[IC thread] In the Black

[XxWaterGaridanxX]

Determined Companion-Athena

 

"Then we will prepare both." Athena's features had returned to their composed visage, "I'll need all the time I can get with Atlanta to get her to look similar." She started up the stairs to her shuttle, "Come along Atlanta." She said over she shoulders she went though her shuttle door and began to rummage through all of her things, makeup, expensive wigs all similar to her own hair, contacts to change her eye color. All these things she used to become more exotic or attractive to her clients, she would bend to their every desire and become something more to them something that they could have for only a night.

[Takhesis]

Atlanta - following Athena

 

At the decision to use both plans, Atlanta's attention turned towards her part in the charade. As she followed Athena into the shuttle, she started to note details that should help her pull the twin stunt. Such as Athena's posture and style of movement.

 

Of course, the companion carried herself with much more confidence than a junior scientist. That was the first thing that was noticeable - apart from the obvious appearance differences.

[XxWaterGaridanxX]

Athena

 

"Come along my dear, sit so we can begin." She gestured to a vanity table and small chair with all of her make up laid out before a large oval mirror.

She pulled out some hair pins from a drawer and a brush to begin pinning her hair up. "how to teach a girl to become... Like me in less than an hour... Oh by the gods." She mumbled as she pulled out one of her most similar wigs like her own hair, just as llight blonde as her own but not as long, she would have to pin their hair up.

"You are a scientist aren't you Atlanta? Have you ever been with a man before? Well or a woman I don't judge." She had no time to skirt around the quickest way to get Atlanta to know what it was like to be a Companion.

[Biologist]

Jay - Pilot - Checking his gun

 

As the two women retreated to the shuttle, Jay, checked his gun in its holster. It was oiled and loaded. Ready to make trouble.

 

"So, what's next, Captain? Two to ambush, the rest to escort the ladies?"

 

He looked around to the remainder of the crew: Teela, Xiao, Nelson and himself were left. If Nelson and Teela were to be the sniper, Xiao and he would have to escort Athena and Atlanta to the rendez-vous. He didn't like that, but it was far better than doing nothing.

Edited April 28, 2015 by Biologist

[Takhesis]

(Yay, blunt girl talk )

 

Atlanta

 

Taking the seat Athena had indicated so the transformation could begin, Atlanta replied as the wig was located and brought out:

 

"I have experimented with certain things, but no I have not 'been with' anyone in the most literal sense of the phrase." She picked her words with care, trying to avoid the inevitable blush that would accompany the admission of being a virgin. She was only partially successful - her cheeks still betrayed the colour of embarrassment, but it was at least better than her usual reaction - given her colouring the blush would have spread further.

[XxWaterGaridanxX]

((It's the best lol))

 

Athena

 

Combing Atlantas curls with an ivory brush Athena couldn't help but smile at the precious innocence that she so admired. She began to take sections of Atlanta's hair and wind them into tight buns on her head, flat enough and small enough to hid under the wig. She did this methodically as she thought of how to proceed since Atlanta had never experienced what the action was truly like and how it was an amazing thing.

"That is nothing to be ashamed of." She told her looking into the mirror at the scientist with a kind smile, she opened the drawer in the vanity and pulled a thin silver case that held her contacts in it, she opened it and inside there were sixteen small pools of liquid each holding different types of contacts to change Athena's eye color. "Can you put in the last pair in while I do this?" She asked as the last pair would make her eyes as light as Athena's while if Athena herself put them in it make her eyes almost white, one of her clients liked the sort of angelic way she looked, the light eyes only enhanced that.

She returned to her brushing and pinning, "Then let me ask you this... Have you ever thought someone was so...beautiful that you were sure that they were carved out of stone? Like if they gave the time of day to talk to you that you would be the luckiest person alive? Well I guess I'm asking if you have ever loved someone?"

[Takhesis]

(It is lol)

 

Atlanta

 

Atlanta picked up the requested contacts, and placed them carefully in her eyes one at a time.

 

She smiled softly as Athena asked her next question, that one was easier to answer.

 

"Yes. I have." It may have been a childhood crush and not 'true love', but she still remembered the way her younger heart used to skip around when she saw a certain someone. Someone she hadn't seen for a few years - his family had moved away before she turned thirteen....

 

Her eyes seemed to take on a far away look as she spoke. She blinked a few times to settle the contacts in place, which also had the effect of refocussing her in the present.

[XxWaterGaridanxX]

((Oops Just realized that Atlanta has the ice blue eyes and Athena has the dark blue ones. I'll fix that. ))

 

Athena smiled softly as she finished her hair, looking at Atlanta in the mirror seeing that they contacts worked perfectly to make her eyes look like Athena's own.

