Urban Legend Investigations - IC

“The seed of an urban legend find fertile soil at the corner of tragedy and imagination.” - Thomm Quackenbush

---

The evening of September 2 was an event no one in the Greenpoint Police Department would ever forget.

Most of the department, including the Special Crimes Section, had been mobilized to take down a serial killer who was reported to 911 after the "person" attempted to kill an innocent couple when they tried to pick him up in a local park in the outskirts of Greenpoint City from the West. But when the couple had escaped safely with some wounds, the woman reported to 911 that her boyfriend fired a pistol he carried for personal protection at the killer four times.

He was surprised to see him still standing. But instead of going through with the deed, the killer fled after he spotted incoming marked police cars.

The couple gave the killer's description. Black parka with raised hood and gloves, jeans and black military boots. The killer was also armed with a sharp fire axe.

---

For the situation, the SCS got command of the scene, due to the killer's possible paranormal involvement. They got Air Support to help out by using the searchlights to illuminate the area.

"Everyone, move out!" The TIG squad commander shouted when they got the park surrounded with uniformed officers securing the outskirts. The TIG deployment consisted of four elements with five to six men each.

The TIG squads deployed wore MultiCam camo, including boots, vests and gloves.

Armed TIG operators opened fire at the killer with their KAC SR-15 E3 Mod 2 carbines. They noted that the killer didn't go down despite firing a lot of rounds at it.

"Alpha Team to control!" The TIG operator reported in to the mobile command post via radio. "We found the highway killer! But he's not going down! Please advise!"

"Is this guy invincible?!"

"Advise the SCS on the situation at once!"

The other TIG elements noted that the killer was running down towards the camping area, which was abandoned as of the night.

"Exit muna si Polgas. Ang kailangan dito ay si Dobermaxx!"

"Let me handle it..." Billy Macklin said to the operator and before he could say a word Billy had already rushed to the scene. Why does the most inexperienced ass in the SCS get to manage this? I might make mistakes, but whatever.

Inside his M1911 clip were bullets marked with a cross on it, they were blessed thousands of times by the Churches of America to destroy evil spirits that were foolish enough to fight a paranormal police officer. These materials were not always available to the SCS, but Billy had special access to them because he had connections with the religious sects around America.

Amid the midnight air he spotted the killer along with TIG operators madly firing their guns at him, but this Grim Reaper never went down no matter how many man-made bullets were thrown at him. Time for some divine intervention. Billy aimed his gun at the killer's head, and fired...

"Glory and honor and strength to our Lord, amen..."

"In the grim darkness of the future, there is only war."

Fiona had never fired her service pistol in anger before. Oh, certainly her mentor had insisted that she spend at least an hour a day putting rounds downrange, and she had kept that habit since his untimely death, but she had never had to actually shoot someone before.

It was good, then, that she wasn't out in the field with TIG and instead was part of the TOC crew, where she watched the proceedings with a certain measure of bafflement.

"What do you mean, they can't hurt him?" Fiona muttered to herself. "Shoot better!" After a second, she froze. Crap, did I say that out loud?

"Your mission is not to nuke the squid god." —Faramir

Carter was with Fiona at the time, and winced at her ah turn of phrase. He was leaning toward believing this was a cryptid or urban legend monster of some sort, even though he'd never personally seen one in his life.

The man looked a little shy of speaking up in regards to what she said though.

He did manage after a little time spent finding his words to say, "Well, the individual down there is matching traits of...of well, a certain urban legend. A dark figure sighted with an axe menacing people in the countryside."

Carter put his large arms in front of his chest, he really wanted to get down there and help those people having such a hard time, but he had to watch and observe for now.

"Uhh, so...Fiona...how's your day on the job..." He supposed he murmured that so she might not have heard him. Dammit, he was too shy for his own good.

Sign on for this After The End Fantasy RP.

Clad in a black Rothco Special Ops softshell jacket, 5.11 Tac pants, tac gloves and Oakley SF boots, a lone figure was seen running towards the direction of the park's camping area. He wore a black ballcap with a scarf covering his nose and mouth. A KAC SR-15 E3 Mod 2 carbine was seen slung on his back.

Not too shabby for this killer of ours.

For the operation, he wore his personal Guarder LAPD tac vest and a drop leg holster that has a STI Tactical DS 5" pistol holstered on it. His Manurhin MR-73 Gendarmerie revolver was seen in a SOB holster.

"It's me." He made contact with the command post. "I'm approaching the camping area from the east. Looks quiet."

"Understood, Sergeant Yau. Can you see the killer?" Mark got a reply from the command post.

