One Pill Makes You Larger... (IC)

[Supercape]

Seeing her nemesis again, Slick quickly jumped in front of him, swinging her fists in an attempt to once again beat the consciousness out of the mecurial lump of flesh. But this time his ever changing body was balanced, prepared, and quick, and he batted her blows away with limbs that seemed to bend at all the wrong directions.

"I'll get you! you wont get away with this! Never, never, NEVER!" she roared, frustration only adding to her fury.

[trollthumper]

Cannonade rained down blows on the shifting man's midsection, but they seemed to bounce right off. For a second, he thought he felt the density of bone under the skin covering the abdominals -- the kind of thing no normal man should have.

"You make me sick," he said to the gangster. "You're selling someone's suffering on the street. And you think it makes you great?"

"Oh. Yes," said the gangster. "Do not think I am not grateful. She is... my apotheosis."

[Fox]

"An apotheosis," Dragonfly scowled, her right gauntlet whirring and building a charge, "that you will never see or touch again."

The blade formed starting about an inch away from her closed fist: a long, straight, smooth-edged sword of twisted, blue-tinted space. When it moved there was a short afterimage, like reality was trying to rearrange itself when the edge had passed. She almost regretted not being the fast-witted quipping type - she was sure this situation would be great for a line of some kind. She had to make do with running up into close range and swiping her new (and newly-field-tested) toy right through Motley's chest. Though it didn't - in fact, at this setting, couldn't - cut skin, where it touched a jagged, distorted pattern was left along the surface of what now passed for his flesh.

[trollthumper]

The blast caught the gangster right in the chest... and kept going. Malleable flesh and tissue began to shift around the wound like detritus entering a black hole. The shifting man let loose a wracked gasp that soon turned into a dry scream as his form began to collapse around him. The scream gave out as his mouth twisted into a form that could make no sound. By the time it was over, he was stuck in the form of a twisted spiral of indistinct beige material.

"Is he dead?" Cannonade asked. It wasn't like he was going to touch the guy.

[Supercape]

Slick was breathing hard, and had her characteristic oil streaks flowing down her body. "Too good for him" she commented, crouching down on her haunches and sniffing.

"But I don't really want to think about it" she continued looking at the amorphous thing on the floor. "To be honest, I would rather just burn what's left of him and be done with the ashes. But I need to know what actually happened. What on earth caused this? Because we have to stop it in its tracks".

[Fox]

Dragonfly blinked, her newly-formed weapon fragmenting into nothing as reality smoothed itself back out. She was looking at the...flesh statue, biting her lip and looking awfully concerned for someone who just won a fight. "Can't...shouldn't...mm. Nonlethal. Not pleasant, but...I do not use lethal force. Multiple safeties, extensive pre-field testing...what could have...I don't...."

She bit her lip, absently - and furiously - tapping a finger against her gauntlet as she tried to figure out what had gone wrong. complications due to mutation? - unforseen - still - can't - shouldn't....

[trollthumper]

Cannonade leaned in to take a closer look at the twisted mass of flesh. After a few seconds of observation, he noticed the flesh was still twitching. He took a leap back at that point, then waited a few seconds, likely waiting to see if the man would rouse. When he didn't, he spoke.

"I think he's still breathing," Cannonade said. "Or... whatever he's supposed to be doing."

[Supercape]

Still breathing huh...

I don't know if killing him would be a mercy, a justice, or just wrong...

"We need to take some of his blood for anaylsis. Search the room, see what we can find. Stop it here. After that..."

She prodded the flesh on the floor "...I'm not sure what to do with this... thing... It shouldn't be breathing. "

[Fox]

Dragonfly exhaled, hanging her head for a moment to collect herself. still alive - good - didn't - mmh

"Glad he's not dead. Deserves to rot in prison." escape concerns for normal prison - super-prison? - maybe stick him in a jar Shaking her head, but visibly relieved, Dragonfly started taking stock of the room to distract herself. too close - reinforce safeties later anyway

[trollthumper]

Searching the turned over desk, Dragonfly managed to find a few items of interest. Some empty vials, much like the ones found lying in the lab at the nightclub, with faint traces of some chemical at the bottom. A few carbon copies of checks in the upper drawer, traced to the scientist who'd carried out the experiments on "Subject M." There was no smoking gun, but it was pretty damn close.

"I gotta agree," Cannonade said. He headed over to the turned over desk and picked up the phone -- by some miracle, it was still attached to the land line. "Hello, operator? Requesting a police pick up at, uh, 1257 Riviera Street. The Old Oak, yeah. Gonna need some specialists -- we've got a, uh..." He looked back at the folded-up gangster. "...human funnel cake. No, he's still alive. No, I don't know how. Just request a special detachment, okay? This is my first time doing this. Thank you."

