Search Posts
Seems as though the little guys checks out. Bit of a pain in the ass, but you know what you signed up for and you're on the clock to do it. Time to make hay while the sun's still shining. "That shouldn't be an issue. Dave, Flinch, let's see if we can do some pickpocketin'."
You decide to ask around. One of the Vinokian's crew has to know about disguises and IDs. Better to be prepared with, in case some squidy pulls aside a resistance member. You be sure to flash your best smile as you ask around for the goods you think you'll need to infiltrate this facility.
You're not sure if you're so keen on this guy jumping in on what should be between you and your old crew. But not like you could really voice dissent. "Great, we need some clothes and fake IDs. Anybody around here any good at forgery or are we gonna need to outsource that along with the jumpsuits? Worst case scenario, I could try and fast talk our way in, but I'd rather not use that for nothin' but a last ditch effort."
Like an arrow to the chest, he gets you off kilter. You swallow it back though, can't let down the bunch. "Nah, just us, I'm afraid. Anyways, though, we got an assignment here. Vinokian's got us on an infiltration mission. Ya in on this? Or am I gonna need to grab a jumpsuit to sneak into this joint in all by myself?" You look back at your new boss. Shame you don't call the shots here. Not yet, at least. Back in the when you were the last say. Now you gotta stop and ask for permission. Not sure how you'll get used to that one. "That is, of course, if he ain't on any other matters ya might be runnin'."
"That's not really related to his power. He's just lazy a lotta the time." You keep an arm slung over Flinch's shoulder and grabbing Dave with the other hand. It's like some of your nights out on the town with the three of you together. "How ya been, kid?" You give him a hearty pat on the chest.
You roll over your plan a bit, given your newfound knowledge. "Just curious on if we've got a tailor in this joint. If I gotta grab an employee into an alleyway that's one plan, but goin' in with materials from scratch is another." As a strange looking, sunglasses clad fellow enters, your thoughts couldn't be further away from the mission. Your jaw is nearly limp. "Well I'll be, Flinch, where have they been keepin' ya!" You embrace, rather awkwardly. For a moment, it's almost like old times.
You decide to swallow your pride and check on your new boss. Everybody seems to report findings to him, he may as well report them to you. Seems like a decent way to hold your own authority around here, in some small way. "'Scuse me, Vinokian. Got a few questions about how this plant is set up before I head in. Do they have civilians workin' at the joint? Do said civilians commute, or do they house em in the facility? And do we got any clue on their company uniform? Me and the kid seem to think that infiltratin' em all disguised may prove the best way of goin' about this."
The plan rolls around your brain a bit. "May as well ask one of the crew tinman was talkin' to and see if they got any intel on this plant. Shift schedules, times for comin' and goin', stuff like that. I'll see what I can pick up." You start heading back to the other room. With a crew and a cell like this, one of those eggheads is bound to have some information for you to pull off a convincing enough disguise and story.
You contemplate the idea while leaning on the wall next to your door. Several things would need to go sufficiently right just to get your cover, but you're sure you could bluff your way into any meeting room if need be. "Seems like a sound call to me. I aughta ask around the base, see what kinda dirt we got on this joint. If I can get a good disguise goin' in, might make the difference. Ya got any idea what you're gonna do outside surveillance"
"Seems to be the case. Not even the worst furnishin'. I'd say we aughta rest up, but seems like we had our fair share of sleepin'." You lead the way to your room, brainstorming ideas for the upcoming job. "Feel like we may need to infiltrate the place as workers, maybe. Could do us better than hidin' in the AC vents or somethin'. May need a disguise or two, though. Think ya could sneak us into their locker room?"
"Me neither. What a lousy bum." You grit through as gleaming a smile as you can manage. You'll be taking orders from this guy until further notice. The thought nearly gives you indigestion.
Might as well show you're both still competent before you completely hate this guy.
Someone likes to make an entrance. With how done up this guy is, you can only think he's either in charge or he's second in command to someone peacocking even harder. There's no way that's the case, though, you would have heard the squawking ages ago. However, the Christmas tree getup doesn't quite mask the fact that your comrade had earlier taken a hail of gunfire and would find it plenty tough enough to walk under the best motivation. You offer a hand to Dave. Might as well go together on this crazy train. "Come on, kid, think that Tin Man here wants us to follow the Yellow Brick Road down this here rabbit hole. Mixaphorically speakin'." You lead Dave to wherever the armored guy was heading.
You almost forget Dave's got eyes under those shades. "Sorry, Dave. Must've got smashed in the bust-up. I'll see what I can do to hook ya up with a new pair. Not that there's near as much a selection these days."
You let that one go. "Just glad to see yer doin' okay, kid. Don't go pullin' that sorta thing too often. Looks like whatever that thing was, it's tough as hell."
You Wander through the facility. For all the pomp and circumstance of getting you there, it's not exactly as well staffed as you'd think it to be. It's quite likely that most of the operational personnel are on some sort of job. Or the Vinokian is pulling some sort of power play in making you wait. Though that could be more of an outside chance, you remember it was effective when you pulled it before meetings with opposing mobheads. Something to think about. Eventually, you wander into a white room with antiseptic smell, various sizes of drawers, and one David who looks significantly less worse for wear than when you were stumbling through those alleyways. You smile at the tough little bastard. "Still in one piece, huh? Told ya I had a good feelin' about the creepy drug-laced hood slingers."
"Not a bad trick. I would've him with mahogany and a brass knob, but..." You're relatively certain a squidy isn't going to fix you up in a swanky room with an unlocked door. If anyone has you, it's the Vinokian. You decide to wander the halls looking around the rooms. "Anyone home? Dave?"
