RW Does Another Plot (Unionverse)

Realising that she had just re-read the same paragraph for the third time, Shanna sat back with a sigh, glaring at the book she had been studying. If force of will alone had been enough to get the answers she was looking for she would have been finished hours ago. As it was, she was slogging through a pile of books that only seemed to grow larger. She scrubbed at her face with her hands and stretched before bending back to her task.

It was all a long shot anyway; looking into any possible previous occurances and trying to find names of mages and demons who possessed both the power and the skill to create the bodies of two children. Of course, once she had that list she still had to narrow it down to those who may have a reason for wanting to cause trouble for magic users.

She sighed again as she flicked through the pages, wishing that Cassandra would hurry up and finish giving her lecture and come back to help wade through all the books.

Ataraxis was brought to a grinding halt in his current search avenue. The children's bodies had been released to parents no one could identify or even say that they saw them. Even if it was not for this next odd discovery, Ataraxis could safely say there was something unusual going on. However, he did find something, even if it was the tiniest, most miniscule piece of information. As he focused deeper into the black psychic smog that haunted the psyches of the PPD, he could there was the slightest note of irregularity about it, although it was slowly fading. A normal man could have been easily frustrated by the lack of the co-operation of the PPD, but when Ataraxis had mastered his psychic and telekinetic power it also took a great deal of meditation and focus to master his own mind. It was rare for this hero to let his emotions get out of control.

And yet he now had few avenues to turn to in his investigation. He would usually meet with his comrades the Nighthunters, most of them were more educated in the paranormal, but they were occupied with the investigating a series of murders and the hunt for a rather elusive individual. He wouldn't occupy their time. That meant he had to do this alone. He had to head down an avenue which he hoped couldn't cleared away by whatever force was obstructing him so far. Heading out into the streets of Galaxy City, he opened up his mind, and tried to search for a source of this hysteria, or perhaps those who appeared unaffected. With little other paths to follow, he would have to rely purely on his senses to find his way.

The crowds outside Crey, Huntington and Longstaff facilities have now grown to sizeable proportions. There are placards. A rumour is circulating that a Crey riot squad attacked a group of protestors and that deaths were involved.

In the normally quiet quad outside the Salamanca University Campus, a small group of protestors have gathered demanding that all teaching of magic be stopped and that the library there be searched for 'books dealing with evil magic.'

Ataraxis was lost. It was a dead end, he had no leads. The hysteria was spreading out from the park rapidly and he could do nothing to stop it. He had reason to believe it wasn't natural in the slightest. Still, he wasn't one to immediately turn to the paranormal, as the citizens had. There could be any number of explanations, and seeing as the anger provoked from this seemed to be directed at sorcerers, he viewed them as an unlikely source. Ataraxis approached the eye of the storm, Gemini Park, it was the only place he had left to search, even if it was first he thought he would find nothing there. Arriving at the crime scene, he once more opened up his mind and searched every inch of the park while merely standing in one spot, in a meditative trance.

The crowd at the Salamanca Campus has grown and a smaller crowd has developed in Steel Canyon after a rumour spread that someone was lecturing there in magical theory.

A man is killed in Brickstown after a group of protestors rush the security guards at a Crey facility. (Amazingly) the man dies in the crush against the gates, not due to Crey security activity, but the news of his death makes it into the afternoon papers. The Times reports the event fairly evenly, but the more tabloid papers are pretty heavily sensationalist about it.

Outside Unity Tower, a crowd has developed. Half of them want to lynch anyone doing magic and the other half have heard about some giant super computer with arrays of weaponry and want to lynch Bodi (not that they know that name).

(( If anyone else would like a crowd of mean-spirited types to turn up outside ther gates, please feel free, I can't know every well known hive of technology or magic. ))

(( Last night, I was getting vibes that people were thinking their bits of information were irrelevent considering what Shanna/Cassandra had uncovered. If any of that is OOC, please don't go there. The only person who gets to see all of the lines of enquiry is me, and some of you have uncovered things no one else has. ))

The doors of Unity Tower opened up as BODICIA redeployed the Vigilants from an earlier recall. Some had to get thrown produce cleaned off them, which annoyed the AI greatly. What a waste. The main part though, was replacing their UV standard issue multi-munition rifles with something a little more... protester friendly. Stun Capacitor gloves, energy shields and 'D-Sticks' that delivered a pulse of energy designed to disorient on contact.

