Blanking the Slate

Serris · **Reply #760 on:** November 07, 2018, 02:57:42 AM

Soren touched his cheek where the bullet from one of the guards had scraped him. The blood had dried but it haden't scabbed over yet. He hopped out of the expensive vehicle and looked around the expansive underground garage.

Anne whistled as she looked at the expansive garage. It was practically a museum with exotic cars that ranged in age from contemporary custom built gas-burners to cars that were older than her grandparents. She then headed to the elevator after Soren.

The elevator was surprisingly beautiful with mirror polished walls and ornate brass fittings that gave it the distinct charm of a bygone era. Soren said nothing but looked around. To him, he found the fixtures a bit outdated despite their elegance.

f-22 "raptor" ace · **Reply #761 on:** November 07, 2018, 03:20:27 AM

Awe whistled in awe at the number of vintage cars. "Nice collection." Awe remarked. Awe entered the elevator and took a look around. "Nice elevator."

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #762 on:** November 07, 2018, 04:07:32 PM

Emilena climbed out of the car. She wished she could stay to admire Tony's garage, but she needed to clean herself up and take care of the long gash in her cheek. "Tony, could you direct me to the restroom? Also, you wouldn't happen to own a sewing needle, would you?" she asked.

Pterano · **Reply #763 on:** November 07, 2018, 04:28:06 PM

Nodding as his shoes echoed throughout the garage, Tony looked to Emilena. "Yeah sure thing." he replied. "I'll show you when we get up there. I have a sewing machine... you could probably take the needle out of it." He explained. Smiling as he entered the elevator, he nodded to Awe. "Thanks... appreciate it. Oh and the elevator heh... had it imported." he commented, rocking on his heels as they arrived in a study style room. A brown leather couch rested up below a window, and scores of books reposed on bookshelves built into the wall. A gun safe was recessed into another wall, and hallways led off right and left.

"Nearest bathroom is second door on the left down the left hallway." he pointed for Emilena. "The sewing machine is in the corner over there. Feel free to remove the needle. Threads should be underneath in the cabinet. Can I get anyone anything?" he offered, shoving his paws in his pockets and rocking back and forth on his paws.

f-22 "raptor" ace · **Reply #764 on:** November 08, 2018, 02:37:58 AM

"Scotch double with ice please." Awe said taking a seat on the couch. "Also, do you have a gym?"

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #765 on:** November 08, 2018, 09:14:53 AM

Flora shuddered as the others left the car and, eventually, the garage, leaving her alone with Marita and Marie. Her instincts reminded her what happened last time she was stuck in the back of a car with Marie, but her heart told her that even if that happened again, it's okay because Marie has her best interests at heart. "Ummm, so how are you two doing these days?" she laughed nervously to break the silence. "You're not mad at me...are you?"

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Tony's bathroom had a hybrid bathtub-shower that was easily the most luxurious thing Emilena had ever stepped in; she suspected it alone cost more than the entire apartment she'd owned in Lanthae. She'd originally planned on keeping her shower brief in the name of expediency, but she couldn't resist testing every single setting of the adjustable spigot and lathering her fur with scented gels from every single bottle. Tony's bathroom even came with a clothes-washing and drying slot in the wall, a more advanced version of the same model Emilena once owned.

After she realized she was falling asleep in the steaming bubbly water, Emilena forced herself to dry off and tend to her sliced-open cheek. She was still carrying her garrotte from the hospital, which she hadn't ended up using, but she could now wash and disassemble it to make practical use of the surgical thread. Wincing with every stab, she sewed the hole shut as well as she could and used hydrogen peroxide and bandages from under the sink to clean and cover it from view. Wasn't the finest care she could receive, but it would hold until she saw Lily again.

Which was a coming event she couldn't help but worry about. Now that Emilena knew she shared a mental bond with Lily, she had to wonder how much Lily could ascertain about her situation. Here at Tony's house, waiting for Marita to decrypt files that would take hours to complete, Emilena's first real break started now. If Lily was aware of that, she would almost certainly punish Emilena for not immediately coming to her aid like she'd demanded. And you know what? Emilena growled into the mirror, doubting Lily could hear her. I'm kinda sick of living my life in fear of you anyway. Maybe I WILL come over there and test a little theory I've got on your regenerative powers...

With a quiet DING, Emilena's clothes returned from the slit in the wall. Sighing, she got dressed and left to find the others.

