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ximilialog2021-10-02 08:53 pm
- ! event log,
- ! open,
- altered carbon: takeshi kovacs,
- cotar: rhysand,
- doctor who: clara oswald,
- doctor who: the doctor (11),
- doctor who: the doctor (12),
- grishaverse: alina starkov,
- grishaverse: the darkling,
- gundam seed/destiny: yzak jule,
- mass effect: kaidan alenko,
- mcu: daisy johnson,
- mcu: peter quill,
- pacific rim: newton geiszler,
- star trek aos: james t. kirk,
- yakuza: zhao tianyou
MISSION: BRASS DEVIL, PART 2
● ● ● M I S S I O N 2 . 2
Having spent some time to gather information about each of the families, learn about the history of Braccia, and agree upon the secret location of the Orb in this city, now has come the time for the Orbers to put their strategies into action. Through some fairly impressive in cognito antics while maintaining their respective covers, the Orbers will have split into different factions to help with the ultimate goal: retrieve the orb.
Orbers from Lionetta have decided to organize a distraction and gather as many of their fellow Lionetta members away from the headquarters as possible. Orbers from Featherstone, led by Tony Stark, Bucky Barnes, and River Song, have slowly been pilfering and assembling some of the weaponry and helpful tech. And Orbers from the Ti’shaaz have slowly been adding fuel to the family drama, stoking the flames between the Ti’shaaz and Lionetta families in hopes of invoking a battle on the same night as the planned heist.
Everyone has a good feeling about the work that they’ve done, the collaborative efforts that have brought them to the climax of their time on Braccia. But the night is still young, and there are many things that could go wrong if there is one misstep, one cog out of place in this seemingly well-oiled machine. It is imperative that every Orber pulls their weight in order for the retrieval to go successfully. But that shouldn’t be a problem, right?
Eventually, the time for preparations is over — the team has to make their move. The orb is waiting for them on the highest floor of the Lionetta main headquarters… all they have to do is get in.
1.0 Several different smaller teams decide to head into the old mines that lie beneath the surface of Braccia’s hustle and bustle. Those who decide to utilise the entrances further away from the Lionetta HQ, in the hopes of using paths less traveled and making it there unnoticed, will find that their journey leads them into complete darkness. Be sure to watch your steps — as the tunnels you take along here are ones that have been long since abandoned; there are pitfalls where the rock has crumbled away, leaving nothing but a chasm behind. There are also crumbling walkways and rotten wood that sag and give out from underneath your feet when you least expect it.
Aside from that though, there are no purposeful traps laid out — nothing visible to your eyes to stop you from advancing.
For those who decide to use the lit pathway leading straight from the headquarters to the fountain and the back alley behind Cherry on Top — well, at least you’ll be able to see where you’re going! However, the first thing you’ll notice are the blinking red lights of security cameras deliberately planted along the pathway … and for those who are not Lionetta, it may get uncomfortable, real fast. There are traps set along the way that only activate if the person trying to walk past is not a Lionetta member. Sharp blades might suddenly drop down on you from above. Spikes may burst out of from the ground like killer daisies. And a part of the pathway that you’re on could break into neat square pieces beneath your feet, crumbling away until you’re falling into nothingness.
Irregardless of which perilous road the Orbers choose to take, you will all eventually be led towards the same location: a golden door stands before them, the words For a better future carved into its surface. And if any of you happen to have a key (or a copy of it) like the one that Jim and Finn found, it’s to your benefit that it fits the lock perfectly. There’s nothing left but to go through, right?
2.0 The mines are not the only way in, of course: anyone with an official badge like the one that Kovacs managed to snag on a night out will have access to the elevator and will be able to call it to ground level, as well as take it up to the walkway. Or go straight to the walkway itself, and you’ll be able to boldly enter through the front doors as anyone with a badge has very little reason to be questioned … for now, anyway.
3.0 Meanwhile, An’alya has been mobilising members of the Ti’shaaz family against the Lionetta and are currently hard at work targeting the magical barrier that surrounds the Lionetta HQ. Eventually, those working at the barriers will begin to feel the magic within them weaken and crumble away in a slow but satisfying moment of victory. This weakened security allows Orbers with teleportation abilities to simply zip themselves inside — and perhaps with a few passengers in tow! Rhysand will have one lizard-shaped passenger alongside him already — An’alya herself has taken the first opportunity she could, leading the charge as she scuttles forward immediately upon entry, leaving the others to follow in her wake.
