| abstract
| - LeBeau Avenue -Odysseys Undercity Level 2- Tomin Kora - The debris continues from the lobby, discarded papers from the upper areas fluttering slowly in the faint breeze that occasionally wafts in from down below. The once proud street front is vacant, windows smashed in and the contents looted. Reminders of an age gone past are seen all down the avenue, rusted hovervehicles waiting for owners and drivers that will never return. Through a maze of dim and deserted alleyways, one pink-haired Later leads the way, by all appearances at least passing familiar with the path to the second target location. Kes pauses at an intersection to get her bearings, edging up to look both ways down the narrow corridor before she heads left, her footsteps cat-quiet. She beckons for the rest to follow. "S'jest down 'ere," is offered in a low murmur. Shep is following, keeping a bit back though, perhaps for the better because the big Solan isn't as in tune with stealth as Kes is. Jen's out and ready, otherwise, he just silently follows. Seraph moves with easy familiarity next to the sniper, wearing a faint smile, staying quiet - her coat billows slightly as she makes the turn. ".. do we have a plan for this?" Pavel keeps up the rear, small, scrawny and without a weapon in his hand, nonetheless smirking cheerfully with self-confidence. The path that Kestrel leads them down goes straight to a small abandoned warehouse, the windows boarded up, the area dank and grim. A single street light shines on the front of the building, and even this casts a pale almost dusty looking light. There is a door visible from the groups angle, whether or not it's servicable is a completely different matter. Seraph crouches, idly reaching up to flip her hair back, over her shoulder. "... so. No plan?" A soft chuckle, her voice low, she murmers - "When we have no plan, one of us ends up shot, Kestrel." Kes says quietly, a shrug and a faint smirk going to Seraph. "'At's usually th'best way." She winks and keeps going, moving a little more slowly. "'At's it up 'ere," she says, indicating the warehouse. "Can't see inside, an' I ain't ever got brave 'nough to go see if th'door works, but..." She shrugs. "Least I knew th'way 'ere, right?" A sheepish grin is offered. "We breach, go in, kill 'em all fast as possible. 'It 'em while 'ey aren't espectin' us, an' scramble 'em," Shep replies to Seraph, "So 'oo gets ta open the door 'en? If it's locked, Ah'm no good." "I will do what I did for the last place, if I can," Pavel says lowly. "But if you want I will open the door from afar first?" "An' if it's locked?" Kes asks, looking to Pavel. She shrugs. "I kin do it. Git up 'ere, see if it's locked, an' pick it open if I gotta. Let y'all go in first, follow after. Rifle's 'bout useless anyhow, windows're boarded up." A grin goes to Seraph. "Only if luck ain't on our side. An 'en only if th'saints're out ta lunch." Sheppard shakes his head to Pavel, "Not from afar mate, we go in as soon as it opens, we wait, 'ey get seconds to prepare," he says, "Mate, if yah wanna go in quiet like from the roof, squeeze yer commbead once when yer in position, we'll 'ear a squelch an' 'at'll be the signal fer us ta go in, aye? Kes, pick the door, Seraph an' Ah'll go in first, yew cover us." he says, looking to the other three, "Unless someone else 'as somethin'?" Seraph rolls her eyes - muttering - "You aren't the /only one/ who went through that MOS, you know, Kes." Her blade comes free again, shimmering... and the later starts forward, moving as quietly as she can manage in the direction of that door. "A door opening from nowhere would confuse them," Pavel points out, but doesn't press the issue. Instead he leaps and just keeps rising, repeating his tactic of seeking out roof access for his scrawny little body. Kestrel rubs her face and moves after Seraph, sticking to shadow where she can and trying to be quiet. She activates her comm. "Didn't say I was," she offers in a low voice. "Jest thought if I did it, you an' Shep could both be standin' ready, 'at's all." Sheppard moves to take up a position a bit back from the door, not next to it. He gets down on one knee to stabilize his shot as he aims Jen at the door, aparrently making ready to fire at any people immediately inside the door. Pavel easily glides up to the rooftop where he would find a large sky light. The glass is sectioned off in large squares, could be big enough for him to fit through. Some of the glass is cracked, and a couple of spots are chipped away. On Seraph and Kestrel's end there's debris littering the area, most of it looking like places where the sidewalk has lifted, and more of it than not looking like bits of the building that have broken off. Seraph threads through the debris - not quite her customarially quiet self. Her weight causes a bit of sidewalk