He will spend some time after circling picking the best vantage as requested.
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With it being broad daylight and the building being just off the docks, the vantage points are limited. Fortunately, thanks to his extended vision and speed, Quicky is able to find a rooftop half a block away that gives a fairly decent view of the back entry which Haunt saw that the trucks used for ingress.
There is limited information on the Atlanteans, as most of the information on them was collected during their activities in WW II, before PILOT and SHIP were founded. Some heavily redacted reports claimed that Maxiseth read minds and was an expert brainwasher.
It is unknown if the slow aging is a common trait among the Atlanteans, but it is reported that Maxiseth claimed to be the grandson of the ancient Egyptian God Seth.
In related information, the villain called Mars from WW II claimed to actually be the Roman God of the same name, and worked with Maxiseth on multiple occasions.
Into his com. "Ok, I'm perched on a decent vantage here about half a block out. You can GPS the comm to get the location. Don't see any activity at the moment. "
Grayson chuckles along with Peter. "I'm sure he's a hit with the ladies."
He walks over to his fridge and grabs himself a glass of water and breaks out a bag of cinnamon raisin bagels along with some cream cheese and grape jelly. He sets the bag on the coffee table, takes a bagel and dresses it with the condiments. Gray gives the bagel to Shayera and takes a seat on the couch's armrest next to her.
"So, Waller's letting you play hooky, huh punk?" A playful smile crosses his face. He'd developed a soft spot for the girl after first meeting her. There'd been too many parallels between them for him not to. Both used as tools, pawns. Both denied a proper childhood and forced to grow up too soon. He wasn't allowed peers, and he had a feeling that neither was she.
After their meeting during the invasion, Gray kept in contact with Shayera, going so far as to pay her a visit in DC when he had the chance. Finding out about her homelessness, he offered to move her to Gotham, but she declined.
His heart truly hurt for her. A girl made into a weapon, taught to kill without remorse. In Gray's case, his handler was a Psychopathic Playboy Billionaire, but Shayera was government backed, funded secretly by tax dollars. It made his mind reel to think of it too in depth. Having her apart of the taskforce made him uneasy, but he had to remind himself that it wasn't her fault. None of it was. She didn't choose this life, the same way he hadn't chosen his. But maybe he could be there for her, to guide her along a better path, to let her know that she isn't alone in her struggle.
He tussles her hair.
"Well, hopefully we'll have you home before supper, kiddo."
Shayera had taken off the backpack and had her wings in a more natural pose which doesn't threaten the couch's upholstery as she leans back. She accepts the bagel and takes a big bite. "Waller doesn't 'let' me do anything," she says through her mouthful.
She shakes his hand off. "Whatevs. I'm just here for another shot at those kidnapping scumbags."
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RE:Fusions questions:
The information that Blademaster and Haunt gathered on Hammerdown and Brinedart, Inc. was pretty minimal, and a bit too clean. There were manifests, permits, etc. While they appear to be legitimate companies, the cleanliness of that appearance may be a red flag.
The footage from Weasel seems to be of more value. It will take some time to watch for patterns, but he gave you some pretty good surveillance footage from his drones as well as hacked traffic cams, etc.
Since you have a while while Quicky watches the warehouse, this might be a good opportunity to review the bulk of the surveillance, since Haunt has not yet had time to.
Additionally, you could try digging deeper into Destine, Hammerdown, Brinedart, Atlantis, etc. Investigation, Expertise (Politics, History, Religion), and Technology Skills are all relevant to these efforts. Also, Technology could be relevant if someone wants to do a closer examination of the trident.
Slade helps anyone who attempts to examine the trident with what meager technological skill he has.
That done, Slade goes into a short meditative trance, searching his memory for any helpful trivia that could give some insight into their situation.
"Looks like we've got time to kill."
Haunt links up Weas's footage and begins to play it on the television. As it plays, he gives the trident a look-over, lifting it up and studying it closely. Not figuring much out, he sets it back down on the table.
"No clue about this thing, but I'm curious about both Brinedart and Hammerdown's past. If someone has the patience to scrutinize this footage, I'd like to investigate these organizations."
"If you set it on fast forward I can watch it quickly. Doesn't help if it has audio though."
As they begin to work in effort to gather information, Fusion takes another look at the trident and also assists in computer research to see what they can dig up.
Shayera watched the investigation and stayed out of their way. She tried to pay attention to the surveillance videos but found them dreadfully dull, and couldn't keep her mind focused. She didn't have anything but the most basic of knowledge of computers and technology -- the lab gave her an education but didn't want her knowing enough to use it against them. So her version of "hacking" involved using her claws repeatedly.
