Light in Darkness (Open)

[Chief O'Hara]

During the first few weeks after the Dream League's formation, Chief O'Hara was skeptical--sometimes even displeased--about more masked vigilantes running the streets, besides Cold Shadow. Yet, as chance would have it, the police chief eventually realized what the Dream League was trying to do, and he even grew to respect them. Of course, he still had a reputation to uphold, and his support of the Dream League would have to be slow and incremental. Not everyone in the Epcot City Police Department was receptive of the League.

Regardless, Chief O'Hara volunteered to enlist some help from the Dream League for just one mission. He would call anyone from the Dream League by using a searchlight on the police station's roof. On this searchlight, a specialized emblem was painted, and would create a large shadow in the sky.

This decision met with mild controversy in the police department, but O'Hara reminded the force that he was the one taking the risk.

***

On the night of the searchlight's first use, Chief O'Hara was on the rooftop of the ECPD station, beside the searchlight, looking up at the shadow it cast on the cloudy night sky. It was a slightly chilly night, so standing beside the searchlight and feeling the warmth was comforting.

O'Hara licked his lips as he stared at the shadow, and then on the horizon to the expansive Epcot City, under the veil of night. He expected anyone from the Dream League to show up. He didn't let any of the vigilantes know of the searchlight, but, then again, he couldn't have tracked any of them, and that's one reason why this searchlight was created. He hoped it would succeed in catching the attention of the Dream League.

The overweight, old dogman paced about the searchlight with his hands locked behind his back. "Where are ye, Dream League?" he muttered.

On the roof with him was at least one police officer.

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

Justice paused in his nightly prowl, craning his neck at the colorful beacon which suddenly stabbed at the darkened sky. D. L.? What could that gaudy symbol indicate?

It didn't take long for his great brain to sift through all known possibilities and come up with...

"Dream League," he whispered, though there was no one to hear. This certainly bore investigating, thought the cloaked rodent, and so, without further ado, he pointed his steps toward the police station.

Leaping from ledge to ledge, The Midnight Mouse swiftly found himself perched upon the roof's edge, scanning the area for signs of any of the League's members.

Basil was not a member of said Dream League, but if he were indeed the first to arrive, he would offer his assistance to the police. This just might turn out to be the break he needed, a way to forge his reputation as a detective and combatter of crime.

Clearing his throat to get the attention of the police chief, Basil bowed gallantly before commencing, "Good evening, Sir. Justice is the name...and my goal. If there is some trouble, perhaps I may be of service."

[The Masked Mallard]

A rustle of cloth was the only indicator of the presence of someone new on the scene. Previously, the Gentleman Crimefighter had been at the Overlook, planning on practicing in the use of his powers in the Training Room. He had been on his way there when he just happened to look out the window and see the highlighted image of a badge-shaped sigil suspended in the darkened sky. The DL could only mean one thing.

The Masked Mallard saw that aside from Chief O'Hara and another police officer, there was also a little costumed mouse. Another one of those tiny crimefighters, how interesting. The mouse was currently addressing to O'Hara. Waiting in the shadows, he decided to let the anthro dog answer the mouse's question before speaking, not wanting to barge in or overshadow the little fellow. As he waited, he wondered who among his coworkers would appear. They all had rather erratic schedules, and he never quite knew who he would be working with.

[Chief O'Hara]

Chief O'Hara skid to a stop when he heard a voice bid him good evening. He looked left and right but couldn't find anyone. As the voice introduced himself as Justice, the chief followed the voice and found the source: an eloquent mouse in a costume, just like the Dream League. The chief's flabby cheeks were tugged into a wide smile, and he placed his gloved hands on his knees and leaned to properly address Justice. The police officer watched the chief talk to the mouse, not saying a word, remaining still as a statue, with his hands behind his back.

"Say, now! Ye name's Justice, is it? I haven't seen ye before, but it's nice to meet ye. Tell me, Justice, are you one with th' Dream League?" His smile was hopeful, fully expecting the mouse to answer yes. He was completely unaware of the Masked Mallard's presence.

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

Tell me, Justice, are you one with th' Dream League?

"Well..." It was quite tempting to say 'yes,' but surely no good would come of lying about it. It would only damage the reputation Basil hoped to earn.

"In point of fact, no. But," he hastened to add, "You will find I am not without resources."

Might as well give the whole resumé. "Besides my uncanny energy powers, I am possessed of considerable skills in the detection line. In addition--" Here he threw aside his cloak and brandished his rapier, "My blade is ever ready to strike down the criminal element wherever it may appear."

