Curtains#2 - It Came From Below!

[Velmont]

"Thanks Gus, I will remember your advice. We will go now. You need some rest, and I need to speak to my parents. Things have been hard these days, for me and them, and things need to be made clear. I'll come back visit you soon."

He smiles at the man and turns around.

"Come on Andrew. Let's go home."

 

[Rybaer]

Magnolias, Downtown, Coast City
Apr 17
20:18

"Well, I just mentioned that I thought that Professor Fate and the others worked well together. And if they should ever need the Professor's assistance in the future, they could contact me and I would put them in touch," Steven explained lightly. "I guess I should have expected that metahumans of a like mind would eventually band together, and that might be more than any one hero could handle. I mena, it hadn't really occurred to me until last night."

(No particularly notable people seen in the restaurant.)

"Yeah, I suppose it makes sense," she says. "You all did come together more or less independently for the same cause. I guess forming a group could certainly have some advantages. Might carry some additional risk, though. You know - higher visibility."

Dinner is ordered and it lives up to the review as excellent cajun. The service is impeccable and the ambiance makes for a wonderfully relaxing mood. Maggie steers the conversation away from matters both metahuman and work after her initial question, and Steven is content to leave it that way for a while. For over two hours, they are lost in pleasant conversation and several courses of fine food and dessert.

After dinner, Maggie excuses herself to use the restroom. She returns in less than a minute.

"That's odd," she says. "An employee was just locking up the bathrooms. She said that the sewer was backing up or something. Guess I'll just have to wait until we get home or something."

 

[Rybaer]

The Thorn Residence, Jamestown Heights, Coast City
Apr 17
11:46

After giving Gus a quick farewell, Lawrence and Andrew make the drive through town and across the Slate River into Jamestown Heights. They pass through the old residential neighborhood until finally arriving at the house where Lawrence spent his entire childhood. Today, somehow, it has the feel of being someone else's house.

Andrew parks his car in the street. As they walk up to the front door, Lawrence notes that his father's car is not in the driveway. Andrew sees this and off-handedly mentions that Dad is working today.

The front door opens into a small livingroom, stuffed to capacity with worn furniture and knick-knacks. The walls are covered with family photos that span several decades of the Thorn family history. Lawrence's mother was watching television. When she sees her son enter, she leaps up and grabs Lawrence in a big hug. She has a couple tears in her eyes.

"Oh Lawrence," she says. "I'm so glad Andrew was able to find you and that you're okay. I've been worried sick for this entire week."

 

[Velmont]

"I'm sorry mother, I didn't mean it. I didn't want you to worry, but I was scared. I was scared of me, so I could only imagine what other people would react when they would learn, and it scared me more. I just wanted to be away from everything.

But I was lucky, I found a friend. I wise guy. I'm not sure to like what I am, but at least, I am not scared anymore, and I start to control it too. I'm sorry mother."

He goes to his mother, and offer to hug her.

 

[Keia]

Magnolias, Downtown, Coast City
Apr 17
20:18

"That's odd," she says. "An employee was just locking up the bathrooms. She said that the sewer was backing up or something. Guess I'll just have to wait until we get home or something."

"Thankfully, that's something that I don't have to handle, in or out of costume," Steven said. He enjoyed the dinner, and had just been relaxing with an after dinner drink, when Maggie had gone to the restroom. "If the sewers are backing up, maybe we should head somewhere else. I'd hate for my wonderful evening with you to have even the slightest hitch."

 

[Radiant]

Jorgi

Keyhole Apartments, Riverside, Coast City
April 17
16:22

Jorgi had spent the day relaxing around his apartment, mostly keeping up with some contacts on the internet and checking on the press that was circulating from the previous night's incident at the Hightower. The rest of the time he spent just wishing Tuesday would hurry up and arrive.

At a sharp knock from the door, he severs his mental connection to his computer to see who was calling. He opens the door and finds Ms. Larson, the apartment manager. She is a lady in her fifties who had been very friendly to Jorgi when he signed his lease a couple weeks ago.

"Sorry to bother you, dear," she says. "I just wanted to ask that you try to avoid using your toilet, shower, or any other plumbing. Seems that the sewer is backing up into the basement pretty badly. I've got half a dozen calls out to plumbers, but each one seems to be swamped with similar calls. Not sure when we'll get it fixed, but I'll let you know as soon as it's okay again.

"Guess you never really appreciate something as simple as plumbing until you can't use it. Well, I best be off to tell the other residents."

"OhmyandIthoughtIleftsuchdisgustingproblemsbackhome."

He smiles at Ms Larson who he likes a lot more than the dark suited guys with automated weapons who owned the house he lived in back home.
Thinking about this not so delicious issue for a moment Jorgi takes a step back to allow him a deep bow.

"DonotworryMsLarsontheverybestmanisallreadyonthejob.I'llhave youonthetoprioritylistofplmpersinnotimeatall."

Even this issue can not kill his strikingly good mood today. He considers to spent the day in front of the screen as he usually does but somehow this is one of the rare few days he decides to go out.
Then he passes his computer he makes sure to route a call to the next plumper and block all other calls to that cetain one.

"TheeverfabulousJorgiallwayskeepshispromises."

Then he crabs his skateboard and jacket to spend some time outside and finally get a feel for the neighborhood.

"AndmaybeI'llworkupthenervetocallmycutegoth.
...
yeah, likethat'sgonahappen."

