For Bucephalus!

[Gee Cee]

Emhyn looks at the skylight. Double-takes. Stares. Has the sudden urge to curse up a storm. Why hadn't they seen this? Reported this? One of his companions distracts him. Good, he might have said something not fit for the presence of children. He glances at the Junior Lieutenant.

"Mister Valentin, was it? An old man like me has seen a great deal of what people are capable of," he says ruefully, "I don't think our perpetrator could be called a child, regardless of how old he or she is."

"I might be completely wrong, of course," he shrugs, addressing the Wunderkind, "one of you wouldn't be able to disguise yourselves as the victim well enough to fool the police who initially responded to the scene, or make that jump in front of witnesses without any of them seeing anything. Unless there were something of that nature you have to help you blend into crowds, but as you said, superheroes. Still, it's a start to know that our perp had comparable hydraulic power and possibly plating. And I would love to know how that skylight got broken." He points it out to the assembled.

[Besyanteo]

Amleth shook his head. He wasn't able to help much here, and no one seemed to know the answer to his question... on this floor. Which meant it was time to talk to someone higher up. Cannonaide was the name? He thought it was. He went in search, with every intention of being directed to where he could examine the body close up. If the man was killed by some means other than gun fire, he'd be able to figure out how real quick.

[Shinigori V2]

As Amleth leaves, one of the police officers approaches. "If you're looking for the body, sir, it was taken to the morgue already."

(I MEANT TO PUT THAT IN LIKE SIX TIMES)

[Besyanteo]

Oh good, that was literally perfect. All he needed was to be at the Morgue himself and he could start being useful.

"Could I get a ride out there? I'd like to examine the body in person."

[ChristianC]

"So, someone leapt to the ozer roof?" Alistair chuckled slightly and looked at the broken skylight over there. "I had a feeling it would be zo. Now we only need to find out who has hydraulics and... well, it would narrow ze list of possible suspects down quite a bit, would you not say."

"Of course, zis assuming our perpetrator is from around, and not visiting for business."

[Shinigori V2]

"We can take you out there once you have proper clearance." The captain says to Amleth. "For right now, at least, we can tell you that the body had bruises inflicted by someone with incredibly strong hands."

[Besyanteo]

He nodded slowly. Blunt force with incredible strength. He would just bet that the wounds would resembles those inflicted by someone wearing a cestus glove on close examination.

"Alright. Thank you Captain."

[Idran1701]

Looking out to the cracked skylight, Valentin frowns. "Somevone should investigate zat building, zen. I vill volunteer myself, if zere are no objections?" Amleth's theory does have a great deal of merit; he still doubts children, but someone with similar technology perhaps. And indeed, the idea that no one observed something here is odd but not inconceivable, he thinks; the idea of no one observing anything within the building there, however, is all but impossible.

Scarlett glances between the investigators, frowning a bit. "Ae'll go too! Not gonna jus' sit around'n do nothing, and Wunderkind're graet investigators! We're laek walkin' craem labs!"

[Shinigori V2]

"Good ideeyah!" Em shouts. "Red, jump 'cross th' alley t' that building there an' start workin' it out!"

[Idran1701]

Scarlett glares at Em, before looking back to the window. "Ae dinnae mean...it's a craem scene, Ae'm nae s'posed t'do stuff like that here. An' everyone outside'd see me too!"

[Shinigori V2]

Em makes a face. "We needta know if onna us can do that, right? So get to it!"

The woman in white nods to Valentin. "I'll go with, too. Especially if th' girlscouts're goin'."

[Idran1701]

"I said we're nae s'posed t'get seen, Em! Ae'm nae gonna break th'rules." Scarlett huffs, crossing her arms and keeping her glare leveled at Em.

And meanwhile, Valentin does his best not to scowl himself. He expected to go alone, or at least just with some of the actual investigative team. But it's out of his hands now. "...Of course. I vill meet you zere, zen?"

[Shinigori V2]

The woman in white nods. "Sure thing. By th' way, th' names Nat Hawk. Sergeant Hawk's fine."

Em sneers back. "I'm the master unit of this squad! How're you gonna get yer big metal butt over t' th' other side if yer not gonna jump!?"

[Idran1701]

Scarlett rolls her eyes, scoffing. "Walk? Ae'm jus' a kid inna costume if ae'm not doin' any super Wunderkind stuff, no one'll care then."

[Shinigori V2]

"Yeah, good ideal, they'll take y' right off th' scene, y'dope!"

Janda frowns. "We're giving the adults the worst impression..."

[Idran1701]

Valentin nods to Nat. "Sergeant." Giving the kids another short look, he heads out quickly to get away from their bickering; this had better just be a short-term project of the Empire's. He is not going to work long-term with a bunch of tantrum-throwing robots.

