"Let's just try talking to him first and see what he says."
MINOTAR leads the group going out to the hanger, plots a course and takes off quickly.
Leon shrugged as the group headed to the Javelin.
”Just sayin, he had those plans locked up in box in the bank vault, so it’s not something he wanted others to know about.”
He pauses as he passes a supply closet, with a mischievous smile he quickly ducks into it. A couple seconds later he rejoins the group wearing a light tan long coat. Once on board he picks a seat and straps himself in.
”Back me up on this Kay.”
He says glancing over at Kestrel.
”That’s gotta mean one of two things. It’s either A, something he’s scared of, or B, he ashamed of. Anyone wanna place bets on which it is?”
Leon chuckles, amused by his own self assured out look on people. As the Javelin takes off he pulls some blank copier paper out of his coat and begins to fold it like origami.
”Any chance you guys have body cams or something? So MINO can have eyes inside with you?”
He asks without looking up from his folding.
Kestrel quirks an eyebrow "There's a few more letters in the alphabet after B, Leon. Bank Vault means it's important, but also something he wants to be accessible to the right people. Scared of or ashamed of seem like they'd be more associated with destroying the plans - at least without other motives alloyed in."
Leon pauses mid-fold and quirks an eyebrow at Kestrel before smirking.
"I believe I asked you to back me up, not shoot me down."
He chuckles again as he goes back to folding.
"Next thing I know, you'll be kicking me while I'm down. If I wanted that, I'd hang around with my brother and sister."
"Why wouldn't you kick someone while they're down? They're that much closer to your foot!"
MINOTAR finally jumps into the conversation at this point.
"Supposition: Its entirely possible the plans were of something dangerous the creator, or owner, didn't want out in the public. Plenty of ideas have been kept hidden to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. It's well documented in the Justice League files. Places such as Blackhawk Island. It was a hidden Allied airfield base where the Blackhawk airmen hid many of the dangerous creations by Nazi scientists during World War II. Examples include fantastical war machines ranging from amphibious "shark planes" and flying tanks, to the aptly named War Wheel, a gigantic rolling behemoth adorned with spikes and machine guns."
"If that were true, why not just hand them over to the authorities?"
MINOTAR answers easily.
"Statement: The general consensus was fear of abuse. Governments are notoriously feared to steal and copy technology for their own agendas. Its entirely possible the Blackhawks feared their own government allies would therefore abuse the same technology and hurt innocents by accident somehow."
"Well, the other possibilites are that the technology needed to create the device isn't available or doesn't work, or that the device is impractical."
"Or that it's the blueprint to a building, and not a device."
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The group arrives at Mr. Cooper's house. At first glance, all is quiet. The truth, however, is more unnerving. The front door is ajar, and the lock shows signs of having been broken. On entry, the place has been completely tossed. Scattered papers lie everywhere, and the furniture is askew and turned over. Fortunately, perhaps, there are no blood spatters and no bodies.
"So, we need to know everything there is to know about Mr. Cooper: where he got his degree, what his specialty is, and so on." says TR aloud as he starts looking around for hiding places that might have been missed.
"Papes, we're gonna need a speed-read on everything floating around."
"But don't touch-touch anything yet!
"There's a lot of debris and scatter-patterns. If the variables haven't been messed with too much, I might be able to recreate this..."
Her eyes glazed over as she went into a waking fugue state. Pupils flickering from paper to paper, to cracked furniture, and scuffed floors. Everything was just data, angles and force, and if she had enough of it, the rest of the equation would become clear...
TR stopped and waited for Kestrel to do...whatever she was doing.
Once informed of the situation, MINOTAR lifts the Javelin off the ground to do a quick search pattern of the local area for anything out of the ordinary.
"Statement: It may be a minor waste of time, but If I see something that may be of significance I will let you all know."
Leon didn't say anything, but there is a mix of concern and suspicion on his face. As they enter the house he glances around, thinking.
