Into the Black

Serris · **Reply #180 on:** September 14, 2013, 06:40:59 PM

"They are," Soren replied. "They're an old class 2 augmentation made by Scaerin Cybernetics from Palladia. As you know, Palladia bans class 3 augs for civilians ó no exceptions. Even if you're licensed from another city or whatever, they won't honor the license. Consequently, someone decided to exploit a loophole in the law by making augs with built-in tools that could easily be turned into weapons. Arms with laser cutters that had a tight focus and power output equal to that of a standard laser rifle, legs with 'traction spikes' sharp enough to tear apart metal. Stuff like that. They got busted and the company went out of business. Even then, their augs tended to be on the expensive side, so they didn't sell too many."

He pointed to the part that Axel mentioned in the sculpture. "As for the M87-D aug, it came from some guy who mangled it in an industrial accident. All I could do was detach it from the mounting points and sell him a cheap replacement that functioned only as an arm. As for what that arm did, it had a built-in line thrower so someone could fire a line to someone in distress or to help launch guy lines for construction or climbing. Needless to say, it doesn't take a genius to replace the line with a harpoon, a metal slug or even a grenade."

The trio soon arrived at his equally sparse kitchen. Steel countertops had all sorts of spices and cooking equipment scattered all over. Soren dispensed some hot water from his electric kettle into some beat up mugs he grabbed from the dishwasher.

A sprinkling of tea leaves over the hot water and in a few minutes, three cups of steaming tea graced a serving tray made from some old scrap metal and rivets.

The Human took a seat and held his mug of tea. "So, Axel, what brings you here?"

bushwacked · **Reply #181 on:** September 14, 2013, 07:37:51 PM

Axel took his own mug. He couldn't feel it's warmth through his hands, but the hot steam wafted up to his face, making him feel slightly more relaxed. He leaned against the counter, curling his tail around his leg nervously.

"Alright... the police are after us. Well, they're really after her, and now me indirectly," Axel began, indicating Lily. Then he paused and took a deep breath. "This whole thing's going to sound crazy, but I guess I should start from the beginning. It was... I dunno, a couple of hours ago. I was up on the roof, smoking. I heard a fight, and when I looked down I saw some crazy guy dragging her down an alley. He was gonna do stuff to her, Soren... So I ran down to help her, and there was a fight and... the guy ended up dead."

Axel turned his cybernetic eyes to Soren's. "But he was crazy, he was going to kill us!" He looked to Lily for support. "Right?!"

Serris · **Reply #182 on:** September 14, 2013, 07:48:02 PM

"What you did is not my business," Soren replied tersely. He sipped his own mug of tea.

He then fixed his HMD with its stark blue "guiding laser" on Lily. "I don't know you but since Axel says you're okay, I'll trust him. Now what's your side of the story?"

StarfallRaptor · **Reply #183 on:** September 14, 2013, 10:00:43 PM

Adrian chuckled, rolling his eyes.
"Right, right. Besides, if we're on time, we can find always have a creative excuse for our lateness."
He said softly...

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #184 on:** September 15, 2013, 03:48:41 AM

She shrunk away from the blue laser instinctively, having seem similar ones while on the run in the forest.

"Creativity is lost on a mind addled with circuits and chips," Emilena stated. "Their subroutines can barely handle Boolean values, answers become increasingly ignored the further they get from 'true' and 'false.' It's like self-inflicted retardation. Sickening..."

(OOC: I wouldn't trust what Emilena is saying right here. She's just being bitter; I'm sure cybernetics are capable of handling a vast spectrum of human emotions and thought processes. Just wanted to make sure y'all knew I wasn't trying to define Augments in this world.)

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"I don't...have very much to say..." Lily said meekly. "I don't know who I am, or what my name is. Or why they're chasing me..."

