10377/Hulk Potion No. 9

Hulk Potion No. 9
Date of Scene:	09 December 2019
Location:	Midtown, Manhattan
Synopsis:	Samson has no clue about the demonic nature of the crew that tried to grant a man his greatest wish, and Piper doesn't have the necessary time to explain the situation in a way he'd understand.
Cast of Characters:	Doc Samson, Piper Halliwell

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Doc Samson has posed:
It's a beautiful day in Midtown, which means that the streets are filled with tourists and locals alike--and traffic is currently being redirected (to everyone's annoyance) around Times Square for filming.

Trailers, cameras, lights, and catering abound for what appears to be--based on signs put up around the borders of the blocked-off area--a reality show called 'MY UNBELIEVABLE SUPERHERO ORIGIN!'.

A gaggle of support staff surrounds someone who looks like they might be the host, and a few others stand near a man who might barely be 100 lbs.

Off to the side, a much larger, muscular man with long green hair stands, arms folded, talking sternly to a woman with a clipboard.

"...not sure I'm comfortable with this at all," the large man says. "And you're /positive/ this has been safely tested?"

"I'll have to get back to you on that," the clipboard-wielding woman says. "But I think we're just about ready to begin rolling."

Moments later, the host is positioned on his mark, as is the thin man. "Welcome back to another episode of 'My Unbelievable Superhero Origin!', the show where we help lucky contestants discover what it's like to live the life of a superhero. And this week's episode involves a man who wants to be as strong as--you guessed it--the Incredible Hulk!"

Piper Halliwell has posed:
Piper Halliwell's out hiere because, one, it's /not/ Bloodhaven. Two, P3's closed for the day. Three, she's doing the touristy thing. Despite living, oh, over the river. So she's here, watching the goings on with a curious gaze. She's got her usual clothing choices on and hair tied back. And she's peering at the equipment and hosts. She's hoping no demons or...or...anything bad shows up. Just for one freaking day she wants a nice, normal day. She's even got coffee in hand

Doc Samson has posed:
Filming for the show continues.

"...excited to be here, Mark," the thin man says. "All my life I've wanted to be a hero, and this show is helping my dream come true!" He claps his hands together. Some passersby standing along the filming barriers applaud in response.

"Well, we have someone who's a bit of a Hulk expert. Doctor Leonard Samson, why don't you join us?" the host says, a wide, toothy smile on his face.

The green-haired man walks out, his expression much less enthusiastic. "Hello. Yes. Look, I just want to voice my con--"

"Thank you for being here today, yes!" the host interjects. "So the Hulk received his powers from gamma radiation, didn't he?" Before Samson can respond, the host continues. "So we've got a much lower--and safer!--dosage that we're going to give Eugene here."

A staffer brings out a vial of a bright green liquid on a pillow.

Eugene's eyes grow wide.

Samson frowns. "You can't be serious!"

"Isn't this what you've always wanted?" the host asks.

"Yes!" Eugene exclaims. "I'm ready to be a hero! It's all I've ever wanted!"

The liquid in the vial glows brighter, momentarily reaching almost neon levels of illumination--not that anyone near it notices, since they're all currently focused on one another.

To the perceptive eye, though, there's definitely something happening. And the facial features of staffer holding the pillow ripple briefly, like they're wearing a mask of some kind.

Piper Halliwell has posed:
Piper's on edge, she's watching and not liking any of it. She looks around the crowd. Piper shakes her head and narrows her gaze. Spells...that's rhyming. And given she's a Charmed One, Piper's whispering. Because she /really/ doesn't want to end up in the midst of another Salem....again.

With my will and my might. I call your demon form to light" Piper whispers. She's got a sole vanquishing potion on hand. Prepared? Underprepared. Thankfully, her powers are always there. And that spell....hopefully, Piper's hoping it'll draw the demon out. And she's hoping she can spin it as some reality TV stunt thing, too.

Doc Samson has posed:
The staffer holding the vial & pillow staggers, and the delicate container threatens to fall to the ground.

Eugene shouts, "I got it!" and dives for the vial.

"Wait!" Samson cries, but by the time he can reach the contestant, Eugene has already gulped down the neon green substance.

The staffer, meanwhile, snarls as it lurches, seemingly against its will, in the direction of the whispering woman.

Several other staffers similarly take on infernal features, growling and snapping their jaws.