But while those teleporting in may have it easy, it’s hard to know where to teleport — you’d better hope that it isn’t in the middle of a guard shift change, or the guards’ break room, or a room locked from the outside ...
A couple of days before the party, a word-of-mouth invitation begins to travel through the members of the Lionetta family about a speakeasy party with food, drink, and most of all: music. The evening is meant to boost morale and bring the family together, pulling both HQs (lower and main) into an event that has little to do with their daily lives and their grueling jobs. Here they can regale each other with their loyalty and bond to their family; to remember the good times as it were. The party venue occupies the entire ground floor of a building nestled among other bars and clubs of what has fondly been referred to as the ‘entertainment district’. No other signage on the exterior of the building indicates that anything special is happening as the event is very much exclusive.
4.0 When you enter the hall, it’s to the sound of brass and percussion and a male’s singing voice to the tune of something you might have heard before. The makeshift stage is set with speakers and lights and a place for a band to really show the room what they’re made of. There are drinks and bits of food and a small crowd of people have already gathered to enjoy the festivities with a greater crowd expected to fill the room for a good time. It might not be anything to the level of Cheri’s birthday gala, particularly when the theme of the party is to celebrate Lionetta, but it’s an impressive feat all the same and the people here have been promised a good time.
Newly recruited member, Newt, is on stage behind a piano with a couple of other locals not associated with any family in particular who have all had to quickly (but enthusiastically) learn a new set of songs for the evening, music from ‘far away cities’. Joined on stage by another new recruit is The Doctor (11) who has a microphone in one hand and appears to be crooning a rather unrecognizable (by this world’s standards) tune. If you spent any time on Earth during the 1980s, you might recognize it though. It’s very catchy.
5.0 The evening seems to go without a hitch, attracting a large part of the Lionetta family to join the festivities through word of mouth. Everyone is just here to have a good time! As the crowd grows, Majima can be found on the floor keeping the party going by refilling the glasses of family members, while making sure no one gets just a little too out of hand. The music continues, the chatter grows louder, and the laughs and sloppy dancing increases with the hours. Sometime after midnight, when the hours feel a little late, you might find some of the Lionetta members trying to tap into their communications devices with the slow and sloppy realization that they haven’t been operating for … how long has it even been? A while now, right? Some of the members can be found shuffling out of the party in confusion, while others shrug a shoulder and go back to the festivities. Suddenly, someone comes back into the room and yells:
There is a flurry of panicked confusion and Lionetta members pausing in their drinking and dancing to check whether what’s been shouted is true. It looks like the ruse might be up. Will you pretend to be like the rest of the family and act accordingly? Confused and unaware of the plot you’ve cooked up? Or will you come clean and try to find an escape route — perhaps helped by those who, on the outside, have been hard at work making sure the cars aren't in driveable condition.
6.0 As if things hadn’t been chaotic enough, all members of the Lionetta family, including any Lionetta Orbers, will hear a sharp, piercing static crackle through your communications devices as Lionetta members seem to have finally found a way to hack their way through the comms-blocking tech that had been keeping them out. Olexa’s voice cuts in and out and it’s clear she’s been trying to reach her family for a few minutes now. Harsh and commanding, there’s a moment of steady audio that comes through every device in the room as Olexa speaks:
If you haven’t made a decision to stay or leave just yet, you’ll find yourself trapped with the other Lionetta as the doors crash open and colourful blasts of magic are aimed at the partygoers and ricochet off of the venue space. Robed members of the Ti’shaaz family crowd the entrance and start to filter in, officially crashing the party and ending the festivities with violence. The Lionetta, however, won’t be cowed to submission and they quickly gather their wits about them to fight back, throwing punches and swinging kicks to try and disarm the other family, dodging their magical strikes.
Here you have a few options: whether you’re Lionetta or Ti’shaaz, you can stay and fight and keep members of both families occupied, or you can find a way out to join your fellow Orbers at Lionetta’s main HQ for the heist.
7.0 The smaller team that make it inside first will be the one to hit the control room, revealed in the blueprints to be located on the 20th floor — and whether by teleportation or entry by badge, they are let in through the door… but the room is far from empty. There’s an awkward split second as you exchange glances with the guards inside, and then they come charging for you. When the guards have been incapacitated in whatever manner the team deems fit (depending on their level of thirst for blood), they’ll quickly have the opportunity to get the rest of the team in position for the remainder of the heist. Those with a talent for hacking will be able to access the security system without too much difficulty, shutting the cameras off, or programming them on a loop that should hopefully fool anyone looking at the footage elsewhere.
