Cat and Mouse [Maus Impact]

[Doc]

Doc rubbed his jaw as he listened. It sounded like they had a whole lot of ‘nothing’, to him. A woman knows something about the Mausoleum that could be bad. The ‘bad’ thing could be something about mayor’s budget going into the red, because of the all the overtime for keeping it in lock down. It could be, that since she is missing she’s already dead. He was about to say this, when Ric spoke up. Doc had to agree with him.

“Ric brings up a valid point. If there is a breach, we do need to be on top of it. However, without a name or a few more details, we can be chasing our tails for hours. There are at least two newspapers in the city that I know of. And one of them of them is out there. ‘Bigfoot married my sister’ type journalism. If the reporter is from that one, I doubt anything she says will be taken seriously. That being said, I have a chamber at the Mausoleum. There is a military presence there. It’s in lock down. But its been in lock down for weeks now. What I don’t know, is why the military locked it down locked it down in the first place.

“Maybe we could send Jesse’s thrall Bradley to the area and see if he can nose around, make friends with the guards and get some details? If anyone else has a thrall we could send them to the newspaper’s have them nose about. Do we have anyone that can hack the newspaper’s files? See if we can’t put a name to this reporter?”

[Dulce Periculum]

Dulce settled back against the counter behind her as the others that also gathered at what she assumed was Reanna's mass text invite. A reporter with some rumored knowledge was on the loose or by now...dead. It was time to do a scavenger hunt for mentioned reporter. She listened to the ideas and really found the calling in of humans was the best idea starting out. Sada was really good at dealing with humans. She did it all the time while keeping her knowledge hidden and her lips shut. Dress her for the part and send her in as something that could not attract attention and all could be good.

"What if we were to send in Bradley, Sada and whoever else we have to blend in as field workers with the right doctored credentials? Sada can try her luck as well as Bradley. It isn't hard to get bogus but believable paperwork and id's for those military eyes that will want to ask lots of counter questions. Prep them for what will be expected of them, what they may encounter and get them comfortable before sending them in. If there is anything to find out it is far more likely that information will be divulged to one of ours." Dulce basically was in agreement with Doc's idea as well as confident that Sada would be up for getting her nose where it otherwise didn't belong.

Dulce pulled out her cell and text Sada to see what she was up to. She was likely still at work and that was a good thing. The woman would have yet to leave for the catacombs. That would give her time to change into something else. The screen lit up and it was a confirmation. Sada was exactly where she was expected to be.

"Or... perhaps one can go in as military and see what is going on there and the other could be a nosey reporter following the last known trail of the one that is missing? Nothing like one reporter to draw out the other or in the least perhaps those who already have the one who knows too much? Why would whoever who has the missing one want to risk allowing another out and about? Our reporter could act as if they know just as much and be searching for the other?" It was just some thoughts and she was tossing them out as they came to mind. "We obviously have a plethora of powers at our disposal when the time calls for it."

Dulce tucked her phone away and waited to see if anything could be useful in what she said. If not she still kept Sada on stand by. The woman certainly could be of use in some way or another. This was likely going to take all the hands they had available.

[Reanna]

You will only lead them to death, sister.

You will fail this, as you have failed everything else.

Our mother. Our father. Me. You have failed us.

Just put that gun in your mouth and pull the trigger.

You make me sick.

Her brother’s apparition danced in and out of her line of vision, his voice strong in her mind. From the corner of her eye, she watched as he slipped in next to Dulce, his arms crossed over his chest. His smile was twisted, his eyes void of all emotion. It felt like a knife through her heart, and her fingers twitched as if to follow his command. It was only Roderic’s voice that snapped her by to reality, and she took a second to shake off the haunted grip on her mind. She had a task at hand, and it had nothing to do with the ghosts of her past. With a careful movement, she pulled her hand back from her weapon and crossed her arms, hip resting against the shop’s counter. She remained quiet as she mulled over his words, her attention diverted from Jesse completely. She had hoped that he would have been useful, but she could tell his mind was elsewhere – and his attitude was only going to cause a distraction.

