Nights on the Maltese

[CondorBoH]

An interesting thing about reflexes and training. NORMALLY, Rose would respond to a crazed man kicking down the door waving a freakin' tommy gun around with the appropriate reaction of 'Take Cover and Shoot'.
But this was Crazy Al.
This was... normal. Ish. Sort of.
Listen it was to be expected, and all it got was a small flinch from the bodyguard in the general direction of Henrietta. She quickly lowered her arm and forced a smile at her boss. It wasn't long before the forced smile became and actual smile. Just let loose and take it as it goes when it comes to dealing with Al, that's the easiest way to get through this without losing any sanity.

Rosetta gave Carmen a quick apologetic look as they passed into the office.
"Good luck, kiddo."

Upon entry into Al's office, Rose once again had the same thought that she had every time she saw this man. How the hell did he run a successful criminal empire? Books and covers, right? Taking what will be her last breath of fresh air for the next thirty or so minutes, Rose went in and pulled the least filthy looking chair out for Henrietta, before standing near the door, reclining at it with her arms crossed.
"Looking forward to it, boss."

[exalted]

"Just 'a driver'?" Jenny raised an eyebrow as filled a cup with as much fancy coffee as it could hold, "Gee thanks, maybe next time you need to escape unnoticed from a from floating murder boat you'll have just another 'driver' to help you out, Gizmo."

Taking a stack of cookies she went to stand against the wall to wolf down as much as she could before KK opened up the secret trap door down to the shark tank. If she was going to end of as shark shit than she was going to be doing it with a belly full of expensive coffee and cookies and being all out of sass.

When the elevator dinged open she sighed and rolled her eyes. Yep, just had to be the other gang psycho and nearly caught her with her pants down, literally. That was all of them apart from Lia who had been on the Maltese here. If KK needed to clean house after the death of her daughter now was going to be it.

[Blue56]

Hal did her best to maintain her cheery smile and refrain from wincing as Rose's hand eclipses her own in a powerful grip. Yup, definitely want to stay on this one's good side. After withdrawing her hand, Hal pretends to be too occupied by slipping her glove back on to notice Rose giving her a once over. Hopefully that nod was less 'Yup, I could break her in half if I wanted', and more 'Boy I can't wait to work with Hal'! It would be nice to have some muscle to back her up for once.

Just as she's about to explain that Eugene never tells her shit, the door gets kicked open and Hal finds herself instinctively moving to the closest cover, which just so happens to be Rose. Once she realizes it's just Crazy Al being.... Well, Crazy Al, she quickly slips back to her original position, hopefully before anyone had noticed her trying to use Rose as a human shield. It doesn't take long after the perceived danger has passed for Hal to slip back into her usual relaxed posture, her practiced smile looking a bit more sympathetic as she passes by Carmen. "Remind me to buy you a drink later, sounds like you could use one." She tells the bartender as she steps into Al's office.

Hal always liked her boss's office if only because it was constant reminder that someone could smoke and drink even more than she did and still live to the ripe old age of however old Crazy Al was. "Hey, no worries boss. A little excitement never hurt no one. Hell, that woke me up better than any coffee I've ever had." Hal reassures her boss with a chuckle, taking a seat as she's told. The Alfonsi ladies that had assembled didn't seem like much of a 'blowing shit up' crew for the most part, so she was curious to find out just what the boss had in mind for them.

[MiscChaos]

Ali's in a weird state of being for her. On the one hand, she doesn't really mind the music she's stuck in the elevator with. She actually catches herself swaying to it every now and again. On the other hand, she's in a bit stresses so she'd love to stab the speakers it's coming out of until all she heard was the sounds of sparks and destruction. So she actually guesses not THAT weird for her, but its rare she'd rather keep something around instead of destroying it for stress relief. While she lets that debate run in the background, she also wonders just how much money Katherine Kinsley is shelling out to keep the fuzz off her case. Even if she isn't K.K., having such similar initials to a known crime boss and being connected to the same family said crime boss ran had to ring some alarm bells for the idiots calling themselves detectives. Though really, she supposes the big problem would be a lack of proof. Fuck, even she doesn't know what K.K. looks like, let alone have photographic evidence. The pig who could get that could probably connect the dots pretty easy since, as the head of a philanthropic organization, Kathy has to have attended charity events or something. So the 5-0 knows what she looks like. Maybe that's why her boss's boss, cause she considers her mother her boss first and foremost, is so secretive? Cause she hangs on a wire? Eh, but that's not what Nea asked for. She just wants proof K.K. is acting funny, not something to turn to the filth.

Her somewhat floaty thoughts come to a screeching halt when she gets off the elevator and sees... pretty much everyone tied up in the Maltese business like she was all in the same room. Well, that changes her suspicion that this was about the shit that went down last week into a certainty. Why a week later though? Why not get it while the thought's fresh in everyone's heads? Eh, whatever, she's not here to question the boss's boss. She's here to keep herself and her mother alive and rolling in cash that's it. "I'd say it's nice to see ya'll, but I get the feeling that this group being here means no one's happy. Or no one's gonna be happy in a little bit. One or the other." She says with a shrug before finding somewhere to chill until K.K. finally calls them into the office.

[Mark3000]

Henrietta thought she'd one day get use to Crazy Al's ... eccentricities. But the old man's loud voice causes her to flinch. That was followed by a long silence. The first time time she meet the Alfonsi's head honcho, she made a note to herself to not even bother trying to seduce the man and sleep her way into the family. Henrietta didn't want to find out just how crazy Al could get in bed.

Once the greetings were finished, Henrietta followed the other girls into his office. The smoke wasn't really a problem. What was an issue was just how messy the room was. It was amazing someone could run a criminal organization from a dump like this. Though Henrietta kept her comments to herself. Luckily Rose seemed to remember the madam's aversion to grime and pulled a seat for you. "Thanks you Kindly" Henrietta told her before turning to face Crazy Al's. "I take it this is about what happened on the Maltese?"

[RandomRoninKitten]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Ali's in a weird state of being for her. On the one hand, she doesn't really mind the music she's stuck in the elevator with. She actually catches herself swaying to it every now and again. On the other hand, she's in a bit stresses so she'd love to stab the speakers it's coming out of until all she heard was the sounds of sparks and destruction. So she actually guesses not THAT weird for her, but its rare she'd rather keep something around instead of destroying it for stress relief. While she lets that debate run in the background, she also wonders just how much money Katherine Kinsley is shelling out to keep the fuzz off her case. Even if she isn't K.K., having such similar initials to a known crime boss and being connected to the same family said crime boss ran had to ring some alarm bells for the idiots calling themselves detectives. Though really, she supposes the big problem would be a lack of proof. Fuck, even she doesn't know what K.K. looks like, let alone have photographic evidence. The pig who could get that could probably connect the dots pretty easy since, as the head of a philanthropic organization, Kathy has to have attended charity events or something. So the 5-0 knows what she looks like. Maybe that's why her boss's boss, cause she considers her mother her boss first and foremost, is so secretive? Cause she hangs on a wire? Eh, but that's not what Nea asked for. She just wants proof K.K. is acting funny, not something to turn to the filth.