"TR," He says, dropping the nicknames for now. "Let's look around while she works in here. If you find the bedroom, see if there are clothes missing. Maybe Mr. Cooper left before this happened."
Leon doubted it. Whoever hit the safety boxes knew which one to go for somehow.
As he moves through the house looking for clues, Leon also uses his abilities to look for hidden papers.
"Sounds good."
Tr picked a different room and started looking around.
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"If he left, it wasn't planned, unless he already had a bag packed."
MINOTAR will use the comms to contact the others who stayed behind.
"Statement: This situation now looks to be a missing persons or kidnapping. Please be advised we can no longer be casual on our interest of this case as an innocent life may be at stake. Coldwar? Try to contact the Justice League headquarters for any information they may have on our missing person that might not be in public records or could be redacted by the government and considered 'Top Secret'. SJ? Please begin searching in the various internet sources, feeds, or 'Dark Web' for any rumors or leads on a device or machine of some sort that uses diamonds or runs on diamonds."
"Copy." Coldwar replies with soldier reflexes kicking in.
Then, he turns the dials and types things into their Justice League computer for any information on our missing person that might not be in public records or could be redacted by the government and considered 'Top Secret'. Then, he asks the JL computer to search various internet sources, feeds, or 'Dark Web' for any rumors or leads on a device or machine of some sort that uses diamonds or runs on diamonds.
Not finding any hidden papers Leon finds his way back into the living room with Rosa and Kestrel, flipping through some of the papers he did pick up. He nods to TR in acknowledgement.
”I can’t make anything out of all these papers. I’d say all this chicken scratch is Greek to me, but I can actually understand Latin. This is worse, it’s math.”
He waves the papers with mock disgust. He looks to Kestrel for any insight she may have pick up out of the mess, then glances around the room.
Kestrel comes back to herself, instantly resuming her habitual small fidgets as her fugue departs.
"There were two assailants. Both of them capable combatants, neither of them superlative. After all, there was a struggle. They were looking for something, but it doesn't seem like they found it - all the likely hiding places were searched, but they were quite thorough afterwards, so we know they weren't successful."
She points to an infinitessimal scuff on the path out of the house. "He left alive."
"What's so confusing about the papers?"
Leon hands Kestrel the few papers he had picked up.
”Nice work, Sherlock. You’ll earn that cowl in no time.”
He teased as he crouched to look at the scuff marks she had indicated.
”Think you can introduce me to Batgirl once they let you into the club?”
Leon gives her a joking smirk before standing up and sounding serious again.
”Could you tell how long ago they grabbed him?”
TR walked back out to the Javelin and asked Minotaur "Can you tell if there are any cameras around here we can check?"
"Statement and Question: I will check with the local authorities. Although if our assailants can 'travel through mirrors' that will preclude traffic cameras. Kestrel, about what time frame do we need the camera footage, assuming you can estimate it?"
"Can the master of mirrors bring others with him through mirrors?"
"They came in through the front door, MINO. I didn't see any mirrors on the lawn, so they must have came and went some how."
Leon looks over at the other two.
"We should question the neighbors. Maybe someone saw something, but were too scared to go to the police."
"Statement and Suggestion: Excellent suggestion Leon. Can the three of you begin a spiral search on the local neighbors and report if you get any hits on our suspects? I am contacting authorities now."
Raising the local police using the non-emergency communications system and requesting logistical aid for Justice League business. He will also report a possible kidnapping in the process, according to the law.
"They came in through the front door, so probably not Mirror Master. An exact time might be impossible, but I'll see what I can figure from the debris..."
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A canvassing of the neighborhood indicates that a man wearing a heavy coat and a second man dressed normally came to visit about four hours ago. No one saw them leave.
The police soon arrive, having been alerted by MINOTAR. They immediately secure the scene and begin an investigation.
An examination of the traffic camera at the approximate time reveals exactly what the neighbors reported. A man in a heavy coat and a second man, dressed normally, enter the residence. There is no indication that they left.
