Sam catchers Maggie Buckner in the morning before heading to speak to AEGIS. He'd been up all night considering things, and realized he hadn't eaten, drank, or slept since the storm. And he didn't feel hungry, thirsty or tired. This thing wasn't going to leave his life the way it was. Even now, his appointment with AEGIS was going to interfere with his shift. He couldn't think of a way to balance this. A realization had come to him.
Sam smiles as he approaches Maggie. "Hey, Mags. Look, I wanted to give you a heads up. I appreciate everything we talked about the other day. I'm sorry for the position it put you in. I've decided to tell the boss, see where things fall. I can't live my life as a lie, ain't my style." Sam's smile fades, and the lines around his eyes seem deeper. "Just wanted to thank you for being there."
Sam then walks into the boss's office and tells him everything, holding nothing back. He leaves it up to the boss about where things lie regarding the job, any criminal charges, etc. If he seems amenable, he mentions the idea he had about a liaison position with the new hero group Mars is setting up, and suggests Maggie as a potential candidate. If somehow his boss is willing to let him keep the badge, he also suggests himself, perhaps in concert with Maggie.
Spoiler#2 AEGIS
Spoiler:
Provided Sam wasn't arrested/detained:
Gumshoe enters the room, sitting down before the two analysts. His rubber face melts off, leaving Sam in his normal appearance.
(if he still has his badge:) Sam places his badge on the table "Detective Sam Dumas, ECPD, aka Gumshoe. You have some questions?"
(if his badge was taken/he was fired:) "Sam Dumas, former Detective ECPD, aka Gumshoe. You had some questions?"
• Can you please give us an overview of your powers inasmuch as you’re familiar with them?
"I've been converted into a kind of super-pliable gel-like substance, quick, flexible, and resilient, able to leap extreme distances, stick to surfaces, and snap projectiles at high speeds. I heal pretty fast, and haven't had to eat or sleep since the Storm."
• How long have you been operating as a “hero?”
"The Storm was chaos. People needed help, and it's my job to provide that help. Since then, these kids have needed a bit of a father figure, and it didn't seem right to abandon them or see them let the power go to their heads and start acting more like criminals than heroes. Some of them don't know what kinds of boundaries they should set."
• What motivated you to start?
"I just answered that."
• What were you doing on the day of the Silver Storm that you were able to get there so quickly?
"My first day off in a month, my niece's birthday. I was shopping for her present. And thanks to the Storm, I missed it anyway."
• Did you know any of the others before Mars recruited you?
"We were already starting to work as a team before Mars called us here. Before the Storm, I'd say none of us had met. And if the nannites had warped our minds like it has to the other Storm victims, we may not be sitting here now. The Shadow Man was helping us from hiding, didn't reveal himself until the fight with the capes. The android, Prime, also showed up at Mars' building, but the rest of us have been working the case in the open, together, since the Storm."
• Did you know Maximilian Mars previous to your encounter with F.O.E. and the Freedom League at MarsTech?
"I've lived here pretty much all my life, so yeah, I knew Mars. Never met him though."
• Are your powers dangerous to others in any way… other than when you use them on someone?
"Hopefully you can figure that out. Prime seems to have indicated the nannites have gone dormant since infecting us, but who's to say they won't reactivate given the right circumstances. Those of us on the team infected could be carriers."
• Where did you get your powers, or if you’re not comfortable revealing that, what’s their origin?
"I guess the popular term floating about is I'm a Stormer."
• How long have you had your powers and how experienced are you with them?
"Quite a checklist you got here. Silver Storm, what three days now? Four? I haven't slept, seems twice that long. Haven't exactly spent my days practicing in any non-practical sense of the word."
• Why did you decide to become a, pardon the term, vigilante instead of joining a government agency or program?
"Necessity. The other Stormers, the ones whose minds were affected by the nannites, and the bystanders who were in danger, made it necessary to step outside the bounds of my normal duties. Since then, I've been trying to keep these kids within the boundaries of the law, or at least on the boundaries' edges."
• Do you have military experience?
Sam shakes his head no. "Law enforcement."
• Do you hold advanced degrees of any kind, such as engineering or the like?
Sam shakes his head no. "Law enforcement."
• Do you know first aid?
Sam shakes his head yes. "Law enforcement."