Her somewhat floaty thoughts come to a screeching halt when she gets off the elevator and sees... pretty much everyone tied up in the Maltese business like she was all in the same room. Well, that changes her suspicion that this was about the shit that went down last week into a certainty. Why a week later though? Why not get it while the thought's fresh in everyone's heads? Eh, whatever, she's not here to question the boss's boss. She's here to keep herself and her mother alive and rolling in cash that's it. "I'd say it's nice to see ya'll, but I get the feeling that this group being here means no one's happy. Or no one's gonna be happy in a little bit. One or the other." She says with a shrug before finding somewhere to chill until K.K. finally calls them into the office.

Hearing the new lady say that nobody is happy to be there, Raelia perks up again "I got CHIPS! They made me happy... oh, and a visit from Santa Clause, but don't tell anyone!" she says, much too loudly in immediate response to the lady. She puts a finger to her lips and a makes a shushing sound afterwards, to show that nobody is supposed to know. She then whispered "The MOLE PEOPLE can't know that Santa Clause is working against them or they'll do stuff about it..." she concluded, just loud enough for everyone to hear, before she quickly snatched a cookie off the nearby plate and started loudly nibbling on it, causing crumbs to fly everywhere, showering the floor in cookie bits. With her mouth full, she added "You gotta watch out for those mole people, you know?", though the sentence was barely understandable with her mouth full of cookie.

[Littlemankitten]

Aesha rolls her eyes a little and shakes her head. "Oh please, don't act so offended. We're all 'just' our role to many, I'm just a hacker, and Raelia is just..." She trails off, still amazed at just how much of a mess she can cause when left to her own devices. With a heavy sigh, she shakes her head again and leans against the wall. "A-ah nevermind. I just want to see what the hell K.K. wants from us." She then notices the elevator door open and sees someone she faintly remembers seeing on the Maltese. Ali or something like that? Ah who knows, Aesha doesn't remember interacting with her that much, much like on the Maltese all their interactions have been mostly look at each other then part ways when hell breaks loose. "W-well, I'm t-trying to stay optimistic, b-but yes, the fact all of us are here is s-starting to get quite w-worrying..." Ah shit the stammering was starting. It was amazing how quickly one could go from calm and collected to a semi-nervous wreck as the time to meet K.K. face to face approaches.

[lilbooth]

Olivia barely made it out of the way when Al came bursting through the door. She managed to save herself and the basket of goods but a muffin went tumbling to the floor. "Watch it you old bastard!" Said Olivia with a chuckle, patting the mobster on the shoulder as they all made their way into the office. She blew a kiss to Carmen on her way in and tossed her another bagel with a wink. Once inside Olivia went right over to Al's desk and started clearing a spot for the food. "What ya want for breakfast here gramps?" She said while fixing a plate for the old man.

[mrblah]

Alfonsi Family

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

“Eh. Whatever’s on the menu’s fine. Somethin’ with meat.” Said the old man, waving a hand with a grin. After that, he’d get down to business. The air would seem to change as the man put his tommy gun down in his lap, his grin somehow seeming less wide and his eyes looking at each and every one of them in turn. “Now… to business. As the very beautiful Henrietta here guessed, this shit’s about the Maltese. Three of you badass women in here were the ones who took down a big ass robot from what I’ve heard, and Hal here’s skillset is important for the next job the five of us’re gonna be on.”

Crazy Al pulled out a remote from a drawer and clicked a button. Right in front of the table, a holographic building was formed. The beams of light looked to be forming a highly secure-looking prison on a floating landmass. Everyone in the room knew it to be Thule Island, the boogeyman hell for all criminals. It was a prison reserved for the worst of the worst, who’d be subjected to the worst of the worst. The entire island was a secure prison located somewhere in Saudi Arabia, and was the most secure prison ever made. To speak the most of its reputation with few words, the warden has been named The Demon by the inmates and all criminals. “You guys know this place, right? We’re gonna fuck it.”

Hal felt the atmosphere take a turn for the serious as the boss decided to get down to business. Her own grin remained as was practiced habit over the years, but she listened intently as Crazy Al started to talk. She hadn’t heard the bit about the giant robot and was honestly impressed that the three sitting next to her had managed it, though she assumed Rose did the heavy lifting there. Just as she was wondering what she could do that the others couldn’t that would be so crucial on this mission, the hologram of Thule Island materialized and Hal’s smile faded ever so slightly.

Her shades would hide the deer in the headlights look she had now but it was only a matter of time before she started sweating bullets. She knew the stories of The Demon and what went down there. It was a place she hoped she’d never end up in and now that a job was taking her there she wasn’t sure if that was worse than being an inmate. “So Boss, when you say fuck it….” Hal began, having spoken before her thought was fully formed. There were a lot of obvious jokes to be made about the boss’ phrasing but she wasn’t really in the mood and Al didn’t seem to be either. “What exactly is the goal here?” She eventually finishes after her pause. Hal was also wondering what exactly she would be so important for here, but asking that would tantamount to admitting she was useless. “Also, you’re coming with too?” Hal couldn’t stop herself being blatantly surprised once she realized what he meant by ‘the five of us’. How the hell had UG been ok with this?

Henrietta appreciated the attention, despite the serious tone their meeting had taken. But even when things took a turn for the serious , that didn’t keep Al from suggesting the craziest ideas. Doing anything on Thule Island seemed like a suicide mission. She’d heard the stories of the prison and it’s warden, none of them pleasant.

“Hmm, I’d like to hear what you’re planning. Though I must admit, I don’t know how much help I’ll be. My skill set is rather limited. And it was Rosella and Olivia who truly took down that robot” Henrietta added. It wasn’t really in her nature to be humble. But if it meant getting out of this possibly hair brained mission, it’d be worth it.

Olivia went about fixing grampa Al a plate for breakfast. She included a little bit of summer sausage but most of the plate was fruit and some oats. She leaned against Al’s desk as he told them his plan, or his idea rather. Fuck it up wasn’t exactly much of a plan. Olivia looked around at the group in front of her. They were hardly a strike force, and not one to take on an entire prison. A little thought popped into her mind as she turned to face Al “We’re fucking going inside aren’t we Gramps?” She asked while gesturing to the crew. “What the fuck power we got out here? I mean I can put together a little crew of grunts, maybe Hal can do the same, but we would need an army to take on that prison from the outside… But from the inside? We just may have a chance?” She asked hoping she wasn’t right.

The idea of the job was on the simple side of things. Get into a building for… reasons and pull off some daring escape. The bodyguard sat quiet for a moment, stewing on what had been said so far. She would love to be gung ho about it and be willing to charge into the fray but something's different. How Old Man Al specified the robot. Then the penny dropped, and Rose turned to Olivia.

“Oh fuck that makes sense. You want us all inside the prison to fuck something up in there? Another one of those fuck-off robots or someone? I’ll be honest, if it's another one of those big fucks, I’d want heavy ordinance.”
She couldn't’ help but speculate. Specifying the robot on the Maltese gave her the feeling that they’d be thrown at more of them in the future as they came.

Crazy Al’s grin merely widened at their reactions. “First, I am comin’ along with you fine ladies. Second, we sure as hell are going inside. Third, the goal ain’t exactly to fuck up one specific person or thing, but you can bet your ass we’re gonna come up to some shit trying to stop us. And fourth… to answer your first question, Hal, we’re going in to break some dangerous bastards out.”

