16486/The Path of Progress: Hightown Rumble

The Path of Progress: Hightown Rumble
Date of Scene:	11 December 2023
Location:	Madripoor
Synopsis:	Cable and his team hunt down their next lead on John Sublime's location at a Madripoor night club.
Cast of Characters:	Cable, Quiet, Tabitha Smith, Inez Temple, Sally Pride

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Cable has posed:
Madripoor.

It is a city of such incredible contrasts. A city of great history and yet known primarily for its criminal enterprises. The lavish splendor of Hightown is reflected by the abject poverty of Lowtown, the space between them measured at best by a couple of city blocks. And while one is probably much better off not being caught out on the streets of Lowtown after dark, the fall of the veil of night is maybe when Hightown truly comes alive.

For all it's dangers, Madripoor is a great place to find whatever it happens to be that you're looking for. That's the main reason that Cable has setup shop in the area as of late. Especially with the elusive John Sublime gone to ground, it has proven rather good at throwing out new possibilities, new leads in tracking down the leader of the Transhumanist movement.

And hipefully putting an end to his worldwide kidnapping ring of mutants, harvesting them for their powers and body parts.

Not to mention the bonus that when the search for Sublime is not going well, Madripoor is a gold mine for other targets that deserve a little excessive force directed their way. That doesn't hurt either.

Or at least it doesn't hurt Cable.

While violence will almost surely come to bear on this evening as well -- somehow it almost always does when the soldier from the future is involved -- at least it isn't going to start out that way. No, incongruently enough it starts out in the back of a stolen limo, acquired just for the occasion. The former possession of the leader of one of the many, many cartels in this criminal paradise, it's unlikely that he's going to come looking for it.

While not playing the billionaire investor this night, Nathan Summers is none the less suited up, though not in the dark, formal suit used to intially infiltrate -- or try to -- Sublime's corporate empire. This is a white affair, lighter and more suited for the warm climate of the tropics they find themselves in. But that ever-present briefcase with it's dimensional-defying elements -- much larger on the inside then outside -- is no doubt full of all of Cable's customary goodies.

"The target is inside the Eclipse Lounge," he says quietly. "One of Hightown's current, trendy night spots. Sublime's lieutenants are supposed to be meeting with Jacob deBrunner. He's one of the local crime lords with his fingers in just about everything. And ties to most of the big merc companies that operate out of this shit hole."

Flashing a brief, tight smile, Cable adds, "So mission is simple. We go in, identify the target. And try to take a few of them alive. Most of the people inside are scumbags, but not all of them. So a little care in the execution is required." Which would be why they are not just going in, guns blazing. This time.

As the limo pulls up to a stop in front of the brightly lit exterior to the club, the cyborg warrior glances around. "Any questions?"

Quiet has posed:
Quiet was in a slinky black dress, one of which showed off a fair amount of skin up her left thigh, leaving her arms entirely bare, as well as most of her expansive back. The dress tying up behind her neck, gave her that 'prepared for a nice club' look, the kind of attire that said she was ready to dance. But throughout the limo ride, she had her face planted right beside one of the windows, looking out of it with a happy expression as she would periodically roll it down to let the sun bathe her face and exposed skin, before she'd roll it up again, and look to the others as they spoke.

The window would go down, and up, down and up, right up to the point where they'd reach the point of destination tonight. She closed the window then and there, and pulled a gun out of her army-green bag she'd brought with her. Holding the silver plated pistol up, Stefani moved her dress aside, and slipped it in to a garter holster before she adjusted the dress again over her leg and moved to exit the vehicle, her three inch heels clicking on the ground as she practically leapt out of the car's interior! Clearly she was eager to get inside and strut her stuff tonight!

Tabitha Smith has posed:
The briefing had gone pretty quick. What did take some time was Tabitha's prep time. The location required specific gearing up and Tabitha knew exactly what she was going to need to maximum effectiveness.

Thankfully there was a genuine Van Dyne outlet in Madripoor, and there for not one she was banned from for shoplifting like in New York.

This mean she could weaponize a Little Black Dress. Low cut for some very tactical cleavage, backless and halter necked and tight enough around the midsection some stealth corsetry may be in play. The skirt terminating mid thigh while black stockings grip and cover her thighs. Her hair up in loose twintails, letting the front get kept out of her eyes by red, and red tinted cat eye frames matching the gloss on her lips and the faint shadow on her eyes.

Her feet stay protected by some knee high lace up boots, the laces a metallic red while the spike heels add enough extra height she can tower over some of the men.

Those are what are seen when she emerges from the limo to do her best job at looking like arm candy as she can. <<Hopefully he's got a mind open wider than an empty trailer.>> she lets the rest of the team in on the mind link so they can hear each other over the music and crowds that would likely drown out comms.

Inez Temple has posed:
While Nathan Summers gives his spiel, one Inez 'Outlaw' Temple is checking over her guns with a businesslike briskness at odds with her usual free wheelin' wild wild ways. Although she looks completely absorbed in her preparations, it doesn't take a telepath (or two!) to realize she's paying attention closely. She *is* a professional, after all.

