[sup][h1][center][img]Banner[/img][/center][b][center][color=black] M A R T I A N  M A N H U N T E R[/color]
[color=green]M A R T I A N  M A N H U N T E R[/color][/center]
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[color=darkorange]POLICE PRECIENT STATION[/color]
[color=green]Manhattan/Bronx, New York City[/color]

The chime hit the hour just as John Jones arrived in the station.

"Jones, you made it!" Lieutenant Baxter glanced at the clock. "Just in time as always."

He shrugged. [color=green]"I do seek to be punctual, Lieutenant."[/color] Then made sure to clock in. [color=green]"How are things?"[/color]

"Busy as usual." Baxter leaned back in his seat. "Captain Stacy's talkin' with someone about something, I don't know what at the moment. We sent a squad of boys over to a reported giant shark attacking stalls in the fish market. We're not exactly clear because all the 911 calls are pretty scrambled.  Then we just got reports of an airplane explosion over in Metropolis, though thankfully no one was hurt since 'Thor' it seems landed the plane. If the bomb gets traced here, then we'll have to deal with that. So hopefully it stays in Metropolis. Then of course, we have all the usual. Gang fights, robberies, thefts, complaints, drug dealing, all the rest. So all in all, a pretty typical day for us."

[color=green]"Indeed."[/color] He then headed to his desk, noticing the other detectives either hard at work on their computers, missing from their desks, or 'discretely' whiling away time on their phones. 

"Don't get too comfortable yet. I got a case for you."

[color=green]"Really?"[/color] He immediately sprang back to the lieutenant's desk.

Baxter chuckled. "No wonder you became a detective so quick. We got a suspected murder and kidnapping in an apartment down by the river. Could just be a burglary gone really awry, but still, best for you to check it over. Here's the dossier." He handed him a folder.

And John took it firmly, smiling slightly. [color=green]"Still prefer the paper dossiers I see."[/color]

"Hey, you gotta get your eyes off the computer sometime. Also, this way you can make sure to look through it carefully, take notes, and know what info you were given and what got changed later. You'll understand someday, greenhorn."

[color=green]"We'll see, old man."[/color] Then he went through the file, carefully flipping through the sheets. Honestly, he didn't mind the paper. Mars had been basically all digital for as long as he could remember so it was still such a novelty to be able to handle paper like this. But he wasn't going to ever say that. That would be admitting too much. Then he paused. [color=green]"The kidnapped is a child."[/color]

"A girl, yeah...Six years old." He sighed. "It could just be that she ran when the shots were fired and hasn't made her way back home yet. Still, best to see if you can also figure out what happened to her. We got some boys on it, but, especially with that 'shark attack', we're spread a bit thin. If you can find out where she is, then maybe we can get her before it becomes a case for the organized crime or vice squads."

[color=green]"I'll do all I can."[/color]

"That's all we can ask. Do take the squad car though. It's more official looking and quicker than just walking there. Also, please don't feel like you have to wear that trench coat all day. It's not exactly cold out today."

[color=green]"And ruin the look? I can withstand a little heat. I'll check in when I get there."[/color] Then he headed for the stairs down.

"Be sure to! There'll be two officers there waiting as well, so don't go lone wolf!"

[color=green]"Roger that, Lieutenant!" [/color] Then with a salute, he headed down the stairs and looked more thoroughly over the dossier. A girl's life was at stake. He couldn't mess this up.

[hr]

[color=darkorange]SOMEWHERE IN THE AMERICAN COUNTRYSIDE[/color]
[color=green]Somewhere, USA[/color]

"Any luck?"

"Nope. Still no signs of anyone."

"Come on." The on-site sergeant huffed, gesturing towards the giant saucer. "We have their spaceship here. And clear signs that people were on board. Surely there's some signs of where they went."

"Negative, sir."

"Well, keep scouring the area and make sure the perimeter's secure. Our scientists will be looking over the ship shortly. And triple check that cave system! If they're at all still nearby, then that's where they have to be."

"Acknowledged." Then the radio fell silent.

The sergeant could only shake his head. "How could a large group just vanish? The commander's not going to be happy about this..."

Meanwhile, one of the privates went back into one of the nearby caves, shined his flashlight around, and huffed. "Yep, this cave is just empty. Just like the other two times I checked. Whoever was in that ship must be a long way from here..." Then he glanced back to the entrance, making sure there was no one nearby, then covertly took out his phone. "No signal. Of course. Why would somewhere out in the middle of nowhere have service?" He went to put it back, only to find himself shifting forward. "Hey, what was that? An earthquake? ...Better get outta here." And so he scrambled, unaware he left his phone behind.

Ash'r then darted from the false illusion of a back cave wall, grabbed the phone, then darted back down further into the cave, tipping his head to those holding up the illusion as he went. "Thanks for your help!" Then once he came into the main section of the cave system, deep underground, he darted around the bustle of everyone either adapting or finding some other task to do and rushed for the doctor's section of the cave. "Doc. Hey Doc! Look what I've got!"

"What do you have there?" Dr. B'nja'in looked up from the examination notes he'd been pouring through.

"Not really sure." He handed it to the doctor. "But it's earthling tech. One of their soldiers dropped it in our cave."

"And you took it. Ash'r, you know you aren't even supposed to up near there."

"Because I'm defective and can't do all the things a Martian ought to do, so I'll get everyone found out. I know, I know. But anyways," he pressed on before the doctor could dispute that. "We all know that we can't be in this cave forever. We're going to need to shift and blend in with the populace. I think we could use this to help start blending in. Seems like some sort of computer to me, so it's got to have info. Info any Earthling would know."

"Which would then be essential for us to know..." He sighed, rubbing under his glasses. "It is a good idea, Ash'r. But you don't need to take such risks. You have already done many things to help out in this endeavor. Our worries around you being psy-null are not because we think less of you, but because you have less, options if you should get into trouble. Please don't feel the need to keep pushing yourself to be useful."

"I get it...Still, this will help."

"Yes," he glanced down at the device. "However, the earthling who dropped it will undoubtably want it back."

He shrugged. "I'm sure we can stall for a bit until you've studied it enough or made a working replica. Then we could let him find it."

"We'll see...May as well start getting to work then." And he started up the new computer.