Semiautomatic handguns were complex little murder machines. They utilized the recoil of each shot load the next round and prep the entire assembly to fire again, though it would not actually do so until the trigger was pulled once more. Hence the term 'semi-automatic'.

Unfortunately this complexity also produced a great many points in their design where one little thing could go wrong and render the entire weapon anywhere from useless to potentially hazardous to the user. Lots of little parts under very heavy strain, though modern designs had kept them very reliable.

It still necessitated constant and deliberate maintenance.

More importantly it also meant that you could take them apart pretty easily.

Which was good, I was tired, and didn't really have the mindspace for something overly complex.

And hence, it was with relative ease that I removed the upper slide of the guns and their ammunition clips, holding those in one hand while I gripped the now exposed sections with my opposite hand.

Yeah I might not be most street smart person in the world, but I wasn't dumb enough to walk up to a bunch of cops with weapons that looked like they could be dangerous.

That said, obvious cape. I doubt it was thegunsthat would freak them out with a glowing mark looking like crossed swords still glowing on my brow, even if it was slowly fading. I mean they lived in the same town as Lung a cape who had basically taken on the city all at once, on his own, in a straight slugging match, and pounded them into the dirt.

Parahumans were much more terrifying then guns.

Even when those 'parahumans' are running very low on metaphorical bullets.

I was lucky as hell that I'd managed to recoup a few more motes then I'd spent with that whole mess, if barely. Ihatedrunning on fumes. I really needed to find a better way to recoup my essence faster. What were the good Infernal mote farmers again? The Ebon Dragon had one very nice one, but like most of his good charms it required learning Witness to Darkness, a charm that would basically destroy my capacity to convince anyone of the truth.

I'd be able to bullshit on the drop of a hat but selling someone a legitimate story? Nope. Charisma shot right down the pipe.

There had to be a way around that, more Malfeas charms, maybe something thrown together from other Yozi essences individually or mixed. Maybe even turn The Dragon's themes of escape and self betrayal against it somehow...

But that was something I could figure out later. Right now I just needed to become something that could punch a god to death in as short an order as needed.

...Which was a long term goal I could work on after dealing with these nice officers.

The police had pulled up, and I could see them looking at once another, one already speaking into one of those nifty little radio things while the other stepped outside.

Normally this situation wouldn't be great. I was covered in blood, most of it mine, holding onto weapons that while dismantled were still weapons designed to kill people, and while I was feeling a lot better now I was still injured, tired, and generally not up for a fight.

Fortunately I was in a world full of cape wearing superheroes while having magical superpowers. This meant almost any social situation could be fixed by applying sufficient quantities of ham.

"Good evening Officer!" I boomed out with a wide smile that didn't betray a hint of how utterly exhausted I actually was, "Don't worry, I am no enemy of the city!"

I might have been laying it on a little tick there, but the policewoman who had stepped out of the car took it without missing a beat.

"Goodevening sir," she replied levelly off of an obviously long practiced script, "I have to say that is relieving to hear."

Her expression didn't quite match her words. She was appraising still, watching for an unseen threat, but at the same time the bulk of her tension had seemed to fade with that declaration of intent.

Which was good. I wanted to be a nice big bombastic idiot playing at being superman in her eyes. Not someone who'd just probably crippled a few Neo-Nazis before they'd even managed a proper attack on me.

"Indeed!" I held up the gun bits in gesture, keeping it nice and slow if overly wide "Why I just confiscated these from a set of head shaven hooligans! They even shot me a few times," I shook my head, as I lowered them back down, "The nerve of it!"

She nodded along just a bit more tense, "Was anyone harmed?"

That was the tricky bit of it. I couldn't deny being part of the conflict and technically I was the aggressor, but at the same time I was pretty sure that I wouldn't be in trouble for this. The legal system of Earth Bet bent over backwards for Capes. It had to, not only would the parahuman issue become a lot messier if things slipped to a no holds bared approach. It needed friendly to tolerable parahumans to an extent to survive against the real threats.

Plus the other guys were Nazis. No one liked Nazis. Even some Nazis didn't like Nazis.

I frowned, I'd just keep it blunt for now, "one of the lot was injured when a bullet deflected off of me into their fellow." I gestured, "I also roughed up the rest. You drove right past the scene of the crime. You didn't see any of them?" I questioned eyebrow raised.

"No, and this just jumped right out of my jurisdiction," she sighed. While I inwardly pumped a fist. That's what I'd been hoping for.

Then she killed that buzz uttering the words I expected but hoped I could otherwise avoid. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to wait for the PRT to arrive to talk about what happened?"

I sighed, honestly at this point I just wanted things over and done with. "Do you think they can arrive soon? I just got back from doing battle with the Simurgh in Canberra and an extended conversation with Armsmaster. The battle was short but understandably intense and the debate only less so for the fact we parted amicably and without physical blows!"

That got her a bit more tense, "That's completely understandable sir. Still I have to ask you to wait."

Ask, not tell. Very important distinction that. Still I didn't see reason not to play ball here. If I spun this right I could even get a ride out of it.

I sighed again bending down and setting the remains of the guns down as I looked for somewhere comfortable to sit. "I suppose I cannot morally leave then," I dialed the volume down from 'Brian Blessed' to 'Screenplay'. "Still, I would very much prefer for this to be done and over with as soon as possible."

She put on that smile you wear when your about to say the opposite of what you actually mean.

~Yeah this is going to take a while~

I could already see that.