Log:A Darker Pied Piper, Scene 1

A Darker Pied Piper 2009/02/24 	 Howl Regan 1

Regan is in her office attending to paperwork, entering figures from one screen onto another.

Just a few moments after Howl enters the gym, the door is pushed open again. A child comes through the door. She is dressed in a somewhat stained and ragged school girl's outfit that wouldn’t look out place at an English public school. She is carrying a red plastic container in one hand and seems somewhat intent in trying to get a lighter lit with the other. Her cute little face is screwed up in concentration as she attempts to get it lit.

The scent of gasoline is strong around this little girl. The container is probably full of it. And the scent also permeates to be on the little's girl.

Howl breezes into the gym, looking almost light on his feet even given his heavy boots. Something arrests his entry, though, a scent carried on the cold breeze of the February evening. He turns, cloak swishing about his ankles. "What are you doing that for?" He asks the child, kneeling down in front of her and offering his open palm. "I can help."

Regan's nostrils crinkle as she tests the air and then swiftly rises from her chair, turning through the doorway of her office. "She slows her pace once she sees Howl attempting to resolve the issue but still strides briskly toward the pair.

The little girl looks up at Howl giving him a winsome little smile. She says in an upper class English accent, "We get to play Arson today. It’s ever so much fun." As she speaks she starts to pour gasoline on the floor.

At those words Howl reaches out and tries to snatch the light from the little girl.

Howl snatches the lighter away. "Arson. Wish they'd had that game when I was a kid." He glances towards Sable.

The little girl frowns prettily. "That is mine. Give it back or I'll play Murder." She hauls back her leg and tries to kick Howl.

Howl lets the little girl kick him. It seems the sporting thing to do. "Murder? Arson? Is there something I've missed on Sesame Street these days?"

Regan crosses to where Howl is taking on the diminutive sociopath. "Isn't it rather late for you to be on the street?"

"I think curfew is the least of our worries." Howl replies. "We should get her inside your office and call the police."

The little girl looks up at Regan, and then giggles. "Mr. Rapentap lets us stay up as late as we want, silly." She reaches behind her back and takes out a butcher's knife. "Let's play some more!" The blade is sticky with what looks like blood. Regan nods slightly. "Change her out of those clothes, we've got spare clothing in the shop. And check if any of them have labels or something so we can phone her parents."

Regan smiles to the little girl.

Regan's hand lashes out to snatch the knife off the girl in a smooth, polished motion.

"Best give me that before someone gets hurt. And you can tell me about Mister Rapentap.

Howl hmms, eyeing the knife without much fear. He puts the lighter into his cloak. "We really are just taking all your toys today." He remarks to the child.

The little girl stamps her foot. "That's not fair! I never get to play Murder." She pouts prettily. "And I shan't tell you about Mr. Rapentap because you are meanies."

Regan's brows lift slightly. "I'm not a meanie, if you tell me about Mister Rapentap we can go get ice cream, or donuts." Her head tilts. "Which would you prefer?"

Howl grins at the girl. "Oh?" He reaches out to take her. "We'll just sit you on Uncle Howl's knee and you can tell us alllll about it."

Howl hauls the girl up, holding her between his side and his arm. "Now, should we call the police? I don't think you're going to get much out of her. Crazy."

The little girl struggles uselessly against Howl's grip for a moment, then just giggles. "It'll be so much fun when the whole mob gets here." She looks up at the two of you. "We have ever so much fun."

Regan inclines her head. "Why would the mob be coming here?"

Howl hmms. "What a failure of an operation. Send a bunch of kids to attack a gym frequented by metahumans."

The little girl looks up at Regan and smiles beatifically. "Because you don't make Mr. Rapentap happy. You should go back to playing like we do." She struggles a bit more against Howl's grip. "You too. Everyone would be happier."

Regan smiles to the little girl. "Anyway, what's your name? I'm Regan."

Howl blah, blah, blahs. "I like the name Rapentap."

Regan glances to Howl. "Perhaps you should take over the interrogation; I'm going to clean the foyer floor."

The litter girl giggles. "I'm Alice." As she speaks, the door opens again and two boys come into the gym. One is dressed like a typical Colonial Bay 10 year old: fairly new blue jeans, t-shirt, sneakers. The other is Oriental boy about 8 years old dressed in a tattered black and grey kimono. They are kicking a human head between them as if it’s a soccer ball.