She waited until Doc and Dulce had stated their peace, each second that ticked by counted out by the tap of her fingers against her bicep. She had perfected the art of many things, but strategic planning had always been something that she’d rather delegate. With a frustrated sigh, she ran her hand over her face and through her hair as their words sank in. She felt as if she were suffocating with the need to be out on the streets. She wanted this handled, and she wanted it handled –quickly.- She knew, without having to ask the others, that they felt the same. “Those are good ideas,” she spoke in her broken English, her voice soft while she dropped her hand back to her bicep. “We must act quickly, however. Time is short. Send Sada and Bradley to see if they can find out what, exactly, the reporter has and where she could be hiding. Corinth is already searching for her location. Sister, will you send your wraith, as well?” She nudged the woman at her side gently, before allowing her gaze to move back to the group. “It should not take long to get a lead on her apartment. If we have any luck, we will run into some valuable… assets… to our search.” Pulling her braid over her shoulder, she shook off the remnants of her brother’s doubt and gave a cold smile. “Let the hunt begin.”

[Nishaa]

Nishaa simply stood there, hands folded over her chest as she waited for the orders to be given. That was what Nishaa was she was a dog – a dog that followed orders. She listened to Doc and Dulce talked, thinking her idea of simply ended the life of the reporter. Draining her of blood seemed much simpler and quicker than diddly daddling with all the details, details Nishaa didn’t care for. Reanna turned her attention to Nishaa and asked her to send out her own wraith to search for anywhere that she may be lurking – or hiding.

She gave a nod of her head and turned to the wraith beside her. Belaying the instructions of tracking the female. Searching high and low for the damn blood bag. Her wraith nodded before vanishing from sight – he was already jumping from the balcony to hunt. One of his favourite things to do. Nishaa waited, she couldn’t see through his eyes simply wait for the damn thing to report back. She stepped back from the group and made her way over to the forge and dumped the parts she had previously foraged from the castle around the forge. The orange glow from the dancing licks of flame illuminated one side of her face, warming her as she closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the warmth.

Onyx hues looked back to the group fifteen minutes later as she made her way back over to the them, close to the elevator her slim figure leaned against the metal box. It was when she heard the noise – his voice. She turned those hues to where the balcony was. The look upon his voice was that of morbid curiosity.

”I have found the apartment. Nishaaa.”

“Where is it, tell me everything.”

”The apartment is over in Beta. 309. I did see men in black suits ripping it apart. There was blood, signs of a struggle. The computer was on, but locked. Glass everywhere, though I did see something on one of the notes that was ripped apart, and discarded on the carpet. It was talking about the Mausoleum Closure. Zombies specifically was mentioned. I think she knows about the secrets the vampires keep.”

There was a laugh, an eerie laugh to her wraith, and so Nishaa relayed everything her wraith had told her – to the group that was staring at her. Nishaa knew now that this report should not get into the wrong hands, that the woman had to be killed, silenced heck even enthralled. Nishaa turned to Reanna, to listen for the next move.

“He thinks we should go check out the apartment.”

[Jesse Fforde]

Jesse had wandered into the group while they were all waiting to hear back from Nishaa’s thrall. He hadn’t said anything. He looked like he’d been doing exactly what they would all probably assume he’d been doing all night – the hair on his head was mussed, and only slightly brushed aside with his fingers. His clothes, well… they weren’t what he’d normally wear when hunting. Classic Jesse, however, could give no fucks what anyone else thought. He assumed, given the company, that the rest of them would not judge him on appearance and attitude. He’d pulled through plenty of times in the past when feeling less than happy. There’s no reason why it should be any different now.

“Men in black, eh?” Jesse asks. Only now is there a telling gleam in his eye; he remembers what it’s like to tie someone down and flay their skin. To pull back fingernails. To apply blade to skin in so many painful, inventive ways that sooner or later that person would talk. Had to talk. Though, of course, the last time Jesse had done this to a person, he had done it for revenge, to lift the weight of silence from his shoulders. But why not repeat the process now?

“We should go to the apartment. Not only to check it out for ourselves, but to kidnap one of those men in black. Without being seen. See if we can get one by himself,” he said, glancing at the women. Did either of them have those nifty powers Allurists possessed? “We can make him talk,” Jesse suggested, gaze swinging around the room. All hints of his prior grumpiness have taken a back seat, with the prospect of blood and torture. That’s the part he hates about hunts, is the sitting around and talking. He never has much to do. He’s only really good at the killing, the maiming. And the rituals to help, when required – though they are rare, especially with so many in the faction that can do them already.