Although her usual Stetson and cowboy boots are present, she has made an effort to look presentable and rich: Her usual plain shorts are replaced with a pair of high waisted shorts practically dripping with strands of pearls and diamonds like chains, a corset made from brocade and trimmed to make a saloon girl swoon, and over it a denim jacket likewise embellished with rhinestones and embroidery. It's a little trashy, but it gets the point across.

Especially as she stows her guns, reaching into her top to lift the girls up and fluff them for maximum cleavage. "Reckon' it sound simple 'nuff." She says with that thick drawl even as she pulls out a little compact mirror (where DOES she hide this stuff?!) and touches up her deep red lipstick. "What t' we do when it all goes ass up?"

Sally Pride has posed:
It was probably going to end up in violence in the end, like many of these missions did. Not that Sally minded it, doing the merc work with Cable's group let her cut a little more loose than some of the other people she often got into trouble with. "A little care. But for the most part, don't feel bad about beating anyone up." Sally had no issues with it turning into the nightclub version of a bar brawl eventually though.

Also it turns out the mutant lioness 'cleans up' pretty nicely when she really tries to. She was wearing black suitcoat over a light purple blouse and knee length skirt. That was slit partway up the sides so it wouldn't interfer when she does have to start moving beyond the limitations most humans would. Somehow it manages to be both more feminine than Sally usually goes for, partially thanks to the shirt only being buttoned far enough up her chest to be reasonable and let some cleavage show, but doesn't really hide the leonine power beneath it either.

It does well looking like someone trying to look classy and mostly pulling it off, but still obviously not actually that classy. Which fits pretty well for the location they're going to be harassing.

Cable has posed:
Admittedly the good things about Madripoor are pretty relative and can definitely be counted out on one's fingers. But one of the genuine nice things about the island city is that it is very much a meritocracy, focused on what people have accomplished, how much money they have, or what their connections are. Little things like mutations, or appearing to be half man, half machine don't register as particularly extraordinary.

It makes a nice change from much of the rest of the world to be sure. Though the rampant crime, casual cruelty and crippling poverty for the majority of the residents certainly does temper any progressive credentials the place might otherwise be worthy of.

The permanent stink that seems to somehow linger over Lowtown is not present here, where it might disturb all the shiny, pretty people, where it might encourage the money that is the lifebloof of Madripoor to look elsewhere. The club's exterior is brightly lit, the sign announcing the place a brilliant neon red, cutting through the darkening streets as the sun starts to sink behind the towering buildings that make up this part of the city. The expected burly bouncers are present out front -- certainly intimidating enough to stop the customary drunken bar fights, even amongst the more rowdy sorts that this city attracts.

But not in their league certainly.

<< If we can extract a few of the targets quietly we'll do that. It will give us a little bit of a head start on getting the info out of them without tipping anyone off, >> Cable says through that mindlink that goes up as they exit the limo. Truthfully it was already up as is usually the case when they work with Stefani. A practiced courtesy, from one professional to another. << But if things go sideways, just exercise a measure of care, at least until we're sure all the civvies are cleared from the site. Plasma cannons are probably a no go for me, tonight. I've had to bring other accessories, >> comes his dry mental assessment.

Money is exchanged with the doorman and then they are inside the club proper.

The air conditioning seems to be managing to keep up with the press of people within, though just barely and the loud music, the flashing lights, it all hits like a wall of force as they enter that darkened interior. Fortunately they do not have to talk about the sheer noise -- that's something at least. Tables with high chairs line the exterior walls, all leading to a wide, wood-topped bar with glowing blue lights all around it that immediately attracts the eye. An elevated section looks out over the dance floor, the stairs leading up to it guarded by another quartet of men -- these ones openly armed.

<< These are the primary targets >> Cable adds, peering about the interior of the club as he beams images of deBrunner and another man -- Sublime's lieutenant presumably -- into the heads of his team.

Quiet has posed:
The fancy state of the front facade draws Quiet's gaze as a smile sits happily upon her youthful visage. She gives a full spin, with her arms out even, for the bouncers to judge her as they so desire, mere seconds after she jogged up to them. Would they deny her from the place? Whose to say. Cable is paying their way in!

With one last look toward the setting sunlight, Quiet gracefully manuevered her way in to the building with the others, glancing at her companions as they moved in a group together. The mind link did indeed allow the Agent to talk to the others through that mental bridge, but even still she rarely said much, perhaps afraid of slipping up and speaking verbally if she got too comfortable with it.

Once inside the space, her eyes began to roam the dance floor, leading to the armed men, and lastly to the bar. She started toward the bar, her heeled shoes carrying her toward it, and along the way her hands came up to point finger guns at the openly armed men.

Pew pew gestures were sent their way, when their eyes watched the new arrivals striding in to the joint.

