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Post by Dead Sidekick on Sept 29, 2009 0:43:11 GMT -5
ooc: Karma awards for Chapter One
Shockwave: +5 Karma for going to the MET to meet Mr. Pride +1 Karma for ignoring the media
Oldschool: +5 Karma for going to the MET to meet Mr. Pride +2 Karma for interaction with media
Flashdance: +5 Karma for going to the MET to meet Mr. Pride +2 Karma for cheesiest crowdpleasing intro evah
Solo: +5 Karma for going to the MET to meet Mr. Pride
Updated Current Karma scores:
Shockwave: 76 Oldschool: 127 Flashdance: 37 Solo: 31
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Post by Dead Sidekick on Sept 29, 2009 2:13:01 GMT -5
[ooc: Solo remains concealed in the bushes outside the 5th Avenue entrance to the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. I assume he'll teleport into the museum later, as the place is closing and the guards are locking the doors. Chief of Museum Security Harry Rollins leads Oldschool, Shockwave, and Flashdance into the museum to meet with the curator, Maximilian Pride.]
It's nearly five o'clock—closing time at the Met. Security Chief Harry Rollins meets you at the entrance to the museum, just as the last visitors are leaving. Unfortunately, your guided tour is short, for your destination is nearby.
You get a sense of how big of a deal it is that a burglary has taken place at the Met. It has NEVER happened before. Overnight security staff has been doubled, and issued firearms. Several of the security staff nod at Harry as he passes by.
Harry leads you through the Great Hall, which is currently decorated with medieval tapestries and weaponry, and into the library.
Sitting in a comfortable chair at a large oak table is an elderly man wearing a fine suit. He is reading the Tuesday late edition of the Daily Bugle.
Harry leaves you in the library with Mr. Pride.
"Hello, I'm Maximilian Pride, the curator. I'd like to thank you all for coming. Please do have a seat. Would anyone like a drink?"
Mr. Pride produces a walkie talkie from his jacket pocket and keys the mic. "Felicia dear, could you bring four coffees to the library for our guests and myself? Thank you."
Mr. Pride gets down to business. "As you may be aware, the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art has never been burglarized. We're quite astounded by the theft of the 'Madman's Mutterings' codex from the Cardinal Montesi collection. This book is all that the burglar took, smashing a display case and vanishing with it. If they can enter the museum at will and depart unseen, they could do it again. Though that book is priceless, there are far more valuable items on display here. At Mr. Rollins suggestion, we have enhanced overnight security, but I'm afraid that will not be enough."
An attractive brunette-haired woman in glasses with a slight "naughty librarian" look about her comes into the room, pushing a serving cart carrying a carafe of coffee, cups, saucers, and cream and sugar bowls. She begins pouring coffee in the cups.
[ooc: everyone roll Intuition check]
"Ah, thank you, Felicia. Gentlemen, this is Felicia Bifrost, my assistant. Anyway, the authorities have asked me not to share details with the media on the nature of the theft, but I'm afraid solving this crime will require assistance from the superhuman community. This is why I've asked you to come."
Mr. Pride opens up the issue of the Daily Bugle and spreads it on the table. Emblazoned in the sensationalized style of New York City's most widely circulated tabloid is an 18 pt. font sized headline that reads "GANG HANGOUT DEMOLISHED IN WILD RAMPAGE!"
He reads the entire article aloud:
Friscoe's Bar and Grill, located on the Lower East Side, was nearly torn to the ground late last night. Police reports state that just after midnight a lunatic entered the bar and began smashing anyone and anything in sight with an uprooted street sign.
Three persons were killed, and five others suffered minor injuries in the scuffle. The suspect is still at large.
Eyewitnesses report the madman as being 'a monster, like Frankenstein or something.'
Police refute this, speculating that by the amount of destruction more than one individual was involved.
Gang fights are common in the establishment, say the police, because it is one of the hangouts of the notorious Crimson Smiles gang.
