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Post by Adam on Apr 14, 2017 3:38:10 GMT
THE SONS OF CRIMSON TIE-IN By LHudson
- BRENDAN FOLEY- He looked at the fallen enemy, taken down with basic explosives. The man of fire, the one who started to make Foley fear, was finished. Yet all Foley could say as he looked at the motionless man was "that's it?" as the song was finishing. The catwalk rocked violently as he struggled to regain his balance, uttering "ah bollocks," to himself as the structure underneath him gave way from the damage caused by the explosions. He thought fast, and fired the grappling hook to allow him to stay stationary in the air as the utter chaos continued down below. The whole situation reminded him why he normally turns on music when he does jobs. It lessens the story behind the contract to him; the feelings that may be associated with the act of killing could affect his emotional response. He tried to find something that wasn't jarring or too fitting. By the time he found a track, it was over. The beast was dead, and the group were in a horrible state. He jumped down onto the floor, silencers in hands as he looked around the room. Two men tried to reach for their weapons in a deranged, last ditch attempt to come out on top in such a fucked up situation. Two quick shots dealt with that, before his focus was on the man in the orange. Two fingers to the neck, he was fine. Back of the head? Back of the head should do. His silencer pressed against the back of his head, and he prepared to pull the trigger.
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Post by Adam on Apr 14, 2017 3:38:53 GMT
THE SONS OF CRIMSON #11 NICK MERCER Warehouse 337, Eastern Dock, Scarlet City - Night
The assassin took to one knee and pressed the silenced firearm against the back of Nick's head. *click* "Wait, wait, wait!" Nick exclaimed, jumping to life desperately, "30k. I'll- I'll give you 30k. Pay you off. You leave and never come after me again!" RED QUEEN | Alice Drake Oblivious to the happenings across the floor, the gunshot still rang through Alice's ears; her firearm closer to her than she'd like in the quick moment she had to fire. Nothing. Dan slowly crawled up from the ground, his very bones aching immensely while he trailed blood behind him as he walked. Limping, he dragged himself over to Jane as quickly as he could, who had just managed to heave the heavy corpse of the monster up off of her. "Jane, let me-" Dan reached forward to assist but, as he did, his leg gave way with an awful crunching sound. He buckled to the ground with a yelp, "Shit, I think my leg is broken." Jane, throwing the carcass aside as she stood, reached her arm out for Dan, helping him up off of the floor. She was drenched in its blood, in Trent's blood, from head to toe, her blond hair now a mottled black and red. Thoroughly disgusting. With Tuscan standing she looked down to the body and then to Oxblood, to Will. She watched him, his world fallen to pieces in seconds. She watched his stillness, fallen to his knees with a blank expression and a grave aura. It was like he was a husk, gone. With a solemn frown her gaze trailed off, her eyes happening upon her unconscious ally and friend. "Cardinal!" While Dan slowly limped towards Guy, Jane cutting directly past him in a hurry. She shook him. "What happ- argh!" he jumped to life in a mad panic, anticipating another attack from the menacing beast. But as he did he seized forwards, clutching at his head in great pain. Guy's vision was hazy as the minimal stung his eyes given any attempt to open them. But as he finally forced them open he almost wept to see such a horrible sight. But as sad as it was... they were in the field, and the mission came first. They had to leave as quickly as possible. Cardinal looked around, seeing the bodies of the fallen men; the entrails of those victim to the beast and the scattered bodies of those they'd neutralised. Those men were breathing, but they'd feel it in the morning. The place was desolate... except for the intruder; the assassin, with his gun to the head of the man in orange. Cardinal looked to Ruby, caked in blood, then to Tuscan, and then to Alice who - finally rising from the ground - clutched the freshly-fired handgun. He looked to Oxblood's own weapon and then back to Alice. Immediately he understood. He smiled to her, a silent, pensive 'thank you'. He looked back to Ruby and Tuscan who in turn glanced at Oxblood, the rush of their impending need to flee slowed into a series of heavy-hearted moments. Ruby notched her head, gesturing for Cardinal to go to him. "Oxblood!" Cardinal called out, trying for his attention through his nigh-catatonic stupor, "Ox!" He approached him as quickly as he could and put on a hand on his shoulder, shaking him, "Ox! We need to go!" The creature was dead. Trent was dead. "Ox!" Cardinal cried, getting frustration. "Get away." Alice interrupted plainly, no emotion in her voice at all, as she pushed Cardinal aside and away from Oxblood. She looked down, summing up her options for a second, and then took a knee. "Oxblood?" She spoke in a foreign tone; considerate, delicate, almost motherly. "Oxbl-" she cut herself off. She dropped to both knees, slowly but firmly placing her hands on his shoulders. Alice forced herself between him and the body, obstructing his view to force his attention onto her. "Will?" she asked. He blinked, his mouth suddenly quivering, his eyes darting back and forth but finally with some life in them. "A- A- Alice?" he replied. "Will..." she pulled herself from the ground and offered Will her hand, "Will, we need to go. I'm sorry." His breathing heavy, his thoughts malformed and rushed; racing, his full self not engaged, Will darted back and forth from Trent to Alice before blindly responding, sounding unsure, in a stupor, "Y-yeah... O-o-of cou--rs-se..." Will clambered to his feet, taking Alice by the hand - rather than her forearm - for support. She smiled, having gotten through to him. Now standing, Will released her hand and let his own fall to his side. He looked down to the body one last time and then shut his eyes. With trepidation he swallowed and then looked back up to the Sons, showing a facade of bravery; of himself, but ready to run.