At the bar, Quiet started to point at what she wanted the server to pour for her, her hands reesting on the edge of the bar as she gently rocked forward and back from toes to spikey heels...

She's playing the part of a simple partier well enough, right?

Sally Pride has posed:
It was always a nice change of pace when Sally didn't have to conceal her true appearances, even when it was for missions in hives of scum and villainy like Lowtown.

The group makes their way inside after Cable pays off the bouncers, and then points out the armed men at the stairs. <<Noted>> is all she thinks back. <<Best we don't make it obvious we're all clustering towards the same thing, they might notice it as suspicious.>>

Which would be part of why Sally takes her own advice, and after pretending to chat a bit with the others and making a few indicative gestures seperates from the group and strolls over to the bar.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Since the last thing they need is bouncers and security getting in their grill about concealed weapons or planning trouble. Boom-Boom makes sure they only see and hear what looks like a group or harmless looking women as part of an entourage with Cable.

All just ready to party.

<<Well if guns get drawn. Just duck, cover your eyes and ears then after the flash just start decking people till we snag what we need.>> she suggests an option for when things went pear shaped.

Hopefully that won't happen, but you never know.

Once inside like the others she gets in the mingling mood, keeping eyes open for the targets cable pointed out. And occasionally seeing and poking telepathically to gleam anything. This is the difficult part with so much extra background noise in her head.

The filtering of everyone else, the mindlink helped with Cable. and the probing have her putting on her best fake happy party girl look.

But she'd explode the whole club for a mimosa or five.

Inez Temple has posed:
<< Got m' mark: T' biggun w' t' face tattoo. Easy mark! Face tattoos make a man mighty lonely.>> Inez crows over the mind-link as they separate and go their own ways, the wide, slightly manic grin visible like a Cheshire cat in their heads.

The Texan cowgirl looks surprisingly at home in the situation, having gone to her fair share of less than savory establishments in her career. Fortunately, not this particular one because it would be awkward if their mark realized that there was at least one notable bounty hunter in the crowd.

Instead, she makes her way towards the bouncer that gave her his number, rolling first one shoulder then the other to make sure her own elevated desk is presented in the best light.

"Howdy there, stranger. This y' number?" She asks him with a little smile as she tilts her hat back with a flick of one manicured finger. "Love t' give y' mine, but..." She shakes her head, sadly, "M' ex is in town. Mighty jealous, y'know? Think he might be here." She bats her lashes, "Iffin' I describe him, reckon y' can tell me if he's here, an' maybe buy me a drink?"

Cable has posed:
Look, Madripoor is pretty good about judging people by how rich they are, how dangerous they might be instead of on their appearance or genetic background. But even given all of that they are most definitely a group that is going to attract some attention, there isn't any real way to get around that.

And in some ways that even works to their advantage. Eyes will be on them all for the usual assortment of reasons, though even here Cable and Sally are more likely to stand out in the crowd. But eyes on them might leave the others a little more free to circulate, to find who they're looking for.

In a perfect world of course this would be a little easier. While Tabitha sweeps the club psionically looking for some trace of their quarry, it is about as difficult as it gets with so many people packed tightly together, with heightened emotions running rampant. And while Cable might like to help her, making things a little easier, a little quicker apparently doesn't qualify as a valid sort of reason to take that sort of risk and unleash his own telepathic senses, constraining himself to holding that mental link open instead.

It's hot, it's crowded and it isn't quite as easy for the grizzled soldier from the future to make his way through the crowd as the others. At least not without attracting all sorts of the wrong attention. So Cable edges his way through the crowd as quickly as he's able, showing surprising self-restraint to not just put that formidable bulk into use and bull his way through, gaze instead flickering about the club. Just in case.

Not that there is much doubt in his mind where they will find their targets and indeed, he slowly but surely makes his way in the direction of that guarded staircase and the restricted area above looking down over the dance floor.

<< Good plan. I'm not seeing any signs of them out here on the dance floor, but then they don't seem the type, >> Cable agrees drily. "See what you can do to check out the balcony. Or they could be in the offices in the back. >>

The bartender is quick to retrieve the indicated bottle for Stefani, pouring out a more then generous portion while beaming away at the silent woman.

Inez too has more then a little luck as she chats up one of the hired guns, a rather stupid grin sliding over his features as he leans in to better hear her over that pulse-pounding music that blares out loudly, the mullt-colored fountain in the center of the room sending up a towering spray to the hoots and hollars of those close by, the cascading water crashing back down into the pool with a splash. "I can't really leave my post," he offers up. "But if you describe him I'll keep an eye out and make sure that he gets... escorted out. Then maybe, when it quiets down..."