to crack, bringing a stumble.. but. Par for the course. She bellies up to the left of the door, rolling her eyes at Kestrel.. something faintly predatory in that small smile. A nod to the door... and then she simply /listens/. Closing her eyes for a moment, in fact. Pavel nods to himself, kneeling down and moving to open a skylight. Finding it locked, he draws his longsword and slams the hilt of the weapon against the old lock, patiently hammering away to try and shatter it. The smaller of the pair of Laters also pauses to listen, Kes crouching stock-still and all but utterly silent on the other side of the door from Seraph. She looks up at the other woman after a few moments and quirks a brow, an unspoken question, that. Apparently feeling some need to clarify, she points to herself, then to Seraph, and shrugs noncommittally. Shep remains where he is, watching the door, Jen held at the ready, waiting. Seraph rolls her eyes, there at the door, raising the blade and making a fist with her free hand. One... Two... Scissors. Despite the fact that the lock is old and rusty, Pavel doesn't seem to make much headway in getting it open, the sword just bouncing back from it ineffectively. From behind the door Kestrel can here the muffled talking of two men. "Get it working," comes the strained sound of one voice, another more whiney sounding one follows that, "I'm trying, ordering me about isn't going to fix it any faster." Pavel 's eyes narrow. He slowly and deliberately points a finger at the lock, narrows his eyes, and tries his best to simply wrench it directly off with the power of his brain-muscle instead. Kestrel just looks over at Seraph and holds up two fingers, then points to the door itself. One finger is then touched to her lips. A brow is quirked at the 'scissors' gesture, the pink-haired sniper giving a wry smile. Shep looks at the two, frowns, puts Jen on his knee and raises two birds at the pair of laters as they try and converse or play Rock-Paper-Scissors, whatever it is they're doing. After he's done that, he picks Jen back up and aims at the door again. Seraph eyes Kestrel, mock-sighs, and crouches by the doorknob, reaching up to her hair for a moment... lockpicks. Two of them. She's by no means amazingly expert, but she does set to work. Yes, she forgot to check the door first. That lock twists a bit back and forth, almost like putty under the power of his mind before it pops open and falls to the ground only a twisted hunk of metal left Behind the door the conversation continues, "You'll get it done faster if you want to keep your fingers attached to your hands," the first voice goes on. There's no reply to this. Seraph's lockpicking skills prove to be good enough, even with an old lock and a pair of hairpins. A soft click announces the opening of the lock. Pavel smirks in faint satisfaction as the lock falls loose, at which point he opens the skylight and tries to slip through. He aims to get a hold of one of the hooks on the roof, and by climbing across them hand by hand- saving his power for backup- move to the back of the room. One of Kes's hands slips quietly into her jacket, withdrawing a pistol with a canister-style silencer on the end of it. The pink-haired Later doesn't even turn to look at the Solan, instead simply crouching there and waiting while Seraph works on the lock. Alas, Shep's pair of birds flies away unnoticed, at least by Kes. Sheppard just keeps aim with Jen, waiting for the door to be opened so he can take his shot, if any are available.... aha. The door unlocked. Seraph tucks those picks away again... resuming her blade, with a glance to Kes. A nod. And then? With a twist of the knob, she throws the door open, bottom of her coat billowing as she throws herself through, moving immediatly to the right - in search of a target. Subtlety, apparently, is for those /not/ trying to be a target. The Later's blade gleams as she moves, her smile wide and predatory. Pavel finds himself able to get ahold of the hooks and start across the room. When he reaches the third one though he finds the hook slippery with some sort of gooey substance, his hold on the device becoming precarious and unable to hold on he finds himself falling. The door gets flung open and dust flies up, seems the floor hasn't been swept in a while. Through the dust can be made out two guys who jump up when the bang of the large metal door hitting the wall. "What the hell?" the taller of the two calls out, his hand reaching for a gun holstered near his shoulder. The other seems just as surprised, but with the gun already in hand he aims to shoot at whoevers through the door first, looks like Seraph. "Next to the two men is what looks like a comm device, much like a CB radio, and a set of tools which is spread out across the floor. With a startled oath, Pavel tries to catch