Witch Hunt [IC]

[Quinn]

Push winked at Arcturus, giving him a thumbs-up before leaning on a handy car with a welcome sigh.

"Eh, no harm no foul. 'sides, think I earned that tap earlier anyways. So, nullifier cuffs. Haven't got a pair on me, but if you can lock him down long enough for them to haul a pair out here, we should be fine." Without further ado, he tapped his commlink, speaking as if to the air.

"Right, I know you're listening in, you always are. We got the murderer, the demon's out of commission, and we need a pair of nullifier cuffs. Got all that, Mr. Black?" A low chuckle came over the link, along with the familiar gravelly voice.

"We aren't always listening in. Well, I am, but not all of us. We'll have a pair out there ASAP. Any sign of Mr. Webster?" Push shook his head, sounding a mite bitter, but resigned.

"Negative. You can ask Viggy, but I reccomend you talk to the Sheriff first. She's the one who brought him in. Cops here did good work, Black, I'd remember that." There was silence over the link, then the gravelly voice spoke with a bit more respect.

"We will. I'll be there personally with the cuffs in an hour or two, keep him locked down until then." Push nodded, then tapped his comm to break the channel. Turning, he grinned weakly at the others, then motioned to Nick and Equinox.

"Cuffs'll be here in an hour or two. Can you keep him locked down until then?"

[trollthumper]

"I'll get him over to County General," Durand said. "We can probably get two hours on a chemically induced coma. It'll buy us enough time until the cuffs get here." She looked over to the heroes. "I don't think I ever really got the chance to say it, what with the carnage and all, but... thank you. Things could've gone real bad here if we'd let him have his way."

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel had walked a bit closer as the others spoke. At the sheriff's words of thanks, he just shrugged.

"As far as I am concerned, I only did what ought to be done, Sheriff. I'm glad we stopped him before more kids had to die. Before more destruction was wrought. It's what I, what we do. Stop people like him, things like that demon."

He had a slightly faraway look in his eyes as his gaze drifted in the direction of the ruined church, then towards the sheriff's office, and thus the morgue. His gaze sharpened, and he turned to face her again.

"I'll leave you a card. If you ever have trouble along these lines again, feel free to call me. I'll come to help if I can."

[trollthumper]

Once the AEGIS occult specialist showed up, it was all over but due process. The cuffs kept Vigourie's will in check, so all that he really had to influence others were the words of his lawyer. He did not spill under interrogation, mentioning nothing about the structure of "the Shining Stars" or other agents. He remained silent until trial, and even then, his lawyer did most of the talking, claiming that Vigourie had been set up by the true culprit, who remained hidden amongst the citizenry. This may have spread a few seeds of fear and distrust, but was nothing compared to the witness testimony of one hero, three occult specialists, an AEGIS operative, and a local law enforcement officer. Vigourie was found guilty of murder in the second degree, and was sent back to his cell to await sentencing.

But he never made it to his next appearance before the judge. A roll call found his jail cell deserted, with no trace of disturbance save for streaks of blood and the overpowering scent of brimstone. It may have been that Vigourie used his own blood as a sacrifice to empower his magic, causing him to overpower the cuffs and allowing him to call upon an infernal patron for escape. Or it may have been that Leraje, or one of his brethren, had made their way to the cell that night; the denizens of Hell often lose favor with a sorcerer who can bind them and not keep them down...

Whatever the case for Vigourie's sudden end, the matter was clear for the citizens of Stratford. The panic faded, giving way to remembrance for the loss of William Harris. The community, which had kept its distance out of lingering distrust, came together once more. And the town that could easily have torn itself apart through fear united once more through understanding.