GranspearZX

Taking out the control boxes seems like something nice and straightforward for Arcturus! Sense Motive (Bear form): (1d20+14=25) So the bear's nose knows... something.

Sorry, no. :)

The reason for Crusader's odd vision became clear as Voltage spoke. What would have happened if he had slept in? If the King of Suits had been seriously injured or worse that night? The feeling of dread that came with that uncertain future was giving way to a very real path of changing it. Voltage's age didn't really seem like a particularly hindering factor to Crusader; he nodded and listened, quite aware of his role on the team and on this mission in particular. "Oh, I think I'll be okay; I'm good at improvising... but I'll keep your offer in mind." He'd never needed help before, and there was a slight sting to Clark's pride in admitting that he just might. There really was no time or room for him to have such bravado, though. Still, he really did wish he had more than just a shield to work with. If nothing else, the whole situation made him more adamant about doing some serious upgrading and training when this was all over. He had a feeling that someone's future depended on it, and not just his own.

Holy... There was certainly nothing divine about this, however and Arcturus held back a growl of rising anger. A vampire? Or something far more sinister that he hadn't even considered? It didn't take him long to mentally sort the myriad of scents he was getting, but the knowledge didn't distract from the grim scene that lay before him. Leroy was lucky to have gotten out when he did, and it seemed almost as if something was nesting here. His ears perked as the presence of the predator was confirmed; he couldn't quite see it, but he could smell it, along with the blood. It said a lot that he was actually more accustomed to that smell than magic itself. Nevertheless, he took a quick look at his surroundings before moving away from the sound, trying to locate a safer vantage point to see what he was dealing with. The Beast Rune was itching for a fight, and Arcturus wasn't sure how long it would be before the inevitable became reality.

"As far as anyone else is concerned, I am the magic police." Arc paused, realizing how ridiculous and arrogant that sounded. "Well, actually... There's just certain things you don't do to upset things. This might be one of them. We didn't kill it. We just... destroyed its physical body. Energy never dies; it'll end up back on its natural plane." He closed his hand around the box. "I don't spend much time at the dorms. Most weekends I live out of my lab at the Parkhurst Hotel. I guess we could go there, but I don't recommend trying to teleport in. ...can you even teleport somewhere you've never actually been before? I don't really know how that whole thing works..."

GM Heraldo/Errant The inside of the portal was dark; once inside, it seemed all at once disorienting--falling, floating, flying. It was hard to tell until the two of you were dumped onto the ground, the portal spinning a good six or seven feet above the pair. It was dark and the moon was high in the sky, amidst pixelated trees. The area was surrounded by a number of white floating lights as well, illuminating the clearing and seeming to keep whatever was out in the wilds at bay. A lone howl filled the air, followed by a panicked cry for help somewhere to the north, followed by gunfire. Warp/Arcturus/Glow "I didn't do anything." He shrugged at Warp, his frown deepening at Arcturus's comment. He didn't say anything about it, however, simply looking down at his watch. "You have one hour.

Arcturus was on a time limit. He did, after all, have a promise to keep, and he didn't make them idly. Missing people was always a touchy subject for him; the last time a friend of his went missing, he turned up dead. It was a small miracle that he hadn't flipped out and killed his friend's murderer; just thinking about the entire incident made the Beast Rune glow faintly on Arc's back. He decided to proceed with more stealth than brute force. After the officer and Leroy pulled away, Arcturus slipped into the abandoned station, unceremoniously shifting into his bear form where his senses were much much sharper.

GM The tunnel started to widen the further down the pair went, eventually opening up into a large cavern, more or less directly underneath the apartment building, miles below the surface. Black stone pillars, etched with glowing red symbols, surrounded a large platform. Atop the platform was a figure on all fours chained to the ground, thrashing violently against some unseen force--or, at least Trigger couldn't see it. Above the man was the dimensional disturbance, distorting the air in the entire area like heat. There was plenty of heat as it was, making it difficult to breathe normally. The dimensional tear itself was a red and black-streaked affair that, combined with the distortion it was creating around it, looked like an enormous eye, bombarding the human below it with an unidentified energy pouring out of it at a steady, disturbingly rapid rate.

"Well we can't exactly let him keep experimenting on people." Arcturus nodded, scratching at his muzzle. He wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but even without directly saying so, Elias made Horatio sound pretty dangerous. The last time he went after someone that formidable by himself, it didn't exactly end well. "We'll wait for the cops for now, but... I wanna check this meeting place out. We don't necessarily have to do anything once we get there..." The idea of tailing him and shutting down his operation was an acceptable alternative; after all, there was nothing preventing some other psycho from picking up the pieces if Horatio went to jail.

