Fantasy Hidden lives of supers:: rp page

[NeonFlow]

Bluebay is beautiful on the right nights, the lights of buildings and skyscrapers glowing in the night sky. The city is hardly a beautiful place however. For most it is ugly, the trash on the sidewalks and piled in alleys like a mirror for most of the population in the city. Gangsters, creeps, criminals of the regular and super variety... Corruption, greed and cruelty infects the city like a virus. The latest victim of BlueBay is Eddie Santos, a local celebrity in the district due to being a retired hero who became a active social worker and upstanding member of the community.

In the carpark of the Maryton community centre was the corpse of Eddie Santos facedown in a pool of blood, a literal hole in his torso and chunks of guts blood and stone scattered behind him. Not even five feet from his car.

7.10pm Lalo was in costume as Smoke-Show wearing a jacket over his armor. He was heading towards his favourite spot for food but got distracted by police lights along with a ambulance, approaching the scene to see the body a cold shock stung the man as he shouted "wait!!"
The emergency workers stood up in surprise as a costumed sort approached quickly, the two policemen ready their weapons as Smoke-Show raises his hands and walked more cautiously.
"Eddie was my friend, Get me up to speed at least?"
"Mugging went bad" officer Hardy says before his partner Jenkins speaks up "move along or we'll arrest you for obstruction of justice"
"Dr Stone may have been old but he's still a super, not the sort to be killed by a mugger..."
Smoke-Show walked through the police tape with his waist becoming smoke as he did. Approaching the corpse to rifle through his dead friends pockets
"Rolex still on, wallet in his pocket full of cash..."
A officer tried to grab the vigilante but all his hand grasped was a cloud of smoke "It'd take something heavy to hurt Dr Stone, whoever it was that killed Eddie wasn't some mugger scared to take a life."
"Get out of here Smokey don't make us call the real Heroes" officer Hardy states knowing they can't arrest a man who turns into smoke. Even so they point guns at him. "what's your name, officer..?"
The two men glance at each other with pistols still aimed at Smoke-Show.
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Miserable Alchemist DarkKitsune Bari Veil Walker ThakDaBonker
Post order is 1 2 than you, as in after you post let two people post before you go again. I control named npc's enemies and police/heroes unless I state otherwise in the post or ooc.
Have your characters arrive and interact with the group. Don't be batman... if you have questions ask in the ooc please

Any actual heroes in the group can make the police leave so they can investigate how they want. Vigilantes or criminals will get shot, or backup called on them.

 

[Miserable Alchemist]

Rachel - Aerobrush​

Rachel was headed towards the Maryton Community Center wearing her civilian clothes, as she usually did for her weekend therapy sessions. While the first time she went she'd gone in costume, she was quickly reminded that it didn't make much difference as long as her ears and tail were visible. She checked her watch. It was 7:15, giving her about 5 minutes to arrive. Of course, nothing actually started until 7:30, but she preferred to be early just in case.

A couple minutes later, Rachel noticed the flashing lights of the police and ambulance in the car park of her destination. She kept walking towards the car park, and upon getting close enough to see what was going on her tail suddenly stood straight up in shock. "M-Mister Santos...?!" she gasped quietly to herself before continuing to get closer to get a better look at the grisly scene. Presently, there were just two police officers and Smoke-Show, but as expected it didn't seem like the police had much patience for the vigilante.

"Excuse me," Rachel called out loudly, holding up her identification as she approached. "Could you two hard-working officers allow me to handle this case? As you've no doubt noticed the victim was a super, and it seems highly probably the suspect is a super as well." She motioned with her head towards the stone near Dr. Stone's body. A normal mugger wasn't getting through that stone skin. "Your cooperation would be much appreciated."

Taking control of the crime scene with her position as a hero, she decided to send the officers away. From what she'd caught of their talk they didn't seem useful at all. Once they had left the scene, Rachel let out a sigh as her ears and tail drooped. She turned to Smoke-Show. Asking him to leave the scene too would be proper protocol, but in the last six months she'd been going to Super Support she'd gotten the impression the vigilante's respect for their common friend was genuine.

Not to mention she doubted he'd leave even if she asked him to.

"Who could have...no, why would someone have done this?" she muttered, almost as much to herself as it was to Smoke-Show.

 

[Bari]

Bonnie, already in her gear, rode her motorcycle towards Maryton Community Center. Floating beside her was her favorite spirit that she called Cheeko. She still hadn't mastered Japanese, but Bonnie knew enough to befriend Cheeko. Cheeko looked vaguely like a goblin with shiny red cheeks. She had no idea what he was called and he didn't mind the name. Cheeko was a funny little guy who could extend his neck and made odd noises. She'd tried to make friends with other spirits, but they only wanted her to do something for them.

