Light the Signal New IC

[Anyr]

Rebecca was momentarily surprised. Didn't Bryn already know how strong she was? But come to think of it, she'd never really shown it off when around the Welsh girl. None of their Metaball practice sessions had involved much heavy lifting either.

"It's not that much stuff. But yeah, I'm scary strong now. Just between you and me, it feels really great: Well, when I'm not fretting about accidentally hurting someone. And admittedly, the power boost has made it harder to take the ethical high road. It was way easier to abhor violence back when I was a total weakling..."

[Rhyvurg]

"Oh, now that's something. Valuable little trick you got. Infinite supply, no one can steal it from you and no one can undercut your prices. Yeah, I can see why people might pay for that. People would give a lot. Tell you what, I'll give you something for it too. I'll give you something very, very valuable for having an ability like that." He brings his rifle around from his back and slowly pulls back the bolt, causing a soft click. "I'll give you..." he releases the bolt, CLACK, "a head start."

[Mekboy]

Willow was ready for the blush this time. She quickly glamered over it. This was not the time for that whole... thing. Maybe later. Alright, definitely later if at all possible. Stupid ditch-boy, being all distracting.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Let's not get hasty here. Let's be niiiice and calm now. Nice and calm and still. You don't want to do anything stupid like try and run away or something like that, 'kay? You just wanna stay here and talk with us for a bit. And preferably not do that thing again."

[gremlin-pult]

Willow was ready for the blush this time. She quickly glamered over it. This was not the time for that whole... thing. Maybe later. Alright, definitely later if at all possible. Stupid ditch-boy, being all distracting.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Let's not get hasty here. Let's be niiiice and calm now. Nice and calm and still. You don't want to do anything stupid like try and run away or something like that, 'kay? You just wanna stay here and talk with us for a bit. And preferably not do that thing again."

"Oh, 'e definitely needs ta do the thing again. I'll need samples, in beakers 'n like, so's 'Enry an' I can analyse the makeup of 'is drug. With beakers, 'n microscopes. Fer science." Edward said, his gaze still unfocused and with the occasional confused giggle escaping him. Whew, his body was really taking it's time burning through the drug.

Yes, science. Science is important. I like the music Warren is playing. I wonder if he would let me sing with him. I like singing. It's like science... But with singing.

[Mekboy]

"Quiet, 'luv'." Willow put extra emphasis on that. For some reason it had particularly rankled her.

"Adults are talking."

[darklink_shadow]

Sayuri blinked at the group, watching thier moves. Had she been alone, he'd already have a shaft of wood in his leg, and a swarm of ants dragging him off to find the police. But it looked like only the clone thought as she did.

Still, ants swarmed behind him, ready to stop his escape. Ants the size of kittens, and just as cute. If you were into insects anyways.

[Elderand]

Cafeteria

"You hardly look like a glutton. Svelte, that's what you are." She appears to have great interest in a piece of meat sitting on his plate, the way she is suddenly staring at it.

"Well, I am an avid runner," he replies with a cheeky grin. Then he follow her gaze to his juicy steak. That won't do at all, he is very protective of his food. Probably comes from years of never having quite enough for satiety. Still, no reason to be hostile.

"You want some of this meat? Because I'm fairly sure you have your own you know." In between blinks he rushes back to the buffet, pick up an identical steak and drop it on her plate before taking back his sat. Almost like he didn't move at all. Asside from the small electrical discharge coursing over his skin for a moment.

[Wdwune]

Present day

"Ahahaha, Woah!" Edward exclaimed, taking a step back as the effects hit him. "Tha's some strong stuff, it is." He marveled at the way things around him changed as the drug affected his mind. It had to be some serious stuff to get through his and Henry's heightened tolerance to drugs and other foreign elements. He channeled his biokinesis into overcharging his bloodflow and other processes, vastly cutting the time it would take to burn through the drug.

"Cielo santo!" exclaims Orlando with a gasp as he quickly approaches Edward. "You alright, Ed?!" He turns to the drug dealer, advancing towards him with a furious glare. "Look what you did!! Offering dangerous drugs to teenagers! What were you thinking?!"

