Defenders of the District (MSH) IC

[BananaPhone]

Lisa/Fury

It was...disheartening to know that they couldn't find Bug. Where had the little bastard gone? He'd only been with them recently, but still? And no body? What had he faked his own death or something?

Lisa, looking visibly confused and a little out of it, her hands on her hips as she kept peering up and down the river-way as if expecting Bug to emerge at any second.

"Yeah...back to HQ..." she said almost absentmindedly, her thoughts clearly where the kid could've gone.

[paradox26]

Bolt nods in acknowledgement to the suggestion. He has no desire to speak with the press himself, so he is happy to return to base, though it feels strange to be returning to base one person down. He feels the early stages of grief, now that the suddenness of his loss has worn off.

He says, "I will see you back at base then. I am heading straight back there now. We can come up with a plan to find Bug's body, assuming he hasn't just been fooling with us and faking his death. Though I sincerely doubt it, I hope that is possible at least."

WIth that, he launches into the air and flies back towards base, after taking a last, low and long sweep over the battle zone to see if he can find a sign of Bug.

[Phantom Genius]

Bolt scoops up Fury (knowing that she can't fly and that Bug brought her here) and takes her back to base. They find the AGR supercomputer there waiting for them, recording the interview taking place on the bridge.

The reporters begin barraging AGR-01:
Who was the villain?
What did she want?
Did anyone die?
Why are you called AGR-01? Is there an 02?

[MutantDragon]

With the press swamping him, AGR-01 did the only thing he could do: record each question in his memory and answer them in chronological order while staring into the soul of the reporter who asked the question being answered.

"The attacker identified herself as "Mighty Mississippi," and used what appeared to be a form of hydrokinesis and enhanced strength. No further information is known about her at this time."

"The subject's objectives are unknown at this time."

"I have witnessed no loss of life over the course of events."

"AGR stands for Automated Genetics Researcher. The -01 denotes my status as the first computer of my make. To my knowledge, there has never been a -02."

[Phantom Genius]

The unrelenting assault continues:

Was she from Mississippi? Was she an anarchist? Civil War denier?
Were her powers from magic, tech or mutant?
Are you a robot? A Terminator? Do you intend to replace all of the other heroes with robots?
Does your damage hurt? Do you feel pain? Do you want revenge?
What is Fury really like? Would she sit down for an interview? Is she stronger than She-Hulk?
When did Bolt start flying? Is he fire-proof or could he accidentally burn himself? Is he dating Fury?

[MutantDragon]

The unrelenting assault continues:

Was she from Mississippi? Was she an anarchist? Civil War denier?
Were her powers from magic, tech or mutant?
Are you a robot? A Terminator? Do you intend to replace all of the other heroes with robots?
Does your damage hurt? Do you feel pain? Do you want revenge?
What is Fury really like? Would she sit down for an interview? Is she stronger than She-Hulk?
When did Bolt start flying? Is he fire-proof or could he accidentally burn himself? Is he dating Fury?

Again, the machine looked to each reporter while answering in chronological order.

"No further details are known about the individual in question.

Refer back to my last answer.

I am a computer remotely controlling a robotic drone. I have no plans like those you mentioned, nor am I a time traveling cyborg bent on murdering people with the last name of Conner.

Damage to my drone does not register as pain in the sense that you know it. I am aware of the damage and its severity, but I don't actually feel anything from it. Not in a way you would understand, anyway. And, no, I have no interest in something as illogical as vengeance.

Fury is a hero. I mean that in the truest sense of the word. If you wish to learn more, talk to her yourself. That also includes interview scheduling. Contrary to popular belief, I am not a secretary."

The machine paused when looking at the last reporter, visibly tilting his head as if to say "Seriously?" After this pause, he finally says "Refer back to my last answer."

AGR-01 then turns and flys off back to base, faintly hoping his time-traveling cyborg comment won't be taken completely out of context later. It seems unlikely that his hope will bear fruit.

[BananaPhone]

Lisa/Fury

Eeermageeeerd!! The press - and I'm wearing garbage clothes!

Lisa was hiding a slight panic attack as they arrived upon the bridge, only to find a mob of the press swarming around them and wanting a post-battle interview. Lisa, for all of her red-rage might, looked like what she was: a late 20s/early 30s woman, a little wide-eyed, deer-caught-in-the-headlights lacing, and wearing the tattered remains of her clothes. Nothing scandalous, of course, she had a black, lycra suit beneath it for when she got tall, larger and juicer, but still. As the only woman in the group, she could already mentally imagine the scathing, smug chitter-chatter about her atrocious regalia, the insinuations already running across her skin like sharp needles.

And so, when the press semi-circled around her, phones flashing, Lisa just kept her head slightly down, offered glib and polite little smiles and moved away as best she could, waiting for a 'lift' back to their HQ and away from prying eyes...

[Phantom Genius]

The reporters are all at the bridge and, in my vision, none of them know the location of your secret HQ. So maybe you can tweak, ever so slightly, the Fury response to being on the bridge, up until she left with Bolt.

Cool?

