Avenger Assembled

it does, doesn't it! Oh, what the heck. Scarab, Avenger, and Dark Star receive a hero point. Belphegor receives a chance to overhear who they are and what they're planning.

I'm just assuming that Scarab will not, in fact, violate Avenger's brain at this juncture. ;)

Avenger replied to Scarab's telepathic message with a sudden, explosive burst of mental profanity! Despite his sharp reaction, though, the connection was still there. A little belatedly, he added _Apologies. Surprised me. Cell, please?_ It was a surprisingly polite tone of voice for Avenger, who was by no means nearly so pleasant in person. Once a phone connection was established, Avenger seemed reluctant to accept Scarab's version of events. "Pursuing a lead in the Fens now. Could use your assistance." A definite pause, and then, "Demons have human skins, Scarab. Have seen it."

Nightrival proved the night's master as he slipped through the darkened streets, evading the eyes of all and sundry like a master of darkness. There were two thugs lounging innocently around the front door of the trucking company, one man smoking a cigarette while the other read the newspaper. They were good; it took someone with Nightrival's sharp eyes to spot the Berettas tucked away underneath those ill-fitting company uniforms. The real question lay in front of the company, where a long black limousine lay parked non-chalantly in the slot reserved for the company president. There was a man in there as well, a driver seemingly asleep as he rested in the front seat with headphones on his ears. Still, even at this distance, to Nightrival's sharp eyes something seemed distinctly off about the man. Nearby, Jack was very impressed indeed with this mortal adventurer he'd encountered. Sneaking up on the undead and hiding at night was no easy feat; especially when the man looking for you could see in the dark! Feeling a little challenged, he kept his position. He'd show this guy by being a damn fine team player...and keep him from getting suspicious. That was one thing he didn't need.

"Mm." Avenger grunted in reply, stepping off into the shadows while the others talked. He walked a long way before disappearing into the darkness, making sure to be gone entirely by the time Scarab and Dark Star were finished speaking. (As far as he could tell, anyway! Taking chances with the Scarab around would only get him caught out for who and what he truly was.) Mindful of the heavy security systems around the Lair, Avenger took his sweet time in getting there, trusting the eternal hero and his space-born buddy would open the door when he arrived. It was only polite to knock.

I'll say no overhearing, D-A. You successfully got a Fair Escape, but that goes both ways. ;)

Not sure if I need to roll that again or not. If so, lemme know. :)

Avenger seriously considered calling in the others for help before proceeding to the Fens, knowing that it was entirely possible he was about to get in over his head. But he was also acutely conscious of his own vulnerability in this area, taking into account what he was and what a demon might recognize about him. If a demon called him out in front of the others, what exactly could he say to Slamdance? Or, for the love of Pete, Scarab? So he headed alone into the Fens as night fell, keeping half an eye on his watch to make sure he wasn't late for his meeting with the others. Maybe he could get them in on this after all, if the situation provided for itself. Out on the streets, he followed up on the rumors he'd heard, trying to track down the mysterious "hellhounds" of Freedom's worst neighborhood.

Soo, a nice abandoned warehouse?

Hmm. The problem is, Avenger's not going to let Scarab in his mind all the way voluntarily. (Too much like letting another vampire in there!) So Scarab's Lair may not work. A nice blind alley in the Fens?

The obvious solution is to write an angry letter to Castle Comics, vigorously protesting the disrupted timeline of events. ;)

Jack obligingly offered to take the camera and pass it off to one of the people sticking around. Despite his fierce tone with the others, he treated the unhappy TV host with a great deal of respect. It wasn't hard to guess that Jack might be a fan. "We'll get the son of a bitch, Mr. Michaels," he said vehemently. "I promise. And we'll make him pay for what he did to your Trusty Crew." He gently took the man's arm to try and urge him upstairs, a look of real sympathy on his face. "I know being a fan isn't the same as being a true friend, but I've always admired your work and what you do. That show you did on the mortuary industry was very ground-breaking."

Curse my rotten luck; I was hoping we'd have arranged a rendezvous by now in the other thread that Scarab and Avenger share, the one that takes place earlier chronologically. Hmm. Thoughts?

Okay, I will post in that regard after Scarab or Slamdance post on their actions.

So did all these make it in?

Nightrival's question got an honest chuckle from Avenger, who might have had a heart attack at the man's stealthy approach if he hadn't been made of such stern stuff. (And, naturally, if his heart ever beat at all.) "Faster if you take the subway," he replied unhelpfully. "Half-dozen, I think. Machine guns. Was waiting for you to do my recon, he admitted.

"Can search through contacts," Avenger replied carefully. "Name is familiar. Burglar by trade. Meet in the usual place?" he suggested, his voice full of its usual implacable drive. Avenger is not one to look backwards once he's gone forward. "Even with the new guy."

That would be spending the hero point gained from Jack's responsibility complication, spent for inspiration. Jack would like help from a Higher Power on this one. :bow:

It was late when Avenger finally returned to the house, the sun just beginning to set on his wasted day. He had to work fast if he was going to come up with something to show the others; some proof that he was more than just a creepy voice in the dark. Behind the mask as he smoothly slipped into the attic, Jack was acutely conscious of his own monstrosity. How easy would it have been for him to be the monster of Riverside? The thought was shockingly easy; he even had the claws and teeth carefully hidden behind his humanoid guise, not to mention the desire for blood and carnage that never quite faded. Concentrating in the dark in the quiet half-built attic, Avenger opened his mind to the past. I am Jack Faretti. I am a monster. Set a monster to catch a monster...

Jack always preferred the Raven, anyway. Or Lady Liberty, not that he'd admit it now...

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut. "Listen," he said fiercely, "Whatever's down here, it's not the only predator in the sewers. This is no place for a civilian, especially not with blood in the water. The two of you know how to fight, I already know that. I'll take Michaels up and meet with you later. I can even call in a friend, come back with reinforcements."

Avenger looked up, about to speak, as Nightrival disappeared. He paused a beat when he found the man gone, looking around but seeing no sign of him. "Heh. So that's what that's like." Avenger headed into the darkness, turning a few corners before disappearing into the night entirely. Once hidden sufficiently, Avenger's body broke apart into a thousand fragments of mist, drifting up into the sky as he made his own way very quickly to their mutual destination. Once there, he simply reformed and waited for his companion to arrive, crouched in the shadows of an open stoop. There were definite advantages to working with a partner.

I'm assuming that Nightrival knows as much as Avenger does; all that was for him too. :D

Avenger knew the Ya-Ya Posse as well, if only because Jack watched a lot of TrueTV. Jamaica's gangs in America were loud and violent, heavily armed men carrying out the same bloody struggles on America's streets that they did on their own home turf. They tend to grow fast, burn brightly, and burn out spectacularly, meteors of crime and vice. Freedom's Posse is well-armed, but he'd never heard of them carrying anything more dangerous than an AK-47 or two. "Think I know it too. Which means-" He cracked his forehead against Spaleni's with a noise like a gunshot, sending the already-battered thug to the ground with a groan. "Told him he could walk out. Just not when. Heh." Avenger seemed quite amused with himself. "Meet you there?"

Okay, if I understood Bel's action correctly...there ya go.