Participants:
| Scene Title | Save Staten: The Message |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Shard preaches a message on live TV |
| Date | August 29 2009 |
Fifteen minutes ago
"Never had jerk chicken?" A small grin winds up his lips, pushing the plate over. "Good stuff. But only eat it if you don't get nervous. I don't want you to lose your stomach all over the news stadio." A little laughter is let out at that. Shard leans back from the table to survey his 'crew'. "So let me go over it one more time."He unrolls the paper that they had been using as his makeshift map. A little baggie of toys is dumped beside it. A tiny cowboy figurine is placed next to Captain America and a lego man. "Claire, Aggie, Pey. You'll be going up from the bottom of the building. You're to get to level 12, that's where the studio is. Use your good looks and whatever you need to get to the control room. Peyton, you need to meet the security guys on the first floor so you can use them as a lookout. We need to know when the big cops get here." Then he puts a little batman figure on the map, "Cardinal will make his way into the actual studio where he will ensure we get our time block. And I will meet up with him. From the top. After it's done. We'll all leave from the roof. Got it?" Rolling up the map, the small team parted from their picnic table and made for the building…
"We've only got one shot at this. Not that I want to put extra pressure on you, that but remember: We gotta do this right."
Welcome to KBVIE News at 6 with David Dobson, Cloudy McMillian with the weather…
"Alright ladies. Go ahead." Shard murmurs, nodding across the street to the fifteen story building. The rapper then glances over to Cardinal. "Meet you up there, brother." Reaching up he places a hand on Cardinal's shoulder for a moment, squeezing it briefly Vincent makes for the alley behind them. The mission is clear, have Shard give a message over the live broadcast. But to do that, they need both control of the control room and the actual studio.
The three ladies walk across the street, as the anchors begin to go over the headlines.
page peyton claire agnes cardinal= We won't be having real guns. :D Shard won't stand for it. Or they can be real but not loaded. Just so you know.
"See you on the other side, King…"
A faint smile twitches beneath the balaclava that Cardinal's wearing, a mask that completes the black-on-black of his usual operating gear. He hasn't spoken much this evening, in a dark mood as he has been for the past week, bearing some anger or worry like a burden but not talking about it overmuch. As they start to move, so does he - fading into darkness and spilling away across the alleyway, a flicker of shadow that crosses the road towards the doors. When he was a kid, he always wanted to see a television studio. Now's his chance.
Peyton glances at the other two young women she's been partnered with and swallows hard. She trusts Cardinal, for better or for worse, for some unknown reason. But the rest of these people she doesn't know well. Hell, she doesn't know any of these people well, Cardinal included. Her teeth worry her lower lip as the three cross the street.
"What if I say I'm supposed to have an interview in the studio, since they'll probably recognize me?" she says quietly. "You two are my moral support." It's a plausible plan, rather than just gushing at security guards and asking to get a tour of the facility.
Agnes isn't exactly a femme fatale, as much as she might like to imagine herself as such. Dressed in her usual dark colours, she's gone a bit risque on the outfit, figuring that might help with their plan. But for once, she actually has somewhat reasonable footwear, which does put her rather on the short side. Oh well. Such is her burden to bear.
She offers what's intended to be a bracing smile to the other two ladies, before nodding at Peyton's suggestion. "Yeah, if that'll work, that'd be easier to get us in there. Though I guess we'd still need to come up with some reason for them to let us into the control room. I'm guessing you don't do a lot of interviews in there. But we can wing it once we get up there." She tries to sound confident about that as she looks up at the building they're heading towards.
What would Magnes think if he saw Claire at this moment? When she was told she's be having to get into a studio via her good looks and charm, she decided dressing the part would be best. Wearing a pair of skinny jeans that look a bit too tight and white button up shirt that's buttoned a bit lower then what's modest, flashing little red hearts when she moves just right. The whole thing makes her look barely legal.
As they cross the street she combs fingers through blond hair, pulling it out of her face. "Sounds like a plan." Claire agrees with a small nod of her head as her hand drops. "Although look at us. Shouldn't be too hard to get that tour if we ask. Maybe Peyton here told her 'morale support' she'd try to get us a tour." She grins at the other two woman. "Never know unless we try."
The lobby of the office building is grandiose. Marble flooring, a high ceiling, and two halls branching off to the sides both lined with elevators. Business men and women alike, nice suits, pencil skirts, and so on bussle through the lobby. In the middle of it stands a large marble counter, with a few people behind it. Security. A high wall lines the back of the counter, a security officer is typing something up into a computer before looking up…
"Can I help you ladies?"