The Oriental boy says in accented English. "Mr. Rapentap says to come on home Alice."

Regan's hand lashes out to the nerve cluster in the middle of Alice's sternum, the sudden sensory surge clamping round her chest tike a vice.

Howl arches a brow at the head being kicked around. "Are you kidding? This is like Dickens gone made. Is Rapentap an antisemitic stereotype perhaps?"

Regan rises to face the two new intruders.

Alice giggles at Regan's jab to her sternum. "That tickles! Stop it!"

Regan's brow furrows. "I'm not actually enjoying it anywhere near as much as she apparently is.

Howl glances at Regan. "I'm going to lock Alice in the office. Think you can handle those two until I get back?"

The two little boys grin as they look over at the adults and Alice. "Mr. Rapentap says to let Alice go," the kids in the jeans says in a Colonial Bay accent.

"Yes, let Alice go," says the Oriental boy as he holds out a hand holding a pin less grenade in it.

Regan nods. "Lock her in the cloak room, fewer weapons and outlets."

Regan moves towards the Asian child and friend. "Mister Rapentap can come tell me that himself instead of hiding behind infants."

Howl sighs at the sight of the grenade and starts towards the children. "Given the head I won't think for a second that you're bluffing with that thing." He sets Alice down but holds her shoulders. "Trade?"

The children look at one another, then they shrug. "Sure," says the Colonial Bay kid. The Oriental boy smiles as he tosses the grenade to Howl.

Howl reaches up a hand to catch the grenade, and, being a deft fellow, succeeds in stopping its explosion potential. Certainly beats falling on it. He keeps his hold on Alice. "How do I know you don't have any more of these things?"

The Oriental boy holds open the door for the others. The Colonial Bay boy shrugs and smiles, "Mr. Rapentap only gives us one toy each when we go out."

Alice looks up at Howl and says, "Can I go now?"

Howl hmms, that still leaves the Colonial Bay boy with a toy. Still, he feels lucky today. "You're an idiot." He hauls Alice back up and looks at Regan. "Stick with the plan. I'm putting her in the coat room."

The Oriental boy looks up at Howl and shakes his head. "It’s not nice to lie." He steps out into the street.

Alice struggles with not much effect against Howl's grip.

And the Colonial Bay boy just smiles and waves as he walks towards the door. "OK. Mr. Rapentap will come to play some other time. Bye!"

"Yeah, well." Howl shrugs. "It's stupid to give up your trump card without anything in your hand. People lie, kid. People lie, you die."

Regan crosses to the nearest of the two children and grabs them by the wrist.

You grab the Colonial Bay boy by the wrist hauling him back strongly into a grab. You feel his muscles strain against yours, but after a moment, he goes limp but still seems groggily aware of his surroundings.

The Oriental boy slips out into the street.

Howl watches Oriental go. "This is gonna be trouble. Sideways trouble."

Alice looks up at Howl as she struggles. "We really have to play Murder sometime. You would be ever so much fun to play with." Her tone is light and cheerful as if she it talking about having a tea party.

Regan holds the boy powerfully by the wrist and bends to look at his face. "Do you think these kids are drugged or hypnotised?

CB Boy leans forward with a smile and tries, weakly and failing miserably, to bite Regan's nose. He seems to be recovering very quickly.

Howl shrugs. "They're something." He replies to Regan. "This one reeks of blood. It's really quite noxious if you're not used to it."

Regan inclines her head. "We need to get them checked out, and this Rapentap person. Perhaps Dr Simmons can help."

Alice giggles. "I didn't get behind my ears. I am ever so bad about that."

CB Boy murmurs as he tries to pull free from Regan. "I want to go play. Let me go!"

Howl nods. "Dr. Simmons is a good place to start. But we also need a place to stash these buggers. And I'd post a guard on this gym. Arson and murder are games that don't need much skill, preparation or equipment."

Regan says, "Sure, you can go play once you stop being a sociopathic little creep, and not an instant sooner."

CB Boy just smiles at Regan. "OK." He looks down for a moment, then back up, his face a study in calculated innocence only a child thinks is fooling anyone. "I'm all better now. Can I go? Huh? Can I?"