All external Vigilants have had armaments changed to NLCC mode, extra vigilants have been deployed to the garage doors and side entrances. All internal Vigilants have had their Multi-Muni's set to NL rounds.

Zorielle Rolando, leader of the Unity Vigil, looked up from her notes and nodded. "Good. Advise all members that open carry to switch to concealed carry, and to teleport in to the tower. Same goes for our magically-inclined members."

Already done, Zorielle, I am a genius, after all.

Getting out of her chair, the dark haired woman headed to the window to look down at the crowds. "Outfit two of the Vigilants with force field generators and have them meet me down there, I am going to try and diffuse the situation."

You expect them to listen? They are a pack of animals, baying for blood. No logic, reason. They kill their own in vain attempts to overwhelm areas like surging insects, whipped up into a frenzy by numbers and rousing chants and little placards.

"Of course they do, BODICIA. They are human. Bring down some chairs and tables as well, and some refreshments."

-----------------------------------

With the chairs set up around a table, a couple of water heaters and some bottles of water and squash atop it, plus some small cakes and snacks, Zorielle coughed to clear her throat, plus to activate her vocal boosters. Standing either side of the table were the two Vigilants, their force fields repelling any thrown items.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the crowd, may I have your attention. That involves silence. If you wish to protest, that is fine, but I would rather we do things civilized. I am sure there are those among you who serve as figureheads for the protests, voices that stand above the others to provide direction and to court the press coverage of these gatherings. I would ask those of you who class yourselves as this to step forwards. Join me at the table. Be rational, be reasonable, voice your concerns to me on behalf of your groups, and I shall be rational and reasonable in kind."

Letting that sink in for a moment, she smiled to the crowds. "My stance, is of course, on behalf of those magic wielding heroes in the Unity Vigil, who are responsible and of course, appalled at what has occurred in Gemini Park. It is also on behalf of the technology of the group, that is all documented and accounted for. My final stance is of a group that has taken people in for shelter during the Rikti invasions, who has provided services and support for those in need in the city, projects that do not involve any metahuman abilities. Simply kindness, generosity and good values. As such, there are crates of bottled water being moved to the front of the lines, Please take these and pass them back, hydration is important."

Moving to a seat at once side of the table, Zorielle sat down to face the crowds, dressed in a simple black skirt with her glasses on, a calm smile on her face.

((Up to you on how they take it, Ravenswing! Can just be reported on to save time.))

"Ok, everyone, the meeting today has been called a little ahead of schedule due to the newspaper upset..." Toppa threw a paper onto the dining table, a tabloid that had taken one of the most sensationalist interpretations of events. Around the table the full team had gathered, minus Theo - not that any room was left for him to sit. "As of today we're scaling back all operation in the city for the Wand. Tam... Theo and yourself should still operate as normal, but you can't use Gorn. Please, for now."

"And the rest of us?" Alexia picked up the newspaper and scanned the first few pages, "Magic is magic, but I hardly think we've anything to be involved with here."

"For now we scale back. No overt casting in public, nothing to arouse suspicion or trouble people. We'll go back to our initial options for laying low if need be at a future date if this doesn't blow over. I'm sorry Alexia, but we cannot get too involved in the situation, and if people realised extra-planar magic could be an option, we'd have a mob outside here as well." Toppa cast his eyes over the table, and gave each person in turn a stern look. Issa glanced down at her hands and shrugged slightly. "Do ah 'ave te still go te schule?" Mar piped up hopefully, reaching for the newspaper as Alexia moved it away. "Martin, you're going to school still." His mother gave him a stern look and relented with the paper, handing it over to him, "You shouldn't be casting anyway without one of us present..."

"Ah didnun do nuthin'!" Mar protested instinctively. Tam smiled at him and laid a hand on his shoulder, "Your Momma's not saying that Mar, she means..."

"Ah know Unka, Ah know." Mar slammed down the paper and excused himself from the table, "No castin'. Gut it, No troubl' from me." Mar wandered off to Theo's room and slammed the door behind him. A moment of silence around the table before the familiar startup sound of a certain videogame console crept under the door.

Toppa adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat, "Anyway, I know this is going to be hard for some of us, but it's necessary. I've removed all work I can from the campus in Salamanca without attracting too much attention. I don't think they minded since I was only borrowing an office in the library anyway. I'll have to commute and slip in the back way... It's easy enough to get there with my contacts." Toppa glanced down at his hands and removed his ring, placing it on the table before him, "As a show of good faith perhaps we should avoid all Artifact Stone usage for the time..." Theo burst into the apartment with a grunt and threw his keys across the kitchen counter. "THEODUN!" Alexia screeched and turned to face him, "What's this I hear about raves and Martin?"

