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(Setting/Closed) Alabaster Mongoose, 4th floor.
| >His flat had a large amount of living space, mostly all contained in the same room sans a sectioned off area for the bed and bath area. Despite that, there was a noticeable divide between his living room, kitchen/dining area, gym setup and his prosthetics work area. A number of arms, all various designs laid on a shelf over his table.
>He stood up, looking around his mostly cleaned flat, since he was expecting company he woke up early to clean.
| "Sure hope F takes me seriously. I'd hate for her to go out by herself and do it all alone."
>Jackson spoke to himself to clear the air of silence in the flat as his footsteps echoed lightly on the wood-substitute flooring. He had no shoes or socks on for the time being as his feet made a small clink at every step. His black pants had a red square patch over the left knee and was split right in the middle up the shin on the right leg. His torso was covered with a tank top.
|
| >Fuschia Fedora walked up the steps to the Alabaster Flat above the bar mid-afternoon. Despite it being midday she still wore her full hoodie and black pants over her power armor in order to conceal her identity. The black clicks of punk boots could be heard walking up the steps, as F knocked on the door to Jackson's apartment.
"Jackson? It's me, F."
| >There was a hurried set of footsteps coming up to the door that abruptly stopped as forever was behind checked the peephole and then went through a series of various locks before opening the door.
>It was definitely Jackson alright in his far more casual attire. He stood in minor shock for a moment, surprised she had come, before smiling and moving out of the was to gesture her to come inside.
"It's relieving to see you! Come on in."
| (Wow, as WHOever was behind**)
| "Relieving? Why is that?"
>Fuschia said as she walked into his flat, looking around at everything inside of the house. F was always observant of her surroundings, and though she was always on guard she felt a little comforted here, oddly enough.
>She quickly unzipped her hoodie, and revealed her true hidden strength: A set of Fuschia-colored White Knight power armor, model and make from an unknown division, not Blitzkrieg or Valkyrie, and also heavily modified for F's persknal use.
| *Personal
| "Uhh, just saying! I was apprehensive you were just saying that you'd let me tag along to humour me and go find some other lead instead..."
>Jackson scratched the back of his head with his left hand as she walked past. He closed the door and did some of the locks back.
>He watched as she removed the hoodie itself, taking a full look at the armor, noting it's make and general build.
"You wardrobe always wear that sort huh?"
>He learned against the door as he continued to look.
| "Well, while I *could* have done that, there is hardly a reason to. You have info, and besides, this case is personal to you. Scott Marshall was your friend, I know I'd be the same way if I was in your shoes."
>On a holster on the right side kf her hip was what looked like a plastic version of a sawed-off shotgun, modified to carry a clip instead of barrel-loaded. It was a standard Valkyrie-issued Tungsten Taser, which fired long-ranged slug rounds of non-lethal electric rods.
| "And yeah, I suppose the rest of the Wardrobe do wear power armour for the most part, although this suit is just the one I had on me when I left, so."
>On her left hip was a collaped but extendable one-handed metal mace, with a grounded rubber hilt. Blitzkrieg issue. On the hilt was a switch, and anybody who'd seen these before would know the switch charged the mace with static electricity from the air, storing it until it is ready to be delivered in one rib-breaking swing.
| >She folded her hoodie over her arm and looked back at Jackson.
"We have work to do...Please, if you would, I need you to tell me as much as you can about the night Scott Marshall was kidnapped. Every detail you remember could help us."
| "Thanks for understanding then."
>Jackson said as he walked over to his trideo screen I'm what was the living room. He flipped the it on, revealing a CCTV security footage was already pulled up. It was dated for the night of the original disappearance for Scott Marshall. It was paused.
"And I personally have to say I prefer a far more concealed take to weaponry. If you want, I can probably make some adjustments to your suit later."
>He clicks the video to play shortly after.
| "The night was almost like any other. Scott, Genie and I were on duty that night for the bar."
>It was rather busy that night, as can be seen. All three of the bartenders can be seen, both Genie, a Black Lilim and Scott were attending to the table patrons while Jackson ran the bar.
>The video switches to the entrance of the suspects, entering at the same time. Black haired bob girl laughing on entrance and the gas mask hoodie girl looking dead pan.
| "As you can see, even for their clothing, they were pretty similar to a lot of our patrons. I noticed though, that,"
>The camera zooms in and you can see the Gas Mask girl looking directly in the direction of Scott.
"They had their mark already picked out, I think. Scott was also pretty popular with out Female clientele so when they directly sat in his view, it didn't really strike any alarms."
| >The camera continues playing at a normal pace for a bit as the two girls walk directly over and sit down at an empty table, both watching Scott as he worked until he finally came over
>They talk as Scott takes an order for both, makes it and returns. Everything seems normal at that point and he returns to his duties
"They're trying to get him comfortable with them. It's pretty normal among the rest of their stay, but when the night winded down and Scott's shift was over."
| >He spoke as it fast forwarded about an hour and a half later, the two girls had stayed there at their same table and flagged Scott down just as he was leaving.
"They got his attention. I started paying attention from the bar as best I could at this point. Though, Scott had definitely done some... After Hours Work, so to speak with some of our Female Regulars."
>It is seen he finishes both girl's drinks for them and they all get around to leaving the bar.
| "And that's the last I saw Scott."
>He ended the trideo at an outside view of the Mongoose, giving a solid look at the trio leaving.
>The smaller Black Bob haircuts girl in the big red hoodie seemed happy go lucky and exciteable.
>The Gas Mask girl was the polar opposite, looking at her phone as they left.
>Scott had his arms over both ladies shoulders as he walked, smiling and laughing with the other girl.
| "Man, why does *everybody* say something about my weapons and armor..."
>Fuschia listened carefully to the trideo, as well as to Jackson's description of the night. At the end of it, she sighed and kept thinking.
"Have you seen these girls before? Did they ever come into the bar before? Do you have *any* idea who they are at all?"
| "Hey, Discreet is good in this city. All my aefl-defense weaponry is hidden in my prosthetics. Granted, you're wanting to be noticed, but hey, your decision."
>He shrugged to his explanation and thought after her questions.
"Can't say I 100% remember every face that rolls in that's not a regular, but these two had an air about them. I'd remember them if they'd been in before while I was on the shift. Haven't seen any extra footage of them either."
| (Self-defense**)
| >>235131
>Fuschia nodded.
"Alright, now the uncomfortable question. Did Scott have any enemies that you know of? Any secrets that he didn't really want people to know, or anything that he was involved in that could warrant...silencing him?"
| >>235250
"Enemies also seem like a common thing in the city. A lot of us at the Mongoose have the occasional angry drunk that causes a ruckus and curses our name but it's never gone more than us bouncing them out."
>Jackson replayed some of the trideo again, watching it as he spoke.
"Secrets though... Yeah, his new found business venture with the women of our bar, you could say. Though I always expected that to be part of a spurned husband with a shotgun..."
| "He's been hard up for cash over the past couple of months. This all started when some blonde older woman, basically. She offered us both 15,000k a piece for the night. I declined myself, but Scott went ahead and took her up on it."
>He threw the remote onto the couch and looked at Fuschia.
"So that began a bit of a side business for him. He was only trying to secure enough money for him and his little sister to live comfortably, so I can't knock him for it too hard."
| "Wait, so he was whoring himself out for money? That would make sense why he let his guard down when he was with these girls. Maybe he thought it was just another job..."
>She thought for a second.
"...Wait."
>She grabbed the remote and turned the camera footage back to when the girls entered.
"Hakase said she was talking through her text-to-speech device. Maybe she had been here at the bar the whole time? Can we watch just this one camera the whole time? I want to see something."
| >>236041
"Ha...Hakase?"
>He asked dumbfounded as F turned the footage back. Jackson set up the security footage to only roll from the entrance as instructed.