himself before he hits the ground, slowing his descent to a more comfortable speed and running on air towards the sound of the door. The later does her best not to give those men time to do more than utter an explanation; the one with the gun is first. It's almost a leap, as she engages, crossing the intervening space at a near-run, the archaic weapon sweeping a glittering arc at the man's hand, then backswinging at his chest... A couple of quick steps puts Kes in a position where she can fire into the ensuing fracas, though she stays in a crouch so as to stay out of Shep's line of fire. She pauses only for a split-second to pick her target, then aims low, going for the leg of the man who's already got the gun out. Sheppard waits for Seraph to clear to doorway before picking his target, the other man, the one without the gun out yet. He pauses only a moment to ensure no friendly fire will be happening today, before Jen speaks to the man. The scene that Pavel would be running in on is a rather mixed ruckas. The man with the gun out already barely sidesteps the bladed weapon coming at him, but he doesn't dodge that bullet so well, and down he goes with a cry of surprise. The other one manages to miss taking Jen's talking to and in turn he returns fire at Shep. Kes would feel the cold steel of a gun barrel pointed at her head, "Drop it," comes a gruff voice from behind her. "You first," Pavel coldly tells the voice that belongs to the gun at Kestrel's head, and sweeps his arm in a wide gesture paired with a mental tug on the same lines- trying to rip the gun right out of the wielder's hand and throw it aside. Seraph acts with typical singlemindedness - fallen guy may be fallen, but there are guns, and there are friends, and the Later is likely the living incarnation of 'thorough'. Her blade comes down, the swordswoman sweeping into a graceful crouch to drive it downward with significant force. Kestrel sets her weapon down slowly as she's instructed. Hey, a gun right to your head isn't something you're going to argue with, after all. She doesn't try to look behind her or anything, simply holding her hands up to show that they're empty. There's not even a snide comment offered. Sheppard dives and rolls to the left as he's shot at, hopefully getting into a bit of cover from the door, and thankfully avoiding the incoming bullet. He however, appears to have a different response to Kes's little surrender, and lets Jen offer her own snide comment to the man behind her, who therefore has his back to Sheppard. He does aim for the man's head however, in order that if the bullet happens to go through, it'll blow right over Kes. The man behind Kes never has a chance, his gun pulled from his hands before he even realizes what's happening. Seraph's blade penetrates clean through her target, his eyes going wide and there's a gurgling sound, one hand reaching toward the swordswoman, as if asking for help. Shep's shot takes the already surprised man even further off his guard. Now he's missing his weapon, and he has a significantly sized hole in his shoulder, Shep's aim not quiet hitting on aim, but thankfully the man is quite a bit taller than the small Later. This doesn't stop Shep's own assailant from taking a shot at him however, his gun already at the ready and he squeezes the trigger. Seraph.. oddly enough - ignores the rest for a moment, taking the man's hand in her tattooed one, eyes alight and wide as she stares into the dying man's for a moment. Strangely, her squeeze is reassuring - "It is a good death." A nod, once. "You've nothing to fear." Some callings, it seems, don't stop even in the middle of gunplay. The other Later is significantly less reassuring. No, once it's clear her would-be attacker is unarmed -and- distracted, Kes reaches into her jacket and draws another pistol - it's closer than the one on the ground, you see. She doesn't turn around. Instead, she simply looks back over her shoulder and shoves the barrel of the pistol into the the man's face before she pulls the trigger. -Still- no snide comment, either. Shep manages to be missed by yet another bullet. That guy with the gun is getting annoying, so Shep swings Jen over in his direction and lets her speak. This time, it's accompanied by a string of cursing from the big Solan, "Yah porkchop fuckin' bastard! Shut the 'ell up!" "What Pavel finds is not reinforcements, but a mostly empty room with several tables along the back wall. It's not clear immediately from this distance, but there looks to be some sort of equipment there. The man on the other end of Seraph's sword coughs, blood spattering in front of him. There are a few more labored breaths as he slowly bleeds out, his eyes almost pleading with the woman. That hand returns the squeeze, whether it was a conscious action or simply a reflex may never be