"Not magic. I could smell it if it was... There's something off about it though..." Arcturus started to move forward, shifting into his bear form as he stepped up onto the sidewalk. "Yeah. Definitely off. There's traces of magic. Which makes no sense at all. There's definitely a difference though. Hell, people thought my abilities were psychic for a while. There's overlap, but they're usually separate. Psychics can do this, but I always thought it would take a LOT to pull something like this off." The big bear's gaze found Harper as he spoke. He couldn't help but find Errant's assertion amusing, and didn't make any move or gesture to stop him from reaching for the portal. In fact, he wasn't too far behind Heraldo, waiting to see if Warp and Glow would follow suit. "Glad to see that collarbone's healed up, by the way."

Marcus fumbled a bit to catch the cube, staring intently at it as the rain slowed to a steady drizzle. Police sirens filled the air as he stared at it, shaking his head. "I think this is what that kid was keeping the elemental in... hm." He turned it over a few times, then sniffed at it. "Elemental magic. Pretty sure that going around poaching magical creatures isn't allowed though... I need to look at this thing a little more closely." Still soaking wet, Arcturus looked in the direction of the library. "I guess our lesson's over, huh?"

Clark always considered himself a more or less social person under normal circumstances. As Crusader, however, he spent so much time punching mobsters and gangsters in the face that meeting other people in costume seemed almost unnecessary. Still, the King of Suits insisted, and there was a pervasive, nagging feeling that he couldn't leave this Dr. Green thing alone--not yet. It was the beginning of something far more serious than just some poor soul being the subject of weird experimentation. He stood next to the King of Suits, having followed him to the designated meeting place. He didn't say a word as he was introduced, sticking a gloved thumb into the strap holding his shield on his back. It seemed a little odd, but it wasn't like he knew any of these people beneath the mask. An old warehouse might have been more appropriate than he realized.

"Survival is survival. So long as they aren't hurting anybody, right?" Arcturus nodded. There was a certain amount of freedom that came with not staying in a shelter. For some people, it was a matter of pride; he knew one particular homeless man drifting around Midtown who had actually been a lawyer. Above all else, protecting the weak was Arc's job, and it couldn't always be done on his own terms. And when it came to things magical and supernatural, it was surprisingly convenient having so many normal folk around as trusted eyewitnesses. "Moore was a little bit before my time, but I've heard the stories. Tell you what, though... If you go with the officer--Leroy, right?--I'll check your place out and make sure you can go back there. What exactly ran you off anyway?"

"That's not magic." Arcturus shook his head, arms folded as he stood a few feet behind Heraldo. He seemed a little more at ease as the others showed up, but he was still giving Agent Harper a wary look. "There's definitely something weird here, but it's not magic. And nah, I don't mind at all. Might actually need all hands on this one." He picked up a rock and threw it at tossed it at the side of the building. When it hit the 8-bit brickwork, there was an odd sound effect--a dull, almost cartoonish thud as it fell harmlessly to the ground. "This looks like something out of a video game..." Arc moved towards the door and the STAR vans, stopping at the edge of the sidewalk and looking at the entrance. "It doesn't seem harmful from the outside, but with people inside, well..."

GM "I'm not the police." Agent Harper adjusted his shades a bit, regarding all five young heroes with a look that could only be described as skeptical. Then again, that seemed to be a rather permanent fixture in how he looked at everyone. 6' 2" and athletically built, he seemed far more capable than the average police officer, but didn't seem to possess any powers of his own. His badge seemed to indicate he was an AEGIS agent, an entirely different beast from the black STAR vans that were closer to the door. "As far as I can tell, there's some sort of dimensional disturbance here. Not the first one I've ever seen, but this is new. Never seen it manifest on the outside of a place before... it's one hell of a projection. Really, that's all I've got until Psi-Agents get here. Of course, STAR couldn't wait and they sent two squads in about 20 minutes ago. No word yet, on them OR whoever was caught inside when this started..." Agent Harper didn't seem at all amused by that, giving the group another once-over.

Marcus exhaled deeply, relaxing a bit as the figure escaped. He wasn't quite quick enough to prevent the teleport, but he could smell its after effects as he approached the spot, distracted by the smell and oblivious to what had been dropped. "...little brat's really packing. I can smell a couple of different kinds of magic, but this rain is making it hard to make out much besides that...?" He looked up as she offered the cube, taking a good hard look at it. "...mind if I...?" His voice trailed off as he held out his hand, offering to take it from her.

There's a definite dimensional disturbance, one that takes up a space equal to about half of one of the building's floors. It's a few stories down, but the drastic change in the way the surrounding looks seems to be part of it. The tear isn't widening, but whatever is causing it seems to be in a static place--likely wherever the yelling is coming from.

