witch's cape, not hat

[characterquarry]

Grendyne groans and starts pulling on her boots when the alarm goes off. Again. She quick-marches to the broom hangar, sits on her machine and is handed a plethora of loaded weapons by attentive corporals.

"Two flyers in one day? They're getting way too common."

"It's worse," the commander informs them, "South Karlsland got hit with three at once. We're taking Lytee's express and sleeping there. You can sit out if you absolutely need to, but Freya's still recovering so we could use you as a comms relay."

"No, I'll come. I just reserve the right to complain about it."

The 42nd United Forces Witch Wing takes off and assembles into a perfect synchronized formation as Lytee charges her teleport power.



...This is not South Karlsland wilderness.

[note: halfway through this thread I created a unique account for Grendyne. Do not be alarmed by the change in account. -Rockeye]

Comments

[witchwatcher]

"Using my teleport power as a scry is tricky as hell. Not what it's meant for. Like being about to move your arm, really meaning to, tensing the muscles, but not actually doing anything. I doubt I could hold it for an extended period of time but I can check every half hour or so. I have an actual scry - but that only targets areas, for some reason it won't meld with the teleport's person-targetting. Cape powers are much more finicky about combining with other things than Witch specials."

[wormcan]

"It's low priority, if he doesn't know he's suspected he'll probably keep acting as normal.

How good is Tattletale's power at finding out what people are hiding? I'll know if the suspect lies, or if he's hiding something, but might not catch what. If it would help, I can patch you in through a helmet camera."

[witchwatcher]

"It's pretty good, especially if you ask pointed questions. I can't do it for more than five minutes at a time though, thinker headache. Audio only was enough for Tattletale and I to have a very, very subtext-laden conversation, but the helmet cam would help."

[wormcan]

"Good. We'll have to assume he knows to avoid direct lies at the very least, but five minutes should be enough."

He mounts his motorcycle and points it toward the PRT building. "Want a ride, or would you rather fly?"

[witchwatcher]

"I'll fly. Might have to leave suddenly, by the way. Unlikely but possible. I've got a few emergency medical response contracts, get called in about once a week. If that happens a recording will be better than nothing." Her steelwing picks itself up again.

[wormcan]

They arrive at the replacement PRT HQ in approximately no time at all. Before walking in as if nothing is wrong, Armsmaster hands her a screen showing the view from his helmet.

He finds the person Gren's teleportation thinks has masqueraded as Coil, addresses him by name, and asks about recent villain activity. Apparently this is one of the people to ask about that. Armsmaster pretends to be looking for information on some previously unaffiliated villains who allied against the Undersiders, and tries to lead him into consciously not saying that he has been to a truce like that one as a participant.

It'll be obvious to Gren-as-Tattletale that this was also Coil's stand-in when the alliance against the ABB was negotiated, but Armsmaster won't have that verified until she tells him.

[witchwatcher]

Gren tells him, that being the entire point of this exercise.

[wormcan]

That's apparently enough to stop worrying about whether the suspect knows he's suspected. Armsmaster switches to more direct questions, followed by arresting the guy and calling in Gren and the Deputy Director.

[witchwatcher]

Gren keeps herself stony-faced, only allowing the tiniest smirk to come through at what she hopes is her impending justice/revenge.

[wormcan]

Well, this is just a minion, even if it is the minion who was overseeing her imprisonment.

Acting Director Renick is easily convinced, between Armsmaster and Gren, but they don't have Coil himself yet. "We can't just accuse him publicly. It would be the worst PR move imaginable. But he isn't threatening anything or anyone right now, and we can arrest him more discreetly with no risk."

[witchwatcher]

"I'll be happy as long as he gets arrested somehow."

[wormcan]

"He can't very well stay away. And we've got eyes on him already."

[witchwatcher]

"I'm normally not a vigilante, you know. I just have a grudge for Coil. I won't be trying to step on your toes."

[wormcan]

"Under the circumstances, I'm hardly going to complain. How did you find out about Coil?"

[witchwatcher]

"I found out that he was still active somehow during a discussion with the Travelers after that incident with the clones in Horten. After that a borrowed Thinker power plus some good old-fashioned research connected the dots. Armsmaster has the full story."

[wormcan]

Renick mentally revises Gren's thinker rating. "Can find the skeletons in PRT directors' closets" is a highly relevant attribute.

A phone beeps. "He's gone. Left the building, tased McKay, disappeared. Copycat, can you get us to him?"

[witchwatcher]

"Yes. Immediately?" She's already reaching to connect everyone present to her teleport-sense.

If they say 'yes,' Copycat, Armsmaster, the Deputy Director, and any officers present are surrounding Calvert from all sides except below within seconds.

[whole_new_can]

The reasons to wait stopped applying when they lost track of him. (Hopefully Gren is the only one above him. None of the others can fly.)

Calvert waits for a conversationally excessive amount of time. Eventually he asks his former second in command, "I take it I'm under arrest?"

"Extremely."

[witchwatcher]

Gren is the one above him. "Hi. Remember me? Isn't it interesting that there's a ninety-nine point nine seven six one percent chance you won't be getting away?"

[whole_new_can]

"Oh, I'm not trying to. I'll come quietly, don't worry. Extremely quietly, in fact, until I've talked with my lawyer."

He doesn't resist while Armsmaster handcuffs him for the cameras.

[witchwatcher]

Gren is practically humming. Even if he gets off on a technicality, he'll never be a PRT director again.

"I could have sworn he didn't have a power, though. Whatever... Kinda-vaguely-precog thing he has, It's really annoyingly massively complicated and I can't copy it."

She stays just long enough to give whatever statements and clarifications are required, leaves a note to Tattletale, and offers to repair a couple of sections of sewer for Skitter just because.

[whole_new_can]

That's going to include a lot of clarifications on the complicated vague precog thing, at least as much as she can say.


Skitter takes her up on the offer for the same reason, and is to all appearances happy about her suspected former boss being arrested.

[witchwatcher]

Stone-shaping on this scale is relatively easy. Conjuring metal for fittings and valves is trickier, as is hooking everything up to the buildings in the area, but in half an hour the six city blocks nearest the center of Skitter's territory will have working sewage again as soon as a couple of people install pumps in the clearly marked locations.

And Copycat disappears to the site of a volcanic eruption and cools a lava flow approaching a town into rock then evacuates a sinking fishing ship, then heals a batch of people in a trauma ward in France, and basically goes back to running around heroing.

Places, meanwhile, is wondering if she managed to dodge being classed as a villain for bringing the Travelers to Terra.

[wormcan]

Most governments don't exactly publish lists, but they aren't sending heroes to arrest her every time she shows her face. The official heroes still aren't hiring her, but some of the independent ones still do. They act as if they're working with a rogue, not a fugitive.

Over time she'll be as sure as she can be short of offering a customer satisfaction survey asking "were you aware I was peripherally involved in an incident that led to the deaths of two New York Protectorate members and do you consider me a villain."

[witchwatcher]

That's good then.

She can get back to making large amounts of money and learning interesting secrets when the chance comes up.