Adalia took a second to try and decipher the words that came out of Rokkit's mouth. She was already flustered from running into the instructor, and her brain had little processing power left to actually figure much else out besides repeating the phrase DON'T BREAK DOWN over and over. Grot? Was that a codeword? Adalia had missed a briefing for sure, and now she couldn't even understand what anyone was saying.
Adalia's voice squeaked, somehow too quiet and too loud at different syllables. "I - uh, Adalinthal."
Get a grip! This is your squadmates she was talking to! Adalia's nails dug harder into the inhaler plastic, threatening to break it despite Adalia's lack of grip strength. She straightened herself up and as best as she could, tried to look back at the giant in front of her in a respectable manner.
"A-Adalia Isola Rosenthal! Thank you to meet your acquaintance!" She shouted and inadvertently squinted, perhaps from the instinctual body language that had she offended Rokkit, the tiny cat was little more than a stress ball's squeeze away from death.
Rosenthal would be a household name to most of the residents who had dipped their toes in either the gambling trade, or the illegal Anima trade, being an open secret that the suits who ran some of the fanciest high-stakes casinos were also the ones handling arms out the back. Adalia, having used an alias most of her life, had to submit her real details when registering, something that she hoped wouldn't backfire on her somehow. Either way, she wasn't here to represent the Rosenthal name - for now, she just had to hold together and not screw up any more than she already had.
That meant getting this tactical gear on somehow, deciphering how where all the straps and transceivers were supposed to go over her clothes - no, wait, the left leg wasn't going to the right - were these buckles always this loose? - Adalia looked sideways at the strangers in the locker-room and tried to hop into a corner where she would draw less attention with her display of sartorial incompetence.
Julius braces for impact as the ork accepted his gesture, hard to believe that the guy was stronger than he has imagined. His name was Rokkit and he had an interesting accent, one the boy hadn’t heard before surely. Then again there are all types of people within Soma so he wasn’t too surprised. As Julius soothed the dull pain in his arm his attention was brought to the sound of screaming. The boy tilted his head to the side to see a small lady with cat ears gazing upon Rokkit in terror while apologizing.
Despite his stature, Rokkit was actually pretty reasonable and gentle with her. Pretty much treating her like a kid if anything, Julius just observed in silence for the most part. Perhaps she was too busy being afraid of Rokkit to notice him there. Even with Rokkit being forgiving, the cat girl looked like she was ready to burst into tears at anytime. She managed to say something but it was a garble of words which confused Julius and possibly Rokkit as well. She then straightened herself out briefly before shouted out loud
“A-Adalia Isola Rosenthal”
Immediately upon hearing that last name, a bunch of questions popped into Julius’s head. Prior to this job, Julius had got the chance to work with the Rosenthal family. It was hard to believe that she was a Rosenthal, and even now apart of a security unit. Perhaps they could have a chat about it sometime in the future. After the girl introduced herself to Rokkit she retreated to her locker to prepare. In which Julius also took it as his time to leave. While he had been pondering it seemed as though a drone came and assisted the ork with his situation.
“Welp, that was strange. I’m going ahead, see ya at the ship” the boy said putting his hands in his jacket as he took off.
Rokkit looked at the puny little grot named Adalia Isola Rosenthal. That was too long for Rokkit to remember. "Roight. Ada. Don't mess up. Yer wif me now, an I expect ya ta hold yer weight! If ya ain't, you less den a git. But you ain't a git, ain'tcha?" Rokkit just gave a hearty chuckle as she ran off, probably scared of him. This wasn't unusual for grots and frankly, Rokkit was starting to feel a bit sentimental. It reminded him of his old home, his old crew. But now wasn't the time for reminiscing. He's got a job to do, and more importantly, a new ride to try. After making sure he grabbed everything that belonged to him, Rokkit went over to the bay to look at his ship.
While no one told him what exactly he's suppose to be piloting, Shorty was fortunately up-to-date and made sure to direct Rokkit to the proper transport. There were plenty of other vehicles in the bay that caught his eye, and with his Anima there wasn't much that would prevent him from operating them, but Rokkit's transport was... Sufficient. There were things he liked and things he would complain about. It was big: he liked that. Most vehicles are made for much smaller people, so he always has to squeeze or just break most vehicles he steals. It was also green, and green was the best color. It also looked pretty sturdy, which suited Rokkit just fine. But he was aghast at the lack of armament. There was only one gun, and it wasn't even forward facing, but rear-mounted. While Rokkit didn't have an issue with having a gun in the back he was appalled at the fact there was only one. "Oi oi oi... Gunna hafta break dis one in roight an propah. Give em da real Rokkit Job. More dakka, more spikes, flash of red."
