Southern Exit Gate, Waterfront Vale
Mentions: Matthias (in passing) || Interactions: none
Adel was privy to many, many things. Confidential things, inconsequential things. The bevy of information he personally possessed was huge, and even larger was what he could get access to. However, out of all of them, there was one thing he knew to be truer than anything else:
He needed to get the fuck out of this city.
The cops and the mafias could fight over the fate Nocturnia. Adel didn't want to spend the rest of his life here.
Ultimately he was headed to Yellow Brick tonight, but since Matthias had given him a free pass in Waterfront Vale he stopped by the area first. He stood on the street in a casual coat, scarf, and gloves, smoking the second to last cigarette in the pack. Before him was the gate... one of only two gaps in the wall that surrounded the city. He thought of how easy it would be to walk up to those iron plates, whisper sweetly to them and watch them creak open just enough for him to slip through. He'd get a glimpse into the world beyond right before he was shot to pieces by the men tasked with keeping every person on one side of the wall or the other.
"Sir, step back behind the white line," a soldier called out to him, raising his hand to motion. Civilians and non-personnel could only get so close. Adel glanced down at his shoes. Barely a toe over the paint.
He shuffled backward, then turned and left. He didn't usually like indulging in fantasies, and there was only so much time left in the day. He had to get a move on, maybe let Matthias know about the woman poking around the area looking for him. Although surely the leader of the Order of Enlightenment wouldn't be dumb enough to get ambushed in the middle of his invasions. It could wait for the 'official report.'
He turned his steps northward.
A Quiet Cathedral, White Pine
Mentions: none || Interactions: none
Unfortunately for the pusher, the Canary's people were less than impressed with this offer.
"We need something better, man, not something we can find out in two minutes." Since their boss had been given some vials of the stuff already, some of their colleagues were already working on finding out what Sugarcrush did. It probably wouldn't take them long at all. "Where's it made? Hell,
how's it made? C'mon."
“Fine, fine, I can tell you what I know. Where and how. But you realize I'm a dead man if this gets back to me. So you better make it worth my while…”“Relax, nobody wants you risking your neck for nothing, right?” One of the men nodded to his tag along, who nodded back. The second man flashed a stack of bills.
The greed in the pusher's eyes was palpable. He licked his lips, looked over his shoulder once more, then leaned in.
”Alright. There's a hidden basement at the Irish Pint, that's where they make it. The codeword you tell the bartender is ‘gimmie sweets’. If it ain't there, it'll be at a warehouse in Heavy Crossguard on Dreadnaught Ave. Same code word. It means you're there to buy.
“They make it with this jelly-like glowy substance called Nyla. No one knows where they get it, but this jello is mixed with cocaine, and diluted. And bam, you got your Sugarcrush.”“That’s more like it. Does the code word ever get changed?”
The pusher nodded.
”Once every Wednesday. The new code word coming up is ‘red bean mochi’. Swear, it's like a totally different person comes up with each code word. And the code word after that will be ‘gasoline sundae.’”The first canary raised an eyebrow, mouthing the last password in confusion as his partner approached the mole. As he was about to hand over the cash he stopped, fixing the man with a hard look. “We both know this info is good, don’t we?”
”On my life!” The mole said. He hastily reached into his pocket, procuring an ID with his address on it.
”Look, my address. You come find me if the info isn’t good, hm? I wouldn’t fuck you guys over, I swear.”“Of course you wouldn’t.” Seemingly pleased with the answer, the payment was finally made. The two groups split up without much other conversation, at different times and in different directions.
Front Office, Silverside
Mentions: Adel, Flint || Interactions: Cyrus (in collaboration with @Estylwen)
There were times when it was unfortunate for the Silver Canary that he was such a busy body. Like now, when he was currently out and unable to receive a guest personally. Thankfully for Adel, he had Griffon - and as soon as she spotted Cyrus Levine she sprung up from her chair and tossed her tablet onto a random desk. Love is Blind was going to have to wait - Swift's prediction somehow came true!
"Weeeeell if it isn't my second favorite boy toy," Griffon said, striding over to stand in front of him. She placed one hand on her hip. "You dressed up all nice just to come visit us?"
The boss wasn't around, but Cyrus didn't need to know that immediately. If he had time to come all the way here he had time to entertain her.
"And how much is that little something gonna cost, huh?"
Cyrus smirked.
”He's not in, is he?”A long draw on his cigarette, the end cherry-red. His eyes creased a little, eyeing Griffon. If the great sphinx was out, his right hand tomcat could be trusted. She always had been dependable.
