London 2056 - A CyberPunk RP [Game thread - Started]

[Texas Joker 52]

~ Karl Adler ~​

While the drive to Alice's apartment didn't actually take all that long, the fact that Karl had to spend it with two drunken women seemed to make time stretch awkwardly. So by the time they got there, he was relieved to practically carry them in the door and wish them good-night before striding right back to his car and slumping back in the driver's seat.

Karl caught himself before he sighed however, instead slicking his hair back into place with one hand and sitting up a little straighter. The fact of it was, he had had a long, stressful night, what with committing the first of his planned murders, finding out that someone else had killed a CyCorp employee, and being practically harried by two women, one a cop he was trying to finagle information out of, while they had a drinking contest that he couldn't take part in himself. All piled on top of a normal business day. It was no wonder he felt exhausted.

He was about to fasten his seat-belt and start the car when he heard the explosions, one after another. It was enough to make him step out and look around for the source, and when he saw the pillars of smoke, he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. What was one last stop before heading home?

Slamming the car door, he took off like a bat out of hell down the street as he made his way in the direction of the smoke.

[hr]

As he stepped out of his car, he couldn't help but gape. Not very long ago when Karl had left the CyCorp Headquarters, he had expected to return the next day to see the gleaming skyscraper to be the same as before. Not as a burning pyre of melting glass and metal.

"Violet." he murmured after he shook himself out of his shock, pulling out his phone.

Striding toward the cordon separating the crowds and the emergency workers, he started to dial her personal number, reserved strictly for emergencies. If he knew Violet, she had probably been putting in late hours in her own, efficient way. If she was still in there when the building blew, on account of him...

"I assure you, I'm fine. It's only a few cuts and scrapes." a familiar voice called wearily over the cacophony.

Karl whirled around and rushed in the direction he heard it from despite the protests of police and firemen. When he stopped at the back of an ambulance, he found his assistant sitting impatiently as a jagged cut on her face was being cleaned. When she spotted him, she immediately adjusted her torn and dirty business suit.

"Sir, you aren't supposed to be here! What are you--" she started, but he shook his head firmly.

"Violet. How close were you to being in there when it blew?" he asked quietly, his face somber.

She caught herself and pressed her lips into a thin line, saying "Not that close. I was walking to my car when the building exploded. Besides a few cuts, and falling onto the street, I'm fine. You needn't worry."

He shook his head again and forced himself to smile.

"Too late for that. Go ahead, let the nice paramedic treat those cuts, then go home. If need be, you can take my car. After that, take the next few days off to recover. And don't argue with your boss." he added with a more genuine smirk as she opened her mouth to do just that, "After all, I can cope without you for that long at least. I'm not helpless."

His assistant frowned, but when she nodded he relaxed.

"Good. Then I'm going to do what I can to help sort out this bloody mess." he said.

Trusting her to do as he suggested, he strode off, deep in thought. The recent developments made it clear that he wasn't the only one making his move that night on CyCorp. First the victim in the hotel, now a bombing on the London Headquarters of CyCorp itself?

His gaze turned to the second pillar of smoke. No, not just CyCorp. H.A. Dynasty had to have been targeted as well, since there were two victims in that hotel, one from each rival. It seemed that someone had it out for both companies, and if that was the case, he had a target on his back.

He sighed heavily and reached up to pull off his tie even as he stared back at the flames coming from the CyCorp home office. His night was just about to get even longer, and damn if he didn't need a drink.

 

[FalloutJack]

After receiving a phone number from 'Charles', Asagi and Irina relayed to the man the overall description of the woman in question: She was shorter than Irina, black-haired, noted to have a fair-few piercings, and dressed in a manner that practically shouted 'Hi, I'm somebody's secret agent!'. The only reason somebody like that didn't immediately stick out like a sore thumb had to be the image-degrader that corrupted the records of her passing. Had to be visible by active viewing, though, else Irina's vision might've blurred the woman's appearance in the first place. Still, that sort of person wasn't beyond locating, just hard to keep track of. If Asagi wanted this girl, she'd have to be given a live feed from a drone. In any case, Irina's houseguests were on the departure and Karine Asagi was going home. Before she even got to the door, though...

BOOM, BOOM!!

"Shit...!"

She flinched, not because of the explosions themselves, but because the emergency system within surveillance drone protocols shot the vids straight to her HUD in both places at once, beginning the record at about mid-blast so Asagi could see what had exploded.