"Yeh, e is a proper drug dealer alright. This stuff would be devastatin' in the blood o' normal people, real big chance fer bad trips. In my 'ands it could be turned inta all sorts o' useful med'cines though. I say we take 'im in, boss-man. Per'aps with a setup that allows me to milk 'im fer his precious, precious juices?" Edward said, turning to Orlando, grinning wide.

[/I][/COLOR]Edward coughed somewhat awkwardly, giving Orlando a pointed stare. "Ahm, Anywhoos we should definitely take this guy in. Or sumthin'. 'E ain't good fer people who aren't, well... Aclimatized to 'allucinogens."

Edward's comments seems to calm Orlando down. "I'm glad you're fine and happy, Ed, but I cannot allow this guy in the team, not even to satisfy your scientific curiousity," he shrugs, still staring at the drug-dealer. "Sorry."

"Besides..." As he slowly recognizes the tune Warren is playing, he's well aware of John and Sayuri's actions. "I say we make a brief interogation, report to the ensign, and get out of here to continue our mission."

"Sayuri, well thought," he says pointing at the ants behind the guy. "Willow, Warren, help with the interogation. John, Sayuri, don't let him escape. Ed, stay still until the effects pass -or gather as much info as you can of the substance you just... ingested, if you want."

He calmly approaches the drug dealer, hands on his back, staring at his eyes. "First things first. What's your name?"

[gremlin-pult]

"Eh, you don't 'ave a beak anymore, Boss, so I'd say he effect is mostly burned through now. And o' course I don't want 'im on our team. Wha' I meant was, just from wha' little I could identify o' the properties o' the drug, there's a lot o' components in it tha' is normally 'ard to come by. It could be used to make a lot o' beneficial stuff. Med'cine 'n such. Wha' I was sayin' was tha' it would be a waste to just get 'im locked up in isolation or sumthin', which the coppers would totally do with someone who sweats drugs, and no' make use o' 'is ability t make sumthin' tha' will 'elp people. Anyway, we're fine. It's worn off." Edward said.

Edward. Edwaaaard! we, we need something for... for science. Fancy Feast! We need Fancy Feast. it is integral to solving the... uhm, cancer issue.

Edward stood still for a moment as he processed what Henry had just said, then blinked incredulously. "Correction. I am fine. 'Enry's still out there. Give it a minute, an' 'e will be back to 'is usual thesaurian self, 'owever." He said, with a reassuring smile.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

City Street

The man raises his hands in a gesture of surrender, "Hey, now, no need to get violent. We're just having a friendly little conversation. Unless this is a mugging? Is this a mugging?" When Orlando asks him his name-- the first real question he's gotten-- he says, "Name's Leo. Leo St. Dubois."

---

Rooftop

"There's nothing wrong with a little violence. As long as you don't take it too far. You know I grew up in a fishing village right? Lots of the men, my da included, after a long day out at sea would find themselves at the pub. After a few drinks, sometimes a friendly brawl'd break out. Local custom and all that." She looks away from the field glasses long enough to give Rebecca a grin.

---

Cafeteria

"Huh?" Maria asks, being broken out of her reverie, "Oh, no, I don't want to eat it. I just want to see where it goes." She half-absent-mindedly takes the piece of meat William deposited on her plate and passes it to her less talkative companion. "The more familiar I am with something, the easier it is to track, and based on what you're saying, your food isn't going to be at all easy to track. If it's off-putting, I'll stop, but you've got me curious now."

[Elderand]

"Why would you want to track my food?" He says with a puzzled look on his face.

Then his stomach start growling; the time for question is passed and he starts eating. Obviously if he ate at normal speed he'd be here for hours; therefore he had to eat at super-speed. It was a delicate balance to eat fast enough to not waste time but also slowly enough that he didn't end up expanding more energy than he would gain from his meal. Still, he'd had plenty of practice.

The food starts vanishing from his plate at analmost cartoonish speed. His movement slow enough to be visible but it is very much like watching a video that has been put on fast forward.

[Anyr]

"I think that attitude wouldn't work so well around here. 'Friendly brawls' take on a whole different meaning when the fighters are superpowered teenagers. All it takes is one kid with poor impulse control, and you've suddenly got a lot of collateral damage on your hands.

Anyway, enough sidetracking. What's going on down there?"