"Another thing, Mr. Mars. I think it might be worthwhile to look into people with a beef against you, seeing as someone seems to be trying hard to point a finger your way in all of this. So, if you wouldn't mind compiling a list. What do you know about Redshift Energies?" Gumshoe puts on his best Columbo 'one more thing' impression.
Gumshoe considers for a moment. "We should also arrange for a liaison officer with the police if possible. Someone to help with the paperwork, and someone we can exchange information with, keep the police in the loop with our activities and vice versa. Wouldn't want to accidentally ruin any cases ECPD is working on. Wouldn't hurt to have the same thing with AEGIS either."
I know a few people would be good for the job.
"I think the android has some fair points. Feel free to put me under the microscope, Prime."
How about the "(Emerald City)Eyes(in the Storm)" lol
Gumshoe doesn't pry into Raven's conversation with Mars, turning his attention to Dan instead. He approaches the young man and offers his hand "Wanted to say thanks for all your help these last few days. I understand the need for privacy, so I won't bug ya about the whole shadowy/mysterious gig ya got going. Just glad to have your help." he smiles.
Gumshoe feels the aches and pains of the battle already fading. He has a pretty good idea who took Mars and sends an IM to Dan by replying to the IM Dan had sent him earlier.
Looks like Raven's here and got the Doc's lights put out. Is Mars secured?
He takes another quick look around to make sure there aren't any other bystanders in harms way, pinned under anything, or otherwise injured or in danger while he awaits a response.
Gumshoe jumps down adjacent to Seven. "Talk your teammates out of this insanity. We're not your enemies, even if Mars is." action: Actively defending self.
Gumshoe flinches and turns liquid. this is new"Wait... there's been a mistake..." of all the cliches, I gotta fall into the middle of superhero on superhero meet-up brawl.
"Well, ya probably should have tried talking before B&E, A&B, kidnapping, or whatever else you had in mind. Still, you've got a point about Mr. Mars here and his tech contacts. Hopefully he can help us find out what's what." Gumshoe says to Cannon. He looks at Mars, not expecting an answer, but looking for any betrayals in his demeanor.
Gumshoe smiles "And I thought I was the comedian here. 'Wah, we're losing, let us go and we'll you what we know.' Tell ya what, bucko, tell us what you know and we won't fill your unconscious partners here in on how you tried to rat and bail on them." he jerks his thumb towards the unconscious villains.
"Sure, Officer. That sounds like as good place as any to get started. Call me Gumshoe. We're waiting on a doctor from the university to join us as well. His name is Dr. Prim. Hopefully he'll be able to shed some light on what happened. I'd like to see what you've got done in the meantime, see if I can add anything to the forensic analysis."
Right, I'll keep the discussion with Buckner in spoilers and continue the main topic(s) out of spoilers.
Spoiler:
"I know, Maggie, that has me worried too. We still don't have answers to the most pressing questions. Besides the who, how, and why, though... Is this permanent?" Sam sighs, shaking his head. "I don't feel any different, but would I know it if I were? That's part of why I wanted to tell you, Maggie. You've known me for years. You'd know if I was going crazy, I hope. As for the chief... if I told him, he'd probably have to fire me, put me on medical leave, or have me locked up... and then what good would I be for the victims of this attack? He's a good man, and I trust him, but I couldn't open him up to the s#~+storm that'd rain down on him if he knew about this and protected it from the public. I feel bad enough putting this on your shoulders."
Gumshoe arrives half an hour before the designated time to case the area before "showing up". Besides his "rubberized" look, he now sports a suit, trenchcoat, and fedora.
"Officer... Brown, right?" He keeps his voice an octave higher than usual. "Yeah, we're here to help. Just gathering together and sharing information. We'll be sure to call that detective... Buckner, right? Yeah, Buckner. We'll fill her in once we've been filled in ourselves. Any info you can share with us at this point?"
Just piping in to say waiting on a couple responses.
** spoiler omitted **
Also I've heard back from Nanael's player. He won't be able to continue at this time, so I'll be removing her for now. If he's able to find time to come back, I am leaving it open.
Yeah, I thought I'd do the monologue there, get her response, and then sort of summarize the rest to get back on track with the meeting.
Sam invites Detective Buckner in, "Thanks for coming, Maggie. I know you've had a long day and it's late. Wanna beer or some coffee?"
