Amelia, Ch 204- Victoria
The Director assigned us a rather unassuming looking hero by the name of 'Brain' to be our escort. Skinny, in his early thirties with a bit of a pot belly, and a little shorter than me. He was easily the least imposing person in the room, in his business suit styled costume that was just a little too plain to believe it wasn't on purpose. He would probably be the least imposing person in a gradeschool.
And my power was completely terrified of him. Every combat strategy involved 'shunt out, attack from other dimension', and even that didn't work so much as keep me alive. With Theo, my power simply told me I couldn't win. With Brain, it told me that I would lose. He was easily one of the most dangerous parahumans I'd ever met in person, and judging by his emotional disposition, he knew it.
"Mind powers," Riley answered my unspoken question. Can inflict debilitating sensory disruption on the brain. Believed to need line of sight."
"He doesn't," I answered quietly. "If he's in my range, then I'm in his."
"Good morning," he said with a slightly too wide grin. "I must admit this is something of a surprise." Partial truth. My power didn't give any insight further than that, but it was easy to guess he expected Pantheon, just not us specifically.
"It was something of a complicated decision," I claimed. "But we're more than up to the task."
"Yes, you were the one who killed Baal, were you not?" I sensed no ulterior motive, merely curiosity over my power. "Was that... difficult... killing someone like that? Under orders from a superior who couldn't do it themselves?"
"Khepri killed Siberian," I replied dismissively. "Baal was arguably just as bad, if not quite as famous. We had only intended to engage a scouting mission, perhaps lure him out of the compound and then destroy his base of operations while he wasn't able to defend it. My power made it clear I could beat him, if I was willing to kill him. Considering we were about to witness a child being raped, it was the right decision."
"Ah, right, you have different powers after you were restored from being transformed by Bakuda's weapon, correct?"
Some tactic to confuse me by changing subjects?
"You've read up on us," Theo spoke up. He was slightly unnerved by the creepy man and his questions as well.
"Of course," he answered Theo. "You've made quite the splash. I've also read up on the Triumvirate and almost every parahuman on the continent ranking an eight or above. One of my powers, you see, superhuman learning rates." He turned back toward me, still smiling that creepy smile. "Speaking of, may I ask your name?"
"Victoria," I replied easily. I watched with amusement at his confusion and annoyance.
"I'm afraid I may have misspoke," he replied. "I meant your cape name."
"Victoria," I repeated. "The Roman goddess of success in battle, from which the word 'victory' originates. Appropriate for a combat precog, wouldn't you agree? My identity's already public, after all."
"Ah, I see," he agreed cheerfully.
"The fact that it confuses everyone and forces them to ask, thus making you that much more memorable, had absolutely nothing to do with it," Atropos added dryly. Over the com system, of course.
"Not all of us can kill Endbringers to get famous," I quipped right back, still paying attention to our guide. "So, what kind of powers are we expecting in town?"
"You don't know?" he asked.
"We know what's in the dossiers," I answered smoothly. "But it would be foolish to assume that's the whole story. Every one of us here has one or more powers, ranking at least a five, that aren't on our list." That shocked him, especially considering how high they put our ratings to begin with. "I'd like to hear what we're going into down on the streets, if it even comes to that. Bad intel is the easiest way to fail a mission."
We spent the next hour and a half getting the full story. It seems the city only really had one major criminal organization with parahumans. A mafia outfit, no less. All other criminal parahumans were either of the sort that didn't draw attention to themselves, or had already been recruited or driven out of the city one way or another. Apparently, the boss had a very 'old school' way of doing things, and claimed to be a blood relative of Capone. Brain expressed doubts about that. Apparently every criminal in the midwestern states liked to pretend they had a famous crook ancestor.
All told, they had eleven known capes on their roster, covering every base. The scariest of which went by the unlikely name of 'Playmate'. Unfortunate connotations aside, she was a shaker 8/master 4/trump 4 whose power was to create board game like scenarios and force people to obey the rules of the game. These games could be incredibly unfair, but there was always a win condition of some manner. She was under no obligation to tell you what it was, however. She even altered powers to obey the rules of the game. She'd be rated higher, but the 'games' were mostly illusions. Dying just meant you lost and were removed from the 'board', no real harm done.