Emergency! Explosions detected at CyCorp, H.A. Dynasty headquarters!​

Normally, this wouldn't occur, but the magnitude of the situation - Military personnel were streamed footage to warn them about disaster situations in case of wartime to stay informed - demanded that she and probably any number of other people knew right this very second that shit had gone down. She wasn't getting back to her book just yet. Karine sighed. At least the rain had let up... Half a minute later, she was back on her bike, already en route to CyCorp - it was closer - to see the situation for herself while both on comms and giving machine orders at roughly the same time. She knew what this was. Someone was trying to rile up the hornets nest to get them after each other's throats. The fact that the bombings occurred simultaneously with no immediate prior sign of action indicated that they had been planted a while beforehand under everybody's noses and BOOM. Of course, Asagi was only now hearing about the killings.

"Why wasn't I informed of this situation?"

Surveillance drones, report live any appearance of a woman matching the information packet that I just sent, link-list for browsing. Report H.A. Dynasty or CyCorp movements in force.

"You were taking time off and taking an emergency call to rescue General McArthur. The situation didn't call for it at the time."

Well, it certainly does now. I want our men and women on the streets to collaborate with emergency services to contain this situation. Anything that looks like a street war brewing from either side should be dissuaded by them, but first with the warning that both headquarters were bombed. Knowing that both sides are being played towards the middle should at least keep the more-rational Dynasty and CyCorp people at bay so as not to embarass themselves in public. If things get ugly, give the Sky Runners and the Crawlers anti-riot loadouts to assist with crowd dispersal. No mechs. No live fire. Incapacitation only, if it comes to it.

They were putting their foot down on he matter, not grinding it into dust. They would handle this with kid gloves, but - as the true Brits might say here - they won't hesitate to kick someone in the bollocks if they really want a fight. For the record, the drones she had recommended for more-extreme situations - actual fighting - were two models of civil defense machines. Sky Runners were the light armament flyer designed for quick action from overhead. They weren't the worst they had in stock, but they could take a bite out of you if necessary. In a riot situation, they'd load it with aerosol gas and rubber bullets, so it would tranq-up or tear-gas an area like a crop-duster, maybe strafe someone being overtly violent. Crawlers were fun. They were big enough that you could sit on one and ride it, strong enough that it might not notice you. It was a low-to-the-ground sort of machine with six limbs ending in rollers that made it look to be in perpetual crawl. Thickly-armored against impact and shot, they were made to have weapons mounted on their backs as well as a pair of fixed guns. In this case, they too would have rubber bullets, but they'd be the ones launching tear gas or concussion grenades from a back-mounted launcher. The home office adopted these puppies especially because they were applicable in wartime with heavier ammo, destructive grenades, or even missle launchers. Some people called them auto-tanks. Nevertheless, they were for real emergencies only, situations where there'd be open gunplay on the streets and so on.

Asagi arrived at the CyCorp building, emergency services and various onlookers here at the scene already. Her Mirage locked into place and she got up, looking around. Military personnel and drones overall were giving the two Corps breathing room by at least a block in all directions, saying 'We're not huddling you in, but we don't want any trouble, okay?'. There were maybe a few people on the scene, actively helping paramedics and so on. She did say to collaborate, after all. Police were handling the situation actively for now, and Asagi was fine with them doing it. An officer trying to stop her was badge-flashed and then her red eyes were on him like a hawk.

"I've been informed of the situation, but how bad is it?"

"We're still putting out the fires, but I'm saying 'Bad'. There won't be many survivors, if any, if they were in there. We got lucky that it's late and only the night owls would be in, but you know CyCorp."

Yes, she did. Her parents worked for them, before. Thank god they were retired. They might've shown up if the Corp really needed them during the day, for an important meeting or a dinner party, but night work? Not lately. Asagi then asked if anything out of the ordinary occurred.

"Nothing too special. Had a guy break through the line, obviously worried about something or someone. We had some people on the outside that were close, but just injured. Hey wait, that's the guy!"

He pointed to a man who was wandering off. He looked- Asagi's eyes widened. Tallish man, nice suit, blonde hair, glasses - all that jazz. CyCorp R&D - Karl Adler. Her parents had been in R&D, you see, so they would have seen him around - past work-related business, company parties, etc. - and knew him in at least a professional capacity. Thus, Karine also knew about him. After informing the police to be on the lookout for woman of short stature, black hair, agent-like appearance, and numerous face piercings - prime suspect - she went to catch up to Karl. He was looking back at the flames as she approached.

