Log:Help Her

2021/04/28 	 Lightray Night Marshal Kid Tengu Lightning Lennox

1

There's been a string of robberies throughout the city, with increasing payouts. Starting with small retail stores and moving up to bigger and better things. The thieves are in and out before police or even superheroes can arrive. A small credit union just got robbed earlier today from across town. Things are only going to escalate.

It's 8pm on a Wednesday. One of the bigger banks in the city is located in the historic section of Old Town.

Carpenter has been on this case after the third robbery and has reviewed the footage on the first few. So far...the cameras show only a blur. There's no sign of breaking in. The blur goes through walls, cleans the place out, and leaves at super speeds. Though there's been some scuff marks left behind on the floor from the scenes. And the last robbery at the credit union...the person actually stopped and stood still long enough to look at one of the cameras with a concerned expression. Dead on looked at it before moving on.

The criminal in the footage who stopped and looked, shortly after leaving the last skid marks, was a white haired young meta with a blue-lensed visor, and a white, blue, and black spandex suit with a lightning bolt designs. Electricity arced around him.

Night Marshal is currently staking out the bank. He has some details about the prior thefts from his...other job. He's not quite suie how he'll stop the culprit, but this would be the first face to face meeting, if there's an attempt. He's currently perched atop a nearby building, overlooking the bank, trying to get a good view of the area.

Sometimes the deposit doesn't get made. Lennox is a dogsbody around his own tavern, which is why he's dropping off the deposit.

Joseph is let out of the Main Street Library by one of the night cleaners. He quietly thanks the man as he heads out into the night. His attention is more on the articles he just read than where he's heading, so he meanders a bit through the streets of Old Town. It's not as if he's going to sleep anytime soon.

KT returned from his first time travel adventure and couldn't be bothered to resume his life as Tyson Wells- not after months living as someone else, with a focused goal to achieve.

Now that they've returned, hiding as Tyson seems too unfulfiling. So he's chasing a lead - more of a gut hunch really, and is here, stalking the rooftops, listening for trouble.

In this disguise he'd rather soar overhead, but that might cause undue attention considering the MO of the crooks he's on to.

He considering slipping into soemthing more civil as he scouts around, but remains perched.

That's when he notices the bank is closed. That seems odd for this time of day.

KT returned from his first time travel adventure and couldn't be bothered to resume his life as Tyson Wells- not after months living as someone else, with a focused goal to achieve.

Now that they've returned, hiding as Tyson seems too unfulfiling. So he's chasing a lead - more of a gut hunch really, and is here, stalking the rooftops, listening for trouble.

In this disguise he'd rather soar overhead, but that might cause undue attention considering the MO of the crooks he's on to.

He considering slipping into soemthing more civil as he scouts around, but remains perched as he scans the area before moving on.

There's a sonic boom that goes off several blocks northwest, outside of the city. Only a few seconds later, there's a man-sized white blur moving through the street, in between cars, and right through the bank windows like they weren't even there.

Night Marshal grimaces. "Crap. That's an issue. He can go through the walls when I can't."

Joseph looks around at the boom and then a few moment later as the blur enders the building.

Lennox blinks. Did he ... ?? He opens the car door, then closes it and pulls out and into a parking space. THEN he opens ip the car door and climbs out.

Night Marshal jumps off the building and engages his glider wings to get down to the street level. Once he lands, he turns them off again to conserve his battery charge.

Nightflyer's keen senses allowing him to track the sonic boom and then the streak. His superior alien mind does the heavy lifting connecting the two events and with keen interest he watches the streak vanish into the building.

He cocks his head at that. "That seems very useful in that business." He says before leaping off the building and gliding towards the bank doors, regarding the recent landing of Night Marshal curiously.

Once he's there his wings fold up against his back while he looks inside.

He turns back to Night Marshal long enough to say, "Nice span."

Night Marshal hears on police bands...silent alarm triggered at the Colonial Bank in Old Town.

Joseph glances over as Night Marshal glides down to the ground. <> he thinks, remembering a hero from long ago. He walks over towards the hero, heroes as Nightflyer arrives.

Night Marshal nods to Nightflyer, "Checking out the guy who just zipped through the wall? Word is...he's a hero. But that doesn't explain why he's been robbing places. Either he's coerced, or he's turned heel. One or the other, I reckon." He places two fingers to his ear, "And we have a silent alarm that was tripped. Police are enroute."

Lennox strolls up behind Night Marshal, nodding to Joseph as their paths converge. "Professor. So what do you want to do?"

This latter is directed at Night Marshal.

Nightflyer nods. "A hero? Hmm. This case just keeps getting more interesting." He says with a pulpy panache, his eyes regarding the other two arrivals. He recognizes both of them from one (or many) of his other identities- so he gives them a curt nod.

