Pax

"Yes, this is it Dog, now quit yer bitchin,'" Pappy growled. The only time an old space dog is happy is when they're complaining about something.

Dogface didn't much appreciate Pappy's tone. Some f***in' plan. "Can you blame me? With your startin' fights, it's no wonder these pups of yours think throwin' money an' shootin' holes in ceilings is subtle. I know you think I'm bein' a bitch, but I have a f***ing point! Think about what just happened, man." Dog really didn't feel right yelling at Gunther. God knows Dogface has seen his share of barroom brawls, but he had made damn sure never to start one. His personal business was always handled one on one, and outside of the establishment. Dog took a deep breath. "That's it man, no more bitchin'."

"You had a good idea though, we should go back to the bar and see if he's straggling there. Just keep your eyes open for those security details, those guys looked kinda froggy to me."

Pappy's boy wasn't in the bar, and anyone that may have seen where Nathan went had either run off, or they were currently being rounded up by security. Dogface was at a loss. Where the hell... The whelp was still wet behind the ears, so it was entirely possible he was dead or dieing in some hidden corner of the settlement. "S*** man, security doesn't know we had anything to do with it; we could check with them. See if they already carted im' off."

 

I watched the conversation that played out in silence, still covering our backs. I noticed a small switch to the right of the slide which led to the dark safehouse, and flicked it. The trapdoor slammed shut. Satisfied, I turned and followed the others into the briefing room. The ghostly woman moved ahead of us, concealed by the encroaching shadows. I took a seat next to Trin, and smiled at her, "I don't have to call you Ma'am now do I?"

I glanced at the dark skinned man who seemed to know Wolf. His face was horrificly fascinating, metal meshed with flesh. I felt myself stare too long, and averted my gaze, once again turning to Trin, "What do you think of this? Cloak and daggers, shadows and secrets... Its not my sort of game. Im an honest open guy, when it comes to bad guys, I like the idea of someone saying 'Bandits over there, kill they ass' I've just got this bad feeling about all this. What about you?"

 

"Very well, while I'm not pleased with this we should move on with our next step. This Martian spy is clearly ten times more professional and moves quickly. I have something to show you, all of you. And please pay attention because I hate to repeat myself and will only say this once."

Trin rather stiffly moved behind the higher ranking officers into the briefing room. Once again, I had nothing to do with all the goddamn problems, but I'm still getting berated. She was becoming more annoyed by the second, and it didn't look like the day was going to get any better. Then Carter decided it would be a great idea to speak to her.

"I don't have to call you Ma'am now do I?"

There's even a smile on that bastard's face, she thought, struggling not to punch it. Instead she ignored the comment as best as possible and tried to follow the woman's original order to keep their mouths shut and their ears open. But he started speak again and she closed her eyes, holding them forcefully like that till he nearly finished.

"What do you think of this? Cloak and daggers, shadows and secrets... Its not my sort of game. Im an honest open guy, when it comes to bad guys, I like the idea of someone saying 'Bandits over there, kill they ass' I've just got this bad feeling about all this. What about you?"

He barely finished before she turned her eyes to him and whispered. "Carter, shut the **** up." Each word was accentuated as if it were the most important. Why the Hell did he sit next to me? She turned back to the woman as the spectre was about to begin the briefing. The things I have to put up with to get closer to my goal.

 

I was taken aback by Trins venomous tone and command. I frowned, "Im sorry, did I do something wrong? Whats your prob bob?" I asked crossing my arms. Trins anger seemed entirely unwarranted, and I wanted answers.

 

Emotion dulled Akinlabi's reflexes. He should have been ready when the first intruder landed inside the room, yet he wasn't. This place was supposed to be a safehouse, but it wasn't an excuse. He couldn't let anything happen to Wolf.

"Freeze!" cried the man. He was pointing his submachine gun at Akinlabi's face, blinding him with the weapon's flashlight. Akinlabi squinted his one eye, then tensed. After a moment, another figure dropped into the room, behind the first. Quick as lightning, she drew a pair of firearms.

None of the two was aiming at Wolf. Akinlabi was momentarily relieved as he assessed whether he could dispatch of the first fighter before he'd have time to press the trigger. The man was but a few feet away. If he would charge him from the right, he'd draw fire away from Wolf, while keeping the first intruder between himself and the second, thus obstructing the line of fire. The room was still dark outside the flashlight's beam, and he could use that to his advantage.

He clenched his fists, and slowly shifted his weight for the lunge. Then, the deadly silence was broken by Wolf's voice.

"Whoa, whoa! Easy groundpounder, this is a friend." and once again, Wolf stepped between Akinlabi and danger. The large African immediately relaxed. The first man lowered his weapon, but the one behind him remained suspicious for a few more moments. She was a young woman, Akinlabi noticed, yet she flared like an enraged spirit. She didn't speak, nor move -- steadily keeping her weapons aimed -- but he could read it in her face.