Hmmm...too much, perhaps? Well, there was nothing for it now.

[Chief O'Hara]

The Chief chuckled and nodded his head at the mouse. "Ah, bless ye, Justice. But this signal's for th' Dream League. If ye wish to help, ye can. Talk to th' League, maybe they'd like to recruit ye!" He heard a noise ahead of them, which sounded like an airborne object descending through wind. The Chief looked up and grinned at what he saw. "Speak of th' devil, here she is!"

[Sunshine]

Sunshine descended the air delicately, like a gracious princess. Her long, slender legs bent slightly as her feet touched the roof. After landing, the blonde superhuman placed her hands on her chest and her lips offered a gentle smile to the police chief and his assistant. She didn't see Justice, for he was much smaller and she wasn't expecting him. Likewise, she didn't see the Masked Mallard.

"Good evening, Chief O'Hara," said the Ray of Hope. She gestured to the searchlight. "Is that lantern meant for us? I'm sorry if I'm here uninvited, but I saw the light, and I... well, here I am."

[Chief O'Hara]

Chief O'Hara was far too old to court Sunshine, and he was a married man. Nevertheless, he always enjoyed the human's company. She was a real looker even with the mask, and though her beauty was remarkable, the chief liked her humble personality even more. The chief had met her a few times before this night, and he only grew to appreciate her more with each meeting. If all the Dream League were as noble as her, then they really were a gift from above.

The chief smiled until wrinkles formed under his aged hues. "Good evenin', Miss Sunshine. And ye be invited, lass, and th' rest of th' Dream League. I had this 'lantern' made to call th' lot of ye. In case o' emergencies..."

His smile vanished as he concluded the sentence. "... such as tonight."

The chief remembered the mouse, and he looked down to Justice, gesturing to him. "Oh, but before we talk bus'ness, Miss Sunshine, meet Justice, down here!"

The cop beside Chief O'Hara awkwardly scratched the back of his head. Sunshine was so very attractive.

[Sunshine]

Sunshine was happy to hear that the chief thought of a method of contacting the Dream League. It would very likely make future briefings and meetings with the police department much easier. When the police chief introduced the masked mouse, Sunshine smiled when she saw the gentlemanly mouse, and knelt so her face could be closer to his.

"Hello, Justice. It's a pleasure to meet you! My name is Sunshine." The superhuman rested her hands on her bent knee, and her chin on her hands, as she examined the mouse in a friendly manner.

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

It looked as if the Chief would not be easily impressed. Undaunted, Basil considered that, in a way, he had gome backward in time as he'd travelled forward.

For indeed, the mouse had begun his career in much the same way, insinuating himself into police investigations wherever possible. At first, he was looked upon as something of a pest, though Basil was mostly oblivious to that bit, but eventually the London constabulary came to recognize his invaluable abilities.

Very well, then, if he had done it once, he could jolly well do it again.

The conversation, such as it was, was interrupted by the arrival of another costumed hero, a flying woman scarcely out of her girlhood.

Pleased that he had not been overlooked, Justice responded to the golden-tressed lady with a removal of his hat and a formal bow, "Your Highness. May I observe that your nom de guerre suits you admirably?"

[Sunshine]

Sunshine was pleased by the charismatic gentlemouse. The way he removed his hat and bowed was nothing short of charming. However, his greeting surprised the Ray of Hope. He referred to her as 'Your Highness,' which made Sunshine think the mouse knew her true identity, Princess Aurora. But that was impossible; the only people she told was her closest friends in the Dream League. She put that fear out of her mind and continued to be polite. In fact, she referred to the Cloaked Cavalier with a similar title.

"Thank you, Sir Justice! That's very sweet of you." The gentle eyes behind her purple mask remained on Justice, her lips just as pleasant.

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

Justice observed a touch of surprise behind the mask, though the young lady's grace and poise hid it well. Very good; Basil thoroughly enjoyed mystifying his audience with deductions.

But her response pleased him even more. 'Sir Justice,' eh? The added title made Basil feel like a knight of olde. He had always loved such tales, always secretly wished he could truly be a knight.

Perhaps he ought to change his name. 'Sir Justice, the Cloaked Cavalier'...'Sir Justice, Knight of the Night'...'Sir Justice, of the Round Table'...food for thought, indeed.