The heads-up display built into her helmet read 7:23. She was going to be early this time. As she pulled into the community center parking lot, Bonnie saw the flashing lights. Her heart began to sink. Was someone hurt? Did something happen? Flexing her clawed gloves, Bonnie hopped off her motorcycle and headed toward the lights. As she approached, she could see the vehicles leaving, which confused her further. There she could see Aero and Smoke-Show. The smell of blood was overpowering. Worry tinged her voice as she asked "Heya folks. Is everything okay over here? What's going..." Bonnie cut herself off as she saw what remained of Eddie Santos.

She was used to it at this point. Seeing corpses. She wasn't always able to save them in time, and it ate away at her. But she was used to it. That wasn't what gave her pause. There, lying in a puddle of blood, was the man she'd grown to trust deeply. Eddie was the one to help her quiet the spirits, the one to help her find out what they needed from her. He wasn't just a therapist. He was a friend. Though no one could see through her helmet, Bonnie's eyes began to sting as the tears formed.

With a trembling voice, Bonnie could only say three sharp words. "Who did this?"

 

[NeonFlow]

Lalo walked over to Eddie's car as the police left and looked inside at the seats and what he could see below. Opening a door as it was unlocked he leaned in searching further before getting out to glare at the patrol car leaving. Stepping towards the emergency workers Smoke-Show demanding a answer "did those officers take anything? From the car, from the body!?"
The paramedics deny knowing, just that they were called cause of a dead body. "I don't think they did" being the gist taken from the two.

Smoke-Show grumbled to himself before speaking to the heroes present "it was a super, or someone with super grade tech. They left everything of immediate value... Only things missing is the laptop and folder he kept for work."
Knowing that both of those missing things contained sensitive information regarding a number of Supers including himself made Lalo a tad nervous. "ima see if he left them in his office by chance, it's dangerous to assume but i think Santos was murdered solely for the information he kept."
Not waiting for a answer Smoke-Show headed towards the entrance to the community centre. Finding no trace of Eddie's belongings in his office or in the conference room, Smoke-Show returned outside to confirm the bad news.

 

[ThakDaBonker]

Doc was in a good mood as he traversed the sewers towards his therapist/hero Dr. Stone. He chose to travel underground to keep himself from being harassed by local law enforcement and his heros. He was excited to once again meet with his child hood hero even if afterwards he was a little depressed after the sessions because the good Doctor simply refused to see reason. He had explained the reasoning behind his so called crimes. Every time he took a life or destroyed something he always had a reason. The CEO was an abusive father and boss. That factory was spewing toxins into the bay. That fundraiser was run by mobsters. Sure sometimes there was collateral but he always tried to minimize the risk to the public. He was a hero ........he was...He shook his head to clear it of those thoughts he had arrived at where he could surface close to the meeting point.

He climbed up and out of a manhole only a few feet away from the community center. He brushed off his costume as he closed the manhole and was about to walk into the community center when he saw another of their group he believed his name was smoke-show walking towards a crime scene. He followed as he was curious who would commit a crime so close to a supers place of work even if he was retired Dr.Stone wasn't a push over. As he approached he saw the car and then the body and he felt as if someone had physically hit him. There lying on the ground with a hole punched through him was Doc's child hood hero and therapist Eddie, aka Dr.Stone. Doc stood there for a moment trying to process what was currently happening. He didn't want to believe it. It couldn't be real ...but no matter how many times he closed his eyes and wished it wasn't real it was still there.

Finally he asked the other three. "What happened?" His voice was deep and slightly muffled by his mask. He was clinching his fists so tight that if it wasn't for the gloves he'd of pierced his own skin with his nails.

 

[DarkKitsune]

🗡ELIAS CARTER/KARMA
INTERACTION: NeonFlow Bari Miserable Alchemist Veil Walker ThakDaBonker
LOCATION: MARYTON COMMUNITY CENTER

at 7:32 when Elias finally arrived at Maryton community center. It wasn’t unusual that he was a little late. However, at the sight of seeing emergency services the amount of blood on the pavement that could probably fill a bucket and the hero and vigilantes who were currently huddled together talking and no Santos in sight, he went over to the group, which for now, consisted of Smoke-show, Firefox, Rachel and Doc. He didn’t hesitate to ask.

“What the hell happened? Why is there so much blood on the pavement? And why isn’t Santo’s here?”