"Not friggin' now." Theo strolled over to Issa and gave her a kiss on the forehead, Issa frowning slightly in response and nudging him away, "I'm trying hon, to read the newspaper." She smiled and looked up at him, "News?"

"Last night, at the little friendship gang gathering." Theo emptied his pockets on the table, coins, cigarette butt, key, key again, bullet casing... lint. "I did write something down but I can't find the blasted thing." He sucked on his lip for a moment and looked around helplessly searching, "Maybe other jacket?"

"WHAT was it Theodun?" Alexia snapped him out of his daydream. "Yeah, whatever Lexi. There's some demonid... daemon... demon. Whatever the crap they call it here. Anyway, looks like it's either Bone or Sorcery. Manifested corpses out of nothing was one rumour. And Annette... or was it Lucy...Shanna!... one of them anyway mentioned something about spells being woven into the articles themselves in the newspaper..." He glanced over at Alexia and motioned for it, "give me the newspaper." She reluctantly handed it over, and it soared over into the wastepaper basket in the kitchen.

"Very well," said Toppa, with a sigh of relief, "Theo, you and Tam should investigate what you can, when you can. The rest of us would be ill-advised to do any hero work for the time being. Until further notice no newspapers are to enter either apartment, and we are not to read any newspapers. Is everyone in agreement?" The group gave varying degrees of nods and subtle grunts of agreement, "Then motion passed, someone better inform Mar too. Now, on to business back home..."

And from there, the topic shifted.


((OOC - Because I've been ill I've not been able to get much involved in this plot. I'll help/investigate where I can at this late stage now, but as the IC stuff notes, the majority of my magical characters have decided to step back from fear of reprisals.))

((a little short story to explain why Edwina was pulled off the case))
It's full of Stars!

Edwina ducked into the Dr Fredrichsons office, having been pulled in for a psych evaluation early, her colleges in the department having noticed her little outburst as well as her rather strange behavior, everyone admitted the job was stressful and most of the cops in the high strung areas such as homicide or SWAT tended to be taking tablets, smoking heavily or drinking to help them cope. It wasn't said outloud of course but it was well known.

Edwina slowly slide into the very comfy chair...she was sure there was a joke she could make about this but it probably wasn't the place or the time to do it.

"So...Ms Johnson I hear you've been having some...problems lately..."

Edwina shock her head, "no...no I'm fine, everything is good, more than good, awesome in fact, amazing..."

The psychiatrist let out a sigh, "now I may not be part of the Psi division Ms Johnson but I don't need mind reading to see an lie as obvious as that one..."

Edwina shrugged, "Alright, those pills you gave me, you know, keeping my eccentricites, as you called them, under control, well I had to stop taking them, they were hampering my work...I needed to think clearly, spot the connections those pills would stop me spotting, the little things, it's always the little things that matter..."

"In order to keep your place within the Special Response Unit you have to keep taking them, we can't have people in such a highly specialised unit being unstable during assignments...and you've been investigating something which definitely isn't your case to investigate, the homicide squad can handle things like that, they'll call in the SRU if and when they engage in combat with metahumans...not while investigating..."

"Yeah but it goes deeper than just that, I mean, have you ever just stood there and watched one of those 'trainers'?"

"Erm..no...I haven't but..."

"...that's the thing, nobody does, they stand there, day in day out, never moving, never eating, never taking a toilet break and everyone seems to think it's the most normal thing on the planet, I watched Brawler for twenty four hours solid and never once did he move...just stood there..."

"Yes but..."

"That's the other thing...why do I even NEED to speak to the veteran heroes to know how to use my powers...it makes no sense...I know how to fire a gun, I've been doing it for years...and you can't tell me you haven't noticed the little display of fireworks going off when some moves up a security level, what's that all about huh?"

"Fireworks Ms Johnson?"

"Yeah there's the big flash and some shooting star stuff goes off, never noticed it until I stopped taking my meds...anyway...back to my point about trainers...it makes no sense...just because you've moved up a security level surely you should just...know...you're own powers...sure you're more experienced, explains why fire users can create more fancy stuff but why do you need to speak to Ms Liberty to be able to do it huh?"