Al clicked a button on the remote, and the hologram shifted to show the appearance of a man wrapped in bandages. He looked creepy and mysterious, but after a moment of taking in the holographic image… the four Alfonsi women remembered tales about an old hitman. A man wrapped in bandages who went by Abaddon. He was a notorious killer known for his many grisly murders, from top dog political figures to random people. He was very selective with his jobs and only worked for the highest sums of money, but he never missed his mark. The corpses of said marks always were highly damaged nearly beyond recognition, and a lone H would be left burned into their foreheads. Abaddon went missing 4 years ago.

“This is the worst of ‘em, and the goal of the job. I want this bastard in the gang. Having someone that badass with us’ll be the edge we get on those goddamned Romanos.” Crazy Al’s grip on his tommy gun tightened, and he paused for a moment to reign in his temper. He clicked the button on his remote, changing the hologram to display a blueprint of Thule Island.

“Now, we’ve been planning to hit Thule for awhile now. We’ve already got some shitty plan Eugene cooked up to make this less of a guaranteed suicide, featuring uh… inside men? And hacking? And… fucking, I don’t know what Eugene does. But we’re gonna get in a chopper, fly there, drop down someplace and some guy’ll lead us in. Then that guy’s gonna let out all the prisoners to distract the guards while we,” Al pointed to the bottom part of the prison labeled Maximum Security, “storm into here and get our guy out. That all make sense so far?”

Hal felt a chill run down her spine as she looks at the image of the bandaged man. It was hard enough to believe that Abaddon had been caught without making major headlines, harder still to believe that she was gonna be helping to bust him out. “Is a guy like that really gonna want to join up with us?” She wondered aloud. That’s the least of her concerns about this plan, but Hal has a hard time voicing her concerns after seeing Crazy Al’s temper flare up like that. It all came back to the Maltese after all…. Sure, their boss didn’t get his name for being even tempered and level headed, but it seemed to Hal that this plan wouldn’t be happening unless he wanted to hit the Romano’s fast and hard.

Eugene’s involvement is about the only thing that doesn’t shock Hal about all this. Hearing he had helped cook this up answers the question of how she had gotten wrapped up in this quite nicely. This was EXACTLY the kind of shit show Eugene would send her to, knowing that for Hal to try to turn down the boss like this was just as suicidal as the mission itself. She couldn’t help but sigh, resigning herself to the fact that Eugene had outplayed her once again and that she might as well beat the odds and help make this a success. “Yeah, it makes sense…. You just tell me what I need to do and Ol’ Hal will make it happen.”

“So we’re going to fly in, and somebody on our take is gonna let us in? I thought by inside you meant inside, like locked up inside. Infiltration style, build up a force, get some guns smuggled in and then we all escape. Are we still posing an prisoners when we go in, or are we showing up armed for war? Also how long between jumping out of this chopper and us starting the riot? Sorry for all the questions gramps but this is a hell of an operation to undertake.” Said Olivia, in a rather long winded manner, cocking her head side to side a bit with her questions.

Rosella’s relaxed posture changed as she took in what the boss was saying. This prison break and infiltration idea, yeah that wasn’t so outlandish - even taking into account who was making said plan. But the other bit, breaking out a known killer with quite the insanity streak. THAT bit in particular was giving her a hard time processing. Busting out an assassin wasn’t outlandish, but this was.. A little more than that. She sighed and spoke with an unsure tone.
“I’m guessing you and the nerd have got the money part handled so Abaddon will work for you. We don’t need to worry about that. So I got the gist of the plan, what’s the specifics?”

Henrietta hang back listening to Al and the other women talk out this insane plan. It did ease her mind that Eugene had actually been planning this out for a while. For all her complaints, at least he was good at his job. Still, this hit man just gave her the creeps. Henrietta remained uncharacteristically quiet. Normally she would reply with some quip or clever question. But a jail break was so outside her wheelhouse that all she could do was nod along.

“He’s a hired merc. Mercs love money, and we’re gonna give ‘im lots of it. We’ll work it out, though I’d rather we leave that as a last resort type shtick.” Crazy Al waved his hand nonchalantly as he answered Haley’s question, then continued on to Olivia’s. “We’re showing up full on decked out in our hell fucker gear, and the riot’s happenin’ right after we drop ‘n enter. If ya want more specifics, you can talk to Eugene on the way… oh, and we’re heading over first thing tomorrow morning. Four-Eyes said the fly would be, what, 10 hours? So bring like a deck of UNO or something. We should get there around midnight. Now if you ladies want any more info ‘bout this plan specifically, just ask Eugene when we’re going there since that’s about all gramps knows… actually, yeah, that’s really all I got.” Crazy Al shrugged. “Well, guess that’s it. You four know what we’re doing and when, so we’re done here. Back to business as usual ‘til we’re going to go fuck it up.”

Just as Crazy Al was about to wave the four Alfonsi women away, he snapped his fingers loudly. “Woah, woah, wait… yeah, there was another thing. I probably don’t need to say the obvious, but this shit’s a real big job. You four might wanna get some new guns. Here, let ole’ gramps even help ya with some of that financial junk since I’m the one throwing you into this.” Crazy Al turned his wrist to face an old-looking wristwatch on his arm. “Wire 500 credits to Nice Pair, Amazon, Sal’s Second Daughter, and Haley.” A second after he finished speaking, all four of their Holophones dinged with a tone that notified them of a recent transaction to their credit banks. How nice of him! “Carmen’s also got some jobs as always if ya need work.”

Romano Family

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

“K.K will see you now!” Said the robot butler suddenly as he turned his head to the occupants of the room. “Please, do head inside!” With those words, the group of four proceeded to the door and entered… into a vast plain of grass.

No, not grass. SmartGlass. The office’s walls, ceiling, and floor were all made with the high tech glass that was able to modify its appearance based on the user’s desires. With so much of it around and sharing the same setting, it merely gave the room the appearance that it was really outside. They could even hear the grass they stepped on shifting and moving subtly. There was white marble furniture in the office room. A desk was placed before a large desk chair that had its back turned to them. To the right was a dresser, and a few classical paintings that looked like they were floating, thanks to the SmartGlass walls.

“Welcome.” A woman’s voice spoke from behind the chair in a flat monotone. The voice carried with it a strong firmness that wasn’t often heard of in other voices, though somehow it also came across as casual… but it also sounded younger than expected, not so much like a middle-aged woman than a young adult just entering her full adult years. If they just judged from the voice alone, this person could’ve been around Jenny’s age… but as if to answer their disbelief, the chair spun around and revealed someone none of them have ever seen before. A blonde woman in formal clothing sat glaring at them with a blank look. Her cold blue eyes then closed, and she waved them to a few white chairs in the room. This person wasn’t the woman you’d see on TV when you heard of Katherine Kinsley. Katherine had brown hair, was shorter, and older. “Thank you for arriving on time. Lateness greatly displeases me.”

Ali looks around the room, mildly surprised that someone would put in the money needed to make the room, or surround it, with SmartGlass. She appreciates the aesthetic of it all since sitting around a drab office was never her speed, but based on what little she knows of K.K. this wasn’t what she was expecting at all. Which leads to a problem in her assignment: she doesn’t know the first thing about K.K.! So she can’t tell what would be normal or strange for the woman. Still, she accepted it, so she’ll see it through for her mom. Another shock is K.K. is much younger than she anticipated. She was expecting someone Nea’s age or older, not someone in her age group! That twigs her senses as suspicious to begin with. The Romano family isn’t so new that someone so young could be running things from the beginning, she thinks. So maybe this is one of the things Nea wanted her to watch out for?