The Crimson Smiles gang is believed to have been established in New York City by former henchmen of the notorious Gotham serial killer known as "The Joker." The Joker remains in custody at Arkham Asylum in Gotham City, New Jersey.
Mr. Pride looks up from the paper at the gathered heroes. "'A Madman's Mutterings' is an odd, very intricately illustrated book written in 1690 by a man named Bartholomew Jacobs, who was burned as a witch in 1692. Because of the fragile nature of the book, I've never endeavored to read it, nor have I allowed anyone else to handle it. We were quite proud to have acquired the text for our Cardinal Montesi collection, the second largest cache of the infamous Jesuit's occultic texts outside the private collection of Dr. Stephen Strange."
Felicia interrupts, "Sugars? Cream? How do you take your coffees?"
Mr. Pride continues, "I know the writing supposedly consists of a hodgepodge of myths and speculations about the supernatural. The book said to be confusing and tedious to read. Legends concerning the book state that A Madman's Mutterings was written in a secret code, which when deciphered, reveals how to create an assortment of gruesome monsters. Apparently, Bartholomew Jacobs was burned at the stake because he summoned such creatures from the spirit world. I don't put stock in such nonsense, but after reading this article, I'm inclined to think there may be a connection between the theft of the book and the reports of monsters on the Lower East Side."
[ooc: Mr. Pride is prepared to answer further questions.]
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Post by shockwave on Sept 29, 2009 11:00:43 GMT -5
Travelling through the museum towards their destination, Shockwave notes how old everything looks. Better power down everything, wouldn't want something going off and doing damage, I'd never be able to afford to replace anything in here.
He gives a short nod to Pride when greeted, not saying anything until he needs to, spending part of the time while listening, looking around to see if any high tech gadgets in the room tip off the security measures taken.
Intuition Check at Excellent: [attack=487591647993272]
When asked about the coffee, he says he'll take it straight, then politely sets it on the table, wondering if he should design the ability to drink into future models of his helmet.
The newspaper is a bit disturbing. If this book really does summon up monsters like the curator believes, are we, or more directly, am I the right one to be dealing with it? I was hoping for a more straight forward criminal using technology to beat the museum's technology. I'm a bit out of my element with the occult.
With that out of the way, Shockwave has a series of questions:
1) "Where was the display case, and what kind of security was on it?"
2) "Are there security tapes of the theft?"
3) "Did the police find any other evidence? Footprints? Fingerprints?"
4) "Has the museum done any other research on this Bartholomew Jacobs?"
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Flashdance
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Post by Flashdance on Sept 30, 2009 14:35:10 GMT -5
Intuition Check at Good - [attack=554744381584671]
Flashdance is listening to everything being said, trying to act like this makes sense like he's old pro. Magic? Monsters? Pbbbbt! who believes in that stuff!
Then it occurs to him that this thought just came from a guy who can jump over buildings and teleport.
He rubs his chin, strikes a thoughtful pose, sigh's deeply and furrow's his eyebrows then says -
"um, yeah. I was going to ask the same questions he did. Lots of sugar and cream please."
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Post by TasK on Oct 1, 2009 0:01:44 GMT -5
Oldschool was just about to check his watch when the door opened. A man wearing a guard uniform identified himself as Security Chief Rollins and beckoned from them to follow. Mike stood aside to allow his peers to go through the doors first and then followed.
Mike took his time walking down the halls, fully aware that any clumsiness could cause priceless damage. It wasn't that he was clumsy, but more that he knew his strength to be a growing thing. It took less and less effort to break things, that had previously been durable enough to survive his passing.
As he walked he noticed all the guards. While he had been to the Met before, he had never seen so many. Nor, had he ever seen handguns in their possession before. He wondered if it was just a typical night shift, or if they had 'beefed' up on security since the theft. As he had never been inside the museum after hours, he really could not guess.
As they entered the Main Hall, a smile appeared on Mike's face. He had always loved the medieval displays. There was just something romantic about the era, where men's honor meant more than just a simple handshake and lives were measured by how one lived. Integrity, valor, courage, charity as they were meant to be, not washed down, barely recognizable variants that the world knew now.
