15644/The Lowdown on Lowtown

The Lowdown on Lowtown
Date of Scene:	18 August 2023
Location:	Danger Room
Synopsis:	Domino has a mission for X-Force, enlists Tabby and the Danger Room to help get a lay of the land and the mission.
Cast of Characters:	Tabitha Smith, Neena Thurman

---

Tabitha Smith has posed:
There's been a whole bunch of stuff going on in the world of mutants and X-Types. Alien Princesses and ruined vans, government trying to to force depowerment on mutants, corporations trying to harvest mutant bodyparts.

Not a fun time for most mutants these days.

But much like the X-Men there have been other loosely affiliated groups working and planning to deal with varying threats.

One of them is X-Force. Which counts a few residents of the school as members, even if some of them are more part time.

One of these is Tabby Smith, known to many as Boom-Boom. Whom is currently at the inside entrance of the Danger Room, working the touch screen console just by the door to punch up a whole bunch of possible simulations. Her uniform, a mix of black faux leather-latex seeming material making up her leggings while light padding in yellow over her chest, shoulders, back, and biceps leave her upper upper half protected. That toned midriff and tiny waist still showing. Yellow boots and a pair of Ray Bans with red tinted lenses work the accessorizing for her.

"Dull, dull, boooooring, old, not in the mood for Sentinel Horde Mode." she mutters not quite quietly at all as she swipes a finger on the screen.

Neena Thurman has posed:
It always seems to be the case, doesn't it? Humanity needs a fall guy for whenever they eff something up royally. Every race on the planet has been the scapegoat at some point, and now it seems to be all in on the mutants. It's not only in what would be considered 'first world', but in 'third world' as well. Heck, tribes in Africa would be all over Domino- albino AND mutant. Just consider how much of an aphrodesiac SHE would be to some rich, fat mogul looking for his tenth wife.

No, not a fun time for mutants. At all.

The X-Men were born of a need to teach 'understanding', to help both sides in the strife, to try and unite under commonality. Look how far that's gotten them. The mission has undoubtedly changed even as the winds have. There is, however, still a need to take one large step even further forward:

X-Force. A black ops mutant team that has absolutely no qualms about doing what needs to be done. But, unlike other organizations, they don't run under politics. For the most part.

Check back in with them later.

One of the founders of the group is Domino.. a name she prefers to her given name; this is a nickname born of her history. Albino with stark black, mopped hair, and a large black spot around the eye. Hard to miss, really.

"Sentinel hordes are overrated," comes a wry voice from just behind Tabby. She wasn't trying to be quiet, and it could actually be that some of the younger woman's lament was meant for her. Who knows? Regardless, she's getting a response.

"Madripoor, market district. Current weather." The words are more a command for the Danger Room rather than a suggestion for Tabitha. Apparently the merc has her reasons?

"Tabs, feel like a vacation to the islands?" If Tabitha turns around, she will indeed see Domino grinning, her outfit the 'usual' leathers with guns bristling from almost every angle. That's not to mention the knives she carries. "Beautiful this time of year." Not really. Rainy season with threats of mudslides from the hills. Miserable place.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
There's a smirk turns with a slight turn of the blonde's head towards the paler woman. "Normally. Never a good thing to say to a Genoshan survivor." she softly chuckles, being one of those survivors. It's more she runs that she's probably punishing herself for something that flipped the sack of cats inside Tabby's skull.

At least she hasn't run away from everything this time.

So far.

The voice commands are received by the computer and a simulation of Lowtown shimmers into view.

"Should I go strip down to my skimpiest bikini?" she half jokes. At least it can fit into one of the hidden pouches inside her coats and jackets.

The aircon sim kicks in too and the air does get decidedly more humid than might be fun for either woman. "With all the knockoff Gucci, human trafficking, and socioeconomic divisions you could want." she points out and grins.

As more of the simulation loads, it even projects holographic people doing all the things locals might do.

Shi'ar tech is so handy.

"So like got an itinerary for our jaunt, or just like totes sight seeing?"

Neena Thurman has posed:
"Kiddo, I've fought enough of them that if I get flack for that?" Domino makes a breathy exhalation that holds a touch of amusement in the breeze. "They gotta let that go or it'll eat 'em alive. Life is good. Looking back? Not so much."

Thus ends the philosophy of Neena Thurman.

"Damn," Domino mutters, "how can I keep forgetting what a s-hole the place is?" Still, there comes that black-lipsticked smile that appears, and she shakes her head. "Nah.. locals will love that too much. The last thing you want is toothless pirates leering at you." Ew.

"I'm actually all about the knockoff Rolexes. Shinier." Heh.. and she enters completely now, peering into the humid mists. "Reminds me of Jersey in the summer."

Domino drops down into the holographic image, where everything seems so very, very real. Good entrance point! "We got an invite in to help stabilize the government." Stabilize? "We were asked.. through channels." Domino's voice is low now, conversational but holding that edge just below the surface. "This is to get us reacquainted with the alleys. Before we're done, we should be able to move silently in darkness through the streets." Without being seen.

"There's gonna be a test afterwards."

Tabitha Smith has posed:
"Those peg-legged old bastards are gonna try cop perves and feels no matter what we wear." Tabby points out and chuckles. "They lose hands, but then switching for hooks just adds to the authenticity of the lifestyle." she adds and grins.

Having been to Lowtown a few times in her life wearing an X, Tabby can only nod in agreements. "Better smelling than Jersey though." Not everything gets simulated though thankfully. Like the scent of piled up refuse, human filth and waste, and all the other additives you'd find on the streets of a more slum-ish second world area.

If we're just pathfinding, I could go grab some go-karts and zoom around like a miniature high speed car chase, despawn the civvies trying to grab my ass and sell us fake accessories. Who uses watches nowadays anyway?" she ponders irreverently.