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Post by Adam on Apr 14, 2017 3:40:34 GMT
THE SONS OF CRIMSON TIE-IN By LHudson - BRENDAN FOLEY -The man in orange found some life in him, shook as soon as Foley clocked his pistol, forcing him to turn off the music and listen to this man. He wasn't as imposing as his expensive suit gave out, and the fact that he was begging for his life certainly damaged his image. Foley knew he had a job to do, and he knew the details. He looked around to see the party crashers now scrambling with different states of mind, mourning the creature that nearly killed them, to ensuring each other's safety. They wanted this man, and Foley wasn't going to give them him unless... His weapon now aimed at the man's spine, the lower end, and Foley presented him with a card. He worked everything out, from probable payout to the gentleman's worth if he was presented with a contract. "Fifty grand," he spoke with the familiar polite tone he presented to his clients. Nick stopped and stared at the moment for a mere few moments, watching closely, sizing up his foe. "... Fifty grand." He rolled up his sleeve and tapped away the his smart watch before, quickly, the transfer was done. Fifty thousand dollars.
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Post by Adam on Apr 14, 2017 3:41:33 GMT
THE SONS OF CRIMSON TIE-IN By LHudson - BRENDAN FOLEY - (BGM)The Man In Orange tapped away at his watch, almost frantically from the sound the contact was emitting. The tapping stopped, and about thirty seconds later a vibration came from Foley's arm. A minor inconvenience, as he placed the weapon holding the man down into his other hand. Small monitor, just enough for one line of information. **CURRENCY RECEIVED - $50,000.00 from MR NICOLAS MERCER - PLEASE SEND RECEIPT OF TRANSACTION** The writing scrolled across the strip, and Foley smiled to himself as the pressure the gun barrel placed on Mr Mercer lightened before it became nonexistent. "Pleasure doing business with you Mr Mercer," he said politely, before hitting his head with the handle of the weapon. The man now laid motionless, standard procedure for contract buyouts. He stood up straight and dusted himself down before holstering his weapon. He looked around as the once fairly decent warehouse was now covered in corpses, debris, and an almost over-world beast's guts. What mattered was that the job was done, and the others who were there were clearly not part of the deal. Outsiders crashing in. He smiled at the group and took a bow. "A pleasure making your acquaintance," he said, before throwing a business card towards the few. "Should you need my services, don't be shy and give the number a call." He leaned back up, turned around, and waved as he walked towards the exit. "DIE YO--" Bang, and without a flinch a charging man fell flat on his face just in front of Foley. He stepped over the body before saying, "See you around!" in an uncanny, cheery tone.
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Post by Adam on Apr 14, 2017 3:42:11 GMT
THE SONS OF CRIMSON #12 CARDINAL | Guy Graves Warehouse 337, Eastern Dock, Scarlet City - Night
The Sons watched, stunned as the assassin made his move; punching the man out, tossing them his card, taking out the last of the Mercers' men before disappearing into the night. Cardinal looked to Ruby, and Ruby looked back to him. He then looked to Oxblood, and his head sank once more. Cardinal paced up to the piece of paper lying on the damp concrete, his thick boots scuffing along the floor as he did. Slowly he crouched down and snatched the card from the ground, turning it over to read it as he rose. "Brendan Foley, Mercenary for Hire..." he read aloud. Cardinal pocketed the card and looked behind him, back to his allies. They all looked to him, the escape of the doorway behind him a beacon of hope to put an end to this awful night. "Let's get out of here." he smiled solemnly. "Ahem." Alice cleared her throat, all attention diverting to her. She simply nodded her head, gesturing behind the Sons' leader to the body of the unconscious, orange-clad man on the ground. They all looked to him, all except Oxblood, and knew exactly what had to be done. - 36 hours later - RED QUEEN | Alice Drake Sons HQ, Scarlet City - Afternoon
Light pushed through the yellow-tinged glass as the dust continued to settle in the draughty Scouts hut. In the main room Alice sat alone on a musty crate. She combed through her mind, thinking over everything that had happened; discovering this group of vigilantes inspired by her dead brother; discovering the force-to-be-reckoned-with of the Mercers; having to kill that poor young boy. The door flew open with a burst. From it emerged Will - Oxblood - huffing and puffing as he slammed the door behind him. Since they returned from the warehouse, since they tied up and kidnapped the incapacitated Mercer, the Sons had converted Guy's personal quarters into an interrogation room of sorts. Will had tried at the man for five straight hours. Nothing. "God fucking damn it!" he cursed, his voice bellowing to fill the empty room. He paced around, panting and heaving in anger and frustration, "He's still saying nothing." Alice stood up and approached him, her hand outstretched, "Calm down." "Don't tell me to calm down!" Will snapped, turning to face her suddenly, "We need to find where Dorothy Mercer is hiding and make her pay for what she did to Trent!" In his final words, Trent had told Will through hurried breath that Dorothy Mercer - the new head of the Mercer crime family following the murder of her father - had done something to him, warning Will not to free him. To Will and the Sons, this meant that Dorothy Mercer was responsible for Trent's transformation. "We will get her." Alice responded plainly, not rising to his anger, "She's somewhere in Scarlet." "Oh yeah? And what makes you think she hasn't run all the way to San Cenestra by now?!" "She isn't going to abdicate her throne, leave her kindgom behind?" Alice spat back, "Is she?" "Well she—!" he had no words. Will slumped into himself, disappointed. He took a deep breath and finally the facade broke. Covering his eyes with one hand, he pulled himself over to the crate Alice had been sitting on and threw himself down, head in his hands. "Will..." "Why did you shoot him? Alice blinked. This was incredulous. Did he really not understand? "I had to. He would hav—" "I know why you had to!" Will interrupted, looking up from his hands to her, "But why did you take the shot? It should have been me pulling the trigger." Alice took a deep breath. She still stood as she watched him eat himself up. She had never really thought about why. Alice knew that Will had the gun trained on his brother, she knew he would shoot if she didn't. But now she realised the reason why was to spare him from the very thing that plagued her nightmares every night. "I..." she began to speak, trailing