“People would dare be late for something you asked for? A bit shocking.” she says. Means it too. K.K. being the big boss, she’d think people would scramble and drop whatever they were doing to make sure they got to her in a timely fashion. Well, there are all kinds of idiots out there. That someone would be so suicidal shouldn’t really surprise her. Still, she needs to catch a picture of the woman at some point so she keeps an eye out for the best time to do that.

Jenny did her best not be impressed by the extravagant display of wealth on hand, though a part of her questioned why spending all that cash on a fake outdoors was needed when, you know, you could just go outdoors. Who knows, maybe it was just her backwoods upbringing that made her not understand or it was just some folksy wisdom.

Still she took her seat with apprehension as KK did her Bond Villain shtick, dread building slowly in her gut. The last time she had seen KK in person, well silhouette really, was the dark hotel room where Jenny was made the offer she couldn’t refuse. Still, it caught her off guard when the chair spun and revealed the young woman.

Wait… what? Nuh uh… this was some real Keyser Soze shit now, she thought, remembering the old film she used to watch back on the homestead. Was this the real KK or just an imposter, a representative? A Kobayashi? Was it just some advanced droid that the real KK was piloting or how downloaded part of her consciousness into…. Gah! The possibilities were endless….

Jenny decided just to let the others talk for now, she was afterall, just the driver.

Aesha tried keeping her cool as she entered the fancy room. Was it a room even? It had to be, though all this grass and the natural sounds that permeated through the air really made her mind question if they were indoors or not for a few seconds before she eventually concluded it must be a bunch of smartglass, some very high-end smartglass at that. Something she would never be able to afford in her lifetime most likely.

Aesha had never really seen K.K. herself. She’s heard her voice before, and so concluded that the person she saw on T.V. couldn’t of been the real K.K. but she was still surprised when she saw the true nature of K.K. right in front of her. She was so much younger than Aesha expected, for some reason she expected a rugged middle aged woman who looked like she could snap your neck with just a look, not to say she didn’t have the aura of someone you seriously didn’t want to mess with.

Aesha nodded weakly and sat on one of the chairs. “O-of course, t-the last t-thing anyone s-should want t-t-to do is arrive late at your r-request, it would b-be very d-disrespectful.” Aesha cursed at herself internally. Come Aesha, now is not the time to stammer your way to the chopping block. But how could one not be nervous as hell sitting in front of K.K. herself?

Raelia tried her best to keep her mouth shut as the lady welcomed them, at least understanding that when Aesha said to be on her best behavior, she meant not to say or do anything other than what was instructed, she therefor took her seat as instructed, then proceeded to gaze at their surroundings afterward, since not acting immediately wouldn’t BE her best behavior. She was also very proud of herself when she stopped herself from laughing at Aesha’s stammering, in fact, all she did was revert to a blank stare at the lady, and empty all thoughts from her head, basically putting herself into a dull state in which she simply stared into space, even as much as she’s like to look around at her surroundings, since she has never seen an outside-inside before. She briefly wondered if it was mole people technology and she had actually been working for them all along. She may need to ask Santa Clause about this.

“Human inefficiency is hard to break. Even someone of my stature struggles with the laziness of relaxed underlings overestimating their worth to me. I’m glad none of you four seem to suffer from this illness.” Her monotonous answer made it hard to believe she was as glad as she said, and after saying her piece, K.K fell silent. A very real feeling of wind blew dramatically in the room, audibly sounding in the ears of the four assembled. After it passed, their boss spoke again.

“You four must be wondering exactly why I personally summoned you, especially when I am rarely ever seen. Perhaps you were worried that I intended to bring harm to you. Maybe one of you had been trying to piece things together and traced this back to that unfortunate night on the Maltese… one of those things would be correct.” Another pause. K.K reached her hand to a bell on the table and pinched it between her fingers before she gave it a shake. The ringing noise was quiet… but seconds afterwards, Sir Georgius walked through the door with a platter of cheeses, a teacup, and a pitcher of tea. He placed them on the table carefully and served the snacks to K.K, and afterwards, he left without a word.

“I called you here because I’ll be needing all of you on a personal and very important mission. As you know, the situation on the Maltese was a disaster. More than that; it marked a spark in our rivalry against the Alfonsi. I’ve no doubt that Albert will blame the situation wholly on our family, meaning he’ll soon be making a move against us… naturally, this would mean we’ll need to mobilize our efforts as well, and with haste. A few of my insiders have relayed to me that our good friend Crazy Al’ will be attempting a very dangerous and very stupid attack on Thule Island, of all places.”

The name was, of course, very intimately known to the Romano women. Thule Island was a prison reserved for the worst of the worst, who’d be subjected to the worst of the worst. The entire island was a secure prison located somewhere in Saudi Arabia, and was the most secure prison ever made. To speak the most of its reputation with few words, the warden has been named The Demon by the inmates and all criminals. “Still. Knowing that insane man, he could likely pull something off. What he intends to accomplish by attacking Thule, I’ve no clue, but I know it’d be best to prevent it than to find out. This is where you four will be helping me.”

Yuuuuuup, shark tank or piranhas, thought Jenny as KK started to talk. Wondering which one she was about to be fed to, she sighed in relief as KK as the wind blew.

Her mind continued to tick over, wondering if this was the real KK still. How could this young woman have had a daughter of such similar age to be married off and then murdered aboard the Maltese?

That was occupying her mind until KK mentioned Thule Island of all places. Even backwoods Jenny had heard of the place, hell it was the horror story criminals told their children to keep them in line, ‘rat on your pop, and you’ll go to Thule Island’. This was way over Jenny’s head, hell, Saudi Arabia? Jenny barely had a drivers license let alone a passport.

Gah! She freaked out inside her head, this sounded like the plot of some overblown action movie that had once been about simple street racing but had gone on too long and was now just ludicrous. Aint no way in hell was she jumping some car out of skyscraper, no siree bob.

“So…. ah… if we… I mean you… know what they are planning,” she stumbled, “Why don’t we just alert the authorities… or the prison even? Let the morons get gunned down as they try to storm in?”

Ali resists the urge to sigh when given their assignment. Really, the one place in the world even she would hesitate to do something stupid near and those idiots in the Alfonsi family decide that’s the perfect place to crack. She thinks about what possible reason they would attack such a hostile place. If it was a dick measuring contest, then it’s still a fucking stupid idea. K.K. doesn’t seem to be the kind of person that would try to prove she had the bigger cojones. So it’s less about reputation or things like that and maybe more about what’s in it. So they’re trying to break someone out? Or maybe recruit from the guards. That’s… not good. Anyone who belongs to that place isn’t a person she’d want to be on the opposite side of a knife of. They committed crimes either similar or worse than she did as The Scarlet Letter, so they’re perfectly prepared for any trick she could pull. Or worse, know much better tricks. So how would one counter that? How would one make any effort to recruit the fucker completely useless? Freedom from such a shit show would be a powerful draw, so how would they make it pointless? Well, letting the authorities know so that they can immediately become aware of any escapees and raise their guard is a start, but that’s only putting a bandaid on an already festering wound. How would they keep the other gang from getting even that far?