"Well, being a companion means acting like a person that everyone is in love with, how you felt when you were in love with that certain someone is how you should assume everyone is around you... Now the fun stuff, makeup." she sat down on a stool next to Atlanta, "This is harder to explain than I thought... You have to act like royalty among her subjects. But she dose't regard them any less than herself. She even thinks of them as equals no matter who they are. But in their mind you are the exotic creature that they have never seen before or ever see again."

All the while she was talking she was working swiftly with her foundation, covering up any blemishes as well as contouring her face to match her own. With just the base layer of makeup on Atlanta looked like a ghost but she continued, adding bronze and blush, and starting on the eye shadow to make her eyes more of a cat eye like her own giving her dark wings of liner.

"Does that even make sense?" she asked as she paused in applying the fake lashes, "Hopefully we will have time for you to mimic me as practice before they arrive."

"Can you walk in heels?"

 

[Mistress of Whispers]

As the others waited in the cargo bay, Xiao considered her options. She'd never been good with violence and the war had only made matters worse. Though she was too private (or secretive) a person to discuss her aversions with others, she knew she was a liability rather than an asset when it came to physical combat.

"I'll remain with the ship," she offered, "keep the engines warm in case we need to leave in a hurry."

 

Teela narrowed her eyes at that - Xiao's tendency to opt out of conflict had not escaped her notice. Still, the girl was a fine tactician and medic - qualities that made her a valuable addition to the group even if she shirked confrontation. Nodding her consent, she watched as Xiao made her way to the cockpit.

 

Turning to Nelson and Jay, Teela shrugged lightly. 

"Nelson and I should get our rifles and start clambering up the air ducts then. Jay, you provide back-up for the 'twins' when they're ready." 

With that, she took a detour past her weapons locker, selecting a slim and elegant sniper rifle from the cache, and exited the ship alongside the mechanic.

[Marcus Pheonix]

Nelson nodded to Teela.

"Right on cap'n, lucky for me my uncle liked shootin' birds, and decided to write his weapon of choice into his will" Nelson said cheerily.

He made his way to the engine room and, looking back towards the doorway, opened up his hidden compartment with his two rifles in them. Examining them both he removed the smaller of the two, the Hecate would be far too deadly plus a silenced weapon would be far better suited to their mission.

Drawing out the L115A3 he carefully replaced the cover for the compartment drawing out a few spare magazines as he did.

"There we are, you should be enough... might be a little too much," He thougt aloud.

[Biologist]

Jay - Pilot - gettin' ready

 

"Yessir. Cap." Jay said to the captain and left for his own quarters. He pushed against the metal door and went down the ladder to the small metal room he called home nowadays.

 

He pulled a metal chest from under his bed and opened it. It was dented and the paint had faded for the most part, but the browncoat insignia was still visible if the light was right. He opened the lid and folded away the protective blankets. Gently he lifted a package out of the chest and unfolded it. It was an old mesh armor, worn during the war as a bullet proof vest. "This better stil fit me. The eatin's too good here." Jay grumbled and prepared to put it on.

 

After that, he pushed the chest back under the bed, pulled his shirt, blouse and leather jacket over the mesh and holstered his gun, an old army pistol that had saved him more than he cared to count.

 

He clambered up out of the his room into the narrow hallway of the Firefly-class ship and headed to the cargo bay to meet up with the gang. Hopefully Xiao had managed to come up with a good strategy...

Edited June 15, 2015 by Biologist

[Mistress of Whispers]

The similarity between Athena and Atlanta was eerie now that Athena's skill had compensated for differences in cosmetics and body type. Jay, accompanying them to the exchange point, could still tell them apart, but he suspected the bounty hunters would have a much harder time. They looked like close sisters rather than twins, however, so keeping the women at a distance from the mercenaries would be best.

 

Meanwhile Teela and Nelson set out to an air roster in an abandoned wall. "You go left, I go right," Teela said to Nelson as she began unscrewing the grate covering the air duct. Xiao had told them how to proceed from there, directing them to two different spots high above the exchange point that would allow them to cover almost the entire room - they just needed to crawl there first.

 

Xiao remained in the ship, prepping the Harmony for take-off in case they needed a quick getaway.

[Mistress of Whispers]

Athena, Atlanta and Jay, on their way to the exchange

"How do you want this to go down?" Athena asked Jay. She and Atlanta looked enough alike now, that the bounty hunters wouldn't be able to tell who their mark was. Hopefully that would create some confusion and stall the bounty hunters long enough that the snipers could take their shot. Jay was the one making the (fake) exchange though, so it made sense that she and Atlanta follow his lead.