You know a setup when you see one. You're not fond of getting drugs and stunned up. The room reminds you of your penthouse from back in New York. It's fairly nicely furnished, or at least for what you'd expect from a semi kidnapping force. You knock at the door, hoping that someone realizes you're finally awake.
You know this is a bum deal. You know this is sketchy. But you also low the Doc said this guy was secretive. You affix your bag and get into the limo. Hopefully, your faith pays off.
'Dunno. Could be. In your condition, I dunno if we can hold out too long. Plus, the squiddies wouldn't know it was us that pulled the robojob.' You adjust your bearings and your tie. "Yeah, that's us. Ya two are our ride, I'm assumin'. Well, don't just stand there, we got a hurt man over here." You make your way to the car, Dave in tow.
You look up at the two well dressed gentlemen. However, you're not entirely inclined to trust them, especially with the covert information you've got stashed in you. "Who wants to know?" You deliver the line with a scowl. These could be Nav's, but you didn't hear anything over the comm. Almost sounds fishy.
With how much you end up smirking, you sometimes wonder if your face is going to freeze like that one day. "Ya don't have the guts, Dave. Or the depth perception. Ya know how tough it is to take me down. I ain't no squidy death machine, here."
"I'm workin' on it, just takin' longer than I'd like. I ain't built for heavy liftin'." You stumble about making your way towards the home base.
"When ya put it like that, I'm almost lookin' forward to it. Hell, I'd want in on that action. That is, if I didn't need my eyes and if I could stand those sorta clubs ya like so much." You readjust your grip on Dave. It's a good thing he's not exactly a bulky guy, but you're stumbling as it is trying to carry him. You contemplate telling him to lay off the fast food, but it may be better yet to just slip whoever Nav's surgeon is a few bucks and take some handfuls of fat out with the bullets.
"Heheh, wouldn't mind that as long as ya could play half as good as him. Course, it'd take some gettin' used to, what with how long it takes to learn piano and how not to trip over everythin'." You smirk again.
You smirk. "Heh, ya can say that again. I got the feelin' we'll be hittin' em hard with whatever's in this core, though. Things are gonna look up for us, I know it. Just gotta get ya patched up and good as new, right?" All things considered, you do feel pretty optimistic over a job well done.
You shake your head as space bends around you. Something isn't right. You feel like there's a lead weight in your stomach. Dave still looks pretty shaken up. Lifting him over your shoulder, you try to book it before you end up drawing unwanted attention. "I gotcha, kid. I gotcha. Don'tcha worry." You head the way back where you came, trying to find for any alleyways to duck into or hidden passageways to your base.
You grab Dave's arm. "Damn straight, I'm up for a teleport! Now get while the getting's good!"
You rip the doodad from the machinery, frayed wires and all. If anything has got to be what this Vinokian guy is looking for, this is it. "I've got our ticket outta here, Dave, let's go!"
You hope you know what you're looking for.
"Damn, Dave! Ya okay?!" You rush over to your best friend and partner in crime. Seems like he's banged up, but he's still breathing. And you still have a mission to complete. "Yeah, let's try and find this thing! Sooner we do, sooner we get out!" You search frantically for the core. Whatever gets this show on the road.
Telepathy, you reflect, is such a useful power. You'll have to remember to thank your brain later. Maybe give it the night off. 'It is? Dagnabbit, this don't look good, kid. Think we've got a shot if it catches onto me?' You decide now is the perfect time to remain entirely still. Frankly, you'd rather not see the business end of that cannon.
Even from a distance, you scowl. So much for an easy job. You're thinking you're gonna need to break your Mind Riding soon and head on closer to Dave. "Yeah, this is probably a drone or somethin' of the like. I'll be on my way, I'll letcha know when ya can pick me up. Call me on the comm if anythin' progresses." You shake your head out of Dave's mind and get going towards where the action's about to go down.
"Now we've got a conundrum, kid. Do we run the risk these things are pure drones? Or do ya follow it into the plant? Yer call. But if ya get into that plant, think ya could pull me in?"
"Easy, kid. See if ya can tail it, maybe ya could get it from behind. Stay careful, though." You wonder if Dave's gonna need backup on this one. Worst case scenario, he could jump out, but that may only forestall events. As well as give away your plans of nabbing a core.
You roll the idea around in your head a bit. If this was the coordinates, then something may be amiss. Squiddies always did love throwing you for a curve. "Could easily be that the plant's underground. Check for manhole covers or somethin' like em. Could have put em in an off street, so search a block's radius from the point."
"Real strange. Must be gettin' close at this rate." You funnel Dave's senses through your mind and try to pick up anything he may have not. It never hurts to get more eyes on a target, after all.
You nod. Part of you wants to smack this guy in the face for asking you to get into something as guarded as a V'Sori manufacturing plant. But seems like things are just so aligned that you're the best around. "I'll be lookin' through your eyes. Be sure to try and get as much info as ya can. And don't get caught."
Ouch, too soon. Feels like you just got a punch to the gut. All you do is nod and say "Hope so, kid."
"Good, we're burnin' daylight over here." You turn on your commlink and await where your rendezvous is supposed to be. You're not as familiar with West Point as you were with New York, but you figure you aught to figure your way around easy enough.
You rummage around your pockets for your lighter and some smokes. Unfortunately, you find just another empty carton. You scowl back at past-you for bumming your last stogie. However, you're more than aware you're going to pull the same thing on future-you at some point, so it all evens out. "Ready, Dave? We gotta get on the move before a squidy eyes us by the supplies." You keep on the lookout, ready to turn on your commlink. Something tells you this is going to be a long day. |