”Well, hon’. If you wanna broker a deal on his behalf, I don’ mind. I do take two cream, two sugar, though.” He said with a wink, hinting for a place a little more private.
For a moment Griffon just took stock of the man in front of her. She didn't look upset that he'd caught on so quickly - that was why guys like Adel and Cyrus did the sneaking and the snooping. She was just the one left looking after the nest. It worked out though, since Cyrus wasn't turning around and leaving. Not that she'd let him get very far without hearing her latest 'sales pitch.'
"Alright, come on," she said, turning and swishing one arm out to gesture towards a small room nearby. As the two of them walked, she snapped her fingers a few times to get another employee's attention. Like hell was she gonna act like an intern or something. "Somebody get this man his sweetener with a side of coffee."
It wasn't long before they were seated in a private waiting room. Griffon tipped her head at Cyrus, one of her eyebrows raised. Cyrus merely grinned in response, stamping out his cigarette in a nearby ashtray to take a sip of his coffee.
”Mm. Perfect.”He seemed to inhale the aroma, as if giving himself a moment's respite, before giving Griffon a serious look.
”I've uncovered a new player on the board. One that may be more powerful than anything Nocturnia has faced. Not since the Wall was put up, at least.
“Getting ahead of this, and capitalizing on what I know is in your best interest. You and your boss will be able to sell this information as many times as you want - who isn't scared of the unknown they don't know, mm?”He took another sip of his coffee, leaned back and comfortable as he was in his chair.
”50,000. (5 Wealth.)”Griffon very nearly barked out a laugh - instead she scoffed, a small amused grin on her face. That was even more expensive than she would have guessed.
"So why aren't you selling it? Besides to us, I mean. Do you even have any proof there's some mysterious other group out there?"
”Not gonna try and talk me down? Come on, hon’, you and your boss know my info is always good.” Cyrus said with an easy smile, pulling out his cellphone. After a few seconds of scrolling, he found a recording, pressed play, and placed the phone on the table.
”So you're saying we just have to eliminate the mafias, and you'll let us out?”The voice was clear, baritone, and focused. The voice that followed was a bit more of a drawl, and a lot more uninterested.
”Yeah, yeah. Get rid of those wannabe gangsters, and you'll get a free pass past the Wall. Access to the rest of the world, a clean record, whatever you want.””And you'll fund my ‘campaign’?””Yeah, whatever you need.”The focused voice seemed to be practically beaming.
”Then you got a deal. I have a number of ideas to tear them down. I'll just need time.””You got it. You know how to contact me if anything comes up.”The recording stopped, and Cryus smirked over at Griffon.
”You just listened to the esteemed M.PHAT, or in real terms, known as Flint Weathersteel. He was on call with none other than one of those bastard militant leaders outside the Wall, watching over us like our own brand of angels…
“You can see why a military-backed faction hell-bent on destroying the other mafias is bad news, right?”"Yeah, of course," she said. The loss of business being the primary reason, potential bloodshed of this little 'campaign' notwithstanding. Griffon pressed an index finger to her forehead as she considered the situation.
"I mean you're right - you do have a brain in that cute head of yours. You are frustratingly good at your job," she said after a moment, "so I'll buy your story...
figuratively! No way am I paying for what you just told me - I'm not looking to lose my cozy job over 50 Gs.
"Buuut maybe we could pay for any other details you got on that whole situation. Try a little lower though. Or hey-" Griffon leaned forward in her own seat, getting a little closer to Cyrus and grinning at him. "Job offer's still on the table, too."
”I'll one-up ya, hon’.” Cyrus said easily.
”How about we work out a whole-sale deal? You come to me with questions, I get you info. And you and your boss can turn around and make a profit on it. You just gotta give me more business - that Canary, always the independent, ‘I-can-do-this-on-my-own’ fellow.”He shrugged, sipping on his coffee again. A relaxed sigh of contentment, before that easy smile was on his lips again.
”I know times are a bit tough for your boss. So how about this. $10,000 for everything I know on the Flint, and their play with Kairo. All I ask is that you come to me more often.”“You want to keep seeing me that much huh,” the older woman teased. She leaned back and crossed one long leg over the other. Truthfully she thought it was a pretty good deal, but she wondered if Adel would be pissed if she took it on his behalf. Just as Cyrus said, the Silver Canary preferred to do things on his own. Going to see their westside competition for info also seemed kind of… well, submissive? Or maybe the boss would just see it as yet another cost of doing business.
Eh, what the hell, Griffon thought. After another moment of contemplation she stood up, one gloved hand in the pocket of her slacks and the other extended out to Cyrus.
“Sounds like a deal, boy toy.”
His hand clasped around hers, shaking firmly. He let himself chuckle a bit.