He waits for the answer to Lennox's question. His plan- with the alarm tripped was to bust in and try to slow the blur down but is open to all plans.

Night Marshal rubs his chin, "We should avoid damage to the building, if possible. Anyone have a way to teleport us in?" He finds himself wishing Gabrielle was here to facilitate just that.

"If not- I've got something else a bit more practical in mind. Not sure I can handle the locks and the security alarms fast enough without some help though." Nightflyer offers helpfully as he takes a step back to take a look at the building.

Night Marshal says, "Alternatively, we have to wait until he comes out and take him down then. But that'll require guessing which way he comes out...and not missing him."

Lennox shrugs. "The more time you give, the more time they have. Just don't go theough the same window."

Joseph shakes his head as he glances at the building. "Ah...No, no I don't have a way in other than making a rather large hole in something." He smiles slightly. "I am not a stealth oriented guy, I fear."

Night Marshal nods. "I'll try to get us through the front door."

Night Marshal heads around front, and pulls out a small lockpicking set to try to get past the locks and security system. Or a window. Whatever looks easier.

Cla-lick! With the skills of a master thief, and certainly someone more skilled than the robber, the door is unlocked and door alarm disabled.

"I'll see if I can bypass the alarm there- see if I can cut down the time to enter." Nightflyer says to Night Marshall but it becomes quite apparent that Night Marshal needs no backup! He looks duly impressed.

He falls silent since they are sneaking in.

Lennox trails along, then sighs. "This is going to look SO bad," he asides to Joseph as he puts his right fist into his left palm, and a dark dot appears on the back of his left hand -- simultaneous to his gear appearing upon his body.

Joseph murmurs, "He's a speedster so aim for where he will be, not where he is. Anything else known about him, Night Marshal?" The tweed clad man follows the hero, blazing like the sunrise for a moment as his mortal appearance falls away. Lightray smiles slightly as he murmurs in his now basso profundo, "As I said, stealth is not my strong suit."

Night Marshal nods to Joseph, "Last I knew, he was a hero. And he keeps leaving scuff marks around inside. So he'll be zipping around doing things. There might be more here than meets the eye, I think. Try to not hurt him too badly. We need questions answered." He nods to Lennox, "True enough." He crouches and moves forward, sneaking in to get a better view of what's going on inside.

Night Marshal quietly opens the interior door, slipping into the bank proper and looking around.

Lightray smiles slightly as he unfurls tendril=like wings and heads in. Although his glowing pinions seem insubstnatial and, indeed, pass through the walls and doors as if made of sunlight and air, they sound like many pairs of wings beating. "I'll draw his attention," he says as he flys into the building.

Nightflyer moves silently after NM. He'll cut the opposite direction as Night MArshal so as to cover the mostground.

The figure is no where to be seen. Until it passes through a wall of the vault with some difficulty, causing them to move slower. They have a large, stuffed black dufflebag slung over their shoulder. The blur finally stops into a clear figure of a speedster with white hair, a blue-tinted visor, and a white suit with blue and black accents and a lightning bolt motif. He's got a runner's build. Fit, but definitely not as muscular as the stronger heroes. He does a quick check around, then looks back to readjust the bag for comfort. He's taking his time for a speedster.

Nightflyer regards the speedster for a moment, thinking him moving quite slowly to be robbing a bank. Blink would be casual but this is altogether something different. Almost as if he's goading them. He bites his tongue hoping he isn't making a terrible mistake.

Lennox enters quietly, but without sneaking; people sneaking look suspicious, while people walking might only look out of place. That does not mean he will not take the opportunity to hide behind something. His two ASP combat batons ease into his hands from their sheathes on either thigh; he does not snap them out yet.

You are carrying:

Minute Men(#2725TOn)

Tracker(#2724TO)

Tracker - NO_COMMAND set.

Night Marshal sees Lightray not really confronting the thief, so he takes it upon himself to do so. He draws his weapon and aims at Lightning, "Hand's up, pardner! We need to have a talk about your...activities, I reckon!"

"Oh no! You've got me!" Lightning puts up his hands. The acting is...sub par.

With his hands down at his side, concealing the batons, Lennox speaks up to draw the attention of the lightning motif person. "So what do they have on you?"

Lightning does hesitate at Night Marshal's warning, however.

"Whaaa? I ...don't know what you're talking about," Lightning says, hands still up.

Lightning takes a breath and stares down Night Marshal for a moment. This is going to sting, he thinks. He begins to lower his hands and prepare to move.

Night Marshal sees the speedster start to bolt away, and he pulls the trigger, firing a non-lethal round at his target.

The shot hits Lightning in the chest just as he starts to blur. And in a blur, he clutches his chest where he's shot and goes flying back a few meters to hit the wall, then groans and collapses face down onto the ground. The duffle bag on his back cushioned some of the impact, but he looks down and out.

