5619/Mystery Night!

Mystery Night!
Date of Scene:	17 March 2021
Location:	Ryker Heights - Founders Island
Synopsis:	The thief was caught! M'gann had unexpected help.. much needed! She's not good at this whole detective thing! But the thief was inside the store already, not much investigating needed! After a brief struggle, Cable and M'gann were able to tie him up, and determine whether he was alone. Laura called the cops and the day was saved! There was even a brief philosophical debate on morality!
Cast of Characters:	M'gann M'orzz, Cable, Laura Kinney

---

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
Early evening means that it's not dark. People are still out and about. People don't usually expect there to be much crime in this part of Gotham, even with the Iceberg Lounge some blocks away, but last night there was a burglary, and the culprit is still at large! $200,000 worth of jewels and other valuables were stolen. The police do not have any suspects yet and Batman is probably way too busy to chase down a thief.

And so M'gann has taken it upon herself to investigate! She wasn't exactly taught by J'onn to do detective work but she's watched him enough to.. maybe succeed?

She has taken the form of a young blonde woman wearing clothes straight out of a 1940s film noire, complete with the trenchcoat, fedora, and business clothes consisting of a medium length skirt and high heels. She does look a bit out of place but it doesn't seem to bother her.

She puts on her sunglasses and strides out of an alleyway towards the scene of the crime. Standing in front of the door, she pulls out a magnifying glass, just like she saw in a movie once, "Okay check for prints first.."

Cable has posed:
A petty theft in Gotham wouldn't make Cable's notice either, if not for--

ELSEWHERE
ELSEWHEN

"... thousand, seven hundred and sixty-eight dollars and eighty-three cents," resonates in cool, gender-neutral tones that sync with the blue ripples across a monitor screen.

"Hhhhnnh--" Cable grunts, pinching the bridge of his nose. "A week. I said 'calculate the operating budget for week of covert activity, factored by four to eight bodies.'"

"Correct."

"Fucksakes..." the silver-haired man murmurs.

"Alright," follows exactly one thoughtful beat later. "Reset. Next job: adjust media-scanning parameters to encompass large sales of contraband goods, thefts involving one hundred thousand or more dollars..."

HERE
NOW

-- the cruel binds of capitalism. So it goes: battle a tyrant just to fight madness, same as it ever was.

"... hmmm..."

A cold shadow skirts along the edges of M'gann's perception; probing it merely invites a deeper taste of thrumming chill, but tracking it's a simple matter of paying attention to that which does not wish to be seen.

Or heard.
Or smelled.
Or--

"Interesting choice," flatly rumbles through the darkness behind and to the right of M'gann as Cable approaches, stepping out of the psychic shadows in the process. His eye - the scarred one, the good one - subtly dilates and retracts a few times before settling on just the right diameter; similar to M'gann, he's checking for prints (and strange hairs, and fibers, and...); somewhat more uniquely, he's also scanning for unusual lingering energy signatures.

"You're going to attract attention," he notes after a few moments of silence.

Laura Kinney has posed:
With the threat of N.O.W.H.E.R.E looming X-23, better known as Laura Kinney, has been out on the prowl around Gotham. Dressed in discreet street clothing and moving with extreme caution. So when she picks up a scent she can recognise.. Well it never hurts to check it out.

It's not spying on your team mates if you're making sure they're not in trouble right?

Of course it's unlikely she'll be able to locate a shapeshifting telepath before her mind gets picked up. But there are plenty of other things to learn from the environment. Has someone fired a weapon? Used odd chemicals? (It is Gotham after all) Or any number of other exotic things.

Like Cable appearing out of what seemed to be thin air.... Ah Gotham. Never a dull moment.

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
M'gann M'orzz jumps and drops the magnifying glass when Cable suddenly appears behind her, "Interesting choice?! What?" She's over the scare now, especially since Cable hasn't attacked. She can be a bit too trusting..

"Do you know anything about the robbery here? I'm a private investigator! I'm.. kind of new at this but I'm trying to look into this case. I haven't been getting any.. clients lately so I'm doing this one for free. The.. office gets so boring you know!"

She laughs nervously, "And attract attention? I'm not hiding anything! I'm doing good deeds! See?" She picks up the magnifying glass again, "But looks like too many people have been using this door since the theft. Kind of sloppy of the cops right? Sheesh.. and I thought -I- was green.."

Cable has posed:
The pause is just long enough for a silent curse.

"Which could mean that one or more of the culprits have access to this building, and reason to return," Cable then suggests with a slight nod and grim furrow.

"Which would mean that they might just have cause to keep an eye on it," follows as he approaches that door, scanning for visible cameras all the way.