Once he's gotten her a beverage, he lets out a long, slow breath, and then gathers himself for what's to come. "The reason I asked you to come over actually has a few things to do with the explosion. I was down there, Maggie. I saw the Redshift Energy truck right before it exploded. I was caught in that cloud of... whatever." He lets the implication sink in.
"You saw what it did to folks, Maggie. And the chaos it caused. Someone is responsible for this. Someone at Redshift, or higher up the food chain, or someone with an axe to grind against them. And if I wasn't right down there, in the middle of it all, I'd be right beside you finding out through proper procedures."
"But that gas... it did this to me." Sam allows his skin to rubberize and becomes Gumshoe. "And those kids- the ones that were helping control the chaos-- and the ones whose minds were twisted-- may not have as long as it usually takes us to get the answers. So, I'm going to help them... as... this.." he waves his arm, indicating his rubber form.
Sam calls his boss and tells him he was out of communication because he was at his nieces' party. He'll report in as soon as possible. His boss yells at him for awhile, and he complains about never getting a real day off, and then he calls his sister and tells her that the explosion meant he had to work, he's sorry he couldn't make the party, but he'll drop by tonight with a present for his niece.
This is going to get complicated.
Then, he calls Dr. Prim and asks him to be at the meeting with whatever he has found.
Now for the hardest call of all..."Hello, Maggie? We need to talk; can you meet me at my place?"
Sam realized he was going to need Maggie Buckner's help if he was going to balance life on the force with life as a super. And those kids seemed like they were going to need his help. Maggie seemed more agreeable to the whole super hero concept than most of the other cops he knew. Plus, she needed to know what they found out about Redshift, especially the missing truck and concealed weapon. They needed to get that warrant served and keep the pressure on that cretin.
Gumshoe returns home, making sure to be as stealthy as possible, avoiding anyone catching him entering his house. He moves into the bathroom, checking himself over in the mirror. He sees that his features have all been smeared and his face looks like a featureless blob of flesh. Staring at his hands, he sees that they have also been "rubberized".
He strips down, seeing that his entire body has been affected.
What am I going to do about this? he begins rubbing his face, and the excess flesh begins to peel off. Uhh.. what the hell? He moves into the shower, turning on the water and scrubbing.. flesh falls into the tub and melts down the drain like a kind of syrup.
After scrubbing thorough, San wipes the humidity off the mirror and thankfully recognizes his old, familiar face. Just temporary, then. or something else. Hmnnn. He concentrates momentarily on his hand and it "jells" back up. Looking again into the mirror, he sees the effect has made him completely unrecognizable again.
Another shower and scrubbing leaves Gumshoe down the drain and Sam back to himself. Now, how do I explain this to the boss? He picks up his phone....
"Well, we've already got a friend sneaking around in there." Gumshoe shows the others the text he received. "Seems they're missing a truck after all." he sighs "I don't know about the rest of you, but this morning's events have kind of thrown off my whole day. I need to figure a few things out. But there's definitely something going on here. If someone has time, it might be wise to stake out the building."
"Maybe we could meet back at the crime scene in a few hours? I'll get in touch with Dr. Prim and see what he's found out, and maybe let the Detective know what we've got going on so far. What do you think, guys?"
Gumshoe looks at the message, and a smile plays across his lips. This is good info for Buckner. I'll be sure to pass it along. Looks like I was right about shadowguy. But this scientist isn't going to give any ground with his prejudices. Just got to delay him long enough for the shadowguy to get out.
"Ok, Doctor, we'll leave- for now, anyway. Expect a visit from the police soon."
Years of police work and dealing with all sorts of lying scumbags makes figuring out these deflections a bit easier. The Doctor isn't hiding his prejudice, but I don't think it's merely powers that are freaking him out. Now to soften things up and offer him a way out.
"Doctor, if your company is innocent of any wrongdoing and it's really only our unique situation as victims of whatever that explosion was that's making you so nervous, perhaps you should call Detective Buckner down at ECPD, and invite her to come have a look. It'll certainly beat having a bunch of our kind poking around your facilities, and go a long way towards improving the public's opinion of Redshift Energy's alleged involvement in the incident. A decorated police officer like her wouldn't be a threat towards any scientific secrets or patents you're working on, right?" Gumshoe gauges the man's reaction to the suggestion of police at his facility carefully.
