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(Setting) Apartment Block 9 Room 807
| > Compulsively checking his communicator, the man sighs.
"The window of opportunity, however wide, is closing."
| > REM drove up on a hoverbike that remarkably had little to no engine noise regardless of how she sped across the streets. She'd know because she'd been going about 85 nearly from her apartment to about halfway to this one before she slowed down to look less conspicuous.
"Aaaah. Good 'ole GC polluted air. It's terrible but somehow it always clears my head...I wonder if this counts as substance abuse...You okay back there, Elisy?"
>REM looked back at Elisa.
| >Elisa is looking slightly green. She can not understand people who can breathe in this city. Or maybe it's just about being used to it?
"Let's just get inside."
| >Elisa jumps out of the hoverbike, eager to get inside. REM takes a moment to enjoy the air, then locks in the defense mechanism of the bike. Not much of a defense, self-destructing. But if she didn't have her bike, nobody would.
"Elisy"
>She stops, door mid-open.
"We forgot to buy some food"
>Elisa sighs.
"Guess it's too late now. We'll have to make do"
| >Elisa sighs at that but stays otherwise silent, leading them inside and to the apartment. She's glad to see Ampersand already there.
"Hello. How long do we have?"
| > REM grinned broadly and parked her bike a bit away from the entrance. Then she made her way over to Ampersand and looked back at Elisa. While holding up her handheld she beckoned her with a wordless 'come hither' motion.
" Need your pretty face, Elisy~."
> Afterward assuming Elisa got close enough she pulled the woman over by her shoulders like they were posing for a photograph and pressed the touch screen of her device.
| ( Oh whoops I didn't know you moved me. LOL Uhhh...Retcon the first portion of that post. )
| "Is casual flirting just a thing you do, or..."
Elisa raised an eyebrow, hoping it wouldn't make the projection look weird.
| "I mean yeah but you actually are pretty."
>REM replied with an amused smile before the projection flew onto Elisa's face. Soon enough it darkened and adjusted to the lighting of the room until it actually looked like her face.
"Okay...Caaareful. There's a range you need to be at so the sensors don't realize..."
>She murmured while adjusting where they stood...Hopefully the scanning sensors would accept the approximation!
| "Do you want me to stop?"
| (won't* asdfg fokin' english how does it work)
| >Elisa blinks and stares at her face. Her sister's face. Which is now Elisa's face... Or is it the other way around?
"That is way uncanny. Oh gee-"
>She was interrupted by a buzz from the door.
"That's the sound it makes when Telia opens it! Quick, try the handle!"
| "It's whatever. I have worse stuff to worry about at the moment..."
| "Open sesame!"
>REM spoke with a prideful grin before she casually tried the handle and released Elisa. She prepared to open the door and walk right in like she owned the place.
"She doesn't have any other security issues does she?" ( I'm gonna hold off so Amp can reply. )
| (Yeah, he needs to AMPlify this situation! Hahaa, ha, haa.)
| "Wait."
> Ampersand pulls a device from his pocket and flips a switch. Something on the other end powers down.
"Automated turret system. You'd have been dead before you hit the floor."
| "Huh. Talk about paranoid. I wonder how she turns it off..."
> REM paused and quickly checked her handheld to make sure it ALSO didn't get "powered down."
"Was that an EMP switch or something? What was that thing just now?"
| "Universal television remote."
> Ampersand chuckles.
"The things you can do with an amplified infrared flasher."
| "Jesus..."
>Elisa shakes her head.
"I'm so glad you know what you're doing."
| "It should be safe now. Watch your step - I left the landmine disabler at the office."
| "Oh good. Landmines. I wonder if she has one of those. Welp! I'm in front so I volunteer to get the leg augments if necessary!"
>REM replied almost gleefully. She turned and looked back at Elisa and Ampersand with a light wink and she drew from her pocket a small ball. She tossed it inside and let it hit the ground before it made a small 'beeping' noise and hovered into the air. Immediately it started scanning their surroundings.
"I'm having it make a holographic copy of the room."
| "If we're lootin' anything now's the time to do it."
> REM finally walked in a bit more carefully while looking around.
| "Good thinking. I'll clone the hard drive."
> Ampersand pulls another device out of his pocket (which, by the way, should absolutely not be big enough to hold everything that's in it) and plugs it into the computer.
| >Elisa stays in the back, knowing better than go touch anything before it's been declared not possibly lethal.
"This is the first time I've felt scared about visiting my sister's place..."
| "Really? She must put away all her elaborate security measures when you come over."
> Ampersand looks at the ceiling where the now-unpowered turret is bolted.
"She really doesn't want anyone in here. I wonder what she's hiding."
| "If my guess is right and she's working in the black market, maybe she keeps stock here?"