Looking around, Samson pushes himself to his feet. "Find somewhere to hunker down," he says to the host, who appears absolutely terrified of the off-script behavior taking place.

Then, Samson steps to the nearest crazed staffer and grabs their arm. "What's gotten into everyone?" he asks loudly. "Was that vial contagious?!"

Piper Halliwell has posed:
Piper's in a pickle. Which demon to throw her potion at. She gestures, speeding up the molecules of the one closest to her. Start with the biggest threat. "Anyone ever tell you it's not nice to" Piper begins and throws the potion. It should vanquish a demon if it hits. Piper though....she's taking it all in with a quiet sigh. "I wantedd today to be normal!" she snaps, rolling up her sleeves. Oh, those demons are going to get what's coming!

Doc Samson has posed:
Upon impact, the potion shatters and the demon lurching toward Piper dissipates into a fine mist.

Samson, nearby, struggles with a demon who attempts to overpower him. The demon headbutts the doctor in the nose, and Samson grunts, stumbling backwards. He responds with a punch that knocks the demon onto the ground, unconscious.

Eugene, meanwhile, has begun mutating, his size growing as exaggerated muscle mass emerges from his skeletal form. He screams, the voice dropping octaves as seconds pass. Eugene slams his hands against the pavement, cracking it, and leaps to his feet.

He throws his head back and howls, his features no less exaggerated than those of any of the demons. The howl becomes a laugh, and Eugene lifts a nearby camera, tossing it up into the air.

"I'm STRONGER than the HULK!' he bellows. "I'm POWERFUL!"

Several of the demon-staffers nearby appear to surge with energy, as though Eugene's wish-fulfillment empowers them. They turn to regard the Charmed one with anger.

Piper Halliwell has posed:
One down. Several more to go. Great. Where are Prue and Phoebe when Piper needs them? She watches silently, then shakes her head. Oh great, demons in the Big Apple. Piper's worried, several demons like this. Nothing good ever comes of it. Piper's not a huge fan of this really, though she does gesture again to do her best to blow the demon nearest her up. Or, failing that, set it on fire. Apparently being the demon nearest Piper's a bad idea. Very, very bad idea.

Doc Samson has posed:
Demon staffers begin to burst like balloons as Piper gestures toward them.

Samson, seeing this out of the corner of his eye, tosses another in the woman's direction. "Here's another!" he calls out.

Just then, Eugene grabs ahold of Samson's leg and flings him over his mutated head and into the pavement. "Who's stronger NOW, Doc? Ha ha!" Eugene exclaims, spinning around to smash the doctor through assorted television equipment.

In response, Samson tries desperately to wrench Eugene's grip free of his leg, but he keeps getting flung back and forth to do so successfully.

Near one corner of the barricaded area for filming, someone sits in a director's chair and giggles, his demonic nature unmistakeable.

Piper Halliwell has posed:
Piper's locked in on the director's chair and the occupant. She watches the demons pop like, well, demonic balloons. Because that's normal, and she shakes her head again. She then eyes Eugene. Shaking her head Piper's chanting another spell, this one aimed at Eugene this time. Those demons don't know who they picked a fight with. Piper's not a pushover. Charmed One and all that.

Doc Samson has posed:
As Piper casts her spell, Eugene twists at the hip, trying to throw Doc Samson at the Charmed One. The effects of the spell begin to take hold as he moves, though, and the mutated contestant begins to slow. His joints creak, as though he's turning to stone or ice, until he becomes entirely immobile.

Samson skids along the ground from where he's all but dropped out of Eugene's frozen hand. He looks up at Piper. "I'm not quite sure what sort of tech you're using to counter what certainly must be an untested cocktail of gamma-infused chemicals, but I'm glad you have it."

Once Eugene's frozen, the giggling director-demon loses his sense of humor and decides to make a break for it, running across the Square toward the gathered crowd (which, perhaps ironically, is much larger now than it was when the show was filming).

Piper Halliwell has posed:
Piper whistles, flinging her hand to do her level best to set the director demon director on fire. Piper's not playing around, moving to shield Doc from the demons. Protect innocents. The joys of being a Charmed ?ne. Piper stays put, thinking on what that Doc said...as she shakes her head. Tech. Really? Tech? Great, great. Piper's not okay with any of this...the demons, the TV crew....yeah, not a good day

Doc Samson has posed:
The fleeing director suddenly bursts into flames as he runs toward the crowd, the members of which shriek in fright, trying to scramble to make room for the flaming figure--although the demon ends up vanquished before making it across the barricade.