"No, I don't think so. I'm heading in to reinforcement the..."

Mark heard a gunshot nearby. And a very loud howl, as if someone was shot.

   "C...ursE Yo U!!!!"   

"Alpha Element to control!" The TIG Element Alpha leader radioed back. "SCS took a shot at the suspect."

"Did the suspect go down?"

"No control. He took the headshot like it was nothing... And that growl... That wasn't fucking human. We didn't see which cabin he went to. The area up north wasn't illuminated by the choppers."

Mark frowned and continued his run towards the cabins. He counted six in three rows. Which means two TIG elements would be needed to search them one by one.

edited 29th Sep '15 5:48:13 AM by Ominae

"Exit muna si Polgas. Ang kailangan dito ay si Dobermaxx!"

Fiona leaned forward as she heard the chatter on the radios. "Sky-Eye One and Two, this is TOC. Suspect is northbound toward a cabin complex. Identify and report the target's location."

"Roger that, TOC." Came Sky-Eye One's response. Fiona sat back and looked at the officer nearby.

"My day would go a lot better if we could catch this guy. I wasn't planning on a long night tonight."

"Your mission is not to nuke the squid god." —Faramir

"HOLY FUCKKKKK!!!!!!" Billy said the moment he noticed that his bullet had no damaging effect. This was trouble, and that was a great understatement. He had been involved in human sacrifices before but never had he seen this earth-shattering quantity of the supernatural. This is the real deal, not a bunch of misled kids playing occult.

When this paranormal piece of shit replied with a shriek of 'curse you' Billy in kind responded with "Well, fuck you!" Then emptied his entire magazine at the fleeing suspect.

Billy decided not to confront the monster with conventional weaponry, so he reached into his trench coat and brought a Cross that was said to have great anti-magical properties. The power of the Cross also increases with references to the Bible, prayer, or anything deeply religious in general.

While holding the cross he uttered the words, "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalms 23."

edited 29th Sep '15 5:54:46 AM by Victor_Skye

"In the grim darkness of the future, there is only war."

Contrary to Billy's claim, the killer noted that the bullet did some damage to him. He had a permanent scar that won't be able to get rid of.

   "W..what is T He meaNING oF T Hi S?!"   

The killer felt weakened by the bullets Billy fired at him, but now he decided to hide in one of the empty cabins before he showed up.

He gripped his fire axe and waited for his prey to come. If he was to go down, he may as well go down fighting.

---

"Alpha Element to Command." The TIG Element Alpha leader radioed back. "The guys are getting freaked out here. Should we pursue or not?"

"Affirmative, but we need you to cordon the area."

"Roger that... I hope there's a fucking way we can kill this guy. Or thing. I'm not sure so fucking sure anymore. Can the SCS spare anyone else? I mean, two of their officers are already on the scene helping out..."

---

Mark snuck around the cabin complex, which was now being fully illuminated. A TIG element began to approach it from the north side.

"SCS 01 to TIG Charlie Element." Mark got on his radio when he pressed the PTT button on his jacket. "Cordon off the north side. Suspect is armed, dangerous and is however able to shrug off the bullets meant for him. I repeat, stay on cordon duties."

"Understood, SCS 01. This is Charlie leader. Did something happen?"

"Affirmative, Charlie leader. This killer might be able to eat assault rifle bullets for dinner too. Stay put. I'll see what I can do about it. Out."

The ex-TIG assaulter shouldered the carbine, but didn't know if he should get his knife out from the sheath strapped on his tac vest. He heard reports from the radio that the suspect had even taken a headshot, which should kill an ordinary person.

Fuck. This killer of ours has a supernatural leaning. We need to take it out, but it seems to have been weakened somehow.

Mark leaned on the wall of the first cabin he saw, putting his back on it and moved alongside it. He heard reports that the TIG Alpha Element was proceeding to secure the southern side of the cabin complex.

edited 29th Sep '15 7:26:14 AM by Ominae

"Exit muna si Polgas. Ang kailangan dito ay si Dobermaxx!"

"Behold!" Billy screamed with the power of an evangelist and with the tone of a mad prophet, "This is the power of the Lord, MOTHERFUCKERS!"

The revived cultist's voice boomed across the metropolis, "Know your place, abomination, you who is below even the sinners of hell."

The blind fanatic emptied his magazine and threw in a new one. Strangely, the crosses that were carved into the bullets were now shining bright white. He walked into the cabin complex...

edited 29th Sep '15 7:47:50 AM by Victor_Skye

"In the grim darkness of the future, there is only war."

