Pious

The following day, the team was reassembled back at the Police Station for briefing. Lieutenant Hicks stood in front of the room with three images and a sketch drawing hung up on the wall behind him. "You guys did a good job yesterday. All of you, well done. With all the information we've gathered, we've got a strong enough case to find the killer and nail him good." He pointed at the picture of a black Cadillac. "The getaway vehicle was found abandoned in Independence Port, Reverend Pious offered a theory that the driver somehow cloaked the whole car in order to escape undetected. This means we're up against a shape-shifter and an invisible person, among the dozen." Lieutenant Hicks pointed at the three images on the wall. "Stone Fist acquired reliable information that this gang is well known in the Etoile Islands as the Rogue Isles Dogs. Thanks to Agent Emily we were able to isolate three of them from the hotel's CCTV footage. This one is called Mr Scarlett, that's why he wears red. This one wears an orange shirt and this one wears grey. They are Mr Orange and Mr Grey. Their true identity is as of yet unknown."

Hicks pointed at the sketch image. "This is an artist's impression of the killer. Officer Sula did a great job convincing Vanguard to give us eye witness descriptions. He is a large, dark-skinned man who was seen frequently climbing in and out of Room 4 at Hotel Geneva. I've done a little research on this son'ova bit*h myself. In this little gang of bank robbers, he is the one that wears dark yellow. When he escaped from Hotel Geneva, the car driver referred to him as 'Gold' so I put the nickname together with the sketch and voila!" yelled the lieutenant, excitedly lifting up a mug shot photograph high up for the whole room to see. "Behold, this is Mr Kwame Gold, ex-professional boxer from New York. He's been living illegally in the Etoile Islands these past months after fleeing from the states. Ladies and gentlemen, this is our killer, and thanks to Detective Gnash and Agent Emily, I can prove it!"

Lieutenant Hicks began distributing a new copy of the case files. "Inside you will find results of DNA testing that links the shapeshifter's shed skin to Mr Kwame Gold. In addition, the cellphone that was found discarded on the second floor was laced with saliva matching the super strong pro-boxer turn bank robber turn murderer!" The lieutenant slammed the last copy of the case files down onto Detective Gnash's table with a triumphant smile, his spirits was evidently lifted. "We've had the cellphone's history lifted and it's only ever made two calls. The first one originated from Port Oaks in the Rogue Isles an the second one was received at Port Oakes in the Rogue Isles! Ladies and gentlemen, right now, as I speak, my men are raiding a warehouse at that very location. Any questions? If not... last one there, is a rotten ring doughnut with maggots on the sugar!"

As the call came in, Hicks realised the brilliance of the idea. "Switch to thermal vision!" he yelled. "Thermal goggles, now! We mustn't loose these people!" Somebody handed Hicks thermal goggles and as soon as he slipped them on, he could see something was wrong. Stood directly in front of him were two thermal hot figures, carrying something. But with thermal vision switched off, it was just empty air. On closer inspection however, Hicks noticed raindrops were either bouncing off the empty space or sizzling into steam. As the realization slowly hit home, his heart began to race and fear crept in. "Okay, please don't kill me, you got what you came for!"

"Well yeah but Lieutenant" came a whispering voice, with an accent laced with a Southern drawl. "You've got a whole buncha cases against us. It just ain't nice to be chasing us around town, hmm? What d'you say, you go'on an' leave us alone now. Else all these innocent people here... they go, tick, tick, tick... BOOM!" Even in the pounding rain, the sound of ecstatic laughter could be heard ringing through the crowd. Two sets of footprints could be seen strolling away towards the parked police cruisers.

Even when surrounded by police, the two robbers were calm and collected, confident in their escape plan, enjoying every moment of it. Lieutenant Hicks may sometimes come across a little overwhelmed by the supernatural and like everyone else, he may be afraid, but he wasn't a coward. He turned to his team of heroes and silently signaled for them to attack, goggles on, towards the police vehicles.