[The Masked Mallard]

Aah, and there was Sunshine! From where the Masked Mallard was hidden, he listened to her converse with Justice and O'Hara. This Justice character seemed quite interesting. The Masked Mallard was always on the lookout for new blood for the team.

He was rather surprised that no one had detected his presence yet. Figuring that he ought to make his presence known now, he stepped forth from the shadows with a flourish of his midnight-blue lined cape. The duck doffed his top hat to everybody as he gave a sweeping bow. While Scrooge McDuck was (fairly) polite when he wanted to be, the Masked Mallard was supposed to be a real old-fashioned gentleman, like the Scarlet Pimpernel or who have you.

"Ladies, gentleman. I couldn't help but notice your interesting new addition to the station, Chief O'Hara." His eyes shifted to the searchlight.

Something large suddenly came into the corner of his vision, catching the Gentleman Crimefighter's attention. Turning, he found himself looking at the Dreamer's latest addition, Savage. The doctor, who was in his intimidating alternate form, stood off to the side, away from the officers and the other superheroes. His usual stern expression was in place as he watched the meet and greet, his massive arms were folded.

The Masked Mallard tried to bludgeon the annoyance he could feel well up within him. No doubt that Savage was useful when the team needed tasks requiring heavy lifting or fighting taken care of, but he needed to be kept on a short leash at times. Plus, Dr. Doppler and all his rambling frankly tried his nerves on occasion. Still, maybe Savage would be on good behavior tonight since Sunshine and himself were here, as he seemed to listen to them more then some of the other Dreamers.

"Lad." The Masked Mallard tipped his hat to Savage, and received a grunt of acknowledgement.

[Savage]

To say Savage hated anyone in a uniform was putting it mildly. More often then not, uniforms meant puny earthlings who would try to either capture or bother him, and he hated being bothered about as much as he hated stupid uniforms. He was all too happy to give the ECPD as wide a berth as possible. But the light had caught his curiosity and drew him here only minutes ago. It could be the promise of a mission. Savage enjoyed it when he got the chance to smash something or smack some bad guy around about as much as Doppler loved babbling on about physics.

It had been no trouble for him to scale the side of the building using his claws -- he could've jumped up there with no trouble, but didn't want to risk accidentally damaging the police station. That old duck, the Masked Mallard, was here already, and so was Sunshine and two cops. He didn’t bother to greet anyone. It wasn’t really in his nature to be so openly friendly. The Mallard, noticed him and acknowledged his presence, which Savage returned.

He didn’t even notice the mouse’s presence at first, but could smell rodent. He dismissed it as a wild rat or something skulking around on the rooftop until he saw Sunshine speaking to somebody and finally noticed the tiny thing. His eyes narrowed slightly and his pointed ears perked up. A mouse in a costume? What did he think he was doing here?

Savage decided to wait and see what the fat old cop who seemed to be in charge told the Mallard and Sunshine, and continued to hang back from everyone, knowing that his presence tended to make others nervous.

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

The arrival of several more super-powered persons rather thwarted Basil's plans, such as they were.

If only Chief O'Hara hadn't waffled round so, he might've given the mouse the necessary information, and Justice should've been on the case, whatever it was, with a pretty head start on all these other chaps. Drat the official police force! In any century.

Only the darkness concealed the mouse's rueful expression as he surveyed the newcomers as a matter of course. Any information he might glean had the potential to be useful at some future date.

[Sunshine]

Sunshine stood up and faced the Masked Mallard as he introduced his presence. The Masked Mallard was ever the gentleman, and Sunshine fancied his attitude. Savage, on the other hand, she treated differently. She didn't treat the monster with fear. She didn't fear him. In fact, she wanted to help convince the other Dreamers that he could be dependable, that he was one of them. In truth, Sunshine viewed Savage as a completely different person, separate from Delbert Doppler, whom she respected, too.

Sunshine spoke benevolently to the Masked Mallard and Savage, her tone consistent and not picking favorites. "Hello, Sir Mallard, and Sir Savage." She smiled to Savage, a sweet, warm smile, even if he wouldn't return it. Sunshine's compassion was at times lopsided, being polite when the second party didn't return the favor.

No doubt they might wonder why she referred to them as Sirs. She turned and gestured down to the mouse. "This is Sir Justice." She didn't catch his rueful look, which was probably fortunate.

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

Justice observed carefully the two newcomers, putting his deductive powers to use, although he found precious little by way of clues.

