Moving on to the next act in Jack's storyline.

Another 1000ish

Jack sees that Roger seems to have split from the guard he’d been occupying and sends off a text to the Program folks again: He left the guard he was in, no idea where he went. According to info that Ron gave to Dan, he is looking for information on your systems regarding Sarah ____’s dad, apparently he made Roger?

Even as he sends the text, he starts to scan the area in broad motions of his eyes. Looking over everyone, trying to spot some sort of tell to indicate that Roger has hopped to them.

In reply to Jack Sharpe (msg # 2):

Outside, the Program people have started to mingle with the regular first responders who have started pouring into the parking lot.  Cops.  Ambulance drivers.  Two fire trucks with more on the way.

It's like looking through an ant farm out there, but from what you can tell, everyone is acting as you would think they would.

The guard who ha been Roger's host fumbles with the control panel on the elevator. It starts to move. It reaches the Program level and the guard starts to drag Mrs. Hollister and the other guard out into the hall.  He's tapped into his helmet com and is broadcasting that he was taken over but he is alright now.  His voice sounds like normal.

The few students who haven't made it out yet are struggling to do so.  There are a few who headed for the bathroom once the drugs kicked in.  They seem to have weathered the worst of it.  None of them look capable at the moment of doing anything other than breathing and retching.

Dan has moved into the crowd outside, trying to help people.

You can see Ronald has gotten out of the pool.  He's making his way down the street, cursing under his breath.  He seems to be headed towards the school, but whether that's closer than his home you aren't sure.

The two metas you discombobulated are up but seem to be trying to retreat.  Wisp girl, in her body, is helping the guy out a window.

Kevin has appeared.  He's coming in through a second floor window, headed out for the main hall.  He's fuzzy at the moment.  "What the hell is goin' on? Where is everyone?"

He should be downstairs in less than a minute at his current rate.

Darja has found Colby.  He's got a hand on her shoulder.  "Hey.  Can you reach Jack?  Tell him that smell...it's still there.  But it's like faded.  Like it's been covered up or something."

He knits his brows together.  "I don't know if it matters.  But...it was different for a little bit.  But now it's back to how it smelled before.  I...can't explain it any better than that."

Your cell ticks twice.

Lydia's number.  This is Marlene.  She's okay.  Got the worst of it out of her.  Called her parents so they don't worry.  I asked Saul to give us a lift to her house.

HT follows up.  You guys did good.  We're five minutes out.  Should be there soon.  Hemi and Jack will be there ahead of us.  Report in to them.

“Darja, keep an eye on Sarah until she's out of the area.”

Jack, hearing Colby and Darja talking, speaks outloud: “I believe it could be Roger that he's smelling. Ask him if he ever smelled that smell when Sarah was first getting harassed at the beginning of the year.”

He pauses while he waits for Darja to relay the message while he floats above the school, trying to watch as much as he can.

He thinks it might be wise to head underground shortly, but he's still thinking about that at present.

When he spots the two escaping, he relays their escape route to the Program: Meta mercs escaping out of window near room 108. West side of the building, and includes a description of each of them, along with the color of their outfits, hair, and general height and build.

He next sends a message to Kevin, catching him up on everything that has transpired. The two EMPs, the hit list, the machine-gunners, the business with the mercs, and Roger's disappearance. He tries to pencil in all of the details so that Kevin isn't wandering around blind. It's multiple pages of texts long, but it only takes him a normal person's breath to type it all out and get it sent.

To Lydia's phone: Thanks Marlene. Tell her I'll be over to see her as soon as I can.

In reply to Jack Sharpe (msg # 4):

Colby frowns and then slowly nods.  "How can you hear him...anyway.  Tell him...yeah.  Now that he mentions it.  But it wasn't this bad.  Or strong.  This is...like an open dumpster behind a fish restaurant.  In July."

You "see" Kevin roll his eyes at the layers of text and then he calls you.  "Probably take me less time to hear it than read it.  Where are you?"

He makes it to you rather quickly.  He's still speaking into his cell when he lays eyes on you and then rolls his eyes at himself.  "Okay.  That catches me up to speed.  Roger was trying to get down to the Program right?  I doubt he's given up."

Below, there are only a couple of people coming out of the Program bunker.  Two of them are helping the formerly possessed guard take Hollister and the other guard inside.

Kevin shakes his head.  "There are too many moving parts right now.  Whatever he's up to, we can't stop him from up here.  We need to get down there.  Can you open the way?"

Jack smirks at the response and relays his location, lowering himself to Kevin in the process. His luchadore mask and dance tuxedo looking dapper as he stretches his arms out slightly.

"I can, but I'm trying to understand where he might be right now, if they've got the area isolated to prevent him from getting the information he wants," he explains to Kevin. Trying to make sense of what is happening.

Thinking for a bit, he responds to Colby, who of course is relayed through Darja.

"Move him away, Princess, then come back and meet with Hemi and the others," he speaks into the air, looking away from Kevin for a second.

Looking back to Kevin he's still weighing the pro's and con's, and decides that it's best to head down and get their eyes on the issue without the issues from the meta material.

