DAY :048 | DO THE CREEP

[onemind]

CHARACTERS: All
WHERE: Concordia, Misc.
WHEN: Day :048 - :050
SUMMARY: Seek and destroy; the hosts follow up on the three suspects identified at Saffit's fundraiser. One of the three eventually leads somewhere significant...
WARNINGS: Will update as necessary.

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((OOC NOTES: This is the catch-all log for characters following Aytac Devin, Kusuma Ming and Kalup Aquila. Feel free to use these characters however they suit your threads - we'll jump into modjack when and where we can! At some point, we'll highjack one of your threads to direct it toward plot relevant information, but until then don't hesitate to go wild.

If you have any questions, drop them over HERE at the calendar questions post.))

NAVIGATION • SETTING • FAQ • MOD CONTACT • GLOSSARY

( CODE BY WHAMBAM )

Comments

[wrackful]

Sarcasm seems like a perfectly valid response, as far as Murphy's concerned.

With a mental nudge to Bellamy to get the other side, the two of them lift the chair she's on, turning it around to face the body of the treatment room. It's as well-equipped as Murphy could manage - not hospital level, but definitely better than would be expected for a bodymod shop.

( She hasn't said yes. )

Murphy points out, before Bellamy tries making any move toward untying her.

[onemind]

Good thing the Nest gave you a swanky credit card with a stratospheric spending limit, Murphy. Otherwise this might be really uncomfortable. Kalup sniffs softly at the equipment, then clears her throat. "All right, that makes this doable. I can help you."

[deployed]

( Get ready then. )

Bellamy's nervous is leaking through the bond. By get ready, he means Murphy needs to get ready and the Darkling needs to pay attention. She's agreed, but Bellamy isn't putting it past him to make a break for it.

So here goes Bellamy to untie her restraints. Everyone be cool.

[onemind]

Kalup must be goddamn psychic, because she's also fairly cool about the whole process - she's quiet and patient as she's released, rubbing her wrists and jostling the athletic bracelet she has on. Once free, she'll (slowly) move to review the available equipment and request for the datapad's images to be transferred to an overhead projection so she can get a better look at what's there.

"You'll need to shave his head. One of you can do that for me while I look at this, please."

Also, at some point during her study of the images-- "What exactly is this that I'm taking out?"

[wrackful]

This is the part where it gets damn near impossible to continue hiding their faces from her. Murphy still turns his back on her before he takes his helmet off, dropping it on the floor. There are electric trimmers and a razor on the counter, the head shaving anticipated as much as the rest.

( Tell her it's alive. )

That might be important in terms of removing the thing, he thinks.

( Tell her we can't tell her anything more than that. )

[deployed]

Bellamy's head tips, directing the Darkling to stand by Kulap while Bellamy attends to Murphy. His hand squeezes Murphy's shoulder hard before he takes the trimmers out of Murphy's hands.

He does pause at the question to thumb out Murphy's silent answers to her through his device.

"That won't be a problem?"

How much does she have to know about it to take it out, right?

[unsea]

The Darkling is not there to talk!!!, only to keep an eye on their situation and surroundings. Bellamy instructs him to move closer, so he winds up taking point near Kulap while she sorts through what's presented to her. It's obvious, in the way he positions himself, that he doesn't like any of this. Let alone the way that she fidgets. Paranoia, maybe?

( Take care of him, and then trade places with me. )

It may be the only thing he says. To Bellamy, because he needs his angle back. ( Paranoia, definitely. )

[onemind]

"What, like a parasite?" Revolting. "I suppose it depends on how well-rooted it is. But in theory, no. How much brain function would your friend prefer to maintain?" She's scrolling through the image, using the projector to study it more closely.

[deployed]

( Just stay close to her for now. )

Not that Bellamy's worried about the Darkling abandoning her. His thumb slides to the bare skin at the nape of Murphy's neck as he breathes past the fear Kulap's question sparks.

"All of it."