It wasn't easy to make proper deductions about masked persons bent on concealing their identities; all the detective could make out was that the elderly duck was a Scot and a gentleman of means. About the brutish fellow, there was nothing whatever that presented itself.

Justice nodded to the duo with a murmured greeting of "A pleasure, gentlemen," although the princess' introduction cut him to the heart. Apparently she gave everyone the title of "Sir" indiscriminately, even great hulking beast-men. Rather took the wind out of Basil's sails, as it were.

[Chief O'Hara]

The Chief smiled as he watched Sunshine interact with the mouse. The nondescript cop, however, didn't care about the mouse. He kept staring at Sunshine, only thinly disguising his serious crush on her. Both policemen looked at the Masked Mallard when he made himself known.

"Yes, Mr. Mallard," the Chief replied politely. His hands were linked behind his back, but he raised his right hand and gestured his thumb towards the searchlight. "It's to tell ye that we need ye and th' other Dream League." O'Hara's partner was very creeped out by Savage, but the chief was much braver. He looked at Savage's direction with an unreadable look, until he smiled softly. "Good to see ye have a strong arm of th' law!"

Satisfied that enough of the Dream League had gathered, the chief cut to the chase. "We have a strange case on our hands tonight. From sunset on, we be gettin' phone calls complainin' about malfunctionin' devices and th' like. We told 'em to call electricians, but there's more to it. ATM machines o'cross th' city have been robbed. Th' cameras recordin' those machines all been tampered, so we don't know who's responsible, an' there's no money left in those ATMs."

The Chief paused, hesitating to ask. "Our men are lookin' into it, but... could the lot of ye help us?"

O'Hara's companion continually stared at Sunshine.

[Royal Pain]

Across town, the figure responsible for the technological fiasco continued making their rounds; not satisfied enough with the monetary spoils that had already been looted from a number of ATMs. The lack of opposition from police and superheroes alike seemed to spur the mysterious new villain on, prompting them to take as much as possible from the good citizens of Epcot city for as long as nobody bothered to step in. The bright signal in the sky that had drawn the Dream League was ignored entirely. The thief honestly hadn't seen it yet, too wrapped up in the mirth brought on by just how 'unstoppable' they seemed.

"Four atms drained, no Strongholds- not even one measly little cop in my way. I think I'm starting to like this town."

The voice revealed the culprit as a woman, though in the dark of night and with how quickly she tended to move through an area, it was easy for some who merely glimpsed her to mistake her as a man. Especially considering the elaborate costume that she wore- a full suit of armor that covered every square inch of her body, predominately black and gold in coloring, with a long, detachable golden cape and pointed helmet that made her seem like a knight of old...though certainly not one on the side of justice or honor.

On the front of her suit, the design was a little more revealing to her gender- shapely in the areas where she had curves, and the plating covering her chest obvious in what it was designed to protect, to anybody who cared to pay much attention to villainous wardrobe. Beyond those, however, it was easy to mistake her as a male- heroes back in her own hometown had been guilty of that misunderstanding, and it was honestly something that this villain used to her advantage at times. Such as through the device built into her helmet that would go so far as to distort her voice to sound like a man's, whenever justice decided to come out and play. Something she didn't need at the moment, considering it was just her and her loyal little creations that flitted to and fro whenever she needed them to drag the loot back to her makeshift hideout.

"Hm...Do I really need to keep playing this puerile game?"

The answer of course, was yes. While she had already sent a decent amount of money back to her hideout, tonight's little adventure hardly seemed satisfying just yet. Mostly due to the lack of heroes, despite the fact it pleased her that they hadn't barged in the nanosecond she'd started causing trouble. It wasn't that she wanted to be caught and go to jail or anything, but there was hardly any fun in trying to make a name for yourself as a villain in a new town if the resident band of do-gooders didn't even know you existed. That was why she'd decided to pull this as her first little stunt- petty, really, in comparison to the sort of things she could be doing with her powers...But everybody had to start somewhere. She'd needed to acquire some funds to back up her schemes anyway, and it was always within a villain's best interest to see what the heroes would do. Especially in a new place.

Some might have called her attention-drawing antics stupid beyond all belief ,(and to an extent they were), but field tests were so much more rewarding in the information they garnered than simple observations from the shadows. Besides, the real test of their abilities served a double purpose as enough distraction for her to make a getaway, should she find herself overwhelmed by numbers or powers more aggressively gifted than her own. That was a definite possibility, the problem with being a technopath sometimes. Though her suit provided her with a few means to make up in areas her superpowers otherwise lacked.

