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Post by skybright on Aug 2, 2006 20:39:01 GMT -5
At 11:50 on Monday night, Daws was waiting behind drawn blinds in the waiting room of Grimalkin, Inc. With her were Asagi Tam -- a small-boned, pretty young woman who (beneath the delicate exterior) had a black belt in two martial arts -- and Eric Grove, a dark-haired man who was verging on being too old for the punk-style clothes he wore. The two of them were carrying on a spirited discussion about British underground music -- or at least, they were from what Daws could pick up (music newer than the 1960's had never been her strong point).
She perched on the arm of a chair near the front windows, occasionally peeking out through the blinds to see if Vance and company were coming yet. Her trenchcoat was draped over the other arm of the chair, revealing the revolver she wore in a shoulder holster. She had meant what she'd said to Sid: she didn't want things to get 'complicated' -- but if they did, she wanted to be ready for them.
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Post by Jordanna on Aug 2, 2006 20:45:16 GMT -5
"Nice place," remarked the teleporter nicknamed Flash, as he and another mutant followed Jerod Vance up to the front door of Regina Dawson's office.
"Don't knock it," the Grenadier replied. "Dawson knows her stuff."
He knocked on the door and folded his arms, waiting.
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Post by skybright on Aug 2, 2006 20:52:27 GMT -5
As the other two occupants of the room fell silent, Daws slipped off the chair arm and padded over to the door. Her hand hovered near the butt of her revolver as she peered around the pull-down shade on the door; but she relaxed when she spotted Jerod Vance, and pulled the door open quickly.
"'Evening, Major." Daws stepped back and motioned Vance and his associates inside, sparing a furtive glance at the street outside as she did so.
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Post by Jordanna on Aug 2, 2006 21:01:10 GMT -5
"You don't have to worry about anyone following me, detective," Vance remarked with a smile, tapping the side of his head. "I'd know."
He gestured to his two companions--a familiar pale figure with violet eyes and delicate fins, and a burly man with shaggy dark hair. "You already know Flash. Our other friend is Bender--so called because he goes invisible by bending light around himself."
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Post by skybright on Aug 2, 2006 21:05:26 GMT -5
"How d'ya do?" Daws nodded and shook Bender's hand, then gestured to her own two companions.
"Major, gentlemen, lemme present Asagi Tam and Eric Grove. Eric can see through walls, an' Asagi can . . " Daws chuckled. "Well, she can sorta walk through 'em."
"The parts of me that matter can, at any rate." The young woman added with a smile.
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Post by Jordanna on Aug 2, 2006 21:15:34 GMT -5
"Pleased to meet ya," Vance replied for his companions. "We've got some important work tonight, so I guess we'd better get right down to business. I assume Miss Dawson has briefed you two on our job. What we've gotta figure out right now is what approach you're each gonna take."
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Post by skybright on Aug 2, 2006 21:30:10 GMT -5
Eric ran a laconic hand through his spiky hair and replied "Well, I got x-ray vision, but it ain't telescopic -- so, y'know, I see things at a normal distance. I figured I might be the most useful lookin' down from the roof, or a fire escape mebbe. I can get a view of the whole operation from above pretty easy."
Asagi looked somewhat nervous. "My yuurei -- sorry, my . . . spirit form, I guess -- is very hard to see except in certain lights. And most people can't hear or smell it -- even Daws can't -- so I should be able to move more or less unhindered and undetected anywhere within the building."
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Post by Jordanna on Aug 2, 2006 21:39:03 GMT -5
Vance gave Daws a slight grin. "I'm impressed."
From his pocket he took a copy of the building layout James Cole had sketched for them. "If it's all the same to you then, Miss Tam, you can take the west side of the building. Bender, you take the east side." He glanced up at Daws and her companions. "Flash'll get Bender inside. Then he can sneak around on his own and try not to run into anybody--but if he gets seen, the game's up."
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Post by skybright on Aug 2, 2006 21:47:10 GMT -5
"Then we best be for crossing our fingers and hopin' he doesn't get seen." Daws remarked.
She glanced quickly toward the front windows. "Once Sid gets here we can move out, I guess. He's taggin' along for extra security -- so if anyone does get spotted, we'll have an extra pair of hands that know what they're doin' in a fight."
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Post by Jordanna on Aug 2, 2006 21:52:03 GMT -5
Vance nodded. "Handy's gonna be there too. I sent him ahead to keep a watch on the place, make sure nothing unexpected is going on when we get there." He grinned. "That's two extra pairs of hands."
There was a tap at the door then, announcing the arrival of Sid.
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Post by skybright on Aug 2, 2006 21:56:58 GMT -5
Daws crossed to the door (her hand once again hovering near her gun) and let her friend into the office. "Heya, Sid." She patted the older man's shoulder as she shut the door behind him, "Nice night for a stakeout, don't you think?"
