The night above was eerily quiet, and the sidewalks were mostly vacant due to the bristling storm that crackled in the ink black sky.  The sound of thunder boomed, causing a homeless wino to quicken his pace as he hurried towards a gas station on the corner. The earth beneath the man quivered and shook, as the storm above seemed to summon something from the depths of hell below.

The Sphinx Club, an elite strip joint and discreet high-end brothel becomes the latest horror scene in Hudson City.  The owner, former porn star known as Cleopatra, was horrified and distraught over losing her girls and quite possibly her reputation.  The serial nature of the crime was a very clear and present danger to both her girls and her affluent clients. At her wits end and unable to trust the authorities, she called in the best of the best, Edison Palmer. 

The orange glow of JACE's boot jets slicked the sky above Riverside Hills as the Conquistador flew overhead.  His attention was focused on his DNA tracker, his speed slow as he carefully studied the patterns on his GPS display.  The beast's signature was strong, but sporadic, leaving a moment of confusion for the genius doctor.

After pulling up a map of the underlying systems that ran through Hudson City, he quickly realized what was happening.  The beast was somehow going into the sewers and then reemerging again on the surface.  JACE would lose his trail here and there, but with patient patrol, would pick it up again a mile or two away, after studying the sewer maps and deducing the most likely route of travel.

"We have most of the team deployed around the city. For now, make sure you've checked the area thoroughly. We don't know what this thing is or how it's traveling, or how fast and far it can move, so any information you can get will help. And witnesses, if there are any. For now, you're on your own, but if you find it, holler and we'll come running. Don't engage unless civilian lives are at stake."

Heatwave acknowledged his orders and signed off.

JACE soared high into the night sky.  Heatwave was long gone from his sight, but if her inexperience got her into trouble, it would only take seconds to be at her side.  His suit's systems, were of course, far superior to anything else he would run into tonight.  Together the two of them could cover a lot of ground, like it or not they were a good team.  Ideally he would have three of himself, but that wasn't possible...yet.

The needle was below him, always a hot spot for crime and more times than not, patrol cars in that part of town were on the take. 

"Xavier Relaford..."  Phi repeated the name back to the person on the other end of the phone, squinting hard as she tried to place the name.  "No. No, I don't have any recollection of that name."

Several moments passed as the small DiSantiago paced around the deluxe suite at her cousin's wedding, the ever present cell phone perched against her ear.  With each lap she got more and more agitated, glaring at her brother as if it was somehow his fault.

Raven had watched with unseemly amusement as JACE succumbed to Jenny's control, bellowing out the words of a child's nursery rhyme while he piloted his armor like a drunken monkey. When he lost control--or Jenny abandoned control--and he plunged toward the ground amusement turned to concern. Raven was distantly aware of Phase taking up Jenny's rhyme but most of her attention was focused on Heatwave's desperate and mostly successful attempt to save JACE from a dangerous fall.

Back in the surveillance room, Soldier Boy received a welcome call from Phase on his communicator.

Phase's voice was as carefree as usual.  "I've found our academic friend. Want me to bring him back to the car park? Oh and he says the little girl's on the island with the Ferris Wheel."

Soldier Boy made a frightened sound and was glad he was alone. The passing years had brought him many nightmares about facing Jenny Pate again, and he was not anxious to play them out in real life. There was nothing in the universe he dreaded more, but he was a professional. His feelings didn't matter. There was only the job.

Carnival World

Soldier Boy clapped his hands. "Okay, here's what we need. Heatwave, do a lap of the park and see if anything jumps out at you. Phase, take that Relaford there around the park. Whichever direction he tells you. We should be able to cover the most ground that way. Give a holler when you find something and the rest of us will come running. Any damned question?"

Raven didn't reply. She just leaped up to the top of one of the tall light poles which illuminated the park at night and crouched like a gargoyle, scanning the crowd.

While JACE remained at his estate in Irish Town, the rest of the Conquistadors, aided by the mysterious Xavier Releford and Raven, set to work tracking Miss Emily Eisele.  Without the necessary tools to follow Phase's plan, and an increasing sense of urgency, the heroes put their faith into the odd professor and the stone necklace that hung loosley about his neck.

Soldier Boy and Raven accompanied Releford in his large car, while Orion, Heatwave and Phase trailed on their hypercycles.  The necklace pulled the professor steadily south and then west, as they passed through the scenic Blackbridge Park area, then through Mint Ridge and finally Moscow West.  The scenery getting more dismal as they pursued a trail, that no one could guess the end.