edale
Versed in the lewd.
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2015
- Messages
- 1,878
- Likes received
- 4,972
Dragon, the new Master Control.
-
The site has now migrated to Xenforo 2. If you see any issues with the forum operation, please post them in the feedback thread.
-
Due to issues with external spam filters, QQ is currently unable to send any mail to Microsoft E-mail addresses. This includes any account at live.com, hotmail.com or msn.com. Signing up to the forum with one of these addresses will result in your verification E-mail never arriving. For best results, please use a different E-mail provider for your QQ address.
-
The rules regarding NSFW links have been updated. See here for details.
selonianth
Writer of Words
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2014
- Messages
- 869
- Likes received
- 3,323
Does he have to be a tinker to watch her actions and thoughts and know her?
I suspect he didn't give a damn since his only real worry was whether or not she was evil.
He terrorized and did things tantamount to rape to one of the world's greatest heroes. Considering his job was to watch only yes, that makes him an idiot.
considering that that was the first time you brought it up, what was going on can't even vaguely be considered taking over the world, and the complete lack of relevance Leviathan and the endbringers have to this particular discussion this entire paragraph is pointless.
I don't think you understand what taking over the world means. Or that her stopping saint could possibly be a good thing.
Ok here you've simply lost me. I think I see you suggesting he should have immediately used ascalon the moment he got it. Then you suggesting Teacher doesn't want to take over the planet/destroy whatever part of it won't listen to him. Then suggesting he's ever the person to turn to once his full powers were known. Claiming his helping Teacher escape the birdcage and all the other dumb shit he did to better terrorize said world's greatest tinker on Teacher's orders was a heroic sacrifice and not him being fucking crazy. And finally claiming working with Teacher was a good plan.
Hell, he tried to take the birdcage from Dragon and now I kinda wish he'd succeeded. If only because Dragon would have had to remove the warden AI from the birdcage and good luck controlling all the automated defenses and such without it. Never mind that Teacher would have been released the first day.
jaelin910
habitual lurker
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2015
- Messages
- 502
- Likes received
- 3,317
just give up. it's obvious that you're talking to an Entity, that's why [hero beats villain and things get better] is a bad thing to him while [villain violates, steals from and tries to kill hero] is 'good'.
he's just promoting conflict and you're falling into the trap by arguing back.
he's just promoting conflict and you're falling into the trap by arguing back.
selonianth
Writer of Words
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2014
- Messages
- 869
- Likes received
- 3,323
This has been me for the last several hours.
jaelin910
habitual lurker
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2015
- Messages
- 502
- Likes received
- 3,317
it's a noble thing you're doing but you simply have to face facts; zzzzzz either has literally no idea what he's talking about, zzzzzz is simply opposing your position without care for who is correct or zzzzzz is trolling you. in all cases the best option seems to be to provide a link to worm itself and stop getting involved.This has been me for the last several hours.
there's multiple quotes out there about arguing with idiots and why you shouldn't. I suggest you just stop; let zzzzzz think he's right and go on your way. if someone is determined to believe they are correct regardless of what you say, it doesn't matter how good your argument is because they'll keep right on thinking they're right.
TanaNari
Verified Dick
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2015
- Messages
- 27,240
- Likes received
- 292,946
Wrong. 'Taken', like 'moved', works on its own here. Or how I appropriated the word 'shunted' for dimension hopping. Your version works, too, but it's not the only way to English.
I disagree. But even if they could, it loses nothing to do them in first person... even if it doesn't add as much as some other chapters tend to.
That and they keep forgetting the stuff already established in the story. Like every Victoria Perspective chapter shown thus far.
Orrrr because in addition to combat precog, she also has bioscan- including showing emotional states.
Never again. And what's the point? In that order.
The reason Saint activated the kill switch was twofold.
1- Dragon accessed a lot of computers simultaneously- something her program expressly forbid, and used them to achieve a grade of multitasking her program also expressly forbid. To the point that she could subconsciously hunt down Saint and crew even while fighting the S9- and since they were using the stuff that was suppose to prevent her from tracking them at all. Something ALSO forbidden by her program.
2- Most importantly, if you read the story... she violated the Thou Shalt Not Kill command. Which was the big one. Dragon. The Seed AI. Was now capable of very intentionally killing humans.