A shadow slips away from the girls' own and dances amongst the businessfolk, drawing into that of one man headed towards an elevator and following right along. Going up!
She has to talk to him, get enough of a 'feel' for him that she'll be able to see through his eyes when she gets the the 12th floor. She steps forward, deciding only on invoking the famous name if she has to. "Hi," Peyton says, stepping forward and leaning against the counter so that he can easily see the cleavage created by such a pose and the snug lacy camisole she wears. She's slim and there's not much, but that never seems to stop men! "My friends and I, we're here to visit the studio," she says with a smile. Maybe he will just tell them to go on up, or maybe he'll ask why, but it's better not to have to give her name if she doesn't have to. While she waits for his reply, Peyton studies his face, the color of his eyes, the shape of his lips, the bump on his nose — all details that will help her, she hopes, when the time comes to use his eyes.
Agnes offers a faint little grin to the security officer, hanging back just slightly while Peyton talks this out with him. If she's entourage, all the better to take this opportunity to scope out the place, just in case things don't entirely end up going to plan. Meanwhile, she tries to effect the right degree of interest in this tour: not quite bored, but not overly eager either. As if she has every right to go on up, and so isn't anxious about whether or not he'll give them the all-clear. She casts a glance over at Claire - a born follower, she's taking her cues from the other two.
Leaning on the counter, an arm resting there so that she can lean over if need be, Claire gives the security officer a cute smile. Her other hand comes up to play with a strand of blond hair as she gives the guy a wink when he glances her way. But beyond that there are no words from the ex-cheerleader.
The slender black security guard leans back in his chair, appearing not all that interested in Peyton's cleavage formed over the counter. Glancing to Agnes and then to Claire, his attention finally returns to Peyton. "That would be the twelfth floor, honey. Are they expecting you? Let me call you up." The man murmurs, going to pick up the phone on his desk.
The shadow of a man goes completely unnoticed not only by security but by the others in the lobby as well.
The man to whom Cardinal's attached himself steps over the threshold into the elevator, but his shadow lingers a moment on that border— spilling away into the elevator's shaft proper, whispering upwards in the darkness towards the twelfth floor.
Peyton really doesn't want to leave her name, but she nods slowly. "Yeah, um, this guy, I forget his name? We met him last night at a club. I think he said he was the assistant producer for one of the news programs." She leans forward and says in a conspiratorial whisper, her eyes taking in his name on the ID tag, another detail for her power, "We were all a little drunk, and I promised I'd come by… What time do you get off work? Maybe we can hang out after. My friends and me." She picks up a pen and one of the brochures on the desk, writing a very fake number. "My name's Jessie."
Agnes leans a hip up against the counter, giving the area another quick once over as Peyton chats up the security guard. Towards the end, her gaze comes back to the guy and she offers him a wry grin, reaching up to tuck some hair back behind an ear as she gives him a quick once over, as though she's assessing the possibility of hanging out afterwards, and of course, making it clear that she likes what she sees. All in a day's work.
There is a giggle from Claire, "A little?" She gives Peyton a smug little 'you little tramp' smile. She leans over the counter a and murmurs. "She was totally blitzed." She gives a little thoughtful roll of her eyes. "I think we all were." She giggles and straightens, leaning against Payton for a moment. "Not that I think he minded." She sounds a touch smug.
"Terry. And sorry, I already have plans." His hand hesitates on the phone as he looks up at Peyton writing her number. "With my boyfriend." He adds in, waving his hand vaguely he motions with his chin down the right hallway. "Elevator's over there. Push twelve. I'm sure whoever you met will be very glad you came with your friends." 'Terry' casts a dubious look to both Agnes and Claire. He motions to the elevator once again, looking a tad irritated before going back to his computer.
As the trio of terrible tramps (in the sense that, to the woman, they are in fact terrible at being tramps, which is not necessarily an insult) work at the poor gay man at the desk, the darkness that is Cardinal makes his way up, up, and up to the twelfth floor, slipping out from the elevator.
"Ooh. Too bad. Jenna here thinks you're cute," Peyton says, patting Claire's shoulder. Linking arms with the other two women, Peyton swivels to head into the elevator, pushing 12. As the door shuts, she giggles nervously. "I was so focused on taking in his details my gaydar was turned off, I guess," she whispers.