 

 

Teela, in the air shafts

Teela reached the spot in the ventilation shaft that Xiao had selected for her. She hoped Nelson has also found his mark. Laying flat on her belly, she attached a small metal wire to the roster that separated her from the cargo bay and secured the other end to the wall of the shaft. Drawing a little screwdriver from her leather vest, she carefully began to unscrew the roster. For all intents and purposes, Teela was as quiet as a breathing person could possibly be, yet the narrow space amplified the sound until she imagined the entire station could hear her. Still, no one came to investigate as she worked.

 

Laying on her belly in the shaft, the roster moved aside just enough for a rifle barrel to sneak out, Teela finally took a moment to survey the area beneath her. 'Ching-wah TSAO duh liou mahng,' she swore rather elaborately under her breath. She had seen the lay-out that Xiao had somehow procured and knew the cargo bay was a large area with a high overhead and no walkways. What the map hadn't show, was that the place was absolutely cluttered with crates and boxes piled high and wide. Getting a clear shot was going to be hell. Saying a silent prayer to whichever powers might be inclined to listen, she hoped that Jay would be able to manoeuvre the bounty hunters to the right spot, or that Nelson's spot had a better view than hers.

[Biologist]

Athena, Atlanta and Jay, on their way to the exchange

"How do you want this to go down?" Athena asked Jay. She and Atlanta looked enough alike now, that the bounty hunters wouldn't be able to tell who their mark was. Hopefully that would create some confusion and stall the bounty hunters long enough that the snipers could take their shot. Jay was the one making the (fake) exchange though, so it made sense that she and Atlanta follow his lead.

"Well, we give the Captain and Nelson a few minutes to get in place, then we stride in. The three of us will give them some confusion. Just put your hands behind y'r back and pretend to be bound. Put y'r veils over y'r head to shield it initially, I'll push ya forward just enough to make it believable. When the guns start blazin', run f'r cover."

 

Jay hoped this would go down well. He wasn't as good a strategist as Xiao was and he usually deferred to her brilliant plans. Now he had to think on his own feet and his past experience with his own cunning plans was spotty at best. It could go either way. He checked his gun again to make sure it was loaded and ready.

 

------------------

 

After what Jay thought should be enough time, they cleared the last few yards to the hangar doors. He checked for cameras and made sure they were not in their view. He opened the keypad and entered the agreed upon code and the doors hissed open.

 

Carefully Jay glanced around the corner to survey the room. It was as large as Xiao had predicted, but it was also cluttered. Plenty of places to hide and duck for cover, for both parties. He swore softly, but there was no way back now. "Awright, here we come. Don't shoot the merchandise."

 

He pushed the two veiled women forward and entered the large hall filled with crates of all sizes. As soon as he entered he spotted a man and a woman stepping out from behind a crate, wearing travellers' clothes. Hadn't he seen them at the bar?

 

"So, you asked for the dark haired woman, but you weren't specific enough. Which one did you mean? If you want both, you'll need to pay extra on top of our crewmember."

 

"Now don't play games." the man said. "We were very specific in our demand."

 

Jay looked annoyed. "Yeah, but look f'r y'rself. It's got to be one of these to companions." And he threw the veils back to reveal two identical women. At least, from a distance they would look interchangeable, Jay hoped.

 

"What the...?" the man started and looked briefly at his white haired partner. She looked at her pad an shrugged. Then he changed his position slightly to take a better look...

Edited July 21, 2015 by Biologist

[Mistress of Whispers]

Teela watched as she saw the bounty hunters coming in through the opposite doors to her team. They were carrying a large sack, which they dumped unceremoniously behind a stack of crates. Teela could only hope it contained a living, breathing Jake. There wasn't anything she could do about Jake either way, so instead she raised her rifle and focused on the bounty hunters.

 

As the crates kept obscuring parts of the bounty hunters from her view, Teela reluctantly lowered her aim from the female's visor to her chest. No doubt both bounty hunters wore body armor, but the force of the impact should knock her out and a headshot was just not feasible right now - part of what made Teela a great shot, was knowing exactly which targets she could and could not hit.

 

As the shot rang out and the female's body whipped back, Athena's hand shot out like a snake. She'd been fingering the little dart ever since they walked in, and saw her opening as the male's gaze briefly darted to his companion as she fell backwards. He wasn't distracted for long though, and his look changed from surprise to understanding as he saw the little dart lodged in his hand. "Treacherous cow," he sneered as he raised his weapon at her...

