A Shipful of Dollars

Started by Lomari, April 08, 2019, 06:39:21 AM

Johann Krüger

Glee of a nearly feral veracity overtook Johann as he got X's signal. Everything was falling together perfectly. Nothing could go wrong now. He checked his very fancy watch and saw they were actually ahead of schedule. Now they just had to- "Nip him, girl." The command was to Pele, whom Johann refused to call anything else as he knew any name she offered would be illegitimate. "Cake's been frosted." The code words hadn't really been discussed ahead of time, but Johann trusted that they would take his meaning.

Then again.

"That is- give him the drugs, the evidence has been planted." Can never be too careful. Ahead of schedule though they may be, they were still on a schedule. The surprise ending was due in a half-hour, after the drugs kicked in and Darby made a scene. Johann switched to a private channel with Xiǎodāo. "X. You mind hanging out in the vent a while longer and taking a peek at the party? I want eyes on the prize, know what I mean?"

Johann felt better having X supervising. He wanted to know everything that was going on. He glanced up at the neighboring rooftop where their getaway was stowed. Seemed normal from where Johann looked. He'd commanded Marty maintain radio silence and so far the lad had kept it, credit where it was due. "Oh Martiiiiin." Johann said, the sing-song tenor of his voice drifted into the comm. "How's it look up there, laddy buck?"
Dialogue Color - Gold

noseatbelts

Party

"Most promising?" Darby considered this. "I suppose. I've certainly done my share of making promises, you're dead right." The smile that crept up on his face was a false one, not insincere, but forced. "Promises I can't keep..." He said, barely breathing the second thought. His eyes spotted something behind Pele. "Ah yes. A drink!" He waved a waiter over, who arrived promptly with a tray topped with champagne flutes. "I'll never get used to that. Wait staff in tuxedos! And I don't even have to tip them!"

Rooftop

Johann's message to Marty went instead to the seat of the getaway vehicle, as that was where the driver had left his com set.

Xiǎodāo

October 16, 2019, 09:20:02 AM #42 Last Edit: October 28, 2019, 12:24:24 PM by Lomari
Vents

A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips and she reached up to tap on the comm's button twice to let Johann know she'd heard his message and was on her way. Slowly, X bent down and set her knees on the lower corners of the vents, sliding along cautiously to avoid the telltale metallic thump thump thump of someone crawling through an air-shaft. At each junction, the girl checked the map on her arm to make sure she'd end up in the right place, until finally she laid down on the other side of a wall vent overseeing the party. The shaft's path moved in a square around the room, several openings cut into the walls to provide the perfect amount of airflow to the party guests below. It would just take a moment for her to figure out which spot would be the best for overseeing their wayward sheep.
 
Finally, X spotted Trick's attempt at flirting and the woman who was most assuredly lying about her name trifling with the mark. It seemed to be going well, by their standards. All that was left to do was drug the good professor and let the cops come in guns-a-blazing to find all the evidence they'd planted in his office. Seemed to be a piece of cake. X grimaced a little, settling down to get comfortable while she watched and once more sending Johann a double-tap of her comms to let him know she was in place.

Fey

October 16, 2019, 03:57:09 PM #43 Last Edit: October 16, 2019, 05:36:24 PM by Helena Cain
Quote from: Tricky on October 14, 2019, 10:25:41 PM"I'm afraid I can't be moseyin' off just now. Working a bit of a job myself....What are you making on this job of yours? Whadya say I cut you in on mine, and you just head on to the ladies' room to freshen up....I'll even cover the dry cleaning."

Helena continued to pat her self down as Tricky spoke.  Her eye brow rose at the news of a job, it wasn't surprising, but the idea of money peaked her interest.  She wasn't stupid, he was probably here thieving, the actual job he was working hadn't even crossed her mind as a possibility.  She sighed, truly disappointed that the nicest thing she owned was now ruined. However, he did offer to pick up the bill. Frustrated with the current state of her dress she pursed her lips and looked up at Tricky, "I suppose the bathroom would be the place to fix....this." Gesturing to her dress, Helena turned to one the brutes guarding her employer, "Watch him will ya, I've gotta go....powder my nose, or something."