((Yes))

You are cordially invited to DJ Zero's highly anticipated Masquerade Ball at Pocket D. You and your friends are expected to join us in our celebration of the elegance, the historical and the fantastical of our many different societies. This is an opportunity like no other to mingle with the powerful men and women of our dimensions, the rich and the famous, the world renowned and the celebrities, but also to greet the new faces and welcome the little people. Saturday 25th of April and again on the 2nd of May, come and spend the night with us! Allow yourself to forget about the war, worry not about the undead and instead, be merry and joyous and embrace the friends around you. Mask your face, not for protection, but for the style and elegance, move your feet, not for survival, but to dance in wondrous rhythm and waltz with the love of your life. Come and let us party!

Invitation & Information Flyer (tinyurl.com/cohball)

Suddenly, the front doors of the bank burst open, pouring out the panicked men and women who had been held hostage. "Don't shoot, please don't shoot" they begged, scuttling out from the hazard zone. Lieutenant Hicks acted quickly, giving the order to inspect each hostage and hold them for question. "Count them, count the hostages" yelled Hicks, "these crooks are likely to try and escape in this crowd! I want SWAT inside that building like yesterday, search every room, every floor, ceiling and wall. Shadow, go with them! Wolf, Tinkers, with me!"

With the follow-up investigation well on the way, the young priest Reverend Pious Hunter returned to the streets just outside Hotel Geneva to evaluate the gunmen’s escape. Hovering high up above the main roads, he had a clear view of the route the black Cadillac had arrived from, where it picked up the killer and how it had circled around the block to rescue the remaining gunmen before disappearing into thin air. Pious replayed the events in his mind and concluded that the vehicle had escaped either by cloaking or teleport, possibly effected by one of its passengers.

The power-changing mutant hero descended from the sky and began to morph out his telekinetic abilities for enhanced senses. With improved vision, he was able to detect the tyre marks left behind by the Cadillac having sped off into the Steel Canyon tunnel. Twenty minutes later, a yellow cab pulled over at Independence Port, dropping off the reverend where the tracks approach a dead end. Hidden in a nearby bush was the plateless black Cadillac, empty and abandoned.

Hicks ran the plan through his mind quickly and noticed a flaw. "Breaking into the building will set off an alarm, Shadow. Of course we could disable the system remotely from here but I'll bet my salary on it those thieves are monitoring defenses and they'll notice. We need to think of another way in and fast, they've already killed two hostages and if this whole thing turns south, the media won't be the only power on our arsse."

I've been privileged to become a member of some of the main roleplaying groups in the Union Universe, this server. Here is a list of those I know, with brief descriptions of what I think the teams stand for and roughly what their numbers are. Hope this helps you in making your decision on which team to join, if not your own.

Guardians of the Earth are a small team of brave and mighty sentinels, based in space orbit, guarding the planet from local and intergalactic threats. From a growing roster of 12 heroes, there are currently 4 core members.

The Militia is a team of citizens who volunteer to defend the city from crime, gangs, outlaws and terrorists threats. From a roster of 26 heroes, there are currently 18 core members. Mutant characters are popular.

New Heroes Union is a collection of heroes who strive to protect our dimension from domestic and alien threats. From a growing roster of 82 heroes, there are currently 28 core members. Magic characters are popular.

Art of War is a group of highly trained warriors from England who now use their skills for global operations. This group mainly plays out-of-character and only a few members are roleplayers. From a growing roster of 84 heroes, there are currently 18 core members. Science characters are popular.

Unity Vigil is an organization formed to help heroes and provide a networking group to liase with government and non-government organizations. I'm not a member of this team so I can only approximate a number of 12 core members, and hazard a guess at a roster of 48. I think Technology characters are most popular.