Pterano · **Reply #766 on:** November 08, 2018, 12:47:55 PM

Nodding, Tony went over to a mini-bar and rooted through the fridge, bottles clinking as he tried to locate some Scotch. Pulling out a bottle, he poured a double shot into a glass after dumping ice in it, and walked over to Awe, holding it out for him.

"So there is... you go through the living room over there...." He pointed to his right. "There's a staircase in the corner. Go down the staircase, and you 'll find a corridor. Around the corner and second door on the right, there's a gym. It's got nice windows that look out over the hills and city so... help yourself." the ferret smiled.

Moving over to the couch, Tony plopped down on it, exhaling. "Quite a day." he stated aloud to no one in particular. Spreading his arms out to rest on the couch behind him, he tapped his paws in alternating patterns until Emilena showed up. "Find everything OK?" he asked. "I guess we have to decrypt our information now, yeah?"

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #767 on:** November 08, 2018, 10:50:10 PM

"That'd be the next step, yeah," Emilena nodded. "I'm planning on letting those of us with more technical backgrounds worry about that. Either way, I doubt we're going to approach Brennan's HQ before nightfall, so for the first time in a while we have an open day ahead of us."

She glanced at the bar. "You wouldn't happen to have Blue Cherry, would you?" Blue Cherry was a non-alcoholic beer she used to drink when she was a cop; Emilena's tolerance was too low for the real thing.

Pterano · **Reply #768 on:** November 08, 2018, 11:00:35 PM

"Heh... sounds good to me." Tony acknowledged, nodding. "I don't mind taking some time off. Damn firefights always get my adrenaline racing far too much." He admitted, getting up and stretching his arms over his head. "I think I might, yeah." He nodded, walking over behind the mahogany counter and opening up a bigger fridge back there. "Hmm... I drink that from time to time... even though I'm definitely more of an alcohol person." he admitted. Pulling out a bottle of the blue stuff, he shut the fridge and walked over to her, holding it out, a vanilla porter in his other paw, which he soon cracked open and took a swig from.

As he looked out the windows to the gathering daylight, he shook his head. "So I guess we got most of the day ahead of us. I took the Duesenberg out around 4 AM if I recall so..." glancing to his watch, he noted the time. "8:45 AM. If we get there by dark... gives us most of the day, as you said."

He rolled his wrist out, holding it in his free paw as he did so. "Do we need any supplies?" he asked, looking to her now. "Things for the coming assault? I could make a supply run if we don't have it here." He suggested. "I've got guns in the safe, but not sure if we'd need anything else." He took another drink from his beer.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #769 on:** November 08, 2018, 11:20:12 PM

"It's tough to say before the brainiacs see what we've got in the stolen data." Emilena gratefully took the Blue Cherry and took a sip. Normally, she'd just drink water, but these past days had taken a toll on her. "Guns are a safe bet though. I'd love some 9mm ammo for my new silenced Glock, and maybe a combat knife."

She glanced left and right; only Awe was in listening distance. "Also, don't go telling everyone, but I might be making a short personal trip before nightfall. It's about...that thing we discussed before."

She sighed. "I said I expected Lily to kill me when we next meet, but that's not exactly true. She needs info from me. I have a lead that could reveal the location of the Purifier headquarters. I stop being useful to her once she gets that, so naturally I've been procrastinating on following that trail." She took another sip of her drink. "Of course, if I wait too long without contacting her, she may realize I'm stalling and that I'm just a loose end that will never fulfill my end of the bargain."

She hiccupped, and suddenly remembered why she didn't drink Blue Cherry anymore. "So I was thinking, my best chance of survival might be an unexpected strike," she explained, setting the glass down quickly. "Arrive for our meeting and sucker punch her when she thinks I'm cooperating. Then figure something out while she's dead and regenerating."

f-22 "raptor" ace · **Reply #770 on:** November 08, 2018, 11:32:09 PM

Awe nodded his head and took a drink. "Ah thank you Tony." Awe looked outside at the rising sun. "I was always more of a night owl I never appreciated the sight the sun rising could do." Awe coughed a few times before taking another drink.

Pterano · **Reply #771 on:** November 08, 2018, 11:33:50 PM

As held the cold beer in his paw, he frowned a little, nodding as she began speaking about her personal trip. "I can provide ammo." He said softly, taking another swig. "Right... so... she needs Purifier headquarters... if she could wipe it out for us..." He replied in quiet tones. "Might be worth it. But as said... she may be safer dead." he reiterated. He nodded a second time as she mentioned she could strike in an unexpected fashion, coming up with something while Lily was regenerating. "Atomize her maybe... blast her to bits... I dunno... gonna have to be permanent. Throw her in a fuckin' incinerator." he shrugged here.