“I’m all for ideas on how to keep them from getting the pick of the litter out of the prison. A prison break is pretty much the only reason I can think of for attacking a prison unless it’s a distraction. My thoughts are they’re trying to pull one of those fuckers into their gang. My thoughts are also we don’t want none of that. Yeah, we can let the guards know, anonymously, that someone is planning a hit on Thule, but I doubt that’s enough. The best it’d do is immediately put however got broken out on a hit list, but that’s still a lotta heat in our direction until they get put under or recaptured. Is it possible to spook them somehow? Claim a known criminal they’d really like to put in Thule is in the area or something? That or infiltrate, but that idea sounds dead in the water since I doubt just anyone can become a guard in that shithole.” She says, deep in thought.

Aesha did her best to breathe deeply and keep her nerves calmed as K.K. explained the situation, if this was indeed K.K. that is, Aesha was starting to think this was just someone K.K. contracted to pretend to be her, not that it truly mattered right now. Thule island of all places though huh? That was certainly strange, but when dealing with Al, pretty much everything was strange and chaotic. There didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to him, yet somehow things always worked out in his favor. He was crazy, but he certainly wasn’t stupid if that fact said anything. So Aesha mulled over what Al could possibly have planned, and what her compatriots suggest might be the case. Yet nothing seemed to truly make sense except for perhaps the distraction theory, it would take a small army to even hope to break through Thule Island without Thule calling in reinforcements, something that could never go unnoticed and swiftly dealt with.

Eventually, Aesha shrugged and spoke somewhat slowly as to not stammer every sentence. “The only things that make sense to me is either using that attack as a distraction, something he told the low rankers in his gang, but kept his true attack plan carefully guarded among his most trusted and most elite. Or perhaps he does truly plan to suicide attack his gang into Thule, knowing full well he will lose the fight, but perhaps having gained enough of our things from past fights or a possible insider to make it seem like it was us who did it, thus sending all of the repercussions on us… Past those two things, I fail to see how that attack could make any sense at all.”

Raelia wasn’t really listening to anything the lady was saying, she was instead staring at her, while trying to decide if she was working with Santa Claus against the Mole People. If she was, it would also need to remain secret, just like when Santa had told her to keep quiet about her before, so it wouldn’t be a good idea for her to ask the woman point blank. Raelia silently wished she could somehow tell which people were and weren’t in on the plan, so that she could ask them questions about it and come to a better understanding of when she would see Santa again. She also silently wished there were more cookies, the ones she had earlier from the lobby were delicious, and she regretted not asking for more of them to bring into the office. In the meantime, all she did was sit patiently in her seat, kicking her legs lightly.

K.K remained silent as the three of them offered their opinions. When they finished, she glanced silently over to Jenny. “It was as she,” a point to Alisaie, “said, to answer your question. Thule Island may have impressive security, but I won’t trust anyone less than my family for a task so important. So, that naturally means that you will, in fact, be infiltrating Thule Island under the guise of guards.” K.K paused for a moment to let that bit of information sink in, and as she waited, she ate a few cheeses on her snack platter with a toothpick. “In case of a rainy day, I’ve had a very influential contact within Thule Island, and he will implement the four of you as substitute guards. Once you’re inside, you will stay in contact through a secure channel on your Holophones as you work to find any suspicious activity in the prison… though, knowing that crazed lunatic, the trouble will likely be exploding around you. I will also have an Overseer nearby on the same channel to guide you four on your mission, and in case of an emergency, you will have access to an AA-19 Bishop. Do not call it in unless under a severe emergency. Once it’s detected by Thule Island, I’m sure it’ll be destroyed in seconds.”

The AA-19 Bishop (usually called the Bishop Armor) K.K referred to was an advanced military drone that was used in the war, much like the Knight Armor, and was reputable for being a master of the air. The Overseer was a standard navigational VI. While the Overseer itself wasn’t a very expensive or rare piece of tech, the Bishop was something rarely seen after it was decommissioned, and getting your hands on one was about as difficult as fighting a fully functional Knight Armor. It really put into perspective how much she was putting into this mission… “Ask any other questions you have now. I’m a busy woman and your appointment time is reaching its end.”

Ali’s eyebrows soar into her her hairline as she’s told that her pipe dream of an idea is actually how things are gonna fly. Just how much pull do you have to have to allow not 1, not 2, but 4 people to sneak into the most secure prison in the fucking world as part of the security!? That’s fucking nuts! But boss lady says that’s how it’s gonna be so that’s how it is. While appearing to think, she tries to snap a quick picture of K.K. Nea’s gonna want something to show for this meeting besides the fact that their boss is off her rocker. She still doesn’t know what she’s supposed to be looking for, but anything she can gather can only help. Maybe her mom has a different image of K.K. in mind?

“Is she gonna be able to keep a cover?” She asks, pointing at the girl who’s not said a single damn thing since coming in the room and the shit she said before they got into the room… what the fuck was that about a visit from Santa Claus? And fucking mole people!? The girl’s obviously an idiot and hedging their infiltration on someone with that level of intelligence is just asking for them to get caught. She knows that people think it’s “progressive” to hire differently abled people, but one of the most feared prisons in the world wouldn’t hire someone just to be progressive. They wouldn’t give two fucks about it, they just want people able to keep the prisoners in check. And it seems like a prisoner would just have to convince the simpleton that they’re working against the mole people for her to let them out. “Also, what else are we packing for this mission? Personal weapons or anything or is everything provided by the prison?”

Jenny sighed with resignation as she slouched down in her chair. She seen the look on KK face to often on her father’s and knew it meant there was no point in arguing. They had made their mind up, and no matter how damned foolish the scheme was there was no talkin’ ‘em out of it. You were better off just hunkering down and trying to whether the storm of shit to come.

“I take it you have worked out our travel plans?” she asked, knowing it was futile to argue further as she stood up, “Forward them to my holo.”

“I’ll drive… these ones…” she motioned at the other girls, “Home to pack.”

Aesha inhaled sharply when they were told that all of them were going to be going to a maximum security prison… And break in. Aesha was never one to question authority in her family, after all most of them were wise and experienced enough to never send them on suicide mission. This though, this was a damn suicide mission! She looked over to Raelia as Ali questions her capability. As much as she tried to take care of the girl and keep her out of trouble and teach her as much as she could, sending her there, even if she did listen to us telling her to be as quiet as possible, is just asking to get caught. Raelia, hell, even herself were among the least qualified for this mission! She was a hacker, an information gatherer, someone who was quite widely accepted as not being a front-line combatant! She only survived the few frontline missions she has because of arguably pure luck! Aesha really wanted to tell ‘K.K.’ This, to say that this must be a mistake because she is sending a hacker, a driver, and… A very special person that even Mattia and some of the most respected members of this family would have trouble doing. Despite what she wanted to say though, Aesha just locked up, her nerves spiking through the roof. Her lips purs ed so hard that the skin turned white and it was clear her muscles were as tensed as they could possibly get. She was damn scared of what might happen if she back-talked to who was supposebly K.K.

When Ali makes mention of Raelia, she snaps out of her day-dreaming. Keep cover? Well, covers are used to build Pillow Forts… is she questioning her ability to build Pillow Forts? At this revelation, Raelia straightens up, feeling insulted, and raises her voice at Ali very slightly “I can keep cover better than you can possibly imagine. You’re no match for me! I’ll show you!” she says, standing up, grabbing her own chair, flipping it once, end over end, causing it to land back on its legs again, then sitting back down. No doubt this woman is a novice at building Pillow Forts and was far too sure of her abilities, Raelia’s talent for building such things would blow this woman out of the water. In fact, Raelia had built Pillow Forts so impressive that even Santa Clause would probably ask her to come build him some, to keep the Mole People away. In such a competition, Raelia would be far out of this lady’s league.

