Ivy Town PD contacts the Justice League
Nov. 24th, 2006 09:00 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
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Detective Cole Branden has seen some weird things in his day -- aliens, supervillains, the laws of physics bent beyond the telling. But nothing he's done has made him as nervous as this.
It took almost an hour to get a direct line. The Feds don't like to tell local authorities how to get ahold of the men on the moon. But eventually, they caved. It would have been easier if he could just have told them what was up, but he couldn't ... not yet. He owed the man that much.
"Hell," he says under his breath as the number dials. "I owe the man way more than that."
He takes a sip of his coffee, and dials the number.
Idly, he wonders how much it costs to call the moon.
It took almost an hour to get a direct line. The Feds don't like to tell local authorities how to get ahold of the men on the moon. But eventually, they caved. It would have been easier if he could just have told them what was up, but he couldn't ... not yet. He owed the man that much.
"Hell," he says under his breath as the number dials. "I owe the man way more than that."
He takes a sip of his coffee, and dials the number.
Idly, he wonders how much it costs to call the moon.
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Date: 2006-11-24 03:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-24 03:09 pm (UTC)He stops and takes a dep breath.
"We need the Justice League to come identify a body."
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Date: 2006-11-24 03:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-24 03:42 pm (UTC)"It's ... we think it's Dr. Palmer. Ray Palmer. The Atom."
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Date: 2006-11-24 03:56 pm (UTC)In her shock, she wonders what size the body is. Then she sends a notification to Wonder Woman as chair, with copies to others who need to know.
"A representative will be contacting you shortly."
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Date: 2006-11-24 03:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-24 04:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-24 04:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-24 04:16 pm (UTC)It can happen. She remembers the nights when her father would come home because a brother officer had decided to eat his gun, and how those nights were different from the ones where one of his people had died in the line of duty.
"Please stand by."
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Date: 2006-11-24 05:11 pm (UTC)It's with that thought in her head that she lands all green and flamey next to the Detective she was asked to help out.
"Cumprimentos, Detective Branden. Oracle sent me. People call me Fire."
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Date: 2006-11-24 05:22 pm (UTC)"The body's back in the morgue. We've not done an autoposy or anything. We knew you folks would ... well, we thought you'd want to know first."
He beckons for her to follow him. He probably should have asked for an ID, but he seems to recognize her on sight.
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Date: 2006-11-24 05:35 pm (UTC)"You have the League's thanks, Detective."
She will withold any questions or comments until she sees Ray.
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Date: 2006-11-24 05:45 pm (UTC)The second thing that's apparent is that it is, indeed, Ray Palmer.
"It was sheer, dumb luck that we came across the body when we did. A staff member from the University stopped by to pick something up from him -- class notes or something --at 0900 hours. There was no response, but he noticed a smell and, when he peaked in the window, he noticed some trashed furniture."
The detective takes off his hat as he talks, and looks down sadly at the body.
"The staffer called us, and we investigate. We found him hanging in the main bedroom."
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Date: 2006-11-24 05:52 pm (UTC)trashed furniture...smell...hmm...
"Do you have an estimated time of death?"
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Date: 2006-11-24 05:56 pm (UTC)It's obvious he knows how that sounds. And he nods.
"We've kept the crime scene locked up tight."
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Date: 2006-11-24 06:03 pm (UTC)She stops pacing around the tray by Ray's head. For a moment, her eyes give away her personal feelings, a flicker of sadness and then she's back in control.
She crouches down to get a better look at his neck.
"I'm no medical examiner or a doctor, but it seems to me that it takes a lot of force to do this to the neck of a fully grown man in good physical condition."
She's not buying this suicide thing though it's hard to tell whether that's a personal or professional thing.
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Date: 2006-11-24 06:21 pm (UTC)He trails off. This is obviously disturbing him.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. There's not a cop on the Ivy Town P.D. whose life he didn't save at one time or another."
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Date: 2006-11-24 06:26 pm (UTC)"So what makes you so sure it was suicide?"
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Date: 2006-11-24 06:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-24 06:38 pm (UTC)She walks closer to Branden, not really looking at anything as she thinks, then glances back to Ray's body.
"Anyone find a note?"
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Date: 2006-11-24 06:44 pm (UTC)He shakes his head.
"And no, ma'am. We've not yet found a note."
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Date: 2006-11-24 07:07 pm (UTC)Ok, her choice of words maybe wasn't very politic, but she's beyond being careful right now. She just wants an understanding.
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Date: 2006-11-24 07:12 pm (UTC)"I have some paperwork you'll need to fill out," he says professionaly. "And, uhm, you'll have to arrange for your own transport."
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Date: 2006-11-24 07:16 pm (UTC)"Let's save the paperwork and transport until after I see the scene. Might be some evidence they'd want as well."