Tasking another drink, he thought now, looking off to the side. "Won't say anything to the others, don't worry. If you need a ride... I could provide that as well. Hell..." he smiled now, looking back over to her. "Might just go for a spin right now anyway... helps me relax and unwind after nearly having my life snatched from me." he half-joked, chuckling. Growing serious again, he looked right at her. "You think you can do it? End her? In a... permanent fashion?" His snout was down, his eyes intently upon her.

Looking over to Awe, Tony nodded. "No problem. And eh... yeah I guess... I prefer the night too." he admitted, looking at the sun climbing in the sky.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #772 on:** November 08, 2018, 11:56:53 PM

"It honestly might," Emilena nodded. "Though I'm a little worried about a Lily who's wiped out her primary enemy and needs to find a new pursuit to occupy her time."

She covered her mouth after another hiccup. "Incinerator won't work, I've seen it. I guess I should explain; for the last two months--at least before the Purifiers found us again--the two of us had been targeting serial killers. Lily would pose as a vulnerable victim, usually a hooker, and I'd tail her john back to his place. If he killed her, I'd knock him out and leave video evidence for the police. Lily insisted I get as much footage as possible, which means I had to see some...disturbing things happen to her."

Emilena shuddered. "This gave me a lot of opportunities to witness exactly how Lily's body prioritizes the healing process. It seems to treat the head as the 'base'; it's always the first thing to regenerate, and the rest of the body grows out from there. One guy had kept her head as a souvenir, and the rest of her body grew back out from her neck stump."

She took a deep breath. "I apologize for having this conversation while you're enjoying a drink. But I was thinking...it's possible that if I beheaded her and trapped her head in some sort of reinforced box--titanium or some very solid material--she wouldn't be able to regenerate. She'd just be stuck in that box...forever...as a partially-regenerated head."

Pterano · **Reply #773 on:** November 09, 2018, 12:12:55 AM

"True enough... as said... probably safer dead." he commented, taking another drink, and smiling as she stifled a hiccup, or attempted to. He then listened intently about the setups... and Lily's regenerative powers. He swallowed, but didn't mind the talk, as he just chugged a bit to force any bile back down his throat. As Emilena explained that placing Lily's head in a box might be the way to go... he raised his brows. "Well first off... that's OK... I don't retch easily." he replied. "Second... that... might work." He frowned, nodding. "What about complete destruction of the head? Throwing it in a tree masticator or something." he suggested. "Those things tend to turn logs into dust." he pointed out.

"Still..." he moved his head slightly to the side. "Head in a box may work. I just hope she couldn't use her powers for anything else if... she's still able to do that while alive." he mused aloud now. "Wouldn't want her escaping after all. But if you think it has a chance... then... I say go for it. I could provide whatever assistance you need... for whatever it's worth." the ferret concluded.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #774 on:** November 09, 2018, 12:24:52 AM

"The head regenerates from being completely destroyed, like the rest of her. Leaving it intact would keep variables to a minimum." Emilena bit her lip. "I don't think she'll even feel any pain; she wouldn't have regenerated far enough to even come back to life. I can handle the...unpleasant part, but I would appreciate if you have an appropriately-sized safe or other airtight container. And of course I would appreciate someone to drive me out there. But you're putting yourself at risk if you do that," she warned. "There's nothing stopping her from killing you, though you'd probably be fine if you stayed outside in the car."

The hiccups were dying down, but when Emilena realized it might be her last drink ever, she downed the rest anyway. "But be prepared to leave quickly if she walks out and I'm not with her. Success or failure, our meeting shouldn't take too long..."

Pterano · **Reply #775 on:** November 09, 2018, 12:42:37 AM

Nodding, he stroked his chin a little. "I see... well... I suppose I could come up with something around here. If not, the guy who machines all my parts for rebuilding my cars' engines and such could probably whip something up. He's a master... and has resurrected and recreated engines and parts people haven't seen in over a hundred years." he explained. "So yeah, if I don't have something around here, I bet he could make it."

