In the center of the Old Bradford section of Titan City, the stately Bradford Arms Hotel and Conference Center stood proud amidst the newer and more modern-looking buildings that had begun to crop up in the past decade. With a look that hearkened back to America in the 1920's and 30's, the Bradford Arms still projected a sense of staid elegance and regal sophistication.
But the hotel itself was of no concern to the shadow that had lurked on the upper floors of a skyscraper across the street from the Bradford Arms for the past several days. Currently under construction and lightly guarded, the building made a perfect vantage point for a stakeout.
Having built a hide by using pallets and bags of concrete mix stored on the 29th floor of the skyscraper, Nightstrike observed her first recruit, who was currently staying in Room 2914 of the Bradford Arms. Her name was Claudia Scholz, a white-collar criminal from Munich, Germany. But there were whispers amongst the seedier side of the metahuman community that she might go by another name. That name was Geist.
While Nightstrike typically tried to avoid working with criminals, she'd studied Claudia and assembled a profile on her. The girl had a tragic past that was most likely responsible for her becoming a criminal, but Nightstrike had a gut feeling that she was not completely devoted to her current life. That there was still a chance she could be steered away from a life of crime and be encouraged to do things that would make a true difference in the world.
Catching her would be difficult, however. Geist had the gifts of intangibility and invisibility. So Nightstrike had to answer the age-old question... how do you catch a ghost?
She'd started by studying other heroes, villains, and rogues that had the same abilities. One of the most common 'weaknesses' that most of her study subjects had had was that they still needed to breath, which was an action they could not perform while phased into an object. The other common weakness that affected most of them was that particularly dense materials were harder to phase through because the atomic structures were more crowded.
Beyond those common weaknesses, she'd found records of various individuals having more esoteric weaknesses, of which there were far too many to name. Nightstrike needed to figure out how to test the girl without spooking her and forcing her to rabbit.
Nightstrike pulled a small control device from a bag by her side and extended a short antenna out of the hole she used for observation. With a few deft flicks of the controls, a camouflaged drone no bigger than her hand took off from on top of the hide. It flew across the street, staying above the 29th floors windows. It stopped once it reached the side of the building and began dropping very very slowly, until it hovered just above the window looking into Geist's room. An armature unfolded from the bottom of the drone and gently affixed a clear strip of jelly-like material with wires and a disc smaller than a button in its center. Once it was finished with that task, the drone ascended and landed atop the roof. Nightstrike hit the self-destruct button on the remote, unleashing a small horde of nanites at its core. They would destroy the drone, then each other.
The strip was an advanced short-range passive microphone and wide-angle mini-camera that would allow Nightstrike to see and hear things she couldn't from her hide. Settling into place, she began listening and observing, hoping to glean some information about Geist that she didn't already know.
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
Claudia sighed speaking in German, "langweilig , langweilig , langweilig , langweilig" still laying on her stomach her feet kicking as she flipped through the paper, she clicked the T.V. on to the US stock exchange, reading between the paper, the ticker and listening to the man drone on.
After about an hour she noticed a company, NStar an oil company that had been reporting massive quarterly gains had just evaded legal prosecution for a ship that had ran ashore spilling its black gold. The main reason for the evasion the paper said was an employee who was at first willing to be a witness, withdrew his claims that he had proof that the company failed to maintain and update the ship in questions, and indeed there whole fleets electronic guidance systems.
With no witness the corporate lawyers blocked any attempt for the government to gain access to their servers. A mixture of lack of "evidence", international laws, and corporate rights. this of course made the case against them fall apart and the accident was ruled to be of no fault of the company. What that meant to Geist was that those servers had some sensitive data on them, and that while double jeopardy might protect the company from further prosecution it would not protect their public image or proof them against the blackmail she planned to level on them.
she stood up redressing in a black morph suit, slipping into heels and putting on the dressy trench coat she had, when it was all said and done the simple disguise looked as if she was wearing heels stockings and perhaps a thin black turtle neck, she stuck the morph suits face mask into one of the pockets and picked up a bag with her laptop and a portable hard drive on it, this would be needed for this mission. into the bag she put a few hundred dollars from her last job and started out to her first step, the municipality and records building.
She locked her room behind her and started off towards the elevators, she did love this old building it reminded her of home, more class, less steel and glass. She stepped inside and hit the button on the door noticing the look the bellhop that passed by her with some luggage gave her, she sighed remembering on the street this outfight might blend in with the hordes of office workers hiding there business ware from the elements, but in a hotel it made her sorta look like a hooker. There was a moment of mental face palming.
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
― Oscar Wilde
Nightstrike listened to the broadcast along with Geist and nodded just as Geist started to get ready. Going after a company like NStar after their legal antics seemed to be her modus operandi. She quickly packed up all her gear and slung the bag onto her back, then pushed several sacks aside and wormed out of the hide. Once she was free, she whispered a two word spell. Glowing runes appeared around her, then her armor and weapons flashed into existence, transferred from the pocket dimension where she kept them when not using them.
She creeped to the edge of the open floor, then fired her grapnel across the street. Dropping off the edge, she swung around to the building across from the main entrance of the Bradford Arms. Once there, she found a shadowed observation point and watched the front entrance, waiting for Geist to exit the hotel.
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
Geist walked out the front door and started down the street eyes scouting for a vendor that sold prepaid phones, thankfully this city seemed to have a street cart that sold -anything- at this point she would not be surprised to find one that said "bobs guided missiles and other assorted explosives". walking up to it she shelled out the cash and started to take a route to the corporations New York based eastern headquarters that avoided municipal and private street cameras. This part was a bit tricky but she had spent quite some time walking around the city taking note and plotting said pesky devices. As she walked she opened the phone trashing the box and went through the hassle of first time set up enjoying the cool air of her leisurely stroll, the sound of her heels clicking on the concrete and the din of the city. this was her "pre-game" and it was rather relaxing to be honest, none of the jitters of the first caper and all of the excitement at this moment she knew this was what she was suppose to be doing.
After a bit of walking she ended up in a parking garage across the street from the back of the corporations building. taking a moment to look around her she slipped into the bottom floors stairwell and stepped behind the first incline, taking a moment to fold her jacket and set it down pull out the mask and slip off her heels, standing in just the black skin tight morph suit with a laptop and phone, she took several deep breaths focusing on the items in each hand, she didn't want to leave them behind or damage them.
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
― Oscar Wilde
Nightstrike had followed Geist all the way to the parking garage and now watched her from the crawlspace above a maintenance closet on the bottom floor of the parking garage. Geist had slipped into a semi-enclosed stairwell, hiding underneath the first set of stairs. She switched her helmet's view from standard to infrared, making sure to get a thermal capture of the thief.
Nightstrike watched as Geist prepared her costume. Now was as good a time as any to approach her. She'd most likely be spooked and/or suspicious after leaving NStar's corporate HQ, and Nightstrike needed her to be in a pliable mood. She switched back to standard vision, then hopped down from the crawlspace and took a wide route around to the staircase, using the cars as cover. She stepped into the stairwell behind Geist, then casually leaned up against the wall. One foot was posted on the wall and her hands lightly gripped the front of the gunbelt attached to her combat webbing.
"Evening. Nice night for some breaking and entering, don't you think?" she said casually, her voice synthesizer off so that the sarcastic humor in her voice was obvious.
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
Geist was about to slide strait through the floor when she heard the voice and stopped herself looking back over her shoulder, her eyes checking the gun belt and outfit, scanning for a badge in her mind she pictured the sewer system, ten meters below further then the access tunnel, but that was a last resort as of right now she had done nothing wrong, so if this was a police officer they were perhaps the dumbest of there ilk she had encountered. "who are you? and I have done nothing of the sort, unless it is a crime to dress differently then others here in the united states?" She said in pretty good English, you could tell the hint of a German accent but business school and years of dealing with US distributors had taught her the language of the land.
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
― Oscar Wilde
Nightstrike looked down at her own armor, then back up at Geist. "I think I would be guilty of that as well, were it a law. The name's Nightstrike and I have a proposition for you. A way for you to do far better things than being a minor inconvenience to major corporations like NStar... and Olympia Shipping... and Vector Aeronautics, to name but a few." she said, listing off other businesses that had suffered serious losses recently. Businesses whose losses, it was rumored, Geist had had something to do with.
Nightstrike continued. "This offer has no strings, positive or negative, attached. You simply listen for a few minutes while I lay it out. You don't like it, you walk and we'll never cross paths again. But if you want in, you have to come with me immediately."