The aforementioned sized was the real boon however. For once Rokkit didn't need to duck his head to get inside and there was plenty of leg space for him. It was downright cozy for the ork, so the rest of his passengers would find the transport absolutely roomy for them. Though it just made Rokkit all the more aware of the fact that there could be plenty of places to mount guns, missiles, bombs, or at least spikes on this thing. But all in due time. He had a job to do, and if he does it right, he'll have plenty of chances to make this transport properly orky. "Alright ladz an ladiez! Da name's Rokkit Mechead, an don't ye forget! I'll be da one gettin us into da foight. An unless one of ye are a smart boy, 'ere da plan I got: I'm gunna find dat place dat caster git's at, an den I'm gunna ram dis ship into em. Den we get out, krump everyone who ain't us, an we bring back heads on stikks. Easy." As Rokkit explained his strategy he began turning on the transport. Despite the size and bulk of both his giant green hand and brutal metal claw, he's able to operate the transport like a professional. This is despite the fact he's never operated this machine before or even put the key in the ignition. This was all just instincts, as well as his Anima subtly controlling the transport to respond to Rokkit's control as he likes.
"Oh, an before I forget, dis gunna be a bumpy an speedy ride! So buckle up, cuz if you ain't a hard nuff git an get all sick cuz of me, ain't my fault. Oh yeah, an I only got one gun on dis ding, an it's mine, so if any of ya wanna shoot sumthin yer better find a window and get blastin!"
The vehicle bay appeared rather empty when the first Agents entered the room. It was a large hall with spaces for many different kinds of vehicles, technologies, and otherwise. There was plenty of room for engineers and technicians to work on whatever new knickknack they found worthy of being included in the already stacked roster of technologies for the unit. At the opposite side of the room the vehicle exit was located by the wall, or rather, lack thereof as in its stead one could see a gigantic transparently glimmering blue energy barrier that could be turned on and off by each Agent at liberty using their PDA. It offered an easy way to safely seal all this delicate technology away while also providing usefully high ease of access. However, all of this potential was not properly used at that moment, as one could find naught but one actual functional vehicle stored within.
Delta's very own emergency fortified personnel transporter stood gloriously in the middle of the hangar, the vehicle's outside coated in a polished and strong alloy, reflecting the cold blue light of the neon tubes above back to the observer. Its green color was reminiscent of military technology used in conflicts of older times, reinforced by the large caliber cannon mounted neatly on top of the rear which was fully controllable remotely from the inside. As apparent by the noticeable lack of wheels, this vehicle did not move using roads but rather was capable of flight. More precisely, its engines allowed the transporter to make use of the SU's patented 'High-Altitude Hovering' which was not quite a flight but allowed for much higher altitudes to be traversed than using common hovering vehicles. The aforementioned alloy coating combined with the thick and dense steel platings the vehicle was made of, allowed it to take quite a few hits without endangering its passengers.
On the inside one could find similar state-of-the-art high-tech developed right here in the Tower's mechanical laboratories. Fighting in the name of law enforcement brought its benefits after all- While crime pays in Soma, fighting crime sometimes does even more so. The back of the vehicle could be opened up like a ramp and 2 doors on either side offered an alternative way of entry. The inside itself was separated into 2 distinct areas: In the back, there were multiple seats lined on each wall where Agents could sit shoulder-by-shoulder as they were being transported. In the front, the pilot's cockpit could be found, with the main seat for the actual pilot to sit in as well as a co-pilot seat from which the co-pilot could take over in a pinch and also control various remotely controlled devices in the vehicle, such as the autopilot or the mounted cannon. Notably, the vehicle was built for humanoids roughly the size of a tall human. Therefore, there might not be enough space in the cockpit should Rokkit take the seat as the brave pilot of the EFPT.
Once all the Agents had entered the hangar one by one, their (hopefully correctly equipped and configured) PDAs would light up to confirm registration to the EFPT. At the same time, a distinct beeping noise followed by a female voice would play from everyone's headset earpiece.
Notably, this voice was of unknown origin, as it did not sound like Alayna or anyone else they had met before. Before anyone had time to contemplate on said voice's origin or identity, another person walked up to the group coming from a different corner in the vehicle bay. The place that he came from was littered with all kinds of different tools, mechanical parts, and both functioning and broken computer monitors. He himself wore thick glasses, and a muddied labcoat with several tools like wrenches, screwdrivers, drills, etc. hanging loosely in the coat's many pockets. The unknown individual scratched his head a bit, his hair looking as if he just walked through an actual hurricane with how messy it was, before speaking up.
"There are no keys needed to fly this vehicle- Modern technology makes it so the internal AI recognizes you using long-distance biometric scans and the presence of your PDA and badge on your body. It's marvelous technology, really- Noone without proper authorization and parameters is able to even enter the vehicle, let alone operate it.
He placed his hands in his coat's pockets- one on each side where the space was not entirely taken up by his trusty tools- while looking at the imposing vehicle before turning to face the group of Agents.