"And just to let you know, you won't need that weapon here, this is a safehouse." Wolf concluded, and saying that, all weapons were finally holstered. The air was loaded with distrust and suspicion, but as long as no gun was pointed at Wolf, Akinlabi was content.

In a few minutes, Specter was in charge of the place. After a couple more soldiers descended into the room, the entire group was led into an interior chamber. The place was filled with papers, maps, luminous displays and humming electronics. Someone muttered about advanced technology, but to Akinlabi it all represented the same: power beyond the natural which was not to be trusted; a presumptuous attempt to tame the spirits. He stayed close to Star Wolf.

The soldier carrying the submachine gun, a man of chiseled features and jade eyes, approached them, asking questions. Akinlabi listened, eying the man, but never replied. He was sensing another man across the room watching him, before that soldier continued talking to his female ally, Trin. But she didn't seem to hold much respect for him.

He was wondering who assembled that ragtag of a hunting pack. They were only pups acting fiercely with their growing fangs. Could he allow Wolf to rely on them?

"... I hate to repeat myself and will only say this once." The voice of Specter interrupted his thoughts. He sighed, then listened to her briefing.

 

Hun Tavern was crawling with Cerean police details. Pappy approached a pair of them with Dogface in tow, and for that he was very grateful.

"I sure hope these guys ain't as mean as the security on Pallas, you remember Pallas? I don't know if I should do the talking or you, back me up. Uh...officers! Hey, wondering if you could help me, I'm looking for a friend of mine. Clean cut looking fella, about yea tall, twenties. He was here in the bar when fists started flying and I'm afraid he might have gotten picked up with the other hooligans. I had to dip out of the bar for a second with my friend here. The men's room was full and I had to drain the ol' water hose. Whadda ya say officers, ring any bells?" Pappy said and forced himself to smile, hoping the story would stick.

The officers looked at each other and then back at Pappy and Dogface.

"There's a curfew in effect, I hope you assholes have some ID on you."

"Yes, of course officers." Pappy said and presented his fake ID holotag.

"Fine, now piss off. If you think your boy is in a cell you're gonna have to wait until morning to look for him. Opening hour is nine at the station; visiting hours between ten and two. Have a nice night, get the hell off the streets."

"But---"

"I said," the officer said, holding up a baton "get lost."

Pappy fisted a hand, what the hell was he going to have to do, get himself arrested just to bust out his own man?

"Any ideas Dog? This is your town, I'm all ears."

***

"Officer MaCurdy here with a wounded civilian." MaCurdy said carrying Nathan into the station. It was after hours, most of the medical staff were medical robots, a few EMT staff on hand.

"What's the deal with this guy? Did he get hit over the head? Stabbed? Poor thing." The chief EMT technician, Lucy said. She was a former combat medic and saw her share of bad wounds. She looked like an industrial nurse, her face was worn, her bosom seemed to spill out of the low cut collar of her coveralls.

"Not that I could tell; one minute he's stealing food and running through streets, the next he falls flat on the floor. I think he may be malnourished or sick or something."

"Poor kid. Alright, better let me get a look at him. Momma's here youngin'," she said, putting out her cigarette, on her tongue.

"In the meantime you may want to go to the holding cell in the next room, we got us a new detainee."

"One of the guys at the bar fight?"

"No, he was a stowaway on one of the transports that just came to port, the Skipper caught him and dumped him on us. The poor kid is all alone and definitely not a local. Shame too, he would be a real cutie if it wasn't for, well, you'll see what I mean."

"What's his name?"

"I think it's Mortimer or something. They're gonna want you to process him."

"Yeah yeah."

MaCurdy walked to the adjacent room and saw a twenty something man wearing black. He had silver colored hair and odd, Smokey golden eyes. What shocked MaCurdy most of always the large burn mark on his face. That must have been what Lucy meant.

"I heard your name is Mortimer. Is that right? Look, I don't know what happened, but I'm here to book you, so just do me a favor and cooperate and maybe you can at least get a decent night's rest in this cell tonight instead of squatting inside of a pest-ridden space transport."

***

"You may be wondering why I had you all meet up at the Hun Tavern, it seemed to be full of drunken and brawly degenerates. Believe it or not alot of hired muscle get recruited from there, a bar is a great place to look for fighters. It also just happens to be a place where alot of expatriates and mercenary types like to meet up, according to apocryphal space history one of the first colonial militias began there." Specter began her brief.