Quiet has posed:
Quiet accepts the drink from the bartender with a flirty smile cast his way. She takes a sip from it before turning to place her bare back against the bar's edge. Her green eyes are sent to wander the party atmosphere of the place tonight as she indulges in her drink of choice. She wanders her stare over the others in her group, smiling faintly at Inez's antics before she starts to walk. With a confident stride, Stef makes her way around the dance floor toward those office spaces, but she doesn't make it openly obvious. Instead she veers off at the last moment, and makes for the restroom hallway, smiling toward some of the security as she passes them by on a course for the ladies room...

Stepping in to the ladies room, she vanishes in to a puff of smoke...

Said smoke begins to drift along the floor, keeping low and in the shadows as it darts from place to place, headed for the offices area... a simple non-descript trail of black smoke, nothing strange here!

Inez Temple has posed:
<< Got a bouncer willin' t' bounce'm fer us. >> Inez tells the group in a smug tone, even as she laughs at the bouncer, lightly resting one hand on his chest and playing with his shirt collar. "Now that sound like a might fine deal." She tells him with a purr to her voice, smiling broadly. She then goes on to describe her quarry.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
scanning goes on. Sure wiggling hips and shaking busts increase how much psychic noise she has to filter out. With the amount of alcohol and who knows what drugs in their system, some people have even less filtering that Tabitha's brain.

While others might be checking out the balcony. The offices where eyes can't see. That's where Boom-Boom tries to focuss her psychic sweeps. It's probably where a whole bunch more goons are hiding. Even they can sometimes have enough of the party life. Especially if they have to work sober.

It's why tabby only part times at Harry's Hideaway these days and rarely at that.

But even if her target is not in an office or break room. There's always extra info that can narrow down the team's hunt. Inez's idea getting a soft grin. <<Lets see how willing he is to protect a lady.>>

Sally Pride has posed:
Sally Pride sidles up to the bar and leans on it, taking an idle moment to tap at the bartop like she was inspecting if it was geniune wood or a cheap imitation. Though the motion and the soft compared to the club noise but still very obvious click-click of what were clearly claws and not just sharped fingernails was also for show. A bit of more subtle 'mess with me at your own risk' imitation without making a big show out of it before it was appropriate to cause a scene.

After which she orders a mug of the fanciest beer the club has, but is still just beer, much like someone trying to act higher in society than they really are would to keep up with classy yet tough girl appearance.

<<Bar is pretty normal. I'll keep overwatch from here.>> She's got a good scope of most of the club, and while the noise might make her hearing a little less useful she's still got her predatory sight and sense of smell that are adjusting. She can't pick out individuals of the crowd as it is... but when a new scent comes into it, she can hopefully pick up on that.

The beer is delivered, Sally slaps some cash and tip down on the bartop, takes the mug and takes a chug from it.

Cable has posed:
As Quiet vanishes in a puff of smoke, here's hoping that no one pulls the fire alarm.

Then again, that might be a fairly quick and easy way of dealing with the crowds, clearing the way for the team to deal with things in their more usual style -- excessive force and a whole lot of explosions. And while Cable does have a general perference for the simple, straight forward approach -- hey, it's always worked so far, right? -- there are definite benefits to playing this one a little more covertly.

The back area of the Eclipse Lounge is on the quiet side for the most part, the deep thrum of music still reverberating even back here though not so much of an overpowering wall of sound as a low pulse felt in the sole's of one's feet.

As Stefani makes good on her recon mission, it proves fruitful. Or unfortuante. A brief peek in one of the storage rooms will reveal a familiar sight -- a dozen or so men decked out in the power armor they encountered while raiding one of the local law firms.

They might not have come here for a fight tonight. But someone seems to have.

Of course it's not just Quiet's physical recon that is likely to notice this potential problem, but Tabitha's psychic scan as well. To be sure the thoughts coming from the back are more organized, disciplined -- and a whole lot more sober -- then those flooding around her on the dance floor.

The stupid grin on the bouncer's face lingers a little longer and the burly man probably is not paying quite as much attention as he should, not with Inez providing such an enticing distraction. At least until she describes the man in question. Almost at once the grin is wiped from the bouncer's face and he straightens, gaze involuntarily flickering up towards the balcony nearby, the lights of the club seemingly positioned to leave it sheathed in shadow. "I think you've mad a mistake ma'am. Or if you haven't I'd advise you to leave as quickly and quietly as you can. the man you're describing... that sounds like Mr. deBrunner's guest."

Well, they have confirmation he's on site at least.

Sally's display at the bar makes it's point. At least to those sober enough to take it. Of course, in a place like this sobriety is not the primary trait of most of the patrons and there is always a few who are willing to take that sort of display as a challenge, instead of the warning it's meant. A pair of them even start to approach Sally.

The bartender at least gives her quick and efficent service though.

Cable continues to pick his way through the crowd. Judging by the grim look on his face, there is the distinct possibility that a wave of telekinetic force is about to knock everyone down. "Heeeeey man," one drunk patron says, wildly waving his drink as the liquid laps over the side. "Dooo the roobot!"

