Cat and Mouse [Maus Impact]

[Roderic]

I'm still with Doc on this whole thing after Reanna tells what she heard. But, she's the boss-or a boss, along with Jesse, so if they think it's worth looking in to, then it's whatever. I'm not one to argue and I'm no expert on what is and isn't **** we should be concerned about. If they're concerned, then I'm ready to play my part. I really don't have a lot of things to do with my nights anyways outside of working and seeing skylar. And since she's always around, I can work and see her at the same time. Two birds, one stone. Besides, if people need to die, I'm more than willing to assist in that department for my faction.

I can't teleport, so when Jesse tells those that can join Reanna to do so, I just shrug my shoulders and hope someone in our group can do that. I'm sure she can take care of herself, but anything could happen. Especially when the odds were against you. How many suits were there, exactly?

"I guess I'll meet the rest of you there." I say as I finish the rest of my cigarette, then put it out on the back of my left hand. "Stay safe and smart guys." I say as I head to the same elevator Jesse was headed. I don't like this plan. I don't like that Reanna left us. But there wasn't time to think. Not really. We had to react and work with the cards that were dealt to us and that was the information Reanna and Nishaa's wrath gave us.

[Dulce Periculum]

Dulce’s icy blues traced the movements of those around her. Reanna was gone in a blink. the rest took off in similar fashion. The lethal allurist’s backside nudged the counter behind it and sent her forward without uncrossing her arms. Only when the long stride of her relaxed steps began did she unfold her arms heading right behind Jesse hot on his trail. Her hand slid in the closing space as the elevator door went about its job of closing. Jesse was on a mission and she was about to save both of them valuable time. The door retracted and she wore the cool expression that revealed nothing more than her eyes were on him as she stepped forward.

“I can summon you, Jesse.” Dulce’s words were low and drawn out like she was as calm as one could be despite the serious situation unfolding.“You give me a few seconds to get there and I will pull you in.”


The tall woman was a blur of blonde and black leather as she used that nifty trick that had her arriving wherever she desired. Dulce took a few moments to check where she was and found the coast clear and no attention on her. Hopefully the man was still cool with the speedy arrival minus his wheels. If not he was going to be where the action was quicker than his bike could get him there. Concentrating on Jesse she felt the energy and the pull and found herself looking at him instantly.

“Now if we need to send you elsewhere I can do that too. Or if we need to take out the trash...consider it done.” Dulce looked to the building they were about to enter. “Ready to do this?”

[Reanna]

Sweat dripped from her brow and caused her hair to cling to her face as she threw her hand up, fingers curling onto the ledge. She could hear them behind her, the enemy’s footsteps nowhere near as delicate and silent as hers had been. Instead, they crashed through the forest as if they were bulldozers, taking everything down in their path. They had no reason to resort to stealth. Their target was acquired, and they knew exactly where to find them. As she hooked her foot into the broken brick to pull herself up, strong hands gripped her biceps and hauled her over. “What have you done, Iskra? What have you done?!” The tremor in her brother’s voice sent a shock of fear into her heart, an emotion she’d learned to rid herself of long ago. His eyes were wild as he tore his gaze from her to the tree line.

They weren’t far behind.

“Get inside. Get to safety. Where is Kirill?” She couldn’t move. She couldn’t think. She knew she should be obeying him, but she couldn’t. It took his hand against the small of her back, propelling her through the sliding glass doors, to put her feet into action. As she ducked into the small alcove in the kitchen, the glass shattered around her, gunfire drowning out any other sound. “I am sorry, I am sorry.” The words fell from her as she gripped her gun and twisted her body, aiming the barrel towards the nearest target. Her fingers shook over the trigger, her breathing uneven as she began to fire rounds into the oncoming sea of grey. She couldn’t see her brother in the mess, but she could hear him. His grunts, his shouts. He was a lone soldier in a wave of men. She knew he wasn’t going to make it.

It happened at once.

Her chamber clicked empty.

Time stood still.

Her gaze locked with her brothers, his eyes showing forgiveness.

And then his skull split open, his blood painting the walls.

The agent struggled in her hold, his eyes wide and nearly white. He was so terrified, the scent of urine filled the air as he released himself. Weak. Adjusting her stance so he didn’t soak her boots, the Russian pressed her blade to his throat, her eyes dark. Whatever warmth she had once possessed in the face of her faction had dissipated and in its place was a dark void. It swelled in her chest and blossomed through her mind. She didn’t even pay her sister attention as she felt her step in beside her, hand resting on her shoulder. There was no faction. There was no case. There was only the agent.

Slowly, she brushed her tongue over her lower lip as she leaned down, her voice a quiet whisper against his ear. “You make this too easy. You give answer, da, I let you live. Where is she?” The question was strengthened with her fingers twisting in his hair, the golden strands pulling harsh against his scalp as she yanked his head back. His answer was a strangled scream as his hands shot up, blunt nails trying to find a place to claw into. Narrowing her eyes, she gave his hair another sharp pull, pressing his back tighter into her thighs. With a flick of her wrist, her dagger appeared in her palm, the tip pressing very gently beneath his eye. “Where is she?” Her voice never raised, it never shook. To anyone looking on, it would appear she was as calm as could be. They couldn’t feel the storm raging inside of her.