Looking back at Tricky she gave him the once over and smirked shaking her head. It was just a bit of extra money right? What's the harm? Helena turned and sauntered her way toward the ladies' room.

Tricky

October 22, 2019, 06:54:51 PM #44 Last Edit: October 22, 2019, 06:59:38 PM by RUNE
Patrick O'Doyle watched Helena Cain walk away with a sparkle in his eye before turning to his newly appointed chaperone as if the bulkier man just passed gas. Whatever conversation was going on between Pele and Darby, Tricky shouted over it. "Listen, hoss, I know I've just met ya but ya can't say something like that about the guy who's paying your bills. Sure he's small in stature, and maybe he doesn't have a lot of luck with women. It doesn't matter how much you heard he's paying the other guys!" Tricky doubted it'd be this easy to stir the pot enough to get the "security strategists" off their duties, but with Helena neutralized for the time being, he needed to do what he could to give 'Shiri' her opening. She had the gig after all, and puttin' Darby in a compromising situation was part of the agenda.

Even after the initial outburst had little effect, Tricky shrugged his shoulders somewhat dramatically - almost as if he tried to convince himself to seek another course of action. Instead he doubled down on the gamble. "Even if they are gettin' a bigger piece of the action, I'd say it's probably a wise investment. I mean, do you actually think you can take that guy over there? Hey! You! Yeah. No. Him! Yeah! This fella right here just bet me he could hogtie you! No, the other one. Yeah. Okay, well there ya are. Oh, Martin! How great to finally meet you!" Tricky smiled like a maniac as he took Darby's hand in both of his and pumped up and down enthusiastically. "This is really a great place you've got here! But that thing -" Tricky whipped Darby around and pushed him toward the balcony before pointing in unforgiving judgment toward the tyrannosaurus fossil dominating the main floor. "That thing is absolutely terrifying. I hate it. I hate it!" To anyone listening, it sounded very much like Patrick O'Doyle wanted someone to believe he'd become unhinged. Hopefully Darby's security detail would consider him more worthy of their attention than Pele.

O'Doyle looked Darby sternly in the eye. "I bet you can't hogtie yourself."
And in the city it's a pity 'cause we just can't hide
Tinted windows don't mean nothin', they know who's inside

- RUN-DMC "It's Tricky"

Pele Kesher

Drinks. Good. That was one piece of the puzzle Pele needed to assemble in order to proceed with the plan. But how was she going to slip in the drugs without McKenzie noticing when her forte, her entire raison d'être one could say, was drawing people's attention to herself? How was she supposed to distract him from what she was doing when she herself was the distraction?

"Listen, hoss, I know I've just met ya but ya can't say something like that about the guy who's paying your bills!"

Oh thank God. Tricky's timing was impeccable. Feigning curiosity mixed with a bit of alarm, she turned to watch her partner-in-crime pick a fight with the security team. The display was so entertaining that she almost forgot about the task at hand and just stood there taking it all in. Then Tricky grabbed McKenzie and she remembered what she was supposed to be doing.

Pele let out a startled, damsel-ish yelp and backed away from the scene until she slipped behind the security guards and out of the reach of their prying eyes. Working fast, she grabbed a flute of champagne from a nearby tray whose holder had stopped to stare at the commotion and, while McKenzie's entourage and a number of the nearby party guests were distracted, hastily sprinkled in the powder stashed in a concealed compartment on her bracelet. She sloshed the liquid around to aid the dissolving process as she headed back in the general direction of the balcony, grabbing another glass on her way.