”I know his hesitation. I don't bite, much.”He finished his coffee and set it on the table, pulling out a new smoke from his pocket and lighting it. After taking a drag, he settled into his seat, recounting his information.
”So, after getting in cozy with the outside military, Flint's first notable move was today. He had his girl make a mess near that tower while another one of his boys tried to steal from Kairo’s strip club. He was dressed like a soldier, trying to make it appear like he was Del Guarde. Flint attempted to get those two factions to start fighting each other, and he would have been successful, if his boy hadn't been caught…
“Flint runs… well, he's not a mafia. He'd kill you if you called him a mafia. No. He runs what he called a revolution, with a bunch of revolutionists under him sold on the dream of breaking down the Wall. With his military backing, he can afford a lot despite not owning any of the city's districts.
“What's interesting is that he tried to dog out Del Guarde. So… It's possible there are two different types of military factions in this city.
“And regarding Del Guarde, I feel like they are connected with the outside forces surrounding the Wall. A lot of those calls don't travel far.
“The call with Flint, though? The guy he was on call with was miles away. All the way in Washington. Makes me think CIA, but that's a theory.”Griffon whistled at the information, even if it was just Cyrus’ thoughts. The CIA, huh? “I’m not really surprised the CIA’d throw some money around to try and get all of us to eat each other alive, but I am kind of wondering why a guy like Weathersteel would even believe they’d let him out of the city after its done. They’re not gonna allow him to tear down the wall - they’re not gonna let anybody out, ever. Why would they?”
If she was in Flint’s shoes, she’d still take the cash though. Getting paid to take out his rivals was a good deal, as far as Griffon saw it. “He’s gotta have some kind of other plan in mind, I bet. Something crazy,” she said. “I guess not even you would know that much though.”
Cyrus gave her a conspiratorial look, clearly enjoying this.
”Well. There’s a reason they call him a revolutionist.”‘Well sure, but…’” She paused, working through a few of the pieces of information in her mind. Tons of wannabes thought themselves agents of revolution, even regular people without gyfts. But if this guy had the funds and the manpower to eliminate Nocturnia’s mafia groups, if he got his hands on
their wealth and personnel, on whatever equipment the other military group in the city had… then would it actually be possible it bust a hole in that wall?
Griffon stared at Cyrus, her golden eyes darkening a little more seriously. “That’s actually insane. Do you really think he has a chance?”
Cyrus leaned back in his seat, propping his head behind his hands, staring up at the ceiling. Smoke curled past his lips as he smirked.
”I'll tell you a little story. Once upon a time, there was a mafia raid on a house. Forty men strong, all armed to the teeth. The sounds of chaos ensued in the house. But by the end of it? Only one man was standing. A man wholly unbothered by the bloodsoaked floors of his house, and the mutilated bodies.
“That man, was Flint.”His arms dropped, and he leveled a serious expression at Griffon.
”He will cause Nocturnia to be emptied, through death, or through tearing a hole in that Wall.”
42nd Street, Silverside
Mentions: Adel, Ezra || Interactions: Webb (in collaboration with @SporkoBug)
It was a cold start to the month, especially after the sun started to set. People hurried to and from the warmth of buildings with their coats pulled close. Swift was much the same as she made her way back to the office. She had nothing to show from her time in Heavy Crossguard besides the known fact it was a hub of industry, both the legitimate and illegitimate kind. There were suspicious people and places, but nothing like what her boss had been asking for… not that he had been specific. That was the frustrating part about him, how secretive he was even with his own people.
She sighed. As she considered calling a cab for the remainder of the trip, something ‘more suspicious than usual’ pinged her radar. The shape was fuzzy due to the quiet way it was moving, but it was person shaped - and moving around well above the ground.
What in the world… Swift thought to herself. She glanced around, then changed directions to move towards the mysterious thing. She opened her mouth slightly, releasing a noise outside of any other human’s hearing - but whose soundwave could be felt on the sensitive legs of arachnids.
Webb paused as he felt a soundwave, his ears pricked up and the pupils in all four of his eyes became slits for a moment before he gave a small shiver.
What was…? He looked around slowly before he completely stopped his travel movements.
His ears twitched, that noise
wasn’t natural, but he couldn’t figure out where it was. His second pair of arms slowly tensed, he wanted to head back to his house; but he had a job to do, he needed to be here.
Where coming from? He narrowed his eyes as he tried to trace where the sounds came from, instinctively stepping back towards the darkness of an alleyway; pulling his feet away from the ground in case that was how he was being tracked.
He awkwardly sat against the wall with his feet holding most of his weight as he looked out towards the street, trying to think of where the noise would have come from.
