Faction The Radio Star (Darkwire & Allies)

[Daiya]

"Uhhh, suuuuuuuuure," Daiya appraised dismally, her take on the circumstances were far less confident than the picture Hex painted out. The surly teen didn't need a sewer gator to think about on top of it all. Her limbs trembled with the memory of the sewer ghouls —if that's what those limber zombies had been— forcing the teen to focus on steady breaths to keep her mind straight. Pulling up the readouts on her suit's HUD again, she missed most of what Hex and Brie were saying.

Instead, the young shadowrunner's eyes and hands panned through the limited view her sensors could register in here. It still offered Daiya a perspective of the sewers unseen beyond the limits of her eyes and glowbeams. She didn't like what she couldn't see, glaring at the endless tunnels of murky wastewater ahead of them. It put a lower bound on her field of view, and its constant motion sent echoing sounds through the sewers to make tense or whip around at any small noise.

"Shhh, shut up for a minute." The young shadowrunner held up a hand, trying to bring her jabbering companions to a halt. Her head turned this way and that, excessive movements when she had the whole surroundings available on the HUD's readout. The tunnels split in two directions, one leading off into a darkness that promised sinister things in its grasp.

The other took them toward another intersection, and thoughts of what could be lurking down the wrong direction made the teen's spine shiver once more.

"We're close now, this way looks like a shortcut!" Daiya turned toward the darkness, setting her jaw against her skull. She pulled a blaster from its holster, ready for whatever sinister things —or worse— they might find down there. The readout on her HUD lead to a point closer to the intersection behind them, but the teen was confident that she had only chosen the longer way, not the wronger way.

"Hey Brie," she called through the darkness, seeking a tether in her best friend. Daiya knew the scrapper girl was alongside her, sensing Brie even if she couldn't see her. The teen tried not to think about that part, it was just that kind of eerie feelings she wanted to distract herself from. "Is it just me, or did I see you ogling Cassus a little today?"

Her eyes turned toward Hex, looking over for a second voice to help tease Brie. Daiya's eyes caught the blue girl's, and the vivid sensation from earlier came over her again. The thought of having her layers peeled away, allowing eyes to gaze on her innermost self so casually, it turned the teen's eyes back away. Daiya was certainly getting distracted, just not how she hoped. It took conscious effort to keep a cheery tone in her voice with Hex, hoping no one would be the wiser.

A giggle might have sold it better, but Daiya couldn't manage it in the depths of the sewer darkness.

"You saw it, right Hex? I think Brie's got a crush on Caaaasssuuuuussss!"

Hex Brie Jaxx Daven Tooms​

 

[Ivory Stroud]

The bustling crowds of Corell Tower kept on with their daily routine, unknowingly concealing the trio of Shadowrunners as they made their way into the building proper. Ivory led the way, hands in her pockets; easily blending in with the stream of bodies & striding through the main doors into the lobby itself. The reception area was broad & well-decorated, and chatter in a half-dozen languages created a stream of input which the raven-haired rebel chose to ignore. Eavesdropping was not her objective. Behind the reception area, a large Sec-droid sentinel stood silently, entirely still.

Once she was sure her two companions had joined her inside the building, Ivory slipped through the reception area, her head down. She avoided approaching the reception desk, instead opting for the bank of elevators beyond. Without opening her mouth to speak, Cartri Keswoll & Cassus Akovin would hear her voice in their heads, piping through the Neahtid Earpieces she'd provided: <<Leia's on 27'th, a penthouse restaurant, is public access. We'll need to get through biometric locks to access the back area & gain access to the roof... but that'll get us closer to the goal. Elevators going up that way are here.>>

The tile floors & guilded walls of the small landing area for the elevators was empty when the trio would arrive. Ivory checked to make sure her two Shadowrunner companions were still with her, then pressed one of the buttons on the wall. As they waited for the elevator to arrive, Ivory returned her hand to her pocket, feeling a small orb against her knuckles... but she avoided manipulating it, for fear of triggering the device's arming sequence.

She glanced around, looking toward Cassus & Cartri, then out into the reception area; casually looking about, but inwardly checking faces, making sure they weren't being recognized or watched.

A tiny bell musically sounded, indicating one of the lifts had arrived. Two golden doors swung wide to reveal the beautifully decorated interior, and Ivory stepped through, immediately pressing the "Close" button once Cassus & Cartri joined her. The doors swung shut with nobody else following them. For the moment, they were alone.

Instead of speaking with her voice, she again used the earpiece to communicate: <<Once we get to the penthouse, we'll need to gain access to the kitchens or investigate the hallways outside. It's all office space aside from the restaurant, but there should be doors into the secured areas beyond. We'll need a pass-key, or someone to let us in... Without raising an alarm.>> She smirked, glancing at the two young men. <<There could be access through the kitchens, but we'll need to either distract or sneak past whatever staff is there. It's still daylight, so it should be less traffic than the evenings. After we're through, we have to find the data farm, and avoid any Security. Too easy.>>

If only it was.

Daiya Brie Jaxx Hex Xan Deesa Marissa Shoda Daven Tooms

 

[Hex]

Location: Near the tower loading bay
Objective: get in discretely
Tag: Daiya Brie Jaxx

Spoiler: Equipment

• Powderpunk armor on loan from Daiya
• ap-25i SIMP pistol
• 'Candles' Heavy particle blaster
• 'confetti' Rocket launcher
• Party Poppers (3 explosive, 2 gas)
• Dancer repulsor board
• Dervish Knife
• Cheap data pad and communicator

Spoiler: Hex dialogue colors

Poor Hex hears voices in her head

Hex speech to others
Hex speech to herself

Hexes inner voices
'...Neutral...'
'...Doubt...'
'...Anger...'
Coloured '.....' are also words that Hex can hear , but I decided not to write them to reduce clutter

Hex laughed as Brie Jaxx prodded her in a non-explosive direction. She tapped the barrel of her pistol against her temple and smiled "Don't worry about me, the old brain might be wired up wrong, but I can follow instructions..."

'...until you can't...'

She shot a sideways glance at the voice trying to undermine her argument, she wanted to be a reliable asset, it wasn't her fault that sometimes things conspired against her. She snapped back out of her thoughts and carried on the walk, following the lead from Daiya . "You know this way is longer right?" she asked gently drumming her fingers up the spine of her new friend from behind to get her attention. Maybe mimicking some crawling creature on the back of and anxious are armed girl wasnt a good idea. She sniffed the air gently, "the cleaner air is that way, we should go there" she pointed at the correct route to the hatch they needed to find.

"You saw it, right Hex? I think Brie's got a crush on Caaaasssuuuuussss!"

