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Post by skybright on Dec 4, 2006 0:00:31 GMT -5
At the agreed-upon hour on Wednesday night, the resistance gathered together in an out-of-the-way alley a few blocks from Our Lady (hoping to avoid any unwanted attention being drawn to their false police uniforms and their real, albeit borrowed, police cars). The small groups of resistance members clustered together according to their assigned tasks for the evening -- false police in one corner, armed backup in another.
As she arrived, she noticed Father Rick and Handy consulting together off to one side. The pair were apparently exchanging notes on how their false "fight" would go, and Daws had to grin at the faintly worried expression on Handy's face.
She spotted Miriam standing near a group of false police that included Sid and Alex, and ambled over with a smile. "Hey, guys. Nice night for a holdup."
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Post by Jordanna on Dec 4, 2006 0:17:09 GMT -5
Miriam gave the detective a wincing smile. "I don't think any night is good for a holdup. But I guess we don't have much choice."
Sid and Alex sauntered over, fully costumed as police. Alex was fidgeting with the prop eyeglasses he had worn during their previous cop act.
"Hey, Daws, ya suppose Proteus might decide to be somewhere watching us?" Sid asked.
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Post by skybright on Dec 4, 2006 0:25:30 GMT -5
"I wouldn't put it past him." Daws shrugged. "I just hope if he does decide to keep an eye on us, nothing'll go wrong." She sighed. "I don't like the idea of having to break my word just to protect ourselves -- but I really don't like the idea of having to break it, and then finding out Proteus was watching at the time."
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Post by Jordanna on Dec 4, 2006 0:33:22 GMT -5
"But if he was watching and things went bad, he'd just have to understand why we'd have to fight back," Alex reasoned hopefully.
"Not that guy." Sid frowned, checking his handgun. "I've never heard talk like his."
"Let's just keep praying nothing does go wrong," Miriam replied. "Are we ready to go?"
The men nodded.
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Post by skybright on Dec 4, 2006 0:38:33 GMT -5
Daws shrugged. "Ready as I'll ever be to do nothing, I guess." She said lightly. "Guess we might as well start moving these people out of here."
She raised her voice to catch the attention of the assembled resistance members. "Okay, guys, let's start heading out. It'll look a lot better if we're not all arriving in one big group -- so head out a few at a time and meet up with the rest of your group at the gallery. And good luck tonight."
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Post by Jordanna on Dec 4, 2006 0:48:58 GMT -5
"Believe me, I don't like sitting it out any more than you do," said Vance, as he prowled up behind Daws. He smiled ferally at the two women. "Although it won't be so bad in this company."
Alex stuck his tongue out at Vance, then gave Miriam a quick kiss. "I'll see you later," he said confidently, and ventured off with Sid toward one of the police cars.
"Okay." Vance shrugged. "Let's get down there and stake out our spot in the stands."
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Post by skybright on Dec 4, 2006 1:01:10 GMT -5
"Sure thing." Daws grinned. "Wouldn't want to miss the good seats, after all."
The trio made their way to Vance's battered brown van, and from there to a parking lot not far from the Newland Gallery.
"Okay," Daws turned up her collar and glanced at Vance as the three of them climbed out of the van, "Where's this rooftop we're headed for?"
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Post by Jordanna on Dec 4, 2006 1:09:51 GMT -5
"It's a place across the street from the gallery. We're behind it now." Vance pointed to the building ahead of them, which was one of a row of closely spaced, eclectic old boutiques. The three climbed the fire escape to the rooftop, then made their way to the front of the building. Vance cautiously peered over the ledge, then tilted his head toward the gallery across the street. "There it is."
He turned and sat down, leaning his back against the parapet. "Now we wait. That empath I told you about is with Handy and the Padre. She'll sense it when Tiernan's creeps come into her range, and let them know when to go into their act. And I'm pretty sure we'll hear that," he concluded with a wry grin.
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Post by skybright on Dec 4, 2006 1:26:17 GMT -5
"No doubt." Daws chuckled and also settled in with her back to the parapet. "Well, I guess this'll give us a chance to catch up on our shut-eye." She rolled her eyes.
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Post by Jordanna on Dec 4, 2006 1:43:47 GMT -5
A block away, Handy and Padre were hidden behind a dumpster with Vance's empathic associate. Radar was a large, bulky woman who looked like a trucker and had a very surly temper--a bizarre contrast for someone who was psychically sensitive to other people's feelings.
Handy had always been torn between doubt and abject terror of her.
"Okay, you know what to do," he said, passing a walkie-talkie into Radar's hands. "When we go out there, you call Sid and the others an' tell 'em to move in."
