ic Street Sharks [IC]

[Raveled]

"We'll just have to be insistent," Glowstar said. The hero nodded at the pile of unconscious shark-men, glancing over at the one who stood there, smiling widely (not like a shark could do much else). "What should we do with these guys? I don't much fancy letting the police lug these things back to the station one at a time until one wakes up." Normally the teen would do what he thought was best and catch up with the group later, but this time he was willing to stand aside and let the older, more experienced heroes decide the best course of action.

[trollthumper]

"Yeah," Cannonade said, looking at the voracious shark-men. It was foolish to think that knocking them out might result in the mutagen bleeding out of their system, but he had been briefly entertaining the idea. Hell, he wasn't entirely sure this stuff did wear off. "I guess we could call the cops, tell them to send STAR, and help them out while they load 'em in. Just to make sure they don't wake up."

Soon enough, STAR was on-site. And strangely enough, they were prepared for such a situation. Fish paralyzer to make sure the Ministers stayed tranquil, and specially reinforced wagons to make sure they wouldn't be breaking out just in case that wore off. And if that happened, there would be two officers in standard STAR issue power armor for each van. "You guys usually bust out this much hardware?" Cannonade asked.

"When we're dealing with something new, yeah. And if this comes from who you say it does... well, there's a chance they could wake up, even with all the tranquilizer in them. We're gonna be ready for if that happens."

The sharks were carted off as the others watched, to be taken to the nearest precinct for processing, followed by a tour of Blackstone until they no longer posed an active threat (or made bail). With the matter of the Ministers taken care of - for now - it was only a matter of time before the heroes came to Providence Asylum. The orderly at the front desk looked up to see four costumed heroes approaching and said, "Let me guess - extraordinary circumstances."

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel (his spear now stowed away as a ring) stepped forward with a winning smile on his face. He didn't exude the raw force of personality he had displayed when he managed to talk down one of the Ministers, but he was still quite the presence. He clasped his arms behind his back and gave the woman at the desk a slight bow from the waist.

"You would be correct, ma'am. The four of us recently encountered some unusual individuals using unusual means to attempt crime. Those people have been taken into custody, but our investigative curiosity has led us here. We wish to speak with one Dr. Kirkstrom for a bit. We can assure you this visit is peaceful, and to our understanding, the good doctor should be able to receive visitors, at least for a time. Do we need to fill out any paperwork or the like befor we proceed?"

He wasn't flirting per se, but Gabriel was (perhaps unconsciously) still laying on a fair bit of charm. He just hoped there wasn't a small book's worth of paperwork to sign.

'At least I don't have to deal with any bees this time around.'

[trollthumper]

The orderly looked over the record, though was slightly distracted by the wholly captivating qualities of Gabriel's speech. "His record shows good behavior," she said, "so I can send the orderlies down without need for much backup. Besides, it looks like you four can handle themselves. But if anything goes wrong, we've got a team on response just in case."

"We can probably handle him," said Cannonade.

"Yes, you can. That's why they're there for Doctor Kirkstrom."

Two orderlies led the group to a freight elevator - apparently Wail had been such a fixture at Providence, bringing in aggrieved individuals with a tendency towards criminal acts, that they'd left a special note about his needs. The elevator led the group down to the basement, which was fairly well-lit, if in the harsh, stark illumination of such places. At the end of the hall was a sizable room with several industrial strength locks, which took the orderlies a good minute to undo. The door opened to a large room with, incongruously enough, honey yellow walls. Lab equipment of a biological nature was strewn everywhere, as well as half-finished plates of food - about six of them. A man with brown, surfer-length hair sat behind a computer, typing in some figures.

"Thank you, guys," he said in a cool, relieved voice. "Dinner was good as usual. Sorry about the little... pick-up lately. Working on it. At least the vegetarian option is holding."

The orderlies cleared out the plates and took off. Once they were gone, Dr. Kirkstrom pulled himself out from behind the table, walking over to the heroes with the aid of a cane. He looked them up and down. "Siren comes for check-up, as do her friends," he said, "but I'm afraid I don't get many other social calls among the hero set. Which means something must be up, either with genetics or sea life. So, which disaster is it?"