Her preparations made, Pele re-emerged in McKenzie's proximity, drinks in both hands and a look of trepidation on her face. Her heart was beating like a drum and she had a feeling there was a visible flush on her cheeks, but fortunately all that could be written off as Amanda being startled by the sudden assault on her conversation partner.

noseatbelts

Party

Trick's diversion worked well. Perhaps, a little too well. He got the desired effect, their undivided attention, but that also meant they were focused solely on him and his antics. Big and Bigger grabbed him by an arm each and pulled him away from Darby. Ugly then got into his face and introduced O'Doyle to his breath, which smelled as good as the man's face looked. "Oy. Dat's enuf o' dat. Yer outta here!" The bodyguards dragged Tricky backwards, his heels dragging on the marble floor, towards a back room. "Foind 'Elena Cain. an' ask wot she wants to do wif 'im." He said, watching them go.

Darby, flustered with wide eyes, looked for his new friend Amanda. "What was that?! Where are they taking him? I do hope he's okay! What a strange fellow." While his empathy might have been slightly misplaced, it was kind of sweet nonetheless. He took the drugged glass from Pele and took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself down. "Are you alright, my dear?"

Vents

From X's vantage point, something that might have been missed by the distracted crowd caught her attention. At the front door, a thin, twitchy man in a terrible suit and with a gob on him that only a mother could love appeared, looking around with shifty intentions. Around his neck dangled the gold shield of a Detective and, if one knew to look, a gun rested under his jacket at his side. He wiped at his nose and blinked several times as if trying to decide what to do while his brain worked overtime.

He was early.

Rooftop

The getaway vehicle still sat empty, though now Marty's muffled voice could be heard from a nearby maintenance shed. It sounded like he was screaming.

Xiǎodāo

October 28, 2019, 12:23:30 PM #47 Last Edit: October 28, 2019, 12:24:13 PM by Lomari
Vents

A brow quirked upward as X watched Trick spiral into an act, letting the role overtake him completely. She reached back into her bag and worked the zipper with a finger until she could slide one hand in, grabbing at her own personal cortex device and pulling it back out. With a soft click of the button, she aimed the camera down below through the slats of the vent and began to record, one corner of her lips pulled upward in a barely contained smile. She figured Johann might want to see this, although he was most assuredly hearing it through Trick's comms.

Dark eyes scanned the room while the camera recorded, watching the woman with no name slip the drugs into Dr. Sensible's drink and the mystery woman nowhere to be found. Her head tilted to the side upon seeing Officer Uncomfortable enter the scene and her brows furrowed ever so slightly. Using Trick's shouting to cover any hint of her voice, she whispered into her comms, "Detective is here early," she said, then resumed radio silence on her end, turning off the video recorder and carefully shoving it back into her bag, zipping the container back up with her fingers as she laid still in the vents.

Martin Miller

"No!!! Stop it... YOU ARE KILLING ME!!!"

Marty shouted in agony. But his protests, and his attempts to counter failed. His foe was ready, and much more experienced, hardened and quick with his wits. It was over, Mr Miller had been vanquished.

"Gorram it you filthy pillock!!!"

The driver threw down his cards, two pair wasn't going to trump his suited straight. His foe, the security guard chuckled and took a swig from his flask, and offered it to Marty. Obliging his new friend he took a quick, little sip. Just enough to help his nerves but not enough to dull his sense. Just a wee taste, as opposed to the many liters the other night. Handing the man his flask back, he looked at his watch then grimaced.

"Bollocks. I better go check my radio and see if any of the blue bloods have drunk themselves sick yet. I'll see you for the New Dunsmire v Greenleaf match next Wednesday?"

The older security guard gave him a thumbs up and strolled back into the building as he took a deep swig of his flask. Marty casually walked back into the ship, then once the doors shut behind him, rushed back to the cockpit and picked up his binoculars. It seemed there had been another arrival while he was busy distracting the confused security guard.

He winced a little and checked back in over the radio.

"Had a close call up here but crisis is averted, just a bored security guard wondering why I'm loitering on rooftops like Captain Lizard."