[Roderic]

Doc talks not too long after me and I give him my complete attention. Oddly enough, I can always count on him to have the same line of thoughts as me on most things. Usually. It seems for the time being that we aren't really sure what the big deal is and we don't want to waste our time. It's not that I won't do anything the faction asks of me, but I this doesn't seem that big of a deal to me.

Dulce talks and the idea seems good. I can't change my image though, so it would have to be left up to those who could. I might be able to swipe a badge, but that would take time. Killing someone, taking their badge and then altering it to look like me. Then again, I am a shadow, so I could just sneak my way in.

Nishaa's wraith comes back and it seems that it found something in Beta. Men in black suits. Could be government. Could be loan sharks too. Anyone really. But it seems Jesse is interested in checking it out, so I just shrug and take a back seat. Watch things unfold so to speak.

"Anyone for a back-up plan? Just in case?" I look at all of them. I don't doubt Nishaa's wraith found something, but what if we never find the reporter? Doc seemed to know of two paper companies. We could break in to both those places and try to get rid of the story that way. "If we can't find the reporter." I say finally, taking two steps backwards to give myself some space from the group. No one is by me, not really. But the space suddenly seems essential. "We could fall back on Doc's knowledge. About the paper places he knows. Try and get the story before it goes to the press. As a plan B." I shrug, pull out my pack of Marlboro, my lighter and then light it and wait to see how we're going to go about the first plan of action.

[Doc]

“Harper Rock News. I used to work there. I know the layout. Wouldn’t be hard at all to get in and have a look around and see what they have ready to go to print, and what they have in the works. Get some names of the reporters working on those leads.” Doc says as Ric finishes speaking. “We might be able to get a name faster that way.” He nodded at Roderick.

Doc was still skeptical of the whole situation. He was not putting off the plan. But if they stopped everything, every time one of them heard snippets of something overheard in an elevator, they would constantly be chasing something for eternity. He looked at Reanna, maybe it was the language barrier. She had good grasp of the English language, but maybe there was something she heard or noticed, that she cannot express in English. She wasn’t the type to over-react. She had a legitimate concern and he appreciated that. But he also knew they needed more to go on than what they currently had.

“Reanna, can you repeat, to best of your ability, what the men said?” His voice wasn’t demanding, rather it was softer, almost curious. “I think there is something more you know.. something that made you take notice them. Something more than just two ordinary men talking. Think back,... what was it, that made you notice them? Where they in uniform? Was it where they got on the elevator? What business were they at when they got on? Something made you key in on them. Were they carrying something? What was ‘that’ something?”

[Dulce Periculum]

Dulce listened to the group as the ideas continued to surface. They needed to know who they were looking for. Doc had a point. The papers were a source for who they could be looking for. However, what if those men in black that were mentioned already covered up that info? Identities were erased all the time. The government was a master at that. Could they be falling into a trap looking into the obvious?

Jesse was confident they could make the reporter talk. That was one thing Dulce had no doubts on. Humans were rather dangerous when they had knowledge. They were messy and emotional. More often than not they were also unpredictable. But one thing was to be guaranteed. Each one had a breaking point. It was merely a matter of finding out what it was. If all else failed then mortality was a huge weakness. Her eyes scanned each standing about her. It would be rather interesting to see the varied techniques of those she stood with. How did they get the answers they wanted? Her fingers tapped in slow repetition as she leaned back slightly on the counter behind her.

"Getting one of those stiff suits alone should not be too hard. There are ways to distract them." Dulce felt a shiver at the words coming out of her mouth. She would much rather pull a spine out of a human than seduce one. It was so unsatisfying. She likened it to eating a rice cake instead of cheesecake. "It would really be no issue."

Dulce was looking to Roderic who was lighting up. As the cigarette slowly burned there was one thing she was certain of. The longer they took to come up with a plan the more time they gave that human a chance to make more of a mess that they eventually would have to clean up. Doc asked Reanna questions. She was interested in the answers as well as seeing the apartment. Did Nishaa's wraith miss anything?