As he waited, another soundwave brushed gently against him. The noise came irregularly, but was growing stronger each time - which meant that the source was getting closer. And for Swift, the image she was getting back was getting clearer. Her brain fit the echos and vibrations together into a picture that suggested some kind of creature… someone with an unfortunate gyft perhaps? Powers that changed people into part animals were not unheard of after all. She could leave the person alone, but they were on her -and therefore her boss’- hometurf. If they were a citizen whose gyft had just manifested, she might be able to help. Maybe even bring them into the group. And if they were a troublemaker… then she’d quickly find out.
By the time Webb was able to see Swift, she was able to see him. Technically. She brushed her brown hair away from her face and squinted up at where the shape was from the mouth of the alley. She knew his outline and could tell he was there, but in the darkness he was concealed from her sight.
“Hello,” she said, her voice quiet and calm. She did not move towards the unknown. “Even around here it can be a little dangerous at night. If you need help I can escort you to the Jeweled Bank line.”
Webb felt the waves as they came at irregular intervals, he waited as they felt like they were getting stronger - Meaning whoever was making them, and he was
sure it was
a someone, was getting closer to him.
He readied himself, closing his eyes as he took a breath inwards before he noticed Swift coming towards him.
Not am looking for, but possibly friend? He thought to himself before he narrowed his eyes a bit before she slowly got closer.
”You… Work for Canary?” He asked, his shakiness wasn’t feigned in his voice; admittedly he was still very new to the whole ‘speaking to people’ thing, and this was his first job where he had to go
find someone like this.
”I need… Canary help, Offer valuable information - Secrets. Being hunted.” he tried to explain in a way that hopefully Swift would understand.
To say that Swift was surprised at the creature’s response was an understatement. She blinked owlishly, and then smoothly tempered her expression into one of neutrality.
“Why do you need the Canary’s help?” She asked carefully. That had to be addressed before accepting anything. “They don’t run a shelter. If someone is after you, you can seek the police or pay a fixer.”
Webb watched Swift carefully, taking in her features and mannerisms. He breathed in, trying to figure out his next words carefully.
How was he going to let her know that he needed to see the Canary and not just a police officer.
”The.. Midnight man.” Webb spoke, Ezra’s ‘working’ name, as Webb understood it, hopefully Swift would understand what he meant.
”After me, told Canary help..” He tried to piece the words together, scrunching his nose a little.
”Have, value secret.” He spoke,
”Found out… Not supposed to know. Will, help Canary.” He half urged towards Swift, slowly moving himself down off the wall to show he meant no harm, flattening his ears as he awkwardly half-stepped from the shadows to reveal himself.
His clothes looked like he would have been in a bit of a scuffle, shirt torn in a few places; dust and dirt on other pieces.
”Please.”Swift stayed quiet for a few seconds. She knew the shape of the creature already, so it didn’t come as a surprise when she saw him with her eyes. Poor thing, she thought. He was small, possibly even a child. And targeted by the Midnight Man?
“Alright, we can help you,” she told him. For the moment, at least, it couldn’t hurt. “My name is Swift. What’s yours?”
”Nice to meet Swift, name is Webb.” He gave a soft smile as she said she’d help him, his ears pricking up from his scruffy hair.
”Thankful for help. Was worried would not find.” He relaxed his shoulders, his little hands relaxing in the evening wind before he gave a bit of a shiver.
He instinctively took a mental check of where he kept the envelope that was meant to go to the Silver Canary; and thanks to Ezra’s kindness giving him lunch earlier, he was able to not have to worry about hunting for at least the next night - Even more if he was offered food here.
Swift made a humming noise to show she was listening. She crouched down slightly to make herself even less threatening.
“It was a good thing I found you instead of… hm. We’ll leave it at that,” she said. “Before I bring you to see the boss, who told you about the Canary…?”
Webb instinctively tilted his head as she crouched, his fur bristled slightly but he knew she wasn’t trying to scare him in any way. He blinked his eyes carefully as she talked about someone else finding him instead.
Uh oh. Webb thought when she asked about how he knew about the Canary, he
definitely couldn’t blurt out ‘the one who is hunting me’, he flicked his ears a little.
Did he know someone viable to say?”Heard talks from people. Spend a lot time on walls, roofs.” Webb explained, moving to use his hands to form a sort of roof shape. He hoped he was able to properly get his point across.
”Sensitive ears, pick up words ease.”That sounds believing…“Mhm. And where did you come from Webb? What area of the city?”
Webbs’ ears instinctively drooped a little.
