward Natasha, "I think she found something."

Lien isn't that far off, just outside the cordon. As Lennox inquires about a replay, she turns her attention to the scenery once more. It isn't to admire the shrubbery in the same manner, though, and instead consider viable and/or preferable firing positions; in general, not just for a paintball. There's no indication that there will be a repeat, but it can't hurt to check.

Grimm nods to Carpenter. "And the paint that hit him. That tested normal, right? Just paint?"

Carpenter says to Grimm, "Not sure. Forensics is working on it."

Lennox aligns the hit with where Natasha is, and nods. "Wasn't a paintball gun. They cough; they're air guns. That was a firearm. And considering the dragon, I expect she's scented traces of cordite."

Natasha sniffs a bit in all directions, then tries sniffing up the tree. Then she checks the angle a shooter here would have on the senator. Dr Abby overheard Grimm, "We're checking. Won't know until the lab gets through analyzing it."

Lennox asks the forensic scientist, "Found fragments of the paintball shell yet?"

Dr Abby nods, "Yes. Those have been taken for analysis too. The lab is working on all this right now."

Natasha projects her 'voice' to where the others are. "Two people were here recently, smelling of carbolic soap and cheap shampoo, yet there is no trail leading to or from this place. It is a good spot for shooting at people on the path."

Lennox nods. "Didn't mean to press. Be willing to bet it's a custom design, though. Increased thickness, standard bullet shape. You might want to look for signs of fins, that's a technique for low-speed stabilization." He frowns. "Play the shot again?" he requests.

Dr Abby shakes her head, "We expected that too, Sir. But we recovered sufficient fragments to deduce it seems to have been a standard spherical geletin shell." She tells Lennox.

The video starts with a slow panning shot across the golden rose clouds of a horizon as the sun is just beginning to appear. Clay Wilson, one of the Senators of the State walks into view. The PDA mic picks up a muttered, "Darn. Someone in the frame at this time in the morning." Then the muted sound of a shot. A spray of red appears directly over the location of the Senator's heart. The view of the PDA become unsteady as the user turns to run, realises he is heading in the rough direction where the shot must have come from. He turns and runs the other way. Between the two turns the video scands the full 360 degrees. There's nobody visible within a 100m of the Senator.

Grimm carefully walks towards were Natasha has gone off sniffing, trying to sense any rifts in the area. "Teleporters, then? Or flyers? Or...maybe underground? Any disturbed earth?"

"No trail away huh?" Slinger says, bounding over towards Natasha to look at the tree up close. "Could be a metahuman for sure..." He muses as he looks around for anything telling that might have come frm a teleporting shooter.

Dr Abby sighs as the video is played again, "If this was CSI 2020 we'd zoom in on the reflection in the senator's eyes and get a perfect image of the shooter."

Lennox chuckles. "I'm just a sergeant at best, ma'am, not a sir. But thank you for your precision." He glances towards the place where Natasha is, then shakes his head slightly. "Fun with portals, maybe. A demonstration of capability."

Carpenter nods. "I think we should check on Natasha and see what she found." He goes to walk over to where the dragon is...taking care to look for any potential clues along the way.

Natasha has a thought: many teleporters need to see where they teleport to (sometimes Amy's stories contain useful information!). So she looks about from this spot to see if she can see any more crushed grass or other signs of recent presence anywhere.

Grimm frowns. "Carpenter...someone gated here. There's two different gates here. A person-sized one, and a smaller one."

Dr Abby calls the detective's PDA.

Lien huhs. In her head, of course. Not much good she can do if there's portal/porter/invisible/tunneling going on. That doesn't stop her from heading that way. Even if Grimm is already there. She offers a casual salute, then quirks brows at the update on gates. Has anyone ever thought to make third-party padlocks for those gates?

Natasha abandons that idea and goes back to careful examination of the current spot, looking for anything she might have missed.

Carpenter furrows his brow and answers his PDA, "Yes?"

Carpenter nods to Grimm, "The smaller one is for the shot, probably. Closing the range down to make it possible."

Lennox smiles a little at the gate information. "A demonstration of capability," he says, shrugging at the strap of his gym bag. "Neutral target, but a high-value one -- someone that will be in the news."

Grimm nods to Carpenter. "Yeah, the smaller one is short range. Maybe an inch or two in diameter," she swipes her hand and creates an illusion to manifest where it is and the size, so others can see what she sensed. "The person-sized one seems to be a longer range one. It's...wait." Gabrielle turns to look back at the crime scene. "The other part of the small gate is where the senator was hit," she points that way, another illusion forming where the gate tear is.

Natasha listens to Grimm and nods. That seems to confirm her theory.

Carpenter nods to Grimm as it confirms his suspicion about the smaller gate. "Thanks."

Dr Abby tells detective Carpenter, "The lab finished the paintball analysis. Normal paint. No additives. The make is tru-flight pro, a cheap Chinese import. Only one place in the city stocks them. Wang-Chu Sports, in Chinatown."

Carpenter replies back to the doctor. "Thanks. I appreciate it. It's something to go on."

Carpenter hangs up after that. "So...it's a normal paintball. A 'Tru-flight pro'. Only place in the city that carries it is a place in Chinatown. Wang-Chu Sports."

Slinger bounds to Grimm and just gives her an approving nod before looking to Carpenter as he gives his update.

"As good a lead as any considering we're dealing with teleporters..." He says aloud.

Natasha perks up as she hears a trip to Chinatown may be in the offing, after her disappointment in failing to find more clues.

Grimm sips her coffee as she frowns in thought. "Teleporting gunman that uses paintballs and is probably a local. Ring any bells?" she asks Carpenter.

"Two people," Lennox suggests. "One for the gates, one on the gun."

Carpenter nods. "So...a related case nearly a decade ago, from what I remember. Someone with a paintball gun managed to avoid Regan and Silver Spider. No teleporters, though. So, perhaps the shooter is the same one or related to the first? Spider was active in Chinatown, as was Regan."

Carpenter says, "The shooter was never caught, I believe."

"Were they able to completely clear that there were no teleporters involved?" Grimm asks.

Slinger just listens in, seeking a pattern of note in the seemingly random attack.

"And they only shot heroes? No one else?" He inquires so he can be sure.

Carpenter shakes his head, "I don't think they ruled it out. I think there wasn't any evidence of a teleporter."

Carpenter nods to Slinger, "Again, I beleive so. I'm working from memory here."

"Seems you're doing a fair job, Detective." Slinger says appreciatively. Because he promised to be nice.

Carpenter shrugs and smiles, "Well, it IS a case from nearly a decade ago that I wasn't involved in. I had only been on the force a couple of years, and the meta cases weren't quite landing in my lap all the time just yet at that point."

Slinger is glad Grimm isn't linked ot his mind- he can't help but be impressed.

Natasha launches into the air, flying northeast. Then slows, looking back at the others.

"Miss Grimm, is that the correct placement of the entry portal?" Lennox asks. "And Detective, you might want to get the scene team over here to find out what they can."

Horrors await Slinger if he isn't nice. Grimm promised that. She smiles at Carpenter's recollection. "Wow, that's some memory. So what's next, Detective?"

Grimm looks to Lennox and nods. Her ability of illusions is still outlining all the gates in red at their locations so people can see them.

Carpenter nods to Lennox. "I agree." He then looks to the others. "I think we head to Chinatown. And perhaps Natasha can find a scent to follow?"

Slinger nods his agreement with Carpenter.

Natasha glides in a circle, waiting for the others to join the move to Chinatown.

Carpenter says to the others, "Let's clear the area here, and I'll call the forensics team over." He walks over to grab one of the science folks to show them the location where the shot was taken from.

Carpenter comes back over to the group, "All set."

Grimm keeps the illusions up enough for the forensics team to document their placement, then prepares to go with the others.

Lien eyes the illuminated portals, though is hardly an expert at gates. She can manage short relocations, at times, but that's nothing like leaving a hole punched in reality. And now they seem to be off for Chinatown for what was alleged to be the premier source for politician-staining ammunition in the county. Maybe Lien should pick up a box or two.

Location: Chinatown
This district is home to Colonial Bay's large Chinese community; as much Chinese as English is seen on signs and perhaps more Mandarin is spoken. Most famous is Ming Street, curving round from Beach Street to Wharf Street, always full of tourists, especially at its northern and western end. This is practically a street market, with hawkers extolling their wares to passers-by, and signs and banners advertizing everything from fresh duck to herbal supplies, restaurants and bakeries and other businesses. The Heavenly Dragon Palace and the Buddhist temple are among the more famous sights. But perhaps true Chinatown is south and west of Ming Street, where the tourists rarely go.

Chinatown Log
Even this early in the morning Chinatown is busy. Market stalls being set up and opened. Deliveries being made for the coming day's business. The Wang-Chu Sports store turns out to be a small rather run down store in a side alley. Mostly it seems to sell so called healing remedies. The sports side of the store has degraded to being a single cabinet toward the rear.

The store owner is middle aged and clearly not happy to see you, judging from the stream of Mandarin that comes from him on sighting your group.

Carpenter lets out a long breath. "Any of you folks speak Chinese? I'm afraid I don't."

Natasha nods!

"I can understand it, but I don't speak a lick of it Detective. Sorry." Slinger admits.

Carpenter shows his badge to the owner, "I'm Detective Carpenter. CBPD. I just wanted to ask you a few questions." And allow people to look for clues.

"Been a while, but I can give it a shot," says Lennox.

Those heroes who can understand hears the store owner complaining about all the annoyance and time wasted having people coming to his store and taking up his time without buying anything.

Carpenter nods ot the others. "Thanks. I'm glad we've got some options." He smiles.

Lennox translates for the detective.

Slinger slips away to look around where he's probably quite unwanted- but that's where all the best secrets are! He looks around for a backroom for him to get into.

Natasha asks in Mandarin, <>

The store owner switches to English, "I tell everything already. Twice. You ask other detectives. Not waste my time."

Lien doesn't barge in with the group, merely walking in after. A customer! She does browse, though keeps an eye on the counter and the interview. Hmm. Sounds like there isn't much translation needed there.

Carpenter furrows his brow. "I'm sorry. Which other detectives were here?" He genuinely looks confused by it.

Slinger can sneak into the back room but it's just a storeroom and has nothing except stock for the store.

Grimm raises a brow at that as she slurps the last of her coffee. She lowers the cup, and dark energy encircles it. Instant refill! This one smells like pumpkin spice and caramel.

Lennox barks a laugh. << Can you describe them, Uncle? The other detectives. >> he asks in the old man's dialect of Chinese.