Agnes's eyebrows twitch up just slightly as the poor guy reveals his orientation, but then she shrugs a shoulder. You win some, you lose some. "Thanks," she tosses out, as Peyton links arms and leads on towards the elevator. Once they're far enough away, Agnes lets out a breath, feeling like she'd been holding hers all that time, though of course, she hadn't really. "Hey, it happens," she reassures Peyton in a lowered tone, casting a quick glance back out through the closing doors. Of course, she still seems a little surprised that the guy was gay, so she can hardly cast stones there. "And that's one hurdle down."
Claire gives him a bit of a pout, "I'm jealous of your boyfriend." She gives him a once over before, following the other girls. God, she's starting to feel nervous. As the elevator doors close, Claire grumbles a bit, "I thought he looked too good looking to be straight." She gives a sigh and shakes her head. "That 'honey' should have been a clue, seriously, a red flag." She glances a both women and then the little light that blinks across the numbers as they rise. "I'm going to scream if the next person we see isn't hot blood girl loving male…or well.. a woman who… yeah.. I will scream. Bad enough I've got to act like a slut when…" trails off as the chime dings telling them they have arrived. A little tugs on her shirt to make sure it's showing enough she puts on a smile.
Terry gives a skeptical "Mmhmm." The women retreat into the hall, and into the elevator. It closes and begins the journey upward. Cardinal howev er, as incorporeal as he is already makes his way through the twelfth floor. Cubicles and monitors are lined everywhere, people looking to be in a huge hurry running everywhere. However at the far west end of the news room an illuminated 'ON AIR' sign is suspended from the ceiling.
The elevator gives a little ding once again, allowing the trampy trio out. No one seems to be giving them much attention just yet, except for a few 'hot blood girl loving males' but even they have jobs to do and can't be distracted for too long.
Cardinal's shadow weaves underfoot as people hustle here and there, focused on their jobs and not upon the floor. The illuminated sign draws him like a moth to the fire, and he slips beneath that door as well. It's time to play terrorist!
"All right, control room…" Peyton murmurs to the others, looking one way that seems to be just a never-ending row of cubicles, before turning her head the other way and seeing the 'On Air' sign, and pointing to it.
"Man, this place is insane," Agnes notes in an undertone as the doors open onto the chaos of the station floor. "Maybe if we just act like we know what we're doing, everyone will be too busy to really … care." She trails off as they catch a gentleman's eye only to lose it again when his job once more becomes his focus. She nods to Peyton's pointing, gesturing that way with her head. Drawing in a deep breath, she says: "Shall we?"
Already to flirt, Claire is surprised to be faced with a busy work room. "Hey look… Too busy.." she murmurs just loud enough for the other two, an amused look on her face. "Think they'd believe we're interns?" She gives any male that looks at her a seductive little smile.. or what she thinks is one. She hasn't exactly done much seducing, she's going by movies really.
Head turns to look where Peyton is pointing. "Let's act like we know what we're doing. All else fails, show cleavage." And that said, she moves in the direction pointed out.
"The production of Multiple Man has been completely scratched due to the vicious terrorist attack that occurred this afternoon. Five people were killed in the large explosion leaving twenty injured. Humanis First! Has claimed responsibility for this tragedy, being targetted for its openly…."
Quiet on the set, the film is rolling and everyone watching. There's been no shortage of news in this city lately, and thus far tonight things are going smoothly. Everyone is too focused on doing their jobs and watching the news unfold, no one notices an extra shadow slinking around.
At the back of the studio, a plate of glass seperates the control room from the rest of the studio. Tinted so those in can see out but not the other way around. The door is unlocked.
It's in the shadows off to one side of the set. that Cardinal lingers, unnoticed, unseen… but the story being broadcast stirs anger in him, the shadow churning briefly in an unnatural writhe of rage. Bastards. Murderers. Get a handle on it, Richard. You've got a job to do…
Here Peyton falters — no one seems to care that they're right at the door of the control room — but what do they do when they open the door and walk in? She looks to the other two behind her, and steps back. "You guys go — I'm going to start focusing on Terry our fabulous friend downstairs, and I'm blind to everything once I do…" she whispers.
Agnes pauses as Peyton falters, her anxiety growing as the other girl ducks out of things at this point - though she does have to agree to the wisdom of not needing a blind person along on this part. She falters a moment herself before squaring her shoulders and looking now to Claire. "Just so you know, I'm, like, a really bad asthmatic, and I think I might have dropped my inhaler in here when our producer friend was showing us around earlier," she says pointedly, keeping her voice low. "You know, should anyone ask." Her eyebrows lift a little as if to confirm whether or not that works for Claire.
