X-Mas in Milwaukee: 1-800-SPR-HERO

[x-dominion.livejournal.com]

The investigations lead to a dozen dead-ends, forcing them to get creative and try something different.



Kane finished his last set of interviews about the same time as Theresa and Abigail, leaving all three of them sitting in an empty boardroom that had been set aside for their investigation, with a white board virtually devoid of clues. He tossed down his pen and picked up the file.

"Let's go through this one more time. Maybe we missed something. Group of mutants in what look like superhero costumes attacks a US Customs lockup in order to rob it of millions in seized goods. According to SHIELD and the Milwaukee PD, they think they might have been involved in a half dozen other robberies in the last two months. They also burn a truck carrying about a half million in drugs and drug manufacturing equipment seized in a grow-up bust the week before. Why does this feel like everything doesn't entirely add up?"

"Because it doesn't." Brand sounded as frustrated as the rest of them, pacing back and forth in front of the pitifully-empty whiteboard. "Either we've got a highly-organised group of mutant thieves, or we have a vigilante group targeting the local dope trade. We can't have both at the same time, damnit."

In contrast to Brand's agitated movement, Terry was a still and headachey lump, sitting awkwardly cross-legged in a chair pushed away from the table and back up against the wall. "Why not? Would make just as much sense as anything else we have," she grumbled, then leaned forward to pull her chair back up to the table.

"Philosophically opposed to weed, but willing to boost almost three million street value of seized blow and heroin out of the warehouse? That doesn't fit any profile for any group of wackos I've ever heard of. It's like a gang envisioned by Brett Easton Ellis." Kane flipped over to the photos. "What about the costumes? It disguises their identities, sure, but what if there's a less cynical reason. What do you call a group of mutants wearing brightly coloured costumes?"

"Besides, 'cannon fodder'?" suggested Brand. "I'm surprised you can't think of a term that would apply, Slick." It was a veiled reference to the X-Men, Brand reminding Kane she knew full well he had some kind of connection with the team. "How about, 'amateurs impeding justice'?"

Terry glanced between the two, picking up on an undercurrent without knowing exactly what it was. She curled forward and rested her elbows on the table, hands flipping idly between folders and papers, a way to bleed off frustrated energy. "Wanna-be superheroes," she said slowly, accent drawing out flatly. "Or villains, I suppose. Depends on who is doing the labeling. But it gets them noticed, either way."

"Superheroes. Great." He rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Or villains. Someone who identifies strongly enough that they- what, pull a heist at Customs to finance their delusions? In comic books, it's always physical things they steal, like gold or jewels. And they would consider themselves a lot more sophisticated than your average bank robber, per se. It's an angle no one has looked at yet."

"Something I've always wondered," said Brand, looking at the board and its fuzzy, out-of-focus security camera photos of the gang. "How do these groups get together? It's not like 'costumed freak' is an actual job description you can sign up for. What are they doing, taking out want ads? 'Wanted: mutants with a fetish for spandex to commit heists and piss off the FBI'." She snorted derisively.

"Forums, social networks, back rooms of comic book shops?" Terry offered, lips twisting while she shot Kane a surreptitious glance out of the corner of her eye, and carefully did /not/ mention mansions for mutant teenagers. She reached across the table and tugged her laptop toward her with her fingertip.

"It's worth a shot." Kane started typing, pulling up local sites and filing through them. "I can't imagine they'd just have a sign that says 'superheroes apply here'."

"Wait, where did I see that before?" Brand leaned forward, tossing papers this way and that in her search. "Hah! Apparently they are that dumb." She held up a local newspaper and showed the other two an ad in the back pages. 'Superhero Circle!' it proclaimed in comic-y style lettering. "You just call yourself a support group instead."

"Supporting what? Bad taste in clothing?" Terry asked as she leaned in her chair, craning around to see the ad. "They're recruiting?"

"You have to be kidding me." Kane looked over the ad. "It's a fucking support group at a YMCA to talk about being a mutant and how to use your powers for good. I think they pulled the description right out of a comic book."

"Which fits in with the rest of this... except for the stealing." Brand shook her head. "It's a start, at least."

"Unless they are stealing from the rich to give t' the poor," Terry snorted, pushing up out of her chair and into a stretch. "More than we have had. When's the next meeting?" she added with a small, sly looking smile.

"Doesn't say, but we've got a phone number. Let's run it and see if we a get a name and an address, eh?"