At least her experience being a street kid still lingers. "Hooker, hooker, john, dealer, junkie, hooker, undercover cop." she points out without actually pointing. There's a good argument Tabby may qualify as junkie but weed is legal and it does help her from not exploding her dorm apartment.

"And like wouldn't what we're simulating not be dead on? Like street layouts yeah, but moveable things that could get in our way will be straight random shit. Hobos, bins, piles of trash, dead bodies. That kinda thing?"

Neena Thurman has posed:
"As in, if we're going to be working on keeping the government in power, we're gonna have to go where the rats are. Quietly. And apparently," Domino's brows rise in amused askance, "go-karts won't do it. So.."

Domino has the habit of looking up when talking to embedded systems and continues, "Nightfall, patrols and randomize targets." With her wods, then, the room falls into a more inky darkness with bits of lights as the market falls into darkness, but for a few moving about drunkenly.

It's like a switch has been flipped with Domino as she takes the first steps towards an alleyway, making her way from the wider, open streets and into the relative safety of the smaller paths. "You have to feel it to memorize it. Feel the give under your feet." With her words, the merc begins the climb, pushing off boards and pieces of tin that sticks out of ramshackle buildings.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
"So who's the government? And like who trying ta get all Coup coup d'tat on these Walrii?" Tabby makes sure to ask since just doing a job blind can get eyes poked out and asses bitten.

"Cause like the only governments I know I be like friendly with are Illyana and Lorna. So just wanna make sure there's no screw job waiting on us." she goes on and follows behind and occasionally beside Domino.

Behind those glasses she keeps on looking about, doesn't take them off even with the switch in simulated time period. "Hey preaching to the choir, did enough time homeless in New York City, you don't learn where stuff is, and what and who hows, then it gets extra unsafe for a girl." she reminds.

There's a pause while Neena starts climbing, giving the woman some space before she starts her own ascent. "I do miss fire escapes though!" she laments at her own playful expense. Most of the sounds she soon makes mostly consisting of muffled grunts and groans while she tries to not make too much of a racket in case one of the new patrols tries.

"You know if we need to like recon a rebel base, we can probably just go drinking at the Princess Bar and let that brain noisy telepathy some of us have do the job." everything tends to happen there.

Neena Thurman has posed:
"Right now? Cortez. He's the devil we know," Domino offers up over her shoulder. Pulling herself up onto the room,, she's got a survey of the immediate area, but she stays low, keeping as little a profile as she can. Albino. Darkness. There are certain considerations, after all.

"As for who? He has no idea. That's part of the reason he called." A shrug lifts a single shoulder. "He's paying good money, and we'll get a nice spot for our efforts once it's done." She nod her agreement, however, her voice lowering even more, making it a little harder to hear, "Yeah, always a consideration," is agreed.

The grunts are quiet i the night air, but they do gain attention. Domino's quick to hear the shift in movement below, however, and a bullet is pulled from a pocket and winged across the rooftops away from their position.

Holding out her hand to help stabilize Tabitha, Domino is grinning. "See? Nothing around here is built to code."

Tabitha Smith has posed:
"So if the rebels are like less assholish than Cortez, can we totes just switch sides? Put someone fun and less self centered on the throne? If we're gonna play mutant CIA, might help to know more about our opposition and our employer. Cortez might not be so friendly to the populace. Douche uses Flatscan every second word when humans are involved." Tabby hmms and does her best wall climbing.

If there wasn't a need to minimalise sound Tabby might have just bomb jumped to the roof in her best Cannonball impersonation. But no she has to do things the hard way.

Over where Domino flung the bullet by hand there's probably some cinematic Rube Goldberg series of events that led to Tabby not being shot at.

Sure the sim might have safeties but a failed sim is a failed sim.

Eventually the hand is reached and taken and Tabby is up and dusting herself off. "At least RL I can ping patrols and stuff. I try now all I get are school noises upstairs." she chuckles, extra difficulties.

Neena Thurman has posed:
As Tabby makes all the larger connections, Domino quirks a grin, nodding her approval. "Assuming, of course, that the pay is better. And we get a nicer hacienda away from all of this." There are considerations.

Sure enough, though.. the bullet that she tossed is clinking around the grooves of the tin roofs, bouncing its merry way down into crevices and rolling onto the ground and into a particularly darkened section where patrols are passing. One foot is placed down, positioned just right, and the round rolls beneath, causing the man to loose his footing, falling backwards and hitting his head on the edge of a wooden rain barrel.

Blood seeps down the dirty, grimey cobblestones.

Domino anchors and helps Tab pull up and join her on the roof of where she is. "You can't ping 'em? Really?" Huh.. and she looks curious as blue eyes lift skyward once more. "Interesting..."

Still, time to go. "Okay," and Domino is back in the moment as she crouch-walks across the roof, "Let's go. Learn these mean streets. Never know when we'll need it."

Tabitha Smith has posed:
"We didn't specify a Cerebro link for the sim." Tabby points out. "But hey, I've only been rocking the telepathy a year or so. Not using it was the norm for sneaky freaky spy stuff before Shadow King did his thing last June." she explains. At least she's not making more straining grunts and groan sounds.

Time and place for that. A fake rooftop is not one of them. especially when anybody could be up in the control booth overhead.

"Sometimes the right thing is more important than that sweet sweet payday. Unless we can screw someone over and do the right thing as well. Then it becomes a shiny bonus. My van got shot up hauling a Shi'ar Princess. The bird girl you might have seen about. Professor's kid. Now there's a regime change we're trying to prevent." she adds and grins.

While she follows Dom, Tabby at least hunches a little. "So parkour party? I am so gonna need more cardio before we rock Lowtown live."

At least she is aware of her shortcomings.