”I do not have a proper place.” He said quietly,
”I have shelter- Xavier Tower, but I float.”That’s in Jeweled Bank, Swift thought. Not far at all, that was good. Before she spoke again she tried offering Webb a smile, though it hardly reached her eyes.
“I see. Thank you for answering my questions. I know you came all this way, but Mr. Canary is away from home at the moment. If you meet me here tomorrow I can bring you to see him. Is that alright?”
Webb’s ears drooped at the mention of the Canary not being in, but the offer of being brought to him felt good. He gave a small nod to her words,
”That sounds good.” He said before he paused,
”Same place? Can offer number for texting?”He admittedly had completely forgotten the phone that Ezra gave him, it would be a helpful tool in everything he was doing.
“Sure. Here.” There was slight amusement in Swift’s voice as she swapped phone numbers with the strange bug boy. Once that was settled she stood to her unimpressive full height and watched Webb take his leave. She waited until she could no longer see him with her sonar before she left her spot by that alleyway. She didn’t put her phone away as she resumed her return to base, instead flicking it back open and dialing a certain number.
“This is Swift. No need, Heavy Crossguard was quiet. Sorry to disappoint you. However I did run into something… peculiar. I was unable to determine if it was a threat or not, so I’ll be counting on you tomorrow to help me. We’ll be hosting them at the office. Mhm.”
A long pause.
“Oh yes. Extremely suspicious.”
In the Brewery District
Mentions: none || Interactions: none
Meanwhile, as the evening progressed in Nocturnia's east side, it being a Tuesday didn't stop some people from enjoying the nightlife. The Brewery District wasn't called that just for fun, and wealthy young adults hopped from bar to bar and club to club. Though most traveled in groups or pairs, it was the singles that a few of the Canary's men kept their eyes on. One of them reached out to steady a lone stumbling bearded man before he tripped into the street. The man laughed and mumbled a thank you, but before he got any further the spy leaned in with an offer. "You want to have some more fun, friend? Get really fucked up?"
Assuming that the other man was just one of many random drug dealers in the city, the bearded man responded with an enthusiastic, "hells yes," and let himself be guided away. Without a forensics lab or anything of the sort, they had to experiment with Sugarcrush the natural way - and with a semi-willing test subject at that. They set the man up in the back of a luxury SUV, pushed his sleeve up and tied his arm off, about to see the effects of this ‘new drug’ themselves.
The needle pierced the skin, and the bearded man stared for a long moment before he suddenly swooned.
”Oh maaaan, the hell is that.”He started giggling like a little girl, absolutely delighted with the high coming on, almost not noticing, or not caring, about the glowing purple veins that snaked over him, or his irises glowing a bright purple.
“What the hell…” The three canaries look at each other. One hovered nervously near their guinea pig, the syringe still in hand. This was some supernatural shit, had to be for the guy to be glowing from the inside out like that. After a beat one of them flicked out their phone, finally thinking to document what was happening.
It was a few minutes later that the man flopped around a little more, his giggles turning into full-on laughter. A crazed realization glowed behind his eyes, and he tore off the tie, raising his hands. In his palms, little crystals of ice began to form, mist wafting off them.
”I… I have a gyft!” He exclaimed.
He reached for the door of the SUV, coating it in ice instantly. The ice disintegrated, leaving a gaping hole in the back of the SUV that he stepped out of. And he moved down the alley, his feet sending out waves of ice that froze the concrete. Anyone who got too close would begin to feel themselves freeze up, starting from the feet, and very quickly it would encompass their whole body.
As the man high on Sugarcrush made it to the mouth of the street, he stared at his misting hands with delight, not noticing that his powers were far out of control. Around him in a sixty degree radius, people were freezing over in seconds. Cries of terror filled the street… and back at the car, the people responsible for it argued over what to do.
“Call the cops!” “Hell no, they’ll connect it back to us.” “Then let’s get the fuck out of here before they get here anyway?” “We’re so fired…” “Wait, we can handle this, just…”
The men were covered in frost, spared only by the fact that Nocturnia’s newest gyfted had run before their bodies had been frozen solid. The lot of them had already fallen into hypothermia, but the adrenaline of the situation kept them on their feet for the moment. Two of them hopped out of the hole in the SUV and drew the handguns they carried for protection, leveling the weapons at the ice man and firing.
As the bullets were fired, they impacted with a wall of ice, the Sugercrush-high man turning back in confusion, before he stared incredulously.