Edited July 23, 2015 by Mistress of Whispers

[Biologist]

Jay saw the man reach for his gun and drew his own. "Don't be stupid. This is all over, you ta ma due."

 

He moved toward the man quickly to take away his gun, telling the women to find cover.

 

The bountyhunter leveled his gun at Jay, but shook uncontrollably and, feeling his hand go numb, couldn't pull the trigger. His fingers had lost any feeling and the gun fell from his grasp onto the floor. There was a loud bang as the gun went off and a bullet ricocheted off of the crates towards the ceiling. Jay did not hesitate and landed his fist squarely in the man's face, sending him backward and landing him on his back.

 

Slowly the paralysis crept up from the bountyhunter's legs and arms to his chest and he stopped moving altogether. Jay picked up the fallen gun and carefully looked around the corner of the crate where the other cretin had hidden...

Edited July 23, 2015 by Biologist

[Mistress of Whispers]

Teela watched as Athena and Jay took care of the male bounty hunter. Shifting her aim, she searched for his partner, but came up blank. The female hunter must have fallen out of sight behind those crates. So was she out or still up? Did Nelson have her in his sights? Putting those questions behind her - there was nothing she could do one way or the other - Teela shifted her aim again until she found the sack that held Jake. Making sure to keep her finger off the trigger, she observed the sack until it moved. Well, at least Jake was still alive then.

Edited July 25, 2015 by Mistress of Whispers

[Marcus Pheonix]

Nelson lay prone in his own vent on the opposite side to Teela, similarly he had barely been able to see any of the ensuing chaos as the crates almost completely covered his vision.

He did however see the female bounty hunter hiding behind a few crates towards the back, clearly she had ducked out of the way the moment she regained her senses from Teelas shot.

He watched as she drew her weapon and stood up to take aim at his companions who were out of his site.

Grinning Nelson adjusted his aim slightly, at this range he didn't need to look through the scope. He effortlessly pulled the trigger and with a near silent click the bullet flew out of his rifle and struck solidly less than an inch above where the female bounty hunter held her weapon, whipping it out of her grasp with tremendous force, and likely straining her hand as it did.

She won't be holding any guns with that hand for a little while Nelson thought, as he expertly released the shell and loaded a second bullet in.

 

((Okay you write what Jill does next (thats her name right?) ))

 

[Biologist]

Jill was shocked that her gun had been shot out of her hand, and cradled the numb hand in her armpit. She ducked away behind crates, for now she suspected two different shooters, in stead of one.

 

She had been lucky that the first one had hit her square in the chest, her body armour stopping the brunt of the force. And she couldn't believe her luck when the second sniper had targeted only her gun.

 

Not waiting for her luck to change, she made an executive decision to take her life and run while she still could. She knew that was what her partner would have done, had the situation been the other way around.

The two shots had come from above and she guessed the shooters had been either on crates or in some of the ventilation ducts. Either way, she choose a path carefully to keep out of sight from those two vantage points and tried to sneak away unseen...

Edited July 25, 2015 by Biologist

[XxWaterGaridanxX]

The whole situation had Athena's tights in a knot but at least it had gone as planned, she had made sure to push Atlanta back and away from danger as the dart did its job and caused Jack to become numb and to fall from Jay's punch, their faces were usually the last to become numb.

Kneeling beside the paralyzed man she spoke in a dark tone, "Alright heathen," she grabbed him by his chin barely even glancing as shots fired around her, "This poison will make you paralyzed for the rest of your pitiful little life unless you tell me where we can find Jake."

 

((Back!))

[Biologist]

Jack weighed his options. He doubted that the chick was serious, but could he take that chance? The deal was blown anyway - no point in losing his life as well as the money.

 

Jerking his head as much as he could, he indicated the path from where he had come.

 

Jay looked in the direction the man had indicated. He contacted Teela over the com. After the all-clear from his Captain, he carefully made his way around the crates, his skin was crawling, he expected an ambush every step of the way. All he encountered was a large human sized burlap sack with what looked like a body in it. He looked around to make sure he wasn't being targeted by the other bountyhunter in hiding, then took out his knife and quickly cut the rope holding the top of the sack together. Inside he found an unconscious Jake. What had they used to get him to sleep?

Edited July 26, 2015 by Biologist

[ValidEmotions]

The bar had been noisy at best, occupied by people taking a break or escaping from whatever they were going through at the present time. There were lulls of silence and spurts of chatter, glasses clinking against each other or the tables littering the room. Now and then, one to a small group of customers would enter or leave. Eli paid little attention to faces but was all ears to conversations.

