Lawrence sputters as the small office becomes very cramped with the sudden appearance of two more hero-types. "What the--?!? Where are you all coming from?"
He turns to Femtite. "How could you know that? You got this place bugged? Is this some sort of corporate espionage? Yeah, there's different batches, going to different schools. It's like, scientific, you know? What do they call that, like, a control group?"
Glaring at Horizon, he sets his jaw. "I don't see why you need to go that far, you've already got my place bugged, huh? Go ahead, read my mind, bring the bird into it! She'll see! I'm legit!!"
For whatever reason, you can't seem to trigger the formula with the cypher like before. The problem is, you're not sure how you did it in the first place.
Femtite crosses her arms. “You are most certainly not legit.” She can’t stand not saying the whole word. “…i…mate.
“You have minors unwittingly consuming your products. Did both the students and their parent and/or legal guardians sign an agreement and/or permission slip? We can’t even watch a movie in history class because one student didn’t turn in a slip—like the queen of the world has nothing better to do with her time than consent to my viewing of depictions of twentieth century war—but… let’s not make this about my plummeting popularity.
“You can’t conduct a Coke Vs. Pepsi taste test without permission, never mind a drug trial. The legality of the substance doesn’t change this.”
She has no idea how accurate her information is. But that Infipedia article she read via MindLink a few minutes ago gave her ideas, as gosh-darn-it, she’s gonna use what she’s got!
"If you think this is legitimate, you are dumber than you look... think, dude! If this thing was indeed what you think it is, why would you be supplying teens in secret, and not in well secured labs?" Caio asks, annoyed about Lawrence's stupidity.
”This guy’s just a patsy. We need to find out who he’s really working for,” Max says, tail flicking back and forth in annoyance. ”He may not even know.”
"If it's legit, there's a paper trail you should be able to show us before walking directly out of our lives. If not, you should be realizing right about now how much s#%+ you're in. As long as you're not like, allergic to making things easier for yourself, spilling what you do know is a pretty obvious next step."
"The FDA doesn't oversee herbal supplements! Nothing I'm doing is illegal!" The office gets even more crowded as Conflux steps in. He throws up his hands. "Now who are you? Do I need to start over? Spill what? I ain't got nothing to spill, I ain't doing anything wrong! You telling me over and over ain't changing my mind!"
====================
Indarius keeps trying but he can't seem to get the journal to re-access the image of Doctor Infinity.
"...Yeah, he definitely doesn't know. So here's the scoop," Horizon says. "A student who had been taking your supplement mutated into a cat-hybrid. If your supplement is the cause, if everyone that's taken it is in danger of suddenly transforming, you're an accessory after the fact," Horizon informs him. "Teratogen really changed up the laws when it comes to drugs that alter people permanently."
"Who the f&#% was talking about the FDA? Poisoning people is still illegal anyways numbnuts! Anyways, I don't care about you confessing, I just want invoices and contact information for your manager."
“Food and Drugs… of America? Well the F is definitely for food. Herbal supplements that turn people into cats…”
Femtite looks confused.
“How is that not a drug then? Food doesn’t have side-effects.”
Seeing Connie is much more focused, she says, “Yes, as she says. Oh, but I melted your phone. Umm… just give us the manager’s name. I can get the contact info.” Again, the whole word sounds better. “Rrr-mation.”
Caio sighs and turns around, believing they will get nothing from Lawrance. Instead, he looks around, trying to find anything that would lead them to the manufacturer... a distinguishable scent, mud, a flyer from a pizza...
Lawrence's head whips around as he's berated from all sides. "I know my rights! The investors are anonymous. The people I've got making the pills are just folks looking for work. I've never met the chemist in person. I've only spoken with him on the phone. His name is Nathaniel Rohde. That's it. Anything else, you talk to my lawyer."