"I mean, we can but I don't know what the text-to-speech mode will help us with right here."
>The tape played again, as the girls entered, you can see the loud girl has her phone out holding it upward and checked the screen before putting it back in her large hoodie.
>The screen seemed to be Danger/u/ opened in a thread.
| "Goddamn, I think we have an ID. Scroll in if you can, please!"
>She looked at the camera to try and see what was on the danger/u/ screen of the girl's phone.
| >He ran the zoom in on the screen.
"So you're saying we can track her down with just her Danger/u/ ID? I mean, if she's posting wouldn't we be able to have found her that way already?"
>Jackson said skeptically.
| "I'm not saying we can track them necessarily. I'm saying that we can connect some dots, confirm a suspicion that these two are in fact who I think they are, and use that as a way to find out more info about them and get closer to tracking them. I think these girls go by 'Bittersweet', the one holding the phone, and 'Noize', the one with the gas mask. They're sisters, with Noize being the older one. If she's talking on a text-to-speech at this exact moment..."
| "That means that Noize should reach over, look at the screen and smack her. Bittersweet said Noize smacked her when she read the screen. Bittersweet is obsessed with Hakase for some reason, which is why she was posting in the AMA. She had hinted that she was going to attack Hakase's boyfriend, and that's why Hakase thinks this case is connected to her personally. Scott Marshall may have been an attempt to get at Hakase which means Scott may have been tied to things you don't know."
| >In slow motion, the phrase -Bittersweet did indeed appear on the screen as she finished speaking, before putting her phone away for the post she was making.
>The Gas Mask girl had been staring in Scott's direction the entire time before they went to their seats.
"Ahh, I get ya. That tells us how haphazard Sweets here is, huh?"
| (Sorry, give me second ._.;;)
| (Tis okay! Just trying to post some more before I have to go to work ;-;)
| >In slow motion, the phrase -Bittersweet did indeed appear on the screen as she finished speaking, before putting her phone away for the post she was making.
>The Gas Mask girl had been staring in Scott's direction the entire time, before her attention is caught by the Excited Girl, and 'Noize' swings her palm into the back of 'Sweet's' head, just as predicted before they took their seats.
"Well, would you look at that there."
>Jackson stated, studying the two.
|
"So, they are trying to get to someone who I don't even know Scott was trying to hide from me, huh? Hmmm... any idea what this Hakase looks like? If she knows Scott, she must have been by at least once."
(There you go and it's cool I understand,)
|
| "Well, frankly I don't know if Scott Marshall is actually involved with Hakase in any way, but there's a chance that these girls may have targeted him because he physically looked like somebody who is: CN, who they incorrectly assume is Hakase's boyfriend. They look very, very similar, they may have had a suspicion since they don't really know, but that's a loose connection for a motive at best. At the moment we don't know why they killed Scott, but now we know who they are."
| "So, we have a positive ID on the killers being Bittersweet and Noize, and we now have a solid physical appearance and traits. Something else to note is that Noize is clearly a skilled hacker, Bittersweet even mentioned it on the board in Hakase's AMA. Since that's the case, we can assume she's hacked things before, which means she's likely a decker, or a shadowrunner, or a technomancer. Which means people on the street may know who she is. That's our next lead."
| "We should start there, see if anybody else has heard of either of these girls before. If Noize is a shadowrunner, she has to have contacts, so maybe we can find them. If Bittersweet is a serial killer or a black widow, maybe she's killed before, and we can detect victims of similar profile as Scott. Either way, these two are dangerous and should be treated as such."
>Fuschia turned off the TV, but she couldn't help but feel she was missing something, somewhere...
| "Either way, we have leads, which means progress has been made. Now, to act on it. Maybe we'll find the missing piece that ties this to the Midnight District, and to Hakase, and potentially the Black Collars. Who knows how far this goes..."
>She stood up and looked around.
"So, 'Partner', ready to get your hands dirty? Time to hit the streets and do things the old fashionef way. Gotta ask around some common shadowrunner hotspots as well as on /cyb/, see if anybody knows these two."
| >Jackson whistled at the end of her spiel, clearly impressed, but he had a distinctly strained look on his face.
"That's a pretty cohesive profile so far. I can agree with pretty much everything you've said for them. Just to be clear though, they're killing based on a vague profile themselves, in hopes of hitting the right target? Or at least trying to force the right one out by doing this? That's pretty reckless, in opinion."
>He stated, thinking aloud.
| "There has to be a better way for them to do this besides just killing bystanders until they get the right one. If Noize is a hacker then she should be able to find Hakase or CN pretty easily right? So why the serial killer bit? Either way, I agree we should take caution. I don't think that 'speech-to-text' mishap was an accident, if what you're saying is true."
>His foot tapped on the ground ashe looked over at Fuschia and noticed her discomfort in her stance.
| "Something else on your mind about this?"
>Jackson asked.
"Oh, and to answer your question first, yeah, I'm ready to start digging. Are you wanting to go to the crime scene first I guess or try and hit up some Decker Hangouts?"
| "...I just feel like something is missing here. Its what you said, about how their actions are reckless, and yes, if Noize was a hacker than she likely would have at least tried to get to Hakase or CN before this. There is a lot here that doesn't add up. Motive, for one thing. We still have no idea why they even did this, and we have even less of an idea of how this all ties together in the end...Something is just off about this, but I'm not sure what yet."
| "I mean, why go around killing lookalikes? Is it in fact to draw out the real person? Or is CN not even tied to this, that connection is shaky at best...And what does Hakase have to do with it all..."
>She pauses for a moment before pulling out her deck from her right vambrace in her armor.
"As a matter of fact, lets see if she has found any more info. I should ask her if she's found anything yet...but not in a way that Noize or Bittersweet will be able to read. I need a cipher."
| "Preferably one that would be difficult to decipher, but not one that is impossible...Just hard enough to make sure Noize couldn't decode it."
>She thought for a minute.
"I have an idea, but it is a lot of work to decode, so I will make my messages short enough to make it practical, considering I'll have to decode her response too. It is somewhat limiting though because of the work that will go into it, both of our messages will have to be short and to the point."
| >Fuschia began typing on a holographic keyboard that hovered above her jack:
>"Hakase, this is Fuschia Fedora. I can confirm that Scott Marshall's killers were Bittersweet and Noize from the AMA. We're going to try to track down Noize's shadowrunning contacts. Have you found any new info?"
>Quickly, the keyboard converted the message into hexadecimal, and then converted the hexadecimal into 3 numbered RGB codes.
(You will not actually have to decode the post I make. Its a bitch.)
| (I am still gonna make a separate post with the coded message so that you can respond, but hot damn is it a bitch to encode, so I figured I'd decrease the steps we gotta take. I'll still decode yours, whether you use this method or another. ^_^")
| (Kk~)
"Man, that's pretty nuts. I only know morse code thanks to my Gramps but damn, I don't want to mess with that."
>Jackson stated watching the screen as a reply came up shortly after.
"Oh, hell they responded! That was quick!"
| (...So, here's where I reveal that I'm a noob, what sort of code do you use?)
| (It's just basic decimal I figured I'd just chill and be easier ^^;; I personally use Cryptii.com)
| (If you need I can must advance it from here ^^;;)
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| >After a few moments of waiting, the T.V. turns itself back on. However, the screen has gone from its Sec. Footage to a solid black screen with a Red Dot Blinking.
>"Hello. I was worried about the lack of response. I'll be doing some background Security Protocols for you while we speak so if you hear anything, do not be alarmed. - HAKASE"
>The text sat for a few moments to read and process before it cleared.
>"Who is this blonde nerd? He doesn't look like Wardrobe Personnel."
|
|
| (I'm sorry, I've been really busy ;-; I will reply tonight I promise!