"Mr. Adler, my name is Asagi, military branch. In your opinion, what would be your assessment of this situation?"

She was asking to see how quickly he arrived at the proper conclusion. Some people didn't think too well under a strain. She wanted to find out where his card lay.

 

[Knight Captain Kerr]

Ira could hear the distant sound of an explosion. What the hell was that? Ira continued to remain where he was although he would be fine if Liam told the police he was there. He just hoped if they did come in that it would go easily enough and that he wouldn't be dragged down to the police station.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

"Good evening sir, we received an anonymous call about a disturbance here, do mind if we check around?"

Liam blinked. An anonymous call? That was odd, there usually weren't a lot of people around at this time of night... mentally, he filled this fact away, just in case it came up again. "No, not at all, officer."

"Are you alone here sir?"

He wasn't sure how to answer that, Ira's presence at this time might be a bit hard to explain...

Suddenly, off in the distance, there was a great BOOM, making him jump slightly. "...The hell was that!"

First bullets come through my window, now an explosion? What else could happen tonight?

 

[Texas Joker 52]

~ Karl Adler ~​

Karl had just tucked his tie into one of the inner pockets of his coat when he was approached by a rather attractive woman of Asian descent.

"Mr. Adler, my name is Asagi, military branch. In your opinion, what would be your assessment of this situation?"

He noted the combat uniform and severe haircut and had to nod. Her being military certainly made sense. Glancing back at the inferno, his face hardened.

"I'm not sure. I have a few theories, but I don't have any proof for any of them, so officially, it's all speculation until the facts are in, and that will take time and an investigation. Unofficially..." he said with a sigh, "It's a bloody mess that was caused for any number of reasons. Since the London Headquarters for both CyCorp and the H.A. Dynasty were bombed, it could have been a third party trying to take both corporations down a peg, or even try to turn us on one another."

With that, he regarded her with a grim smirk.

"After all, the rivalry of both companies is common knowledge. It wouldn't take much to have both tear at each others throats. It doesn't help that I was recently informed of the murder of two people in the Apex City of London Hotel, one of which was a CyCorp employee. It wouldn't surprise me if the other victim was a member of the Dynasty." he continued.

After a moment, he shrugged and turned to face her completely, tucking his hands in his coat pockets.

"Still, we can't discount a fringe, extremist group from overseas using this as a way to protest cybernetics. You know the kind: Everything synthetic that we put into the human body is an affront to God, and therefore should be condemned for it." he said with a dismissive wave of his hand, "Though, that's the most unlikely possibility. My money would be on someone trying to rile both companies up. Why though, that would be the real question."

At that, he took the time to reach up with one hand and unbutton his collar a little. Despite London typically being cold at night, the flames from CyCorp HQ certainly made things uncomfortably warm. As he regarded Miss Asagi out of the corner of his eye, he focused on her face and something seemed to click.

"Miss - Asagi, was it? I never did catch your rank, however... You wouldn't happen to be related to Ari and Toshiro Asagi, formerly of CyCorp?" Karl asked with a small inquisitive smile.

 

[Generic NPC 22]

London 2056 | Irina's Flat
So Sorry about Sienna​

The concussive blast from both bombs that had been simultaneously detonated at CyCorp Headquarters and HA Dynasty Headquarters had been strong enough to be felt as far away as Irina's little domain. What's more, the Feminine Faux Feline was able to catch the massive detonations through the windows of her Flat. Having played enough violent FPS video games, the young woman knew what the explosions were in concept but it did little to prepare her for the panic that she felt after witnessing such a large conflagration.

She stood there for a while, letting her mind process what had just occurred and to allow for her rapidly beating heart to slow down. When she realized that one of the explosions had occurred at CyCorp, there was a large part of her that hoped that Nathaniel Cray had opted to arrive early to prepare for the day, something that he had often done often while still an entry level nitwit with CyCorp and while he was married to Irina. That was the past, however, and he was now more into the concept of being fashionably late for work, a subtle attempt to display his authority within the Corp.