"You don't Ms Johnson, the surviving eight are there merely to help guide younger heroes and I assure that they take regular breaks, they're not machines..."

"You ever play that game Max Payne?"

"I can't say that I have Ms Johnson..."

"Well there's a part where the main guy is hallucinating, he picks up a phone, his dead wife tells him he's in a comic book, you laugh because that's how the games cutscenes are done...then he picks up the phone again and the wife tells him that he's in a computer game...you laugh because he is and he makes some reference to thinking it all along..."

"Where is this going Ms Johnson?"

"What if that's us...what if we're just figments of someones imagination...what if you're just a bit part, you're not even important, I mean look at you, stilted dialogue, delivered poorly, you don't even have a first name...you probably repeat the same lines over and over again if someone kept prodding you like that guy infront of the Galaxy girl statue..."

"Ms Johnson, I am giving you two weeks Psych leave, you are to take your medication, regularly, if you are not in a fit state to return to work after those two weeks I shall have you removed from your position in the SRU and from the force entirely, my first name is Johann since you never asked..."

"See you're just saying that to make yourself important now...only reccuring characters get a first..."

"Ms Johnson you are to take your medication NOW...if you do not I shall have contact the local asylum and they shall keep you in there indefinitely..."

"No, I can't go there, it doesn't exist, I'll disappear, be deleted, I'll...take the medication..."

"Good, obviously your unauthorised investigation, seeing those poor children, has affected you, as it would anyone, that combined with your pre-existing condition and your lack of medication has bought on this bout of paranoia...just keep taking the tablets I gave you and you'll feel right as rain in two weeks..."

Edwina stood up...

"yes Doc."

She shuffled off to her desk...she needed to get better...she needed this job...

Michael Maxwell sighed as he sunk back into the comfy armchair sat in one corner of his sanctum, the large bookshelves of his library lined the walls of the room and the small table near his feet was piled with books of assorted shapes and sizes and a small but growing pile of discarded texts was neatly stacked on the floor near it.

"I am getting told old to be pulling these all nighters" groused the archmage as he retrieved the steaming mug of freshly poured tea from the silver platter floating somewhere near his elbow and taking a deep swallow of the fragrant liquid before returning it to the tray.

Picking up the next book on the stack infront of him he opened it at the index and started searching for any of the list of key words or phrases he had figured might lead him to information concerning this demon and it's capabilities.

"I know you are in here somewhere...now lets see......"

Shanna sat back with a grin, feeling slightly smug that her search had yielded results. She had taken a gamble with the theory that the demon they were hunting down had been summoned, and that the person doing it had used books from one of the libraries in the city. The resulting list was short and sweet.

Most of the names seemed to belong to people from out of town, or researchers like Cassandra. The short list did include a PCU student though... She quickly accessed the university's records, absently scrawling a circle around the name on her note pad as she waited for the system to process her request.

A few moments later, the academic record of one Barry Botherton came up on the screen, listing his course of study and a home address in Galaxy City, along with an attendance record that said he'd been absent for the last few days.

Making a pleased noise in the back of her throat, Shanna scribbled a note saying she'd gone to check a lead, and left the office.

The trip over to Galaxy City was short, and it wasn't long before she was knocking on the door that was listed as Barry's address.

Let's see why ye've been cuttin' class, shall we... She thought as she waited for a response.

Otrera entered the office thought the window, opening it, sliding in and closing it behind her.

The office was dark, and the light amp built in to her goggles kicked in, casting the room in a grayish haze, she moved to the desk nudging the mouse on the computer as she started to carefully scan the contents of the desk.

A note is quickly scrawled handwriting, checking what lead? a lead to a daemon Jason Caine hadn't liked the idea of fighting solo? good plan Shanna.

The computer had woken, still on the screen were the search results from one of the university databases, one Barry Botherton, who had been absent for several days, noting the address, she clicked back several times to see if it had held on to Shanna's search parameters.

As she did she clicked in to the communications net of the Unity Vigil "Connect to Richard Huntington please"

Theo cautiously glanced around and opened the cabinet. Balancing his prize carefully in one hand he silently lifted and removed it from the holdall, and slowly shut the doors. He breathed a sigh of relief and moved over to the sofa, where he opened out the stone slab and sat with it on his lap.

Nothing.

There must be a on switch somewhere. Toppa usually waved his hands over it like... this? Nothing. Maybe you need to press something on the side, and then... it was hopeless. Theo lifted up the stone slab and turned it over twice, trying to work out how to work it.

