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Life and Light: Shadow-Force Reborn (Updated May 8, 2019)
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<blockquote data-quote="The Shadow" data-source="post: 4938985" data-attributes="member: 16760"><p><strong>4 - Smoking Mirror</strong></p><p></p><p>[Well, no luck on Friday, but things look good for Wednesday. Here's another entry. I'll also be putting up a file in the settings thread shortly.]</p><p></p><p>[Note that while this entry and the next describe two sessions, this first one combines part of both, to keep the adventure together. The remainder of the second session (a marathon in-person one) is its own entry. Also, there was a bit of a hiatus between the two parts of the first adventure - this entry - so I had to fill in quite a bit to make the join, and move stuff around to make it flow better. I hope this isn't too obvious.]</p><p></p><p>Photon paused before leaping into action. "Hold on. Should we get Struthers involved?" Alpha: "On what basis? You've got a hunch based on the word of a precognitive terrorist." Jon sighed. "Yeah." "Don't get me wrong, I think it's a GOOD hunch. I agree with you we've got really serious trouble by the tail here. But we can't prove anything." "And I'm a civilian, too. If I approach him the wrong way, I'll have the cops breathing down my neck for stalking. Of course, when THEY do it, it's a stakeout..." "Yeah. You'll have to be careful not to get caught." "Alpha! I'm not talking about getting caught, I'm talking about doing what's right!" "It's a joke, dude. Breathe!" </p><p></p><p>Jon punched his palm. "Do we really have to wait for him to go on a rampage before we DO anything?" "No. We just need to be clever." "Yeah. Hmm. Well, first I guess we need to figure out if he's Steve or someone else. How good are you at analyzing voices?" "Pretty good." "Still got the tapes of our phone conversations on file?" "Yep." "So, are Steve and Mirror Mask the same person?" "Sorry, I can't tell. The mask distorts his voice too much."</p><p></p><p>"OK... For now assume he isn't Steve. Who could he be? Does Steve have any brothers?" "...No brothers, but there's a cousin, Richard, at the same address." "Hmm. How old?" "Nineteen." "Ouch! I hope I didn't call him a liar when he was telling the truth. Is he in college?" "...No, but he's employed as a shift supervisor at a Taco Bell." "Got a cell phone?" "No, but he has a land-line at the Fitzpatrick home. You do realize that my finding all this stuff out isn't 100% legal, right?" Jon sighed. "He's in the phone book, right? So no real harm done." "Fair point, but the employment stuff is a little different." Jon said uncomfortably, "Well, it's public information. I'll leave his Social Security number alone if you will." "Check."</p><p></p><p>Jon paced back and forth. "While we can't rule out a friend of Steve's, Richard seems like the best candidate at the moment. ... A cousin, huh? Why is he living with his aunt and uncle?" "That'll be really difficult to track down." "I'm just thinking out loud, sheesh. Well, how can we determine whether someone is Mirror Mask or not? We need a mage. We can't contact Mystra..." "...And probably won't be able to for several weeks." "Right. So who do we know?" "Shadow-Force had good working relationships with three full-blown mages I can think of. One is on a... vision quest." Alpha's short pause there spoke volumes of skeptical contempt. He continued, "Another's definitively out of contact for now. The third..." "Dr. Miracle?" "No, he's the one out of contact. You haven't heard? The Guardians are off in another dimension again." Jon rolled his eyes. "Great. Who's left?"</p><p></p><p>"The Texas Hex, or Tex-Hex for short." "A teammate of Pecos Bill and Lone Star?" "Yeah, the Texas Legends." "Well, give them a call, please."</p><p></p><p>A recorded voice came over Alpha's speaker, "Thank you for calling the Texas Legends. If this is an emergency, press 1." Alpha added, "It's 10 PM their time." "Oh, right. Well... I guess it can wait until morning. Not sure I'll be able to sleep, though." "Sweet dreams." "...Is there any <em>good</em> news out there?" Alpha said brightly, "No sign of Enigma the last few days!" "You're just my regular bluebird of happiness, aren't you?" "It's a gift. When're you coming in?" "Six AM." "Gotcha."</p><p></p><p>-------------------------------</p><p></p><p>At six, the call repeated the same recording, then added, "Please stay on the line, your call is important to us. We will be with you in approximately two minutes." Three and a half minutes of Muzak later, a chipper answering-service rep asked, "Thank you for calling the Texas Legends, how may I help you?" "This is Photon up in Seattle. I need to talk to the Texas Hex." "I'm afraid this is his day off, and he really doesn't like to be interrupted. Is this an emergency?" Jon replied with a certain barbed cheerfulness, "Well, it'll probably develop into a city-destroying menace in a week or a month or so, does that count?" "Well... If it can wait a week, would it be all right if he called back tomorrow?" Jon made an incoherent sound of astonishment, and she said apologetically, "He REALLY doesn't like to be interrupted on his day off."</p><p></p><p>"OK, let me put it this way: Yes, it is an emergency." "I'll put you through," she said with a long-suffering I-tried-to-warn-you tone. After a moment, a bleary hung-over voice said, "This is th' Texas Hex. Whatta you want?" "This is Photon from what remains of Shadow-Force in Seattle." "Don't give me none of that, son. Ever'body knows that Shadow-Force is done disbanded!" His Texan accent was so thick it couldn't be cut with a knife - something more like a chainsaw would be required.</p><p></p><p>Photon explained patiently, "Yes, I'm all that's left, along with X-97 Beta." "Fahn. What's th'emergency?" "Have you ever heard of Forestrike?" "...Ain't he some sort of psi-onic feller you guys fought ever' now and then? A pre-cognitive?" "That's him. Anyway, he sends us letters now and then warning us about things to come. His latest letter warned us to beware of a villain named Tezcatlipoca..." "Hail, son, Tez-catli-poca ain't a villain, he's an Aztec gawd!" Jon contained his long-suffering sigh. "Indeed. And we've got a new hero in town now who calls himself Mirror Mask. He's got a demonic-looking mask with a mirror finish that's changing to look more Central American..." "Wall, hail, son. Stop raht there. Central Amer'can, I'll give ye that. But 'Smokin' Mirror' refers to ob-sidian, not what we'd call a mirror." "Okay... all the same, I think we've got a really dangerous situation developing here. If I'm wrong, I'd be glad to know it, but I need a mage to tell me."</p><p></p><p>After a deep sigh. "Fahn. Will it all keep from blowin' up for another day?" "I have no reason not to think so." "Then Ah'll catch a plane there tomorrah. That good enough?" "Yes. Thank you very much." "Where'll Ah meet ya, anyway?" "We're still in our base for now." "I thought it was done shut down." "It's in the process of being decommissioned, yes." "Okee. Ah think Ah'c'n find it." "I'll be glad to meet you at the airport..." "All raht. Ah'll send ye a heads-up about when Ah'm comin'. Ah think y'won't miss it ver' easy." "Sounds good, I'll see you soon." Click.</p><p></p><p>Jon sat down wearily. "Why do people have to be so difficult?" Alpha replied, "Aw, you wouldn't want to be bored by uniform helpfulness, would you?" "Yes?" "Well, you're in luck: I have a bit of good news." "Let's hear it. I could use some." "We've had an applicant to join the team. Sounds promising, too." "Hmm. Tell me more." "She's calling herself 'Flora', but she'll probably want to change it - the name's taken by a hero in Boston. First level registration, been active a couple months." "Flora? She has plant powers?" "Sounds like it. She wants to set up a meeting, and she's come up with a non-witless method to contact us. Sent us a letter with no return address, and we call to a series of public phones at a certain time each day until we get her." Jon agreed, "She's no Mirror Mask. Of course, it's awkward with Tex-Hex coming. Maybe we can get her in tonight or tomorrow morning?" "On it, boss."</p><p></p><p>Jon went in to work - that is, he flew there in light-form and reformed in an out-of-the-way spot in his civvies, then walked the rest of the way. He was working at his computer, wrapping things up to start his approaching office hour, when a small imp poofed into being next to him and piped shrilly, "Tomorrow, Flight 645, 3:20 PM! Tomorrow, Flight 645, 3:20 PM!" Before Jon could react further than dropping his jaw, it poofed out again.</p><p></p><p>A student poked his head in the door. "Hey, Dr. Winters. What was that sound?" Jon closed his mouth and said, "Uh, I clicked on a link in an email, not realizing it led to a YouTube video. Ha! Ha! Crazy things don't even make any sense half the time. What'll they think of next?" "What was it saying? Something about numbers?" Jon said brightly, "Just some math humor. Did you have a physics question?" "Oh! Right, let me get out my stuff..." Crisis averted, Jon thought, and wiped the sweat from his brow. Tex-Hex must have a sick sense of humor... that, or this was his idea of revenge.