Doc Samson gets to his feet and looks around. "I don't even ..."

Eugene, still frozen in place, begins to shrink in size and mass, returning to his original form. A tear slowly trickles down his cheek.

"Alright!" Samson calls out, waving to get the crowd's attention. "Anyone who knows first aid, we need to make sure everyone's okay!" He pulls a cellphone from his pocket. "I'm already dialing 911 and Damage Control ..."

"Do /you/ know what's going on here?" he asks, turning around to look for Piper.

Piper Halliwell has posed:
Demons dealt with. Good. Innocents protected? Good. 9-1-1 called? Bad. Very, very bad. The last time the cops got called, somebody got into a fight at P3 and threatened to shoot one of Piper's friends. Admittedly, Avalon Heights....but the cops were....thorough. Piper though doesn't wanna deal with the NYPD. Not when she calls Bloodhaven home. "I'll tell you if you don't call the police" Piper offers. Sure, she could just freeze the crowd and leg it. But that's a coward's way out. Which....Piper's considering. Very, very much considring right now. Her and police don't mix, with her being a witch and all that.

Doc Samson has posed:
Samson stares at Piper for a long moment, his jaw set. "Hmmmm," he utters, considering the statement.

"I'm sorry," the doctor finally says. "But I have an ethical responsibility to do so. But if you don't want to be here when they arrive, I understand. I won't even mention your presence--there are clearly some unexplored issues here, and I can look at it as a kind of doctor/patient confidentiality situation."

"Thank you," he adds, nodding as he speaks. "You kept a lot of people from getting hurt. Or worse."

Piper Halliwell has posed:
Piper shakes her head. "Oh I don't want to be here when the cops show up. But you stay here. You can't explain what happened. Cops are going to think you're crazy and take you in" Piper says, she's too calm for this. Which is somehow scarier than her burning demons. "So you want to call the police in on a case of what. People sheddingg their skin, and of catching fire? Do you know how stupid that sounds?" Piper asks folding her arms. "So you think putting yourself int a world of what the hell I don't know how to explain this is the right thing? Put your ethics aside, put that whole pile of dung aside" Piper says. "I get it. You want to help people. Believe me. I help people too. But I know when to leave the cops out of things and when it's better to not have them poking aroundd. Believe me. You don't want the cops looking at this little bit of Midtown and thinking you killed everyonee" Piper shrugs, shaking her head. Sure, she /did/ vanquihsh the demons. But no way she's explaining that to the NYPD. Nope

Doc Samson has posed:
Blinking several times, Samson takes a step back as he's taken to task.

"You're right," he replies quietly. "I don't know precisely what happened. But I think that forensically we can figure it out. If there's one thing I feel moderately knowledgeable about, it's scrawny men who want to be powerful."

Samson glances over his shoulder at Eugene. "This man needs a lot of help. That doesn't explain what's going on with this television show, though." He sighs. "I'll definitely need to get a new agent. And the authorities will need to look into these disintegrated staffers and find out who their family members are, so that they can be notified..."

Piper Halliwell has posed:
Piper shakes her head and groans. "You want to be answering a billion questions. Go for it. But I'm not going to sit here and answer questions, when the cops and lab people don't need to be poking around" Piper points out, shaking her head again. Great, why didn't she pack more potions. Or just....something. Piper though glances to Eugene. "Who gave you that potion?" she asks.

Doc Samson has posed:
Eugene very slowly begins moving his mouth. "TTtttthhhhhhheeee sssssssssttttaaaafffff aaaaasssssiiiiissstttaaannntttt," he manages to vocalize.

Samson frowns and crosses his arms over his chest. "Think maybe it could be a terrorist organization looking to infect New York with some sort of radiation effect?"

By this point, various first responder volunteers have begun checking crowd members for injuries.

Samson picks up a clipboard and examines it. "Damn it," he grumbles. "These pages are all blank."

Piper Halliwell has posed:
Piper's giving Doc the 'are you serious?' look. Which means she's quietly contemplating how angry she'll get. Then again, it's high time she got outta here. Instead Piper's gearing up to run away. Shell hoof it back to Blooodhaven if she has to. Mostly since the labs and PD asking questions is bad. Very bad for her. Witches...and cops don't get along, so Piper starts to stroll off like torching demons is an every day occurrence. Which for her, it is