"Yeah yeah, I heard it already from the Major," Radar grumbled back.
Handy gave Padre a weak grin. "See? Everybody was wrong that night at the Paragon Club. We do have--uh--ladies in Jerod's pack."
Radar gave him a glare.
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Post by skybright on Dec 4, 2006 1:57:26 GMT -5
Padre gave an uneasy chuckle. "It takes all sorts, my boy."
He turned his head slightly so that he could peer around the edge of the dumpster with his rear eyes. " 'Least we haven't much foot traffic to worry about." He added.
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Post by Jordanna on Dec 4, 2006 23:50:22 GMT -5
Scattered in their separate groups, the resistance members passed the time in murmured small talk or tense silence. At last Radar's head tilted and she frowned, glancing off in the general direction of the Newland Gallery.
"Company's coming," she murmured. "There's... eight of 'em... and they're mutants." The empath was able to sense a difference between mutants and ordinary humans.
Handy nodded anxiously. "I guess that's our cue, Padre. Radar, you--"
"Call Rosenstein. I know," Radar growled, raising the walkie-talkie.
"Uh--right." Handy looked at Padre. "Okay, let's get this over with."
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Post by skybright on Dec 5, 2006 3:06:07 GMT -5
Father Rick nodded, took one more glance into the street, and then led the way out of the alley -- doing his best at a convincingly drunken walk.
"An' I'm tellin' you," he shouted over his shoulder at Handy, "That I never so much as even seen that girl before, so I dun . . . dunno why you're so mad about me talkin' to 'er. S'not like she had your name on 'er!"
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Post by Jordanna on Dec 5, 2006 22:18:53 GMT -5
"An' I'm tellin' you, she couldn'a been more'n sixteen if she was a day," Handy retorted, staggering after Padre. His secondary arms were folded out of sight, but he used his naturally topheavy build to enhance his intoxicated wobble. "I know the kinda op-op-operator you are, pal, an' if I hadn'a spok-oken up when I did..."
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Post by skybright on Dec 5, 2006 23:54:59 GMT -5
"Now, h-hold on jusht one second, bub!" Padre rounded back on Handy with a belligerent scowl. "Jus' whattaya mean by that crack, anyway?"
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Post by Jordanna on Dec 6, 2006 0:10:52 GMT -5
They were now almost directly in front of the Newland Gallery. Handy lurched to a defiant stop in front of Padre, stretching himself in an effort to lean into the other man's face, and shook his wildly swaying finger. "You know what I mean, you cradle-robber. Can't be trus-usted when yer sober, much less--" he hiccuped violently. "Drunk."
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Post by skybright on Dec 6, 2006 0:20:16 GMT -5
"Drunk?!" Padre bellowed, suddenly waving his fists menacingly, "Who's drunk, y'little rat? Say that again t'my f-face, I dare ya!"
With his rear eyes, Padre caught sight of a few of the resistance members tasked with playing curious bystanders. Guess now's as good a time as any to start, he thought -- and took a purposely-wide swing at Handy's head.
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Post by Jordanna on Dec 6, 2006 0:33:43 GMT -5
Handy swayed backward to avoid the ungainly punch--and as a result, he overbalanced and tipped over onto his backside. He took advantage of the position, giving the looming Padre's shin a shove with his foot that knocked the other man over as well. As they both stumbled to their feet, Handy took up a clumsy fighting stance with fists raised.
"Maybe ya got more muscle, ya big ox, but I c'n run cir-circles around ya!" he jeered. "Jus' try 'n' hit me again!"
From down the street came a glimmer of blue and red lights, and Handy gave an inward sigh of relief. They couldn't cut the charade too short, lest Tiernan's thieves decide to wait around until the excitement was over--but he didn't want to play this game any longer than they had to.
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Post by skybright on Dec 6, 2006 0:44:09 GMT -5
"Who're you calling a big ox? I'll show ya -- you just hold still half a minute, bub, an' I'll sh-show ya good!" It didn't take much effort to make the swings he was taking go wild -- Handy's dodging and weaving around made sure of that -- but Father Rick was still cautious. The last thing he wanted to do was accidentally knock the other man for a loop, after all -- especially as that would leave him with no futher way to distract the "police's" attention.
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Post by Jordanna on Dec 6, 2006 0:53:09 GMT -5
The police car pulled up to the curb at the other side of the street, and Alex and Sid emerged, hurrying toward the scene of the "confrontation".
"What's goin' on here?" Alex demanded, in a nasal New Jersey voice.
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