-FF)
| (It's cool take your time. ^^;;)
|
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|
| >Fuschia Fedora looked at the TV and spoke to it.
"Sorry, I was occupied here. And this blonde nerd is Jackson, a friend of Scott Marshall's who has been helpful in the case so far. A valuable asset, and he's funny, but no, he isn't Wardrobe."
>She then looked down, and then looked back.
"Wait a minute, what 'Security Protocols' are you doing exactly?"
| (I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK ME SO LONG ;-; I've been really busy recently...should be okay for a little while after this though!)
| >"I mean. He looks nice, I guess? Whatever, not interested in the full detail."
>"And let's just say the overall security on the connection here isn't exactly professional. It's a weird hodgepodge of broke code and redirects, etc so I'm fixing it to fit a more Black Collar standard, if you feel me."
>"NøiZe has been hitting my systems with a mess of nonsensical crap lately trying to get in here so i'm just sewing some seams shut."
>"So if an alarm trips, that's just me."
| (You are good. I understand life happens. ^^;;)
"I mean, yeah you can just call me that when I can't even see you."
>Jackson crossed his arms and looked away, perking up when Fuschia mentioned he was funny.
"Wait, you really think-"
>He shook his head
"Never mind that, what can you tell us about these two if you've got anything? Better yet, can you give me a run down of who you are and what you do exactly? I'd like a better idea of you as a person."
| >"I'm a tech prodigy that works for a Distant Military Group called the Black Collars. I just received my own official Rank in it as I turned 18. We specialize in collecting and securing ancient artifacts and the like."
>"That good enough? I got a bit of an info dump for you guys. My main foot soldier already has my info so I'll just borrow your security footage while i'm here."
| "Woah woah woah. You're gonna help us too right? I mean, info for info is how this works, yeah?"
>Jackson spoke, stepping forward to the screen.
"It's not like- huh?"
>"I am giving the information to Fuschia as she's a party member I trust entirely. I don't know who you are or care that much to know at the moment."
"Well, aren't you just peachy then..."
>Jackwon crossed his arms again and stepped away from the screen, slightly dejected.
|
| >"So first."
>An three images of men appear. The second on is Scott Marshall. The first has the name Matthew Miller under it and the third says Jacob Marx.
>Matthew Miller fits the profile of a slender man with medium length hair, around 170 lbs.
>Jacob Marx is a larger, more built man who weighs in at 220lbs and has a defined muscular profile.
"Let's go over our victims. Jacob Marx was found a little after Marshall. Time of death is only days apart."
| (Oops >for the last sentence.)
| >"We know who the second is, but we have a highly similar murder a week prior, along with a third after Marshall. The first one Worked construction. Questioning of coworkers led to him being sexually deviant when he could, visiting strips clubs and the like. Heart of gold, but treasure chest full of secrets so we found. Had two siblings and a sickly mother."
| >"The third is a man who also did construction filling out a profile more similar to my actual guy who runs for me. Method of killing is the same, stabbed multiple times, though his various wounds seemed to have longer periods of coagulation to them so he was tortured, just like the first, who showed similar signs. I hate to say, but Scott was lucky, in an instance like this. He was killed quickly after abduction, it seems."
| "And... You're sure these three are all connected?"
>Jackson asked, looking a little skeptical.
"What all connects them exactly? I've read that legitimate serial killers always have a specific pattern or ritual, or even type of target? Why does this third guy seem ot of place physically?"
>He tapped his chin as he looked, waiting for a response
|
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| >"Well, loser, if you must know I think the first two are mistakes due to information. They were originally looking for a tall, slender man with brown hair and a streak of sexual deviance."
>"This actually corresponds to a partner of my guy's sans the brown hair. They must have gotten a detail mixed up and thought it was CN, a local Hacker also seen with my guy on the regular."
>"The third guy is supposed to be more resembling Markus Arx, aka Gold Knuckles."
| >"This is all speculation, but there was a third, very distinct factor in their murder and that was a very long-named drug called methyldiazepicybin, AKA MDZC was found in all three bodies in some amount."
| >>251132
"So basically, this confirms the suspicion that they were killed because they are look-alikes tied to you somehow? Are they trying to go after whoever they think your boyfriend is, first CN and now this Gold Knuckles fellow?"
>FF observed the data carefully, watching, scanning.
"Definitely a target profile, these three were all killed by those two. We have the who, what, when, where and how, but not the why. Do we have any idea who or where they're going to strike next?"
| >Her text stays silent for a while as you await a response.
>"Can we stop throwing the word boyfriend around? It's a little embarrassing."
>her text waits a moment.
>"Anyway... I think I have a solid answer to why. Remember the Midnight District?"
| >>259015
"Sorry, I don't quite know what else to call them. And I remember what happened there, if that is your question, though I don't know too many specifics, I just watched the White Knight comms in awe when that all happened."
>She looked at the screen puzzled.
"Oh wait, but the girls took Scott Marshall there! Did they take the other targets there as well? Maybe that's their hideout?"
| >>259015
"Yeah, that place is a fucking hell hole at this point. It'd be easy to hide there, now that the security has died down over the past year, and the new construction work hasn't started at all either."
>Jackson spoke in thought.
| >"Just call them my coworkers. Not like I have those kinds of feeling for either of them..."
>"Anyway, yeah you're both right. They have killed their targets in the Midnight District meaning that they operate nearby or are ritualistically using it to try and lure GK out due to him not being able to prevent that incident..."
| >>259029
"Prevent that... How the hell do you prevent that mutant ass tree that blew the hell out of my old man's company and district?"
>Jackson immediately slapped his hand over his mouth and stepped away from the screen and Fuschia. He had asked in a slight excitement and mild panic that something could have even thought to be done to save the area.
| >>259029
"Hmm...So you think the end-goal is to reach Gold Knuckles, or you? What exactly are these two after?"
>Fuschia ignored Jackson and put her hands to her helmet's temples.
"And, if they *are* after one of you, and we know this for a fact..."
>She stood up and turned around in thought, before looking back to the TV.
"If they're after one of you, then we should be able to draw them out by making them think they know where to find you. Send you there, they'll come after, no?"
| >"Normally yes. I'd send false information in a heartbeat to lure them out in comparison but there is one problem with these two."
>Several other mortuary files appear on screen all depicting several other men all suffering similar symptoms and wounds to the three GC victims.
>"They were already hunting and killing Black Collar Personnel before coming here. While I fully believe in GK's abilities, I personally cannot help but be shaken up a little bit by this revelation."
| >>259461
>FF held her hands to her helmet, as her jaw dropped at the large number of Black Collar fatalities this duo has already caused.
"How...How have they gone on this long unstopped?"
>She looked down as she sighed heavily.
"This is why I do what I do. If I don't stop these people, who else will?!"
>FF punches her own leg and looks back at the screen.
"Okay, so these two are murdering actual Black Collar members. Sending one to their death as a lure...not a good plan."
| >After a moment of thought, FF looked back at Jackson.
"Look, this is way bigger than I thought it was. I'm sorry, and thank you for the help, but I can't allow you to place yourself in harm's way. If you trust me, you'll let me handle this and you'll stay behind, okay? These two aren't just serial killers, they have to be highly trained and packing an arsenal to go after *these* people and get away with killing so many. In other words, way too fucking dangerous for you man."
| >>259476
>Jackson had been lost in his own thought before he took a minute to look at the TV seeing the additional files.
"What, you're saying I'm not allowed to go with you? Look, I'm not just some bartender I can help you out. Both of you! I don't have the professional combat experience you may have, but I was trained by one of the best."
>Jackson raises his right hand.