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
She pondered for a moment then tilted her head "I like the real estate I am on currently thank you, I am not in the habit of following heavily armed mercenaries into unknown locations miss Nightstrike, you know guns make a girl shy to go out with strangers". She sighed and put her hands on her hips the items still in them "I will however hear you out if your willing to speak quickly, my new stalker, mostly because I am intrested as to who is paying you"
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
― Oscar Wilde
"I'm paying myself and I can be paying you, as well. I've been around for a very long time and I've accrued quite a fortune. But that is for later discussion." she said, taking her hands off her belt and letting them hang at her side.
"Right now, we are talking about why I've sought you out. I want to form a team, a squad of metahumans who aren't willing to sit around with their thumbs up their asses and wait for the next crime wave or the next man-made disaster. This will be a proactive group who will root our threats to the continued safety of humanity, then go in and eliminate those threats, wherever they are. Borders and laws will not be a concern. Capture and incarceration will be our goal for those we go after, but elimination will not be out of the question. This could put us on the wrong side of a number of law enforcement organizations, but I have a number of friends in high places who owe me quite a few favors, so they'll keep 99% of the heat off our backs. Heroes may be a concern, but that's a bridge we'll cross if or when we come to it. You could join this team and do so much more good than robbing corporations of money they'll make back in a few days or weeks. Interested?" Once she was done explaining, Nightstrike levered herself off the wall and turned to face Geist directly, arms still hanging loose.
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
She rubbed her chin thinking about it, she knew that most of these "meta human" disasters had to have bankers, backers, money laundering operations. Massive amount of cash like that were likely concealed by the types of corporations that ruined her fathers dream. "deal, Frau Nightstrike if you would allow me to get dressed? I am assuming you do not wish me to continue with what I was doing?". She asked tilting her head slightly in question.
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
― Oscar Wilde
"I'd rather you didn't. NStar's day in the spotlight is fast approaching. While you get dressed, I'll go get my vehicle. " she said. She was back a few minutes later with a black [url=http://cityoftitans.com/comment/71602#comment-71602]MV Agusta F4RR ABS[/url]. She held up a helmet and motioned for Geist to get on. "Are you good to go or do we need to return to the hotel?"
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
She got dressed and sighed seeing the bike she took the helmet and put it on, then straddled the bike sitting upright on the back gripping the back bar her hands behind her back "there is no way to ride on the back of one of these without assuming this....interesting...pose or snuggling with the driver, I will be stealing us a van if we plan to drive places togeather in the future" She said a bit grumpily "or we can change places and you can thrust your chest to the heavens or hug me and no, I have everything I need."
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
― Oscar Wilde
"There will be no need to steal anything. We have other vehicles at our disposal." she said, just before hitting the gas and shooting down an alley, then out into traffic. They rode southeast, leaving Downtown via the Hercules Bridge. After they arrived in Charleston, Nightstrike wove a dizzying course through the factories and depots of the industrial sector. She finally pulled into a dead-end alley and came to a stop.
Nightstrike reached an arm out to the side of the bike, her hand passing through an infrared beam. A pipe access cover opened up and a box rose up on a thin stalk of metal. She removed her armored gauntlet and stuck her hand in the box. Unseen to Geist, a machine inside the box pricked her finger and sampled her DNA. When it came back with a positive reading, the box retreated and the industrial dumpster at the end of the alley slid into a recess behind it. Nightstrike maneuvered the bike over the square of concrete where the dumpster had resided.
With a few clicks and a shudder, the patch of concrete began lowering. It dropped in a quick, but controlled manner, finally stopping in front of a down-sloping tunnel. Nightstrike headed on down the tunnel and they emerged into a small, but state of the art base. "If you've studied the geography of Titan City., we're now underneath Footprint Lake. Welcome to Blackwatch HQ." she said as they came to a stop and she dropped the kickstand.
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
She nodded to Nightstrike "I have indeed, Five seconds is how long it would take me to enter this place properly without getting wet or sitting around for that elevator. accounting for the GPS coordinates and the depth of the late above us, and assuming that any building would have to be built at least twelve meters down from that for stability and another what five to eight meters of reinforcing steel and concrete considering this is after all a base, not a car park"
She strolled around looking at things removing her helmet and mask "so, you said you would tell me more" She said setting her laptop and bag down "once we got someplace we could talk, I am assuming your hidden base is a safe place to talk yes? my first question is of course who is funding this, this is governmental or corporation level stuff big bases, huge monitors state of the art technology....and I am not very pro either of those."
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
― Oscar Wilde
Nightstrike swung one leg over the bike, but continued sitting on the seat, watching Geist. When she took off her mask, Nightstrike did the same, setting the helm on the cycle's rear seat. She appeared to be in her late 20's to early 30's. "As I said before, I'm funding this. I'm much older than I look and, with the exception of a very select few, I have as much distrust for corporations and governments as you do. I've had a long time to amass a large fortune, which I want to use to improve the world. But I need help with that. Hence the formation of Blackwatch."
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
Geist lifted an eyebrow and tilted her head her blond hair pulled back and clipped tightly for the mission she didn't have the chance to do. "sorry, I just have trouble coming to grips with someone that looks my age or perhaps a bit older funding this whole operation. Not to say its impossible, or that you being far older is either, I have come to understand that stranger things happen every day. That being said, I would still like to see your books, the inner business woman in me you see. I have found that the fastest way to tell innocence, guilt, corruption or deviancy is simply to follow the money."
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
― Oscar Wilde
Nightstrike raised an eyebrow at Claudia's request. She flipped her helm over and reached into it, extracting a small headset that she fit over one ear. She levered herself off the bike and walked towards a 3/4 ring-shaped console with several giant screens surrounding it.
"Alright then. Some of the money I've made is from mercenary work. Mostly fighting in dirty little wars that you never hear about on the news. But I have done some wetwork. However, most of my money was made through investments. I also own stock in companies run by good people, like Promethean Dynamics and Scott Enterprises. Companies like those are hard to find. Most of them are soulless conglomerates that only care about profit." Nightstrike said as she stepped into the console. A green 'eye' scanned her and the screens lit up.
"CIPH3R."
"Yeah boss?" answered a lazy Southern voice.
"Say hello to Geist. Blackwatch's first recruit. She'll be taking a look at the books."
"You sure 'bout that, boss?"
"Did I stutter, CIPH3R?"
"Nope."
"I didn't think so." Nightstrike said as she brought up the financial records for Blackwatch. The records went back 3 years, showing that Nightstrike had been preparing for the recruitment period for some time now. The records gave a complete rundown of all the liquid capital that had been deposited or transferred into several different accounts that Blackwatch drew from, as well as all the withdrawals and transactions for various expenses. She stepped out of the console and motioned to it while looking at Claudia.
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
Geist rubbed her eyes slightly the contact lenses there bugging her with so much back light from the monitors, she preferred her glasses or no corrective aid but reading small print on a monitor required sacrifices, and reading small print on a monitor when you were planning on phasing required contacts. she then walked up to the computer and started to read over the files mentioning folder names and inquiring data to the talking machine without much surprise. she did turn towards Nightstrike after a moment."VI or AI? either way expensive investment for data management and security. good companies exist they are indeed hard to find, I know my father ran one. I am also glad you didn't try to lie to me about the funding, this level of technology and construction, I would be hard pressed to believe you did it all with private open market purchases and a shovel" She grinned and caught a loose strand of her hair pulling it back over her ear.
She kept working as she spoke opening her own computer and cross referencing equipment serial numbers with data she already had saved, which companies manufactured the machines inside the base, trends on the age of the hardware, seeing if it matched up with expenditures from that time period . things did seem to be on the board, but as per her norm she planned to go over the details with a fine tooth comb. "this might take me a few days, do you have sleeping arrangements here? or if you have other things to do, I am sure cipher? can baby sit me"
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
― Oscar Wilde
"CIPH3R isn't a computer. He's flesh and blood. I don't trust AI's. You'll find sleeping quarters at the end of that hallway. The kitchen is down that way." Nightstrike said, pointing down one hallway and then down another.
"I've got some other recruits to visit. CIPH3R, keep an eye on the place." she said as she put the earpiece back in the helmet, pulled it back on, and then saddled back onto the bike.
"Will do, boss."
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
Geist walked over and put on a headset, taking a seat and delved into the data she found CIPH3R's accent to be boarder line rage inducing, it was slow, drawn out, sloppy, but the access he had and his knowledge of the computer system were invaluable to her research so it was tolerable and she did not mention it. At least today had not been a waste, and she deep down had always wanted a cool underground lair...though she would have made one without doors personally.