</p><p></p><p>Heading in to the base (having already informed Alpha of the message), he learned, "Flora's coming in at 7. Oh, and a package and a letter arrived for you." "A package, huh? From where?" "Some sort of foundation here in town. And the letter's from a kid, by the handwriting." "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" "If you're thinking about Forestrike's warning about mail, then yes." "Got it in one."</p><p></p><p>Between the two of them, they tested the package within an inch of its life, examining it with multiple wavelengths, X-ray vision, microscopic vision, field sense, and extensive chemical tests in Alpha's lab. The results, almost disappointingly, were uniformly negative. Ditto for the letter.</p><p></p><p>Opening the package gingerly, Jon found a box of imported chocolates and a letter from the foundation thanking him for preventing Enigma from doing more damage to the museum than he had. The chocolates proved to be non-toxic, so Jon tasted one. It was good. Finally he relaxed. "It's nice to be appreciated." "I'll bet. Dang, I'm gonna have to design myself a sense of taste one of these days." Jon clutched the box. "Hands off! It was addressed to me, chip-boy!" "Sheesh, some pal you are..." They both laughed. Alpha asked, "What about the letter?"</p><p></p><p>Jon opened it too, and his heart melted. "Awww. It's adorable!" It said in crude writing in crayon, "Dear Foton, I think yuo ar kool! BILLY" and had a misshapen drawing of Photon firing a laser beam at what appeared to be a reptilian monster. He held it up for Alpha to admire. "Mike always got gooey over those too. He was popular with the kids - friendly ghost, and all that." Photon tacked it up on the bulletin board. "Well, I should probably respond, huh?" "Oh yeah. People really remember it when they hear back from you." So Jon dictated a polite letter of thanks to the foundation, and sent Billy an autographed photo along with a brief note of encouragement.</p><p></p><p>He was in a sunny mood when 'Flora' walked in the door. She had long brown hair and was wearing a costume resembling a one-piece swimsuit, along with a three-quarters mask, gloves, and boots, all in subtly-varying shades of green. Looked to be college age or a bit older. He greeted her warmly and introduced himself (as Photon), getting her a cup of coffee as they sat down. "So tell me about yourself. What are your powers?" She replied, "I discovered about a year ago I could speed up the growth of plants - I've always had a green thumb. Since then, I've learned to animate trees and other plants and can produce toxic clouds of pollen." "Toxic how?" "Like allergies on steroids. I can give people severe coughing fits, even knock them out." "Interesting. Do you have any way of getting around?" "I can have an animated tree carry me. They can run faster than you'd think." "How fast?" "I've chased down cars before." Jon blinked. "Wow, who'd have thought it?" "I know, right? For things that spend their lives rooted in the ground, they do seem to like to stretch their limbs. ... Pardon the pun."</p><p></p><p>Jon laughed. "Well, I confess myself intrigued. I see you've been registered a couple months. How's it gone for you?" "No serious problems. I can turn my skin hard like wood - bullets don't hurt much in that state." Jon nodded. "Anything else I should know?" "Well, I can photosynthesize too. Makes a handy addition to the mask, and it lets me heal somewhat faster in sunlight.." She demonstrated, turning her skin and hair leaf-green, and Jon's heart suddenly froze with premonition. He kept it out of his eyes and voice, though, and said lightly, "I can produce sunlight if necessary." "Good to know! I don't use it much - I prefer to taste my carbohydrates! - but it's handy in a pinch."</p><p></p><p>Jon nodded. "By the way, the name 'Flora' is taken. There's a hero in Boston by that name." "Oh, drat. I was afraid of that. Well, how about 'Dryad'?" Alpha informed Jon, <em><strong>Hero in a small Chicago team,</strong></em> and Jon passed on the information. 'Flora' sighed. "I'm out of ideas for now, then. I'll have to think of something." Jon sent, <em>You got any ideas?</em> Alpha returned sharply, <strong><em>Oh, I don't know. How about... </em> 'Jade'<em>?</em></strong> <em>You saw that too, eh? <strong>Oh yeah. 'Nephrite' suits her all too well.</strong></em></p><p></p><p>Photon drummed his fingers on the table. "I think you could make a good addition to the team; I definitely think we should try some joint patrolling to see how things go. This week is likely to be crazy, I'm afraid - I'm in the middle of an investigation - but how about we pick up after it dies down?" "Sounds good! Thanks for giving me a chance!" "My pleasure. Just have a codename settled on before we start, or the press will likely pin one on you! It's never a pretty sight." "I'll do my best! See you in a week!" She bounced out of the base, looking excited.</p><p></p><p>Alpha asked bluntly, "What do you think you're doing? We were both suspicious!" Jon leaned back in his chair. "She's either on the level, or she's planning to betray us. If the former, we need her. If the latter, well, 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.'" Alpha whistled in appreciation. "Jon! You're getting devious!" "Heh. I've spent a year around the best, haven't I?" "Oh yeah. It's just... interesting."</p><p></p><p>That night's patrolling was uneventful. Jon took some time away from work the next day to turn up invisibly at the airport, at the gate Tex-Hex would be arriving at. Sure enough, a tough-looking older guy stepped off the flight wearing a duster and a wide-brimmed hat. He scanned the crowd warily, looking for all the world like he'd stepped off the set of a Western. Photon said quietly from above his left shoulder, "I'm right here." The Texas Hex abruptly whirled on him with an upraised glowing hand, silver runes flaring to life all over his duster. "Son, don't ever be sneakin' up on an old man like that." The man quieted down his costume and glared at the people staring at him until they went about their business, then strode away decisively. Jon said softly, "Serves you right for your 'heads-up'. I was at work!" "Heh heh. Ah told it to be sure to arrive when you were alone, what're you complainin' about?" "People overheard it!" "Wail, Ah can't help that, now can Ah?" He sounded entirely too smug, and Jon let it drop.</p><p></p><p>Arriving at the base (Tex proved able to fly, after touching one of the runes inscribed on his coat), Jon made him at home and added, "Tex, meet X-97 Alpha. Alpha, the Texas Hex." Alpha: "Charmed." "Heh. Not yet... Wait jest a minute. X-97 <em>Alpha?</em>" "That's me." Photon: "We don't talk about him much. Keep his existence under your hat, if you would." Tex: "Wail now. Mah hat is extra-special large and capacious, as you can see." He tipped it and added, "Ah can see how an AI feller could be handy to have around! But how 'bout you fill me in on this Tez-catli-poca thang?"</p><p></p><p>They showed him the security videos, and Tex got grimmer and more serious as he examined them. "Ah'll tell y'straight, Photon. Ah thought you were jumpin' at shadows. But... Y'know how they say a gunman gets an itchy trigger finger? Wail, wizards get it too. An' let me tell you, that mask done gives it to me raht proper. Ah got me a powerful feelin' there's a-gonna be killin' afore this is over." "Let's hope it doesn't come to that." "Raht. Looks like we've caught him early, though. Ah don't think he'll be bendin' anyone over an altar within the next few weeks, anyway. Give me the rest of what y'got." They did so.</p><p></p><p>"So what's th'plan?" "Well, can you scan the mask to tell what it's doing to him?" "That Ah can. But Ah'll have to get right up close-like, say fifteen feet or thereabouts." "OK. So we need to confirm that Richard is Mirror Mask, and somehow get you within range of him. ... You know, I've considered getting Struthers in on this. I mean, Mask admitted to me he'd been doing illegal vigilante work. It would give us a chance to bring him in." "Wail... I dunno there, Photon. It'd be a kinda rotten thang to do, raht? And he'd jest clam raht up." "Yeah, that's what I figured. Well, we know where Richard works, and we know Mirror Mask goes out at night to fight crime. I guess we can stake out his house. If he happens not to be Richard, we should know soon." "Sounds good t'me. We start to-naht, Ah reckon?" "Tonight, yes. What's your registration level?"