One Pill Makes You Larger... (IC)

[Fox]

Dragonfly scowled a bit as another shockwave flew past the freak as he moved to get his footing. has incredible luck - fate is perverse - like the world is determined by die roll

"Hoping one of you has a better idea. Down to 'keep hitting it' or...hm." could - dangerous - might not kill him - seems to take a lot of abuse - get inventive?

Slowly, she glanced from the freak to the rooftops of the nearby buildings, something inside her gauntlets whirring and reconfiguring.

[trollthumper]

The behemoth dodged Dragonfly's blast ably, but it appeared that the effort to shift was a bit too much. His right leg came down with a sharp crack, and he let out a pain-wracked bellow. Cannonade took the opportunity to strike.

"Don't think you understand, pal," he said as he crouched. "This is for... your own... HEALTH!"

He leapt into the air, wrapped his arms around the giant's neck, and headbutted him with his steel helmet. The behemoth's bellows gave way to groans as he began to topple. Cannonade leapt off the giant as he hit the ground like a plummeting whale. As the dust cleared and the masonry settled, the trio watched as his body began to recess and shrink. The red shade began to fade, but didn't entirely diminish due to the sheer number of burst capillaries. Pretty soon, a somewhat lanky man was lying unconscious on the pavement. His face and chest were covered in bruises that stood out even amongst the damaged circulation, and his legs looked like someone had taken an army of sledgehammers to them.

"Jesus Christ..."

[Supercape]

Slick Peered at the bruised and battered body.

"He isn't looking to well. May need a hospital. "

She knelt down, examining the man. "What the hell happened here? We could do with a few questions answered from this guy." she said, talking to herself as well as the two heroes standing by.

She waved to Dragonfly, with a wink. "New body!" she called out. Of course, the streams of oily exudate that streaked over her body were a bit of a giveaway.

Turning to Cannonade, she extended an oily hand. "Hi, the name's Slick, as you probably heard..."

[trollthumper]

Cannonade shook hands with Slick, not seeming to mind the oily accumulation. "Cannonade," he said. "And you're right -- guy needs help." Cannonade pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911. "Yeah, listen, we're at the alley behind 2162 Lagrange... this guy came out of a building in the middle of the world's biggest roid rage, and now he's looking worse for wear. Tell the cops it's a super matter. Thanks."

He hung up and turned back to Slick. "You find anything in the apartment that explains why our guy went berserk?"

[Supercape]

Slick pulled out the empty vial. "Only this" she replied. ""Something odd I can smell, but I can't quite place what it is. Perhaps a labloratory could give it the once over, but it's going to take time. " She drew out the cigarette case. "Not much on this. The picture on the packet is interesting, a delta sign, representing change. Very droll."

She gazed at the wreckage beside them, and the bruised and battered man by her feet.

"Unfortunately, I'm not entirely sure we have the luxury of time."

She brought her gaze back up to the ruined apartment. "I didn't exactly go through it with a fine tooth comb. There may be more stuff up there. I'm not exactly a forensics expert, however. "

[Fox]

Apparently deciding she couldn't do anything more for the un-freaked man, Dragonfly carefully picked her way through the wrecked wall and into the apartment. a mess - rage? - hormone imbalance? - need more information - everyone owns a computer - where is - ah She made her way to the - thankfully intact - computer, made sure it was turned on, and...stood there, leaving the keys untouched.

Behind her visor, behind her eyes, little lights flickered and danced as the computer flew into action. Text and images flew across the screen almost faster than the eye could catch, as if the computer was being operated by an absurdly fast spectral user.

[trollthumper]

Meanwhile, down in the alley, the ambulance had already shown up. One of the things about life in Freedom, thought Cannonade. The quick response time.

"What the hell happened here?" one of the paramedics asked.

"Tryin' to figure that out," he said. "Guy came out of the second floor five times his size. Colleague of mine upstairs says the body couldn't take the load." He paused as the paramedics strapped an oxygen mask on the man and started to pump. "You ever see anything like this?"

"Not usually," said the other paramedic. "We get the occasional manifestation gone weird, but usually the vic seems to be able to handle their own changes. Pyros are immune to their fire, screamers don't deafen themselves, strongmen don't hurt themselves punching things out. This really ain't normal."

"Good. Hey, uh, in case I run into it again --"

"Get 'em on their back, keep 'em from exerting themselves or putting pressure on the legs."

"Yeah, easier said than done."

[Supercape]

Get em on their back thought Slick. Easier said than done, indeed.

However, it was probably a good plan for the future. She had had the right idea, perhaps.

Turning to Cannonade, she started thinking aloud "It's a good idea in principle. And there is a strong possibility this is not going to be the end of the matter. If whatever was in that cigarette packet was mass produced, we could have a huge epidemic on our plans"

Heh. Cheap, but after the intense fight, a small pun might help them all relax a little.

"We need to be prepared. I'll have a little think about that one."

Turning to Dragonfly, she was the lights dancing on her visor. Kid looks smart. Datalink I imagine, and from the way she is whipping through the net, she is an expert.