off as she struggled to vocalise what she'd discovered, "I..." She shrugged and took a seat next to Will. She looked down at her feet, "After that night; after Pain... I wasn't the only survivor. My brother survived too. And... like me... and like you all, he took up an extreme lifestyle, devoted himself to purging the corrupt; protecting the innocent." "Yeah and what does this have to do with Trent?" Will responded softly as Alice paused. "A few days ago we both got wrapped up in that big battle on the bridge in Heartania. Do you know the one?" "Shit... you were there?" "Yes, and for one reason or another we were on the wrong side." "Kramer? Acchilleus?" Will asked before sighing, "They were both as bad as each other if you ask me." "Acchilleus' men tried to hurt - to kill - someone my brother cared about. My brother disobeyed orders to save them and Acchilleus... he couldn't stand for that. They fought and Acchilleus overpowered him." Alice expected a 'and?' or a 'what does this have to do with Trent?' or even a 'what did you do?', but Will was completely silent, listening intently. She felt a lump welling in her throat as she began to recount the event. She hid it and continued. "I jumped in to try and save him, but Acchilleus was still too much for us both. Then... he had to make an example of us. And apparently it wasn't going to enough to put a bullet in our heads. The fighting stopped, or at least that's how it seemed. They put a gun to my head and my swords in my hands and they... they kneeled by brother down in front of me and told me that he dies... or we both die." "..." "He looked at me and he - my brother - he told me what to do. He made the decision for me. I didn't have a choice so I—" "I understand." Will interrupted, pulling her gaze from the floor and to him. They looked at each other as both had tears dripping down their faces, their eyes gleaming. His face was simple, as it was a face that Alice recognised from either time she'd look in the mirror. It was great pain... and grief. "I didn't want you to have to live with what I have to live with." Alice continued. Her face was pulled tight, rigid. Her lips barely moved as she spoke but her forest green eyes glimmered an icy blue from the tears. "..." Will looked to Alice. He looked to the ground. He looked to the door that led to Nick's chamber, and after a long pause looked back to Alice. Finally he understood her. "Thank you," he smiled with a heavy heart, "And I'm sorry..." As she sat stunned, Will raised his hand and placed it gently across Alice's cheek. Their eyes met and for one short moment time seemed to stop. Then she pulled away. Alice stood and walked slowly towards Nick's door, "I should-" she hesitated, "I should have a go at him. See what I can get him to spill." She wrapped around the doorknob and moved to twist it, but before she could, still seated, Will called out to her, "Alice." She stopped moving, letting go of the doorknob. Alice didn't look at him as he spoke but she listen intently, her ears pricked. "Your brother: what was his name?" "..." "..." "Tommy."
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Post by Adam on Apr 14, 2017 3:44:05 GMT
THE SONS OF CRIMSON #13 RED QUEEN | Alice Drake Sons HQ, Scarlet City - Afternoon The front door pushed open and through it came Jane and Dan, both thoroughly exhausted. Dan doubled over, still sore from the warehouse. "Nothing!" he huffed and puffed, "Absolute Jack!" "No leads on Dorothy Mercer whatsoever." Jane clarified. Will's eyes darted to them, away from his moment with Alice. He swallowed and sat up straight, "Uh- Reid got any new intel?" "Should be no change from yesterday," Jane replied, disappointed, "Guy's talking to him now at his place, so we'll see." "What about?" Will asked. "Beats us, our fearless leader isn't exactly the best at communicating." " 'Need-to-know basis!'" Dan interrupted, mimicking Guy with a laugh. Will began to chuckle along and then stopped himself. His eyes turned to Alice who continued to watch them all with her hand still on the doorknob leading into the 'interrogation room'. "Alice?" "I'll see what I can get." SLAM. "Oh!" Nick smiled as his head jumped up from the slumped position he'd left himself in, chained to the chair he sat in, "It's a girl!" Alice sauntered over to chair bolted to the middle of the floor and stood over the meagre-looking man, his scraggly facial hair beginning to grow out. His features were prominent, his chin very pronounced and his cheek-bones sharp. Even before they'd kidnapped him he had appeared somewhat malnourished. Now his face was beaten, bloodied and more crooked than ever. As Alice searched his face, his arms, his body - remaining deadly silent - she watched as he too gazed into her soul. For a second his face flickered, as if he'd noticed something. "What's your name, girlie?" he spoke out, his voice nasally and shrill but with an awful rasp, "I'm Mister Mercer, but - specially for you - you can call me 'Nick'!" "I KNOW your name!" Alice erupted as she slammed one of her escrima sticks down, striking the post next to him. He flinched, intimidated successfully. "Great, so you- y- you've heard of me!" she had to give it to him, he was resilient with his vulgarity. "We also know that you're the younger brother of Dorothy Mercer." Alice replied calmly, returning her stick to its holster on her right leg coolly. "Well yes," he smiled, "She got the Dad's bat-shit and I got all of Mommy's good looks!" "Where is she?" "Come on!" Nick laughed, teasingly, "You think they haven't all tried to ask me that that exact same way? The whole 'aloof, cool, broody vigilante' thing ain't all that original." Alice shut her eyes and tried to remain calm in the face of his mockery, "Fine..." she took a deep breath, "I'll ask another way: Why is she hiding? Doesn't she have a brother to rescue?" "Aha! That's a new one!" he thought for a second, "Beats me. Maybe she doesn't give a shit. Maybe she's just waiting for the right moment." "Drop the niceties," she slammed her fist down onto his lap, "Where is she?" "Tut, tut, tut..." Without hesitation Alice grabbed Nick by the scruff of his neck and struck him three times in the chest. He recoiled each time. "You're feisty!" he retorted. She was getting frustrated, Alice could feel it. She was off her game. Rage was never the answer. Plainly, she turned around and began to exit the room. Her hands grabbed the doorknob. "I can tell--" Nick interjected. She stopped for a moment to listen, but refused to look at him. "I can tell you're different. You're not like the others, and I don't just mean your skills and your cool outfit." ... Alice turned the knob and moved through the door. "You're not a 'Son of Crimson'!" Nick heckled. Alice slammed the door behind him, leaving him alone in a sound proof room. He grinned a horrible grin, his eyes lit up with wonder and hubris. "You're not a Son of Crimson... you're his sister."