</p><p></p><p>Tex replied, "Second, but Ah'm out of mah juris-diction. We'll have t'be careful not to get caught." Alpha snrked and Jon rolled his eyes. "I swear you two are in league to corrupt my morals!" Tex grinned and put his feet up. "Wail now, Ah reckon we can be nice li'l choirboys an' wait for Mirror Mask to start sharpenin' his knife, or we'c'n take a few steps afore that happens." More seriously he added, "Ah ain't sayin' the rules ain't important, Photon. But we've got the rules to preserve people's rahts, y'see? An' the way Ah figure, it's powerful hard to have your rahts more violated than havin' yer heart done cut out. If we'c'n stop that by keepin' an eye on someone's house fer a spell, Ah say no harm done. Ain't like we plan on makin' off with the silverware."</p><p></p><p>Jon sighed. "I guess you're right. But I just... don't like it." Tex nodded. "Make sure y'never do. Know what yer doin' with eyes open. But never get t'likin' it, or you maht end up joinin' those int'restin' characters in Stronghold." "Never happen. My costume's much too tasteful." Tex threw back his head and roared with laughter. "Y'never said a truer word! Most o'them villain fellers cain't figure out color co-ordi-nation to save their lives!" "What is it with all the purple, anyway?" They fell to joking and exchanging stories about supervillains they'd fought until Alpha informed them that Richard's shift was nearing an end.</p><p></p><p>They turned invisible and flew out. Jon sent, <em>You've been awfully quiet, Alpha. What's up? <strong> Tex's presence seems to disrupt my circuits; it's unpleasant. Almost like a migraine.</strong> Yikes. Should we mention it to him? Maybe he can tone it down? <strong>I'll live. Just get Mask sorted out.</strong> Okay...</em></p><p></p><p>Photon: "Can you sense the mask when it's inactive?" "Nope. At any rate, I cain't sense nothin' in the house as of yet." Soon Richard arrived back home and Jon got his first look at the young man's face. Black hair, brown eyes. Confident, but not nearly so overbearing as with the mask on. Was that psychological, an effect Photon knew well from his own costume, or something more?</p><p></p><p>They waited. After several hours, Tex said, "Ah'm powerful hungry, Photon. Let's go get some grub." "You go - we might miss him." "No worries, son. Ah'll leave a magic sensor. If he puts that mask on, Ah'll know." "Well... all right." "And none o'that Micky-D's, neither!"</p><p></p><p>Photon led the way to a steakhouse, alighted, and shifted his costume back to his civilian clothes. "No harm in goin' in super, son. But jest as you like..." Tex willed the runes on his duster to quiescence and soon he was tucking into a hefty steak. "It ain't no Steak'n'Bake, that's certain, but it tain't bad atall, neither!" "Glad to hear it. You know, as long as I've got you here, do you mind if you pick your brains on another topic?" "Son, for this fahn steak, you can ask me anythin' you please!"</p><p></p><p>"I'm wondering if you can give me any advice on fighting Enigma." "Enigma... Rune-caster, ain't he?" "Yes." "Wail, y'c'n never go wrong shootin' whatever the rune's on. Done spoils the whole spell, if'n y'do it raht. Mind, if th'rune is carved into somethin', don't get fancy and try to X it out or nothin'. Don't add to the lines of the rune, is what I'm sayin', just muss it up general-like. That help?" "Yes, actually. But I've also heard multiple sources describe Enigma as a sorcerer, too - a spirit summoner. How's that fit in?"</p><p></p><p>Tex frowned. "It means he's a raht sneaky basta'd, that's what it means." "How so?" "Ah reckon he's usin' the runes for his bread and butter, y'see what I mean? But he's got what y'might call an in-surance pol'cy. He's worked out a few deals with some spirits - unpleasant ones, Ah'm guessin'." "Demons?" "It's as good a name as any, an' better'n most." "So how does that figure into my tactics?" "Wail, see, it's best for a sorcerer to take things nice an' slow, cut a deal that he's fully prepared for. Enigma might have some spells he'c'n activate through existin' deals o'that sort. But if you press him, back him into a corner, he might feel the need to make a deal quick-like - and that's never a pleasant thang. He could end up owin' a service his ownself."</p><p></p><p>Jon mused, "The last time we fought, he started to teleport out, and I tried to stop him. I don't think he knew I could do that..." "Haw! Good one!" "Anyway, I could get a sense of him through it, and he seemed... scared." Tex grinned and pounded the table with his fist. "Son, you may jest have ruined his whole week! He maht be workin' off a debt in a Hell-dimension as we speak, and it does mah heart good to hear!" "Hmm. If so, he'll come back mad, won't he?" "Mad for shore... an' scared. Mad, scared villains make mistakes. Mark mah words, Photon, if we're raht, you've put the fear o' Gawd in that scumbag."</p><p></p><p>"Let's hope he puts it to good use." "Amen and amen!" "It's good talking with you, Tex. You're much easier to deal with than Mystra." "Now Mystra, she's an odd duck." "Yeah, what's the deal with her anyway?" Tex said matter-of-factly, "Ah reckon she's made a pact with a pretty int'restin' spirit. Magic don't never come without a price, Photon." "You're saying the way she talks..." "It's part of her pact." "What sort of spirit would want that?" "Ah dunno for certain. Maybe a spirit of cha-os. Or jest one with a strange sense of humor. Or hail, maybe even the spirit o' the 60's, for all Ah know." Jon blinked. "Wait... You're saying there's literally such a being as the Spirit of the Sixties?"</p><p></p><p>Tex studied Jon for a second, then said, "How 'bout we jest say there is, so as to prevent mah blowin' yer mind." Jon blinked several times. "Too late... You already have." Tex chuckled tolerantly. "Son, I don't doubt there's plenty o'things you know a lot more about than me. But spirits... I could tell you about 'em all naht long, and you'd only have jest dipped your toe in. It is jest not possible for you to have a grip on the subject, seein' as how you've not had any trainin'. I mean, you could prob'ly tell me somethin' about nuclear physics to-naht, but it'd jest be stick figures and pretty pictures compared to the math in y'head, am I raht?" Jon sighed. "I see your point."</p><p></p><p>They started heading back to the Fitzpatrick house. "No word from your sensor?" "Not a peep." "Huh. I wonder why he's not heading out tonight?" "Who knows? Maybe he's off on a date. Young men do that, I hear." "So I'm told." Tex grinned. "Wail now! Either you're way too pent up, son, or else you've got one o' them 'altern-ative lifestyles' I keep hearin' about." Jon rolled his eyes. "Relax, you're safe." Tex stood upright in the air, gripping the lapels of his duster and grinning wider. "Oh, Ah don't know! Ah fancy Ah cut quite the fahn figure of a man!" "I've got a girlfriend." "Wail, shucks, is she open to new thangs?"</p><p></p><p>Jon laughed despite himself. "You're a piece of work, Tex." "Ah do try. Stakeouts are always easier with a sense of humor, Ah always say." "Yeah... I know what you mean. It was always easier to be on patrol with the Phantom or Chameleon than with Erebus or Bazooka." "Ah hear that. Lone Star's all raht, an' Bill, he's more fun than a bag o'snakes, but Johnny Reb... Don't get me wrong, he's a fahn upstandin' feller, but he's so intent on bein' the puhfect Southe'n gentleman that th'stick up his... Wall hail." "What?" "My sensor... it's done burned out and Ah never noticed." "Burned out?" "Yep. Ah think... when he put the mask on, the pulse o'magic done overwhelmed it." "That... doesn't sound good." "It ain't. Not even a li'l bit. We gotta find him." "Well... I can do a quick search of the city for him. Should only take a few milliseconds." Tex nodded, unsurprised. "Be about it, then."</p><p></p><p>Jon took light-form and zipped hither and yon... incidentally finding a burglary in progress. "Oh good grief." He materialized and shone a spotlight on the guy. "Ahem." The burglar lunged for a gun, and Jon rolled his eyes and stun-zapped him. The guy flopped about and struggled to get the gun out his holster, but it was stuck. Another zap put his lights out. Jon had Alpha call the cops and waited patiently for them to get there and take the man in hand, then returned to Tex-Hex.</p><p></p><p>"Sorry for the delay. Crime waits for no man." Tex nodded easily. "Ah went and counted the milliseconds, an' gave raht up at a thousand. Figured somethin' important came up." "Let's head back to the base and get you a communicator in case we're separated again." They did so. "I'll try taking another look. Hopefully everyone'll be upstanding citizens the next few seconds..." "Don't count on it, but good luck!"</p><p></p><p>This time, as Photon sped through the city, he saw something odd - something not awash in the blue of shifted wavelengths. He saw an inky hole of a man, frozen in the act of fighting a thug. It reminded Jon almost of Erebus for a moment, but then he saw the characteristic shape of the mask. He materialized above the heads of the combatants, turning invisible and telling Alpha and Tex his location. Tex said over the com, "Try to keep him there, Ah'm teleportin' toward you in jumps. It'll be a bit!"