3102/Investigation at the Port

Investigation at the Port
Date of Scene:	26 August 2020
Location:	Port of New York
Synopsis:	No description
Cast of Characters:	Achilles, Sara Pezzini

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Achilles has posed:
    HAving stumbled upon a tidbit of information, Angelo sent a text to Sara since... well he knows that she's really into this Irons Incorporated company. He learned through a few contacts that a freighter that tied up to the port tonight was carrying some highly valuable cargo was being brought in tonight.
    The ship was named the Warlock. With the links to the Witchblade, the name Warlock seems... coincidental. So he has his totally sedate and boring sedan parked off to one side of the port area entry road, waiting patiently for Sara to arrive.
    The text said: GPS my car. Found something that might be linked to your bracelet -and- your frienemy.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara frowns at the text. "Hah, frienemy! He's too cute for words sometimes." Still barely light at this time of night, the undersides of the clouds that drift in from the Atlantic are dyed purple and deep rose. After putting the kickstand down on her bike, she stands watching the sky slowly grow darker before walking the final half block to Angelo's car. Call it instinct or a premonition, she doesn't want to call attention to herself. Hands deep in the pockets of her black leather jacket, she walks up to his car and bends down to peer into the window.

"Angelo. Hey. What's up?"

Achilles has posed:
    Grinning, Angelo says, "First things first... you look amazing, even in street clothes. But..." He points forward out the windshield towards the freighter in port. "See that ship? It's named the Warlock. Now, you have the Witchblade, and that's the Warlock..." A pause before he adds, "Oh, and it's owned by Irons. Word has it's got something -special- on board. You want to get some leverage on that guy, we need to get on board that ship."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Frowning, she shakes her head and walks around the car to the passenger side. Once inside, she leans to give him a peck on the cheek. "So, hey, thanks. You don't look half-bad yourself. So, let me catch up with you. You know that Irons had the Witchblade and fancies himself to be on the occult side of things, right? I think he's well over a hundred years old if not more, myself. Naming a ship like that doesn't surprise me." Touching him on the arm to underline her words, "We get caught breaking in without a warrant, really without a motive, we won't have a leg to stand on. I'd lose my job, at the very least. What do you think is on that ship?"

Achilles has posed:
    "I'm not sure. But it hasn't unloaded yet, and I just watched someone on the Occult watch list from SHIELD go on board." says Angelo as he pats the binoculars nearby.
    "Technically... William Chambers is a sorcerer who is -wanted- by our magical side... I think they call'em Wand." He grins, "So, if we happen to go in there after a man on the wanted list.... I think we -might- be clear."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Nodding with satisfaction, she knew that he wouldn't have her out on some wild venture with no foundation to it, she says, "Tell me more. Hard to justify NYPD on it if there are no warrants out on him. Let me check the computer base and see what we have on him. I'm all ears."

Achilles has posed:
    "Sure." suggests Angelo as he gets back out of the car and heads to the trunk to gear up, "But.. if I happen upon a NYPD officer and I happen to be in need of backup.... doesn't interdepartmental cooperation mean that I could ask you to assist me? As a professional courtesy?" he asks as he reaches the trunk and pops it open with a fob.
    Then he reaches inside and grabs extra magazines for his ICER, and he keeps a second one there which he gestures for Sara to take. He also lifts an armor piercing needler because one never knows when a real lethal weapon might be needed.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
No outstanding warrants come up on the man's name. Climbing back out of the car, she joins Angelo taking the gun he hands her with a curious look. She checks the safety, then the chambers before accepting a clip that she slides in with a metallic click. "Right, I'm supposed to just conveniently show up and have...is this a SHIELD Icer? It looks like something out of Star Trek Voyager. I wish we had these on the force. She slides it into her ample pocket. I've got my gun, too."

"Nothing came up under his name, nothing local at least. Maybe Interpol or SHIELD has the goods on him. So, what do you propose we do? Break into the ship?"