Caio explores the rest of the warehouse and finds where the pills are being manufactured. The various herbs and the empty capsules and crates of filled pill bottles are stacked in different locations around the delivery van. Each crate is labeled with a different school -- Halcyon North, Franklin High, Halcyon Prep, and so on.
"Well, I guess that's all you know. I appreciate your cooperation," Horizon said as he checks with Clocktower to see if there's any information on a Nathaniel Rohde. He also checks and has the super computer try different anagrams to see if there's any phrase or name from a different arrangement that stands out.
"...Hmm. Lionhearted, with some extra letters. Probably a coincidence," he determines, before calling Whippoorwill.
"Sensei, we've raided the warehouse. Got more information. These pills were being made here, but there's something that's unique to each batch going to a different high school. Femtite found some trace that indicates it might be linked to each one's mascot. We also got a name for the chemist - Nathaniel Rohde, spelled R-O-H-D-E. I'm having Clocktower look him up now. I'm going to call in the police to come and start collecting evidence so we can build up the case against Lawrence and who he's working for, but he's lawyering up so I don't think we can press him any further."
Max walks away from Lawrence and looks out over the warehouse. There's not much more to be done here, but the whole investigation is far from over.
Once Horizon has finished calling Whippoorwill, she steps up beside him. "Hey. This is some messed up s&!* going down here, huh? Was Grace taking these pills, too? Have you talked to her about them?"
"NOT. HERE."
Horizon has been cool as space for the time they've been interviewing Lawrence, but the moment that Max mentions Grace to him, his masks slips and she sees that he is boiling with anger underneath. He reins it back enough to speak calmly again to her, but she's aware that poking at it might cause him to lash out.
"Help Caio inventory all of the drugs. If there's anything that looks like it was shipped out, let me know." There also the other worry. "There's a chance that being deprived of these pills is what will trigger their transformations too. It's insidious if that's true. Imagine if the supply was suddenly cut off, and within a week thousands of students across Halcyon had transformed into their mascots. Maybe that was the plan all along."
With that, he goes back to his call with his mentor, hoping to get some good insight from her.
Max's eyes narrow when Horizon blows up at her. Her tail begins to twitch, but she grits her teeth and keeps a hold of herself. "Right. I'm all over it, jefe," she says, the last word thick with sarcasm. She turns and stalks away from Horizon.
Caio takes pictures of everything with his phone, then takes a couple samples of each different crates as well as fills a couple bottles with the herbs being used to manufacture the pills.
Once he is done with that, he goes back to Lawrence and very openly gets his scent profile.
"Nathaniel Rohde? That's Chiros' real name. Okay, this just got upgraded to a Level One threat. Stay there and secure the warehouse until specialists can arrive. Make sure the Mongrels aren't there -- check for basements, sublevels, anything nearby where they might be hiding. Wait. How much of your team's there? Probably shouldn't engage unless you've got numerical superiority. Vespid's still in custody, so you've got four of them to worry about. I'm going to see who from the Alliance or Heralds can be there to back you up."
"Understood. We'll secure the warehouse," Horizon says, going to find Caio.
"We need to double check this place. Look for sewer and basement access, make sure that no one else is here. This is the Mongrels' doing for certain. Chiros is Nathaniel Rohde."
He calls up SG on the comms. "We might be in for a big fight soon...I could use your help." He leaves it at that before calling up Percy. "Big fight might need the whole team here. Get to my location as fast as you can," He requests.
He searches the ground floor, looking for any sort of subterranean access that might be where they find the Mongrels coming in from. He's secretly a little glad that it might come down to a fight. He has some issues to work out.
Working alongside Caio, Max hears Horizon's confirmation about the Mongrels' involvement. Once Horizon moves off, she turns to Caio.
"Caio, I know you've had some dealings with the Mongrels. Things are still kinda weird between us. But I've got your back. We'll fight together, and we'll make sure Chiros pays for what he's been doing."