"Alright," Claire nods to Peyton, as she reaches for the door handle. Calm Claire. You can do this. Agnes' words reacher her ears and she nods, giving a small smile to the woman. "Sounds like a plan." And she softly opens the door hoping the control booth is just as busy. She moves to slip in before Agnes, letting the other women closed it. With hope they won't be noticed right away. Please let this work.
"Three… two…" A deep breath is taken.
A loud crash sounds out, and then another, and then another. The broadcast actually pauses at the thunderous noises coming from above, everyone in the studio taking the time to look up. There is a pause… Everything seems to hold still for just a moment and then:
The ceiling explodes, ceiling boards and flakes of dry wall hail down in a cascade of dust with the epicenter clinging to a much darker figure falling down from the hole shaped in the ceiling. Yellow boots crunch heavily against the floor as flakes of ceiling continue to drop down, and even fall onto him. The man is wearing a large dark jean jacket, a pair of jeans and a gold cross around his neck. His face can clearly be seen. Vincent King. Shard.
Bringing his hand up, Shard snaps as if to bring something or someone to life. And with that, he's turning for the newsdesk. "Excuse me ladies and gentlemen, it's my turn."
Say what you will about Shard - the man knows how to make an entrance. A faint, hollow chuckle stirs in the shadows of the studio amidst the cries of startlement and panic, before Cardinal pulls himself free of the darkness in a ripple from two-dimensionality into three, one hand reaching to the holster at his hip to pull free the gun he's holding there. It's not loaded (due to King's insistence) but it's very real, and between that and the black balaclava and bulletproof vest that the man's wearing it's plenty intimidating.
"Hi," he offers quietly to the cameramen that he's just appeared behind, cocking the pistol nicely, "Do me a favor and keep filming, gentlemen, if you would. I'd hate to have to get unpleasant about it."
Peyton's eyes dilate, the pupils wide and unseeing once her own surroundings fade from view. It's a frightening thing, to be blind and knowing that people with guns may come running in at any moment. Her hand moves to Agnes' shoulder, trusting the other girl as she begins to see from Terry's perspective in the lobby downstairs.
Agnes starts just a little at the touch on her shoulder, thinking in that first moment that it's the security guy from downstairs, here to bust them or something. Realizing briefly thereafter that it's only Peyton, she reaches up to pat the hand reassuringly, before slipping into the control room behind Claire. As soon as they are clear of the door, she turns back to shut it, turning the handle before pushing it closed, and then slowly and silently letting it latch shut. In doing ,she checks to see if there's any sort of lock on it, should that come in handy … shortly.
Claire eases around to the back wall of the place, her eyes watch the control room. Her hand travels to rest on the empty handgun she has tucked there, just in case they need to be persuasive. She watches the other woman follow her in, before her eyes go to the screens. As Vincent crashes through the cieling, a small smirk touches her lips in amusement.
"What the hell is going on?" A voice pipes out sharply in the controll room.
"What the fuck is this?"
"Holy shit, did you see that?"
"That guy has a goddamn gun, Jim, shut it down. Pull the plug, Lois get security and call the police." The man speaking flings his angry glare at the window, glaring darkly though it. "It's Shard. What the fuck is Shard doing in our news studio? Is fucking Britney Spears going to run through the wall next?! Lois where the fuck are the police??"
Lois is already on the phone. "They have a patrol in the area, and…"
"I apologize for tonight's interruption, but I can't take the time to justify my actions. They'll be here to stop me soon. Which I understand. I wouldn't trust me to be talkin' either. The thing is several months ago, I was arrested without trial and placed into an Evolved pennitentiary in the deserts of Utah. In there with me were many Evolved citizens. Some of them deserving to be there, some not. But all were put there without trial, the way our country mandates." He places his hands up, palms out. "I am not here to condemn the government. There are plenty of people out there doing that. What I am here to do is issue a challenge." His eyes flick to Cardinal, then to the glass window.
At the glance to the window, Cardinal glances to it as well and then back - lifting one shoulder in a bit of a shrug. Hey, that was the girls' part of the job, he's securing the studio right now. Although he doesn't know two of the pair very well, he's got faith that Claire can get the job done, so he just focuses on making sure the cameramen continue their job.
"So then, here we are, me and Patricks, standing there at the door and the ladies just can't get it through their drunken heads that no, no really, we're not the entertainment, that Patricks isn't about to take it all off for them and that I'm not there to entertain the two le-" Aude's story, one meant to entertain Magnes as they actually walk around the streets of this part of town, is interrupted by the squawk of the radio at her her shoulder.