(GM post for now)

The hooded killer decided to wait a bit longer when he hid in one of the cabins at the norther side. As he peered outside, he saw the TIG element only secure the north. It was only a matter of time before the southern cabins were secured.

He did hear some footsteps nearby, which probably meant that some of the TIG operators were now starting to search the cabins in the middle.

   Itt... WO Uld No T Be Lo NG...   

The killer gritted in pain, still feeling the aftereffects of the bullets used against him. He felt his strength leaving him. He didn't even know if it would be a matter of time before normal weapons can easily take him down.

"Exit muna si Polgas. Ang kailangan dito ay si Dobermaxx!"

Not knowing where the killer was, Billy decided to tag along with the TIG operators who had to deal with his eccentricities. Entering the haunted house armed with the sword of faith, the powerful words uttered by him seemed to turn the mystery of the paranormal into an inspired witch hunt.

These words echoed across the cabins and reached into the hearts of both spirit and man, "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. Psalms 1."

edited 30th Sep '15 2:38:55 AM by Victor_Skye

"In the grim darkness of the future, there is only war."

A man in his late 40s with brown hair, wearing a brown trenchcoat, jeans and rubber shoes entered the TOC truck on standby at the outskirts of the park.

"Inspector Collins." One of the TOC officers greeted the man.

Inspector Robert Collins motioned to everyone inside not to stand up and salute him. "No need to stand up. Just get back to what you're doing."

"I thought you were suppose to be off duty, Inspector."

"I am. But the Commissioner called me up when I was visiting my nephew who just came back from Canada on a study break when I was told the situation escalated." He then asked. "Did we make contact with the suspect?"

---

The killer saw and heard that most of the southern part of the cabin complex was now cleared. It was a matter of time before they started to move in on the northern side.

When the killer peeked, he saw Mark sneaking around the northern side of the cabin he's in. He decided that it was a perfect chance to get him off his guard.

   "RRROOOAAO!!!"   

The killer leaped out of the cabin's window, smashing it to pieces when he tackled the SCS officer down.

"What the?" Mark was definitely caught off guard that he had to let go of his sidearm.

The TIG Element stationed at the northern side of the cabin reported back to the command post that they caught sight of the killer and had just assaulted the sergeant out.

---

The Inspector listened on the TIG radio transmissions via headset he got from a TOC officer.

"This is bad..." The Inspector sighed. "We need to get this over with before we start sustaining casualties."

"Exit muna si Polgas. Ang kailangan dito ay si Dobermaxx!"

"Sky Eyes, this is TOC." Fiona radioed. "Subject is in sight, southern side of the cabin complex. We need spotlights, ASAP."

Part of her wanted to get out there and help, but if TIG officers couldn't hit this guy she wouldn't be able to either. Another part of her was quite content to stay in the TOC and coordinate the helicopter units with units on the ground, as was her job here.

"Your mission is not to nuke the squid god." —Faramir

"The fuck was that?" Billy was close enough to hear a window shatter but he was not sure where it came from. The distressed SCS constable started scanning around the area, also hoping that the local TIG operatives could give him a heads up on where the action was. Being in the heat of action was one thing and it was where Billy excelled in, but trouble seemed to avoid him as if danger itself was scared of being found by him.

edited 30th Sep '15 7:54:11 PM by Victor_Skye

"In the grim darkness of the future, there is only war."

"The sound's coming from the northern side of the cabin complex."

One of the TIG operators explained to Billy when he told his element leader. In return, he was told to advance slowly and carefully.

---

Inspector Collins was debriefed that one of their own had made contact with the suspect via an ambush.

"It's me." The Inspector used the headset's microphone. "Are you holding up in there?"

---

That's an easy thing to say when the Inspector's just sitting there...

Mark grunted with the hooded killer when he attempted to land the fire axe's blade on his head, albeit very weakly.

"Get.... off!" The ex-TIG assaulter kicked him off his torso. The killer fell down a few meters away from him.

At the same time, he fired his carbine lying down on the grass, straight for the hooded killer's chest.

The killer was shown taking the bullets meant for him. While it was not having an effect, he realized that the bullets were now slowly making him more and more vulnerable thanks to the blessed bullets used to hurt him.

edited 7th Oct '15 9:43:04 PM by Ominae

"Exit muna si Polgas. Ang kailangan dito ay si Dobermaxx!"

This time Billy knew the general direction of where the killer was. The ruckus was loud enough to guide Billy towards the killer. To channel more power into his holy bullets, he recited Psalms 25, straight from the Bible.