The store owner shouts, "FBI man and Police man. Detective Robertson? Big man." The owner gestures to a height of about 6ft 8". Red hair."

Slinger peeps about in theback room - because you know, the best secrets and all. He flips throuhg the inventory and whatnot and finds.... a big fat nothing. Just a normal storeroom full of stock for the store.

He sneaks back out onto the main floor and pretends as if nothing happened. He returns to the others as he looks for any signs of the paintballs.

Carpenter frowns. "There's a Detective Robertson, but he's like...5 foot 6. Bald. And he's older."

Natasha sniffs about for the smells pf the people from behind the tree.

Carpenter says, "Were both of the...detectives...Caucasian?"

Natasha says, "The people from the park were in here, probably yesterday."

The store owner nods. "Yes."

<< Two different men at two different times, Uncle? >> asks Lennox. << And what did you tell these false officers? >>

"And did they leave cards or anything for you to call them in case something else 'came to mind'?" Slinger says aloud to add to the list of inquiries.

The store owner asks, "False officers? Who say false. Show badges. I tell them who buy painballs. That what they ask."

The store oqner shakes his head. "No cards. Rude. In hurry. Go after seeing tape."

Carpenter nods slowly. "Which tape did they watch?"

The store owner points to a CCTV camera looking over the counter area, "Store tape."

"I feel like maybe we should have led with that." Slinger snarks quietly.

Lennox smiles. "Well, don't be rude, Detective, give the man your card."

Carpenter smirks at Lennox, but he does pull out a business card. "If you do think of something else, I'd appreciate you giving me a call." He hands the card to the owner. "But I'd also like to see that tape, if possible."

Grimm pays attention to the neighborhood in general with her shadow sight, trying to sense any familiar gates about.

The store owner takes card and nods, "Tape here." He points under the counter. And it really is a tape. And old OLD VHS security recorder. He replays the part of the tape the other 'detectives' wanted to see. Two kids, maybe 11-12 buying a bag full of paintballs. The kids are wearing some type of uniform jackets.

Natasha watches to make sure the kids' locations match where their smells were.

Carpenter nods...and then thinks about it. "Thank you. And...do you have footage of the two detectives who asked questions?"

Natasha nods emphatically on seeing the tape.

The store owner nods and plays the tape recording from shortly before you arrived. The first is unknown. The second, 'detective Robertson', is possibly known.

"That isn't a cop- that guy runs with the Mafia." Slinger says, pointing to not-Detective Robertson.

Carpenter looks to Slinger. "Have a name to go with the face?"

Slinger mulls it over a moment, which gives him plenty of time to miss the loss of his additional senses and brain enhancements.

Natasha says, "The paintballers' jackets mean they come from the Harrisburg Orphanage."

Like a bolt of lightning from up on high it comes to him. "I'm 99% sure that's 'The Pistol'... umm.. damn. What is his name..." the Spyder says as more of it coems to him. Then with a snap of his fingers and the slap of a closed fist in rapid succession he says, "Frankie Martello! That's it. Frankie Martello. I'm sure of it."

Carpenter thinks about it and snaps his fingers. "Got it. The kids hit a mobster too. They're following the same trail.

Carpenter nods to the owner, "Thank you again for your help, sir. I appreciate it."

Lennox's eyebrows lift. "Fun with portals it is," he murmurs.

"So a couple of pranksters that're in deeper trouble than they realize?" Grimm comments.

Carpenter nods to Grimm, "That's my guess at the moment."

"Maybe- but what if they're telling us something? What are the odds they hit a big wig and a mobster?" Slinger adds, clearly still brainstorming his way through this. "That's a pair of extremely lucky shots otherwise, yeah?"

The store door is slammed open, admitting three Chinese guys. Smiling Johnny White and two of his Triad enforcers. Only Smiling Johnny is neither smiling or white. He's scowling and his normally impeccable white suit has a red blotch on the jacket just over his heart.

Natasha says, "It may be a game - some sort of dare, for instance - or someone trying to attract a lot of attention or upset a lot of people."

Carpenter glances at Slinger, since his comment was immediately followed by the Triad folks showing up.

Speaking of trouble... Lien looks up from a container of assorted painballs.

Lennox looks sideways at Carpenter. "Question is more what do these people have in common. Sounds like more than a prank." He looks at the store proprietor and says, "Can we have that tape, Uncle?"

Slinger smirks as he sees the Triads arrive as if on cue. "Maybe that. Either way, you have to admit they have great taste..."

He checks his webslingers, expecting trouble.

Smiling Johnny takes in Detective Carpenter's presence.

Carpenter nods to Johnny, "We're already looking into it." He motions to the suit. "I suggest keeping out of it."

The store owner ejects the tape and hands it over to Lennox.

Natasha resists the temptation to 'breathe' another paintball at Johnny. Though it would be funny.

Grimm pays closer attention as the triads step in. She sips her coffee menacingly. Aka normally for her.

Smiling Johnny gives the slightest shake of his head, "This is a challenge. I can't let it go unanswered."

"Oh. Is that how it works?" Slinger asks with mock surprise. "So... if I..." He lifts his left webslinger up and aims it at Johnny. "....web you up real good, then you'll feel better about all this? I mean- if that's all you're looking for, I'll kick your boys butts for free just so everyone leaves here happy."

Carpenter shakes his head, "No fighting in this nice man's shop, folks." He looks to Johnny, "I won't hesitate to arrest your folks if you come after the same target for vengeance. Just making that clear."

Natasha says, "Other people have been similarly challenged - even on your terms, you should await your turn. It may even be a game to lure you all to the same place."

Johnny White answers, "I hear you." But pointedly doesn't make any promises.

"It's a couple of kids having fun with new powers, cousin," Lennox says to the Triad member, putting the tape away in his gym bag. "They're doing it to multiple men -- men of power and influence. Take it as a compliment, and laugh it off."

"You heard the detective." Slinger says, fearlessly moving to pass through the Triads and lead them to the street. He'll leave the peace offer to the others. He likes webbing up gangsters, triads and ne'er-do-wells too much to pass up an incenced Triad leader. "Let's 'clear this challenge business up' outside." He adds as he passes. He really is asking for trouble, but in the most polite way possible. He's also daring the hell out of them by walking by. Johnny did seem like he wanted a challenge afterall.

The hostility quota goes up through the ceiling as three more Chinese enter. Two costumed metas, and an overweight middle aged businessman type. It's the businessman type who has a red blotch on his jacket over his heart.

Carpenter sighs as he sees Tim Lee walk in. "We need to get going." He knows Lennox has the tape, so that will delay the others for sure. Thankfully.

Slinger waits patiently for trouble or an exit. He looks loose and limber as he sizes up the new arrivals.

Lennox looks over at Carpenter and Grimm. "Why do I get the feeling that these pranksters are wired in better than half the police force?"

Smiling Johnny looks at Tim Lee. Tim Lee looks at Smiling Johnny. They see the red blotchs. And the tension eases. Both have been targeted. No loss of face to the other side of the Triad cold war.

Grimm nods to Carpenter and prepares to leave, but sticks near him.

Tim Lee leaves. Smiling Johnny does also.

This definitely looks to be getting too crowded for Lien's taste. On the other hand, maybe this will work out for the store owner? He is getting a great deal of free, high-profile publicity.

Carpenter nods and says to the owner, "Thanks again."

Carpenter steps outside as well.

Jack gets a PDA call.

Natasha remarks, "The kids are good at what they do, if they targetted them and escaped safely."

"I was just thinking the same thing. But we better find them first- before their luck runs out." Slinger replies to Natasha.

Natasha steps outside, after a polite bow to the owner for his help.

Carpenter answers his PDA, "Carpenter here."

Lennox gives a courteous nod to the store proprietor. << Uncle, thank you. >>

"Jack, Lewis here." Detective Lewis was the detective who got the meta cases before Jack. "We've made an arrest. Gunman waiting at the park exit. He was waiting for the senator. One of the uniforms spotted him checking his pistol. Turns out it was the senator's lucky day getting tagged. Otherwise he would have walked right into the waiting gunman."

Grimm walks outside, conjuring a soda can and handing it to Lien as a peace offering. It's got a hidden treat inside.

The store owner returns Lennox's nod.

Carpenter furrows his brow and speaks into his PDA, "There was an actual assassination attempt? Hmm. Who's the suspect? And do you know the motive?"

Lennox, following the rest of them out, looks over at Lien, then at Grimm and Carpenter. "That ... hm. I wonder if the other one is a precog."

Lien quirks both brows at Grimm's surprise offering, but she accepts it. She nods, cracks it open and even takes a sip. Then her smile grows wider... until she overhears Carpenter. The smile dims to purpose, and she gulps down the can of soda. It sounds like the foot's a game, or things hit the fan, so no reason to let it go to waste.

Lewis gives a name, "He talked freely. Get this. He was gunning for the senator because his federal tax rebate was smaller than last year."

Natasha had been wondering that too. But then, was something to happen to the other targets?

Carpenter snorts at the motive. Sounds like an insanity plea waiting to happen. "Thanks. Anything else I should know?"

"Probably. But I don't know what it is yet. If anything comes up I'll call you. Stay safe out there, Jack.

Carpenter answers, "Thanks." He then hangs up, and he relates the new information to the heroes.

"So...question is was that chance, or did they do that on purpose? I think chance, since all the other targets," Grimm nods towards the direction the Triads were.

Natasha shrugs. There are too many unknowns still, and she's not going to guess.

Slinger shrugs unhelpfully.

On your group's way to Harrisburg, detective Carpenter gets another PDA call.

On the way to Harrisburg, Lennox unzips his gym bag and removes the VCR cassette, handing it over to Carpenter. "I believe this evidence is yours, Detective." While he has the bag open, he extracts his leaf-mail jerkin and, after shrugging out of his coat, pulls it on.

Carpenter takes the tape from Lennox. "Thanks, I appreciate it." He then answers the PDA call. "Carpenter speaking."

The PDA call to Jack is again from detective Lewis, "Hi, Jack. There's been another incident. Construction site in the Towers district. A construction worker named Josh Migel was hit by a paintball. His lucky day. He stopped to try and see who did it. Tower crane collapsed and crushed the mobile restroom he was about to enter. No other injuries."

Grimm stands by, keeping on alert for more trouble.

Natasha thinks. o O (Another incident suggesting a precognisant!)

The Spyder walks along casually- the most remarkable thing is how casual he is in the footie-pajamas. But that's the point and power of the jammies.