[Reanna]

They doubt you. Look at them, they think you’re insane. They’re right.

‘Da,” she responded out-loud to Doc, her fingers sliding precariously over her iPad. She knew he had a right to question her, even though it made her skin crawl. Closing her eyes, she took a moment to settle her thoughts, her brother’s voice filtering in and out of her mind as she danced her fingers over the glass screen of her iPad, allowing it to speak for her. ‘I was on the elevator. Two men came on, and stood in front of me. They spoke of the government finding something…’ She tried to bring the scene to her memory, to hear everything they said, to see everything they did. ‘There is – was – a reporter who found something in the Catacombs. My husband went into their mind, to see if there was more. There was a report. On what is really there, but it hasn’t been released to public yet. Speculation. The reporter has it, and has gone into hiding since then.’ When the monotone voice ended, she opened her eyes, pale jade hues locking onto the man who had questioned her. “That is all I remember,” she spoke out loud, accent thick and almost discernable. “It is enough, niet?”

You used to not explain yourself. The sister I knew would I have killed him.

Times had changed. The woman she used to be was not the woman she could be. Shaking off the somber feeling, she let her gaze move back to Nishaa. This was something she could do. This was what she was born to do. “I can get Black Suit.” Her lips curled into a sinful smile as she pulled her braid over her shoulder. “We should head to apartment now before suits leave. Then news. Those that can travel fast, do. I will meet you there.” She hadn’t waited to hear anything else. Time was running short, and her brother’s voice was nagging at the back of her brain. One moment, she was in front of them, the next she had disappeared, feet landing inside the apartment. Her sister’s wraith had been correct. The place had been ransacked. Knowing her faction wouldn’t be far behind her, she stepped further into the room, glass crunching beneath her boot. It wasn’t the sound that bothered her, though.

No, the sound that caught her attention was the safety of a gun flicking off. “Who the **** are you?” The voice was strong, masculine, and it brought a smile to her face. “Ideal'nyy,’ she chuckled, before spinning around. Her foot connected with his wrist, sending the gun flying. It took her all of two seconds to subdue the man, his hands bound behind his back as she kicked his feet out from under him, throwing him to his knees. Bending down, she pressed her lips to his ear, Russian words spoken quietly as she ripped off a piece of her shirt and bound it over his eyes. Fear caused the man to tremble, whatever she had said enough to bring a whimper from the 6’5 agent. “We have questions. You answer correctly, you live.” Lie. “You answer wrong, you hurt. Understandable?”

[Jesse Fforde]

As much as Jesse believes that Doc’s lead is a good one, he doesn’t believe that any story the reporter may have will be going to print. Not yet. There are black suits at the reporter’s apartment – and how did they know for sure that it was hers? – which means that if there’s someone trying to find and stop the reporter, then they’d have put a halt to any story that might have leaked wherever she worked. They’d have that sorted. If there are black suits, someone covering it up and keeping it from the public, then what are they doing here?

Are they trying to figure out what the government knows, and what they’ll do with that information? Isn’t there speculation, or knowledge, that the new Mayor, or whatever he is, is the thrall of a powerful vampire? Which means, that vampire would have control of the government, black suits included, perhaps. Do they have anything to worry about, really, unless that vampire means to wipe out his or her own kind?

Jesse opens his mouth to speak, but before he can say anything, Reanna disappears.

”****,” he mutters.

”This doesn’t feel right, and I really don’t think we should just…rush in. But looks like that’s out of our hands, now,” he says. They don’t know how many black suits there are at the apartment – the wraith hadn’t given that much information. Reanna is just one woman, and what if one of the suits gets away? That’s their cover blown, right there.

”******* grand,” he says. ”I don’t have that nifty fuckin’ ability to just disappear and reappear where I want. Any of you who do, should probably go and back Reanna up and round up any bastards that might have witnessed anything,” Jesse says, already heading for the elevator; to go down to the lower levels where his bike is parked. That’s the only way he’s getting there, unless one of the others can both teleport and summon.

This is not the plan Jesse had in mind. Stick to the shadows and snatch one of the men without the others seeing. This? This was hasty. And potentially stupid. He wouldn’t know, until he got to the place.