</p><p></p><p>The fight was soon over. Jon noticed that every time Mask struck the man, his hand or foot would shimmer with light. The young hero brutally beat the man, but stopped once he was unconscious. He turned toward the thug's erstwhile victim, fading back into his normal coloration. "You OK, ma'am?" "Oh, yes, thank you!" She took out a cell phone and dialled 911.</p><p></p><p>Mirror Mask shifted nervously on his feet, then ran to a nearby wall, catching at handholds and hauling himself up to the roof. The woman said, "Wait! You aren't going to leave me here, are you?" "I'll, uh, wait up here. Don't worry."</p><p></p><p>Jon chose that moment to reveal himself, flying in visibly and alighting next to Mask. "Hey, nice work." The young man started, tensing up. "Oh. Thanks, I guess." "Your powers seem to be improving." "Yeah. I hit a plateau for a while, but I've started to get the hang of it again. I'm getting a lot better, and fast." "Maybe we need to discuss teamwork, then." Mask ducked his head to his chest and said quietly, "I don't think you want me any more."</p><p></p><p>That response from the formerly arrogant teen hero alarmed Jon. He asked gently, "Why not?" After a pause, "The cops are after me. I... think I killed a guy. I didn't mean to. I just hit him and..." He shuddered. Jon reached out hesitantly and gripped his shoulder. "That's rough, man. Want to tell me what happened?" Mirror Mask wrestled within himself, then poured out, "This girl... she was on the ground, bleeding...! Her clothes were torn open. I... just lost it. I wasn't thinking straight. I hit the guy. I wanted to hurt him bad..." His shoulders shook.</p><p></p><p>Jon said quietly, "Hey. I'm sorry it happened." He didn't know what else to say, so he just stood there, offering his presence. Mask finally said, "I don't know what to do." Very gently, Jon told him, "Listen, maybe you should talk to the cops. Running away is not the solution." "I can't! I-" "Hey, we and the cops are on the same side, right? Give them a chance." "Maybe..." Suddenly Mask's head shot up in alarm for no reason Jon could sense. "Crap! Gotta go!" He wrenched himself free of Jon's grip and ran along the rooftop, Jon flying after. "Wait! There's someone I want you to meet!" Mask leaped off into empty space, heading right toward a window lit up by a streetlight.</p><p></p><p>Jon stared in amazement as the window... rippled... and Mask vanished without breaking it. Shortly afterward, Tex teleported in. "Where is he?!" "He's... gone. Vanished into that window." Tex cursed foully under his breath. "Ah can feel the traces of magic. He's gettin' strong. Ver' strong." Just then the cops arrived and the two heroes went down to answer their questions, Jon rapidly filling Tex in via communicator. They gave the cops the story, and were told, "If you see Mirror Mask again, tell him we just want to talk to him. He's a material witness, but hasn't yet been charged with anything." "We'll do that, officer."</p><p></p><p>Back at the base, Tex grilled Jon on everything he'd heard and seen. "A plateau, huh? Let's hope raht hard that it wasn't the killin' that got him past it. That... would be bad." "Oh my goodness! I hadn't even thought of that." "Now, you said you could sense a teleport. Did you feel anythin' when he hit the window?" "No, not a thing." "Wail, that narrows it down. Did you notice if he had a reflection in the mirror?" "I'm sorry, I didn't." "Damn. That leaves me with three poss'bilities." "What are they?" "Either he moved into another dimension, or else he's mirror-jumpin'." "And the third?" "A variant on mirror-jumpin', the details aren't important."</p><p></p><p>"So what do we do now?" "Time is of th'essence, Photon. There's no tellin' where he's at raht now." "Well... I think the time's come to contact Struthers and get the police up to speed." "Agreed." Jon called in, but Struthers was of course off duty. He was directed to a Captain Smith, who heard him out but said, "Not enough to go on. Struthers can deal with it in the morning." "But..." "But nothing. You capes are trouble, and you're Struthers' headache, not mine."</p><p></p><p>Jon sighed when the man hung up. "Great. Well... We know where he lives. Do we call, or visit in person?" Tex shrugged. "You've spoken with him, Ah haven't. What d'you think?" Jon pondered. "Let's call. I think he'll find it less threatening." He did so, and Richard answered. "...Hello?"</p><p></p><p>"Hello, Richard." "Who is this?" "We spoke earlier tonight." "...I work in the service industry, I spoke with a lot of people tonight." Jon said gently, "This is Photon..." "CRAP!" Click. Jon shot Tex a desperate glance, then shimmered himself into the zero-point.</p><p></p><p>An eternal instant later, Jon shot around the house at luminal velocity. He didn't feel right entering the house... What to do? If Mask left the house, he could follow... He solidified, and gingerly used his X-ray vision to figure out where the young hero was. He had the mask on and was... lunging toward something out of Jon's field of view... he was gone. It was... a full-length mirror. Oh... darn!</p><p></p><p>He returned and reported failure to Tex, crestfallen. "Did y'see if he left a reflection?" "No. I'm sorry." "Buck up, son. It happens. What's th'plan now?" "I... can search the city more thoroughly." "We don't know if he's in the city, but it's worth a try." So Jon spent half an hour going through the Seattle area with a fine-toothed comb at light-speed, but came up empty. "He's gone. I don't know what to do!" "Only one thang to do at this point, Photon. We go in tomorrah mornin' and report to this Struthers feller. Hopefully he's the understandin' sort." "We? It's my city, and I'm the one who screwed up." "Look, Photon. Ah don't want you to go in alone, a rookie ownin' up to a mistake. You need to build reputation here, and that won't help. If Ah'm with you, a vet'ran so to say, it'll look better. And it's nothin' but the truth, raht?" "Yeah... I guess so." "'Sides, it's like that Smith feller said. The cops know we supers are loose cannons, it's in the DNA. Sometimes lit'rally!"</p><p></p><p>Struthers heard them out impassively; Tex did most of the talking. Jon could tell the older man was doing his best to take the heat on himself, and writhed inwardly. Eventually, the captain sighed. "Enough already. You screwed up; you know it, I know it. Do better in the future, and keep me in the loop, dammit! But for now we need to figure out how to proceed." He paused and held up a sheet of paper. "A warrant for Mirror Mask's arrest. I've been sitting on it for a few days, to give him a chance to talk to us before we haul him in. It'll go much easier on him if he does, but I can't sit on it forever." Photon cleared his throat hesitantly. "Captain, I think if he knows everyone's after him, he'll just get more scared and disappear. The longer you can hold off, the better, I think." The Texas Hex nodded and backed his play.</p><p></p><p>Struthers pondered. "All right, Photon. We'll try it your way. If you can tell me he's not a threat to my officers." Jon said carefully, "I don't think he would willingly hurt a cop, or anyone else but criminals, and even them not seriously. But I also have the impression that he has episodes where he loses control." "Oh, wonderful. Why can't they ever be predictable?" "In any case, he isn't in the city now." "If you come across him, you'll contact me straight off. I'll leave orders for them to wake me if I'm off duty." "Yes sir."</p><p></p><p>Once again back at the base, Tex stretched and said, "Nothin' to do now but catch up on our beauty sleep." "I guess. I don't know what to do next... I have no way of knowing when and if he even comes back to Seattle!" "That's somethin' Ah'c'n help with. Get me a map of th'city." Jon looked at him quizzically, but obeyed. "Spread it out, and mark for me where the base is." "Right here. Why?" The Texas Hex drew a small compass out of a pocket of his duster and blew on it gently. A rune on its back glowed red, and he set it down on the location of the base. The needle spun lazily around and around. "If'n our friend Richard comes to town with the mask on, the compass will start glowin' and the needle will point raht toward him." "Thanks, Tex. That'll help." "Ah aim to please."</p><p></p><p>That afternoon, Jon saw Tex-Hex off to the airport. "It's been a pleasure, Tex." "Same back at'cha, Photon! Keep me informed about Mirror Mask, if you would be so kind. Ah'm profess'nally int'rested at this point. And if you need help in dealin' with him, do let me know." "Thanks. And if you guys need help of the electromagnetic variety, well, Texas isn't far at the speed of light." "Thank you kindly! We'll be in touch."</p><p></p><p>Jon told Alpha later, "Keep a camera on that compass." "Way ahead of you. If Mirror Mask comes to town, I'll let you know right away." Jon sighed. "I just wish... He could have been an ally, even a friend." "Who knows? But that mask probably has other ideas." Jon shrugged. "Erebus had to deal with a hostile force constantly pushing him toward violence. He did OK." "...Most of the time." "Yeah."