”What the hell! Some pusher you lot are!”And he growled, the wall cracking and falling, bullets falling uselessly to the ground. He raised a hand, and shards of ice appeared in the air around him. With a throw of his hand, hundreds of ice shards, sharp like knives and with the velocity of golfball-sized rocks, sailed towards the canaries as they dove out of the way. The shards easily tore up the SUV, littering the roof and insides with holes that started to ice over. Their last man inside wasn’t lucky enough to avoid the ice; he pressed shaking hands to the punctures in his stomach even as the wounds began to freeze.
“Shit,
shit-” one of the other men repeated as he scrambled up from the pavement. Maybe they couldn’t handle this. The plan had to change now. He went and ripped the license plates from the car, opened the SUV’s door and discharged the gun to destroy the VINs. No way would the vehicle last long, so they’d have to abandon it. It was time to bail… for the most part. They might still be able to save their jobs if they kept watch and reported on everything that was going to happen, but they had to save their own skins first.
Satisfied that the canaries had given him some space, the man went to go enjoy his high and his new powers. It was about ten minutes more of this, a miniature ice age spreading death and chaos on the streets, before he began to crash. Then he laid as an unconscious, crumpled heap on the sidewalk.
It was going to be impossible to cover the event up. Of course wild gyft manifestation was something that just happened in Nocturnia, but if the ice man talked people would know about the drug. Even if he OD’d if forensics got their hands on him then they’d find out. It was a lose-lose for the group that wanted to keep the information secret in order to make a buck off of it.
Only one of the Canary’s men remained at the scene. The other two had high tailed it out of Brewery to find a hospital after making sure the car was destroyed enough that it would be impossible to track it back to Silverside. He hesitated in the shadow of a tavern, keeping watch over the unconscious drunk and periodically texting information back. What the fuck were they supposed to do about this?
…well, when in doubt, call the boss.
At Night in Yellow Brick
Mentions: Glyde, Matthias, Vincent, Akula Crew || Interactions: none
Getting into Yellow Brick had been rather casual for it being a military occupied borough. Maybe it was because they had to masquerade as NPD that they weren't as strict or vigilant as the men stationed at Nocturnia's gates. Or more likely Adel just didn't raise any flags for them as he moved around, looking like just another random citizen of the area. Besides, Del Guarde was only "allegedly" military at the moment. Adel was fairly sure that they were, but he could never be 100% certain about something without seeing it for himself - which was why he was in Yellow Brick in the first place. He'd get all the information he could here and give it back to the Lodestar, but then again... if he could broker some kind of deal with their leader...
Adel puffed on his cigarette as he walked, shrugging his coat a little tighter around himself. His gaze flickered around the streets, where Del Guarde men were stationed, where civilians seemed to be congregating before the night was over. He passed by the old courtyard and the police department in it, only slowing down to take in the exterior details.
Eventually he came across something promising. In the dark parking lot of some old long closed business there was a cop car. Its single occupant was in the driver's seat, looking quite bored out of their mind.
No partner? Adel wondered, glancing around for any sign of one. Gone for now, or maybe one trained soldier was worth two of Nocturnia's badges. Didn't really matter, anyway. Adel pulled his scarf up a little higher and kept an eye out as he slowly approached the car.
"Hey, officer! Do you have a moment?"The Del Guarde posing as an officer looked up in surprise, before rolling down the window.
”Yes? How can I help you?” His voice was smooth, as if he was very much used to his role.
His partner, as fate would have it, was in a very long line to get burgers and fries.
"It's just..." When Adel started speaking he had to push Commissioner Franchesca's comment from earlier out of his mind. His tone carried some amount of concern with it, as he hoped to sell the image of a normal, well meaning citizen.
"My daughter's been pretty scared today, you know with the bombing the district over and the plane this morning... We saw it drop something around here and I just wanted to reassure her that it wasn't another bomb. Did you guys find it and what was in it?"This was how it usually went: try and get the information for free, then with money, and only then with violence. Normally no one gave anything away for free in Nocturnia, but sometimes a little casual conversation went a long way. If this guy was from outside the wall, maybe he could be duped like this. If he was too well trained, then onto plan B it was. Adel usually carried cash for plan B, and if it came down to plan C he always had his 'personal safety device' on him.
"You know how it is, right? Do you have kids, officer?"The Del Guarde didn't miss a beat, offering an easy smile.
”Got a daughter of my own. You'll be pleased to hear it was just an aid drop of designer clothes. Even had a few children's clothes in there. Your daughter may get to see them in the shops soon.”"Oh! Clothes? That’s weird… why would they send that by plane and not through the normal aid trucks?" He leaned in a little conspiratorially.
"I’ll tell her it was clothes, but between us, what really was it? Something that can keep us all safe I hope?"The Del Guarde narrowed his eyes at Adel, his suspicion starting to peak. Before his eyes widened.