Oldschool values. Medieval oldschool values.
While he was always intellectually curious about more mechanical applications, medieval artifacts held windows to his daydreams, that he could gaze through all day long. He mentally shrugged to clear his head. Now was not the time for fantasy.
As they approached the library, Mike could see an elderly gentleman sitting at one of the tables reading a newspaper. The man was far away, but with his heightened vision, he could see the man clearly. He felt confident that this was the man the newspaper identified as Maximilian Pride. He hadn't seen the t.v. coverage as he didn't have a television... nor a living room to place one in. He did his best to quell hopes that there would be a substantial cash reward for the return of the book. It was a struggle, but Mike knew he needed to be better than that.
Everyday he had to stop himself from wondering how easy it would be to simply break into a bank vault and steal some cash. He tried not to think about it too much. Frankly, it troubled him. Were some villains simply men like him who had gotten down on their luck? He hoped to never find out.
Oldschool nodded his thanks to the Security Chief and took a seat.
"Coffee's fine, Mr. Pride."
He listened to Mr. pride talk about the theft and the ramifications of it all. He was nodding with Pride's words. Such a theft would concern him as well. What's to stop the burglar from doing it again and again?
A young lady entered pushing a serving cart. Oldschool gave her an appreciative glance. He absently wondered what she'd look like with her hair down.
In40:
[attack=428584374165985]
Oldschool remained seated when Pride laid out the paper. With his sight, he could easily see from his chair.
"I'll take mine black, Miss Bifrost, doctor says anymore sugar and I'll likely melt in the rain." Mentally, Mike groaned. What the hell was he doing? Now wasn't the time for flirting. What was he going to do? Take her on a date to the local soup kitchen?
Thankfully, Mr. Pride kept talking. Oldschool allowed the man to finish. He considered Pride's words for a long time before he spoke.
"I'm Mike Sherman, Mr. Pride, or Oldschool if you prefer. Like you, I find it hard to but stock in such either. New York city is filled with metahumans fully capable and monstrous enough to tear down a bar and grill. If there was any truth to the books properties, I wonder why it hasn't been stolen before. It seems a relatively quick way for a criminal to gather monstrous henchmen. You seem quite intelligent, Mr. pride... could you clarify why you think there's a connection?"
After Mr. Pride answers he asks a few more questions...
Who was the person who discovered the theft? Did he have a list of everyone who was working when the theft occurred? Who had access to the display that could have removed it without triggering any alarms?
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Post by Dead Sidekick on Oct 1, 2009 15:35:17 GMT -5
[ooc: everyone passed the Intuition check. Mr. Pride's assistant Felicia Bifrost seems visibly nervous, distracted, and shaken. She seems to be paying more attention to the conversation than to what's she's doing. As the curator makes his presentation, you notice that as she's preparing the coffees she puts lots of cream and sugar in everyone's coffees. See below.]
Shockwave asks, "Where was the display case, and what kind of security was on it?"
Mr. Pride replies, "The theft took place here in the library." He points to an empty pedestal next to other pedestals with glass display cases containing books. "The book was kept in a locked case over there, which was smashed to bits. There were no signs of forced entry into the museum. Only the alarm protecting the case was activated."
Shockwave asks, "Are there security tapes of the theft?"
Mr. Pride replies, "During the robbery, security cameras recorded an unnatural darkness in the library; this darkness totally concealed the thief."
Shockwave asks "Did the police find any other evidence? Footprints? Fingerprints?"
Mr. Pride says, "The security tapes and evidence collected are now in the possession of the New York Police Department. I believe the FBI's Organized Crime Unit might take over the investigation due to what they found. Nestled upon the ruins of the display case was a hat, similar in style to that made famous by the gangsters of the 1920s—a widebrimmed fedora with the crown creased lengthwise. Stuck into a black band around the hat was a note that read: 'Hammerhead's puttin' the hammer down!' I don't know if you follow the crime beat in the Daily Bugle, but one of the many Maggia-affiliated mob bosses in this city calls himself 'Hammerhead.' And with 'monsters' trashing a known gang establishment the night after the book was stolen..."