"Anyhow, it also turns out to be a place that our spy friend likes to frequent. He has gotten valuable Intel from there before, and unfortunately, has begun to bug it to high heaven with his surveillance equipment. He's not very good at hiding his bugs but I can't do a damn thing to them without alerting him. He's not alone here, he has a base of support somewhere near, but it remains hidden; he's also managed to recruit the aid of a few talented individuals. Say hello to your target; Major Silas."

Specter activated a holographic emitter, displaying a common looking man's face. His features were round, almost innocent and cherubic; he seemed anything but malicious. His average face made him the type of person that could easily blend into crowds.

"Don't let his appearance fool you, he is anything but gregarious. When he was incarcerated on a penal colony in the Jovian subsystem he killed over five other inmates and guards by hand before escaping, and another two when he hijacked a shuttle. He is quick on his feet, both literally and figuratively. He's a master of disguise, hand-to-hand combat, and small arms. He is hard to kill, very skilled in escape, and speaks half a dozen languages. He's eluded capture before, so if you want to catch him again you'll have to work as a team and think two steps ahead of him. Luckily for you all you have me on your side. His team..."

"Franc Voltan. Former UEAF special ops. Honorably discharged with a number of black decorations. It looks like Voltan got tired of active duty and wanted to go mercenary. He turned up here in the belt and became a soldier for hire. He's done a number of contracts and has a few guns for hire jobs under his belt. He specializes in long range sniping from what I hear."

Specter said and showed a bald man with a rough unshaven face. He had intense brown eyes and a falcon-like beak of a nose.

"Rico Grieger, local muscle man; used to be a hit man for the Jovian syndicate, ended up in the belt after doing time in a penal colony. Rico has had to hustle daily to get ahead of the competition on the streets and is very urbane and savvy. He is deadly in close rage and prefers to dispatch his targets with a knife or garrote. You can't turn your back on that one."

Rico looked like a football player, wide shoulders, broad backed, barrel chested. His nose was broken, no doubt in fights, and his arms were covered in tattoos.

"Last but not least Andres Kennedy, former white collar criminal from South Africa. Andres escaped punishment on Earth by hiding in the belt, he's survived by selling his services to anyone for a hefty fee. If it has a circuit in it he can master it. Andres has a niche in surveillance equipment and intelligence, Silas' eyes and ears. If there's something technological in his plans, Andres will be behind it."

Andres was a blonde haired man with a thin face, a deviously thin mustache that almost looked fake, and a thin lipped smile.

"Now Silas has been moving around alot, this last time when he went to Earth to try and get a close look at the Athena, that was a mistake. He's starting to get sloppy, I made him when he got back to Ceres but I couldn't get close enough to tag him with a bug. That's where you might be able to help me. Between Silas and his team there are a number of places where they frequent."

"You've already seen Hun Tavern, it's a favorite of Silas', but it may be a while before they go back there. The next place is a favorite of Voltan's, it's an android brothel in the Cerean red light district called Heavenly Creatures. Voltan is sometimes seen there roughing up johns for the local pimps or treating himself to some of the exotic synthetics himself. The second place is a favorite of Kennedy's, a night club called The Underworld. Be careful in there, I've never been in there but I hear it's a wierd joint. Kennedy likes to have a few drinks there and is apparently a great pool shark. The third place is the aerospace docks downtown. Rico swears by that part of town and still has connections in the Syndicate, he usually helps smugglers with contraband and other illegals and gets perks from it, I think he may have a drug habit."

"Please, spare all heroics and theatrics. Just find Silas or his men, get close enough to tag them with a MEM, and then back off so that I can survey them from here. While you're out on the streets I'll be compiling and analyzing data from here. Take these, they'll allow me to communicate with you on an extremely low frequency encrypted channel.”

Specter gives you a tiny gun designed to fire microscopic surveillance robots and tiny earpiece that fits completely in your ears.

“Also, I have a wide range of weapons here, you may want to ditch the rusty ones you have now and upgrade. Up to you. Now it's late, you may want to rest, and there is a curfew in effect. I suggest that you spend the night here and wait until tomorrow to make your next move, there is alot that needs to be done.”

 

Nathan woke up to find himself in a small bed uncomfortable bed. There was nobody in the room at the time, but he could hear voices from the next room. Suddenly, he remembered his team. He jumped up and hurried out of the bed to leave but a sharp pain burst through his head and his stomach threatened to jump out his throat. Nathan fell back, no energy and crawled back to his bed. He started climbing back in when a woman walked in the room and an expression of panic grew on her face at the sight of him out of bed.

 

“Also, I have a wide range of weapons here, you may want to ditch the rusty ones you have now and upgrade. Up to you. Now it's late, you may want to rest, and there is a curfew in effect. I suggest that you spend the night here and wait until tomorrow to make your next move, there is alot that needs to be done.”