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
― Oscar Wilde
An hour later, Nightstrike crouched atop a building on the waterfront, peering out across the rippling expanse of Liberty Harbor. The building was part of a new group of docks being built along the northern rim of the harbor. Since they were currently under construction, they were not in use and only lightly guarded. Security had consisted of a chain-link fence, one guard in a shack, and one guard patrolling the fence every half-hour with a German Shepherd. All of them had been easily circumvented or evaded.
Now she was waiting for a small fleet of ships from Canada. These particular ships belonged to the Zamora cartel. They'd thwarted the majority of Customs enforcement by sending their drugs to Halifax in Nova Scotia, then shipping them down the seaboard to Titan City.
However, she wasn't there for the ships or the drugs on them. Her next acquisition, a shapeshifter called Unknown, was proving difficult to track unless Nightstrike wanted to walk into The Daily Grind and attempt to recruit it in the middle of the day. She'd tried following Unknown home from work a few times, but it always gave her the slip. However, stories had cropped up of drug shipments and facilities being hit by a shapeshifter, who would destroy whatever product it could get its clutches on. Consequently, she had to try different tactics.
With a few whispered words in the appropriate ears, Nightstrike had made sure that word of these Zamora shipments were circulating the rumor network of Titan City, then staked out this shipment. It was her hope that Unknown would find its way here and she could finally have a word with the shapeshifter.
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
It wouldn't be a long wait as she might spot Unknown in his John Doe form of the tattooed man. It was hard to find a baby sitter that would do nights, but the sitter believes Sandra Rose to have a second job. So that left some time to hunt. The target this time was at the docks, the moisture in the air would be a slight problem Unknown hated water. Oh how easy it would be to just dive in and spring out of the water unexpected. That wouldn't' be the case thought, to much water will kill him. A weakness he strives to keep hidden from the poisoners.
Unknown was a collective of live forms forming one awareness. It was a long time before he understood the idea of personal property, to long because he was now wanted himself. Still the idea that Titan City was a greater entity was central to the awareness mentality. The City welcomed him, adopted him and made him part of it self. However there are elements that threaten the City. Criminals who crush the weak to gain dominance, and worst the poisoners. Those who bring in or make toxins feeding it to the young and gullible. Drugs, the kind that nearly destroyed the man he once was before the space born lifeforms bonded and fused themselves to him.
In any life form when it is exposed to poisons or threats it would create counter measures. Anti-bodies, immunities, and other defensive measures. Unknown now sees itself as one of these Anti-bodies of the City.
Nearing the docks Unknown let the human aspect drop becoming that alien black mass and slipping through the fence by just walking through it. Melting into a puddle of black liquid he slid like a blob from a horror movie under one of the shipping containers. From that vantage point he saw the ship dock and two men coming off of it to speak to a third. On the ship he made out five more crew members, and two more men standing near a ... an ice cream truck. They were transporting the poison in an ice cream truck. That just felt wrong on so many levels.
Now how to attack, to close to the water and a rogue wave could kill him. This would take cunning. A tentacle moved out from under the container and tapped the side, just enough to catch attention of the drug dealers. The two men at the car drew their guns and headed over to investigate.
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Personal rules of good roleplay
1.) Nothing goes as planned.
2.) If it goes as planned it's not good RP
Nightstrike's head whipped around as the sensors in her helmet picked up the whang of something impacting the side of a container. She slowly crept across the roof of the building until she reached the side of the building. Laying down on the gravel roof, she peeked just enough of her helmet over the raised edge to look in the direction of the sound. The two thugs were immediately visible and she watched as they approached a container warily.
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
The two goons went forward and looked around "Must have been a cat or somethin...." That was when the one talking face got covered with the black mass that rose up from under the container the rest formed into Unknown more humanoid shape and his left arm shot out impaling the other goon. The first one was tossed against the container with enough force he dropped to the ground.
"It's the shape shiftier! Get it!" Three men on the boat pulled there own automatics and fired on him as he charged. The bullets might as well been hitting jello for they didn't seem to have any effect.
That was when the back of the Ice cream truck opened and what could only be called a Mr. Freeze wannabe stepped out. "Seems our slippery eel took the bait boys." The Ice powered foe lifted up a blue glowing gun and fired at Unknown. The quick fluid movements was what saved unknown from being hit directly. The Ice beam hit the container coating the end with ice. This was not good.
-------------------------------------------
Personal rules of good roleplay
1.) Nothing goes as planned.
2.) If it goes as planned it's not good RP
Knowing from Egypt that Unknown had a weakness to water and ice, Nightstrike sprang into action. She leaped off the roof and, as she flew through the air, drew a throwing knife from her left forearm sheath. She whipped it at the gunner, aiming at his trigger hand. Landing a second later, her bent legs absorbing the shock, she sprinted towards the fight.
As her right arm reached back to draw her sword, her left hand stripped a cylindrical grenade off her combat webbing. She lobbed the grenade underhanded so that it landed in the middle of the battlefield. With a POP, caps blew off the cylinder and it began belching green smoke. Fortune seemed to be with them, as the light breeze carried the smoke towards the attackers. Nightstrike skidded to a halt next to Unknown, her synthesized voice emerging from her helmet. "Move it, Unknown. That smoke is only going to delay them for a minute or less!"
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
"A trap... they adapted to us." he shook his head as if he couldn't believe it. But he rose up and started moving first slowly as his body repairs the damage from the cold then faster. "Do you have something to destroy that ship? We... I don't want those poisons on the streets." He turned his head and looked at the ship with hate.
-------------------------------------------
Personal rules of good roleplay
1.) Nothing goes as planned.
2.) If it goes as planned it's not good RP
Nightstrike grabbed Unknown and dragged it into a nearby maze of containers. "That one ship? What about the four others behind it waiting to dock? And the five ships next month? And the five the month after that? Killing men and blowing up ships will not get the results you want. Your methods and goals, while admirable, are too small. But I want to do more to help this world and I could use you in that fight. Will you come with me?"
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
"The whispers of hate are eased when I destroy the poisoners. Thought this method is limited and time consuming. Very well we shall come with you our fight against the poisoners can wait. We learned to take our time thanks to Crystal." He looked back to where the ship was and thought the man with the ice blaster heading to where they fled. "our approach to them will need to change now they figured out our weakness."
With that it was over at least for now and he took off for the fence where he uses his arms as blades to cut an exit for them. "Lead the way Nightstrike."
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Personal rules of good roleplay
1.) Nothing goes as planned.
2.) If it goes as planned it's not good RP
As they made for the fence, Nightstrike saw the guards getting ready to respond to the automatic weapons fire. Knowing the dealers wouldn't hesitate to slaughter them, she diverted her course towards their bungalow.
As she approached at a run, she drew another grenade, let it cook, then threw it through the window. It blew while still in the air, creating an electric shockwave that tased both guards and the dog in its kennel. Peeking in to make sure they were all out, she then let herself in, collected her grenade, and headed for the fence.
Nightstrike caught up to Unknown outside the fence and led it towards a broken--down car. As they approached, the car disappeared and was replaced by her motorcycle. She swung her leg over it, then looked to Unknown. "Hop on."
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
He nodded and got onto the bike behind her. "Alright lets get out of here." As he settled on the bike a helmet formed over his head. The rest of him took on the look of the tattooed man John Doe again.
-------------------------------------------
Personal rules of good roleplay
1.) Nothing goes as planned.
2.) If it goes as planned it's not good RP
Half an hour later, they were pulling into the garage. Nightstrike dismounted the bike and silently led Unknown into the central part of the base. The first place she looked was over towards the computer console to see if Geist was still at work.
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
Geist was rubbing her eyes gently and moving a stack of print outs from a terminal to a stack on her right, so far everything checked out to her satisfaction but it paid to pay attention to the details, she looked up at the sound of the two entering. "two in one night, impressive, how large do you plan to make this group?" she asked honestly interested to see how many people she would be working with.
She stood up and walked over to the two of them offering a hand "hello sir, you can call me Geist, it is a pleasure to meet you"
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
― Oscar Wilde
"Geist, I'd like to introduce you to Unknown, a shapeshifter that I've worked with on two previous ops." she said, her memories revisiting Egypt and Brazil in a flash.
As Geist introduced herself, Nightstrike doffed her helmet and hit a concealed button on its side. The helmet's back folded into the front and she clipped it onto her left pauldron.