"Well, if nobody's going to say anything..."

The armor-clad woman strolled up to another atm machine, stretching her arms out wide as she approached. Unlike many technopaths, her abilities were a bit more showy in nature. Though her mind was what manipulated the technology, miniature bolts of lightning sprung from her gloved fingertips and snaked their way toward and into the machine; disabling the camera the second they made contact, while the atm machine itself started spewing ridiculous amounts of cash into the air, littering the nearby street and sidewalk with bills of varying value. The bolts were harmless toward other people, as they were not part of the aggressive electric attack function she had built into her suit, though they looked intimidating enough and, back home, had often caused people to back away from her in fear of electrocution.

The criminal chuckled as she watched the rain of money coming down all around her, though made no move to collect these bills or summon her smaller creations to gather it for her- she'd gotten more than enough for what she actually needed cash for. This was all just for show. With one hand on her hip, Gwen mentally switched the male voice setting in her suit on, not wanting to completely give herself away just yet. No doubt somebody would come challenging her sooner or later, giving her the opportunity to drop and hopefully spread her name around town. Oh, Epcot city would learn to fear the name of Royal Pain soon enough!

Until opposition arrived, however, there was more than enough fun to be had simply screwing around with things. Chuckling, Gwen lifted her arms again, and larger bolts of 'electricity' tore through the area- some causing street lights to blink in erratic patterns in the hopes of forcing serious traffic accidents, while others sought to completely shut off the power to random homes here and there. There was no real rhyme or reason to it, the woman simply wanted to cause a bit of chaos- it was fun, a real stress reliever!

[The Masked Mallard]

The Masked Mallard's eyes traveled down to the dashing mouse as Sunshine introduced him to Savage and himself. He too didn't caught the crestfallen look that had crossed Justice's face. He politely nodded to Justice. "Likewise, Sir Justice."

His attention returned to the police chief, who explained the purpose behind the searchlight. "Glad to hear of it, Chief O'Hara. I commend you on your decision. By working together, the Dream League and the ECPD can truly become a force to be reckoned with." The Mallard may not have respected most of the ECPD, but he respected O'Hara, even if they hadn't seen eye-to-eye at times, especially in the League's early days. From what the Mallard, the man was honest and hardworking, and unlike a lot of the officers who worked under him, could clearly push past his negative feelings about the Dreamers and work with them.

He caught Chief O'Hara's comment to Savage. "Aye. The strong arm of the law and a right pain in the tail-feathers." Was what the Mallard was tempted to say. But they didn't need a spat right now, they had bigger fish to fry.

The duck listened intently as the chief explained the situation at hand. Some crook was robbing ATMs throughout Epcot City, disabling cameras and causing machinery to go crazy. The culprit's m.o. didn't sound particularly familiar to him, but he was confident that the Dreamers could find him or her and stop them.

"Of course we'll help." The Gentleman's Crimefighter reassured the canine with a smile. He turned to Sunshine and Savage. "Come, my friends. Let us see if we can't ferret out this bandit. Sir Justice, I would like to extend an invitation to you to join us, if you so wish."

He gazed over at the officer standing there with O'Hara, brow furrowed in a slight frown. The man wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he was shamelessly ogling Sunshine. The Masked Mallard was about to rap the butt of his cane on the ground to get the lad's attention, but Savage beat him to the punch.

"Get a good eyeful, officer?" Savage snidely asked.

[Savage]

Savage wasn't exactly the smiling sort. He wasn't a people person either. Even so, when Sunshine kindly greeted him, he nodded respectfully to her. "Sunshine." She could be too damn nice at times (what was with the whole asking criminals to "please stop" thing?), but he appreciated the fact that she was willing to treat him like he was no different from anybody else.

"A pleasure, gentlemen," Savage heard the rodent who Sunshine said was named Justice say when he was introduced. He didn't reply, merely choosing to favor Justice with a mildly curious look before glancing away. Privately he wondered how Justice could do in a fight; he had a sword with him, though it wasn't as fancy as the one Pendragon used.

Finally, it seemed like they were going to get down to business. Fat Cop looked Savage's way and called him "the strong arm" of the law. Okay, so maybe this guy wasn't quite as annoying as his friend was. Besides, he said he was strong, which meant that he respected his strength. Always a plus in the super's book. In return, Chief O'Hara got a nod of acknowledgement in his direction. Meanwhile, the other cop was acting like Savage wanted to chew on his spine or something. True, Savage didn't like police officers, but he wasn't interested in fighting them either (unless they wanted to fight him, in which case he'd oblige them). Savage gave a soft snort of contempt before turning his attention away from the nervous man to focus on Chief O'Hara once more.