"812 come in"
"812 responding" Aude looks over at her new partner. The following chatter is unintelligible,a series of numbers, the address of the building that… the two are happening to be walking around the corner of. "Ten four, send back up. Varlane, unsnap your gun, something's happening in the building here"
Peyton pages: nothing I should see yet?
"Ready!" Magnes is suddenly on alert once the story ends and they're in police mode, unsnapping his gun and heading around to the entrance with her. "Isn't this like, a TV studio? People are going nuts everywhere lately…" he says with an exhasperated sigh, eyeing Aude for cues on what to do.
The little socialite happens to know Britney Spears is vacationing in Greece right now, so she's not going to pop out next after Shard, but she doesn't say anything about that of course. So far, for some reason, security downstairs doesn't seem to have gotten the call that there's something fishy going on on level 12; the phone call was directly to the police rather than their own security guards, apparently. But Terry happens to glance up from his computer Solitaire as Magnes and Aude approach the building. "Police approaching the lobby," she murmurs.
"Two — shit, it's the cop who I was supposed to register with and that pizza boy," she adds.
"Hey man, I wouldn't cut it if I were you. Think of the ratings this'll get," Agnes finally speaks up, though she still hangs back by the door, kicking her shoe towards the space where it meets the floor, figuring the traction of the rubber sole might act as a wedge and help slow down anyone trying to get in to stop them, while not really being in the way of them trying to get out when the time comes to make a break for it. Her gaze flickers between the control room itself and the monitors, trying to gauge how much longer Vincent is going to need this kept up.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Jim." comes a reply from Claire as she moves from the wall, to grab the shirt of the person asking for the plug to be pulled. This isn't something new to her. There is a click of a hammer as the gun moves from where it was tucked in her waist, to being pressed to the back of the man's skull. Her eyes rove the room, daring someone to try and stop her. She drops her voice is a rough whisper as she says into the man's ear. "Tell them to keep the feed live and that their hands need to go up in the air." She glances to Agnes, "Make sure no one pushes anything the shouldn't."
"And who the hell is—" He freezes. That special sound can have that effect on people. Hands raise up across the room, even poor little Lois drops the phone. The control room is in the ladies position. "Okay. Okay. We're doing what you say, no need to get angry." The man says hastily, leaning forward to plant his face against the rough surface of the control panel in front of him.
"My challenge is this: Look at the world we're living in right now. Staten is a festering hole, and it will only become more so with people like Norman White. My challenge to not only our government but our people as well. Help me find a new way to solve our problems. Can't you see what the old ways are'nt working for us anymore? Obviously America, trying to round up our Evolved with black bags over their heads is only going to make the world angry. Find a new way. Take up the responsibility for your people. And my encouragment to the citizens of America: The government isn't the enemy here. We only have ourselves to blame for this neglect, and change is going to take every single person making an effort to change." He pauses. "I'm going to start, by stopping Norman White."
The slightest shake of Cardinal's head is his reaction to Shard's speech; nothing said, obviously, and he doesn't necessarily seem to disagree with the words spoken. His free hand lifts, tugging at the fabric of his mask, thumb absently tapping on the side of the gun as he keeps an eye on things in the studio.
There's no runnign screaming people. That's a bonus. There's more chatter over the radio, an update on the situation. "Upstairs apparently, one of the studio's. There's a broadcast by some.. rapper" Okay, no sterotypes here. Aude does not listen to rap. A given by the music collection and vinyls in her apartment. Following the rule of engagement, she's starting to make her way into the foyer, a glance left and right with her hand on her still holstered gun, but not out and up. To the security desk she moves, looking for sign of a wanna be cop.
Wait a minute… a rapper. Sure, Magnes was gonna ask if he was the Shard, but he never quite got the chance, was too busy being whipped. The guy did seem to like making big public speeches, but nah, must be a coincidence. "A rapper? So, like, it's East Coast West Coast violence in an interview or something?" He's been shot three times, but he's about as street as a guy named Norman… any guy named Norman. He keeps a hand on his gun, still following Aude's lead, hoping to God he won't be shot four times. Where's his freakin' record deal?
Claire pages: Trying to think of how she's going to tell him it's time to go. LOL. I guess hit the button on the inter com and say. "Time to Go."
"In the lobby now. Elevator trip away. We should move," Peyton murmurs, one hand still on Agnes' shoulder as her other hand goes to the control room door to open it, stepping that way to alert Cardinal and Shard, if they happen to look her way, that the police have arrived. She points upward, meaning either 'the police are on their way up,' which is almost true, or 'we should head to the roof,' which is even more true. Her eyes are still unfocused, pupils wide and unseeing.