"Any luck?" she asked, as the helmed hero continued to speed through cyberspace.

[Fox]

The lights died, and Dragonfly reached under her visor for a moment to rub the bridge of her nose. Picking her way back over to the hole, she nodded. "Yes. Bodybuilder, and an idiot. He got into contact with unknown person advertising 'glory'. Back room of a building near the docks...have map for general area, then we look for a sign on the sidewalk. Probably the symbol Slick found."

She quietly shook her head, heading back into the alley to join the other two. best to delete illegal records - would have made our job harder - didn't even close the map - that exciting? - don't like this - bad memories unfortunate parallels "Ready when you are. Walking or transportation?"

[trollthumper]

"I can get there on foot," Cannonade said. He looked to Slick and Dragonfly -- no wings, no obvious telekinetic stuff... "If either of you need to get there, I could give you a lift. Well... more like a fireman's carry..."

[Supercape]

Slick couldn't resist a slight smirk.

Cannonade was, she supposed, being chivalrous, but she had been around too long, and in too many forms, to treat that kind of stuff with anything more than bemusement. She appreciated the politeness and gesture, but nonetheless, it always made her smile.

"I think I can manage" she said, having a few experimental hops. "Besides which, I would probably just slip out of your grasp!" she joked.

"And we could, if feeling lazy, just take a cab", she added, producing an extravagant number of extremely high denomination notes.

[Fox]

fireman's carry? - not if my life depended on it - only if my life depended on it "...no, thank you. Brought my own transportation."

Dragonfly held out a hand, gaps in her gauntlet's plating lighting up in a neon blue. A little chunk of twisting matter pulled out of her palm, rapidly growing and unfolding in a strange, eye-tingling origami pattern...but with reality in the place of paper. Fortunately the effect only lasted a couple seconds, leaving a large grey motorcycle where there used to be empty alley.

"Never leave home without it," she quipped, dryly.

[trollthumper]

Cannonade just stared at the motorcycle. "That's gotta come in handy," he said. "I'll meet you down at the river." With that, he leapt to the roof of the apartment building and rushed towards the water.

"Fireman's carry," he thought. Man, what was I thinking? General rule: if she looks like she can kick your ass, no half-assed attempts at chivalry are necessary.

He landed in the general vicinity of the area Dragonfly had tracked down. It was definitely one of the commercial areas of the Waterfront -- near-identical warehouses loomed tall over the shoreline, casting shadows out over the river. Everything seemed quiet, save for the hum of flood lamps and the distant flow of traffic. As Cannonade waited, he began to search for anything out of the ordinary.

[Supercape]

Once Cannonade had leapt off (did he look slightly flushed?) Slick couldn't help a little laugh.

She winked at Dragonfly "maybe I'm not that much of a lady..." she smirked. "However, I wouldn't mind a back seat on that motorbike. I've done enough running for one day."

She had been making a concerted effort to reabsorb her excreted oily secretions, and was now fairly confident that she would only leave a smudge on the seat. Hopefully the owner wouldn't be too picky, and if not, she could always slip some notes her way.

[Fox]

Dragonfly hesitated, glancing from Slick's...slickness, down to her bike, and back up again. she - it - haste is good - cheaper to replace jacket - why.... Sighing, she pulled off her jacket, draped it over the back side of the motorcycle's seat, and swung her leg over to take her place as far to the front as she could. "Get on. And...try to keep your fluids to yourself."

Starting the engine, she tried to keep her expression as neutral as possible. my poor bike...

[Supercape]

The Journey was fast enough on Dragonfly's bike. She seemed to know all the short cuts, and the route seemed to perfectly bypass all red lights (or did they just turn green as needed?)

They pulled up by the riverside, keeping to the side roads. Nothing out of the ordinary so far. Lots of warehouses, the smell of the river, few people around.

Slick slid off the bike and noted the smudges on the Jacket. "Sorry about that, dear. I will try to keep my juices to myself next time. But you do make it hard. " She winked.

She had, of course made sure several large denomination bills had also slid into the Jacket pocket.

[trollthumper]

Cannonade's quick search was interrupted by the sound of a motorcycle engine as Dragonfly's bike decelerated and stopped in the nearby alley. "Must be some good traffic tonight," he said, turning his attention back to the search. He stopped, pointing to a patch of graffiti on the side of one of the warehouses. With the busted safety lamp above, the colors of the sign seemed to merge together, but prominent amongst the mural was a stylized triangle. "Looks like the sign on the packet," he said. "Guessing we wanna try subtle?"

[Supercape]

"Are you really the subtle type?" asked Slick, with a slight smile on her face.

She turned to Dragon Fly, "Any Idea's? I thought this old fellow is always good for a little spying..." and with that, her fleshed bulged, expanded, and contracted, as the streaks of oily excrement dripped off her.

Standing in the place of the attractive and athletic woman stood a dishevelled and dirty gentleman of the road. He even smelled of alcohol. His clothes were still of the wrong sort, but Slick pulled the tarpaulin off a dumpster, and once it was pulled over the vagrant, the illusion was complete.

