Don't Go Into the Woods: Import Murders Dossier
Import Murders:
(Note: We made up their names and addresses on the mods' go-ahead. The significant part is that they're Imports.)
Seattle, Nov. 30
Victim 1: Daniel Wilcome (found by Aziraphale and Captain James T. Kirk)
Import, arrived years ago, unpowered. Lived in Cedar Park, married (post-import) to Linda Wilcome.
Victim 2: Linda Wilcome (found by Roberto da Costa and John Constantine)
Import, arrived years ago, unpowered. Lived in Cedar Park, married (post-import) to Daniel Wilcome.
Both bodies were found on the night of Tuesday, November 30, 2010 in the Stark Memorial Gardens, in two different locations slightly off the traveled paths. They had been dead for approximately 30 minutes.
“The gore is spread, as are the body parts. Bones have been snapped with a great deal of force. Cause of death is being ripped the hell up. The wounds are a combination of punctures and slashes, the puncture wounds indicating that the weapon of choice was round, curved, and pointed. No murder weapon, hair, prints, or fibers will be found on the scene.” (From mod plot post, which Kitty says is essentially the autopsy report.)
Manhattan, Dec. 10
Victim 3: Karen Dobney (found by Laura Kinney)
Import, arrived years ago, unpowered. Woman with dog.
Body was found in Central Park on a running trail, approximately 2 am, Saturday, December 11, 2010. Found within shouting distance of #3. Victim had been dead for a little under half an hour. (There is a visual record of this murder scene, since Laura recorded it on the network: http://community.livejournal.com/theposthumans/276904.html.)
“The dog (a German Shepherd) still has his leash on him, but he's missing his back half entirely and seems to have been partially consumed. Just as before, the viscera has been flung around like confetti; the MO matches the first murders. No murder weapon, hair, prints, or fibers will be found on the scene. The dog and the woman were found together---a runner who chose the wrong time of night to go out.” (Mod plot post/autopsy report)
Victim 4: Aiyesha Harding (found by Harry Osborn)
Import, arrived years ago, unpowered.
Body was found in Central Park on a running trail (the same running trail as Karen), approximately 2 am, Saturday, December 11, 2010. Found within shouting distance of #3. Victim had been dead for a little under half an hour.
“The second woman is in more of one general piece than the others, face-down in the grass. Her spine has nearly been severed by a surprisingly clean cut from her right shoulder to left hip across her back. Some of the left latissimus dorsi muscle has been torn into. The size of the bite marks are almost human, though it is obvious that no human has the jaw strength to rip muscle this way.” (Mod plot post/autopsy report)
Truth or Consequences, July 13, 2011
Victim 5:
Import
Logan and Hank McCoy, aka Beast, were found at the scene. Laura tracked them.
"I attempted to track down Wolverine and Hank McCoy. I neared them, but the other Jean Grey stopped me with her telekinesis [AND ALSO BROKE MY NECK]. I attempted to locate them after her hold on me was released, but I did not find them. I tracked a scent to find evidence of something else.
Though Wolverine and Hank McCoy should be terminated, there is the concern that the Weapon X program is here and active. I found one facility, but it is not the only one. There is more, and they will make more weapons if they have Wolverine's DNA. If you work for Weapon X, you are going to die. I will find you, and you will suffer like the men here suffered. I have been told it is good to offer mercy, and this is it. A warning."
Clues and deductions (as of 2nd murder):
• The murders were definitely done on-location, but in two different locations at the same time. Indicates at least two killers.
• Victims #1 and #2 were married. Victims #3 and #4 often went running together.
• The nature of the rending indicates the use of hands with opposable thumbs and greater-than-human strength.
• The puncture damage was done by teeth. Study of the teeth marks indicates two sets of jaws on victims #1 and #2, and again on victims #3 and #4. Therefore, the same set of killers were present both nights. The teeth marks are “almost human” but disproportionately strong.
• Slashing damage is jagged; appears to have been administered by something not meant to be used as a weapon.
• Exception: the slash to victim #4’s back is surprisingly clean. Change of MO, or was the killer interrupted? If interrupted, possibly a weapon was used during the murder, with its damage on the other bodies disguised by the additional rending, etc.
• Constantine ascertained via magic that victim #2’s killer was not supernatural.
• Aziraphale’s and Balthazar Blake’s attempts to use magic to scry back to the events of the murders were blocked, resulting in severe headache and a distinct sense of pain and terror (from the victims), but no clear information.
• Constantine was able to use the psychic residue of horror to follow victim #2’s killer’s trail, which headed east about 50 feet from the kill site and then ended.