Marcus smiled at Nick and the bad joke. "Now that, I'd pay money to see." There were so many faces he hadn't seen in so long, it made Marcus realize just how much time had passed since he'd seen everyone all at once. It reminded him of why Parkhurst felt so much like home now, ghosts and all. It also helped that his Beast Rune powers had developed to a point where he could sense magic by scent, and the old hotel had a very soothing smell to it most days. "Merry Christmas, everybody..." Marcus smiled broadly, returning the hug offered by Etain. He gave Rene a skeptical look as he limped in, but merely shook his head and laughed rather than comment on the general lack of walking the elderly gentleman actually did. Instead, he pulled out a chair for both Rene and Etain. "Yeah, it's been a while. Been keeping plenty busy though... Mostly holed up in the library, but there's definitely some stories I could tell. How've you been? You look great." Marcus resisted the urge to snack on various things while waiting for other guests to arrive, instead making idle conversation.

I'd throw my hat in the ring for this as well, for both Arcturus's and Crusader's sakes; hopefully it's not too late though.

Arcturus watched for several minutes, fiddling through his pockets for his cell phone. The building had certainly ranked high on his 'weirdest thing ever' list, and the year was just starting. He was almost disappointed that he couldn't smell a trace of magic around, meaning that it was likely something outside his usual comfort zone. He was in his costume, but he hadn't approached yet, watching from an adjacent rooftop as Heraldo swooped in. There was no way he was going to try this alone, and he definitely wasn't going to allow Heraldo to do the same. Thus, the day was saved by the power of technology. He had Elias's phone number from their last excursion together; that was his first text message: "I need your help in Ashton: 2204 Kings Road." He also sent the same message Kat. Why, he wasn't really sure... probably because he knew she'd say 'yes' no matter what he proposed, and he wasn't even sure what was going on yet. With that, he tucked his phone away and hopped down off the roof, landing in the alley on the other side before approaching the police line on foot, waving Heraldo down as Harper beckoned him across the line.

GM "Huh." Most of the local police seemed relieved to see El Heraldo swooping down onto the scene. The man in charge, however, merely raised an eyebrow behind his shades. His badge read "Harper"; the only person on the scene wearing a black suit, he was trying to keep other officers and onlookers well away from the swirling vortex that had been the complex's front door. "The situation? Well... hell, kid, you tell me." He motioned for Heraldo to cross the tape. After all, he DID just fly in, making him uniquely qualified in comparison to the other officers.

Sure, go ahead and post again.

Christmas was always a touchy time for Marcus. He always seemed on edge as it was, and having to visit Blackstone a week before had put a lot on his mind. Still, the mood around Parkhurst seemed to bolster his spirits--no pun intended. He'd even made efforts to help with the decorating for the Christmas party. It took a couple of trips to get his gifts to the tree. Once he had, he headed over towards Nick. Marcus wasn't dressed in his usual attire at all--he was wearing black slacks and a white dress shirt, complete with a red tie bearing a green Christmas tree pin. Living at Parkhurst for the moment meant that he was going to be early no matter what he did, but judging by the way he'd been humming Christmas songs all day, he didn't seem to mind. "Evening Nick. Or is it Saint Nick with the hat?"

GM January 4, 2013 4:02 p.m. I can't... I can't do this anymore... Jonas Wolff's eyes closed for a moment, opening again as they focused on the computer screen in front of him. His hands felt wholly separate from the rest of him, tapping at buttons, thumbs fiddling with the analog sticks with expert precision. Despite the headphones covering the preteen's ears, he could still hear them in his head. His mother's thoughts, screaming at his father for coming home late again. His father's resentment, raging at the lack of trust despite his complete innocence. A simple misunderstanding, turned to so much negativity... He wanted it all to stop. The first call about the 'incident' came at around 4:30. A building in Ashton had suddenly turned into something out of an 8-bit video game--all five stories. It didn't take long for police, fireman, and even a news crew to arrive, but there seemed to be very little that could be done at the outset. The front doors hung wide open but nothing inside could be seen, save a swirling red and black vortex.

"Weapons dealer... mm. I guess that includes human weapons too." The bear's eyebrows furrowed in thought. "I don't suppose you know how to find this Horatio?" Normally, this wasn't exactly Arcturus's line of expertise. Despite most people being convinced that he was simply a bruiser in a fursuit, Arcturus was, in fact, a competent magic-user. He often preferred to think rather than fight--mostly because it assured that he was always in control at all times. Nevertheless, there were occasions where kicking a door in and sending a baddie to jail was just plain necessary. This seemed to be one of those times.