Looking for Help in all the Wrong places...

Now that he'd had the moment to clear his head, and get all of his troubles off his chest Roy had decided that he was going to call in the big guns. Or at least he was going to make a higher rated super-hero aware of the situation, there was some wisdom in that. He'd already spent time looking for this dealer and with his own limited resources he was completely in the dark with the information he'd gleaned through his questioning of one of the students.

Now Roy dressed in his usual black and white regalia, slacks and a white button up shirt, his hair was slicked back with gel and he wore only his deodorant, not the usual spray on stuff that had a strong smell. He didn't want to upset the person he was coming in to contact. She was one of the Senior SAFE program faculty.

Miss Polzin gave Roy the creeps. Not with the way she looked, he'd seen enough good people who were physically altered by their abilities. It was her mannerisms that bothered Roy on some level. He wouldn't hold that against her though, he knew she meant well. And that was why he was coming to Miss Polzin, she'd conducted his entry assessment into the SAFE program, and with his limited contact she was the only one he really knew and thus the only one he could approach.

Knocking on the door to Arachna's office with three light taps Roy waited for her to answer, if she was away he'd come back at another time. The teacher always seemed busy. Roy believed that his information could wait, but not too long. "Excuse me Miss Polzin. Could I talk to you?" He asked almost bashfully through the little office door.

Only a second after Roy called out to her, the doorknob twisted and, with a click, the door was pulled back enough to reveal the shapely figure of Natalya Polzin, otherwise known as Arachna in superhero circles. She cast a predatory smile to the boy before opening the door wider and stepping aside to allow the student entry into her office.

"Well if it isn't Roy come to visit. Dobro požalovat! Come. Have a seat and speak with me." She motioned to a chair at the front of her small desk littered with various paperwork and lesson plans. She herself was already moving to sit on the other side so that they could speak face to face. "What brings you to me today, hm?" she inquired curiously as she sat down. "Close the door if you wish some privacy. It's not necessary."

It was like a trapdoor spider leaped out and grabbed an unwitting grasshopper, Roy was stunned as she opened the door. Miss Polzin was actually in her office, and her desk looked like Hiroshima August Seventh of Nineteen forty-five. Though judging her workplace cleanliness wasn't why Roy was here, and when he was bade inside he closed the door behind him as he was being given the option. This was something that he didn't want someone in the corridor to easily overhear.

Roy was quick to plant his ass and scoot the chair as close to Miss Polzin's desk as he could without cramping his knees. He then lent in placing his elbows on his knees, the more quietly he could speak the better. "I have information." He stated bluntly. "On a device that can copy powers of gifted individuals." Roy started explaining to Natalya.

Arachna took a moment to begin arranging the papers on her desk with all six of her available arms as Roy took the time to close the door, take a seat and scoot in close to speak as privately as possible. She was already nearing finished when he finally spoke up, but what he said made her stop in her tracks, leaving the work unfinished as she glanced up from the papers left on the desk to look Roy directly in the eyes.

"Chto vay skazali?" She asked in her native language, obviously shocked that a student was coming to her with something that seemed so incredibly important. How was this not widely known already when it was so dangerous? "Where did you get this information, Mr. Wulf?" she asked, quickly becoming all business about the matter.

Roy looked straight into Miss Polzin's eyes and responded succinctly. "I caught a student named Joe on the beach with such a device two days ago, knocking surfers off their boards and attacking a student from here called Jeremy," He'd taken the time to look up the SAFE roster for a Jeremy that could control water, that's how he'd gotten the name. "Joe had used the device to copy Jeremy's Flytende's water control powers. "

He took a breath, "I was out looking for things to do since..." She didn't want to hear about him, most of the SAFE community already knew what'd happened between Roy Wulf and Annette Fairweather. And how much damage it'd caused to the school. "I arrived down at the beach at just the right time as Jeremy was ambushed by Joe."

Taking a moment Roy organized his thoughts. "Jeremy is the one taking the credit for the role and he turned Joe into the proper authorities. However..." There was always a catch, "In the fight I destroyed the device with a blow from a rod I'd formed from my powers. I don't think the proper authorities will get a lot from him, as I'd already questioned him or from the device. That's why I came to you."

Arachna listened intently as Roy relayed what information he had, but it appeared that it wasn't all that much. Once he finished, she leaned back in her chair and slowly steepled her fingers in consideration.

"He refused to share the information on where he acquired such a device?" was her very first and only question, pursing her lips in annoyance. "If such a troublesome device is being mass produced things could become more and more problematic at a rapid rate."

Shaking his head at Miss Polzin's assertion."No that's not accurate. He mentioned a shady guy on Topaz avenue, but directly after the confrontation, I spent three hours on my motorcycle going up and down that street and didn't see anyone or anything shady looking enough for me to stop and inquire." Roy responded giving Arachna what she needed keeping his very serious look. "I've been quietly asking around at school too, but nobody I know knows about anyone selling strange devices."