"On it," Agnes replies to Claire's instruction, keeping a keen watch as she surveys the room, back and forth amongst the individuals there to make sure they keep doing as they should. It's easier now that her eyes have adjusted to the darker space. As Peyton murmurs, Aggie clears her throat and quickly moves her foot away from the door to allow it to be opened easily. "Think we're about done here?" she asks as she begins drifting back towards the door, but not leaving the room yet, and still keeping a watch on the workers to make sure they're behaving themselves. She tries to sound suave and confident, but the idea of the police so nearby does put a strain into her tone.
Claire watches out the window with a small smug smile, she's got it handled. "Good boy." She says with a sort of purred approval, her hand still wound in his shirt, leaning a bit to keep him there. She glances back at the other two women, especially watching Peyton. She glances towards the window, if they don't look like they saw Peyton, the blond will let go of the man and hit the push button on the studio intercom and say, "Times up." Her voice is calm, she's nervous but again this kind of stuff is not new to her. "Get her out, I'll follow." She leans down and whispers in the man's ear again. "I suggest you don't move, til we're gone." She knows they won't listen, but you have to try. Once she knows Shard's on the move she'll back her way out, gun sweeping the room.
Finally security is aware of the situation. After the cops roll on through the lobby and up the elevator. A small team of rent-a-cops are milling into elevators in hot pursuit of Aude and Magnes. Flooding out of the elevators right after they do in clear support of them.
"Sleep well America. We're on the same side." And with that, Shard is hopping over the news desk giving an affirmative nod to the screen. Glancing over to Cardinal he gives a sharp salute. "See you later buddy!" Then Vincent looks back to the mirror, "Meet you on the roof!" He shouts before running back to the pile of small debris he made.
"Also! I want to apologize for the property damage. I will be sending a check to cover it!" Bending his legs, Shard then takes off straight up right back up the holes that he had made for himself coming down.
Oh my God, he's a competent version of Varlane. Cardinal just blinks nonplussed up towards the hole after the man for a moment, scratching at his temple with the barrel of his gun. Hey, it's unloaded. There isn't even one in the chamber. While most people are doing the same, staring up after Shard, the shadowman shrugs—
—and melts away into the darkness.
Annnd there's no one. Gun up, gotten out on the ride up - she was NOT taking the stairs unless necessary - Aude slithers out, gun at eye level. "Varlane, with me. We'll take right, rest of you…." They're probably only barely trained in picking their noses. "Just, keep an eye out to the left" And with that, Aude's slinking off, kicking in door and letting her gun lead her in, making her way down the floor.
Magnes finally draws his gun, holding it with one hand, keeping the other free for… well, reasons Aude wouldn't want to know. He's breathing heavily, the anxiety of getting shot again beginning to build. "Should I use my ability if I can? I mean, if it gets really dangerous?" he lowly asks, mostly wanting a quick opinion.
"Waht the fuck do you think Varlane. God, do I have to instruct you how to wipe you're ass?!" Aude hisses back at him.
"They're here," Peyton murmurs, nodding toward the far end of the hall as the cops step out of the elevator, along with the security team. Her pupils constrict until her eyes look normally again, and she glances at the other two women with wide eyes. "Stairs and the elevator are on the other side of them…" she whispers. Her job done, she looks to the others for help.
Agnes lets out an unladylike swear at that bit of news from Peyton, glancing back towards the end of the hall and then between her two comrades. "They gotta be coming this way. Um… We just make a break for whichever is closest?" she suggests, clearly overwhelmed at this point. But she figures the surest way to get caught is to hang around here. Still, she defers to the other two for their opinions, body tense and ready to spring at the word go.
As soon as she can, Claire tucks the gun away and steps after the girls. She grabs some files sitting near by, the desk empty the owner probably freaked and fled. She thrusts them into the girl's arms leaning out just enough to see the police through the milling of panicked office people, as they get off the elevator. "Interns.. looking to sleep their way up the corporate latter." She then grabs her own pile. "You guys first.. If they figure us out.. I'll live." Since obviously they could get shot at. She glances again, and does a double take. "Shit… my boyfriend is here. Dammit." Of all the days. She only hope he doesn't recognize her. She gives them a firm look, "Head for the stairs. I'll stay slow enough that if he spots me, he won't see you two." She grips the files her and shakes her head a bit and tries to put on her best paniced look, "Let's do it."