8.0 However, as the other Orbers slowly begin to infiltrate the headquarters, now unseen by any cameras, an alarm blares out, loud and insistent. It seems that the use of the stolen badge has finally been registered and the family have been alerted. Evgen, the officer who the badge belonged to, had immediately reported the missing identification … and unfortunately its use has instantly triggered the alarm system. Oops.
Lionetta officers begin to swarm the hallways and the elevator will immediately shut down (hopefully you’re not inside it as it stops between Level 13 and 14!), so the only way to move forward now is by foot.
Those on the lower floors will find that while there are no traps set in the hallways, the space is now filled with Lionetta guards and officers, all armed with a myriad of weapons: standard issue guns, certainly, but also stun guns, revolvers with bullets that have been enchanted to follow their target, and staves and knives with energy blades that crackle and glow with white light. A number of the officers here are also highly competent in hand-to-hand combat — and though some, like Petra and Mikaela, might be dressed in attire more suited for a party than a battle, they shouldn’t be underestimated. Without effort, they can (and will) make a hair pin, a brooch, or a stiletto heel a deadly weapon. Officers who have familiarity with any of the Lionetta Orbers will advance with an especially personal viciousness — traitors, after all, are not kindly looked upon and deserve the worst punishments.
9.0 In contrast to the lower levels, Orbers on the 20th floor and upwards seem to be herded into a narrow hallway with only one direction: forward. At the end of the path is a set of stairs leading to the next level up and onward, each ascension designed to be slow and deliberate with the flight of steps on alternating sides of the building. The only way to get there is to cross the length of the floor’s footprint.
From Level 20-23, guards and officers meet you in a battle round.
On Level 24 the floor is suspiciously devoid of anyone. Before you can think to turn back, every entrance is sealed with heavy, reinforced steel walls, and a roar that reminds you of the ocean sends a prickle up the length of your spine as the entire floor begins to flood with water. Slowly but surely, it rushes in from all sides to fill the space and unless you have the ability to grow gills … how will you escape? Maybe the how doesn’t matter — only that you do.
On the 25th floor, it becomes apparent to you that the air has a slightly luminous, greenish tint to it … but by the time you open your mouth to warn the others, it’s already in your lungs. It won’t take long before you begin to imagine enemies all around you: sudden attacks are coming out of nowhere, guards aiming their guns at you, alien creatures from the fighting ring snapping their jaws and throwing kicks and punches, clawed fingers trying to grasp at your face. You lash out at them in desperation — and, unfortunately, whoever is in their place in reality.
If you happen to make it past Level 25 unscathed, perhaps breathing in the gaseous substance on Level 26 will be what affects you: pouring out from pin-pricked holes in the walls like pores and colouring the air purple, its potency is much greater than the green mist from the previous floor. Instead of enemies, you are surrounded by the people you miss from home, those who might have been passed in your timeline. They ask you to stay with them, plead with you that they’re worried what might happen if you keep going — they murmur, please, just stay with me here and I’ve missed you so much. From an outside perspective, the sight won’t be so heartwarming: anyone observing you with a clear mind will notice a light purplish frost has started to cover your skin as though slowly encasing you in its substance …
With the aid of magic, air bubbles, or the antidote carefully nicked from the Featherstones, you somehow manage past the deadly, magical traps … only the dangers are hardly over. On Levels 27 and 28 sharp, red laser lines that criss-cross the hallways fill the remainder of the room — only those truly confident in their skill and agility can make it across unassisted. For the less coordinated, however, there is still hope: maybe you are one of the Featherstones and were equipped with the reflection tech made specifically for a situation like this one … or, if you can quickly gain contact (use that network!) with the others in the control room, they can do something about these lasers — if they aren’t still occupied with the Lionetta officers currently trying to take their control room back, anyway.
Finally, making it to the second-to-highest level, you will come face to face with two giant dog-like creatures… with glittering collars around their necks, each with a small tag to identify them. They are Ursa and Altair, respectively. Surely you were prepared for this, right? If you’re a Lionetta, you may be familiar with the alien-dogs and have a better chance of getting past them. If you dare to approach, however, you’ll notice that the ground surrounding them is a crimson mess of fresh blood. They’ve clearly had their dinner already… and the eager looks in their eyes can only be read as such: are you going to be their dessert?
Past the dogs and their matted fur and sharp teeth, there lies the entrance to the top floor — an entrance that only opens through facial recognition … strange, however is the scaly frost that has spread all over the scanner, leaving it non-functional — and the door… wide open.