Femtite makes sure Connie has the Bug before she shrinks small enough to fit between floorboards, or even smaller if she needs to fit between molecular structures.
She tries to be thorough in seeking out underground access.
"F@%+!" Caio swears and punches the side of the truck as Horizon tells him about the Mongrel's confirmed involvement, making a hole in it as his hand appears bloodied on the other side, quickly healing. "Oh, they will f~%#ing pay for all of this s&@$."
Caio turns to Max as she speaks to him. "I was stupid in thinking they should get a second chance... f$*#! I've been working on helping them for the last two weeks, but all this s&*! was probably already going on!" He punches the truck again, barely containing the wolf.
Caio sighs, still angry. "And I've got yours, Max. We do not need to keep things strange between us... what happened, happened. Let's move on... I want you back by my side as usual." He offers Max his hand... if she takes if, Caio will pull her towards him for a good old hug.
Max lets Caio pull her into the hug. She wraps her own arms around him, holding him tightly. "I've missed you," she says quietly. And then she starts to cry.
She'd been putting up a very thick wall around her own fears and insecurities for the past week or so, but the familiar embrace of an old friend knocks it down in an instant. She cries into Caio's shoulder for a good long while, then finally pulls away, wiping at her eyes.
"Sorry, I... There's a lot going on that I haven't told you about. We need to be focused on our mission now. But, once this is all done, we will talk. In the meantime... Let's go kick some Mongrel ass!"
”Been off comms for a while. What happened at the warehouse?” Steel Guardians robotic voice comes across comms.
Max smiles at the sound of SG's synthesized voice. "We learned the Mongrels are behind the whole pill distribution. We're going to track them down and stop them. Meet us at the warehouse!"
After Caio sniffs Lawrence he scowls. After Horizon briefs the team (unless it's in private and he's deliberately kept out of earshot), the ex-con shakes his head. "Man, that's messed up. No way. I was told it was totally legal..." he keeps muttering to himself.
============
The search of the warehouse doesn't turn up much beyond the delivery van and the supplies of the pills. The floor is reinforced concrete and solidly constructed.
============
To go beneath the heavy concrete floor, Femtite has to go quite small, which means it takes her a while to get through the spaces where the concrete is thickest. After a several minutes of traveling, the molecules finally open up signifying an open space.
To actually see anything beyond the atomic structures, Femtite has to get big again. It's dark, nearly lightless, in this large space beneath the warehouse. Knowing that there were subway lines at least nearby, she has to wonder if this underground space was related to that system.
There are odd fibrous strands cris-crossing in random directions, Femtite discovers. She flies through them as she explores the dark space, until she accidentally touches one and is stuck fast! The strand is some kind of web with a staticky cling! She tugs and pulls and even tries to shrink but something in the static is keeping her at just above doll-size!
Then, before she's able to issue a warning or cry for help, a large black shape moves in the darkness rapidly along the webs. She feels something bite down on her, and her consciousness fades!
Your mind-link with Femtite just sees the atomic structures of concrete for several minutes. It's taking a while for her to move through all that flooring, during which time Devil Diva and Caio seem to be hugging it out, and Horizon is freaking out over what his mentor has just told him. While everyone else is distracted, Lawrence seems to be trying to casually meander towards the door.
Suddenly, you notice that Femtite's feed is near absolute blackness, signifying she's somewhere else. However, Lawrence takes this moment to slip out his office door and leave!
But just as that happens, Femms' feed goes all wonky and then cuts off!
What do you do??
"Oh s++&!"
"Femms? You reading me Femms?"
"Femms just f@!!ing went dark. She found somewhere below the floor, but something got her. S%*+!"
She gestured and the room sealed shut before Lawrence could get away. "Hey Larry. Time to tell us how to get down to the basement or I will beat you in the face with a shovel until I think of something you'll dislike more. Vague threats help no one."
Not trusting his sense of self-preservation, she started her own search. Entrance can't be far or what's the point. The floor was thick so it won't just be a trap door...