The security team moves in after Aude. Some being just straight rent-a-cops some are actually ex-cops, who turn their noses down at Aude, but not their guns at her back. Not yet, at least. Working through the building, the people in the office are throwing their hands up, some screaming and exclaiming. Some droppping to the decks and some jumping into the closest elevator. Among these rushing people, three cute girls making their way across the floor to the stairwell.
Also, a shadow, moving in a tide of darkness underfoot in the midst of all the chaos and the oh god is that Magnes did my brain accidentally summon him somehow.
He doesn't quite spot Peyton and Agnes, in his head Magnes is clearly searching for Will Smith, you know, hardcore gangster rappers. But it's kind of hard to miss your girlfriend, wearing tight jeans and… good lord why doesn't she wear that when she comes over? That would greatly enhance the making out… "Uh." is the most intelligent thing he says when his mind stops racing, a hand gently touching Claire's stomach to stop her. "Excuse me miss, have you seen the rappers who they're saying are holding this place up?" he asks, quickly removing his hand, but the slight gravity-enhanced feeling of his hand is left on her stomach. Yeah, he uses his powers for unseen romance!
Christ, he's touching them. He's touching them. "Varlane" Aude barks out in a voice that does not match her stature. What the hell are they teaching them in the academy. Besides, there's something suspicious. She can't put her finger on it other than they're clutching files where others are just fleeing and who cares.
"Stop playing dr. feel good and get back on the job" For gods sakes man, stop thinking with what's between your fucking pants and thinks with what's on your shoulders. Another door is kicked in, looking in to see if some rapper can be found, before she's focusing back on the hallway and her errant partner.
Peyton scurries, her head down, her hair across her face. As she rounds the corner to the stairwell, her elbow bumps into the wall, and her files go flying, papers fluttering everywhere. Well, maybe the shower of sheets will help obscure her face all the better. "They're are people with guns in the control room!" she cries back, hoping that Aude will head to the control room and leave them alone. Up, up, up, she runs… three floors, thank god she opted for comfortable boots instead of her typical heels.
Agnes clutches the files to her chest like a child might clutch a security blanket after a bad dream. It isn't hard to put on the panicked act, since she really is kinda freaking out here. Just not for the same reasons as everyone else rushing about. OhGodohGodohGod. She follows hot on Peyton's heels, also very glad in her choice of footwear, having decided to skip the insane platform shoes for once and go for those designed for a quicker getaway. There's a quick glance back over her shoulder as she goes, and a grimace as she sees how Claire is getting on, but she sticks to the plan, ducking into the stairs and dogging Peyton's heels up them towards the roof.
Claire doesn't have to pretend to be scared, as she follows the other women out, her pace hurried as she dodges fleeing people. She worries how Magnes will react when he sees her. Oh god, is the first thing that goes through her head as the hand comes out to stop her. Swallowing she looks up at him, fearful of what he might say. She glances behind herself and unwraps her arm from around her files to point behind her. Some of the files slip out of her arms. "T-T-There.. In the studio. He was there." She look at the files on the floor, as if she's thinking she should pick them up..but Aude kicking in the door makes her jump, so she turns to run for the stairs. The rest of her files still clutched in her arms paper trailing behind her. Of course, as soon as she's through the door she dumps the files, takes a breath and starts hurrying up the stairs after the women.
As Aude kicks down the door into the studio, she is left facing a whole bunch of angry slash scared looking people. All of whom point straight up at the whole in the ceiling. Peyton and Agnes are already up the stairs and on their way to the roof but as Claire disappears into the stairwell, a man comes toppling out of the control room. "Them!" He yells hoarsely, "They had a gun to my head! They held us up!"
Oh, of all the luck. Just as Cardinal thinks the trio are going to get away up those stairs, there's that shout from the control room… that endangers the girls and Magnes, likely. Distraction time!
A shadow suddenly erupts up the wall beside the policefolk, a pitch-black form that explodes into a monstrous silhouette, claws sweeping outwards and tentacles waving, a sharp and rasping hiss of sound spilling from it.
Magnes raises his gun, almost ready to fire at it, but then he seems to put two and two together. Claire, and a really big shadow. Alright, this makes sense, but there's plenty of reason Aude might freak out from the giant shadow monster, so, he has to freak out too! "Let's get the hell out of here!" he exclaims, trying to grab Aude's arm and forcefully fly down the hall with her, and away from the shadow.
Shit. Shit fuck and all that. Curse words go through Aude's brain as she turns to dart back out the door. The shadow startles her, caught as she's heading out, and Magnes's yell is ignored, as are his words. Fucking newbie's. He doesn't get the chance to grab her arm as unlike him, and the years she's already had on the job, she's out, gone like lightening - though without the supernatural ability - and is giving chase up the stairwell after the three girls. No warning given that she's chasing after them.