As the two Orbers who have managed to make it before the others sneak towards the door and the stairs that lead up, they will hear two voices: female, both of them, one strained and quiet, like speaking is a struggle; the other, lilting and sugar-sweet.
The two Orbers continue to creep towards the open door, careful not to be heard or detected. It’ll be a strange scene that opens towards them: a dark office, wooden floors looking far older than the building itself must be — expensive furniture, and all of it is lit with a red glow.
In the middle of it all —
An’alya lies on the floor, eyes blood-shot, a trickle of blood staining the side of her mouth. She’s trembling, breathing heavily, like behind every breath is unimaginable pain.
Next to An’alya, her red eyes glowing just as bright as the round object that orbits her head in a slow circle, is Cheri...
… or perhaps that should be rephrased. Next to the fallen gang leader stands not the sweet, cheerful club owner, but Ruvia Alonetti: the owner of the Braccia orb, and the founder of the Lionetta family.
Whatever you do next… it's best to be careful. It will crucial to have a plan — because somehow that orb needs to leave this room with you.
F Y I
• The ultimate conclusion of the mission and the return to the station will be posted on October 16.
• If you have questions about anything in this log, please direct them HERE.
• And finally, your soundtrack for this log: ♪ ♪ ♪
no subject
[He wanders closer, carefully stepping over the arm of the guy lying on the floor at the moment, his expression pinched and sweaty but positive, all things considered; he's getting super-duper used to all this danger stuff! Easier than almost getting eaten by Kaiju, too! Uh. Mostly.
As evidenced by the sheepish way he drops his hand from his stomach; it doesn't look hurt! No blood or anything! He does walk stiffly, though, like it hurts. To exist. It's cool.]
No, I'm — just tired. It's been a heck of a workout to get to this point. Heh. But I don't make lightning, for the record; I super wish I did, with my hands and stuff? I gotta resort to making it with gizmos and gadgets. You've never seen a taser before? I'll have to introduce you to this one. Stole it from one of the lower floors!
[Sorry, he's rambling. While sounding like he's ran the whole way here.]
no subject
[ maybe it's impressive you've survived this long could be said of newt, but it isn't even so much as a fleeting thought in her mind. the bravest souls she knows are made from the same scrappy, relentless material. heroic not because they're expected to be, but because no one expects them to be.
with a rueful smile, she shakes her head. ]
So long as you aren't giving me a very personal, intimate introduction to it. [ translation: don't tase me, bro. ] That would be a shocking betrayal.
[ but, moving on from humoring herself with awful puns — ]
Have I mentioned you're a terrible liar, by the way? Luckily, I'm not fond of good liars. [ it's more comforting than she would be willing to admit, truthfully, to stumble across someone so transparently bad at deception. ] Some heat might help with the soreness, at least temporarily. Come here.
[ for emphasis, the tips of her fingers scintillate with a dull, warm glow. ]
no subject
[He sounds kind of into this possibility. Sure, he's hurting a lot, but he's a knight (citation needed), which is quite frankly badass. What is less badass is the fact that she saw right through him immediately. His shoulders sag a moment, and he sulks over to her side so that she can — uh. Do... whatever she's gonna do.
He flinches at the glow, but then relaxes a fraction; beneath his dirtied button-up shirt, large swaths of bruising can feel relief at Alina's offered warmth.]
Whoa...! Alright, okay. That — feels kind of nice, actually.
... I got jumped at the speakeasy. Some magic guy using spells. His shoes were glowing right before he kicked me around; it felt like getting hit with a huge mallet.
no subject
she hides the slight crumpling in her expression by forcing her focus into the palm she has pressed to his abdomen, dimly radiating warmth like the human embodiment of a heating pad. ]
I know how to control it. [ there's no concealing her tone: sullen, a little defensive. ] You don't have to be afraid.
[ through her offense, her mouth twists into a considering purse. some magic guy. glowing shoes. a little nagging voice whispers that it's her doing, roping the collective into the heist for support, even as she muses aloud — searching, maybe, for a reason to ease her guilt: ]
Why would Ti'shaaz attack you at the speakeasy? They were supposed to take down Lionetta's shields, not ambush you.
no subject
Sorry, it’s not you — just kind of on edge right now. Long day, lots of magic getting shot at my head tonight. It’ll be a hell of a story if we all live through it!
[Ha… ha ha… ha.