He keeps his bug eyes on the move and keeps an eye out for trouble, hoping his reaction time will help them get ahead of anything before it becomes too much of a problem.

He listens to the Detective's side of the conversation as he does.

Carpenter frowns as he gets the call, "Thanks. I'll make a note. We have a rough idea where to find the two people in question." He hangs up...and then relates the news to the heroes. "Another incident. A construction site in the Tower district. The person hit was stopped from entering the mobile restroom they had set up. Avoided getting hit by a falling crane. So...sounds like we have a precog of some kind involved. Unless it's a weird coincidence. Though that doesn't explain why they took shots at two Triad bosses."

Gundance asks a few questions at the Chinatown store and determines that the heroes left not long ago for the orphanage. She follows in the same direction quickly.

Grimm frowns a bit. "A precog and related to orphans in Harrisburg?" she says with suspicion. Sounds awfully familiar.

"Now that is interesting, Detective." Slinger says with some surprise. He considers the 'coincidence' angle and shakes his head. "It doesn't explain it because we're not seeing things from the right temporal perspective... if you're right about one of these kids I mean." He quirks a masked brow and looks at Grimm.

"Why did you say it like that?" He asks her quietly.

Carpenter shrugs, "Sounds like it. We have the video, though. We can show it at the orphanage and get an ID from the people who run the place."

"One portalist, one precog?" suggests Lennox

Carpenter nods to Lennox. "Could be the same person. The other person might be the shooter. So, perhaps only one meta."

"Sounds a bit like a fit for a kid I know," Grimm comments. She's had to babysit the Little Wolves due to debts owed to Sasha.

Natasha stays close to Carpenter and listens.

"Just one?" Lennox asks Grimm. "And for both abilities??

"Just one. Not a pro shooter. No teleporting. If this was one person, it's not them," Grimm says after some thought.

Carpenter nods. "Well, let's get to the orphanage and ask some questions. We need some answers."

Natasha nods.

Location: Harrisburg
This once middle-class section of town has fallen into disrepair: the rows of two-storey homes are mere ghosts of the past. Some of the vinyl siding is cracked and faded from decades of neglect. Children play unsupervised in now weed-strewn vacant lots. Graffiti along brick walls mark the territory of various gangs trying to claim the neighborhood as their own. Harrisburg Elementary needs its tall security fence and guarded gate.

If southern Harrisburg is bad, the north is appalling. Many of the homes are boarded up, perhaps occupied by homeless squatters, and the gang graffiti is ubiquitous. Drug dealers and worse have brought their crime to the district. Few trees or shrubs remain, and lawns are weeds and broken bottles. Here dwell the destitute, the desperate and the homeless.

Harrisburg Log
The orphanage looks in remarkably good condition for Harrisburg. A substanial three story brownstone building. The grounds are compact but well maintained. The playground area has working swings and a jungle gym.

Grimm stares up at the building as she slides her hands into her jacket pockets. She tries peaking inside with her shadow sight. If they're precogs, they may already be trying to sneak out to escape.

Carpenter goes ahead to the front door, intending to head inside. He's generally a pretty direct person, after all.

Natasha is on the ground, sniffing for familiar scents as she approaches the front door.

And Carpenter is a cop!! That lets them be direct. Lennox is direct as well, but for other reasons and in other ways. But still, he tags along -- he can be of use looking at pictures, at the very least. A good memory, and all.

Grimm strolls in after.

Inside the orphanage it is as well kept and clean as the outside. There are kids from about 5 to 15 years of age. Most appear as happy as kids in their circumstances can be. Their needs are tended to by Nuns. In the Mother Superior's office the Sister in charge is talking to one of the men seem on the shop's video tape.

Carpenter figures he better not wait. He heads over to the office and he knocks.

Gundance arrives near the orphanage and sees others headed inside. She hurries to walk in just behind them and tries to seem part of the group.

Grimm feels immediately uncomfortable as soon as she realizes this orphanage is run by nuns. She follows along, but tryings not to be too noticeable.

Slinger sticks with Grimm but is uncharacteristically quiet.

Natasha keeps her eyes peeled for the kids on the tape, and her nose peeled for their scents.

Entry to the orphanage is unchallenged, although there are a couple of Harrisburg Watch nearby keeping an eye out. They won't try to stop known heroes though. At the Mother Superior's office a knock is answered by a female voice talling the knocker to come in.

Carpenter steps into the office, and shows his badge. "Detective Carpenter, CBPD." He's wary, though. Knowing that the other man inside might bolt or attack him.

Lennox glances sideways at Grimm. After a few moments, he murmurs, "Ecclesiastes three, one to eight. But especially verse eleven." He looks interested at the other 'detective' or is this the 'FBI agent'?

Grimm blinks and looks over at Lennox. "What?" she asks cluelessly. "I don't have that stuff memorized," she whispers.

The Sister in Charge is seated behind a desk. The 'FBI' agent is standing in front of her desk. Both turn to look at the group entering.

Natasha projects into Carpenter's ear, "I smell the children, and also the fake detectives."

Lennox is obviously paying too much attention to Grimm to care about the mook; after all, he's a mook.

"For everything there is a season," Lennox reminds Grimm. "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

Natasha goes and has a sniff of the 'FBI' agent.

Carpenter says to the 'FBI' guy, kind of quietly. "You know...impersonating an officer is a crime."

The guy half smiles, passes over a FBI ID. It looks real. "Can I have a word with you, detective. In private?"

Grimm raises a brow at Lennox's quote. "Okay....and..? What's supposed to mean what right now?" she whispers back.

Carpenter waits a moment, then nods to the 'FBI' guy. "Sure. We can talk in private." He nods with a smile to the Mother Superior. "I do have some questions for you, too. But I'll be right back. Sorry to be a bother."

"I shall be here, my son." The Mother Superior says to Jack.

The FBI guy steps outside into the corridor and waits for Jack to follow.

Grimm blushes a bit and turns away from the Mother Superior.

Lennox asides once more to Grimm, "Don't take crap from anyone about what you can do, or how you do it. Nobody can see all eternity."

Grimm is caught off guard by Lennox' explanation. "Huh...that's...kinda cool. I didn't think that's what that meant."

Natasha moves to where she can eavesdrop on the 'FBI' guy and Carpenter: she's curious.

Lennox is still probably in the hall outside. He adds to Grimm, "Most religion is in the eye of the beholder. That's how -I- choose to interpret that -- especially so long as you seek the betterment of all, and to avoid destruction save in the most extreme circumstances."

Gundance moves over to the Nun and comisserates, "It can be hard dealing with the temptations of daily life and the dictates of faith, can it not? The children are both a joy and a trial."

Carpenter raises a brow as he sees Gundance, but he figures the others can confirm who she is. Instead he steps aside to talk to the alleged federal agent.

Slinger looks between Lennox and Grimm before saying, "Not to interrupt your thrilling philosophy momnet- but that guy knew we were coming. Maybe even specifically. Hard to tell- but I saw it. It was written all over him." He makes two fingers and points them to his eyes and then towards where Carpenter just went so Grimm cna do her thing.

The Mother Superior smiles, "More the former than the latter, though. We try hard to provide a good upbringing and are almost always rewarded by the results. Good faithful citizens."

Grimm shrugs to Lennox. "I'm...kind of a destructive person if you hadn't noticed." Definitely self-destructive at times. "Btw, do you know who that is," she discretely jerks a thumb towards Gundance with some suspicion. She then gets distracted by Slinger. "He did?" she narrows her eyes. Now she decides to keep eyes on the situation. The shadows can tell her secrets.

The FBI shuts the door and pulls a white-noise generator from an inside jacket pocket. He looks down at it. Shakes his head and returns it still unpowered to his pocket. "How many are listening to this - private - conversation do you think, Detective?" he asks.

Gundance nods, "Many people lack the ability to see the good inside when the outside is different. They forget that it is to God to judge a person's heart, not man."

Lennox looks back at Slinger, then with interest towards the FBI agent. "Really?" His gaze gets a distant look. "Who would investigate a senatorial shooting? Who's the guard for that ?"

Carpenter shrugs and smiles. "I'm not sure. There are now...what? A half dozen metas in the building at least? Assume half of them."

"You are wise for your years." the Mother Superior says to Gundance.

The guy nods, "The FBI ID you are holding in your hand is really quite good. It's printed by the same people who print the genuine ones. The US government."

Slinger casually shrugs at Lennox. "That is a great question. Hopefully they'l be kind enough to make a formal introduction." He says befor emoving towards the wall nearest wehre Carpenter & the Agent entered. He leans up against it cooly, lifting one leg, then the other- as he clings to the wall, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Carpenter takes a closer look at the ID. "Yeah. But I also know you were running around with a guy claiming to be a CBPD detective. And is actually a mobster. So..."

Lennox looks back at Gundance and the Mother Superior. "Don't recognize her."

Grimm looks distracted as she spies on what's going on inside. "If there's trouble, I'll open a gate in there, but I think Carpenter figured what you did, Slinger," she smiles a bit at Carpenter's observations. She whispers to Lennox, "Keep an eye on her, I guess. My attentions pulled in too many directions."

Gundance sighs, "Unfortunately I have experience with some who think they can sit in judgement of the souls of others. Evem the young sometimes have hard earned wisdom."

"Who I work for is probably something you ought to know but I'm not authorized to tell you," the guy says. "What I can tell you is this has been happening all over the east coast during the last week and a half. Here in Virgina today. Previously in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, and North Carolina. There's two distinct types of incident. One type saves the people targeted from serious injury or death. The other type seems to be tagging major criminals. Frankly, it's put a few extra names on our watch list."

Carpenter hands the ID back. "Hmm. So, explain to me why you were working with a local mobster impersonating a cop?"

"Wait- what'd I do?" Slinger asks with surprise. "You mean sizing the guy up? Well- that's what I do." He shrugs again, and feels for danger. Not that it works like that- not for him anyway, but he still hasn't 'maxed out' any of the transplanted abilities he's given himself yet. He certainly hopes it doesn't come to that.

Natasha has overheard enough to have her suspicions confirmed. She decides to see of she can trace the smell of the false cop, since she also picked it up here.

The guy shakes his head, "I wasn't. This isn't my usual region. He was a mobster? I admit I was fooled. He ID'ed himself as a detective and I had no reason to suspect otherwise. That's not going to look good in my final report. But the important thing from my viewpoint is to find out how those kids come to know a list of major criminals, including ones that were previously unknown even to us."

Carpenter nods. "And if you led him here...there's a good chance he's going to try to kill the taggers in question."

The FBI identification names the agent as Johnathan Swift.