Someone was robbing ATMs. It didn't sound like anything too major, but well, any case was better then none. The Mallard told him and Sunshine that it was time to get to work.

The way the other cop had been eyeballing Sunshine the entire time was grating on Savage's nerves. He didn't know if Sunshine had caught it or not. Even if she did, she probably had decided not to say anything about it. He had no problems doing so though. "Get a good eyeful, officer?" Savage grinned in the policeman's direction, exposing his sharp teeth. It wasn't a friendly grin -- more of a nasty "Ha, you just got put on the spot" grin.

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

The police officer related the facts succinctly enough. Machines breaking down. That didn't sound particularly criminal. And what on earth was an "ATM" ?

Basil slumped into his cloak, lost in useless contemplation of the limitless possiblities those three letters presented. And without that specialized knowledge, how could he even begin to investigate? Life was dashed difficult in this blighted century.

The Midnight Mouse might well be plunged into one of his black moods of despair, but for the unexpected invitation from the duck-gentleman.

Sir Justice, I would like to extend an invitation to you to join us, if you so wish

The darkness served him well, disguising from the others Justice's wide-eyed response. Posture snapping erect, he answered, "I accept your generous invitation, sir."

A case at last! It was all Basil could do to keep himself in check. No, he reminded himself, he was a stranger in this time and hardly familiar with too many important details. Best allow the others to make the first move. There would be ample opportunity to prove himself.

[Sunshine]

Sunshine folded her arms on her chest and wore a soft smile as Chief O'Hara introduced the spotlight. The logo was definitely whimsical, but Sunshine wondered if the searchlight, even with such a logo, would intimidate criminals, knowing that the Dream League are out on the prowl. Maybe criminals would think twice now, before breaking the law? No, probably not. But anyone could dream...

She listened intently to Chief O'Hara. Electronic devices were reportedly malfunctioning, and ATMs were being robbed, but by whom? No one knew, because the cameras malfunctioned... Sunshine still didn't know everything about the outside world, but she had learned that ATMs were, "Automated teller machines." She said this softly to remind herself, though she regretted it; she didn't mean to interrupt the chief. She learned about ATMs from some of the other Dreamers.

Her smile increased when she thought about Paradox. It's a shame he couldn't be here. That man always grumbled about "impudent technology," so he probably would have had a field day out here, trying to outmatch this mysterious crisis.

Unfortunately, Sunshine knew that the police officer next to Chief O'Hara was ogling her. At first she was fine with his staring, and even flashed a warm, friendly smile to him. But he just kept staring, and it really got to her. She was about to very politely ask him to stop, or maybe just look away and try to hide her face, but Savage made a, well, Savage-like comment. Though she was thankful, she tried not to smile at the officer's subsequent embarrassment.

Though Sunshine would never complain, and though she was appreciative of the three good fairies for blessing her with her powers... she honestly felt that sometimes her extraordinary beauty was a hindrance. That was one reason why she hardly had any friends growing up in Eyvindria; everyone treated her as a flawless deity. All she wanted was to be treated like a friend.

Hiding her personal thoughts, she smiled to the Masked Mallard and nodded. Then she responded to the leader's invitation to Sir Justice happily. "Then let's all do our best!" She smiled to Chief and did her very best to avoid eye contact with the then humiliated officer. "Thank you so much, Chief. We will try our best." She locked her hands together and twisted her arms daintily; she was always in a good mood whenever the Chief trusted the Dreamers with a mission.

[Royal Pain]

"Huh, I guess these so-called heroes pick and choose their battles."

From all of her experiences with superheroes back home, Gwen had to say, she was surprised that there was still nobody to challenge her. Back home, even if the heroes had no greater desire than to ignore the latest villain and try to live normally for once, they always managed to drag themselves out of whatever secret sanctum they had and fight the good fight. She wasn't entirely sure how to feel about the lack of all of it, it had been a long time since anything had ever seemed this simple.

A great part of her took immense satisfaction in the fact, because it made Epcot city seem like a wonderful place to pick clean. If the heroes couldn't even bother to deal with the pettiest of crimes, then she really had no reason to try and make them jump through hoops- they were beneath her, a waste of time. It was mildly disappointing if she wouldn't get to test out one of her new creations tonight, but then again it wasn't the end of the world. In the grand scheme of things, no heroes were preferable to too many, and she could always make her glorious return to Maxville if this place got too boring.

