Into the Black

Serris · **Reply #380 on:** October 28, 2013, 02:46:01 PM

Staggering out of her apartment, Anne headed out into the street to get lunch.

Her head swam from the enhanced marijuana she grew but she felt euphoric.

The mare went up to a street vendor selling some burgers. The Wolf in front of her walked away with his catfish burger. Her upper lip curled in the characteristic flehmen response of equines when she smelled the food.

"One tempeh burger," she said, leaning over the counter.

The Human shrugged and quickly handed a wrapped package to her. She swiped her credit chit and went on her way, not caring that she had planted her steel shod hoof on a discarded soda can.

(OOC - Anne's going to be a constant pain in the ass for Soren, Lily and Axel. She'll eventually redeem herself.)

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Soren had been looking over Lily's shoulder. "Hmm, judging from the external feed it looks like she went to the ice cream parlor next door."

He turned to the clerk. "Can you tell us anything else about her? Any records?"

(OOC - not sure how they can check the stuff at the back of the store. Maybe a distraction so Lily can sneak in?)

Soren nodded.

bushwacked · **Reply #381 on:** October 28, 2013, 03:44:11 PM

Axel nodded along with Soren. "Yeah, there must be something else..." He frowned. "Was there anything special about the shoes she bought? She spent a while picking them out." He put a comforting arm around Lily and put on his best 'concerned' face. "We're very worried about our little Lily-Flower."

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As Marcus looked around for an exit, he heard gunfire coming from the corridor the fox had run down. Cursing, he turned back and sprinted towards it. I can't let anything happen to her... not while she still has the tracker... As he neared the corner and peered around, he caught a glimpse of a dark shape kicking aside a guard and leaping through a window, clutching the fox he'd tracked. Kibagami...

The guard Adrian had kicked stumbled to his feet and to the window, aiming his pistol. Marcus charged up behind him, seizing his head and twisting. The guard's neck snapped before he could fire a shot. Marcus let his limp body fall to the floor and looked out to see Adrian sprinting away. The corner of his mouth turned down slightly. He never thought he'd be stopping anyone from killing Adrian.

One of the guards had a high powered rifle with a scope slung across his back. Marcus bent and yanked it off his body then ran for the stairway, heading up. He'd have an easier time covering their escape from the roof.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #382 on:** October 28, 2013, 04:10:50 PM

(OOC: Never mind about the shoe thing, got an even better way to show it)

"Nothing you don't already know," said the clerk. "5-year Premium member of our VIP Club, which qualified her for some of our finest footwear. The pair she picked was a designer brand, built for comfort over endurance. Nothing unusual for her age and social status."

Lily opened her mouth to speak again when someone unknown said her name.

"Lily, my dear. Please come home..."

On the store television was a pasty-faced human, civilian clothes, very normal. He was tear-stricken. The broadcast appeared to be part of the citywide television network.

"Lily, if you can hear me, this is Danny. Please come home, I'm worried about you. Our kids are worried about you...There are doctors here, they want to help you, you're not well. You can get better...you can be with your family again. If you love us...please come back..." The man broke off, overcome by emotion.

The clerk suddenly looked incredibly suspicious.

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Emilena groaned and her eyes fluttered open. "I can walk...let me down..."

The guards had hit her rather hard, and she was moderately disoriented.

Several police cars roared into focus. They hit the brakes hard, forming a roadblock, and filed behind the crusiers' protection, pistols drawn. "Freeze! Drop the patient and put your hands up!"

Serris · **Reply #383 on:** October 29, 2013, 04:35:33 AM

Soren's hair stood on end. "Thanks for your help," he said to the clerk.

Heart racing, he quickly looked around for cops or anyone else who might pose a threat. Luckily, only pedestrians seemed to be outside. The area around Stephenson Memorial Hospital was one of the few areas to be at actual ground level. Once one headed deeper into Lanthae, elevated walkways and stores built on them became more common.