[Raveled]

Glowstar glanced at the gaggle of heroes. "Both, kind of," he said. "We kind of ran into a group of gangsters that, well, did what you do. Or used to, anyway. They injected themselves with... something." Brian had never very interested in science and how his hands grasped at the air, almost as if he was trying to pull images of the fight out of the ether. "Something that made them into shark-man hybrids. We managed to down them without much trouble, but if there's a new drug out there that turns people into sharks... well, there's a short list of folks with a history of that, you know?"

[KnightDisciple]

"The real problem, Doctor, is that we don't know their supplier. They weren't kind enough to inform us beforehand, and while I managed to talk one down enough he was cooperative...Well, they can't really form human speech right now."

He gestured about the lab, nodding at Kirkstrom with a bit of respect.

"It's clear you're working hard to atone, and you don't seem like the type who would be selling this stuff to gangs, or anyone really. So that leaves us wondering who else might have access to this formula, enough to reproduce it in at least small quantities at a time. We were hoping you could give some insight into what might be going on here."

He was very careful not to accuse Doctor Kirkstrom; not only did he believe and hope the man was trying to do the right thing with his life, but also because angering him seemed like a move that could end rather painfully (though mostly for the Doctor when it all settled down).

[trollthumper]

Dr. Kirkstrom looked more shocked than anything at the news. He shook his head. "People will do such stupid things for an edge in this town," he said, "especially for the small stuff. I can't believe they're using it as a weapon... as if they needed anything from it..."

"Well, guys like these always need money," said Cannonade. "Don't suppose you've got any idea how this stuff got out on the street?"

"Well, that's easy" he said. "My commitments have always been matters of public records. The particulars of my change were covered up for the public hearings, but the DA's office and the judges still needed a copy of my blood work. Just so they could understand what I'd done to myself, why I'd done it, etc. Mens rea is what they called it - trust me, I heard it a lot. It's not how it got out on the street I'm worried about, it's in what form. You said these men just injected themselves and changed?"

"Yeah. One second it's some guy who looks like a roadie, next second it's five hundred pounds of shark."

"That's not how it worked for me. My first episode was gradual; Megalodon emerged over time. After that, he's always been... swimming around in the back of my head, waiting for a chance to get out. There's a chance these guys might have been dosing themselves for weeks before hand to prepare for a trigger episode, but even then, the change isn't that sudden. Unless..." Kirkstrom dashed over to the table and started tearing through his notes. "I've been working on a cure, something like... I know this is a real simple way of putting it, but like an epipen for allergic reactions. A serum that can instantaneously drive back Megalodon. But part of the research involved digging up the chemical and genetic alterations that are triggered by the change. It's possible... well, it wouldn't be a perfect match, would probably have some nasty side effects, but someone might be able to use that knowledge to create a serum that allows for instant transformation."

"Anyone seen it?"

"That's the problem. I haven't left here since I started research, and other than the League and Susan, there haven't been any --" Realization dawned over the doctor's face. "...someone's been stealing my research."

[Raveled]

Glowstar frowned. "Is that even possible? I mean, this place is locked up pretty tight, seems to me." He eyed the security cameras on the ceiling. "Could someone really have just walked out of here with a bundle of papers? Heck, would they even know what they have? This place is staffed by psychiatrists, not biochemists or marine biologists. How would they know your genetic code, doc, from some other chemical formula you were working on? And how would they make it into something injectable?"

[Gizmo]

"Criminal doesn't mean stupid, just means fool," Wail rumbled, brow furrowed in consideration. "Coulda been a doctor, security guard, anybody working here. Can't even get a cellphone without a camera these days; grab a few shots when your back's turned, hand 'em off to some mad science type, they're in business." In the modern day, people were used to thinking of information as something that could be hunted down online or protected on a harddrive. In the veteran hero's experience, however, it always had and always would come down to the human element. The right bribe or threat and there was no such thing as 'secure information'.

[KnightDisciple]

"So we probably have a leak, but whoever it is, they're basically the "middleman". Someone else is doing the heavy-duty science work, reversing the effects of this epi-pen of yours."

Gabriel paced a bit, obviously mulling the situation over in his head.

