War On Crime

"And I suppose they intend to work us until we die," Grimm grumbled.

Cloud: "You do that. While it's armored up like that, I can't shoot it."

Again, everything is hazy and it makes her head hurt. The same voice tells her to get out. To make matters worse, the other team of Lightning Bolt officers come barreling in telling everyone to freeze.

Cloud dashes forward sliding past Herbicide which they don't take too well as they start shooting at him until roots burst from the ground. Cloud manages to tackle two and shove them back, but the third is not so lucky.

===================================

Which she will struggle with. Because she's weak.

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???: "Kyle Ramone, campus newspaper. The police talking to you says you know something. And you're being incredibly loud about at least six other topics. Are they all intertwined in some way? Is either of you Grapevine? What's this assassin talk? Are we safe to be attending school with all of this going on around us?"

===================================

Ryder: "If that's how long your sentence is."

Eve:<We just found his body on campus. There's nothing else to it! Just leave us alone, please!>

*She turns to head after Aroma*
===
*At first, Kylie doesn't say anything, instead focusing on prevent an adventurous kitten from jumping onto the floor. After that's done, she finally speaks, though haltingly*

Kylie:<...You don't think they'll put mutants away in cages, do you?>

*She kinda gestures at the cage she's cleaning, which happens to be full of kittens, all of whom had been trying to play with her hand until moments before she began to speak. Their fur is now standing on end and their eyes are like slits. Ven might suddenly experience a feeling of intense fear and pain, but it's gone a second later*

*Aroma is dismayed that she hasn't managed to shake this creepy girl who keeps following her. She continues heading for the campus gates, unsure of what to do about this predicament.*
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V"...You mean like they did with blacks, Indians, Japanese, & gays?"
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*Thiera dashes towards the guy long enough to confirm that he's dead.*

Th"Unfortunately, I don't think my plan worked."

Don't need to check a pulse to know that a root going up you like a Judas Chair will kill you. Herbicide advances, roots emerging from the walls and floor.

Cloud: "Officer, what are you carrying in your load out for disabling Mutants?"

One of the officers snaps out of his being shocked and stammers before holding out what appears to be some kind of modified submachine gun.

Officer: "It's been modified to fire darts with a biological agent developed to slow a Mutants abilities. I don't think it'll work on something like this."

Cloud snatches the weapon and the officers flee the scene.

Cloud: "Not while it's armored up like that. Think you can do something about that? Do something to force it out of its shell?"

===================================

He is persistent and follows them.

Ramone: "Could have fooled me the way you both loudly talked about Grapevine and the assassin that attacked them. How are you two connected to either of them?"

===================================

At Manderlay Central, Loeb makes his way through the main office of the narcotics division.

Loeb: "O'Donnel, you fucking drunk, what have you got for me?"

O'Donnel speaks with a heavy Irish accent and as for whether he's drunk or not depends on whether or not Loeb is correct or just a bigot.

O'Donnel: "Fuck off, ya heathen. Been hearing there has been an uptake in use of the variant found on the college kid at Tempest, Inferno, and Joyland."

Loeb: "Fuck. Tempest is Flass's beat and that son of a bitch is so far up Malkovich's ass, he can check for prostate cancer."

O'Donnel: "What's the Commissioner have to say about this?"

Loeb: "He's paling around with that backetcase Zwei, trying to concinve Ditko talking with Retard-"

O'Donnel: "Raptor."

Loeb: "Whatever, isn't a good idea."

Eve:<No, we're just fans of hers! Seriously, go away!>

*With that, Eve runs up to Aroma grabs her arm, and runs in whatever direction they were going in. Eve slows time around the guy. Not enough to be obvious, but enough to make it so he can't catch up. To the journalist it just looks like the pair are fast runner*

<(Run! I can't keep this up forever!)>
===
*Kylie looks at Ven, face red and mouth slightly open, for a few moments*

*Ven shrugs.*

"You asked. I'm just saying, the country has a rap sheet."

*She then goes back to feeding aminals.*
===================
*Luna isn't a fucking noodle, so I'm going to assume she's in the sewer by this point. She then follows the sounds of battle.*
===================
Th"Perhaps for a moment. Be prepared to fire, and to strategize another method for distributing this chemical provided this plan does not work."