"oh, absolutely, a mad crush, she can't get enough of him!" she stuck her tongue out subtly at Brie, she had literally no idea what she was talking about but what's the harm. She reached out and stood in a ball dancing pose and spun around a few times as if she was dancing, kicking loosly though the much on the floor. Hex was strangely relaxed, almost forgetting about the mission at hand, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as her relaxation made her own mental state much more stable. As she danced, she deliberately tried to catch the eye of Daiya, trying to make her laugh.

'......'

Her eyes widened and she suddenly felt much more self conscious as she heard an inaudible accusation, she grinned and handed the imaginary Cassus back to Brie "I think he'd prefer to dance with you anyway."

It wasnt much longer before they finally reached the intersection which was directly beneath their target, an old, rusted manhole cover above their heads was all that separated them not from some fresh air, but also potentially a lot more danger. Hex reached up above them and started to twist the wheel on the underside of the cover to retract the locks, it was old, rusted and stiff so she needed more leverage. Hex reached inside her pack and pulled out one of the long metal shells she had made for Confetti and used its tail as a lever. With some grunts of exertion, the hatch eventually was unlocked. Hex dropped herself down and looked at the other two girls, a light patina of rust flakes glinted in her hair and on her face.

"you girls ready? I'm good in a fight, and I'm good a building stuff, but all this darkwire slicey stuff I am going to have to leave to you."

 

[Cassus Akovin]

Crap, where the hell am I going to keep the bike?! He looked around as his comrades disappeared. Then he saw a flash of blue walking past him.

He sighed and knew what he had to do.

"Man, this is such a bad trade..."

As Cassus rejoined the strike team, they would notice a fresh new blue jacket. It was a little big on him, but nothing some tailoring couldn't fix... or maybe he'd have a second late growth spurt. Either way, the red and blue probably blended less than black and red, but Daiya was right; CorpSec was cramping his style. Oh, and there was no way he was giving up that bike. He made sure to catch his biometric data before making the trade to lock it in with a tracking fob. He'd be back for it later.

We'll need to get through biometric locks to access the back area & gain access to the roof...

We'll need a pass-key, or someone to let us in... Without raising an alarm.>>

Cassus followed politely and listened, going through a kitchen to get to a communications relay. He's certainly gone through stranger things getting to an objective. Admittedly, he didn't know very much about kitchens, but he did know they had to stay later than most patrons would. Somehow, he doubted the staff would be so amicable and accommodating to their intrusion. They'll be tired, and want to go home, especially as they approach closing hour. They'll want to clean all their utensils and go. Tourists of their station will be the last thing on their minds.

Luckily, they wouldn't have to make up their own mind. He would just need to find someone pliable.

<<I'll be able to collect biometrics. If I can get a visual of where we want to access, I can figure out who has what we need, but it'll take a minute or so. Depending on how they are staffed tonight and how annoyed they'll be with us, a distraction might be warranted.>>

Cassus was referring to the Chronoscope lens of his helmet, which allowed him to peel back the layers of time to see who went in or out of a particular entrance. A handy tool for a Bounty Hunter. He turned his head over to Cartri Keswoll .

<<Think you can handle that street rat? I'm sure you know a thing or two about raiding kitchens.>>

The elevator was going to open soon, and then the real fun began.

Ivory Stroud , Xan Deesa / Marissa Shoda , Daven Tooms, Hex Brie Jaxx

 

[Brie Jaxx]

''Good. Good.'' Brie said in response to the blue girls reassurance that she would not blow them all up in a big fireball. Even though Brie didn't hear the girls inner voices, she had her suspicions towards the girls promises. The way she acted and carried herself told Brie that they needed time to get to know each other. Daiya seemed to trust her though, and that was good enough for now.

"Shhh, shut up for a minute." Daiya suddenly said, and very effectively shutting her two companions up. Brie raised her eyebrows and looked at Hex, seeking confirmation that she were not the only one thinking it was a bit rude. The did close in on their target though, and as Daiya drew her blaster so did Brie. She carried her old trusted KC-77N Hybrid Pistol. It might have been old and primitive, but it worked every time.

That was when Daiya apparently decided to make Brie pay for all the questions and teasing about her and Cartri, by bringing Cassus up.

''Meh! Are you the only one that are allowed to have a... a crush on someone?'' Brie uttered, clearly bothered by the topic. Having a crush was unfamiliar to the scrapper girl but she kind of knew what it meant. Yeah, she liked Cassus. She prayed that this mission would go well for them. Then maybe, just maybe, she would ask him out.

Of course, Hex followed the little gamines example and added onto the tease.

''Yeah, he's cute! You can't not see it?!'' Brie insisted, thinking of probably the cutest boy she had ever seen or imagined in her life. ''He's kind... Assertive... Definitely more grown up than Cartri!'' she said and waved away the imaginary Cassus that Hex offered her to dance with. ''Yeah, yeah... I'm never going to dance with him... He's probably already seeing someone else!'' she continued in a gloomy mood, ending with the deepest sigh possible.

''Don't blow us all up now, Hex.'' Brie stated, glancing through the fighbowl at the blue girl. ''I want to at least tell Cassus up front that I think he's... well, alright... You know... before I die.'' she said, feeling some goosebumps grow on her arms underneath the suit. She hoped that the young bounty hunter and his party was alright. Now that Brie thought about it, it was kind of frustrating not knowing what other dangers he was facing on this mission.

Cassus Akovin , Daven Tooms ​

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

As the three of them approached the building Cartri shot a glance at the oversized jacket of Cassus Akovin and couldn't resist a smirk "I thought you would have been able to read jacket sizes Cassus, no wonder you're just a bounty hunter..." he said jokingly as they entered the reception. Cartri respectfully listened to Ivory Stroud through his earpiece and nodded a few times while waiting for the elevator. His head rotated a few times to check if anyone was watching them before stepping into the elevator, awkwardly standing next to Cassus who surely thought he had a death wish.

Sighing to himself he nodded a few times again and finally mentally spoke into the earpiece "<<Denon have Mercy these earpieces are going to be hard to get used to>>" he said to the two of them, hoping he wouldn't leave it on if he was thinking of something else "<<Biometric locks? I'm sure pool boy over here can deal with that>>" Cartri said before looking over at him with a cold face. If the bounty kid wanted to play that game he'd be more than willing to play that game.

