Nuclear Depths (IC)

[Supercape]

GM

 

April 20th

 

Freedom City Sewers...

 

The Secret hideout of the mysterious "Marie"

 

Over the least 24 hours, Freedom City had had brown outs. The Nuclear reactors on the east coast had all reported glitches and power failures, and many were operating on reduced output, or even shut down whilst maintenance tried to work out what the hell had gone on. 

 

It was not enough for Marie. 

 

"that Uranium-7 pulse should have knocked them all out!" she spat, her eyes glowing a furious green. 

 

The hideout was not too shabby, with running water and power, but it was cramped. Modesty was impossible. The computer was piecemeal but functional, and Bonfire had access to all his electronic resources. 

 

Including an interested journalist, Casey Cutter, an underground, streetwise, anti-corruption investigative journalist with several limbs, if not her entire being, in the criminal underworld. Casey worked for The peoples eye, a left-leaning TV investigative documentary programme. 

 

EMAIL: Casey.Cutter@Thepeopleseye.com

>>You got yourself in hot water!!! Video camera shots, not looking good. Everyone talking about terrorism. Bet there is another side, huh? How about an interview? Somewhere remote. Got a friend at Lantern Hill, graveyard. Should be safe there. Man of the cloth. Meet up and let me tell your story?

[olopi]

Marie had proven to be a bit more ambitious than Cass had hoped. He’d expected it, but not hoped. One wasn’t enough. Ten weren’t enough. It was about each and every one now. And while yes, he wasn’t a fan of nuclear power either, this was going a bit too far. He was thinking about how to tell Marie to maybe relax a bit, but it felt like it probably was a bad idea, and her glowing eyes didn’t help with that either.

 

Well, at least he’d had cooled down and managed to refuel enough. The last 15 or so hours had been spent making sure his web-pages didn’t get bombarded. A few quick statements here and there, a longer one on his main blog, and a few hints at some more upcoming information in the news. By now most of the west coast probably knew who Bonfire was. And most of them classified him as a super-villain, probably.

 

And then, the E-Mail. Casey was good people. Cass usually watched the people’s eye when he had nothing else to do, it was quite interesting. And caused a lot of debates on the internet, like most things. This was a good opportunity to set some things straight. Sure, some people would read his blog-posts, but in order to reach the public, an interview felt like a really good idea.

 

EMAIL: FreedomsHottest@HeroHouseBlogs.com

 

>>Oh yeah. Totally up for it! I’ve got enough to talk about! Send me an address and a time and I’ll meet you there. I’m laying low right now, so I’ve got time whenever. Might bring the person that got me into the whole thing, if she feels up for it. Her story’s probably more interesting. So, plan for 2 interviews. It might just be one still, but bring enough.

 

And the next part of his lay-low phase had begun. Start being active outside of the internet too. And for now, maybe he could convince Marie to accompany him. Her story would probably be more interesting, even if Cass still didn’t know all, even barely any, of it.

 

Edited April 22, 2016 by olopi

[Supercape]

"Whats that?" said Marie, peering over his soldier suspiciously. 

 

"A journalist?" she sniffed. "Don't trust em, the jack-asses! but, maybe we can use them" she said, more slyly, biting her thumbs as she mulled it over. 

 

"We can tell our story to her. Maybe leak this..." she said, holding a data stick with all the incriminating evidence she had on Neutron Industries. Including pictures of giant mutant rats. 

 

Snaffles, their new pet rat, with five legs, a glowing left eye, and the size of three normal rats, nibbled on his cheese contentedly. He was almost friendly. 

 

Bonfire had gone through the data. It was incomplete. Suggestive, but not definitive. Then again, it would take a lot of time and people skilled in law and business to really dissect it. 

[olopi]

“That, my friend, is the plan.”

 

Which, by itself, was more or less correct. The whole “using” part not so much, but the rest. Cass was a photography student. He still knew most his classmates. Most of them went on to work in the news industry. So he had some ties to it, and certainly wasn’t going to mis-trust a journalist too much. Especially not somebody known for being in a legal grey-area. If the police would  show up, both him and Casey were in trouble.