Captain Lizard was a vigilante who'd styled himself after the costumed heroes of Earth that Was legends. He tried to chase down crooks from rooftops for a few years until he misjudged one of the gaps between buildings chasing a shoplifter, and ended up being cleaned off the pavement with a hose, green foam from his costume and gore all mixed together.


Tricky

November 01, 2019, 12:53:10 AM #49 Last Edit: November 02, 2019, 08:35:24 AM by RUNE
Right after laying the hogtie dare on Darby, Patrick instead found himself restrained. He put on a show of struggling against the guards' combined strength, mostly just enough to make sure they remained focused on him while Shiri completed her primary objective. "Hey! You get your hands off of me, you gorram, dirty-" "Oy. Dat's enuf o' dat. Yer outta here!" Patrick's nose curled as he recoiled in disgust, the aroma wafting from the man's stained and plaque-ridden teeth reminding him of cleaning out the stables as a child.

In particular, he recalled returning from a four day trip to the markets to find the family's last good plow mule had perished. Sheriff's deputies figured a drifter Tricky's Da hired on as a farmhand and forgot to pay cut the beast's throat out of spite before moving on. Tricky always wondered what drove a man to make such foolish decisions. The drifter could've made more money than Da offered him to begin with if he'd only taken the beast to market.

Tricky felt the heels of his shoes scraping against the floor as the guards removed him from Darby's presence. He stole a quick glance at both Darby and Shiri, feigning confusion, though he hoped to see a sign from his cohort that she'd got the job done. He kicked his feet, mocking protest, though it made him glad to be away from the offensive, odorous fog drifting ffrom the rancid maw of the man who passed for being the one in charge. "Foind 'Elena Cain. an' ask wot she wants to do wif 'im."

And then Tricky was dragged down a hall, no doubt toward some seedy backroom in which his face would be punched out by the guards just to prove they could do such a thing. "Can't have that. No sir." Tricky almost heard Jeremiah Goodweather's voice in his head and his face twisted as if that ugly fella still stood barely an inch from it. Around that time, he noticed a sign pointing to the restrooms."Ms. Cain excused herself to the ladies' room. Here. I'll go get her." Patrick planted his feet and struggled once more, although this time with legitimate intent. When he failed to break loose as the men redoubled their efforts, Tricky took to shouting toward the restrooms instead. "Ms. Cain! Helena Cain! These very large and brawny gentlemen in very - uh - fine and stylish suits would like a word with you! Hello? Ms. Cain! You don't have to keep dragging me. I'm sure if you just let me go fetch her she'll be happy to help you figure this all out." Though he was genuinely soured on the idea of a backroom beatdown, Patrick kept his cool be reminding himself that X had her part done and he likely gave Siri ample opportunity to do hers. "Yep. Everything's coming up O'Doyle."

"Detective is here early," X's voice whispered in his ear.

"Go se."
And in the city it's a pity 'cause we just can't hide
Tinted windows don't mean nothin', they know who's inside

- RUN-DMC "It's Tricky"

Johann Krüger

Johann stared incredulously at the display X was transmitting. He closed his eyes painfully as Tricky was grabbed by security and wondered how in the 'Verse they were going to get him out of there when he noticed Shiri dropping the package. At least there was that. Johann mentally resolved that perhaps next time they stick with feminine angle for the makeup of their team; women got it done.

"Detective is here early."

X's words sent a shiver down his spine, but before he could properly react Marty's voice crackled through Johann's earpiece, finally. "Where have you been?" He said, more a growl than spoken vocabulary. He knew this would happen. Not specifically that Marty would leave that vantage uncovered. To tell the truth Johann liked the boy, but he wondered if he was actually cut out for this line of work. As a getaway driver? Exceptional. As a lookout? Johann had to admit they were different skill sets. This on top Tricky's prancing, Munck's disappearance, Holt's backing out, the addition of Helena rutting Cain... It was all making Johann a little cranky. "The copper is here and we got no warning from you. Get the ride ready, we're leaving in ten." Johann angrily switched channels, an act that in and of itself was rather anti-climactic and entirely unsatisfying, and broadcast to the entire team. "Blow." Was all that he said, and it should be all that needed to be said. They had to get out of there, fast.