There was a risk. They all knew it. But Bellamy couldn't pretend the goal was anything less than extracting the symbiote without causing damage.

[onemind]

"Of course. Give me a few minutes while I review the equipment."

Kalup takes her sweet time going over the tools on hand. Once Murphy's head is shaved (rip), she'll instruct him to get onto the table provided so she can begin to attach him to the vital monitoring equipment and administer anesthesia. "I'll put him under first, then wash up to begin the surgery. I'll need one of you to monitor his vitals and let me know if something changes."

She sets a clock up on the image projector as well. "For my reference," she explains.

this is practically a real tag I'm sorry I got carried away

[wrackful]

Bellamy's probably picking up on Murphy's nerves. He can't really hide them, climbing the closer they get to this actually happening. He also isn't trying. He's about to have his brain cut open. It's normal to be mildly freaking out.

Which is what's starting to catch at him about Kalup. She's too calm. Too compliant. Bellamy had wanted to handle the talking to avoid Murphy's strategy of threatening her into helping them, but now everything feels off. Like she's in control, not them.

But it could just be the nerves, and he's not backing out now. He gets on the table once the last of his hair's gone (Eppy's mournful sobbing in the background), watching everything she's doing closely. But when the needle's in his arm, plunger halfway down, the feeling solidifies into something crystal clear and sharp with certainty. He grabs her wrist, wrenching it and the syringe away from his arm.

"She's done something."

He sits up, fighting the anaesthetic already dragging at the back of his consciousness, and claws the bracelet off her wrist. Something tells him if he could get it away from them somehow, slip it into someone's pocket or throw it into a passing car--

It's too late.

"We need to get out of here."

unacceptable

[deployed]

Hearing Murphy speak aloud is a shock. Bellamy looks immediately at the Darkling, a spike of panic passing between them before he strides directly to Murphy and grabs Kulap's arm in one hand while the other goes to steady Murphy as he sways upright.

"What did you do?"

There's no time to bother with the text to voice. Bellamy speaks to her directly, though he gives up on the answer when he hears the sound of a car outside.

( Damn it. )

[onemind]

Kalup folds the moment Bellamy wrenches her arm around - never mind any cleverness, she's still just an ageing woman, so she follows the tug without much resistance. "I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't do anything."

It's a lie, but why in the world would she say anything differently?

And then security forces open the door on the modshop. There's at least two organic personal units, along with a mobile four legged android units that jumps in through the doorway first. A pulse of light from the android unit fills the space, scanning the room instantly.

one million years dungeon

[unsea]

( Move. )

Never trust an old woman, they're wily beyond their years!! Murphy is half-sedated, Bellamy is supporting him - it leaves the Darkling to engage. To the best of his ability, since we all know how this ends up. His mind lances against Bellamy's, demanding he take Murphy and leave via the back door. Try to get to the motorbikes. It's the only route they have now.

He, in turn, seizes hold of Kulap, guiding her between himself (and the Murphamy combo). Good shield. Fleshy shield.

[wrackful]

Murphy is half ragdoll, limbs and head heavy against Bellamy's side. His eyes keep trying to slide shut, as much as he fights it, as much as adrenaline has started burning in his system. His mind feels like it's skipping. A scattering of tiny pinpoints in the scene unfolding in front of him are dragging at his sluggish attention, demanding, then shuffling and changing before he can focus. Like constellations he can't quite map, doesn't understand the relevancy of.

His head lolls, and when his eyes close again the relief is enough for him to just let it happen.

[deployed]

( Stay behind me. )

Because Bellamy is not fucking leaving the Darkling behind. He'd asked the Darkling to come with them. He can't just abandon him here, though actively helping isn't an option right now. Murphy's fading in and out of consciousness. Bellamy hitches him up higher, deliberately jostling him.

( Don't go to sleep. Murphy. Come on. )

This is very, very bad. Bellamy's aware of that even as he half-fall through the back door with Murphy's weight carrying him, stumbling, outside.