Picks up the Monkey and flies to the nearest elevator.

In reply to Jack Sharpe (msg # 6):

Kevin frowns as you speak into the empty air.  "You know...it's really weird when you do that.  You do know that right?"

As you lift him up he snarks, "I do have legs...oh what the hell.

"Anyway, from what you've told me, Roger's goal has to be something in the Program.  And if they know he's about, they probably have psych screening.  But I'm not sure how effective that would be.  It'd give him a headache. But I doubt it'd keep him out."

You peel open the elevator doors and the two of you descend down.

I am assuming you told him everything.  If something was not on your list, let me know and I will edit. Thanks

"What's got me worried is this "Manitou" thing.  I think that was some First Nation god.  Or demon or something.  A shapeshifter."

He shakes his head.  "But he can't jump into metas.  So it must mean something else."

The two of you come down to the elevator roof.  The hallway is clear.  The Program people have moved the injured inside.

Kevin considers as you open up the roof.  "If I were him...I think I'd maybe jump...

"Let's head to the infirmary."

The security doors open easily to retina scan.  Kevin frowns and glances around inside the hallway.  "Bad memories.  Bad memories."

You can 'see' inside now.  The guards who had been in the elevator are laying on the floor outside the infirmary.  Neither of them are breathing.

You see Hollister moving into one of the secure areas you haven't been into yet.  She's moving like she's drunk.

"You pick up on anything?"

“I’d think you’d be used to weird by now,” Jack replies to Kevin as he sets him down a moment later and answers, “According to the info that I’ve gotten so far, he’s looking for a girl named Sarah’s dad. He’s apparently Roger’s creator? Maybe?” he speculates.

Sending off a quick message to Hardtime he texts: Roger is probably in the lower levels still, moving down personally with the Monkey.

He then opens the elevator doors and steps over the edge, letting himself fall and only decelerating a moment before he touches the top of the elevator. He leaves Kevin to make his own way down.

Hearing about Manitou, he nods slowly.

“He’s back in a teacher, Mrs. Hollister. He’s headed that way,” he replies and starts to move that direction, but at a more sedate pace. “I’m going to send updates to the Program folks so they can take action.”

He passes along updates about Hollister then.

In reply to Jack Sharpe (msg # 8):

Shortly after you hit send, the lights go out.  Your cell dings.  HT

Gut shut down the power.  The security door on the data library will auto lock.  He won't be able to get in. Unless he already got in.

Did he?

Hollister is cursing, banging a fist against the door.

He didn't.

Kevin is shaking his head.  "A girl named "Sarah's Dad"?  Are you sure about that?"

The two of you soon come within sight...sound for Kevin...of Hollister/Roger.

"Son! Of! A! Toothless! Bitch! Shit..."

Roger lays Hollister's hands on the door.  They're bloody and you think he's broken four of her fingers.

"Why is everyone so useless?"

"Sucks to be you, huh?"

Hollister/Roger turns around.  Kevin has taken out a flashlight and is shining it in their eyes.

"Kevin?  Damn.  Thought I blew you up."

Kevin has also taken out some kind of short tube.  He points it their way and a small rope ejects out.  Hollister/Roger grunts as it hits, wrapping around them.  They slump to the wall.

"Cute.  Is this the Monkey Bola?"

"It belonged to Trapmaster.  I took it off him when I beat the crap outta him a couple weeks ago."

"Ha!"  Roger barks a laugh.  "You're still living like a hobo.  Takin' scraps after you bite the hands that feed ya."

He/she squints your way.  "Who the hell are you?"

Jack sends back a text: Nope, stuck outside of it.

He glances over at Kevin at his joke, and like all young men, he half chuckles and half sighs at the dad joke. Looking at Roger in the flesh for the first time, he’s wondering if there isn’t some sort of method to tell that Roger is inside someone and starts using his eyes on the boy for the first time. Trying to suss out and sort of tell besides the voice.

Temperature? Electromagnetic?

“Did a meta whose very essence is being a transient, really just call you a hobo?” Jack asks Kevin with a snort, his voice deliberately distorted. The hypocrisy is too thick.

Who is he? Well, in his heart he really doesn’t want Roger taking aim at him, even when he’s a full time Cape in the future, so he just says something random in response:

“Manitou.”

Now that you're looking for it, you notice Hollister's heartbeat is a bit erratic.  Elevated and it's not in a perfect rhythm.  But you can't be sure it's because of Roger or because of what he's been making her body do.

Other than that, Hollister appears as a healthy woman of middle age.  Nothing else of note.

Roger and Kevin both look at you sideways.  Roger cocks his head.

"You're Manitou?"

The head cocks in the opposite direction.  "Funny. You don't look like a world ending genius.  Must be the stupid mask."

Kevin flicks his eyes at Roger.  "What were you expecting?  A neon sign that says Here's your guy?  You wanted to meet him, right?"

Kevin's tail is reaching around, pulling something from his side pocket.  Kevin is moving slightly to hide it from Roger's line of sight.