"That's a very expensive Artifact."

Theo jumped out of his skin and fumbled around with the Stonegaze, trying not to drop it. "How friggin' long have you been there?", Theo cast a dagger-like stare at Toppa and held up Stonegaze. "Make it work. Need to track down a magic user."

"Stonegaze does not work in that fashion." Toppa crept over to the sofa and took the device off Theo, shifting his gaze around the room, "And keep your voice down Theo, you'll wake everyone up." He started waving his hands over the slab, his eyes glowing softly white with magical energy. Slowly the slab became criss-crossed with white lines of energy, a map of the local area slowly coming into view.

"Stonegaze allows for a birds-eye view of the local, or city wide area. It will pinpoint locations of magical usage. Unfortunately it doesn't work underground due to the Circle's city. Nor will it work with any accuracy on the city wide scale."

"I need it to track down Shanna."

"Shanna's magical signature would not be much different to others. I haven't calibrated it to detect certain people. Only Artifact Stone and other sources. All those blue dots are magic users native to Paragon's plane. The red ones are us and the Artifact stones. Yellow is unknown, and there are none right now."

"I need it to help track down a friend, how can I do that."

"You cannot, not with Stonegaze just yet. I mean, we could scour every magical source in the area that is unknown sourced, but that could take days. To get a proper reading you'd have to walk every area of the city with this, a citywide scan would be far too obscure to give a positive result..."

"Okay, so, I look for little yellow lights and..."

"You could start in the most likely areas. Talos Island- well, the whole island would take a day or so at least by itself, around the fire station and the surrounding city blocks, the campus in Steel and Salamanca... oh, but Salamanca would be mostly yellow. You'll be trying to find a yellow needle in a yellow hay stack..."

"Enough Toppa, just... give me that. How long before the batteries run out?"

Toppa laughed softly and handed over the slab. "It doesn't RUN on batteries. You can use it in three hour slots at a time before it gets hazy. I've set it to local scanning and I'll show you how to activate it. You should take Tam..."

"I'm not taking the friggin' ogre."

"Theo please, don't call Tam that."


((OOC - Theo will be attempting to scan areas of the city that are unlikely to turn up results. He also can't find a particular person, but he can find nearby sources of magic. The Stonegaze has been used before with plots like this, like when finding the lost Amulet that drained Shanna, but this time it's more complicated so I doubt it'll work by itself. It is however there if anyone wants to use it or encorporate it into investigations, just drop me a PM if there's something specific that has to happen. But please remember it has a lot of limitations to how specific results are, and can't just pick her up wherever she is. It's more a tool, it's not the answer to the problem. Otherwise, by sunday Theo will turn up empty)).

((Using this opportunity to move forward a plotline that's been in the offing for a little while, as well as simultaneously explain why Richard didn't get Otrera's call.))

{Somewhere in Paragon City, 31 March 2010, Approx 11.30pm}

"Thank you, my dear. It's late - you should get some sleep. We can deal with this Barry Botherton in the morning, I think. Come around to the manor first thing. Good night, and take care."

The cultured English voice was smooth and laden with relief, and the call ended.

Clearing his throat, that man who had spoken lapsed into a broad Southern accent, still speaking into the phone.

"Thank you, Helena. Please delete records of that call from your database, do not inform anyone that it took place, and wipe these instructions from your memory."

He leaned back in his chair, stretching his back gleefully, and almost giggling at the parting words of the artificial intelligence.

To himself, he murmured, "Got you now, Huntington. Your turn to watch someone you love burn."

* * * * *

{Huntington Manor, Paragon City, April Fool's Day 2010, Approx 11.40pm}

In the depths of the Helena Huntington artificial intelligence, data was rapidly deleted. A corner of her mind knew that something was wrong, but all the correct override codes had been given and she was unable to defy her programming, no matter how much she wished.

Her parting words to the caller mocked her until they vanished from her memory.

"Of course, Master Andrew."

* * * * *

{Somewhere beneath the surface of the Sun, April Fool's Day 2010, Approx equivalent time in Paragon City 5.30am}

The boiling, bubbling storm of energy and plasma poured around a tiny sphere, which every now and then gave off a burst of darkness that was swept away in the maelstrom.

If anyone could observe that sphere, they would have noticed that it seemed to ignore the turbulent swirling motion of the matter around it, staying fixed in place.

It might have been there forever, or perhaps for only a few hours.