"In answer to your question, my goal is a team of seven, including myself." As she spoke, she stepped over to the computer ring and powered up the third large screen, leaving Geist's research on the other two screens alone. With a few commands, she brought up the dossiers for her other potential recruits. With the exception of the shadow mage, there were names appended to each of them.
"This first one does not have a name that I can find, but the others are Accipiter and Jourgun. Feel free to study their dossiers."
Nightstrike turned back to the other two, her rear perched lightly on the console.
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
Unknown took Geist hand in a firm shake. Thought his hand seemed to smooth almost as if it was plastic instead of flesh. The helmet he had on seem to melt into his normal head clean shaven with the tribal like black tattoos. His eyes were dark brown almost black as well, he had on the black jacket, black t-shirt, blue jean and the black combat boots. "I also go by John Doe, John will do." He released the hand and looked at Nightstrike "I'm curious as to the nature of this collective. What is the goal?"
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Personal rules of good roleplay
1.) Nothing goes as planned.
2.) If it goes as planned it's not good RP
"This... collective will have the goal of learning about potential dangers to the world or humanity and dealing with them before they can become a threat. Things like terrorist cells or super-villains that are planning attacks, dangerous technology in the wrong hands, and illegal or unethical research. Especially if it involves humans." Nightstrike answered after considering the question for a few seconds.
She levered herself off the console and walked back towards the duo. "Humans call this being proactive, as opposed to being reactive, which is how most superhero teams operate. It won't make us popular with various entities, but it needs to be done. Any other questions?"
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
Geist rolled her eyes "oh no, I guess I will be off corporate backed governmental Christmas card lists. I doubt anyone that wears a mask for a living, good or bad, cares about being popular. I have not worked with other people, let alone other people with exceptional powers. How exactly will this work? Will we each be doing something different? Will we be working in concert? Do we have proper medical dental and retirement?"
Geist turned towards the man "well John, it has been exciting meeting you, and I look forwards to learning more about you. working with you in the future and figuring out why you feel like the inside of my suits gloves"
She walked over and loaded the profiles and data onto her laptop, before packing up "I still have a lot to go over, but so far everything appears to be in order. I am exhausted, so my last question would be were are the sleeping facilities?" she said waiting for her answers before going.
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
― Oscar Wilde
"That is very true, Geist. You'll find quarters down that hallway." Nightstrike answered, pointing to a passage to the left of the garage entrance.
Once Geist was gone, she turned back to Unknown. "There is one thing I wanted to inform you about before I finalize your entry onto the team. Being a member of Blackwatch will require a lot of travel, much of it international. You will be out of Titan City for days and weeks, possibly even months at a time. With that in mind, do you have any sort of long-term care set up for Crystal Rose? If so, excellent. If not, go ahead and take the time to set that up."
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
John shook his head and looked at Nightstrike "I don't have any long term care for Crystal. There is a very strong protective urge in us to guard ou.. my family." He shook his head clearly he still had trouble with the singular and plural, mostly when the host personality was resisting the influence of the collective.
"I will use CIPH3R to find a child care service if you be paying for it. In this city there bound to be some child care for long term unexpected trips."
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Personal rules of good roleplay
1.) Nothing goes as planned.
2.) If it goes as planned it's not good RP
"Give me 24 hours before you do that. I'm pretty sure I know somebody who can look after Crystal when you're away. CIPH3R, help John with anything else he needs. I have one more recruitment attempt to make tonight." she said, nodding to John and then heading back to the garage. She wanted to continue using her bike, but switching vehicles would be more comfortable for the recruits and lessen the chance of drawing attention. With that in mind, Nightstrike hit a button and the platform the bike was on rotated into the wall. In its place was a black Koenigsegg CCX, which she dropped into. The sleek supercar rumbled to life and she took off up the tunnel towards the elevator.
Ten minutes later, she was atop a multi-level parking garage in Ironport, the CCX holo-shrouded to look like a rusted-out 1981 Datsun Laurel. From what Nightstrike had been able to glean about this mysterious shadow killer, they did not have a preferred territory, but seemed to frequent the high-crime areas of Titan City. Firing her grapnel, she swung off into the night to begin her hunt.
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
"CIPH3R Inform Nightstrike she can contact me at the coffee shop or the apartment upstairs. I have a babysitter that expecting me." With that Unknown walked out as he did he shifted into that feline form and took off running at top speed of about 30 or 40 mprs.
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Personal rules of good roleplay
1.) Nothing goes as planned.
2.) If it goes as planned it's not good RP
After several hours of searching without any luck, Nightstrike headed back to her car just before dawn. She would have to find this mysterious cloaked vigilante some other time.
As the holo-shroud dropped, Nightstrike suddenly got a rather intense feeling of being watched. She opened the gull-wing door and turned slowly, masking her look around as a natural motion from getting into the car. But neither her sight nor her sensors could find anything.
She finished getting in and headed back to base, the first item on her agenda being a few hours of sleep before recruitment began anew.
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
"No...," the stalker muttered to himself as the shiny black car drove away. "It couldn't be... Could it?"
He checked the identification database on his retinal display and shook his head with a sigh. The woman wasn't coming up on his Titan City threat search. Not terribly surprising, what with the new hacks still sleazing their way into the richest databases around this wonderful city. But, she looked so familiar! His tail lashed back and forth in irritated thought and his whiskers were drawn back. He wished he had gotten a closer look. The tactical gear the woman was wearing could have belonged to many different people or organizations, but the ginger-striped spy was certain he had sensed her particular energy signature and movement style before.
Kartanian, notorious rogue, sneak, and scoundrel, sometime assassin and sometime hero, narrowed his eyes to mere gold-green slits and concentrated, fixing her in his memory. His curiosity was piqued. After he finished his latest hack, he resolved to find out more. She was somehow too familiar for him to just let her go off into the pre-dawn mist with the mystery unsolved. The game was afoot!
A Wing and a Prayer, A Strong, Strong Wind, All Forests are One, Power Struggles - Venture City metahuman novels in the spirit of City of Heroes and other comic book superhero fiction. (http://bit.ly/sdpbooks)
Geist knocked heavily on the door holding a stack of folders out for when it would open. She didn't sleep much before the accident and felt it was a waste of time now, four to six hours was plenty of time in a strange unproductive comma. standing outside of Nightstrikes room she knocked again, she had allowed the bulk of last nights questions to remain unanswered because it was clear the other woman was busy with recruiting the strange plastic man, but she required those answers now to prodceed with either of the options she had prepared. she was well aware she may be infringing on the other womans sleep but such is the life of a leader.
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
― Oscar Wilde
Nightstrike's door slid open and she stood there in a nightshirt and boy-short panties, deftly braiding her shoulder-length hair. "Yes, Claudia?" she asked. She was completely refreshed, having gotten the necessary three hours of sleep.
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
"Hmm." Jourgun reached into his pocket to look at a notepad that was in there, the words."James Dafont of high point." Was scribbled there in his own hand writing that even he could barely read,along with a photo of the male, stuffing the letter back into his pocket he stood up, walking down the side of the street in some normal civilian clothes, his dreaded shoulder length hair was cut into a Mohawk, and he had on a purple hoodle and black cargo pants.
"Well Jimmy D, looks like I am coming for you." He mumbled to himself, as he turned the alleyway and jumped to grab the last rung of the fire escape that was attached to an apartment building, pulling himself up before running up the metal stairs and atop the roof, reaching into the hoodie's pocket to pull out a pair of high tech binoculars, zooming in onto the club that is said that Mr. Dafont frequents, there was some recital movements along with buzzing an whizzing from the binoculars.
"Looking for an uptight man, in a sea of uptight people has never been easier...Got you Mr. D." He jumped over the edge of the building landing softly on the ground, tucking a rolling to make no sound at all, sprinting quickly enough to get there just as James was walking out of the club, 3 large men with him, as they walked through the alleyway to get to their car.
"Alrighty then..." Jourgun walked back along the sidewalk keeping his distance from the other 4, about 80 feet, only waiting until they got to the single parked Black SUV to make himself known, looking like a common street thug in his worn out hoodie and pants.
"Hey."
--Formerly Jorortis--
Note: Jorortis is still a character of mine and is still going to be in the super group, not Demirus, at least not yet...
At the daily grind Unknown now in the Samantha Rose disguise was going about her morning duties. It took some time but she became used to handling the coffee, it was good it was hot as well people would think her caution was due to that. She looked over to where Crystal was playing in the sunlight. The child was unusual even by Unknown's standards. Unlike her parent Crystal body was stable she didn't show any signs of shape shifting, nor the weakness to liquid and cold. At the same time there was a link to her and sunlight she did feed of the light like Unknown and rested when there wasn't enough light. Samantha wondered if she would outgrow that as the child grew would she be able to store enough energy to keep awake during the night.