"That's pretty strange, Doctor Brown, considering that there were several witnesses who saw one of your trucks at the epicenter of the explosion. I also find it interesting that you refer to us as experiments. I don't know about the rest of my friends here, but I don't take kindly to someone experimenting on my biological make-up." Gumshoe stands within the man's personal space without touching him. "Why it's the sort of thing that might drive those who were arrested this morning into frenzied attacks. Certainly, reports of Redshift's involvement, even unproven allegations, could be disastrous for an alternate energy company's PR, to say nothing of the effect it would have on government support of said company."
"But you're right, we don't have a warrant. The people who deal with those will be along later. Maybe today, maybe tomorrow. Because with those witness accounts, I'm sure Judge Watson or Fergusson will be issuing one in no time. Too bad you weren't more willing to help us out. You know, prove your company's innocence in all this."
"Good morning, sir. We need to speak with the person in charge of shipping. My name is Gumshoe, and these are my.. teammates, Breakneck, Nanael, Straightjacket, and umn. The Evil Eye." Sam winced a bit under his rubbery skin. He felt a little ridiculous using these codenames, but he wasn't about to introduce himself as a ECPD Detective. "I'm sure you'll have to make a call... we'll wait over here."
Gumshoe dragged his companions over away from the desk guard, but close enough to watch and observe his conversation.
1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21 Persuasion: Sam uses his "Cop" voice of authority to give the impression they're on serious business and it's in the company's best interest to cooperate
1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22 Insight:Sam gauges the guard's reaction to their presence: is he nervous, anxious, or merely confused and polite... also his conversation with the authority figure, how is he reacting to telling the boss supers are here?
"I know where it is and I'm pretty sure I can jump over there pretty quickly as well. Breakneck and Nanael have their own means of transit, and you seem strong enough to give Evil Eye a lift if he needs one. So, I guess, just follow me." with that, Gumshoe begins by leaping to a rooftop and then jumps from roof to roof to avoid traffic below.
"That shadow guy's probably around somewhere close-by, maybe listening. Why don't the rest of us try the front door approach. Maybe we can persuade them it'd be worthwhile to rule them out as suspects." Sam's inner cop couldn't help but show through. "Well, anyway, let's head there now. Doc, I'll be in touch to find out what you see in the silver powder, ok?"
Gumshoe clears his throat, nodding "Strange that a Redshift Truck was involved with this. Might be a good idea to check out their factory if we can't find anything here. I gotta admit... I'm not really sure what happened to me, or how I got these... abilities. But it looks like a few of us that were affected chose our better natures while a few others were put in touch with something darker within themselves. I'm not sure we can even blame all of those 'villains' for their actions here today. But if this was just a test, if someone is experimenting with creating supers, I'd say it's likely to get worse before it gets better. "
"I agree with the detective here, we may need to stick together to handle whatever this is. Maybe we should get out of the authorities' way and figure out how that's going to be possible. If we could have your card, Detective, we can give you a call after we've settle ourselves a bit?" Sam hated pretending that he didn't know Maggie, but until he could figure out what was happening and make sure his family was ok and unaffected, he wasn't taking any chances of revealing who he was. It didn't help that his department cell phone had been vibrating in his pocket for the last five minutes. His boss was probably completely pissed off at him by now.
"Thanks for the information, buddy. If you're looking for a cop to tell." Gumshoe looks for Officer Brown and points him out. "That officer would be a good place to start. Now, if you'll pardon me, I'm going to see if I can find anything at the truck sight."
Gumshoe leaps over to the area he saw the truck parked before all this began. He looks around for additional clues.
Feeling the building rock from the explosion, Gumshoe renews his efforts to find any survivors.
Perception 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23
He hears a whimpering cry for help behind a partially collapsed area. He is cut off from the source. Looking for a way around, he feels the heat and pressure, and feels as if he is melting. Suddenly, he finds himself flowing around the collapsed area and through the narrow openings. On the other side, he reforms and finds a worker trapped in the half of the room with windows but no doors.
"I'll get you out." he says, using his best reassuring, calm voice from his years of experience. He picks up the worker and leaps out the window onto the street below. "Have the paramedics check you out, m'am."
The report of another collapsing building comes before Gumshoe can take off. He nods to Buster. "Yah, of course we'll help. Breakneck, is it? You hit the lower levels. Nanael, the upper floors- fly out who you can. Evil Eye, if you got any spells that can reinforce the building's structure? I'll hit the middle of the building, get people up to Nanael or down to Breakneck. Doctor Prim, if you can set up another triage and direct the medical personnel to the worst wounded?"