Regan's lips curl into a soft smile. "I'm flattered by your estimation of my intellect."

Howl shrugs. "They're not quite normal humans but they don't quite seem to be metas, either. Call the police?"

Alice hums a little song. To those familiar with it, its 'London Bridge Is Falling Down'.

CB Boy sounds out the word. "What does 'estimashun' mean? Is it like vivisection?" He seems honestly curious in an entirely creepy way.

Regan inclines her head. "Good thought." She sets off for the phone in her office” estimation is an estimate, a guess, a speculative value." She picks up the phone with her off hand and begins dialing

CB Boy keeps struggling all the while, trying to wrench free from you. He seems about as strong as an average adult.

Howl follows after Regan. "It is, actually." He replies to the boy. "But instead of cutting up a person to see how it works you cut up a problem and make guesses in order to get a better idea of how it works." He glances at Regan. "Is it bad that I find the crazy kids interesting conversation?"

Alice looks up at Howl. "I think it fun to play Vivisection. But our toys never last long. It’s ever so much more fun to play it with each other." She looks over at the boy. "Tisn't it, Jerry?"

Regan says, "In which case it isn't really vivisection is it?"

Howl hmms. "Maybe if we're lucky they'll kill each other...I don't see much hope for these kids."

Regan speaks into the phone to summon police to deal with the strange children.

Regan says, "Yolanda may be able to treat them"

Alice giggles. "Yes it is silly. It just tickles."

Howl nods. "I'm certainly not ruling that out. Just not commenting on it." He eyes the girl. "Has anyone ever cut you open? Looked at all the squishy stuff inside?"

Regan blinks to Alice as she talks on the phone. "Though it may be more advisable to keep them in a meta-secure installation."

Joseph looks up at Howl and smiles as she says, "Of course, silly. It’s all red and blue and grey and white." She says it like another child would say the sky is blue.

Howl uh huhs. "And after this, what do they do?"

Jerry says, "They get back up, dummy. Sometimes everything doesn't fit though." He chews on his lip. "It’s like a big puzzle. And I'm getting good at it."

Regan says, "How are they able to do that?"

The police say they will send a unit right over on the phone.

The two children share that look that says 'Adults are Dumb.' Then Alice says in a slow voice, "Because we can, silly. Mr. Rapentap said we could so we can."

Regan says, "How did you meet the fantastic Mister Rapentap?"

Howl hmms. "Maybe I'm not getting it." He flicks his wrist, exposing the sharp pata that's on the hand not holding Alice.

There is a brief knock on the door to the gym, and then a Colonial Bay police officer comes in. He glances around the lobby then heads towards the office.

Regan's lips curl into a soft smile as the officer enters. "Hello officer."

Howl sighs. "Not going to get to demonstrate...Be careful, officer. These two are stronger than they look and have no regard for human life."

The officer nods to Regan, then glances at the blade on Howl's hand, then up to his face. "I am certain that my partner and I can handle them, sir." He looks at the children and shakes his head. "I find it hard to believe these kids are up to no good."

Regan picks up the phone and re-dials the police. "Would you be so kind as to provide your name and badge number please officer?" Regan says, "Well little miss here almost set herself alight in the foyer before brandishing a butcher's knife. The other two were kicking a severed head."

Regan says, "And carrying a grenade."

Howl eyes the officer. "You aren't human."

Regan says, "He hasn't given me a name or a badge number so I can verify his identity either"

The officer raises an eyebrow at Regan. "Really? That seems..." He seems to snarl then. "Give me back my children." His voice has dropped to a basso growl.

Regan's brows lift slightly, wrenching the boy away from the table and the items on it. "You honestly thought we'd just turn them over to the first person in blue we saw?"

Howl arches a brow. "You can't be Rapentap. No one's that dumb. You're a proxy."

Joseph smiles lazily and gives a bark of laughter. "Why not? Others have in the past, murderess." His gaze flicks to Howl and he shakes his head. "You cannot harm me, creature. Your hands are too red." He looks at the children then smiles like a father to them and his voice turns doting. "I will come for you children. Play all the games you want until I do."

Regan's head tilts slightly. "You imagine we're just going to let you walk out?"

Howl tilts his head. "I can't harm you? I have a sword. It's right here. You can see it."