Johann set to wrapping up his gear, an act that took mere moments, and readied himself at the vent to pull X up and out once she was in place. A thousand thoughts ran through his mind as he waited. He glanced up at Marty's perch, hoping to see the glow of a lit engine, thought about what he had seen on X's feed, thought about the little failures that were now all building to one giant one, and he thought-

"Xiǎodāo, my dear." He said in a private message to the acrobat. If anyone else were to overhear... "What do you say, eh?" They and Marty were the most likely to make a clean exit. Johann's loyalty was to the payday, and nothing else. They'd done the work. Once the progressive made his speech he'd act the fool and they'd find the drugs and the Mayor would pay... him. He had to admit he liked the sound of that.
Dialogue Color - Gold

Fey

Helena stood in the bathroom looking at her nails, run her thumb over the tips of her fingers. Unawares of the commotion going on outside. That is until,

Quote from: Tricky on November 01, 2019, 12:53:10 AM"Ms. Cain! Helena Cain! These very large and brawny gentlemen in very - uh - fine and stylish suits would like a word with you! Hello? Ms. Cain! You don't have to keep dragging me. I'm sure if you just let me go fetch her she'll be happy to help you figure this all out."
Looking up into the mirror, she gave herself an exasperated sigh. Not looking to address  Tricky immediately, Helena took her time, touching up her lipstick. Giving herself a fine a once over she smiled, pleased with herself.  She put away her things and left the bathroom, gliding her way towards the ruckus Tricky was making. 

She found him with more body guards than what seemed actually necessary. Helena eyed Tricky, uncertain of what his end game was, but it clearly had to do with her employer.  Not that she cared what happened to the man but he was her payday. Pausing for a moment she watched Tricky struggle as the bodyguards prevented him from walking away. It was amusing to say the least. She waved off the brutes dragging Tricky to his impending doom.  "I'll take care of..." gesturing towards Tricky, "This." Whatever he was up to better be worth it.  She grabbed Tricky by the collar and dragged him out of eye and ear shot of the crowd. Shoving him towards an empty room Helena followed quickly behind as she looked over shoulder. "Couldn't help yourself could you?" She scolded him in an accusatory tone.

Xiǎodāo

"Xiǎodāo, my dear. What do you say, eh?"

Her head popped into view down in the vent and she looked up at him for a moment before clasping the clip of his rope back to her harness, her hands and feet stretching to press against the vent's walls as she climbed out with his assistance pulling her upward. Once free, X rolled away from the vent and uncoupled herself from Johann, a thoughtful frown tugging at her lips. She turned her head and looked out at the skyline, lower lip trapped between her teeth and a deep breath lifting and lowering her shoulders. She'd been listening in on Marty's return on her way back through the vents and considering Trick's behavior at the same time.

"We'd lose in the future," she decided, turning back around to face him and waving her hand in Trick's general direction. His need to be liked and flair for the dramatic aside, they got more jobs with the charismatic Trick as their Front man than they would on their own. X was easily forgettable and unassuming, Johann was more likely to chase off a potential employer than anything else, and Marty was wet behind the ears.  No, it was very likely they'd be more successful if they allowed themselves the occasional inconvenience Trick's magnetic personality afford them.

Pele Kesher

Party

"What was that?! Where are they taking him? I do hope he's okay! What a strange fellow."

"How dreadful," Pele sighed and shook her head. "Poor man. I guess this is what happens when you cut funding to mental health facilities."

Her concerned gaze followed Tricky as he was being off by the guards. When they locked eyes for a brief moment, the creases in her forehead smoothened out just a little and she offered him the slightest nod of her head to signal everything was going according to plan. At least for now.

"Are you alright, my dear?"

Pele turned to her partner with a surprised, but not displeased, chuckle.

