Continued from HERE.

HEADLINE: HOLY OR HOAX?

An article in a local paper talks about the image above and reports from recent hostages of "divine intervention".  "Reliable witnesses" confirm some of these elements, but refuse to be named.

A few weeks later...

It's unseasonably hot again today as the temerature continues to rise.  The environmentalist take the opportunity to site global warming and place blame on various opposing interest groups, but nobody is really listening.  That said, tempers are short as people find themselves unable to escape the oppressive heat.

At the cathedral, Father O'Brien tends to the flock.  The parishioners are more numerous than usual, thanks in part to the cathedral's air conditioning system.  Still, it struggles and occasionally gives out.  David, one of the other priests, comes up to O'Brien and slaps him on the back.

"Hey", he says, "you look beat.  Are you going to be able to play in the game this weekend?  You know we're playing against the Mercury Messenger Service 'Speed Demons'.  It's about time we got them to shut up about last year.  Show them who's side God's really on, eh?"

He wipes the sweat from his brow onto the sleeve of his robe and chuckles as the air condition rattles ominously once again.



Across town, Hans meets with the private investigator that he'd hired to help him look into the whole "S" business.  For the last few weeks, he'd felt as though he were being watched, so when the investigator called to set up a meet, Hans suggested a place that he knew where he felt safe.  He wasn't entirely sure he could trust the man anyway.  Still, he was rather excited at the prospect of a lead, but he hadn't expected him to show up with a large box in his arms.

"Well," the investigator inquired in a gravelly craok, "you gonna help me here or just call the ambulance after the hernia kicks in?  It don't help that it's hotter than the sun's next-door neighbor out."



Leaf moved quickly through the street, his pockets bulging and his hoodie pulled low.  George "mrowr-ed" uncomfortably, his usual spot occupied by illicitly garnered goods.  Leaf felt like he was being followed, but when he looked around all he saw were the people of the city going about their business.  He quickened his pace, and finally arrived at the place that had served as "home" for the last week.  He could have moved on, but the location currently suited his needs.  Almost to safety, he suddenly hears a voice.

"Hey, Leaf!" it calls out.  "I thought that was you.  What you doing in this place?"  It's "Zipper", a local junkie that Leaf hadn't seen in a while.  Zipper looks around, his eyes wide, his fingers twitchy.  "Hey man, can you hook me up?  I just need a little loan is all."  He scratches at the back of his head vigorously.  His fingernails come back a bit bloody and he absentmindedly nibbles at them.  "I aint feeling right, man.  I need to get a fix.  Come on, man.  I'm all agitated and ***.  I gots wings on my feet and cotton in my mouth."

George struggles out of Leaf's hoodie and limps around his feet impatiently.



Markus groans inwardly as he approaches his "blind date".  He wasn't really interested, but his friend David just wouldn't let it be.  He had finally relented out of sheer frustration.  It wasn't until later that he found out where David had set up the date, and he'd almost called the whole thing off.  It wasn't David's fault, though.  He didn't know the uncomfortable memories the place brought up.  Honestly, it was the last place he'd ever want to meet for a date.

At least she was kind of cute, or did that make it worse?  Her dress was sticking to her in the heat, the pattern like little entwined snakes following the curves of her body.  What was her name?  Monica.

Obrien smiles and for a moment lets down his guard, "Of course!  If you think you can keep them off me, I've been practicing tossing the ball back and forth with Jimmy, Debra parks kid.  Good kid, just...well you know, the neighborhood isn't the best for growing up in.  Anyways, Jimmy's been helping me with my long passes, I think they're going to have a surprise coming their way between Bobby's speed and my long arm!!!"

Obrien pauses for a moment, "You think David will play? It wouldn't be the same without him and his viking frame, but I'll understand if well you know because of what happened..." Obrien lets his voice trail off.

"Good idea.  I'll do that", O'Brien smiles, finishes up his tasks, then goes to find Sister Mary.

Hans

In the park, the investigator opens the box.  "There are crackpot rumors of prehistoric 'advanced civilizations' that existed here.  Like aliens or Atlanteans or whatever.  A lot of people are into that, it seems.  Some think that's why there are so many Gifted here.  Maybe they're drawn here or maybe it started here and spread.  I don't know.  It's just rumors."

Reaching in, he pulls out several photos and an amulet.  The photos are of a woman in a robe with a few other people in similar robes.  Her face is partially obscured, but not enough to matter.  The amulet is red-orange and metallic, covered in meaningless glyphs.

"I managed to snag that while I was there.  I don't recognize anything on it, though.  The woman in the picture looks to be 'S.' but nobody ever said her name.  I tried following her but she managed to shake me somehow.  Anyway, from listening in it sounds like they're some kind of tree-hugger, earth-mother cult.  They met in Woodland Park."



Leaf

At the abandoned warehouse, "Hey, man" Zipper says with a twitchy wink, "Why wouldn't you have girls in there?  Eh?  Unless, you're..."  Zipper quickly changes the subject, stepping into the warehouse and looking around.  Even through his nervous, detox haze, the look in his eyes is analytical.  He's totally casing the place.  Finally he comes back to where Leaf piled his loot.  While chewing on his lip a bit too vigorously, he mumbles excitedly, "So, what we got for Zipper?"



O'Brien

At the cathedral, O'Brien goes looking for Sister Mary.  He finds her, and she looks miffed.

After staring at him as if waiting for some explanation, she finally says, "And where were you yesterday?  I thought you were going to help me paint my mother's porch?  I waited for hours, the whole time telling my mother that I was sure you'd be there before long.  Then I got worried.  Do you not check your messages?"  Her brow wrinkles in frustration and she gives O'Brien the "nun glare".
 

O'Brien

Mary's eyes remain hard until O'Brien mentins David G.  Suddenly her facade cracks as her natural concern for the downtrodden pushes to the surface.  "Oh, that poor man," she says.  "I haven't seen him in a while.  I wonder how he's doing?  We should go see him this afternoon."  She continues to voice her concerns, her voice tinkling like bells in his mind as she takes his arm and walks with him back to her chores as if nothing had happened.



Hans

In the park, "I thought you might ask that," the investigator says.  "Looks like they'll be in the park again this weekend around sunset.  Nice doing business with you," he continues.  "Look me up if you've got more work."

As the investigator leaves, Hans notices something in the corner of his eyes.  A figure standing in the shadows a ways off, watching him.



Leaf

In Leaf's hideout, Zipper helps himself to everything that Leaf offers, and then wander off into a nice corner to sleep, which he quickly does, though he tends to twitch like a dog dreaming about chasing cars.  Then next morning, when Leaf wakes, he finds ALL of his belongings missing, mostly likely in Zipper's possession.