Rebecca peered down at the distant figures below. She couldn't really make out any details. Though her Vampiric eyes let her ignore darkness, they were otherwise no better than that of a normal human.

[Rhyvurg]

As the drug pusher talks, Herald telekinetically ties his shoelaces together without making any visible moves.

[DoctorFaust]

Warren nods silently and continues playing, focusing his efforts on trying to only let the feelings of dread his music should be inspiring effect St. Dubois and not the rest of his squad.

[Mekboy]

Willow was caught a little off guard by this. She'd expected the guy to try and run or fight or something. She'd know what to do then. This was a problem. She looked a little helplessly to her boss-man.

[Wdwune]

The man raises his hands in a gesture of surrender, "Hey, now, no need to get violent. We're just having a friendly little conversation. Unless this is a mugging? Is this a mugging?" When Orlando asks him his name-- the first real question he's gotten-- he says, "Name's Leo. Leo St. Dubois."

Standing still on his position, Orlando goes on. "I assure you this is no mugging. Thank you," he says to Leo as he grabs his JSK cellphone. "Don't worry, Mr. St. Dubois, this is protocol only. Stay still as I make a short call. Oh, and please, if you have an ID, you would do good if you show it to us. Again, protocol only."

He dials the number of Ensign Rounnig and waits for the other side of the line to answer. "Hi Rounnig, it's Orlando of Squad Bravo. Just calling to report crime activity as instructed. We didn't even start the patrolling service and we stumbled into this guy whose name is said to be Leo St. Dubois at a corner near Park and Main, and he's offering hallucinogenic substances to teenagers... In fact, we just were his potential customers." He makes a brief physical description of the guy. "We have him immobilized here, no violence was used, no harm was done, and the guy seems to cooperate with no trouble at all."

And as a safety measure, Orlando increases the range of his Circle from 3 to 15 meters radius, enough to cover the whole formation and more.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

City Street

St. Dubois continues to remain stock still, hands in the air. Probably a wise move, despite Orlando's request for ID, given that a gun barrel is mere fractions of an inch from his nose. "Look, I'm sure this is all just a misunderstanding. No need for weapons, hey?"

Rounnig tells Orlando to have the team stay put and wait for police, whom he will be dispatching shortly. He hangs up the phone before Orlando has a chance to respond further.

---

Rooftop

"Herald's pointing a gun at someone," Bryn says, not sounding at all surprised by this. She offers the binoculars to Rebecca to have a turn at watching. "Who knows why. Maybe the guy said something insulting."


---

Cafeteria

"You were speaking about extra-dimensions and quantum states for what happens with your food. I was curious what tracking something like that would do," Maria says casually-- at least until the steak in question is eaten. Her face goes pale and she puts a hand to her temple. "Oh, my, that's.... unpleasant."

[Wdwune]

Orlando stashes his cellphone back before turning to everyone in the team with a satisfied smirk. "Help is coming." He turns to St. Dubois. "I promise you, no one of us will hurt you unless you use violence. So please, be a good boy and stay still until our reinforcements arrive to help us clear this "misunderstanding"."

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

City Street

"Then tell this guy to put his gun away. I'm not going to pull anything, okay? And guns make me nervous."

[Anyr]

Rebecca peered through the offered binoculars.

"Well, the others seem to be backing him up. If this was just about Herald's feathers getting ruffled, I think someone would be trying to stop him."

[darklink_shadow]

Sayuri put a hand on Herald's rifle's barrel and lowered it slightly before pointing her hand cross bow at the stranger. "Better?"

[Rhyvurg]

Herald flicks the safety back on and lowers his gun. "I almost wish you had run. Also everyone, let's have a genre savvy moment and consider the possibility he wanted to be caught."

[Elderand]

Cafeteria

"You were speaking about extra-dimensions and quantum states for what happens with your food. I was curious what tracking something like that would do," Maria says casually-- at least until the steak in question is eaten. Her face goes pale and she puts a hand to her temple. "Oh, my, that's.... unpleasant."

"So I'm guessing using your powers to track down where my food goes wasn't such a great idea? Anything I can do to help make you feel better?" He says as he stop eating.

[Wdwune]

"I almost wish you had run. Also everyone, let's have a genre savvy moment and consider the possibility he wanted to be caught."