"Am I alright? You're the one who almost got pushed off a balcony!" She stared at him in admiration, as if taken aback by his gentlemanly display of basic human decency, then pretended to shake herself out of whatever fangirlish daze Amanda had briefly slipped into.

"I guess we could both use a drink after... whatever it was that just happened, huh?" She smiled raised her glass in a toast. "To a brighter tomorrow."

noseatbelts

The Party: Near the Lady's Room.

Their job completed, Big and Bigger departed back to their charge, leaving Tricky to fix his suit and Helena to decide how best to deal with him.

The Party: The Balcony.

"Cheers!" Darby nodded with a panicky cheerfulness that might have left a person worried about his blood pressure. He took the champagne in one swallow and looked around to see if there was another one handy. With everything going on, his nerves were beginning to get the better of him. Luckily, the concoction Pele had just deposited in his drink was about to even him out. And then some.

Ugly, in the meantime, listened to his earpiece for a moment before touching the candidate on his shoulder. "It's time for your speech, sir." Darby's face fell, his hand shook, and sweat began to form at his brow; and it was far too early for the drug to have taken hold of him. Why was this man running for office? He was clearly ill-suited to a public life.

Either way, he gave Pele a warm smile and made his way to the dais. "Wish me luck!"

The Rooftops.

Gear stowed away and ready to go, Johann's coup may not have gotten far, but they were sure to once everyone was clear of the party. Xiǎodāo and he waited for Marty to get the shuttle ready for the getaway.

The Party: Entrance

The Detective shifted nervously in place as he waited.

The Party: The Dais.

The Crowd shifted their attention as Darby took the stage, applause greeting his waves. He seemed overwhelmed and truly honored to not only be there but to be welcomed so warmly.

"Thank you! Thank you! Please! You're too kind!" As the applause died down, he took his place behind the podium. "Ladies and Gentlemen of Capital City. I am Darby McKenzie and I am running for Mayor. It is not with pride or hubris that I put my name forth for candidacy, but with empathy for the city that I call home. Empathy for my neighbors. Empathy for my friends." Darby allowed for a slight applause break. His sweating had increased two-fold. He took a sip of water from a glass near the podium. "For too long. Excuse me." He coughed, pulling at his collar. "For too long, corporate interests have led policy-making in Capital City and I vow here... ACHEM... I vow here and now... excuse me... I vow here... ACHEM... now that..." Darby reached for the glass of water and found himself staring at three of them, his vision tripled. "That's ruddy weird." He muttered, staring at his hand. His gaze flew out to the crowd, his eyes dilated and bloodshot. Whatever it was that Johann had arranged for him to ingest, it was fast acting and strong. "Hi! Blimey there's a lot of you!" He said with a goofy grin to the crowd, who responded with nervous laughter.

The Party: Entrance

The Detective recognized his signal and began making his way through the crowd.

Tricky

November 18, 2019, 02:10:16 AM #55 Last Edit: November 18, 2019, 02:19:48 AM by RUNE
"No! Wait. I changed my mind. Please, you can't leave me with her. She's crazy!" Tricky pleaded as Helena escorted him away. The bigger of the two guards looked back with a hint of suspicion before dismissing him with a shake of his head. Once out of sight of the party Tricky scanned the storage room. Confident they were truly alone, he cut his communicator out before opening negotiations. Hopefully he wouldn't miss anything from the crew in the meantime. "Ya got me. I'm a simple man, unable to resist temptation. Well, this is nice. Very cozy. Oh, I bet you bring all your favorite boys here."

Helena sighed in frustration, she paced the room trying to find her words. Stopping, she looked back at Tricky,  "You know you're not leaving here without some form of visible injury right? I mean unless you're looking to get caught. I will have to hurt you. And I will like it." Indeed he was right this wasn't what she usually planned when she brought a handsome man into a closet, but giving him a black eye or a broken nose would make a close second. "But first, what am I getting for covering your pi gu."

