Blanking the Slate

Serris · **Reply #280 on:** March 08, 2016, 11:50:23 AM

There was a knock on the door. Soren peered through the peephole and saw that it was a large Anaconda with a cart full of cleaning supplies.

He opened the door just a little bit, the chain keeping the door from opening further. The other half of his body was concealed by the door and the railing he had as a weapon was hidden as well.

"Housekeeping," the Anaconda said.

"Could you come back in a few hours?" Soren said.

The Anaconda said nothing but slithered away. As soon as the janitor was out of sight, he quickly shut and deadbolted the door.

"Who was it?" Anne called from the other room

"Housekeeping!" Soren shouted back. He resumed his position on the couch.

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

"Good point," Anne said. "Soren's the only person that Emilena trusts. But let's face it; he's hot-headed and impulsive. Granted, he is good at thinking on his feet."

Aaron rubbed his muzzle with a hand. "We'll need that fast thinking in the event the whole operation goes to shit. And with how little we know, it probably will go to shit."

bushwacked · **Reply #281 on:** March 09, 2016, 07:12:15 PM

"Alright. Almaya comes." Truth be told, Soren's lone charge into the Purifier's base screamed reckless to Marcus, and that was the kind of trait he'd have preferred to avoid. But they were right - a familiar face was more likely to keep things smoother with Emilena, and Soren was the least likely to draw attention.

He glanced at the cheap, plastic clock hanging on the wall, aware of time slipping away from them. "We need at least one more."

Nick22 · **Reply #282 on:** March 09, 2016, 07:23:02 PM

we;ll need someone who isnt known to the cops and someone who wont draw attention ' Marie said " i'll go' she volunteered "marita will be here doing her job, and i can keep a low profile. We're going to need someone who doesnt draw attention, and i've got a clean record. Besides clock is ticking..'

Serris · **Reply #283 on:** March 09, 2016, 10:44:27 PM

Aaron nodded. "All right, we good to go?"

He looked at everyone else.

Anne exited the bathroom. "So what's my role."

Aaron looked at the horn protruding from the mare's forehead. "You stay here and eavesdrop on police chatter so the hacker can work around them."

He then pointed to the two Purifiers. "You two stand guard. Remember, no one but us enters the room. And there must be one person standing guard at all times. Got that?"

The German Shepherd checked to see if his pistol was still inside his chest holster. "Hey Inspector Gadget! Get over here!"

"Coming!" Soren jogged over to where everyone was located.

Aaron nodded. "Good. You're coming with us to rescue Emilena."

Soren said nothing but he inwardly sighed. Rescuing her wasn't something he looked forward to...though getting oversided by the four Purifier operatives in the room for refusing wasn't appealing either.

Nick22 · **Reply #284 on:** March 09, 2016, 10:58:36 PM

Mari went over to soren and aaron ' so who's going to be the driver she asked' i'll drive if no one objects.
- rose headed over to Flora ' Hey shirley. how are you doing?' she asked.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #285 on:** March 09, 2016, 11:24:30 PM

There was another knock, and since Soren was no longer the closest to the door Flora went and checked it out by sliding the Judas window open to see a well-dressed young man with combed back hair and a briefcase.

"Hello, I was wondering if you were interested in hearing about our lord and savior Jesus Christ?" he asked.

"Sorry, we worship Satan in this hotel room." she replied. "Wanna buy a pitchfork?"

She received only stunned silence. Considering this enough, she closed the slide and returned to the room. "Hey Rose, if you wanna learn about Jesus, there's a guy here wanting to talk to you," she told the older woman, hoping to dodge the imminent conversation herself.

bushwacked · **Reply #286 on:** March 10, 2016, 06:35:33 PM

Marcus shook his head at Marie. "You're not driving. Something goes wrong, I want to know we can get out of there as soon as possible. I'll take the wheel going there, Aaron drives us back."