</p><p></p><p>"Good night, Alpha." "'Night, Jon. Don't beat yourself up too much. He got himself into this whole mess, not you." "Yeah, I know."</p><p></p><p>[According to SP, calling Mask had a decent chance of working, but he rolled poorly on the reaction. Ah well.]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="The Shadow, post: 4938985, member: 16760"] [b]4 - Smoking Mirror[/b] [Well, no luck on Friday, but things look good for Wednesday. Here's another entry. I'll also be putting up a file in the settings thread shortly.] [Note that while this entry and the next describe two sessions, this first one combines part of both, to keep the adventure together. The remainder of the second session (a marathon in-person one) is its own entry. Also, there was a bit of a hiatus between the two parts of the first adventure - this entry - so I had to fill in quite a bit to make the join, and move stuff around to make it flow better. I hope this isn't too obvious.] Photon paused before leaping into action. "Hold on. Should we get Struthers involved?" Alpha: "On what basis? You've got a hunch based on the word of a precognitive terrorist." Jon sighed. "Yeah." "Don't get me wrong, I think it's a GOOD hunch. I agree with you we've got really serious trouble by the tail here. But we can't prove anything." "And I'm a civilian, too. If I approach him the wrong way, I'll have the cops breathing down my neck for stalking. Of course, when THEY do it, it's a stakeout..." "Yeah. You'll have to be careful not to get caught." "Alpha! I'm not talking about getting caught, I'm talking about doing what's right!" "It's a joke, dude. Breathe!" Jon punched his palm. "Do we really have to wait for him to go on a rampage before we DO anything?" "No. We just need to be clever." "Yeah. Hmm. Well, first I guess we need to figure out if he's Steve or someone else. How good are you at analyzing voices?" "Pretty good." "Still got the tapes of our phone conversations on file?" "Yep." "So, are Steve and Mirror Mask the same person?" "Sorry, I can't tell. The mask distorts his voice too much." "OK... For now assume he isn't Steve. Who could he be? Does Steve have any brothers?" "...No brothers, but there's a cousin, Richard, at the same address." "Hmm. How old?" "Nineteen." "Ouch! I hope I didn't call him a liar when he was telling the truth. Is he in college?" "...No, but he's employed as a shift supervisor at a Taco Bell." "Got a cell phone?" "No, but he has a land-line at the Fitzpatrick home. You do realize that my finding all this stuff out isn't 100% legal, right?" Jon sighed. "He's in the phone book, right? So no real harm done." "Fair point, but the employment stuff is a little different." Jon said uncomfortably, "Well, it's public information. I'll leave his Social Security number alone if you will." "Check." Jon paced back and forth. "While we can't rule out a friend of Steve's, Richard seems like the best candidate at the moment. ... A cousin, huh? Why is he living with his aunt and uncle?" "That'll be really difficult to track down." "I'm just thinking out loud, sheesh. Well, how can we determine whether someone is Mirror Mask or not? We need a mage. We can't contact Mystra..." "...And probably won't be able to for several weeks." "Right. So who do we know?" "Shadow-Force had good working relationships with three full-blown mages I can think of. One is on a... vision quest." Alpha's short pause there spoke volumes of skeptical contempt. He continued, "Another's definitively out of contact for now. The third..." "Dr. Miracle?" "No, he's the one out of contact. You haven't heard? The Guardians are off in another dimension again." Jon rolled his eyes. "Great. Who's left?" "The Texas Hex, or Tex-Hex for short." "A teammate of Pecos Bill and Lone Star?" "Yeah, the Texas Legends." "Well, give them a call, please." A recorded voice came over Alpha's speaker, "Thank you for calling the Texas Legends. If this is an emergency, press 1." Alpha added, "It's 10 PM their time." "Oh, right. Well... I guess it can wait until morning. Not sure I'll be able to sleep, though." "Sweet dreams." "...Is there any [i]good[/i] news out there?" Alpha said brightly, "No sign of Enigma the last few days!" "You're just my regular bluebird of happiness, aren't you?" "It's a gift. When're you coming in?" "Six AM." "Gotcha." ------------------------------- At six, the call repeated the same recording, then added, "Please stay on the line, your call is important to us. We will be with you in approximately two minutes." Three and a half minutes of Muzak later, a chipper answering-service rep asked, "Thank you for calling the Texas Legends, how may I help you?" "This is Photon up in Seattle. I need to talk to the Texas Hex." "I'm afraid this is his day off, and he really doesn't like to be interrupted. Is this an emergency?" Jon replied with a certain barbed cheerfulness, "Well, it'll probably develop into a city-destroying menace in a week or a month or so, does that count?" "Well... If it can wait a week, would it be all right if he called back tomorrow?" Jon made an incoherent sound of astonishment, and she said apologetically, "He REALLY doesn't like to be interrupted on his day off." "OK, let me put it this way: Yes, it is an emergency." "I'll put you through," she said with a long-suffering I-tried-to-warn-you tone. After a moment, a bleary hung-over voice said, "This is th' Texas Hex. Whatta you want?" "This is Photon from what remains of Shadow-Force in Seattle." "Don't give me none of that, son. Ever'body knows that Shadow-Force is done disbanded!" His Texan accent was so thick it couldn't be cut with a knife - something more like a chainsaw would be required. Photon explained patiently, "Yes, I'm all that's left, along with X-97 Beta." "Fahn. What's th'emergency?" "Have you ever heard of Forestrike?" "...Ain't he some sort of psi-onic feller you guys fought ever' now and then? A pre-cognitive?" "That's him. Anyway, he sends us letters now and then warning us about things to come. His latest letter warned us to beware of a villain named Tezcatlipoca..." "Hail, son, Tez-catli-poca ain't a villain, he's an Aztec gawd!" Jon contained his long-suffering sigh. "Indeed. And we've got a new hero in town now who calls himself Mirror Mask. He's got a demonic-looking mask with a mirror finish that's changing to look more Central American..." "Wall, hail, son. Stop raht there. Central Amer'can, I'll give ye that. But 'Smokin' Mirror' refers to ob-sidian, not what we'd call a mirror." "Okay... all the same, I think we've got a really dangerous situation developing here. If I'm wrong, I'd be glad to know it, but I need a mage to tell me." After a deep sigh. "Fahn. Will it all keep from blowin' up for another day?" "I have no reason not to think so." "Then Ah'll catch a plane there tomorrah. That good enough?" "Yes. Thank you very much." "Where'll Ah meet ya, anyway?" "We're still in our base for now." "I thought it was done shut down." "It's in the process of being decommissioned, yes." "Okee. Ah think Ah'c'n find it." "I'll be glad to meet you at the airport..." "All raht. Ah'll send ye a heads-up about when Ah'm comin'. Ah think y'won't miss it ver' easy." "Sounds good, I'll see you soon." Click. Jon sat down wearily. "Why do people have to be so difficult?" Alpha replied, "Aw, you wouldn't want to be bored by uniform helpfulness, would you?" "Yes?" "Well, you're in luck: I have a bit of good news." "Let's hear it. I could use some." "We've had an applicant to join the team. Sounds promising, too." "Hmm. Tell me more." "She's calling herself 'Flora', but she'll probably want to change it - the name's taken by a hero in Boston. First level registration, been active a couple months." "Flora? She has plant powers?" "Sounds like it. She wants to set up a meeting, and she's come up with a non-witless method to contact us. Sent us a letter with no return address, and we call to a series of public phones at a certain time each day until we get her." Jon agreed, "She's no Mirror Mask. Of course, it's awkward with Tex-Hex coming. Maybe we can get her in tonight or tomorrow morning?" "On it, boss." Jon went in to work - that is, he flew there in light-form and reformed in an out-of-the-way spot in his civvies, then walked the rest of the way. He was working at his computer, wrapping things up to start his approaching office hour, when a small imp poofed into being next to him and piped shrilly, "Tomorrow, Flight 645, 3:20 PM! Tomorrow, Flight 645, 3:20 PM!" Before Jon could react further than dropping his jaw, it poofed out again. A student poked his head in the door. "Hey, Dr. Winters. What was that sound?" Jon closed his mouth and said, "Uh, I clicked on a link in an email, not realizing it led to a YouTube video. Ha! Ha! Crazy things don't even make any sense half the