"But who? We've got mad science types coming out our ears some days, but even as smart as a lot of them are, don't they usually specialize? Who's out there, free, who could take the information being stolen, and then turn this formula on its head? Someone who's good with chemicals and genetics, not circuits and metal as much. Anyone have any ideas?"

[Raveled]

Glowstar frowned and tapped his chin. "I went up against this one guy," he offered. "Goanna. He was a big, scaly lizard dude, but apparently he worked for ASTRO Labs at once point so he must've quite the brain on him. And he managed to transform the one particular woman with just a single injection," he added. "Sounds more or less like what we're seeing here." He paused and added, "Of course I don't have any idea where he might be right now..."

[trollthumper]

"Goanna..." said Kirkstrom. "Yes, I've heard that name. Not often, but once or twice. This city does have a tendency for scientists who want to use themselves as test groups, doesn't it?"

"Looks like it," said Cannonade. He started taking a look around the room, trying to find anything that might seem off. If any notes were missing, he probably wouldn't be able to tell - most of the notes were Greek to him - but there might be some sign, some bug, some something. "You usually get the same orderlies each time?"

"Yeah. There's Simmons and Parker at breakfast, Miller and Green come lunch, and Jameson and LaVigne at dinner and lights out."

"Any of 'em missed any days lately?"

"No, no. They've all been in, regular as clockwork. And it's not like I've left this lab much. The last time I did was..." Kirkstrom's thoughts trailed off, and he slapped his forehead. "Damnit."

"What is it?"

"A few weeks back, I had a... panic attack during Jameson and LaVigne's shift. I felt stifled, like a fish on dry land. I had to go see the ocean, at least. Getting in it would've been too much of a risk - last thing I want is for him to get too excited - but it definitely helped to calm me. But while I was out, Jameson and LaVigne were cleaning up my lab. Either of them could have done it."

"And they're on shift right now?" Cannonade looked to the others. "Let's go see if they picked up anything they weren't supposed to."

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel nodded as Kirstrom walked through the most likely time his research was stolen.

"If it's alright with you guys, I could try to talk to them first, see if I could convince them not to make this too complicated. Doctor Kirstrom, are there any pieces of information you think we should know about these two before we go talk to them? Any reason you think they might have done this, besides greed?"

He expected greed, but in a city that seemed to always be packed with crime, it wasn't inconceivable one or both of them men had been placed in a less than favorable circumstance that forced their hand.

"Also, where would we find them right now?"

[Gizmo]

"Well, I hear they've got rules about using convicts these days," Wail drawled in his low, reverberant tone. Naturally the aging hero had his own reservations about unchecked experimentation; seeing how badly Kirkstrom had messed himsef up, he was acutely aware of how lucky he'd gotten as a young man forced to take a foolish risk. "Have your chat," he told Gabriel with a nod, "but it wouldn't surprise me if they were set to shoot up with that shark juice themselves, push comes to shove. Rest of us should cover the exits. Just in case." He meant it as a suggestion, but there was enough presence in his stance and way of speaking to make it come across more like instructions.

[trollthumper]

"I... have no idea," Kirkstrom said. "Both Jameson and LaVigne have been pretty friendly when talking to me. There's been nothing about ailing relatives, nothing about rough histories... I mean, nothing obvious. Then again... they haven't really been that talkative."

"Could be the guy on the inside doesn't want to risk giving anything away," said Cannonade. "So, these guys..."

"I imagine they'd be over at the nurses' station," said Kirkstrom. "Or perhaps in the break room. I think there's one down on this level - then again, I was sort of drugged to the..." He paused on the word. "...teeth last time around."

Sure enough, Jameson and LaVigne were taking coffee in the break room when the quartet showed up. "Is Kirkstrom giving you guys any trouble?" asked Jameson. "We can talk to him if something's wrong."

[KnightDisciple]

A voice echoed from outside the room, the words carrying a heavy sense of gravitas.

"Something has gone wrong, but not for Dr. Kirkstrom. No, it's for you."