"S~#@! Femms!" Max shouts when Connie raises the alarm. Not wanting to waste time, the demoness begins punching down at the floor and ripping with her claws. Dark energies glow around her as she uses her inhuman might to smash her way to the basement!
"Percy, SG! Femtite's in trouble! We need you!" Horizon says over the comms as he follows Diva while she smashes into the concrete floor. He takes his own time to try and help her carve up the stones with his own power - though he figures she doesn't really need the help all too much!
"Fem, can you hear me? What's going on? Where are you right now?" He calls out on the team channel to see if she can hear him.
Femtite does not reply to the unheard message. Her comm is wired into the Bug, so Horizon is probably aware Fem’s comm is ‘on.’ But she is unresponsive.
”Coming! Regular suit or Wrecker!?!?” SG asks.
"We might need the Wrecker for this one," Max opines.
"That is ok, Max, I also have some heavy stuff on my shoulders... I really miss you as my best friend." He says, nodding to Max, but then their moment is gone with Connie's alarm.
Caio quickly shifts into his menacing form to help Max get through the floor, alternating between clawing through it and smashing the stone, while also sniffing around just in the case he catches Femms' scent.
"Basement!?! There's no basement!" Lawrence says.
Devil Diva is making progress, but the thick concrete foundation is reinforced for supporting heavy loads and equipment so it is slow going. Caio tries to help but his punches are getting absorbed by the concrete pads. He also comes to the conclusion that going through the floor is the long way.
Embracing his animal instincts, he starts moving around the warehouse. He slips outside and circles around to the back, where he finds a small maintenance shed. Checking it out, he discovers that it's built over a manhole that has seen some recent use based on the scraped rust of the heavy metal lid.
It's an easy task to toss the lid aside and slide down the access shaft deep into darkness.
There are metal rungs, but only for about the first ten feet, and then they appear to have been removed or rusted off. Caio has to slow his descent using his claws until the shaft opens into a larger chamber. He drops the remaining distance -- probably at least thirty feet or so -- and lands on a sticky sheet of some kind of cloth or sponge. Caio discovers it's very hard to move on it.
There are no lights except in a distant end of what appears to be an underground train or subway tunnel. There's one small point of light that appears to be covered in a gauzy material hanging suspended about ten feet above him.
Out of the gloom comes a voice he recognizes. "Why, Caio! How nice of you to drop in. Though considering the place from where you've arrived, can I assume my herbal supplement operation has been discovered?"
"I had this plan already underway weeks before we met," Chiros' voice echoes out of the darkness. "With multiple plans, one has multiple avenues for success. And your friend is safe, we just had to remove her as a threat. Her physiology is of no use to me.
"Come now, Caio! I've studied your career since we've met. You and your team. You have friends who aren't accepted! Wouldn't your devil friend love to have that Reverend and his oh-so-holy flock sprout horns and a tail? This is more than us gaining acceptance! This is about revenge!"
What do you do??
"Chiros... your multiple plans will always end up in multiple failures because you are blind to what your problem is. You complain about others seeing you as monsters, but you act as freaking monsters!" He says, angry and guilty of ever being fooled by him.
"Max would never want the Reverend to be changed, for it would not help her at all! In fact, it would only prove to people that she was a danger to be feared... You are not looking for acceptance. You are looking to harm people as much as you were harmed, and they will never accept you once they discover you were the ones who f%*%ed up with their lives. And I'm not f@#~ing let you do it!"
Caio reaches for his comms. "I've found Chiros. There is an entrance on a shed behind the warehouse." With that, Caio shifts back to his wolf form, clawing around to release himself, going after Chiros!
Indarius and Steel Guardian arrive. Devil Diva's dug about twenty feet into the ground, past the concrete flooring and is now carving through bedrock. Finally, she's feeling something as the ground is cracking and starting to give way beneath her...