"You think these are just to give me my limbs back?"
| >>259474
>"Unstopped? It's a good question. It's been being handled by our regular security team for the past month or so. Originally what they detailed was they were all separate killings since a lot of locations were few and far between. The GC incident is the most commonly used murder site for them, it seems. Them appearing here has given me a chance to get their MO, methods, etc but the cost is a bit too much."
>The screen stays blank for a few moments.
| >"The personnel killed were all unranked members too, meaning that I believe they were testing themselves before finally setting sights on a bigger fish, so to speak. I still believe they are relatively new to this whole thing, meaning they are likely to slip up again."
>"But because of these have been Black Collars, Fuschia, I also have a hard time convincing myself to send you for this too, since you're an outsider and don't have much if a clue to what you could be walking into..."
| "The hell do you mean outsider? Just because we're not part of your cute organization of black dressed asshats doesn't mean we can't handle a pair of small brats like this."
>Jackson himself was getting a bit pent up with his emotion toward the situation.
"I'll use myself as bait, how about that? They have jumbled information anyway so if we start feeding more in into another Black Collar in the area they'll come for me, right?"
| >FF opened her mouth to reply, but stayed silend and thought out her words. This was not the time to let her emotions get the better of her. She took a deep breath and turned back to the screen.
"If not me, then who, Hakase? These two have literally killed everybody else they've come across. I don't know what sort of military you Black Collars have, but whatever it is, if they aren't the best of the best then they'll just end up like the others. Who else if not m...if not us?"
| >A brief moment of naivety was shown through FF's voice as she turned to Jackson.
"You're too emotionally tied to this case and I don't want you to get hurt, but at the same time I may need assistance out there. Maybe having you around could help, but you have to promise me that if I tell you to run and let me handle it that you can do that. I will not allow you to die for this."
| "If you think that you can manage to not get yourself killed...maybe we can work something out. But only if we get the approval of the 'Black dresses asshats'."
>FF said as she turned back to the screen. Now Fuschia Fedora got what it was like, to be told you can't handle something when you think you can. Hakase did it to her as she did it to Jackson. How could she just turn him away? Not at that moment, not when he may still be useful...
| "F... You got it. I'm happy you're willing to trust me."
>Jackson smiled a little, knowing that his back was gotten on this situation.
"So, what's it gonna be, Hakase? Do we use my plan or what? if yes, any hint at what we could be getting yourself into?"
| >"Fine, you idiots. We can use the Bartender's plan. I'll start circulating rumours of Black Collar movement around the Midnight District as well. I'll give you a distinct area to wait at across a number of nights. If NøiZe is even half the hacker I think she is, she'll get the message on where to go too. Fuschia. You'll accompany him and hiding until they arrive and he needs help."
>"Now to answer your other question. Give me a minute to pull up some footage..."
| >"If you two are gonna do the work, you're gonna need a briefing as to what to expect."
>The files are removed and a security camera shows a man clad in a black dress shirt and slacks, with a pair of black leather gloves and golden knuckles over the top of his hands.
>He can be seen taking care of a number of street thugs in a very efficient manner, but most notable is when he simply kicks behind him, causing a burst of flame to shoot from his left foot.
| >He then followed out by throwing a sharp punch forward causing, what could only be described as, a burst of water erupting from his hand and throwing two thugs away from him in the different directions.
| >The footage stops here, pausing the man in question.
>"This is Gold Knuckles. He's fighting an old hasbeen jobbers here known as the Chain 99ers. Tell me, what is off about any of this?"
| "So let me get this straight."
>FF stands.
"You have who seems to be a highly trained military operative with what I can only guess are extremely advanced augments or weapons in his fists and feet, and who seems to be able to take on multiple people at once...and THIS guy is the target of these two girls? He seems more than capable of being able to handle this...He's probably missing or AWOL, because if he wasn't he'd probably have already dealt with this, or he'd be here, right?"
| "Yeah, but that knife is some trouble."
>A distinct male voice plays through the tv.
"My uniform isn't able to be pierced by normal knives and bullets when I flow magick through it, but her knive cut right through and stabbed me, despite not recognizing a flow through that waitress."
>"Vocal recording of Gold Knuckles. Our Black Collar operatives are able to handle humans and most augmented folk."
| >"These girls have something to them that forces our own hands. Theres been a woman calling herself an Inquisitor on the board around a month ago looking for Gold Knuckles too, I found after some digging in the boards."
| "Did... did he just say Magick?"
>Jackson pointed at the screen, in disbelief.
"What kind of stupid..."
>He fell quiet for a second, bringing a hand to his mouth.
| >>260100
>"Yeah, he did but shut up for a second."
"I can try and get the help of CN and his crew but if you've already got someone in mind, go for it. Right now, we only have two targets and a third potential Leader. That's who i'm worried about because she can't be too far behind where they are."
>"That was what he said when we were first finding out about this, after my AMA and Upload thread."
| "Look, the 'magic' is likely an augment or something, albiet likely really advanced. Anything can happen nowadays man, I wouldn't think it impossible for somebody to make something so advanced that it looked like magic and frankly that's not what I'm focused on right now."
>FF cocked her head to Jackson before looking back at the screen.
"So basically your fear is that there is a group of people who have learned how to counter your 'magic' and that are hunting your people down?"
| >>260313
>"...Yes. That is a good way to sum this up. You can concern this mission as being a way to check and see what they are capable of. I'd hate to find out they have a way to entirely mitigate anything we can do without any sort of confirmation."
>"Hence, why we were going to hopefully get the DynamoFucks to help us. We both know CN well enough, but some of his own team have had some negative interactions."
>"Then, you... and I guess, this guy, happened."
| "Yeah, CN is a tough nut to crack sometimes. I don't know his team all that well and I've only spoken to him like twice. I'd barely call us acquaintances, but BP trusts him. As for me, I'm here to help people and keep tabs on threats to the people of Glitch City, so our goals align if these people are this powerful."
>She looks to Jackson.
"And he may yet be a valuable asset. Or a total doofus, so we'll just rain check Jackson's final status."
>She said humourously.
| "Anyway, so our plan is to send somebody as bait for these two and draw them out of whatever hole they hide in near the Midnight District. Then we capture them and..."
>FF falters as she then looks down.
"...So, what will you have us do with them once they're captured? They need to be taken off the streets permanently."
| >>260384
>"I will allow you to keep the bartender as a pet for the mission. He's gonna be our bait anyway."
>"Once they are captured, Mar--- Gold Knuckles will arrange for pickup. We've had a number of other individuals needed to be pulled out of the city, so we have transports at the ready, also lead by a Ranked Collar, named Lucian Heart."
>"After that, they will be in our custody as they belong, for questioning and sentencing on our soil."
| "You know, I'll let her talk me down, because I can't see her, but I'm pretty good at revenge for down playing me when the person is nearby."
>Jackson smirked as he looked at Fuschia.
"But I won't give any hints..."
"Anyway, that sounds like it's worth a shot though. These two shouldn't be a problem for the current Head Bartender of the Mongoose. I'll be sure to load myself with concussive or flash grenades for the encounter."
| "Alright Hakase, as long as you take these three and get them out of Glitch City that's fine by me. When are we doing this?"
>She said as she stood up and readied her electro-club and her taser-shotgun. She pressed a switch on the club's handle and it began to emit a low hum as it absorbed the static electricity from the air around it, storing it for later use as a single crippling blow that could knock doors off their hinges and send regular foes flying.
| >As the club charged, she reloaded the Taser. It was a small clip-fed gun about the length of a sawed-off shotgun, and it fired advanced slug rounds consisting of tiny barbed rods made of tungsten and electrically charged. They are designed to be fired at both organics and synthetics and work by entering the skin and tissue or the circutry and hooking to it to prevent lethal penetration while administering a strong electric shock, ensuring the blow is disabling but non-lethal.
| >Of course, this relies on the rounds being fired to nonlethal parts of the body, such as the legs, arms or abdomen. Chest, neck or head shots could be lethal if they hit the wrong place, though the rounds are pretty good at stopping themselves at just beneath skin layer.