 

Sure, the data wasn’t complete. But, this was one big leak. Casey wouldn’t be the first person to see it, Bonfire had already sent most of the files to some other contacts. But, they also had to go through everything, he simply gave them a head start. Maybe the people’s eye would be quicker, and they’d be the ones to break the news. Maybe it’d be somebody else. Maybe they’d all work together, since they generally were aware of each other also working on dissecting it.

 

“So, whaddya say? You coming too? Or should I head up there myself? Casey’s probably interested in you too. And this is a much simpler way of advocating shutting down nuclear power plants. “

 

Edited April 22, 2016 by olopi

[Supercape]

"I say yes!"

 

GM a little later...

 

Lantern Hill...

 

St. Stephen's Church

 

Revd Adam South was stout figure of venerable years, now retired (his position being taken over by Revd Madeline Dickenson). Despite leather skin and balding grey hear, despite bent spine and walking stick, he was still a  bright man mentally. His praises were not sung like Madeline, he could be gruff and undiplomatic. Adam South was a more political man, left wing, anti-government, anti-capitalism, and most importantly, anti-corruption. 

 

"Give 'em hell" he whispered to Casey, before shuffling off to prayer in the old and beautiful church. 

 

It was nearly deserted this late in the evening, on a weekday, but still a few worshippers milled around, looking for solace and resolution. 

 

Casey was not really religious, but she did like churches. 

 

She was a young woman, who had a beautiful face and a rotund body. Her hair was shocking pink, and her glasses tinted bronze. Her smile was a killer, but her eyes had a staring quality that could put people out of ease. She was, thus, a good interviewer. 

 

She was patient too, sitting quietly waiting for Bonfire...

[olopi]

There had been a bit of a delay. As it had turned out, some of the sewers had been blocked off due to a recent super-battle. So, a different route had to be taken. And it took a bit longer. Fortunately, not too long. A few minutes of delay, bad, but not terrible. Still enough time for an interview.

 

And so, Bonfire and Marie arrived at Lantern Hill. Fortunately enough it was remote enough. Getting out of the sewers unseen was easy enough. Walking to the actually meet-up spot was done under the cover of invisibility, just for safety. Better to be safe than sorry. Casey stood out, so actually finding her was easy enough. Hey, Bonfire was invisible, why not make a bit of an entrance? And so, he spoke, like back at Neutron’s Reactor when he was trying to interrupt a few robots. A bit more quiet and all, but still with a booming voice.

 

“And coming up on stage now, Freedom’s HOTTEST newcomer; Booooooonfire!”

 

And with a poof of smoke, he and Marie appeared before Casey. Cass didn’t have any clothes at all on him, it was all illusions of smoke. He’d stayed up the last 24 hours to keep up his smoke, both his clothes, and his head. He didn’t really want to be seen as Cassidy Bauer, even down in a sewer hideout.

 

“Hey! Here we are! Hope you don’t mind the smell too much, there’s only so much one can do against the sewer’s influence. And those still are the safest way to get around when everybody’s after your smoky, barely existing head. “

 

It was time to get this interview started. There’d probably be a lot of explanation and other things before it, so starting immediately was a good idea. Sure, Cass had time, but that didn't mean he had to take really long for everything.

 

Edited April 22, 2016 by olopi

[Supercape]

Casey wrinkled her nose. 

 

A few other church goers tutted and scuttled sideways, like nervous crabs. 

 

Revd South groaned. "Bloody Kids...hellfire and damnation" He grouched under his breath. 

 

"Don't worry about it man..." said Casey, bringing out an old fashioned notebook and pen. "I see I have two alleged terrorists for the price of one!"

 

"Watch your language! [Damn spin doctor!]" said Marie, cursing in French. 

 

"Calm down, I'm on your side, honey. Fight the power, right? I've dug around looking at Neutron Industries. They aren't the nicest guys. But on the other hand, you did just destabilise half the nuclear reactors in the country..." replied Casey, trying to be reasonable. 

 

"What's your side of the story?"

 

[olopi]

Now that was an interesting question. Cass had spent a fair bit of time working on a story exactly in case this question would be asked. The actual story wasn’t all that heroic, it needed a few touches. But also, it should still not contradict anything that happened publically, the bar. He’d told Marie about what he’d thought of on the way to Lantern Hill, so she had some idea of it too. Now it was time to talk. This was what Cass was good at. He took a deep breath, and started talking, slowly so Casey could not everything down.