I leapt out of my chair and dashed over to the now illuminated table, dozens of weapons glinting in the sharp light. I brushed my hands over the cold metal chuckling like a child in a toy store. My hand came to rest over a silencer, which I quickly attached to my trusty pistol. It didn't need replacing, it had never jammed on me, and packed a decent punch. After that a nano edged knife, made of a tallerium vibro-weave caught my eye. I picked it up, slashed through the empty air, and grinned. This would punch through metal if it had too. Next item on the list was an assault rifle, that was detached into three easily concealable parts. I snapped them together, and looked down the sight, nice. I grabbed four clips of ammunition, stowed them in my belt under my jacket, and disassembled the rifle, stashed it in my pack and pockets. I turned back to the group, my perusal of the armory having only took half a minute.

"I, Ahem, I think Franc is obviously the biggest threat so I volunteer to immediately depart for the what was it... Heavenly Creatures? Yes that'll do... Any objections?"

 

Jerrome had been the last in line since Wolf had jumped down the rabit hole. it wasnt that he was scared of the dark, but the idea of not being shot first comforted him.

the point man JJ spotted some movement. As he lifted his weapon the word Freeze! which reverberated off the concrete walls.
Wolf could be heard resolving the situation and although Jerrome couldnt really see what was going on, he could tell all was well by his comrades holsering their weapons.

introductions where made and as he moved room to poorly lit room Jerrome kept his eye on the security censors, he could not pick a single blind spot, which although not a surprise considering this was a military establishment; it simply made him feel better that someone knew what they were doing.

If it has a circuit in it he can master it. Andres has a niche in surveillance equipment and intelligence, Silas' eyes and ears. If there's something technological in his plans, Andres will be behind it."
Jerrome looked at the man being introduced and marked his face. oddly he felt like he was being challenged even though he didnt know the man, 'perhaps' Jerrome thought' I might be able to learn a thing or two while im here.'


“Also, I have a wide range of weapons here, you may want to ditch the rusty ones you have now and upgrade. Up to you. Now it's late, you may want to rest, and there is a curfew in effect. I suggest that you spend the night here and wait until tomorrow to make your next move, there is alot that needs to be done.”


At the metion of weapons carter jumped like he had sat on a tack and was already brandishing a knife before Jerrome had already reached the table.

the weapons were layed out in a very ordered manner with ammo and ordinance on a smaller table beside. Jerrome spotted something more his style. the pistol he had recieved from wolf at the airport was very cumbersome but what lay on the table in front of him was pure art.

a variable 1.0 KiloJoule laser packed neatly into a slimline black handgun. where a magazine usually attatched had now been replaced with a power cell that could be recharged off the ships reactor, the cell would last a dozen shots and burn a hole through a man. not a well loved weapon as they have a tendency to explode for no other reason than bordem.

 

“Also, I have a wide range of weapons here, you may want to ditch the rusty ones you have now and upgrade." Specter motioned at a large table where a multitude of weapons, both melee and ranged were waiting to be picked. She barely completed her sentence when two of the soldiers were already on top of it. Roosters on grains, thought Akinlabi. He watched them admiring the weapons for a few moments, while musing over the information Specter had given them.

The Falcon, the Bear and the Owl. Who will be their quarry? The African was worried that the leaderless pack would be reckless in their choice of target, putting them all at risk. But perhaps he was judging them too quickly. He decided to watch, and listen, before voicing his thoughts.

Some minutes later, Akinlabi approached the makeshift armory of the table. Some of the guns were already taken by the troopers, but he was not interested in those devices which jammed, back-fired and ran out of ammo. A small stack of throwing knives attracted his attention; light, balanced and sharp -- Akinlabi could take out a man at 30 feet with those, without making a sound. He chose three that fit in his hand most comfortably, before neatly tucking them at the back of his belt.

He turned to leave the table when a long electric-blue colored knife caught his attention. It had a slightly thicker handle than he would have expected of such a weapon, but its edge was keener than anything he had ever seen -- a translucent shimmer constantly about it. He lifted the odd blade, judging its use in combat.

"That's Tellurium alloy," one of the troopers commented from his side. "Guaranteed not to break, erode or bend even under the most averse conditions. But the real beauty about this weapon, is its nano-edge," the soldier took a step closer. He gestured at the weapon's sharp contour, where the almost-magical shine was always present. "See? That's it. This will cut through anything!"

Akinlabi was staring at the weapon in his hand. Nano-edge? It meant little to him, but he was immediately suspicious of its use. He turned to the man giving the explanation, nodding in appreciation for his words. "A nano... blade you say? I understand." Akinlabi slowly placed the knife back on the table. "I will keep a normal knife," and having said that, he returned to stand near Star Wolf.

"What do you say, friend. Who do we go for?"

 

Mort gave the man who was talking to him a completely blank stare. His hands were on his burn, which he would scratch on occasion. It always seemed to fester when he felt nervous or the voices reminded him of words he had heard somewhere before.