>Elisa suggested. She really had not known about all this security. What if the turrets hadn't shut down completely and fired?
>As Elisa's thinking, she feels her phone buzz in her pocket.
| "She's kind of dumb though. A face scanner? Yeesh...I mean I guess she had the right idea with the turret but...All it takes is someone clever and twisted enough."
>She'd say the last part low as if she didn't want to admit what she was saying. She wandered over careful to duck and dodge around the scanning lights of her device's scanning. She examined the room herself to get a full understanding of where everything stood...likely looking where the scanner couldn't.
| "Hm. That's not right."
> Amper is inspecting a desk drawer.
"A false bottom. Oldest trick in the book."
> Ampersand makes to pull it out before hesitating.
"Too easy. It's probably a trap."
| >Elisa pulls out her phone and gasps.
"I-it's her. Telia's calling me. What do I... Do I answer? What if she knows I'm here, I don't know how she could... What do I do?"
>She can suddenly hear her blood rushing past her ears and see her hands shaking.
| "Answer it."
> Ampersand pulls his pistol. He looks on edge.
| >REM walked over casually, ducking a scanning beam and rested an arm around Elisa's shoulders with a big goofy grin.
"Then y'tell 'er you're out with friends and having a great time. S'the truth right? The best lies are laced with truth after all~. Relax and talk normally. If she happens to be heading home we'll just sneak out somehow."
| >Elisa hesitantly presses the answer button and puts the call on speaker.
"Hey, Telia! How's it going?"
>She tries her hardest to speak calmly, but isn't sure she's succeeding. Telia's voice answers. >"Hey Elisa! I'm so sorry for not being in touch lately, been kind of busy. But still, you could have told me you were coming over!" Telia chuckles.
| "Shit."
> Ampersand pulls the hammer on the revolver back.
| "Ahh, wh-what? Why do you say that?"
>Elisa's feeling dizzy, and leans against REM.
>"Because I know you're there, silly!"
>Elisa has no idea how she could know that. Were there cameras? They would have noticed, wouldn't they?
"How exactly do you know that?"
>Telia goes quiet.
| "Mmmmn...Oh. She has an interaction log in her face scanner...DUH! Probably surveillance cameras too...Augh I'm a moron..."
> REM facepalmed with her freehand and shook her head. She blinked and noticed Elisa's face and quickly moved to support her properly by sliding her arm down to hold her at the hip. She looked to Ampersand and held up a finger as if to tell him to wait and chill out.
>They didn't know what was going to happen next...To assume could be fatal.
| >"Quite a few ways. My security systems alerted me to someone being there, but the footage is saved to my computer so I don't have access to it when I'm out..."
"So... What's making you say it's me?"
>Elisa's voice turns high pitched and weak.
>"Remember that phone I got you? There is a tracking device installed to it. I can always see your real time, exact location on my map. "
>Elisa drops the phone by accident. The call isn't cut off, so Telia can still be heard.
>"Elisa?"
| > Silently, Ampersand unplugs the cloner and begins searching the computer for the footage.
| > REM's head was close to Elisa's so that she could hear the conversation. When the phone dropped she was quick to move to capture it. She missed her first attempt to snatch it out of the air and wound up picking it up. She then stood straight, hopefully not causing Elisa to topple over or lose her balance.
"S'all right, Elisy...You're doing fine."
>REM mouthed that to her, hoping not to make her words obvious to the other on the line. She aimed the phone back to the woman.
| "You... You've been tracking me. H-how c-could you?"
>Elisa can feel tears stinging her eyes, and her voice is cracking.
>"I'm so sorry, but it was necessary to keep you out of danger. Anyway, I'm bringing a friend home with me, sit tight! I will know if you move."
Elisa grabs the phobe from REM and ends the call. She hands it to Ampersand.
"Shoot it. I want that thing destroyed."
| > Ampersand drops the phone on the floor and points the gun at it. He hesitates.
"She'll know."
| "I don't give a fuck!"
>Elisa's furious. She knew her sister was shady, but to do this? She can barely comprehend it.
| "Leave it here. She'll think we haven't moved."
> Amp instead turns to the computer and shoots the drive tray three times.
"Good luck pulling footage from that."
| >Elisa takes in a shaky breath and steps back, suddenly feeling claustrophobic.
"Delete... The message you sent me, she can't see it. Then we have to leave, quick."
| (you guys just might have a problem hearing, and lots of ringing... -AM)
| "Got it."
> Ampersand picks the phone up and deletes the message thread before setting it down on the desk.
"Okay, we have to get out of here now."
| (it's a movie gun, those never cause hearing loss :P)
| (yeah, movie guns dont know physics or logic. Do not question it)
| (Fair enough... just leaving a quick "AM industries is not responsible for hearing loss")
| (REM, I summon thee!
