Onyx uses her slender frame to slip between the door and the frame, then steps over the wire.
On closer inspection, the wire appears to have started out as part of the frame of the now-shredded chair. It's been deliberately looped and tied around a support post on one side -- and the other goes into what looks to be a pile of broken chair bits, mostly wooden frame.
She finds herself standing in what was, before the destruction of its furniture - the "living area" of a decent, though spartan, studio apartment. The open bathroom door is in front of her - a pair of knocked-over barstools next to a raised island to her right marking off the kitchenette -- and her elven sight lets her clearly see a bed in the darkness farther down the right-hand wall.
Onyx looks at the wire -- the side going under the furniture, and sees that it's connected to what appears to be a grenade -- and that the pin was partially pulled. Looks like the grenade moved slightly when the door was opened, preventing the explosion -- although it might also be that whoever planted this didn't factor in the reduced weight of the door, either.
Figment slides through the door carefully, just in case of other surprises, then looks at Onyx's little care package. "Well, now, I reckon it's a fine thing we're dealing with amateurs. That woulda right hurt -- and the solid door woulda prolly sent the blast back at us to double our pleasure."
The elf pulls out a short-bladed knife, which begins to hum in his hands, "Hold the pin, just in case.", he says before bringing the blade down onto the wire, cutting through it.
"Is it safe to enter?" Raptor asks from his spot just outside the door.
Astral Space in here seems clean and ordered -- clearly, the ward around the apartment is also keeping out the emotional turmoil out there. That said, there's a lingering after-effect, a sense of urgency, still pressed into the stuff of Astral space here -- though how long that's been lingering isn't clear -- but, wait! That's a real astral imprint -- someone was feeling pressed for time when they slung a spell here... a detection spell, you think, though while you've got just enough of the little jerk's astral signature (again, amateur didn't wipe it away), the spell itself has almost completely unraveled.
As you're studying that, your mind starts to tug at you, and it's then that you realize that the bathroom's walls are glowing softly, as if they are also astrally active.
Figment sits next to the wreckage and pulls a pair of wires from the bag he's been carrying, plugging one into a slot next to the smashed Trid, and then pulls his hair out of the way to plug the other into the datajack behind his ear. "Ceart, feicfimid cad atá ar siúl anseo," he mutters.
”Could be more traps. Let me look,” Raptor offers. He trains his enhanced eyes on the path leading to the bathroom and looks for any signs of danger or meaningful clues as to what happened here.
Onyx and Raptor search the bathroom, when Raptor notes that there's something wrong. The room is too small - at least, compared to the rest of the apartment. As he's about to say something, Onyx notes that the back seam in the plastivinyl shower is actually hiding a hinge, and that the whole back wall could fold like an old-style closet door...
She also notes small scratches on the wall around the showerhead -- which she surmises probably acts as the door release.
”Ah! Good eye!” Raptor remarks. ”Clearly I paid too much for mine.”
He attempts to activate the latch for the hidden door.
Raptor turns the showerhead, and hears the hiss of a pressurized seal releasing as the back wall of the shower shifts slightly -- creating a space about the size of his finger between the two walls. Pulling it back, he's suddenly given the impression of a kid in a candy store -- or, more accurately, a street sammy in a gunshop -- as he finds two large weapon racks -- one filled with long guns, the other with SMGs and pistols. Bins below the racks have a number of filled clips, labelled "Reg", "EX", "APDS" and "Inc". Above, there are a number of bins with old-style non-aerodynamic grenades (not unlike the one left as a surprise), labelled "Off-HE", "Def-HE", "Off-Conc", "Def-Conc" and "Smoke".
Raptor's eyes go wide at the small arsenal. With a trained eye, he looks over the weapons for anything of note - in particular, he wants to see if the gun their Mr. Johnson was seeking is here.
Raptor identifies a Walther MA-2100 Sniper Rifle, 3 Colt M-23 Assault Rifles, and Ares Alpha Combat Gun, 4 Ingram Smartguns, 2 Ingram Supermach 100s, 2 Steyr TMPs, 3 Ares Predator III, a Ruger Thunderbolt and 2 Colt Manhunters -- or, rather, one and another gun that seems a match to the one Guardian showed you earlier.
All of the weapons show some signs of having been modified and have been very well maintained.
Spoken like a man on camera, Tai. Jay frowns and contemplates whether the others have had enough time to conceal any identifying objects about Guardian, or whether they'd think to do so. In any event he feels he's given them the time they need, and he's run out of bluffs.
"Tai, I told Zhizao that I would look after my client's interests. So I will. Let's go to the safe house."
Jay turns on his heel to retrace their steps.
Raptor nods at 0nyx. ”Well, this looks like it could be the gun she wanted retrieved,” he says, grabbing the gun. ”But is this a secure place for the rest of it? She was fortunate that whoever was in this place didn’t find this stash.”
You start the walk back, not necessarily rushing, but no longer leading him on a wild goose chase.
Figment mutters something from the corner in Sperethiel or Gaelic or something that isn't English or Cityspeak, his tone one of amusement. It's a full twenty seconds later when he speaks in a lyrical brogue, "So, 'twould seem that someone's got good softs, but not the skill to use 'em right. I've... got video."
Figment says, his voice distant and accent thick, "Four. No trolls or dwarves. At least one woman based on the curves. Violet Leather, like bikers, but... not. Wannabes, maybe. Thin, maybe elves. No faces, covered in -- wait -- pink mohawk of wirehair just cut through the mask. Amateurs. Shaman cast a spell and the team split, shredding the footrest and heading toward the bedroom..... storage under bed... And just noticed bedroom camera, smashed it. Found a strongbox in the ottoman... Smashing stuff -- including the other camera. Ok, that's it."
He pulls the wire out of his head and sighs, "Downloaded the video - I'll share the file later. They should really have checked for a backup before leaving."
”I’ll watch the door,” Raptor offers. He stows the custom gun on his person and closes up the secret panel in the bathroom. Then he posts himself by the entrance with a wary eye upon the approach.
Danny starts to look through the kitchen, and finds it to be mostly what you'd expect - working microwave, a few spoons and forks, a sink, some knives -- wait -- one of those is a vibroblade (not unlike Figment's) -- and a fridge literally full of soymeals and a variety of flavour-packs. Most of the drawers are empty -- whether they always were, or it's been ransacked is hard to tell. There is, however, another grenade - a pair to the one on the tripline, inside the microwave -- and Glassman's suddenly glad he didn't turn it on first.
Jay addresses Tai as they walk back, but this time he is talking for the camera. "I hope you see that I was merely protecting my client's anonymity and meant no disrespect. I sincerely hope that nothing of that sort will be required again."
He can't help but switch back to a more personal mode with Tai. "So what have you got going? Zhenzao said that you had special talents in the investigation line. "
Tai nods, "Your loyalty is noted. Admirable, in fact. We could certainly make use of a dedicated individual such as yourself."
Tai shrugs, "I am now the Sin Fung of the Triad. It is my responsibility to recruit... and, more importantly, to ensure the loyalty of new recruits. Unfortunately, not all recruits that my predecessor brought in fully met that standard, and so it was important that someone learn how to study the signs to determine what actually happened... and to track down those responsible, should they try to hide."
Danny's probing finds the facing to be solid, but notes that the scratch patterns are vertical, and about a foot apart -- not as far apart as the drawer's face, but probably similar to the actual drawer within.