But then again maybe he hadn't heard them before and he was only fantasizing that he had once heard them before. Or maybe he wanted to believe he had heard them before to bring comfort within his soul. Whatever the reason he was getting a strange sense of deja vu. And he continued to stare at the man.

"I heard your name is Mortimer. Is that right? Look, I don't know what happened, but I'm here to book you, so just do me a favor and cooperate and maybe you can at least get a decent night's rest in this cell tonight instead of squatting inside of a pest-ridden space transport."

The words finally entered Mortimer's mind and he took a good time thinking. A good while actually. He continued to stare at the man if his head was empty. He was trying real hard to consider his answer. But there was something he was really really focusing on the word "pest". He tried real hard to think of what a pest was.

Probably not what the man wanted Mortimer to think about, but still the word struck out to him as odd. Mortimer remembers his nights in the bunk. His mind seemed to take him back there for a moment. He was sitting behind one of the boxes staring at a cockroach.

"Hello...Mr. Cockroach," he said.

And then time came back to him and he continued staring at the man. It was one of those awkward pauses that made the person asking Mort the questions feel more awkward than Mort himself. Mort was more like an empty shell of some sort without any emotional captivation.

"I don't remember any pest, they were all real friendly to me no one threw any insults," Mort finally replied to the man his voice was calm and low more like a mumble a whisper, "Last time I thought, I knew my name was Mortimer, but I don't know if it changed. Has it?"

 

Nathan leapt out of his rack wondering where the hell he was only to see Lucy gawking at him.

"Well hello there sugar, ain't you feeling better? Real shame too, I was looking forward to playing doctor with you," she said with a wink.

"Now I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you to sit back down, and you may have to answer some tough questions too, I think you got pinched."

***

"I, Ahem, I think Franc is obviously the biggest threat so I volunteer to immediately depart for the what was it... Heavenly Creatures? Yes that'll do... Any objections?" David said.

"What do you say, friend. Who do we go for?" Akinlabi asked, standing next to Wolf.

"As much as I hate to admit it, I think we should split up. With time against us, we can cover more ground if we separate." Thinking to himself, Wolf wanted to add that a bunch of boots would cramp his style.

"I dunno, it's up to you guys, Trin you're in charge so you call the shots. Me? I'm a civilian so I don't play soldier boy no more, I'll go it alone. Er, actually Akinlabi and I have something of a---professional rapport. We've both had our backs against the wall before and make a good team. Since flyboy over there wants to visit the brothel so badly we'll head for the docks. Another team should check out the Underworld, and after we hopefully tag our marks we should rendezvous here to compile our tracking data. Huah?"

***

"Hello...Mr. Cockroach," the man in the cell said talking to an insect. His stare was intense, something about his persona gave off a sheer ghost of eeriness.

"I don't remember any pest, they were all real friendly to me no one threw any insults...last time I thought, I knew my name was Mortimer, but I don't know if it changed. Has it?"

"This must not be my night, I swear. I get a sick kid and some crazy guy. Wait right here, I'm going to the front desk. You don't belong in a jail, you belong in a psych ward," MaCurdy said shaking his head.

 

The arsenal of weapons lying over the table were quite impressive, but not very appealing. The two pistols she pulled out of the ship were perfect for her. Light, simple, accurate; she didn’t have use for any better. Instead she grabbed two more clips for them and stuck them on her belt. No electronics to fail, no extra mechanisms to jam, no scopes; just right. But she saw a six inch, thin blade that almost called to her lying by itself off to the side. She remembered her training, and what she had learned in bar fights. Always have another weapon, always something else to fall back on. It had potential for many other uses as well. She stuck it down her left boot, blade fitting kindly between her boot and sock.

"I dunno, it's up to you guys, Trin you're in charge so you call the shots. Me? I'm a civilian so I don't play soldier boy no more, I'll go it alone. Er, actually Akinlabi and I have something of a---professional rapport. We've both had our backs against the wall before and make a good team. Since flyboy over there wants to visit the brothel so badly we'll head for the docks. Another team should check out the Underworld, and after we hopefully tag our marks we should rendezvous here to compile our tracking data. Huah?"

Mother ****ing officer backing out on me again. God dammit. Huah? Really? This is the ****ing navy, not the army, what the Hell is wrong with these god damn people. Trin’s mood was beyond angered. She had been in a bar-fight, been shot twice, inexplicably lost someone on the team, been bothered repeatedly by Carter, etc. At that moment, she was just wanted to shoot someone, and she really didn’t care who. And where the Hell is Gunthar, Nathan, and the other ****ing civilian. Nevermind, they’ll find some other way to **** this whole thing up all over again. Then she turned her head to the group. It was time get work done.