*And so she holds out her hands & attempts to soften his bark & rip his armor right open.*
===================
*Aroma stumbles along, trying not to trip on her heels, & for the moment too confused to register that she's being kidnapped. She glances back.*

"Keep what up? Why is he walking so slowly?"

From its armor and possibly body, spikes fire out at them. Cloud fires two shots, but avoiding impalement, his aim his off.

===================================

Luna is a fucking noodle, but anywho there are roots protruding from the walls and floors, some sporting gnarly looking thorns. It'll be easier said than done.

===================================

He's not giving up, but given the circumstances there isn't much he can do.

*Kylie nods, trying to restrain tears as she moves on to the next cage in line. Whether is in Ven's cage is now hunkering in one of the back corners*

<I...don't think it's fair to lock people up...unless they hurt people or something first...>
===
*The Sorensons arrive at the hospital*
---
*Eve continues pulling Aroma along*

<I'll explain once we're far away from that guy!>

*Aroma starts pulling back.*

"Wait, I don't want to go with you!"
===============================
*Luna starts squeezing past all of this.*
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V"Don't know what you want me to do about it."
===============================
*Thiera waves a hand to divert the spikes heading for her.*

Th"Perhaps this agent would function better if dumped in the water or administered as a gas?"

Cloud: "How should I know?"

Cloud pops off another three shots, his aim true. Herbicide growls and backs away.

As a last ditch effort, several vines erupt from the ground into the ceiling and retract, pulling the ceiling down, seperating himself from the other two with a wall of rubble.

===================================

The tunnel shakes and the sound of the tunnel collapsing can be heard from elsewhere.

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Ain't nothing happening at the hospital.

===================================

Bystanders are looking on, wondering what the hell is going on with the aplarent abduction and some dude running in slow motion.

*Actually, the effect isn't really noticeable as I said before, and it ends after Eve and Aroma get out of sight anyway. As for bystanders watching two girls talk and run down a street near a college, I guess there's nothing good on tv or something*

Eve:<(I'm not taking you anywhere, I was trying to get us away from that guy.)>

*Eve lets go without resistance. After a brief pause...*

<(Look, I'm a mutant. That's how I got us away from that guy. Now can we find somewhere to talk seriously?)>
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*The Sorensons go in and ask to see Cameron*
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Kylie:<I...I was just saying...I'm sorry for bothering you!>

*She runs into the back, carrying her bag of dry cat food to get it refilled, however it is obviously only half empty. Whatever is in Ven's cage acts starts acting normally*

*Thiera races forwards, using her own vines to start pulling chunks of debris out.*

Th"I've marked what I believe is the location of a secret tunnel that our would-be assassin used to escape! We cannot let him get away, & we should probably remove Herbicide from the sewers while we're at it, come to think of it!"
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*She keeps trying to get to Thiera.*
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*Aroma gets up in her face & practically hisses at her, her hands balled into fists at her side.*

"(Fine! You're a mutant, I'm a mutant & Grapevine's sidekick! You've figured it out! Congratulations! So if you know that, you also know that you're keeping me from helping her!)"
===============================
*Ven tries not to feel guilty, but eventually follows.*

"Hey, uh--Kelly? You okay?"

Cloud ejects the weapons magazine and looks at the ammunition it's loaded with. It's packed with darts with vials of some yellow looking goop.

Cloud: "And they'll probably be back for the same reason. And I doubt you want to be on the wrong end of this stuff."

===================================

Aside from vines, being a noodle and debris, nothing is stopping her. Although she may want to get that noodliness checked out.

===================================

Aside from him being kept until Friday, nothing is keeping them from visiting.

"I don't think that has ever been made clear to me."

*Eve holds her hands up and takes a step back*

<(We want the same thing! I can help and I'll prove it to you if necessary. But let's go already!)>
===
*Kylie refills her bag of cat food, still sniffing, but looking a bit better*

<It's Kylie...I'm fine...my older brother got taken to the hospital yesterday...but I said I'd help today so I did...>

*She heads past Ven to finish feeding the kittens in the front*
===
*Cameron hears his parents coming and hurriedly pretends to be asleep. The Sorensons enter and sit on ether side of him*

V"So you & your brother are both mutants, then?"

*She at least has the good sense to look to make sure no one else is around before she pries.*
=============================
Th"I doubt they want to try shooting me, whether they know it or not."