As the elevator slowly came to a stop Cartri seemed to stay silent about the distraction plan for a few moments until the door opened. Smirking he looked back to his companions "<<You damn right I did Cassus, but right now I'm going to give you all a performance worthy of award>>" he said with a quick jab of his elbow into Cassus's ribs before walking out of the elevator with a spring of confidence towards the restaurant "<<Take notes Cassus, your performances have been lackluster as of late. Especially with the girls>>"

Cartri walked straight through the doors of the expensive restaurant and saw a man leave his table with only a bite of his steak. Slowing down slightly, he leaned over and grabbed the plate when he disappeared into the toilets, making a beeline towards the kitchen serving window with a forged look of disgust. The teen glared over to the two waiters serving the tables and whistled loudly "Oi! you two come here now!" he said with authority as he roughly slammed the plate down before the head chef, who had come over to investigate the shouting "What is ze matter young man! you are disturbing my customers!" he said in a funny accent as the small man pulled a stall over and used it to step up look the boy in the face across the counter.

Waiting for the waiters to come over the boy finally released his unwarranted anger "My steak is cooked to a crisp! I wanted it medium rare, not medium scorched!" Cartri grunted with a shake of his head "I want whoever made this disgusting slab of meat punished, immediately!" he shouted, even more, drawing the attention of the customers and other chefs entirely as some began to come over to the window "Okai okai! calm down young man! please allow me to deal with this" he said grumpily before snatching the plate and turning to his chefs, demanding to know who caused the problem in the first place.

The ginger teen folded his arms and slowly shook his head at the mess he created. If this wasn't enough for Cassus then he didn't know what was "<<It's now or never soldier boy, the entire restaurant is in the palm of my hand right now...>>"

Ivory Stroud Cassus Akovin Daiya Brie Jaxx Hex Xan Deesa​

 

[Ivory Stroud]

Upon arriving on the top floor, Ivory stuck close to Cassus Akovin , watching as Cartri Keswoll sprung immediately into action - snatching the unattended plate from the table and making a beeline for the kitchen. A bubbling laugh threatened to overwhelm her as the young man's voice rose in feigned anger; he was already drawing attention as his shouting carried across the fine restaurant. She had to give Cartri some credit... he wasn't a bad actor, at all. For the moment, she chose to simply bear witness - allowing Cassus to work whatever magic he'd intended.

<<Give 'em hell, Knuckles.>> She said telepathically; unable to contain her amusement even through her directed thought.

The other patrons in the restaurant were already looking in the direction of the kitchen, throwing looks of confusion at the young man (who seemed oddly out of place in the fine decor). Ivory couldn't help but recognize the trio weren't exactly dressed for the setting... but they wouldn't stick around long enough to give anyone a chance to recognize it.

 

[Daiya]

Daiya gasped at the shiver that ran up her spine, whipping around with her blaster aimed at...Hex?! Her face morphed as terror became shock, and finally irritation at the blue girl's antics. The teen glanced over at Brie, and found her friend already talking about her crush on Cassus, without a second thought toward the monster that Hex might have been or how close Daiya came to shooting one of her friends. She gripped the blaster barrel with her free hand now, and took a deep breath, determined not to let her rash judgement get the better of her again.

Her friends moved on, so Daiya did too, already grinning at Hex's pirouette in the muck beneath them. She was drawn to Brie's side, a slow giggle building up inside the young shadowrunner's helmet. With her eyes, Daiya saw the dark and gross sewers all around them, seeming like the worst place to watch her best friend's first attainable crush unfolding before the eyes of her heart. It squeezed inside the cage of her chest, pumping out a tingling sensation to the tips of her fingers and toes. Breaking her new rule already, Daiya threw an arm across Brie's shoulder, her giggle in full swing now but for a word to her best friend. "Cassus hasn't been dancing with anyone, like ever, Brie. Trust me! You two would make a cute couple, very grown up and mature, and you both love flying more than the good, ol' ground."

Water splashed around the young shadowrunner as she stamped a foot in the muck to emphasize her point. She giggled some more at the sound, rocking against Brie's shoulders with her grinning face turned toward the scrapper girl. "Trust me, Brie, don't wait another day. Tell him how you feel, right after the mission."

She pulled away, grateful to find the access point approaching quickly on her suit's HUD. Relief flooded through the teen at the sight of it, the antics of her friends had proven to be a fairly effective diversion. Her fingers still gripped the blaster in her hand, just not as tightly as they had before, feeling loose and limber now in anticipation of the action ahead. When Hex managed to unscrew the access hatch on the top of the tunnel, a rusty cascade snowed down upon the blue girl, drawing a giggle again from Daiya's mouth.

Daiya clamped down on her jaw to shut it up.

"I'm ready. But from here on out, we gotta be dead quiet, 'kay girls?" Daiya took on a serious tone as she stepped forward, glancing up at the open hatch. The second hatch above it was locked, wired with an electronic mechanism with no obvious way to key it from the underside. With a sigh, the young shadowrunner stuffed the blaster in its holster, and began to pull herself up to the open portal. She let out a longer breath before reaching up her left arm, twisting it a certain way to engage the sneakthief's security code descrambler. The young shadowrunner muttered to herself as she plied over the locking mechanism, "So would it be wireless, or..." she gave her wrist and experimental wave over the most likely places for the locking mechanism to be. "Open Bolus Nut?"

The teen frowned at the stalwart lock above her head, unresponsive to her slicing glove or magic words. "Wrong magic word?" she wondered, and then grinned to herself. "Open Sesame?" Daiya shook her head. "No, that's not it, how about... Open Subarat!"

That covered most of the silly food names she could think of that could open a lock. Her frown deepened as the young shadowrunner let out an exasperated breath, fingers clenching into a fist. "C'mon, open up!" She set her fist against the face of the locked plate covering their entrance in, and a tingle ran through her body. It pulsed behind her forehead, another irritation on top of irritation today. "Open up!" Daiya pulled her fist back, and swung it into the plate this time, a twinge of feedback run down her arm and jump into the place between her eyes, prompting a louder sound from the pained teen. "OW!"

A click echoed in the tunnel, and the cover above her head unlocked. Daiya rubbed the front of her helmet, her fingers separated from the chance to massage her forehead properly. Gritting her teeth, she pushed through the irritation to push up on the hatch instead, opening the last portal into the power plant from below.

The room above her was dark, though Daiya didn't dare turn on her lights to see inside it. She paused, listening for any sounds of inhabitants. Just a gentle beeping and whirring, machinery operating without a care. Holding her breath, the young shadowrunner gestured back down to her companions to follow, then pulled the blaster back out of its holster. She climbed up, blaster first, into the antechamber of the sewer access hatch.

Daiya pulled herself free, glancing around in the dark. Her HUD could see better than her, and in just one instant it alerted her to a rainbow of flashing warnings on her eyeballs. Her heart pounded as the young shadowrunner aimed her blaster around, crouching down and presenting the smallest target while trying to find hers. At last, she simply threw on the glowbeams at the front of her suit, flooding the tiny room with light. In a low voice, Daiya uttered a terse command to the enemy somehow already waiting for her in the power plant, "Shut up and don't move, if you know what's good for you!"