“Alright guys, shut the **** and listen. I’ve been to The Underground before. I know the types who are there. It’s about as dark a night club as you’re going to get. It has a huge mosh/ dance floor and a fairly loud bar. It might have an upstairs kind of VIP area, but I’ve never been in there. I’m going to lead a small team there. Carter,” she turned to him, “since you seemed so inclined to, will lead a team to the brothel to see if we can tag Voltan.” I swear, if he goes off mission there…

She regained her calm and looked back at the rest of the team. “The team I’m leading to The Underground will really only need one other member. Either one of ya volunteers or I’ll volunteer one of you. At the moment, you have a choice.” She wasn’t going to give anyone long to decide. Her temper was beyond its boiling point, as usual, but she had to maintain a calmer look on her face. Getting too openly pissed off to the group would be a surefire sign of a bad leader.

 

“Alright guys, shut the **** and listen. I’ve been to The Underground before. I know the types who are there. It’s about as dark a night club as you’re going to get. It has a huge mosh/ dance floor and a fairly loud bar. It might have an upstairs kind of VIP area, but I’ve never been in there. I’m going to lead a small team there. Carter,” she turned to him, “since you seemed so inclined to, will lead a team to the brothel to see if we can tag Voltan.” I swear, if he goes off mission there…

I could see the angry strain behind Trin's dangerously calm voice, and once again wondered what I had done to get her so worked up. Woman. What do you call a guy who says he can understand woman? A liar. 'Ah well,' I thought, 'at least I have my preferred target.' I returned my attention to the group.

"Well if im leading the sexy brothel group then I need someone who isn't a virgin, aint **** ugly, knows how to get drunk and get laid, and can work a nightclub," I turned to JJ with a grin, "Apart from me thats you. Unless you want to go somwhere else? I only need one good man at my bac- ok that didn't come out right. I just need one other person to come with, you up for that JJ?"

 

"Now I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you to sit back down, and you may have to answer some tough questions too, I think you got pinched."

Nathan felt something sickly rise up his throat and fought to keep it down. He sat back down on the bed and tried to look healthy and calm. He needed to get out of here ASAP. If he could convice the woman he was healthy, he might get a chance to escape the prison. Another shot of pain blasted into his head but he fought to keep it unnoticeable.

 

Jerrome regretfully put down the KJ laser pistol. knowing what he knew about energy systems he decided it was not worth the cybernetic hip when the cell explodes from a cat sneezing near by.
He was not overly fond of knives either like the one the african held up, he read somewhere that if a person pulls a knife in self defense there is an 80% chance that they will be stabbed with their own knife.

Jerrome just wasnt a weapons kind of guy, a soldering laser and some pliers he could rewire a security camera into a telephone...but when it came to killing people he simply didnt have the stomach for it. so in the end Jerrome replaced his current pistol with a much simpler semi-auto balistic version.

“Alright guys, shut the **** and listen. I’ve been to The Underground before. I know the types who are there. It’s about as dark a night club as you’re going to get. It has a huge mosh/ dance floor and a fairly loud bar. It might have an upstairs kind of VIP area, but I’ve never been in there. I’m going to lead a small team there. Carter,” she turned to him, “since you seemed so inclined to, will lead a team to the brothel to see if we can tag Voltan.”

Jerrome had grown up on a mining asteroid as well, and although he spent more time fixing and patching the mining equipment, he did know a thing or two about the general layout of these brothels...even though he had never entered one.

"hey, err Trin, exactly how are you going to find the mark and get close enough to bug him without missing...uh, i mean its dark and crowded. is there a plan or are you just winging it?"

 

“Also, I have a wide range of weapons here, you may want to ditch the rusty ones you have now and upgrade. Up to you. Now it's late, you may want to rest, and there is a curfew in effect. I suggest that you spend the night here and wait until tomorrow to make your next move, there is a lot that needs to be done.”

Arc almost immediately threw out his weapons and made a frantic effort to look at the weapons. They were quite advanced and technologically appealing. He picked up the twin enforcers.

"Well, do these things connect out to my mobile, eh?" he asked enthusiastically.

 

Post deleted due to poor quality. This won't happen again.

 

"This must not be my night, I swear. I get a sick kid and some crazy guy. Wait right here, I'm going to the front desk. You don't belong in a jail, you belong in a psych ward,"

Usually Mort would take a moment to think of what has been said. He would stare at the wall and scratch his burn. But there was something in those smoky golden eyes that quivered. As if angered, as if some sort of other emotion entered his mind. Like those words brought up some old memory. Like those words struck inside something inside of him.

Mort stared at the captain before he walked off. As the man turned around Mort somehow knew this was his only chance to speak.