Quiet has posed:
Once sufficiently out of sight of any visible guards, Quiet once more re-corporealizes back in to her Human shape. She even still has her drink. It doesn't take her long to locate that sight of the detachment of those heavy mechs, which does genuinely surprise the silent Agent... She lingers her stare upon them for a moment before her Dutch-accented voice fills the minds of the rest of those on her team.

~They have the robot mechs." Stefani imagines to her teammates. ~They seem prepared for a big fight. I do not like how this looks.~

She ducks back behind a bit of cover as she hears some voices getting closer to her position, her face and body sinking back in to a darker space, as she's trying actively not to be seen, of course!

Once the voices pass by, she spares another look out at the mechs, and begins to move with a purposeful stealthy edge as she tries to get closer to over-hear any comments or plans from the potential enemies within.

Sally Pride has posed:
Sally Pride sees the men approaching out of the corner of her field of vision like a good trained soldier aware of their surroundings. It would take more than one mug of even strong beer to inhibit her much, but these people don't know that.

But she doesn't even give them the satisfaction of looking up to them when the approach. She takes another swig from her mug, followed by a calm and somewhat forced casual tone for "Do yourselves a favor, and what you're probably thinking... Don't." Her tail flicks, another subtle reminder she's more than just an odd looking human... But likely no one is looking where they'd notice that unless they were already checking out her ass.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Over the mind link tabby keeps track of at least the mood of the guards squirreled away. But she does try to probe Inez' guard about where deBrunner is kept. It'd likely be on the forefront of his mind as he gets into work mode to try and dissuade the Cowgirl.

<<That just ain't gentlemanly at all!>> she sort of laments. Though she seems a little more perky considering she also gets the report from Quiet as well. <<God I love fighting robots! So umm, we going hot or waiting for them to haul the clankers out and we can get them on the road?>> she asks while still mid dance.

So she's limbering up. At least if she's gonna risk a not cheap at all dress she'll make it worth while. <<Cause way too many people in here if it goes sideways like a 'shiner on a dirt track.>>

Inez Temple has posed:
"Oh! Must be someone else." Inez says to her mark, and grinning. "M' ex, he ain't that high and fancy." She licks her lips, and winks at him. "Sounds like y' free t' get me t' drink once y' done, sugar." Even as Inez continues to flirt so that the bouncer doesn't realize he's been made, she relays: << VIP on the balcony. His eyes cut there when I mentioned it. If we need to, nab the VIP and we can extract info. >> And yes, her thick drawl does fade out slightly in her mental voice as she goes full blown work mode.

Cable has posed:
Generally speaking, an armed force of murder mechs in a tightly packed building like this one is probably not going to end well. The fact that they are present at all certainly suggests that trouble is expected. And when dealing with Sublime, at least these days, the likely anticipated trouble is due to come from Cable and his allies.

There are a handful of unarmored gunmen as well, sweeping through the back with the sort of precision and near-perfect timing that QUiet will have little trouble recognizing as sentry training. Not your run of the mill bouncers then, but also clearly part of one of the many professional mercenary groups that propagate like blow flies in this city.

Still, there are gaps in their sweeps to be exploited and Stefani will have only a little difficulty in getting close to the armored mercs once more.

"...confirmation that Summers and some of his people are on site. We move in two and this time there can be no mistakes. If they can't be taken out we're to make sure that they're framed for the resulting massacre. Is everyone clear on your positions..."

Maybe the duo notice that tail. Maybe it is the tone in her voice, somehow conveyed despite the blaring music that continues to pump on out and truly ear-rending volumns. Maybe the natural survival instincts present in the hind brain of most human beings finally kick in but the pair back off with muttered apologies and assurances that she's got them alll wrong.

One potential problem averted. At least for now.

In all fairness, Inez is pretty charming and the bouncer has the good graces to at least look torn at her disarming assurances that there just must be some sort of misunderstanding. "Welll..." he says slowly, eyes flickering once more towards the balcony nearby. "Look, business here should be done soon and then maybe you and I..." he starts before a hand goes to the side of his head, finger pressed to the earpiece there, listening for a moment. "You might want to make yourself scarce for just a few and then I'd love to get to know you better," he leers her way.

Tabitha's psychic surveillance certainly picks up that increased surge of tension, that anticipation that she would recognize quite well indeed. The forces in the back, the gunmen guarding the balcony, the bouncers scattered throughout the club -- all of them are getting ready for a fight. That much is unmistakable. And up on the balcony? There is a distinct surge of satisfaction.

<< I think our chances of a quiet extraction are quickly vanishing, >> comes Cable's mental reply. With Inez confirming that their target is indeed up in the balcony VIP section, the grizzled soldier's eyes narrow and taking the drunken man who is accosting him, a swift application of telekinetic force suddenly hurls him, as if he suddenly decided to take a flying leap onto one of the guards at the foot of that stairwell. Down go the both of them and the other trio rush to drag off their fellow's seeming attacker.