 

“Well, it’s a bit of a complicated one. I’ll just go through the entire thing as a summary, then we can discuss things in more detail. It all started off … yesterday, actually. It didn’t really take too long to get to us going to Neutron’s. But I’m skipping ahead of myself here. So I just got finished dealing with a hostage situation, you might have already heard of that one. Then I got a call. Somebody, Marie here, was in serious danger. And she was down in the sewers. I didn’t really hear more than that before heading to the sewers. It’s pretty easy to do so when you’re made of smoke.

 

So I’m down there, when I hear some running. And its Marie, being chased by a bunch of mercenaries. And they fortunately didn’t get to use them, but let’s just say they had some mean-looking guns. Not ones you’d want to have pointed at you, for sure. We managed to escape through some creative application of my powers. Apparently there was a briefcase of Uranium stored away in some bar, I didn’t ask why, but went to go fetch it instead. Once I was in there I noticed that something was wrong with the two clients in there. Both fainted and had blood foaming from their mouths, they must’ve not known about the Uranium. I quickly got them out of the building before calling an ambulance, I’m a hero, I won’t let anybody die!

 

And then, the first act of defying the law. The police had arrived and apparently knew of dangerous materials being in there. Now, this was important enough, I decided to just escape. Wasn’t that difficult, and we went back to the sewers. There, we talked for a while. Apparently Neutron was simply disposing of their radiated goods by dumping them into the sewers. And as we got closer to their Headquarters, more and more of the sewer Rats started being incredibly tall, or having 5 legs, you get the idea. We also almost got overrun by a stampede of human-child sized rats. Not that fun, let me tell you. By now I knew that this entire thing had to be stopped for sure. Think about it, what would happen If those rats managed to attack a sewer worker? Or even get out?

 

The rest of it should be very well documented by the cameras, but I can talk about it either way. So we met up with two of Marie’s allies, and went in. Not that difficult, I’ve sneaked into the bases of hostage-takers and small-time terrorists before, this was a cakewalk. Obviously, we did get spotted in the end, so I will say that I might’ve gotten a bit overconfident. But we had to stop them from polluting more. So we went in, and while Marie used her old work-outfit, yes, she worked there before, to deal with the reactor, I dealt with the local security, a few robots.

 

 Then, while being held at gun-point, for a good reason, but still, I went to superheat the reactor. That would take them out of the game, and if it meant I’d get seriously injured in the process, so what? We’d have accomplished our goal. Fortunately enough I managed to avoid getting shot. I’m still not sure what the resulting blast of radiation did, but I should probably find a hospital once the entire thing’s blown over. Then it was just a matter of getting out before more security arrived. Something I’m also fairly skilled in.

 

And, by the way, here’s all the data we’ve got on them, and some pictures of all the rats down in the sewers. At this point I doubt any rat can still freak me out. “

 

Bonfire quickly pulled a flash drive from a non-existent pocket on his pants, and handed it to Casey.

 

“So, what should we go into details about first?”

 

Edited April 23, 2016 by olopi

[Supercape]

GM

 

Casey nodded enthusiastically, scribbling with her pen in shorthand. 

 

Hostages....Marie....Sewers....

 

....Mercs....Uranium.....Rats....

 

....Camera's...Security....Robots!....Reactor....

 

She gleefully took the data stick. "Thanks, I'll get some friends looking at this. You know, you have a lot of support in the underground, journalists, hackers, you know...anarchists" she explained. "You can count on friends there"

 

Turning sour, she continued. "On the flip side, corperate America is after your throat. And the law is somewhere in between. Wanted for questioning as a matter of urgency. But at least they can see there is more than one side to the story". 

 

So there it was. Friends, Enemies, and the law in the middle. 

 

"But the most important question is: why? you broke the law. Does the ends justify the means?" she asked. 

 

"Damn yes!" hissed Marie, her goggled eyes-flaring. 

 

Casey ignored Marie, and kept looking at Bonfire for an answer. 

Edited April 24, 2016 by Supercape

[olopi]

Now these were the questions one expected from Casey Cutter. These were the hard-hitting ones. These were what Cass had come for. And these were where he would probably antagonize Marie just a bit. Well, she’d have to endure as much. Sure, he agreed with her, but they had their differences, when it came to the law and all. He also was glad to hear there were in fact lots of people supporting him. He knew of some of them, and expected the more anti-establishment circles to also agree with him, but actually hearing it from somebody who knew was relieving.

