Cube

He's masked, yes. Right now, he mostly looks like The Steel Shrike wearing a suit over his costume. Full body "spandex", obvious mask, and a suit. It'd be a bit odd, but he can fake being alive pretty well. He just can't "take off the mask" yet.

...I hope I didn't move faster than you were expecting. It's just... Suit Rental. It seemed funny...

"I'm sure I've got a suit around here somewhere." Shrike smiled. Assuming he could find one that fit over the suit, anyway. Peter David wasn't lacking in formal wear, but the musculature of the Shrike costume was always slightly... "exaggerated". At least when compared to the original hero's actual build. Still, there should be a formal look somewhere. Right? One suit rental later... Alright, so The Nest has a moth problem. At least he managed to get this suit fit, anyway. With his cape doing it's best cummerbund impression under his jacket, The Steel Shrike waited a safe distance from The Top Brass, keeping an eye out for his co-patriot in crimefighting.

"Heh, maybe someday after I get it cleaned up a bit." said Shrike, as he glanced nervously around the Nest. It was filthy... empty. More like a tomb than a hero's lair. It was a tomb, and he was a ghost. A robot ghost, but... one nonetheless. "...I miss you too, Robin." He blinked. Where did that come from? Never mind... focus on the case. "I do like Jazz, actually." At least... he liked it enough to have some preloaded into his database. "And it's been a while since I've seen a show." A while being never. "Any idea where the last place our victim played was? Maybe we should meet up and investigate."

Oh, no. Just trying to contact Robin. I assume I have a means of doing so.

"WHOA!" shouted Pyre, as his foot passed harmlessly through the so-called demon, nearly sending him to the ground "Whiplash, it's a trap! That one's an illusion!" Scrambling on all six limbs, Pyre dove to protect the other hero, diving to use his massive bulk to shield her from the demon's onslaught. "I really hope you can see them with those goggles of yours, because they're trickier than I thought!" He needed to think fast... How the hell could he fight something that shrugged off his powers?

Oh, shoot. Hrm...Do I get that hero point back, then? Alright, Warning Whiplash and trying to provide cover, then.

1d20+6=18 Woo Hoo!

Pyre yet out a yelp of surprise as the Hellfire engulfed him. It burned! It didn't burn that much, but it still burned. Whatever these things were using, it wasn't normal fire. If it wasn't for his abnormally tough hide, he'd be done for. "That was NOT COOL!" he roared, as he rushed the Demon that now lay prone on the sidewalk, swinging a massive boot at the prone creature. Sure, kicking people while they were down wasn't always the noble thing to do, but considering that this was an actual demon from Hell who could flay people alive, he was willing to make an exception. Besides, Whiplash didn't have the same resilience he did. If one of those demons managed to get to her...

1d20+15=30 I assume Pyre's Fire Immunity doesn't come into play. Alright, I'll attack the demon that's now on the rooftop, with an All Out Attack. 1d20+10=15 ...Mrph. Hero Pointing. 1d20+10=25 Much better. And... concealment... 1d20=8 Good.

Dibs on New York!

One of the benefits of being an entirely digital intelligence is that multitasking was simply a matter of delegating RAM. So as one set of robotic hands worked tirelessly over a rack of test tubes and beakers, the Steel Shrike's eyes were getting a direct feed from his internal databases. He was admittedly relieved at the mention of sexual orientation. That was one awkward situation avoided. Just a contact and informant. He quickly committed all of the fine print to his mobile memory. That way he wouldn't have to be so awkward when he saw her again. Hopefully... Turning his attention back to his samples, he mulled over the case. "A left handed, red haired, human shooter wearing a leather jacket. Good place to start." He established an uplink to the Nest's Communication Array. Where did he put that contact information...?

The swirl of smoke obscured Pyre's vision just as the real demons manifested. "I... I could, but..." Too late. Shoot... Alright, it's worth a shot anyway... Pyre's body burst into crimson flame as he sent forth a volley of supernaturally accurate flame through the smoke. The sound of a fireball exploding on impact was enough to signify he hit, but... the lack of a dead demon was concerning. "...I don't think Fire will work on these things, Whiplash!" Of course... Fire didn't work on him either. "...Whiplash, Revenant! Stay behind me!"

