A Shocking, Chilling Investigation
It was close to midnight as the streetlamps began to flicker, eventually going out a Stormcaller walked down the docks of Gotham Harbor. She listened quietly for the sounds of anyone who might be following her, only to hear total silence.
Good. She stared out at the dark waters, and back to the original location of their stakeout, recalling the events of the shootout. The thugs were yelling, and one fired a gun. Then all hell broke loose, but they couldn’t have kept their cool well enough to remember not to leave anything behind. She walked, rather than floated, over to their meeting spot, and used her powers to create an orb of crackling electricity to act as a lantern. Teal blue light revealed bullet holes in shipping containers, spent casings where shots were fired, and the sight of dried blood where those shots hit home.
The orb floated over Stormcallers’s shoulder, while she slid something over her hand. The repulsor glove she looted from the bank mission, and modified to work with her powers lit up, and she used it to steadily force a bullet-riddled crate out of her way, checking inside a container for any evidence left behind. Nothing.
“Surely they forgot something when they ran,” She muttered to herself.
“And let me guess...” Viktor's raised voice and the metallic bounce of a sphere that emitted a red glow into the immediate area broke any semblance of solitude Cora had. Her sudden departure from Mount Justice through Zeta Tube had not gone unnoticed. Viktor just wished it was just him who noticed it. Pei had come along as well. Initially, he hadn't been sure why Cora decided to venture to this location other than figuring out what happened to Ja previously but her concern lied with the crates.
“You believe it would have been left here for anyone to find? Don't waste your time.” “But maybe that mysterious stranger left some clues that can only be seen in the midnight moon.” Pei mused, hopping up beside Viktor.
“Orrr I’m just glad you’re okay. Hi, Cora! If I had known you were just coming back here I wouldn’t have bothered getting out of my pajamas, haha.” Pei said with a laugh, running a hand through her hair.
“I wish you would have picked a nicer hour. It’s even spookier here without the criminals.”Stormcaller might have jumped out of her skin, turned around, and vaporized both of them. But she wasn’t the least bit surprised that Viktor had found her, or that she couldn't hear his approach… Or Pei’s for that matter.
“…Yeah. Nice to see both of you too,” she joked.
“Anyway, now that you’re here- Look, everyone’s tired, frustrated, or downright afraid of KJ right now. The best I could do was just talk to him. I want to help him, but I can’t. And I really don’t like not being able to do anything. So I thought I might be able to find something if I came back after all that was done. Those weapons we found at the bank- There might’ve been more, and I’m not convinced it isn’t connected to the Beast’s appearances.”“KJ…haha, I like that.” Pei mused.
K-J… I don't think I like this alias. But it seems to be sticking. There was a very low grumble from Viktor but he kept quiet for the most part as Cora spoke.
She stepped out of the container, clearly not being able to find anything.
“I just want to try and do something. Find evidence that those thugs were selling the same weapons, maybe figure out where they got them from if they were. I don’t think that’s wasting my time, Rain.”He sighed before he began walking toward her.
“True but doing it alone is… It's not the best idea,” Viktor said as he carefully chose his words.
“Besides, I-” Viktor stopped short and looked at Pei and then back to Cora contemplating his next words.
“I don't believe the gang is responsible for the Red Beast's appearance. When Pei and I dispatched the remaining gang members, I got a look inside the crate… High-yield explosives are my best guess as to what they were trading.” Viktor didn't want his theory with Kassy to run too wildly so for now, he'd keep it to himself.
“Best guess? There’s gotta be a file somewhere, right? Or did we really leave in such a hurry all of us forgot to talk to the police?” Pei rubbed her temples.
“What a disaster.”“Not that I also think this has been a huge waste of time, because I’d never say that, but, is there anything to do here that isn’t a huge waste of time?” Pei asked, looking around the place and letting her hands slap lazily against her thighs. Viktor slightly turned toward Pei but didn't speak. Instead, he proceeded to look at his surroundings just as she did.
She may have a point.Behind her helmet, Stormcaller was rolling her eyes… Because even with her eyes being the way they were, she could roll them.
“I don’t think it’s a waste of time. Am I crazy for thinking it's at least possible? I mean- You agreed with me when I said it was weird that robbers were carrying guns more expensive than the money they would’ve gotten from the bank. Just “best-guessing” that they had high-yield explosives doesn’t mean it was just dynamite or something. Maybe I’m just hyper-fixating on one weird, isolated incident, but even if it isn’t related to the Red Beast, I can’t do anything to help him right now. But I can’t sit still after taking those guns apart, either.”“Sorry for not telling you guys where I went, but I didn’t really think anyone would miss me if I just slipped out for a while. “Viktor's sigh betrayed his next couple of words.