"Well this is a huge let down.  I put down a lotta dinero for this shindig.  And the main guest shows up with beans and weenies for the potluck."  Roger sighs.  "I'll just have to chalk this one up as a loss.

"Anyway, either of you guys got the time?  See, I set up five bombs, each within a mile of the school.  Ya know.  To serve as a distraction so I could get away.  Well.  I can do that anyway cos I'm awesome. But mostly just to give a middle finger to the whole cold, cruel world."  He grins using Hollister's mouth.  "You wanna relay that to your bosses?  I figure they should be showing up here soon."

“It’s the mask I use for fools,” Jack answers, playing a mind-game with Roger. He expects that Kevin will figure out that he’s messing with Roger, to get him a little distracted, rather than owning up to being ‘Manitou.’ Though now Jack is intrigued. World ending genius? Dad?

Moving sideways when he catches the movement from Kevin, he seeks to draw Roger’s eyesight away from Kevin so that the Monkey can unleash whatever gadget or trick he has in store.

When Roger asks for the time, he actually checks and as the information comes from Roger, he sends out a quick text with that “information” if only so that they are on alert. He’ll act on it in a split second anyway. Five bombs somewhere within a mile or two, according to Roger. Going off shortly. Monkey is tangling with Roger by the data vault door, he's in the body of Mrs. Hollister.

“I’ll leave him to you,” he says briefly to Kevin, and then bursts away. Going back the way he came so that he can dart up the elevator shaft and start flying around the area, searching for the bombs.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:04, Fri 05 Nov 2021.

In reply to Jack Sharpe (msg # 12):

"So you wear that mask when you look in the mirror?  Kinda got a fetish goin' on there, don'tcha?"

Kevin makes his move just as you burst away.  His tail delivers a small sandwich bag into his hand.  The hand tosses it.  A fine powder fills the air around Roger/Hollister.

"Oh Come On-"

And then Hollister falls to the ground.

You can see what looks like a mini space shuttle landing on the football field.  The heroes have finally arrived.  HT and Gutshot come running out as well as a few others.  But you don't have time to watch.

Two of the bomb locations are very evident, now that you know to look for them.  One is on the roof of the closest hospital.  The other looks to be on the roof of the elementary school across the road.

Real class act, Roger.

The other three aren't as obvious.  Or they're well hidden to your telescopic/X Ray sight somehow.

"Ha."

Landing at each of the bomb locations as he finds them, Jack scoops them up and either defuses or disposes of them, depending on their complexity and his confidence to do it.

Using their location and the location of the school, he flies an arc in a similar manner. Looking for large public buildings, since those seem to be the targets, rather than houses. Apartment buildings, churches, department stores and government buildings being the key items he examines as he flies tightly and swiftly.

As he flies, he pulls out his phone and sends off another text: Found one at Lincoln Elementary on 3rd, and Saint Eustace Teaching Hospital.  Still looking for others, he claimed five, but I’ll keep looking.

In reply to Jack Sharpe (msg # 14):

Your reasoning seems sound.  You find another one in a gumball machine at a grocery store.  The fourth one is at a mechanic's, stuck inside a stack of tires.

Roger set them up in a circle around the school.  Going by the pattern, you fly over where the fifth one should be...

And can't find it.  The area is semi-residential.  A couple of apartment buildings set across the street from each other.  A small park.

Darja flies up beside you.  "Caught up.  What are we looking for?  Gutshot said bombs."

Kevin messages you.  <i>Roger jumped bodies.  No surprises there.  Did you find them all?

"Yeah, they've all been about this big," Jack replies to Darja swiftly and holds his hands up, indicating the rough size that they've been. All likely having been made by the same person, so he expects this one to follow the same pattern. "If it's following the pattern it should be in this area, but that's not guaranteed," he explains to Darja even as he flies.

Hearing the chime from Kevin, he glances at it, and indeed, it is as expected. 4 of 5 so far.

In reply to Jack Sharpe (msg # 16):

Roger might be heading towards it.  He's never been the type to leave things lying around.

I'm heading out. Don't want to tie into it w/Gut Shot.

Buzz me later

You can see things at the school seem more or less under control.  Gut Shot is giving out orders and seems to be taking command of the situation.  HT and the other heroes are moving to help out where they can.

As you're scanning the area, you notice something that definitely could fit into the odd category.  A bat.  It's flying along the street, as it it's following a car.

I'll keep an eye out for him.

When he spots the bat, Jack only takes a split second to remember the mention that Odelia apparently favors that shape. Assuming that it's her, he scans the car thoroughly, trying to make sense of what she might be following a random car for.

In reply to Jack Sharpe (msg # 18):

Darja frowns as she sees you focusing on the car.

"Why is it making that sound? You hear it?

Now that you know to look for it, you can hear sort of a dry scraping sound coming from the car.  It's odd.

The car turns into the parking lot of a supermarket.  One of your classmates...not a guy you know personally but someone you've seen before...leaps out of it and runs into the supermarket.

Odelia Bat is headed for it like a...well...bat out of hell.