Inez Temple has posed:
Across the mindlink, Inez snaps, << Incoming! Just warned the bouncers of trouble. >>

Quiet has posed:
~Sentry mercenaries.~ Comes Stefani's melodic voice through the mind-link. ~I will try to infiltrate one of the mech suits, as I did before...~ She adds before falling silent again.

She ducks back in to cover as a pair of those Sentry watchmen march past where she is, and she indulges in another sip of her drink before the glass is set down on a concrete outcropping with a little tink of delicate glass on rough surface.

She dashes around behind the concrete pillar, and with her black dress swishing around her legs, she lunges for the back of one of the mech suits! Having experience with these things now, she knows how to access the interior, and her fingers deftly move across it to pop the hatch opening behind it. When she finds a pilot inside it, she offers him a sweet smile at first, before a black streak crosses over her eyes, and her right fist moves in to deliver a punch in to the middle of his nose. She rips his comm from his face, and dives in to the mech suit with him, her body wrapping around his as she begins a choke move to put him out cold in her arms!

Tabitha Smith has posed:
If a fight is gonna break out. And with cable about to shove someone via TK, that pretty much confirms it. Across the club. Everyone starts getting the same thought. <<Man this club sucks! Fuck it lets bail.>> easier to have people leave if they don't want to be there from the start. Nice and orderly. A few more nudges about. I bet that place two blocks up is way better!>> possible senses of incentivization.

The guards will have to wait as Tabitha keeps her own watch to make sure crowds are going. Soon as weapons go hot it's gonna be a stampede.

How sturdy and bullet proof are some of the tables anyway?

<<Someone lemme know when the last civilian is out. Imma start flashing the security!>> and it won't be the weapons she keeps in the front of her dress either. Dazzling as they are.

Sally Pride has posed:
Good, they backed off. Doesn't matter if they were looking for a fight, or.... something else. Never know with people in these places. The point is that they left and aren't going to be an immeadiate issue.

Because by the sound of it things are going south and fast.

<<Sadly. Hopefully the less... criminal people will be the one's first to run.>> She gulps down the end of her beer. At least she had that to enjoy.

A few more dollars are tossed on the bar. "Thanks, mate... you may want to keep your head down now," she comments almost too casually to the barkeep.

Then turns around and with the same precision aim she handles a gun chucks the mug at the head of one of the men rushing towards Cable after he made his move.

Clearly the extra 'tip' was to cover the cost of the mug she just turned into a projectile.

Inez Temple has posed:
"Oh, honey, I'd break y'." Inez purrs at the mark, giving him a wicked little smile... Before punching him with a right hook that could crack concrete. Once down, she tsks and gives him a kiss on the cheek.

Cable has posed:
While the furniture scattered about the club doesn't look particularly sturdy, the bar is a different matter. Just wood, it is at least hefty and clearly made out of hard wood so that's something. The fountain in the center of the club is also raised up and appears be sturdy enough to provide some cover in the event of an emergency, so that's something.

Between Inez's warning from the bouncer, Quiet's recon and Tabitha's psychic spying, they at least have plenty of head's up that trouble is on the way. Which gives them a little time to act. tabby's priming the pump as it were, those subtle mental impulses to the crowd in general does indeed seem to have an effect. The lively, raucous crowd seems to diminish a little -- the life going out of the party as it were -- and by the time trouble first breaks out there is already a small but steady stream of people headed for the exit. A stream that only flows faster as the first signs of the impending fight begin.

Did the the obnoxious drunk really deserve to be used as a projectile weapon? To be bodily thrown to the wolves? Possibly not. But at the very least it gets him down out of the line of fire, far too uncoordinated or aware enough to do much more then flail about and continue to serve as a distraction, helping to clear the stairs and the path ahead.

Of course, Cable's actions haven't gone entirely unnoticed and the man's friend leaps to his defense, going to try and punch the future soldier in the back of the head. At least he would if that mug didn't sail through the air and crack him in the side of the head, sending him down in a heap. Glancing over, Cable flashes Sally a brief nod and fractional smile.

Oh that poor bouncer. Leaning in, perhaps expecting a kiss from the wild blonde, he instead gets cracked solidly across the chin by Inez, head snapping back and actually spinning in place before he drops like a stone. Apparently she breaks hearts *and* faces for good measure. Either way, it is one more potential combant out of the picture.

The burgeoning bar fight out front does get the attention of those in the back too and the message plays out over those commsets -- one of which Quiet can certainly hear as she slips up into her chosen mech. "...trouble out front! Everyone complete your last check and then we go..." come the orders to the surprised trooper inside. "What the..." he exclaims as Stefani lives up to her name, cutting off any further discussion with that choke hold. Eyes bulge as he struggles for a moment, those struggles increasingly growing weaker and weaker. Until they cease entirely.

Then, pushed to the side, one of those armored power suits is no longer like the others as they begin to tromp out through the hall, heading towards the main floor of the club.