Suddenly it twitched, effortlessly breaking free of the Sun's gravitational pull, and accelerated at a phenomenal rate. If an eye could follow it, the witness would have noted it made a beeline for the third planet.

* * * * *

{PCU, Steel Canyon Campus, April Fool's Day 2010, Approx 6.00am}

Richard Huntington sat, waiting. He wasn't naturally patient, given to impulse more often than not, especially when his emotions were engaged. It was a calculated personality trait, one that he knew infuriated those around him. That was more in the nature of an unfortunate side effect than anything else.

Still, here he sat, waiting as patiently as he could. Waiting for Cassandra Baudin to arrive, so he could do something. Anything. Even if it was just to read through musty old books, or have someone to banter with. Someone with a connection to Shanna.

To pass the time, he solved complex multi-dimensional puzzles in his head. It was the only way he could reasonably distract himself, stop himself from running off on wild goose chases. There were so many things he wanted to tell someone, say, and it was tearing him apart.

So he waited, feeling useless. Unwilling to go home, because it would remind him of things he didn't want to remember right now: Things said; thoughts shared; idle comments made.

A corner of his mind wondered if Cassandra would show up first, or if it would be Rauri. It didn't matter. Not a whole hell of a lot mattered right now.

He would wait. He would be patient. And when the time came he would teach someone, somewhere, what it meant to cross...

It almost felt like a voice whispering in his mind, but that was ridiculous, because Sam would be screaming in his head if someone intruded. So it must be his own thoughts. After all, it couldn't be anyone else, could it?

"Richard Huntington is dead," he murmured into the dim light of the corridor. "There is only Shadowe."

And Shadowe wasn't weak. Wasn't restrained by simple matters of morality. Wasn't going to let anything stand in the way.

"There is only Shadowe."

(( Right, I lost track of who went on the search of Barry's flat and there were some questions. I've sent the info to Shadowe and _Fea_, but from the sound of it Lucy was there and I think Eddy went, and Bunny. So, either catch me in game for a debrief, or drop me a PM and I'll dispatch the notes if you were there for the, somewhat unorthodox, investigation. ))

King's Row PPD Precinct, Interview Room 4, April 3rd, 07:30
Barry Botherton's wrists hurt. He had been wearing handcuffs for the last four hours, ever since a SWAT team had burst into his motel room in upstate New York. He was also terrified.

The interrogation room door opened. he turned, expecting to see some hero, or a policeman the size of a gorilla, instead he saw a woman in a gray jumpsuit and combat jacket. She moved smoothly, closing the door and sitting down in the chair opposite. She carried no files or paperwork and when Barry looked into her eyes, she looked back with the expression of a wax dummy.

"Mister Botherton, I am Police Operative Seven. You have been read your rights?" Botherton nodded in reply. "Mister Botherton," Seven went on, "I want you to tell me everything you know about the dissappearence of Shanna Connell, aka Fea. Please leave nothing out. All information is relevent."

Barry stared at the impassive face. He opened his mouth and started talking.

By Sunday morning, the police alert has been lifted after no more apparent attacks. However, anyone visiting the Galaxy City, Atlas Park, Steel Canyon, or Skyway City precincts would notice tactical response officers still situated just inside the doors, as though they are all still worried.

Longbow patrols in Galaxy and Atlas are increased at the request of the local PPD.

(( Plan is to have the show down with Big Bad this evening. More to follow when I know anything more. ))

(( Right, I'll be making an assessment when I get online tonight. Assuming it's a go, Jason will come to the statue to kick things off. I've got the mission sorted out. The big bad is an EB rather than an AV since it's an RP mission and I don't want us having to spend hours just taking him out at the end. See, I actually learn from other people. ))

(( Due to some sudden bad news, I may not be able to concentrate to run plot tonight. We'll see how it goes. If all else fails, Sam and Cassandra are still tracing the demon. ))

With the demon dispatched back to where he came from, and his altar destroyed, the city returns back to normal (or as normal as it ever gets) over the next few days. People who had been throwing fruit at heroes start looking embarrassed whenever they see one. The cops in the areas around Perez Park look a little sheepish at their behaviour recently.

And in the morning, the sun seems to shine that little bit brighter. The birds seem to chirp that little more happily. All is right with the world...


...or is it? *queue dramatic dum-dum-dummm type music, possibly a fade zoom to a clawed hand picking up a ring, the usual*

Twas good fun ..Thank you Birdy