Lennox eyes Gundance and her conversation with the Mother Superior; unable to hear it, he nonetheless nods to Grimm. "Will do."

"You got here quicker than I expected, detective. I was about to ask the Mother Superior some questions. This is as close as anyone has gotton to the kids. Until today we didn't know it was kids. We thought from a prior case, in Colonial Bay here about a decade and a bit back, this was a reoccurance of another paintballing episode. That was a Wolfguard training exercise."

Putting out a hand the guy nods to Carpenter, "Willing to work together on this?"

Carpenter hesitates. "Alright, Agent Swift. Sure." He then shakes the FBI agent's hand.

The guy nods again, "Your city, your lead." And opens the door to the Mother Superior's office.

Carpenter nods to the agent, and steps back into the office. He waves to the Mother Superior again, and says to the heroes quietly, "I think he's legit." He then steps closer to the nun. "I wanted to ask you a couple of questions about a couple of kids from here. I have a video I can show you of two kids, and I was hoping you could identify the two in it."

Grimm relaxes a little and stops spying through the shadows for now.

Gundance steps back and allows the detectives to do their thing.

The MS nods, "Certainly. Is it John Spade and Sally Childs again? I so hate to see my children getting into trouble."

Natasha has followed her nose out of the room. She comes back urgently. "The mobster detective seems to have left with the children in a vehicle!"

Carpenter blinks and looks over to Natasha, "Are you sure?"

Gundancs turns towards Natasha, "Which way, we need to protect them!"

Grimm looks surprise. "How long ago? I didn't sense anything recent with my shadow sight."

Natasha dashes back toward the parking bay where she lost the scent.

Gundance follows at her best pace.

Slinger runs after Natasha and tries to see if he can tell who's making a run for it.

The Mother Superior asks, "Mobster detective? You mean detective Robertson? He took the shildren off about 30 minutes ago. They're probably at the police station by now."

Carpenter shakes his head, "We believe that man was impersonatiing a cop. Which kids did he take?"

Natasha says, "They left about half an hour ago."

"John Spade and Sally Childs." the Mother Superior tells Carpenter.

The Mother Superior types on her keyboard and turns her sceen so you can see. There's images of two kids. It's the kids who were in the shop.

Lennox glances at the running heroes, shakes his head, and returns his attention to the nun. "Reverend Mother, do you have any surveillance of the area? Or remember what type of vehicle or the license plate?"

Natasha sniffs about to see if she can learn anything about the vehicle in question.

The Mother Superior shakes her head. But says, "The Watchmen might. They keep a protective watch on the orphanage.

Carpenter nods, "Those are the two we saw in the video. Thank you."

Grimm frowns and stews at the news the children were taken. She takes a moment to keep her emotions in check. She's also mentally going over what dark powers he could call upon to hunt the kidnapper down.

Slinger looks around urgently- hoping for something, but he of course has no idea how long its been since they left.

Lennox nods. "Thank you, ma'am. Grimm, if you would talk to the Watch?

Ma'am," he adds, "do you have a room I could use for a moment? Detective, a word?"

Natasha follows the vehicle smell for a while, but loses it once it gets to a busier road.

Carpenter glances toward the FBI agent, and then nods to Lennox. "Sure."

Grimm looks surprised at Lennox' request. "Really? The Watch and I aren't necessarily on good terms. I guess not necessarily bad."

Grimm looks to Carpenter to see if he's okay with her talking to the Watch. This is his case, after all.

Carpenter nods to Grimm and smiles. "Go ahead. I'm sure they'll help."

Grimm smiles back and nods. "Alright, Detective," she grins and makes her way out of the orphanage towards where Natasha lost the trail, searching for Watch members to talk to.

Carpenter steps aside with Lennox where he had spoken to Agent Swift. "What is it?"

Natasha is lying one the ground looking rather dejected where she lost the trail.

Lennox glances at Carpenter as well, and shrugs, letting the lawman answer. Heading down the hall and finding an empty room, he closes the door behind himself and Carpenter. Putting his gym bag on a table or desk, he shrugs out of his overcoat, and begins putting on the means to carry weaponry -- and then the weaponry itself. Not all of it is strictly legal. "I thought I would show you what I'm bringing to the party," he says. "Just in case." A couple of pistols, a sawed-off 12-gauge double-barrel, and a short little SMG. And, er, two different types of grenades. He glances up at the officer. "Minimum force, but if maximum is needed ..."

Both Natasha's nose and talking with the Watch agree that the vehicle drove out of Harrisburg into the Student Square district.

Grimm texts Carpenter after talking with one of the Watch. << Vehicle last seen driving into the Student Square district.>>

Carpenter raises a brow and takes a look at what Lennox has. "Umm..I appreciate you showing me, but we should try to keep the bloodshed to a minimum. I know I carry a pistol myself." He pauses, "I'm not going to ask for permits right now, either. Just...keep the violence to the minimum necessary, okay?"

As Natasha follows the vehicle's scent she spots that along the the route the van took there's paintball tagged walls, windows, sidewalks, fire hydrants spaced out along it.

"Of course. In barracks, I don't escalate." Lennox puts his coat back on, covering almost all of it up, and holds the door open for the detective. Only the hilt of the sword can be seen -- and the scale mail.

Natasha suddenly notices something, and takes off faster again, in flight, following some sort of visual trail, it would seem.

Grimm texts Carpenter << There's also some supernatural trace. I think I can track it.>>

Carpenter texts back to Grimm, << Thanks. Keep following. Natasha also tracking alonside you? Or nearby? >>

Grimm sprouts shadowy feathered wings and flies along. Texting and flying? That could be bad. << She's tracking also. I should just follow her instead, I think.>>

Gundance follows the fliers the best she can, fortunately the fact that they are higher makes them more visible. She still falls behind though, she is only human.

Natasha puts a big N with an downward arrow in the sky to tell the others where she is, as she looks and smells about to see where the trail leads from here.

The N and the arrow are fashioned such that they look like the scratches Natasha leaves when she writes with a claw.

Grimm lands nearby Natasha and conjures a cup of coffee. May as well let the dragonling do the work for her, she figures.

Carpenter says to Lennox, "We need to get going. Student Square area."

Lennox gets shotgun in Carpenter's car. "Slow up," he says as they near the (running?) Gundance; "this is the lady we saw at the orphanage." Rolling down the window, he says, "Going our way, heroine? Climb in and give us your name."

Natasha can follow the trail though the CBSU Campus into Old Town.

Natasha follows the trail on into Old Town, now and then redisplaying the arrow so the others can follow. Her enthusiasm suggests that hunting instincts have come into play!

Gundance climbs into the car and says, "I have decided to call myself Gundance. Do not worry, this gun has many non-lethal uses."

Natasha, frustrated, circles over Old Town, trying to pick up any hint of the trail.

Lennox looks over his shoulder into the back seat, a slight smile on his face. "Good show," he complements her, and goes back to spotting Natasha's indicators. "Lennox Hardigan, mercenary."

Grimm sips her coffee and watches Natasha circling overhead, waiting for a sign.

Gundance frowns slightly at the second introduction, Mercenaries are not always trustworthy, as some will be able to be bribed by the highest bidder.

Natasha adds a question mark and a sad face to her sign.

Grimm sprouts wings again as she finishes her coffee quickly and drops off the cup in a trash can. She never lost the trail. "C'mon, Nat!" she calls as she flies off to follow the supernatural trail to Low Town.

Gundance says, "Do you guys have a pic of the fake cop and the kids I can borrow? I want to IM them to a friend and see if he has any ideas."

Natasha follows Grimm once she calls, glad to be on the hunt again. If a little miffed she lost the trail herself.

Carpenter makes a quick (hands free) call to with his PDA to try to get someone to send him a picture of the mobster in question that was recognized. He's driving, so he can't exactly execute a database search at the moment.

The image is sent to Carpenter's PDA in less than a minute.

When she has what pictures she can get, Gundance forwards the images to Eddie the Snitch along with a brief message, "Fake cop kidnapped two kids, possibly metas, from Harrisburg Orphanage about 45 min ago, Last seen headed to Nicholston."

Slinger tails the others- occasionally landing on the roof to get a lift over longer distances between districts.

Natasha makes her sign above her again without the additional notes.

Gundance's contact replies, "Yeah. I know of him. That's the Pistol. Rumor is he got conscripted by an out of town Consigliere for something big. Hey, watch yourself, I heard the big boss brought a couple of Black Aces with him."

Gundance shows the reply to the merc, since the Detective is busy driving and comments, "Could be trouble if this Pistol character makes it to Consigliere before we get there."

Slinger peeps over the roof of the car and looks inside. "Ok- so... what's the play when we get there? And where is 'there'?" He asks, loudly- to get over the din of the wind and traffic.

Both Natasha and Grimm do now find the vehicle. Parked outside Unit 13, at the Industial Park. Or as we in the trade call it, the Colonial Bay City Criminal Collective Park.

Grimm texts, <> A new address is sent.

Natasha adds "UNIT 13" to her sign in the air, as she flies down to try to find a scent to follow from the vehicle.

Carpenter looks at the next note. "Industrial Park. Not surprised that it's clear across town."

Grimm cloaks herself from the vision of others and studies the building with her shadow sight.

Lennox shakes his head. "Bloody amateurs, is what they are," he replies to Carpenter, looking at the Snitch's note. "Hm. This consigliere would be really pissing someone off if he came into town as well -- at least without informing the locals, pressing flesh, that sort of thing. Ask your fellow if he means the Pistol by 'big boss', or this out-of-town second-in-command."

Carpenter keeps driving toward the location. He glances toward Lennox, "Who are you saying is the amateur, exactly?"

Grimm can tell the kids are inside the Unit. In chairs side by side facing four guys. The mobster you knew about. Two guys in power armor. They have Black Ace of Spades painted on their chest-plates. Another distinguished looking guy seated in a chair facing the kids. The interior of the Unit has a substantial amount of abandoned machinery in it giving plenty of cover and hiding places.

Grimm grits her teeth and spies through the shadows briefly for more details. She moves closer to the building, and temporarily decloaks so she can see what she's texting. << Kids are inside, facing four guys. That mobster, and two guys in power armor. Black Ace of Spades icon on their chests. Lots of cover in the room. There's another guy I don't recognize, sitting down in a chair facing the kids.>>

Lennox laughs briefly, his smile tight. "Anyone who takes their target on a half-hour drive before they get to work. Five minutes, ten tops. Get somewhere close and private, get your questions answered, do whatever it is you need to do, get the hell out. Oh well -- professionals are few and far between in any business, eh?"