Achilles has posed:
    "Well, I happen to know a local police officer, and I Was tracking this wanted criminal, saw him go aboard the Warlock. I sent a message to a trusted officer who graciously showed up to help me keep from getting in over my head." says Angelo.
    He turns and smirks, "You know how I love getting in over my head." he adds with a shrug before he gestures to the ship, "Did you bring your vest?" he asks before inclining his head, "I thought we might try the anchor chain as a method of entry."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"The anchor chain...like rats in a cartoon? Seriously." She looks at the ship then back at him, "In an armored vest, no less?" Pure Brooklyn in her accent as she taps a foot staring at him. "Okay. Vest is good, you never know. We're both armored in our own weird way, too. You ready?"

Achilles has posed:
    "Sure. Let's go. I mean we don't need to use the anchor chain. It was just a suggestion. I'm not planning this op. This is a wing it all the way type of op." offers Angelo with a wry smirk, "Ladies first?" he asks with a gesture using a flourish as if he was removing a foppish feathered hat and waving it before him.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"Ladies, first," she mutters under her breath while sizing the ship up. Turning to Angelo, "Interesting problem. How does the crew get up and down off that ship without a gangway?" Her eyes light on an inactive crane with a line dangling over the deck of the ship.

"Look, Angelo. It's not such a long drop from there. Better than an algae covered chain."

Achilles has posed:
    "Well, either via helicopter on the pad to the stern, or launches." suggests Angelo. He knows a few nautical things. I mean what? He's been at sea for a lot of years too. Never ask him what jobs he's done over the years... you'll need a snickers bar. But he just looks where you indicate and nods, "Okay. Let's do it then." he says before he turns and executes a flawless dive into the water. What? Experience!

Sara Pezzini has posed:
The Witchblade immediately pulses whether to reassure her that she won't sink before reaching the ship or in some wry commentary at Angelo's graceful leap into the water, she'll never know. She takes off her shoes and slips them into the small backpack on her back, along with the ICER. Noiselessly, she slides into the water, wincing at the temperature before setting off in a fast crawl after Angelo.

Achilles has posed:
    Yep, it's cold. Angelo surfaces a ways out, swimming fast.. keeping muscles moving to try to keep warm long enough. Unable to die does not mean unable to feel the effects of hypothermia. Either way, he reaches the crane cable in a short sprinting swim and hauls himself up out of the water as he shivers a bit. Okay a lot.
    But then he's looking down to wait for his partner to arrive.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Despite the warmth generated by her rapid swimming in the salty murk of the harbor, her lips are blue and her teeth chattering when she pulls herself up on the crane next to Angelo. Water sheets off of her as she cranes her head upward to sight the stairwell that twists around the center of the structure. Bending down she pulls her nearly dry shoes back on and holsters the ICER. With a quick twist she squeezes the water out of her hair then clips it back from her face, gathering the loose ends back together.

"Here goes," she says with an elaborate flourish, inviting him to lead the way.

Achilles has posed:
    Up there on the small platform, Angelo nods his head. He draws his own ICER and rolls his neck before he grins.. and then shakes his head like a shaggy dog to dry out his hair. What? He can't have a little fun splashing his girlfriend with water while on a mission? PFFT!
    And then he turns and heads up the stairs as he crouches to reduce his profile and creeps forward.
    His weapon aimed over the edge of the deck railing before he says, "Clear."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara narrows her eyes at his shaking. Being a member of the 'vengeance is best when served cold' school, she says nothing, storing it for later. After a quick swivel of her head to look down the length of the deck, she follows dropping down next to him and remaining in a crouch. Above them the stars are faint in the light cast by the city, the distant sound of sirens come to them and louder, the lapping of water against the side of the ship. Gesturing with the ICER, she whispers, "Which way?"

Achilles has posed:
    Gesturing to the left, Angelo makes to cover Sara as she moves. Once she has reached cover, he moves to follow. It's a game of leapfrog with firearms. That is, until the pair get below decks. Once there, it turns out there are far too many hatches to just run past without checking. So it bogs down.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Not only does it bog down but footsteps can be heard, the soft sound of crew shoes as someone bounds down a set of stairs into the passage around the corner. They don't have time to do anything but engage or hide.

Sara snugs into the nearest door to push down on the handle. It's locked. Without hesitation she moves to the next door, depressing the handle which opens. After shouldering her way in, gun raised, she leans out to grab Angelo and pull him in after her.