”Hey, wait a second. Don't I know you…?”"Me? Oh, maybe. I've been around the area a few times."Adel searched the man’s eyes and found that, as expected, plan A was probably not going to work. It was better not to drag it out. He turned away to take a drag of his smoke first though. When he turned back he smiled, the corners of his mouth only barely visible from behind his scarf.
"...jeez, is that really the story you guys came up with? Designer clothes?"His voice returned to its more natural, neutral tone.
"You don’t get paid enough to sit around and make up stories. Will this gig even qualify you for a pension? I'll just cut to the chase. Tell me where and what that early Christmas present really was and you can walk away with an early holiday bonus for yourself."The Del Guarde appeared to be more straight-laced than Adel had given him credit. His face twisted with disgust and open suspicion, eyes scanning Adel’s face again and again. He was actually at a huge disadvantage here - Adel stood over him while he sat in his seat. Time to change that.
”...I’m gonna ask you to step back, turn around, and raise your hands, buddy.” He said, hand on his holstered gun.
Why does it seem nothing is working out for me today? Adel thought as plan B immediately fell apart. He’d clearly underestimated the corruption level of people from outside the wall. He stood there for a drawn out moment, considering his options and locked in a staring contest with the fake cop.
He sighed and stepped back, raised his gloved hands to show there was nothing in them. Let the guy think he had the situation under control for the moment.
”...I said turn around.” The Del Guarde said, beginning to open his car door. He'd detain the guy, run his ID and name. If this character was who he thought he was…
Well, it was quite the opportunity.
”Fine,” Adel said as he turned on his heel, shuffling over a step as he did so. He could have easily stopped the man from getting out, pulled out his gun and threatened him, but that wasn’t really the Canary’s style. So he sighed again as the Del Guarde stepped out of the car with his hand still hovering over his sidearm. When it didn’t seem like the suspicious man was going to try anything he reached for Adel’s wrists.
He didn’t hear the silky whisper that came from the man in front of him. The word was cloying, coaxing, commanding; and its target had no choice but to obey.
The back door of the vehicle swung open violently. Taken by surprise the Del Guarde jumped to assess the threat, but when his hand went to his gun he found it already removed from the holster. Adel had been expecting the sudden noise after all, and when the Guarde turned to process what happened he had turned to relieve the man of his weapon - and then shove the guy’s back so that he ended up in the wrong part of the vehicle with the door slammed shut behind him. Now he was trapped between bulletproof plastic and leather seats.
Without any further dramatics Adel slid into the driver’s seat and closed that door, fiddling with the dash mounted computer.
"Should’ve just taken the money," he said to the man before he whispered to the laptop and watched the screen flicker and fill in the soldier’s login info.
There was frantic banging,
”What the hell?! Let me out, you bastard! I know who you are! You goddamn Canary!” The Del Guarde's voice broke, betraying a strong fear. He had played right into the Canary's hands…
Adel didn’t respond, though the fact that his existence was a known element to even outsiders like Del Guarde was something he catalogued for later. He’d be a little more careful in the future around them, but at the moment what’s done was done.
He searched the databases the computer was connected to. He wasn’t really the hacker sort as he didn’t need to resort to it, but at this point in his life he was fairly used to how these systems looked and how they operated. He worked quickly.
"Hm, you really do have a daughter," he said after pulling the man’s information up. The comment was made casually, but not without an implication. He let his eyes flicker to meet those of the trapped Guarde for a moment.
"I’m getting out of here with the information I want, so you can either help or keep your mouth closed. For everyone’s sake."The Del Guarde gritted his teeth, staring back before flickering to the computer, then back at the Canary. His voice was hoarse, eyes tight.
”Please, leave my little girl out of this. She's got nothing to do with it. I-... I'll tell you what you want. Anything.”"Start with the airdrop. What is and where is it."The man's voice was hurried and quivering.
”An M134 GAU-17 Gatling gun. The second crate was ammo for it. They're both in the basement armory at the PD station in Yellow Brick. The code is 2-21-9-12-4-20-8-5 23-1-12-12. There's a second hidden panel at the back of the armory. You have to input the same code there within two minutes, or the alarm goes off…”"Good," Adel said, completely calm on the outside. On the inside, a little alarm bell was going off.
A fucking minigun…?! If there was still even a sliver of doubt that Del Guarde was military, that was long gone now.
"Where do you plan to use it…?"There was only a hint of hesitation from the Del Guarde. Of course he knew. That's what everyone was getting prepared for.
”Heavy Crossguard.” He said through gritted teeth.