"To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse. Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD. Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant. For the sake of your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great. Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land. The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare. Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish. Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins. See how my enemies have increased and how fiercely they hate me! Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you. Redeem Israel, O God, from all their troubles!"

This he said while walking towards the direction of the killer...

He briefly wondered if his recitations disturbed the TIG operators.

edited 2nd Oct '15 12:50:08 AM by Victor_Skye

"In the grim darkness of the future, there is only war."

"Inspector. I think our killer's getting weaker and weaker..."

Mark reported back to the mobile command post. The TIG Element nearby targeted the killer and opened fire. The gunfire destroyed the fire axe's wooden handle.

During the gunfire, the killer was forced to cover his head with his arms. The assaulters noted that there were bullet holes in his jacket and pants.

---

"Good. Keep him busy. Expect some help on the way."

Inspector Collins looked at both Carter and Fiona with a serious expression. "We'll need to get debriefed after the operation is over. Understood?"

---

Some of the TIG assaulters wondered if Billy was a priest who fell out with the church and decided to take a career in law enforcement.

They heard the sounds of automatic gunfire.

"It's from the north!" One of the assaulters pointed to the cabins in the northern side of the cabin complex.

The element leader ordered his men to support Billy, but to stand back from the killer.

"Exit muna si Polgas. Ang kailangan dito ay si Dobermaxx!"

The former cultist, demon hunting, superstitious guy who acted like a weird priest that had a scandal approached the situation with an increasing intensity in his steps. What was a careful walk turned into a short jog which turned into a straight run then it turned into a full-blown sprint.

When he reached the area, it took him a moment to register what had just happened. The killer was cornered. It was helpless. Even monstrosities can be as vulnerable as a little kid with enough prompting. It dawned on him that he could do anything anything to it...

(This theme plays: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dORf0tLaSn8 )

Billy could not help but fall into the depths of insanity once more. "You fool... You think you can stop a DEMON with UNHOLY bullets?" Words of horror flowed from his mouth and the tainted man could not contain his excitement any longer, "I shall show you TRUE POWER!"

Losing all restraint but not his appetite for destruction, he aimed his M1911 at the killer and unleashed a torrent of unforgiving holiness on the unfortunate creature. "Sadness? Suffering? Tragedy? These fates are too light for a demon such as you." The enchanted bullets suddenly turned from blinding white to crimson red, for the color of the bullet is largely determined by the attitude of the holder and this one has been consumed by a passionate bloodlust.

When he ran out of bullets, he reloaded and kept firing, kept firing, kept reloading, kept firing, kept reloading... and when he ran out of bullets, he grabbed one from the TIG operators until that ran of bullets too... when every gun had no bullets... he walked towards the killer with a knife and proceeded to stab the hell out of it...

There are two things in existence that can beat a monster. A hero and another monster. If there are monsters that can possess human virtues then certainly there are humans that can possess the characteristics of a monster. This man is the type of person that can horrify any devil, for he not only has the persistence of villains he also has in his disposition the conscience of heroes. If he is killed, he will surely never die. His existence denies reality itself and gives it an eternity of fear. He is... one of the darkest idealists to ever walk on Earth.

edited 2nd Oct '15 8:17:32 AM by Victor_Skye

"In the grim darkness of the future, there is only war."

Fiona nodded. "Understood, sir. We'll have a comprehensive report on your desk by the end of the week." Perhaps a bit ambitious of a schedule, but superiors liked it when you met unrealistic deadlines. "I can take care of the TIG debriefing as soon as they come in, to make sure that you can get a preliminary report before anyone goes home tonight." She stifled a yawn.

edited 2nd Oct '15 1:36:55 PM by Wysp

"Your mission is not to nuke the squid god." —Faramir

Carter looked over at her and shrugged his shoulders a little at the notion, "And how are we going to explain what's going down out there?"

I admit I'd love to get moving and hit the streets myself, find out what happened to pops, but an assignment is an assignment.

For now, Carter stood by Fiona waiting to see how they could go about the debriefing.

Sign on for this After The End Fantasy RP.

"Depends on what the facts on the ground look like." She said. "I hope we can cordon off the area until morning, though. We can get a general idea from the TIG guys' reports, but what they see might not be the same as what actually happened." She turned back to the screen she was watching. "We won't be able to collect all the evidence until it's light out."

"I hope this guy isn't black, though. Imagine how that would play on TV." She said to herself. "Black man gunned down by SWAT. Four hundred rounds expended."

"Your mission is not to nuke the squid god." —Faramir

The killer went down after Billy did the handiwork.

   "GGGHHH..."   