Tricky smiled coyly. "Why, whatever do you mean? The gall on you, to suggest to harming this handsome mug." It certainly wouldn't be the first time a beautiful woman threatened him, neither was he unfamiliar with the practice of having to take a few punches in the name of the game. Not that he particularly enjoyed it. "I'll cut you in on our take for the job. Pretty fair cut for mercenary work. Our other fella done flaked. Imagine my pardners was lookin' forward to splitting his pay amongst ourselves, but I reckon its a might better than gettin' pinched. Speaking of, gonna need you to arrange for getting myself and that pretty young lady currently filling your charge's head with poison - figuratively, and literally, as it were. Oh! Y'hear that? I do believe he's just taken to the podium! Well. Reckon he's ought to have all sorts of interestin' things to say."
 
The man was infuriating, but at least she was getting paid. "Don't forget you're paying to clean my dress as well, it's the nicest thing I own, and you, ruined it...." Helena paused determining her next move. An unexpected punch to the gut and face would more than likely be her best move. But getting his acquaintance out would be a little more complicated. If he was part of a larger crew it would be more than likely that he was able to communicate with them somehow. "Tell you're friend to make her way to the door. We'll join her shortly."

Tricky's hand went up to his communicator as he flipped it back on. "Shiri, reckon it's a good time to start makin' yourself scarce. Head on over toward the door. I'll be joinin' ya right quick, all thanks to our new friend." Tricky locked his eyes on Helena as he offered a reassuring wink and a thumbs up before her fist drove all the air right out of him. "Ooof-"

Helena waited for Tricky to discuss the getaway with his...friend. Upon finishing she delivered a swift upper cut to the gut and cross to the cheek. Surely enough to knock the wind out of the blow hard but not knock him out. She grabbed the arm of the doubled over con man and put it over her shoulders to provide him support. Helena opened the door and discretely as possible dragged him towards the entrance,  as if to throw him out. "This better be worth the pay Trampy."

For his part, Patrick O'Doyle fully expected the rough mark blossoming over his cheek bone. The blow to his solar plexus resulting in the air being expelled from his lungs and his respiratory system's resulting unwillingness to resume its functions struck Tricky, quite literally, as something of a more personal reward for Helena Cain than the cut she'd been offered. Say what you will about the semantic differences between planning elaborate heists and negotiating with dangerous women, but the two activities certainly had one obvious thing in common. "It's Tricky." O'Doyle managed to wheeze as his free hand clutched at his stomach.

Helena Cain's words and actions written by and posted with the permission of her player.
And in the city it's a pity 'cause we just can't hide
Tinted windows don't mean nothin', they know who's inside

- RUN-DMC "It's Tricky"

Johann Krüger

November 25, 2019, 09:43:40 AM #56 Last Edit: November 25, 2019, 11:23:36 AM by noseatbelts
Johann harrumphed at Xiǎodāo, pouting at her assertion that they needed Tricky. She was probably right. But splitting the loot three ways instead of five was mighty appealing. No matter. All of them were sure to make a pretty penny for the work they'd done today, an amount that would also insure their silence on the sabotage. All part and parcel of this kind of work. The siren of an emergency vehicle sounded from nearby, and Johann nearly cursed Marty for blowing their cover by hitting an errant button when he looked up to see their getaway Ambulance trundling towards them, but with no lights flashing, no siren blaring.

"What the blazes?" He said, scanning the nearby streets for sign of trouble. "X, you see anything?" It couldn't be. They'd been careful. No alarms had been tripped. No one was the wiser. Johann ran down the list of possibilities in his head and came to only one conclusion. "Betrayal." His voice a low growl. He opened up a comm channel for the whole team. "Trick. Get out now."
Dialogue Color - Gold

Pele Kesher

November 25, 2019, 11:15:20 AM #57 Last Edit: November 26, 2019, 04:47:23 AM by Pele Kesher
The Party

"Wish me luck!"