Still lying on the bed, Axel the last of his beer and dropped the bottle on the floor. It rolled along the grimy carpet and came to stop against the wall with a clunk. "You aren't gonna be able to just walk in like that. If you say you're there to repair stuff, you need to look like..." The rat waved his hand. "... repair guys."

"There's a maintenance storage room downstairs. With any luck, there'll be some overall we can take. If they aren't too distinctive, police at the station shouldn't look too closely," Marcus said without turning.

"We don't have much time. Need to start preparing now." Marcus glanced at Marita. "Try to get into their system now. Disrupt what you can. We leave for the station in the morning."

Nick22 · **Reply #287 on:** March 10, 2016, 11:32:13 PM

on it' marita said and began typing away at her computer. should be in in a few minutes.

Serris · **Reply #288 on:** March 12, 2016, 02:11:48 AM

Aaron nodded. "I'll be back in a moment." He exited the room and made his way into the hallway that stank of cheap air freshener, cleaners, chem-burners, urine and alcohol. He passed by a bellhop moving some luggage into a room.

The German Shepherd took the elevator to the lobby where a Boa Constrictor and his Rat rent boy checking in. He ignored the duo and took a left turn where upon he came across said maintenance storage room. Finding the door unlocked, he opened it and grabbed the jumpsuits that looked like they'd fit.

Aaron's ears pricked up as he detected the scent of of someone approaching. Thinking quickly, he squeezed himself between the wall and the industrial washing machine. He willed his heart to stop beating so quickly but all that was for naught when he heard the person speak. "I know you're in here. Come out before I call the cops."

Defeated, Aaron emerged from his hiding spot and found himself looking at a young Asian man.

"How...How did you know I was in here?" Aaron asked.

"You left the door open and I was able to hear your heartbeat," the man replied.

"But that's impossible for a Human to hear!"

The man pointed to his ear. "Cochlear implant. I was born deaf but with it, I hear perfectly. And I voided the warrantee to give myself super-hearing. But enough of that, tell me what you're going to do with those uniforms you stole or I call the cops."

Aaron's ears pivoted back and forth as he tried to think of a plan. He then hit upon a brilliant idea. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a 1,000 credit chit. "I suppose 1,000 creds won't make this encounter disappear?"

The man looked at it. That was over ten times his hourly wage and simply for ignoring a thief stealing janitorial jumpsuits. He nodded. "You have a deal."

Aaron tossed the man the credit chit and left the room.

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

The door opened and the two Purifier guards got ready for action but stopped when they saw it was just Aaron.

He threw the jumpsuits on the couch. "Okay, I got the clothing."

(OOC - Chem-burner is slang for a chemically ignited self-lighting cigarette.)

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #289 on:** March 14, 2016, 04:18:34 AM

Flora parted the fur on the back of her hand and bit her lip when she saw a trace of pink . "Welp, good luck with the rescue all; I'm taking a shower." Departing to the bathroom, she locked the door and then, thinking she should play it safe, wedged the scale between the door and the sink to double-reinforce it. With freaks like these people walking around, she'd prefer to not be rudely interrupted.

bushwacked · **Reply #290 on:** March 20, 2016, 05:22:58 PM

The dark, overcast clouds of the early morning had melted away, revealing a clear, icy blue sky above the city. An elderly man, up early for another of his walks which seemed to help ease the pain in his knee, sat hunched over on a bench, his stick-like figure hidden behind a large newspaper. His frail hands slowly turned the page. A Brennan Synthetics ad filled one page of the cheap, pulpy paper, telling him to 'Step towards the future'. "Too old for that shit," he thought. Besides, the way things were going for them lately, he wouldn't have to worry about seeing their adverts for much longer. He scanned the other page, and his eyes passed over a piece squashed into a tiny section at the bottom of the page, something about a shootout in one of the poorer parts of the city.

The old man lowered the newspaper and squinted up at the police station squatting across from him, on the other side of the street. "Great work protecting the city." With a sigh, his breath condensing into a small cloud in the chilly air, he began the laborious process of easing himself up. He didn't pay any attention to the plain black vehicle which pulled up onto the sidewalk a little further up the road.