>She also had a small grenade launcher in her left vambrace, filled with exclusively EMP grenades. She was a techie to the core, using forms of electricity for a large part of her arsenal of tools.
| >Her best strengths in combat however were her hacking abilities. Her suit is specifically designed to keep her safe while she hacks, decks and even full-dives on the go. She often uses this to advantage even in combat, with anything from hacking doors open or closed to sending drones crashing down from the sky to activating a light in a different room for common misdirection in a stealth situation, or even for making mobile proximity bombs and switching turrets to fire on others.
| >Jackson looked over the gear itself as she prepped it, taking a moment to analyze her.
"Heh, your White Knight gear is pretty neat. The club in particular is rather scary looking.
>He said as he made a fist with his right hand, a pair of prongs appeared from his index and pinky knuckles, electricity sparking between contacts. The Taser Knuckle, if you will.
| >As the contacts retracted, his hand disconnected a little and shifted underneath his forearm, grabbing hold of a trigger as a gun barrel positioned itself out of the new opening.
>He then stepped forward, lifting his left leg in a way so the knee pointed forward and he removed the red patch over revealing what looked like to be the barrel of a grenade launcher inside.
| >As he placed his leg down again, his right leg slid forward, this one having a blade jettison from the shin reaching about an inch in length from the opening.
>Each one of his prosthetics turned out to be its own protection for Jackson, each with even more customizable option than most Aug owners could shake a stick at.
"Like I said, don't count me out either. My old man taught me really well."
| >"We can begin soon probably tonight, honestly. I'll need to post around a little to give enough of a warning and clues for NøiZe."
>"Fuschia, would you be willing to let me have a direct line to your armor so that I can listen and record your encounter? You've got some sort of audiotech in there right?"
>"In the meantime, why don't you kids get yourselves some coffee or something else mutually consenting adults do until the party can start?"
| >>260803
"Coffee? Yeah I doubt that. F probably has a lot more to do before this than grab a cup with someone like me."
>Jackson said dismissively as the blade in his right leg retracted.
| >FF took note of Jackson's various weaponry as she looked around the apartment a little more.
"Yeah, I've got it all in my helmet. Coaxial port 207 on the intranet the suit has, I can send it your way."
>She then stood up.
"Well, maybe if Mr. Jackson wants to prove to me that he can actually fight...We could spar a little on the roof or something? Just a thought."
>She smiled as her club gave an almost silent beep, notifying its status as charged.
| >>261257
"Oh? Yeah, you know, that might be a good idea considering we've not really seen each other in action."
>Jackson bobs from each foot for a moment before nodding, deciding to agree to it.
"Yeah, let's do it. Won't be too much different for me, since I spar with a Lilim on the regular. I'll try not to surprise you too much."
>He said with a thumbs up and a wink.
| >"Alright then, you two go have fun learning each others bodies and such."
>"I've got more work to do. There will be a Black Collar uniform for the Bartender coming by in a bit, along with a special package I want you to bring to the site. I answer other questions later."
>As soon as she said that, the screen went entirely blank.
| "Hm. She's a charmer."
>Fuschia smiled as she observed Jackson.
"And just so you know, just because you sparred with one Lilim doesn't mean you've sparred with all of them. I think that's somewhat of a racist statement now, isn't it?"
>She said with a sarcastic sneer as she walked over to the door.
"So, roof access. Where we going?"
| >>261450
"Yeah, right?"
>He shakes his head following F to the exit door.
"And look I don't mean no disrespect, it's more of an invitation to not go as easy on me. While it's true, I haven't went against every Lilim I know not to try and block with my left arm."
>He chuckled a little as he opened the door and led her to an access elevator that had to have a card slid through it to open.
>He stepped in punching a number of buttons before holding the elevator door open.
"Going up."
|
| Ciao ragazzi
|
| (Okay, so I'm going to assume this happened BEFORE the whole BP thing so that I don't have to like, you know, leave the scene to go find her, if that's cool.)
>Fuschia Fedora stepped through the elevator as well.
"You assumed I was gonna go easy on you?"
>She said with a playful sneer as she waited while the elevator went up.
"As soon as we're on the roof, it's go time."
>She was tapping the tips of her fingers together, which to an untrained eye would look like fidgeting...
| (That's fine, I was going with that myself. >_>)
>Jackson smiled back as the elevator closed and began counting upward.
"Ya know? A lot of the other Bartenders here would love this chance too. A lot of us, 'sides Genie and Me, are ex Bounty Hunters."
>6
"We're a pretty ragtag bunch, really."
>7
>He noticed her fingers tapping before mentioning
"Your gear looks pretty professional. What was that unit called again?"
| "It's a bunch of actual White Knight gear. The club is a Blitzkrieg riot control weapon while the taser is a Valkyrie self-defense weapon. The armor itself, however, is from my old division: the Ulfhednar. Ulfhednar were the White Knights' cybersecurity division. During my time as a White Knight I spent a lot of time indoors, decking, hacking, basically watching the city and tracking matrix crime and potential threats, as well as internal affairs like inventory and data security.'
| "I left the White Knights after the December Riots. On my way out of the White Knights I grabbed as much as I could and I ran with it. They're technically still hunting me for it, though I've successfully evaded them since. Pretty easy when you know all of their tricks and methods, since I was the one who used those same methods for...well, quite a while."
>The lights in the elevator gave a very quick and faint flicker of the lights as it ascended to the top.
"Which floor is top?"
| >>262502
"See? That's an interesting backstory. The fuck do I get to use as a cool entrance thing ever? I AM ALABASTER BARTENDER, I'll Mix you into some JUSTICE!"
>He said jovially shaking his head.
"Again, no disrespect, but i'm trying to make light of how I'm feeling."
>10
"Oh, technically the roof is floor 13, I guess."
>11
"Say, you don't smoke right?"
| >>262506
>R
"Because at the very least, I'll treat you to a drink afterward."
>He spoke, smirk on his face. The doors opened and he stepped out first in a rush, wanting to put some distance away from himself and that charged Mace.
>As Jackson turns around, his arms take a relaxed stance, right arm horizontal and forward, left vertical and back, as he faced her from his side, a bounce to his step.
>The look in his own eye had a hint of excitement.
"Ready? Come on then."
| >As Jackson rushed out of the elevator, Fuschia Fedora looked around on the rooftop and left at a slower pace, now tapping her fingers on her left thigh as she observed the roof.
>"Vents there, AC units there...Cameras up there..."
"You see Jackson, I'm gonna be honest, even though I went through the intense White Knight psychoconditioning and physical augments, I'm not the best hand to hand fighter. I spent most of my days behind a computer in a control room. However..."
| >Fuschia slowly approached Jackson as she spoke, her weapons sheathed as she prepared for hand-to-hand combat.
"...When the entire world is electric, and everything from the buildings to the fire hydrants is controlled by computers, it leaves a window for somebody who can get inside everything, and suddenly-"
>To Jackson's left, an oddly fast spinning AC unit quickly malfunctioned and burst a pipe, sending a slight blast of cold steam at Jackson's face!
>Then, she charged him!
| >Jackson's body weaves out of the way in just a knick of time at a surprising reaction time for what he's let on.
"Oh now that's a real cute trick then!"
>He pulls away from the AC unit, his focus attempting to process each new hazard as he actually chooses to close the distance himself, putting both arms up to cover both sides.