..But, there was always the possibility that those who upheld justice in this town just liked to be fashionably late in order to crush a villain's hopes. Kind of like the Commander and Jetstream. The very thought of those two hotshots made Gwen's blood boil, and she could feel rage threatening to consume her, though she held it back for now- there was no reason to let herself snap, those two imbeciles weren't here and she was still left to cause mayhem on her lonesome. Instead of go on yet another crazed tirade, she would channel her rage into something much more productive. Behind the dark, intimidating helmet she wore, Gwen's lips parted in a demented, wicked grin.

"Well, if they're not going to show the least I can do is give them something to remember me be. I hope they enjoy the cleanup job."

She channeled her powers into more aggressive means this time, worming her bolts of neurological energy into transformers and the like, overloading circuits with her mind, forcing things to pull themselves apart; all for the fun of minor explosions, and an attempt to see if she could cause blackouts on this side of town for at least a few days.

[Chief O'Hara]

Chief O'Hara smiled pleasantly to the League when the Masked Mallard announced that the vigilantes would help. When the Mallard invited Justice to tag along, O'Hara had an Irish twinkle in his eye, and he nodded approvingly.

But his smile was gone when Savage pointed out that the Chief's partner was ogling Sunshine. O'Hara glared severely at the embarrassed cop, and the Chief made no effort to hide his feelings. A staticky voice was heard through the cop's walkie clip, and O'Hara gestured to it. "After ye stick yer tongue back in yer mouth, ye can answer that!"

"Y-yes, sir," the defeated cop replied. He answered the call. "This is Officer Oneshot. Do you copy?"

Psssh. "We found him! He's creating power outages and other crazy stuff!" The copy on the other end gave the precise location of the crime in progress. "Requesting backup!"

Chief O'Hara's brows furrowed in concern. Oneshot replied. "The Dream League are on their way, but we'll send more backup too."

"The Dream League?!" the cop through the walkie clip exclaimed. "Is Sunshine with them? Please tell me she's coming! This night would be so worth it if she--"

Chief O'Hara grabbed the clip and ripped it clean from Oneshot, and shouted terrifyingly. "FOCUS ON TH' CRIMINAL, YE THICK OAF!!"

The voice cowered. "Ch-Chief?! Sorry, sir! Over and out!"

Chief O'Hara was still clearly agitated, but he forced a smile. "There be yer target, Dream League. Now off with ye."

---

"You heard him!" said one of the officers in the unknown villain's vicinity. His partner nodded. They screeched the police car and parked it in a way that they could use it as a shield, if necessary. Then they burst from the vehicle with guns ready, aiming at the criminal in the full-bodied suit and helmet that completely covered his head. "Police! Freeze!" shouted one of the cops. The two cops' guns clicked, ready to shoot if necessary. "Put your hands on the top of your head!" Their eyes were narrowed in expectation.

[The Masked Mallard]

Like most everybody else, the Mallard was quite pleased when Justice took him up on his offer to join them for this mission. He then snapped to attention when he heard a police officer exclaim over Officer Oneshot's walkie clip that they had found the suspect, who was in the act of committing a crime that very minute!

It took a great deal of effort for the masked crimefighter to keep from rolling his eyes at the behavior of O'Hara's men, but he managed to ignore it. No wonder these Keystone Cops could hardly solve any cases -- they all too busy drooling over Sunshine!

"Aye." The duck nodded respectfully to the senior officer before turning his attention onto Sunshine and Savage. "I took the Star Wisher here tonight. If the both of ye wish, you can go ahead. Normally I would prefer we go as a team, but the two of you are our powerhouses, and I trust the both of you can watch each other's backs. Sir Justice --" His attention focused on the mouse "-- We'll leave in the Star Wisher -- er, unless you have some other mode of transportation."

While he spoke, the Masked Mallard had been moving to the edge of the the rooftop, but stopped two feet away from it, waiting to see if his cohorts had anything to say before they left.

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

Suddenly, a voice could be heard, tinny and indistinct, but clearly from some constable speaking on that odd sort of telephone. The villain was found!

Galvanised by the call to battle, Justice leapt onto Sunshine's shoulder, held his sword aloft and shouted, "Ha! The game is afoot!" before realising what he was about.