"Lily, Axel, how about we have lunch in my car and we go pay one of my customers a visit?" he asked.

bushwacked · **Reply #384 on:** October 29, 2013, 05:15:15 AM

Axel's ears drooped, and his mouth opened and closed as he searched for something to say. When Soren thanked the clerk, he cleared his throat. "Yes, your help was very... helpful." He turned and walked stiffly out of the shop behind Soren, his arm still around Lily's shoulders.

"Yeah, I think lunch would be good," he said as they reached the pavement. Axel looked down at the white shape next to him. "You have kids and a husband?! Holy crap!" he whispered.

(OOC: Is Soren parked just by the shop? If he is then Soren could recognise Emilena as she goes into the shop while they're eating)

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One of the police stood behind the roadblock clutching a megaphone. "There's no way out of here for you, so put her down now! Nice and sl-" The back of his head exploded as a shot rang out. One of the cops steadying his aim on the car glanced back and let out a cry. "Oh ----, we have a shooter-" There was another shot, and his head jerked sideways, his pistol skidding across the car bonnet as his body tumbled to the floor.

The rest of the police threw themselves behind their cars with shouts of "Take cover!" and "Sniper!" Far above, on the rooftop, Marcus watched through the scope of his rifle. He knew he could only take so many shots before they figured out where he was. When he saw the cops dive behind cover, he moved the scope briefly over Adrian and the female, resisting the strong urge to pull the trigger. "Come on. Get out of here."

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #385 on:** October 29, 2013, 08:40:40 AM

Lily left wordlessly, already aware the clerk was rapidly retreating into the recesses of the store to do god knows what. She didn't say a word until they'd reached Soren's car.

"I don't get it..." she muttered, dazed. "A week ago, I lived a perfectly normal life. What the hell happened...?"

She tried to picture Danny, any memories of him or their kids. She came up completely blank.

"I don't remember that man at all...could he really be telling the truth? What if there are doctors who could help me...?" She turned to her two friends. "Could it be true?"

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Emilena kicked the door to the clothing store open and dragged her incapacitated comrade through, eyes darting both ways nervously. Other than three civilians in a nearby car, nobody seemed to be around.

Adrian had been hit with a lucky EMP pulse, which shut down his cybernetic parts, which meant instant and complete loss of function when cybernetics were as ingrained into the central nervous system as his were. Emilena, luckily, was almost completely organic and managed to drag him almost as far as he'd carried her, to the other side of the hotel. They'd only succeeded because something was preventing the police from leaving the safety of their cars; Emilena didn't have time to pursue the issue.

She stored Adrian behind the counter. "You're all right, it'll wear off in a few minutes...probably..." she comforted him. "But while we have the chance, I'm getting some regular clothes."

Nick22 · **Reply #386 on:** October 29, 2013, 07:46:22 PM

meanwhile Marie,Marita ad Rose were headed towards Maries flat which was in brownstone build. ' they headed inside, feeling elieved to eel tye warmth from the heaters after being ot in the chilly air. ' its on floor 7 , we'll take the elevator' marie said with a smile.

bushwacked · **Reply #387 on:** October 30, 2013, 11:07:51 AM

As Axel climbed into the back of Soren's car, he heard a few cracks from somewhere close by, and the cry of raised voices. He assumed someone was letting off some firecrackers, and slid aside to make room for Lily.

"Look, it might be true... but I think we should take some time to plan our next move." He reached into the plastic bag and took out the three boxes of noodles, handing one each to Soren and Lily and opening his own. "They really want to find you, and until we find out why I think we should be careful. I just... want to make sure you're safe."

As he spoke, the dim image of someone dashing around the clothes shop caught his eye through the window, but he dismissed it, still deep in though about what to do next. "Who was this customer you mentioned, Soren?"

Serris · **Reply #388 on:** October 31, 2013, 03:03:28 AM

Soren swallowed his mouthful of lukewarm noodles. "Guy's name was Jacob Alytn. From what he filled out on his form, guy worked as a lab tech. Right now, I think paying him a little visit might yield some info on the Purifiers."