 

“Well, I don’t think I can just answer that question with yes or no. I agree, I did break the law, no way around that one. I ran from the police, broke into a place, and was involved in the destruction of a nuclear reactor. All … probably illegal, I’m not sure about the last one but I imagine. Did the ends justify the means? Well, I wasn’t aware I would be shutting down the entire east coast. I doubt I’d have acted differently, but who knows. When fighting somebody that is willing to break the law as much as Neutron did, I think you have to keep up the pace.  

 

You can’t say any of the laws I broke placed anyone in danger. Everybody involved was safe, as far as I’m aware. The same can’t be said for Neutron. Not only did they send mercenaries after us, they also polluted the entire Freedom City Sewer Network. And let me tell you, these mutated rats aren’t going to die quickly. Any sewer workers would have been, and probably still are, In serious danger because of Neutron. So, while I did break the law, yes, I never placed anyone, at all, in danger. The same can’t be said about Neutron. And yes, I was not aware of this causing the entire east coast to have nuclear reactor problems, but, it was a side-effect, and maybe it also serves as a wake-up call. These things are dangerous, and if it takes this little to shut down the entire Network, imagine what somebody with more preparation could do. These things are a disaster waiting to happen.

 

So yes, I did break the law. I fully admit it and take responsibility for it. But, not once did I place anyone in danger. The same can’t be said about the other side. And sometimes, you have to level the playing field a bit. In order to make a pancake, you have to crack a few eggs. The same can apply to fighting crime. Did I do the right thing? Probably. If the police comes knocking, I'll gladly explain. I'd accept a fair trial. Because in the end, they too know what could have happened had I not stopped Neutron Industries. “

 

Edited April 24, 2016 by olopi

[Supercape]

GM

 

"Shutting down nuclear reactors might not be considered safe" said Casey in response. 

 

"Neither are nuclear reactors" replied Marie. 

 

Casey drummed her fingers on her note book. 

 

"Look, I'd like to help. A lot of people would. But right now, you are both head deep in it. I can get some people to look at the data, pull a few strings, get you a lawyer maybe. I heard the Fens has cool one, although she is a bit spooky"

 

"But it may not be enough. Can you get some dirt on Neutron Industries? Something that can draw a straight line between the company and some illegal activity? The word is they are dirty but stay within the law..." she explained, almost apologetically. 

 

"They dump chemicals and radioactive waste, totally illegally..." said Marie, contemplating plan of attack. "The sewers of Freedom City, for starters. But not just the sewers..."

 

Revd South's stick tapped the cold stones of the church, and he slowly made his way up the two women and bonfire. 

 

"Excuse me, I think you folks have a problem. Some guy in an armoured car just pulled up outside, demanding your surrender..."

 

[olopi]

Casey was right, all of this hadn’t been very safe. That was clear, Cass hadn’t known what he’d get himself into when he picked up that briefcase. And now he really was head deep in. And he could even extend his head upwards! But, things had happened. No ways to change the past, at least without time-travel, so the only thing to do was to learn from it. And possibly avoid bars in the future. Naaaah.

 

“Well, that probably is Marie’s field of expertise, she has a better grasp on what they’ve been doing.”

His torso turned towards her, since he couldn’t really show that he was looking at her with his head being made of smoke.

 

And then, the Revd came around. And that did not sound good. Immediately upon leaving the sewers they had people following them. Goodbye quiet life.

 

“From the way you said that I’ll assume it’s not the police. Mercenaries, probably? Maybe Green? ….”

 

And then he covered himself in a layer of smoke, while also turning his entire body insubstantial. He tried going through all of this quickly, nobody could object that way. And he really didn’t feel like arguing about this now, it was time to deal with what had just come up.

 

“Okay, everybody get away from the windows. They might have snipers set up. If they know anything about me they’ll be aware I’ve talked about how a sniper catching me off-guard would be the best way to deal with me. “

 

He walked to the door, turning back around before leaving. The slightest bit of concern could be heard in his voice, but he tried to sound as relaxed and upbeat as always.

 

“Looks like we’ll have to postpone this interview a bit. Maybe you can start on the one with Marie. If you feel risky, you can also try to record me fighting, I dunno. I’ll go out there alone for now. If I need back-up… eh, I doubt it’s going to happen. And now stay put, I should be back in a few seconds!”