There was part of her, a very very very small part, that wanted to contact Nathaniel to see if he was okay. With as much as she disliked him now, there had been love in the past and it wasn't something that Irina could dispose of as easily as Nathaniel had disposed of her from his life. Besides, now would probably not be the best time to call since he'd likely be on the phones with other CyCorp executives trying to figure out what had just occurred and what their next actions would be in order to keep the company running and the profits coming in.

The VidCasting CatGirl started moving again, her nerves having settled down, and walked to the bathroom where a couple of sleeping pills would be waiting for her. It had been a long and stress filled night, one that would demand that she sleep for a while and allow her brain to process the new information that it had learned.

~Bwoop Bwoop... Bwoop Bwoop... Bwoop Bwoop~

The VidPhone called out to her from the darkness of her bedroom, causing the woman to deviate from her preassigned course towards the bathroom and head into the bedroom. Glancing at the Video Communications System, the Caller ID displayed Nathaniel Cray's name in prominent letters.

Seeing them, Irina was more than half tempted to let the vidmail pick up but in the end, she answered, despite her better judgement.

The Videofeed from Nathaniel's phone was acting up because all Irina could see was static for most of the time. The image resolved for a moment, displaying a woman holding a platter. Her golden skin reflected an unholy orange and yellow light though half of her body had been ripped away. Irina had seen this statue before. It was one that had been installed in the lobby of CyCorp Headquarters. The image went to static again but the audio feed was still live.

"M...Moomy?" Sienna whispered in the static.

 

[FalloutJack]

Karl Adler was a man of some sophistication and influence, perhaps to be considered a man with power, even. There had been some rumors of his office and how he operated, but nothing confirmed. Same rumors applied to lots of people in his position. Asagi tended to give him some of the benefit of the doubt because of her parents' opinion of him. Right now, the blast at the CyCorp Tower had clearly bothered him, but she needed to speak to someone in charge and he was there on-site.

"I'm not sure. I have a few theories, but I don't have any proof for any of them, so officially, it's all speculation until the facts are in, and that will take time and an investigation. Unofficially... It's a bloody mess that was caused for any number of reasons. Since the London Headquarters for both CyCorp and the H.A. Dynasty were bombed, it could have been a third party trying to take both corporations down a peg, or even try to turn us on one another."

"That's in line with my thinking, officially and unofficially. I'm keeping an open mind, but it could very well be that thing."

He went on to detail why he considered that to be the answer, apparently having heard about the murder of the CyCorp member only and theorizing that there was another. This only sought to convince Asagi that her decision to take a few preventative measures was a wise decision. Karl was smart. Other people, maybe not so much. Asagi could see a board of disgruntled men grumbling about murder and sabotage and demand to strike back. It's probably what their third party, if there was one, wanted. It could have easily been a person from either side wanting to throw them into chaos to up his own position, as well. Still, like the fringe group theory, that was less likely the answer. Then...

"Miss - Asagi, was it? I never did catch your rank, however... You wouldn't happen to be related to Ari and Toshiro Asagi, formerly of CyCorp?"

Mother and Father. Asagi nodded with a small smile, some of that military demeanor melting away.

"Yes, sir. They're my parents. I heard about you from them. Good things, I swear. I'm just glad they weren't in there for this."

After all, their work was still good enough for the corporation. It was just that the retirement age was reached and that they could only be a consultant after that. She shook her head at the still-blazing mess back there, then re-addressed the man before her.

"Listen, Mr. Adler... I'm an Operative and that means that I'll have to look into this matter very deeply."

Operative was a rank which did not necessarily have a set spot on the ranking chart. It was the rough equivalent to being a secret agent that was not entirely secret. Most of her work was classified and people in high positions usually where her scrutiny lay, in case something that would ruin the peace was in the works. London liked to keep on keeping on, and she was fine with this. She wanted people who did terrible things to be put away, and London was fine with that. Karine did not need notoriety to be pleased with her work. That it was done and she was able to live well for it was good enough for her.

"At other times, CyCorp or the H.A. Dynasty could be up to any number of things, but I don't believe that this is one of them. I would like to be able count on your help on this matter, to keep the two sides from each other's throats and perhaps to uncover the reason for all of this."

 

[Generic NPC 22]

London 2056 | Irina's Flat
Death in the Family​

There were few things that a parent wants to hear over the phone from their child. One of those might be your child informing you that they just got married to a partner that the parent detests beyond all things reasonable. Another might be a parent's sixteen your old child informing the parent that they are going to be a grandparent. The worst of all these possibilities was happening to Irina at that very moment, a call from Irina's hurt child.