 

[Rybaer]

The Thorn Residence, Jamestown Heights, Coast City
Apr 17
11:46

Lawrence's mother presses him for more details about the last week. At first, she seems quite shocked that he was living on the streets of downtown Coast City. Once she starts to understand the capabilities his mutant abilities provide, she seems to realize that he can handle most mundane problems.

While she doesn't seem too excited at the prospect of Lawrence possibly hooking up with other metahumans to answer the city's call when needed, she finally concedes that he's getting to be old enough to make his own choices in life. Being the wife of a cop, she understands what it is like to have a loved one who is always putting his life on the line for the benefit of society.

The afternoon passes quietly. Lawrence checks his email in hopes of finding a reply from Jennifer. There is none.

Yannick stops by the house in the late afternoon, bringing Lawrence out of a bit of a funk. His best friend seems to be the same guy he always was...as if the metahuman aspect to Lawrence was of no consequence. Yannick explains that his initial reaction from the episode a week ago was one of pure shock. Now that he's come to grips with it, it's not a big deal.

They talk a bit about Lawrence hooking up with the other metahumans. Yannick seems to think it sounds pretty cool. Lawrence also mentions that he's concerned about what Jennifer thinks of him. Yannick isn't entirely sure, but he tells Lawrence that she was going out of town for the weekend and probably hasn't even read the email he sent yet. That gives Lawrence a little cause for relief.

There is a short knock on Lawrence's bedroom door and his mother pokes her head in. "Your father just called to say he won't be home in time for dinner. Some city-wide problem seems to be cropping up and the entire force is pulling mandatory overtime. Yannick, you're welcome to stay if you'd like."

Yannick sticks around for dinner and stays another couple hours to chat with Lawrence. Around ten, he decides he'd better get home for the night.

When Lawrence closes the door behind his friend, his mother calls him over to the couch. She and Andrew are watching the television.

"Take a look at this," she says to Lawrence, pointing at the tv.

A local news reporter is standing in front of a number of city utility vehicles and squad cars with lights flashing. There are many people wandering around the scene.

"Well, the city workers I've been able to speak with say that there is some sort of growth blocking off the sewer line...something they've never seen before." The reporter looks behind her at some sort of commotion. There is some jostling of the camera as it tries to get a better view.

"I can't tell exactly what's going on," the reporter continues. "It looks as through one of the city workers has come back up out of the manhole. And...oh my god!" The camera gets a clear shot of a man in utility worker overalls grabbing a police officer and twisting his neck until is audibly snaps. Two other officers try to beat the worker with their clubs, but to seemingly no effect.

The worker drops the dead cop and starts to grab for another, moving with somewhat jerky body motions. It grabs the cop by the shirt and the cop screams for someone to shoot it. An officer pulls his sidearm and fires a shot into the worker's head from less than three feet away. A cloud of blood and brain matter erupts out the other side of the worker's head. The utility worker's body twitches, but amazingly continues to wrestle with the officer.

The feed abruptly cuts back to the studio desk where the anchor apologizes profusely for the disturbing images that just got on the air. He promises that they will try to get a better story of what is really going on as soon as possible.

 

[Rybaer]

Outside Magnolias, Downtown, Coast City
Apr 17
22:40

Maggie sends a valet off to fetch her car while they wait curbside. There are quite a few people on the street, mostly wandering between the considerable number of clubs and restaurants that populate this neighborhood.

Maggie shivers slightly in the cool April evening. She slides her arm through Stevens and presses up against his side.

About a block down the street, a number of city utility trucks and squad cars are sitting in the middle of the intersection.

"I guess that'd be part of the sewer problem," she says. "Hope it's not too big of a deal.

"So, anyway, where are we going now?"

 

[Rybaer]

Keyhole Apartments, Riverside, Coast City
April 17
16:25

Ms. Larson gives Jorgi a puzzled look, as if she didn't entirely follow what he was saying. She nods, smiles, and thanks him anyway before heading off to talk to the other tenants.

Jorgi does a little bit of quick phone work and hacking, placing his apartment complex up at the top of the list for the next repairman, then grabs his skateboard and heads outside.

The Riverside neighborhood is middle-class with a modern, upscale feel. Most of the buildings are converted warehouses and factories, just cleaned up a bit. Along the Slate River is a swath of parkland with a good paved path for walking, biking, and skateboarding. Jorgi cruises up and down the river for a while, smiling at a number of young women and generally just enjoying the early evening.

As the sun starts to set, he decides to grab dinner at one of the local cafes before returning to the apartment. When he does get back, it is well after dark. Outside the building, a plumber's van is parked.

Jorgi finds Ms. Larson in the lobby. She is heading toward the stairs for the basement. Jorgi has been down there once, to use the coin-op laundry machines.

"Hi Jorgi," she says sweetly. "Still no sewer yet, though I'm heading down to see how the plumber is coming along. He's been down there quite a while now."

Jorgi wishes her well and starts climbing the stairs to his own apartment. He gets to the door and just starts to unlock it when he hears a shriek echo up the stairwell. It sounds distinctly like Ms. Larson.

 

[Velmont]

Lawrence looks at the TV, and he seems to be absorb by his thinking when suddenly, he snaps out of them.

"Mother, you said father was on that case?"

Not waiting for the answer.

"Andrew, get your keys, I need to go there. It's not normal all these."

Lawrence go to the phone, and call Faturius. He quickly tell him what's happening or simply leave a message if he isn't there.

"I need to find father before he meets one of those guys. Don't worry, I won't do something stupid. But i'll talk to the officier in charge see if I can't give an hand to that. Yannick, we will talk later. Come on Andrew."

Lawrence take his jacket and walk out to the car.