 

And now it was time to confront this mysterious man. This was bad. If he was here to fight, there’d be trouble. He had time to prepare. He would have the advantage. And for somebody like Bonfire, that meant bad news. There was always the chance this could be resolved with no, or minimal violence, and that was what Cass hoped for here.

 

So Bonfire stepped outside the church. His head flickering in the wind, his body surrounded by smoke. He was tense. He was prepared to get attacked. But he still had some hope left. And he would not go down without a fight either way.

 

“Hey, heard you called for me? Whaddya need? I do autographs, pictures, all that stuff. Not carrying any merchandise on me at the moment, so if that’s what you’re looking for I’ll have to disappoint you.”

 

Edited April 25, 2016 by olopi

[Supercape]

GM

 

"Good thing I brought my camera!" replied Casey, bringing out said professional camera; small, sleek, and elegant. 

 

There was not a massive commotion, just a sense of anxiety in the church. Casey sneaking up, following Bonfire. Marie full of defiance, but keeping pace just behind Bonfire. 

 

Outside, a military armoured car was parked of impressive size and impressive armour, complete with all the trimmings. A radar dish, tinted windows, and a small armoured turret with a big armoured barrel. 

 

Speakers crackled, and a magnified voice came up. 

 

"Two for the price of one! Boy, I hit paydirt! Wheres the on-switch for those speakers..."

 

"...."

 

"...."

 

"Oh cr---*ahem*---right you bozos! Come in quietly. There is a big bounty on your head! You are wanted for questioning, and resistance is futile and all that. I don't want to take in a superhero, but I'm gonna damn well try if I have to. Better for everyone if we just keep this nice and civil like..."

 

It didn't sound like Green, even through the speakers. 

 

Gasman Bounty Services was painted, almost professionally, on the side of the Vehicle. 

Edited April 25, 2016 by Supercape

[olopi]

Bounty hunters? Well, this was a first. He’d heard of them existing out there before, but actually meeting one? And even standing opposed to one. Cass had always expected something like this to happen at some point, but he expected to be the one hunting down the bounty hunter. Now that was a turret. Times like these being bullet-proof was really useful. That thing looked nasty. It was time to talk it out. Maybe this’d work. Judging by how good this … Gasman – probably not a family name, was with microphones there was a chance this could work. He tried sounding as determined and unphased as he could, before starting to talk.

 

“An interview? Sorry, you’ll have to wait in line, I’m already doing one. How about I give you my number and we can talk about a time and place to set one up? I love interviews, I’ll gladly do one. We don’t even have to meet in person, we can do it online, over text or voice, whatever works best for you. I can adapt! I see that you want to do this right now, I'm pretty much the hottest news around, but I don’t really want to keep people waiting, the first one to ask is the first one to get the interview interview. “

 

Meanwhile, writing made of smoke appeared at his back, out of sight of the truck, but still in vision of his companions.

 

Big gun. Find cover. Then wait.

 

Edited April 25, 2016 by olopi

[Supercape]

GM

 

Some shuffling and scuffling of shoes on stone could be heard. Casey and Marie melted to the sides, grateful and vexed respectively. 

 

The loudspeaker clicked into gear again. 

 

"Do I sound like a drekking reporter?" said the voice, somewhat irritated. "I do a proper job!"

 

Casey could be heard clenching her teeth to the side, even when she made no sound doing so. 

 

"I'm not interested in you blubbing your life story, how ya got a sick mama and your daddy left when you wuz a baby. If I wanted to get to know people, I'd join the circus" explained the voice. 

 

"No, I joined the marines. Got to know people by shooting them. Great fun. Great days..."

 

"...Hey, why am I telling you about me?" said the voice catching himself. "I'm here to bring you in! Now quit yer yappin' and put yer' hands up! That goes for your green-eyed girlfriend, too!"

[olopi]

It wouldn’t be this easy. Too bad. Bonfire would have looked great on camera, simply talking down a bounty hunter in just a few sentences. It would take a while, but this could still work. Maybe, with some luck. And if not, he’d just have to be careful. Fighting an armored van never was a good idea. Even with big, big fireballs. So, talking to him was the best option. He had a few backup-plans, but they required Marie to stay hidden. She most likely wasn’t as bullet-proof. So, another message of smoke on his back it was.