He shook his head. "One day I'll get that down."

[Supercape]

Slick took one of the test tubes, and used it to take a sample of blood from the subject lying at her feet.

"Prison?" she asked, looking at Dragonfly and Cannonade, her face scowling. "For how long? will that stop it happening again? what poor innocent is the next in the factory line to get ripped apart by this?"

She couldn't resist kicking the figure on the floor "all because of scum like him. They disgust me. "

She stood up. "I can get this analysed, see if there is any cure, any antidote. Something to try and mop this up. "

[Fox]

Folding the check copies into her dimensional pocket to be scanned and turned over to the police, Dragonfly picked up one of the vials and held it up, squinting at what little was left in the bottom. poor chemist - glad someone else here is better - still - can't hurt to look into later "Yes. For as long as possible. No. Unknown, hopefully nobody," Dragonfly answered in turn, when there was a pause to answer in. Her expression was cold and withdrawn now that the adrenaline had run down, but otherwise unreadable. "As disgusted as you, but death is a poor answer. Consequences...eats at your soul. If you believe you have one. Theological concerns...mm. Meeting gods and angels adds new facets to philosophical arguments."

[trollthumper]

Cannonade looked down at the twisted mass of flesh. It'd be easy, wouldn't it? Guy's a grade A asshole... using people so he can get off and get powers. We let him go, who's to say he won't try again? It'd be the easiest thing in the world to do...

And all I'd have to do is look myself in the mirror every day and tell myself, "I did the right thing." Maybe I'd believe it, after a while.

"No," he said. "Can't say I wouldn't throw a party if he died, but he's got his rights. Get all the evidence you can. He needs a trial, so we can show the world just what a piece of crap he is."

[Supercape]

Slick stood up "as you wish. I understand. "

1944. Germany. Damned if she would have left any alive then.

She fought down the sickness in her stomach. She couldn't think clearly about these kind of issues, she knew. Hence, it was best not to think about them. Her father would have let the man live - probably - and he had been just as badly affected by the war as she was.

She forced the words out of her mouth "you are probably right. It's just I don't ever want to see this happening again. And this guy has the means and knowledge to make it happen. "

[Fox]

Dragonfly tilted her head, the vial rippling and disappearing to wherever her dimensional pocket too things. "Mm. Maybe. Maybe not."

Lights danced and flickered behind her eyes as she swept for a computer. everyone has a computer these days - not here? - cell phone - laptop - surely there's something - come on "Means will hopefully be reduced when he's in jail. Knowledge...maybe. Maybe not. Needed that scientist. Needed the girl, too."

She unconsciously made a fist at the mention of that girl, still in the hospital. "Won't have either, now," she added, more edge in her voice than she'd intended.

[trollthumper]

Dragonfly managed to find a laptop, hidden in a drawer on the now-sundered desk. After clicking it on and scanning it, she managed to find some e-mails from the scientist to his boss. They described Subject M in detail, as well as the fact that she was a potential "catalyst" for powers... but there was no mention of the actual means of harnessing the powers. The scientist had merely promised the delivery of "some samples" for field testing and distribution. There was nothing on Subject M's unique neurotransmitter -- there was a mention of her "unique adaptive properties", but that was it.

"I know how you guys feel," Cannonade said. "But we've got the means to stop him. He goes to Blackstone, he's got eyes on him all the time. He can try to break out, but odds are he'll never get out. We can take apart his resources, get the scientist into Witness Protection or something."

[Fox]

"The scientist," Dragonfly scowled, "deserves to be in jail more than he does. But, good news: has no idea how this stuff was made. He doesn't, I mean." She gestured in the general direction of the flesh sculpture.

She sighed, stretching a bit and rubbing the back of her neck. "...long day. Feels longer. More work to do, compile reports, deliver evidence...preferably avoid police when they get here. I...thank you? Both. We accomplished a lot, couldn't have done it without the whole group. If you ever need anything...let me know."

[trollthumper]

Cannonade looked to Dragonfly. "Same here," he said. "This is my first time really dealing with this stuff. And I wasn't expecting... well, anything like this. Thanks, guys. Any of you need any help, well, you can find me in Southside."

[Supercape]

Slick shook her comrades hands. "Pleasure working with you both. I think we stopped something awful. I hate to ask, but if anything like this happens again, I will be calling on you. "

She paused and gave a slightly saucy smile "and given how handsome you are, I may just call anyway!"

It wasn't exactly clear who she was talking to with the last comment, but that was the point.