Sinkholes II: The Gas Main

[Hellbender]

Day 23, late in the evening. Open to anyone downside

---

His Supreme Puissance Dudlii Mikkrogg'l, the High Imperceptor of the Temple of Unicron Victorious was far from anonymous or secretive. Oh sure, his gated estate had plenty of guards and the best security money could buy on Pz-Zazz (and that was quite a bit), but it was a well-known stop on any celebrity home sight-seeing tour. Autograph hounds would be directed to the Outreach Office of the Temple for signed holograms of the Unicronian televangelist, however.

It was also on Hellbender's internal maps. The big worm-former stalked his target carefully, using existing storm sewers to move around in as much as possible, timing his necessary drilling to large trucks driving overhead or subway traffic. Once nestled into position underneath the High Imperceptor's house, he still had to wait for the sound of the televangelist's private VTOL transport to land on the pad behind the mansion. Once the engines spun down to silence, he cranked his audios up and listened for the High Imperceptor's distinctive voice.

Patience. Patience was the key to everything, not impulsive attacks. He couldn't let his anger push him into screwing up his attack, or the slagger would escape, and worse yet, be warned. Hellbender reminded himself of this over and over as he waited impatiently for night and for his target to settle into bed.

At last his target moved to the recharge and organics maintenance region of the mansion. Very carefully, Hellbender cut the gas main underneath the house, careful not to crush the pipe shut, but instead left it leaking gas into the hollow underneath the foundation. Again he held onto his patience, give time for the concentration to build up...

Alarm lights started to blink, warning him of a potential fire hazard from inadequate mine ventilation. It was time.

Hellbender slammed through the floor, enveloping Mikkrogg'l's bed and Mikkrogg'l between the flanges of his capacious maw. He dropped back down, cutters and grinders beginning their work as his intake covers slid shut over his "meal"--

Just in time, as a stray spark set off the gas a hair prematurely. Hellbender slid tail-first back down his approach tunnel, blasted back more vigorously than he planned--but at least he wasn't so far up that he blocked the upward force of the blast!

A tremendous explosion tore out the basement and floor of the mansion; a fireball engulfed what remained. Fortunately the manorial estate had acres of wiry dark grass separating from its nearest neighbors.

[Nightbeat]

Nightbeat is throwing pencils at the ceiling and watching them stick. He's currently sitting with his feet on a desk in a rented office with "Nightbeat, P.I." emblazoned on the door, in a dingy building in downtown Basin City. Unfortunately, advertising for a private investigator is mostly word of mouth, and the Autobot detective hasn't actually had any cases yet. He's also a few thousand shanix in the hole from renting the office. So he's throwing pencils at the ceiling and watching them stick.

Then the comm unit on the desk rings. He picks it up and answers, "Nightbeat Detective Agency, whaddaya need solved?" then listens and nods repeatedly, a smile slowly creeping across his face, even as a pencil falls from the ceiling and clatters onto the desk. "Thanks, Mac, I owe you one. I'll be right there."

He hangs up the comm, rushes out the door and starts down the stairs, comes back up the stairs, locks the door, then rushes back down the stairs, bursting out the front of the building and transforming as he hits the street. His head flies off and transforms into Muzzle as the Porsche opens its driver's side door and the Nebulan climbs into the moving car with a practiced motion. He's heading for Dudlii Mikkrogg'l's estate as close to his ridiculous top speed as he can manage. And for good measure, he puts in a call to HQ.

[Jazz [G1]]

And once that call is received, Nightbeat isn't the only Porsche on the Pz-Zazz streets!

Jazz is en-route as well, having reported to dispatch that he's checking out an anonymous tip. However, will there be any of the house left by the time he gets there? Jazz is fast, but Nightbeat is just a bit faster, and has more experience rushing to scenes like this!

[Nightbeat]

Nightbeat arrives on the scene and transforms back to robot mode, with all the leaping head antics that entails. Then he takes a moment to pull his coat and hat from subspace and get dressed. If anything goes wrong, he doesn't want to drag the Autobot name through the mud.

The detective takes a minute to survey the scene before he starts looking for his informant. He locates the little Torkulonian and slips him a handful of local currency, which he quickly disappears with. Then he pulls the brim of his hat down and starts toward the property.