He winces, though, pulling up on his untucked shirt tail; the tattoos on the stomach revealed underneath at least somewhat camouflage the large baseball-sized bruises that pepper his skin.]
Hey, I was good at my job; the Ti’shaaz knew me around town as the Lionetta’s pianist, and they weren’t happy with me, so the moment they kicked the door down their boss lit the whole stage on fire…! If I didn’t have Sam’s protective amulet, I’d be extra crispy right now.
[He’d be V.F.D.
Very fucking dead.]
no subject
she had been the one to push ti'shaaz into this crusade for the orb, after all. whatever suffering they've inflicted is her doing, no different than roping her unit into that stupid assignment to sail across the fold. newt wouldn't bear bruises if not for her; alexei and the rest wouldn't have met such a gruesome fate, if her actions hadn't trapped them on that skiff with her, setting sail toward nothing but darkness and doom. ]
Don't worry. [ a joke to meet his, but alina's is noticeably distracted. morbid humor that doesn't fully have her heart in it. by this point in her life, it's merely a coping mechanism to fall back on. with tender care, her fingers lift, hovering over that newly bared patch of skin. ] Martyrdom makes for more beloved tragedies.
[ so, chin up. they'll be remembered, either way. finally, she settles her palms down, where his bruises bleed new colors into his tattoos. blended together as they are, alina's fingertips seem to find them with uncanny accuracy. with her artist's eye, distinguishing between shades. ]
I'm sorry. If I had known they were plotting some kind of raid, I would have sent over a warning. [ the cowardly part of her doesn't want to ask, for fear of hearing the worst, but she forces the half-aborted question out, anyway. ] Did anyone — did you all make it out?
no subject
No way, Alina; martyrdom sucks. Don't go getting yourself killed, because we prefer you alive.
[Smiling, he adds:]
Pretty sure we all got out just fine. Team Ximilia, y'know? We're hard to take out.
Especially me. I'm extra tough.
no subject
We'll see about that. You're a little too alive to be speaking from personal experience.
[ it's easier to play off as a joke, easier to not darken an already gloomy mood by mentioning that she is likely fated for martyrdom, anyway. marked for tragedy, as all supposed saviors are. living saints are not known for meeting a happy end, after all.
releasing a tense breath, alina's shoulders deflate. as though she had been waiting for that answer before she would allow herself to feel any sliver of relief. ]
And how's the status of that amulet? Burnt to a crisp by magic shoes, or ...
[ she trails off, a question hanging in the space between them. ]
no subject
Oh! The amulet's in one piece. Actually, I passed it off to someone else; figured they could use the protection, since I don't wanna hog it. But don't worry, it'll make it back to the station in one piece.
[He'd feel like total garbage if it didn't, anyway. As he tugs his shirt back down, letting the tails of his button-up shirt hang loosely, he considers the space around from with a frown.]
Where're you heading off to? Gonna try to climb further up the floors?
no subject
Who is the martyr now? If you don't find your way back in one piece, I'll summon your spirit to remind you of this moment.
[ there's no twinge of disapproval there, from a woman who would have instantaneously done the same. her fingers glide away as smoothly as water, hands returning to her sides as she offers a nod. ]
Yeah. There's someone I need to find along the way, too. We'll need more than luck, but ... [ she grimaces, a little; not at the prospect of a reunion, but what other dangers might be lurking in wait. ] Wish me luck?
no subject
[As much as he loves winning things, that's not exactly high on his list of 'things I hoot and holler in victory over', thanks. After a moment, he reaches over and puts a hand on her shoulder, and then makes a gesture that is totally just a rip-off of 'the son the father the holy ghost' gesture Catholics love so much.]
By the powers that be: I, Newton Geiszler, bestow luck upon thee.
Go forth and rock on.
[Ugh, embarrassing.]
no subject
What would I be using a rock for? [ newt and his foreign phrases strike yet again — more indecipherable than even the doctor's dizzying tangents, by some strange and unfortunate miracle. the crease between her brows furrows, the very portrait of wry bemusement. ] Where would I even get a rock right now?
If you haven't noticed, there's not many rocks to choose from — unless Lionetta is keeping those locked up, too.
[ focus, daisy had directed her long before they had breezed into the building on a dark cloud. alina takes that grain of wisdom to heart, now, giving a shake of her head, as though rattling her confusion right out of her skull. ]
No, you know what — never mind. [ she squeezes his shoulder, and then takes a step back, drifting away as she walks downward down the corridor. ] I'll live long enough for you to explain it to me.