She also wondered what Nightstrike would set up to watch the little one during what ever task she has in mind. Taking a brief moment during customers she looked at the newspaper and the leading story about the failed strike at the docks. Unknown wouldn't be able to be as reckless as he used to be dealing with the poisoners. He needed new tactics.
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Personal rules of good roleplay
1.) Nothing goes as planned.
2.) If it goes as planned it's not good RP
She blushed and turned around facing the far wall "I wanted to know about some of the issues I mentioned before. How exactly does this all work, Will we be working together or will this be solo operations that support each other? also do we have proper dental, medical and other such bases covered? A retirement plan, or is this more of a lose job between our own ambitions?" by this point she had changed into a knee length skirt, stockings heels and a suit jacket with a white blouse under it, her hair pulled back into a bun. she still held the stack of folders. "if you wanted to set up such funds like retirement, stock options and insurance I have prepared some conservative investments that would allow such thing to be brought into practice without leaving a large money trail to your accounts or this base. they of course would require you to invest the capital listed in the folders" she held them over her shoulder.
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
― Oscar Wilde
Nightstrike smirked at Claudia's embarrassed reaction, then listened to what she had to say. "I had not considered insurance, but I will look into it. Thank you. As for the money side of things, I'll take a look at what you've prepared and get back to you on it." she said, taking the folders from Claudia..
At that moment, CIPH3R's voice sounded over Nightstrike's room intercom. "Hey boss, ah think we got a lead on Accipiter."
"Thanks CIPH3R. Route it to my office and I'll take a look." she answered, striding past Claudia towards the main room. As she walked away from the shorter blonde, runes appeared around Nightstrike and the body-sheath part of her armor snapped into place. Once in the main room, she turned and headed up a switchback flight of stairs to an office above the hallway. She stuck her hand into a box jutting from the wall and a machine inside it took a blood sample. The door slid open and she set the files down on her desk, then stepped over to a viewscreen. The screen brought up Accipiter's bio and the information CIPH3R had found, which she began perusing.
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
Claudia walked over and leaned on the door frame "another recruit I take it? you seem to be putting together this team rapidly, also you have avoided the question on the amount of cooperation twice now. I don't know a tenth of what you do in crime fighting or probably even theft, but what I do know is successfully running an operation with a wide talent pool and big goals. Communication, and a clear directive are important for that"
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
― Oscar Wilde
As she continued to look at the screen, Nightstrike answered over her shoulder. "My apologies, Claudia. It has not been my intention to avoid any of your questions, but rather that I simply wasn't expecting so many at once. I am more used to working with mercenaries whose slew of questions consist of variations on how much they are getting paid, when they are getting paid, and the occasional psycho who wants to know how many people they'll get to kill."
As the video she was watching ended, she turned to face Geist. "Starting out, I intend for the team to deploy and work as a whole. During ops, the team will be divided as necessary. Once trust has been formed amongst the members of the team, I will consider allowing smaller ops that do not require the full team. Since you have experience running an operation with a group of disparate individuals and I need an XO (Executive Officer), perhaps you'd consider filling that position?"
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
"On the managerial side of things of course, I am not a student of combat tactics, though I am not opposed learning. first order of business however is to invest in fancy deployable clothing...I takes forever to get into that suit...and for the paid part, I am far more interested in the question of how we can hurt them, then how much we are being paid to do so...also If killing is avoidable which to my experience it always has been, I try to do so." she said still standing in the doorway and watching the screens.
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
― Oscar Wilde
"Excellent. Your office is over there." Nightstrike stated, pointing over Claudia's shoulder to another stairwell and door that mirrored her own.
"It's good that you're willing to learn, because there will be a period of training after recruitment. As for the costumes, if you'll follow me, I have something you might find useful." she said, walking past Claudia and down the steps. She headed across the room and into the hallway that terminated in the kitchen, but took a left before reaching the end. Claudia would find herself in a combination laboratory and workshop. Nightstrike walked over to a rack of sealed beakers and perused them, selecting a large one and sliding it out. The contents appeared to be a shimmery black substance.
Nightstrike popped the top and poured a small amount into a petri dish, then set it down and stepped back, motioning for Claudia to take a look.
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
She leaned forward and took a glance "some form of non-Newtonian fluid? nano lattice? also very impressive laboratory, My father had one, he wanted to fund chemicals and technology that allowed for the clean consumption and removal of hazardous waste, but given your level of preparedness I am sure you know all that"
She tilted her head "so what does it do?"
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
― Oscar Wilde
"I do know all that and yes, it is nanotech. To be more specific, it is a nano-suit." Nightstrike said as she undid several clasps and removed her wrist-length glove. She set the glove down on the counter, then extended one finger to poke the small pool of shimmery liquid. The pool quivered, then slowly began crawling up her finger. As it progressed, the liquid began to move faster until it had finally covered her hand and a bit of her wrist.
"It's smooth, non-conductive, and light as a feather. i think it'll be the perfect material for you to use as an infiltration suit. One of its more unique properties is that the nanites mildly bond with someone they've been in contact with long enough. What this means is that with some testing and training, I believe it can be programmed to respond to very simple tactile commands from you. Touch it one way and it spreads out into the suit. Touch it in another way and it condenses into something like a piece of jewelry."
Nightstrike grabbed a ring-shaped device off of the counter, switched it on, and ran the covered portion of her arm through it. The device created a field that forced the nanites to release and fall back into the petri dish. Once finished, she switched the device off and turned to face Claudia. "What do you think?"
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
It wasn't long before Samantha Rose walked into the base dressed in the brown pants and black button up shirt her long black hair was in a ponytail. In her arms was Crystal now looking to be about a year old and was squirming wanting to crawl. "Nightstrike? I hope you don't mind, but I couldn't find a babysitter."
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Personal rules of good roleplay
1.) Nothing goes as planned.
2.) If it goes as planned it's not good RP
Nightstrike looked up as Samantha walked into the lab. "That's alright, Unknown. As I said last night, I would attempt to find someone to help you with Crystal. I made a few calls last night and hired someone who she couldn't be safer with than if she was with you."
At that moment, a husky female voice rang out from the main room. "Yo Night, nice digs you got here! Where are you?"
Nightstrike smirked. "And that would be her now. Follow me. I'll be right back, Geist." she said as she exited the lab and trotted out to the main room. Standing near the middle was a woman of Amazonian proportions. While wearing sneakers, she stood 6'4" and had to weight at least 200 pounds, most of it appearing to be solid muscle. She had shoulder-length chocolate brown hair and her cornflower blue eyes studied Samantha as they approached.
"Samantha, I'd like you to meet Alexandra James. Alexandra, this is Samantha Rose and, more importantly, her daughter Crystal." Nightstrike said.
Alexa stepped towards Samantha and held out a hand. "Hey there. You can call me Alexa."
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
"Hello Alexa. This is Crystal, she's not an ordinary child she doesn't need to eat nor does she produce waste. She need plenty of sunlight her body absorbs light of all sources but sunlight the best." She then looked to Nightstrike "Unlike me she has no problem with water, she also haven't shown any signs of shape shifting so her body more stable then mine."
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Personal rules of good roleplay
1.) Nothing goes as planned.
2.) If it goes as planned it's not good RP
Alexa shot a look at Nightstrike, who simply smiled sweetly back at her. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet both of you. May I hold her?" Alexa asked, sticking her arms out towards Crystal.
"I'll let you three get acquainted then." Nightstrike said as she about-faced and headed back towards the lab to check on Claudia.
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
Samantha looked down at Crystal who was still squirming wanting to be let loose and craw. "Alright. Just remember to make sure there some light source around her. I fear she might not have enough energy stored to keep herself alive if there isn't some kind of light on. I have a night light by her bed for that reason." Hands over Crystal to Alexa "Crystal this is Alexa she's going to help take care of you when I'm busy."
Like any baby Crystal didn't seem to really care she stuck her thumb in her mouth and sucked on it.
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Personal rules of good roleplay
1.) Nothing goes as planned.
2.) If it goes as planned it's not good RP
Giest walked out the black substance on the tray now on a tray in her hand. "Isn't this an illegal base under a lake? Frau this probably isn't the best place to have a child...doubly so one that requires light....also who is this?" She said looking towards Nightstrike then at two other people. "we really need a name tag system...or ID cards."