In that moment, a million and one things flew through her mind. Was Sienna alive? Was she badly injured? How was Irina going to help her? Would Irina get there in time to find her and help her? Was Sienna going to make it? Where the hell was Nathaniel and why wasn't he with Sienna? Though a million things flew through her mind, only one action could sufficiently sum up those thoughts. Irina screamed. Despite the fact that it was probably the last thing that Sienna needed to hear, despite the fact that it solved nothing, the mother whose child was in mortal danger, despite the fact that the neighbors underneath Irina's flat were banging on her floor, the Woman with the Cat Characteristics wailed loudly.

Through the static white noise, Sienna whispered for her mother once again, causing Irina's panic to ramp up exponentially but at the same time, it brought the Young Cat Girl back to reality. Despite the fact that Irina could never make it to Sienna in time to save her, the young mother stumbled into her bedroom and fumbled for clothing in the darkness. It didn't matter if the outfit contained the sour stench of someone else's vomit. It didn't matter if it matched. All that mattered was getting dressed and getting out the door. Even as she dressed, she called her only savior, hoping that somehow Karine had been called to the bombing.

"Mommy? Where are you? Daddy... daddy's not moving." Sienna said from the other room, her voice still weak and only going weaker by the moment.

"You have reached the voicemail box of

Karine Asagi.

Please leave a message at the tone."

The Voicemail droned causing Irina to growl in frustration.

"K... K... Karine. It's... It's Irina. Sienna's in the CyCorp lobby. She's hurt. If you're over there. Find her PLEASE!" Irina begged as she started heading out the door, as she did, she touched the VideoFeed from her wall and flicked it towards her phone, she image and call transferring to the mobile.

"Don't worry baby. Mommy's on her way." Irina said to Sienna as she ran down the stairs as quickly as possible. Jumping onto every landing from three or four steps up.

"Mommy? I... can't hear ... you." Sienna whispered in Irina's ear as Irina exited the building and flagged down a cab.

"Where to..." The Cabby started to say before the young mother threw money at him.

"CyCorp. Now." Irina ordered, the face in the Cabby's rear view mirror told him that "No" or "I Can't" or "It's blocked off" would not be an acceptable answer. The driver nodded before driving off towards the orange glow in the distance.

 

[Neuromancer]

Irina's Mansion Block​

After being given a run-down of how the female Irina had bumped into looked like one more time by her copper friend and saying his goodbyes, Charles was first to leave the apparently-not-the-shortest-person-in-town-but-definately-shortest-catgirl's flat. He had grown fond of her, truth be told; there was something about her banging her heart against his mad bugger's wall appealed to his sense of morality, and truth be told, it felt rather infectious. Or maybe he had caught the flu.

Charles started going down the stairs. He wasn't quite sure how he'd spend the night; he couldn't go home, or at Gathering Dust, or... most places he'd usually go to, really. Plus, he had to start working on getting Mr. Grey a very comfy prison cell, and he'd need to be in the best condition he could be for that. Maybe it'd be best to call it a night...

...But then again, 200 quid. He could get some really good booze out of that. The thought was certainly appeal-

[HEADING=1]*BOOM*[/HEADING]

"Gah!"

Explosions ringed loud in his ears, their magnitude and intensity increasing disproportionately. He felt like was being driven mad and, surprised as he was, Charles missed the staircase step and fell.

For a few fleeting moments, everything went black.


Returning to his senses, Charles opened his eyes to witness the cheap, dirty mat that was, uh, "furnishing" the ground floor hallway. His eyesight was acting up, being extremely glitchy and "cloudy", his entire body was spasming in pain, he could taste blood in his mouth and the more things left unspoken about the pain in his head the better.

Bloody... piking... sonofa... shite...

It was difficult to move, both due to the pain and the fatigue he was experiencing again. With labouring movements, Charles used the wall next to the staircase as support and got himself up again. Nauseated as he was, it took a while to get his bearings right again, a fact made more difficult by his eyesight going bonkers and his crackling head pain.

"Gimme... a... break..." he groaned, more than a little dissatisfied, as he tried to massage his head.

It was then that he noticed the blood.

Shite...

The wound itself wasn't that serious. But what got Charles really worried was that he didn't know if it would affect his cyberware, and if so, how.

The familiar figure of the peeler running past him shook him back to his senses. Well, not really, but it did remind him that moments ago explosions happened.

