[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/200427/12e716eb3fcde6923781cf99dc1a0a73.png[/img]

Grace looked down at the handkerchief in her hands, confused, before casually tossing it over her shoulder. With a flash of purple light, it was almost instantaneously sucked into a portal and was gone in seconds. She then regained her usual state of uncaring, haughtily lifting her chin in Pandora's direction. [color=DarkOrchid]"If you have something to say, you might as well say it to the group,"[/color] Grace said airily before her eyes wandered over to the police officer. She nodded her head stiffly as he spoke. One of her colleagues finally seemed to have developed a noggin. Good for him. [color=DarkOrchid]"Alright. I should be able to teleport you into the vicinity- it'll help save some time with the commute, especially considering the rain and...general chaos. You ought to go, and Pandora and Patricia probably should as well, if they want to, at least. HERO One is a security nightmare; it'll be difficult moving more than two people tops without being pinned down by security. You can just hide behind a trashcan if you want. When you're finished with whatever..."[/color] Grace opened a portal to her side and reached inside, pulling out what appeared to be two gold rings. They were impeccably crafted and had a smooth quartz gem in its center. Grace tossed one to Patricia. [color=DarkOrchid]"It's a nice mood ring, but it also has a GPS and communicator under the gemstone that links with its twin. Press down on it for a few seconds and I'll open a portal by your location. I got one for...never mind."[/color] Grace swiped her hand twice, opening two large, person-sized portals. [color=DarkOrchid]"That should take you to Club 27. We'll meet back here most likely once you've found what you need to find. I think it's best that Chet comes with me...I have a sneaking suspicion he's going to have a negative reaction to corpses."[/color]

As Grace heard what Alpha had to say, she craned her head to take a look out the window. [color=DarkOrchid]"Somebody set off the HERO One flare...shit. I'll take a look at it,"[/color] Grace said, rubbing her temples once again, this time to try and de-stress herself. [color=DarkOrchid]"I'm not even going to question how Rubber Man could beat Blake...there's a lot of information on the table here that I can't seem to piece together. There's something afoot..."[/color] Grace stepped towards her portal. [color=DarkOrchid]"Stay safe,"[/color] Grace said, to Patti in particular, before vanishing through the portal, expecting for Chet (or what is Brad?) to follow her. 

She stepped out of the portal right in front of (former) Director Powers' office, her etiquette seeming to have gotten the better of her once again. She was surprised to find, though, that the door to Powers' office was off its hinges, instead laying on the ground in front of the doorway. [color=DarkOrchid]"Stay quiet,"[/color] Grace whispered to Chad, a portal discus forming in her hand as she crept into the room to see...Starbright. Somebody who she was certainly not expecting to see. [color=DarkOrchid]"Woah..."[/color] Grace said, standing in the doorway, entirely starstruck for a solid couple seconds, before at least partially regaining her composure.[color=DarkOrchid]"Starbright!"[/color] Grace chirped. [color=DarkOrchid]"What are you doing here...I mean, obviously you’re investigating, such a silly question..."[/color] Grace blushed. The rational, intelligent part of her brain was screaming and trying to take control of her body again, but the hormones were currently on blast.  [color=DarkOrchid]"I mean, you know, it’s just really weird seeing you! I’m Grace, I mean, Bypass, I mean, I’m a hero here..."[/color] Grace said, her face tinged with red. Her brain slowly managed to take control of her body once again, and she quickly pointed out, [color=DarkOrchid]”Might not be a good idea to put your feet on any of the Director’s stuff! He is very cautious about people in his office, you might accidentally set off-"[/color] 

A loud blaring sound resonated through Powers’ office. 

[color=DarkOrchid]"...an alarm,"[/color] Grace finished, obviously a few moments too late. [color=DarkOrchid]"You’ve got to be fucking kidding…[i]jeongmal jjajeungnanda,”[/i][/color] she said snappily, her hands balled into frustrated fists as she quickly thought of a plan.  [color=DarkOrchid]"Alright...alright...I wasn’t expecting this, but we’ll figure it out. Just...stay here. It’s me they’re after, so that’s who they’ll come for.”[/color] Grace snapped her fingers quietly as she thought. [color=DarkOrchid]"If you see any Wings of Law by themselves, take them out if you can. Otherwise, don’t do anything stupid,”[/color] Grace commanded. [color=DarkOrchid]"Figure something out. I’ll try and draw them away..”[/color] And with that bit of very specific advice, Grace stepped back out into the hallway. 