Achilles has posed:
    Not one to have the sort of ego (anymore) that makes him have to be the best at everything, Angelo heard the same thing and reacted by lifting his own weapon in a resigned posture. But when the door is opened, and he is dragged inside.. he moves without hesitation.
    He totally trusts the Pezinator (Okay, terrible nickname!) But he slips inside and holds his breath to avoid making -any- sound while the crew walks past. It turns out this is not a security patrol, just some crew heading off duty to go below decks and congregate with others.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
A storeroom. A prosaic storeroom at that instead of a wished for computer center or munitions storage. The footsteps fade into the distance. With a questioning raise of an eyebrow, Sara points to the door with her gun.

"Just where are we headed?" She whispers. The Witchblade is silent, keeping its thoughts and visions to itself."

Achilles has posed:
    "Well, my guess would be the Cargo hold. We need to see what they are actually transporting. The tip I got said that it was -not- the simple textiles and rugs on the manifest." Angelo shrugs, "Aside from that, I'm not sure -what- is being transported."
    hat said, he cocks his head to one side. "I think it's clear. Let me doublecheck." he says as he hefts the suppressed submachinegun that is -not- standard issue for any police force. SHIELD is fun that way. He reaches to slowly and quietly open the door before peeking out. Then he moves out and gestures for you to follow. Once in the corridor, he whispers, "I don't think we want to take the same route below decks that those guys took. There should be symmetrically spaced out stairwells on either side. This is port side, so let's make our way starboard."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Starboard it is then. Sara moves quietly through the corridors looking for a door leading to the hold. The Witchblade awakes but she stubbornly relies on her own senses, not wanting to slide into dependence on the artifact. "Map. I let you bring me in here without a map?" She whispers crankily, shooting a glance behind her.

Achilles has posed:
    Grinning, Angelo shrugs. "It's a pretty typical cargo ship. I've been on hundreds of'em. Sorry... I didn't think to bring a map. But they post.." he walks past a display of like... evacuation route maps and the like. Then he taps that map with a hand. "These are here per safety regulations if that helps."
    That said, he moves with confident strides... but in something of a weird looking shuffle. Something soldiers have learned to move smoothly, keeping their weapons steady while making progress. It looks a lot like a fast duck-walk, but fully upright.
    He is trusting Sara to cover his flanks as he keeps his weapon aimed forward. "I expect them to have more obvious security when we get down lower."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Pez does a duckwalk swivel, walking backward for yards at a time. They make quite the pair. "Electronics, certainly. This ship is not your run-of-the-mill cargo ship or yacht for that matter. I'm surprised we haven't been sussed out already. Where are the surveillance cameras?" This whispered in stops and starts as they waddle down the corridor.

Achilles has posed:
    Down the stairs the pair go. Angelo shrugs, "I'm not sure where..." And that's when a voice comes over the shipwide intercom system.
    "Now that you are below decks, let me say welcome. You should know that you are trespassing. But.. I've instructions to let the Detective go. Apparently, she is important." The man's voice is not super cultured, but it -is- well spoken. "So, unless you wish to take on my entire security staff which... well it is quite something, then I suggest you put down your weapons and accept that only one of you is leaving here alive."
    Angelo lifts a brow and looks Sara's way. "You know. I -do- actually have a warrant to board and search the ship. If you would like to examine it, I am sure we could.." and a click indicates a loss of connection.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara straightens with a sigh, the Witchblade wakes preparing to defend its wielder. "I have instructions to let both of us walk out of this ship. We are here legally..." she says loudly, picking a point in the corridor where the voice seems loudest.

"I won't let them take you, Angelo. Over /my/ dead body."

Achilles has posed:
    Smirking, Angelo shrugs his shoulders, "Outnumbered but not outclassed for sure." he says. "Sounds like the Captain is sure of his people, but he has no idea what we are capable of, does he?" he asks as he gestures down the corridor. "I just know that we need to reach the cargo hold before they can clean it of whatever illegal items they -are- trying to move. Good thing they want you alive though..." he offers as he turns and starts moving faster.
    He even pulls out his SHIELD badge and clips it to his belt as he moves along. Then he drops down another set of stairs, sliding down the rails like he was a trained Navy crewman. Then when he hits the bottom, bullets spang off of the wall behind him because he landed in a crouch.
    The submachinegun snaps up and a burst fires down the corridor. "Two down. Two more taking cover. Clear!" he calls up the ladder as he fires another burst downrange to keep their heads down.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Impressed with the seaman's descent on the stairs, Sara follows behind. The artifact has begun to unfold, leaving her hand free for the gun but creeping up to her elbow, preparing to shield her from bullets. With a thump, she drops in behind Angelo, sighting back up the stairs.