"My name's Mike, but I go by the codename Mekks. Normally, I am one of the Tower's head mechanics for R&D but Nevy- I mean, the Commander- has asked me to help out as a mechanic for this unit for a while to get things rolling. So until further notice, I'll be happy to give you guys a hand with your equipment. If there's anything you need in regard to equipment, vehicles, Anima, whatever- Just drop by and ask for me. If I am not here you can reach me via the PDA, I've pre-registered my contact details for you.
After a short and awkward silence, Mekks scratched the back of his head once more before turning his back towards the Agents and walking back to his corner.
"Be a bit careful with the vehicle, would ya? I just finished patchin' her up. If push comes to shove don't hesitate to use the autopilot. It is very good.
Mekks added, knowing full well that most Agents always jumped at the opportunity to drive/fly a hovering vehicle, as they likely had always dreamed of doing so before. Some were skilled pilots but many always came back with scratches all over the outside, causing Mekks to put in overtime to fix and polish the vehicles back up. After all, a certain standard would have to be maintained as a Security Unit.
"Good luck on your first mission. Try not to die."
Meanwhile, somewhere in the 7th Pillar...
The landscape was one of ruin and desolation, with the perished remnants of buildings that once stood tall spilling rubble over almost every square inch of the ground. Shattered glass, bent and melted metal, broken concrete, tattered and flailed books- It was a project that had been abandoned since the entities had attacked. The mist was looming eerily close, not too far away from where the buildings of the 7th once stood. Yet amongst the ruins, there was a building that stood tall. While it was seemingly nothing but a small house, capable of harboring one, maybe two families, it was a testament to things that used to be. For some, it was a symbol of hope for things to come
Inside of this small, rather inconspicuous house, two distinct figures were having a conversation.
"How is her extraction proceeding along?"
The first figure that spoke did so without possessing a mouth- They spoke telepathically. It was a man if one could call it that. A more apt description would be that of a humanoid figure, wearing a grey and slick suit with color-matched gloves so that not an inch of skin was visible. More interestingly, however, was what was to be found on their back: Two feathered, almost angelic wings arose majestically to an impressive wingspan, albeit it not visible at the moment as the person chose to angle their wings in such a way that they were able to stand in such a tight space in the first place. Yet even those wings were not the most unique aspect of them, as this spot went to the person's unique head, or rather, lack thereof. In its place, one could find a seemingly floating cluster of eyes arranged irregularly in a cloud of transparent red mist in front of a coronally oriented golden halo-like metal ring.
"We are working on it. Local contractors are assisting in a smooth extraction. Even if they are on our tail, we should be able to smuggle her out of the Pillar within a week or so.
The other figure replied. Its voice was synthetic in nature, matching up with its appearance-
Whether it was an android from the beginning or simply the result of a human who took body modification to a scarily extreme level was not immediately clear from its appearance. Yet it was clear that it was no longer just human. A big, red, circular eye was staring at the other odd person- The red light it emitted being a sign of hostility and danger. A feature very much by design, as was the rest of its body. A big, circular hat that served as protection, a slick but surprisingly effective coat to protect its extremities, and two deceptively thin legs gave it an impressive level of agility. While apparently not wielding a weapon, one could not predict what hid beneath its coat besides cables, tubes, and metal. Its most interesting feature was a transparent but ever so slightly glowing almost perfectly circular ring, being sagitally oriented with no apparent origin or purpose. Almost like an actual halo, except hovering around its lower abdomen, rather than above the head.
"Wonderful, I am paying good money for this, after all. It is in all of our best interest that it is finished smoothly."
The telepathic voice replied to the android. The angelic figure then checked an expensive-looking old-school watch strapped around its left wrist while some available eyes were scanning the environment thoroughly.
The android, however, grew impatient and spoke with a slightly agitated tone.
"Us meeting here required the burning of a trusted safe-house location. I sincerely hope it was not a simple catch-up meeting on the contract status?"
In a snap, all eyes focused directly on the android as the suit-wearing person stopped looking at his watch. Following this dramatic shift in tone, he would give a slight telepathic chuckle.
"Au contraire, M-02. I took a great risk even coming here in the first place, I would not do such a thing if I did not find the investment worthy. No, I actually did want to discuss something else."
He reached behind the kitchen counter next to which the two had been standing and pulled out a military-grade briefcase, locked by an outwardly impressive mechanism.
"I have another job for WIZARD."