“So she says,” K.K responded to Ali’s question with a gesture to Raelia. “You will be allowed to take your personal weapons, but don’t flaunt them. Rather, keep them hidden until you have to use them. It’s best to keep away from seeming much stranger than your fellow guard. All of your Holos will be updated with a more concise mission description from Georgius, but be prepared to leave at midnight. The flight will be long. I suggest sleeping on the way.”

[Charisma check; Variable. Alisaie = 6.]

K.K paused in her speech to take a sip from her teacup, her eyes closing for just the briefest moment… and in that moment, Alisaie struck. With a click of a button, the photo was taken as her target was unaware… or so she hoped. At the very least, K.K didn’t look her way when she finished, and simply continued as if nothing happened. It’s a good thing she covered the flash.

“If I’ve answered all your concerns, you four are dismissed. Georgius has new missions available if you’d like some work before the trip, and we’ve a black market merchant visiting in the lower parts of the tower if you have credits to spend.” She took her teacup and spun on her chair to face away from them. Their conversation was over.

[lilbooth]

Oliva was a bit taken aback when Al had finished talking. He had just signed the four of them up without any discussion. Sure she owed the family in more ways than one but this mission was crazy. She considering fighting the idea but she really had little choice in the matter. If she didn’t show up for the flight, she was sure to be punished. And she knew how much UG liked to hand out punishment. She leaned down and gave the old man a kiss on the head. “Good looking out gramps, See you tomorrow I guess.” With that she left the office and checked in with Carmen, they were going to need some serious gear… While spending the day with Carmen did sound nice, there really wasn't any cash involved. The last job on the list, about some cult sisterhood, that seemed right up Olivia’s alley.

[Blue56]

Hal was dismayed, but not at all surprised, that Al dismissed her concerns pretty much outright. That was how the old man worked after all, never bothering with the details and leaving that to Eugene and others. She’s not at all happy that she has to wake up early again and spend 10 hours on a plane to Saudi Arabia where she’s probably going to die. The only upside is the ding of her holophone, music to her ears that told her she was now a little richer. After checking her account to see what she had to work with, Hal stood up and tipped her hat to Crazy Al. “Thanks for that boss. Guess I’ll see ya tomorrow.” She tells him, still smiling although her voice was lacking in her usual enthusiasm. On her way out, Hal stopped by to see Carmen. “Heyyy, why don’t you tell me what you’ve got going on and we’ll see if I can’t help you out.” Hal told the friendly bartender. Sure helping Carmen didn’t have any direct financial gain, but Hal was still sure it would be worth it in the end. At the very least, it would be nice to do something that might resemble fun on what was supposed to be her day off before she had to go shopping for her death mission.

[Littlemankitten]

Aesha numbly nods at K.K.'s dismissal, and as soon as she leaves the room exhales heavily, glad to be finally out of that oppressive atmosphere. Thoughts about what has transpired ran through her head. Were they really going to send them on a suicide mission like that? What on earth was K.K. thinking? There were so many more experienced and deadly agents under her command, why pick a group of people that for all intensive purposes just got lucky. It didn't make any sense, but there wasn't much they could do now but wait she supposed. Well, they should at least pass the time by doing a mission for the family. If they were going to go on such a dangerous mission she had to make sure she was ready for a fight. Aesha dug out her holophone and checked out the black market first though, looks like some nanocream was for sale, she'd have to go downstairs and buy that after she accepted a mission. She then walks to Georgius. "K.K. said you had some missions for us while she prepared, whatcha got for us?" When Georgius listed the missions, Aesha would look to Raelia. "That drug bust sound good to you?" Assuming she said yes, Aesha would then accept that as their mission then go to the black market area where she would buy the nanocream before heading off for said mission.

[Mark3000]

Checking her holophone to confirm the deposit, Henrietta gave Al a playful wink. "Thank you kindly, boss" She said with a playful tone. Once she was dismissed, she let out a long sigh. The madame had been roped into another suicide mission. How she longed for the days when she could make her fortune on her back and not down the barrel of a gun. With some time before their mission, taking on an extra job might not be so bad. She also wanted to make sure Cherri was actually working and not off doing her own thing. Looking at the list, it seems as though Hal had taken the fun job of hanging out with Carmen. But the posting regarding the Sisterhood peeked her interest as well. "Hey Olivia. You don't mind if I tag along with you on this one do you?" Henrietta said with a scheming smile.

[RandomRoninKitten]

Aesha numbly nods at K.K.'s dismissal, and as soon as she leaves the room exhales heavily, glad to be finally out of that oppressive atmosphere. Thoughts about what has transpired ran through her head. Were they really going to send them on a suicide mission like that? What on earth was K.K. thinking? There were so many more experienced and deadly agents under her command, why pick a group of people that for all intensive purposes just got lucky. It didn't make any sense, but there wasn't much they could do now but wait she supposed. Well, they should at least pass the time by doing a mission for the family. If they were going to go on such a dangerous mission she had to make sure she was ready for a fight. Aesha dug out her holophone and checked out the black market first though, looks like some nanocream was for sale, she'd have to go downstairs and buy that after she accepted a mission. She then closed the holophone and walked to Georgius. "K.K. said you had some missions for us while she prepared, whatcha got for us?" When Georgius listed the missions, Aesha would look to Raelia. "That drug bust sound good to you?" Assuming she said yes, Aesha would then accept that as their mission then go to the black market area where she would buy the nanocream before heading off for said mission.

Raelia followed Aesha out of the room, then looked over her shoulder at the available jobs. Despite the fact that she was looking over the jobs, she was actually preoccupied with thoughts of the girl who had claimed she could out-build her when constructing pillow forts. Despite the clear difference of skill, even without comparison, this would continue to bother her for some time now. Her thoughts are interrupted as Aesha asks her which job she would like to complete with her. "Y-yeah, sure. Uhm hey, isn't it weird that they have no missions against the mole people?" she asks, accidentally pressing her breasts against Aesha's back as she tries to look closer at her holophone that she had out.

[exalted]

Jenny clenched her fists in frustration as she walked out, wondering again if it was too late to skip town and put all this in the rear view. Looking back at the other three as the doors closed, she sighed and checked her holophone for the updated messages.

"I'll swing by the compound at 11," she told them as she perused the info, "Make sure your shits packed and ready."

She stopped reading as she recognized a couple of names and sighed again. The fucking Bentley Boys were back. While not kin, she knew the pair of British Twats from back home, their Uncle had owned the bank and liked to it lord up peoples loans over them, people like her father. He was the most beloved, malevolent, despised and hated prick in town, both god and the devil rolled into one all powerful petty man. The boys would come to town every once in while for hunting or holidaying or something and acted like they owned the place. Jenny had run into them a few times, enough to know if their Uncle found out she hadn't helped them out of this jam he'd take it out on her people back home.

Seeing the others hesitate by the desk, she headed straight for the elevator and rode it down to the basement where she snagged a few flash bangs from the merchant. She thought about calling Jansen for some backup but decided against it as it might just spark up the boys and cause trouble. No, she'd try to play to cool, try to get them out of town without sparking up an incident. She'd heard a couple stories of how the boys had finally been put away or things they should have been put away for - happy she stayed away from their 'parties' back home considering what they had done to that one deputy while drunk.