"Well, Mr. St. Dubois here clearly knows the protocol or he would have resisted already and tragedy would have befallen upon him and the district." Orlando shrugs, looking back to John, but using his active Circle of Perception to feel every movement of the drug dealer. "It's either that or he felt too intimidated by your gun. Or he was already in this situation before."

He pauses to consider John's theory. "But if what you say is right, then he must be wanting to escape from someone or something. Nothing more secure than a detention cell, huh?"

[Rhyvurg]

"Well, Mr. St. Dubois here clearly knows the protocol or he would have resisted already and tragedy would have befallen upon him and the district." Orlando shrugs, looking back to John, but using his active Circle of Perception to feel every movement of the drug dealer. "It's either that or he felt too intimidated by your gun. Or he was already in this situation before."

He pauses to consider John's theory. "But if what you say is right, then he must be wanting to escape from someone or something. Nothing more secure than a detention cell, huh?"

"...you and me are gonna have a screening of Avengers some time, boss."

[Mekboy]

"There's an easy way of doing this, you know."

Willow let the magic into her voice, taking a moment to revel in the feeling.

"Hey, guy, you got any ulterior-type motives here? Any particular reason you aren't fighting back?"

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

City Street

Leo St. Dubois shook his head ever so slightly when Sayuri raised her crossbow instead, "No, that isn't any better." Aside from that he held remarkably still, and, as John and Orlando considered his motivations, he just smirked silently-- that is, until Willow laid some magic on him. He appeared not to have noticed he'd been enchanted, although he does start talking again, "There's no point in fighting. For one thing, I ain't got any weapons, and you do. For another, if you really did just call the cops, then I'm scot free. You got nothing on me. The cops'll find nothing. There's no evidence, aside from your word, and that ain't enough for them to hold me. I know my rights, see, and the word of a bunch of kids isn't going to be enough even to really arrest me without any evidence. I ain't carrying no drugs or guns or nothing illegal. So they'll take your statement and let me go. Easy as pie."

---
Rooftop

"I suppose," Bryn says by way of reply. "I'm just glad that nothing bad's happening to them." Rebecca knows Bryn well enough by now that while she does mean that and cares about the whole group (with the possible exception of Herald), she's probably more concerned about her boyfriend than the rest of them put together.

---

Cafeteria

"No, nothing you can do. I'd just have to stop trying to track it. But I've never tracked anything on a quantum or extradimensional level before, so I want to give it a go as long as I can tolerate the vertigo." She giggles slightly, as if she were mildly tipsy, despite still looking vaguely ill. "Give it a go and vertigo. That's funny."

[darklink_shadow]

Sayuri lowered her crossbow. "Hm. Exception for the psychic's ability to play back memories. I'm sure watching that each of our memories corroborating every detail exactly will be quite a bit of proof. It's very hard to forge a coherent memory."

Raising her crossbow again, she smiled wickedly. "At least enough for a warrant to have your specific genetics tested for the ability to produce chemicals. Kim Consolidated has a very good Meta-Human research facility, and I know a guy who knows a guy."

Of course, she was bluffing, but he wouldn't know that.

[Anyr]

Rebecca could empathise. If William had been here, she'd have watched him like an undead hawk. And of course, there was Bryn herself. Rebecca grew fonder of the Welsh girl with each passing week. It was weird to think that their relationship had started as a simple 'fangs go in, blood comes out' arrangement. But these days, if forced to choose between saving Bryn or someone else from an oncoming train, she'd...Well, she'd save the other person: Because being hit by a train was just a minor inconvenience for Bryn.

"Ditto. Here's hoping that our trip will be completely pointless."

[Elderand]

Cafeteria

"No, nothing you can do. I'd just have to stop trying to track it. But I've never tracked anything on a quantum or extradimensional level before, so I want to give it a go as long as I can tolerate the vertigo." She giggles slightly, as if she were mildly tipsy, despite still looking vaguely ill. "Give it a go and vertigo. That's funny."

He keeps a concerned eyes on the girl but nods. "I guess that's fine as long as you don't end up puking all over me." Or completely drunk; he added to himself.
"So how does your power work? Can you see where the steak has gone or is it just a feeling?" He says as he continue eating his food, rapidly approaching the cakes.