Oldschool asks, "You seem quite intelligent, Mr. pride... could you clarify why you think there's a connection?"
Mr. Pride says, "As I said before, the book was part of our Cardinal Montesi collection, here at the Met." He pauses, then clarifies. "It isn't widely known that Cardinal Montesi was the head of an Office of Inquisition against 'Satan's Army.' The Church denies any such Office ever existed, yet several alternate sources of antiquity hint at both the existence of the Office and the evil creatures that they fought. Cardinal Montesi was officially excommunicated from the Catholic Church for heresy and witchcraft in 1684 after he presented the Vatican with a 'prayer text' that he claimed would destroy all vampires in the world. He lived to collect his library of occultic research. Legends say he was a practicing warlock and magician. What we do know for sure is that he was a very talented illustrator, as his magnificent works here in the library show. What strikes me as odd is how Montesi in Italy came to acquire the notes of a contemporary living in Salem, Massachussetts. It is as if Montesi were present at the time of Jacobs' witchcraft trial."
Mr. Pride sighs, "I believe the book has been deciphered, and that more incidents of murder are imminent. I informed the police of my fears, but they laughed at me. I'm begging you to recover the book, for the sake of New York City! I don't believe the police are going to take the matter seriously, and if these monsters are real, they must be stopped before anyone else is killed!"
Mr. Pride seems slightly embarassed, like he fears the heroes will similarly dismiss his theory that the theft of the book and the reports of monster attacks are connected. "The book does have great value as part of Cardinal Montesi's collected occultic library. We're prepared to pay a reward of $100,000 for the return of the book."
Shockwave asks, "Has the museum done any other research on this Bartholomew Jacobs?"
Pride responds, "Jacobs is famous, or infamous depending on the point of view, in the pagan community because of having allegedly having two trials for witchcraft. The first trial ended when all of the witnesses against him and their families were somehow brutally slain in their homes while Jacobs was in custody. His second trial seemed rushed. They burned him at the stake shortly after he mocked the court and claimed responsibility. Here at the Met, we've brought out our Cardinal Montesi collection out of storage to display as part of a 'Real Witches' presentation through Halloween. I will continue to research Bartholomew Jacobs if you think it may help."
Oldschool asks, "Who was the person who discovered the theft?"
Mr. Pride declares, "Security was alerted as soon as the display case was smashed, shortly after midnight on Sunday. Upon arriving on the scene moments after the alarm sounded, there was no one around."
Oldschool asks, "Do you have a list of everyone who was working when the theft occurred?"
Mr. Pride replies, "Yes. All of the overnight security staff present have solid alibis, both being recorded on camera going about their rounds and responding to the alarm when the display was smashed."
As Oldschool asks about museum staff, Felicia begins placing the the cups of extra sweet, extra creamy coffee on the table. She places one before Mr. Pride, one before Flashdance, one in front of Oldschool, and as Shockwave reaches to take his cup from her hand she realizes...
"Oh dear, you and Oldschool wanted black coffee. Let me get you another." The nervous assistant scoops up Oldschool's cup as she whirls about, tugging the other cup from Shockwave's fingertips... and...
...she dumps both cups of hot, sticky, creamy, syrupy coffee all over Shockwave's armor.
"Oh my God I'm so sorry! Let me clean that up!" Felicia panics and desperately begins dabbing at Shockwave's armor with paper napkins.
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Post by shockwave on Oct 1, 2009 16:37:23 GMT -5
Shockwave only is paying half attention to Felicia as she goes about handing out the coffee, not even noticing it wasn't correct.
"So let me get this clear...we have a thief that is able to either slip by the guards and other security, or is able to conceal himself in here until he was ready to strike. An unnatural darkness could be a factor in either. Even if we got the book back, what would keep...hey!"
Shockwave grits his teeth under his helm as the coffee spills over his armor. He is startled at first, but regains his composure. "Uh, I guess it's my fault too, I should have paid better attention." Some hero, instead I'm a laughing stock. Not exactly how I wanted to start things out.