Heading for the garage, she checked her holo again to see if there was a last known location for the boys for her to check first for them.... with any luck the boys may have not started to hit the booze yet.

[CondorBoH]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Will buy: 1 Flashbang, 1 Nanocream and 1 Normal Ammo Box. My money's down to 221 now.

"Sure thing, see you boss."
The news that they were going to break into one of the most secure prisons in the world and bust out an uber violent mercenary wasn't going down too well with Rose. But the bosses orders were absolute, especially since he was so pissed off about the shitshow with the Maltese. Either way, getting prepared for the incoming dumpster fire was the best bet she had and most of that lovely cash the boss just sent her was funnelled into the 'not dying' fund. By the time she was done shopping, the fun looking jobs had already been taken, and she didn't feel like jumping into a Battilion shipment alone, especially just before a big mission.

Rosella knocked on Carmen's desk to get her attention, and pointed at the first job on the list.
"Sorry to bug you while you're planning your sleepover, but I'll be Clearing Out The Rats to pass the time. If you've got a spare goon or two I can borrow, that'd be great."

[MiscChaos]

Ali sighs and decides it'd be for the best to get moving. Well, it's gonna be really fuckin' hard to get a beat on K.K. from half the fuckin' world away. She's pretty sure this assignment isn't what her mother had in mind when she asked Ali for that favor. Sure, if she makes it back then she'll probably be more trusted and in a place to do what was asked of her, but until then she's useless. She hopes the picture she snapped is useful somehow, but she sorta doubts it. She wonders if she should snap pictures of the meeting room as well and figures K.K. is facing the other ways and the others are dispersing so why not? She tries to discretely take a picture of the room as she leaves. Maybe Nea can get something out of this K.K.'s personality or something with it. Either way, that's all she can do since they've been so clearly dismissed.

As she makes her way to the merchant to make a few purchases she considers taking a side job, but figures she needs to find her mom first and see what she can figure out from the photo(s) she snapped. And let her know that she isn't gonna be around for quite a bit of time. Like, she's not sure exactly how much time she'll be gone this time. Or if she'll come back given the severity of the mission. Probably for the best of Nea has the opportunity to plan around that.

[lilbooth]

"Sure Gal, just try to keep up." She said with a smirk as she waved Henrietta onward. "I uh am sure you are aware I usually go for women." She said as they walked towards her ride. It was a Mercedes Sprinter, she bought it secondhand from one of the Alfonsi's best mules before he went away to the big house. "So I figured I'd see if this sisterhood could be of any use to me, or the family before we go booting them out. You game to play along?" She asked Henrietta as she pulled open the door and climbed in.

[mrblah]

lilbooth and Mark3000

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Olivia's holophone dinged with a message just as she took the job, and she knew from prior experience that the message contained details on the job. She viewed it at some point, likely before her and Henrietta left for their destination. Olivia learned that said destination was an empty storage building out near the docks of Old Barby that was privately owned by the Alfonsi, though of course not publicly. The waterside hideout was affectionately dubbed 'Cold Dick' by many of the gangsters due to its low temperatures, but more officially, it was called Big Sleep, named so for its second purpose. Big Sleep also doubled as a place for holding the Alfonsi's high profile prisoners. It was decorated well to look like a typical man cave, but secretly had a bunker beneath its concrete floors that the prisoners were held in. There, the prisoners would sometimes be interrogated and at times even murdered. Thanks to its closeness to the waters, disposing of the bodies and cleaning wasn't too difficult, which made this the prime spot for just those purposes. Hence the name "Big Sleep."

Olivia just parked close to their destination, and both her and Henrietta were leaving the car to head to Big Sleep. They knew that the storage building was pretty open, so odds were good that they'd immediately alert every single invader there when they open the door. Big Sleep was also a more unique hideout in that it had only two exits, the front and back doors. Getting in without being immediately attacked would prove difficult...

They stopped just before turning the corner of another storage building, spotting two guards posted outside of Big Sleep's front entrance. They wore identical clothes, and their large hoods were covering most of their face.

MiscChaos

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

[Charisma check; Variable. Alisaie = 13.]

The picture was taken with K.K hopefully none the wiser, and Ali continues to hurry out of the room afterwards. Georgius waved her goodbye as she left to the elevator and made use of it. As K.K said, she'd find the visiting merchant down in the lower parts off the tower... specifically, in the part known literally as the Black Market.

The moment Alisaie reached ground floor, she headed out of the building and left in some direction away from it. She had to contact her mother, but it could've been dangerous to do so close to the tower considering who controls/monitors it and likely the surrounding area. The simple solution to this problem would be to head away from it where she'd hopefully have more privacy, then make her call. The destination of her aimless wandering didn't matter so much. When she felt far enough away from the tower, Alisaie made her call, but her mother spoke first before she even had the chance to. "Meet me at the diner." And she hung up.

... Well, that was a quick call. She'd been given a simple direction telling her to meet her somewhere. To most, just guessing "where" would be difficult considering she'd only been given one word, but there was really only one place that came to Ali's mind at the word "diner." Back when they lived in the Belmont, her mother would often take her to a little restaurant called the Broussard Family Diner. They'd always go on the weekends and sometimes after little Ali was out of school. Guess this'll be a trip down memory lane.

Alisaie caught a cab and had herself driven there. The diner was soon coming into view after a while of driving, and it looked as old-fashioned and plain as ever. It was a single story building with old architecture and its sole decoration being the sign at the store front stating the name of the diner. Her cab driver dropped her off and sped down the road, leaving her at the door to the diner. Without further adieu, she stepped in.

... Old buildings seem to stay the same. Almost down to every detail, the Broussard Family Diner was just as it always was. It looked like a typical diner from way back when, with a few tables here and there, booths by the far wall near the entrance, a counter up front with a menu above it, and a short stocky man stationed there. "Welcome! Welcome! Come right in!" The middle-aged worker grinned widely as he enthusiastically welcomed Alisaie. His voice... it sounded familiar. She remembered that he was the owner of the diner, Teddy Broussard. He'd changed a lot over the years, seeming to shrink some few inches and getting older... or maybe it was just that she was taller.

He didn't recognize her. That might've been for the best. She remembered that she'd really been hard on the man's son... or grandson, or whoever, it was some relative of his who was younger than her and really annoying. "Ali." Nea's voice greeted her soon, and she waved from her position at one of the booths.

Blue56

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Carmen greeted Hal's presence with a smile. She'd just gotten down with whatever work she had to do, and it looked like Hal was right on time for her break. "Heya, Hal. I don't have much going on other than the usual jobs. There's some idiot who tried to screw the family out with a broken deal so I gotta teach him a lesson, I gotta go on a supply run to pick up some packages for the boss, aaaand—oh." That was when Rosella had approached the two, knocking on the bar table to get the bartender's attention.

"Sorry to bug you while you're planning your sleepover, but I'll be Clearing Out The Rats to pass the time. If you've got a spare goon or two I can borrow, that'd be great." Rosella pointed to the mission listing board at the same name she spoke of. "Sure thing, Rose. The info should be forwarded to your holo," Rosella's holophone pinged just as Carmen said, "and uh... yeah, I've got someone available I think? She was waiting for her own job, so just check over at that booth... but if you wanted to leave her too and just go on your own, totally get that." She flashed Rosella a slightly sheepish look, pointing over to one of the booths. Whoever could she have been referring to?