 

Have plan. Stay hidden. No matter what.

 

And now, to continue talking. There was an opening here.

 

“No, no. Go on. Ex-Marines always have some interesting stories to tell. Being a marine isn’t easy business. Takes a lot of dedication. There has to be some story here. And I’m interested in hearing it.  What caused you to become a marine? Was training as difficult as people always say? Why’d you stop service?“

 

This might work. There might be a bit of lead in the air soon. And Cass already had a plan for if that should happen. It was out there, yes, but that was exactly what usually made his tricks work.

 

Edited April 26, 2016 by olopi

[Supercape]

GM

 

The top of the vehicle popped open, a faint whiff of gas (of some slightly obnoxious disposition) hissed at it did. 

 

The top half of a man poked out. A military man, of no doubt. Wearing a beanie, a flak jacket, and loaded with guns, knives and grenades. He had a grizzled look, with white hair in his short beard. 

 

"Money. Lots of it" he replied, gruffly, full of defence. 

 

From his hand fell a grenade, and with a soft whoomph the scene was filled with a pale white gas...

[olopi]

Well, so much for showing off. Casey was out. Great. Bonfire was facing down a bounty hunter with anger problems and nobody would be around to record it. Probably. Too bad about him attacking, Cass was genuinely interested in learning more about this ex-marine. Now he just had to beat him up. So much for the whole “looking good for the cameras” plan. No cameras, no need to act all holier-than-thou heroic. Hey, it made his job easier. No need to waste time looking all heroic and determined. More time to throw around smoke and fire. ¨

 

“Okay, so much for the plan. Time to make this a bounty-hunted!”

 

And then a cough. He didn’t feel any effect, but this gas wasn’t harmless. And in an area like this too.

 

“What are you *cough* doing? There’s innocent people “cough* in here!”

 

Maybe it was time to take cover. Gasman didn’t sound like somebody to actually attack directly, but taking cover usually was a good idea. But then again, that would be time spent walking… Bonfire could create an illusion, could go down the route of combat, or could continue talking. Illusions… hm. Could work, could not work. Might intimidate, might not cause anything. And no use in combat itself. It was time to smoke out a van. Or maybe, smoke out a criminal directly? Yeah, that one probably.  So, Cass continued standing where he was, wheezing once. Then he  shouted out, looking behind and above the van.

 

“Okay people, trap *cough* worked, time to get this guy. You know the plan, he's here, he's vulnerable. Strike him now!”

 

Maybe that would confuse the Ex-Marine enough to not notice the fact there was a cloud of smoke flying at his face, aiming at taking him out through some old-fashioned smoke-suffocation. Only ‘till he fainted!

 

You know, I can do stuff like that too.

 

Edited April 27, 2016 by olopi

[Supercape]

The Gas Man reeled backwards, clutching his throat and fighting the smoke. 

 

"It was...only...knockout...gas...." he wheezed. 

 

"Whaddya take me for? I'm a professional...." he whispered, turning slightly blue and passing out. His body danced with a few myoclonic jerks. 

 

"Devils! See what they will stoop too? The law, justice, means nothing to them. They buy the law!" spat Marie. In this case, she literally did spit; her saliva landing neatly on the Gas Man's face. 

 

A loud and uncouth snoring could be heard as Casey pleasantly swam in unconsciousness. 

[olopi]

That was … kind of disappointing. Sure, it was over quick, but really. Usually it took at least a few seconds! Cass actually felt kind of bad for the Gas Man. All this effort, and what would he get for it? Nothing. Now he was somewhat glad there was no cameras. Meant that he’d not get ridiculed everywhere. Yes, he had just tried to arrest him, but this? No, this was bad.

 

For now it was time to calm down Marie, wake up Casey, and continue. And probably rest a bit. The gas did have some effect after all, must’ve been the adrenaline pushing it away.

 

“Hey now, no need to do more. He’s out cold, will be for a bit. Let’s get back to the interview. “

 

And so Cass walked back inside, closing the doors behind him and Marie. He walked up to Casey, while also quickly addressing the crowd inside the church.

 

“Okay, no worries, he’s dealt with. One of you might want to call the police to pick him up. We’ll go back to the interview. Sorry for any inconvenience caused by sleeping gas!”