She took a sip of tea to calm her nerves and chattering teeth, and started from the beginning. "Four nights ago I woke up in a forest, the same one outside this city. I was wearing these clothes, and had a backpack. I traveled to the plains and saw police officers there, but when I called to them they shot at me so I ran back into the forest. After that they brought helicopters and trackers into the forest, but I avoided them for three days...I didn't have time to sleep, or eat...at some point I lost my backpack which had my protein bars and water in it. I was starving after that..."

She glanced at Axel, and gave a small smile. "I reached this city and Axel let me into his house. But they tracked us there and...oh...they're probably after you now, too!" she realized. "I'm so sorry! You've been so nice to me, but now they're probably searching your house and telling the trackers about you...oh, I'm causing so much trouble for everyone..." She teared up slightly, but blinked and forced the tears at bay. She didn't want to break down again, not in front of Soren. Having already ruined her first impression with Axel, she didn't want to do so again.

She took a deep breath and another shaky sip of tea. "I wish I just knew who I was, whether I was worth all this. What if I'm a convicted killer or something? I have absolutely no clues to my identity..."

bushwacked · **Reply #185 on:** September 15, 2013, 05:16:24 AM

"We're going to figure it out. I promised you," Axel said firmly. "Look at her, Soren. Does she look like a mass murderer to you? She's even got some creepy tattoo that she knows she didn't have before. It's like some kind of... conspiracy or something."

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #186 on:** September 15, 2013, 07:42:47 AM

Lily nodded and pulled her dress collar down until Soren could see the eye-shaped tattoo above her breast.

(ooc: dont forget about the sticker on her boots.)

Nick22 · **Reply #187 on:** September 15, 2013, 02:10:26 PM

that info is available on the website, so dancers know what range they have to dance in ' Marita said. ' I wonder if rose will recognize me..' she said thoughtfully.

StarfallRaptor · **Reply #188 on:** September 15, 2013, 10:20:14 PM

Adrian smirked a little.
"If you two were as close as it sounds like...then I would say yes. The heart is a funny thing. It often remembers things that even the mind forgets."
He said softly, then glanced at Emilena.
"And you know, Emilena, quite a few cybernetics keep their original brain."
He added.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #189 on:** September 16, 2013, 10:39:56 PM

(OOC: Serris, you're up)

"If it was a brain that desired cybernetics in the first place, I shant think too highly of it," Emilena muttered.

She opened the door before the car had even gotten into the parking space and marched over to the cyberbot guarding the door.

"Hey you ferromagnetic Foukou, here's my damn paperwork, now let me in before I miss my dance. It's in forty-seven seconds in case your internal chronometer was over-promised in the sales brochure."

StarfallRaptor · **Reply #190 on:** September 16, 2013, 10:52:32 PM

Adrian stepped out of the car, rolling his eyes a little as his visor snapped shut, walking towards the door guard.
"Are you going to let us in now, or am I going to have to contact my supervisors with the request to start removing limbs until you let my client in?"
He said coldly...

Serris · **Reply #191 on:** September 17, 2013, 01:57:17 AM

Marita's hacking had done its job. The droid scanned over Emelina.

"Welcome, Starpuppy Cimerron." The droid moved aside to let "Starpuppy" and her "bodyguard" into the dressing room.

One of the Augment dancers was using a wrench to adjust some wires on her gleaming metallic legs. The dancer was a Golden Retriever but her legs were distinctly equinoid with polished chrome hooves.

------

Soren looked at the tattoo. His HMD even scanned for matches on the web. Two words blinked in his visual field: No results.

"I've never seen a tat like that before."

He turned to Axel and drained the rest of his tea. "Speaking of conspiracies, something stinks about the police here. I mean, fire breaks out in my workshop, I call the cops, one of them tries beating me up and using a fake warrant to go snooping through my house."

He rubbed his temples, being careful not to knock his HMD off. "Something ain't right and I want to see what the hell'a going on!"

bushwacked · **Reply #192 on:** September 17, 2013, 05:25:20 AM

Axel gulped down some of the tea. "Yeah, I saw the cars. Aw man, there was was a fire in your workshop? Was it an accident? Is it bad?"