Mark stood up when the killer went down on his knees before he fell to the ground, face first. He motioned to the TIG assaulters to keep their carbines at the ready.

"Careful." Mark murmured when he shouldered his carbine. He carefully approached the corpse and removed the hood slowly.

He couldn't tell, but he noted that the corpse had brown hair and pale skin.

What the hell?

"Inspector." Mark went for the radio when he turned the corpse over. "The killer's down. And you're not going to believe this."

---

"What about our killer?" Inspector Collins responded to Mark on the headset.

"Guy's got pale skin, brown hair..." Mark reported back. "I'm still checking on the guy, but he appears to be dead for a long, long time. Looks Caucasian too... Although CSD may have something in a while. Are Carter and Fiona available?"

The Inspector sighed. "I see. Get the uniforms to keep the site cordoned. We'll need to debrief the TIG assaulters involved. As for them..." The veteran officer stared at them. "It'll be their call, Sergeant."

"Yes, sir. I'll be with Billy to check the corpse. We won't have to worry about anything racial coming out of this op."

"You heard the man." Inspector Collins faced Fiona and Carter after the transmission. "Looks like our killer may have been dead for a while. I'll get the analysts back in Central to look up anything with old missing person's reports and tie it up with any urban legends that we may have overlooked. We'll reconvene after a day to get our reports ready. Clear?"

"Yes, sir!" The mobile command post officer replied in unison.

"In the meantime, I'll go and make a call to the Commissioner about this. I'll be outside."

Inspector Collins subsequently stepped out afterwards to make a call from his smartphone.

---

While the TIG assaulters were busy securing the area and telling the uniformed officers to keep a tight watch on the cordon, Mark watched CSD officers inspect the corpse and take anything.

"Can you hold it for a second?" Mark crouched in front of the corpse when a CSD officer with gloves took what appears to be a heart-shaped necklace from the corpse's neck.

"Yes, sir. Anything you need to check?"

"Maybe... For now, just put it into evidence."

"Understood, sir."

edited 7th Oct '15 6:39:16 AM by Ominae

"Exit muna si Polgas. Ang kailangan dito ay si Dobermaxx!"

Fiona approached the corpse, careful not to disturb any of the evidence laying around them: shell casings, footprints, blood spatters, anything that the night might hide. She held her flashlight in an overhand grip, playing it around as she got closer. Finally, she crouched over the body, noting with displeasure that it'd been turned without the coroner's direction. More disturbance of evidence. If her mentor had ever seen the kind of behavior that Special Cases displayed, he'd have a heart attack. No wonder some people considered it the GPD's wastebin.

She began snapping pictures with her smartphone, not professional-grade (those would be taken by a dedicated crime-scene photographer) but enough to work with until said pictures became available. First the face, and then the torso. She paid particular attention to injuries and identifying marks.

"Who are you, guy?" She muttered to herself. "And what possessed you to start murdering people with an axe?"

"Your mission is not to nuke the squid god." —Faramir

Do you know the law was meant for mysteries that man could understand? Even if there are laws made for concepts that are fathomable, it is still imperfect. Now we are attempting to delve straight into a world that the words 'divine' or 'paranormal' can barely express the totality of our dilemma. These definitions not only underestimate the circumstances involved, but they also bring blasphemy to the glory that is taking place.

A deranged lunatic wearing a stylish trench coat sat next to the suspect, pondering on what had just transpired. A silent meditation on the supernatural. One could still be violently assaulted by the smell of gunpowder fired by the TIG operators, or be gripped by the graphic presentation of a carcass that could be casually called a corpse, or be intimidated by the malevolent presence of the fanatic himself. Strangely enough, this person seemed to fit right in at this background painted with gore. If an artist were to stand by and paint a picture of this terrifying illustration, he would doubtlessly earn quite a fortune.

When he was finished with his ruminations, he got up and helped the others with the body check.

"What motivates people?" Billy asked Fiona. Still seized by the fear of the unknown, he kept his bowie knife ready in case the killer failed to die. Caution is a noble wisdom that ought to be followed.

edited 3rd Oct '15 12:36:14 AM by Victor_Skye

"In the grim darkness of the future, there is only war."

"Clear, sir." Carter remembered saying as he and Fiona headed out.

Carter followed after Fiona, fully dressed in his uniform and loaded weapons just in case the bad guy failed to die like a regular human. Well, he figured going by Scream, they always come back one more time.

He overheard the weird guy with the Bible Quotes speaking to Fiona, and just shrugged his shoulders at the "what motivates people" thing. "I could recite some ice cream koans, but I think that'd just make us hungry."

Sign on for this After The End Fantasy RP.