A series of photoreceptors trained on the young shadowrunner, and then moved off in a series of beeps. Daiya stood, stunned before the cadre of droids softly recharging in the antechamber, clearly not bothered by the entrance of an armed, bossy teenage girl from the sewers below. "I mean, uhh, nevermind me. Us," she added as another of the girls joined her, "Just doing some maintenance down there..."

The droids gave no reply to Daiya's attempt at covering for her momentary lack of stealth. Just machinery operating without a care.

Hex Brie Jaxx Daven Tooms Xan Deesa​

 

[Marissa Shoda]

DENON | CORELL TOWER
ALLIES: Daven Tooms
ENGAGING: Ivory Stroud | Cartri Keswoll | Cassus Akovin

<<Leia's on 27'th, a penthouse restaurant, is public access. We'll need to get through biometric locks to access the back area & gain access to the roof... but that'll get us closer to the goal. Elevators going up that way are here.>>

<<Don’t worry about the locks, I disabled them. All y’all gotta do is get through that restaurant. Be advised, cameras are spotty in the back areas, so I’ll lose visual for a moment or two. But hey, I’d be disappointed if you three can’t handle yourselves.>>

**********​

Continuing through the maintenance halls and back areas of the tower, Marissa was fuming and swearing with each step she took. ”Karking… paranoid old schutta…” She muttered, kicking a box aside to check the spot with her flashlight. If the man wasn’t abnormally sharp with details like these, it would have been way easier to skim the floor and then give him an all-clear.

But he would know, and she didn’t want a strike to her name for something this silly.

Coming to a halt by a stairwell, Marissa reached out to unlock the gate to the main tower, only for it to unlock unnaturally quickly. ”Okay…” She quickly scribbled the anomaly down on her notebook as her eyes flicked through various modes to look for anything out of place. ”Maintenance guys are gonna be in trouble.” She snickered to herself as she picked up her commlink.

:: Officer Shoda to Detective Tooms, how’s things looking at the power station, over? :: She called out to Daven Tooms as she continued with her check along the floor. A commotion from the restaurant, however, drew her attention back to where she started. Likely a ticked off client, though a CorpSec officer would likely help out with something like that. ”Damn corpos, can’t just shut up and be grateful, can they? Nah, of course not, they’re too good for that.” She talked some more to herself as she scanned the area on her way back to the kitchen’s back door.

 

[Hex]

Location: Near the tower loading bay
Objective: get in discretely
Tag: Daiya Brie Jaxx

Spoiler: Equipment

• Powderpunk armor on loan from Daiya
• ap-25i SIMP pistol
• 'Candles' Heavy particle blaster
• 'confetti' Rocket launcher
• Party Poppers (3 explosive, 2 gas)
• Dancer repulsor board
• Dervish Knife
• Cheap data pad and communicator

Spoiler: Hex dialogue colors

Poor Hex hears voices in her head

Hex speech to others
Hex speech to herself

Hexes inner voices
'...Neutral...'
'...Doubt...'
'...Anger...'
Coloured '.....' are also words that Hex can hear , but I decided not to write them to reduce clutter

Hex gave Brie Jaxx a quizzical look? What did cute even mean stuffed bears were cute before you sewed the detonators into him, rats were cute until they bit you? She grinned at the girl, she obviosuly knew what she meant, she wasnt stupid, but she just didnt really get it.

''Yeah, he's cute! You can't not see it?!''

"I suppose I'll just have to take your word for it won't I?" She noticed the two girls had their pistols drawn? Had they noticed something she hadn't.

'...shhhhh!...'

Hex just nodded in reply as her hand slip around the grip of 'Candles' and she gingerly drew it from its holster. There was tension in the air, Daiya In particular seemed nervous and she turned just to see the girl lowering her weapon.

'...did she just?...'
"I'm not sure, maybe" she shot Daiya a suspicious look.
'...keep an eye on her too...'
"mhm"

The moment passed and was quickly forgotten by Hex as she did her part in opening the rusted grate then stood back as Daiya shimmied up the short section of ladder between the two hatches. The lower part of her legs all that was exposed as she had a minor argument with the hatch. Hex looked over at Brie and slowly circled the end of her gun beside her temple in a "girl be crazy" gesture. Lucky Brie got to spend her time in the sewer with a pair of entirely sane women. She was then distracted by a flake of rust that had mixed with the sweat in her forehead and now beaded down in a brown steak on her nose. Her eyes briefly crossed as she watched it.

A click and another word from Daiya signalled their penetration of the facility above. Hex was about to climb up when she heard Daiya speak again, this time with more urgency.

"Shut up and don't move, if you know what's good for you!"

"Oh chit! They're here!" she chambered up the ladder quickly and entered the room in a flash of blue braid, ducking behind a terminal. Her heart was racing and she looked at Daiya who was now realising her error. Hex shook her head and smiled before standing again and viewing the droids herself, she walked up to them and waved her hand in front of their faces, no response at all.

"Think i can get away with pinching a few servos?" she joked before continuing to the wall next to the door. There was a map of the facility and Hex drew her fingers along it gently, comparing it to the map on her holo. She could see the route ahead of them, she thought so anyway, it was hard to tell but at least they were in, jumping at shadows but in.

"Maybe you should ring Cassus Akovin now?" she said aloud but quietly. In her head it sounded like a good idea, he was in her mind, strike while the iron is hot. But there was no way in the context that it didnt sound entirely fatalistic.

 

[Brie Jaxx]

Brie suddenly found Daiya hanging on her, an unexpected but never uncomfortable position for the best friends having shared so many secrets before. Brie remembered when Daiya spilled the beans about her visions, far from pleasurable visions and it made them two to search for answers in this galaxy. Outside her family, there was no one closer to Brie than Daiya. Brie listened to what her friend said about pool boy and fought to keep her gaze up and alert on any dangers that lurked in the dark sewers they made their way down through.

It made sense if he liked to fly, he was a bounty hunter, after all. Scrappers and bounty hunters alike traveled a lot. His possible ways of passing time had crossed her mind. What did he do when not being committed to a bounty? What did he think of when he traveled alone? Did he... enjoy her presence as much as she enjoyed his?

''Yeah... I guess you are right...'' Brie sighed deeply, but immediately looked up on them and added just one tiny condition to it. ''But you two can't be around when I do, okay??''

As Daiya stopped by the ladder and begun to climb up, Brie looked at Hex before both of their gazes followed Daiya instead and waited for a word that the coast was clear above the heavy metal hatch.