Pyre is going to try and throw a fireball at them because while he could reach them with a jump, it wouldn't be practical. 1d20+10=23 Aaand, versus concealment... 1d20=8

JUST A MAN AND HIS WILL TO SURVIVE'D BY GIMZO PP to Spend: 2 Could you please boost Pyre's will save by 1, to a total of +7? PP Remaining: 1 JUST A MAN AND HIS WILL TO SURVIVE'D BY GIMZO

"It's been a while since I've had to look over anything. And... thanks for that." Lou turned a shade more red at the compliment. Giant or not, he was still the same awkward geek Mona knew from years ago. He grinned at the newcomer, offering one of his many hands for her to shake. "Hey! I'm Lou Ross. It's nice to meet you, Vicky. Sorry if I freaked you out. I'm not actually a... I mean, I only look like..." He paused for a moment as he tried to find a way to parse this. "...I'm actually quite cuddly. Have a seat?"

"I'm afraid I can't reveal my secret lair to you yet." 'It's a disaster area.' "But, I'll be sure to take this to my lab and check it out." If it'll get me out of this conversation... "Now... if you'll excuse me... I'll convene with you as soon as I find anything." Shrike wrapped himself in his cloak, vanishing from sight as he took to the rooftops. Later... If robots could breathe, Shrike would have let out a massive sigh of relief as he entered The Nest. Who was that woman? If he was going to be working for her, he'd need to know her name. "Alright, after I'm done investigating this fabric, I'll look her up in my databases... Father had to put something in there, right?"

Investigate: 1d20+5=22 Also... Know (Civics) Check to try and determine who Robin is. Hopefully there's something in his Databases now that he's at home.: 1d20+8=25

Initiative (1d20+4=11) Oh noes! A Fight Scene!

Fortunately, Shrike's processors weren't hampered by anxiety. "I'd like to think I never lost it." He said, as he knelt down next to the body. Because he was sure going to lose it if she found out he wasn't the guy she thought he was... One quick web search later. "...This is Winston Wade, local Jazz Musician. ...Shot point blank. Straight through the heart too. Poor guy..." Did he know this guy, he hoped he wasn't suppose to know this guy. "Horrible way to go... I hope he didn't suffer..." Shrike distracted himself by examining the body a bit further. "Hrm... Injection sites, signs of Diabetes... why would someone want to kill this poor man, is my question..." He glanced at the sliver of fabric hanging from the drain pipe. "Maybe that'll give us our answer. You recognize it?"

"Gotta think fast..." Focusing all of his power, Pyre's hands ignited with blazing embers of fire as swirling Maelstrom of crimson flame materialized above the Krampus. Making arcane gestures he barely understood, Pyre's brow dripped with sweat as he lowered the swirling vortex of heat to hover directly above the Krampus's Vile Basket. "Asad! Get that lid on pronto! Wail, keep those things from getting the kids! I'll try and keep him from making more!" If a burst of flame was enough to melt these things, then maybe a barrier of flame was enough to keep them inside... Pyre smiled as his "lid" hovered into place. "Perfect."

Okay, there's no way Pyre can get up there to put the lid on himself, so he's going to buy us some time. Extra Effort to Power Stunt the following off of his Demonic Power array. Damage 5 (5 5x5x5 Cubes, DC 20 Extras: Area (Shapeable), Duration (Concentration, DC 15), Range (Ranged);) [20 PP] He's then going to take a full round action to CONJURE A LID FORGED FROM THE FIRES OF HELL. Because Ice things hate fire, right?

Search Check (1d20+5=19) K. Life Sciences (1d20+8=17) K. Popular Culture (1d20+8=26) Streetwise (1d20+8=13) Spending a Hero Point... Hero Point Reroll (Life Sciences) (1d20+8=27) Search is meh, but the other ones are good!

'Birdbrain? Who is she calling... oh, she's smiling. Is that? ...Oh God, is she... did they... Oh God I wasn't equipped for that! What am I going to do?!' "I had a bit of an accident. I'm fine now, though. But it's held up my patrols for quite some time now." He tried not to jump to conclusions. Focus on the case. "...Two bodies in two weeks? Mind if I take a look?" Investigation! That'll distract her. Then once he got the info he could solve this case and not have to deal with all this social stuff. Yeah. ...He hoped.

"Yeah..." Lou sighed. Lord Pyre was a great villain, but it wasn't him. "You know they wanted me to dress up as him for a convention. Even had the spandex. I looked ridiculous..." He shrugged. "...It's just too weird, you know? I've always wanted to be a superhero, but this is just silly. Anyway..." He looked around the currently empty office. "Is anyone else lined up to work here, or is it just us two? ...I mean... If you're offering, that is."