>throws yugioh card on ground)
| > REM nods and moves to help Elisa out of the building. She was sure to snatch up her scanner the second it, luckily, beeped complete.
"Yes!"
> She exclaimed, clearly glad that they didn't get screwed out of getting a full scan. She was as fast to get out as Amper allowed the two to be.
| "I need to lie down. A-Ampersand, are you here by car? If so, can I please get a ride from you?"
>Elisa pleads. She knows REM's bike would get her further away faster, but she would much prefer the comfort of a car right now.
| > He nods.
"Yes, but hurry! We haven't much time!"
| " Where we headed? Back to your place or mine?"
> REM looked to Ampersand, she was grinning. She was totally into the thrill of hauling ass.
| "I vote for anywhere but here!"
>Elisa was so not into hauling ass.
| "Neither - we're going to the police station."
> Ampersand was thoroughly unconcerned about hauling was.
| (fucking autocorrect)
| "The police station? We're....going to a pig-station directly after breaking 'n entering? Dude, Amper, you are my favorite badass right now."
>REM cackled before swiftly rushing to her bike and revving it alive. The levitators kicked in and she drew it close to Amper's car.
| "Really? I'm surprised. D-do you have contacts?"
>Elisa opens the door to the backseats and stumbles in.
| "I've done some work for them in the past. They won't ask questions."
| >Elisa pulled the door shut and told Ampersand to drive before letting out a sigh of relief and collapsing onto the seats.
"That was way more intense than I had... anticipated."
>She had a second of confusion when reaching for her phone before remembering what happened. She felt a sting when she thought about it.
"Christ... At least we got what we came here for. And we'll be safe at the station, w-wont we?"
| "We should be."
> Ampersand sighs.
"I should have known she'd be tracking your cell phone."
| "I feel the same. I guess I thought she respected me enough not to do something like that... What if she figures out I visited you yesterday? And REM..."
>Elisa shakes her head miserably.
"I'm sorry for getting you two involved. If I hadn't started poking around in her business, everyone would be a lot happier."
| "Pfffbbbt!"
> REM's voice echoed from inside the car. She'd jacked Ampersand's radio somehow and was listening in. While driving close by she grinned from the shade of her helmet.
"Oh please. I'm totally stoked! I can't wait to see what happens next~. No worries, Elisy~. This'll all settle and everyone'll be happy in the end, yeah?"
| >Elisa sighed at REM's attitude.
"Sure. So what WILL be happening next, Ampersand?"
|
| "We're going to go through the hard drive as well as try and track her. A confrontation may be necessary soon."
| "Shame we left that cellphone. We could have narrowed down what kind of machine she was using to track Elisy by its freqency type. Woe be on to her sister if she was using wi-fi to do it."
>REM chuckled softly.
"Nah. She's clever...Though I'm kind of curious, Elisy. Why were you so bothered about your sister tracking you? Isn't it a good idea to have someone know where you are in a pinch?"
| "Because she's babying me! She thinks I'm a stupid child that can't be allowed autonomy because I might do something stupid. And I admit, I don't have the greatest street smarts, but I want to be able to do things without being constantly looked after..."
>Elisa groans in frustration. She looks at her right arm tiredly.
"I even went as far as to get augments so I could say 'Hey, I can defend myself! You don't need to do it for me!'"
| "Okay sure but...You're only one woman. It's a mistake to even think about living in a place like this without some kind of backup ready when you need it. I'll grant you that she's babying you, but she's being more realistic than you are."
>REM said while watching the road as she drove.
"On the flip side...You've done pretty well for yourself without her."
| >Elisa scoffed, not bothering to reply. Instead, she turned back to Ampersand.
"Are we getting close to the station?"
| "You obtained Ampersand through money and a case. You got me out of sheer interest. You're not bad at making connections. S'basically the most important skill you could possibly have in a place like this."
| "We're a few minutes away, I'm afraid."
| >Elisa leaned against the window, shooting REM with figurative fingerguns trying to cheer herself up. It didn't work, so she pressed her forehead against the cool glass.
"I guess I'm gonna be staying another night at your place. Sorry about that."
| "That's okay. To be honest I never realized how much I missed sleepovers until last night."
> REM laughed and shrugged lightly.
"You can stay as long as you need and like, okay?"
| >Elisa gives her a tired thumbs up.
"I just hope she doesn't go after people I've visited recently. You should give your brother a heads up."
| "We're here."
> (setting thread or no?)
| (yeah, setting thread)
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| > A man with unkempt black hair stares at a facial recognition scanner intently. He's taking notes on a small notepad.