"Which means they might - might - have cause to switch things up, if only where this part of things is concerned."

The silver-haired linebacker squats low enough to press his ear to the door. With lidding eyes and a wavering, barely audible groan, he initiates some moderate remodeling of his auditory apparatus, listening for signs of life on the other side.

"Which means we'll want to do this quickly."

The hand that isn't already braced against the door reaches for the holster strapped near the small of his back, brushing the chrome handle jutting from it.

Laura Kinney has posed:
For now at least Laura watches and waits from the rooftop of a nearby building. Her enhanced hearing letting her listen in on the conversation while her other keen senses allow her to quickly check for any potential dangers.

It's tough picking out shapeshifters by smell, but when they happen to share the same hide-out as you? Well it makes it a lot easier. There aren't any private investigators who might find themselves in The Roost after all!

Still that's no reason to blow anyones cover. Not yet anyway. Laura slips her hand into the pocket of her hoodie and types out a brief text message, sent to the team contact number for M'gann, asking if she's 'Outside on a mission right now'. Along with the address of the building. Innocent enough it could pass as being from a PI's office but hopefully not so cryptic she doesn't get the hint.

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
M'gann M'orzz looks at Cable and blinks, "Do what quickly?? What are you doing..?" She's whispering now, "This is just an investigation.. what are you reaching for?" She sighs.. too late to stop him now. But Cable doesn't seem to be a villain, might be an undercover cop, or a superhero.. or something.

That's when she gets the text. She glances down at it. No one should have this number unless they at least know who she is. As such she responds, could be something important going on.. -No. Just trying to catch a thief! Do you need my help? Who is this?-

Cable has posed:
What is Cable doing...?

He's sliding gleaming fingers down the door's surface until the palm's enfolding the knob and lock both.

He's groaning, again. He's squeezing his eyes shut; he's flexing every muscle in his body.

-- lockpicking. Cable is lockpicking. Cable is picking this suspicious door, because if time is short, what else is there to do, but--

"Investigating," he says, just before the click.

What he does next depends on whether the other side of the door sounded silent. If it did -- and if a brisk, shallow psychic scan also turns up nothing -- then he'll simply push the door open, slowly.

If, on the other hand, he gets even a hint of extra bodies, the gun'll come unholstered so he can lead with it as he slams his way inside.

Either way, it's an opportunity for an intrepid young detective!

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura Kinney taps a quick response. 'Just in the neighborhood for a stroll - X' X being the nickname the Outsiders use for her on missions.

She slinks her way across the rooftops to get closer. Right up to the roof of the Jewelry store if she can. Right now there's no direct need for her to drop in, not uninvited anyway, as even her nose can't pick out a criminal without something to go on. A store will have far too much foot traffic and that's before you add all the members of Gotham PD who likely trampled the scene earlier today.

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
M'gann M'orzz watches eyes wide as Cable picks the lock, "This.. is.. totally breaking and entering!" But what exactly is she going to do? Nope all she can do is watch in horror as she becomes accomplice to the very first time she has ever technically broken the law.. like ever. At least as far as she is concerned..

M'gann starts wringing her hands nervously, "They have cameras you know.." Of course she isn't worried about that. This isn't even her real appearance! But she's more concerned about making this case way too complicated for her to be able to solve at this point. She stands there at the entrance, making sure that her phone screen cannot be seen by the cameras before replying again, -Oh cool. If you're here maybe you want to help?-

She looks back up at Cable, still whispering, "Okay s..- And then the sound of footsteps running can be heard from inside the jewelry store. Yep the thief was inside all along! "Are you serious?! I could have just -walked- in here and caught someone?!" She softly sends out a telepathic 'attack' of sorts, just enough to make the thief stumble and trip over after a brief, sharp headache. It should give them time to catch up.

Cable has posed:
Whoever is responsible for the theft is light on their feet; Cable has got to hand it to them.

And account for it, of course.

He's mid-draw when M'gann takes the thief down, which prompts a brief halt and a sharp head-twist. His left eye - the bad one, the unscarred one pulsing with golden light - casts a dim flare through the room as his head turns along the astral arc drawn between the Martian and the jewel thief.

"You're going to want to dampen a little," he offers before--

-- well, 'vanishing' isn't quite the right word, but the edges of his form blur while the rest of him fades into deep blue, chrome, and golden smears. From zero to forty or so, Cable explodes through the jewelry store, hurdling and veering around displays as necessary until he's standing over the thief.

Until the barrel of a chrome handgun that looks as if it walked off a Trek set's gleaming in faint light as he takes aim at the thief's knee.