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Post by Dead Sidekick on Oct 1, 2009 17:28:04 GMT -5
Shockwave only is paying half attention to Felicia as she goes about handing out the coffee, not even noticing it wasn't correct. "So let me get this clear...we have a thief that is able to either slip by the guards and other security, or is able to conceal himself in here until he was ready to strike. An unnatural darkness could be a factor in either. Even if we got the book back, what would keep...hey!" Shockwave grits his teeth under his helm as the coffee spills over his armor. He is startled at first, but regains his composure. "Uh, I guess it's my fault too, I should have paid better attention." Some hero, instead I'm a laughing stock. Not exactly how I wanted to start things out. Felicia continues to apologize profusely as she makes a futile effort to try to dab up two cups worth of coffee with a limited supply of paper napkins. She's on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry. Are you burned? Is anything shorting out?" She's rather embarassed and hesitant to dab at the pool of hot coffee on Shockwave's lap and in his seat. "it's my fault. I'm such a klutz." Her efforts are making more of a mess of Shockwave's armor, the cheap paper napkins leaving soggy brown wads of sticky fibers all over the armor. Mr. Pride glares at her and barks curtly "Ms. Bifrost! Watch that that mess doesn't get on any books in here." "Yes sir, yes Mr. Pride!" Felicia gets down on her hands and knees, hopelessly dabbing at the coffee running off of Shockwave's chair onto the tile floor. Mr. Pride rolls his eyes. "Ms. Bifrost. A mop! Get a mop!" Felicia sobs "Yes sir!" and gets up from the floor and begins heading for the door.
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Post by shockwave on Oct 1, 2009 18:29:42 GMT -5
"No really, I'm alright", Shockwave says as he pulls his chair away from the table to stand and try to brush coffee out of his lap and onto the floor, "the polymer in the armor is heat resistant fortunately."
"Mr. Pride, if we could get you to continue while we get this cleaned up, we'd appreciate it." Hopefully that will get the attention back on Pride instead of me. "So...back to the security...what security would an intruder likely have to pass on the way to this library. I saw the guards, but I assume there is more in a place with so many valuables."
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Post by TasK on Oct 1, 2009 21:42:58 GMT -5
Shockwave's holler startled Oldschool. The questions had been good and the answers were fairly substantial. He had been trying to wrap his mind around the 'Hammerhead' connection when he had heard the cry.
The secretary, Bifrost, had just spilt two cups of coffee on Shockwave!
Oldschool didn't see any smoke or sparks, so he assumed that the suit wasn't damaged. Having a hi-tech suit that shorted out with liquid, wouldn't have been engineered very well and Oldschool was impressed to see that Shockwave's suit was engineered well.
Mike had met more than a few sloppy engineers in his day and his biggest pet peeve were those that were so busy thinking outside the box that they forgot the box completely. Small things overlooked added up cumulatively to increase the potential of system failure or failures.
A hi-tech suit which shorted out in the rain was as worthwhile as a bad case of acne. Worthless.
He got out of his chair and did his best to assist Bifrost. When she ran to get the mop, he gathered all the soiled paper towel and piled them on the floor beside his chair.
He could see that Shockwave's armor still had coffee on it, but he believed with a little rain or cleaning, it wouldn't be too bad, but without knowing exactly, what sort of materials the suit was made of, he hesitated to verbalize his thoughts.
"Uhh," Mike said softly to Shockwave, "it doesn't look too bad, Boss. No smoke or sparks, anyway. If we get to better light, I'll give you a hand and check it out closer. I'm pretty handy with a soldering gun."
Oldschool gave Shockwave a grin to reinforce that he thought the man's suit was fine and then returned to his chair. He listened to Shockwave's questions and nodded wanting to know the answer.
When there was a pause in the conversation, he spoke up.
