After having seemingly paused to look at Nurse Piper's lovely bits, Ozzy left the room....again....to go fetch their would-be assassin. And, even as he turned the corner down the hallway, headed for the elevators, a brisk torrent of wind shot by.....
"You think it was repeated blows that fractured her cranium?" Adem questioned. "There seems to be only one pressure-point of impact..."
Doctor McGregor shrugged, folding his arms.
"...good point..." he commented. "...won't know anything until I get 'er on the table...."
He suddenly brought his wrist up, staring at his watch.
"...which...shouldn't be taking thi---"
The door to the penthouse flung open, a rush of wind hitting everyone with surprise. Everyone, except Ian and Ruby.
"About time!" McGregor barked, coming to a full stance.
In the middle of the room now stood four figures. Each one decked out in identical white, form-fitting thermal suits, they stood on each side of a slender, glassy tube floating like a futuristic coffin.
"What is this?" Gaunt asked, raising an eyebrow, as the figures began sliding open the hovering tube.
"People...." Ian announced, walking over. "....this is Larry, his brother Darell, his other brother Daryl, and their half-brother Cornelius..."
The four figures randomly nodded to everyone, even as they moved silently through the room, heading towards the body.
"....they're MeRC's metahuman Med-Evac team." McGregor continued, watching as the four started spraying some type of gel-like substance over the crime scene.
The gel created a glassy, paper-thin sheathe over the body that dried and sealed almost instantly....
"...speedsters..." Different added, sniffing the hint of burnt ozone that drifted from their feet.
"Yeah..." Ian nodded, looking over at Larry with sneer. "...the slowest fucking speedsters I've ever been around. London to Berlin in twenty minutes, guys?"
"Cut us some slack, Doc." Larry replied.
"Bad weather." Cornelius chimed in, the four kneeling down to grip the body.
"You...you're all brothers?" Icarus spoke up. "And....you're all speedsters, as well?"
"...mother was the fast one..." Daryl replied.
They lifted, and the body lifted perfectly with them. Frozen, like a statue, nothing crumbled or dropped. Nothing leaked or oozed.
And, silently....almost respectfully....they carried the statuesque tragedy over to the stasis tube.
"I want Edwards and Alda on this the moment you get back..." McGregor ordered. "....have the bio-boys on standby if anything gets weird."
"Yes, Doctor." Larry nodded, as the foggy glass crawled back down over the body like a funeral drape.
"...theater-blue...incoming..." Larry mumbled into a tiny shoulder-mic. And, with nothing more than a gust of breeze, the superhuman ambulance ripped out of the room.......sonic thunder suddenly echoing in the distance outside.
"Right...well..." McGregor slapped his hands together, looking around at everyone. "...it's been perfectly gruesome. And, since I feel sobriety encroaching upon my senses, I've just realized that I shant' be enjoying you lot any further."
He turned, striding for the door.
"Tell Bill I'll have something for him in two hours...." the physician added. "....not a fucking second sooner....NURSE!"
Ruby quickly nodded a smile to everyone, scurrying to follow his pace...
Meanwhile, seven stories below, lying on the floor of the penthouse lift, the nubian goddess was still drooling, wide eyed and unmoving. The doors suddenly slid open, a low hum of bass riding in with metallic footsteps.
"Silly girl." the mechanized voice said, coming to a stop in front of the woman. "Your passion is commendable, but, Rome will not be pleased with this unscheduled attack...."
The armored figure quickly hoisted her onto his back, turning and leaving the elevator doors, even as it recieved a signal to go up....
Back up on the penthouse level, Ozzy stood in front of the lift doors, waiting impatiently. Around the corner, Ian and Ruby strolled up.
"Oh. It's you." Ian said dryly.
"Yeah, it's me..." Baxter grimaced.
"Yes. Good. Hello." McGregor sighed, turning to look at the elevator doors.
The two men stood there, staring at the doors, saying nothing.
"So...how's things?" Ian commented.
"...shut up..." Baxter sighed.
"Fair enough."
The doors slid open, Ian and Ruby quickly entering. Ozzy stuck his head in, looking back and forth in the otherwise empty lift.
"...sonofabitch..." he mumbled.
"Problem?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah....I've lost a body...." Baxter nodded, finally pulling his head back out.
"...I've heard that before..." Ruby shrugged, looking straight over at Ian with a stare.
"ONE time!" Ian barked, the doors closing....