"Good luck," Pele said with a honeyed smile that concealed the wolfish grin of a victorious predator. Her job done, all she had to do now was sit back and enjoy the show -- only she found this particular show difficult to enjoy once it really got going. It was easy enough to feel schadenfreude when a haughty aristocrat or sleazy businessman got his fingers burned, but this was something else. It's not like she liked McKenzie, she never would have associated with someone like him if the circumstances didn't force her to do so, but targeting him definitely felt like punching down. She didn't feel guilty about it, exactly, but she didn't feel particularly proud either.

Maybe it was the second-hand embarrassment, maybe it was the adrenaline wearing off, but suddenly a vague sense of unease descended upon Pele. She finished her champagne and handed the empty glass to a passing waiter who was collecting them on his tray. The next step should probably have been to leave the party and head to the rendezvous point, but Pele found herself moving on autopilot, drawn towards the safe haven for all people who were assaulted by an unexpected existential crisis in the middle of a social gathering -- the restrooms.

This felt like one of those moments where you were supposed to splash cold water on your face, but Pele had put too much time and effort into her makeup, so she just powdered her nose and tucked back a few stray strands that had come loose from her updo. Before she had time to gaze deep into her reflection and contemplate her place in the 'Verse, Tricky's message, followed by Johann's more urgent one, snapped her back to reality, and she was on her way.

noseatbelts

December 05, 2019, 11:45:46 AM #58 Last Edit: December 06, 2019, 06:26:19 AM by noseatbelts
The Party - The Dais

McKenzie, eyes wide and bloodshot, stared out at the crowd, his knuckles white from gripping the podium. "Beep!" He said. "Boop!" This elicited a giggle from the candidate, though the crowd was no longer laughing. "Vote for me because I can speak like a robot, and don't you think it would be good to have proper communications in place before the uprising?" Finally, a flustered looking aide appeared at his side and whispered into his ear, urging him off of the stage. "Yeah, okay, that sounds good." He said, replying to the aide. McKenzie turned back to the crowd, much to the chagrin of the aide, for one last announcement. "I'm going to go take a nap now for I am unweeeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllll." He pulled away from the podium, forgot to let go, and toppled the thing over with a horrendous crash. "Whoopsie!" A few more aides rushed him off the stage as patrons began exiting the party en masse.

The Rooftop

Marty landed the ambulance on the museum roof. The flashing lights of nearby sirens illuminated nearby buildings though the emergency vehicles themselves were still out of sight. For now.

The Party: Near the Entrance

Tricky and Helena, on their way out, might have seen the fool McKenzie was making of himself - or perhaps more accurately, the fool they had made of him - but they certainly saw The Detective waiting for them as the crowd dispersed around them. "Patrick O'Doyle." He said, his voice thick with a Scottish brogue. He regarded Patrick and Helena with zealous eyes - or were the pupils just strangely dilated? - and smiled.

The Party - Outside

Pele found her way to the street where a crowd was beginning to gather, all of them talking about McKenzie's speech and how his campaign was surely doomed. The sirens of emergency vehicles sounded nearby.

Xiǎodāo

Location: Rooftops

"X, you see anything?"

Dark eyes scanned what she could see of the rooftops, the young woman ducking down by the edge of the roof and peering over at the slowly incoming glow of official lighting on the nearby buildings. This wasn't good. The coppers were early. She knew the general gist of this whole thing was for them to show up and catch the doofus inside 'red-handed' with the illicit pharmaceuticals, but that was supposed to happen after they'd already exited the building and the general danger-zone.

"Betrayal," Johann spat.

She couldn't help but agree. Nodding a little, X made sure her bag was tight on her back and stood to meet the faux ambulance as it landed. "Meet up with them later? Or extract?" she asked, turning her head to look up at Johann for his orders. When Trick wasn't around to tell her what to do, the only person she'd accept commands from was him. Although honestly, she might have just been humoring Tricky anyway when she did as he asked and might have only really been following Johann's lead in the first place. But maybe not. It was nebulously unclear what her motives were when it came to that specific detail.

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