 

People liked to talk, whether directly to the point or not. He was good at picking out things, key words or phrases with underlying tones. He'd be damned if he wasn't. After all, his job depended on a silver tongue.

 

A cold glass chilled his fingertips, condensation trailing down the surface and wetting his skin. A folder, stuffed with a thin stack of papers, rested to his right on the counter of the bar while a trio of portfolios were tucked away by his feet. A sturdy cord kept the three together and made for easier carrying.

 

"You looking for another round, bud?"

 

The man looked up at the bartender, a towel in the second man's hands as he waited for a reply. "Nah, I'm leaving," Eli responded. Finishing his drink, he placed the now-empty glass back on the counter and grabbed the folder, stooping to gather the portfolios. He made his leave.

 

Eli was a man of words and, as such, he loved them. Even gruff voices could be melodic to him. If he'd thought about it longer, he might have ended up as a Linguistics instructor. However, he wasn't and his job was something else entirely.

 

With his footsteps softly ringing along the metal walkways, he looked for the loading docks. Finally, his brown eyes rested upon what he was searching for and a smirk temporarily crossed his features. Approaching the Harmony, Eli lifted his empty left hand and firmly rapped his knuckles against the hatch that was the entry.

 

[[Let me know if I've gotten something wrong.]]

[Mistress of Whispers]

Still watching the room through her scope, Teela spotted the female bounty hunter making her way to the exit behind a stack of crates. Or was she? Teela frowned as the hunter seemed to be circling back to the group. Was she trying to get in a shot? Teela adjusted her scope and took aim. She wasn't quite ready to kill a possibly retreating opponent, but she would let the bounty hunter know she was seen...

 

The shot ran out loudly and Teela's high velocity round embedded itself in a crate next to the female hunter's head. Jerking back, the female bounty hunter seemed to rethink her situation and, ducking low behind the crates, rushed towards the exit.

 

Used to combat situations, the male bounty hunter was a lightning quick thinker. Lying on the floor, he knew he'd be near-impossible for the sniping team and if he could get rid of just one of the people standing before him... Struggling against the paralysis, he made use of the distraction and raised the hand holding his gun...

Edited August 1, 2015 by Mistress of Whispers

[Mistress of Whispers]

Xiao surveyed the medical bay. Its smooth surfaces were sterilized, fully-stocked medkits were sitting within easy reach, and basic surgical supplies were at hand. Because while her plan was solid, let's face it, things never went smooth.

 

She smoothed her dress and tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear. Both gestures were automatic, but they were not natural. It was learned behaviour, like blinking, to make her seem more normal. She could sit unmoving and barely breathing for hours when she worked on her calculations, but she'd quickly discovered that people on the outside found that unnerving.

 

Satisfied that the medbay was in order, Xiao moved on to the cockpit. She wasn't a natural pilot, but she has seen Jay do it often enough. Re-creating what he did, she activated all the right panels and started a prep procedure. If they needed to leave in a hurry, and knowing this crew they might very well, at least the ship would be ready.

 

Let's see, what else could she do to make herself useful? She knew the Captain had noticed her tendency to opt out of combat, and Xiao wanted to smooth any feathers that might have ruffled. She was about to move into the kitchen to fix something to eat - not her best skill, but like most anything she could copy others very well - when she heard a knock reverberate through the ship.

 

Who the heck knocks on the hull of a ship? Nevertheless, she made her way to the only accessible opening while they were docked - the hangar doors. Reaching the doors, she paused at the com system. The cameras revealed a dark-skinned man standing in front of the door. She didn't know him. Xiao frowned and considered her options. With this crew, this odds of this being a friendly encounter were slim. Furthermore, she was unarmed - though that was by choice and not through lack of weapons in the ship. She pressed the com button.

 

"Can I help you?" Xiao's surpassingly polite voice, devoid of any discernible accent, sounded outside.

[Biologist]

Jay - Feeling Jittery - Cargo Bay

 

Jay reflexively ducked for cover as a shot rang through the cargo bay, with the bullet hitting a crate nearby. It wasn't a shot aimed at him for the crate was rather far away for a close miss of himself, so he assumed it had been one of his own group, trying to hit the female bountyhunter.

 

Being extra careful, he snuck around another stack of crates to where the shot had impacted, but found no-one there. The doors on the other side of the cargobay had just shut closed moments before he arrived. Good riddance! he thought, but checked with Teela over the com if the other bountyhunter had left, just to be sure.

 

He doubled back towards the unconscious Jake, hoisting him over his shoulder and carrying him toward where Athena and Atlanta were.

Edited August 3, 2015 by Biologist