*Then one assumes that she eventually encounters Cloud.*

"Oh, this is bullshit, if I didn't have a secret identity, I'd sue the police for unequal treatment."

*Thiera glances back & waves.*

Th"Oh, hello there, Mighty Oaky!"

L"It's 'Spectre!' Spek-TUR. And what have you been doing down here this whole time?"

Th"I have located Herbicide, and am still tracking the mysterious assassin."
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"Go WHERE?!"

Cloud: "Don't do something that'd make them liable to shoot you and you'll be fine. I pushed past them and almost had a sunroof installed in my head in the process. I didn't ask nicely to come down here. Also the one you're pursuing is Wyatt Wilson better known as Deathstrike."

===================================

They see a dude who may or may not be a student, but Eve being an upper middleclass white girl is all kinds of worried about this dude as he's black as another black guy comes running out of nowhere to meet him.

One: "Yo yo, God, word is bond, yo, Shymeek just got bust in his head two times, God. Real life God, you know Shymeek from fuckin 212? The ni.gga just got bust,  ni.gga in the Black Land, God. Word is bond, came thru God from out of nowhere, God. Word is bond, I'm comin to get my Culture Cypher, God
And it just--, word is bond, crazy shots just went the fuck off.

The  ni.gga layin there like a fuckin new born fuckin baby, God."

Two: "Is he dead?"

One: "Is he fuckin dead, what the fuck you mean is he fuckin dead, God? What kind of question is that B, what the fuck you think?

The  ni.gga layin there with this fuckin all types of fuckin blood comin out of his--"

Two: "Easy, easy, easy, easy, kid."

===================================

Ryder: "I heard you killed a cop or two. I'm surprised they even arrested you. Most of the time they shoot you dead and write it off as resisting arrest."

<(To help...)>

*Eve stops when they witness whatever the hell just happened*

<(Uh...ok then.)>
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Mrs. Sorenson:<You might as well stop faking it since we're not leaving until you talk to us.>

*Cameron opens one eye, then the other to see the utter disapproval on his parents' faces*

<Is there anything I can say right now?>
===
*Kylie drops the cat food bag. Luckily, it falls in a way to limit the spillage*

<Huh?! No, I'm not a mutant!>

OOC: Of course they're worried, that guy is speaking in tongues.

*Aroma keeps going.*

"Whatever is happening here is a tragedy, but Thiera is already in trouble. If you want to help, hurry up & follow me to the pet store."
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"Then why do the animals keep mimicking your emotions?"
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Th"I fear that the Manderlay Police Department would not require much provocation. In any case, thank you for that information."

*She keeps clearing a hole in the tunnel, erecting little tree things to keep it open.*

L"What, you're not coming with us? I thought you wanted this guy's head, or something."

*Kylie turns around and stares at her, looking very confused*

<Huh?>
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Eve:<The pet store? ...Oh never mind.>

*So she follows*
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Mrs Sorenson:<Why? What got into you to...>

Cameron:<Go outside?>

*He looks around the room then back at his parents, eyes wide*

Mr Sorenson:<...We will continue this conversation when you're discharged.>

Cloud: "He may know as little as I do or even more. But it wouldn't be in my best interest to tango with someone who'd have little trouble killing me themself. Waller and Samsara are the two who would know the most."

===================================

It'll be something of a jog. Or a short drive if they didn't resolve to ditch Eve's parents.

L"Then why were you chasing him up until--"

*She crosses her arms & shakes her head.*

L"Nevermind."

Th"Pardon me, but if you don't mind my asking, who are Waller and Samsara?"

L"Waller is some angry fat lady in charge of the Lightning Bolts. Not sure about Samsara."

Th"In any case, this tunnel should be sturdy now."
===============================
*They're gonna be jogging unless Eve stops her.*

*Eve doesn't object*
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Mrs Sorenson:<In any case, you're restricted to the house until you're 18. With no electronic of any kind for at least the next 6 months.>

*Cameron opens his mouth to object, but changes his mind*
===
*Still looking at Ven, confused*

Cloud: "He is the same as I am. Samsara was or is one of the scientists involved in a number of experiments on humans for military and espionage applications several years ago."

=================================

Hopefully Cameron remembers he's in until Friday. His parents would have been informed, but it does give him time to ponder what he's going to do with his life.

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On their walk, they can see multiple emergency vehicles going in and around the area, mostly coming to and from the direction Thiera had went.