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
― Oscar Wilde
Nightstrike nodded to Claudia and turned back to face the others. "Well, the child isn't exactly normal. But you're right, this is not the place for her and I had no intention of her staying here. I've already set up a safehouse for her and her caretaker. Speaking of which, the tall brunette is my good friend Alexandra. She also goes by the alias Liberty Girl. She's incredibly strong, very fast, and damn near invulnerable. I think she'll be an excellent caretaker for Crystal. Crystal is the daughter of Sandra, who is the public face of Unknown, the shapeshifter you met last night."
"As far as security goes, I'm planning on instituting a sub-dermal chip system that will have a double function. Identification and communication amongst the team. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got another recruit to go find. CIPH3R, what was the last known location of Accipiter?" Nightstrike asked as she walked towards the small knot of people.
CIPH3R answered her and she stored the information away, then cleared her throat. Alexa, who was playing with the baby, looked up at her. "I have a safehouse for you and Crystal. I can take you there now. Sandra, you can accompany them or stay here if you are not due at work."
"C'mon munchkin." Alexa said, scooping the slowly crawling Crystal off the floor. Nightstrike turned back towards Claudia. "Geist, if you have any more questions, CIPH3R can help you or he can route them to my headset."
The group headed towards the garage, where an Audi S8 sedan waited. The car took off up the tunnel and was soon cruising the streets of Titan City. Once she had dropped the others off, she headed towards the area where CIPH3R had seen Accipiter. Once she got there, she holo-shrouded the Audi and found herself a concealed vantage point from which to look for the mercenary. As she crouched, her armor and weapons appeared.
"Now for the waiting..." she said to herself.
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
Sandra seemed to melt and turned into a human black shape then grew in height and became male in form. Fine details returned and he was once again John Doe the male face of Unknown.
"Indeed we met before. I believe it would be best for me to stay here as Alexa takes my daughter to the safe house. It would be beneficial if we take some time here to bond as a team. Find out what our strengths and weaknesses are."
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Personal rules of good roleplay
1.) Nothing goes as planned.
2.) If it goes as planned it's not good RP
The area was quiet. Other than a few dim lights shining from the windows of buildings, the entire area seemed almost dead. Nightstrike's surroundings were clearly one of the more needy neighborhoods in the city, which likely made it a good hiding spot for those that weren't exactly in the law's good graces. Somewhere below her vantage point, although she could not see it, a group of such people were busy convening behind closed doors in an abandoned building, the lights within turned down so low that they were barely on. From the outside, they even seemed entirely silent. They had, seemingly, gone through enough pains to stay hidden, that the only way that someone would be able to tell that they were there was if that someone knew beforehand.
Yet, seemingly, that was the case. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, the sudden crash of glass came from directly below Nightstrike's vantage point, along with a sudden commotion. Apparently someone had made the rookie mistake of sitting near one of the windows. Almost as soon as the glass broke, another sound, that of shattering brick, came from directly below as well. Some sort of round, clearly heavy enough to break through brick, based on the sound, had ripped its way through the wall, and had caused even more commotion within. Judging by the roughly-circular shaped hole in the window, the first noise had been that of a gun's round as well. Either way, whomever was inside was clearly having a very bad time at that point.
[color=#ff0000]Composition Team[/color]
When the glass below her shattered, Nightstrike immediately whispered two words and vanished in the blink of an eye. Due to her mass, the obfuscation spell could only last a little less than a minute, but it would be enough. She fired a grapnel to a water tower on another building and swung across the street, landing silently in the tower's shadow. Studying the building she'd just swung from, Nightstrike soon found the hole in the window.
She toggled a control on her gauntlet and zoomed her vision in, looking through the window to where the bullet had penetrated the brick. With two points of reference, the computer in her helmet began calculating the trajectory of the shot. [i]Single shot. High velocity. No report. Definitely a sniper rifle... could it be?[/i] Nightstrike thought to herself, just as the computer displayed its results, superimposing the path of the bullet onto her HUD. She followed it back to where it had originated from, looking for the shooter.
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
Seemingly, although her trajectory projection was correct, the shooter was already gone. However, a flash of movement came from near the window once more, as a dark, sleek figure dove into it from a nearby rooftop. The clamoring sound of additional surprise, along with raised voices, came from within the small room. Judging by the sound of struggle from within, the group had decided to waste little time, immediately beginning to square off with their sudden intruder.
[color=#ff0000]Composition Team[/color]
Nightstrike fired her grapnel again and swung into the room through the next window over. As she hit the floor, she slid to a stop, the line whipping in behind her. With fluid motions, she drew the sword off her back and one of the pistols from her belt.
She turned towards the commotion, ready to take on whatever was in the room.
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
The room was already a flurry of motion by the time Nightstrike swung into the building. A thug stumbled against the wall and fell to his knees just next to her, as the glowing, slit-like visors of Accipiter's helmet turned to look at her briefly. "You are interfering with my operation," comes a smooth female voice from within, just as she ducks a fist from one of the thugs without having to look their way. After countering with an uppercut, causing them to stagger backwards, she turns her attention to several more gang members that decide to enclose her from behind.
[color=#ff0000]Composition Team[/color]
As the thug near her started to get back up, Nightstrike struck him on the crown of his head with the pommel of her sword, sending him off to la-la land. "I prefer to call it spontaneous assistance. Besides, I'm here to see you."
She flicked a switch on her pistol and then fired it at one of the guys closing on Accipiter. A cerulean ovoid of crackling energy exited the barrel and hit him in the chest, sending crackling bolts of electricity dancing all over his spasming body as he collapsed to the ground. At that point, the thugs began to take her a bit more seriously. They split into two groups, one heading for her and the other for Accipiter.
Nightstrike bolted away from her group, towards the nearest wall, and they gave chase. When she was a few feet away from the wall, she leapt up and planted a boot against the wall, then vaulted off of it into a spinning kick, her foot crashing into the face of the nearest man. He flipped between her and another guy, so Nightstrike used him as a screen to approach the the next guy. He'd pulled out a pistol and was in the process of aiming at her. Her sword swept downwards, the mono-edged blade slicing through the gun just ahead of the trigger guard. He looked down at his gun, then back up at her just in time to see her gun discharge another crackling bolt, then he saw nothing else.
The third and final thug had an aluminum bat onto which had been fitted studded rings. He took a swing at her and Nightstrike accepted the blow on her shoulder, the weapon scuffing her armor a bit. She responded by swinging her sword at his head, turning the blade at the last second so the flat impacted his face and temple. The blow rocked him sideways and he straightened woozily, spat out a few teeth, then collapsed bonelessly.
Nightstrike sheathed her weapons and turned to see how Accipiter had done.
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
At the base Unknown had went into what he took to be a training room and shifted into his solid black attack form. Crystalline blades formed where his hands were and he started slashing at dummies.
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Personal rules of good roleplay
1.) Nothing goes as planned.
2.) If it goes as planned it's not good RP
The suited woman seemed to be more than holding her own. She did not trail her group to the edge of the room as Nightstrike had done, instead immediately dropping low and sweeping her leg in a circular fashion, tripping several of the mooks. Two of them managed to avoid the sudden motion, jumping over the leg before striking out for Accipiter. Her motions were calm and precise, almost premeditated, as if she knew exactly what they were going to do, and when they were going to do it. She immediately thrust her hands forward, energized talon blades shooting out from her suit's gauntlets. The two attempted to change the direction of their motion, but it was too late; their momentum sent them straight into Accipiter's talons, causing them to jerk from the electrical discharge as she flipped them up and over her onto the thugs that were currently scrambling for their bearings.
From there, a few quick kicks to the head of whatever was still moving was all that it took. As soon as the slumped pile of criminals had stopped moving, Accipiter looked up at the wall, staring at it quietly. She must have been preoccupied with something, perhaps within her helmet, but it was impossible to tell. Then, she looked sharply at Nightstrike, staring at her for a long moment.
"What do you want?" She asked flatly, her talon blades still out and at the ready, just in case. Judging by her stance, she wasn't taking any chances.
[color=#ff0000]Composition Team[/color]
Nightstrike had taken to casually leaning against the wall, one foot up. She leveled her gaze at Accipiter, but if she was concerned about the other woman's stance, she gave no indication of it.