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Date: 2006-11-24 07:24 pm (UTC)Hidden beneath the question is a "Dear God, please don't telport me or make me fly or something."
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Date: 2006-11-24 07:31 pm (UTC)"Sure" She thought about offering to fly him there, if only to see the look on his face between the actual flight and how close she would have had to hold him.
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Date: 2006-11-24 07:37 pm (UTC)The cops have Ray's house cordoned off, but aside from neighbors peaking out their windows to see what's going on, there's no crowd ... not even any reporters. At least, none visible.
It's a nice house in a nice college neighborhood. Not too ostentatious, although with Ray's patents, he could probably afford nicer. A surprisingly neat lawn (considering he probably never had time to mow it.)
The cops are edgy looking, but they've obeyed their "sit still" orders. All eyes turn toward Fire when they see her, but no one says anything.
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Date: 2006-11-24 07:40 pm (UTC)Her eyes scan the windows, doors and other possible entrances first from the well groomed lawn.
"Am I gonna get shot at if I walk the perimeter?" Asked as she pulls out what seems to be a small digital camera. She's already arranged for the images she captures to be trasmitted directly to Oracle.
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Date: 2006-11-24 07:45 pm (UTC)"Nah, you should be good. I think they all know who you are."
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Date: 2006-11-24 07:50 pm (UTC)She chuckles, just as mirthlessly as she approaches the house. She goes for the obvious entries first to check for signs of forced entry, marks, anything...taking photos the everything. By the windows, she's careful not to step directly in front of them, in case there are footprints in the dirt, etc.
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Date: 2006-11-24 07:48 pm (UTC)He got what he could over comms, and teleported down to meet Bea here, his expression grim, focusing everything he can on the mystery. Its the only way he can avoid breaking into tears.
And after the last little while here, he's not sure how many of those he has left.
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Date: 2006-11-24 07:54 pm (UTC)"Mr. Dibny," he says, nodding politely. "I'm sorry about your loss."
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Date: 2006-11-24 07:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-24 07:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-24 08:04 pm (UTC)"Ok, do you have a case file written up yet? If not, please fill me in on the details. I don't want to go wheeling through a crime scene any more than necessary. Still getting used to this thing." he offers apologetically.
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Date: 2006-11-24 07:54 pm (UTC)She blinks lowering the camera to take in his appearance. "Hi. You really ought to start ignoring those dares."
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Date: 2006-11-24 07:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-24 08:08 pm (UTC)He hands Ralph a file that basically recounts what he told Fire -- the condition of the body and the theory that Palmer used size-changing to more-effectively hang himself, thedisturbance in the living room which looks more like one person breaking things than a struggle.
"We don't have any solid forensics yet."
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Date: 2006-11-24 08:11 pm (UTC)She'll talk to him later. Let him get caught up with the detective while she documents the perimeter.
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Date: 2006-11-24 08:12 pm (UTC)Details only close friends would know about size-changing and Ray's psychology around it. The chaos in the room, as compared to Ray's usual means of evincing frustration and anger even in the most extreme of cases.
And the choice of hanging... that sounds disturbingly familiar, as applied to Ray and his life.
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Date: 2006-11-24 08:20 pm (UTC)Dozens of photos are snapped of the disarray of the furniture.
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Date: 2006-11-24 08:40 pm (UTC)A couple chairs look like they've been thrown across the room, and acouple pictures have fallen from the wall. One of Jean and Ray at their wedding, the other of their groomsmen and bridesmaids. To Ralph, all the faces are well-known.
The television is actually on, but it appears the chord was tugged out, as though someone had tripped over it.
There's a message on the voicemail -- Ryan Choi, telling him he needs the subspace notes and that a grad student's going to stop by in the morning to pick it up if he can. That would be the person who called the police.
There's a hallway between the bedroom and the living room, and pictures adorning the wall all the way between them -- Ray always kept his library and a guest room upstairs, so guests wouldn't be disturbed by his odd comings and goings. None of the pictures nor the carpet seem disturbed between the two rooms.
A police officer asks if they should dust for fingerprints or fiber samples, or if the JLA wants to handle that on their own, too.
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Date: 2006-11-24 10:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-24 10:34 pm (UTC)"We'll have the results sent up to, uhm, the moon as soon as we have them," he says. Then he hardens a little.
"Mr. Dibny, I know he was your friend and teammate, but he was one of ours, too. Anything you need from us, you just ask."
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Date: 2006-11-24 10:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-24 10:47 pm (UTC)"You heard the man! Let's get to work."
The Ivy Town PD may not be top flight FBI investigators, but they're competent. They move smoothly and efficiently into action.
Detective Bransen nods again, and goes about his job.