You know you just want to kill him, Iskra. Just do it. Why is this information important?

“I-I-I don’t know! I don’t know! God, I don’t—“His words were cut off on a scream as she pressed the blade into his eye, the soft pop as it punctured the cornea causing her to chuckle. He began to thrash in her hold, his hands clawing at his face as if that would stop the pain coursing through him. “Where is she?” He continued to scream, his body twisting and turning against her thighs. Yanking the blade out, she slowly traced the bridge of his nose as she headed for his other eye. “Where is she?” She never swayed from her mission, never stopped with the question. She knew she would break him. She could feel it in her bones, it came to her as easy as breathing did. As he clawed at his face, she pressed the blade into his second eye, giving him only a second longer before plunging the dagger in.

“Where is she?”

He is not giving it up. Perhaps you are losing your touch.

The voice was a breathless whisper next to her ear, but she could feel him as if he were solid. Her hand trembled once on the blade, causing the agent to scream out for mercy. With a grit of her teeth, she steadied her hand before pulling the blade free and tossing him onto his stomach. Before he had a chance to curl into the fetal position, she flipped him onto his back. Pinning him there with a boot to his chest, she shook her head and grabbed Kraken. The gun was a gift from Phoenix, though she never understood why. She didn’t question it, however. It was about to become very useful to her. Thumbing the safety off, she tilted her head and studied him. Bloodied tears stained his cheeks, his lips parted on sobs that made her stomach twist. It wasn’t from guilt, but revulsion. How could someone this weak claim to be a protector of human kind? He broke quicker than a teenage girl.


With quick, deft movements, she adjusted her position so he could feel the barrel of her gun pressed against his crotch. She gave him a second to feel her steady aim, before her voice broke through his cried prayers once more. “Where is she?” She felt his muscles tense, the scent of his bowel movement permeating the air before finally, blissful pleas. “Okay, okay, stop! Please, stop! Last I heard, she was holed up in the abandoned apartments in Bullwood. 15. Apartment 15! Please, don’t kill me!” Pressing the gun harder against his crotch, she shook her head. “I do not plan to kill you.” The words were drowned out by the sound of her gun going off, his scream tearing through the apartment. Pressing her boot to his side, she kicked him towards Jesse and stepped back.

Throwing Kraken back over her shoulder, she pressed the power button on her iPad before typing out a message, the robotic voice heard clearly as the agent passed out. ‘Keep him alive until we check out location. He could have tried to save his own *** and lied to us.’ With that, she powered the iPad back down and disappeared.

[Jesse Fforde]

Everything is moving far too fast, and they don’t have all the information. Nishaa’s wraith had told them where the apartment was, but how did they know it belonged to their reporter? Is this all just some hokum rumour and they’re following the trail of something completely unrelated?

Jesse’s eyes found Dulce’s as the stopped the elevator from closing. Why she focuses just on him, he doesn’t know – if one is going to be summoned, the rest need to be summoned as well. He just nods – and as soon as he lands on the sidewalk beside Dulce, he pulls her back into shadow. As soon as he has made sure that there are no waiting cars, no men on the street, he relaxes and summoned both Nishaa and Roderic. Who knows how long it could take them to get here?

”You two,” he says, referring to Roderic and Nishaa. ”Check the surrounding area, make sure there’s no one lurking around. Come join us afterwards,” he says. This might be nothing. It could be everything – and they couldn’t be too careful. After he’s sure there’s no one covering the door, he leads Dulce inside. It doesn’t take long to find the apartment in question – and as he passes over the threshold, the idea that something isn’t right only strengthens.

They shouldn’t have been able to pass over the threshold. Not without an invite from an owner. Does no one own this place, regardless of how homely it might look? As far as Jesse is aware, he has no ability or power to get inside protected buildings.

The torture had already begun, and the man is screaming.

”For ****’s sake, Reanna!” Jesse hisses – but she doesn’t listen. They’re in the middle of an apartment building, for crying out loud. If neighbours were sleeping, they’d now be awake. When Jesse had mentioned torture, he’d imagined kidnapping and taking the guy somewhere remote, out of the way, where his screams wouldn’t bring any unwanted attention. This is far too conspicuous for comfort.

The blood, of course, catches Jesse’s attention; he hones in on the violence, and is distracted by it. Anxiety twists at the back of his head and he’s expecting sirens outside at any second. And all throughout, he’s wondering. Why only one man? Only one? This makes no sense. None of it makes any sense, and Jesse almost believes that the guy doesn’t know anything, because there’s nothing to know. Nothing at all.

He gives a location, however, which shocks Jesse. His mouth opens – why the **** is this guy here rifling through the reporter’s belongings if he already knows where she is? If he already has a lead? He wants to talk this through. He wants to sit and discuss this at length. But before he can speak any of his worries, Reanna interrupts with her iPad. Why her iPad, when she’d been speaking perfectly fine beforehand? And then…

He can see it, the way she begins to disappear. He reacts on instinct.