Anne staggered up to the car and leaned into the open driver's side window. "So Soren, are youó"

"Go away." Soren pushed her away and rolled up the window. He rubbed his forehead. "Anyways, got any plans on how to speak to Mr. Altyn?"

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #389 on:** October 31, 2013, 03:42:52 AM

Emilena crept cautiously into the back of the clothing store, looking for signs of an employee. It struck her as odd the store was unattended.

Her keen hearing picked up movement in the Staff room. Putting her ear to the door, she heard a moment of dial tone, following by the person dialing a three-digit number, where the last two numbers were the same.

Her heart leapt into her throat. She could guess what number that probably was. Without further ado she kicked the door down and stunned the clerk with a judo chop to the windpipe before the call had finished connecting.

"9-11 emergency, how may I help you?" The phone asked.

Emilena disguised her voice as well as she could. "I heard something going on at the hospital, I think police officers should investigate."

"We are well aware of the situation, but thanks for letting us know! Can I help you with anything else?"

Emilena hung up and crept deeper into the inner recesses of the clothing shop. Grabbing the highest quality hiking clothes they offered, she checked them out using the clerk's master card.

"All right," she said to the still-unconscious figure. "Now we have to escape the city. They'll have most methods completely blocked."

She glanced outside and the car with three occupants caught her eye. Firstly, it had a small gray bumper sticker which allows it access to government cybernetic facilities; the owner but be either a worker or a contracter for one. Secondly, it had a huge trunk.

She smiled. "I think I've found our exit plan."

bushwacked · **Reply #390 on:** October 31, 2013, 04:43:02 AM

"Uh..." Axel watched the mare stumble away then turned back to Soren. "Alytn. Oh, that's the guy who had his hand all messed up?" He flexed his fingers uncomfortably. "He worked at Palvanida Cybernetics, didn't he? That's a pretty big place, I don't think they'd just let us walk in to meet him. Maybe we could scout the place out, see if there's a back way in or something?"

Axel frowned and continued, "But, jesus, if we get caught breaking into a place like that... Especially you, Lily."

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Marcus saw one of the officers pulling a radio out, probably to try and call for more backup. He put a bullet through it, scattering shards of plastic through the air, and snapped his cross-hair onto the officer, pulling the trigger. There was a heavy CLUNK and nothing else.

Marcus moved the scope away from his eye and looked down at the gun to inspect it. It had jammed. Cheap s--t. No wonder the police are losing their war on crime. He used the scope to quickly scan the streets, and couldn't see either Adrian or the woman.

With no more bullets raining down on them, the cops had started to cautiously emerge from their cover, pointing at his general direction. More of them would soon be here. I've done all I can, now it's up to them. And then we'll see who they work with... Marcus dropped the gun and ran across the roof, leaping onto the escape ladder and sliding down.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #391 on:** October 31, 2013, 07:55:11 AM

Lily was lost in thought. " Let's do it," she said. "Soren's been nothing but helpful to me; it would be unfair not to return the favor. If I can help solve his problem with the Purifiers, I can."

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Emilena slinked up to the trunk, approaching from the far end of the parking lot. She recognized the make and model of the car; she remembered from her early days as a 911 phone operator that there was a rash of calls about breakins with this model because the windows weren't laden with translucent wires, meaning that a broken window doesn't trigger the car's break-in alarm system.

She grasped a tool purchased from the construction store across the street; a superheating conductor plate, no larger than a button, designed to boil large bodies of liquid quickly by rapidly exciting the molecules. It had a similar effect on glass, which had many of the properties of liquids.

She pressed the tiny button and the window completely liquefied, splashing down into the trunk. Unless they were paying attention to the rearview mirror, the occupants shouldn't have noticed.

Finally, she hurled a jagged rock over the top of the car, waited for it to hit the clothing store window, and flipped her and Adrian into the trunk while the occupants were hopefully observing the distraction.

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"What was that?" Yelped Lily as the rock smashed through the window of the clothing store. She didn't even notice she'd wrapped her arms around Soren in fright and was almost strangling him.

Serris · **Reply #392 on:** October 31, 2013, 12:42:25 PM

Soren carefully disentangled himself from Lily and collected all the trash.