''Daiya? Why pool b-?'' Brie begun to ask out of pure instinct, speaking what came to her mind, before Daiya signaled that she had made contact with someone or something dewlling up there and hence cut her off. Hex was the next one up and her long braids hit the fishbowl helmet of Brie as they climbed up in a hurry.

Being the last one up, Brie could almost immediately spot the familiar interior of a droid charging and maintenance bay. She didn't reach the point of taking cover, but instead peaked through the hatch and sighed hopelessly at the two other girls.

''Oh, come on! They're not B-2's!'' the young scrapper girl uttered as she hoisted herself up through the opening, refering to an old and famous bettle droid model. ''Tss! Look, have you ever been wounded by an astromech?'' she continued and walked towards one, patting its domed head without much reaction as the droids already had found the three girls to be harmless.

Brie gave Hex a light push to the shoulder as she again mentioned Cassus, suggesting that Brie would call him.

''Don't be silly! We got a job to do! You just need to concentrate on not blowing us up, then maybe... just maybe, I'll ask him and let you know...'' she insisted.

Daiya , Hex​

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

"Come on! I'm starving over here!" he said, testing to see if they'd hear them. Instead, all of them seemed focused on putting their point across on the food. Even the waiters had something to say as they wandered across and began stating their case at the serving window. With a grin on his face, Cartri began to slowly back away until he disappeared out the front door of the restaurant.

"<<I hope you made the most of it you two, that performance deserved something out of it">>

Cartri walked down the corridor away from the shouting scene known as the restaurant and went to find Ivory. He was surprised they took it so seriously considering how different he dressed from the rest. They must have thought of him being an outcast rich kid using his dad's money for a nice meal. In turn, no one suspected a thing, not even the customers who sat there amused watching the whole situation unfold. His job was done, for now, all he needed to do was meet up with Ivory and see what they could do next.

Seeing her not so far away, he came to her side and leaned up against the wall, his eyes looking straight ahead "What are we going to try next?" the boy asked, just in case a camera was watching and getting suspicious of their mouths not moving "I heard they have a nice Spa area, wanna go check it out?" Cartri asked, knowing that the spa was close to the more secluded areas. Hopefully by that time Cassus had used his magic to mess up a few things to make their lives easier.

Ivory Stroud Cassus Akovin​

 

[Cassus Akovin]

<<-zzt- worry about the locks, I -zzt- gotta do -zzt-urant. Be advised, -zzt- in the back areas, so I’ll lose -zzt- But -zzt- handle yourselves.>>

While Cartri drew attention away, Cassus delved into the past as he crept through the kitchen. The layers of time were broken and peeled back by whatever mechanism of the force was imbued into the Chronoscope eyes of his Relentless Helm. While his thoughts were separated by time and influenced by the malignant energies of the Sarassian Iron, his focus on the telepathic network seemed to attenuate until it was just a broken buzzing in the back of his skull. The Neahtid Earpiece wasn't malfunctioning, per se, but his helm's influence was undoubtedly disrupting the user from hearing it.

Hours ago, Cassus saw a familiar-looking chef open the door with the door scanning his biometrics. Cassus knew two things: while wearing the helm, most scanners nearest to him didn't register him as being alive, and someone he needed was in this room, just waiting to be told what to do. Cassus actually knew several different ways he could accomplish this, having played with biometric data and holo-disguises as a Bounty Hunter for years now. Still, these days the vengeful Shadowrunner had a different modus operandi.

"Wait here." Mid-sentence, one of the head chefs stopped and heard a thought in his head, a compulsion to repeat it. A soft buzzing.

"Wait here!" He repeated.

"I'll grab something in the back."

"I'll uh, grab something from the back... I can fix this!" The human mind was extraordinary at rationalizing its own thoughts. Although Cassus could tell there was some resistance, the chef's resources were low this late at night under a stressful situation. He was looking for any excuse to get out, and Cassus provided it to him on a silver platter. Cassus stayed out of sight of the door while the chef came in.

"It's back there."

"It's, it's, my head! Gotta get out of this kitchen." With a shaky start, the fiddle mastered its performance by the finish, and Cassus followed in casually behind him, the scanners only registering one lifeform entering. The chef sighed in relief as he welcomed the solace of the dark corridor. The buzzing seemed to stop, but now he was left wondering why he came here. It was that same odd sensation one sometimes got when they focused so much on getting to the destination that the original impetus of getting there was forgotten once they crossed the threshold.

There was a tap on his shoulder, and the chef turned.

"Goodnight." Cassus remarked coldly as he gently tapped his helm to the chef's chin. Concussive energy discharged, and the chef hit the wall. True to form, the helm rendered him unconscious before hitting the floor.

<<Coast is clear, come on.>>

Xan Deesa Ivory Stroud Cartri Keswoll

 

[Daiya]

The young shadowrunner's heart was still racing with no jockey, finding the droids to be a poor target for her substrata fears. She felt her friends climb in more than she heard them, it gave her some relief to have them so close behind. When Hex and Brie were finally through the access hatch, Daiya leaned over with her glowbeams, peering down into the muck and grime below. She could see nothing following them up, nor could she see any alarms on her suit's HUD to indicate damage or problems caused by the wastewater trek.

Good enough.

Daiya kicked the hatch closed, feeling more at ease as it slammed shut. She only winced afterward, their goal was stealth not disturbance. The teen glanced between her friends, who were still on the subject of Brie's love life, and she grinned behind her suit's faceplate. "Y'know, this is a pretty quiet place. And I'm sure the droids won't mind."

As if to answer her, an astromech unit let out a low croon, not unlike a dismal appraisal from an organic being. Daiya giggled, surprising even herself with the act. A glance toward the darkened door, illuminated by her glowbeams, quieted the teen as she managed to quell her lungs and heart at last. "But later...you too Hex," she told the blue girl, her focus on the power plant's layout. They were blind once inside, and she only felt a little resentment that Xan's overwatch capabilities didn't extend this far. She nodded to Brie, echoing the scrapper girl's sentiments. "We've got a job to do. And with a few helpers!"

From her suit, Daiya pulled out a few tiny droids. She held them out to her friends, grinning at the re-discovery the young shadowrunner had made while prepping her old gear for Hex's use today. "They've got cams, and spit fire!"

She was trying hard to keep the excitement from her voice, though it leaked out anyway. The young shadowrunner bit her lower lip to keep it steady as she turned around, turning off her glowbeams for a moment. Daiya opened the door leading to the rest of the power plant, just enough to sneak one of the jitterbug droids out through the crack. Through her suit, the young shadowrunner could watch the holo-feed that appeared on her HUD, quietly narrating the results to the pair of girls beside her.