[Fox]

The young woman eyed the smudge and frowned, dismounting. good call - unfortunate - was a good jacket - dispose of it later - study first? - buy replacement for spare I'll use Reaching out to touch her motorcycle's seat, the bike (jacket and all) crumpled and folded until disappearing completely into her hand.

"Must be some good traffic tonight," he said, turning his attention back to the search. He stopped, pointing to a patch of graffiti on the side of one of the warehouses. With the busted safety lamp above, the colors of the sign seemed to merge together, but prominent amongst the mural was a stylized triangle. "Looks like the sign on the packet," he said. "Guessing we wanna try subtle?"

Dragonfly simply nodded. "Always have good traffic. Almost always, anyway. Not so good at subtle, but worth a shot. Element of surprise, at least...not as good at disguise as Sli--"

her fleshed bulged, expanded, and contracted, as the streaks of oily excrement dripped off her.

She cut off, watching the dripping...ooze...with mild distaste. burn jacket - touch only with tongs - then burn tongs "...yes. Not good at that. Unable. Would be nice to have some foreknowledge of layout, defenses, threats...then take them by surprise. Off-guard, easier to weaken before a real fight breaks out. Would really prefer time for study, but...doubt I'll get that." She shrugged. "Better to be fast, do it today, before more get hurt or killed."

[trollthumper]

"All right," Cannonade said. "There's probably gonna be at least a lock on the door -- I can take care of that. Dragonfly, I'm guessing you can take care of the alarm system if there is one -- knock it out if it goes off." He pressed his hand against the door, testing the strength of the lock... and it opened, easily. From within, heavy bass that was unheard before began to pour out into the alleyway.

"...huh. Wasn't expecting that."

Cannonade quickly poked his head into the shadowed corridor, casting his gaze about -- and found himself staring at a large man, arms folded, walkie-talkie by his side. "I assume you have an invitation?" the bouncer asked.

[Supercape]

Slick quickly started to stumble towards the man, putting on a drunken voice.

"Yersh, Corsh' we have, man. Thish playsh ish Da Bomb!"

He stumbled again, and straightened up. "And here is my invatashon!" he pronounced, waving a roll of cash.

[trollthumper]

The bouncer took a look at the wad of cash... then at the bum smelling faintly of petrochemicals... then at the wad of cash... then at the man in the steel helmet... then at the wad of cash. He picked the wad right out of Slick's hands. "You say nothing to the others," he said. "I think this'll do for a vacation. A long one." With that, he laid down his walkie-talkie unit and ducked out of the warehouse.

"I've gotta keep that in mind," Cannonade said, "if I win the lottery or something." He picked up the walkie-talkie unit and handed it to Slick. "Guessing you're good at impressions. Anyone calls, imitate our bouncer and tell 'em everything's cool." He walked towards the sound of the thumping bass.

[groove]22322576[/groove]

The main floor was dimly lit and covered in fog. The deep dance music echoed off the walls as a small yet sizable group of dancers took to the floor. They were dressed in a strange mix of clubwear and superhero chic -- tight jeans with Atom-brand microweave, steel boots with designer skirts. On the far wall, above the DJ booth, was a screen displaying a digitally-rendered montage of Freedom City, almost a first-person view of someone flying through its streets and taking to the sky.

"Super fashion," Cannonade said. "This town..."

[Supercape]

"Imitate his voice?" asked Slick, incredulously.

"I think I can do better than that..."

With another slow crawling of flesh and oil, the tramp slowly morphed into the features of the bouncer who had just departed.

"Of course, the right clothes would be nice, if you have any with that jack in the box contraption of yours, Dragonfly. Otherwise, this tarpaulin covers a multitude of sins. "

[Fox]

Dragonfly kept her arms close to her body, eyeing the dancers and wishing she still had her jacket. "Well. At least we'll fit in. And, no. Don't carry spare clothes with me. Probably should. Not disguises. Replacement jackets, maybe?"

She tilted her head, imagining the general size and shape of the building from the outside and comparing it to what she could see on the inside. not a structural engineer - unlikely to be bigger on the inside - closet - maintenance - DJ booth - void - void - piping? - there Waving at the others to follow, she started to pick her way around the edge of the dance floor towards a door to what looked like a back room.

[trollthumper]

Cannonade followed behind as Dragonfly led the way to the back. He was able to push his way through the dancing crowds easily -- he'd always been good in a mosh pit before the powers came in. It was more a matter of being somewhat gentler now.

"'Scuse me... coming through... gotta hit the bar... hey, where'd you get that helmet?"

Pretty soon, he was at the other end of the room. Sure enough, there was a set of double doors. He let Slick take the lead as they pushed forward. On the other end was a hallway, ending in the type of service elevator common in warehouses and converted lofts. Two of the bouncers were standing guard, though the bulges in their jackets indicated they were better armed than the guys up front.

"What you doing back here, Bill?" said one of the guards, looking to Slick. "Who're these guys? And... why the hell are you wearing a tarp?"