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Post by Adam on Apr 14, 2017 3:46:58 GMT
THE SONS OF CRIMSON TIE-IN CARMINE | Christian Reid Secure Location, Scarlet City - Afternoon Reid sat comfortably in his deep, leathery desk chair, his face slumped into his forearm as he danced his mouse pointer between his many monitors to pull up relevant information. "Anything?" Guy asked, desperate. "Bits and pieces..." Reid responded with a huff, "Mercer's been spotted at a few key 'business transactions', but radio silence otherwise. All sorts of online circles and forums are wondering where she's disappeared to." "So what you mean is 'nothing at all'!?" Guy spat, turning his back on Reid, removing his hands from the back of his chair, "Fucking brilliant." "She'll turn up." he replied plainly as he turned his chair around to face Guy as the latter began to walk away, "It's only a matter of time." "My ass!" "Fine..." Reid took a deep breath, resigning himself. He turned the chair back to face the monitor, "Call me when you're in a better mood." Guy disappeared into the darkness of the doorway, leaving Christian Reid alone. He shut his eyes, sighing heavily in disappointment. Damn. That poor kid. Trent. Reid winced, thinking back to that night in 2056, the night his ex-wife's home was attacked and his two young boys were butchered. His eyes wept to think back on that horrific night. Slowly his breathing equilibrated and his eyes opened. Riiiing. His phone. It sat on the desk, face down. A phone call. The Sons, surely? Who else had this number? Reid reached for the phone as it continued to ring and quickly flipped it over. No. He'd seen him the other day. He knew he was free, about in Scarlet again, but he never thought he'd come back for him. Two words: Brendan Foley. NO. Reid stared at the phone, allowing it to ring some more, neglecting it. Wrong number, that's what Foley had to believe. But no, Brendan was persistent. There was no avoiding this. Hesitantly, Reid clutched at the phone and dragged it up to his ear. Beep."H- Hello?"
THE SONS OF CRIMSON #14 RED QUEEN | Alice Drake Sons HQ, Scarlet City - Afternoon "All I'm saying is our methods aren't working." Jane hurried, her hands in the air defensively, "He takes whatever beating we throw at him and shrugs it off, spills nothing. It's not enough." She stood in the main room, surrounded by the too-standing figures of Will, Dan and Alice, all irritated and tense. "That doesn't mean we have to torture the guy!" Dan exclaimed, musing in the ridiculousness of her ideas, "Like he's going to want to tell us secrets once he's got fewer fingers!" Alice's eyes darted back and forth between both of the contesting Sons, and then to Will who stood there sullen, but listening intently. "We need to find Dorothy Mercer and bring her down." Jane spat in a matter-of-fact tone, " He is our only lead." "And if he can't tell us anything we don't already know?" Dan spat back. Jane wrinkled her nose and began to respond- "Then we kill him." Will interjected. Both looked up to him, surprised by his words but more surprised that he had anything to say at all; he'd been understandably quiet, "If he's no use to his then we kill him. Then we find his sister another way; we kill her too and anyone else who throws in with her." "What?!" Dan asked, horrified by his best friend's response. Dan and Jane looked to Will, utterly stunned. Silence. "No." spoke Alice, "He's unarmed. We've cuffed him, disabled his powers; our prisoner isn't a threat. We don't even think about killing him until he is." "And when did you become our leader?" Will snapped, facing her, "You don't get to decide what happens to him! The Team decides." "Neither do you." Alice growled, just managing to keep a lid on things, "None of 'The Team' seem to agree with you." "You're not even one of us!" ... "I'm sorry-" "Its okay. You're angry. You're lashing out. I get it." Jane and Dan stood apart from the confrontation, bolted upright, silent, awkward. Jane frowned, deeply saddened why the quarrels of all such ruined young people. She hadn't said, as nobody seemed to have asked, but she related deeply to Will's trauma. Jane had lost her younger brother on the night in 2056. It had been seven years but the wounds still felt fresh, and hurt like it too. They were all orphans. They had almost all lost siblings, but Will was the last of them to be left with no-one. He had to see that he still had them. They all had each other. Will smiled, resisting the sorrow that forced the corners of his mouth into a frown and began to well up as he did. "I..." he paused, pleading to each of his allies with his eyes for their patience, "I think I'm going to go for a wal--" BOOM. Unexpected. Unpredictable. Devastating. Alice and the Sons were flung across the room and into each of the walls as the fiery explosion of the wall nearest the door desolated the brick building they stood in. How could this happen? Who did this? How did they find them? Jane punched her arm into the ground and used it to force herself back onto her feet. With soot and brick dust smeared across her skin and through her hair, she watched as the smoke cleared to reveal the intense and battle-ready figure of Blight, the mysterious assassin.
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Post by Adam on Apr 14, 2017 3:54:46 GMT
THE SONS OF CRIMSON TIE-IN Featuring LHudson CARMINE | Christian Reid Secure Location, Scarlet City - Afternoon "H- Hello?"
Foley let out a beaming smile, hidden under the cold winter wind and scarf. "Christian!" he said, almost losing his balance on the bike in pure excitement. "Great to hear from you! Can't believe you still use this number, thought you would've changed it after..." He stopped himself, never talk about the bad, always about the good. "Well, at least you are free and not behind some rendition of jail bars. It's horrible."
