PLAYER ACCESS: OPEN w/ APPROVED CHARACTER
LAS VEGAS METRO. POLICE REPORT
CASE NO: 912███
DATE: 17 June 2018
REPORTING OFFICER: Officers █████, ███, █████ ,and █████, Lieutenant ████, Sergeant ██████
PREPARED BY: Lieutenant ████
DETAIL OF EVENT: Starting at approximately 10:15 AM, dispatchers began to receive reports of a homicide and a potential hostage situation that was occurring outside of the ████████ Diner. The main suspect was reported to be a young Latino male in a white hoodie, although other accomplices and potential victims were reported.
ACTIONS TAKEN: Officers █████ and ███ were the first to arrive at the scene at approximately 10:22 AM. The victim, identified via dental record as 26 year old exotic dancer Eva █████, was found dead, lying face down in the main parking lot and completely covered in bright purple flames. An 8 year old boy, identified as Andrew ███, was found sitting near the body in a state of extreme emotional distress. The officers drew their weapons and immediately called for backup.
Officers █████ and █████ arrived at 10:26, followed by Lieutenant ████ and Sergeant ██████ at 10:30. The officers swept the building and the surrounding area for the suspect and failed to find anything. The suspect and any accomplices or other targets had disappeared, although a white hoodie with significant bloodstains was found tossed on the edge of a nearby dumpster.
While a perimeter was being established and the crime scene was being secured, Sergeant ██████, accompanied by Officers █████ and ███, peacefully attempted to take Andrew ███ into custody. Andrew resisted and quickly turned hostile, destroying all three squad cars, killing Officer ███ instantly and severely injuring Sergeant ██████, before being shot by Officer █████ and incapacitated at 10:36 AM. Medical assistance and additional police backup were then called to the scene.
OUTCOME AND SUMMARY: Sergeant ██████ and Andrew ███ were both taken to ██████ Hospital and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. Andrew ███ is in critical condition and is currently undergoing emergency surgery, and although his chances of survival are "slim to none" we have stationed 24/7 guard outside the door of the operating room. Sergeant ██████ is in stable condition, is conscious and in "good spirits", and is expected to make a nearly full recovery in the next 2-3 months. Officer █████ was placed on temporary administrative leave and voluntarily admitted himself to crisis counseling.
The incident has been reported to the FBI's Power Crimes Division as mandated by American Super Act of 1978. We are still waiting for word as to whether or not the Bureau will take over the investigation into the alleged homicide and hostage taking. In the meantime, forensic teams have started their work on the crime scene and LVMPD patrols are still on the lookout for a recently severely injured Latino male. Footage from several nearby CCTV cameras is currently under review to identify the suspect.
Several weeks later...
It was sunrise at AMG Specialty Hospital in Las Vegas. Alone, a nurse walked to her special assignment, showing her photo ID to the bleary-eyed cop who with a wordless nod unlocked the door and let her in. A young boy laid back on the cot, chest wrapped in bandages and arms and legs connected to a myriad of biometric wires and IV bags. Her job was to take care of this boy, named Andrew. The nurse had to make sure that his vitals were okay and that his life wouldn't be in danger, but above all it was important to make sure he was in good mental health, so as to avoid a repeat of the superpowered outburst that landed him in the hospital with bullet holes in his chest in the first place. It was only a mixture of speed, luck, and the determination and skill of the trauma team in undertaking a thirty-seven hour surgery to save his life. It was a occasionally harrowing job, but the nurse had a great deal of experience and as she had dealt with both the violent mentally ill and superhumans, and was not afraid of what he could do.
The first thing the nurse noticed that Andrew was wide awake this time. Odd, considering that he wasn't typically responsive at all until well after sunrise, and wouldn't stir himself unless prodded until around noon. She smiled at him. To the eyes of many nurses at the hospital, Andrew was still just a little kid, even with immense power behind him and with blood on his hands. He was just at the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong strength and the wrong attitude, which results in things like this all too often when America's angry powered youth encounter America's trigger-happy police.
"Well, good morning sweetie! Are you feeling alright today? Any pain keeping you up?"
Andrew breathed deeply through his nose, answering in his typical subdued and tired voice. "No. I'm okay."
"Good." The nurse turned to a series of monitors. "I'm just gonna do a check up on you, make sure that your heart rate and everything is going good, alright?"
"Okay."
Some minutes of silence passed while the nurse did her work. Blood tests, vital measurements, double checking the dosage of painkillers and other IV drugs. The mundane things. Andrew still was awake though, so she decided to start another conversation.
"Hey, Andrew, can I ask you something? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
Andrew sat up slightly and clenched his fists, instantly becoming agitated. "What?"
"Why'd you wake up so early this morning? You usually don't wake up on your own until lunchtime."
Andrew paused, stared at the nurse for a moment, then relaxed. "Oh, that... I dunno." He looked out the window at the reddened horizon. "Just wanted to watch the sun come up, I guess."
They both looked out the window together. Andrew spoke again. "Back when I was home, my mom used to wake me up for school right about now. On Fridays, when she had to work all day, we would sometimes get donuts at Crunchy Cream before I got dropped off. We'd stay at the parking lot, turn off the radio and stuff, and just talk and watch the sunrise together for a little bit."
The nurse smiled sadly and nodded. "That sounds nice."
"Yeah." Andrew said, choking up. "I miss it a lot. I miss her a lot."