The flight to the location was not a very long one, with the time it took to get there and the overall experience of the flight vastly depending on Rokkit's piloting abilities. Worst case scenario the crew could always stage a mutiny and turn on autopilot which would get them to the target safely. Being able to hover/fly above most of the buildings of the city was sure to provide a very scenic route through the 2nd Pillar- And while there was an apparent lack of windows anywhere in the vehicle except for the cockpit, multiple screens were set up even in the passenger's area so the Agents could observe the outside while being transported. It was a peaceful view, disconnected from the gritty reality that actually occurred behind the walls of each building or out on the streets. Instead, from their position, one could only see giant, glassy skyscrapers, occasional flying vehicles, and brightly lit streets below. This place was so far away from the fog that it was not even visible beyond the horizon from up here. And, of course, the Tower was towering far above any other building in the second. The only other thing that could compete in size with the Tower was the barrier to the First. Even from this high up, they could not see what was behind it as it stood tall in the distance.
Their destination was a small restaurant located in the "Backstreets", a name given by locals for a small area at the outer border of the Commercial District. It was the most crime-riddled area one could find within the 2nd Pillar. Only a few streets ran through this area with most activity being confined to the area's namesake: the backstreets that were between the comparatively small buildings which housed plenty of cheap stores for all kinds of things. The buildings provided stark contrast to the glassy and futuristic skyscrapers of the center Commercial District, as they were more akin to concrete boxes, or slabs. It was the perfect place for the criminal underworld to conduct their business as it was also quite far from the nearest police station. Whether an unintentional oversight or lack of care by the governing body was up for debate.
Within these backstreet locales, the target restaurant could be found. Next to a larger street, two large buildings would form a small alleyway between them inside of which a singular manual door was located with a metal sign hanging above the frame reading "Restaurant". It was very inconspicuous, and probably not a place anyone would like to enter without being specifically instructed to do so as it was not very promising in terms of culinary experiences from the outside. Not even a single window was in sight, giving no way of knowing what was to be found beyond the entrance. Now it was up to the Agents to decide their approach- They knew nothing more than the fact that an extremely dangerous and hostile fugitive was likely to be within this gray, cold building. The space between the buildings did not allow enough room for the transporter to land between them, but the adjacent larger street would do the job just fine- Even if it meant blocking almost the entire road with the massive vehicle.
Once everyone was loaded, Rokkit didn't hesitate to start the engine and get going. He barely cleared the door and was already going 100 right out of the gate, and wasn't slowing down at all. He turned on the cruiser's siren, making everyone within earshot well aware of his presence as he zoomed through the air. Despite how fast and reckless he drove, Rokkit was good at avoiding any collusions. Though he did so with a lot of sharp and sudden turns, followed by cursing anyone who didn't get out of his way. He would arrive to the area of operation quickly, turning off the siren as he approached. He assumed that this was going to be a hunt, so in unorky fashion, they would need to be quiet and stealthy. Or at least once they're on the ground. While in the transport, Rokkit was quick to explain what he intends to do.
"Roight den. 'Ere da plan: we sneek in, krump erryone dat ain't us, an we bring dere heads back on stikks." It was a simple plan, which Rokkit expects to be easy enough for everyone else to follow. While he didn't intend it, the auto-pilot landed on top of a building a few blocks away from the restaurant. While Rokkit was getting out, Bosco already turned invisible and went to the mission area to scout ahead. It would remain hidden to provide any data on potential targets within the area, as well as status about the mission progress. Soon Shorty's voice came up on everyone's comms. "Hello? Hello is this on? Testing... Okay. My name is Shorty Grotsky, I was going to talk to you on the ride to the operating zone but it seems like Rokkit beat me to it. I will be your mission control, providing you with any and all information relevant to your mission. I am also operating the Drone Bosco, providing some minor firing support and scouting capabilities. If you have any questions you have a direct line to me and I will answer to the best of my abilities. Now then, sit tight while I get scans of the area. Don't want you going into this blind."
However Rokkit didn't exactly wait. He was already grabbing his gear for the raid, and moving towards the operating area. He was surprisingly fast for someone his size, and not as loud either, but he wasn't bothering with cover since there was hardly any here. He was still slower than Bosco however, so hopefully if there were any surveillance around the area, Bosco would detect and warn them before Rokkit inadvertently triggers them. Though he wouldn't mind if they were found either, but he knew the pleasures one can feel for a successful ambush.
Sophia spent a good portion of the flight fiddling with her earpiece, getting accustomed to it. She was no stranger to earpieces, but in her day they were more straightforward, like radios, and channels had to be manually tuned. You certainly couldn't get a stranger talking in your head without warning like what had happened in the hangar. While transports hadn't drastically changed, she'd never been in one before uncuffed, making this too a new experience for the former gangster. When she was satisfied and familiar with her earpiece, she checked over her Anima, and pulled an old-fashioned chunky pistol from a side-holster under her jacket and checked it over too.
She watched the screens as they approached. She was vaguely familiar with this building, though it was a strip club instead of a restaurant back when she knew it. Still, it was no less a meeting place of criminals, even back then. The layout shouldn't have changed too much, at least in terms of where the exits and toilets were. That knowledge might help them should they need to run for shelter.