He leaned upright, clicking his back a little. "Been getting around since getting out of the hole, and trust me, the hole is the stuff of legends. It's like they want to bore you to death with the limited leisure they give you. They gave me a book and only one book to the point I can recite it from memory! The trees around me look like magical unicorns now!" He coughed. "But enough of me, what about you!? How have you been?"What? What? How? "You-" "I-" "I'm good thanks, Brendan." he stuttered, "Glad you're e- enjoying your freedom." Foley turned down another street. "Hey, I know the past coming up unexpectedly isn't comforting, but rest assure I don't hold anything against you." Christian did his work and didn't cross the line, Brendan knew that, he was a man he could trust. "I'm just glad to hear you haven't been locked up. You been up to much over the past two years?"
Keep it casual.Christian took a deep breath. He was friendly; that was a good sign. Too often had Foley masked disdain or ill-will behind funny anecdotes and jests. Christian could never be too sure. "For a while... not so much." he thought carefully about his words, "But I've fallen in with a new crowd. Some good people." Foley smiled. "Great to hear. Good to hear that you've really picked yourself up." Foley paused for a second, needed a moment to think. Christian, good guy, managed to climb out of the hole that Foley is happily in. Worked hard, stayed out of the police's sights, and now has a new circle who would maintain his position. On the other hand, Foley knew that he would have a difficult time getting inside the bank, and as selfish as it was Christian could get the job done quick.
He had one direction.
"Look, I know that you've worked hard to keep yourself off the raider and be with some good people, but..." deep breath, a sigh came out. "...I hate to ask this but I need your help. If you don't want to do it, that's fine, I won't hold it against you and I won't offer anything of the sort again. But it would make things a lot easier if you could help. More than happy to pay."
Ball was in Christian's court.Would he? Could he?One last ride, one more contract? The idea interested him, excited him even, but Christian had left this world for a reason. He wouldn't get pulled back in without a better one. "What's the job?" Foley looked up as the towering structure of his vantage point got closer and closer to him. Christian was intrigued, and he had an opportunity. "Very simple. I need to get to the top floor, west side office of the Maze tower. High profile target, so I also need someone to cover my tracks."
Another corner. "And...don't suppose you're able to forge an electronic license for a gun? For the track covering.""Who's the target?" Reid interjected. Foley chuckled to himself a little. "Christian, you and both know that's between me and the client, though I'm pretty sure the job will end up on the news in some way, much like that incident at the Cherry Tree a few nights ago." He pulled up across the street from the bank, a nearby alleyway.
"I just need to get to the swanky west side top floor office, unseen on camera and security." He parked the bike. "You in?"Christian sat uneasily as he listened to the man's offer. He remembered the rush; the excitement of hunting down scumbags and putting them down, doing real good... but then he remembered the life he lead now. With the Sons Christian continued to do good, thwarting corrupt businessmen and crooked gangsters by aiding them with his tech skills, and now there was the case of Dorothy Mercer, the crime lady who was still at large. "I'm sorry, Foley," Reid sputtered, "But I can't just sign on to help you kill some nameless mark... I need to know what I'm getting myself into." Dammit, Foley thought to himself, knowing that time is ticking by. He looked at the staff door leaving to the bank, just aching to be used, before looking up at the high floors of the building. He needed to do his business, but not expose the mark, and thus, he tells the truth.
"Can't tell you the mark..." Foley took a deep breath. "...but my business is to be conducted in Lauren Crowshaw's office on the top floor."
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Post by Adam on Apr 14, 2017 3:55:44 GMT
THE SONS OF CRIMSON #15 BLIGHT | ? ? ? Sons HQ, Scarlet City - Afternoon
"You." Jane coughed, shooting the assassin a most unsure death glare, blood trickling down her forehead. She immediately reached over to the electrical gauntlet she wore on her right arm, activating it by pressuring a button with her left. The glove sparked to life. Blight too brandished her weapons, holding one of her deadly black blades outwards towards her foe and the other in reverse grip behind her back defensively. "Where is he?" Blight hissed, her voice a fierce whisper; almost otherworldly. Nick. "How did you find us?" grunted a bloodied Will, pulling himself up beside Jane, "We checked your boy for a tracker." "..." Blight stared directly beyond the two, to the weapon scattered by the blast that lay among the rubble, scattered from the unconscious body of Alice; the very sword she had stolen from Blight. "Hey!" a muffled cry sounded in the distance, one of painful enthusiasm, "Over here!!" Blight's head cocked to face the direction of the cry, immediately spotting Nick chained up across the room, the wall in-between crumbled. She began to walk towards the desolate doorway. Jane looked back and forth frantically as the assassin seemed to disregard them entirely. She looked to Dan and Alice, hurt and unconscious and then to Will. They shared a feared look before Will pushed himself forward. "No!" he spat, pulling up his handgun. Blight didn't hesitate, her back facing them as she continued to walk. She reached the doorway. "He's ours!!" Will cried, emptying half of his barrel into Blight's back. But in a fraction of a second, Blight thrusted herself around and - her swords singing as she flourished them - proceeded to slice each of the three bullets in half, out of the air. Her stance changed. Now she was annoyed. Blight leaped, launching into an attack. Will lurched back, the initial slash struck luckily against the armoured bracers he wore on his wrists. Damn, she was fast. Blight was just like her, Alice. Reaver? No, she was known to take no other aliases, never known to hide her face behind a mask, and never so silent. Whoever this 'Blight' was she was new. The handgun flew from Will's hand as the force of her attack threw him back. With one fell swoop his knees buckled and he was at the assassin's mercy. "Any last words?" "NO!" Jane threw her hand forward and propelled a cascade of electricity towards her foe. She'd never tried that before. Jane watched as the energy collided with Blight, throwing her across the room and away from the downed Will. He panted and heaved, panicking as he pulled himself up. Though as soon as Will had found stable footing Blight had scraped herself off the floor in one swift shift of momentum. She grumbled; she hissed. As Blight ran forward to her foes, Will jumped for the gun and fired again at the moving Blight. She stopped, the bullet penetrating her shoulder. Getting ferocious and hyped on adrenaline Jane pulled up her gauntlet once again, the clawed fingers crackling with blue electricity. "Leave here!" Jane commanded, her voice less unsure now. "No..." In one effortless movement, Blight shot for her belt and unsheathed three shorter blades; throwing knives. She propelled them through the air with swift precision, one piercing Jane's weapon, short-circuiting it and giving her a nasty shock as she writhed and screamed to force the gauntlet's power off. The remaining blades then hit Will, penetrating each of his hands and pinning him to the wall behind him. Jane shrieked on the ground, the electricity that had shot through her leaving her in a mess in great pain, as Will watched helplessly as Blight pulled Nick from his chains. She then returned with Nick. He stretched his legs and took a large, egotistical deep breath as Blight neared the pinned Will. She pulled a dirk from her arsenal and pressed it against his neck. He stared back fearlessly in the black abyss of her helmet, he didn't fear death. "Go on then." he spat. "No!" Nick shrieked almost with glee, "Come on Blight. Show a little mercy. Spare them." "But-" "That's an order." Blight stopped and turned away from Will. She looked to Nick and gestured towards where the main double doors once stood. "Let us go."
