Tai looks at Jay for a moment, as if surprised by the question, then says, "They are claiming the turf, and clientelle, that are rightfully ours."
"They tried to muscle in on you? No one would be that stupid even if their brains were really a chunk of chrome. What really happened?"
Tai shakes his head, "I cannot speak to their intelligence, only that they attacked some of our faction who were setting up to do business."
Figment says to Danny, "I reckon Jay's led the watchdog away so we can go do our look-see without worrying about being trideo stars... Don't like to rush, was hoping to scan around for cameras, but I guess we can do that on the way out. Raptor and Onyx should be here soon, I'll pass a message about where we're at."
Figment says, "Hoi, Floatie-Ghost. Tell Onyx we're going into the house, and she an' her brother'd best loop around the block to avoid our new babysitter. Well, go on. Git."
He chuckles at Danny's mask, then shrugs, "Sure. Maybe the resolution'll be bad and they'll just think I'm dark-skinned like Onyx," he says, turning up the collars on his duster and wrapping a rag around his neck as a bandana, "On the plus side, least this bit goes with my accent," he chuckles as he slides on a pair of wide sunglasses.
You go down the outside stairs, as directed, and open the surprisingly heavy security door with Guardian's key -- it opens into a dark and dank hallway, the lights seeming to emit more of a hum than any illumination. As you go down the hall, the place starts to smell worse -- more acrid, like burned plastic and insulation -- mixed with what you assume to be metahuman waste... Something you confirm when you reach the stairs at the other end of the building and see an emaciated elf, his eyes wide with fake pleasure totally at odds with the pile of his own filth he's sitting in. "Blasted Beetles," Figment mutters, and you walk up to the top floor.
The hallway on the upper floor could be in a different building, if the design weren't identical. Here, the only sound is the air scrubber keeping most of the stench from below at bay... and also drawing away much of the humidity from the drizzle-soaked night. Unlike below, this hallway is at least decently-lit -- mostly by ringed halos of light around the doors. Figment taps Danny on the shoulder, "Wouldn't suggest you look up, but there's a camera, there. Wouldn't mind trying to figure out what it's wired to."
As you walk down the hall toward Guardian's apartment, 4D, you hear a few sounds coming from the apartments you pass -- a loud action trid with explosions and electro-funk in a crescendo from 4B, and either a very enthusiastic couple or some decent porn from 4C. You reach your door and get ready to raise the key, and see that it's not necessary. The casing for the maglock panel near the door handle has been cracked and there are wires exposed... but, more importantly, there are burn holes through the metal security door, one on top and one below -- just enough to weaken or break the heavy spikes from the mechanical lock that would have the door closed against its reinforced frame. Figment whistles, "Well, that's looking like force over finesse."
"Nah, nothing special, just the imprint of a FREAKIN DRAGON." 0nyx grins. "No charge-up or anything from it, just getting a 'psychic scent', kind of. It's plenty distinctive, so that's helpful. If we could just get somewhere safe and sheltered for a few minutes, I could look around."
"Is that so special? I always thought dragons were big old sluts that would imprint on just about anything," Raptor says with a grin.
When 0nyx gives the go-ahead, Raptor puts the bike back into gear and rides off toward the safe house.
[b]"I can try, boss, but I got the feeling he was moving, so I'm not sure where he is. I can start searching, or lead you to where he was."[b]
Two successes -- no powder burns, but likely something super-hot. Welder. Plasma cutter. Thermite strip.
The door has its standard right-hand maglock where the handle is, and the central mechanical lock that drives the spikes (upper and lower) into the frame -- those bars are what were cut by the hot/burn thing.
Figment whispers, "Magic and muscle just got here. Seems they dodged our 'sitter."
Your phone beeps: Sneak 'round to basement stair, then up 4 flights to the top. Look out for the the chiphead, he's ripe and that brownish puddle he's sprawled in ain't spilled soykaf... Also, safe to say we ain't needing Guardian's key to get in.
Astral space here is ... well, thick, for lack of a better term... like a closed room with a smoker, except for the "smoke" is more taint of human suffering -- in swirls in the air -- clinging more to some doors than others - and especially thick in the far stairwell. That thickness might be enough to make channeling the Astral a little harder than otherwise.
Eyes, always subtle, shouts, "Ewwww!"
Raptor looks about uneasily as he leads 0nyx into the building. His hands twitch uneasily, as if tempted to reach for his blade. Even as they reach the rest of the team, his eyes are focused more on the perimeter than on their conversation.
Figment nods, "Reckon you're right. Subtle, this ain't... and people that'd do that likely left us some nice surprises," then adds, "At least we can hide behind Raptor, now."
