10832/Remo Willians: The Adventure Begins

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Remo Willians: The Adventure Begins
Date of Scene: 22 January 2020
Location: Two Bridges (Chinatown), Manhattan
Synopsis: Remo goes out to find and observe superheroes, and is successful by allowing trouble to find him first.
Cast of Characters: Remo Williams, Captain Britain, Shadow




Remo Williams has posed:
     His name was Remo and he was new in town.
CURE had assigned him to explore the city of New York as training for understanding superhumans, since CURE's mandate was now broadened to include the possibility of having to eliminate supervillains that might be a threat to the country. Remo wasn't too certain about this; he'd been reading comics since he was back at the orhpanage, but Chiun was practically ecstatic at the opportunity to pit his training against supers, or "capes" as Remo tended to call them.
     So here he was, walking the streets and wondering, "How do you meet a super, anyways?"
     It was this thinking that led him to ignore the three fledgling Tong members that were trying to mug him.

Remo Williams has posed:
Remo Williams walked right past them twice. The first time, they simply threatened him. The second time, they pulled knives and charged him, somehow finding themselves behind him with Remo still walking forward, somewhat deep in thought. The third time worked and the muggers demanded his wallet. Remo took notice of them at last and said, "Guys, I just got these new IDs. Here, here's the money...let's see...oh, here, take it all. Maybe you can buy yourselves some new personalities. Now, we done? I got a lot on my mind."
"Maybe you not hearing us right. Maybe we give you a few scars so you show us proper respect."
When they wok up later, the EMTs were pulling them out of the dumpster and tel;ling them that everything was going to be all right; the paralysis didn't seem to be permanent.

Remo Williams has posed:
Remo Williams discarded the butterfly knives. *Well,* he thought, *at least that part was familiar.*

Captain Britain has posed:
Every once in a while, Brian got a particular craving, something he just wanted without rhyme or reason. He just felt a yearning for it. And today he craved Chinese Food. And so, he made his way to Two Bridges, also known as one of New York's many Chinese ethnic enclaves. As he wore his costume under his clothes, it was January in New York; he had left his car at the University. It wasn't hard to navigate, plus he could fly. The helmet was harder to hide, but he had a backpack for that. He was so close that he could almost taste it. The only question was where he was going to get his fix of Chinese food today. But then he heard a commotion. He looked at the Golden Dragon, he could smell the necter on the wind, and then turned to the sounds coming from down the street, and then he said, "ah, bloody hell." He'd have to find an alley way to change in.


Shadow has posed:
    Nature abhors a vacuum. This axiom holds true in physics as it does in social power dynamics, economics, and, of course, crime. Recent activities by various costumed vigilantes, as well as the Foot's power play, have caused severe losses in the Mafia's smuggling operations, and sensing opportunity several other players moved in to fill the space.

    Of course, this activity can be noticed by those who know to watch for it, and those who are aware of the axiom know to expect it.

    Knowing that the Mafia was in retreat, the Shadow instructed their agents in the area to be on the lookout for increased Tong, Yakuza or Vory activity, and waited for the information that would inform them which of those parties would be the first to jump. Yesterday, one of the Shadow's agents in the organized crime division of the NYPD did a routine verification of a report on an increase in protection rackets and intimidation in the shipping districts closest to Tong territories, and then sent a non-routine copy of the report along an otherwise unknown channel.

    And now, The Shadow Knows.

     The three thugs weren't as unnoticed as they thought they were, and had been entirely unaware of the unseen entity following them for the past fifteen minutes waiting for a good opportunity.

    Still shrouded from detection, the Shadow looks from the now-full dumpster to the retreating figure, wondering, not for the first time, why /anyone/ with a modicum of sanity still tries to mug random strangers in New York. The risk just doesn't seem worth it.

    A decision is reached. The Tong thugs can wait - there'll be plenty of time to visit them in the emergency room later. This man warrants further investigation...

Remo Williams has posed:
Remo Williams stopped as his nose detected something, and he realized...he was hungry. Maybe here, they'd have the right kind of rice. Hopefully they'd also have some shark meat. He was starting to like walking among normal women and not feeling like a deep-dish meat pizza at a Weight Watcher's meeting.