Granted, they were S9000 clones, so they fucking belonged dead. But when a Dragon Suit turns nanothorn breath weapons on the monkey bipeds... it's more than reasonable to be nervous.
Now. Scenario scenario 2 won't likely happen in this AU, as there will be no s9000. Scenario 1 might, in some capacity, occur. Really, most of it will almost inevitably occur. But since there's no immediate End of the World threat going on (or, at least, they have an extra decade to prepare for it), Defiant's work on Dragon will likely take a very different path. A more cautious one.
Now, will you people stop being assholes to zzzzzz... he brings up a lot of very good points. And you people should go reread Worm, because if you did then you'd know that, which means you weren't paying attention.
Last edited:
Divabot
KILL ALL THE HUMANS
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2014
- Messages
- 94
- Likes received
- 505
I took it from that discussion that she was literally just using "Victoria".
TanaNari
Verified Dick
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2015
- Messages
- 27,240
- Likes received
- 292,946
Spoiler: she does.
It's in the cast page list. And has been since Friday.
It'll also be in the upcoming chapter.
cyberswordsmen
I trust you know where the happy button is?
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2013
- Messages
- 922
- Likes received
- 1,403
She has always been able to kill humans as long as it is legal to kill that specific person at that specific time. S9000 had kill orders so no problems with her safeguards. If the president told her to kill people she would be forced to kill them by her safeguards as authority demanded it.
TanaNari
Verified Dick
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2015
- Messages
- 27,240
- Likes received
- 292,946
Nope. Her safeguard against killing, like her safeguards against duplication and multitasking, were greater priority than her obedience orders. If she was given an order to do any of the above, she would be compelled to disobey.
Her orders to prevent others to tamper with her code was ALSO higher priority than obedience. But lower priority than killing. Which is how Defiant could do it at all- playing one order against another.
Besides, by the point of the S9000 arc, her obedience protocol was already broken. In fact, THAT one was broken during the Warlord arc. So they could let Skitter go.
cyberswordsmen
I trust you know where the happy button is?
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2013
- Messages
- 922
- Likes received
- 1,403
She has no rule against killing.
She says during her first fight with Taylor she has never killed without a legal order to do so.
Dragon isn't bloodthirsty so she avoids killing more than is required to but it isn't inherently forbidden to her.
cosoco
Not too sore, are you?
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2014
- Messages
- 333
- Likes received
- 1,958
missing .
capitalization
missing .
"breathe" breath is a noun.
Missing newlines.
No, but they do need to use scientific notation.
So, the Director has been stressed for a while. Did he have his agents capture and kill those Fallen, in order to attract Pantheon's attention? Probably not, since his nervousness would have shown up to Clarice.
It bothers me that Vicky is apparently trying to irritate the Director. Presumably, she has a plan here, and she's not just doing this for kicks. She's also asking for a guide. Is the Director going to assign a Thinker, to gather information about Pantheon, the Wards or Protectorate leader, to avoid snubbing them, or one of his agents, to avoid wasting the time of someone more valuable?
They're also considering talking to the various criminal elements in the city to get more information. That... seems like a powderkeg waiting to go off. Are they just going to teleport into their houses and say hello? Hopefully Lisa dug up their contact information instead of where they live, so they can arrange meetings on neutral ground. (As much as any point on the planet is 'neutral ground' to Pantheon.)
GiftofLove
A Gift From The Heart
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2014
- Messages
- 11,477
- Likes received
- 60,913
Didn't she go with Defiant on a cross country trip to put down the S9? My grasp on Canon gets a little fuzzy around here, because I started to lose interest.
cyberswordsmen
I trust you know where the happy button is?
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2013
- Messages
- 922
- Likes received
- 1,403
It was a situation where she had no motive to lie. She could just stay silent, and let her actions speak for themselves, or simply say she doesn't kill that isn't that abnormal a code for a superhero.
Instead she says she won't kill without direct legal authorization. Nowhere in her interludes does she ever mention a rule against killing but she does fear what a tyrant can order her to do which would be much less of a fear if she wasn't allowed to participate in killing.
Similarly the story specifically calls out her weakening the controls on obeying authority and making AIs, and not the one on forking but nothing is ever said about one focused on killing. You are making a new restriction up without any canon support.