”No you *******…” he reaches out, as if to keep Reanna in the room. Instead, the power she uses thrums down his arm like an electrical current – and he disappears, too. The last thing he thinks as the room disappears from view?

This is a complete clusterfuck.

[Nishaa]

Nishaa blinked. It was the only thing she could do when the whole group began to formulate a plan on how to get there, Doc’s idea of going to the newspapers was a good one, she nodded her head in agreement, raven hair bobbed on her shoulders as she thought about it some, only to find Reanna teleporting away. The woman was gone within a blink of an eye. She could hear Jesse’s cussing but as she turned her head in his direction the man was gone. He had slipped inside the metal box until Dulce stopped him, and offered to summon him. Then she was gone, and a moment later. Jesse was gone too, with nothing but a pop. Nishaa made her way over to the forge, grabbed her freshly made swords, it was one of her best yet. The metal was piping hot, the orange glow still visible on the metal as she gripped, the whites in her knuckles showing.

“Guess we gotta’ catch the bus then.” She said as she began to make her way over to the Elevator. She was about to slip inside when she decided against it the fadeportal would do just fine. She was inches from the portal when her body convulsed, and she felt that pulling sensation. She was being summoned. She managed to give a glance to Roderic before she was dropping next to Jesse, and Dulce. Then, a moment later Roderic was beside her. She gave the man a nod of her head in thanks, turned her hues to Dulce. Then turned around.

She heard the orders, she didn’t respond to them. She pulled out her rifle and began to slip around the edge of the building. Nishaa was in a bad mood. People were not thinking, they were simply doing everything in their way to break the fuckin’ masquerade. This mission, was going to get her killed she could feel it in her bones. She huffed and moved around to the doors of the building, Jesse and Dulce were already inside she’d have imagined as they were no longer there, Roderic was looking at her, and she at him.

“Looks clear to me.” She told him as she pushed the gun back into it’s resting place on her back and slipped inside the building. She followed the wraiths instructions and headed up to the place where the agent would be, she could hear the screams. Reanna had begun her torture. The woman quickly entered the room and went to Reanna’s side. Placing a pale, pristine hand against the woman’s shoulder in a comforting manner. It was only comforting thing she could do for the woman. Her sister was so intent on torturing that she let the woman at it, she just simply watched, her arms rested against her chest, as she sat on a nearby desk. Laughing. She did love a good torture session.

The torturing went on for a few more minutes, until finally he coughed up an address, and a decent one at that. “How do we know it’s the right one?” She asked, that was when the agent got a stabbing in the eye. Nishaa could only look, she could smell the blood in the air, it was strong. She even ignored the mess that was the apartment, she simply watched the two go at it. Onyx hues look to Jesse as he seems transfixed by the torture. Her sister on the other hand, looked like a goddess. Nishaa never wanted to **** someone so bad in that moment, it was like ecstasy to her.

That was when things got hairy, Reanna didn’t wait. She kicked the agent to the Jesse and disappeared into nothing, and Jesse who ignored the agent reached out for her sister and then they both disappeared together. Nishaa sighed and pushed a hand to her temple and rubbed it slowly, clockwise. Those dark hues of hers finally looked to the agent, the poor defenceless and brutally beaten human.

He was whimpering, and bleeding. She moved over to him. Picked him up by the scruff of his collar, and looked him over. He had been beaten pretty bad, and she had to laugh. Reanna was good on the torture area, she’d give her that. She turned to Dulce who was within the room too, she pulled out her knife and without blinking, or even looking at the agent, she slit his throat open. Blood poured from the wound, and the man sagged. Dead. Blood splatter caked her face, making the woman look feral, and wild.

She dropped the dead agent, then shrugged. “He was a loose end.” She said. Justifying her actions.

[Roderic]

I'm summoned to the apartment we believe the lead is at. I find Reanna taking care of business, and the rest of the team reacting in a variety of ways. Then Nishaa kills the only lead we have, and I'm not too impressed with it. I like killing people as much as anyone in the room, but I think the action was a little too hasty. Loose end or not. Oh well, nothing could be done about it now.

Hopefully, the guy was telling the truth. If not, we wasted the night following a lead that wasn't a lead after all. It is what it is. Maybe, if all else fails, we could circle back to Doc's potential lead. I keep this thought in the back of my mind to offer again if things end up to be a dead end.

"So apartment it is then." I say to everyone with a nod of my head, looking down at my hand where there wasn't a cigarette anymore. Damnit. I pull out my pack of reds, then decide against it. I might need to be summoned to the other side of town again and I wasn't going to waste half a cigarette again. "Care to give me a promised lift to the other side of the city when you get there?" I look to Dulce since Jesse was the one that summoned me last time.

"And can we try and not kill the next person until we are sure it's what we're looking for and we get it first?" I don't look at Nishaa as I say this. I'm not making any slight at her. I know she did what any of us would do in the end, but we weren't at the end in my mind yet.