"Thank goodness for that." Slinger chimes in in reply.

Carpenter nods. "Gotcha." He glances toward his PDA, "A couple of mobsters. One is probably the higher-up you were talking about. A a couple of folks in power armor. A black ace of spades logo on the armor?"

Gundance notes, "I think Pistol is the one who grabbed the kids, but I will ask if you like." She says, "Though I would rather head in and rescue the kids."

Lennox nods, looks back at Gundance (and Agent Swift?) in the back seat. "Must be the Black Aces your contact mentioned. No, don't bother -- we'll ask them in person here in a moment." He checks the directionals, then points at an upcoming part of the park. "There. Sounds like sword work after all."

Natasha makes a small sign for Grimm: HIDE AND WAIT FOR THE OTHERS, she suggests.

These aren't local, Carpenter thinks. They could be from another area but, as Lennox said, that would be a serious breach of mob etiquette. More likely those are from the National organization. Higher ranking than the locals.

Natasha does that, assuming she senses no immediate danger to the kids.

Natasha finds a good hiding spot to curl up in.

Grimm raises a brow a Natasha. She makes a motion and creates an image of text to respond: I can walk through walls and go invisible. She then vanishes after, along with her written message.

Carpenter nods, "These folks aren't locals, for sure. Agent Swift was saying they've been hitting up and down the east coast, though. Sounds like a higher-up sort. Out of NYC, maybe?"

Gundance slots her tangle webbing, her first action or two is going to be to protect the kids with the webbings.

Lennox looks back at Swift. "Could be -- New York, Miami, Chicago. St. Louis, maybe. New Orleans. I doubt a West Coaster would come here, though. What's your best guess, Agent?"

Agent Swift says, "New York? Probably. Black Aces are their elite soldiers. So be careful. Don't underestimate them. But they picked the wrong city to try this in. We, my agency, have had combined operations here in the past. It's never worked out well for the bad guys."

Carpenter nods in response to the Agent's answer, though he keeps his focus on the road.

Location: Industrial Park
A large complex that covers a fair expanse of well-tended lawns and security fences, the Industrial Park is home to several corporate office buildings, power facilities, and factories. A maze of paved roads leads past several security checkpoints around the parking lots and plazas facing these large buildings. Streetlights line these roads, as do placards, kiosks, and signs pointing directions to the assorted edifices. The general atmosphere of the place is quiet, controlled, and rather upscale: heavy industry isn't welcome here.

Industrial Park Log
The older guy, clearly in charge, is asking, politely at this stage, how the kids knew who to target with their paintballs. The kids ... well, the old guy looks shocked as the two kids take turns to relate a full criminal history of him, detailing how he started as a runner, then bag man. They seem to know every detail of his life.

Lennox nods to Swift. "I will try to draw their attention to me," he says. "Know what they're packing, weapon-wise?" He considers the likely situation, and mutters, "I /knew/ I should have replenished my breaching charges."

"ID him after we catch him." responds Gundance, who seems protective of children. She adds, "I have some anti-armor ordinance, but I plan to put the kids in a protective coccoon first."

Grimm listens while hidden from sight, her surprised expression concealed. How do those kids know so much?

Grimm finds another hiding spot and crouches down to text Carpenter, having to reveal herself briefly to see. << The kids know everything about this guy. Anthony Ricca/Tony Ricca. Ring any bells?>>

Natasha stays alert for any trouble (or anything she can overhear) in her hiding place.

Carpenter looks at his PDA. "Grimm got a name. Anthony Ricca? Tony? Any of you know it?"

Grimm's shadow sight and hearing picks up this exchange between the kids.

The girl looks at the boy, "This is all your fault."

The boy replies, "It was your idea. I just helped out."

The girl, "I just needed to save people I'll need later. You wanted to go shooting bad guys."

The boy, "Well, god of justice remember. I don't recall you complaining before."

The agent nods, "New York. Top boss for the North East Coast."

Lennox would glance back at Gundance, but doesn't intend on turning around. "Might actually be counterproductive, considering the 'porting, but ..." He shrugs, and glances at Carpenter when he gives the name. "Agent Swift? I apologize, I am not actually up-to-date on my criminal personalities."

Grimm texts some more. <>

Gundance shakes her head and says, "No, my knowledge of crime figures is limited as of yet. I might search the internet, but that would take time." She figures Eddie probacly has told all he knows already.

Lennox's lips twist in amusement. "I'm sure. Agent, you don't happen to know of any teleporters or precogs in your department, do you?"

Gundance winces, "Pagan gods are not my forte. Angels I might have a chance to identify." She has a bit of trouble with Pagans due to her upbringing.

Lennox shrugs. "The high and the low, by any other name."

Outside, Lennox looks over at Carpenter. "Initial strike?" He gestures with a thumb back at Gundance. "She said she'll goop the kids for protection, so ..."

Grimm suggests, "I could open a gate between the kid and the mobsters. Tell them to run right through to us and shut the gate after."

Natasha comes out of her hiding place to rejoin the other heroes when they arrive.

Grimm explains, "They aren't tied down. They're just sitting there. Which is odd for a God of Justice to do. He's probably about to Just all over them." She smirks a little.

Carpenter nods to Lennox. "That sounds good, as long as they'll be able to breathe? It'll also keep them from porting away, which would be good."

Speaking of Gates, one opens behind you all at about this point. It starts as a small silvery blue dot that explodes silently into a 2m diameter circle cut in space time. Out of the flickering circle steps the mage Harlequin. Behind him you can make out a small tree made of golden metal in a dim room, an enruned skull sitting at its base and hear a faint low bell chiming as if in alarm.

Lennox glances over at the appearing gate, then turns back to Carpenter. "Leaves us four targets," he states.

Grimm recognizes the sound and looks over his shoulder. "What're you doing here?" she asks Harlequin with some surprise.

Carpenter nods. "I won't be able to do much against the power armor folks. Anyone have an idea there?"

Natasha waves to Harlequin!

"Hit them? A lot?" Gabrielle grins. "I might be able to deal with with power armored guys."

Gundance says, "If we are going to encourage the children to flee, I can switch to some heavy ammo. The Rhino ammo penetrates well..."

The masked mage sighs upon spotting the heroes then looks over at Grimm. "I am looking for a young girl. About this high," he holds up a hand to around the girl's height. "Answers to the name Aphrael when she feels like it."

Grimm waves her hand and creates a full-size image of the girl and boy she's looking at through the shadows. "So I'm guessing these are yours?"

The Gate shuts behind Harlequin as he absently waves a hand at it.

Lennox flicks a glance around. "Situation like this, you distract the heavies, and take out the lights with extreme prejudice."

Sasha looks at the image. "Yes, that is Aphrael. The boy I do not know," he states in his European accented RP English. He glances at Lennox. "A very good plan."

Grimm lowers her hand and the illusion wavers and fades away. "She's going by Sally Childs. She and the other kid are from the orphanage, and they're in deep shick with some mobsters. We're about to go save them."

Lennox makes a face. "Basic, really."

Carpenter nods. "Well, we have limited time. We need to get in there. What's the best way in?"

Sasha looks at all of you. "I am good at defense. Shall I protect the children?" He then adds, "She has many names and doubtless many forms."

Grimm says, "I can make a gate into there for those who can't just teleport. Big enough for two to go through at a time while the rest of us lay cover fire.

Gundance switches out the entangle, it is probably not much use against the armored folk, who could break free in one or two actions most likely, She debates, and puts in the heavy ammo. Hopefully that will not kill the people wearing the armor before it disables the armor. She says, "I am no teleporter, but if you get me into the room, most of the enemy fire will likely concentrate on me after I take a shot ot two with this." She taps her gun meaningfully.

"I can get there under my own power...and I can take one other with me," says Harlequin.

Through her clairsentience Grimm is still seeing and hearing events inside the Unit.

Natasha hops onto Harlequin's shoulder!

Carpenter nods to Sasha, "Go ahead and protect the kids." He then smiles. "And I'm sure everyone already was thinking this, but everyone else...go ahead and try to subdue the mobsters. Minimal loss of life, please. Subdual is preferred."

Grimm says impatiently, "We need to hurry up and make a call. They're arguing over wasting the kids or taking them to New York City to join them."

Carpenter nods to Grimm, "Let's go, then."

Natasha nods!

Lennox makes a face. "Carpenter, take the boss; Natasha, take the other guy out of armor. Grimm, on the gate. Gundancer, goop the face of the left side armor; I'll take the right. You," he gestures at Sasha, "protect the kids. I /have/ to go theough the gate; the rest of you, however. Works?"

Grimm walks close to the building wall to get in range for a gate.

Inside, known only to Grimm, the boy tells the Mafia Boss. "You should surrender now." He sounds very serious.

Lennox draws his sword and stacks up for entry.

Carpenter draws his pistol and checks it. "Good to go."

Grimm nods to Carpenter after he checks his gun and draws a circle with her finger. A black portal opening in correspondence with her motion. The portal is pitch black at first, then suddenly the center forms a pinpoint that expands almost to the edges. This is when the gate appears before the kids, facing them. It provides some cover from behind.

Slinger leaps through Grimm's portal, hoping to catch the Black Aces off guard and get in a quick alpha strike. He considers 'gooping' his dance partner's eyes directly but instead immediately swings around to try to restrain & blind the Black Ace all in one move.

Gundancer going through blocks Lennox from doing so; he grimaces in frustration.

Hit by Gundance's shot in surprise, the left hand Black Ace is badly effected by the attack, taking body as a hole is punched through his powerdsuit and he is knocked back off his feet.

Harlequin takes a step forward, as he and Natasha's bodies are limned in a soft blue light and they fade from view only to appear in a reverse process between one footfall and the next behind the kids yet now facing out towards the Gate. As they appear, Harlequin makes a pushing out gesture that curves to each side. This apparently calls a dome of perfectly tesselated octagons into existence around the kids and himself. He lets Natasha be pushed gently outside the dome as it forms.

Natasha comes at the ungooped power armour type from behind, once Sasha has taken her in, attacking in a flurry tooth, claw, horn and tail! Her main target is the suit itself, rather than its wearer.

"Good news criminal element! Its your Tuesday Do-Gooder Delivery! I'm Slinger, your cheerful, proximity based webslinger and I'm here to save and/or punch you in the face!" The Spyder says as he cartwheels about, entwining the Black Ace on the right in a cocoon of webbing. "First up Gunshots, Quips and all the Webbing you can eat!"

The girl stands seeming unsuprised at the entry of the heroes. She hugs Sasha, "Father."