Shield Police is my own project supergroup with a growing roster of 12 heroes and 4 core members. We are designed to work with Paragon City's Police Deparment. Our mission is always making Paragon City safe for all the people we serve. We cut crime and the fear of crime while upholding the Law. Our vision is to make Paragon City the safest major city in the world. A lot of Natural characters but all have an interest to work with Police.

I suppose a general costume ball would be better as it allows a greater range of outfits, which could easily encompass Masquerade, Fancy Dress through to Halloween costumes. Open ball at Pocket D this Saturday sounds good. The second party which you intend to host, will it be in a private space like a supergroup base?

"Really?" the lieutenant questioned, slightly intrigued. "And exactly how do you intend on doing that? Dress up as a banker, a civilian, a hellion or some nutcase suicidal spandex? We're dealing with professional bank robbers here pal, so unless you're a shapeshifter, I think they'll notice you're not in their little family."

"Roger that Wolf" the lieutenant radioed over. "Get down here now, we need you here, over." He turned to look at the costumed hero. "You got a death wish or something pal? Never underestimate these people, they're powerful, desperate and therefore unpredicatble, you understand? You're not gonna waltz in there and ruin my operation, Shadow has the right idea, stealth infiltration." The lieutenant looks up at the masked detective. "Wolf and tinkerbell here will follow your lead, that alright?"

Lieutenant Hicks approached the detective and the hero with a tired look on his face. "Walking Shadow, thanks for answering the call, and you, you're one of the new ones right? Yeah, I got a file on my desk with your damn face on it, Tinkerbell or some sh*t, listen, we got a major problem with this siege. The robbers have displayed supernatural abilities, pyrokinesis or some kinda mojo. They're not responding to our attempts to communicate, I mean, they're not picking up the phone or answering to the loudspeaker, nothing, just random killing. Any ideas on how we could get a word in to them? Freeing any other hostages is our key priority."

"Sir, please stand back!" said the officers, calling to an inquisitive man with an appauling odour. "Get behind the line" they instructed, ushering him back behind the police tenser barriers.

"Wolf Hound this is Detective Miles" he replied. "Our men aren't picking up anything from the windows. We need you to sweep the bank, tell us what you can see. Can you do that without being compromised?"

((Open Roleplay: Paragon Police Department's special division have been called in to work alongside Police on a bank robbery and hostage situation. If your character works with the police, they may have called you in too. Even if you’re a passing hero or a helpful civilian, feel free to join in and help. Enjoy.))

"Alright what's the situation?" asked Lieutenant Hicks, arriving on the scene of a bank robbery siege. Police cars had cordoned off the immediate area and officers surrounded the perimeter. As the ranking detective spoke, marksmen took their position on nearby rooftops.

"We responded to an alarm, sir, and upon arrival, we actually saw two men in black suits and coloured shirts running out of the bank. We cornered them off and forced them to retreat back inside. That was only moments ago. Right now, we're making attempts to communicate with the robbers and ascertain the hostage numbers."

Suddenly, two ladies in short skirts came stumbling out from the bank, screaming for the police not to shoot. Somebody's palm emerged from the half open doors, hovered there for a moment and in a blinding burst of heat, the two ladies lit up on fire and exploded to ashes. The police rushed about wildly, the marksmen opened fire through the doors but the palm withdrew quickly.

"Oh for fu*k sake!" screamed the lieutenant, a look of shock horror etched on his face. "I don't think I can deal with any more of this supernatural sh*t. Detective Miles, radio this in now. We need hero assistance!"

The murder case is still going at full bloom and later today I'm going to open the next arc, Siege at Steel Canyon - May 2nd. Like Stone Fist, anyone is welcome to join at any time, heroes and civilians alike, especially police-related characters. See you in the movi-, I mean, roleplays!