>As soon as he closed the distance he reared his left arm back, ready for a powerful straight forward punch.
| >As she approached Jackson at a very fast rate, she saw he was gearing up for a punch, and went for a low sliding sweep kick, using her forward momentum to propel her body and hence her feet as she aimed for his legs!
| >As he see the downward movements his motions changes from the reading back to a spin, his striking arm, now shifting to his right now reared back as a think is heard from his now leading foot as it steps down.
>Several spikes can be seen gripping the roof from his foot as he prepared to take the sweep head on, his leg anchoring itself to the ground, right arm now overhead, ready to deliver the new change up blow straight down into Fuschia's Abdomen.
| Sees*
Rearing*
|
|
|
|
| >FF continued the sweep and smashed her feet right into Jackson's legs, but she then kicked off of them and pushed herself backwards as she rolled back onto her feet before once more dashing and closing the distance, preparing to attack. Her hand-to-hand fighting style and stance seemed to be somewhere in between 'urban krav maga' and 'to-shin do', and she quickly threw a right hook to the gut before attempting to sweep his right arm out of the way, so as to get behind Jackson.
| >Jackson had recoiled stepped back from his initial position, his downward punch missing, slamming directly into the roof busting it to pieces (yet not through) around his knuckles.
"A whole other league..."
>His voice let's a little as he catches her rush again, backing away instead and keeping his posture until the last second throwing his arms up and allowing the hook to connect into his midsection.
(I'll let you decide how hard this hits, lol.)
| >The blow wasn't devastating. After all, they were only sparring for fun, she didn't actually want to *hurt* him. She swept underneath Jackson's right arm and wrapped her arms around his midsection before attempting to lift him up and slam him down.
"Jeez, were you really gonna hit me *that* hard?"
>She says lightheartedly, clearly enjoying herself throughout all of this as she prepared to slam him...
>...but she couldn't lift him.
"Nn...UGH, your augments are fucking heavy dude!"
| "Well, I mean. I am scaling based on my regular partner, PLUS your suit so yeah. If something hit, I wanted to make sure you felt it."
>Jackson speaks after the attempted Suplex, leaving his own arms on the air still.
"And yes, thank you. I weigh about 420 lbs thanks to both legs. That's on purpose, thanks to my friend. I'm surprised you can't pick me up though. Was really expecting to have myself need a chiropractor after this."
| >Jackson's arms went down after the fact, his right hand gripped her forearm as she still had the hold.
"I'd tell you how to do this correctly, but I would like to save my money."
>With his grip and the shift of his left leg upward, he loosened the grip enough to manage to push away and break free, stepping away and faced her.
"I gotta say though. For as bulky as that armor looks you're faster than I expected. Then again, Me versus you is kinda like I'm fighting with only one arm."
|
|
| >The elevator opens up revealing the sight of a Black Motif Lilim in a Bartender Outfit standing inside holding a pair of packages. She looks at the scene as hand, seeing the broken AC piping and ground, immediately dropping the packages and rushes forward to Jackson's side, her left hand held upward with the right behind her.
"Master, are you injured?"
>The lilim questions her eyes narrowing at Fuschia Fedora.
| >FF smirked as Jackson broke the grip, as she prepared to go for a neck pressure point just as the second Lilim approached.
"Whoa whoa, you have a maid here? You didn't tell me about that, we were supposed to be alone!"
>She let her fighting stance down.
"Don't worry, we were just sparring for fun, consensually. I wasn't gonna hurt him too bad."
>She spoke as she shifted uncomfortably at the girl's eyes.
| "Yeah, Genie, what F said."
>Jackson placed a hand to her shoulder and pulled her back, looking at Fuschia.
"Maid... is a for her? I guess? She's a combat Lilim my old man made for my protection." -Jackson
>As he explained, Genie loosened her stance, her right hand noticable retracting viciously sharp finger nails.
"I was not aware White Knights would wear pink. Or that you had a new sparring partner. Have my own skills become too dull?" -Genie
| "I also didn't know you even knew any White Knights. ...Will update notes.
>Genie ended her statement, taking her attention back to Fuschia, bowing deeply.
"I do apologize for the confusion. It is simply my programming to assist Jackson when he is in danger. He normally does not participate in fighting, but I humour him for a spar every once in a while."
| "Ohhh...oh."
>Fuschia fidgeted.
"Man, my sensors must be off. When I hacked the building's electrical grid, my suit should have notified me that the elevator was on its way back up to the roof...So this is the Lilim you spar with?"
>She extended her hand to her.
"I'm a White Knight no longer. My name is Fuschia Fedora of the Justice Wardrobe, vigilante sentai hero. I'm trying to track down two murderers who killed one of Jackson's friends, and he's helping me on the case."
| >Genie takes hold of Fuschia's hand for a brife moment, breaking the shake early as well.
"I am Genevieve. V1p-3R Classification Combat Lilim originally designed as a security sentry for use by A.F. Jackson."
>Her intro was to the point.
"But yes, normally I allow Jackson to work out and spar with me. Typically I keep him from Bouncing the rowdy bar crowd as well I'm favor of me doing it."
>She cocks her head at the mention of the Wardrobe.
| "Data not found in installed Memory. Will research later. ... Registration completed, however. A pleasure to meet you, Fuschia Fedora. Will update profile as I learn more."
>She cocks her head the other way at the mention of the case.
"Murderers? Friend...? ... ... ..."
>She turns to Jackson
"Is this about Scott Marshall?"
| Philip Marlowe last zsqq1
| Infoming data for Post #265201
| >Fuschia sighed.
"How old are you, Genevieve? When were you created?"
>She smiled.
"I'm a Lilim too, in case you can't tell by looking at the outside of the armor. I've been on this planet for...wow, close to 80 years now? I remember when I spoke through the data input processes, I was very young and I talked exactly like that. That was my first life..."
>She trailed off.
"A-anyway, I'm no harm to doofus here...And yes, it is about Scott Marshall. Why? Do you know something?"
| >Genie turns back to Fuschia.
"Current State is 3 years old since programming. Typically my intellect designation is to be compared to a 28 year old himan. Current data on body structure is corrupted. Originally designed as a care taker and security unit for My Master."
>She stands for a moment.
"Previous data corrupted."
"... ... Scott Marshall was killed? Will update file. That is sad. Scott was a good friend."
>she stated deadpan.
"No other information about murder found."
| "Too answer that a little better, It's a bit of a long story, but Genie has been alongside me since I was around 5. Well, her previous consciousness was... A bit over protective I will say, so she was reset into what we have here in front of us today."
>Jackson smiles yet it is slightly uncomfortable.
"That being said, Genie I'm just answering questions and giving information. Since one of the Sentai of the city were here though, I asked to try her out, so to speak."
| >Genie's attention is turned for a moment to Jackson, then back to Fuschia.
"As long it pertains to investigative purposes, then it should be fine to aid her. I will trust in them that they would aid my Master should the situation arise, if it is connected to this matter."
>While her voice was calm, her facial features showed a grievous seriousness to her. After, she begins walking away and opens the elevator and speaks without turning back.
| "I came for my paycheck from Bartending. And I will leave these packages in your kitchen area. I have a child to take care of at the moment. She is the little girl who wandered in the other night, Jackson."
>She promptly enters and presses the button without turning. The doors close and she begins downward.
| "Wait, a little girl entered the bar last night? What happened? Do you need assistance with that?"
>You couldn't see it in her face, but i
| (Ah shit. One sec. Sent too early.)
| "Wait, a little girl entered the bar last night? What happened? Do you need assistance with that?"
>You couldn't see it through her helmet, but her face contorted into worry. She turned to Jackson.
"You didn't tell me you guys had a missing kid too. What's that about?"
| "Well, to be fair, the kid came in after you left the bar. I let Genie take care of her since that used to be one of her main functions. She met with some guy named... CN I think his tag was? That sounds right. Honestly I'm surprised she still has the kid."
>He shrugged a little bit.