"The hat and note seem rather significant, don't they? My first reaction was that no criminal would ever leave something so damning behind at the scene of the crime; that it seems like a set-up. But, I've read a few articles about Hammerhead, by that reporter... uhh, Ben Parker... no, no Pete Parker's the Spiderman photographer.... ... Ben Urich! I think I recall that Hammerhead's sort of romanticizes about the 1920's and think's himself larger than life... a real ego tripist. He might just be the type to leave a 'calling card'. I think I remember something about his being in the Maggia as well, probably the reason the Police didn't want the information, public. No one in their right mind goes against the Maggia..."
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Post by shockwave on Oct 1, 2009 21:58:54 GMT -5
Shockwave rolls his eyes under his mask at Old School's comments. Yeah, like that muscle head would know anything of power suit design. Maybe he's broken a few in his time, but not the guy I'd pick to check my work. He'd probably think coffee spill resistance was a specific design feature.
After Oldschool finishes his comments on Hammerhead and the hat, Shockwave thinks about it for a few moments. He hadn't had much time to dwell on it due to the coffee spill.
"I see two likely possibilities. It's either a setup, or there was something personal about this job. I can't see a calling card left for no reason. Has Hammerhead had any interaction with the museum in the past that you know of?"
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Flashdance
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Post by Flashdance on Oct 1, 2009 23:53:02 GMT -5
"Well Shoot" - Flashdance thinks to himself - "these two seem pretty smart. Hopefully I will be more impressive in a tussle with these cats that I am in the detective work. The secretary though; wonder why she seems so nervous? Maybe while these guys are doing the questioning I'll keep an eye on her"
Listening to the questions, Flashdance seems a bit overwelmed, and his mind starts to slowly drift to that cute little bucklehoney he met last week in Tulsa. But then Shockwave says something that perks his attention.
"Well" - He pipes in - "Maybe the dude is a teleporter" That would get him in and out of here pretty quick" Heck, if I can do it there's gotta be other guys that can to. Or gal. Don't want to descriminate
**Just the the coffee spills** "Whooppsies! You ok Shocks? I'm sure that thing has to be waterproof. I'm not handy with a soldering gun, but I think I do have a wet-nap in my car left over from lunch"
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Post by Dead Sidekick on Oct 2, 2009 4:04:28 GMT -5
While Felicia darts off to grab a mop, Mr. Pride remarks "I apologize for my assistant's clumsiness. We've all been rather distressed since the burglary. She's a pleasant woman though not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Single mother, with a troubled teen child. Worked her way through art history courses. I could have hired a more qualified assistant, but I wanted to give her a chance..."
As Ms. Bifrost returns with a mop and wringer bucket on caster wheels and laden with cleaning towels and spray bottles, Shockwave asks, "So...back to the security...what security would an intruder likely have to pass on the way to this library. I saw the guards, but I assume there is more in a place with so many valuables."
Mr. Pride replies, "Well, I'm not at liberty to discuss the entire array of security precautions in place here at the Met, but you can probably guess at a few. Most of the things you see in Hollywood cat burglar movies are wrong. There is nothing like an invisible laser beam obstacle course for Catherine Zeta Jones to slink through, for example. Ventilation ductwork is far too small for even a human infant to crawl through, and all terminal points end in small grates like those mailbox-sized ones there in the wall. Cameras everywhere. Motion detectors. Encrypted keypads with double redundant RFID badge swipes that require third party human authorization from on site security personnel to 'buzz' open doors. Handprint scanners, timelocked vault doors, backup power generators. And of course human security patrols. No one could get this far into the Met undetected, and yet somehow, they did."
Oldschool remarks, "The hat and note seem rather significant, don't they? My first reaction was that no criminal would ever leave something so damning behind at the scene of the crime; that it seems like a set-up. But, I've read a few articles about Hammerhead, by that reporter... uhh, Ben Parker... no, no Pete Parker's the Spiderman photographer.... ... Ben Urich! I think I recall that Hammerhead's sort of romanticizes about the 1920's and think's himself larger than life... a real ego tripist. He might just be the type to leave a 'calling card'. I think I remember something about his being in the Maggia as well, probably the reason the Police didn't want the information, public. No one in their right mind goes against the Maggia..."