The steady sound of something metallic striking the floor came from the hall. It only took a couple of moments for the source to be revealed. Gabriel slowly strode into the room with deliberation and grace. His face held a faint expression of righteous anger, and his coat billowed around his body in a wind no one really heard or felt, but was apparently there nonetheless. The sound was the butt of his shining spear hitting the ground as he walked; he was using it as a walking staff, keeping a steady cadence despite the fact he did not need it in the slightest. He finally stopped a few paces away from Jameson and LaVigne, his eyes sliding back and forth between them, his gaze as cold and sharp as steel on a winter day. A slight shadow was cast over his armored head by the hood of his great white coat (which had finally settled at his sides), giving him a slightly otherworldly air. When he spoke, it was the quiet voice of an angel come down to proclaim judgement.

"You've stolen information that's incredibly dangerous in the wrong hands, and proceeded to give it directly to those wrong hands. You will tell us every detail of what you've done and why, or you will regret it for the rest of your long natural lives. But most importantly, you will tell us who you sold this substance to and where we can find them."

[trollthumper]

"I've got no idea what you're talking about!" said Jameson, with the conviction of a man who just had the Archangel Michael descend from the heavens to confront him about stealing from the collection plate. "I've just been tending to the doctor's meals! Cleaning up his lab! I wouldn't know the first thing about -"

Fortunately, his testimony was born out the minute LaVigne decided to run for it. He managed to get maybe ten feet down the hall before Cannonade caught up with him, grabbing him by the shoulder. LaVigne reached into his OR scrubs, pulling out a familiar-looking needle --

"Uh uh."

Cannonade slapped the needle out of the orderly's hand, sending it scattering down the hall. "You're gonna want those vocal cords. Trust me."

LaVigne stared down Cannonade and the rest of the group. "What do you want?" he asked, defeated.

[Raveled]

Glowstar had stayed out of the interrogation so far. He spent so much time trying to put others at their ease despite his nature, that when it came to being scary he didn't really know where to start. He did snatch the tumbling injector out of the air with a ball of spitting red energy, bringing it back to his hand and setting it to tumble in the air. "Start with who put you up to it," he said. "Or do you usually rifle through patients' rooms and take anything that looks vaguely valuable?"

[trollthumper]

"I... I don't know," said LaVigne. "Don't want to know. They gave me the money, I gave them the research. They gave me a little 'just in case.'"

"'Just in case'?" Cannonade looked at the syringe in his hand; it was one of those 'easy-use' hyposprays that had been distributed after the Proteus incident in March, designed for ease of inoculation without having to deal with the troublesome business of finding a vein. "Can't believe they'd cut into their profits like that. Who made the hand-off?"

"I..." LaVigne steeled himself. "I can't remember. You'd better just throw me in the clink. They find out I told, I'm worse than dead."

"Funny way of putting it. See, I was thinking of taking you back around to Dr. Kirkstrom's office and showing him what you were doing with that research of his. I mean, he seemed pretty laid back, but if you show him that stuff... hell, who knows how he'd react..."

LaVigne blanched. "Big guy, Hawaiian, wore a suit that cost more than what I make in a year. We traded cash behind Tempest Freight down on the docks. He told me to keep him updated on new research."

Cannonade let the orderly go. "Was that so hard?" he asked. "Now let's--"

The words died on his mouth as he turned to see Dr. Kirkstrom making his way out of his room. He charged down the hall, cane held out. When he closed the distance, he held it to the hero's chest, as if trying to keep some barrier between him. Cannonade soon realized it wasn't to keep him from Kirkstrom, but the other way around.

"I heard what you said," Kirkstrom spat. "Never use my condition as a... 'scare tactic.' Understand?"

Cannonade looked into the doctor's eyes... and saw something swimming deep down, something he didn't want to call to the surface. "I'm sorry, Doc."

"Good." The doctor relaxed, lowering his cane. "Now, given the kind of operation I'm guessing would be required to synthesize this compound, you may need someone with expertise in dismantling chemical apparatuses and neutralizing organic compounds. I should probably stay here until I'm needed... just in case." He glared at LaVigne. "And get him out of my sight."

[KnightDisciple]

"That seems best, Doctor. Thank you for your assistance and insight."

Gabriel was slightly alarmed by the sudden display of anger from Kirkstrom, mainly due to his condition. Still, he couldn't fault him for being upset with what Cannonade had done. He turned to Jameson, giving him a friendly smile.