Captain Britain has posed:
Brian ducks into one alleyway, only to find that there are a few kids, teenagers really, smoking on a back step. He would have liked to have chided them for smoking at such a young age, but he was needed elsewhere, and so he moved up to the next alleyway he could find. That one was vacant, with no obvious signs of cameras or recording devices. He would take a couple of extra looks just to be on the safe side, and then lifted off, flying up towards the rooftop, and beyond. He had the suit on under his clothes, so it wasn't that much of a bother. And high above, no one could watch him change.

Changing clothes whilst hovering mid-air was hardly an easy feat. For one, there was nowhere to put anything that he had taken off. On the other hand, it wouldn't get soiled by anything on the street or garbage bin he might have used elsewhere, and he had become somewhat adept at such a change. First he took off his backpack, so that he could take the helmet out. That was an easy one. He just put it on his head. Then he took off his coat, trying to folding it as neatly as he could, all while holding the backpack, then tucked it in there. Next was his shirt, which he unbuttoned...

It was no wonder that most crimes were over by the time he could change. Eventually he managed it, fitting it all into his backpack. It wasn't his first time. And he descended back down, wearing the backpack, he might as well. Now, where the hell was that commotion? He listened as he floated along around 5 and a half metres, or 18 feet in the air.


Shadow has posed:
    The commotion seems long over... Although seeing a masked man in Union Jack-patterned spandex flying two storeys above ground level and obviously looking for someone or something is causing a mild commotion of its own as people either stop and turn to look and/or take pictures, or - in the case of more experienced New Yorkers, increasing their pace away because they don't want to be at ground zero when Captain Britain finds who he's looking for.

    From the air, however, it's much easier to spot that with all the movement away from him, there's one shadow that seems to be moving without anyone actively casting it...

Remo Williams has posed:
Remo Williams stopped and turned as he heard the commotion. Tall and muscular? Check. Rakishly-colored outfit? Check. Flying two stories in the air. Check and check. Remo couldn't help but smile. "Guess it's true what they say," he said to no one in particular, "just about anything can happen in New York." He turned to the fish merchant and confirmed the order, two pounds of shark meat, delivered to his new place in SoHo, along with fifty pounds of rice, then turned to walk towards the floating man. "You looking for someone, tall, interestingly-garbed and handsome?"

Captain Britain has posed:
This may not have been the best of ideas. Perhaps he should have just gone over there as Brian Braddock. Of course, even if he played little part in the day to day activities of Braddock Industries, he was still a known quantity. He'd be recognised if anyone captured it on film, and then he'd have more scrutiny than he'd care for.

With the focus he had been pouring into his senses, he spotted the shadow without a source, and narrowed his eyes in the helmet. What could that be? He was about to investigate when Remo called out to him. "Why yes, I heard there was a disturbance in this area?" His voice was most definitely not that of a native New Yorker. He was English, upper class too, or at least he spoke with a Received Pronunciation accent.


Shadow has posed:
    The Shadow pauses as Captain Britain arrives on the scene and addresses the person she'd already been tailing, and after a moment's thought opts to remain hidden for now. There is every likelihood she'll get the answers she's looking for just by listening -- and Captain Britain's reputation almost certainly means there'll be less likelihood of misunderstanding-fueled confrontations...

Remo Williams has posed:
Remo Williams chuckled. "A disturbance? In New York? Looks like the only disturbance is you drawing attention. Let me guess. Your accent and that stylized Union Jack on your outfit...Something Britain, isn't it? Look, I'm about to have something to eat. Why don't you come on down and we can talk without me needing FAA clearance? I'm buying."

Captain Britain has posed:
"Captain Britain" he said in a clear, loud voice. For reasons unknown to the general public, he had relocated here. Though it may have had something to do with the fact that there were three other Captain Britains, or near enough, back home, such as Captain U.K. and Lionheart. He could afford to spend some time in America. Floating down to the ground, he offered a gloved hand to the man, "thanks for the offer chum, but I'm on duty. If there's nothing else going on around here, I best be off." It wasn't that he didn't want the food, he really did, but it just wasn't good to spend time with civilians while in costume. The longer they'd see his face, even his lower face, the greater the chance the mask comes off or they at least get a good look at his jaw line.


Remo Williams has posed:
Remo Williams sighed. "Well, don't say I wasn't polite. After all, first cape I ever meet, figured I'd try to mark the occasion." He smiled. "Maybe next time, Cap, maybe when you're not in so much of a hurry. But I get it. I'm working, too." He found a table and sat down. "Business lunch."