Behind the wheel as the engine idled, Marcus glanced at the clock on the dashboard. 8:15 AM. Making good time. He adjusted the buttons on his grey jumpsuit then turned to look at Aaron and Marie, similarly dressed. "We're here. Get ready." Marcus lifted his cell phone. "Marita, how's it looking on your end?" he growled into it.

Nick22 · **Reply #291 on:** March 20, 2016, 07:50:32 PM

I'm in. just waiting for you to tell me to spring the system.' Marita replied over the phone.' and it will be sprung. you'll have 10 minutes to get Emilena out. I cant promise more time than that
_ ready on my end " marie said Cover story ready for use."

Serris · **Reply #292 on:** March 23, 2016, 08:44:25 PM

Soren adjusted his stolen jumpsuit. The clothing fit him remarkably well. He sniffed the sleeve and noticed that it smelled freshly laundered. A toolbox with assorted plumbing equipment and tools was next to him. Buried under the pipes, wrenches and screwdrivers was the SMG that he had been loaned.

Aaron turned to Marie. "Plumbers right?"

Soren held up the toolbox. "Got it."

Aaron turned to Marcus. "All right, let's get this shit on the road." He looked at the police station. The station itself was ringed by electrified fences and armed drones flitted through the air, scanning for any escapees. The only way in was through a guard post and a heavy metal gate.

Nick22 · **Reply #293 on:** March 24, 2016, 01:38:27 AM

yeah. Plumbers, just here to fix a leak on the second floor.' Marie said, ' we've got the parts and everything.' She said, patting the toolbox she carried ' alright. Lets go fix this "problem' she said getting out the side of the vehicle with a casual air, looking for all the world like an ordinary plumber.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #294 on:** March 24, 2016, 09:48:56 PM

The guard waved them through, motioning to open the metal gate for them. They looked enough like plumbers with the uniforms and the clipboards that he felt no reason to suspect them.

* * *

Back at the hideout, Lily took a deep breath as she observed the room where Axel and the others were hiding out. Gritting her teeth, she marched up to the door and found it locked. She knocked impatiently.

"Chrissake, who is it now?" muttered Flora, who was on the couch playing a first person shooter on her smartphone. "Any reason we picked the most popular hotel room in the city? I'm not answering it this time."

bushwacked · **Reply #295 on:** March 27, 2016, 06:54:44 PM

As the gate rattled open to let them pass, Marcus felt his attention drawn to the drones hovering ominously above them. If they opened fire, the team would be shredded by the bullets. He shared a brief glance with Aaron. We can't afford to fuck up.

They soon drew close to the main entrance, and pushing open the heavy double doors found themselves standing in the main lobby of the station. An anxious looking man sat behind the reception desk spotted them walking in and stood up, waving them over with a pained expression. "You here for the water system?"

Marcus nodded, indicating their uniforms and holding up the large duffle bag he was carrying. "That's us."

"Oh, thank christ." The receptionist sighed, relieved. Marcus noticed that his uniform seemed damp. "It's been acting up for the last... couple of hours now. It's all over the place too. Tried to go for a piss half an hour ago and the sprinklers..." The man shook his head. "Anyway. If you could all step step through the scanner please, one at at time. You'll be led through after. And I'll need that bag." He held his hand out.

""Sure." Handing it over, Marcus approached the tall structure to the right of the desk, shaped vaguely like a doorway, and stepped slowly through, allowing the scan to pass over him and feed to image back to the receptionist's monitor. He couldn't help feel a sense of relief that he'd left his gun back at the motel. The receptionist fed the duffle bag through a similar device, and nodded as the image returned showed only wrenches and other tools. HE motioned to Aaron and Marie. "Alright, come on."

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

The black sedan slowed as it approached the guard post, the tinted window sliding down as the vehicle stopped beside the heavyset officer. "Identification," he grunted.