"I hadn't thought of that" Pious admitted, replying to the golem. "Why don't you decided between yourself and Sula who checks out Dr Aeon and who talks to Vanguard. They're situated right across the road to the Atlas Park branch of the hotel, some of their guards may have seen something out of the norm. Agent Emily, I'll go talk to Lieutenant Hicks, I think I know a way to calm him down a little, get him back on the case. Meanwhile, Gnash made an interesting point concerning how the killer coordinated so effectively with the car-borne shooters. With all those gadgets, do you have a way of tracking radio communication signals, maybe even tapping into a cellphone conversation, perhaps? If that's at all possible, I would suggest you and Gnash return to the crime scene and carry out some secondary investigations. How does that sound?"

The reverend looked across the room towards Detective Gnash, acknowlegding his cunning monologue. "That's not a bad plan detective" said Pious. "How about we call the others back in and the six of us pan out in teams, follow up with this manhunt. You and Agent Emily have worked well before, you two should check surviellance cameras and get an ID on some of the shooters. Sula and Stone Fist will liaise with you on any other information found at Grandville. I'll err, I'll think of something."

The lieutenant muttered something under his breath to a nearby colleague which sounded like, "Fu*king mother of all freaks, you know what I hate, heroes who just stroll into the Police Station, step into your face and expect to work a case." He turned to the walking talking breathing gargoyle. "Alright Stone-Fist. Talk to Officer Sula, she'll give you a copy of the case files. Meetings frigging ajorned, I'm outta this hell hole" he muttered, grabbing his long coat and striding towards the door. From his seat, reverend Pious calmly watched him leave.

"Excuse me, who is this?" asked the Lieutenant, looking to an administrative officer. He didn't wait for an answer before turning to the newcomer directly. "Who are you?" he asked, in a tone intended to ridicule. "Which force?"

"I received the case file at exactly seven o' clock this morning when I arrived at my desk" said the lieutenant, matter-of-factly. "And if I'm under suspicion, swipe a metal detector across my knee, near my implants. No shifter I know can duplicate implants. Would that make you happy?" he asked, sarcastically. "Listen, we all know how fu*ked up this city is, yeah, in a world corrupted with unexplainable, supernatural sh*t, try and guess how many unsolved murder cases there are in this precinct alone. Now multiply that number by a hundred because that's how many are swept under the carpet. If you got a problem with that, then fine, get back out there and go hunt the shifter. Me, I'm doing just fine, trying to stay alive and saving as many other poor schmucks meanwhile." Hicks fell silent, an intense gaze boring into the officers.

"Well of course the case is not solved Agent Emily" said the lieutenant. "But until we get a lead on the killer, this murder case is closed. You understand what I'm saying?" he added, hinting at an uncomfortable subtext.

Twenty minutes later at the police station, Lietenant Hicks addressed the team of officers and detectives, with a board of photographs and files on the murder case right behind him. "Bad news! The killer, who was literaly right under our noses the whole time managed to escape, aided by twelve other men. Those men will undoubtedly be hunted down, but that's another case. Good news... we solved the murder! Victims were Maria Gardner and Abigail Christenson, ripped apart by a vicious monster whose true identity is as yet undetectable. In trying to escape, the killer displayed an ability to shed skin and shapeshift into other people. It is with this paranormal skill that he or it assumed the skin of Maria and began a series of bank robberies. Undercover, he hired her for sex and entered Hotel Geneva earlier this week. Once in Room 4, the killer attacked Miss Gardner and began to eat her, then commensing to sex her corpse on a daily basis. Our theory is, this killer needs to actually consume parts of the human bodies he wishes the change into, which is probably why he knocked me out and ate half the hair on my head." The lieutenant looked uneasy. "This case will be filed as solved, and await further evidence on the killer and his dozen friends. Until then, its duties as normal. Any questions?"

Happy Birthday!

If avoiding tools is not too big a challenge, I would have rather we all gathered in Pocket D for the masquerade ball. Also, would it be more interesting to keep the dress code limited to masquerade as opposed to fancy dress and Halloween outfits? Saturday 25th sounds good though. I'll be there either way. A host is not essential.