Badass Normal (Rozmer)

New York, the place Michael Daniels grew up, the place he spent his long career as a police detective before joining the Agency, his home. The city had been ravaged by all kinds of criminals, especelly since the assault. It had been rebuilt, and along with it a new criminal underground. This underground was powerful, mostly composed of metahumans or at least incredibly skilled and bold humans. Ultra Gang had moved in, monopolizing the entire cities crime. It seemed as soon as he left, all hell broke loose in the Empire City. This was personal, it wasn't just Agency work, in fact it was mostly off the books. This was his home, and it had been hit so hard over and over again, it needed saving. It may have seemed crazy to move against the Ultra Gang, especelly with the sheer power it wielded, but Daniels was an agent, this is what he was trained to do.

He would have to start at the bottom, get as much information as he could about the higher ranks before finally taking them down. He was confident, even though he was just a human, there was nothing mere about this mortal. Michael had gotten a call from an old friend in the police force, they said they needed his help in solving a metahuman related case. This, after all, was his expertise, and he couldn't say no to this friend, not after all they had done together. The crime scene was an alleyway, which sort of seemed cliche to be honest. Who walks down dark alleys in the crime ridden New York? It was day light thank god, that would make this whole thing a lot easier. Once Daniels crossed the crime tape, the officers split like the red sea, allowing him access to the body.

"Wow, seems our killer isn't very clean." Daniels said as he looked at the mutilated corpse. It was disgusting really, holes were all up and down his body, yet they clearly weren't gunshots. As for the head, well, pieces of it were all over the place. Daniels sucked his teeth, then put on rubber gloves and knelt down. He wouldn't use Substance B if he didn't have to, and honestly he didn't know if there was anything in the area the killer actually touched. He analyzed the entire scene, blue eyes shooting from one thing to the next rapidly. He looked over every inch of the body, looking for any projectiles but there were none. He then just sat and looked for a few moments, before finally standing up and removing his gloves.

"Yeah, this is definitely a metahumans doing. I noticed the metal button on his pants is gone, and that along with the tipped over trash can tells me......" Daniels paused before walking across the alleyway, outside the crime tape, to pick up the victims pants button.

"..Two things. First, our killer stood right about here. Second, we're dealing with a metahuman that can manipulate metal. It's not magnetism though, i can tell just by looking at this it's not ferromagnetic. Switch to plastic based weaponry for the remainder of this case. Our suspect is also not very good with their powers, the sloppy nature of the wounds and the fact they couldn't control exactly what they manipulated tells me this is someone who just manifested their abilities. We're looking for someone around the age of sixteen or seventeen, that's the most common age metahumans start to develop powers, though this is not a certainty, just very likely. If the person who took this mans life is that age, their probably a runaway at this point. A good place to start looking would be abandon buildings in the area. Think about what you would do if you were a scared kid with no place to stay, where would you sleep? I'm guessing that's where we'll find our suspect. If anyone makes contact, call me immediately. " Daniels then walked off, likely doing his own searching. People had to know that just because they had fancy powers, they weren't above the law, they weren't above getting caught and thrown in jail with cold hard evidence. This city needed cleansing, and Agent Michael Daniels was going to be the one to do it.

A cool breeze blew over Rozmer as he walked down a silent New York sidewalk. Cupping a hand to his mouth he lit his last cigarette of the pack, letting the smoke trail off in the wind. For the city that never sleeps it certainly was quiet out. Not that he minded. Most of Rozmer's time was spent crowded by so many different noises, sounds and people, it really was almost maddening. Even now, he was experiencing an infinity of possibilities in an innumerable number of realities. It was nice to have a quiet moment...but not here. The city street was grey and dull today, smoke rising from a nearby manhole cover. This simply wouldn't do, especially not as the place to enjoy the day's last cigarette.

Ducking into the alley, Rozmer realized just how wrong he had been about the silence he was experiencing. He was surrounded by cop cars, police tape and of course New York's finest. Well shit he muffled through his cigarette as he phased into the nearest building in the alley. Really hope none of them saw me. It would be just his luck to be convicted of some crime he had no idea about. Being caught wouldn't be the issue but being found out for what he was would be less than fun. Okay, think Rozmer. If they did see you, the easiest way to prove your innocence would be to get the crime solved. Yea that was an idea. A Rozmer appeared next to Rozmer inside the wall, each of them shaking hands and complimenting each other on the idea before the new Rozmer vanished.

