Amnesia told Marquis while both of them traveled down the damp sidewalk in dark brown trench coats. The dark canvas material was thick and heavy with a two-tone accent of thin leather, making these coats easy to pick out and beyond atrocious. No two looked quite the same either as the leather accents were made of scraps. In any other undercover mission, coats that drew attention like these would have ditched a long time ago, but these coats were made specifically for this purpose. Dozens of these coats were worn by the upper-middle class and sold for an obscenely low price by an Irish retailer only a few blocks away. They hardly made a profit - at least off the coats. These specific coats had another purpose; the only one that could have convinced Amnesia or anyone else to don such a horrid piece of clothing.
The Warm House, a simple, yet large tavern and in that Amnesia had identified and pointed out to Marquis, was also a speakeasy, selling drugs and whoring prostitutes for the real profit. The coats they wore acted as admission tickets to the back room where they could scour through the real inventory. The Irish retailers were just part of one big rink. Ever since Prohibition and the rise of Gangsters, complex setups like this were all too common. Crime was only made worse when what many considered a necessity, booze, was made into contraband. If someone couldn't afford the coats, there was no way they were affording what was in the back rooms. Some lower-class factory workers or immigrants might save up for the coat then to come here weekly, others visited nightly, but places like this were a dime-a-dozen and so competitive murder over a good whore or a better drink weren't uncommon.
"Sybila scoped it out," Amnesia told Marquis. "The Bolt we're after calls himself the Big Dick. According to Sybila and some interviews, he can punch through stone, rip through steel and he dishes out whatever you hit him back even worse. I had Flo and Koshei pose as a set of swingers last night - Mr. Dick is apparently the night bouncer. Since they've seen their faces, you and I will go in, stall as long as we can, then eliminate the target with lethal force. A secondary objective is for you to acquire his abilities to to later document them. Flo and Koshei will provided back-up. I'll go in first, in two minutes, you will as well. Six minutes after that, I'll cause a scene requiring forced removal. I'm hoping by that time I can scope out and shut down most threats. Additionally, these jackets were enforced to stop a few bullets, so under fire, its best to be hit in the torso if at all."
Amnesia spoke without even looking at Marquis. He simply kept his hands in his pockets as a light drizzle fell down on him. This was Marquis first mission on the Alpha Team. This was actually his first week as an Agent of HAND, and his potential earned him a spot right under Amnesia on the most prestigious hunter team HAND had to offer. A few of the others weren't keen on Marquis yet; other teams disliked him for his quick rise through the ranks. Amnesia, however, did his best to give the guy a fair shot. "Sybila is watching from a distance and ready to communicate any emergency to Flo and Koshei, whom are standby in the alleys. Remember, minimal damage and civilian casualties, but this guy has already murdered upwards of two dozen people. A few sacrifices for the greater good are acceptable..." Amnesia trailed off. He let a brief pause fill the air for just a second.
"Are you ready, Marquis? I know a few agents were outright assholes, but the war isn't with them and its not overseas. It's right here on the homeland and the line between ally and enemy gets blurred. You can trust Sybila, Koshei and Flo, and I personally vouched for you to have your spot on this team," Amnesia explained. This was the most nervous moment for anyone, let alone a new recruit. War veterans or not, this was an entirely different ballgame played on an entirely different field with new teams, new rules and a point system so meddled it was rare to ever have a black-and-white victory. Amnesia was tasked with training and overseeing Marquis, but it wasn't just to guide him with his powers. It was an attempt to integrate him into this game.