(OOC: The sticker's still in Axel's pocket, just thought it would be better to talk to Soren about his problem first)

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"Keep talking," Marcus ordered.

"Oh, well I would... but... hic... my glass is... uh, empty..." The drunk slurred, the stench of alcohol on his breath strong enough to make Marcus' eyes water. He'd overheard the drunk talking with his similarly inebriated friends about a 'flying man in the city with a sword'. Gritting his teeth, Marcus had pulled him aside to the bar.

He narrowed his eyes. A broken arm would get him talking just as easily. Begrudgingly, he lifted a hand to the barman to signal for another whiskey, then returned his glare to the drunk, his back to the stage.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #193 on:** September 17, 2013, 06:36:28 AM

"You have a workshop? What do you make?" asked Lily. Perhaps she could get on his good side by showing interest in his chosen profession.

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Emilena was barely let into the dressing rooms when a man in a tight suit rushed over to her. "Are you StarPuppy?!?" he demanded in a high voice.

"It's 'Miss Cimarron' to you," she retorted, narrowing her eyes.

"We found her, roll tapes!" he yelled into a headset. "If you're ever this late again, you can forget about working here ever!" he shouted at her.

She snarled in response, but held her tongue as he raced away. In the dressing room she unflinchingly borrowed the other dancer's blush.

"Hey--!" the Golden Retriever protested, but quickly submitted when Emilena flashed her eyes and bared her teeth menacingly.

"Quiet! Get out now or I'll rip your jugular from your neck!" Emilena hissed, and the stripper wasted no time complying. Emilena turned to her teammates. "Marita, you've done your job, go do whatever you want. Adrian, perhaps these three minutes could be spent locating where the less publicized functions of this establishment occur."

Ten seconds until show time, her mental clock counted. With that she strode backstage, and after a reassuring (and unwitnessed) gulp, crossed the curtain.

When she took the stage, there was no announcement, no fanfare, no real recognition. Just a bunch of rowdy drunks, some wolf whistles and cat calls, and the pungent smell of sweat, drugs, alcohol, and oil. After a brief curl of her lip when she noted the greasy state of the stripper pole, she began her best attempt at dancing sensuously, though she couldn't quite keep the frown off her face.

StarfallRaptor · **Reply #194 on:** September 17, 2013, 10:21:41 AM

Adrian had made his way from the back of the stage to the floor of the club, keeping his visor shut so as to obscure any visible part of his features. Casting a glance around the room, his visor's systems quickly scanned through each face, comparing each to known members of the Purifiers. Passing over most as small-time members with little to no criminal involvement, he froze when he saw the back of Marcus's head over the crowd. Even with his visor unable to run the face through the database, he knew the Doberman. Instinctively, he took a small step back, memories of the incident that had cost him his arm and eye flashing through his mind. Unfortunately, that small step bumped his leg into a vacated table, rattling the glasses on it and sending one to the floor with a remarkably loud clattering sound...

Nick22 · **Reply #195 on:** September 17, 2013, 12:34:58 PM

marita pulled out her computer and access the clubs website. she typed in roses stage name and it brought out her location- in dressing room 5, her next performance was in 12 minutes. ' can i get you something? asked a waitress wearing a skimpy bra and thong, she was carrying a tray of drinks. ' a pepsi please, also i have a package for rose, stage name honey bunny.
- ah honey bunny. shes in room 5. interested in a blackout? the waitress smirked. usually thats 100 bucks, but her price is 20.. poor girl.. this place is basically her home.. she got foreclosed on when she got busted with the stuff. its said to see what shes become, that stuff is really powerful. shes a beautiful dancer when shes sober, but those days are fewer and fewer these days.. do you know her?
- yes i do, we were friends before.. she got hooked on the stuff. once it hooks you, theres nothing that can be done for you. therw detox buts its extremely expensive. Marita said.
- you better believe it, its 40 grand for a couple weeks worth of the detox stuff, and it literally squeezes the stuff out of you, in rivelets . its hard to watch and harder to endure. i bet. i'm marie.. " nice to meet you marita said. i'm a talent scout, looking for dancers with talent and moxie.. from what you've told me honey bunny could be a girl with potential.. if we can get her detoxed.