known. Slowly the life in his eyes fades and he goes limp. The man behind Kes stumbles back at the shot, not fast enough though, a significant sized hole in his side pouring blood to the ground. His shock too great to even react. Sheps guy is taken back with the blast from the rifle, and as he falls back a few steps he manages to get off another shot, but it's a wild one. "You have this under control," Pavel tells the three, crouching a little low and advancing forward, conducting a thorough search to be absolutely sure no surprises lurk behind them- and taking a look at that equipment when he's close enough. Shnk. Out comes Seraph's blade, the later making that a smooth motion that brings her to her feet, focusing on the last one indoors, that one trading fire with Shep - "Enough." Soft, and quiet - and, if she can, she steps up to attempt to put that longblade into the man's stomach.. introductions of a most intimate sort. Kestrel sweeps the discarded pistol up off the ground in her off hand and straightens, turning to level the firearm in her gun hand -- the not so quiet one, that is -- at the man she just shot. "Got yer 'drop it' right 'ere," she mutters, before she fires at him again. Sheppard switches targets once again as Seraph closes in on the man he hit, shooting at the one by Kestrel again, apparently he doesn't care if he's already dead...or not, he shoots anyways. Pavel would recognize the equipment on the table as chemical refining instruments. Each table seems to have a different chemical contained within. Intimate would be the word as Seraph's sword slides in all the way to the hilt, a loud gasping grunting sound coming from her victim before he simply goes limp on the blade. Kestrel somehow misses that target, whether it's because he was aware enough to get out of the way, or pure luck...but he's not fast enough to dodge that rifle. He simply falls over in a pool of his own blood. "Ah-ha, excellent," Pavel comments to himself with a broad grin. He chances a glance back, sees no one on his side getting hurt, and starts to work packing it up and securing it for later. Seraph lowers the body on her blade to the ground - pulling it free, closing the man's eyes... and looking back to the rest. After all of that, flushed and seemingly oddly happy, the woman focuses on Kestrel. "... you missed." She observes, quietly bright. "Eh," Kes grunts, shrugging at Seraph. "Least I missed 'im when he was almost dead instead'a when 'e was right up on me," she points out. She grins and offers a salute of sorts to Shep -- gun still in hand, so it's an interesting gesture at best -- then proceeds into the building. The silenced pistol gets pocketed. The other one stays in her hand. Shep returns that salute, although without gun in hand, he holds Jen with the other still, before he stands and trots off towards the inside, "Anythin' lookin' good?" Shep asks. "Da, indeed. Like the other places, a good drug lab. The proceeds of this will be kharasho." Pavel works to secure everything as quickly as possible so they can pick up later when the timing's better. Seraph recovers a cloth from her coat pocket, using it to idly clean her blade, "I am just making a point." She /winks/ at Kestrel - and then looks to the room. "I thought I saw..." A nod.. and she's moving for the comm gear, curious. The comm gear seems not to be working at all. Old parts lay around, new ones inside that have replaced them. The tools themselves are still set out on the floor. "You missed too," Kes offers cheerfully to the taller Later. She commences searching the room itself while Pavel starts packing up. Seams in walls get fingers run along them, floorboards she raps on with her knuckles. It's a quick check, to be sure, but a check nonetheless. "Right, 'nother onna 'ey're outposts secured, wasn't too bad of a fight. Now jus' one more an' the depot, aye?" Shep asks as he looks around.A small makeshift sleeping area is found, and a stash of ration bars. Everything else is empty. "Da." Pavel steps back with a quick, brisk nod. "All right. We can come by and pick this up later. I think we are ready to move on." "Yes, but I'm allowed. Newm sort of frowns on that - unless you blow something up. I suspect he'd enjoy /that/ a great deal." Seraph crouches to peer at the radio - the monkey at the obelisk, idly running fingertips along the blade now laid across her knees. "The third building turns out to be an old shop. The sign is still above it, the words and coloring faded with time. The windows are boarded up, the front door at least is simple and made of glass, or a semblance of glass. A short time later. Kestrel is, again, leading the way to the third building. And again, she seems to know generally where she's going. "Mmmm... 