Once Rosella left to speak with her new partner(?), Carmen checked her holophone, which came in the form of a purple wristwatch. The message she displayed was easily visible to Hal, but backwards, obviously. "Anyways, it looks like those two things are it, so not too much I guess." She deactivated the holographic screen and looked back to Hal. "These jobs aren't all that big so it might be kinda boring, but I think we could slip in a minute or two for break somewhere in there. Go watch a movie or something?" The bartender was moving out from behind the counter, and was heading to the door leading to the parking lot. "Wanna take your car? It might be more convenient since I gotta stay here overnight anyway."

CondorBoH

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"Sure thing, Rose." Carmen flashed a smile at the bodyguard, as friendly as ever. "The info should be forwarded to your holo, and uh... yeah, I've got someone available I think? She was waiting for her own job, so just check over at that booth..." Carmen gestured to one of the booths in the bar by the wall. From the positioning of the chair, Rosella couldn't see if anyone was there. "But if you wanted to leave her too and just go on your own, totally get that." She flashed Rosella a slightly sheepish look as she spoke. Her words struck Rosella as odd... typically, Carmen had nice things to say about everyone, but something about her tone struck her as kinda annoyed.

She'd soon find out just what the bartender meant. When Rosella got to the booth and looked past the seat, she saw a busty woman in a leather leotard laying down, snoring softly... God, Rosella knew this person. This was that crazed lunatic on the Maltese, the one with the flamethrower. Her name was... Charli?

Charli's eyelids suddenly shot open, and she darted up like a mouse trap snapping on its prey. "I WANT A REMATCH ON THAT CHESS MATCH!" ... What? She turned her head to Rosella, and stared at her dumbly. "Wait, you're not Vi... are we still on the Maltese?"

exalted

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Jenny headed to the elevator, a little bit after the two... were they sisters? They seemed to always be together... whatever. After Aesha and Raelia boarded one of them. She headed into the one beside theirs, preferring to not ride with them simply out of preference. The elevator ride was predictably NOT quiet as that familiar tune played, but Jenny was able to somewhat tune it out as she visited Crimeware Online on her holophone, buying a few things there as necessary.

Her purchases were legitimized with a window popping up on her holophone, informing her that a transaction has been made with her her account, and the predicted amount of said transaction had been deducted. Jenny knew from experience with Crimeware Online that her purchases would be delivered via drone to her personal drop-off point, so she'd have to swing by that location on her way to... wherever the job was taking her. And she learned just where her job would be taking her upon the viewing of the mission file.

Byre was the industrial park of Matera, and as to be expected, the place was covered with factories and power plants that the city made use of to power itself. It was an odd decision to hide out there, considering the obvious. Such an important place was carefully guarded with top notch security, and its close proximity to Wickerfield meant that a large amount of officers, both CopyCops and SETF, could quickly flood the place in case it was needed. Having a hideout in a place like that was more than overconfident. It would be impossible to keep a criminal base hidden for long... so how the hell did the Berkley brothers, the legendary dumb asses that they were, supposedly manage to do so for more than 3 days?

Whatever the case was, it didn't change the job she had to do. Though it'd be difficult, sneaking past Byre's security wouldn't be impossible. She had a hopefully accurate how-to detailing the patrol schedule and where the cameras were moved to now, and she shouldn't need any extra equipment for the job. Now it was time to head over to Byre's gate.

[The Message]

Recipient: Jenny-Lee Pettimore
Sender: ???
Subject:

The last known location the Bentley Brothers hit on their rampage was a bar on Mellor Rd. From our information, they ransacked the place of all the drinks and money they could, then dashed off. This is one of several places hit in the past three days. Using these last few locations, we were able to narrow down the area they could be hiding in to the northern part of Byre. Due to the difficulties with getting to such a place, attached to this message is the most recent guard schedule and camera placements of the area. Download this attachment to your holophone.

Your tasks;
Find the Bentley Brothers' hideout.
Confront the Bentley Brothers.
Get them under control. Kill them if you feel like it.

You will be paid ₡1,100 the moment the job's completion is confirmed. Thank you for your cooperations. This message will automatically delete itself upon the closing of this tab.

Littlemankitten and RandomRoninKitten

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"Oh, yes, of course. Please direct your attention to the board on my left!" There indeed was a holographic missions board floating to the left of Georgius. A moderate amount of missions were on it, with some already taken and others present. When both Aesha and Raelia accepted their mission, it was automatically crossed out, with a tag saying "Taken!!" slapped onto it. "Excellent choice, miss Aesha and miss Raelia! I wish you the best on your mission! A more detailed report has been transferred to your holophones... ah, my apologies, singular holophone!" The 'ding' that signified a message being received did confirm Georgius's words. If Aesha were to check her holophone, she'd see a message from an unknown source. Typical fare in the family.

The duo headed to the elevator and took the long ride back down to ground floor, with the same familiar elevator tune playing. From there, they then headed to a maintenance elevator that was supposedly out of order, boarded it, and rode it down to the secret basement below.

When the doors opened, Aesha and Raelia were treated to the sight of a spacious room that looked a lot like a boardroom. A large circular table was surrounded by several chairs. The room had a small desk to the right of the elevator with another Georgius Sinbad manning it, a door to the upper right that led to a lounge area complete with provided snacks, drinks and entertainment, and a door to the upper left that led to the bathrooms. The room they were in was currently filled with gangsters both physical and holographic, all lounging around in chairs or even sitting on the table discussing business with each other, in pairs or in groups.

This place was the Underground. It was an area designed solely for underhanded criminal dealings and relaxation in the Tower. They were currently in the room dubbed the Black Market since it's where you could meet merchants and dealers from all over and do business with them. It was always booming with activity.

One suspicious older-looking gentleman was stationed near a water cooler, watching the proceedings with a strange smile. By his side was a big backpack, with a plethora of random junk sticking out of its flap. He spotted them as the doors opened and waved them over.

[The Message]

Recipient: Aesha Romano
Sender: ???
Subject:

No name for the targets. They're operating in The Asphalt Jungle, located on 22 Millview St. The product they're selling is an intense psychedelic that has an added aphrodisiac effect to the hallucinations; its name is Succubus' Tears. These have been used in underground slaving rings to keep sex slaves compliant and horny.

Your tasks;
Find the dealer.
End his dealing. You can kill him if you want.
Recover OR destroy his supply.

You will be paid ₡600 the moment the job's completion is confirmed. Thank you for your cooperation. This message will automatically delete itself upon the closing of this tab.

[CondorBoH]

Rosella gave Carmen a smile and a nod, not too sure about what to make of her comments. Being the happy gal of the family sort of made something like that come off as almost an insult. This was going to be something...
And that something turned out to be a busty pyromaniac. Rose was SO tempted to just turn around and leave but... ugh, at least if she pointed Charli AT the targets it shouldn't be any trouble. No trouble whatsoever... none at all...

With a sigh, the bodyguard rubbed the bridge between her nose and spoke slowly, to make sure the dumb pyro understood.
"No, no you're not on that floating death trap anymore. Look, I've got a job to clear out some dumbasses who want to take some of our turf. Do you want to murder some people? Specifically people I point at and tell you to murder, not just like... people."