The alarm bells blared in the hallway as Grace quietly moved through the executive hallway. At the very least, she was fairly sure that the Wings did not have access to HERO One’s cameras, nor their other security mechanisms, so whatever Wings of Law where present were likely operating off of just sound, not off of HERO One’s security network. Grace made her way over to the broom closet (unaware of the hidden elevator inside) and found the circuit box she had guessed would be inside. She pried the box open and ran her finger down its center, causing the power on the fourteenth floor to black out. 

Grace smirked as she stepped out into the now-dark hallway. 

[hr][hr]

Brightside’s eyes widened as Tom spoke. “What?! You’re telling me that Bypass was here?! Shit…” She put the phone to her ear, but could hardly begin to utter a word before she heard a loud siren noise echo from the lower levels. She put her cell phone back in her pocket and instead grabbed the walkie-talkie that was strapped to her shoulder. “Got it,” she said after putting the walkie-talkie. “You two, with me. You were right, Spacewalker. Bypass set off an alarm that we’re pinpointing to the executive floor. 14th. Accompanied by Starbright and some other guy. Not sure what she’s doing, but it can’t be anything good. Let’s hurry before she can portal out,” Brightside said, walking rapidly over to the main elevator. “Let’s go!” she snapped again as she made her way over to the elevator.

The three (Brightside, Beardman, and of course Tom) descended awkwardly in the elevator to the 14th floor (evidently, awkward elevator rides were a theme of the day). When the elevator doors skidded open, they found a hall of pitch darkness. Brightside stepped out, mumbling something quickly into her walkie-talkie again before looking over at the other two. “She cut out the lights. Figures. Alright, let’s split up and find her. Spacewalker, head right. I’ll take the left flank with Beardman. Smoke them out. Back-up is on its way, I’ve been told, but let’s hope we don’t need it.” With that, Brightside flicked out a flashlight, and she, along with her bearded companion, headed left, towards Christina’s office, leaving Tom to navigate the right hallway. 

[hr][hr]

Grace, who had backed herself into a small cranny, heard footsteps heading down the hallway, and saw a light approaching down the way. She took a breath and then opened a portal right in front of her. Her estimations in the dark were correct. Before he could even make a noise, Beardman was sucked into a portal like he had been flushed down a multi-dimensional toilet. Brightside turned to look for Grace, shining her flashlight around to face her, but Beardman promptly came crashing down on [i]top[/i] of her, smooshing her to the ground with hardly more than a light [i]thump.[/i] Grace smiled proudly at her handiwork, giving Beardman a gentle kick in the head to make sure he was out cold. He was.

Grace was about to head back to the office and report a completed expedition when, in her peripheral vision, she was something shiny flash behind her. She turned around swiftly, only to see darkness, a small shimmer of light from underneath Beardman’s massive body. Grace shrugged and turned out around again when she suddenly felt an arm wrap around her neck suddenly and yank her back, a crushing steel grip around her throat. She just managed to choke out a loud cry before being grabbed. She grasped at the arm, trying to pry herself free, but found that the arm was not made of flesh and bone. It was hard steel. Grace already knew who the voice belonged to before she heard him speak.

[color=olive]”Missed me, sweet pea?”[/color] Mr. Impressive asked in a manner that could only be described as frightening to the bones. His iron face (which had a strange red spot around his right eye, a bruise, perhaps?) contorted into a smile as he held Grace tightly against him with one arm, the other arm twirling a scarily-long dagger. [color=olive]”Isn’t this lovely? Just the two of us, alone, in the dark...so scenic, guhuhuhu~”[/color] the deranged ‘hero’ laughed as he twirled the knife effortlessly. [color=olive]”Let’s dance...”[/color]

[@Duoya] [@Jumbus]

[hr][hr]

[h3]Club 27, Kingsdale[/h3]

Meanwhile, the other portal lead the other group of heroes out in an alleyway, conveniently behind a large dumpster, right near Club 27 in Kingsdale. The gorgeous Wings of Law club was currently surrounded by police tape and police cruisers, with a variety of officers on the scene, moving about and talking to each other. Ambulances were also parked nearby, and barricades had been created down the sides of the road. Whatever had happened, it was clearly a very big crime scene. 

At the front of the investigation was an old friend of the gang, a newly-promoted Sergeant Bulldog. He was not ACTUALLY a bulldog, mind, but he certainly had the looks of one- he was short, stocky, and chubby, with a sagging face and large jaw that made him look like he could take a solid bite out of a human. He was holding a clipboard, barking orders at his men. “Let’s wrap up here and get moving! We know Aria is out there somewhere, probably choosing her next location, so we have to get a fucking move on before that happens! We need patrols all across the city. And somebody get a hold of K9!” Bulldog shook his head. “Fucking amateurs…”

[@Zoey Boey] [@canaryrose] [@Amethyst] [@DarkRecon]
[/center]