Introduction to Meta-human Crime Fighting (Open)

[Aiden Swann]

"Or," Aiden added dryly in response to Simon, "who's going to block your spell with their face."

[Milo Black]

Milo frowned, then resumed waiting for class to end.

[Lauren Lombardi]

Lauren had missed the first few days of the class, since it started before she was enrolled, and sitting in a room full of people was both intimidating and humbling. She didn’t have the instructor to herself this time. Still, she wasn’t going to be a fly on the wall.

After Eli’s question was answered, she put her hand in the air. When Mr. Druce turned her way she spoke out, only faintly hoping she wasn’t being too loud. “What about maps? Public workers or someone familiar with the environment? First responders often bring in those kinds of resources, right? What about the sorts of questions normal people might not think of? Like structural weaknesses or strengths. Or places too small for normal people to make it through. If there are no good entrances or exits, some heroes can make their own or change size or teleport or… something. You might have to think outside the box, right?”

[Mister Druce]

Mister Druce aimed a look at Aiden that might have been admonishment or just maybe, hidden amusement. Then he turned back to Simon.

"As I said in my answer to Miss Calloway, you need to know who's on the scene and co-ordinate your actions. Teamwork is vital. We'll be spending a lot of time on that later in the term."

[Mister Druce]

"Maps are worth their weight in gold, Miss... Lombardi?" Druce nodded in approval. "This is an area where modern technology helps a lot. Police officers and city workers can usually bring up building plans or surveyer's maps on a portable terminal. They can even download it to a personal data device for you to carry in the mission. This is an extremely valuable resource.

"But remember that the map is not the ground," he continued in a warning voice. "Stored data is not always properly updated. Buildings get renovated. Ground gets landscaped. Criminals will often modify occupied buildings for defence, even going so far as to install traps and create dead end killzones. Use the map as a guide, but keep an eye out for changes."

"Thinking outside the box is very much the norm for metahuman operators," he went on to address some of Lauren's other comments, "and it's not really something that can be taught. Our abilites are, by nature, outside the box to begin with. I'll be teaching you standard tactics in this class, but each of you will at some point realize your special abilities obviate the need for some of them. I won't be able to cover every potential combination of powers and situations, so that's where you may need to speak up. I've alloted time in each class for answering questions. If you want to know how your special ability may apply to a situation I'm describing, ask away."

[Etienne Mbane]

Simon raised his hand again. "What about those of us who don't really have any super-powers? I mean, like I'm just really good at stuff, and I learn fast."

Several of his classmates nodded, some because they shared the same problem, but most because Simon was a known curve wrecker, and always seemed at the top of the class without much effort.

He continued, "How can we contribute?"

[Roach Copeland]

Roach raised his pencil in the air, offering a nod towards the teacher. "I guess I could always try to see if I can pinpoint the folks in questions. Hostage or bad guys. Try to get in their head. Try to find their motives. See if they're lookin' for somethin' in particular. Maybe get a taste for who they really are underneath."

He scribbled a few things into his notebook before rolling his shoulders. "I mean, thought ain't always correct but after speakin' with the cops or whatever, it might be a good chance to get some information from the folks causin' the ruckus. Well, if you can. Then compare and contract the data."

[Mister Druce]

"There are many examples of Heroes without powers, Simon," Mister Druce answered after a brief pause. "It takes a lot of hard work and training to make up that difference, but it can be done. Of course, you absolutely must use sound tactics if you're going to survive and succeed.

"I'd recommend that any non-powered individual looking to contribute to the fight against crime look into a career in traditional law enforcement."

[Mister Druce]

“So you’ve arrived at a crime scene,” Druce continued with his lesson. “You’ve received a report from officers on the scene and you’ve questioned all the available witnesses. If you’re lucky, you now know who you’re dealing with, possibly their weapons and numbers, and maybe their objectives. You may also know if they have hostages or if they’ve rigged traps or explosives.

“Or you may know nothing. Sometimes there’s no one to ask, or no one who knows anything useful. Even if you did get a full report, it may not be accurate or complete. If a witness saw five gunmen, there could be five more he didn’t see. The suspects may have additional weapons not used in their initial attack. They may have concealed their true identity. They may also have unrevealed metas within their ranks.

“Sometimes you have to act on this incomplete information because the situation requires immediate action. But if you have the luxury of time, you can not only confirm your information but add to it. How can you do that?”

“Reconnaissance!” At least half the class called it out this time eliciting an approving nod from the instructor. Not everyone got it right, of course. At least two students yelled “X-ray vision!”, possibly as a joke, while a third went with “truth serum”. The boy who called out “Google!” a half-second later was almost certainly looking for a laugh and got it.

“For those of you who don’t like big words,” Druce continued once the chuckling died down, “Reconnaissance is a fancy word for sneaking around and spying. This is where powers come into play and start to separate us. Some of you have abilities that make sneaking around easy, while others will find it virtually impossible. If you’re part of a team, it makes sense to leave this job to those who excel at it. If you’re on your own, you’ll have to make do.

“You’ll all get a chance to show me your ninja moves next Monday during our first field session.” Mister Druce cracked his first smile as the students began to murmur amongst themselves. This was the first they’d heard about any ‘field sessions’.

[Cadence Calloway]

Cady felt her stomach drop a little. She'd done really well so far in this class...but there was nothing stealthy about being able to set yourself on fire and throw fireballs. She'd done plenty of field exercises before when she'd attended Evolution-X's academy, but never once had she really been asked to do any kind of sneaking. That...was usually what someone else on her team handled.

She bit her lip...and quietly hoped there wasn't going to be a grade involved with this.