'ere we are," she murmurs, nodding, crouching down behind some debris a short distance away, and motioning for the rest to move up to where she's at. "Thoughts?" Sheppard follows after Kes, Jen still out, although on the way he's reloaded her. "Same approach as before? Seemed ta work last time," Shep states. ".. that depends on whether that door is glass, and whether someone with a decent scope can see through it." Seraph murmers... and then is in motion, going wide and slow, spiralling down toward the door, trying to stay unobtrusive.. of course. "The last plan... worked very well," Pavel concurs, and with only a quick glance around leaps upward, rising at a steady pace for the roof. "...if it's glass, it's prob'ly th'bulletproof sort," she observes, though it should be noted that she's also in the process of assembling her rifle. "We'll find out, 'ey, Shep? An' if th'rifle ain't gonna work, no harm done -- I'll jest be th'cavalry 'is time." Pavel easily flies to the roof, finding an access on the top of the flat topped structure, possibly an access for fixing things that might go wrong up there. This access is miraculously unlocked. Sheppard nods, "Aye, 'at works, Ah'll go in after Seraph, jus' cover me," Shep replies. He looks to Seraph as she goes for the door, following a bit of a distance behind again, Jen aimed at the door once again. Seraph just.. makes her way down for the shop, blade still in hand, speculative. Frowning. Provided she makes it there without some hidden .50 opening fire? She pauses by the door, peering in as best she can - a first look at the lay of the land, there. Pavel permits himself a low cackle of triumph, opening the roof access just a hair to peek inside. If the coast is clear, he'll cautiously proceed- otherwise, he remains back and quietly watchful. "You got it," Kes says, grinning at Shep. "'Sides, I owe ya one." She moves away to get a slightly better view of the door, crouching down in a spot a short distance from Shep before raising the rifle. She is, of course, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible. For Pavel the building would appear to be quiet, inside...outside...doesn't matter, the building itself is almost ghostly. Seraph's peer inside manages to show the nature of the old shop. A pet store. Tanks, aquariums and cages are still present inside, if not old and run down. Toward the center of the room she would see a young guy. Scrawny would be a good description of him. He holds in one hand a pistol, in the other a small hand held commm, but he appears to be alone. Sheppard remains where he is still, just aiming at the door and waiting for Seraph's move. Seraph holds the blade out to her side - in view of the scope. She dips it once, and once only, a definite signal. And then? ... she remembers to try the door handle. Carefully. Pavel proceeds onward through the roof exit, moving quietly as he can and keeping a watchful eye out for anyone who decides to cause control while he moves toward the main room. Rows of equipment, old cages, aquariums and other such items are what Pavel would find as he moves through the shops storage area. On silent feet he makes it into the main room where he can see the tremling kid sitting on a chair, gun clutched in one hand, comm unit in the other as he watches the room warily, eyes wide."Somethin' stinks 'ere," Kes sends quietly over the comm. "Watch yerselves." She focuses the rifle's scope through the front door, though, trying to get a look at the lone denizen of the shop. Sheppard just waits, he gives a nod to Kes's comment, but he offers no comm chatter, watching and waiting.Seraph apparently makes a decision, murmering into her comms - "Kes. Break the glass - aim very high." And.. she tenses. Ready to move, it seems. "Wait," Pavel whispers into his comm, very tersely. And then he concentrates, lines furrowing in his brow with the effort, as he tries to simultaneously steal both gun and comm unit. Successful or not, he loudly and confidently declares from his place in the shadows, "Surrender or die!" Both gun and comm are easily tugged from the guys hands and with a scream of fright he practically trips over his chair as he tries to make himself real small in a corner, "Who...who are you?" he stammers. Kestrel had already shifted her aim upward at Seraph's request, her finger tightening on the rifle's trigger. Pavel's words, however, stops her before she fires, the petite Later instead going back to watching the scene through her rifle scope. Seraph pauses, "Pavel?" But.. she backs off, moving away from the door.. and, oddly, waving the others forward, she speaks softly into the comms. "I'll check the outside - this is odd." "If you are stupid, I am the man who will kill you," Pavel informs the cowering youth with a scowl. "If you are smart, I am your hooping guardian angel. -Do you surrender-?" He says into the comm, "One man only, he's disarmed. Come on." The