We were also given the name of an excellent five star hotel in which to stay for free. Apparently the PRT permanently rents a few locations for guests. I politely turned Brain, and the PRT behind him, down. We instead rented our rooms from a generic low price hotel chain, much to our guide's confusion and annoyance.
"Trying to keep a low profile," I reminded the man. An answer he seemed less and less happy about every time I gave it. Anyone could see that they wanted our presence in town to be more visible, I just wasn't sure why, yet.
And, finally, we got permission to examine evidence. I sent Atropos and Aceso to the bodies. Riley's powers made her better suited for pulling information off corpses than I was, and as much as Lily may have still really disliked Riley, it was better than sending Theo that way. Riley's feelings for him, and the really weird emotions that Theo had toward Clarice, just screamed bad idea.
Seriously, what was up with Theo and Clarice? And was Tattletale high when she decided this was the team to send?
Theo and I handled the crime scene, under the wary gaze of the actual investigators. We used our hover tech to keep from touching anything important, and maybe to show off a little. The three were killed in a bar, after hours. Minimal signs of a struggle. A shattered floor where the one was smashed downward into it. I let my power do what it could, running scenarios that would allow this to happen to these parahumans, and it found nothing. "They weren't killed here," I stated.
"You're certain?" the lead investigator asked. I could read the doubts in his emotions, but there was no certainty one way or the other.
"Impossible to be completely sure, when it comes to powers," I answered. "But the battle was decided before. Either they were killed and brought here to be mutilated, or they were subdued, brought here, and then executed."
"There's evidence of defensive wounds on the bodies," he pointed out. "And a great deal of physical damage in the area indicative of a fight."
"Faked," I answered. "The battle wouldn't have been carried out this way by these parahumans. They would have parted immediately after the conflict started, taking cover. Belthegor was a shaker with control over soil and stone, he didn't even use his power."
"He may have been killed first," Brain suggested from the corner.
"Maybe, but not from the direction the attacks would have had to approach, based on the rest of the scene," I countered, gesturing toward the corner of the bar where the attack would, presumably, have come from. And they wouldn't have been here in the first place. Too vulnerable. They were placed here after being rendered unconscious."
And the local Protectorate just happens to have a parahuman whose main power is damaging people's minds and rendering them functionally helpless. Which was too fucking obvious to be trusted. Plus he didn't show any sign that he was involved. I tapped the private com. "Aceso, how's the autopsy going?"
"They were drugged before they were murdered," she informed me. "Theoretically untraceable substance, broken down into hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide. If it were anyone other than us, I think it would be the perfect murder."
"Except," I prompted.
"Except that's way too easy, because they knew it would be us," she continued. "Besides, I've seen this drug before. Or one nearly identical to it. A west coast chemical tinker produces it, along with super tear gas and a few other things. It breaks down too quickly to form addictive traits in the brain, so it never became popular as a street drug, but there are a number of wealthy individuals who keep the market alive."
"Good to know," I replied. "Look for evidence of where the were before they got to the crime scene. They were subdued and brought there." So it could be Brain running a double blind, or it could be someone who didn't have access to a mind influencing power. I could have asked him, but that might just piss him off, even if he's innocent.
"Something wrong?" the investigator asked.
"Our instruments discovered evidence of a tinker drug in the victims bodies," I informed him, speaking loud enough to be properly overheard. I noted the reactions of shock and concern from Brain. But, then, I saw very similar emotions in the investigator, and I was certain he didn't have anything to do with the crime.
Dammit, if I have to call Lisa and ask her for help because my power isn't good enough... I'd never live it down. She wouldn't let me.
"I'm assuming these instruments are not approved and verified forensics technology that we can submit in court?" Brain asked.
"Afraid not," I sighed. "Luckily, we don't have to prove that they were murdered, just who did it. Unfortunately, now we've got a sudden overabundance of suspects. They could have been brought here from practically anywhere. Anyone with a moving van, some good knives and a sledgehammer could have done this."
I watched the emotions of frustration and disappointment hit both Brain and all the investigators that had overheard. It was, again, impossible for me to know if that was a matter of a greater conspiracy, or simple realization that this crime might not be solvable.
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A/N- Murder mysteries are fun! They'd be more fun without super lie detectors everywhere. But still fun.
Also: none of you guessed Vicky's cape name. Which is a shame since it's been on the front page since Friday.