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Post by Adam on Apr 14, 2017 3:56:02 GMT
RED QUEEN | Alice Drake
Dan Darake's Loft, Scarlet City - Afternoon "I tried Reid's cell," Guy huffed and puffed as he sat down on the end of Dan's bedroll, "Engaged." "I didn't know he had friends..." Jane chattered under her breath mockingly, trying to ease the mood. Will bolted up to his feet, frustrated, "This isn't the time for jokes." Guy had returned to find his base destroyed, his allies defeated, and his prisoner gone. Luckily they had managed to quickly relocate to the loft Dan and his brother had once inhabited, a desolate squat in midtown Scarlet. In the loft Alice paced purposefully, rubbing the bruise on her head as she winced in pain. "Well we're safely back at square one, aren't we?" "We will find Dorothy Mercer and we will stop her." "Oh shut up, Guy, she's gone!" Jane interrupted, "In the wind." "Jane's right!" Will spat, "Nick Mercer was our only lead." "I mean we could always wait for Dorothy to make a move." interjected Dan earnestly, "They'll be some Mercer gang activity soon enough and we can trace it back to her." "Thank you! Dan. Thank you." Guy called, standing up. All four were standing now in a tight huddle, aggression between each of of them. "We need to find her now!" Will growled. "Oh shut up, will you!" Alice cried ferociously, breaking the tension. They all looked to her, surprised by her open rage. They were used to her cold, snarky anger; but this was something new, "Lummoxes, the lot of you. If we can't find the boss, we look for her brother or his assassin lapdog." "..." "I'm leaving." Alice turned for the door and walked away without hesitation. The door clicked shut. "Alice." Will reached forward. He looked to the other Sons and then back to the door. His eyes met with Guy's. "I'm going after her." and as quickly as Alice had left Will pushed after her. Beat. "We going?" Dan asked Guy, sharing a look with Jane. "No." Guy replied, "We'll get in touch with Reid and do our jobs. The city still needs saving from itself even if the Mercers aren't actively fucking things up yet."
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Post by Adam on Apr 14, 2017 3:58:08 GMT
THE SONS OF CRIMSON #17 RED QUEEN | Alice Drake Scarlet City - Night Alice had combed the streets back and forth in search of any trace of Dorothy Mercer. It had been hours now and, Will still continuing to crawl restlessly along with her on her search, hope was dwindling. Alice was growing more and more frustrated with not a trace to be found for Dorothy, her brother, or their assassin. With a huff, Alice pushed into a local bar. It was a traditional place, lots of wood and cushioned furniture, an Irish pub with a large array of whiskeys and spirits on display behind the pumps. The place stank of musk. Rowdy patrons bustled through the packed parlor, jeering and leering at each other in unquiet content. Alice examined the folk and slumped into a seat, Will joining her in the booth soon after. She'd grown up surrounded by these people; these were her people, but now to her they seemed savages; neanderthals. She turned to Will, "You shouldn't have followed me. You were wasting your time." "Hey!" he exclaimed under his breath with a tired but hungry smile, "Even still I've got a better shot finding those bastards with you than I am with Guy. He's so laissez-faire sometimes." Alice sighed, letting her eyes drop focus as she stared into the wooden table before her, "At least he's not overly impulsive." she replied, "That's the last quality you want in a leader." Beat. "I—" Alice looked to her ally, who sat uncomfortably in his seat, "What is it?" "I'm sorry about earlier." Will looked towards Alice but could not keep direct eye contact as he sat in shame. "Earlier?" "Before the assassin attacked HQ," he explained, "When I said we should have killed Nick, when he was tied up." "You were angry. I told you; I get it." Alice responded to him with a plain expression and a comforting but unremarkable tone, her intention impossible to mistake. "No, I, I, I meant it." Will stuttered over his words as he continued to talk under the sounds of the patrons, "I really wanted to kill him. I did." "You did?" Alice interjected, picking up on his phrasing. "..." "I wanted to kill him too." Alice stated. "What?!" Will exclaimed, "And you bit my head off for even suggesting it—" "Not Nick," she interrupted, her voice growing more and more twisted as she spoke with an as-of-yet unaddressed yearning, "Acchilleus, the man that killed my brother; the man that killed Tommy. I wanted to kill him so badly; to see the blood gush from his wounds as I slowly sliced into him. And it wasn't just him. I wanted to kill his enforcer, every one his foot soldiers, and even Kramer for starting this war in the first place..." Alice turned her head to look out of the window onto the cold, dark vista of Scarlet City, "I had to make the world pay for taking him from me." Will watched Alice as her look upon the city turned from indifference to a steely gaze, and then to depression. His lips quivered as he searched for the words to say. "Why didn't you...?" Alice swallowed and quickly turned to look at him, her eyes glimmering slightly with tears. "I promised him I wouldn't." "What?" "You all talk about how noble your cause is; how the pain in your childhood has driven you strive to protect your city, to make sure no-one suffers like you did. Then you say that I'm one of you; you welcome me into your ranks. But just like you said: I'm not one of you." "What are you talking about?" "Yes I lost my family to Pain's massacre, but it didn't instill in my some higher purpose of heroism. It just left me angry. And I used that anger to hurt others, to accumulate wealth, to kill. And I enjoyed it; the rush made all of the pain go away." Will furrowed his brow and continued to listen, distraught by her sorrows. "But my brother? Tommy; who thought I was dead for seven years? I finally speak to him for the first time since my life ended