[onemind]

It turns out older women make excellent shields. The android and two organic security agents don't make any attempt to close distance with The Darkling, but they do demand that he release his hostage.

Unfortunately, the stand off means that everyone's probably pretty distracted when the second four legged android comes galloping down the back alley to face off with Bellamy and his dead weight friend. The android spits a shock bolt at Bellamy, meant to temporarily immobilize him.

[wrackful]

Rattled back awake by Bellamy's mental shouting and manhandling, Murphy hooks a foot at Bellamy's ankle, tripping them both down hard onto the dirty concrete of the shop's back lot. The android's shock bolt shoots through the air above them harmlessly, and Murphy flops over, groggily trying to pull himself to his feet towards the android. He's certain that if he could get to it, if he was fast enough before it shot out another of those bolts, he could-- do something. He doesn't know what. It's like a word on the tip of the tongue, there but elusive, out of reach.

[onemind]

Of course, the android keeps coming. The first debilitating bolt may have missed its mark, but maybe the second won't. If they're touching, all it has to do is hit one of them for the current to zap both.

[wrackful]

The second one doesn't miss. Murphy's too caught on trying to complete the thought he's following to heed the urgent tug to dive out of the way. Luckily - or not - he's managed to get a few steps away from Bellamy, and when the shock bolt drops him, it's just him alone.

[unsea]

He holds some advantage by holding Kulap. Once Murphy and Bellamy are out the back door, regardless if there's another mech, he quite easily throws the old woman in the direction of the security inside. Hands freed, he brings them together - a thundercrack - and fills the room with darkness. It'll have to do, so that he can get into the alley and kick the door to the shop shut behind him.

He goes for Murphy's unconscious body first. Bellamy had better start shifting his ass.

[onemind]

The four legged android ka-klunks in surprise, rocking rapidly onto its back legs as the Darkling blows out into the alley. It hops to keep upright, then fires off another stun bolt directly between the Darkling and Murphy's prone form. Stay away from him, jerk! That's his arrest!

A split second later, the android from the interior of the bodymod shop comes crashing out after the Darkling as well. Bad lighting doesn't slow a robot down much. This one tootles in triumph and spits out its own barrage of stun bolts in an attempt to subdue The Darkling and Bellamy.

[deployed]

What the hell, why are the arresting droids cute?

Anyway, Bellamy throws himself back to the pavement to avoid the crackle of bolts. The darkness isn't doing him any favors, but he knows where Murphy is. Technically, Bellamy's closer. He sends a sharp, urgent message to the Darkling: I'll get him. Get on your bike.

[unsea]

The droids are just doing their best, that's why!! What good robokids.

He can't get to Murphy, with two determined and very persistent security mechs in his way. Bellamy's message, though, incites a white-hot fury in him. Excuse you? Who asked who to play muscle on this venture, again? He weaves past Bellamy and the unconscious Murphy, trying to get a better angle on the mechs. He can't. There's no using the Cut in this alleyway, not without bringing the buildings down on all of them.

Leave him! They want an arrest not a kill. We'll get him after.

He promises this, even if it does sound like cutting his losses. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Neither of them can ride a bike with an unconscious passenger. ( Thank the saints that Shiro taught him how to drive recently!! )

[onemind]

They're cute for PR reasons. They're the good guys here, you filthy kidnappers!

Unluckily for the Darkling, his evasive techniques and the clear attempt to get a line on them have the androids re-calibrating their threat assessments: they break abruptly, clattering around on their four limbs as they bob and weave, clattering around in his direction and snapping off a few more stun bolts toward the Darkling himself. Bellamy is apparently low priority for the moment.

--Or the android units are smart enough to know that backup's on the way. A moment later, the first of the organic officers staggers out into the alley and shouts at them to stop where they are. The second officer doesn't bother yelling anything: she just runs headlong for Bellamy and attempts to tackle him to the pavement. Get wrekt.