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Multiman 2 — Description
The headlines had a field day "White Owl Sees Dinosaur" and "Lion Mauls Dock Worker" were two of the more tame ones. If it weren't for the photos of April's rescue (yes, someone had a camera at the scene!) The police were now even busier dealing with calls for both lions in the street and people with guns HUNTING the lion. Magnus hadn't been seen since the night of Hamilton's death, however; at least not a credible sighting. I was still clutching at straws looking for leads and decided to try one more look at the Gandolfo warehouses. As I came in, I spotted a familiar red 1957 Plymouth Belvedere just outside the gate. I dropped down in front of the car, and walked toward the door.
"Trying to get a read on Magnus, Detective Reed?" I asked.
Reed jumped with a start, then calmed down. "Oh it's you, Owl." he said with visible relief. "Yes and no, actually."
"Oh? What do you mean?" I asked.
"Well, Hamilton was mauled by a lion," said Reed. "But the evidence indicates its NOT Magnus."
"You mean there's more than one lion loose in Queen City?" I asked, in disbelief.
Reed nodded. "According to the crime lab people, the DNA found along with Hamilton wasn't exactly leonine."
"You lost me."
"The lab almost lost me with that explanation," said Reed. "But that explains why SCU is working this care and not one of the other departments. Apparently, the lion that killed Hamilton isn't Magnus, and isn't quite a lion either."
I squinted at the sky where the moon was waxing--nowhere near full yet. "Surely, it can't be a were-lion," I said.
Reed shook his head. "No I don't think that's it either," he said. "There's something I can't put my finger on--but I think the lion is related to your dinosaur."
I nodded. "Makes sense. So you think it could be another Meta Human?"
"What else?" Reed shrugged. "Oh and one more thing. Hamilton was in with the Mancari's--maybe more than we thought."
"What do you mean?"
"Hamilton was linked to a murder a year ago. Nothing could ever be proved though. A man's family was killed, and it looked like a mob hit. But we couldn't get the goods on anyone."
"Who were the victims?" I asked. Reed handed me a folder.
"The family of a genetic scientist name Patterson. He worked for GenePool research."
    "And that's owned by Paisano Holdings--a Mancari brand."
Reed nodded. "Your intel is still good, Owl. Dr Patterson was doing research on animal diseases. But he tried to leave for a better job at Universal OmniTech and resigned. But he also tried to take his research with him. Apparently, the killing was supposed to stop him. But the research disappeared, along with Dr Patterson. He hasn't been seen since the killings. We can't make the connection to the Mancaris stick though."
I nodded. "That's a big reach to link Patterson to this killing   Anyone talked to the Mancaris?"
Reed shook his head. "As you may have guessed, its hard to get on their agendas."
"I guess it falls to me to be the bearer of the bad news then," I said. I stretched, bending my back, feeling the muscles relaxing. "OK, I'll find my way into the Mancari compound..
"We don't know anything about this, officially," said Reed. "You're going in on your own."
I straightened up and smiled. "I always have, Detective. I'll be fine." I rose into the air, mentally framing my assault on the Macari stronghold.

Queen City isn't an overly large city, and the roads are excellent for the traffic flow. So aside from the occasional Life Flight, a late night helicopter is a rare sight. An oversized freight copter is even more unusual. Normally, I wouldn't have given it a second glance but I noticed it parked on the roof of the Queen City Museum's storage warehouses.
A museum has several regular, permanent exhibits as well as rotating and special exhibits. Occasionally, certain exhibits are changed to keep them fresh. Other times an exhibit may have far too many items to display. Some of my own digs have yielded more than could expect to be easily displayed. A collector may leave a collection to the museum that can't easily or completely be folded into the limited space of the building. All of these are stored off site in a multi level storage facility. And now a helicopter sat on the roof.
I landed behind the roof exit, just as the door slammed open. Three men ran out, dressed in dark clothes came running out, carrying paintings and vases.
"Is that everything?"
"Yeah! Thanks to the boss, we got everything under a half ton!"
"We ready to lift off?"
"I don't think so," I said. "You forgot that you're not going anywhere, except to jail."
I tackled the first thief as he reached inside his jacket for his pistol. He dropped to the ground, skidding across the rooftop.
   "Jesus! It's White Owl!"
I whirled, and got into a fighting stance, facing the other two men. But from behind me, I heard a low growl. I turned back to my right and staggered back as the lion came leaping at me. I almost got clear but a massive paw swatted me and I reeled back into the doorframe of the roof exit.
Bullets from three guns came my way and I charged the gunmen. trusting the NuSilk to stop the bullets. The lion was nowhere to be seen. But as I drew near to the helicopter and the thugs, I suddenly found myself stopped short. Something pulled at my leg, then twined around my waist, pinning one arm to my side. I turned my head in shock as a giant boa glared down at me.
"What in God's Name? Some sort of Monstrous Constrictor---unnnhhh CRUSHING me!" The snake tried to bite at me, and I wrested my arms free, holding its mouth open.
"OK he's got her!" I heard. "Time for part two!" From inside the helicopter two half spheres made of plexiglass were pulled out. I could only see glimpses as the snake continued to squeeze breath from me, and continued to try to bite.
"The giant snake wasn't the only surprise White Owl," I heard as the two halves of the sphere clanked shut around me. I coughed as a thick gas spilled through the sphere. I was trapped within the sphere with the giant beast.
"No, White Owl...YOU'RE trapped, I'm not!" said the snake? Was this gas a hallucinogenic? Before my eyes, the snake changed into a small, buzzing insect.
I heard it say, "Thanks to this carefully placed pinhole, I can escape this trap. And you're wrong, as well. I am neither lion nor serpent nor insect. I am Multi-Man, assuming yet another shape. But then the sleeping gas in the sphere is keeping you from saying much, isn't it?"
I couldn't answer, dropping to my knees, then passing out in the bottom of the sphere. The goons loaded me into the helicopter and it flew away into the dark of a Queen City night.

(To be continued...)

Detective Payton Reed is the OC of VHamelin and used with permission
This story takes place in