Natasha shreds the power suit, and the guy wearing it not a little. Then catches her breath. It's exhausting doing all that!

The masked mage lets one arm drop around Sally Childe/Aphrael's shoulder as he murmurs, "Daughter, still up to tricks I see?"

Carpenter shouts through the portal, "CBPD! Everyone surrender!" Sure...he probably should have announced before anyone went in, but...well, they're civilians.

With a grimace, Lennox sheathes his sword and extracts his SMG. "Please," he adds, bringing the weapon to his shoulder and covering the local.

The out of town Boss remains seated in a chair in front of the kids. He calls out, "Stand down. We'll let the lawyers handle this."

Slinger hears the boss command for the others to stand down- so he leaps to the ceiling to get the high ground.

The little girl signals for the boy to join her, "Mytal, this is my father." she tells him, still hugging Sasha.

Natasha was just about to goop up the local hitman, but waits, given surrender may be about to happen.

Grimm looks over to Carpenter and secretly swoons a bit as he shouts authoritatively. "You want a better angle of entrance? I can make one for you," she says. Her right hand is extended to the gate in front of her. Her left hand stretches out to her left as another black portal begins to form. "Where do you want it?" Two portals. Enough to extract four people at a time. It's just taxing her more than usual.

Carpenter heads through the new portal, training his weapon on the non-armored hit man who had posed as a policeman. "You're all under arrest."

Gundance keeps the second Black Ace covered, but otherwise waits for further direction.

With Carpenter crossing in front of him, Lennox lifts his weapon away from covering the hitman, then glances sideways at Grimm. "You heading through?"

Grimm nods. "In a second. I need to focus. Go ahead."

Lennox shakes his head. "I go last, he replies. "That's the rule."

Sasha looks at Mytal then to Aphrael then to Mytal again. "I think you are a bit young appearing to date, Aphrael," he murmurs gently as he turns his gaze to watch what else is happening.

The gooped Black Ace makes no attempt to break free, orbeying the Boss's order. The local hitman, covered by multiple ready heroes, tries to fast draw his pistol. His gaze is fixed on Carpenter.

The local hitman has to have been insane. He gets beaten to the punch and hit by Detective Carpenter's shot. His covert vest soaks up a fraction of the damage. The remainder is enough to knock him out and severely injure him.

The out of town Boss hurriedly says, "He's not one of mine."

Carpenter mutters about how having to fill out more paperwork. Because of course he will have to do so. "I suppose we'll find out when he wakes up."

Slinger is duely impressed, stopping in the middle of spinning up a ball of impact webbing to try to keep Carpenter's head on his shoulders.

He smirks and returns to overwatch duty on his ceiling perch.

Natasha goops up the downed hitman with bubble gum just to be sure.

The masked mage drops the barrier surrounding himself and the children. "Excuse me a moment, my dear," he says to Aphrael. "Be right back. No running off, if you please."

Carpenter says to Natasha, "We're going to need to remove that to get him the medical attention he needs."

Natasha nods.

Aphrael says, "We're not dating father. Mytal's just a friend. He was helping me keep people alive who I will need later."

Carpenter calls in to the police department to have some officers come out to help sort out the mess. And and ambulance as well.

Natasha goes and starts removing the bubble gum.

A point of blackness appears in the Unit, expending to a obvious portal large enough to emit an indescribable horror. Which I'll now describe. It's a cowled semi-humanoid form. The face is shadowed in the cowl but there's a sickly green glow coming from the cowl. The robes covers all but the Grey skinned clawed hands. From it radiates an intense sense of corrupt evil.

The two god-lings flinch and show slight signs of fear. "It's a Grimlock, one of the creatures of the Mad God Azash." the boy Mytal shouts.

Carpenter had started toward the downed hitman, and he raises his weapon toward the newcomer, but doesn't fire.

Gundance puts her back to a wall (hoping it stays put) and tries to cover both the Black Ace and the Grimlock. She holds her fire, waiting. She is not even sure her weapon can hurt it.

Grimm steps through her shaow gate to step up behind Carpenter. "Damn...great shot. You're---" she starts, and thinks she hears her name called as a slur when she turns her head over at the mention of Grimlock. "Seriously?" she grumbles as she bolsters up her presence and will.

Slinger feels like he's going to throw up. It comes out of nowhere and that makes him uneasy as hell- but then the Grimlock arrives, announced by the pair of young godlings no less and that tells Slinger just about everything he needs to know.

He jumps straight to the big guns considering the fear on the faces of the kids they've been chasing.

He drops and flings a line onto the ceiling and flings himself off of it toward the Grimlock.

He throws another line to catch himself on with one arm and the other punches out causing one of his tazer clings to eject. He aims for he small of the back of the Grimlock.

The tazer cling unravels a bit in the air as its webbing sheath dissolves around it midflight.

It wobbles at the last second and then upon impact spreads out across the small of the back of the Grimlock.

Slinger pumps a fist at his success and watches as the tazercling erupts with electricity.

Now its just a matter of waiting- or so he thinks. He quirks a brow as the Grimlock seems to take it in stride.

Natasha senses the danger from the new horror on instinct, and attacks immediately with a bolt of magical lightning (having no particular idea what it might be vulnerable to).

The lightning hits and arcs all over it and seems to have some effect.

Natasha observes the crackling lightning was effective, but not to the desired extent of rendering the horror crispy.

The Grimlock senses about it. There are three vulnerable sources of Power in the vicinity. One is untainted. Of the other two one seems more attuned to shadow and darkness than the other. Although the other is not free of taint even so. The Grimlock flows over to Grimm and attempts to rake her with its claws.

Grimm sees the creature suddenly hone in on her with its claws. "Oh no you don't!" she says as she turns into a dark, transparent shadow-form.

Grimm sighs in relief as the claws pass through her.

Natasha observes that this thing is attacking with claws, and so tries to enchain it in iron bonds to restrain it. Molten (but rapidly cooling) iron sprays from her mouth to wrap about the creature,

Gundance attacks the Grimlock, hoping her weaponry has an effect. Some demonic creatures (which this appears to be) are immune to normal physical weapons.

Natasha may be unused to that that particular use of her magic! The spray misses, wrapping around the various objects it hits instead.

Gundance's shot impacts the Grimlock and has a minor effect.

Gundance sees that the attack did damage the creature, though not very much. It was only a glancing blow, not her best shot, but at least it appears to be vulnerable to mortal weapons.

Slinger cannot have his bestie getting carved up the way he did in Germany. Who's couch will he crash on then?

Luckily her shadowy nature is faster than Grimlock's so he uses the opportunity to strike the Grimlock from an odd angle.

He swings along the ceiling and then as he gets over the magical monster he lines up his shot and fires off an Impact Webbing ball.

The webbing ball doesn't hurt the Grimlock directly but it slams the creature back into a solid hydraulic press. The machine is gravely dented.

The Grimlock is too.

Carpenter doesn't know if his weapon will do anythign to the creature, but he's pretty sure he doesn't want to strike it in hand to hand combat, either. So he opens up, trying to shoot it.

The Grimlock seems unaffected by Carpenetr's shot. It is knocked back against the press but was already half embedded in the wreckage.

Sasha aims the old engraved six shooter at the Grimlock. As he pulls the trigger, golden runes light up on the handle, travel over the chamber and then race down the barrel with the bullet, giving the impression the bullet is glowing as well. Just an instant before the gun fires, translucent disks of silver and blue twist into orbit around Harlequin. "Aphrael, Mytal, to me!"

Lennox steps through the gate so that Grimm can dispel it, switching out the firearm for his trusty sword. He continues moving, headed in the direction of the monster.

The shot from the Colt Peacemaker goes wide.

The two godlings hurry to get to and behind Sasha.

"Anyone else getting just the warmest, fuzziest vibes off the poor monster who's badly in need of a manicure?" Slinger asks as he yanks himself back to the ceiling. His movements are quite silent.

Slinger makes sure to move away from the others to split their foe's attention but otherwise holds his ground- or roof anyway.

It's Slinger who has done most to the Grimlock. It gains its 'feet' in a sinuous movement that no human could manage, and extends a clawed hang out of the robe's sleeve. Lifting the hand the Grimlock opens the clawed appendages to reveal a baleful glowing red eye in the middle of its palm. The eye looks at Slinger.

Slinger feels something is off- nothing specific, and that tells him a lot. The whole general area tingles as if everywhere in his immediate vacinity is equally dangerous.

His training & studies with psychics and the like tell him breaking line of sight is probably his best bet. He shoots a webline for speed and distance. Those... heavy looking crates over there look great! Half move up to 30m.

Slinger shouts from his hide-away, "Don't let him look at you with that 'Evil Eye'!" Grimlock has its eye charged and ready but Slinger just took himself out of sight. So it switches to the next dangerous threat by its reckoning. Lennox, the guy with a sword. It's obvious the mage can't hit the side of a barn from inside. Detective Carpenter's standard issue pistol bounced off the Grimlock.

As the gaze of the eye falls on Lennox, he is beset by fear. His worst nightmares times many. Fear that paralysis him. Lennox is in the midst of charging when the evil eye is turned upon him; his steps falter, and he comes to a halt.

The Super sniffer smelt something awful. Kelly is especially sensitive to scents. Plus, the sound of the conflict carried on the wind. She could hear better than most also. So she took to the rooftops, running and leaping at high speed and low impact. She literally drops down onto the edge of the Unit's rooftop overlooking the goings on below.

"... the fuck?" she asks with her domino mask firmly in place. Her hand draws her enchanted and blessed silver blade from its sheathe as she glares down at the activity. "Seriously. There oughta be a law." she mutters. then she leaps off the rooftop and descends towards the creature attacking everyone. Time to test and see if -this- is some supernatural evil, or if it's just a psychic thingamagoober.

The knife isn't huge. In fact, it's designed for slashing with a forward hooked blade. The hilt has a ring that is circled around Kelly's thumb for a reverse grip that lets her hack into the creature. Feeling the bite of the blade go a bit deeper than normal, Kelly rolls her neck.

"Guten Tag!" she announces to the creature. "Welcome to Colonial Bay. You are now marked by the Apex Predator."

Natasha, somewhat embarrassed at her miss with the lightning bolt, changes tactic and tries to blind this foul-smelling thing with fire and smoke, after flying upward a bit for 'higher ground'.

The baleful red glowing eye in the creature's palm closes tightly as smoke and fire scorchs it.

Gundance hopes this thing can be damaged by conventiona weapons, because they are all she has. Modern tech, but not a trace of magic or super powers. She fires her gun, it is slotted with her heaviest weapon, so it has the best chance...or so she figures.