"If they know me, they know something about us. Let's move!"

Achilles has posed:
    "Or, their boss knows and isn't sharing. Knowing what I know of Irons.. that seems more likely." says Angelo as he fires another burst from his high tech looking subgun. I mean it -is- a Kriss 45 caliber thing with a long-ass barrel due to the suppressor. It looks funky. (https://kriss-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/krissnews.jpg).
    Either way, he moves like a soldier, and keeps heading aft-wards. And at one point, he pauses to reload the magazine of his weapon, trusting that you will keep things... safe while he does so. There are dozens of guards who are armed with pretty conventional weapons and light armor. Obviously enough to deal with mundane intruders.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Puzzled at why Irons wouldn't prepare his crew for their presence, mundane, being the understatement of the year, Pez mirrors his crouch. Iron's attitude toward his soldiers bothers her a lot. Her deepest instincts are to protect the troops, the rank and file. Cannon fodder and red shirts are abhorrent. Waving them forward, "Let's get this going, Angelo. Why would they kill you and let me go?"

Achilles has posed:
    "Odds are they have no idea who I might be. Other than an agent for a federal agency and they don't want me reporting back. I wager if we tried to make a call, we'd get no signal right now." says Angelo as he moves forward. It's creepy to see him in total war mode. He tries to not be that guy most days, but when bullets are flying, and combat is the way of things... he just can't help but embody war once more.
    He fights like a man who has done this all so many times before. Like he knows what the enemy will be doing before they even know it.
    He even steps around the corner when nobody would expect him to. He does this because he knew what HE would do in their situation. Out of the air, he snatches a flashbang grenade and throws it back into their midst where it explodes.
    Concussion and sound disable most of them, and Angelo hurries in to put them down.. nonlethal this time.. using fists and feet.
    That done, he points at a cargo container being lifted out of the hold by a crane. "Ten bucks says that's the one with the illegal goods." he says.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Angelo's ease in battle is apparent to Pez. The Witchblade hums in her mind, its thousands of years of combat experience steadying her. Pez has the makings of a good soldier, she is already a good cop, steady under fire that would make most rookies blanch and try hardened veterans. Not ready for the quick catch and throwback of the flash bang, she startles. Her yelp is covered by the noise of battle as she rounds the corner behind Angelo and engages the man that makes a run for her. Shouldering him to the ground, she kicks him once in the stomach then sucker punches him in the face.

"Only ten dollars? Let's get it open!"

Achilles has posed:
    In short order, the two have the last ditch security down and out. The cargo container is about fifteen feet off the ground and suspended by the straps and chains attaching it to a crane boom that is currently moving the container, and Angelo growls. "We need to reach that thing. They could dump it in the ocean or put it somewhere else."
    He turns back and asks, "Can you get up there? I don't know if the blade can do long range."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
After a quick survey of the room, Sara nods slowly, head cocked to one side as she considers the geometries.

"Alright. Here goes!"

A leap takes her to the top of a container, she stair steps upward on anonymous packing crates until she is facing the container that he pointed to. It will require a leap up over her head. The blade has become a gauntlet, anticipating her need to grapple. From a crouch she springs across the space and hangs from the top then with superhuman strength chins herself up far enough to get a knee over the edge. Panting, she looks over the edge at Angelo.

"Here I am. Do I use the Blade to pry it open?" She asks with a dubious squint at him.

Achilles has posed:
    Watching this, Angelo is singularly impressed. "I hadn't thought of parkouring my way up there. Huh." he remarks. But by this time, it's gotten even higher. "I don't know. Ever use an old school can-opener before?" he asks. "Wait!" he adds, "Maybe slice a hinge off? I have a weird feeling there are people inside of that..."
    And you can hear the wails that clued him in. People inside are terrified. Human cargo... trafficking. No wonder they'd kill to avoid having it caught.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"Hinge works," she says tersely, preoccupied with the problem. She freezes at the sound of voices, stricken at the babble that greets them.