Captain Britain has posed:
"No, not at all my friend," not that Captain Britain had a clue who Remo was, or even the name, as the man hadn't introduced himself as Captain Britain had. "And for what it's worth, not a lot of us wear capes. We saw the Incredibles. Every time I do see someone in a cape, I hear Edna Mode's voice in my ear. But thank you for your kind offer." And with Remo heading off to find a table, Captain Britain took off. There was no crime going on in here that he knew of, so he figured he'd head on back home. Maybe he'd pick up a pizza on the way. Ah, his cravings were so short lived.


Remo Williams has posed:
Remo Williams settles in and orders a simple lunch: rice with a half-pound of duck and a few drops of honey. After ordering he sits back, sighs and than says, in almost a whisper, "You can come out now."

Shadow has posed:
    The Shadow watches the good Captain depart. Polite and interesting, but uninformative... Except for one thing. Almost any civilian finding themselves shaking the hand of someone as famous as Captain Britain would have given their own name in return, as a basic social instinctive response if nothing else. This man didn't just avoid doing so, they did it smoothly enough that no one quite noticed. Interesting indeed.

    And then the invitation is offered. How much of it is a bluff and a shot in the dark and how much is actual knowledge is... Probably immaterial.

    "... That would probably create more than a mere 'commotion'," comes the reply, although even Remo's senses can't seem to pick up from /where/ -- and the complete lack of reaction from other people at the eatery suggests that no one else can hear the voice or there'd likely be some screaming...

Remo Williams has posed:
Remo Williams smiled a little. Worked every time. "Well, then, I guess I'm taking my food to go." He called to the waiter coming out with his food, had it put into a bag, then walked out of Chinatown, heading for a more secluded location, a small park with a few secluded benches hidden by trees. He sat down, looked around. "So...here we are."

Shadow has posed:
    The shadows by one of the trees shift and move, and for for a brief instant there is a sense of visual disorientation, like looking at the event horizon of an Escher painting and trying to hold both perspectives at the same time -- and then the two-dimensional shadow is a three-dimensional figure, tall and imposing in an all black greatcoat and opera cloak, a crimson scarf covering what features the black slouch hat doesn't, leaving their eyes as the only visible evidence that this may in fact be a human -- although even there the jury's out; the blazing intensity with which they seem to be looking straight through him is a bit unsettling, or would be for someone who doesn't regularly get glared at by a cranky Korean martial arts master while dissecting their manifold deficiencies at length.

    "Here we are, indeed," the figure replies. "I must admit your demonstration of skill on those ruffians was impressive. Hopefully they won't have remembered enough of your appearance to describe you to their superiors when they walk free again..."

Remo Williams has posed:
Remo Williams smiled. "They might have some trouble finding me. You gonna take a seat, or are you planning on persisting with the whole 'shadowy-cape-who-knows-you-better-than-you-know-yourself' bit? Not that I'm complaining, I was walking around, trying to find out more about capes and I get to meet two in the space of an hour. Life's interesting that way."

Shadow has posed:
    That gets a laugh. "Around New York, that would actually be pretty average," the figure points out. "But I do have a certain mystique to maintain. May I ask why you were hoping to learn more about 'capes'? Given the amount of information and speculation available on the internet, your chosen method seems a little unorthodox, regardless of the fact that it has worked."

Remo Williams has posed:
"Well...that would be telling. Let's just say it's part of my job. But I've got a feeling that you're someone who can keep a secret. Payment for showing up, you might say. You know how the Constitution doesn't quite seem to account for a lot of things? How there are people that walk the halls of power with impunity, committing crimes too large to show up in any court, because they think nobody can stop them?" He finishes off the duck first, then the rice. "Now, someone can."

Shadow has posed:
    "Any system of laws can be subverted by people acting in bad faith for their personal gain," the figure replies. "You would hardly be the first vigilante who goes after those who believe that the law can no longer touch them."

    A chuckle. "I'd point out the impracticalities and risks involved, but I'm sure you're already aware..."

    A nod of the head, a touch to the hat in salute. "I do believe I'll watch your career with interest. Good luck to you..."

    And with that, the figure fades once more, melting back into shadows which flicker and move in the breeze -- and between one moment and the next, they're gone.

Remo Williams has posed:
Remo Williams nodded. "Take care, shadowy person." He tossed his trash in a nearby can and walked away, whistling, "Whistle While You Work"