Log:Menagerie, Part 2

2008/09/19 	 Crater Halcyon Lightray Michelle Regent Sable 1

Michelle is waiting for the others as she looks around the area the encounter took place for any additional clues.

Not invited, but interested in Michelle's presence, Halcyon steps in beside her abruptly from a nearby shadow. She waves, smiling widely. 'hiya!' forms as a greeting out of darkness. 'what's up?' follows it.

Lightray flies low over the park, his glowing form and wings visible from some distance at night.

Michelle hrms and ponders for a moment "Not much... just checking on what happened... I dont know but that guy that was turned into an aligator seemed to understand what I was saying although I'm not sure if he could respond given the physical body changes he seemed to have endured"

Sable appears over the nearby rooftops, apparently on patrol. Spotting some sort of congregation she changes direction, moving to join the gathering. "Hello everyone."

Lightray seems to spot the others on the ground and witha sweep of wings moves over and down to them. He lands softly and nods to the others gathered.

Halcyon waves to Sable and Lightray, showing a barely-visible grin.

Michelle hrms and waves to Sable "I really would like to know what happened to him. Maybe we could fix it if we knew who was responsible"

Lightray murmurs in accentless English, "To whom, ma'am? The crocodilian or the Samaritan?"

Sable says, "There's been a series of incidents lately involving reptiles. There was some unpleasantness at the oceanarium, and someone with reptile feet seems to have stolen some equipment from the subterranean base Mystique found."

Lightray hmms. "All sorts of reptiles or just a ew specific types, Sable?"

Michelle nods some and hrms "The crocodilian person... it seemed like they understood me but the others pummeled him before he had a chance to comply and stop fighting"

Halcyon moves into Michelle's shadow, seeming to want to avoid being in Lightray's direct line of sight for long.

Sable says, ""There's a range of things happening, a series of dinosaur appearances in major cities for instance, but that may just be a coincidence."

Lightray smiles as he says, "I wonder if the men standing over there in the shadows of those trees over there know something we dn't about all this? Shall we ask them?"

Michelle peers over at the wooded area for a moment and hrms "Yes I think asking them might be a good idea" the skunk lady admits "Someone care to get them for us?"

GM Note: The heroes spy a trio of men, watching them.

Something odd happens. Halcyon seems to jerk in place abruptly, then go completely still. (A quick PER check at -0 will notice that she's a forgery right now)

Lightray nods and rises into the air with a sweep of his wings. As he heads in the direction of the tree trio, he says, "Gentlemen? Would you care to come into the light?"

As the heroes begin to approach, two of the men draw energy blaster rifles, concealed beneath their clothes. One of them says, "Make a break for it, we'll cover you!" The third man starts running.

Sable seems somewhat taken aback by this turn of events, her brow visibly furrowing.

Sable's boots shift slightly as she adjusts her weight but she makes no immediate move to confront the strangely hostile men.

Michelle takes the opportunity to do something that she knows will probably screw things up but its worth a shot! The skunk lady focuses and then pushes the barriers between this dimension and another together and causing them to overlap partially with swampland making movement difficult.

Of the three men, tough of them look much tougher than the other, like professional soldiers. It so happens that they are the ones wielding the weapons. They try to retreat, but they find themselves bogged down in the cross-dimensional marshland. "What the--?!" one of them says to his mate. "It doesn't matter... just let them have it!" his friend replies. They both turn and fire at the most obvious target -- Lightray.

A field of sunlight forms around Lightray a moment beforee the gunmen open fire.

Zam! Zam! The two gunmen open fire with their energy rifles. One of them strikes Lightray with a direct blast.

Lightray goes flying back from the impact of the blaster bolt, but other than that seems mostly unharmed by the attack.

Halcyon reveals that she is near to the action when from behind the gunmen the running man has shadowy tendrils chasing him, trying to stop him from getting anywhere and rendering him blinded. Consequently her shadowy double vanishes from where she was before as she has no desire to maintain it. The tendrils make no sound as they fly toward their intended victim.

Soon the nice man is wrapped up in shadowy bindings, blinded. Halcyon counts herself thankful that she's not in line of sight of the shooters. They might want to harm her after that if they saw her.

"Help, I'm trapped!" says the man from inside the dark bindings.

Sable's lips purse as Lightray tumbles backward from the force of the blast. Her head tilts slightly as she checks that he is unhurt before she leaps forward, knees bending deep before she springs abruptly toward the pair of armed men.

Sable lands smoothly, her weight rocking forward as she aims a punch at the centre of mass of the agent who shot Lightray.

The punch strikes the gunman right in his solarplexus. He doubles over, trying to gasp for breath that won't come to him.

Lightray rights himself and then shakes his head as he flies back towads the gunmen. He gathers sunlight in his left hand as he moves then a burst of brilliant sunight flashes twaods the gunmen not being beaten up by Sable.

Flying over once again Buckingham gardens is the scene of violence..whats up with the water or something..he angles in, just as he did with the Gator-man his glow bright in the night sky...he see's gunmen..so he prepares his attack accordingly.