Jay looks at Tai, looks around at the neighborhood, and suddenly realizes that this could end badly in so many ways. He starts to giggle, then to laugh.
"Sorry, omae. I just realized that we're out here alone. I'm depending on you if anyone wants a rumble, but you could probably off me without breaking a sweat. And maybe your boss will tell you to someday. And if something were to go down with the locals and you got hurt, your boss might come hunting then.
"What does that say about our relationship?"
The man cocks his head in an almost canine way at Jay's question, and for a moment, you see the wheels turning, until his expression shifts. "I believe it says that this is a temporary alliance, and that you'd best not be leading me into an ambush. Unless, of course, you think you can do it so quickly that I won't see what happened and cannot report on it."
He shrugs, "As for killing you, I do not think there would be a need to do such a thing, other than perhaps sending a message to your employer about his or her choice of associates."
He then stops, and spins on a single foot with what is assuredly not normal speed, his hand twitching toward his coat -- twice -- but still staying out in the open and visible, "But now, your comments give me pause. Where are we going? And why are we so far from our initial position?"
The tiny spirit shrugs, "Right. Okay," and starts forward through the wall, then bounces back, rubbing it's nose. "Ow! Um, sorry boss. Unless you want me to hack down the ward."
Figment shrugs, "Thought you wanted to look at the Astral in there? Can't do it from out here. Reckon we'll just need to trust Jay can send a panicked message if he needs to."
The man cocks his head in an almost canine way at Jay's question, and for a moment, you see the wheels turning, until his expression shifts. "I believe it says that this is a temporary alliance, and that you'd best not be leading me into an ambush. Unless, of course, you think you can do it so quickly that I won't see what happened and cannot report on it."
He shrugs, "As for killing you, I do not think there would be a need to do such a thing, other than perhaps sending a message to your employer about his or her choice of associates."He then stops, and spins on a single foot with what is assuredly not normal speed, his hand twitching toward his coat -- twice -- but still staying out in the open and visible, "But now, your comments give me pause. Where are we going? And why are we so far from our initial position?"
"No fear, omae. There's no ambush. First, when could I've set it up? We've been together the whole time. Second, I like to do business with friends. An ambush would be a poor start to a friendship. Third, an ambush would put me in the same position as the Chrome Skulls. Only a brain dead chump would want that. Not brain dead yet."
"Zhihao put me in a hot pair of tongs. Could I say "no" without offending? Tell me true."
Tai pauses for a moment, then says, "I think it would be rude to refuse so friendly an offer, yes, and would suggest that you did not want to be friends." He shrugs, "Of course, if you were just passing through and had no further business, I don't think it would matter much."
Figment looks at the door, then at the others, "I reckon with the holes where the latches used to be, opening the door's a matter of just pushing hard... That said, I'm all aboard hiding behind Raptor in case there's a sentry gun or somethin'."
"Looking to make an entrance, I see," Raptor says to the others. He looks over the door to see if there is any obviously quieter way to open it. Assuming he sees none, he gives the others a warning look before he leans into the door with his full weight to push it open.
Onyx slides the key into the lock, or what's left of it, before scanning the keycard to trigger the maglock -- causing the door-handle to fall and sag, connected to the door by cables and nothing else. When nothing immediately explodes, Raptor pushes the door open -- the holes making the door lighter than he expected, his push creating more momentum than he expected.... but, despite that, it only gets to maybe a 35 degree angle (relative to the wall) before the door springs back at you, as if pushed by something.
Glassman holds the door open slightly, and the light in the hall (and around the doorframe) allows both elves (and the Ork, assuming he switches vision mode on his cybereyes) to see a small wedge of the apartment beyond -- and it looks like a place that's been torn apart. You can see pieces of synthleather and filler, and part of a frame that might have added up to a chair or loveseat, atop of what looks like an old wooden floor.
You also see a wire just beyond the door about 5 cm from the ground - and that it's attached to a piece of engineered wood a little different than the furniture's frame -- likely what caused the door to spring back the way it did.
Tai pauses for a moment, then says, "I think it would be rude to refuse so friendly an offer, yes, and would suggest that you did not want to be friends." He shrugs, "Of course, if you were just passing through and had no further business, I don't think it would matter much."
"Rude, that's it exactly. I wouldn't want to be rude to a man of Zhinzao's stature. And while my business in the Barrens will hopefully be short, your organization will be very active here for the time being. And you span the city. If I've been noticed by your organization, I very much want to be friends."
Tai shrugs, "We are but one of many, loosely-allied. However, as you said, we have decided that this area is ours, and do plan to remain for a very long time." He then holds a moment, before adding, "However, talk of business is best left to those in charge, I would think."