Scarlett scoffs again; Em is so dumb sometimes! "Huh? Nae, 'cause ae'll be with Nat an' that guy! Ae'm nae gonna be alone, Em, geez!"

[Shinigori V2]

"Let's see ya go when YER IN A HEADLOCK!"

And then Scarlett was in a headlock, with Janda trying to pry her arm off of Scarlett's neck. The STARS members busy themselves not watching, and Nat sighs, walking out the door.

[Gee Cee]

Emhyn looks at the scene unfolding in front of him for a moment before he too turns to leave. He covers his mouth as the faintest smile plays at the corners of his lips. It lasts almost a second; it's a good thing no one can see it.

"I'll join you," he says shortly to Valentin.

[ChristianC]

Alistair just... stared at the sudden explosion of action and laughed loudly.

"You kids are the result of ze project? Zis is wonderful, I feared ze worst when I read the summary I was given."

[Shinigori V2]

Janda sighs, frowning. "Yeah, this is...Us. Android bodies and mastery of technology and we're...Putting each other in headlocks."

"Maybe if she wasn' so dumb I wouldn't have to have 'er in a headlock!"

----

The troupe heading across the street makes their way over without incident. It seems nobody really cares about the other building.

Making their way to the top floor they see glass all around, shattered out from the window above. The place seems to have been abandoned years ago, and used as a squatter's den since, with various bedding and small objects scattered around.

[Idran1701]

Valentin gives the scene a brief once over before starting on a more in-depth analysis, taking in the surroundings and seeing what immediately catches his eye. His first focus is on the shattered glass, looking for any signs of blood or the like on it that someone crashing through the skylight should have left behind. Unless, of course, they are some sort of robot like these children seem to be. He sighs to himself for even considering the idea, but facts are facts. Once he's checked the glass, he moves on to the small objects, looking for anything that might have been left behind by the culprit, anything that doesn't seem to fit the scene. Something dropped, broken, anything of the sort that might give a hint who this person was, or where they went after landing.

---

Scarlett struggled against Em, trying to pull her head free to no avail. "Em...cut it out! Yae'r makin' us look dumb!"

[Shinigori V2]

There is, oddly enough...No scraps of clothing, no blood, nothing. Just shattered glass all over the floor.

----

"I'm not makin' us look dumb, YER makin' us look dumb!"

[Idran1701]

Having no luck with his first observations, Valentin looks in more detail for other sorts of evidence. Footprints, scrape marks, disturbed dust. Any trails their target might have left in their escape. If they were here, they must've left some sign that they were here.

---

"Nae, e'eryone's starin' at y'! Laemme go!" Tugging and pulling, she just glares, her face starting to turn even redder than her hair.

[Shinigori V2]

"Say uncle!" Em shouts. "Say uncle or you get a wunder-wedgie for desert!"

Janda just sighs, burying her face in her bulky glove.

---

Valentin looks...There are shoe prints. ...Kind of. Segmented in two parts, about the size of an adult males in length, but...Much wider. The shape is oval, and the step is very heavy.

[Idran1701]

Kneeling down, he considers this footprint, trying to figure out what could have made an impression like this. Motioning for the others in the room, he keeps his eyes on the floor. "I do not belief I haf ever seen a print like zis. Vat of you?"

---

"Nae! Leggo!" Flailing now, she does her best to pummel Em's head. "Look, yae'r even buggin' Janda now!"

[ChristianC]

Alistair stepped up to where Valentin was, bent his knees and looked at the print for a while before nodding thoughtfully to himself.

"Zis is the footstep of a wunderkind... or one of their models, I am sure of it..." he muttered with a bothered frown on his face. "It is ze only zing I can zink of, the perfect shape is not so natural, I believe." he grumbled slightly.

"I know not much else about ze project to be fair... I know zat zere might be ozer wunderkind projects, but I do not know how many, who are doing zem..."

[Idran1701]

Valentin scowls to Alistair, shaking his head lightly as he looks on the print. "Respectfully...I vould think it more like zat zis is some kind of equipment, sir. Perhaps...derived from zis...'Vunderkind' project. But I still cannot belief zat a child of any sort could commit a crime such as zis. It is far more likely to me zat zis is ze result of somevun vith advanced technologies zat allow him to perform zuch a feat."

Looking off along the prints, he stands, seeing just how far this trail goes; if nothing else, hopefully he can find out where this person left the building.

[ChristianC]

"Believe what you want, Valentin," Alistair shrugged, "but these children are weapon, or at ze very least soldiers. And what is a soldier if he cannot kill, non? Were we not told to leave what we knew of the world behind us?"

[Shinigori V2]

(SORRY ABOUT THE DELAY)

Other than the footprints, there are a number of scraps of paper blowing about in the apartment. A light snow begins to fall through the shattered skylight, and thunder can be heard overhead. Damned Imperial weather.