Sophia listened to the Orc's plan, and then to her comms, and rolled her eyes. So this is what the other side was like. The moment she saw Rokkit heading straight to the entrance, she let out a slight hiss through her teeth and ran to catch up with him, patting him on the back when she did so.
"Slow down. We're supposed to be a team here. Besides, we don't know whether she's got backup in there or if she's just waiting until the heat's off. Either way, go in there alone and start swinging weapons around and you'll be dead in a second with that Anima of hers." She looked back at the others. "I personally think we should all rush in at once, point guns at everyone we see, and take control of the room with the element of surprise. But we do not fire until we're sure we won't cause a gunfight."
While everyone was seemingly moving around the vehicle, Milton's brain became putty. "Ngaaah.." The boy groaned. While he had been in cars before, like the train he had used earlier, when the metal man started the engine, something inside him became sick. Milton was slumped against his seat belt and was looking pale. His lady, who was in his grasp, also looked ruffled from the drive.
"G-Give me a second," Milton said in a daze. It took him five times to hit the button that released him from his seat. It took even longer for him to stand up properly. "Ngaaah, the world is spinning." By some miracle, he stumbled outside of the vehicle. That was only to take a turn and go to the back of the car. "Blaaaaaaagh." His stomach was promptly emptied out.
He didn't hear anything that Sophia said and didn't register that Rokkit had already run off to fight. Reaching out and gripping the back of the vehicle, he used too much force and started crushing a small part of it. "Haaa, haaa, haaa..." Breathe in and out. Milton felt a little better, but the motion sickness was still there. "Ngaaaah..."
His lady slowly raised up. "Milllltonnn. Yoooou haaavee to geeeet uppp." Was what she roughly sounded like to him. It came out somewhat distorted to the ears of everyone else. Perhaps his lady got motion sickness as well. However, that was the slight empowerment that Milton needed to hear. Slowly rising up, he came out from behind the car. His thoughts were in disarray as he began to walk towards the building without everyone else.
The flight there was a reckless one at that, there were plenty of near misses which made the man question whether or not he should pilot them home. Nonetheless, Rokkit was able to to get them there alive, some more than others as one of the agents was barely responsive . The location of interest was definitely suspicious enough, a back alley restaurant within the second pillar was a decent idea but not good enough if they were able to be located rather quickly.
The agents would exit the vehicle and prepare for the incoming battle with Rokkit leading the charge and planning on going in with guns blazing. Despite not being Julius’s initial plan it was the best option they got. Most likely there was a lookout situated in one of these buildings whom already alerted the perpetrator of the agents arrival as soon as the ship arrived. If that wasn’t a giveaway then an Ork armed to the teeth walking straight for the establishment would be the second tip off. Just like the agents, whomever was inside were probably prepping for the impending battle.
Julius reached into his pocket and grabbed his Anima, the lotus staff, within his hands it transformed into its normal form. One of their other teammates, a woman of comparatively older age proposed the idea that they take control of the room with weapons out.
“Not a bad idea but we will have to act fast, we should act off the assumption that they already know that we are here. I doubt WIZARD wouldn’t have somebody playing lookout for one of their significant members. We need to strike fast or we will only be at a bigger disadvantage.”
Julius said as he raised his Anime for battle.
“Let’s try to take the target and anyone of relative significance alive big guy, a couple of broke bones are fine as long as they can talk.” Julius said as he waited for Rokkit to start the battle.
Geez...he hadn't been this shaken up since the time he was fighting atop that amusement park contraption. Flemma only just met that guy a few minutes ago, but he should stay the heck away from the wheels, for everybody's sake. They arrived safe though, but not necessarily stealthily either. If WIZARD hadn't already known about the team's arrival, then this reckless display would definitely do, so if anything, they should get ready to catch anyone from getting away from the building...though from the looks of it, it doesn't look like there's a lot of ways to go.
Ignoring the low low possibility that the restaurant owner was a poor sod who either could not afford or was too stupid to get a better restaurant location, this was basically a setup. No windows, frugal decorations, no culinary indications, a plain 'totally not suspicious' sign that reads 'Restaurant'? You'd be a fool to believe that this was supposed to be an actual place for a cheap dine-in trip. His teammates might have known that already, but regardless, they wanted in, and they wanted in fast.
"Whoa whoa, hol' up." Flemma quickly called out for the orc as the big guy basically was going ahead on his own without really letting anyone to chime in on his ingenious plan. Others would join later to weigh in their plans, which were all possible before, "Well, I normally would hate to charge into unknown territory that we don't know tinge of what's inside." He sighed as he caught up with his crew, being the first in the transport and also the last one out. "But considering we did all that before coming up with a plan, yeah I agree with the dude here. Gotta be fast."
Flemma reached behind his back and unsheathed his sword in preparation for the upcoming fight. Having no right hand, he rested the blunt side of the sword on his shoulder instead.