Sam makes sure the illusionist fellow takes his place with the other prisoners, since it's possible the others never even saw his.
Buster? Jack? How the hell am I going to explain this. Wait... they don't recognize me... the melted face....
Sam looks at the men he has worked with for years, asking who he is, a part of him paying close attention to what the other supers are saying and cataloging them accordingly.
But they'd surely recognize my voice.
Sam sticks a few pieces of gum into his mouth, chewing sloppily and raises the pitch of his voice into a "mugsy" persona "Name's Gumshoe, see?" he says around the gumchewing. Hope that's enough.
Once he's sure the prisoners have all been secured, he leaps to the nearest rooftop and then bounds from roof to roof until he's sure no one has followed. He then turns and makes his way to his brownstone house, sneaking in the back way.
Hated to bolt like that, fellows, but I've got to figure all of this out.
As the feral cat woman lands on all fours, Sam makes a quick attempt to finish her off while she is off balance from the previous blows she has taken, throwing a stick of gum from his pocket.
1d20 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 10 = 22 DC 25 Toughness save.
If that doesn't manage to get her, he will back away from her claws (other side of the roof). If it does, he'll scoop her up.
Sam feels the pain from his wound already subsiding. (Regeneration, every other round.) Huh, that's handy.
Sam instinctively rushes to aid the woman on the collapsed building, trying to get to her as fast as he can, and finds himself leaping though the air and landing right next to her. He shivers, clay-flesh rippling. What the hell? Did I just jump here?"Don't be afraid, ma'm. I'm going to get you to safety." He sweeps he up into his arms and jumps over to the nearest safe-looking spot, whether that be a rooftop or somewhere down on the street. Looks like that explosion definitely did something to me. Not something normal.
Sam gathers up his supplies and runs back to the doctor with them. "Here you are, Doc." He then begins running around to see where else he can help.
Once the first responders arrive, he does a quick run-check to make sure there aren't any other suspicious-looking vehicles, backpacks, or cases, laying around that may have secondary explosives in them. If this is a terrorist attack, there may be others.
I'm not sure. Maybe. I was close enough to see the truck that exploded. Don't worry about me, I'm here to help however I can."In fact, I feel surprisingly good. Strange.
Overhearing Breakneck's request, he says "That's something I can do." He starts to run to the nearest pharmacy... surprising himself as he bolts at 60 mph. Holy crap! He collects supplies, leaving enough money to pay for what he takes and runs back as fast as his new-found speed will carry him.
Sam, knocked down by the blast and feeling like one of those lightning bolts might have struck him, has his thoughts immediately turned towards helping anyone in need and organizing crowd control. He attempts to stand, but feels like his knees have been turned into jelly.
He rolls over, trying to push himself up, then he notices his hands; the skin on them seems loose and too smooth. Was I hit? Flash-fried maybe? I don't feel any pain, but maybe that's shock. He eases himself up, afraid to pass out if he is in shock.
As he stands, he feels as if his skin is sliding on his frame. The sight of himself in the window's reflection catches his eye. His skin is all loose and smooth, and his features a blended mess, like barely formed flesh colored clay. He gasps is suprise. Don't panic Sam, there are people here who need you. Whatever this is, you've got to pull it together.
He takes a deep breath and moves over to where the wounded are; seeing someone with apparent medical training working on them, he moves in to aid the young man. "I have some first aid training, son. Tell me where I can help." even his voice was deeper, more garbled.
Police Detective Sam Dumas didn't get many days off, and rarely took those he was given. Today was a special case, though. His niece's birthday was tomorrow and he had yet to find a gift for her. Sure, his sister always worried, what with him being a cop and all, but he wasn't going to let her concerns turn him into a bad uncle.
Carlotta was a precocious girl, just turning twelve, and with her teen years just that close, she was turning into something of a rebel. Her mother, Jasmine, was the girlie-girl type from practically birth, so this meant Carlotta was turning into a tomboy daredevil faster than you could say who's-your-daddy.
Sam looked at the magic shop, thinking As long as she doesn't go goth, right? He looked further down the strip Maybe should could channel some of that teenage energy and learn some self defense at the same time. Sam hesitated in front of the dojo.