Could it be...

A primal fear surged into him; were the explosions part of a declaration of war? Had the fools up top decided that more hills littered with graves would be an appropiate way to settle matters between them again?

He didn't know. But he had to know.

With laboured steps, Charles made his way to the door, throwing his weight on it in an attempt to pry it open.

Too bad it wasn't the real door.

As he threw himself on it, the door dissipated like a hologram and Charles, in his horror, fell full throttling onto the pavement.

He let out a loud cry as he landed. Truly, today couldn't have gone worse. Well, no, it definately could have, but Charles sure felt like he was down on his luck. The real door was lying open, left so by the bullrushing copper. Not only was his eyesight screwed, he was also seeing things again.

Jes' what I needed...

He couldn't let it get to him, he thought. He had to learn the cause of the bombing, he determined. He got up easier this time; maybe he was growing used to falling down on his face. He looked to his surroundings and deduced the general area the bombing happened in.

It was then that the bee appeared again.

...Wha?

There was something inexplicably peculiar about this bee. Charles felt compelled to pursue it. Drawn to it, even. And pursue it he did. It led him to a digital sign a bit further down the road. There, a familiar scene played out, as the commercial on the sign was rudely overwritten by a map of London. This time, the area highlighted in red was...

CyCorp?!

CyCorp was the target of the bombing. Things were taking a few dozen turns for the worse if one of the MegaCorps were actually successfully targetted by a bombing attack. Who could've done it,though? From what he remembered of the anti-Corp groups around when he was still involved, none were violent or large enough to come even close to being able to pull off something like this. So who did it?

"Go anywhere but here"

Whoever his benefactor was, it was clear that they didn't want him involved with this. Even though Charles would be inclined to agree, he felt like he was nothing more than a puppet being tossed around by its puppeteer, by strings dictated on what he could and couldn't do.

I am no one's pet.

He raised his hand to signal one of the cabs passing by to stop. This was part due to juvenile defiance and part due to overwhelming curiosity to see the damage for himself. After making sure that the cab was real and not another hallucination, Charles sat in the back.

"CyCorp."

"Eh, mate," the cab driver said hesitantly, "Dontcha know? CyCorp's where-"

"200 quid." Charles interrupted, showcasing the money Irina had given him, "Take it or leave it."

He took it.

[hr]

Near CyCorp​

Charles was left off a block or so away from CyCorp proper. That was the closest the cab driver was willing to go. He didn't mind; the time he spent on the cab helped him recover from his fall and, though his eyesight was still a bit glitchy at places, it wasn't as severe. Same went with the pain on his body, though Charles was sure that after a night's sleep he'd wake up wishing his parents used protection.

The damage that was done was great indeed; and Charles wondered on the civilian casualties. In a previous life, Charles worked tooth and nail to bring about the downfall of the MegaCorps. But he never envisioned something like this. The "revolution" was supposed to be as bloodless as possible; bring down the heads responsible for it all and everything would collapse. There was no need to involve others, even if they were working there. Most of them were people trying to get by as best as they could. There was no reason to harm them for that, no sense in it...

He was utterly disgusted by this barbaric display and senseless waste of human life.

Shaking off his feelings of remorse, Charles further approached the building. As he made his way, he recognized the familiar figure of Irina's copper friend talking to a slickly-dressed man (who also felt familiar).

Maybe I can get some answers from her.

"Hey!" he yelled in his muffled Belfast accent as he headed towards her, "I heardda bomb go off... Hadda see fer mesself wha' happened," he eyed the building, "Can't believe someone would go 'bout somethin' like this... Any idea how many people were inside when it 'appened?"

 

[Texas Joker 52]

~ Karl Adler ~​

The fact that Miss Asagi seemed to agree with his speculations was reassuring, in an odd way. While his theories gave him a bad feeling, particularly in regards to his immediate survival, it was good to know that they weren't completely outlandish, though they were mostly unfounded, seeing as there wasn't much evidence to support it.

At the mention of Ari and Toshiro Asagi, her expression softened with a small smile. It did wonders to her face, which while attractive, was rather stern earlier. It reminded him of Violet's pure-business demeanor. The smile made her face seem warm, and he couldn't help but smile back in reflex.

"Yes, sir. They're my parents. I heard about you from them. Good things, I swear. I'm just glad they weren't in there for this."