Location: Outside Backstreets Interactions: Julius @pkken
Just as the rest of the group was regrouping outside, Adalia scrambled out of the car. To say that she looked like a disaster...well, it wouldn't give enough credit to the fact that she already looked like a disaster, but Rokkit's ambitious riding techniques had doubled up on how disheveled she looked. Her belt was untangled, her rebreather somehow ending up dangling off her sleeves. Thankfully, between her 'Eep!'s and her 'I'm so sorry!'s as the cat had bounced around in the transport, she did not have time to comprehend that she was heading head-first into the bad part of town to capture a dangerous terrorist suspect. Unfortunately, it also meant that whoever was coming out of the van was still unsure if the surface that her feet was touching was indeed the ground.
Against all odds, Adalia managed to still make her way to the rest of the team gathering up to discuss their break-in, breathless and legs shivering from the aftershock. Okayokayokay get it together dont look dumb dont look dumb.
"I-I'm ready!" Adalia said. She was going to be brave. She needed to support her team... by clinging tightly to be back of Julius, poking her head out from behind his shoulder and her Anima gun raised. "Okay! Uh, w-what are we doing?"
"Ngaaaahh." With everyone's attention fixated on the metal man, Milton walked towards the restaurant, undetected of their attention. The world spun round and round in his head. Any thoughts or voice of reason, Margo that would have stopped him didn't. "I'm seeing stars..." With that, he made it up to the front of the restaurant. It seemed very worn down and slightly decrepit. He stood at the door and looked over towards his lady.
"Mmmm'lady, what do you think of this place?" His lady didn't like dirty and unkempt places. If there were so much as a spec of dust on the house, his lady would have him clean it up. While he didn't understand why his lady made extreme efforts to maintain clean spaces, as long as she was happy, he was happy. "It's a messsss. Not even aaaaa doggg wooould come digging in hereeee." Margo's distorted voice came out. If she had anything else to say, she didn't as she remained quiet.
Without delay, Milton stepped into the restaurant. He took a few steps before suddenly kneeling on the floor. "BLAAAAAGH." It seemed like only some things had left his system. When he finally recovered, he looked at the mess he had made. "Oh, my bad." Wiping his mouth, Milton took a look around the area. Well as best as he could as everything spun around him. There target was here somewhere? What did she look like again? His legs wobbled from the motion sickness.
When Milton opened his eyes to look around, the view that presented itself to him was rather disappointing and he would likely soon come to regret emptying his bowels right after walking through the door. Beyond the unimpressive door was a small square-shaped room with several buttons on the wall next to the entrance. It was an elevator that Milton had stepped in, with slick, metal walls and a clean, albeit slightly scratched up from long-time use floor which was now stained with Milton's vomit. It was probably not a pleasant experience to be in this elevator, which was already small enough as is, with such a foul puddle in the middle. The elevator was able to accommodate roughly 4-5 people with its small size, or one Rokkit and another smaller person. This would mean that the Agents would have to go down in groups one after the other, should they choose to enter this way. There were 3 buttons next to the entrance, two of which were labeled: The uppermost button was labeled "Ground Floor", the second one below "Yamazaki Restaurant" and the third one was not labeled and required a key card to operate as indicated by a scanning device installed right next to it. There was a notable lack of noise besides the quiet buzzing of electricity around Milton and the noises coming from outside the elevator. Wherever this restaurant was, it was either higher up or down below.
"Urgh." Flemma was not liking where this was going. Well, at least there's nothing inside that building for an ambush. From what it looked like, it was just an elevator. Flemma only barely glanced at what the buttons do, as he focused more on his mates who were basically already incapacitated. How on earth were they expecting to fight anything if they were like this. The elevator is too small for a one-trip, they could chill outside then.
The green-haired man touched Milton on his shoulders with the cold metal blunt of his blade, "My friends, you can wait outside for now." He sternly but kindly asked, as he looked outside to his fellow agents, gesturing his head for volunteers. "Come on now. Any daredevils?"
If their plan was to act fast, then some of them better step up to it. He hoped that given the so-called quality of the agents that the agency was bragging about, his fellow colleagues could make a quick decision on this.
Location: Outside Backstreets Interactions: Julius @pkken Flemma @Conscripts
Two options. Get in the elevator, or stay out.
Getting in was of course, obviously and objectively, the worst option. Had no-one seen any action movies before? The first to move was always the first to get caught in a trap! The elevator could be rigged with all kinds of explosives or foul mechanisms just waiting for their chance to jump out. What kind of horrifying things may pop out before Adalia could even so much as to react? Plus, going in first was naturally going to be targeted by the mastermind first, since the first ones in were the bravest and therefore the most dangerous.