"Looks clear so far..." Daiya let the other two loose behind the first, closing the door to wrap the trio in darkness once more. The faint illumination from inside her helmet seemed brilliantly glaring now, and the teen silently willed the little droids to skitter faster down the corridors of the power plant. "Nothing yet, just a lot of hallways. Looks typical corpo-industrial," she squints at the blur of action in the three holo-feeds, trying to keep it all straight from a point of view no higher than her big toe. "Probably a bunch of labels everywhere, marking the—Whoa!"

"Was that a shoe?!" One of the holo-feeds was a jumbled mess for several seconds, until the droid righted itself again. Hidden in the shadows, it hadn't dispensed its combustable payload yet, or given away its presence by exploding under someone's shoe. Daiya let out a soft giggle of nerves, then glanced at the two shadowrunners waiting on her answer with a little grin. "The corridor on the right leads to some kind of break room, I think. There were lots of shoes, and crumbs on the floor. Left and Straight-Ahead are clear for a while."

Daiya had her blaster out again, and gestured toward the cleared doorway with it now. With her tongue and eyes, she flicked the holo-feeds to the corner of her HUD, just large enough to see if any met another shoe-like object in its path. "I'll follow so I can keep better eye on these droids."

Hex Brie Jaxx​

 

[Ivory Stroud]

Ivory stood in the hallway with some space between her & the restaurant, resting her back against the wall; her knee up, and the bottom of a boot resting against the perpendicular surface. She'd kept quiet; avoiding looking too intensely at anyone or anything happening in the restroom - simply observing with all her senses as her team worked their magic.

When Cartri rejoined her, she grinned at him.

"What are we going to try next?" the boy asked, just in case a camera was watching and getting suspicious of their mouths not moving "I heard they have a nice Spa area, wanna go check it out?"

"Maybe if all this goes well. I could use a swim." She replied, chewing on a toothpick. She nodded toward the restaurant, manicured eyebrows lifting slightly in approval. "Good work." The compliment actually sounded genuine. "We're just waiting on Cassus now... He's gonna try to get us through the kitchen." She didn't quite understand how the helmet Cassus was wearing worked... but, the young Bounty Hunter seemed confident he could get them through without calling attention to their movements.

A strange crackling buzz began to hum in her ear; her earpiece was picking up some kind of strange interference which she'd never heard before, and she pulled a worried face while meeting Cartri's look.

A few moments later, the buzzing stopped as quickly as it had begun - then,

<<Coast is clear, come on.>>

"Huh. I guess he worked it out."

Together, Ivory & Cartri slipped into the restaurant & through the double-doors into the kitchen area quickly, bypassing the hustle & bustle of the kitchen staff to reach the very back of "Leia's on 27'th". Ivory led the way, shouldering past the divider to reach the small room where Cassus Akovin was waiting. She entered like she owned the place, hands tucked into the pockets of her coat - immediately noticing the unconscious form crumpled against the wall. She looked at Cassus with a raised eyebrow - impressed.

"I dunno how you did it... but, good job."

She took a moment to survey the back area of the well-lit kitchen. The trio were alone, and the sounds of the kitchen behind them were muted from the separating wall. To cover their tracks, she approached the unconscious white-clad chef; taking hold of the fabric on his shoulders & dragging him across the floor toward a large metal door set against the far wall & half-concealed by a set of shelving used for storing pots, pans, mixing bowls, and supplies.

She used the chef's palm print against the biometric reader against the wall - and to her delight, the small indicator buzzed green. She opened the door, then asked one of her companions to keep it from closing before dragging the body to a bin of dirty linens against the wall.

A moment later, and the body had been hidden; buried beneath a pile of dirty, smelly towels.

Then, she rejoined her companions & slipped through the door into the secured area beyond.

Ivory pulled the door shut behind them, listening for the click that it was now secured. She nodded to the two young men with her, then glanced up & down the corridor they'd entered. Now, they were in an area where the public were not allowed... that meant, their surroundings were far-less fancy. The walls were a dull grey & white; clinical, sterile, and brightly lit. A small sign on the wall declared "Area off-limits to the public. Trespassing Prohibited."

She turned to the right, heading deeper into the hallway; assuming, due to her understanding of the layout, that the trio were heading closer to the outside wall. "The tower is gonna be up another floor or two... we need roof access." She explained, her head swiveling to & fro - watching for movement on either end of the corridor. She didn't see any cameras, which was a blessing.

A number of doors lined the corridor on either side, and a few meters down the hallway, there was another branching hallway to the right & left. Ivory stopped at the corner, peeking down either end to be sure they were still alone. The hallway to the left ran further down an empty corridor... but the hallway to the right ended a few meters down at a door which looked different than the rest. A small viewing window, protected by a metal screen, allowed a glimpse into a dark room beyond. On the wall, a simple sign read: "Roof Access. Authorized Personnel Only."

"Jackpot." She breathed. Still leading the way, she approached the door & tried the handle; finding it, thankfully, unlocked.

She pulled the door open after a quick glance to ensure they were still alone. The door swung open, revealing permacrete walls, a jumble of junction boxes & wiring, some unmarked crates, and a small locker filled with tools & cleaning supplies; likely a small storage area for janitorial & maintenance staff.

The room was poorly lit & cool, with a slight breeze barely noticeable which moved the long black strands of hair on the nape of her neck.

Set against the far wall was a small staircase, with another door on a raised platform. This door was purely practical; dark metal, designed to withstand heavy wind and clearly heavier than the others they'd seen. Ivory nodded toward it while keeping a position next to the door they'd just entered, peering through the small window into the corridor they'd just left.

"Cartri, can you check that? See if it's unlocked?"

Xan Deesa Daiya Hex Brie Jaxx Cartri Keswoll Cassus Akovin Daven Tooms Marissa Shoda

 

[Hex]

Location: In the tower corridors
Objective: get in discretely
Tag: Daiya Brie Jaxx

Spoiler: Equipment

• Powderpunk armor on loan from Daiya
• ap-25i SIMP pistol
• 'Candles' Heavy particle blaster
• 'confetti' Rocket launcher
• Party Poppers (3 explosive, 2 gas)
• Dancer repulsor board
• Dervish Knife
• Cheap data pad and communicator

Spoiler: Hex dialogue colors

Poor Hex hears voices in her head

Hex speech to others
Hex speech to herself

Hexes inner voices
'...Neutral...'
'...Doubt...'
'...Anger...'
Coloured '.....' are also words that Hex can hear , but I decided not to write them to reduce clutter

Hex looked at Brie Jaxx and shrugged, it was her call, even if the blue teen felt it better to simply seize the day.