Nightflyer waits for his opportunity- then when the Speedster's attention is pulled away he pops up from his hiding place and hurls himself forward- taking an odd path, hoping to cut him off at the pass when he bolts.

He spreads his wings out to soar over obstacles & then points them forward as he nears, hoping to catch his prey inbetween his wingspan- which to a keen eye would appear larger than before.

Nightflyer uses his inhuman strength to manhandle the downed speedster until its clear he's kind of jsut ragdolling.

He moves to hold him up- off the ground nonetheless os he can't find purchase to suddenly sprint away.

Night Marshal shakes his head, "The guy is faking. My shot shouldn't have knocked him back like that. Be wary."

Lightning remains limp with his head down as Nightflyer hefts him up, eyes closed.

Nightflyer nods as he folds his wings back.

"Watch him close. I'll do my best to keep him restrained." Nightflyer says before giving Lightning a light jostle. "You gonna wake up so we can have a chat or are we gonna play schoolyard games?" He asks, sounding like a grizzled pulp detective.

Lennox steps forward, giving the fellow a (gentle) prod with the closed ASP. )Testing, testing ..."

Lightray says after watching the actoin. "Who is watching through the cameras and talking to him, I wonder." He gently stirs his wings and moves from his position to one where he can look more closely at the camera. He then looks deep into the camera and releases a burst of sunlight into it.//13dp Sight Flash

The camera's sensors are filled with white light. It needs time to readjust the exposure.

Night Marshal realizes something. The pattern of skid marks that he saw in the evidence photos actually spells something out. "I think I know what's going on, in a general sense. But...probalby shouldn't talk here. The walls have eyes and ears."

In the silent that's fallen, you all manage to hear just barely, a gravely male voice. It's distorted slightly and is quiet enough that it sounds like it's coming from an earpiece. "You know what would happen to her if you didn't play ball."

It's this threat that makes Lightning suddenly drop the possum act and raise his head. He looks shocked, then determined as he puts his game face on. "Sorry, guys. Can't catch me THAT easily." Lightning begins to spark and glow with electricity.

Nightflyer grits his teeth, afraid of something like this happening. Luckily, he's tougher than he looks.

Lightning teleports out of Nightflyer's grasp and ends up on the street. He looks back at the interior of the bank, a brief look of regret on his face before he starts running again, heading Northward.

"He's definitely being coerced." Nightflyer says with a frown. "Might have to break something to slow him down. Let's hope not."

"Naah," says Lennox. "Do not stop him; track him."

Night Marshal nods. "He won't know where we need to go. That's the issue. LEt's get outside and talk about it, away from the cameras and microphones."

Nightflyer nods, lingering only long enough to pick up Lightning's scent. Luckily he just had him in hand.

Night Marshal holsters his pistol and heads to the door, holding it for the others so he can relock it before the police arrive.

Lightray follows the others outside then murmurs, "Perhaps away from any cameras or microphones?"

Night Marshal nods in agreement with Lightray, "Exactly."

Lennox follows the pistoleer to the door and exits, glancing around to see if the police are in view as of yet.

Nightflyer sticks with the others, listening closely but keeping an eye out for any surprises.

Night Marshal says to the others, once they're out of sight of cameras, "There was a series of scuffs left on the floor at each robbery. He was spelling out 'Help Her'. I didn't realize the pattern until we were already confronting him."

Night Marshal says, "Plus what was said to him inside by whomever was over his radio?"

Night Marshal says, "So, there's someone in his life who is held someplace. The problem is...who. And where."

Lennox hmms, ASPs back in their holsters, hands in the pockets of his coat. "Sounds like we need some information on the boy."

"There's the twist." Nightflyer says before asking, "So- first question, who /is/ that guy?"

Lightray shakes his head. "I've no idea. All the speedsters I know are no longer among the quick."

Night Marshal nods. "He goes by 'Lightning'. There's the problem. He has a secret identity."

Night Marshal looks to Nightflyer, "So...if we can track him, we can get his identity, and then start to poke around in regards to the people in his circle that might have gone missing."

"Well let's hope he lives close?" Nightflyer says. "I can follow his trail. Just depends on where he goes from there."

Lennox shrugs. "I am free tonight," he states.

Night Marshal nods, and gives Nightflyer some contact info, so he can be kept in the loop.

Lightray looks at Nightflyer. "Avoid cameras as much as possible. Whoever is behing this may be technopath of some sort."

Night Marshal nods, "Though I reckon that if it's a technopath that's behind this? There's a better way for them to rob this here bank."

"I'll be careful nonetheless and ring once I have something." Nightflyer says as he spreads his wings out. He takes a few tentative flaps before taking to the air.

Lightray looks up at the night sky. "It depends if the goal is to make money or to break Lightning, I would hazard."