Staying out, of course, was the dumbest idea ever. Whoever had set up in this place was probably a hardened criminal and already knew about all the contingency plans and if Adalia was to hypothesize, it would probably involve taking out whoever had set up the perimeters, making sure there was no witnesses. Also, the people on the outside would have a false sense of security and most definitely was more vulnerable than the guarded approaching party. And - and, being on the outside meant that they were exposed, due for all sorts of attacks from all possible angles.
The best option, of course, was then to cling even tighter to Julius' back, smile awkwardly and sink a little lower out of other people's views. With the best of luck, she won't get called out and just happily go along with someone else's executive decision. Well - not happily, since Adalia was approximately twenty sectors away from 'happy', but something that floated just below horrifying and slightly above tolerable. "G-good luck!" She squeaked as a proffer of contribution, and then pressed her twitching ears down.
Sophia spent one second looking around, signed, took a drag from her ciggarette and started walking forward. She stopped besides Rokkit on the wa, and turned to look at him. "You stay here for now. We'll have more use for your busting of heads once the shit hits the fan. The first group needs to try and get the restaurant under control, so no pussyfooting either." She met Adalia's eyes as she said that, her own eyes showing a mix of pity and contempt.
She checked both her anima and her pistol, nodded to herself that all was satisfactory, and then stepped into the elevator. "I'd ask if anyone minds that I smoke, but the kid just threw up so I dount anyone really minds. Watch where you stand."
Rokkit's straight forward attack was foiled by everyone else wanting him to wait and discuss tactics. Which he felt he already did, and what they were doing now was, in the words of an ork, 'muckin about. They were trying to figure out how to get inside, either from elevator or otherwise, and Rokkit could clearly see windows they could just break through and start shooting. There was too much confusion about coordination that frankly annoyed Rokkit, especially since everyone seemed to have no idea what they were doing except him. "Ya gits don't listen do ya? We shouldn't be muckin about when I already got a plan. We ain't 'ere ta take prisoners, we got a git ta krump, and anyone dat gets in da way gets wot dey deserve."
At least someone was taking some command. Sophia more or less just said what Rokkit intends to do, minus shooting, which he thinks is pretty dumb but at least aligns towards his plan better than everyone else being scared about the unknown. Meanwhile, Shorty was using her drone to scan the building and getting the layout of the floorplans. She let everyone else argue about the approach so she has time to figure out where the enemy could be, how they might escape, and how to get the team inside. She was also trying to scan for any lifeforms inside of the building to get an idea of their numbers and more importantly, find their target. Shorty has no doubts that their target would be heavily protected and have contingencies to escape, so Shorty needed to figure out what those possibilities were before they hit the party.
"I'll stay on da roof. Once I start hearin shootin, I'm bustin in and blastin any git in my sight. And if ya take too long, I'm still gunna bust in and shoot everyone, under da assumption da rest of ya got krumped an now I need ta save yer arses."
The one armed man from the group would walk up next to giving his own thoughts on the plan, pretty much agreeing with what Julius had said. Julius took note of him as he unsheathed his blade.
So we have a one armed swordsman in our group. He must still be capable if Nevyn brought him in.
Shortly after he felt someone cling onto his back, in which he quickly turned to see who had invaded his personal space. Though after seeing whom it was he let out a sigh as the girl was basically quivering in fear. Before he could address Adalia, one of their other teammates waltzed right through the front door before falling. Quickly, Julius turned to see what was going on only to find a puddle of vomit. An audible sigh of disappointment was let out. Great, now there is two people on the team who will have to be baby sat. On another note the entrance to the building was more so an elevator they probably would have to take down, and it had vomit in it.
From there on the one armed swordsman walked through and suggested to the guy that vomited in the elevator to perhaps wait outside before asking if anyone would be going down. Julius would feel Adalia's tiny hands cling tighter to his coat before wishing them the best of luck. An older member of the group stepped up, commenting on Adlia's cowardice before stepping into the elevator as well. The woman also requested that Rokkit stays upstairs which was also probably for the best considering he wouldn't fit on the elevator. As she spoke he took note of her Anima as well.
Julius spun his staff shortening it as he walked onto the elevator.
"We're coming along as well, with me and our swordsman here as the front line we can really throw them into disarray and clear a path if needed."
Rokkit seemed to buy into the plan as well but on the condition that he is coming in as soon as the fighting starts or if they take too long which was fair. He was much more reasonable then expected.
With Julius stepping on he took the elevator was now full, in which shortly after the older woman asked if they minded that she smoked.
"Be my guest, nothing like smoke and vomit to remind you of the shitty 6th" he smirked. "Hope you all pull your weight, drag your lifeless bodies out of there." the boy said, particularly looking at Milton who seemed fine now and Adalia, before tapping the button that was labeled "Yamakazi Restaurant" with his staff.