She finished off Haunt's remaining bagels and cream cheese, then raided his fridge for a soda. She stayed quiet, though she itched for some action. That's what she was, after all -- a weapon. The thinkers pointed her at something that needed eliminated, like the business end of a gun.
She moves up to the skylight of the penthouse and watches the outside skyline of Gotham while she waits.
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Brinedart: Founded in 1988 by Arthur Brinedart, this technologies company has primarily focused on radar, sonar, x-ray, and other "detection" hardware. They are a major supplier for several local hospitals, airports, and boat manufacturers.
Arthur Brinedart is a widower who founded the company shortly before his wife died in a car accident. His deceased wife was Celine Hemmingworth-Brinedart, a young and attractive billionaire whose money funded the start-up company. They were married for seven years before her death. Her death was ruled accidental, and Brinedart was in a meeting with the board of his company at the time. Brinedart inherited her entire fortune, her parents having committed suicide a year before they met. Brinedart rarely appears in public.
Hammerdown was founded a year ago, having acquired a fleet of trucks and warehouses from a foreclosure sale. The business is privately owned by Castle Fredricks, a driver for the previous company who struck luck with the lotto. He brought Destine aboard to help run the company.
Destine is the former logistics manager for a few trucking firms. He moved quickly up the ladder of those companies. Before his work for the first of these companies, there is little to no information about him. Your research does turn up a false birth certificate and social security number.
Blademaster's eidetic memory surfaces something else. In one of the newsreels he watched of Super Soldier fighting Maxiseth, Destine could be seen in the background as one of Maxiseth's shock troops. His fish-head mask had been ripped part way off and he had been ko'd, but Slade is sure it was the same man.
Blademaster recalls an old article regarding the Atlanteans in National Geographic that discussed their religious beliefs. They spoke of reincarnation and exposure to something called the "Nylian Mist" calling forth the spirits of the ancient gods of Egypt, giving them a dual awareness of past and present and guiding their actions. The mist is also their means of activating their latent genes, changing their appearance and granting them their powers.
You figure out the triggering mechanism for the tridents.
"Accidental death of young rich wife whose parents committed suicide. I'm sure that's entirely exactly what happened," Fusion remarks sardonically as she hears the information on Brinedart.
She points at the trident. "I figured out how to make it go. Can I keep one? Might be handy if I accidentally start any fires."
That catches Shayera's attention, and she bounds over to Fusion. "It's a water blaster, right? So, where does the water come from?"
She looks the trident over, taking note of the trigger mechanism. She didn't necessarily want one herself, but really wanted to see one in action. "You want to go outside and see what it does?"
Slade comes out of his trance and slaps the side of his head.
"Now I remember what's been bothering me about Destine. He's an AAtlantean too. Saw him in an old video of Super Soldier fighting Maxiseth and his troops, and his helmet got knocked partway off."
"Can't believe I almost forgot that."
Fusion grins at Wingblade. "Sure, but we better find a place where we don't accidentally firehouse anyone." She nods toward Slade, "If that's okay with you, Blademaster."
"I'll come along. I'm curious as to how these things work too."
"Nice!" Shayera says excitedly. She moves to the balcony and without hesitation hurdles the railing. A couple seconds later she shoots straight up into the sky and waits for Fusion to join her.
As Shayera shoots excitedly out of the window, Fusion holds her hand out to Slade. "You want a lift, then? We're taking the scenic route."
"Sure. Just don't drop me, this armor is a hell of a lot heavier than it looks."
Haunt starts ascending to the rooftop, as if leaping from one invisible wall to another.
"Oh yeah, no problem, just fly out the window and ignore the stairs to the roof. What little neighbors I have left surely won't mind it."
"Stairs are for normal people."
Shayera climbs several hundred feet until she enters Gotham's ever-present cloud cover, then stalls for a few quiet heartbeats. She angles downward and folds her wings behind her in an arrow shape. She plummets straight down until she stretches one wing out to enter a spiral. As the skyline bursts into view again, she spreads her wings out and catches the wind.
Wingblade circles the high rise with a snap of her wings, laughing at the exhilaration of flight. "Let's see how strong that water pistol is!" She taunts as she buzzes Haunt's penthouse.