"MINO, See if you can pull up any files on this Mr. Cooper. I'm thinking our Mr. was actually a Dr., so maybe we can get an idea of what kind of stuff he could have been working on."
Leon pulls his phone out.
"I'm gonna see if I can get anything too."
Stepping away from the others Leon hits the call button and waits for someone to pick up.
I figure it is up to the GM to decide, even if she does know or can find out something, whether or not she can or can not tell him anything.
"Statement: I already have Coldwar back at the base contacting the League for possible classified or redacted information on Mr. Cooper. I will add a search for Job Classification and training he may have had."
MINOTAR confrences in Coldwar using the Javelin's comm system.
"Request: Please add work history and possible higher educational references to your search parameters Coldwar. Mr. Cooper is most definitely kidnapped. I also think we are going to be turning over the crime scene to the local authorities soon-ish."
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Dr. Cooper (as he is indeed a PhD) formerly worked for the United States Government in National Defense. He was discharged from a top-secret project after the idea was shelved by the higher-ups. From what little you are able to glean, the project was a weapon of some kind, but there is no indication exactly what it is meant to do.
Kestrel is able to determine that the papers are definitely physics formulae, along with some strange stuff of which she can't make heads or tails.
Tapping a panel on the Javelin to keep it steady, MINOTAR will forward the info to the rest, and ask a follow up request.
"Question: Are there any known associates the doctor may have known previously? Are there any clues in his house that may lead to someone who might know him better than other people Kestrel? Family or friends? Or do the government records connect him to similar people that might have known/worked with him previously Coldwar?
"I wonder if he stole the files or he recreated them from memory." says TR aloud.
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Traffic camera footage shows that they were on foot. The only clue within the house about other family is a picture of who you presume to be the professor standing next to a blond woman. Coldwar can confirm that he has a grown daughter, living in New York City; one Natalie Fremault. Coldwar, you also find no information about anything that uses diamonds, but you do find several references to a supposed "super-weapon" project that the military was working on. Speculation holds that it was some kind of laser weapon. You also find that the professor holds doctorates in physics and mathematics and a master's in engineering.
Over the comms, Coldwar provides, "I haven't found any information about anything that uses diamonds, but I did find several references to a supposed "super-weapon" project that the military was working on. Speculation holds that it was some kind of laser weapon. And, thi professor holds doctorates in physics and mathematics and a master's in engineering."
"Is there any way we can talk to someone else in the project that he was assigned to?"
Setting down the Javelin, MINOTAR signals to the others it is probably time to leave.
"Statement: If his daughter is till alive, she is our only possible living link currently. Let's contact her directly and see if she will to aid us in any way. She may know one of her father's co-workers we could talk to. Does it say what happened to her Mother Coldwar?"
He then preps the Javelin for a possible long-distance call to the Daughter, linking in the others via their commlinks.
"Let me investigate." Coldwar replies to MINOTAR on the comms.
He then looks about what happened to the daughter's mother and potential colleagues of the professor.
Over the comms, Coldwar shares, "It appears the professor was largely a loner. His daughter, 28 years old, moved to Metropolis about 8 years ago when she wed a Charles Fremault. And her mother, Angelica Cooper, was murdered."
Research the murder and Charles Fremault for background information that might be relevant to the case.
"Statement: I will place a call to the daughter now and see if she is willing to talk."
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MINOTAR places a call to Natalie Fremault and, after getting permission, patches her through to the comms.
"Reassuring statement and query: Greeting ma'am, we are members of the Justice League and we have reason to believe your father may have been abducted by person or persons unknown. We understand your father was a scientist and engineer of some sort. Could you clarify? We have come to suspect whomever took him had nefarious ideas about his previous designs and ideas. Could you offer any information as to his previous work and if it had anything to do with diamonds? We understand you may be upset at this information, but with a possible kidnapping, time is of the essence as I understand such things and anything you say could aid us in our search for him. Please note you are on a conference call with several of my colleagues and they may chime in as needed."