Michelle continues to maintain the transdimensional swamp effect as she continues to approach behind the rest of the heroic group.

One of the gunman covers his eyes too late. "I can't see! Too bright!"

Between the blinded, the stunned and the bound, Halcyon decides that she can probably get into sight now and flits over to the bound man, making his world and the world of sound no longer interact with a simple touch to his person. She herself becomes invisible to those who rely on their sense of sight as well, just in case.

"Hel--!" the man's shouting is silenced.

Sable reaches out to the thug who is still reeling from the effects of Lightray's attack and her gloved hands strike in a swift blur, lashing at the laser rifle he wields.

The newly gunless man catches his breath, finally, and he turns to run away, stomping wildly though the marshland to escape.

Sable's fingers clench around the barrel and stock of the weapon which she gives a savage wrench, twisting it smoothly out of her target's grasp. "Can I suggest to you all that your position has become untenable."

The retreating man seems to agree, judding by his attempt to retreat.

The retreating man seems to agree, judging by his attempt to get away.

Regent wants to stop whoever these men are...so the man who is running away is his target....from his hands comes whirling winds that draw the very air from the man's lungs...

The wind sprites that are at Regent's command draw the air from the man's lungs, he goes blue before dropping into the marshy ground knocked out from affixiation.

Lightray flies over towards the blinded man and shouts. "Drop your gun, mister! OR next time its permanent!"

The gunman throws his hands in the air and seems to be willing to give up.

Lightray looks around for a moment, then says, "OK, where did the runner go?" This seems addressed to anyone and everyone.

Regent frowns. "I didn't I drop him..over there." pointing at the man in the muck.

The runner is blackened, and visible. Halcyon is not visible, though when she moves away from the runner, he becomes normal colored with dark bindings around him. And he can interact with sound again.

Regent blinks.."Oh..didn't see him."

Sable holds up her newly-acquired weapon, lips pursing as she inspects it thoughtfully.

"...lp me! Get me out of here!" the man shouts from inside Halcyon's impromptu prison.

Regent chuckles, "Darkness and Silence..it must be very disconcerting for a coward like you...I think you should talk...what the hell is going on here."

"Don't say a word!" The conscious gunman says.

Lightray sighs as he drifts down to the ground near the blinded gunman and picks up his blaster. "I had hoped I'd never be shot with one of these again." He looks at the gunman, then says, "Sit down, sir. And put your hands behind your head."

The trapped man says, "I didn't do anything... just let me go!"

Regent frowns. "Hal..perhaps he needs to be put back in the silence."

Meanwhile the gunman obeys, kneeling into the swamp muck. "Ain't you guys gonna call the cops or something?"

Instead, Halcyon engulfs the gunman in silence, with a big 'SILENT' over him with an arrow pointed down. She's visible again, though not for long.

Regent turns to the man in the muck...after grinning at Halcyon, "Um..I don't think so. I think I'm going to let these guys leave you in this swamp dimension, and we'll all go home. Unless you want to cooperate."

Crater shuffles along into the park, looking around the area of the fight from yesterday for any overlooked clues.

"A tough guy, huh?" The man says. "I've been beaten up by Eleven. You're not him."

Sable idly lays the weapon aside. "No need to trouble the authorities I don't think, we have things well in hand, and they're so encumbered with procedures and regulations."

Regent chuckles. "No..he's my hero though..do..you enjoy suffication?"

Lightray smiles slightly. "Eleven huh? I wonder what HeroNet has to say about that name. Thank you for mentioning it."

Sable says, "For starters we should search their persons for contraband and evidence."

Regent smiles...amused, "Eleven is a cantankerous..man. That's politely putting it. He'd have this guy barfing out his teeth by now."

"Look... I'm not telling you jack, so you might just save us the time." the man says.

Sable moves across to search the unconscious one.

Michelle hrms and finally lets go of the swamp conjoinment it does drain her endurance over time you know and ponders "You know if you wanted we could just dump him on a dimension where the earth is just a barren rock with no life on it" the skunk lady points out "or maybe drop him in some hell and let the denziens do their work"

The gunman coughs and sputters and falls flat on his back as he tries to gasp for air.

Regent floats over to the man..."Hear the lady? she's not happy. Did you just enjoy that? because we can play this game all night."

Halcyon looks at Regent with some shock and horror, then frantically looks to everyone else to see what they think of him attacking the helpless man like that.

From Regent's hand air..visible begins to circle again. "All night."

Lightray shakes his head as the gunman coughs. "No actually we cannot, Regent. We are not them." He goes over to the gunman and leans down next to him. "Who are you working for? Why were you out here? Right now, I am the only one here you doesn't wish to feed you to demons it seems, so talk."

Sable fishes a small wallet out of the unconscious man's pocket which she compares with his face and reads before retrieving a PDA from another pocket which she begins to inspect.

The gunman says, "Hey, I'm just the muscle! I don't know anything."

Regent says, "Who paid you?!" he says in a low growl..."And what were you told to do?"