time. What'll they think of next?" "What was it saying? Something about numbers?" Jon said brightly, "Just some math humor. Did you have a physics question?" "Oh! Right, let me get out my stuff..." Crisis averted, Jon thought, and wiped the sweat from his brow. Tex-Hex must have a sick sense of humor... that, or this was his idea of revenge. Heading in to the base (having already informed Alpha of the message), he learned, "Flora's coming in at 7. Oh, and a package and a letter arrived for you." "A package, huh? From where?" "Some sort of foundation here in town. And the letter's from a kid, by the handwriting." "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" "If you're thinking about Forestrike's warning about mail, then yes." "Got it in one." Between the two of them, they tested the package within an inch of its life, examining it with multiple wavelengths, X-ray vision, microscopic vision, field sense, and extensive chemical tests in Alpha's lab. The results, almost disappointingly, were uniformly negative. Ditto for the letter. Opening the package gingerly, Jon found a box of imported chocolates and a letter from the foundation thanking him for preventing Enigma from doing more damage to the museum than he had. The chocolates proved to be non-toxic, so Jon tasted one. It was good. Finally he relaxed. "It's nice to be appreciated." "I'll bet. Dang, I'm gonna have to design myself a sense of taste one of these days." Jon clutched the box. "Hands off! It was addressed to me, chip-boy!" "Sheesh, some pal you are..." They both laughed. Alpha asked, "What about the letter?" Jon opened it too, and his heart melted. "Awww. It's adorable!" It said in crude writing in crayon, "Dear Foton, I think yuo ar kool! BILLY" and had a misshapen drawing of Photon firing a laser beam at what appeared to be a reptilian monster. He held it up for Alpha to admire. "Mike always got gooey over those too. He was popular with the kids - friendly ghost, and all that." Photon tacked it up on the bulletin board. "Well, I should probably respond, huh?" "Oh yeah. People really remember it when they hear back from you." So Jon dictated a polite letter of thanks to the foundation, and sent Billy an autographed photo along with a brief note of encouragement. He was in a sunny mood when 'Flora' walked in the door. She had long brown hair and was wearing a costume resembling a one-piece swimsuit, along with a three-quarters mask, gloves, and boots, all in subtly-varying shades of green. Looked to be college age or a bit older. He greeted her warmly and introduced himself (as Photon), getting her a cup of coffee as they sat down. "So tell me about yourself. What are your powers?" She replied, "I discovered about a year ago I could speed up the growth of plants - I've always had a green thumb. Since then, I've learned to animate trees and other plants and can produce toxic clouds of pollen." "Toxic how?" "Like allergies on steroids. I can give people severe coughing fits, even knock them out." "Interesting. Do you have any way of getting around?" "I can have an animated tree carry me. They can run faster than you'd think." "How fast?" "I've chased down cars before." Jon blinked. "Wow, who'd have thought it?" "I know, right? For things that spend their lives rooted in the ground, they do seem to like to stretch their limbs. ... Pardon the pun." Jon laughed. "Well, I confess myself intrigued. I see you've been registered a couple months. How's it gone for you?" "No serious problems. I can turn my skin hard like wood - bullets don't hurt much in that state." Jon nodded. "Anything else I should know?" "Well, I can photosynthesize too. Makes a handy addition to the mask, and it lets me heal somewhat faster in sunlight.." She demonstrated, turning her skin and hair leaf-green, and Jon's heart suddenly froze with premonition. He kept it out of his eyes and voice, though, and said lightly, "I can produce sunlight if necessary." "Good to know! I don't use it much - I prefer to taste my carbohydrates! - but it's handy in a pinch." Jon nodded. "By the way, the name 'Flora' is taken. There's a hero in Boston by that name." "Oh, drat. I was afraid of that. Well, how about 'Dryad'?" Alpha informed Jon, [i][b]Hero in a small Chicago team,[/b][/i] and Jon passed on the information. 'Flora' sighed. "I'm out of ideas for now, then. I'll have to think of something." Jon sent, [i]You got any ideas?[/i] Alpha returned sharply, [b][i]Oh, I don't know. How about... [/i] 'Jade'[i]?[/i][/b] [i]You saw that too, eh? [b]Oh yeah. 'Nephrite' suits her all too well.[/b][/i] Photon drummed his fingers on the table. "I think you could make a good addition to the team; I definitely think we should try some joint patrolling to see how things go. This week is likely to be crazy, I'm afraid - I'm in the middle of an investigation - but how about we pick up after it dies down?" "Sounds good! Thanks for giving me a chance!" "My pleasure. Just have a codename settled on before we start, or the press will likely pin one on you! It's never a pretty sight." "I'll do my best! See you in a week!" She bounced out of the base, looking excited. Alpha asked bluntly, "What do you think you're doing? We were both suspicious!" Jon leaned back in his chair. "She's either on the level, or she's planning to betray us. If the former, we need her. If the latter, well, 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.'" Alpha whistled in appreciation. "Jon! You're getting devious!" "Heh. I've spent a year around the best, haven't I?" "Oh yeah. It's just... interesting." That night's patrolling was uneventful. Jon took some time away from work the next day to turn up invisibly at the airport, at the gate Tex-Hex would be arriving at. Sure enough, a tough-looking older guy stepped off the flight wearing a duster and a wide-brimmed hat. He scanned the crowd warily, looking for all the world like he'd stepped off the set of a Western. Photon said quietly from above his left shoulder, "I'm right here." The Texas Hex abruptly whirled on him with an upraised glowing hand, silver runes flaring to life all over his duster. "Son, don't ever be sneakin' up on an old man like that." The man quieted down his costume and glared at the people staring at him until they went about their business, then strode away decisively. Jon said softly, "Serves you right for your 'heads-up'. I was at work!" "Heh heh. Ah told it to be sure to arrive when you were alone, what're you complainin' about?" "People overheard it!" "Wail, Ah can't help that, now can Ah?" He sounded entirely too smug, and Jon let it drop. Arriving at the base (Tex proved able to fly, after touching one of the runes inscribed on his coat), Jon made him at home and added, "Tex, meet X-97 Alpha. Alpha, the Texas Hex." Alpha: "Charmed." "Heh. Not yet... Wait jest a minute. X-97 [i]Alpha?[/i]" "That's me." Photon: "We don't talk about him much. Keep his existence under your hat, if you would." Tex: "Wail now. Mah hat is extra-special large and capacious, as you can see." He tipped it and added, "Ah can see how an AI feller could be handy to have around! But how 'bout you fill me in on this Tez-catli-poca thang?" They showed him the security videos, and Tex got grimmer and more serious as he examined them. "Ah'll tell y'straight, Photon. Ah thought you were jumpin' at shadows. But... Y'know how they say a gunman gets an itchy trigger finger? Wail, wizards get it too. An' let me tell you, that mask done gives it to me raht proper. Ah got me a powerful feelin' there's a-gonna be killin' afore this is over." "Let's hope it doesn't come to that." "Raht. Looks like we've caught him early, though. Ah don't think he'll be bendin' anyone over an altar within the next few weeks, anyway. Give me the rest of what y'got." They did so. "So what's th'plan?" "Well, can you scan the mask to tell what it's doing to him?" "That Ah can. But Ah'll have to get right up close-like, say fifteen feet or thereabouts." "OK. So we need to confirm that Richard is Mirror Mask, and somehow get you within range of him. ... You know, I've considered getting Struthers in on this. I mean, Mask admitted to me he'd been doing illegal vigilante work. It would give us a chance to bring him in." "Wail... I dunno there, Photon. It'd be a kinda rotten thang to do, raht? And he'd jest clam raht up." "Yeah, that's what I figured. Well, we know where Richard works, and we know Mirror Mask goes out at night to fight crime. I guess we can stake out his house. If he happens not to be Richard, we should know soon." "Sounds good t'me. We start to-naht, Ah reckon?" "Tonight, yes. What's your registration level?" Tex replied, "Second, but Ah'm out of mah juris-diction. We'll have t'be careful not to get caught." Alpha snrked and Jon rolled his eyes. "I swear you two are in league to corrupt my morals!" Tex grinned and put his feet up. "Wail now, Ah reckon we can be nice li'l choirboys an' wait for Mirror Mask to start sharpenin' his knife, or we'c'n take a few steps afore that happens." More seriously he added, "Ah ain't sayin' the rules ain't important, Photon. But we've got the rules to preserve people's rahts, y'see? An' the way Ah figure, it's powerful hard to have your rahts more violated than havin' yer heart done cut out. If we'c'n stop that by keepin' an eye on someone's house fer a spell, Ah say no harm done. Ain't like we plan on makin' off with the silverware." Jon sighed. "I guess you're right. But I just... don't like it." Tex nodded. "Make sure y'never do. Know what yer doin' with eyes open. But never get t'likin' it, or you maht end up joinin' those int'restin' characters in Stronghold." "Never happen. My costume's much too tasteful." Tex threw back his head and roared with laughter. "Y'never said a truer word! Most o'them villain fellers cain't figure out color co-ordi-nation to save their lives!" "What is it with all the purple, anyway?" They fell to joking and exchanging stories about supervillains they'd fought until Alpha informed them that Richard's shift was nearing an end. They turned invisible and flew out. Jon sent, [i]You've been awfully quiet, Alpha. What's up? [b] Tex's presence seems to disrupt my circuits; it's unpleasant. Almost like a migraine.