"I'm Nightstrike and I have an offer for you. I'm putting together Blackwatch, a privately-funded spec-ops strike force that will take a proactive approach to dealing with those groups and/or individuals who threaten this planet and the people who live on it. Too many groups out there are reactive. Waiting for something terrible to happen and then hunting down and punishing the perpetrators. Blackwatch has access to a multitude of information sources and we'll investigate anything that we believe to be a threat. If it turns out to be so, we strike. I'd like you to join us because I'm looking to recruit the best and brightest, which most definitely makes you a candidate." she answered.
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
The figure does not relax at all, though she does not move, either. "What is the authorization for this project of yours?" They question firmly, staring straight ahead at Nightstrike, "I require information on all funders and overseeing partners, I require information on expected operations, and I require information on your roster. More detailed information in all areas is necessary before I will even consider making a decision."
[color=#ff0000]Composition Team[/color]
Nightstrike cocked her head to the side a bit and sighed. Modern military types were always the same.
"If you mean government authorization, then none. They will try to interfere, so I find it best to simply leave them out of the loop. The list of funders and overseeing partners has one name on it... mine. Expected operations will be as varied as the myriad threats that are out there, from terrorists to mad scientists to rampant A.I. The roster of operatives consists of myself, an infiltration specialist known as Geist, and a shapeshifter called Unknown. As I've already stated, I'm hoping to add you to that list. Support personnel consists of CIPH3R, a white hat hacker in my employ. Any more questions?" she asked patiently.
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
"Yes," Accipiter says, as combat-ready as ever, "I question your decision to leave the federal government out of operations that have the potential to compromise national security." She pauses there, as if waiting to see if there would be any sort of reaction from the other woman. "Where are you acquiring the money to fund these operations? How are you picking the targets? What will happen if your motives run counter to the stated objectives of the military forces of the United States or other countries?"
[color=#ff0000]Composition Team[/color]
"Given your position as an off-the-books operative for the United States, I'm sure you have contacts and information sources that can make sure our operations won't endanger national security. I'd rather not go any further into the discussion of budget or operating procedures in the middle of a crack house, thank you. We will make every effort to work within the laws and objectives of the countries we deploy to, but if said countries are knowingly or unknowingly harboring parties that are in position to grievously harm a great number of people or endanger the planet, Blackwatch will do everything necessary to stop them." With that proclamation, Nightstrike pushed herself off the wall, but her arms remained behind her back, her hands gripping the opposite wrists.
"I intend to leave this building within the next minute. Whether you accompany me or not is entirely up to you." she stated, her digitized voice conveying a note of finality.
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
Accipiter hesitated for another moment, watching the woman carefully before relaxing her stance. Her weapons retracted into her gauntlets, and she stood there, silently, for a few moments, before nodding to her. It almost seemed as if, for that split second, she was concentrating on something else entirely.
"Take me back to your base of operations, and I will decide for myself."
[color=#ff0000]Composition Team[/color]
"Excellent!" Nightstrike said before climbing back out the window she'd swung in through. She fired her grapnel up to the roof and swiftly clambered up the side of the building, trusting that an operative of Accipiter's caliber would figure out a way to keep up. Once on the roof, she took off back towards where the car was parked.
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
Accipiter made her way out onto the ledge, extending the talons to dig into the front of the building as she swiftly climbed her way to the top in a series of leap-like motions. As soon as she had reached the roof as well, she watched Nighstrike begin to lead the way, pausing for a moment before following along. "I want to know how you were informed of me," she says after a moment, breaking her silence.
[color=#ff0000]Composition Team[/color]
Nightstrike stopped and stood for a second, cursing in her helmet before turning back to the other woman.
"I have my sources, which I won't reveal at this time. I have not disseminated this information to anyone besides those who are already part of the team. But like a reporter, giving away my sources could lead to them being harmed professionally or physically. Is this going to be a problem?" she asked, a slight edge in her voice.
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
Accipiter pauses for several seconds, her expression unreadable from behind her helmet.
"No," she says after a moment, continuing to walk forward from behind the woman, as if encouraging her to continue. It was, perhaps, a rather strange and sudden acceptance.
[color=#ff0000]Composition Team[/color]
Nightstrike nodded, the acceptance without complaint or reservation popping a red flag in her mind, but she filed that feeling away for later. She set off at a dash, setting a blisteringly athletic and acrobatic course to follow. She leapt between rooftops, slid down inclines, hiked off of walls, and skidded across pipes on the way back to the car. As they approached the car, she dropped the holo-shroud. The appearance changed from a 1987 Toyota Camry to the 2015 Audi S8, which drew the attention of at least one onlooker.
When the two women reached the roof edge that looked into the lot where the Audi was parked, there was a figure skulking towards the luxury vehicle, slim jim sliding out of his sleeve. Nightstrike grinned subtly behind her helmet and looked over at Accipiter. "Excuse me just a moment."
The gravel lot had been a building at one time, but it had been reduced to just some skeletal girders, so she fired her grapnel at one of those girders and swung out so she was directly above the vehicle. As the would-be carjacker inserted his slim jim, she lowered herself onto the roof so softly that the car didn't even budge. She crouched down and drew her pistol, positioning it so that it was right by the thief's head. His sense of being watched finally sounded off and he looked over to see the barrel of the gun only inches from his forehead.
With a sound like MEEP, the thief's hands flew skyward, leaving the tool bobbing back and forth in the window sill. Nightstrike hopped off the vehicle and stood before him. "Now that doesn't belong to you, does it?" she asked coyly. The carjacker shook his head vigorously as his bladder emptied. "Now, be a good boy and turn around, hands behind your head."
The thief complied and Nightstrike holstered her gun to pull zip-cuffs from a pouch. She crossed his wrists and affixed the cuffs, tightening them to within just a hair of cutting off circulation. She'd activated a police beacon before swinging off the roof, so approaching sirens could now be heard, a timer on her HUD counting down to their arrival. She took the beacon off her belt and attached it along with an SD card to the carjacker's chest. The SD card contained the footage from her helmet cam along with instructions to check the camera of the ATM across the street for a corroborating view. As she did this, she waved to Accipiter to come on down. Lastly, she jabbed her fingers into nerve points in the thief's thighs, causing his legs to buckle and guaranteeing that he would be unable to walk for at least ten minutes.
The two women climbed into the car and took off, the dust cloud settling just as the first TCPD car pulled into the lot and illumined the thief laying there.
Because of Accipiter's government connections, Nightstrike set the car's auto-drive to take them to a garage that led to a secondary entrance to the base. it was going to be about twenty minutes, so she turned to the other woman and began filling her in on the information she'd been unwilling to give up earlier, like operating procedures and budget.
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
Accipiter sat in the car with folded arms, staring straight ahead through her helmet as Nightstrike filled her in. Unless prompted, she never spoke, and never asked questions herself. Once the two had exausted things to speak out, she finally spoke up, albeit briefly.
"I am surprised," she began, pausing, "that you are allowing me to visit without worrying about your confidentiality."
[color=#ff0000]Composition Team[/color]
Nightstrike nodded slowly as the car pulled into a garage. "Confidentiality is one of the things that is foremost on my mind. But I also have to be able to trust those on my team and I will do so right up to the moment that they betray me. Some may call that naiveté, but I prefer to call it believing in humanity's better nature. Without trying to sound threatening, I will tell you that I am not a person to be crossed, ever."
With that, she exited the vehicle and waited at the front for Accipiter. Once the other woman had joined her, she tapped a series of bricks on the north wall and a section of the east wall slid open to reveal a DNA tester on a pedestal in front of a door. Nightstrike removed her gauntlet and let the device do its work. With a bing, the door slid open and she put her gauntlet back on. Beyond the door was a sleek cylindrical elevator which opened as they approached. Once inside, the elevator closed up and began dropping. If it wasn't for the enhanced sensors in their respective armors, neither woman would've been able to tell it was moving, however.
Down in the base, CIPH3R's laconic voice spoke up. "Mz. Geist, if yer wantin' to keep yer identity hidden, I'd mask up. Night's bringin' in a new recruit and she works fer the US government."
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
Unknown looked up at the speaker where CIPH3R voice came from. "Given I have a criminal record and wanted by the authorities should I take up a more... unrecognizable form?"
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Personal rules of good roleplay
1.) Nothing goes as planned.
2.) If it goes as planned it's not good RP
"Hrrr... Same car, maybe. Enhanced, so that my 'scope can't peak inside," the feline rogue mused from the alley. With a sigh and a sudden nod of decision, Kartanian moved deeper into the shadows, the tip of his tail flicking back and forth like a metronome.
The Audi wasn't difficult to track back to where it had been parked. There was a police cruiser and a van, with several nervous officers interrogating a groaning civilian. The spy grinned. He stepped out from behind a utility pole in a ragged young human male disguise and made his way toward the lot entry, acting for all the world like a curious citizen. The wary police officer spotted him and called out, "Hey! You!"