[Phantom Genius]

The reporters continue peppering (and pestering) AGR-01 as he flies off into the night.
Bolt must have paid the water and electricity bills this month, because there is plenty of hot water for Fury's and Bolt's much-needed showers back at the base. (The water does not attack, but you may have a nightmare or two about that.)
The AGR-01 drone is pretty badly damaged but has plenty of time for repairs.
An internet search finds multiple clips of the AGR-01 interview, but no clues as to Bug's fate.
A day passes with no ransom demands and no body.
Another day passes. No news. No sightings.
A meme appears of AGR-01 chasing Sarah Conner. No one seems threatened by it.

[paradox26]

Bolt leaves the headquarters periodically, hunting low level street thugs. He isn't really equipped to go after high level white collar criminals, so he goes after violent criminals who he can catch in the act. He also isn't really equipped to track down criminals who work undercover, so it is mostly simple hoodlums that draw his attention.

[BananaPhone]

Lisa/Fury


Back at their little HQ, Lisa indulged in a hot, bubble-bath with epsom salts. Her mind wandered to the fate of Bug, pondering where he could have run off to and why, particularly as now there was no sign of any body. Had he taken the chance to fake his own death or something? Did he want out of this lifestyle so bad?

The optimist within Lisa hoped that the kid had just returned to his normal life, having cast aside his caped persona in favour of normality.

Yes, that's what Lisa was going to tell herself. There was no body, no sign of death. There was no random note, no video tape from some villain cackling madly that they had him as their prisoner, nothing. So...perhaps he had just used it as the chance to return to a normal life. In that case, Lisa wished him best.

[MutantDragon]

AGR-01 spends its time checking up on the drone's repairs, replaying footage from the attack, staying abreast of any new information on Mighty Mississippi, and looking into leads on where Bug might be found. When even the computer runs out of ways to look into those topics, he looks into any new discoveries in the field of genetics and starts work on a new art project: a cat and a beetle atop an impossibly tall mountain looking out across the curvature of the Earth.

[Phantom Genius]

Bolt doesn't see much criminal activity on his patrols. His fiery arrivals allow most street criminals to simply hunker down and act normal until he passes overhead. He does easily stop a robbery from a local pharmacy where the thieves had blocked the alley with a staged accident, assuming the police wouldn't be able to catch them.

Fury thinks happy thoughts about Bug (and Arcane to some degree.) This life is a difficult one and this team can adapt as members go on solo missions or personal adventures (at least until a worldwide threat appears in DC.) The bath and the recovery do much for her sore muscles and reeling brain. She finds herself thinking of cinnamon rolls at some point, though.

AGR-01 initially finds nothing about Bug, but after a couple of days of searching, it locates a hit on the dark web. [The real location of Bug. What happened to DC's beloved hero.] Do you want to alert the rest of the team or keep poking around?

[paradox26]

Realising at last that he is giving away his presence before arrival, he starts patrolling the city in a car or on foot, looking for signs of trouble that will allow him to reveal his armoured, flaming, form.

[MutantDragon]

AGR-01, interest piqued, briefly notifies the others about what he's found before looking into it himself.

[BananaPhone]

Lisa/Fury

Lisa exhaled and smacked her hand against the padded mat as her body impacted against it; instinct, muscle memory and present reflexes rolling her body appropriately. Dressed in her gi, dark belt wrapped around her waist, the black-haired woman grinned as she lay there, eyes closed, exhaling and laughing softly before rolling over onto her front and up in a single motion. Her angular, pleasing features were slick with sweat and flushed red, her dark hair back in a loose ponytail as she wore that bright smile on her face and beheld the woman before her who had tossed her down upon the ground.

"Great! Well done; you're getting the hang of it," she complimented, reaching up to hold her right hand against the collar of the other womans gi and her left hand against her right-handed sleeve.

"Make sure you add in this pull motion first..." she demonstrated, using her right hand to tug the other woman forward just a little, "then push! And pull with this hand..." as she followed through with the reversal, the other woman stumbling slightly.

"See? It helps throw your opponent off balance; if they're a little off in their footing for even half a second you can use that; toss them or sweep the unstable foot - you can't rely on your opponent screwing up, you have to create your own openings and exploit them!"

Lisa grinned, genuinely happy with a smile across her face as she held the other woman appropriately by collar and sleeve, watching her make her efforts.

"Yes, like that - now, do it to me; I won't resist this time. Five practice runs then we'll do some randori - go!"

The world became a spinning blur for Lisa as she offered only basal resistance to the manoeuvre - her back soon hitting the floor, her free hand and arm smacking against it to absorb the impact, her smile from ear to ear.

"Yes - like that! You're doing great - four more!"

[Phantom Genius]

Bolt, finding the streets to be rather quiet today, and Lisa, working up a sweat, both get subtle alerts on their phones. Not a 911, but maybe some 411.

AGR-01 follows the trail and gets to what appears to be a multi-page story about Bug's exploits and disappearance. The grammar is suspect and there are many, many ads - which is odd on the dark web.