Alas, no one else seemed to quite share his enthusiasm. At the duck gentleman's somewhat more staid proposal, Basil responded a trifle more sedately, "Thank you. I should be pleased to accompany you, sir."

[Royal Pain]

The blaring of police sirens rushing to the scene did not escape Royal Pain's attention, she had heard them approaching from several blocks away. And, despite everything she had been muttering to herself, knew that they had to show up eventually. If nothing else, the police force in many of the towns she had caused trouble in were brave enough to show up before the so-called 'heroes'. Perhaps a little dense, but gutsy nonetheless. It nurtured a small seed of respect, though it wasn't much- easily overshadowed by her amusement for the foolish things cops would do to try and stop a villain like herself.

Not threatened in the least by the noise, Gwen kept up her assault on the technology of this side of the city, right up until the police had the gall to jump out of their squad car and order her around. Inwardly, she chuckled at their threats. Did they really think guns were going to do them any good here, or that no criminal was clever enough to take into account the danger those things presented?

Outside of this suit, perhaps guns could be a bit tricky for her- though Gwen was fairly certain that her powers would work on them, given she could rapidly assemble functional ray guns, with the proper scraps of metal laid before her. Still, there was always the possibility that things could go wrong, or a shot could be fired before she had time to do anything. She was wary of such threats when not in full-costume, but when wearing this suit of armor...it was hard not to openly laugh in the police officer's faces. Her costume had been built with bullets and rays of all kinds in mind, so the unlucky officers that had come to her first would find stopping her a bit more difficult than this.

"Alright, if you insist." she finally spoke up, the costume distorting her voice to seem low and threatening. She wanted to toy with these officers for a moment, for the fun of it all. The bolts of energy disappeared all at once as her mind shut itself off from manipulating technology, and she turned to face them. Slowly, Royal Pain raised her arms toward the top of her head, careful to make it seem like she really was going to give up so easily.

At the very last second, however, the bolts of energy shot out of her fingertips again; making their way toward the squad car that had been left parked as a shield. Gwen was no stranger to this method, she knew why the police had angled it in such a way- thus, she decided she would try and use it as a prison instead. Her mind worked rapidly the second the neurological strands touched the vehicle, willing the components to break apart and reformat themselves into a makeshift cage around the police. She planned on making it tight- enough to discourage them from firing off any bullets for their own sake, though she would leave enough room and an opening large enough for them to breathe. Deranged and vicious as she could be, Gwen was not typically a homicidal maniac. The only people she actively sought to kill were heroes that presented too much of a threat to her goals, when she had no other options left.

Besides, if she were to kill any civilians or police, she knew the heroes of this town would quickly be breathing down her neck and pursuing her with much more relentless determination, something she didn't want just yet.

[Savage]

Savage leaped down into the streets and landed on all fours. The impact of his landing making an audible 'thud' on the pavement. He knew he had likely been spotted by the villain, but didn't especially care. Stealth wasn't in his vocabulary -- at least not usually. He briefly cast a glance up at the night sky. Sunshine should have been arriving shortly.

About thirty feet away from him were the cops, crouched behind their car with their guns drawn and pointed at the bad guy. In this case, it was a figure who was encased in gold and black armor. A dome-like helmet served to hide their identity.

As usual, Savage wasn't impressed. Until the guy raised his his hands and dissembled the squad car, turning it into a cage to contain the two police officers. Okay, so that was kind of cool.

If Savage found the crook's power display interesting, then Doppler was even more intrigued. 'Magnetokinesis? Some form of telekinesis? Or could --' His intrigued voice rattled off in Savage's mind.

'Shut. Up.' A frowning Savage retorted, though he thought this rather then said it aloud. He didn't need puny Doppler's chatter distracting him. Sometimes it was a pain to share a body with the doctor.

Growling, Savage then faced Royal Pain, lowering himself into a crouching position like a lion about to pounce on it's prey. "Okay goldie, fun's over."

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

It was Basil's first time in a heavier-than-air craft (who'd've thought such a thing was possible?) and he could scarcely contain his curiosity.

Bounding from one end of the cabin to the other, he gazed first out of the window, then at the construction of the airship, then at the controls, and back to the beginning again in an endless cycle peppered with comments and questions directed more to himself than to his companion.

"So that is the steering mechanism...we must be nearly five hundred feet from the ground...is it very much further?...hmm, some sort of tempered steel alloy, I should think...I say, what does this button do?"