Saturday, September 5

- - - - -

My phone buzzed, and I slammed my Extra Relations book shut, happy for the interruption. It was the Magical Girl Understudy number, which was weird. Only Rocko called this number—them and a few other superheroes. But Bee was in the room with me, and she usually texted, Tele-Portal’s number was in my phone, and TUSSA members used email or group texts.

“Magical Girl Understudy!” I said.

“Detective Rathburn, TCPD. We talked last spring about a Henchman who’d been involved in a semi collision.”

“Yes, I remember,” I said. That Episode had been a real eye-opener about danger. “How can I help you? And can I put you on speaker? My sidekick’s here, too.”

Bianca narrowed her eyes at me slightly. We’d talked about the ‘S’ word, but I’d forgotten. “Sorry. My partner.”

“Of course.” He paused for a moment to let me fiddle with my phone, then spoke again, echoing through the Green Room. “The Tokyexico City Police Department needs your help. I’m at a crime scene in the Poudre district, at the corner of Eighty-Fifth and Gold Dust. My partner and I know it’s a supervillain—probably 3V1L—and that’s a little past our pay grades. We talked with the Council of Heroes, who pointed us toward you. Something about your new rogues?”

“Yep. We’ve got a whole collection now,” I said.

“Great. Glad their info was right. Could you come out in, say, twenty minutes? My partner’s going back to HQ to check up on some leads, but I’ll be around.”

“Sure. We’re on the case,” I said after looking at a nodding Bianca for confirmation. “We’ll bring our best Investigative set-ups. See you in twenty.”

“Thanks. Goodbye, MG Understudy.” The phone clicked off, and I glanced at Bianca. She was already going for her backpack and the fursuit inside, leaving me to deal with my power-set for the Episode.

After some serious pondering, I came up with the following two changes. I cut [Starlance] for [Check the Script] and [Hog the Limelight] for [Audition Notes], giving me two Cunning powers to drive an Investigative Episode forward. [Check the Script] gave me on-demand information and clues, while [Audition Notes] was a power I’d picked up during ‘Winter is Coming’ and promptly set aside. It didn’t fit in any of my builds so far, but for something like this, it’d be perfect.

[Alias - Understudy] [Archetype - Magical Girl] [Community Rank - 219/523]

[HP 11/11]

[Styles and Skills]

►Archetype Skill - Transformation Sequence

►Combo Skills - Power-Weaving

►Badass (49)

►Cunning (33)

► Check the Script 1

► Audition Notes 1

►Drama (46)

► Bit-Part Barrage 2

►Flamboyance (38)

►Signature Skill - Adaptive Armoire 3

►Stored Costumes: (Rainy Day, Copy Cat, Lab Assistant Panic)

►Solar Wing 1

► Quick-Time Change 3

►Grit (33)

► I-Frame Transform 3

The new set-up didn’t support sustained fighting, but I’d rely on Copy Cat and, shockingly, Lab Assistant Panic for that job. Both had the ability to fight sustained battles, Copy Cat in melee and Lab Assistant thanks to TA-1LZ and [Science has Rules?].

I glanced at Fursona, then blinked. “That’s new.”

“Sure is. This is my Eagle-sona costume. Pataki made it for me, and it seems more built for an Episode like this. Increased vision, a few talon attacks, a screech for ranged damage, and flight.” She shivered. “I’m not sure about the flight. Heights aren’t great for me, but maybe if I’m in control?”

“You’ll be fine. You’ve got this. But let’s take Bombing Run off our list of moves while you’re an eagle.”

“Nah, it can stay. But you can cover my dive-bomb runs. I don’t think I’ll be as effective in them, but I can do them at my own speed now.” Fursona finished strapping on the helmet.

I nodded appreciatively at her costume. It had ‘real’ feathers, not plush, and it’d probably be less fun to hug, but she looked way more intimidating. Pataki had matched her colors, giving her wings and body a metallic-blue coloring and the costume over the top orange stripes. She looked fast, and the eagle’s eyes glared out at me. “It looks great!”

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Thanks. Let’s get out there.” She headed for the stairs, talons clicking on the floor, and I followed.

◄▼►

As we flew over the Poudre districts, I fired up the Casting Call for an Investigative Episode.

[Investigative Casting Call]

[Investigative Episode: The Gold Dust Avenue Mystery - PG]

[Role: Amateur Sleuth! Do you accept the role? (Yes/No)]

[Role Focus: Cunning+Drama]

[The Gold Dust Avenue Mystery: Act One in Progress]

I accepted, and so did Fursona. I didn’t want to deal with an Investigative Episode, but it was a lead toward a minor league one; Detective Rathburn thought it involved our rogue’s gallery, and we needed to lock down an Episode for Rocko whenever we could. “We’ll talk with Rathburn, then check out the crime scene and patrol from there!” I shouted over the wind.

“Got it!” Fursona said, feathers whistling in the wind. “I see him!”

A moment later, the detective came into view for me. He stood on the corner with a half-dozen cops inside a taped-off intersection. He wore an officer’s outfit, the dark navy shirt and pants marking him as part of the TCPD. While the other cops looked busy doing cop things, he seemed more occupied with giving orders. I dipped down and landed outside of the tape, then nodded. “Detective, Magical Girl Understudy and Fursona on the case!”