“It's fine.” He traced his fingertips over the top of an open crate beside him.
“And you're not crazy. Just desperate.” He shrugged.
“The weapons at the bank heist were indeed extraordinary but I believe you're trying to connect two events that aren't related. Batman likely… No, he definitely ensured everything at this scene was confiscated once we were dismissed. If there is a connection, it's being dealt with… But, there is something I want to take another look at since we're already here.”“Like what? Bombs, or something?”“The mysterious old man?”“The mysterious homeless man, yes. I want to study the container. The presence of the Red Beast stole that opportunity from us. ” Viktor gave a curt nod before he turned around sharply and started walking in the direction of the shipping container Pei had secured him in.
“Hmm… Okay then.” Stormcaller floated her crackling lantern up over her head to better light the way and followed Rain.
“Oh, wow! Cool!” Pei followed behind Viktor. But she started talking to Cora.
“This guy seemed normal at first. He scared me when he left though. Poor guy got shot. But vanishing without a trace? In retrospect, it makes him cool and mysterious. But, back in my heyday I could give buzzkills the slip, too, so maybe I’ve just lost my touch.” Pei said.
“Yeah, that’s suspicious.”“It doesn't make sense. He was shot right outside the container he had been using as shelter. We placed him inside another container to shield him from harm. And then like Pei said, he vanished.” The trio was getting close to the very container Pei and Viktor placed the mysterious homeless man when Viktor stopped.
“Be ready for anything. It's right around this corner. I'll take point.” With swift footing, Viktor rounded the corner with his hands up and slightly offset but there was nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, everything would appear just as it had been left days ago.
Pei casually leaned around the corner, holding air in her cheeks.
“Pfff…ayup. Nothin’ here.” She walked into the container and tapped a few things with her boot.
Stormcaller peeked around the corner, ready to blast whatever was there.
“Hmm… Whole ‘lotta nothing.”“Hmm… It only makes things more interesting.” Viktor stepped inside the empty container that had been used as a home for the man.
“He either permanently moved out or this was never his dwelling, to begin with.” Viktor slightly turned toward the two.
“I think it's a high-frequency signal... The trigger for the Red Beast. However, this theory is… weak.”“At the bank, I found a sound gun. I told you all about that when we were all talking. Remember? I even asked Ja about it, if he could remember being hit by it. Only Ja wasn’t there for it, Kila was. So maybe we could ask him if he feels like talking.”“Yes, a single factor at the time but with everything else I've gathered, it's very likely the sound emitter was the culprit during that mission.” Viktor chimed in just before Pei spoke next.
“Oh, wait- did he live here?” She asked to which Viktor nodded curtly.
“I guess it makes sense for him to come back and- sorry, we’re walking about KJ again.” She said.
“If it really is a high-frequency signal, would it be as easy as just giving him some earplugs?” Pei asked.
“Kinda depends on how high. If it’s dog-whistle high then maybe? If it’s higher, then I dunno.”“And it's still not certain. Remember, Ja and Kila's switching of personas is still a mystery. If high-frequency sound is the trigger, it may not be the only one. Besides, stopping the Red Beast isn't the answer. It is as bad of an idea as Kassy's limiter.”“Yeah. But what else can we do? The Beast doesn’t communicate with us, or try to reason. He just… Attacks. At least, as far as I’ve seen anyway. How do we know he can be reasoned with enough that we don’t need to stop him?”“Ugh.” Pei let her head and shoulders drop.
“Is this even our job? Can’t someone in a lab coat stick him in a brain scanner or something? I don’t know anything about brain science. Do you?” Pei asked.
“Hmm… So we can now return to base?” As if he'd been waiting for this moment the entire time, Viktor walked from the shipping container. He knew it was a tad bit rude so he turned around to face the two after taking a few steps.
“A solution will be found for our friend. Unfortunately, some solutions take longer than we desire and fall outside of our influence. The most important thing to do now is to support KJ. If all you can think of is talking to him, then do so.”“I have been. But… I dunno. I just really wish I could do something else.”There was a pause before she continued.
“I guess it was sort of dumb for me to come out here alone… Sorry.”Pei strode up to Cora’s side and wrapped her arm around her shoulder, shaking her reassuringly.
“D’aaah.” She said with a smile, like the noise she just made was perfectly clear in its meaning.
“It wasn't dumb. Just desperate. And feeling that way is not a bad thing. We just need to be patient. When the time comes for us to do more, we will.” Viktor
“Yeah. I guess so.” Cora looked out at the ocean, unsure of what to do.
If someone told her, a year ago, that she’d be here… Cora wouldn’t believe it.
“ Let’s get outta here.”
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