[BananaPhone]

Lisa/Fury


Lisa was sweating gently, her face red and her gi soaking up the perspiration. After the session was over, she had moved over to her bag and towel, drawing her water bottle up and drinking greedily from it, she heard the alert on her phone. Digging through her possessions for the device, she brought it up and peered at the smart-screen, her eyebrow perking. 411s weren't good.

An hour or so later, a refreshed Lisa, still with duffel-bag over her shoulder, appeared into the little HQ, exhaling and muscles nice and warm from the hours of instruction and training she'd been doing.

[paradox26]

Bolt ended his mostly pointless patrols when the message came through. He headed back towards the headquarters. He walked in, removing his overcoat that covered his armour, and which disguised him to some extent during his patrols. He removed the coat and placed it on a peg, then headed into the headquarters meeting room, where he would be able to see what was important enough to drag everyone in again from their activities.

[Phantom Genius]

As the heroes reunite in the headquarters, AGR reports that it has found the coordinates for what appears to be the location of Bug and his kidnappers, based on an outgoing email to his parents that was found on the dark web. It's in a part of the forest of West Virginia with few roads and no major structures. AGR calculates it would take them three hours by car or 45 minutes by air.

[paradox26]

Bolt considers the coordinates on the map, then says, "I think we should go by car. Bug may not be in any condition to be flown back with us after we free him, and he will be too heavy to simply carry the whole way." He checks his armour, then flicks a tiny fireball into the air to make sure that his natural powers are working properly, then he says, "I am ready to go if you are. Best we move quickly, lest he be relocated while we dither."

[BananaPhone]

Lisa/Fury


Lisa reclined in her plush, but functional leather chair and peered up at the display before them, perking an eyebrow as AGR-01 made his suggestion.

"Did you see any kidnappers there, at the river? Did they have any demands, any ransoms?" she asked, arms folded over her abdomen as she thought about it. No body, no kidnappers...initially Lisa had considered it as Bug's ideal time to 'break even', so to speak, to disappear and start life fresh. But kidnapped?

"Have we heard anything back about that crazy water woman yet? What her motives are? Did she stage it to try and kidnap a cape, but we got the better of her or something?"

More questions.

"If we're going to go..." she said, drawing her grande, frozen caramel drink with extra cream and fudge to her lips and taking a swill, before pointing to the display with her cup-wielding hand, index finger extended.

"How could we fly there?" she asked, "book a charter flight? Or road trip it?"

[MutantDragon]

AGR-01 listens to his super heroic allies before speaking, "While no kidnappers were seen during the attack and I am unaware of any ransom demands, his sudden disappearance after being submerged for a prolonged period by a superpowered attack raises enough concerns to at least check. As for the self-proclaimed 'Mighty Mississippi', I have no further information on her at the present time, though her actions would not seem to indicate she planned on kidnapping Bug. That said, I cannot entirely rule out some form of involvement in any such plots that may or may not exist at present or in the past. As for the question of flight versus automobile, I will have to disagree with Bolt on this; time may well be of the essence, so it would be logical to fly and arrive as soon as possible. If we arrive and bug is in no condition to be flown out, it would likely be a simple task to acquire a vehicle while there. Ultimately, however, this is a group decision on how we will go about it."

[BananaPhone]

Lisa/Fury

Lisa pursed her lips, sucking the bottom one between her teeth for a second before exhaling outwards.

"So we need to get a charter flight?" she asks, turning her head to look at the other two for confirmation.

"For just the three of us? On a Cessna or something? How much will that set us back?"

[Phantom Genius]

AGR's drone picks up Fury, and Bolt and he fly west out of the city, over Virginia, and into the mountains of WV. They reach the coordinates that he researched and see nothing from overhead except forest. There is a bit of snow on the ground, maybe three inches.

[paradox26]

Bolt lands in the snow, and immediately starts to examine the ground for tracks, moving in an extended circle around the landing point.

[BananaPhone]

Lisa/Fury

Lisa had to endure the indignity of laying in a hammock, sailing across the skies, for the hours and hours that it took the slower moving drones to fly them to their destination. Predicting that the elevation and speed would mean cold, cold winds, Lisa at least had the thick clothing to rug up and ignore the worst of it, as she spent the majority of her time on her phone, while the blue sky above whistled past with the occasional cloud.

By the time they arrived, the girl had to stumble about and gain her bearings back, having essentially 'lay down' the whole trip. So while Bolt beings his immediate proper sweep, Lisa groaned and arches her body about as she stretched and regained feeling in her limbs in the background.

[MutantDragon]

AGR-01 joins his fiery companion in searching the area, remaining in the air and sweeping the site from above.

[Phantom Genius]

The flight takes exactly the forty-five minutes that the supercomputer predicted, but it feels like hours to Lisa. It's made all the worse when she loses her cell signal in the final ten minutes.

Above the treetops, AGR-01 sees only a scene of calm beauty, perhaps perfect for a future painting.

Searching the ground, Bolt finds few tracks other than animals, but perhaps one set of boots leading out from a strange hatch set in the ground and poorly covered with fallen tree branches.

[MutantDragon]

Silently saving a memory of the scenery for future reference, AGR-01 lands near Bolt. "Found anything?"