Unsurprising, really. Once again Adel didn’t respond. He clicked through the laptop, pulling up dossiers on the various members of Del Guarde he thought might be important. Their captain, of course, and any of the higher ranking men and women. He scoured the screen, briefly glancing at the time in the corner. He didn’t want to push his luck by sticking around too long, especially since he was feeling a particular lack of luck that day.
"Don’t suppose your boss would be any more receptive to a deal than you were," he said, tapping a finger on the side of the computer.
The Del Guarde’s face grew a bit sweaty.
”There's talk. Movement at the borders. Merryland is gone. He uh, may be more, uhm, amiable, than normal.”Some possible good news for once. After getting what he’d come for Adel fished a small cardboard rectangle from his jacket pocket, placed it on the keyboard and shut the laptop.
"Well then. Tell Sarge you were visited by an informant. You sent the guy away but still got the card. Give him the card. Nobody needs to know that devoted husband and father Private First Class Gonzales said anything to anyone, right?"Gonzalez was sweating bullets.
”Y-yes. Of course. Not a word. I'll pass on the card.”"Great. Might want to think up a good excuse for why you locked yourself in the back of the car too." "Wha-" Thunk. Adel extracted himself from the vehicle, shamelessly scooped up the still smoldering cigarette that had fallen earlier, and hurried away.
He slunk back through alleys and quiet streets, and once he crossed over into the next borough he allowed himself a huge exhale.
Jesus Christ. A minigun. Whatever poor people that was going to be used on were going to be mulched. Adel reached up to remove the hair tie from the back of his head, flicked his phone out and called for a driver. It'd been a real long day. It wouldn't take long for the car to arrive, but while he waited he sent a short and simple message to his current client Matthias:
Got it.Nestled in the back of a rather simple looking sedan, Adel let his head thunk against the headrest. Personal drivers were definitely one of the better luxuries in life, he thought. Though he tried relaxing, he knew he'd be tense until they got back - and probably after that too. His brain sorted through the day's events, the new pieces of information, the agenda forming for tomorrow. He'd have to meet with the Order, collect, and then—
His phone's vibration cut through Adel's thoughts. He glanced at the number on the screen: one of his people. Why the hell would they be calling instead of sending their findings back to the office? Or calling Griffon if they were in trouble? Adel sat up and rubbed a hand on his forehead, eyes squeezed shut for a moment to fight off the oncoming headache before he answered.
"What is it?"After a few seconds of silence Adel made a rather interesting noise, partially surprise and partially anger. The driver checked on his boss in the rear view mirror, finding Adel making with a tightly clenched fist pressed hard to forehead.
"I'm not even going to ask why the fuck you thought that was a good idea-" he replied, exasperated, to the person on the other end of the phone. When he'd told them to find out what the deal with Sugarcrush was, he had expected them to bribe their way into a lab, or at least do some tests in a controlled environment. Fuck, if they had to abduct someone at least have the common sense not to test it on the street!
"-but yeah, obviously don't just leave him-"A pause.
"No. No, do not-" Adel pulled the phone away from his ear for a moment, turned his face up and his previously clenched fist now clawed like he wanted to strangle someone. His driver very wisely took his eyes away and just focused on the road without a word.
His day was so close to being over, now there was this. His guy was rattled enough that he wanted to kill their test subject and be done with it, which in Adel's opinion was the worst option. A murder on top of everything else would make it too obvious what had happened. At the moment, from an outside perspective all that had gone on was some party boy manifested a gyft and went wild with it. Of course, if the guy started telling people he'd gotten said gyft from a drug some might believe him - which would make Vincent's Sugarcrush a known element. Which would then bring Vincent's attention east, which was close to the last thing Adel wanted.
"Damn it," he sighed. He thought for several long moments, ignoring the slightly concerned voice on the other end of the call. Eventually a plan began to hatch, and Adel brought the phone to his ear properly once more.
"That gang of smugglers in Brewery, the Akula Crew. Yeah. Implicate them. Leave the guy right where he is, scrub any sort of clue you were involved. You're just another curious bystander that heard Akula brought something new in, alright?"After that they didn't need to stick around. In fact it would be best to leave the area as soon as possible. With instructions to leave by way of Corlet, the call disconnected and Adel clasped the phone between both of his hands. More and more problems were popping up. As an information broker he didn't exactly like spreading misinformation, bad for the bottom line and all, but no one would be able to track the incident back to Silverside. At least not for a while, more than enough time bought if Vincent came looking for his missing shipment after learning what had happened in Brewery.
After a moment Adel cracked open a new pack. Silence took over the car for the rest of the drive.
Member
lunara
isla
BurningCold
flux
op2024
Crimson Flame
SporkoBug
Nani
Mav99