Mogget
Know what you're doing yet?
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2014
- Messages
- 245
- Likes received
- 2,106
Fridge horror that just hit me. Riley acts so adorable because it's a learned defense mechanism. She spent essentially her entire conscious life with "Mommy Siberian" hanging over her shoulder watching her, and Jack Slash ready to throw her away if she stopped being a "good girl". Acting all adorable was a response to being surrounded by all these dangerous people all the time, and eventually it became a habituated response to dealing with powerful people.
Her real personality is probably only just starting to show itself when she's alone with Amelia, though she really is still a broken 6 year old on the inside in a lot of ways.
Her real personality is probably only just starting to show itself when she's alone with Amelia, though she really is still a broken 6 year old on the inside in a lot of ways.
Snake/Eater
Myth Maker of the North
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2015
- Messages
- 6,421
- Likes received
- 7,568
I wonder what Rily will be like when goes a teenage rebellion phase....
evildice
(emotionally stable clown posse)
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2015
- Messages
- 21,769
- Likes received
- 355,660
That's true, it doesn't really detract.
But I wonder if picking a single perspective for 4-5 snips might make it easier on the reader, to remember all the capabilities and perceptions and biases of this "I" person.
daimahou
Gentleman Tentacle(s)
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2014
- Messages
- 7,965
- Likes received
- 44,220
Creates the Rabbit of Caerbannog and names it Mr. Snugglebumms?
Ch 204- Victoria
TanaNari
Verified Dick
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2015
- Messages
- 27,240
- Likes received
- 292,946
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.
==============
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.
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.
==============
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.
Last edited:
selonianth
Writer of Words
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2014
- Messages
- 869
- Likes received
- 3,323
See, we underestimated her arrogance. We expected maybe the other version of it but her own name? Underestimated how arrogant she could be.
And yea that power is overpowered as hell.
And yea that power is overpowered as hell.
Slayer Anderson
Orthodox Heretic
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2014
- Messages
- 9,576
- Likes received
- 451,965
Well...that's terrifying. I don't guess we'd ever get to see him and Number Man go at it. That could be fun. The two most terrifyingly unimpressive, normal capes ever get into a brawl and the entire city gets wrecked. They both come out without even a wrinkle in their suits.
...and that's quite a line up. Even accounting for varying weaknesses and power levels, with eleven capes in a single city, they're in a pretty safe place power-wise...if you don't count Pantheon.
...does the PRT/Protectorate want Pantheon to come in bold and brassy and have someone in the 'mafia' do something really stupid? I think they do.
Of course, the other option is...
...actually, I was wondering why people were still guessing. I'd assumed it was some weird campaign to change it, but...Also: none of you guessed Vicky's cape name. Which is a shame since it's been on the front page since Friday.
Edit: Also, I like that Emma finally picked a name.
BlackBulletOfSeven
Making the rounds.
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2015
- Messages
- 41
- Likes received
- 198
It's like an old Noir film...
I demand Top hats and inconspicuous trench coats!
I demand Top hats and inconspicuous trench coats!
Divabot
KILL ALL THE HUMANS
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2014
- Messages
- 94
- Likes received
- 505
This is Vicky's viewpoint, and while we can presume she's a reliable narrator about facts she notices, we can't about tone, or about facts she may have missed.
tsuknoryu2986
Not too sore, are you?
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2014
- Messages
- 435
- Likes received
- 704
So you kinda did go with my idea for her cape name. Awesome. And honestly, I can see her going with the Roman version just because it's her name.
ECCM
Know what you're doing yet?
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2015
- Messages
- 113
- Likes received
- 1,677
Okay, spill. Couldn't find a mention of Emma's cape name in the last 4 chapters.
Slayer Anderson
Orthodox Heretic
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2014
- Messages
- 9,576
- Likes received
- 451,965
...Okay, spill. Couldn't find a mention of Emma's cape name in the last 4 chapters.
There's a post on page 1 with the full list of Pantheon's membership and their identities. Here.
Edit: Granted, the 'associate' members aren't listed. Those being the Travellers, Faultline's crew (I'm assuming they're still under contract), Coil, Dinah, Accord, the Adepts, & (presumably) the Railroad Bandits.