"Just because I don't have the same views as you?" Mort asked in his strange whispering mumble voice, "You think I'm crazy simply because I learned how to live with what you consider scum. I see the only person here who needs a brain check is yourself."

Mort's expression changed back to the usual stale deadpan view and he simply looked around. But there was a glint in his eyes that expressed that this simply was a role. A play he was putting off. He was hiding the truth underneath that empty case of a brain.

"Oh....what I was saying, I can't remember," Mort mumbled but his eyes glinted a little more.

And he watched as the captain walked off. Why did that man remind him of someone? Memories were hard to come by. Only the present he could remember. To far in the past and his brain would begin to hurt. A headache. He began to scratch at his scar of his burn.

 

"I dunno, it's up to you guys, Trin you're in charge so you call the shots. Me? I'm a civilian so I don't play soldier boy no more, I'll go it alone. Er, actually Akinlabi and I have something of a---professional rapport. We've both had our backs against the wall before and make a good team. Since flyboy over there wants to visit the brothel so badly we'll head for the docks. Another team should check out the Underworld, and after we hopefully tag our marks we should rendezvous here to compile our tracking data. Huah?"

Akinlabi was relieved, but not very surprised. He knew Wolf would not want to have any of the soldiers at his tail, but he was afraid the freebooter would prefer working solo. Star Wolf was not always tolerant of Akinlabi's protection, but the African man had no other way of keeping his blood-oath. Wolf often tried to persuade him that he had done enough, but honor was honor; Akinlabi owned the man a life.

"Good. We go together," said Akinlabi simply. He approached the table where several maps of the region were displayed. Scanning the city-plan for a few moments, he located the West side ports, where the man named Rico Grieger, the muscle man, was briefed to be. Standing immobile for a few minutes, Akinlabi was fixedly eying the western sector of the city, before he was finally content with his analysis, and grunted indifferently.

"I have been to this place before," he said slowly, the African accent thick in he voice. "It is not pleasant." He patted his sheathed machete, musing over the choice of words for his next sentence. "I am thinking that cloak-and-dagger will suit us more than fists-and-steel. The ports are not kind to strangers."

Akinlabi blinked once, then stared hard at David, then at Kyla. His odd gaze, one-eyed with the shut sensor, was both severe and haunting. "Remember -- if one of them spots us..." he spoke gravely, "then... then we are all at risk." And having said that, he nodded in an ancient, very respectful way, then turned back to leave the room.

 

"hey, err Trin, exactly how are you going to find the mark and get close enough to bug him without missing...uh, i mean its dark and crowded. is there a plan or are you just winging it?"

Trin turned to Jerrome, listened, and thought for a second. He really wouldn’t be to useful in the field, maybe even harmful. Wait, we need eyes watching our backs and scouting ahead. Yep, I’ve got it. “I actually have a better idea for you.”

“Jerrome, I need you to hack both the brothel’s and the nightclub’s security systems, cameras especially. Then you can spot our targets early and relay their positions to us, as well as watch our backs. Can you do that?” She honestly had no idea when it came to these things. Hopefully he could.

Before Jerrome could answer though, she heard the dark-skinned man speak, who then stared hard-faced at her.

"Remember -- if one of them spots us..." he spoke gravely, "then... then we are all at risk."

It was true. This mission had an enormous failure risk, and it would all have to do with cunningly tagging our targets. This forced the all encompassing question of the mission back into her head again. Why are new officers on such a high-risk mission? This sounds like an extraordinarily stupid command from high up. Why? It loomed in her mind as she listened intently to the man. When he nodded respectively, she did so in kind. What an interesting character. It wasn’t often someone interested her anymore, since everyone seemed to be like someone else she met. She may have to listen to him in the future.

She turned back to Jerrome, expecting an answer, and hoping for a specific one.

 

"Any ideas Dog? This is your town, I'm all ears."

Ideas? Yes. Helpful ideas? No. Sergeant Whitmire, the one brandishing the baton, had been the last man to break Dog's nose. It wasn't a fair fight, and Dogface had nursed a hatred for the man ever since. Later Adam. He'll get his, but now isn't the time.

"No, not unless you wanna get locked up." Dogface glanced back at the officer. Actually, it might be worth it. Once again, Dog had to push the image of a beautifully bruised Whitmire from his mind.

"I'll take ya' to my place. Give ya the grand tour. Maybe have a drink."

The walk from Hun Tavern to Dog's quarters was short and uneventful. "The only reason I go to that damn place is because it's so easy to get back to my hole no matter how drunk I am." Dog stopped next to his door and watched as two officers confronted a group of stragglers across the street. "I've had enough of this f***ing place, Greg. It's time I left."

 

“Jerrome, I need you to hack both the brothel’s and the nightclub’s security systems, cameras especially. Then you can spot our targets early and relay their positions to us, as well as watch our backs. Can you do that?”