He nodded.

"Likewise. Ari and Toshiro are good people, and I had the pleasure of working with them before they retired. I liked them, and I still call them for a consult every so often, though I don't speak to them as often as I should." he said.

The smile didn't last very long however, particularly when she answered his question about her rank.

"Listen, Mr. Adler... I'm an Operative and that means that I'll have to look into this matter very deeply. At other times, CyCorp or the H.A. Dynasty could be up to any number of things, but I don't believe that this is one of them. I would like to be able count on your help on this matter, to keep the two sides from each other's throats and perhaps to uncover the reason for all of this."

His mouth twisted into an uncertain slant that was almost a grimace.

"Trust me, I'd like to know what's going on just as much as you do, but I can only do so much as a mid-level manage--" he started, before turning as someone called out to them.

Or, more accurately, to Operative Asagi.

"Hey! I heardda bomb go off... Hadda see fer mesself wha' happened. Can't believe someone would go 'bout somethin' like this... Any idea how many people were inside when it 'appened?"

Karl sighed softly, saying somberly, "We won't know for sure until the fires are out and the police can go in and investigate, but there were sure to be some, hammering out just a few more hours..."

 

[FalloutJack]

Her parents really did enjoy their work, hence why they were eager to keep at it despite being only on a consultant's basis. Even still, it was gratifying to know that Mr. Adler thought highly of them. Asagi felt as though she'd met a good friend of the family that she just kept missing in between the important moments of her life. It was kind of refreshing, really, as though Karl wasn't just the kinder face of CyCorp, but someone she could relate to. Still, it was important to establish a tie that she could also rely upon for this case. Given that two people were killed and then two buildings from the two organizations were blown up, probably at the same time, this was going to be a doozy. Somebody or alot of somebodies appeared to be very well-organized and talented. Very bad for business. Karl was giving his assurance that he would gladly help out out of the common sense rule when...somebody interrupted.

"Hey! I heardda bomb go off... Hadda see fer mesself wha' happened. Can't believe someone would go 'bout somethin' like this... Any idea how many people were inside when it 'appened?"

Charles... Asagi was surprised to see him there. Then again, the bombs could've been heard all over London, and he was in her area when they went off. No reason he couldn't be here, just surprising that he was. Looks like he'd gotten himself hurt, though. He should probably check in with a paramedic.

"We won't know for sure until the fires are out and the police can go in and investigate, but there were sure to be some, hammering out just a few more hours..."

It was then that she put her hand up when a minute buzzing sound - it would be hard to hear, but they might just manage it if they were really good - emanated from Asagi's phone. She had hands-free gear and synched it with implanted technology so it could work like a Metal Gear Solid Codec, but she had switched regular calls to voice mail because she needed to priorities military calls at the moment. Still, since things were slightly calmer, she took it, but then...she had every reason to no longer stay calm.


"K... K... Karine. It's... It's Irina. Sienna's in the CyCorp lobby. She's hurt. If you're over there. Find her PLEASE!"

Instantly, her eyes widened and she looked over at the burning CyCorp building.

"There's someone in the lobby!"

Not waiting for back-up and indeed not listening to anyone else, Karine was in motion, the full force of her cyberlimbs carrying her towards the place. Her combat suit and coat would give her minor flame protection, at least. She found an opening with some fire around it and leapt through to drop into a roll on the inside. Instantly, the heat was on and she stayed low to the ground. In truth, some people - like children or at least those younger than her - she had some trouble relating to, because she felt distanced a little by her prosthetics from normal human beings. It was an issue, and so it wasn't as though she had talked to Sienna that much. But on occasion, at least. And because she was Irina's daughter, she was eager to find her, calling out her name.

 

[TheIronRuler]

His time was getting much better, but the doctor was playing with himself merely to delay the inevitable. He would have to continue his real research soon, or else the higher-ups won't find any use for him anymore. He was measuring the length of his death once more, sitting on a cold chair at a desk with a list of notes scribbled on his notebook - previous experiments, showing his improvement over time. Wolf was quite positively dead, which was a deciding factor in what happened next.