Serris · **Reply #196 on:** September 17, 2013, 01:00:28 PM

"I'm a licensed cyberneticist with permits to work on class 1 and class 2 external augs. I also have a license to make and modify class 3 external augs for personal use." Soren got up to refill his his cup with hot water.

"Anyways, Axel," he continued, sprinkling some additional tea leaves in his cup. "The cause of the fire's unknown. But I suspect it was arson. As for how bad it is, it's completely destroyed. I'm going to salvage what I can in the morning. I'm pretty much out of a job. Sure, I've got some cybernetics tools in my basement and house but my workshop had a nanolathe where I could pretty much create a part to order."

bushwacked · **Reply #197 on:** September 17, 2013, 08:24:52 PM

"Oh god, I'm sorry Soren," Axel said sympathetically. "If there's anything we can do to help, just ask. Maybe we'll be able to find something that'll tell us who started it?" He nudged Lily. "Hey, maybe it's all connected! Or... maybe I've been watching too many detective shows." He took another gulp of tea and blushed.

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

The drunk burped. "Oh yeah, he's like a... hic... a ninja who... protects Virtuatron..."

"Virtuatron?" Marcus narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Wha... wha' you mean?" The drunk giggled. "You haven't seen... Robo-Ninja VII?"

Marcus' ears flicked. "A film? You've been wasting my time with a film?" He started to rise angrily, but a clattering behind him turned his head. His eyes flicked over the crowd, noting that a new dancer had come on the stage, and came to rest on the table on the opposite side of the dance floor.

A figure was backing away, wearing a full visor which prevented him from seeing his face. But his size and figure were the same... Kibagami? Marcus rose slowly, keeping his glare focused on the figure opposite, his hand reaching down to the Magnum tucked under his trench coat.

Serris · **Reply #198 on:** September 17, 2013, 09:08:58 PM

Soren nodded looked outside his window at his ruined workshop. He sighed. "Since I'm awake, I might as well start salvaging what I can."

He finished his tea and headed downstairs into his basement.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #199 on:** September 19, 2013, 11:44:25 AM

Lily drank her tea too quickly, and started hiccuping. "Th-thank you for having me, Mr. Soren," she choked, words sounding slightly off because she'd singed her tongue.

She turned to Axel. "What are you going to do now?" She asked softly. "You don't want to live a life on the run, it's horrible. And you know who you are, so you have friends, and a support net...at least, I'm assuming you do. The cops will go after them if they think it'll help catch you."

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At first Emilena merely tried to finish her dance. The whole time she hadn't stopped thinking about the vile perverts filling the audience in front of her. Just stomach their sinful gazes for another two minutes, thirty seconds... she told herself, gritting her teeth behind her lips. Then this unwholesome display will finally be...

Hold on? She started realizing that not many of the audience was actually viewing her. They were talking, drinking beers, doing drugs...nobody was actually staring at the stage. Why the hell aren't they watching me?

Despite herself, she began putting more oomph into her performance. A twirl of her hair, a flare of her buttocks, she matched the beat of the song and stretched her body to its limits. Grasping the stripper pole for the first time, she ground her chest against it and with a twirl, seamlessly incorporated an unclipped bra into her performance.

Nobody really cared. They'd seen hundreds of stripping women before.

Emilena's eyes flashed angrily. Using her removed bra like a strap, she swayed and turned and pirouetted, putting all her combat reflexes and sword maneuvers into creating as stunning a display she could muster. Sweat rolled off of her as she focused painstakingly on getting somebody's attention.

Perhaps its for the best nobody was noticing, because what she was doing actually looked nothing like strip dancing.