• The Seattle police and the NYPD took the remains and performed the autopsies. The remains were later confiscated by the Capekillers. The autopsy reports were left in the hands of the police.
• Laura Kinney, a superhumanly expert tracker, verified that the tracks and traces at murders #3 and #4 had been eliminated beyond her ability to identify.
• Laura’s enhanced sense of smell detected the scent of plastic, metal, rubber, and jet fuel at the sites of murders #3 and #4.
• Laura, also a trained killer, hypothesized that the dog had been killed because it attempted to protect its mistress or had made noise.
Additional information/less solid speculations:
• The abrupt ending of the trail plus scents of rubber, jet fuel, etc.: flying transport?
• The coordination of the killings, the fact that in both cases in two separate cities the killers were able to find two chipped people together, indicates planning and access to information. Either they research and choose their victims, or they have a way to track chips.
• Traces were deliberately covered to be untrackable by people with superhuman abilities, indicating extensive knowledge, intent, and planning.
• Likewise, someone deliberately blocked the killings from being read by magic, even by an angel or extremely skilled sorcerer. This could be done with magic, powerful psychic force, some kind of relic. Possibly through trauma so grotesque it washes everything else out.
• The lack of obvious magic at the sites does not exclude the possibility of more indirect applications.
• It’s not werewolves. (John’s note: “I checked.”)
• Not ruled out: robots, shapeshifters, mind control, dickish gods ("Not Loki's style."), trained gorilla (this may be just be him being an asshole). Here is the puzzle: these killings are not done by baseline humans. Of the Imports, Ultron is the only (known) one whose style really fits with the nature of the murders. Imports who haven't announced themselves? Or developments by natives? Science is not beyond their realm of capability. Also remember they have at least one psychic. People with more-than-human abilities are not completely absent from this world.
• Kirk theorizes a connection between the killings and the Torch virus (http://community.livejournal.com/theposthumans/310011.html). He speculates they might be tests of different methods of killing imports. No evidence for it, but maybe worth some thought. As a further note, both do share a pattern of striking fear into a population with just a few deaths.
• Constantine’s theory: hate crime. The violence of the killings implies frenzy, but situations and patterns are too controlled. Also: clean cut to the spine and then mauling with teeth? Reasonable conclusion is that the nature of the deaths is meant to terrorize. The pains taken to avoid any evidence obviously serve to avoid capture. But the unknown also creates a ‘bogeyman effect.’ Coincidence?
(Note: We made up their names and addresses on the mods' go-ahead. The significant part is that they're Imports.)
Seattle, Nov. 30
Victim 1: Daniel Wilcome (found by Aziraphale and Captain James T. Kirk)
Import, arrived years ago, unpowered. Lived in Cedar Park, married (post-import) to Linda Wilcome.
Victim 2: Linda Wilcome (found by Roberto da Costa and John Constantine)
Import, arrived years ago, unpowered. Lived in Cedar Park, married (post-import) to Daniel Wilcome.
Both bodies were found on the night of Tuesday, November 30, 2010 in the Stark Memorial Gardens, in two different locations slightly off the traveled paths. They had been dead for approximately 30 minutes.
“The gore is spread, as are the body parts. Bones have been snapped with a great deal of force. Cause of death is being ripped the hell up. The wounds are a combination of punctures and slashes, the puncture wounds indicating that the weapon of choice was round, curved, and pointed. No murder weapon, hair, prints, or fibers will be found on the scene.” (From mod plot post, which Kitty says is essentially the autopsy report.)
Manhattan, Dec. 10
Victim 3: Karen Dobney (found by Laura Kinney)
Import, arrived years ago, unpowered. Woman with dog.
Body was found in Central Park on a running trail, approximately 2 am, Saturday, December 11, 2010. Found within shouting distance of #3. Victim had been dead for a little under half an hour. (There is a visual record of this murder scene, since Laura recorded it on the network: http://community.livejournal.com/theposthumans/276904.html.)
“The dog (a German Shepherd) still has his leash on him, but he's missing his back half entirely and seems to have been partially consumed. Just as before, the viscera has been flung around like confetti; the MO matches the first murders. No murder weapon, hair, prints, or fibers will be found on the scene. The dog and the woman were found together---a runner who chose the wrong time of night to go out.” (Mod plot post/autopsy report)
Victim 4: Aiyesha Harding (found by Harry Osborn)
Import, arrived years ago, unpowered.
Body was found in Central Park on a running trail (the same running trail as Karen), approximately 2 am, Saturday, December 11, 2010. Found within shouting distance of #3. Victim had been dead for a little under half an hour.