"Fuck them," she mumbles to herself as she kneels, a metallic ringing accompanies the Gauntlet unfurling into a long sword. Balanced precariously she raises the blade over her head and brings it down hard on one of the vertical hinges holding the door closed. A spray of sparks showers into the aisle. A chorus of screams greets the noise.

"Hold on! Hold on!" She repeats the process, the last hinges requiring her to work upside down till the doors are loose.

Achilles has posed:
    Meanwhile, Angelo is moving to a covered position where he can keep an eye on the ways into the room. It wouldn't do to let gunmen come in and put a stop to the heroics. He notices that he's got a total of four rounds left though.... feeling the heft of the weapon being a bit lighter than he'd like. He's gone through all four magazines he brought with. But full auto weapons burn through ammo.
    So he sets the gun down, and when three men run into the room.. pointing up at Sara. I mean come on, she's pretty visible up there, one of them suddenly sprouts an arrow in his knee and goes down. Angelo has his bow out now, and is using it to keep the guards from stopping the cop up top who has the container open quickly. The question is, once it's open.. now what? It's still being moved by the crane.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
The container swings slightly making the captives scream. The screams accompanying the rhythmic clang of metal on metal as Sara hangs over the edge cutting open the last hinge. Sparks cascade to the floor until the door swings open and she is nearly thrown to ground as it catches on the side of the hold, tipping the container precariously to the side. A fast grab to the edge barely keeps her on the top. Assessing the situation, Sara's adrenaline levels spike and the Witchblade blossoms into full body armor.

Achilles has posed:
    Down below, the fight is waning as most of the guards are collecting up top. No sense doing piecemeal charges down below when they think they know where the container is going. As it stands, it's a bit high off the deck of the hold. Down below, Angelo stops firing and goes to collect his fired arrows while looking up.
    He grimaces and calls out, "Hey, how strong does that make you? Think you could.." He pauses and then gets an idea. "You know. Never mind. I have no doubt that the guards waiting have no idea what to do about you. I got a plan!" he calls out before turning and sprinting out the door.
    His plan? To find the operator's controls for the crane and take over. Letting Sara be a diversion for sure.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara has the oddest cascade of images as the container begins cresting the deck. The crane is like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat. And she is the rabbit. The policewoman gets to her knees and then stands, legs braced apart for balance, garbed in metal from head to toe. The Witchblade catches the lights trained on the hold glinting blue as it roils with energy.

Achilles has posed:
    Down a corridor, up a set of stairs, then racing along there.. Angelo passes bodies of men and women he's killed here. He has the humanity part of his brain partitioned off at this point or he wouldn't be able to keep going.
    But he is racing along as all eyes rest upon the armored woman atop the container.
    The Captain and a few of his men stand around waiting along with somewhere upwards of two dozen submachinegun armed guards. They appear to be patiently waiting for Sara and her container to come to them... which it is currently doing.
    Meanwhile, the ladder leading to the crane controls has an old Greek Soldier working his way up towards the operator....

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Raising the blade in the air, she salutes the phalanx of guards come to greet her with a flourish of the blade, measuring the odds. Twenty-five to two. Were it anyone else besides Angelo coming to back her, she might have a panic attack. Now she is simply very worried.

As the container door swings shut, she walks to its edge, and crouches preparing to jump.

"Stay in. Stay in till I tell you come out," she shouts, then uncoils to make her jump. The armor absorbs the shock of the jump, she straightens and walks toward the Captain daring him to fire on her.

Achilles has posed:
    "Now now, I would suggest you think about those people you are so desperate to save. We wouldn't want anything to happen to -them-, would we?" asks the Captain as Sara approaches him. As he speaks, his gunmen traverse their submachine guns towards the container as it gets lower and lower.
    "Just because I was told to keep you alive, doesn't mean I have the same rule for them." he adds with a gesture towards the container.
    Meanwhile, in the operator's booth, a choking sound is the only thing to leave the mouth of the operator as the container stops lowering about a foot and a half off the deck. The body of the operator falls out of the booth as Angelo settles in at the controls.
    "And here we go." he murmurs as the crane begins to lift the container once more. Much to the Captain's chagrin... and the container also turns to pull the open end away from the gunmen. Now those gunmen look to the Captain who just appears confused for the moment.