'yes' was the simple answer, but 'with time' was probably more accurate, he had no idea how the building was structured or if it even had cameras on the inside. Hacking computer systems really wasnt his strongest suit, he had hacked systems before and with a high degree of success, but he would much prefer to set up the security system than break into it.
If the building had a wireless connection then there was no problem; but if not he would have to find a hard line, which meant jimmying open the power box and...

"whatever you need, i'll get it done" Jerrome replied with perhaps too much fake bravado. He felt as though he should be smoking a pipe and wearing a dinner jacket while saying it.
Then to the leader of the underground den he asked this time feeling like a James Bond side-kick "I would assume you'd have all the necessary gear for an invisible hard-line remote access connection?"

 

JJ went to the table only to gather more ammunition and put the magazines on a small vest that covered his lower torso, totaling in seven magazines of fifty rounds each plus a pouch of four remote explosives the size of walnuts. The vest hid easily under JJ's jacket, resting under where the SMG was hanging without printing the outline of anything inside. A small pile of electronic devices caught his eye, mostly hacking equipment, but one device about the size of a stack of cards he recognized: a portable EMP generator and sensory overload device. It could knock out the curcitry of unprotected electronics in a directed area and create high decible noise to either scare away or completely debilitate a person. There was a small box of organic earplugsn next to it, ten pairs, good enough to protect one's eardrums from even the loudest noise the device could make. He also grabbed a cleaning kit in the appropriate caliber and set about disassembling his weapons to clean them. The SMG was suitable to his needs, all of the weapons present wouldn't do anything that JJ's weapon couldn't, but being prepared for a serious firefight wasn't a bad idea, especially with the target that JJ had in mind.

"Well if im leading the sexy brothel group then I need someone who isn't a virgin, aint **** ugly, knows how to get drunk and get laid, and can work a nightclub," I turned to JJ with a grin, "Apart from me thats you. Unless you want to go somwhere else? I only need one good man at my bac- ok that didn't come out right. I just need one other person to come with, you up for that JJ?"

JJ shook his head, "Sorry man, I think I should go to the nightclub. With that Voltan guy, he'll be busy with business or pleasure in the brothel probably. And he may be easier to handle if you stick to confined spaces. But if Grieger is as big as he looks, well," he gave a meaningful look to Trin, "No amount of ability is going to protect you from getting hurt if we're compromised. I'll need a change of clothes though..." JJ picked at the jacket he'd intentionally stained, wondering what level of class would be required in this club and if his wallet would survive this mission.

Trin was asking Jerome something about security cameras, a couple of the others were finger-f***ing their new weapons, there was a general sense of chaos in the air. Through it, JJ caught a bit of what the cyborg African was saying: "Remember -- if one of them spots us..." he spoke gravely, "then... then we are all at risk."

With a team of untrained wet-behind-the-ears officers spread out over three experienced targets, the chances of being spotted were indeed high. So high that it was almost a certainty. JJ would've preferred to have bugged each target one-by-one as a group, but the decision was already made and time was short. JJ turned to Spectre, "Can we see some maps of the surrounding areas? We should identify fall-back positions and rendezvous spots around the targets, perhaps safe-houses that you may have near them."

 

"Whatever you need, i'll get it done."

It was short, simple, and direct. It also happened to be exactly the answer Trin was looking for. “Good, report back to me as soon as you’re linked up with those systems. I want to see what we’re going into before we get there.” And maybe we won’t get caught while doing the job. Just maybe. There’s nothing like a little optimism in a high failure ability situation.

As Jerrome turned over to the Spectre to ask a question, Trin thought about what she would need. This club is going to be a mess to get through. I’m gonna need a new outfit, something tight. She knew she was going to have to dress like she was hunting for a one night stand. It was how you fit in in places like that. And I hope Johns is workin’ the bar.

"Sorry man, I think I should go to the nightclub. With that Voltan guy, he'll be busy with business or pleasure in the brothel probably. And he may be easier to handle if you stick to confined spaces. But if Grieger is as big as he looks, well," he gave a meaningful look to Trin, "No amount of ability is going to protect you from getting hurt if we're compromised. I'll need a change of clothes though..."

Trin rolled her eyes. The nerve of these punks. I’ve proven enough times by now that I can take care of myself. She gave a glare in JJ’s direction. “I thought you’d know better than the others that I can take care of myself.” She looked quick at his hip she hit earlier and then back to him with a smirk. “And we’re hunting Kennedy at the club, not Grieger. Good job paying attention.” She gave him a look and then brushed her hair behind her ear again.

As JJ turned to ask the spectre something, she passed behind him on the way to hall. Then she whispered before walking by “But thanks.” It was true she needed him as a back-up, but she also liked him better than the rest of the people there. She really was glad he volunteered.