[CENTER][H3][B][COLOR=C18DC3][hr]Priya Khurana[/COLOR][/B][/H3][sub][i]City Streets[/i], The Spires, [b]Lilith[/b] | 7:20 PM [/sub][/CENTER][hr]

The drive to The Spires was almost uneventful, but people had a habit of driving like mad men whenever it was raining. Why was that? On an otherwise clear day, people drive normally, but water gets on the road and people panic. Priya thought about that as she listened to the music on the radio. Some catchy tune was playing. She didn't like it, but it got stuck in her head and she ended up singing along.

Finally, she got into The Spires. The feel of the place was...off. There was no one walking around. Even on a rainy day, there would still be people on the streets, walking home, going shopping, dining out. She drove casually, keeping an eye out for anyone or anything. Something didn't feel right. Her detective instincts were on high alert.

As she turned the corner, she saw two uniformed officers underneath an awning. She didn't recognize them, but there were a lot of officers in different sections and precincts. She pulled up to the side and got out. She could feel their eyes on her. Some cops didn't like others milling around on their turf, so it was to be expected. But she could feel the unease and the distrust.

[color=C18DC3]"Evening gentlemen. Detective Priya Khurana. Got word of some trouble coming out of this area. Anything of note?"[/color] The two officers sized her up. She could see one of them grin a bit. Obviously, he didn't think she looked like a detective. Made things easier in her line of work, usually. "Fraid not, lady. Been a quiet night," one of the officers spoke. Priya stood firm, [color=C18DC3]"That seems unusual in and of itself, don't you think? There's usually something going on. Drunken patrons at the bar, domestic disturbance, hell even a jaywalker. But nothing out of the ordinary?"[/color] The two officers stood at attention now. They did their best to look formidable. Their posture spoke as if to say "You're asking a lot of questions" and that made her even more on alert. "Nothing, Detective," though when he said detective, she detected the venom behind it, "Been real quiet. It's nice to have a quiet night, now and then, don't you think? Rest assured, we got it handled." Priya narrowed her eyes. These two were being real cheeky, but she had no proof of any wrongdoing. [color=C18DC3]"All right officers. Thanks,"[/color] she turned and made her way back to her car, but she stopped midway and turned back, [color=C18DC3]"Oh, before I forget. We're taking up a fund for Martha's birthday gift. You remember Martha right? Dispatcher everyone loves? She's turning 60. You can donate it at headquarters."[/color] The officers nodded "Yeah, good ol' Martha. We'll come give when we're able to. Goodnight detective."

Priya made it back to her car and drove off. She turned the corner and parked her car again and made a call to Paul. "Priya, my lucky day." [color=C18DC3]"No time for jokes, Paul. You were right. Something is not right over here. I need help figuring out what."[/color] Paul got quiet briefly "No kidding? I didn't think much of it. What makes you so sure?"

[color=C18DC3]"Because Martha retired years ago and she was the biggest bitch I've ever met. Every officer knows that."[/color]

[hr]

Her and Paul talked back and forth. Something was going on here. Something that made people not go outside.

"What places could you check out? If it's big, they would need a big place to do their business." Priya thought about it for a bit. [color=C18DC3]"The hotel? It's big, could see them defending it while they did whatever it is they are doing in there. It's gotta be big, Paul. There's no one on the streets apart from the officers. And I use that term loosely. I don't think these men are cops."[/color]

Paul's tone dropped a bit, "Be careful Priya. If what you say is true, you could be going into somewhere dangerous. Let me call you back-up." Priya spoke up instantly, [color=C18DC3]"No, Paul! If you do that, we could spook them all into hiding. People could get hurt. It seems like the police are here already and adding more may cause panic. Let me see if I can handle this. If you don't hear from me in 2 hours, then call for back-up. Thanks Paul."[/color] She hung up after that. The message was there. In 2 hours, she could be dead.

She did have back-up though. Her power. She didn't understand it much, but she put the pieces together. She was a Hyperhuman. They were interesting, to say the least. Targets to some, victims to others. She had a unique gift. Whenever she was in danger, she would adapt and grow a power to help her. She remembered when she first learnd of it. Some freak was trying to drown her and she was able to breathe underwater. It scared her, at first. But she adapted to the best of her ability. The power didn't stay, but she learned it happened whenever danger was around. No one knew of her power, except for her. She didn't want her job in jeapordy.

So at least she had that in her pocket. She drove quickly towards the hotel. Every instinct told her that's where she needed to be. She just wondered what she would find when she got there.