A slender hand reached out, flipping open a detective's badge imprinted with the initials H.P.D. "Detective Hengsha, Holmia P.D."

The guard peered at the badge, then leaned over slightly to get a look at who the quiet voice belonged to. He was met with the impassive gaze of a small, thin-faced woman, asian. Her dark eyes stared at him for a second longer, then a warm smile creased her face. "Looks like it's going to be a nice day."

Straightening, the guard waved her through, already counting down the hours until his lunch break.

"Thank you." Rolling up her window, her friendly expression vanished. She pulled the car forward then swung to the left towards the parking on the side of the police station. Pulling into a place, she turned the engine off then slipped a cell phone from her pocket. "I'm through. Felix did good work with the badge."

"Good," came the reply. "You're clear on your task?"

"Yes. Find out what she knows, what she's told others, then deal with her. Echo won't be a problem for us."

"Excellent. Good luck then." The voice paused briefly. "And Junko... be careful."

Junko smiled for a moment, a genuine smile. "I will. Contact you soon." Hanging up, she exhaled briefly, then opened the car door, the tiny vial of ricin sewn into her belt weighing nothing.

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

Axel groaned, peeling his eyes away from the TV screen where Dr. Roberts was helping a grieving family deal with the loss of a father, or a child, or something. Axel didn't particularly care, he was just looking for a distraction from his current shitty situation. "Why do we even need to open the door. What's the fucking point."

"Maybe it's more free pizza," one of the Purifiers grunted, accompanied by enthusiastic nods by his teammates. He pointed a beefy finger at Axel. "Open it."

"Goddammit." Painstakingly, Axel slowly raised himself up off the couch and approached the door, pulling it open with a sigh. The sigh died in his throat when he saw who was on the other side. The rat blinked, shaking his head. "I thought I told you - I'm done. I don't care about your problems."

Serris · **Reply #296 on:** March 29, 2016, 03:00:28 AM

Soren kept his calm as his toolbox was scanned. He prayed that they didn't notice the SMG he tucked inside. Luckily, the receptionist let him through after he was scanned for explosives.

He let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding as he looked around the interior. Sure enough, there were "Wet Floor" signs seemingly everywhere as janitors mopped up puddles.

Aaron nudged Soren. "We're not going down that way." He then looked at the placards on the concrete wall for directions. A camera overhead kept an eye on them. He shot it a glance out of the corner of his eye but otherwise ignored it. As long as they acted like they knew what they were doing, no one would suspect them anything.

Soren turned to Aaron and hefted his toolbox. "Okay, let's fix the busted-ass sprinklers." It was a coded term to continue their plan and disguise their intentions by sounding like something a group of plumbers would say.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #297 on:** April 01, 2016, 03:26:37 PM

"What on Earth makes you think I'm here for you?" snarled Lily. "Get the hell out of my way!"

Nick22 · **Reply #298 on:** April 08, 2016, 04:43:17 PM

Marie made her way up the steps, carrying her toolbox. Water ran down the steps from above, indicating that the sprinklers had affected the second foor as well, and likely all the floors.' she smiled inwardly ' Marita was very good at hacking, this was going rather well, so far. she paused at the top of the steps, and stepped into a medium-sized ool of water' he pointed to the left ' lets start down here' she said. bring the vacuum' she added ' using one of the agreed codewords.

Serris · **Reply #299 on:** April 10, 2016, 03:03:53 PM

Soren nodded. "Bring the vacuum" was code for following the speaker. He had pondered how to get Emilena out of there but he figured that Marie had everything under control.

A Python janitor ignored the group as she tried to divert the flow of water coming from up the stairs and into a floor drain.

Aaron's booted feet sloshed through the puddles on the concrete floor. Most of the sprinklers had been shut off by the in-house repair team. "You know, we might have to turn off water to the whole building before we can fix the leak." Again, this was a code phrase that had been agreed on to mean that security systems and guards might have to be taken out after they got Emilena.