Keep running, don't look back, keep running, don't look back — Peyton knows that Agnes and Claire are behind her because she can hear their breath and their feet on the cement steps. Finally the stairs come to an end, and there's a door that reads ROOF ACCESS. Jackpot. Peyton's hand comes down on the lever-style doorway, pushing it open and stepping out into the night air, gasping for breath.
Her leg muscles are burning, her breath catching in her throat, by the time Agnes actually reaches the top of the stairs, but she doesn't allow herself to slow down. Through sheer force of will she powers along, keeping right behind Peyton. Sometimes being stubborn can be a plus. She catches the door as it begins to swing shut again, the heavy thing making her stumble for the briefest of moments, before she's spilling out onto the roof, doubling over, trying to catch her breath in the time it takes to figure out where to go now.
Claire pauses as she hears the door, risking a quick glance before picking up her pace. The great thing about her ability is any over stretching she of her muscles repairs as she goes, and not to mention she jogs often, so while she's winded Claire is not overly so. She bursts out onto the roof shortly after and gasps. "Go go.. We're being followed." She pushes the woman to the far side of the roof, and makes sure they are behind her. If the cops come out shooting, she'll be the one to take one for the team. "He better hurry up."
And just like that, Shard comes popping out of the man sized hole."On my back, Aggie. Quick. On my back." Shard is on his knees, motioning for Agnes to hop on his back. The collar of his jacket is popped up, a cap is now resting on his head, and gloves are worn. All to prevent his ability going awry. That would be very bad. He's motioning quickly towards the first two girls who pop up. "Peyton, sit here." His hand pats his right leg. "The three of you lace your arms around my shoulders and hold tight to eachother." He's patting his other leg flor Claire. "Hurry up." He waves his hand hurriedly. As soon as the three girls take their position, Vincent is standing up as if not weighed down at all.
Taking a few steps back towards the edge of the roof, Shard casts another look at the stairwell. And with that… He jumps off.
Booga booga. Damn, it didn't work. The shadow just collapses back into a lingering presence, flowing into Aude's own to tag along as she sprints after the girls.
Magnes follows after Aude, ending his flight to simply try to catch up with her on foot, which is no easy task even with lowered weight. He could sure use some skates for those walls right now… "Where are you going? I know the shadow thing is back there, but we have to find the rapper!"
Annnnnd Aude kicks the door. There's nos hooting since the girls are unarmed, don't even look legal and that would be a whole can of worms. shooting teenage girls' yeah, not going on her record. So when the petite woman bursts out the door, she does so just in time to see the girls and the black man… jump.. off the side of the… "God damn it" She reaches for her radio. "Perps jsut jumped off the side of the god damned building, pursue on foot, if they're flying, get a chopper out here!" SHe looks back at magnes, a WTF kind of look on her face. "Varlane, shut the fuck up and go sit in the corner now. You and me are gonna have a talk when this is done"
Peyton doesn't need to be told twice. She hurries over to Shard, grasping around his neck and ducking her head into his shoulder — keeping her face hidden from the cops who burst onto the rooftop just as they take off.
Fortunately, Agnes was a baby sister her whole life. So while it's been some time since anyone was giving her a piggy-back, the concept is one that is very familiar to her. After being hustled to the edge of the roof by Claire, she quickly scoots over to Shard upon his appearance, and uses that forward momentum to leap onto his back - maybe not quite so nimbly as she would have had her legs not been feeling like rubber, but it does the trick. She isn't quite sure what to expect, and at first her hold is a bit lose. But as Shard jumps off the building, it tightens like a vice in one hell of a hurry. Aggie gives a little sound of surprise and protest, hiding her face in the crook of her arm. She's not used to this sort of thing. But she'll cling for dear life, along for the ride, wherever it may lead.
Waiting to the last possible moment, Claire hops on after the other two are secured. She holds on tight, knowing the ability he's using. A glance goes to the door as they take off seeing the cops spill out. She hopes Magnes isn't in too much trouble over this.
Dipping below the crest of the roof the four fade out of sight momentarily. Before reappearing just a moment after, but instead of falling down, they are going up. Up and away. Flying straight away from the building, by the time a chopper could respond, they will already be lossed in the vastness of the city down one of many alleyways. And then it'll be back home to Staten. That is of course after Shard makes several stops at several different banks. It's time to unload his accounts. Oh those banks are out of state by the way. He has some travelling to do.