War On Crime

*Waiting around awkwardly for the cops*

Grimm didn't dignify that with a response.

Azuma: "Gonna have to get past those people then."

Down below they can see the officers moving about, securing the area until one picks up Deathstrike's discarded rifle and bursts into flames having triggered a thermite charge left on the rifle.

Another van and a black sedan pull up on the scene, officers exit the van and begin to secure the area while two of them move to guard the car.

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In the sewers, Deathstrike puts Ravage down as the vines wither, die, and fall off like a dead limb. Ravage now has to struggle to keep pace with Deathstrike, passing Herbicide who apparently has made a habit of wandering the sewers.

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???: "The Russians have had their hold of the city and MPD for quite awhile. The majority is focused on trying to get that under wraps before attempting to deal with smaller issues.

There's a real possibility Black Mask is a bigger player than what is presently known, but until they start making a lot of noise we may never know."

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As stated, police do show up Sergeants Miller & Loeb on the scene.

Loeb: "What the fuck is this?"

William: "It's a dead body, officer."

???: "Jesus Loeb, you're still on the force? And Miller too. Thought you boys would have retired ages ago."

Miller: "Been awhile hasn't it, Bullock?"

Bullock: "Yeah, it sure has. Retirement wasn't so great, so I'm an overglorified hall moniter."

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And the reporter states they've been given a cease and desist order.

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Ryder: "Sorry I don't kill cops or vagrants."

"That is a risk I am going to have to take. He knew who I was, I can't risk that he might come looking for me at home."

*After opening the window, she shoots vines to grasp on the edge of the hole in the street & swing herself like a catapult into the sewer. Not wanting to land in shitty water, she also deposits a bunch of spores to grow into a bed of algae.*
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"Um, excuse me, but...can I go?"
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"He sicced a giant mutant plant monster on us, that enough noise for you?"

*Eve looks over at Aroma, then back to the cops*

<Yeah, what about us?>

"Excuse me?"

Azuma: "Might be a little late if he attacked you near the university."

As she's doing whatever, the officers aim their guns in the direction of the rooftop aside from the commanding officer. Miranda steps out of her car.

Miranda: "Stand down, officers. She is not our enemy. For today."

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???: "And that sounds like a big banner that says 'Black Mask is here?' Making noise would be doing something actually loud like....attacking one of the head crime organizations."

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Loeb: "You kids aren't attending this university, are you? You find a corpse, call the cops, and don't think you have to give a statement?"

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Ryder: "Your background is well known. The security and medical folk are pretty chatty. Suspected in the deaths of some vagrants, captured after killing and injuring some police officers."

Eve:<Oh, err, right. This is the first time something like this has happened to me.>

*Dr Tantus glares at her, but Eve doesn't notice*

*Once in the sewer, a pair of transparent petals grow over her eyes, with the ability to detect infrared. Upon finding Deathstroke's heat signature, she follows it. She also thinks it's probably a good idea to similarly coat her feet & legs so that shitty water doesn't get in.*
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"But...I told you everything I know...."

*Aroma looks down, feeling blue.*
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"I've always considered giant plant monsters to be big news. How stupid of me."

"All I have ever done has been done for a greater purpose," Grimm rumbled. "However, the death of police officers was not intentional, it only resulted from my powers going temporarily out of my control."

She hears the low rumbling of a monster, the great beast Herbicide walking towards her, her footies beginning to rot.

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Deathstrike and Ravage are greeted at some hokey secret entrance by the Professor who leads them in and seals the path.

Professor Hurt: "I'm paying you a lot of money for this mission, Wilson. Not only did you not kill Ms. Psyche, but now The Wall knows you're in the city."

Deathstrike: "Does she now? I had a setback due to incompetence on the end of my partner."

Ravage: "That teleporter could have taken you anywhere in the city if not further. He could have taken me!"

Deathstrike: "He should have. The mission wouldn't have been botched if he did."

Ravage: "What kind of father puts his job before his daughter?"

Ravage is damn near knocked the fuck over by a backhand from Deathstrike. She removes her mask, her blond hair falling out and lip now split and starting to swell.

Deathstrike: "You are not my daughter. You are my legacy. Or were my legacy. At this rate, you'll never be fit to take my place."

Ravage draws a knife and gouges her eye out, glaring daggers at Deathstrike, remaining eye tearing up.

Ravage: "What about now? Am I just like you, daddy? Am I. Just. Like. You?!"

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They blow past a police blockade.

???: "You're not from this city, are you? A Mutant priest goes berserk and torches a couple police officers, and it gets a brief mention on the evening news. A plant monster no one has ever seen is right up there with giant alligators in the New York City sewers.

Three people being turned into tungsten doesn't even make the front page."

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Loeb: "So you just stumbled upon the unwalking dead here?"

Miller: "How about we start with the basics like your names."

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Ryder: "Oh, I'm sure. I bet Bin Laden said the same thing before a Navy Seal painted the wall of his house with grey matter. I bet you'd kill kids if you thought it was for a greater purpose."