"Oooh, those look cool" Hex beamed as she admired the miniature droids, she reached out to pet one just as Daiya turned and released then into the corridor. She followed her ally's description with her finger on the map, trying to get a mental image of their surroundings.

"Why do you think its so quiet? I thought their would be staff?" she asked the pair.

'...a trap?...'
"no... perhaps? Maybe?"

"Hey, Daiya, you don't think anyone would be trying to set us up right?" It didn't make sense, but neither did how deserted the complex seemed. Maybe that was just the price of automation and why so many Denonites, Denonese? Denonians? Were out of work.

As Daiya left the room she followed and hung back a little with Brie, she suggested a route the map showed would lead to the control room.

"Brie" she whispered to Brie, but deliberately loud enough to enable Daiya to hear too "Think you guys can slice in? We have 2 options for the control room. We hack a control box nearby and get a few minutes to play before they kick us out.

...or I go in first." She tapped the barrel of her gun against one of the grenades on her belt that swirled with green gas. "We take the room, can't be more than a few techs in there, then we get to take control until shift change." Her plan was higher risk and involved casualties, but the payoff was worth it in her mind. They went passed the break room that Daiya had flagged, why was noone here? At the group walked past one of the staff vending machines, the flashing green number caught her eye. "Ooh... this one has credit in it" she said to herself as she typed in the selection number. A hatch opened and out popped a Fizzyglug+ Cherry Edition. The crack of the ring pull sounded almost like a gunshot to the girls trying to be quiet and Hex blushed, taking a swig on the energy drink before offering it to the other girls.

 

[Brie Jaxx]

It was best for them to leave the still very fresh topic of her love life aside and continue the mission. Brie could not let herself be distracted by the picture of Cassus Akovin in front of her eyes. No! Neither would she admit that she had been, more than confessing that she liked him. Like she had just done. It was even something else, a feeling far stronger than the one she had experienced with Ahxel, whom she had met on a mission to Frego with Daiya .

''Uhmm... No offence, Hex...'' Brie begun, while looking at the other girls explosives with uncomfortable anxiety. ''But ahh, we're here to be stealthy, remember? We will get in smoothly, trust me.'' she said and tried to assure the blue girl of their success if they just would stick to the plan. ''But great that you brought those! In case we encounter some really nasty resistance, right? We usually do, so...'' she added quickly, wanting to keep herself in good stances with wierd girl. Wierd, and kind of scary sometimes, Brie thought.

''So, uhh...'' Brie continued, finding a moment of alone time face-to-face with wierd girl as Daiya scouted ahead of them, letting her tiny droids do much of the work.. ''What's with all the explosives you carry around...?'' she asked carefully.

The blue girl had not the time to answer before she were distracted by a vending machine. How typical, Brie thought before she realised the girl was on her way to use a credit left in it.

''Hex, no-!'' she uttered in a hushed attempt to stop the girl from pushing the button, but were cut off by the loud sound of a soda landing in the dispensing tray. Stars, if no one heard that it would be a miracle. Brie glanced at the can of energy drink being offered at her, shook her head but ultimately accepted the offer to take a swig. ''As said; stealthy! But thanks, Hex.''

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Cartri looked back to Ivory with a slight smirk of his own and nodded to the compliment, one that seemed pretty genuine. He didn't think much of it though, having a pat on the back from a mob boss wasn't the best by all means "Let's just hope he hasn't killed the soup boy in the process" he said jokingly as a crackle came through their ear pieces. Soon enough, Cassus soon confirmed everything was clear and allowed them to walk through the kitchen unseen. All of the chefs and waits were still arguing over the piece of food, damn were they passionate.

Upon entering the small room where Cassus was hiding the body, his mouth couldn't help but smirk at what pool boy had done "Damn Cassus, you actually safely knocked out a person? I'm in shock right now..." he taunted as he lightly nudged the downed chef with his foot. Nodding Ivory, she began to drag the body away towards the door they were meant to go through. But for now, the boys were alone for a brief few minutes "So pool boy, did you cook anything good while you were in there? you know, a nice steak? stu? anything?" he joked again, folding his arms and looking away from the bounty hunter "Knowing your behavior you probably gave the poor man brain damage because there weren't enough banther sauce..."

Thankfully, before their conversation could get too out of hand Ivory urged them forward into the prohibited area. Cartri looked at the boy with a grin as he walked past and walked through the door. Compared to their last environment this was far less fancy than the last. The walls were gray and dirty, but it didn't matter considering it was hidden away from the public. The cold corridor they were in had quite a few doors to different compartments. They just needed to find the one that led them up to the roof "Right, hopefully, they're not big on security as we thought they were" he said openly, the teen glaring at each sign he looked past.

Not long passed till they found a sign that matched their description "That's the ticket" Cartri said with a nod of confirmation at the door. One by one they entered the cool and dimly lit room, one that seemed to be used for storage more than anything. Cartri looked around curiously and spotted the stairway up to a large black door. He lightly nodded when Ivory asked him to check it out. Swiftly, he made his way over and walked his way up. Once by the door, he carefully placed his hand on the door and pushed. To his surprise, the door was unlocked and that was even more clear when the wind crashed into his face and hair.

"Yea, we're okay to keep going" Cartri groaned, choosing to hold the door open as he ruffled his hair to see if he could somewhat fix it "The things I sacrifice..."

Cassus Akovin Ivory Stroud Daiya Hex Brie Jaxx Marissa Shoda Xan Deesa ​

 

[Daiya]

"No way we were set up, Xan wouldn't do that to us."

Daiya shook her head, her vision undulating within the confines of her suit's helmet. She shook it some more, irritation clouding her view alongside the busy HUD. The teen reached up to unlatch the helmet, pulling it off with a tiny hiss as air pressure normalized for her and the aromas of the power plant's corridors. Her nose wrinkled as it recognized one of the more offensive odors following them, one she needed no explanation to identify. "Ugh, we fething reek. My suit and I are taking a looooooong shower when we're done here."

The helmet folded up except for the faceplate, which settled snug against her thigh where she strapped it in place. Her natural peripheral vision returned, the young shadowrunner breathed much easier despite the persistent smell of sewer trailing them as she followed her companion shadowrunners, at least grateful that they weren't still knee-deep in the wastefluids of an untold number of beings. It wasn't going to help their stealth very much, something that Brie seemed especially concerned about at the moment.

"I wish Brie was wrong, but we don't exactly blend right now." The young shadowrunner felt a pang of guilt at her loud disruption from earlier, that bang didn't exactly help their cause. She pushed it down, bringing up her wrist bringing up her wrist to thumb through the embedded display there, in search of a momentary distraction. Selecting the closest ant droid, Daiya flicked it a command to double back and follow them.