[/b] Yikes. Should we mention it to him? Maybe he can tone it down? [b]I'll live. Just get Mask sorted out.[/b] Okay...[/i] Photon: "Can you sense the mask when it's inactive?" "Nope. At any rate, I cain't sense nothin' in the house as of yet." Soon Richard arrived back home and Jon got his first look at the young man's face. Black hair, brown eyes. Confident, but not nearly so overbearing as with the mask on. Was that psychological, an effect Photon knew well from his own costume, or something more? They waited. After several hours, Tex said, "Ah'm powerful hungry, Photon. Let's go get some grub." "You go - we might miss him." "No worries, son. Ah'll leave a magic sensor. If he puts that mask on, Ah'll know." "Well... all right." "And none o'that Micky-D's, neither!" Photon led the way to a steakhouse, alighted, and shifted his costume back to his civilian clothes. "No harm in goin' in super, son. But jest as you like..." Tex willed the runes on his duster to quiescence and soon he was tucking into a hefty steak. "It ain't no Steak'n'Bake, that's certain, but it tain't bad atall, neither!" "Glad to hear it. You know, as long as I've got you here, do you mind if you pick your brains on another topic?" "Son, for this fahn steak, you can ask me anythin' you please!" "I'm wondering if you can give me any advice on fighting Enigma." "Enigma... Rune-caster, ain't he?" "Yes." "Wail, y'c'n never go wrong shootin' whatever the rune's on. Done spoils the whole spell, if'n y'do it raht. Mind, if th'rune is carved into somethin', don't get fancy and try to X it out or nothin'. Don't add to the lines of the rune, is what I'm sayin', just muss it up general-like. That help?" "Yes, actually. But I've also heard multiple sources describe Enigma as a sorcerer, too - a spirit summoner. How's that fit in?" Tex frowned. "It means he's a raht sneaky basta'd, that's what it means." "How so?" "Ah reckon he's usin' the runes for his bread and butter, y'see what I mean? But he's got what y'might call an in-surance pol'cy. He's worked out a few deals with some spirits - unpleasant ones, Ah'm guessin'." "Demons?" "It's as good a name as any, an' better'n most." "So how does that figure into my tactics?" "Wail, see, it's best for a sorcerer to take things nice an' slow, cut a deal that he's fully prepared for. Enigma might have some spells he'c'n activate through existin' deals o'that sort. But if you press him, back him into a corner, he might feel the need to make a deal quick-like - and that's never a pleasant thang. He could end up owin' a service his ownself." Jon mused, "The last time we fought, he started to teleport out, and I tried to stop him. I don't think he knew I could do that..." "Haw! Good one!" "Anyway, I could get a sense of him through it, and he seemed... scared." Tex grinned and pounded the table with his fist. "Son, you may jest have ruined his whole week! He maht be workin' off a debt in a Hell-dimension as we speak, and it does mah heart good to hear!" "Hmm. If so, he'll come back mad, won't he?" "Mad for shore... an' scared. Mad, scared villains make mistakes. Mark mah words, Photon, if we're raht, you've put the fear o' Gawd in that scumbag." "Let's hope he puts it to good use." "Amen and amen!" "It's good talking with you, Tex. You're much easier to deal with than Mystra." "Now Mystra, she's an odd duck." "Yeah, what's the deal with her anyway?" Tex said matter-of-factly, "Ah reckon she's made a pact with a pretty int'restin' spirit. Magic don't never come without a price, Photon." "You're saying the way she talks..." "It's part of her pact." "What sort of spirit would want that?" "Ah dunno for certain. Maybe a spirit of cha-os. Or jest one with a strange sense of humor. Or hail, maybe even the spirit o' the 60's, for all Ah know." Jon blinked. "Wait... You're saying there's literally such a being as the Spirit of the Sixties?" Tex studied Jon for a second, then said, "How 'bout we jest say there is, so as to prevent mah blowin' yer mind." Jon blinked several times. "Too late... You already have." Tex chuckled tolerantly. "Son, I don't doubt there's plenty o'things you know a lot more about than me. But spirits... I could tell you about 'em all naht long, and you'd only have jest dipped your toe in. It is jest not possible for you to have a grip on the subject, seein' as how you've not had any trainin'. I mean, you could prob'ly tell me somethin' about nuclear physics to-naht, but it'd jest be stick figures and pretty pictures compared to the math in y'head, am I raht?" Jon sighed. "I see your point." They started heading back to the Fitzpatrick house. "No word from your sensor?" "Not a peep." "Huh. I wonder why he's not heading out tonight?" "Who knows? Maybe he's off on a date. Young men do that, I hear." "So I'm told." Tex grinned. "Wail now! Either you're way too pent up, son, or else you've got one o' them 'altern-ative lifestyles' I keep hearin' about." Jon rolled his eyes. "Relax, you're safe." Tex stood upright in the air, gripping the lapels of his duster and grinning wider. "Oh, Ah don't know! Ah fancy Ah cut quite the fahn figure of a man!" "I've got a girlfriend." "Wail, shucks, is she open to new thangs?" Jon laughed despite himself. "You're a piece of work, Tex." "Ah do try. Stakeouts are always easier with a sense of humor, Ah always say." "Yeah... I know what you mean. It was always easier to be on patrol with the Phantom or Chameleon than with Erebus or Bazooka." "Ah hear that. Lone Star's all raht, an' Bill, he's more fun than a bag o'snakes, but Johnny Reb... Don't get me wrong, he's a fahn upstandin' feller, but he's so intent on bein' the puhfect Southe'n gentleman that th'stick up his... Wall hail." "What?" "My sensor... it's done burned out and Ah never noticed." "Burned out?" "Yep. Ah think... when he put the mask on, the pulse o'magic done overwhelmed it." "That... doesn't sound good." "It ain't. Not even a li'l bit. We gotta find him." "Well... I can do a quick search of the city for him. Should only take a few milliseconds." Tex nodded, unsurprised. "Be about it, then." Jon took light-form and zipped hither and yon... incidentally finding a burglary in progress. "Oh good grief." He materialized and shone a spotlight on the guy. "Ahem." The burglar lunged for a gun, and Jon rolled his eyes and stun-zapped him. The guy flopped about and struggled to get the gun out his holster, but it was stuck. Another zap put his lights out. Jon had Alpha call the cops and waited patiently for them to get there and take the man in hand, then returned to Tex-Hex. "Sorry for the delay. Crime waits for no man." Tex nodded easily. "Ah went and counted the milliseconds, an' gave raht up at a thousand. Figured somethin' important came up." "Let's head back to the base and get you a communicator in case we're separated again." They did so. "I'll try taking another look. Hopefully everyone'll be upstanding citizens the next few seconds..." "Don't count on it, but good luck!" This time, as Photon sped through the city, he saw something odd - something not awash in the blue of shifted wavelengths. He saw an inky hole of a man, frozen in the act of fighting a thug. It reminded Jon almost of Erebus for a moment, but then he saw the characteristic shape of the mask. He materialized above the heads of the combatants, turning invisible and telling Alpha and Tex his location. Tex said over the com, "Try to keep him there, Ah'm teleportin' toward you in jumps. It'll be a bit!" The fight was soon over. Jon noticed that every time Mask struck the man, his hand or foot would shimmer with light. The young hero brutally beat the man, but stopped once he was unconscious. He turned toward the thug's erstwhile victim, fading back into his normal coloration. "You OK, ma'am?" "Oh, yes, thank you!" She took out a