So, let's figure out what exactly happened here, he thought as he drifted silently into the adjacent room from the alley. The sight inside was grizzly no doubt. A man had been turned to swiss cheese right in the center of the room and his head was scattered to all four corners. Poor bastard. Well okay so it appeared that murder was the crime and an out of place suit was the one investigating. Buddy up to the suit, find out what he knows, maybe I can help.

Rozmer waited for the man to exit the crime scene and get a little more secluded. It didn't take long. Once the man was out of sight of the police Rozmer appeared a few feet in front of him, his cigarette casting veils of smoke over his purple sunglasses. So, you're the man to see about this metahuman murder. Rozmer said rather frankly. Honestly he knew he would probably catch the man a little off guard but sometimes it was fun to make an entrance. However, he needed to make sure he wasn't shot or arrested on the spot. My name's Rozmer, and I think I might be able to help you out, if you're willing to trust me that is.

So where would he go next? Well, considering the large area they had to cover to find this kid, he himself probably wouldn't find them. Luckily though there were plenty of beat cops already on that, so really he was just waiting around for a call. He would search anyway though, he wasn't one to be the boss in the background doing nothing. Leg work was important really, it wasn't the fun part about being a cop you see on TV, but most of the time that's what you were doing. It was a bunch of paper work and searching with the occasional gun fight if you were lucky. That was one thing he liked about the Agency, much more action.

His suspect was sloppy. Sure they were probably feeling confident that they left no traces, but little did the killer know the cops were already hot on their trail. That was the problem today, there was no fear of getting caught like there used to be. Before, if you robbed a bank you were almost certainly going to jail, now, now banks were knocked off all the time and became battlegrounds for 'heroes' and 'villains'. They were all the same, metahumans, regardless of the morality they tagged themselves with. They didn't give a shit about anyone in the end, all they cared about was their own gain or the fun that came with pretending to be some comic book character. Why did his suspect kill the man? Well, Daniels had realized long ago most metahumans answer to that question was 'because i can', as twisted and horrible as that seemed. This person killed someone, so he was going to feel the boot of justice up his ass, metahuman or not.

Daniels got out of sight of the other cops, starting to walk the city streets. This was going to be like finding a needle in a haystack, though, that was sort of what he did. He was about to venture into some old building, looked like a place someone would hide out, but stopped because, well, someone appeared before him. Daniels was pretty shocked, he had seen similar abilities before, but they never really stopped being surprising. He just looked at the being, not phased at all. It seemed this person wanted to help him, or so they said. He didn't know what to think.

"You're correct, I'm handling the case. If you have any information about it, do tell. Other then that, i don't need civilian help. Thing about it is, i don't trust anyone, especelly not superhumans." Michael said. He made sure to not say metahuman, that always got a response something along the lines of 'but I'm not a metahuman.' or some other technicality. They were all the same to him, people with powers all had the same recklessness and arrogance.

Rather stern man this one was. Though as Rozmer looked over his attire and heard his words he got a pretty good idea of who this guy was. Not the kind of person an ordinary metahuman would want to go messing with. Honestly, Rozmer was unsure if that whole issue was even still going on or if his immunity was still valid. He hoped so. There was no need for conflict with those people, especially since all he wanted to do was help. And as if his clothes and posture weren't enough to give him away his "I don't trust superhumans" schtick was a dead ringer. Rozmer had to laugh a small chuckle escaping his lips as he looked to the man and adjusted his glasses. Look, no I don't have any information on the case. His shoulders slumped like a kid explaining the answer to a question that their parents were expecting. What I'm offering you is help in finding the bastard that mutilated that man. There was now anger in his voice as his posture raised and he pointed off in the direction of the crime scene.

I can get you places you can't, search areas wider than any of your men. This isn't some kind of power trip for me. I just want to help. Now the frustration was coming out. Rozmer hated to see innocents harmed, well, assuming that the murder victim had been innocent. But that was yet to be determined. Regardless, suffering was not something he wanted to see and the metahuman that did it needed to face justice. I get the whole brooding secret agent thing but what can I do to prove to you that I can help you on this?

It seemed as if this person just wanted to help. Could have been one of those hero types, or perhaps something more. He had a certain mystery about him, one that made Michael curious. Maybe he didn't have to trust him to get his help, maybe he could get this over with faster and move on to something more important. But what was the motive, could it be that this being just wanted justice? Daniels couldn't help but think that was unlikely, but then again, that was his own motive ultimately.