Just then, Caio's message comes through! He's found the Mongrels!
What do you do??
Caio shreds through the spongy flooring and drops through about five feet, landing on a stone and gravel floor.
"Look at you! You're a beast, like us! That's all you'll be, and that's all anyone will ever see you as! But it's our time! Throw off the yoke and judgment of humanity and embrace your true nature!" Chiros shouts.
Suddenly, out of the darkness a sleek, furred shape dives at Caio! He smells female canine, and can barely make out Terrier in the gloom. She slashes at him, but this time, her claws are tipped with silver!!
|
With a blasting chill of Tundra level winds and ice Indarius and Steel Guardian come rippling through the aether in the tunnels, it takes the mage a moment to reorient himself in the new dark space and take in the information. Also with two very close together teleportations he needs a moment to recharge a bit.
"We're here Caio hold on!"
Indarius begins drawing a magical ley-circle, Steel Guardian being in such close proximity, and temporarily super-cooled thanks to the tundra-level chill of the portal would 'feel' the air get very tingly. Before a large runic circle of power burned itself into the floor centered on the mage.
Max redoubles her efforts, and soon enough, the ground gives way and she drops down into the subway tunnel! She lands in a crouch, her sharp senses picking out Caio and Terrier clashing in the gloom.
"Get away from him!" she shrieks, her eyes glowing a malevolent red. It is not Max now, but Devil Diva, who rushes towards the melee and leaps into the fray! Claws, horns, and tail rip and stab as she snarls and hisses like a beast unleashed!
Steel Guardian rumbles down through the tunnel Diva dug, blasting through bits that weren’t wide enough for them. ”Alright, you punks! Who wants some?” they say as they touch down.
"YOU ARE WRONG! BUT THIS NIGHT, I'LL BE THE BEAST! AOOOOOO!" Caio growls back and howls, the menacing sounds echoing throughout the tunnels.
Despite her speed, Caio sees Terrier pouncing at him. He sidesteps, evading her claws and then going after Chiros!
Horizon flies down after SG and releases a burst of light and heat he's been storing to give some brief visibility on their targets.
"Keep them from getting in close! Ground the fliers too!" He says while taking his moment to consider all of the angles.
Caio dodges the attack of Terrier. Just then, Devil Diva drops in from a collapsed part of the ceiling in full demonic fury! Her terrifying visage sends the wolf-woman running with her tail between her legs, but the same terrifying viciousness strikes Caio -- is this what his friend is capable of? Has she truly embraced the demon?!?
Steel Guardian flies into the subway tunnel after Devil Diva's entrance, and is immediately accosted by a massive being. Easily the same size as their wrecker armor, Warthog is more than a match for the oversized suit of power armor! The Mongrel grabs the armored hero and starts pounding the metal chassis with super strength!
Caio catches the scent of Chiros and dashes after him. He runs into the darkness and finds the Mongrel leader. The chiropteran falls back away from the werewolf's vicious claws, as he throws up blocks and walls. He flings crates and shelves at the Bull to keep him at bay!
Horizon drops down into the chamber after SG, and gets his bearings. He sees that they're in an abandoned subway tunnel, so more than likely there is another exit at one or both of the far ends. Collapsing the tunnel would definitely cut off their avenue of escape and force them to confront his team. He sees that Terrier is fleeing from him and that Warthog is pounding on Steel Guardian. He'd faced Warthog before and knows that the half-man, half-porcine hybrid has prodigious strength and toughness. More likely Terrier or one of the other Mongrels is vulnerable to him -- like Harpy. Just as he realizes she's likely lying in wait, there's a flap of avian wings and wicked talons lash out at him!
"We've been recruiting too, you know!" Chiros says to Caio as he evades the werewolf's claws and fangs. "Meet Joro!"
A humanoid spider drops out of the darkness and flings a thick strand of webbing at Devil Diva!
