Silent but Deadly (Titans then Open)

A very odd crime spreed had been plaguing Jump City. One afternoon a bunch of actors at Jump City University were found comatose on stage, with pale faces and twisted smiles that ended in two small circles. It wasn't joker toxin, the tests would have spotted that a mile away. This was something different entirely. Hotwire decided he would investigate. It turns out whoever had done this was using a new experimental makeup compound combined with a neurodermic toxin called Herium-5. A supply of Herium-5 had been stolen a week before from a refinery near the docks. All the dockworkers, like the actors, were found in the same catatonic state. Things were quiet for a month.

Then the culprit struck again. The Holwitz Library had been robbed, all the night security left in the same state as the actors from Jump University. A number of books had been stolen from it's secure storage, and the police were low on clue. Whoever this was had been very careful in not only leaving no fingerprints, but no talking witnesses.

Hotwire had been following the case for a couple weeks, and had even worked out a couple pet theories. There were some elements that weren't fitting, but he think he had it. One of the victims in the JCU case was a part of a theater historical society, and carried the key to their clubhouse, which contained a number of antique theater props and costumes. On his own investigation, he checked with the society. Apparently a few of their mime outfits had gone missing a couple days after the JCU incident.

Things began to fall into place. One of the books stolen from the Holwitz Library was a tome on old Mime Practices. Exact information about the book was hard to dig up, but apparently it belonged to some self styled parlor magician in the 19th century and was donated to the library by his family after the guys untimely death.

And while the Herium 5 theft didn't seem to fit this "Mime" theme, it was crucial for creating the special makeup used on the victims of the attacks. Hotwire had finally pieced it together. So tonight, him and the titans stood outside the Jump City Museum of Art.

"This is it." Hotwire said pulling up a picture of a painting, in which a bunch of mime's were preforming. "If my hunch is right, our crook should be striking tonight. The Monoir Mime Portrait, part of a french collection on loan from an Art Museum in Crater Cove. The paintings go back tommorow, so this is our thieve's last shot before the Rocell group airlifts them out by helicopter tomorrow morning." 

Recently in Jump City, a group of murders had been done using some kind of strange chemical that no one knew about. Harmon had been investigating it for a while. Eventually, he figured out that the people would be robbing the Jump City Museum of Art. So now, they stood outside the museum where a painting of a mime was being exhibited for the last time. So this would be the best time to catch them in the act. Meta stood with the others, just waiting for something to happen.

Hotwire handed Ella and Fenrir small handheld devices. "I need you two to get up to the roof, and keep an eye on things through the skylights. There's a silent alarm up there to deter thieves, so it's unlikely our crook will be getting in that way. This device should render you invisible to the sensors." He said before turning to Metamorphi and handing him a similar device.


"Here's one for you as well. My powers on their own should shield me from the alarm system." He said pulling up a map and pointing to a spot on it that looked like a display. "This display right here will be home to a new mystery sculpture in about a month. Right now it's empty. Meta, I need you to get on that display and turn into marble. That should give you a nice vantage of the Monoir Portrait."


Then Hotwire pointed at himself. "And as for me, I'll be sneaking around, tapping into the security camera's to try and spot our crook before they reach the painting. Metamorphi and I will go in together. I can trip up the backdoor lock for a few seconds so we can get in." He finished.

"The faster we work, the better our chances. If we're all clear. Let's move." He said lightly sprinting towards the back door, figuring Metamorphi would be right behind, before swiping his hand over the keycard reader. It's nice when you're an walking all access pass. He opened the door and walked in, closing it a few seconds later as the lock reengaged.

Hotwire started giving out orders to his fellow Titans, making Tempest and Wolf watch from the skylight. He then told Meta to wait on a display, pretending to be a sculpture. Meta nodded. Meta had been wearing a clingy bodysuit for this purpose, so that even if you looked closely it would not be obvious that he was wearing clothes once he used his powers to blend. It would look a little weird for a statue to have casual clothes.

They then went on the move, Meta staying behind Hotwire at a brisk pace. Once they entered the museum, Meta would go to position and use his powers to turn both himself and the bodysuit to marble. He would then wait for something to happen.

Hotwire peered around a corner. It seemed to be a good vantage point. All there was to do was wait. And that they would do, for about an hour. If the thief didn't show up, they would just stay the night at the museum until the morning guard shift showed up at dawn.

Fortunately it didn't come to that as at half past nine a slight creaking could be heard from an upper floor. Quickly switching the camera's to that area, he saw a dark figure dart from a room. Thinking back to the museum layout, there was a recreation of an old gothic home in that area. But no window to the outside. So how did they-

No time to worry about that now, they would probably be coming down those stairs across the way from them.

Or down the imaginary stairs in midair. That works too.

Indeed, the figure appeared to be walking rather convincingly down a flight of stairs that was not there. Straight from the second floor balcony to the first floor. Then the figure stepped into the moonlight.


"Oh you've got to be kidding me."

She appeared to be about the rest of the titans age. She walked without a care over to the painting and made a motion like the was opening a big sack. Well she wasn't going to get any further than that. He pressed a button on his communicator signalling for the team to move in.

"Sorry Miss. You won't be taking that painting. Now we can fight... or you can come quietly." He said with a smirk.