A minute later, he returned. He stuck the key in the ignition and was about to turn it when he recalled the Purifier's words to him earlier. Decidedly, not wanting to be a bombing statistic, he got out of the car. "Lily, Axel, I'm going to go give my car a once over to make sure the Purifiers didn't stick a bomb or tracker on it."

He got out of his car and popped the hood. Most of the space was taken up by the repulsorlift and thrusters. So far, he didn't see anything.

Nick22 · **Reply #393 on:** October 31, 2013, 02:09:10 PM

marie led marita gittsun and rose to her apartment which was the number 737. marie unlocked the door and let her friends in. ' ok, its not much, but on a waitress' salary what did you expect' she sighed ' as its not as if the electric sheep paid its waitresses well either. i had to borrow money from rose here on more than one occasion to make ends meet. ' ' when i was sober' rose explaned. ' well we can just get some things// marita said ' like a meal, and a change of clothes' marita was tired from her long day, they had busted rose out, and had picked up marie in the bargain, who she was starting to like.

bushwacked · **Reply #394 on:** October 31, 2013, 06:12:21 PM

In his shock from the window smashing, Axel had accidentally dumped his box of noodles over his lap. Picking them off, he glanced around the car nervously. "A bomb? Hey, check under the car - that's where they always put them in spy films." He checked under the seats himself, half expecting to be met with a timer counting down.

StarfallRaptor · **Reply #395 on:** October 31, 2013, 07:37:12 PM

As Emilena tossed the rock through the window, Kojuuro stepped around the corner, raising a silenced handgun raised.
"Hold it right there. I can't let you get away."
He said softly...

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #396 on:** October 31, 2013, 07:47:28 PM

Emilena flipped a large tarp over herself and Adrian, ignoring the newcomer. If he was gonna shoot, he'd have done so already.

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"It drove from the house fine, but okay..." Lily left the car. Then she saw Kojurro and started screaming uncontrollably.

bushwacked · **Reply #397 on:** November 01, 2013, 04:58:59 AM

"What?! What is it?!" Axel scrambled out of the car hastily, the last few noodles dropping from his jeans to the curb, then paused when he saw Lily wasn't looking at the car. "What are you..."

He followed her line of sight and froze when he saw the wolf pointing a pistol in their direction. "Woah! Hey, wait, we don't want any trouble!" Axel raised his arms up slightly and stepped in front of Lily.

StarfallRaptor · **Reply #398 on:** November 01, 2013, 11:36:33 AM

Kojuuro smirked.
"You're not my targets. Just don't get in my way, and we'll be fine."
He said, walking over to where Emilena and Adrian were hiding, throwing back the tarp...

Serris · **Reply #399 on:** November 02, 2013, 01:33:43 PM

Soren's eye twitched as he recognized Emelina as the dirty cop who tired beating him up. He bodily dragged her out from the trunk of his car and roughly dumped her on the filthy street.

"I want to know what the f--- you are doing in my car!" he snapped.

Above him, an electronic billboard played a message from another anti-Augment group. This one warned about them stealing jobs. While it was true that Augments had pretty much replaced Baselines in manual labor, a lot of new jobs relating to augmentation repairs and maintenance cropped up ó and skills mattered more than implants.

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Anne cheerfully whistled as she carefully cut off an Augment's arm, taking care not to cut into his flesh and bone ó not that it would have mattered since he was dead.

"Hey! Put your hands up! Augment theft is a crime!"

Anne slowly dropped her angle grinder and turned around. A cop had his gun pointed at her. She smirked. "Okay you caught me,"

"Hands behind your back!"

Anne did so and retrieved a credit chit from her back pocket. As soon as the cop saw the card, he smiled. "Actually, since this is your first offense, I'll let you off with a warning and a fine." The cop took the credit chit and left the alleyway.

Anne shrugged and continued cutting away at the augment. The cash she just surrendered to the cop was 750,000 credits ó nearly half of what she made last week. It sure beat the hell out of going to jail.