Just in case.

"I can crack a door no problem, it'd take me a bit longer to slice," Daiya told them as they entered a surprisingly empty breakroom, flexing the fingers on her left hand to demonstrate. The Sneakthief integrated into her gauntlet gave the young shadowrunner plenty of tools for slicing, it was just a matter of figuring those out. She'd watched a dozen others slice a desk console or vehicle ignition, it couldn't be that hard. "Just gotta—"

Daiya winced as a loud crack sounded in the room, whirling with her blaster out. Her eyes searched for the source of the shot, visually checking for cover spots and cursing herself for ditching the HUD that would do all of this for her. She completed a revolution to find her sight settle on Hex, and any other moment the teen might have giggled to see the blue girl's cheeks so unusually crimson. Her eyes found the energy drink, an incriminating popped tab staring back at her. Daiya let out a long sigh, holstering her blaster before she wound up shooting the can out of frustration.

"Oh my fething stars...give me that!" Daiya grabbed for the can after Brie, tipping it back to taste the sweet rush of the liquid filling her mouth. The cherry-flavored drink was a needed respite after the anxious trudge through the sewers and the lack of direction since then. She couldn't help wondering the same as Hex for a singular moment, until it all faded away to the sweet river of soda passing through her lips. Half drained, the teen tipped it back as she let loose a long, satisfied, "Ahhhhhhhh!"

So much for stealth.

The teen pressed a hand to her giggling mouth as she handed the can back to Hex, her own cheeks growing hot from their forbidden break time. Even as she tried to push it down, Daiya couldn't avoid the sensation of being acutely aware of each movement and sound now. The crinkle of metal as the can gave under the girls' fingers, the sloshing of cherry-flavored fluids filling their stomachs, Daiya's breath loud in her own ears, with the pounding of her heart to top it all off. The cacophony grew to a crescendo, driving the teen to press hands to her ears until it grew suddenly quiet. And then a sharpness punctured the clarity.

"I dunno, Threesa, ol' Bug Eyes was right here before the drill started."

"I just heard the vending machine go, Jeetzer, sounds like Bug Eyes is still stuck on that new Cozmic flavor; s'posed to be like crack for his people."

"Chit! Daiya's voice dropped to a whisper while her knees dropped her to a crouch. A hand rested on her helmet, desperation begging her to put it back on, but a pounding heart compelled it to pull her blaster back out instead. She hissed to the other girls nearby, "Find cover, and whatever you do, don't let them—"

"I heard him swear he didn't ask Management to put it in, but who else but an Arconan wo—who are you?!"

Around the corner came a pair of technicians gowned head-to-toe in yellow, stopping short the moment they entered the break room. There was no cover capable of fooling the eyes of the Firrerreo technician who stood alongside her companion, they zeroed in on the trio of intruding shadowrunners as plain as day. With their stealth on its last breath, Daiya could already see failure written all over their mission. All the technicians has to do was call for help, and the power plant would be swarming with guards or droids, with CorpSec barreling through the airways toward their location.

Daiya stood, there was no use hiding from this pair any longer. She touched a button on her wrist before a long arm pointed at them with her blaster. "They'll give us away, put 'em to sleep!"

Hex Brie Jaxx​

 

[Hex]

Location: In the tower corridors
Objective: get in discretely
Tag: Daiya Brie Jaxx

Spoiler: Equipment

• Powderpunk armor on loan from Daiya
• ap-25i SIMP pistol
• 'Candles' Heavy particle blaster
• 'confetti' Rocket launcher
• Party Poppers (3 explosive, 2 gas)
• Dancer repulsor board
• Dervish Knife
• Cheap data pad and communicator

Spoiler: Hex dialogue colors

Poor Hex hears voices in her head

Hex speech to others
Hex speech to herself

Hexes inner voices
'...Neutral...'
'...Doubt...'
'...Anger...'
Coloured '.....' are also words that Hex can hear , but I decided not to write them to reduce clutter

Hex grinned at Brie Jaxx as she took a swig from the can, a tiny gesture that meant a lot for Hex's desire to be accepted. It wasn't that loud.

'......'

"Oh right, the explosives thing, yeah, erm, they make me feel safe I guess, better to have one and not need it blah blah blah..." she casually gestured and rolled her pistol as she made her answer to Brie. Hex had always been armed, why wouldn't she be? Both of the other girls were.

"Ugh, we fething reek. My suit and I are taking a looooooong shower when we're done here."

'...That is quite the odour!...'
"shhh" Hex replied whilst giving her voices a glance out the side of her eyes as if she expected Daiya to hear them somehow.

The shadowrunner in front of her with her wrinkled nose looked cute, seemingly much less comfortable with their little sojourn into the sewers than Hex was. "If it makes you feel any better at least some of that chit must have come from someone's shower?" she puckered her lips and tried to supress a little laugh. Daiya handed back the can, a little more drained than was polite, but Hex remembered somewhere in the past someone advising her off these things anyway so maybe it was for the best.

'...someone's coming...'

The hairs on the back of the blue girl's necks stood up and she looked at Daiya who clearly heard it too, moments before the very suprised looking staffers walked around the corner and stood looking at them aghast. Daiya reached down for something on her wrist before giving the other girls a command. Sleep? What? Hex didnt carry stun weapons? She had to think fast, she knew one little trick of course.

"Brie! Left!" Hex announced to the other girl before pouncing on the woman on the right, The technicians, not combatants, and not prepared, had no idea what to do or say as the flash of blue came on them. The woman shouted out but the suppressive bubble of Daiya's gadget caught her voice before it escaped. Hex whipped one of her braids around in her hand and wrapped it around the woman's neck, pulling it tightly. Hex's enhanced biology made her fast and strong and her sinewy strength choked the air out of the woman who kicked back at her in a panic, catching the teen in the shin.

'...tighter...kill her...'

There was a flash of anger in Hex's eyes at the sharp pain and she pulled the braid tighter, squeezing tainted water out of the hair so it ran down the flailing woman's chest. Hex managed to maintain her composure though and as the woman went limp in her arms she relented, allowing the air to refill her starved lungs and blood to return to her brain. On even casual inspection the woman was clearly alive, but a red whelt went around her throat coated with a fine sheen of sewer water. As she looked at the handiwork dealt to the other technician, Hex smiled and flicked her braid behind her shoulder again. Far more casually than would be expected for someone who had just choked another person out.

"What are we doing with these two? Shall we take their IDs? The command room was close now, if the force was with them, these would be the techs that had been operating it and the rest of the mission would be plain sailing. But the force had a wicked sense of humour and loved to taunt innocent teenage girls.

"Not a word" Hex said to herself with a smile.