The mysterious man asked what he could do to prove he could help Michael on this, and really the only thing he could do was speed up the whole searching thing. After that, Daniels was quite sure he could handle everything else. Michael sighed, putting his hands on his hips as he thought about the choice presented. Their wouldn't be any harm in working with this person just a short while, would there?

"If you can find the suspect faster then my men and you want to help, go ahead and do it. But after that i don't need you, i don't want this turning into some superhuman battle that will cause collateral damage." Daniels said, stating his terms simply. He assumed the being had some form of extra sensory ability, but that was just an assumption after all.

Rozmer had to laugh. Agents were always assuming the worst, that somehow he was going to cause collateral damage in a super fight. With his abilities it was rather difficult to actually cause collateral damage. If there was any, it would come from the murderous metahuman. Well Rozmer would begin if I'm going to help I'm going to need some information. You can't just expect me to find this needle in a haystack with no info can you? He took another puff from his cigarette, letting the smoke fill his lungs only to exit again in a stream of grey. You have some idea of who this kid is and the areas he might be I'm assuming. Narrow the playing field for me and you'll have your man, I can almost guarantee it."

So he wanted information. That of course was expected, but he hoped the being understood that Michael had just taken a look at the crime scene minutes ago. Yes his keen eyes picked up far more then anyone else would be able to, but it still wasn't all that much to go on.

"It's actually a she. She's about sixteen or seventeen years of age. Likely a runaway, and judging from where she stood, the most likely direction she went is the way i was headed before you confronted me. If I'm correct, she should be quite close. A few blocks from here if that. Perhaps in a place with plenty of metal to defend herself with." Daniels said. It was pretty much all he knew about the situation, save a few small details. He hoped that was enough for the guy, because if it wasn't talking to him was just wasting time.

A she? A he? Well actually it was quite convenient to know otherwise Rozmer would have been looking for the complete opposite gender. That would be a bust. You can't exactly help someone by apprehending and innocent now can you? Well that's convenient. Rozmer would blurt out through the end of his cigarette, then flicking it away and stamping it out with his foot. If she's close I'll find her. His body would appear to blink out of existence just for a moment, hoping to give the Agent the illusion that he was a speedster of some kind. When in reality, in that moment he disappeared and frantically sought out the location of the girl, blinking from spot to spot in rapid succession. And wouldn't you know it the Agent was right.

Not four blocks from where they were standing was an old factory. The outside would have appeared inconspicuous except for the twisted and gnarled metal all around the site. Even that would not have been so suspicious if the metal were not formed into symetrical patterns, all facing outwards like spikes and barricades on the beaches of Normady. That is one paranoid little metahuman. Rozmer thought as he reappeared to the Agent. You've got a knack for this Agent he exclaimed gleefully. He then threw his left thumb over his shoulder, pointing in the direction of the mangled makeshift hideout. She's about four block that way. Dude, just wait until you see this place. That girl's got one hell of an ability. With that Rozmer would duck out of the way and sweep his arms suggesting that the Agent go investigate. After you. Trust me, you aren't gonna need me to point this place out to you, he chuckled.

So now it seemed he would just wait, though it took less time then he expected. This Rozmer character zoomed off at high speeds, then returned with information on his suspect. Well this sped things up, so Daniels was glad for that. A comment was made about the metahumans ability, which made Michael think for a moment. That could mean a few things, but it usually meant that it was impressive. Daniels would need to be careful, because after all, he was only human.

"Well then, lets head on down there." Daniels said before raising his arm to press a few buttons on his watch. With the rough general area of the factory punched in, he would activate his teleporter. He disappeared in a flash of cyan, and in an instant appeared four blocks away. He was confident Rozmer would be there shortly, but he used the short time he had to check his surroundings. It didn't take very long for him to see the place, and my god was it obvious.

"For someone so paranoid you don't seem like you're hiding....." Daniels said to himself, thinking hard on that statement. He didn't know what he would find inside, but he sure as hell wasn't going to barge in there.

"I have a location, the factory on 25th and Varick. Standby and don't make a move until i say." Michael muttered into his radio before looking for a way inside that was less direct. Perhaps Roz could get him in quietly.

"Can you get us inside without alerting her?" Daniels asked once Rozmer showed up.