Outside Magnolias, Downtown, Coast City
Apr 17
22:42
Steven Faturius said:
‘No, no, no, no, no . . . ,’ Steven thought as Lawrence spoke. Steven’s face fell as he heard the explanation. “I understand, son . . . . I’ll give him a call as soon as we hang up here. What’s the location?”
Steven hears Lawrence conferring with someone else, then he comes back on the line. "My brother thinks that the news crew was over in front of the new Nike superstore on...what is it...16th Street? Something like that."
Steven thanks Lawrence and promises to pass the information along to Professor Fate immediately. Maggie's car arrives and she tips the valet and takes the wheel.
"Don't worry about it," she says with a hint of forced optimism. "I'm sure this super hero gig won't be all fun and games. Back to your apartment for the suit, then?"
The location Lawrence gave Faturius is about seven or eight blocks from Magnolias. His apartment is about another six blocks beyond that. Maggie doesn't pass the Nike store, though she does get routed around another blocked off intersection. That makes at least three sites that Steven is aware of where city workers appear to be dealing with the sewers.
About eight minutes later, Maggie pulls up in front of Steven's apartment building. "I suppose you can get yourself where you're going?" she says. "Do take care and give me a call later to let me know what's going on." She leans over to give him a quick kiss and a squeeze on the thigh.
*****
Andrew's car, Jamestown Heights, Coast City
Apr 17
22:42
Lawrence hangs up and follows Andrew out the door, pausing only to give his mother a quick hug on the way out. She has a worried look on her face, one he realizes that he's seen before when his father had been going out for a particularly rough day of police work.
Andrew drives quickly, but not so fast as to draw attention of any passing police cars. Traffic is light at this time of evening, so they make good time.
"Just head over to where that news crew was filming?" Andrew asks and Lawrence nods an affirmative. "So, who was that you called again?"
*****
A street corner, Downtown, Coast City
Apr 17
22:42
Granite tells his friends to go get the poker game going. They shuffle off a bit, but Granite has the distinct feeling that they've decided to stick around and watch along with the rest of the growing crowd. He tries to focus on the matter at hand.
Granite manages to get a spare hard hat from one of the utility crewmen, one with a built-in light on top. The crewman helps strap it on his head and clicks the light on. He can only imagine what he looks like, but at least he'll have light.
He slides down the ladder and lands in an inch of stagnant water. It is warm and humid down in the sewer access tunnels. Granite also finds that he has to hunch over just slightly to walk. He hears a bit of noise down one direction and moves toward it.
He pokes his head around a side tunnel, this one deeper and with a little bit of open sewage flowing past. About twenty feet away, a utility crewman has his back turned to Granite. He appears to be standing over a fallen companion. Just a few feet further down the tunnel is something that catches Granite's breath. A wall of some grayish green, fuzzy organic matter has plugged up nearly the entire tunnel...and it appears to be slowly moving his direction. Bulbs the size of baseballs protrude on stalks here and there, glowing ever so slightly in phosphorescent green. A few thin tendrils reach out and start to dig into the flesh of the fallen man.
The utility worker turns toward Granite, aware of his presence. The man's flesh has a sickly mottled appearance. His eyes are devoid of humanity and have a slight phosphorescent green glow to them, just like the bulbs.
He starts to stalk toward Granite in an awkward, but clearly threatening manner.