Lightray smiles slightly. "See, that is not so hard. So, you remain here and don't move." HE stands and looks over at Halcyon. "It seems the man wrapped up in your darkness is the one in charge. Can we talk to him, Halcyon?"

Halcyon simply lets her powers cease to affect the smallest of the men. He is free to try to flee if he so desires now.

The gunman nods towards the trapped man. "He did. We were just supposed to bodyguard him."

Regent nods.."Good answer. Be good." he clinches his hand into a fist...and ...

The once trapped man falls to his hands and knees. "Thank you, thank you..." he mutters to himself.

The earth trembles before snakelike tendrils wrap the man up, leaving him in a stone coccoon just his head exposed. Regent turns to face the other man newly released from halcyon's hold and waits watching.

Sable rises from the unconscious man, tossing the PDA and the wallet onto his chest her lips compressing as she turns to survey Regent's handiwork.

Here are the entries which match 'freed man stands up and looks around. "Who are you people?"':

The freed man stands up and looks around. "Who are you people?"

Lightray smiles at the freed man. "I am Lightray. I am certain you can find out the names of the othres in the press." He gestures to where the heroes were originally standing. "Why were you wathcing us? And why are your bodyguards armed with military level blasters?"

"Look, I'm not doing anything wrong... I'm just a lab assistant. I'm ah... doing work with the homeless, and they're just here to make sure nothing happens to me. The streets can be dangerous."

Regent's aura goes red. "I'm about to burn you alive you scum bag..."

Regent's hands light up on fire...a blaze of red and green flames.

The man cowers. The moves trying to put Lightray between himself and Regent.

Regent says, "Tell.us.the.truth..""

Sable folds her arms in front of as she watches the man give his story. "That's the best you could come up with?"+n rules bal table

Crater looks over at the mention of the homeless. *Pop*pop* He teleports over to them "What know about homeless? What know about Candi??" he shouts, looking a tad distressed.

Impressionable, it would seem, Halcyon moves in between Regent and the cowering man, engulfing herself and he in blackness. She watches him very carefully, hoping she won't have to escalate things.

Lightray looks at the cowering man. "Why were you out here, sir?" His tone is calm as he puts himself between the man and Regent. "Answer honestly and you will be safe."

"It's the truth..." the man says, but perhaps not sounding completely convincing. He jumps at the sudden appearance of Crater. "Gah!... I told them to leave the girl alone!"

Crater tries to grab the lab assistant's collar. "Where?? Crater have time to save, maybe." He frowns.

Lightray watches crater grab the lab assistant's collar then nods. "The truth will make you safe, sir. I suggest you try it."

"They said she was asking too many questions..." the man says, "So they took her into the lab. By now, it's probably too late already..."

Crater shakeshakes. "WHERE LAB??" eyetwitch eyetwitch.

"But it wasn't my idea!" he's quick to add. "I just wanted to work with homeless people -- ones who wouldn't be missed.... Gah! There's a secret lab under a farm, just outside the city!"

Regent shouts in the darkness, "Halcyon!!"

Lightray nods. "Address? And security?"

Crater nods, lets go. He adjusts his goggles and wrings his hands a bit. "Crater need find farm. Need help Candi."

Regent fumes..He's not afraid of the dark...and he knows why he's in here...his bluff worked.

The man gives the address.

Halcyon keeps up her vigilant watch, unsure of whether she could contain the fury of Regent.

"There are security systems, but these two where the only gaurds... it was a small facility.

Lightray smiles. "Passcodes?"

"K-keycard in my pocket."

Sable nods slightly. "Well, shall we leave these gentlemen to the tender mercies of law enforcement while we perform our civis duty>:

Crater frowns. He pops out of existance again.

Crater returns. "...where again?"

Sable says, "I think I know the way..."

Lightray reaches over and takes the keycard. He then smiles at the lab assistant. "Confession is good for your health, sir. I suggest a full one ot the police."

HE then looks over at Crater and gives him the address again.

Regent flares up, "Halcyon!" he shouts again.."Dammit..." he relents...

Lightray looks around at the other heroes. "Any of you have handcuffs? Ropes? Something to tie these men with so we can get out tot he farm?"

Once Regent seems to have calmed down, Halcyon lets up the darkness, though she still isn't very visible. Those near enough to her will notice the shadowy patch.

Crater nods, all frowny. "Crater check on map, Crater guess." And gone again. ... Oh dear. Hope he doesn't do something rash.

Regent comes out of the darkness..probably not in time to hear Lightray's question. "So did he talk or does he fry?" he asks.

Lightray looks over at the other heroes. "So, how to get there?"

Sable says, ""We should get to that address before Crater finds himself outnumbered."

Regent puts the address in his PDA...

Lightray murmurs, "I can fly, but I think Sable is limited to ground movement. Halcyon, you step through darkness, correct?"

Sable says, "I can moves pretty briskly when the mood is upon mye."

Michelle hrms and shrugs "I can dig and walk"

Sable says, "Lightray, can you please carry Michelle?"

Regent says to Sable, "I can carry you."