"And that's the problem." Roy said adjusting himself uncomfortably in the seat. "I'm not sure what to do now. I'm sure these devices are being sold to people with vendetta's against people with powers. They can take a picture of the person's powers they're copying from afar. And duplicate them. It's a terrifying thought."

"Hm..." Arachna started thoughtfully, not shifting from her position leaned back in the seat with steepled fingers. "This doesn't sound like anything a student should be concerning themselves with. There's not much you can do in a situation like this other than to try to keep your own powers from being copied and keep your nose out of trouble. I'll do my own inquiry into the matter and see what I can discover. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Is there anything else you'd like to add?"

Roy sat back in the chair as she told him to sit on his hands. "Is that what a hero is supposed to do?" Of course he was just using the title of hero as an excuse so that he could feel like he was doing something by simply looking for this shady figure selling the ability to copy a gifted individual's powers.Roy didn't like that idea at all. Especially if someone copied his powers, it would infuriate him to no end.

"What would you do in my position? Honestly." Roy asked looking over the teacher seeing if she had any visible reaction to the question, one that would say that she was obviously lying or more so, trying to give advice that she herself would not follow.

"You're not a hero yet, Mr. Wulf." One of her spidery appendages pointed at him sharply in an accusatory manner. "You'd do well to remember that. And you haven't managed to turn up anything alone in... what did you say? Three days, I think? Your track record thus far is lacking. What I'd do in your position, however, is ignore everything I'm saying to you and continue doing my best, but that doesn't mean that I'm not obligated to advise you to stay out of something with a scope far beyond your nose. If you keep going there's a large possibility that, provided you actually turn something up, you get injured or even lose your life from your own inexperience." Other than that one spider leg, Arachna hadn't moved from her resting position, currently staring a hole through his own gaze as if to press the importance of her words.

"Well then I'll follow your example not your advice. I'll keep looking and maybe eventually someone will have one of these devices and know who the salesman is. Eventually he's going to screw up then I'm going to bring the world down around his ears for so recklessly pirating peoples powers." Roy responded in a very noble tone, if they were having a staring contest then he was in it for the win. "If I do nothing and one of my classmates gets hurt by some pretender with stolen powers, I'd be at a loss." He responded. "It's better to do something then to sit idly by while the Superhero Foundation, that's already up to its eyes in work, sets this one on the back burner."

He paused for a moment his intensity wavering, "Do you have any advice, since I've decided to continue on this path, besides 'don't peruse it' since I wouldn't listen to in the first place?"

"How do you think another student would feel if they discovered that their own powers were used to murder you when you recklessly charged into battle against a force you barely comprehend? My advice to you is to watch your back and look out for yourself. There's no second chances if you leap without looking. Your overconfidence in your own abilities and lack of foresight will be your undoing."

In a staring contest it was only a matter of course that Arachna would be victorious considering it was her six eyes versus Roy's single pair and four of her own eyes never blinked.

Roy sighed, blinking and looking down to his lap, and looking at his hands. Arachna was trying to tell him, to watch his step and take a long look before taking a leap. He wasn't a hundred percent sure how he would do that, but realized that he needed to. His mind drifted to his friends, especially Dia. They would be put in a hard place if he was killed by their powers because he charged in bullheaded and full of self-righteous crusade.

Returning her gaze now Roy gave an affirmative nod. "You're right. Thank you." Roy responded in a mild tone. He seemed different like she was actually getting through. Then the boy would stand up and move to the door. "I'll try to keep what you said in mind." He paused, with his hand on the knob to her office, looking back to the teacher that had tried to give him better advice that he wouldn't take and solemnly asked. "If you hear anything about this would you let me know?"

"Of course," she lied with the faintest of reassuring smirks. She had no intention whatsoever of sharing any of her gained information with him, especially since she didn't have the mildest inclination of bringing this matter to a close. This was something to be investigated and possibly exploited if she could dig anything substantial up on it. "Be careful out there, alright?" she requested, her smirk growing a bit to likely become a little more sinister in appearance than was originally intended.

Roy nodded at Arachna's acceptance of his request for information. Then came to her smirk, something about it gave him the willies, and made Roy instantly regret coming to Miss Polzin with this information! She was a Superhero though a trusted servant of society! He dismissed the idea that her expressions made her evil and cursed himself for even thinking that!

Forcing a smile Roy nodded. "Sure! Thanks again Miss Polzin!" He replied clearing the office door and closing it behind him as he'd found it when he'd approached. There was more he felt he needed to do but with Miss Polzin and the rest of the SF at his back there was nothing he couldn't do.