“Thanks, MG Understudy,” Rathburn said. He pointed at the corner, where an officer had placed a familiar-looking helmet in a bag. “3V1L was definitely here.”

“Yep,” Fursona said. “That’s a 3V1L helmet, alright. What do you have for us? Anything to get us started?”

“Officers responded to a call about a mugging-gone-wrong a couple of hours ago, just before dawn. When they got here, the victim was on the street. She’s alive, but she’s in the hospital, so interviews aren’t an option. Supposedly, someone hit her hard enough to knock her out cold and break some bones. We dug around and found the helmet nearby, which told us we were dealing with supervillains.”

I [Checked the Script]. For a moment, nothing lit up, but as I panned around the area, I caught a faint glow from a nearby apartment tower’s roof. I pointed. “Detective, I’m heading up there. If there’s anything else, Fursona can—“

Before I could finish, Fursona took off. “I’ve got this,” she said, disappearing into the sky, wings flapping.

“Or…that. That’s fine, too.” I watched her fly away and turned back to the detective. “Anything else?”

“Yes. There’s only one set of tracks leaving the crime scene. It was a solo attack, but that’s not how 3V1L operates. They’re always in a pack of henchmen, usually with one or two Vs and a pile of lieutenants as support. They’ve been acting weird since Golden Goose cleaned them out last year, but this is too far out of their usual M.O.”

“Understood. So we’re possibly looking for a solo 3V1L hench? Or do you think it’s a set-up?” I wasn’t sure who’d be setting 3V1L up, but Detective Rathburn was right. This didn’t feel like how the group had operated in the past.

[Good Thinking! +1 Cunning Point]

[Clever Assist! +1 Cunning Point]

Fursona glided down with something clutched in her talons. When she landed, I saw what it was: a rifle, complete with scope. “This is weird,” she said, dropping it.

“That is strange,” Rathburn agreed. It doesn’t look rusted or weathered, so it hasn’t been there long. Do you think they’re related?”

“I don’t know, but I want to talk to a local or two. They must’ve heard something.” I headed for the apartment building’s door.

“I’ll check the other rooftops,” Fursona said. “Detective, you might want to spread your people out and search for other clues nearby. This feels bigger than a mugging gone wrong.”

As she took off again, I watched her go, then shook my head. I’d let her have this.

----------------------------------------

I knocked on a third-floor door. “Hello. Magical Girl Understudy on official superhero business. I’m investigating a superpowered crime that happened here last night. I need to ask you a few questions,” I said. I was getting good at the speech after the last six doors I’d randomly selected.

The door opened, and a balding man in a white tank top poked his head out. The air inside smelled like Rocko’s Studio or my parents’ double-wide, but worse. He nodded once. “Come on in.”

I used [Audition Notes].

[Informed! +1 Cunning Point]

[Audition Notes for John Deer: This Extra’s not the cooperative type by default. Still, whether he heard or saw something, he knows something. What he does with that information, he’s not sure. Does he tell the pig down on the street, or does he keep it to himself until he can profit from it? John Deer is leaning toward profit.]

I grabbed a kitchen chair, spun it backward, and sat down as ‘John Deer’ returned to a well-worn La-Z-Boy armchair. The TV showed a football game on mute, and he stared at it, almost ignoring me until I cleared my throat. “Last night, someone got hurt down on the street. We found evidence that someone was on top of the building. Did you hear anything?”

I already knew he had, but I hoped he’d tell me right away. Still, it wasn’t a shock when he shook his head. “Nope. I was watching the games.”

“You’re sure? Because it happened right outside, you know?”

“Yeah. I’m sure. The window was closed, the game was on, and I was on my way to wasted.”

The pile of bottles in the corner and the muted TV proved that. If he’d drank that much, he probably had a massive hangover. Still, I needed to find the truth, and this guy was the closest I had to a lead. I stood up and pointed at the chrome camera hovered overhead. “You know, I’m a minor league heroine, and this is being filmed. That means you’re being filmed. Now—what’s your name, anyway?”

“Bob.”

I struggled not to roll my eyes. Either his name was Bob, and he just had the perfect name, or he didn’t want to say it on camera. “Now, Bob, you have the chance to be a hero and help keep the Poudre district safe. I just need to know a few things. Did you hear a gunshot last night?”

Bob rubbed his temples. The hangover seemed real enough, and I felt for him, but only a little. Then he opened his eyes. “Nope. No gunshots.”

“Anything else?”

“Yeah. Someone went inside the building across the street, just after a fight started. Might check the basement. That it?”

[Persuasive! +1 Drama Point]

[Good Thinking! +1 Cunning Point]

“Yes, that’s it,” I said. I headed for the door, opened it, then turned. “Thanks, Bob. You’ve been a real help.”

Then, before he could respond, He headed back outside with the drone following close behind. Fursona landed next to me, sniffing through her modulator. “Smells worse than your parents’—“

“I know. The guy was gross, but he said something about the basement across the way. Maybe we’ll find something there.” I nodded at Detective Rathburn, then pointed. “Could you keep a wide perimeter around that building? Cover the entrances and the sides. I got a tip that something went down in there last night, too, but it didn’t get reported to you.”

He nodded, and I continued. “Fursona, you’re not equipped for a basement fight. Still want in?”

“Absolutely.”

“Great. Let’s head in.” I readied my wand, opened the door, and headed down the hall toward the apartment building’s basement.