The shot froms Gundance misses the nimble and elusive Grimlock.

Gundance frowns but figures to keep trying until she finds out if the weapon works or not...if only she can hit.

On mental reflection, Grimm has never seen or jeard of this creature before. So She has to go on reasoning and her senses. It's out of time, out of its normal dark dimension. Empowered by an infusion of corrupt and foul dark divine magic. Holy weapons and water are likely to be highly meffective. Magic weapons to a lesser degree, and normal weapons to an even lesser degree. It should be affected by magic but probably has some defense against that.

Grimm returns to her solid state now that the Grimlock is distracted by others. For now. She studies the creature and senses its very makeup. "Out of time and place...not even a myth or legend of a being like you or your master," she intones as she brings both hands before her, palms out as her fingers and thumbs vaguely from a circle diamond shaped opening before her. "That sort of corrupt darkly divine magic can't abide its opposite, I bet," she theorizes. Despite her partying lifestyle and looks, she's actually quite bookish and does a lot of reading into the occult. Shhhh, it's a secret. A rift starts to open between her hands to a divine realm and a beam of holy light and creation streaks from it towards the Grimlock.

The holy blast briefly illuminates the inside of the cowl. The creature's face is insectiod, long fangs jutting from the lower part, oozing slime. Well it was oozing slime. In the instant its illuminated the slime dries and smokes from exposure to the holy energy of creation.

Lennox strives to push theough the ... extreme reluctance to move forward which he is experiencing.

Natasha tilts her head. Can she do that? She's never tried!

A step. Another step. A third step, against the whole of utter, unbearable horror that the creature is projecting or representing. And then it is within reach of his sword, and Lennox swings.

He is certain the thing did not expect him to continue forward -- but there Lennox is, his blade slicing into robes, emerging with ichor upon it, though that slides off the blade as the stroke finishes.

Sasha murmurs as he sights down the barrel of the Colt Peacemaker Long Barrel at the Grimlock. "You really should tell us more about the Grimlock, Aphrael? Such as what harms it?" He then squeezes the trigger on the revolver and once again the golden runes glow and the bullet flashes out with a sunny gleam at the Grimlock.

The shot from Sasha's enchanted pistol only inflicts a minor flesh wound but it does wound.

Aphrael tells her father, "BlueRose's breath. The magic of the younger gods. That's us. But before we can bestow that on you you need to be a worshiper. Any Holy relict or blessed weapon. Grimlocks aren't immune to anything but they are hard to hurt. Aging it is very effective. This is its pupae stage. They are harmless when adult."

The Grimlock, unable to use it's evil eye thanks to Natasha's smoke and fire, has a convenient target to hand, or rather to claw. It slashes at Kelly.

The claws strike at Kelly. "My good jacket!" she yells at the top of her lungs... her eyes going blood red in absolute rage. She almost froths at the mouth as she turns and yells, "Keep that holy power away from me!" she exclaims towards Grimm.

She swipes her blade before her as if trying to fend off attacks.. and then her nostrils go wide and her eyes flicker to the bleeding mafia goons... her tongue licking over her fangs. But then she closes her eyes and lifts her hands to press her palms to her eyes. "No. No... No.." she mutters... even as she does so, the wounds left by the claws are healed.. like fully healed.

Sasha sighs softly at Aphrael's response then says, "Well, I left BlueRose at home and worshipping you or your friend who is a boy is right out." He then shouts out, "Everything hurts it but holy relics and blessed weapons work best!"

Letting the Spyder in any derivative out of your line of sight is a dangerous prospect for most. It would seem their cloaked Ugly isn't concerned. Slinger likes his chances.

He moves around the field of battle to adjust his angle of approach so he can come in at another, odd and unexpected angle.

A warehouse like this is exactly the kind of environment Daemon designed this synthetic synthetic hostbody for.

Slinger bounds, leaping through a stack of crates all stacked on the rivet shelving he took shelter behind.

He runs along horizontally along another set of crates- moving with all the steath and guile of a ninja.

Encountering a column he leaps towrds it, flipping around and bouncing off of it and flipping to the top of the shelving unit.

He shoots a webline overhead, shooting it into a heavy looking crate across the way, then leaps up and over the rafters to use as a counterweight to maximize the force of the blow. He lines his shot to avoid his allies while hitting the Grimlock at an odd angle now that its attention has been drawn elsewhere.

His homebrew Martial Arts style was designed to utilize his webshooters the way Lennox uses a sword and Kelly uses a dagger- that is to say, 'pointedly'. He's not expectinging to damage it much conventionally- the strike is instead meant to keep it off balance & exploit an opening, but the crate seems like it bears a dense surprise inside as he pulls on his webline for all it's worth.

Slinger's tactic seems to work, and the beastie stumbles with the sudden application of force from a crate. The crate of course explodes upon impact, revealing a brand new but heavily used machine-press.

The beastie stumbles right into the assembly line, bending backward over it- leaving it wide open for his peers.

Slinger looks at the Beastie and waves. "Did you miss me?" He inquires.

The Grimlock turns on Lennox, the only other hero currently within claw reach, and slashes at him.

Lennox has been in a fight or two; the sweep of the claw that comes at him is expected. His counter goes high, however, missing the thing's forearm -- but then his hand does something to reverse its grip on the hilt of his sword, laying it across the back of his own forearm in time to catch that of the thing. Claws oozing /something/ are only centimeters away from the black man's eye as he looks coldly up at it.

Natasha tries to do what Grimm suggested, and smite the creature with a holy blast, but it seems she can't do that. What she actually exhales is a blast silvery-white 'flames' of nearly perfectly pure, raw, magic, uncontaminated by mundane magic or energy.

The silvery flames burn the creature's very essence, weakening it.

Gundance is pleased to hear it can be hurt, and hopes its current prone position will make it easier to hit. She has to struggle against herself, hitting an enemy while they are down is against her code...but this is clearly one of the more diabolical foes she has heard of...so she pulls the trigger.

The Grimlock looks at Gundance for a long moment after the shot echoes in the steel walled Unit. Then the robe collapses inward as a puddle of slime and ichor spills out from the hem and slowly begins to evaporate with the stink of a thousand dead fish rotting in the sun.

Grimm gags and waves her hand, creating an illusion around her of sweet smelling roses and absolutely no fish. She at least makes sure she and Carpenter are spared. "That was terrible."

Mytal peeks out from nehind Harlequin, "You defeated it!" he says in surprise.

Aphrael sniggers knowingly, "Of course they did."

Gundance holds her gun and looks at the fallen robes, shaking slightly with reaction. She states dully, "It had to be done." The blow she dealt to her own honor, even if necessary, is clearly going to take some time to get past.

Natasha had just been about to do the same trick as Grimm; as it is, she shares Grimm's illusory sweet smell.

Natasha says, "What was that and why did it come here?"

Grimm looks surprised at Kelly's crazed behavior. "I will so long as you don't make me use it," she says in an attempt to reason with Kelly.

Mytal says, "It was a Grimlock. One of the servants of the Mad God." He seems to think that's explanation enough.

"Gross." Slinger says before leaping and flipping over to Grimm & Carpenter. He lands in a crouched stance and then looks from Kelly ot Grimm. His mask betrays nothing. "Can we do the debrief ... outside? You know- away from the demon fish monster."

Natasha tilts her head at Mytal, not thinking that enough.

"That Mad God doesn't exist yet. Neither does that thing in any of our histories. So when -does- this Mad God come to be?" Gabrielle Grimm asks, breathing easier from the smell.

Grimm looks to Detective Carpenter, then to Lennox. And casts a brief eye toward Kelly before looking back at the former two. She waves them over closer. "And why did it come for you?" she asks the kids.

Gundance is currently too lost in her thouhts to notice the smell.

Lennox is up close and personal with the thing when it collapses into slime; his half-smile of grim humor fades when that same slime splatters onto his sleeve. The scent causes him to grimace in distaste, but it really isn't anything he hasn't smelled before.

"Not for a long time. Just before I finally get born," the little girl answers Grimm's question about when the Mad God comes to exist. "The Grimlock shouldn't have been able to be here though."

Carpenter comes out from cover, taking a closer look at the remains of the creature. "Hrm."

The boy nods, "We put up the time wall to stop Azash going back to alter the past before we imprisoned him. It should have stopped the Grimlock."

"I keep hearing English but none of it makes sense." Slinger says with a sigh. "This is what I get for hanging out with magicians."

He looks about, wondering if this is how he makes others feel when he's talking tech.

Natasha almost forgot! She 'exhales' a paintball at the kids, randomly choosing to go for the boy first.

The boy is taken a little by surprise and the paintball spatters over his shirt. He turns to Natsaha and grins, "Best out of three?" he asks, a paintball appearing between his fingers.

Natasha grins, and readies herself to dodge.

Grimm holds a hand out to Jack. "Can I see your gun? You don't have to let it go if you don't want to," she smiles softly. "Just gonna give it some extra pep in case another thing shows up." She looks to the kids. "Time wall? That was you kids?" she frowns faintly. "So how did you get past the time wall?"

Mytal flicks the paintball with a finger. It vanishes an inch from his fingertip and reappears next to Natasha's scales. Grimm detects the brief existance of a spacial rift.

Carpenter glances over toward Natasha, and then looks to the kid. "Put the painball down." He then turns his attention to Grimm, "Um...alright, I guess." He switches the safety on and shows it to Grimm.

Aphrael answers Grimm, "Well we weren't going to make a wall - we - couldn't pass through."

Lennox takes a moment to wipe off his perfectly-clean blade, then sheathes it. "Any of you mystics have a cleaning cantrip?" he asks, indicating his shirt -- sleeve, ahoulder, and side. "Did your Azash," he asks the two children-gods, "create them, or dominate them? What were their habits -before- he came along?"

Natasha dodges despite the trick, but takes a bit of splatter anyway. She return fires with a shotgun-hail of paint pellets.

It's the boy who answers Lennox, "He found and dominated them. Found them in a dark evil dimension. A horrid place. Those and a dozen other creatures from the same place. At least it was only a Grimlock he sent."

Grimm smiles to Jack as she listens to the kids. She'll have to let Radical know. "So if you can pass through, why couldn't they find a way? What ways could they have done it? Maybe there's a hole in your wall." She eyes Lennox's shirt. "Huh..." is all she says, then looks back to Jack's gun. Black energy flows from her hand over the gun, and something alters its reality as the bullets are suffused gradually with a certain energy. She grins at Jack. "Holy bullets," she explains.