Kartanian gestured at himself and looked around. "Huh? Me? Uh... yes, officer?"
"Yeah, you. Come over here!"
With a shrug and nervous glance around, Kartanian trudged across the gravel toward the officer, keeping his hands open and in sight.
"You live around here?" the officer asked suspiciously.
"No, sir. Over on Travis. What's goin' on?"
The man in blue gave him a thorough look-over. "Attempted auto theft. Someone's beacon went off. What have you seen around here in the last few minutes?"
"Not much, sir. I been walkin' back t' my car, mindin' my own business, if you know what I mean. I just noticed the lights."
"What's your name, son?"
"Ken Tanner, sir."
"What's brings you out here, this late at night?"
The young man grinned and looked down with an embarrassed grin for a moment. "Girlfriend... an' her friend."
"Uh... huh." The officer considered that. "You mean, both?" Ken Tanner nodded enthusiastically. "Well, shit."
"Yes, sir."
"Well... You didn't see anything unusual or suspicious about this area, then?"
"No, sir. I was just walkin' by. The whole neighborhood's kinda suspicious, though, if you ask me."
The officer nodded in firm agreement. "Yeah. That's for sure. You going to be all right?"
"Yes, sir, as long as I don't look like I got anythin' at all worth takin'."
"Right." The policeman snorted. "Okay, you can go. Stay safe."
"Thanks, sir. Uh... good luck with the guy, or whatever." He nodded back at the man the others were putting into the van. He ducked his head and trudged off in the direction he had been heading and "went about his business," as far as anyone watching could tell. As he walked, he mused about what he could see in the lot. There had been a few clues available. The car definitely had been parked there, and there had been two people getting into it, judging by the marks in the gravel. Still, that didn't give much clue about what the familiar woman had been doing here.
"Hey, kid, hold it right there," a low growl came from the shadows by the corner of a dimly-lit all-night smoke shop.
Still wearing his human guise, "Ken" stopped and turned toward the voice. Three tough young punks wearing the colors of a local chapter of one of the big gangs--Kartanian hadn't memorized the specific politics, yet--straightened up from where they had been leaning and put on their intimidating faces. The meanest-looking one said, "Give us what you got."
"Yeah?" Kartanian said as he glanced from face to face. No hesitation, no uncertainty there. These guys firmly believed they owned this corner and could do whatever they wanted. "You want what I got?"
"Yeah. Give it." The thug advanced to arm's reach, a little sneer twitching his lip.
"I don't think you can handle what I've got, frankly," the rogue replied in a soft voice. In a flash, he slid forward and grabbed the thug's right hand with his left, holding it and turning it palm-side up. A knife appeared in his right. He whisked the blade down and punctured the man's palm, sliding the metal between the bones. As the muscles began to contract, Kartanian slid the blade back out and moved on to the other two. A solid tap to the solar plexus of each in turn and they were stunned. The rogue gave each of them hand wound similar to their buddy's, lifted their guns, and backed off to the sidewalk again. The whole thing had taken less than ten seconds.
"Yeah, I thought not. Heal up and remember that you shouldn't mess with people weaker than you. You might be surprised what they can do." With a wry smirk, he faded out of sight into the darkness.
A Wing and a Prayer, A Strong, Strong Wind, All Forests are One, Power Struggles - Venture City metahuman novels in the spirit of City of Heroes and other comic book superhero fiction. (http://bit.ly/sdpbooks)
Accipiter waited calmly as they went through the security measures, then stepped into the elevator.
"You've taken a lot of pains to create this operation," Accipiter says, breaking the silence within the elevator, "how long is this project's intended duration?"
[color=#ff0000]Composition Team[/color]
Nightstrike grimaced behind her helmet. "As long as humans try to dominate and/or destroy each other, I intend for Blackwatch to be there to do something about it. Make no mistake. This is a long-term operation. I understand that you have other... priorities, but I'm hoping that you will join the team and help when you are available."
The elevator chimed softly as it opened onto the hallway that connected the garage and vehicle entrance to the central base. Nightstrike stepped out and then motioned for Accipiter to have a look around.
In the main room, CIPH3R's voice paused for a moment. "I dunno, Unknown. Yer wanted by th' TCPD. Accipiter works for th' federal government and th' Army. It's really up ta you."
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
Kartanian circled back unseen to the ATM in front of the gravel lot. This ran a little out of the norm for his usual hacking methods, but he was always pleased to use whatever resources presented themselves. The police were just finishing up. They didn't want to be here any longer than they had to, either. The Tabaxi spy quickly identified the dataline to and from the machine and wormed a super-thin tap through the protective casing. Moments later, he was studying the video feed and enhancing it to get the images of the car, the lot, and the people who had come and gone from it.
With a sigh of resignation, he skimmed the little he could find and then dumped it into a very unsubtle, brute force search of a variety of city and private databases. This would trigger alarm bells that would trace very quickly to his location, and it would make the hidden taps into all of those systems unusable thereafter, but this wasn't the time to sit patiently by the mouse hole waiting for prey. As expected, there was no identification of the Audi through the DoT, but that would have been too easy. He was able to follow the trail of the vehicle at certain points along its journey to and from the lot, and that was what he was really after. There were big blank spaces where there were no cameras to use to track the car, but he could deal with that by process of elimination... mostly. As long as the lady didn't activate another hologram.
The rogue was certain he had seen the woman before, in another place--another dimension, probably. Even suited up, she seemed familiar. He hadn't explored a good mystery for at least six weeks, and this one was irresistible.
The display resolved with a "last spotted" location. Just in time, too, as he was getting a reverse ping on the intrusion. There would probably be a hero or private metahuman security agent here within the next two minutes. It was time to move. Kartanian disengaged his tap, covered his tracks, and melted into the shadows.
Most of an hour later, the Tabaxi spy was poking about a likely garage. His feline luck was holding up, and he had discovered another local camera to tap which led him from the general area he was searching to the garage where the Audi had gone. It was challenging, but not a stretch, to get inside. The place was deserted, and it looked like a private garage, so the woman and her companion should be nearby. There were no signs of trouble, and this wasn't a threatened zone... He wondered to himself, [i]Now, where have they gone?[/i]
With a grin, he decided to risk it. He stepped out of stealth, smiled broadly, and looked about cheerfully for any hidden cameras to which he could announce himself.
A Wing and a Prayer, A Strong, Strong Wind, All Forests are One, Power Struggles - Venture City metahuman novels in the spirit of City of Heroes and other comic book superhero fiction. (http://bit.ly/sdpbooks)
Accipiter stepped out of the elevator, looking around the central base. "If that is the case, then your project will be forced to outlive you," she says blankly, taking stock of the nearby equipment and any present personnel. "I find myself doubting that you will be able to last that long."
[color=#ff0000]Composition Team[/color]
Nightstrike smirked as she walked into the main room and removed her helmet. She compacted it and hung it on her belt.
"I'm betting that you'd be surprised." she said with a smirk. Now that her helmet was gone, she was revealed to be an attractive woman who could've been anywhere between 25-35 years old. Her facial features didn't seem to lend themselves towards one particular racial subset, but rather towards a host of them. Her almond-shaped eyes were steel blue with gold flecks, which contrasted slightly with her light olive skin and dark auburn hair.
As she turned towards the center of the room, a klaxon sounded. Nightstrike dashed to the console and punched a button. In response, the feed from the garage popped up on the main screen, showing Kartanian as he stepped out of the shadows with a huge grin on his face. "CIPH3R, start a facial scan if he looks towards the camera. The fact that he made it into the garage already tells us that he's not a run-of-the-mill thief."
"I'm on it, boss." CIPH3R drawled.
As Kartanian looked around, the camera got a capture of his face and began running it through international databases. Nightstrike looked over her shoulder at Accipiter but said nothing, waiting to see how she reacted.
[color=#FF7F50]Putting yourself in another persons shoes emotionally is something that everyone has to experience eventually. It's part of learning to be a human being. Roleplayers do it for fun.[/color]
Unknown walked into the room from the training area. He was in his standard homeless tattooed appearance. "Should I go and intercept him?" Turning his head he looked at Accipiter with solid black eyes. He wasn't hiding the fact he wasn't normal at all. "And I take it this is the government agent CIPH3R informed me about."
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Personal rules of good roleplay
1.) Nothing goes as planned.
2.) If it goes as planned it's not good RP
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