<<New plan, >> comes Cable's psychic presence. <<First one who can, get up to that balcony, incapacitate the targets and bodyslide out. Once they're evacuated, we'll all do the same and meet back at the safe house.>>

Quiet has posed:
The limp body of the mech pilot is dropped behind it, falling out of the back of the mech like a sack of potatoes. The mech is left open for the time being, as Stefani slips the commlink in to her ear, picking up on the orders from the Sentry Mech team's leader. Inside the one suit now, she watches as the others begin to deploy, hearing their heavy mechanical frames begin lumbering across the floor, headed for the corridor out toward the main club.

With a glower on her black-striped face, Quiet mans the controls of her own mech suit now, and waits for the others to move out ahead of her, leaving her at the back of the pack... leaving all of their backs facing her...

Her right hand grips around the aiming controls for the suit's gatling gun mounted on its right arm. She's done this before, she's operated this before back in that tower incursion mission.

Priming the heavy gun, Quiet's mech lumbers out in to the back of the line of others, the hatch on her mech still open allowing her to be seen standing inside the machine, clad in her lovely black dress.

With a determined expression, Quiet lines up her gatling gun HUD, and simply opens fire...

She starts strafing the backs of every mech in front of her that she can quickly stroke the reticle across, peppering them with hot bullets while their backs are to her!

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Once most of the people are gone Tabby can relax on having to filter out all the usual club noise. That still leaves some very unflattering metal chatter from the guards starting to pile in. <<If you're grabbing a mech suit honey...>> That gets directed to Quiet. <<Mark it so I can spot you in the crowds. Easier to slag the right limbs off a robot if I don't have to worry about friendly fire.>> Sure she can pick out Stefani's mental signature but when Tabby gets rolling.

It's just extra insurance.

As for any guards in and bouncers coming in. The first one gets a sphere of plasma aimed right in the face. Luckily for him. It was a low yield concussion bomb. Enough to flash and bang in a single person's grill but not in any danger of blowing out ear drums if you're more than a meter or so away. <<I can cover anyone trying to jump your six if one of you ladies wanna make the snatch and grab.>>

Bombs for days!

Sally Pride has posed:
The tiny small is brief, but it is long enough for Sally to notice as she's darting up to Cable's side. "Don't worry, got your back."

And reachs around to her own back, right hand shifting under the tails of her jacket and shirt to pull the gun tucked in the waistband of her skirt there. While her other hand still has a full set of claws of course. But right now, the blaster is more suited for keeping people at bay. <<We'll hold attention down here, one of you people with the fancy powers get up there if you can.>>

The first hostile approach gets to feel the sting of her gun... fortunately for them it's only set to max stun, hitting like a taser but 100x harder than an actual bullet.

On second thought, it's debatable if that's fortunate. Just less lethal.

Cable has posed:
This isn't the first time that Sublime and his contractors have tried to ambush them. In point of fact they've done it quite a bit. But it's hard to be taken by surprise when you go in expecting a trap. When you have as much experience as the teams that Cable tends to gather do. Every trap is just an opportunity. To cause a little more mayham.

Just because Cable is a grim soldier from the future doesn't mean that he can't like his job too.

The merc group is a well coordinated team. But they don't really expect to come under fire from behind, especially from one of their own. The lead mechs do come crashing through those doors leading into the back, to the offices and supply lockers that few club-goers ever really see. They emerge with those gatling guns levelled, seeking out the targets on which to open fire. And finding much of the crowd that they were to massacre as part of the back-up plan, the frame job meant to put Cable and his allies on the defensive in the eyes of the world -- well, gone.

They also find their allies already in rather disarray. A condition that quickly grows as the sound of the thundering revolving cannon suddenly fills the passage behind them. Turning the mechs still crowded into that corridor into little more then a pile of scrap metal, torn to bits by Quiet's sneak attack.

Twelve mechs came out of that storage room. Three managed to enter the club proper. Quiet pilots one. The other eight? Shredded without so much as the chance to defend themselves, a twisted mass of metal clogging up the hallway. Not bad for an evening's worth of work. Someone earned themselves that drink.

While Quiet might have done a lot of the heavy lifting, it isn't as if there still isn't more to do. Boomer makes good use of her flashbang bombs, overwhelming the bouncers who seek to race in from the outside, cutting off their escape with bright explosions, bursts of color and noise that cut through even the club's sound and light system.

Inez likewise seems busy with the bouncers, taking out the armed men before they can bring their weapons into play.

That still leaves the mechs, a handful of still upright sentries and, of course, their actual targets. Glancing around, judging the likelihood of Quiet getting through the tangle of metal blocking her way, Cable suddenly drops the briefcase down in front of Sally as she covers him, another pair of men going down under her barrage. "Looks like everyone is a little busy. I've got our targets. Use in good health," he says, gesturing to the array of heavy weaponry laid out in the case. Just perfect for dealing with the mechs. "I imagine Tabby will want a piece too," he adds drily.