”Whoa! Easy Piggy! Chill the Hell out!” Steel Guardian says as they reel backwards!
”Target has breached safe ranged firing solution distance. Adjusting combat calculations to melee,” Codex says to their pilot.
They then begin trying to grab and shove Warthog away!
Horizon gets slammed and torn up by Harpy's attacks. His uniform chest piece is ripped off and several jagged lines are torn into the under fabric, blood welling up through them. He grits and bears it, not letting the pain get to him.
"It's funny, but I've picked up some tricks for this," He tells her with a bloodied smirk.
His hands palms something from his utility belt. The compact, almost pill shaped device flies out from his hand to strike Harpy dead center. In an instant it explodes in black smoke, obscuring her vision as he also cherry tapped her with his fist into her solar plexus!
Caio growls again, focusing on all the rage he is feeling. The wolf wants to be let loose, but Caio will not let this happen... even the Mongrels deserve what the wolf would like to do to them.
Looking around, he sees Horizon being clawed by Harpy, Steel Guardian being pummeled by Warthog and Max entangled in Joro's webs... Femms was nowhere to be seen.
Caio's wards burn brighter than ever, his flesh burning from the magic... until they all fade, Caio disappearing into the dark.
A huge paw grabs Chiro's ankle and smashes him against the ground before throwing him against Joro. The Wolf emerges from the shadows, a feet taller than before. All rage, all blood lust. "AAAAAOOOOO!"
Max strains at the webs entrapping her. She hears the shouts of her teammates getting pummeled around her but she ignores them, focusing only on her rage and her desire to hurt these villains who planned to hurt so many others.
The webs tear apart, and she hops away from Joro. She looks around and sees Harpy coughing and trying to clear the smoke from her eyes. The perfect target. Her eyes flare red as she rushes over to the winged woman and pounces on her, bearing her to the ground. Max punches her, again and again and again.
|
|
Having sufficiently reoriented and charged up Indarius opens with a threatening volley of, protective ice shells for everyone well mostly just Horizon for the moment.
Ĭ̸̜̦͎̿̈̒i̴̘̤̝͗ẕ̸̯͇͊̕ ̵͔̖͛Ș̵̒p̴̂͘͜͝ͅã̷̧̤̠ḁ̶̦͚̬̓͛̃n̵͕̰͙̎̄͒͂ ̵̨̥̤̐N̷̮̟͓̑̓̈́̽ì̶͙i̵̟͓͓̖͊̈́n̸̡̤̈̇̊͝
The magic circle flairs and a large wall of permafrost erupts between Horizon and Harpy at the last possible moment allowing him to return the favor with his own strike. But he seems fairly focused on the task for the moment.
He shrinks at Caio's howl echoing through the subway hall, louder than it had been ever before man he really was pissed off today. It took a moment to realize that the warding glyphs weren't present. "Everyone I think the wolf is loose... like.. the ACTUAL one. Caio if you're in there try not to rip them in two!"
Steel Guardian resists the initial onslaught of the massively powerful Warthog, but their counter-attack is ineffective. They wind up and throw a heavy punch that is caught easily mid-swing. The porcine hybrid snorts once, then barrels into the armored hero, smashing them through the wall and out of sight!
Horizon and Devil Diva combine to attack Harpy, the Protégé flinging a disrupting device with the demon girl following up with a heavy blow!
The avian woman is flung back in a rain of feathers. She recovers briefly as she shrieks, "Why are you attacking us!?! You should be going after Oesterhausen!" as she implicates others in guilt. Harpy then retaliates by unleashing a sonic scream at her two attackers!
Indarius realizes the sonic assault might be too much for Horizon, so he throws up a barrier around the hero. However, the feedback of the scream hits him instead!
As all this happens, Caio unleashes the wolf fully! In his rage and righteous indignation, nothing can stand before him. Not beast men, not the powers they bring to bear. He's unstoppable!!