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Post by Jordanna on Aug 2, 2006 22:06:11 GMT -5
"Anythin's better than playin' host to a drunken birthday party," Sid groused, checking the Walther in his own shoulder holster. "For once I was glad ta quit the Club early, an' leave the whole mess in poor Foxy's lap."
He looked around at the other mutants in the office. "Evenin', Major. Who're the friends?"
"You've seen Flash. This is Bender." Vance nodded to their other pair of spies. "And Daws' friends, Miss Tam and Mister Grove."
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Post by skybright on Aug 2, 2006 22:09:27 GMT -5
"Ah, Mister Grove's my old man. You can jus' call me Eric." The young man said with a lopsided grin. Then he raised an eyebrow at Daws. "So, we ready to go do this, then?"
"I suppose we are." Daws retrieved her trenchcoat from the armchair and glanced at Vance. "Ready when you are, Major."
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Post by Jordanna on Aug 2, 2006 22:28:19 GMT -5
Vance inclined his head. "Just lead the way, detective. I've got my big brown rattletrap down the street, if that suits you."
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Post by skybright on Aug 2, 2006 22:33:47 GMT -5
Daws nodded, and the small group made their way out of the office and down the street to Vance's van.
The ride to the warehouse district passed mostly in silence. Once the van was parked in a sufficiently inconspicuous alley a block or so down from their target, the group piled out and glanced expectantly at Daws and Vance.
The detective raised an eyebrow at Vance. "I'm guessin' Handy's not too far away, waiting for some sorta signal from you -- so maybe you'd best lead the rest of the way."
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Post by Jordanna on Aug 2, 2006 22:43:29 GMT -5
With a nod, Vance turned and moved off toward the warehouse, keeping to the shadows of the buildings. He led them toward another, ostensibly abandoned warehouse that stood across the street from their target, pausing once to release a tiny kinetic grenade that lit the darkness with barely more light than a firefly.
They were answered by the brief flicker of a cigarette lighter. With a grim smile, Vance led the others to the base of the abandoned warehouse's fire escape, where Handy was crouched in the shadows.
"Seen anything interesting?" Vance asked softly.
Handy shook his head. "Not outside. The guards must be walkin' around in all that empty space inside that Cole told ya about."
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Post by skybright on Aug 2, 2006 22:55:23 GMT -5
Daws nodded. "All right then."
Eric Grove shifted slightly and pushed up the sleeves of his black leather jacket. "So, is this the part where ya give us the 'your mission, should you choose' etcetera etcetera speech?"
Daws rolled her eyes. "No. This is the 'if you get caught actin' like a fool, I'm not getting shot savin' your punk butt' speech. Speech over -- any questions?"
"Nope." Eric sobered and nodded. "That one's crystal clear."
"Okay." Daws squared her shoulders. "Then let's do this."
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Post by Jordanna on Aug 2, 2006 23:03:07 GMT -5
Vance nodded to Flash and Bender, and the pair moved across the street in the shadows, creeping up close to the target building. Utilizing the dim light of the streetlamps, Bender wavered and disappeared even as Flash put his arms around him. Then Flash himself vanished in a flicker of silver-blue light.
"Okay... they're in." Vance clenched his teeth, waiting and listening for several long moments, but there were no sounds that would indicate the pair had been discovered.
Finally letting out his breath, he glanced at Asagi and Eric. "Now let's see what you can do."
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Post by skybright on Aug 2, 2006 23:18:52 GMT -5
Eric nodded and gave a lopsided grin. "You got it, man." He glanced at Asagi and flashed the young woman a thumbs-up. "Good luck, A."
"You too, Eric." The dark-haired young woman stayed standing with Daws and the others as Eric loped across the street and disappeared into the shadows. Then she glanced at Daws.
"I'm going to have to leave myself here while I'm gone." She murmured cryptically.
Daws nodded. "Don't worry. We'll take care of ya."
Asagi nodded, turned, and crossed into the shadows beneath the fire escape, where she settled cross-legged on the ground, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.
After a long moment, a pale, spectral image of the young woman rose to its feet -- leaving her physical form motionless -- and flashed a nearly-inperceptible smile at Daws and the others before it 'walked' across the street and vanished through the wall of the warehouse.
Daws gave a disconcerted shrug. "Man, that gives me the creepy spooks every time."
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Post by Jordanna on Aug 2, 2006 23:23:49 GMT -5
Vance chuckled. "Pretty nice trick."
"She'd be an awful lotta fun at a Halloween party," Handy put in.
"Well, I guess all we can do is wait," Vance murmured. He fished a cigar from his pocket, popped a spark to light it, and settled back against the wall.
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