"Mr. Jameson, do you think you could escort LaVigne to the appropriate location? I'm not sure what your protocol for this situation is, but I'm sure there are proper steps involved."

He turned to the other heroes present.

"So. Sounds like we're going to the docks again. Tempest Freight. Hm. Any of you ever run across the place? It's not ringing a bell for me."

[Raveled]

Glowstar empathized with Kirkstrom. He'd spent a lot of time figuring out how not to intimidate or outright scare people with his condition, with his innate nature, and he would certainly be angry if someone else decided that he was the perfect tool to strong-arm someone else. It must be a hundred times worse of Kirkstrom, he figured, since his monstrous side was entirely the doctor's own doing, while Glowstar's own nature as a T-baby was at least out of his control.

Still, Kirkstrom had laid down the law and Cannonade had apologized, so no need to make things more awkward by bringing it up. Instead he focused on Gabriel's words. "I've never been much of one for pounding the pavement," he said, floating a few inches into the air even as he spoke, "but there should be a business listing somewhere. Who wants to try googling for it?"

Meanwhile, he floated over to Kirkstrom and lowered the syringe into his hands. "Might want to take a look at that, doc," he said. "Apparently it's what the bad guys are shooting up with to get all scaly."

[Gizmo]

Wail left Kirkstrom's outburst unremarked upon, a weighty presence just in the background ready to step in if anything were to get out of hand. He could appreciate the seriousness with which the scientist treated his barely controlled transformations but they had bigger problems and at the end of the day it was something he'd done to himself. He could be sensitive about it on his own time. He did, however, make time to give LaVigne a pointed look as the traitorous man was taken away, a growl rumbling in his broad chest with the menace of a foreshadowed earthquake.

"Tempest Freight, huh?" The aging hero considered. He'd been out of real touch with the seedy underbelly of the city long enough that it didn't ring any bells. He considered a connection to Typhoon, but this didn't seem up the old dictator's alley; given his well known animosity with the Serpent People LaMarr had a hard time imagining drug-induced shark men being a welcome sight in Socotra.

[trollthumper]

Tempest Freight turned out to be a fairly-sized shipping operation, nothing that Cannonade wasn't used to from his time patrolling the docks. He looked down on the facility from above, getting a sense for the area. As it was, everything was shut down, as was to be expected for this time of night - the garage doors were all drawn down and locked, and the only lights on were the ones outdoors. There was no apparent security from the outside - odds were that whoever was responsible was inside on patrol. In fact, as Cannonade scanned the area, there didn't seem to be anyone on the outside for the block surrounding the warehouse. No homeless, no streetwalkers, and no other denizens of the night. Everything was silent and bolted down, almost unnaturally so.

"All right, here we are," he said. "Think we should set up position and see if this contact shows up? Or maybe we should try to get some eyes on the inside?"

[Raveled]

Glowstar's crackling, snapping force field cast a ruddy light over the rooftop; not enough to read by, but enough to to give definition to shadows and shapes. "I don't really stealth around," he said. "If you need a hole in the wall, I'm the guy to come to, but sneaking around I leave to my buddy Crow." He looked over the building and shrugged; if the lack of a night life, or any life other than the four heroes, disturbed him, he didn't show it. "I vote we knock on the door and talk to the people inside."

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel had been standing quietly to one side, spear stowed away for the moment, arms crossed over his chest, and head bowed. To the others, perhaps it looked like he was praying while they debated their approach. Praying, or perhaps resting?

"That place isn't shut down for the night. I hear...machines, chemicals, electricity, things like that. Steps. But...no voices. Perhaps a patrol. And possibly in a basement."

He opened his eyes and walked over to the others, stopping to consider the three heroes for a moment, tapping his chin in thought. Then he smiled.

"I have an idea. None of us can see through walls, but I'd wager we could get on the roof pretty quietly. At that point, if we work together, I think we can get through quietly. I could warp the metal, make it as weak as paper. Then, the three of you grab and lift gently. It comes away quiet, or at least quiet enough the other noises cover it up. Then we slip inside and commence investigation."

He gave a shrug.

"Or we wait for the contact a bit, then try that. Thoughts?"