"Well, look at it this way," the nurse said. "Even though your mom's gone, one day, you'll find someone you love who you can share moments like that with again."
Andrew wiped his eyes. "You think so?"
"Oh honey, I know so." She grinned and tussled his hair. "Why, when you're a little bit older, girls will be going absolutely crazy for a boy as tough and handsome as you. You're bound to fall in love with at least one of them, right?"
For the first time since he came to the hospital, Andrew laughed.
"Haha- ah- uh- owww..."
"Oh, yeah. Try not to laugh too hard. Your stitches haven't fully healed yet, and laughing can get them all out of shape."
"Thanks for telling me now..." muttered Andrew. He was still smiling, though.
Another nurse entered the room and spoke to the first nurse. "Hey, Marissa, can I talk to you outside for a moment?"
"Right. Sure."
The staff in charge of taking care of Andrew has been discussing this for weeks. While the media circus ebbed and flowed around what was being dubbed as the Vegas Diner Incident, various virulent opinions circulated about the survivor at the center of it all. Many believed Andrew to be something of a demon-child, a demented cop killer who should have just been left to die on the parking lot instead of being airlifted to a top-notch hospital; just because he was a super and a kid doesn't mean he isn't a public danger. Many others believed Andrew to be somewhat innocent, the victim of an violent police force that all too often was abusive and incompetent when dealing with superhumans; the LVMPD does not have a great track record with powered relations.
Regardless of what the frothing masses believed, the hospital staff believed that life was only going to get worse for Andrew either way, and that while he was in their care he deserved to be treated with kindness. So, some of the staff pooled a little bit of money together and bought him a stuffed teddy bear as a present and a souvenir, to give Andrew some comfort on the difficult road ahead and to remind him of all the people who helped him, which hopefully would give him some happiness and hope.
"David finally went out and bought it."
Marissa held the bear in her hands. It was well-made and fluffy, just like they had wanted it to be. "About damn time, too. Interns..."
"...are only a little less busy than we are. Shit, if I wasn't getting paid for these hours, I would've just grabbed the money and run!"
The two nurses laughed and walked back toward the guarded hospital room.
Suddenly, a horrible roar that sounded like something between a human scream and thunder came from Andrew's room. The police officer paled and quickly went to unlock the door, hand on his gun holster. Marissa was so startled, she dropped the bear on the floor.
"The hell was th-"
An explosion tore through the room, shattering the wooden door into pieces and laying out anyone outside and sending the bear flying. The lights went out in the hallway, and the screeching of a fire alarm echoed through the hospital as smoke rose and dust settled. Coughing, collecting themselves, and brushing themselves off, the nurses and the cop pulled themselves up and slowly approached the darkened room. The police officer drew his gun and a flashlight and, with shaking hands, entered.
It was a complete disaster. Quite literally everything in the room was broken: scorch and claw marks covered the walls, wires and tubes were splayed about, the lights had been shot out, the bed was tilted on two legs, water jetted out of the busted sink, screens and electronic equipment were broken into pieces and causing electrical sparks. Red streaks of blood, perhaps from stitches torn open again by sudden movement, led from Andrew's now empty bed and out through the broken window. The police officer and the nurses rushed to the window, but neither normal Andrew or his presumably terrifying super form were anywhere to be seen outside. Nothing at all was.
"Oh my God... No, no, no..."
"What happened...?"
The cop leaned into his radio and started shouting as doctors attempted to evacuate their patients from the floor.
"We got a 10-35 at AMG Specialty! Superpowered person of interest missing! I repeat, 10-35 at AMG hospital, requesting heavy backup, an ambulance and a search team now! NOW, DAMN IT!"
Within minutes, the hospital and the surrounding area was swarming with police, SWAT, and counter-terrorism personnel. Armored vehicles and squad cars with flashing red and blue lights screamed across the city, but it was all in vain. Andrew was gone. Police picked up the pieces, including a scorched and torn teddy bear, and called in the Feds. This had gotten out of their hands.
The story comes to you. It's late at night, and you're doing something mundane. Watching TV, playing video games, doing chores, gearing up to go fight crime or the opposite, whatever. It's a pretty unremarkable night.
Suddenly, you hear a knocking. As an active superhuman, you've developed a not really irrational phobia of unexpected knocks on your door, especially at this time of night. Still, you're not a coward. You slowly, silently approach the door and look carefully through the peephole. You see two men, perfectly inconspicuous except for the fact that they're wearing sunglasses late at night. One of them is flashing a badge at the door. You look at their waists, and both of them are armed. The realization slaps you in the face: it's not a neighbor or even the local police, but g-men. Maybe CIA, NSA, DoD, MJ-12, or even the-
"FBI," one of them shouts in a neutral tone. "Power Crimes. Open up."
You hesitate as your history overwhelms you. What are they after you for? Are they even after you? It doesn't matter, because you find yourself considering a variety of options anyways: ambush and double homicide, escape through a backdoor or a window, finally surrender to the government, take a hostage, negotiate while in an armed standoff, among others. As you weigh your options, the other agent speaks impatiently, as though he knows your thoughts.
"Look, we know you're in there. Relax. You're not in any sort of trouble. In fact, we're here to ask for a favor. We don't even really need to come inside for this, but we should for privacy's sake. Now, please, just open the damn door so we can get this over with."
After a moment's hesitation, you relent, and the agents enter your home. This story is yours now.