He thought, closing his eyes, and then reopened them as he took his beer to about halfway down the bottle. "Mm... I could stay outside in the car. Sounds like I'll need something fast if she does walk out... suppose I could run her over to buy myself some time if I needed it but... that won't be an issue. I've got enough cars down there with good power and torque." He smirked. He ran his claws through his head fur after pushing his cap up a bit. "Hm... well... guess the first step is seeing if I have anything here. If not, place a rush order with my guy, but since it's a simple box, he should have it done by the time we even get there." he told her. "When would you want to leave?" he asked, taking his beer down to a quarter left.

Nick22 · **Reply #776 on:** November 09, 2018, 01:35:58 AM

We're glad you're alive ' Marie said ' we dont know where Rose is because she was last seen with you when we got separated. we have gotten word rom her for weeks ' MArie Sighed. " truthfully , Bailey's been riding my ass once he found out the Purifiers got you. the deal was we keep you safe and he'd pay us a lot of scratch to keep an eye on you. And, more importantly to keep everything hush hush. Well the hush husg part is long out the windiw, but thees still keepng you alive. " marita said. " We would both appreciate if you'd call Bailey, Tell him you're with us and that you're fine. and well, vouch for our atching you, or something. I'm prety sure tony has a bunch of phones in his house, just ask for one and take a few minutes to call Bailey. I need to work o getting the info I Got from the safehouse decrypted. the security on that computer system was pretty wak, like there were almost letting me have the data ' Marita mused. '
_
Why dont we head in?' marie suiggested ' i dont know about yiou girls byt I could defiitely use some food. " hiopefully tony doesnt mind if we grab some stuff from his pantry."

f-22 "raptor" ace · **Reply #777 on:** November 09, 2018, 01:41:20 AM

Awe finished his drink and walked to the gym. "let's get some training in." he thought to himself.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #778 on:** November 09, 2018, 01:56:09 AM

"So long as you prevent her from touching you, you could beat her in a fair fight easily," Emilena nodded, standing up. "Lily still has no combat skills whatsoever, it's just that she can drain your body of energy or put you into cardiac arrest with the tap of her finger." She crossed to the bar and started washing her glass. "I'm ready when you are, to be honest. I've never been one to delay the inevitable, and who knows? If all goes well, maybe I'll have time to actually enjoy relaxing in your elegant house."

-------------------------

Flora nodded. "I can call Bailey, of course! I wouldn't want him to think badly of you, you two are some of the kindest people I know."

She followed them into the house and, sure enough, there was an old-fashioned rotary phone sitting nearby. After several failed attempts to figure out how to dial rotary, Flora managed to reach the operator and put in a collect call to Nigel Bailey. “You got a lot of nerve calling me up under her name.” Flora was surprised by how bitter he sounded; she’d never heard him this full of barely-repressed rage. “I’m tracking your line as we speak, and you’re not gonna like who I’m sending your way.”

“Uhh, Nigel, it’s me.”

“Flora!?” Bailey snapped in equal parts anger and surprise. “Is that really you?”

“Hi...” Flora answered quickly.

“Flora, I am so sorry for not listening to you,” Bailey started. “You repeatedly warned me not to leave you with those crackpots, and I ignored you. I got distracted by the money, they were offering to shelter you on the cheap. But I guess we got what we goddamn paid for!”

“Umm...I mean, I know I said a lot of mean things about them…” Flora looked back at them nervously. “But-”

“I’m getting you out of there,” Bailey assured. “Where are you? I’m sending my guys, you warn those dykes not to lay another finger on you or it’s the last thing they’ll ever--”

“--Bailey!” Flora interrupted. “You’re wrong. They're good people.” Stunned silence answered her. “Rose has my best interests at heart, and so do Marita and Marie.”

“But-but-but they dragged you into multiple shootouts! With cyberterrorists!” Bailey stammered. “You told me one of them tried to rape you!”

“Marie meant it out of love.” The neurocotics in Flora’s system sent her heart aflutter, and as she gripped the phone she imagined it was Rose’s soft hand. “Don’t send thugs, Nigel. I want to stay with them. I...I think I love them too.”

Bailey whistled. “You’re suffering from PTSD,” he answered. “Some sort of Stockholm Syndrome. You don’t even sound like you. Flora, I got you into this mess, and now I’m getting you out.”

“Bailey--!” Flora heard him hang up on her. “Crap.” She hung up the line. “Um, Bailey’s still not happy. I think we might need to watch our backs going forward…” she confessed to Marita and Marie.

f-22 "raptor" ace · **Reply #779 on:** November 09, 2018, 05:50:13 AM

Awe was lifting weights in the gym while listening to music. "Nothing like a good work out to destress."