Until his finger's curling against the trigger--

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura drops off her rooftop perch. Landing catlike with just enough sound to give herself away. No need to startle anyone and get shot by whatever Cable is armed with. Not today anyway. Dodging future-tech guns is fun for another day.

"Is everything okay?" she wonders, her voice loud enough to be heard inside. Despite everything clearly being anything but okay.. Then lowering her voice so only M'gann can hear she adds "No signs of the mystery men to report for now."

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
M'gann M'orzz screams, "NO!" It doesn't take her long to tell that Cable wants to totally shoot this guy. By now her glasses have fallen off, her fedora is just barely on her head still, and she's sprinting forward as fast as she can safely go without accidentally flying through a wall..

Her hand flies towards Cable and she sends a telekinetic 'blast' at the gun, attempting to knock it out of his hands, while at the same time she's going to try and grab the thief so he can be left to the police.. after an anonymous 911 call of course..

Cable has posed:
The good eye goes wide when his gun goes flying.

The other narrows, fixing squarely on M'gann at the end of a whipswift pivot towards the young woman. His right hand stirs--

-- a single, endless second ticks by--

-- and then he thrusts his palm back, seizing the thief in an invisible grip as M'gann darts by to close in on the thief. With a twist of the wrist and two fingers pointing straight up, he launches the thief towards the ceiling, pinning him against it securely.

Same idea, different means.

"Tell us what happened here," he commands the other man, cold and concise.

-- similar. Similar ideas--

His gaze doesn't falter from M'gann, now that the woman's shown another layer of capability.

"You have any accomplices? An inside man?"

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura Kinney looks between M'gann and at the store which Cable is currently performing an 'enhanced interrogation' in. Two people she knows. Both on covert teams that don't know about each other. Also both telepathically capable.

Wonderful.

"If the situation is in hand I can leave you both to it..?" she offers. "Perhaps find a payphone from which to call the police." A task easier said than done in Gotham where everything is in a constant state of disrepair. The thief thrown against the ceiling doesn't deserve any sympathy. They should have cleared out when the police came and went. If they're still at the scene of the crime now... Well it's practically asking to be caught.

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
M'gann M'orzz doesn't look at Laura right away, her eyes are GLUED on the thief now that the gun has, for now, been taken out of play, "Please don't hurt him.. we can do this without inflicting pain. Please.. please don't use your powers to cause such harm.."

The Martian turns to Laura briefly, "Could you call them? There isn't much more we need to do here.." With that she quickly snaps her head back to Cable and the thief, "Leave it to the police! It's their job! He's been subdued! We can just.. tie him up, call the cops anonymously, and they can figure the rest out! This guy doesn't seem like a super villain.. or an invading alien.. or a loose running android.."

Cable has posed:
"I'm not going to hurt him."

The, 'As long as he behaves,' is unspoken but said, via the pressure rippling across the thief's chest-- just enough to remind him of who exactly has his life in hand right now.

"... but as you yourself said: there has been an unusual level of activity here of late, and now we have a thief brazen enough to return to the scene of his crime. Whoever you are, I don't imagine you went through the trouble of throwing together your best Sam Spade impression just to save the police a little bit of extra trouble tonight... did you? To run an errand for them?"

The silver-haired enigma's focus shifts upwards, towards the captured thief.

"You came to solve a crime."

A slight twist of his hand is replicated across the thief's chest, invisible pressure twisting slowly and surely against his body-- still just firm enough that it can't be ignored, without causing any real pain.

(For now.)

"And so did I," he adds-- and it's even mostly true.

"So why not solve it?"

And now -- now that he isn't preoccupied with running, and scanning, and aiming, and pinning, and aching -- Cable turns his attention towards Laura to add, "As long as you don't have a particular interest in him, I don't see why not," with a shrug.

Laura Kinney has posed:
"I will go and find a phone then," Laura says, loud enough for Cable inside to hear too. He can probably recognise her voice.. Well depending on when this Cable is from. Perhaps it's a version who has yet to meet X-Force. Time travel is complicated. "It will take me five to ten minutes followed by the Gotham PD response times of..." The length of time in question isn't a flattering number for Gotham PD but perhaps they'll rush out having already been at this location recently. "Well I'm sure they'll get here eventually."

She keeps her mind focused down to very general thoughts. Things it'd be okay for either of them to overhear. Like a quick run through of the procedure to field strip an AK.

Then without waiting for a reply she ducks out of sight. A thief isn't really her concern anyway and if he does get killed? Well that'll be something for Batman to deal with.

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
M'gann M'orzz nods at Laura and returns her attention to Cable again, "We have five minutes.." No Miss Martian does NOT like this.. not at all, "I did come here to solve a crime but not like this. The police didn't find him, we did, I know that. But there is a right and wrong way to fight crime.."