Fusion shrugs at Haunt and points at Wingblade, who is already arcing through the air. "She started it," she says with a grin, and carefully focusing to be sure the burny destructive ouchy parts of her body are not active, she hands him the trident (presuming he is willing), wraps her arms around Slade's waist and with a grunt, she lifts off and follows Shayera. "Not getting fresh, boss, I promise." She teases.
Finding a spot to put Slade on a roof, she takes the trident back from him (again presuming he is willing) and flies a little higher up, waiting for Shayera to finish the flight show. "Showoff," she teases Shayera.
"Okay, here we go!" Pointing at a fairly safe, blank space at an angle toward the sky (she is not shooting straight up, of course), she activates the trident.
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As the trident is activated, there is a whooshing sound and a pressurized jet of water shoots out about 800' from both of the exterior tines of the trident. The pressure is enough to generate a significant "kick".
Fusion Strength Check
The kick knocks your aim off, but you manage to hang on enough to prevent dropping the trident.
Flying backwards in relation to the force of the weapon, Fusion lets out a "Whoof!"
Shutting the weapon off before she drenches half of Manhattan, she comments. "These things pack a punch. They really are like a firehose." She looks at Wingblade and Slade. "You two would be better candidates for holding onto it."
Wingblade swoops in close as the gout of water shoots from the trident and tries to get a sense of the force of the water.
She barrel-rolls around the stream and then wheels about, coming back in to land heavily on the roof next to Slade. She shrugs when it's suggested she hold on to it. "We should probably see what kind of recharge time it requires. Then see what's going on with Quicky's stakeout."
"Let's see what kind of destructive power it has. Anyone see some cinder blocks around here?"
Slade finds some cinderblocks or loose bricks and heaves them as high as he can in the air, then fires at them with the trident.
You guys try to keep it down, all right? I don't want to get the cops called on us. He let's out a chuckle. Cops rarely come around. Let's see how our buddy Quicky is doing.
He grabs his communicator and sends Quicky a text.
We've got the Trident working. Any updates?
Wingblade plays a game of "catch" with the cinderblocks. Anytime Slade misses one of them with the water blaster, she zooms after it and turns the block into rubble with her wings so nothing larger than a pebble falls down onto the city below.
"Gave the area a once over, and found a good vantage. Nothing happening of interest. "
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The water blast cuts cleanly through some of the blocks, pulverized others, and sends some spinning and broken, depending on how solid a hit you get on the bricks. Slade remembers seeing a documentary where highly pressured water was used to cut cleanly through steel.
With two blasts spaced evenly apart, he realizes spinning the trident could create a nice circular hole, at least in concrete, about 1.5' in diameter.
Shortly after reporting in, Quicky notices a truck with the Hammerdown branding headed towards the warehouse, seeing it from quite a few blocks away with his extended vision.
Fusion does some quick calculations in her head, observing Slade destroy the poor defenseless cinder blocks. "So these would not only do some physical damage to things, they could use these for some brutal breaking and entering into any number of facilities or vehicles. It's amazing just how much water it shoots out..."
"As Haunt says, we should probably get back in soon after making this much noise."
"Update here, I see a truck heading for the warehouse. I can intercept if you like. "
Wait. Keep an eye out and we'll meet you there.
Guys, Quicky's got something. Let's go.
Wingblade drops back to the roof landing hard, a bit damp from flying too close to the water jets. She has an alert, serious look to her when Haunt lets everyone know it's time to move.
"About time. Anyone want a lift?" she asks, itching to take flight again.
Chill out. Adults only. Grab yourself a sippy cup and watch some tv. We'll be back before dinner.
"Roger, waiting for backup. "
"I think anyone on this team can be considered 'adult' for our purposes, and it's Blademaster who gives the orders," Fusion chides.
Shayera glowers at Haunt. "Fine. Have fun walking there, or crossing your fingers hoping that Blue doesn't melt your pants off carrying you. "
She stretches her wings out, getting ready to launch herself back into the air.
Slade gives the trident weapon an appreciative look.
"I'm keeping this."
After Quicky's report:
"All right, let's head out. Don't want to miss anything."
"Don't give me ideas," Fusion chuckles to Shayera. "But the lady who alters everything's molecular structure probably shouldn't carry the guy who can destabilize his own molecular structure anyway. So I guess you're on your own locomotion, Haunt."
She nods to Slade. "Let's do it." She flies off to the position reported, dodging where she can between buildings to hide herself from view where possible.
For as long as possible, Slade tries to keep up with the rest of the group by hopping along rooftops, only resorting to hitching a ride with one of the other members if they get too impatient or Quicky chimes in that things are in urgent need of attention.