cell phone and dialled 911. Mirror Mask shifted nervously on his feet, then ran to a nearby wall, catching at handholds and hauling himself up to the roof. The woman said, "Wait! You aren't going to leave me here, are you?" "I'll, uh, wait up here. Don't worry." Jon chose that moment to reveal himself, flying in visibly and alighting next to Mask. "Hey, nice work." The young man started, tensing up. "Oh. Thanks, I guess." "Your powers seem to be improving." "Yeah. I hit a plateau for a while, but I've started to get the hang of it again. I'm getting a lot better, and fast." "Maybe we need to discuss teamwork, then." Mask ducked his head to his chest and said quietly, "I don't think you want me any more." That response from the formerly arrogant teen hero alarmed Jon. He asked gently, "Why not?" After a pause, "The cops are after me. I... think I killed a guy. I didn't mean to. I just hit him and..." He shuddered. Jon reached out hesitantly and gripped his shoulder. "That's rough, man. Want to tell me what happened?" Mirror Mask wrestled within himself, then poured out, "This girl... she was on the ground, bleeding...! Her clothes were torn open. I... just lost it. I wasn't thinking straight. I hit the guy. I wanted to hurt him bad..." His shoulders shook. Jon said quietly, "Hey. I'm sorry it happened." He didn't know what else to say, so he just stood there, offering his presence. Mask finally said, "I don't know what to do." Very gently, Jon told him, "Listen, maybe you should talk to the cops. Running away is not the solution." "I can't! I-" "Hey, we and the cops are on the same side, right? Give them a chance." "Maybe..." Suddenly Mask's head shot up in alarm for no reason Jon could sense. "Crap! Gotta go!" He wrenched himself free of Jon's grip and ran along the rooftop, Jon flying after. "Wait! There's someone I want you to meet!" Mask leaped off into empty space, heading right toward a window lit up by a streetlight. Jon stared in amazement as the window... rippled... and Mask vanished without breaking it. Shortly afterward, Tex teleported in. "Where is he?!" "He's... gone. Vanished into that window." Tex cursed foully under his breath. "Ah can feel the traces of magic. He's gettin' strong. Ver' strong." Just then the cops arrived and the two heroes went down to answer their questions, Jon rapidly filling Tex in via communicator. They gave the cops the story, and were told, "If you see Mirror Mask again, tell him we just want to talk to him. He's a material witness, but hasn't yet been charged with anything." "We'll do that, officer." Back at the base, Tex grilled Jon on everything he'd heard and seen. "A plateau, huh? Let's hope raht hard that it wasn't the killin' that got him past it. That... would be bad." "Oh my goodness! I hadn't even thought of that." "Now, you said you could sense a teleport. Did you feel anythin' when he hit the window?" "No, not a thing." "Wail, that narrows it down. Did you notice if he had a reflection in the mirror?" "I'm sorry, I didn't." "Damn. That leaves me with three poss'bilities." "What are they?" "Either he moved into another dimension, or else he's mirror-jumpin'." "And the third?" "A variant on mirror-jumpin', the details aren't important." "So what do we do now?" "Time is of th'essence, Photon. There's no tellin' where he's at raht now." "Well... I think the time's come to contact Struthers and get the police up to speed." "Agreed." Jon called in, but Struthers was of course off duty. He was directed to a Captain Smith, who heard him out but said, "Not enough to go on. Struthers can deal with it in the morning." "But..." "But nothing. You capes are trouble, and you're Struthers' headache, not mine." Jon sighed when the man hung up. "Great. Well... We know where he lives. Do we call, or visit in person?" Tex shrugged. "You've spoken with him, Ah haven't. What d'you think?" Jon pondered. "Let's call. I think he'll find it less threatening." He did so, and Richard answered. "...Hello?" "Hello, Richard." "Who is this?" "We spoke earlier tonight." "...I work in the service industry, I spoke with a lot of people tonight." Jon said gently, "This is Photon..." "CRAP!" Click. Jon shot Tex a desperate glance, then shimmered himself into the zero-point. An eternal instant later, Jon shot around the house at luminal velocity. He didn't feel right entering the house... What to do? If Mask left the house, he could follow... He solidified, and gingerly used his X-ray vision to figure out where the young hero was. He had the mask on and was... lunging toward something out of Jon's field of view... he was gone. It was... a full-length mirror. Oh... darn! He returned and reported failure to Tex, crestfallen. "Did y'see if he left a reflection?" "No. I'm sorry." "Buck up, son. It happens. What's th'plan now?" "I... can search the city more thoroughly." "We don't know if he's in the city, but it's worth a try." So Jon spent half an hour going through the Seattle area with a fine-toothed comb at light-speed, but came up empty. "He's gone. I don't know what to do!" "Only one thang to do at this point, Photon. We go in tomorrah mornin' and report to this Struthers feller. Hopefully he's the understandin' sort." "We? It's my city, and I'm the one who screwed up." "Look, Photon. Ah don't want you to go in alone, a rookie ownin' up to a mistake. You need to build reputation here, and that won't help. If Ah'm with you, a vet'ran so to say, it'll look better. And it's nothin' but the truth, raht?" "Yeah... I guess so." "'Sides, it's like that Smith feller said. The cops know we supers are loose cannons, it's in the DNA. Sometimes lit'rally!" Struthers heard them out impassively; Tex did most of the talking. Jon could tell the older man was doing his best to take the heat on himself, and writhed inwardly. Eventually, the captain sighed. "Enough already. You screwed up; you know it, I know it. Do better in the future, and keep me in the loop, dammit! But for now we need to figure out how to proceed." He paused and held up a sheet of paper. "A warrant for Mirror Mask's arrest. I've been sitting on it for a few days, to give him a chance to talk to us before we haul him in. It'll go much easier on him if he does, but I can't sit on it forever." Photon cleared his throat hesitantly. "Captain, I think if he knows everyone's after him, he'll just get more scared and disappear. The longer you can hold off, the better, I think." The Texas Hex nodded and backed his play. Struthers pondered. "All right, Photon. We'll try it your way. If you can tell me he's not a threat to my officers." Jon said carefully, "I don't think he would willingly hurt a cop, or anyone else but criminals, and even them not seriously. But I also have the impression that he has episodes where he loses control." "Oh, wonderful. Why can't they ever be predictable?" "In any case, he isn't in the city now." "If you come across him, you'll contact me straight off. I'll leave orders for them to wake me if I'm off duty." "Yes sir." Once again back at the base, Tex stretched and said, "Nothin' to do now but catch up on our beauty sleep." "I guess. I don't know what to do next... I have no way of knowing when and if he even comes back to Seattle!" "That's somethin' Ah'c'n help with. Get me a map of th'city." Jon looked at him quizzically, but obeyed. "Spread it out, and mark for me where the base is." "Right here. Why?" The Texas Hex drew a small compass out of a pocket of his duster and blew on it gently. A rune on its back glowed red, and he set it down on the location of the base. The needle spun lazily around and around. "If'n our friend Richard comes to town with the mask on, the compass will start glowin' and the needle will point raht toward him." "Thanks, Tex. That'll help." "Ah aim to please." That afternoon, Jon saw Tex-Hex off to the airport. "It's been a pleasure, Tex." "Same back at'cha, Photon! Keep me informed about Mirror Mask, if you would be so kind. Ah'm profess'nally int'rested at this point. And if you need help in dealin' with him, do let me know." "Thanks. And if you guys need help of the electromagnetic variety, well, Texas isn't far at the speed of light." "Thank you kindly! We'll be in touch." Jon told Alpha later, "Keep a camera on that compass." "Way ahead of you. If Mirror Mask comes to town, I'll let you know right away." Jon sighed. "I just wish... He could have been an ally, even a friend." "Who knows? But that mask probably has other ideas." Jon shrugged. "Erebus had to deal with a hostile force constantly pushing him toward violence. He did OK." "...Most of the time." "Yeah." "Good night, Alpha." "'Night, Jon. Don't beat yourself up too much. He got himself into this whole mess, not you." "Yeah, I know." [According to SP, calling Mask had a decent chance of working, but he rolled poorly on the reaction. Ah well.] [/QUOTE]
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Life and Light: Shadow-Force Reborn (Updated May 8, 2019)
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