Lennox shakes his head, his expression weary. "Don't get so fixed on one foe you miss the existence of others. Is there someone /now/ who might do this to you?"

The boy stops and the paintball in his fingers vanishes when Jack tells him to stop. So Natasha's spray of paintballs spatters both kids.

Carpenter raises a brow, "Huh. That's...cool. Thank you. It's the bullets themselves?" He then says to NAtasha, "Please...stop."

Natasha hangs her head apologetically and glides down to the ground.

Well, after the rage was fought down, Kelly found herself breathing heavily. Never mind the fact that she doesn't breathe. She finally manages to force her fangs to retract, and her eyes to return to their normal brown color before she looks up and hears about the bullets.

She shakes her head and looks down to her ruined jacket. She slides it off and uses the material to clean her knife blade before she sheathes it at the small of her back. "So. These things are a dark supernatural evil." she states with more control. "And also ugly."

Natasha flaps her wings to flick off paint drops.

"And smell bad," the girl says holding her nose.

Natasha nods in agreement!

Grimm takes a breath of fresh rosey air and looks to the mess that's Lennox's clothes. "I don't know cantrips, but...what the hell. I'll give it a try. I've been trying to experiment more with what I can do," she says. She focuses on Lennox's clothes for a bit, then raises her hand and snaps her fingers. The stains and ichor rise off of Lennox and evaporate into black flakes before vanishing. "Oh wow! It worked!"

Grimm nods to Jack and answers, "Just the bullets in the clip. I...suppose I could try the other clips. Or...hmm. Something else maybe?"

"Right. Can't forget the smell." mutters Kelly. Most folks have never seen Apex without her jacket on. But hey, it's ruined. She even inclines her head and looks up to the Dragon... then just before she makes a request, she tilts her head and asks of Grimm. "Hey, um.. you got any hocus pocus that can fix a leather jacket?"

Carpenter looks around. Clearly the mobsters, hitmen, and the like need to be brought in. But the kids might too. He looks to the kids, "Any particular reason you assaulted people with paintballs to 'protect' them? There are likely other ways to deal with that."

Lennox asides to Natasha, "That just means do it later." He stretches his arm out for Grimm to inspect and work on, then nods his thanks. "Kids? Other enemies?" he prompts them, heading over towards Mafia consigliere and his men, living and dead. "Carpenter, you got a paddywagon on its way?"

Aphrael tells Jack, "Well, we aren't supposed to change things back here. I suggested paintballs because even if someone saw us it was just a couple of silly kids playing a prank."

Grimm blinks and tries to understand. "Wait, so...you're changing the past..? I thought...that's a bad thing. Because you're changing the future, too." She thinks about how Porter erased himself and feels very uncomfortable.

"What the hell is a paddywa--" Slinger begins to ask before Aphrael's answer rings an accord to him. "Huh- that's actually... a good plan." He sounds impressed.

The kids nod.

"Those trying to stop me being born." the girl says.

"Every evil-doer." the boy says proudly.

Natasha doesn't have much understanding of time travel. Amy has stories, but they're very confused, even by her standards. So she listens curiously.

"So, you're making Sam Beckett's life even harder. Changing the timeline. Yeah... that's a terrible plan." remarks Kelly. "Unless someone else is changing it, and -you- are the Sam Beckett in this story." she adds.

But then she looks to Grimm, "So, about that fix'it spell?"

The girl explains, "We're not changing the past. We're stopping the past we know being changed so our future comes to be."

Carpenter nods to Lennox. "I believe so, but I'll double check." He places a call to the police department to let them know what the situation is, and to send a van.

"They might not be changing anything at all for all we know, depending on the relative temporal distances invovled. The ripples of pranksters would be minor from a historical perspective- they might shift things but if they're defending themselves from being erased /and/ only minorly affecting things for the better- I don't know that we can really dictate anything but our preferences here."

He looks to teh Godlings and asks simply, "So when ... are you /going/ to be born?"

Natasha blowtorches the remaining paint spatter off herself as she listens, so she's nice and shiny again!

The kids look at each other for a moment, "Not for a very long time. The other side of the wall is really all - maybe more - than I ought to tell you. I may be the goddess of tricks and pranks but even I'm supposed to follow the rules."

Grimm looks to Kelly and raises a brow, then looks to Kelly's jacket. It's a crime to leave it in that state. "Sure, why not?" She snaps her finger for flare, and dark energy winds around Kelly's jacket, knitting it back together and cleaning it. "Wow, Garrick really wasn't kidding..."

For the first time in a while, Kelly beams a smile. She is always the curmudgeon.. but she slips the jacket on and rolls her neck, "Wow. Almost too good. It's like brand new leather. Guess I get to break it in again. Thanks!" She adds. The jacket now covering her sheathed blade. The enchanted and blessed one. The one that'd cut her just as bad as a demon.

"Ok- so when is this 'wall'?" Slinger asks, trying to get his head around it. He has a knack for comicbook sciences but this is a leap even for him- espeically because magic is invovled.

"In your calender dating, 4878." Mytal says. The kids know there are time travellers so that's not secret anyway.

Grimm rubs the back of her neck at Kelly's compliment. She may have overdone it, making it brand new. But at least she's happy with the result. She looks back to the kids. And also Harlequin. She quirks a brow at him accusingly, but no words are exchanged between them before she looks back at the kids. "So a goddess of tricks, and a god of justice. Strange mix."

"Yeah. So you -are- the Sam Beckett in this scenario. Others are trying to alter the past, and you're putting it right." says Kelly as she adjusts to the jacket's fit. "So, how can we help? Oh, can I be your holographic advisor?!"

Slinger is stunned into silence by that date.

"We're friends," the girl tells Grimm.

"Many times, pranks are a way to inflict punishment for the sake of justice. At least that's how it was in the bygone mythical days sometimes." offers Kelly.

"Uh huh," Grimm says in a way that says she's not buying that.

Grimm chuckles at Kelly. "Yeah...like Coyote the trickster god. His pranks were to teach lessons. I always figured Harlequin's pranks were just for prank's sake."

"F-f-for-forty-e-e-e-ight seventy-eight?!" Slinger finally manages to get out. His eyes are almost as wide as his spider-lenses.

Grimm is lost on the Sam Beckett reference, but Kelly explains it well enough. "Huh. I should probably contact the guy who knows more about all this time travel stuff to help you out. He can grab others, too," she suggests to the kids.

Natasha tilts her head at Slinger.

"no, they are right," says Lennox. "Usually against people of power -- noblemen, kings, high priests, people like that. When, you know, killing them would be a bit extreme."

The girl gives Harlequin a hug. The boy offers quite grown up handshakes all round. "We've done what we needed to here for now. We should get going." he says.

Carpenter folds his arms...still wondering about whether or not to arrest the kids. He COULD let it slide, just by not saying anything.

"So, I don't get to go hang out with you and stab evil monsters?" asks Kelly, "I -am- the Apex Predator. I hunt those who hunt the innocent. I'd be a help to your mission.. wouldn't I?" she asks.

Grimm steps back so she can fall in alongside Carpenter. She leans over and whispers, "Whatcha thinkin'?" She can already guess based on his body language.

"See you then," Lennox says absently to the kids, examining the body of the local gunman. Without touching him, of course.

Carpenter whispers back to Grimm, "I'm thinking they assaulted a sitting Senator. Who might want to press charges."

Slinger shakes the boy's hand absently, his mind wondering just how far the ripples of his life spread beyond his life.

"Uh- cool. Thanks for you know- keeping the past intact?" He says, immediately regretting the wording, finding the whole thing un-arid in the extreme. This was clearly not in Daemon's plans.

The boy says, "We're not even supposed to be here. When the others find out..."

Aphrael grins, "You worry too much, Mytal. I'll drop a few years off my age and have them eating out of my hand before they realise it. Like I always do."

Grimm nods and figured it was something along those lines. She whisper back to him, "Well...they could be somewhat protected if they're in custody. But also they're minors."

Inclining her head, Kelly saunters over towards Carpenter. "Excuse me officer. But if these... kids, don't seem to have legal identities at all because they don't exist yet... how do you suggest they be processed?"

Carpenter looks directly at Kelly and frowns, "Are you suggesting they didn't commit a crime? Or that those not in the system are exempt from prosecution because they don't have any kind of legal identity? Must be nice to be able to flout the law like that."

Natasha gets the sense that she's not going to get to play paintball with the kids after all, what with things getting serious, and begins to lose interest.

Lennox glances towards Grimm-Kelly-Carpenter, then towards the pair of godlings. He doesn?t say anything, but gives one of those gestures of the head that can so easily replace the words, 'go on, get out of here.'

"I just mean that if they don't exist, -and- they are deities and time travelers and all that jazz.. hey, gray area, right?" offers Kelly before she shrugs and turns to Natasha, "Sorry, I was gonna give you something to burn, but she fixed it for me." she says, gesturing to Grimm before she turns and starts strolling away.

Natasha decides to leave too. She waves to everyone, the kids included, before turning to do so. She's getting hungry!

Slinger gets an alert on his personal HUD. He uses the prototype brainwave interface to open it but then begins typing visibly with finger twitches.

"Well- you all have fun with temporal morality. My prototype part just came out of the printer. I'll catch you guys later."

He shoots fingerguns at Grimm and even saves one for Carpenter before he shoots his lines into the rafters to disappear into the shadows and scurry through a ceiling window.

Grimm sucks in a breath as she watches Kelly dig herself deep on Jack's **** list with that line.

Grimm points to the kids. "You two. It sounds like Grimlocks can be sent after you and you consider them scary, it's not safe for you to be doing this on your own anymore."

Carpenter glares at Kelly, "Yeah, because power means you get to write the rules, am I right? That's where you're coming from on that?"

"Not even a little bit!" calls out Kelly. "I'm just doing my part to make the world a better place! By hunting the monsters that prey on the innocent." That said, she leaps upwards and in a few moments, she herself is on the rooftops. It's not as graceful as a swingline, but it works.

Aphrael tugs on Mytal's arm and after a moment he reluctantly nods. He does say however, "If you want to charge me with a crime tell Aphrael's father and I'll come to see you." The two glow brightly. When the glow fades they are gone.

Natasha flies off home.

"Hey, wait, you two--!" Grimm starts as the two vanish. "Damn! Well, they're Harlequin and the Traveler's problem for now," she sighs, then looks back to Jack. "Sorry, I couldn't stop them."

While everyone goes, Gabrielle stays behind to help Carpenter deal with the mafia and Black Aces that were apprehended.