The paper has much the same as the ones from the apartment- Random scrawlings of words. "Who do you trust", "Who is your god", and similar phrases are found repeating.

However, as Valentin follows the footprints, he reaches a door on the far side of the room, which seems to be jammed.

[Idran1701]

Valentin follows the trail to their end, testing the door. With a small sigh, he glances back. "I suppose you haf a point, sir. But it is still an idea I vould rather find evidence otherwise. Turning a child into a veapon..."

After finding it jammed, he scowls, checking about again for any way to the other side of the door. He looks back to Alistair as he tries to find a suitable path. "I believe ve vill find something of relevance on ze ozer side of zis door. I think perhaps our target barred the way after passing through, and if ve are lucky, it vas vith something he had vith him razer zan something he found. Something traceable."

[Shinigori V2]

The door itself is metal, and completely jammed. THe area around it, oddly, is old, rotting drywall.

[Idran1701]

He takes another look at the wall about the door. "Zough I think ve could break through ze wall here if need be. I vould recommend vaiting on zat until this location has been catalogued as vell, seeing as zis is anozer potential crime scene. Vould you agree, sir?"

[ChristianC]

Alistair just gave a shrug, Valentin was allowed his opinions and honestly a lot of what he was saying was just guesswork.

Cracking his neck the large man stepped up to the wall around the door and glanced over at the other man. "I suppose I have ze patience to wait... hm... a minute or so, but unless zomeone's here by zen, I'll break zis wall down myself.

[Gee Cee]

Emhyn (who has clearly been with them all along) holds up a hand, signaling them to wait. Without time to get proper listening equipment, he presses an ear up against the wall and sees if he can hear any sounds coming from the other side.

If he doesn't, he pulls away and gives Alistair a nod.

[Shinigori V2]

There is very clearly someone speaking on the other side of the large, metal door. What they're saying, though, is...Impossible to make out without any equipment.

[Gee Cee]

Emhyn turns back and scans the room for anything he can use to improvise a listening device. One of these days he's going to carry his own, but for the moment he's got nothing. And getting reinforcements will take... he calculates. Longer than he wants to take. He looks to his companions and mouths the word 'talking.' Maybe one of them has something.

[Idran1701]

"...Sir, I...vould ask you not. Vat if there is evidence through zere zat your entrance vould harm? Ve may not be police, but zis is a crime scene still, ve must be-"

Valentin stops talking as Emhyn mouths at them, glancing to the wall. If there's someone through there, then the situation is much different. Drawing his sidearm, he clicks off the safety but keeps it low for now, stepping back and letting Emhyn continue his eavesdropping, but ready to strike as soon as the opportunity arises.

"...ve must be careful not to disturb ze site." He looks to Alistair, giving him a knowing nod. "Zis is a very sensitive matter, after all, sir. Vouldn't you agree?"

[Shinigori V2]

(Brooming a bit to ensure QUALITY CONTROL and that we keep moving.)

A minute passes, and Alistair's condition is not met. Easily knocking through the rotting drywall, he creates another entrance to the sealed room.

Looking in, the room is lit by a single flickering light over the door. Something is just barely visible in the dark shadow on the far end of the room. There's a very quiet speaking...A girl, from the sound of it. The light flickers again, and the talking stops. The light goes out entirely, and there's a giggle from the far end of the room.

...Then a strange, mechanical noise. Similar to hydraulics lifting and lowering something heavy- Kachunka.

Then another- Kachunka.

Kachunka. Kachunka. Kachunka.

The light flickers again. There's something black and metalic in a pool of sticky, steamy red stuff. Blood? The light goes out again.

Kachunka. Kachunka.

The light flickers again- There's a girl standing there now. Very pale skin, white hair, and a black and white Wunderkind outfit. But even as far as androids go, she's...Unsettling.

Her eyes are white dots on pure black fields, and twin streams of blood flow down her cheeks, dripping off her chin and puddling by her feet. Her fingertips do the same- Each finger dribbling blood into a large pool she stands in the middle of. She looks over the three men present slowly, before grinning, showing a mouth full of sharp, bloody teeth. Strangely, her voice is...Sweet. Smooth. Melodic. Almost like..Janda's.

"Oh, hello!"

[Idran1701]

Valentin raises his gun, levelling it at the new figure emerging from the chamber. Stepping back, he narrows his eyes, looking over...whatever this is.

"Whoever you are, stay vhere you are. Ve do not vant to hurt you. Now...who are you? Vere you responsible for vat occurred here?"

[Shinigori V2]

"I'm Sin!" The Wunderkind...Thing says as if they should already know that. She takes a step forward again and adds- "You can shoot me all you want, you can't hurt me. It takes more than the acts of one man to destroy Sin."