“The second woman is in more of one general piece than the others, face-down in the grass. Her spine has nearly been severed by a surprisingly clean cut from her right shoulder to left hip across her back. Some of the left latissimus dorsi muscle has been torn into. The size of the bite marks are almost human, though it is obvious that no human has the jaw strength to rip muscle this way.” (Mod plot post/autopsy report)
Truth or Consequences, July 13, 2011
Victim 5:
Import
Logan and Hank McCoy, aka Beast, were found at the scene. Laura tracked them.
"I attempted to track down Wolverine and Hank McCoy. I neared them, but the other Jean Grey stopped me with her telekinesis [AND ALSO BROKE MY NECK]. I attempted to locate them after her hold on me was released, but I did not find them. I tracked a scent to find evidence of something else.
Though Wolverine and Hank McCoy should be terminated, there is the concern that the Weapon X program is here and active. I found one facility, but it is not the only one. There is more, and they will make more weapons if they have Wolverine's DNA. If you work for Weapon X, you are going to die. I will find you, and you will suffer like the men here suffered. I have been told it is good to offer mercy, and this is it. A warning."
Clues and deductions (as of 2nd murder):
• The murders were definitely done on-location, but in two different locations at the same time. Indicates at least two killers.
• Victims #1 and #2 were married. Victims #3 and #4 often went running together.
• The nature of the rending indicates the use of hands with opposable thumbs and greater-than-human strength.
• The puncture damage was done by teeth. Study of the teeth marks indicates two sets of jaws on victims #1 and #2, and again on victims #3 and #4. Therefore, the same set of killers were present both nights. The teeth marks are “almost human” but disproportionately strong.
• Slashing damage is jagged; appears to have been administered by something not meant to be used as a weapon.
• Exception: the slash to victim #4’s back is surprisingly clean. Change of MO, or was the killer interrupted? If interrupted, possibly a weapon was used during the murder, with its damage on the other bodies disguised by the additional rending, etc.
• Constantine ascertained via magic that victim #2’s killer was not supernatural.
• Aziraphale’s and Balthazar Blake’s attempts to use magic to scry back to the events of the murders were blocked, resulting in severe headache and a distinct sense of pain and terror (from the victims), but no clear information.
• Constantine was able to use the psychic residue of horror to follow victim #2’s killer’s trail, which headed east about 50 feet from the kill site and then ended.
• The Seattle police and the NYPD took the remains and performed the autopsies. The remains were later confiscated by the Capekillers. The autopsy reports were left in the hands of the police.
• Laura Kinney, a superhumanly expert tracker, verified that the tracks and traces at murders #3 and #4 had been eliminated beyond her ability to identify.
• Laura’s enhanced sense of smell detected the scent of plastic, metal, rubber, and jet fuel at the sites of murders #3 and #4.
• Laura, also a trained killer, hypothesized that the dog had been killed because it attempted to protect its mistress or had made noise.
Additional information/less solid speculations:
• The abrupt ending of the trail plus scents of rubber, jet fuel, etc.: flying transport?
• The coordination of the killings, the fact that in both cases in two separate cities the killers were able to find two chipped people together, indicates planning and access to information. Either they research and choose their victims, or they have a way to track chips.
• Traces were deliberately covered to be untrackable by people with superhuman abilities, indicating extensive knowledge, intent, and planning.
• Likewise, someone deliberately blocked the killings from being read by magic, even by an angel or extremely skilled sorcerer. This could be done with magic, powerful psychic force, some kind of relic. Possibly through trauma so grotesque it washes everything else out.
• The lack of obvious magic at the sites does not exclude the possibility of more indirect applications.
• It’s not werewolves. (John’s note: “I checked.”)
• Not ruled out: robots, shapeshifters, mind control, dickish gods ("Not Loki's style."), trained gorilla (this may be just be him being an asshole). Here is the puzzle: these killings are not done by baseline humans. Of the Imports, Ultron is the only (known) one whose style really fits with the nature of the murders. Imports who haven't announced themselves? Or developments by natives? Science is not beyond their realm of capability. Also remember they have at least one psychic. People with more-than-human abilities are not completely absent from this world.
• Kirk theorizes a connection between the killings and the Torch virus (http://community.livejournal.com/theposthumans/310011.html). He speculates they might be tests of different methods of killing imports. No evidence for it, but maybe worth some thought. As a further note, both do share a pattern of striking fear into a population with just a few deaths.
• Constantine’s theory: hate crime. The violence of the killings implies frenzy, but situations and patterns are too controlled. Also: clean cut to the spine and then mauling with teeth? Reasonable conclusion is that the nature of the deaths is meant to terrorize. The pains taken to avoid any evidence obviously serve to avoid capture. But the unknown also creates a ‘bogeyman effect.’ Coincidence?