Elias had a lot of respect and trust for Eddie Santos. Who’s helped him deal with trauma and control his anger over the past year. He was one of the few people who seemed to tolerate Elias, so, of course, he’d make sure to ask if he was okay. It seemed like Doc appeared a little bit before him, as he seemed confused as well. However, Elias looked at Smoke-show and Rachel in particular, given that Rachel is an official hero and, as far as he knew, Smoke-show had the experience.
​

 

[Miserable Alchemist]

Rachel - Aerobrush
​

Rachel took a look around as Smoke-Show ran off to investigate the community center. Normally she'd have probably tried to stop a vigilante from just running around a crime scene with no observation, but she really wasn't feeling it right now. A couple of other people she recognized started to show up too. Deciding it would be best to give them some time to gather themselves, and for her to gather herself, she took out a notepad and pen and began to write some things down. Mostly the things she'd noticed about the scene such as the blood and stone on the ground, and the short distance from the car. She also jotted down a quick description of each of the two officers that she sent away to look into later. For now though, it didn't seem they'd done anything to alter the crime scene based on Smoke-Show's inquiry.

Once he'd come back from the community center to confirm the bad news, Rachel nodded and noted that down as well before putting that stuff away. She gave the group a quick look-over before clearing her throat and speaking up. "Mister Santos was...he's been murdered. We found him lying here when we arrived," she said solemnly, deciding not to dance around the matter. "While I don't know who did this, not just anyone could have done it. And if what they were after was the information Mister Santos kept as Smoke suggested, then we should be able to narrow down the list of potential suspects. I...know it's hard, but please bear with it for now."

Her eyes moved to where Eddie's body had been until just a short while ago before Rachel took a deep breath. She then spoke again, continuing to address the small group as she tried to perform her duty as a hero and help figure things out. "Does this attack method seem familiar to any of you?" For Elias, and anyone who may have tried to push the scene out of their mind, she took out her notepad again to show her written description of the cadaver. "Since it happened so close to his car and there's only the one wound, I imagine it must have happened quickly. A member of the gang here, perhaps?"

 

[Bari]

Bonnie stared at the corpse on the ground, baffled, mind racing. More group members showed up, each just as confused as she was. She wanted to say something. Tell them it would be alright. But she knew there was no way to make this better. Not now at least. Not until they knew more about the situation.

The purple-clad vigilante returned after investigating Eddie's car for what Bonnie assumed were clues. This was going to get serious. Now was the time for action. Mentally, she switched over to hero mode. What Smoke-Show said as he rejoined the group made some sense to Foxfire. Whoever did this had a goal. This was a targeted murder, not something done by the sort of 2-bit crook she was used to. A super had to be behind this. Her blood started to boil. She would bring the perpetrator to justice, no matter what.

Foxfire turned to Aero. "I can't imagine what kind of strength it would take to do this. Judging from the scattered rocks on the ground, Eddie was using his power at the time, so either there is a villainous super out there with enough oomph to bust Dr. Stone or it was some kind of specialized tech. Think like a big piledriver. But then that begs to question, how did they get the jump on Eddie? From what we can see here, Eddie was preparing to fight. So we can assume he was facing his murderer."

Foxfire took a deep breath. What she was about to ask next might not sit well with the less-than-law-abiding members of the group. But she knew they couldn't just neglect the option. "Aerobrush, I think we should call Heroes Incorporated. I doubt they'll send anyone to help, but the least they can do is help us by sharing info from their database. Even if we're just lower-tier heroes, everyone loved Dr. Stone back in the day. They can't just tell us no. And for all we know, the culprit might be using Eddie's files for whatever nefarious purposes. Time is ticking." She looked around at the others, trying her best to convey urgency through her opaque helmet.

 

[NeonFlow]

"To make a literal hole like that in a human body covered in stone... Can't say I've seen anything similar, I'd assume laser or beam of some kind but the blood says otherwise... like someone punched through him completely."
Lalo couldn't look away from the body being moved into the ambulance. Watching the paramedics drive away out of view, his eyes trace back to a petrol station across the street.
maybe they have a camera that saw something.
Turning back to the group as Firefox said something of use. Stating "It could be that Eddie Santos had a enemy with a power, but I don't think this was a murder out of hatred or revenge. It's a assumption but I think it was to do with whatever was on that laptop. If Hero inc can offer anything its a decent start. If we determine who would want said data we could find our killer by known associates or high end assassins. At least i imagine whoever did this was expensive."

Known gangs in Maryton probably wouldn't mess with Eddie, any gangs in Bluebay targeting a retired hero seemed hard to picture in Lalo's mind... Why kick a hornet nest?

 

[ThakDaBonker]

Doc was still livid but calmly listened as the situation was explained and the group started to try and work out the how and why. He was snapped out of his anger filled haze as one of the group, Fire Fox he believed she was called, suggested to contact hero HQ. He was about to reflexively reject the idea seeing as most heros would want him behind bars but Smoke-Show spoke first pointing out that they might have more information on who might've done this. Besides would these heros want a so called villain like himself work with them or would they try to chase him off or even worse turn him in. He hated to admit it but trying to investigate this murder would be more difficult if he had to do it on his own or after having broke out of jail.