and he convinces me to hang it all up, that— that despite all the death and destruction I'd wrought upon others I could still do some good; that I could be better than the psychopath I was, and the zealous killer he used to be. And so I didn't kill Acchilleus. No. And I didn't kill Kramer. But funnily enough they both ended up dead anyway. Part of me wishes every day that I was me that killed them - I feel this lust for blood - but the other part remembers that I made a promise, and that I believed him; think I can do some good, I can be better." "Why are you telling me this?" "I don't think you should kill her. You might feel like you need to and - yes - you might even enjoy it... but you don't want to have to live with it." "..." Will gave her an intense glare, his eyes glistening and his skin taught, angry at her suggestions of his cowardice. Alice saw this and budged closer to him, "I say because... I want you to know that if— if you are ever given the choice: whether or not to kill Nick or Dorothy Mercer, I won't stop you. Because as much as I think you'll regret killing them it has to be your choice, or you'll never find peace." "Alice, I..." his anger quelled. Will understood now and he knew what he needed to say... but he couldn't. He sat there trembling, terrified of the future ahead. Alice looked to him again through the side of her eye seeing the state he was in. She glanced down, below the table, and saw his hands shaking, twitching. She swallowed her nerves, she took a deep breath, and - with her eyes closed as she faced forwards - she slowly reached for his hand, holding it delicately. Will jumped, the warmth of her hand a jolt against his cold skin. He too took a deep breath and focused on her face, frantically searching for answers. The corners of her mouth upturned slightly in an embarrassed simper. Alice slowly turned to face him before jumping back as they met eyes. "Alice?" That was when an eruption of fire soared across the room.
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Post by iCaramelBird on Apr 14, 2017 4:05:14 GMT
- THE SHERIFF -
Scarlet City; a day after Insurgency The shallow streets of Scarlet City only grew darker in the distance, an odd morning mist already beginning to circle its way through every nook and cranny as James stepped off the bus. A punctured tire had already caused enough delay and now he simply wanted to covet himself in his home as soon as possible. Only a few passengers began to slowly flood the streets, scowling and snarling as their whispers soon drowned out behind corners and distance, the rest of them quickly walking and making their way through the city on their own accord. James sighed, he wondered if there would be some sort of cheap motel at this hour, but like many, this was a city that never slept, like its residence at least one eye would be kept open; total fear was instead masked as common sense.
If there was anything he would need right now, it was scotch, the dark bruises and deep gashes were barely healed, and he wondered if drinking was the right thing to do right now. Having basically been exiled from his newfound home, and after the horror he endured yesterday, he barely even recognised himself as he stumbled into the bar, watching the somewhat loud patrons beginning to enjoy themselves as they slurped down the amber liquids in glasses of all shapes and sizes.
The moment he found himself sitting at the barstool, his order only took a few moments before it was in his hands and half-empty as he instantly felt a small sense of relief flood through his body, too instilled with his own thoughts to even begin noticing the young and dark haired boy that sat down on the empty stool beside him, or even until he suddenly noticed the absence of many patrons.
“Rough night?” James asked, taking a curious glance to the clearly tired boy beside him, no older than sixteen from the looks of it.
“Something like that,” The boy simply replied. James went back to his drinks, undisturbed. In fact, it was only until he noticed the two large and domineering men adorned in leather jackets, that his back straightened, no longer hunched over the bar as he stopped drinking, listening as the conversation beside him grew louder, and more hostile.
“You’re coming with us,” One of the men growled as they suddenly dragged at the boy, James only taking a somewhat shocked glance before another one of the men glared at him.
“Don’t try anything either,” The other man growled towering over James who stood up, glaring at him as the barman had already left.
“Look, I’m not doing anything, just don’t-”
Before James could even do anything, he already saw a fiery hand press closer to the boy’s face, watching as he suddenly jumped at the man and pushed his fist away. James watched as he saw the familiar orange hue in the corner of his eyes, barely able to hear anything as fire, more ferocious than he had ever seen before swam in his vision. Bolts of fire came at him and he immediately felt his hands connecting with the flames, the heat making them sweat as the fire was redirected, shock on the men’s faces as the fire fanned back at them, knocking them down quickly as he glanced towards the pale faced teenager. It wasn’t until he suddenly saw one of the men immediately getting back up, a dagger swinging at him as he barely dodged the swings before a punch came his way. Falling back. his face hitting the bar as before he could even understand what happened, he felt a sharp pain causing him to yell out as the dagger stabbed through his left hand, watching as he tried to instinctively tear away from the pain, only causing more flesh to tear away and more pain.
As the man came back clutching his dagger out of the hand and letting the blood flow over the floor, James watched as a barstool smashed over the head of the man, revealing the teenager from the staggering man and as they turn, James quickly kicks at them, another ray of fire smashing into their back and he could see their jacket burn away, scars soon revealing themselves on fair skin.