"I didn't want to mention it, since you've probably got even more than just Scott's investigation going on. Didn't want to bog you down more than I probably am."
| "No, its fine. If CN came here he probably handled it and is finding the kid a place to go."
>She looked down.
"And yeah, there are other things I could be working on, but this is important too, so I don't consider this to be a bog down. I just wish those uniforms would get here so we could get to work. Every second we waste could be another killed by these two."
>She looked to Jackson.
"At least I have a little more confidence in you not getting yourself killed now."
>She smirked.
| >Just then, the elevator light started flashing erratically, for no reason, before going out quickly.
| >>266714
"I agree. She said they'd... wait the packages Genie had maybe?"
>He mused for a moment before continuing
"Tch, just a little? Well, we'll see what happens when we get to them. I'll have some different gear equipped to really go all out."
>Jackson smirked back before looking to the elevator and noticing the short.
"Hey, F. There anything wrong with my systems?"
| >F was no longer in front of Jackson!
>A pair of arms grab Jackson's midsection from behind, and F loudly grunted before she used her legs, arched her back and actually lifted Jackson, before turning to the side and slamming him down on his face!
"Phew...man...As...As a kid, which means when I was first programmed, I was really intruiged with magicians, and the concept of using misdirection to do the impossible. Silently making somebody look at your eyes while you switch a card..."
| "You can do the same thing in combat circumstances, to an even greater effect. Paranoia and stress heighten the senses in combat, so say 3 armed guards are looking for me in an apartment and there's a door on the left and a door on the right, both open. Suddenly, the toaster in the right makes a 'Ding' noise, and all eyes and bodies instantly turn to the right. Meaning, all backs are now to me, and as the three enter the room I take down the one in the back, silently. Etc etc."
| "Visual and audio cues are what you rely on in combat scenarios to protect yourself. Using my manipulation of technology, I can hack a building's electrical grid from my suit, and suddenly the environment is my playground. I always have the upper hand in that sense...well, unless my sensors are off, like when Genevieve came up in the elevator. I truly don't know what happened there, I should have seen that coming. Guess my suit needs recalibration."
>She rubs the back of her head.
| "Anyway, I wanted to prove to myself I could do it. If I can't slam you, what am I supposed to do against foes bigger than you? Urban Krav Maga for women focuses on using leverage and pressure points to subdue larger attackers, I just had to remember to reach lower and arch my back more...Man, I miss my martial arts trainer back at the White Knights, she was kickass."
>She lowered her hand to help Jackson up.
"Yeah, let's go check those packages, maybe they have what we need."
| "I'm.... sure I'll remember all that later. I really didn't need to be tossed around for the lesson, but hey, if its positive reinforcement in some way, that will be fine. Also, good to know. I was actually worried if something was happening though. Genie can more than take care of herself though, but I still worry."
>He sat for a few moments, thinking.
>Jackson took hold of her hand and pulled himself up.
| "My style is... really improvised. It changes based on what gear I've got on at a moments notice. I wore the heavier leg set today with a rubberized left arm."
>He led the way to the elevator, holding his head thanks to the throw.
"Yeah let's see what Hakase left for us to do this with."
>He clicked the button, and turned to Fuschia
"I willing to call that a draw, but I'll let you have this one. When I get my new tech worked out, It'll be a different story."
| "It wasn't a competition. The goal of sparring is to improve your own skills, and eachother's. In that sense, we're both winners, so don't feel bad!"
>Fuschia said that in an overly exaggerated, typical Sentai voice.
"...Whoa, I think I'm getting the hang of that."
>She laughed a little before going to the elevator. Once Jackson walked in with her, she hit the button for the floor they were on before and they started to descend.
| "I don't know if I'd ever get used to saying stuff like that, honestly. It's way to 'Saturday Morning Cartoon' for me."
>He chuckled a little as he watched the floors tick down.
"Like I said, though. Next time it's to run a prototype I'm working on."
>The 4th Floor was reached much faster than the way up and he led the way to his Flat Door, entering in pretty quickly and seeing the pair of unmarked packages on his kitchen bar counter.
"Let's crack these open."
| >The first package opened contains a full outfit, all in black with a gold skinny-tie, black gloves and shoes. Looking at the front, over the left breast is a golden IX Embroidered over it.
"Hmm... This is some pretty fancy material. Wonder what the hell it is?"
>Jackson said, looking it over, trying to find a tag.
"Wait, is this all the Black Collars wear?"
>He looked in the box again, seeing no form of actual armaments.
"What the hell are these people?"
| "Hmm...I'm not quite sure."
>F looks at the uniform.
"All I know about the Black Collars besides what Hakase told us herself is that they were responsible for the destruction in the Midnight District because of the big ass tree, and that they've been at odds with some of the good guys in the past. Each Ulfhednar White Knight, alsong with the rest of their job, were also assigned with keeping tabs on potential threats to the city, but we didn't talk to eachother about them."
| "My target was Black Panties. I was supposed to discover her secret identity and track her activities, but she wasn't a high-level threat to the city, only Bronze level, since she's a hero and all. My friend's target, however, was this Gold Knuckles. His threat level was, ironically, Gold level, but besides that we were instructed not to talk to eachother about our findings so I don't know any more. It wouldn't surprise me if Hakase had one too, we had quite a few members."
| "Any chance you could... No, never mind we don't have time for that, I'm sure. We can find out later, maybe even from the source itself if we do this well enough."
>Jackson began to open up the second box.
"I could have swore that Gold Knuckles was some sort of Justice Wardrobe guy, given rumors about his deeds in Midnight I'd heard, but then being responsible for the entire ARC Building going down and the damaged to the District?"
| >He popped the next box open, seeing some sort of Vials. This one had a letter inside, handwritten.
- In case of Oral Contact. Counteracts Mind Altering Effects. They have been noted of using Drugs to cause their victims to go with them for their murders. May Induce Vomiting.-
>Jackson looked at the 4 Vials of blue liquid with an unsure look on his face.
"I guess... This must be how they took Scott down..."
| "Well... I mean. That must be how they got him to be worn down enough to kill..."
>Jackson respoke as he took one vial out of the box.
"Wonder why it would induce vomiting though. This should counteract issues in your brain's cognition though, right? Either way I don't intend to find out."
| "I don't quite understand the organic features of the human body, since I don't have one, so I can't really help you there. Then again, logically speaking, it does say 'In case of *oral* contact', so maybe it is meant to make your body reject the drug and puke it up or something? That could make sense."
>She looked around at what they had in front of them.
"Is this all? Alright, now we just need to know where to go."
| >As if on queue, the screen turned on.
>"Finally. I work quick but I'm happy you're back."
>"Got this going down for you guys. It's an access tunnel that leads into some really old subway that was previously used by Ameritrade Robotics Corp when Midnight was still standing. I want to keep this discreet so that's why it's underground where nothing should be lurking. I'll send the coordinates and map to you, Fuschia."
>[File = ARC Subways.png]
>[COORD DATA = XX.XXXXX XX.XXXXX]
| >FF looks at the coordinates, confused.
"So...Going down there should draw out the murderers? They'll go after Jackson down there you think?"
| >>269145
>"Yes. NöiZe reactivated some of the cameras in the underground subway meaning they are using it. I've been keeping this under wraps for a little bit but I've seen someone else down there instead aside from those two on one I took to add a secondary redirect through and old ARC file system and then to me after some other hoops."
>The image is of a man, standing tall and rather well build with dark skin and a bush of white hair in what looks to be a kimono of sorts.
| "Yeah, I don't know who the hell that guy is... He looks crazy ripped though. Think he's just some oriental-looking ass Runner?"
>Jackson stated, looking to the screen.
| "So now we have another potential threat? Is this guy working with them, or is he related to this at all?"