After a moment of thought he came to a decision. "Reluctantly I would have to agree, If they have information then we'll need it." He looked towards the others in the group. " I know that some of you probably won't want to have me involved in this given the publics and authorities perception of me, but I can't let this go. I can give you a perspective you all lack, one of someone on the other side." He motioned to the crime scene. "I'll look over the bits that were left and see if there's any trace of what did that to him." He said as he walked over to the remainder of the crime scene.

 

[DarkKitsune]

🗡ELIAS CARTER/KARMA
INTERACTION: NeonFlow Miserable Alchemist Bari ThakDaBonker Veil Walker
LOCATION: MARYTON COMMUNITY CENTER

Elias couldn't tell if he was going to break down crying or was mad enough to attempt to kill someone. But he knew he should save that for the perpetrator who killed Dr. Stone. He looked at Rachel's notebook. After Doc leaves, he says

"It's not familiar to me either. Can anyone tell if the attack was at a distance or if the culprit was up close?"

He takes a second to think over the idea of asking heros inc for help. And while on a normal day he would've probably argued over it much to his dismay, he had to admit there was an overwhelming number of questionable variables, help in any shape of form would probably be needed. He also had a little bit of doubt they wouldn't help when even their own heroes sought out Santos. He adds

"I think Heros ink might help. Considering even their own sought out help from Santos. Are there security cameras? And if there is, has it been checked yet?"

For now, Karma was also focused on keeping his composure. He wondered if one of his professors could be any help, even if technology was involved.​

 

[Miserable Alchemist]

Rachel - Aerobrush
​

At Foxfire's suggestion and with the approval of everyone else around, Rachel nodded to the group. It was actually a little surprising how quickly everyone had agreed to this course of action, but she figured she could chalk that up to the late Eddie. None of them had any other clues at the moment and it was probably about time to officially report this case anyway. As Doc spoke, Rachel looked to Bonnie for a moment. Vigilantes were maybe one thing, but letting a villain investigate a crime scene as he pleased? She wasn't keen on the idea at all, but in the end time was ticking like Bonnie had said. Plus the villain's desire to truly solve the murder was genuine, as far as she could tell.

"I'll contact Heroes Inc then. They should be able to provide us with something, at least. And I won't report your appearance here, Doc. Or any of yours, for that matter," Aero said to the vigilantes and villain before pulling out her cell phone. "At least until we solve this, I think we all want to cooperate. Just...please don't make this difficult for me and Foxfire."

Ring~ Ring~

"Hello, this is Aerobrush, reporting in."
"Hero inc how can i help you today?" a woman answers the phone.
" There has been a murder in the parking lot of the Maryton Community Center. The victim's name is Eddie Santos."
"Eddie Santos, wait... do you mean Dr Stone?"
"Yes. We found him five feet from his car, a hole blown through his chest. It seems his powers got a chance to activate, but...it wasn't enough."
"That's terrible, I can't believe... I'm sorry please hold."
It wouldn't even be five seconds before the phone picks up once more and a man is talking.
"Thank you for reporting this, we'll make sure everything gets settled. You have a safe night."
The man hangs up before anything else can be said.

Rachel frowned, her tail flicking around impatiently. That was abnormally dismissive. Heroes often needed information while they were on the scene. At the very least, normally she'd be asked if she needed anything else before hanging up. She removed the phone from her ear and tried to call them back again. Unfortunately, all she got was the busy tone. Putting her phone back into her pocket, she shook her head.

"Um, they, uh, hung up on me. All I got to do was tell them what we found. They just said they'll 'make sure everything gets settled'. Even though that should be part of my job at this point. I tried to call back, but they didn't even pick up," she explained while rubbing her forehead, clearly perplexed with the development. It couldn't have been because they didn't trust her to actually take care of this case, right? No, there may have just been other things happening in the city. They were probably just incredibly busy at the moment.

Doing her best to keep her mind busy, Rachel thought about what had been said. She didn't have the back-up of Heroes Inc, at least not for the moment. Nobody here had seen a power or weapon that would cause the damage they saw. Nobody here had seen the actual incident...but cameras might have. She looked over at the community center. "There aren't any cameras here..." she muttered. She was certain of that after six months of going there twice a week. Earlier though she'd noticed Smoke-Show looking away. If she recalled properly, wasn't he looking at the gas station across street? She turned to the gas station and squinted to try to see herself, but obviously she couldn't tell from here.