With his hand bloodied, he looked up in his vision that started to blur ever so slightly, clutching at it and watching more blood trickle through his fingers, he only exchanged one shocked glance at the boy, the pain burning away at him.
Shit.
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Post by Adam on Apr 15, 2017 2:27:49 GMT
THE SONS OF CRIMSON #18 OXBLOOD | Will Jones O'Leary's, Scarlet City - Night
What had just happened? Not the fire, before that: a moment. In that moment it seemed as if Alice had finally let her guard down and shown herself to him. For a moment it seemed as if they would... no. Will watched as Alice jumped into action, her steely look snapping back as they vaulted over their table and onto the ground, taking a battle-ready stance. More cautiously, Will rose slowly from his seat and sidled out of the booth, standing just behind Alice, bewildered by her actions and the fire alike. From here Will saw a young man who barely looked seventeen looking petrified, behind him a tall, bloodied man who seemed to be fading, blood pouring from the gash in his hand. By their feet, a hulking man in a leather jacket lay incapacitated among shards of a wooden chair while another man in a matching jacket continued to antagonise the young boy and his injured friend. But most interestingly, in the thugs hand sat a flickering ball of flame. What did this have to do with Nick Mercer? RED QUEEN | Alice Drake Having been knocked back by the tall man's retaliation, the remaining thug turned to counterattack the kid and his protector, but before he had the chance the sound of singing metal interrupted him as he found the long, shimmering, red blade of a katana held across his throat. Her arm outstretched and only one weapon drawn, Alice, the dark-haired, blade-toting bad ass had the entire situation under control. "Stand. Down."
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Post by iCaramelBird on Apr 20, 2017 19:24:47 GMT
- THE SHERIFF -
Fire, fire everywhere and all the air did shrink. James hadn’t realised it sooner, but as he looked at his bloodied hand, feeling a numbing experience intermingle with the pain, his fingers instinctively twitched as he realised that both the last two fingers on his left hand were gone, fallen to the fire that cascaded the decor of the bar around them. Fire wasn’t the most worrying thing however, with the somewhat whimpering boy behind him and his ailing condition, he suddenly heard rough words that he imagined could etch themselves in minds miles away.
At first he saw the katana, the blood red hue emanating from it as his first thoughts were; Luke? He could imagine Luke would be the type of person to follow him to this accursed city, but after today it wasn’t like he knew much of anything anymore. Instead fire and metal, hostility and neutrality, smoke and air, all of those clashed in the scarlet night, as he glanced at the blade wielder. Instead of what he imagined, it was a young dark-haired woman, one whose visage had a familiarity about them but he could barely see them and she could barely see him through all the smoke. The man backed down, as he simply glanced down at the blade at his neck. James tried to drag the boy back, heading quickly away from the woman as he started heading towards the door. Though a part of him wanted to revel in the action, James couldn’t help but glance at the boy on his first few hours to his hometown he had already found himself bleeding, starting to already feel the pain cascade through his body, he looked around.
“What the hell is going on?” murmured James towards the boy behind him who only shrugged in response, shaking as he stared at the havoc around them both.
“I don’t know! I don’t know! I promise I didn’t do anything!” cried the younger man, quickly glancing around as the thug on the ground only glared at him, still feeling the sharp reminder of his limited options through the blade that threatened to slice his throat. James just wanted to get out of here, but to where, and to who was the bigger problem, he doubt he’d have the most relaxing time in the hospital, if he could ever get there. The sound of screeching car tires outside grabbed his attention, as through the flames that threatened to flicker forward and covet the door, shadows spun from the haziness of the fire were fast approaching the building, seemingly their eyes (if they had any) staring in the direction of the young boy. “We have to get out of here!” He only pointed at the door for James to nod as he simply stared around, looking for another way out. And then he remembered something.
"I know another way out!" alerted James, as he simply exchanged a solemn look towards the woman, he could barely see her face through the smoke this whole time as he quickly rushed towards the back door, feeling the nightly cold air against him which was a relief to the heated inferno behind. He saw a nearby car, bulky but anything would do. As he quickly rushed towards the car, he could start to feel faint, blood dripping and leading a trail behind him. "You wouldn't happen to know how to hot wire a car, right?"
The boy only glanced at James uncertainly.
He knew he thought it before, but at this point he had to say it again; shit.
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Post by Adam on Apr 25, 2017 18:11:01 GMT
THE SONS OF CRIMSON #19 RED QUEEN | Alice Drake O'Leary's, Scarlet City - Night The flames began to grow as the pub was slowly consumed by the flickering fires. Will jumped to action, beginning to help evacuate the frantic patrons and staff alike, but Alice simply remained, watching the two suspicious men leave with her sword still at the thug's throat. "You can make your own way out." she spat, kicking the man to the ground to join his friend before kicking him again, bringing the force of her boot down upon his gut. The second one was just for fun. Alice wasn't going to save him, but she also wasn't to condemn him. Sheathing her sword, she looked to the surrounding area before, orange enveloping everything she could see, before her eyes came upon Will, his arms flagging her down. "Everyone's out lets go!" But as soon as he could speak, debris came tumbling from the ceiling, blocking the front entrance, "Oh fuck!" Will cried. "It's fine," Alice shot back, "Follow me, there's a back entrance." She of course was referring to the passage she'd spotted the two men leaving through. The two marched through the doorway dutifully, allowing the flames to consume everything they left behind. As they passed through they entered a drab, concrete clearing with empty kegs and trash scattered about. The clearing led into an alley which then led out onto the street adjacent to the front of the pub. From the street, Alice of wailing of sirens as the fire engines poled up at the flaming bar, but above that she heard a more distinct noise coming from closer by. She looked down the street to find a large car with the two suspicious males from the bar inside, arguing over how to hot wire it. Ferociously she marched up to the car and swung the door open, Will closely following behind. "Who the hell are you and what do you know about Nick Mercer!"
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