A"Well, yeah. I was walking to class & he fell over. Then I rushed up to check on him. And, uh, I'm Aroma. Aroma Zinginzer."
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*Thiera grabs the wall, digging into the masonry with some vines, digging out a brick to use as a weapon. She also surrounds her costume with a thick, mineralized bark to make it resistant to rotting. She then charges in Herbicide's general direction. Once she sees him, she looks for a way to slip past him.*
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"Point taken."

"Tell me, what do you value above all else in your life? Truly."

Dr Tantus:<I'm Dr. June Tantus and this is my daughter, Eve. We were here on the campus tour today and wanted to look around a bit more.>

Vines emerge from the water and wrap around her legs, intent on pulling her under tue water while the monster lumbers over top of her, raising its fists, spikes protruding from them.

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??? comes to a stop at the sight of the Lightning Bolt vehicles, the officers forming around Waller, weapons in their direction.

???: "Don't do something that'll get us killed."

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William: "William Liddle."

Miller: "So Ms. Vinegar came across the deceased or witnessed him kill over and you two came in shortly after?"

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Ryder: "If I wanted to be psychanalyzed by a lunatic, I'd request to be transfered to Arclight. But if you really want to know, it's--"

He turns the magazine in Grimm's direction, a centerfold page spilling out.

Ryder: "Ms. July!"

"I'm just here to help my friend & please tell me they're not just standing around idly."
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*Having the ability to sense plants coming at her, Thiera evades backwards. Shooting her vines behind her, she digs more bricks out of the floor & begins whipping them at Herbicide's head.*

"Get out of the way!"
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*Aroma mumbles that her name is Zinginzer.*

"Whatever it is you hold dearest in your heart, would you kill for it? To protect it?"

Dr Tantus:<That about sums it up.>

The spikes fire from Herbicide's fists, shattering the bricks.

Herbicide: "Get. Out!"

Herbicide exhales a cloud of spores.

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EMS personalle are hauling bodies of the dead and wounded out. Oje is taken from the alley and loaded into the back of a van, Lightning Bolt officers filing in.

Miranda: "Take this one to Clanstein. Perhaps Dr. Samsara can make use of him."

???: "Samsara? Do what you want, I want answers."

He turns off the bike and gets off, shoving the keys in his pocket and heads to the officers.

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Professor Hurt: "Parenting must be tough in your line of work."

Deathstrike: "You should be used to disappointment in any line of work. Have Joseph brought in. I don't have time to deal with someone who doesn't take this job seriously."

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Forensics people haul the body off.

Miller: "And you two were following Ms. Zinergizer along?"

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Ryder: "No. I'm not such a high class pervert that I have anything."

"I assume your manhood is in tact. Would you kill to stop me burning it away?"

*Thiera detaches the vines from her arms, causing them to burrow into the ground. Stems pop up, shaped like catapults. Because they're catapults. As they spread their roots through the ground, they leach up the soil, condensing the minerals into dense cannonballs in their "cups" before a springing mechanism causes them to fire them at Herbicide. While this is going on, Thiera stretches her hands out & her wings fold forward, creating a protective barrier in front of her, as she causes the spores to implode.*

"I control plants too, remember? And you're the one who's tried to kill me twice now!"

*She kicks a glob of her algae away from the rest, whereupon it cannibalizes the remains of the spores to promote new cell growth. It grows around Herbicide in a circle, spinning to trap him in a whirlpool of shit.*
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*Luna heads over to the hole, body language suggesting annoyance.*
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*Aroma just mopes because this jerk won't stop making fun of her.*

Dr Tantus:<Oh no, we were just looking around at the campus some more. We just happened to run into Ms. Zinginzer again. She was one of our tour guides, and an excellent one at that.>

*She loudly pronounces Aroma's name correctly*

The spore innards being cannibalized begin eating at Thiera's plants because they're corrosive. Herbicide raises his arms, the bark around his fists expanding into a shield.

From the spores spinning about, seeds shoot out like machine gun fire at Thiera.

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They're promptly stopped before they can get into the alley let alone near the hole, guns in their face.

Officer: "Halt, this area is off limits to non-law enforcement personelle."

???: "I want to speak to Miranda."

Miranda ignores the officers pretty much glued to her hip and looks the mysterious stranger over.

Miranda: "Which one were you, again?"

???: "Subject DC11937: Cloud."

Miranda: "Right. Look, this is neither the time or the place to discuss anything. As you know, I have quite a bit to deal with right now and this debacle is just adding to it. Why don't you and your ghostly friend run along?"

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Miller: "Right. Anyways, in the event we have anymore questions, I'm going to need a contact number from each of you."

Loeb: "Jesus Christ, Miller, hurry up."

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Ryder: "I don't have to. The nanobots will do it for me. And prior to the nanobots, I was in the gut of Croc for three days. If a crocodile monster's digestive fluids can't get rid of it, what makes you think your Fire of Cop & Vagrant Slaying can?"

"You're taking this question in a very literal sense, I suppose I'm not surprised. Try thinking hypothetically- what lengths would you go to to protect what is probably all you have in the world, from a threat capable of taking it away?"

*Dr Tantus gives them their house phone number*