A blue ring lit up around the button after it was pressed, confirming that it was working. It didn't take long for the elevator to close its doors, locking the Agents inside for the time being, followed by an audible aching of the old machinery as it began moving towards their destination. Contrary to what might have been the expectation, the elevator began moving downward instead of upwards, implying that their destination was not in the building above, but rather below ground. This, of course, would make escape routes a lot harder to find and create, especially since the restaurant did not particularly care about fire protection regulations meaning that there was no abundance of fire exits.
The elevator ride took a notably long amount of time, which was not caused by a lack of velocity- Rather, it appeared as though the actual restaurant was located quite far underneath the ground. This gave the Agents plenty of time to enjoy the stench of Milton's stomach contents, standing either in awkward silence or chatting as they saw fit.
Eventually, however, they would be released from the agonizing wait as a rather quiet 'Ding!' noise announced their arrival at their destination. Yamazaki Restaurant, a locale not marked on any commonly available map with a distinct lack of public presence anywhere in the second or beyond, finally presented itself to the Agents as the elevator door opened on the opposite side of the doors they had used to enter the elevator.
A slight breeze of warm air carrying a delicious smell of freshly prepared food would hit the agents' faces as Yamazaki presented itself fully in front of their eyes. Contrary to its decrepit appearance from the outside, its inside was anything but run-down. Right outside the elevator, a small entranceway opened up into a large room functioning as the dining area. Here, large, brightly lit aquariums containing plenty of exotic fish, many of which were likely not even known to the average person, were erect from floor to ceiling, serving as walls that separated the different tables. Upon closer inspection, one could see that it was one large continuous aquarium, creating a U-shape in the room with each arm of the U having additional pockets for the different tables. Each of the 8 visible tables (4 on each side) was occupied by people whose identity was blocked by a device mounted to the ceiling that created a sort of transparent veil, blurring out the bodies and faces of the guests using an advanced AI. Furthermore, the device appeared to mute any sound which came from the tables. A chandelier hung from the ceiling in the middle of the spacious room while the floor was covered in an expensive-looking, well-maintained carpet. Multiple different suit-wearing humans were seen carrying food and beverages from and to the tables, each dish looking more mouthwatering than the last. Frankly, the dishes looked so expensive they probably cost more than the average citizen made in a year. Notably, each staff member's face was covered by an expressionless mask, only providing holes for them to see through with the rest of the mask being blank. After having brought food to the tables they would leave through one of the two doors located each on the left and right side at the top of the long aquarium.
Finally, in front of the group of Agents there was a singular employee, wearing the same black suit with the white, blank mask, standing behind the reception desk, his posture polite and direct.
"Welcome to Yamazaki, Agents. Do you have a reservation?"
The moment she stepped out the elevator, Sophia was awestruck with the change in decor. This didn't exactly used to be a dump, but it wasn't quite this swish when it was a strip club. The jeering and hollering of excited clients watching the stage had given way to ambient music and polite chatter. The dark walls and pink neon strips had given way to a well-lit upper-class restaurant with aquariums and everything. The uniforms of the staff help give them a certain mistique and build a very...exclusive atmosphere. When she was finished gazing around in wonder, Sophia slung her Anima's strap over her shoulder like a rucksack, smiled and approached the receptionist.
"We haven't, I'm afraid," she answered in a polite and respectful manner of speaking, yet keeping her voice's edge and accent. "My apologies. I haven't been here in a while. You've really worked magic on the place! Very nice! Anyway, do you have a table for five available, please?"
The moment the elevator door closed, Flemma had to give this kid credit. His head was probably spinning, but he was willing to go into the unknowns with the squad, with the chance of them getting murked the moment that elevator door reopened. It's a quirky squad for sure. A timid feline girl clinging to another young but tough looking lad, along with a rather mature-looking lady. He wasn't exactly confident in the team's ability to coordinate perfectly, considering the former two, but eh, the youngsters nowadays find multiple ways to surprise him.
"Better a familiar smell than this I guess." Flemma ticked his tongue in jest as he exchanged a glance over to the man next to him and more on the girl behind him. "Don't worry, I'll be at the front, but I'll watch your back."
The long ride did make the smell in the elevator quite agonizing to handle. The woman's smoke actually helped make it a bit more tolerable, but by the time the elevator reached the ground floor, Flemma would be the first out if he wasn't standing right close to the door. The so-called 'Yamazaki Restaurant' was...actually kinda like a restaurant? Which makes it even weirder given what was up there. The dishes and decorations didn't concern him too much, but rather the hidden identities of the guests, as well as the unsettling silence from them. He knew restaurants employ these to keep things quiet and private for diners, but given the mission they are in, it made it easy for a trap to be sprung.
As his squadmate approached the employee of the restaurant, Flemma too sheathed his Anima, but kept his distance from both of them. Rather he tapped on his comm to check with Shorty if anything was up. She did say she'd keep our visions clear.
"Shorty, you there? Yeah, we're down. Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"