 

And then it was time to wake up Casey. Sure, he could let her continue sleeping, but this interview was actually kind of important. He talked more quietly, in order to not further interrupt the attending church-goers.

 

“Hey, you got knocked out. Threat’s over, want to get back to the interview?”

 

Edited April 27, 2016 by olopi

[Supercape]

"Wha...whoo...not the elbows!" mumbled Casey as she woke, lost in some meaningless but peculiar drug-induced dream, 

 

Still groggy, she held her head in both hands. "What happened? I feel like I could sleep for a week!" she complained, yawning and trying to shake the cobwebs out of her head with limited success. 

 

"Scratch the interview...for now...." she added hastily, before continuing. "We just got a bigger story!"

 

She got out her camera and started taking photographs of the Gas Man and his vehicle. 

 

"Guess he was sent by Neutron Industries. Probably legit, given how they always stay a knife's edge within the law. Still, using grenades by a church isn't going to win this guy any favours"

 

"And he's left the hatch open!" she said, excitedly, pointing to the vehicle. "Feeling like Sherlock? This bozo may have left a few clues!"

 

[olopi]

Oh… this would turn south so quickly. Which was why it probably was a good idea! More trouble was bad, but more trouble also was good in some way Cass was not sure of yet. It probably was a bad idea, and it would probably lead to more problems, but that was half the fun, wasn’t it. And hey, showing up on People’s Eye? Popularity boost right there! And Cass could watch himself on TV!

 

“Okay. This is a very bad idea by every regard, but yes. I feel like takin’ a look. “

 

So he followed Casey back outside, up to the van. It was a lot closer than it actually seemed.

 

“I’ll take a quick look through the doors real quick, I highly doubt they’re airtight. If it’s safe I’ll give you a signal.”

 

The joys of smoke. Getting through anything so long as it wasn’t airtight. Bonfire became full-on smoke, then tried to find a spot to get a look inside. All he needed was one tiny, not airtight place. And then, he could stick his head, and just his head, inside. While invisible, of course. There probably was something in there. And if not he could tell Casey to go ahead.

 

Edited April 27, 2016 by olopi

[Supercape]

The inside of the gasmobile was messy. Guns, knives, hundreds of grenades. And that was just for starters. As far as Bonfire could tell, the turret gun fired a net. The vehicle itself was armour plated with a big engine. Must have used a lot of fuel. 

 

Various military equipment, from rations, to maps, to first aid kits, littered, in a rather clutered way, the inside of the vehicle. It was cramped and had a rather lived in smell. A burger lay half eaten on a seat. 

 

There was also a number of electronics in the vehicle; a radio, a computer, a GPS, and so on. Scrawled notes, without much in the way of filing (if any at all) littered the vehicle. 

 

[olopi]

Well, this was … “safe”. Sort of. In a really unsafe way. It wouldn’t do anything for now. Good thing Cass hadn’t attacked the van. One minor shake, and this place would go up in various, most likely lethal, amounts of gas. And possibly concussive grenades. Police would have a day with this. Casey too. And any other media too. If people were driving around with vans like this …. It was in freedom city. This was to be expected from this city.

 

Cass quickly pulled his head out again, before flying up onto the top of the van.

 

“Okay, it’s safe. If you consider enough grenades to gas out the entire city safe…

 

After you. You’re the journalist here. And there's a story here!”

 

Well, Cass was a part-time journalist too. Photographer, really, but those two overlapped more often than not, especially when you knew lots of people working in the media business.

 

Edited April 27, 2016 by olopi

[Supercape]

Casey clambered up, her keenness surpassing her agility. Still, she managed without making a fool of herself. Her pink hair and winning smile proceeded her heavier body however, and she sort of stumbled and tumbled in, squashing the burger. 

 

"Satan's ass!" swore Casey, still toxic from the grenade. "The smell here!...what a pigsty! Still, keeps me awake". 

 

Shaking her head once more, she started leafing around the interior of the vehicle. Perhaps it was luck, perhaps it was judgement, but within a few seconds she had found something. 

 

"Look! Some scrawled map! of Lantern Hill!" she said, giving Bonfire an aerial photograph of the cemetery and church. A black marker pen had been used, circling a grave, alongside a printed untraceable note. 

 

Make sure they don't find this. 

And for God's sake, burn this note after your read it.