Sure Batman crosses lines sometimes that she wouldn't, but she'd probably beg him to stop punching too!

The thief meanwhile has already relieved himself in his pants. Cable is probably aware of that by now. The man's voice is shaky, he's not going to resist, "I-it's just me.. I can tell you where the stash is. I just wanted to hit this place one more time I swear! It seemed easy pickings.. the cops were done combing over the place for the day. I just wanted to get in and get out! I.. I've never done this kind of thing before! But the rent.. my car payment.. my baby mom constantly up the wall about alimony. I just couldn't take this grind anymore.. I needed a quick fix. It was stupid for me to come back here, I had way more than enough, but you know.. it's tempting.. just put me down man. I'll go with the cops!"

M'gann seems satisfied, "I won't even go into his head. I believe him! I've seen liars before and I don't want to violate his thoughts unless it's dire. He's just a common thief and he's no threat to us! Let's just stop this and tie him up! THe police will handle it.."

Cable has posed:
Cable, on the other hand...

>>Show me,<< reverberates through the thief's head.

        >>Show me.<<

                >>Show me.<<

                    >>SHOW ME<<

Cable didn't come all the way to some random jewelry store in Gotham just to leave empty-handed. A young woman who is - clearly - far more motivated by law and order than he is stands just a few feet away, however, and while he doesn't have enough of a measure of her capabilities to know whether or not he can sneak a psychic demand and scan past her, trying beats the guaranteed argument that would rise from making his demands aloud.

"Let this be a lesson on the dangers of greed," he instead suggests, deliberate and distant.

And while he's handing out life advice...

"Nothing about what either of us is here to do is legal, ma'am. Nothing... and that's okay. The law wasn't designed for people ambitious enough to better the world... and the only wrong way to do that would be to let fear hold you back-- make you small."

The strobing, golden pulse of his bad eye snaps to an abrupt halt, and the thief is allowed to fall.

"A little free advice: it wouldn't hurt to consider why - exactly - you were willing to risk your life tonight, if you're planning on ever doing it again."

And while his words are stern -- downright grim, in their low, flatly stated certainty -- they're devoid of judgment or malice.

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
M'gann M'orzz frowns, she can sense the psychic pulsing, she even steps forward a bit, but it doesn't last long enough for her to even consider what she would do. She is conflicted because Cable is clearly not a villain, he just goes to greater lengths to fight crime. To Miss Martian he is just too brutal.. but no he is not evil. She doesn't believe so. Her hesitation at the very least allows Cable enough time to get his answer uninterrupted. The thief's mind clearly shows that he was telling the truth.

M'gann can hear the sirens now, "Distant.. but the police are coming. We need to hurry! Of course I didn't bring any rope.. look I know this isn't legal but.. if there's one thing I've learned? It's better to be the least like the people you are fighting as possible. Otherwise you are just making the world darker.. probably for yourself too.." She looks down at some rope that was being used to block access to the cash register, "There's rope.."

Cable has posed:
"The world doesn't need MY help to get any darker than it already is -- or could be," comes Cable's terse reply.

After following M'gann's glance to the rope, he walks over to scoop it up, then brings it back to the thief and sets about binding his hands together, then tying them to a heavy display.

"Having seen plenty of examples of just what kind of darkness this world's capable of losing itself in, roughly questioning some desperate idiot in a jewelry store is the least I'm willing to do to keep the lights on."

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
M'gann M'orzz frowns again, "I know you're not one of the bad guys.. I just can't bring myself to be too.. forceful. It's just not in me and.. there are a lot of reasons for that.. just.. you have no reason to care anyway. Just tie him up.. please. We definitely don't want to be here when the cops walk in.."

She helps as best she can with the whole affair and then turns to leave, "Thanks for your help though. I probably wouldn't have thought to come in here.."

Cable has posed:
"It's the difference between playing detective and solving a crime," Cable succintly replies, once more riding the 'judging - advising' line as he puts the finishing touches on his binds.

"It isn't about force; it's about a willingness to see the job through."

And with that, he melts out of human perception -- first his scent, then the sound of his pouches rustling and softly clacking, and then the rest of him.

"Think about it," emanates from nowhere at all.

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
M'gann M'orzz can't help but frown again at his last words. But she knows what her species is capable of and she never wants to be like that. That's what she couldn't tell Cable. She sighs, grabs her sunglasses off the floor to avoid leaving evidence, and quickly leaves the store. The camera has her on film but they won't identify her. Job well done? She's not really sure but at least the thief is caught!

M'gann walks quickly in the opposite direction of the store and hopes that Batman won't freak out that she took matters into her own hands..