>She looks at the screen, puzzled at the man.
| >>269157 >>269229
>"Good questions. I've only seen him on the cameras once. Aside from his appearance, he has a very other distinct feature to this man."
>A zoom in shows his face. While grainy, you are both able to make out the fact that this man has his eyes closed.
>"I really wonder what kind of man this is."
| >>269284
"Is... Is he blind? Either way I don't want to mess with him. Looks like a lot of danger if he's walking around the Underground with his eyes closed."
>Jackson examines the man a few moments more before turning to Fuschia.
"I'll go get changed into this. And a couple of other improvements."
>He entered a door that was near his workshop with a crooked sign that said 'fitting room'.
| >As Jackson left the room, F took the oppurtunity to speak to Hakase...alone.
"Okay, so be real with me. What kind of a risk are these two? If things get too dangerous are you going to send backup, or are you just going to leave us to die? No offense meant, just that even though we're working together I don't know how you Black Collars operate."
| >>269626
>"I was going to bring that up, but yes, Gold Knuckles will be nearby to bail you both out in the worst case scenario. I don't want him fighting directly until he gets a chance to properly see what they are doing to get their results. We have their method of general Serial Killings, but not their combat routine."
| >>269655 "So if push comes to shove, you'd rather us die than him?"
>F looks at the screen impatiently.
"Look. I'm willing to help with the case no matter what, I can handle my own. It is my duty to keep tabs on every potential danger within Glitch City. But just so you know what my opinion is, with what I know about the Black Collars so far, I'm considering that you're a pretty high threat to the city too. I need to make a deal with you before we move any further."
| >"I have had no intention of letting you die. Gold Knuckles is well aware of reading situations and sizing up enemies when he gets near but with their track record I, and most importantly, our Leader cannot risk losing him."
>"To be honest, I have been surprised at how cooperative you've been so far. I am aware of our status in the city and am willing to do what I can to make amends as well. I'll gladly listen to your request."
| "I need to know what your purpose in Glitch City is, really. I understand you're a foreign government agency of sorts, and that GC isn't your homeland. I'm not asking for a rundown of all your classified files, but I need to know why Glitch City. What are you doing here if you're from another government? Is there a threat to you in Glitch City that I need to be aware of? Does it ivolve the Midnight District, and that big tree? Does it involve these two? Just...Why. This. City?"
| "Is your government worried about something here? Are you planning a hostile takeover? Do you have enemies or investments here? Just please. I need a valid reason for your presence to be here. Bittersweet and Noize are clearly threats to you guys and they've gone around and killed our citizens to get at you. You claim that you are going to take them back to where you're from to take care of them, but how many more murderers are going to use this city ad a playground to get at you?"
| "Because so far, everything that I've seen that involves you seems to me ridiculously dangerous, including your own field agents. You have augments more advanced than any I've ever seen and training on par with the highest military forces. You're a nuclear reactor, and I want to know why I shouldn't advocate for your removal before another meltdown like the one in Midnight District."
>Her voice was stern, but not aggressive.
"I have a city to take care of. You understand."
| "I just want valid insurance, with proof, that you're not going to cause another incident and that the side effects of your presence, such as Bittersweet and Noize, won't cause any more damage here. That proof is a full explanation of the reason behind a Black Collar presence in Glitch City. I don't need to know everything about you or where you come from, but I need to know everything about why you are here. Please, and thank you, Hakase."
| >Fuschia Fedora spoke abour Glitch City in a motherly tone. She truly was taking on the role of a guardian of the people, and this meant going up against anything that could hurt them. And that meant, anything.
| >"... No. I would like to be transparent with you in the happenings regarding here."
>"It did involve the tree initially. Everything went entirely wrong with the securing what we've dubbed the Tree of Yggdrasil here at base. It takes a lot to explain, but the run down is, when Gold Knuckles said 'magick' he is not lying or using a codeword. Our land does not have the same technological advances you do. Instead, we grew an ability to harness magick in comparison."
| >"Yggdrasil was found to have the ability to grant what we refer to as Origin Traits to those who did not have them naturally. Ameritrade Robotics Corporation had found the tree and brought it here after declining Negotiations with our Leader, Aria Masters who shares a similarly Altruistic visage as you also show. Gold Knuckles was initially here to stop the incident and retrieve the Tree."
| >"Turns out, shit goes bad as we found a currently locked away member was losing his grip with his literal demons and it took control of his body and proceeded to activate the tree into it's full form. That's when the city began its contingencies.
>"Since then GK has been hard at work in the outskirts of the city, preventing any and all would be abusers to what remaining power the tree had. His work is finally dying down, but it seems they got in between the cracks somewhere."
| >"We have never wanted to cause what happened, but ARC forced our hands into coming here personally. To let you know, the scope of Yggdrasil is far more extreme than any sort of what we refer to as a Causality Weapon, something that can change the scope of this world as you know it, we've ever seen before. The original plan was to retrieve it or destroy it, hence why we sent Gold Knuckles, who could have done so before what happened."
| >"It all just went wrong in too many places and that's why Gold Knuckles and I have been so willing to assist anywhere we can and I do pledge for y look you to use Gold Knuckles when you see fit."
Despite the fact all you read is the text, a genuine sense of guilt is seen between the lines.
|
| >"If this quick run down doesn't satisfy you, Gold Knuckles can give you a better break down at his own discretion and be able to answer more personally about the situation."
| >FF listened intently at the tale. She nodded when Hakase was finished.
"Okay, that's good enough. You're in Glitch City to contain the spread of magick and make sure it doesn't spread..."
>She lets out a large breath.
"Okay, fine. That's good. That's okay."
>She smiled.
"And I just may take him up on that, later when the time is suitable."
| >She then stood up.
"I may want to know a little more about the nature of this 'magick' later. Sounds like some shit out of those old Star Wars movies from forever ago. I would be interested to see how it works, but now is not the time."
"Jackson! You almost done playing dress up in there?"
| >>271618
>Jackson came through his door with a pretty flat expression.
>He was in the uniform, the shirt being a little tight on him surprisingly, while pants fit just fine.
"I should have requested the size myself. But it'll do."
>He walks to Fuschia, his footsteps noticeably lighter.
"And hey, I wasn't just dressing up, I was changing out my gear from my heavier set to a lighter more mobile set. Thought it might help..."
|
|
| >>271978
>FF smiled.
"Well, you look alright at least."
>She turned to the screen.
"Hakase, please send me the coordinates to the tunnel. We'll head out as soom as we can."
|
| >>273678
>Yeah, he fills it out alright.
>Btw, for this mission consider him a Black Collar until the ruse is played out. I want them to come at him as hard as they can to figure out their methods.
>And sure, lemme just do some clicks here.
[Destination Set: (Setting) Forgotten Underground.]
[Directions; Old Access tunnel hidden inside old bar in Midnight District.] The Map leads directly to a build, it seems.
>Good Luck. And remember you do have eyes on you from a distance."
| "Alright. You ready? Let's do this."
>Fuschia Fedora smirked as she prepared for the mission.
(Would you like to make the setting, o great GK RPer?
-Pirat3)
| >>275049
"Yeah. We've gotta take these people out no matter what."
>As soon as the final preparations were done and they were on the way out, he locked up the apartment.
(Yeah, I'll create the thread here after I wake up a bit.)
| (https://boards.dangeru.us/cyb/thread/275751)
This thread is permanently archived
| >While the bar downstairs had been closed for the afternoon until opening later in the night the upstairs resident, A. F. Jackson was going about a lunch routine, finishing up some minor adjustments to his right arm.
>The entire forearm and hand had been replaced with a Inconel blend arm with a carbon coating. With a final screw put in, he exhaled, moving his arm a bit.
>Jackson was waiting during this late morning for a new companion to discuss a current situation.