Mr. Pride replies, "Peter Parker's photography amazes me, how he gets the Spiderman shots that he does. Crazy angles and perspectives. Tragic that such a waste of talent works freelance for a city tabloid. But yes, Ben Urich, the Bugle's crime desk reporter. If anyone knows the ins-and-outs of the criminal underworld in this city, it would be him."
Shockwave says, "I see two likely possibilities. It's either a setup, or there was something personal about this job. I can't see a calling card left for no reason. Has Hammerhead had any interaction with the museum in the past that you know of?"
Mr. Pride shrugs, "None that we know of. Investigators with face-recognition software are supposed to look back over security video from over the past two weeks, since we placed A Madman's Mutterings on display. Such things of course would consume a lot of time. But naturally, looking for people interested in a museum display and sorting out the suspicious from among them is practically impossible by video alone."
Flashdance pipes in with a redneck drawl, "Well, maybe the dude is a 'teleporter.' That would get him in and out of here pretty quick. Heck, if I can do it there's gotta be other guys that can to. Or gal. Don't want to discriminate."
Mr. Pride replies, "That is a possibility that has not been completely ruled out. I'm afraid the local police lack the resources to trace such things. Another reason why I'm pleading for help from super-heroes."
Felicia finishes mopping up the coffee and approaches Shockwave with a bottle of tile cleaning spray and a cloth towel. Her mascara is a bit streaked from crying. "This will remove the stickiness. I'm so sorry about this mess. Here let me..." Felicia sprays the cleaning agent on Shockwave's armored chest and begins polishing it clean with a towel before stepping back, embarrassed at how that must look to other eyes, "...let me get you another coffee" she says as she hands the spray bottle and towel to Shockwave.
Mr. Pride speaks up as he passes out business cards to everyone. "If you have any more questions or need to reach me, this is my number. How may I contact you? I could take out classified ads in the Bugle, but that seems rather inefficient."
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Post by shockwave on Oct 2, 2009 7:21:56 GMT -5
Shockwave takes the cloth from Ms. Bifrost, "Thanks, I'll take care of the rest."
He uses the cloth tentatively to clean up what he can of the coffee off of the armor. This will need a more thorough cleaning when I get out of it...although if coffee is the worse that gets on it, I'll consider myself lucky.
Contact number...that's a detail I hadn't really thought about. Saratoga Springs number? Apartment number here in Manhatten? No, those will bring in SHIELD before I knew what happened. Disposable cell phone? Sounds like something criminals would do. However, until some better idea comes up, that may have to do.
Mr. Pride, I'll call you with a method where I can be reached as soon as arrangements are made.
Maybe an internet message board will make more sense. Something subtle. Need to make sure to put enough security in not to be traced back to my place however. I guess Shockwave needs his own email account now... at least there are plenty of internet cafes in Manhatten.
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Post by TasK on Oct 2, 2009 11:48:22 GMT -5
Oldschool stood to receive the card. He nodded confidently to put the elderly man at ease, but inside his mind reeled with the difficulties of the task set before him.
He was no detective and he hadn't the vaguest idea where to look for Hammerhead. Whether he had stolen the book, or not, Oldschool felt that the answers would lie there... where ever there was.
It was hard to judge Shockwave. In his armor he seemed so confident, like he had all the answers. Answers that seemed to be eluding him. He wondered how to broach the subject of perhaps working together to solve the case.
Truth was, he needed the money. He liked to think that he would have done this for free, but ever since a $100, 000 reward was mentioned, Oldschool had trouble focusing on anything but. He would need help.
He needed Shockwave and Flashdance's help.
"I'll phone you from pay phone whenever I can, Mr. Pride, and keep you updated."
Oldschool then gives Mr. Pride the number to the soup kitchen he 'volunteers' at and assures the man that they will get ahold of him if need be. He then shakes the man's hand and starts out of the room as he tries to figure out a way to suggest a team-up without completely savaging his pride.
What little of it remained.
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