Then, turning, Cable abruptly propels himself up to the balcony with a burst of telekinetic force, ignoring the stairs. Instead he bodily plows through a pair of waiting gunmen in that shadowy alcove, knocking them down and out as he lands in a crouch. Debrunner and his contact look startled, starting to rise from their seats.

Which is when Cable lifts his gaze, glares and gestures with his hand. Both men go flying back, slamming into the wall hard and then hanging limply there.

No mistakes. No getaway this time.

<< Targets neutrailized. Prepare for evac. >>

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Time to bail. Cable has the target. So Tabby waggles fingers in a salute to her opposition. This comes with the front room filling up with bright colored spheres of plasmoid energy. The blonde covering the exit of the rest of the team with shaped and directed charges going off seemingly at random while she makes her own move to escape.

<<Alright, lets bounce ladies!>> she says as she starts moving, having had to to jump behind the bar during the fight.

This does allow her to grab a very expensive looking bottle of whiskey in one hand, and some tequila in the other. The sort with a little worm in the bottle.

Something to celebrate with as she gets her egress on with the others.

Quiet has posed:
Green eyes staring out from behind a black mask streaked across Stefani's face. she gunned those eight mechs down with a ruthless edge. The flashing of her own suit's weapon strobing light across her visage as she cut them down with lethal intent. When it was all said and done, her gun deactivated again, with the spinning turbine of barrels still emitting a shrill metal on metal song...

~I cannot enter the main room.~ Comes Stefani's feminine voice over the mind-link. ~Abandoning my mech here. Coming to rejoin you.~

And she does just so, leaping backward out of her armored suit, she lands upon those three inch heels upon the polished concrete floor of the club's back room area. Skidding to a stop, Quiet grabs her drink off of the pillar that she'd left it on, and begins moving forward, taking another sip of the fruity icy beverage. Along her way past the destroyed mech units, one of the pilots managed to get his hatch open, with his bloodied body crawling out of it. Quiet bent down beside him, giving the man a nice long look at exposed thigh, as she smiled softly at him from behind that strange black mask. Snatching his utility belt from around his waist, Quiet blew him a silent kiss as the last moments of his life drained from his body. she rose back up, with drink in one hand and grenade belt in the other.

Weaving between broken suits of mech hardware, she emerged in to the main room behind the other three still-functional Mech units. One by one she ran behind them, dropping explosives in to the small cubby niches built in to the back of the metal frames. Having twisted their timers to count down from sixty seconds, Quiet just ran on by, her heels clicking on the reflective floor of the dance club, as she puffed back in to smoke, and headed toward the others on her team!

Sally Pride has posed:
"Oh, I will." Lions can't purr technically, but Sally's tone of voice gets very close to it when Cable leaves her the toys. Her eyes glance down for just a moment to pick out a weapon with appropriate oomph to deal with the remaining mechs. And most of the non-targets having fleed the fracas by this point. She doesn't have quite the strength Cable does, but all that means is she has to use both hands for stable aim when he'd likely be one-handing it.

<<Got you covered,>> she replies to Stef. Then opens the fire. The results are quick to follow, using her marksmanship to help finish off the mech armors before they can completely realize what's happened with the roar of heavy gunfire. The impacts are enough to damage the mech's limbs, stalling them from getting farther into the club until Stef's bombs go off.

To finish the action hero moment once she's done firing she lifts up the weapon to blow fumes from the barrel. "This is my kind of clubbin'" Then it's returned to the arsenal briefcase, which she closes and picks up so it can be turned to Cable. "But the place has gone to hell, let's dip."

Cable has posed:
Yeah, this is pretty much par for the course.

The club is not completely in ruins, but it is sure the heck shot up to hell and back. Though odds are that the owners are scumbags if they're hosting deBrunner and Sublime's lieutenant in their VIP section. Either way it is not the sort of thing that Cable is going to lose a lot of sleep over.

Tabby's distraction proves more then effective and the few gunmen left are dazzled by the array of explosions, unable to intervene with her or the rest of the team as she makes her mistake.

While Cable's arsenal might back a whallop, most benefit from engineering well ahead of its time to reduce the kickback and heft, no matter how ridiculous the weapons might appear. And while a few might actually require the future soldier to make use of his telekinesis to properly brace them for firing, he didn't back those. This time.

In short, they do serve their purpose to help Sally literally disarm those trio of mechs, blowing off those gattling cannons and limbs before they can bring their own weapons to bear, leaving them entirely vulnerable when the explosives that Quiet planted on them go off.

Scratch three more mechs. More, twisted burnt metal left as souvenirs for those responsible for cleaning up this mess.

Up on the balcony, Cable watches with a degree of satisfaction at the scene below. Then, turning, he grabs the pair of men by their shirt collars, casually dragging them across the floor with one hand each. "Greymalkin, bodyslide by seven. Madripoor safehouse."

Reality blurs and in seconds Cable, his team and their prisoners are just gone.

Time to celebrate. Then they can extract the information they need. And maybe next time John Sublime will finally be theirs.