Joseph tilts back his head and laughs. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." He turns to leave.

Howl rolls his eyes. "Weeeeeak. C'mon, Rapentap. You think you're going to *shame* me? You know who I am. You know who I've worked with in the past. If you want to throw down, we'll settle it right here, right now. If you want to play this chickenshit game, that's fine too. All ends the same way."

Joseph shrugs and begins to walk towards the door. He says, "Take your best shot, cur."

Howl knows he's being baited. He has two kids in the hand, and someone who may or may not be Rapentap goading him into a fight. He reaches up, and tips his hat. "I can't be shamed." He replies. "But that doesn't mean I'm a fool."

Regan extends an open hand to Howl that she may take Alice off his hands, apparently confident of her ability to handle both children, each with one hand.

Howl hands Alice off to Regan as she gestures for the girl, still watching the policeman's back.

Regan expertly wraps a powerful grip around Alice's low forearm which she uses to pin the girl in place. "Either of you struggle and I'll bash your heads together, and trust me children, that does NOT tickle."

The kids look at each then up to Regan. "Does so!"

Regan says, "Then why don’t you hit yourselves in the head until you pass out. It'll be good exercise and it'll tickle.""

Regan says, "Then I can go have ice cream without you."

The officer laughs softly as he reaches the door. He glances back over his shoulder at the office and calls out in a kindly voice, "Play Dead, children." Then he steps /through/ the door as if its not there.

Alice seems to take you are your word Ragan and slams her head into the desk edge. Jerry look like he was going to, and then stiffens in your grip as does Alice at Rapentap's words.

Howl just arches a brow. "Smug bastard." He murmurs. He doesn't need to watch the kids. What's done is done.

Regan's lips purse into a disapproving scowl at Alice's bashing her head on the table. Her expression darkening even further as Rapentap simply leaves. "You should grab the head. I'll check if the kids can be helped."

Regan adjusts her grip on the now slack arms to check for pulses on the two children

Howl walks calmly towards the severed head, though he peeks through the window to see if Rapentap is there. He half expects him to be gone.

And, sure enough, there is no sign of Mr. Rapentap, if that is who it was. The man's head looks to have been kicked around for awhile, but even so, a look of horror is still on his abused features.

Regan gently lowers the inert forms of the two children to the floor. "This is just macabre."

Both the children seem dead as Regan examines them. No pulse, no breathing. Regan raises the phone again. This time to summon an ambulance and make certain that genuine police units are on their way.

Howl grabs the head by its hair and hoists it. "Macabre indeed." He replies to Regan, twisting the head to examine all angles. "Even if they seem dead now he could revive them. We don't need them waking up and giving some medic or coroner the severed head treatment."

You are assured by the dispatcher that units are on their way. And they dispatch an ambulance as well.

Regan says, "Cogent point, but I’m not really in the mood to baby-sit them for as long as it takes. Is there anyone who might be able to do what is needful?"

The head seems to have been torn off rather than cut off.

Regan winces at the head. "That's just disgusting. Who does that?"

Howl shrugs at Regan. "Send them to the morgue. They have big iron boxes to put people in. Can't imagine much better. We need to get our friend here identified. I imagine his final moments weren't too pleasant. Or the few that came before that."

Regan nods to Howl. "You're right, but I would be content to leave that aspect of the investigation to the police. I'm not really the Nancy Drew type.

Howl nods. "And as for what does that? Many things. Few of them wearing children's skins, though."

The police and paramedics arrive about the same time. There are a few tense moments as the police wonder why the two of you have a severed head and two apparently dead children with you. But two things work in your favor: First, the children's actions as well as the phony police officer are caught on security tape. And second, it turns out that little Alice has a pulse. Extremely faint but there nonetheless. Jerry seems not to have one though.

Howl doesn't particularly care if the police think he was responsible or not. He steps out into the parking lot and lights up a cigarette.

The police are leery of Howl's involvement in this situation, but in the end, must admit that he is blameless. They agree, if you suggest it, to have the children held in a secure facility once they have been checked out at the hospital. They ask that you come down to the station tomorrow morning to give full reports.

Howl has no intention of going anywhere to tell anyone anything, but he's generally being cooperative.

Regan readily agrees to the police suggestion and cooperates fully and without reservation.