[Hellbender]

Hellbender has, of course, long since fled the scene, and is out-of-thread. His narrator remains, skippable, to answer investigator's questions about what they find.

[Jazz [G1]]

Shortly after, Jazz arrives, pulling up and transforming, and using subspace to apply his clothes via Rule of Cool. Spotting Nightbeat, he trots up to him, letting out a low whistle at the scene.

"Well, at least we won't have to worry about setting off a gas leak this time."

[Nightbeat]

Nightbeat stands up from where he'd been down on one knee inspecting something with a magnifying glass. Nevermind that it makes no sense to do that in this situation. Rule of Cool again. "You can say that again. Looks like the gas has come and gone. My guy on the street says the whole house went up in a fireball. I wanna get a look below street level."

[Jazz [G1]]

Jazz nods. "Sounds like a plan, man. Should be a bit before any others show up, so we can more than likely get down there without interference."

Jazz rubs his chin for a moment, though. "Thing is, do we wanna go in right at the scene, or find another entrance and work up to the house?"

[Nightbeat]

Nightbeat rubs his chin thoughtfully. This isn't really his kind of crime scene. If he was less of a lone wolf he'd suggest calling in Whirligig, Long Haul, or Scrapper to consult.

"I say we split up for now, one of us check out things topside, the other one head toward the place through the sewers." The blue Porsche heads toward the nearest manhole and starts pulling on the cover.

[Jazz [G1]]

Jazz nods as Nightbeat heads for the sewer, he heading off for the house - or what's left of it. Probably better that Nightbeat be below - trying to explain himself if he was caught down there would be...interesting to say the least.

However, what will Jazz find once he reaches the wreckage of the estate...?

[Nightbeat]

Nightbeat climbs down the ladder into the sewer, switching on his headlights as he descends. Vermin scatter as he approaches.

//Testing. Can you hear me, Jazz?// he transmits, once he's farther along toward the house. It wouldn't do to be out of radio contact because he's underground.

[Hellbender]

What Jazz will find is a very large, deep crater in the center of the mansion; firefighters work desperately to contain the blaze that threatens to consume the remains of the house. The High Imperceptor kept his fire insurance paid up, after all. They are much too busy to do more than warn Jazz back from the hottest areas.

The debris has fallen all around the house, blasted outwards and away. The explosion obviously came from inside or beneath the house, though a falling bomb that detonated late would produce a similiar pattern.

----

Pzz-Zazz's sewers are not well-maintained even by the standards of sewers. No one actually wants to work in sewers, but they are a necessity, so true to Pzz-Zazz, city sewer maintenance collects a maximum in salaries and graft for a minimum of work. However, in this district they are at least sufficiently unblocked so that the hoi-polloi don't get backed-up sewage in their yards. It also means that Nightbeat can make his way through the storm sewers, though he may have to pick his way over a few bodies and push his way through a few thickets of obstructing driftwood or tree roots.

---
Narrator is still skippable

[Jazz [G1]]

Jazz offers to help the firefighters - he can't really go snooping around with a fire active, so he may as well do what he can.

The pattern does draw his attention, though...

[Nightbeat]

Nightbeat turns down the gain on his olfactory sensors and the tactile sensors on his feet. It stinks down here and he doesn't particularly want to know what he's stepping in. No response from Jazz either. Radio signal is probably being blocked by the ground.

The detective steps over a body, and crouches down to examine it. It's been here at least a few days, probably no relation to the current case. He makes a note of where he found it and moves on toward the ruins of Mikkrogg'l's house.

[Hellbender]

"You got firefighting programming or equipment?" One of the firefighters, who has a Fire Chief hat on, asks Jazz curtly. "If not, clear out. If so, get that shed over there control." He points to an outlying building whose roof is burning. No random strangers are going to be allowed to loot the house under the guise of firefighting until he and his boys have finished with it.

-----------------------

The interior of the storm sewer pipe turns black with soot; even with turned down olfactory sensors, the odor of scorched mud and less identifiable incinerated organic substances is powerful and obviously recent. The lateral tunnel leading toward Mikkrogg'l's house seems to be a new installation, freshly cut through the cheap ceramacrete pipe. Machinery marks can be seen on the interior of the cut edge, if examined. The tunnel is not lined, but heads into the darkness through raw earth.