young kid nods, "Ye-yes," he stammers softly. "Please....just don't kill me." "...huh," Kes says quietly to herself, lowering her rifle warily. She looks over toward Shep, nods toward the building, and shrugs, though her gaze remains on him in an unspoken question. Sheppard nods in the direction of the building. Jen stays out, but he moves forward towards that door, trying the handle. "Dumbass," Pavel sighs. "Lift your hands, keep them where I can see them. Are you alone here?" The kid raises his hands, "Yeah, the others wento to the main building for something or other. Somebody had to stay and watch things." Kestrel just shrugs again and slings her rifle across her back, drawing a pistol instead and moving quietly after Shep toward the glass door. Sheppard opens the door, walking on in. He does glance around, waiting for anthing to come out. Jen still held at the ready. Pavel nods over his shoulder at the sound of the open door. "How many others?" he inquires brusquely, keeping an eye on the kid still. "Two more," the trembling kid replies in answer to Pavel. "See anythin'?" Kes asks Shep, quirking a brow at him. "I don' like 'is at all. Jest... too easy." She shakes her head, also keeping a watchful eye out. "Aye, Ah agree, an' nuttin'" Shep replies as he makes his way towards the kid and Pavel, "What've we got?" he asks Pavel. "A little kid. His hand was shaking. Just figured I'd disarm him," Pavel snorts. "How old are you, kid?" "Nineteen, sir," the young guy answers. His eyes look around at all the people gathering, "Wh..what do you want?" he asks. Kestrel laughs quietly. "Nineteen," she comments, shaking her head. She winks at Pavel then. "If you two boys think ya kin handle 'is deadly-lookin' fella, I think m'gonna take a look 'round an' see what I kin see, 'ey?" Sheppard nods to Kes, "Aye, so no more 'en 'is guy, mate?" Shep asks Pavel. "Does not seem like it. He says there are no others, I saw no sign. Nineteen. Ha. I am nineteen," Pavel tells the young man, "and I have twice the balls you do! Shall we bring him back? Maybe if he is not stupid he can serve us instead." "You have to understand, man, the comms all went out completely. That unit in your hand, it doesn't even work. I had it in case I could get it to," he states, "I'm not a coward, but I'm here alone with no back up," the guy declares. "Say... ask what 'em other two look like," Kes offers over the comms, continuing to look around the place for doors, other rooms, whatever. "Might be we got 'em already." "If 'ee said 'ere are others, should we wait fer 'em? Catch 'em off guard? Or if she's right, aye, no worries." Shep asks, "Otherwise, aye, bring 'im back," "He said they went to the main place," Pavel says with a shake of his head. "We should probably wait and catch them there, da?"All Kes would find in her checking is more pet shop equipment. It seems one area was being cleared, the equipment from that area being stacked in one corner. "The one's called the Professor, tall guy. The other's this small Ungstiri guy...Nitro," the kid replies. Kestrel lingers to check around the area that was being cleared a little more thoroughly, seemingly quite confident that Shep and Pavel can handle one frightened, unarmed teenager. "Point, alright, less pack up 'en, should probably bind an' gag 'is one an' take 'im off," Shep states with a nod. "Da. You want to take him or shall I put him in with my lyubimaya and I?" Pavel asks somewhat boredly. The guy just watches, waiting to hear his fate."Eh. Nothin' in 'ere worth squat," Kes offers, sauntering back into the main area where Pavel and Shep are. "So what's the'story, 'en?" "Either works, aye," Shep replies with a nod to Pavel, "Up ta yah, really," "Eh, I will take him back. You," Pavel says directly to the teen. "Come with me. I will take you to my home. Once we are done with the rest of your people, you will be given a chance to prove yourself. If you are trustworthy and smart, you will be spared and stand the chance to become one of us. Any complaints?" He rummages around in his pockets, finding a length of rope and approaching the guy to bind his hands. The kid shakes his head, "No," he replies, not fighting against being bound either. Kestrel rubs a hand through her hair. "Ya sure we didn't git 'em already?" she asks with a shrug, eyeing the kid for a moment before she goes to lean against the wall near Shep. "'E say what 'ey looked like?" "'Ee said 'ey were at the main place, we're gonna 'it 'at, aye?" Shep replies to Kes, "Now, if 'ere's nuttin' 'ere, less get a move on, aye? Yew got 'im, mate?" "He did, one tall, one small and Ungstiri, but it is as Sheppard said- they are probably at the main place. I have him," Pavel confirms, stepping back as he finishes the tying. "All right. Da. Off we go."
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