The door to his room opened, and from outside came the Indian woman who had nursed him back to health for the past two days. She was carrying a plastic tray with another meal the doctor won't eat and a vase with flowers - a kind, yet futile gesture. It all smashed on the floor when she saw him sitting on his chair with pale skin and empty eyes. His throat muscles were visibly clenched tight, as if he had experienced a fatal allergic reaction, and the woman rushed to his aid. She pushed her finger against his main jugular vein and failed to find a beat. There was a stop-watch in his right hand, and his left was hanging limp from his body. He was wearing the same patient's clothes he wore in the hospital, which were starting to smell of spirits and medicine. She placed her hand around his neck and prepared to slowly lower his body on the floor so she could massage his chest when she heard a 'click' behind her and he suddenly moved his eyes, opened his throat and whispered, "time".

She staggered away from the living-dead doctor and stared at him open-mouthed with amazement. He seemed to have come back from the dead with his wits still about him, but that assumption had to be tested first. "Doctor Wolf!", she cried out, "How did you...". Her eyes looked back at the mess she left behind her - his dinner turned over, spilled on the floor, the vase broken to bits and pieces. She walked around the doctor, bent down and first retrieved the flowers from the mess. They remained surprisingly intact and clean.

"I saw you die", she stated the obvious, "How did you come back?". The doctor was unfazed with her attitude - he saw mortals come back to live in his early days as a doctor - he himself made the procedures. It was surprising for him to meet such a green doctor - she introduced herself as Doctor Mahndi Gerishana, and claimed she was supposed to look after him and his research. It would have been her fifth attempt to make him start working on the computer and forsaken his petty research into his own freak abilities.

"I am special", the doctor spoke softly as his vocal cords recovered from the traumatic experience, his voice a grating low bass, "that's why they keep me around". He leaned forward, saw the time in his watch and frowned. "I was supposed to last four more seconds at the very least", he logged in his results, "Not nearly enough...not enough". Mahndi walked around the debris at the entrance and near the old doctor, "Why don't you use a-",
"-A computer? because they'll make me work on their serums again. I'm tired of finding a way to give old men an erection. That should be the job of young women like yourself". The doctor took the flowers away from her and fainted smelling them, moved them back and then placed them on the desk.

"Do you like them? They're my favorite", she pointed at the flowers. Wolf smiled awkwardly, "I can't smell them-", he twisted his synthetic nose, "I lost my real one a long time ago".

BANG

A long time ago in the ruins of Vienna

They were screaming. Everybody was screaming. The underground held barely, but most of the tunnels collapsed under the weight of the bombs. Everyone at the floor above was dead. The doctor, half-buried in debris, couldn't even move his head. He looked at what he could find, and the major was buried not too far away from him. He fared much better than Wolf, but his panicked eyes, moving from dot to dot hysterically called away his secret - his hands held his throat from opening even further, as blood seeped out of the wound somebody had inflicted him. He won't live long to tell the tale. None of the men would, not even the good doctor.

BANG

She was suspended in the air, her back to the wall, her legs kicking at the floor, his hands at her throat. He let go the minute his wits came back to him.

"YOU'RE A KILLER, BOY"

A stream of tears chocked the old doctor when his memories clashed with reality. He looked back at the pills at his table-side and dashed to them while his victim recovered from her shock. He walked over the glass shards and cut his feet, but that didn't matter to him. He climbed on the bed and leaned forward, staring down at the collection of bottles. His body was shaking uncontrollably, and a single thought echoed in his mind. His hands pried open the lid to his medicine and spilled all of the pills on the bed. He lifted one and tossed it in his throat, and then another one, just in case. The tears came rushing back, and the doctor fell on his side, his hands hugging himself, humming an old lullaby.

"You're one of us...You always have been

 

[Texas Joker 52]

~ Karl Adler ~​

Turning his attention to the man that joined them, Karl curiously looked him over. He was tall, arguably taller than him and dressed in baggy clothes that had clearly seen better days. The fact that one sleeve of his coat was tied in a knot below the elbow told him this man had lost an arm at some point. But it was the fresh blood in his hair and on his shoulder that made him realize he was hurt.

"Sir, you're hurt. Don't you think you should have that seen to by someone?" he asked quietly, motioning to the man's scalp.

It was shortly after that Operative Asagi held up a hand, and given the inward look her face took on, it was presumably some sort of call or private message. Whatever the call was about however was bad. Her eyes widened in shock before she tore off in the direction of the burning skyscraper.

"There's someone in the lobby!"

That was enough to have anyone running, and Karl didn't hesitate for long before following behind her, letting loose a long, quick string of German curses.

"What?! Who?" he called after.

She had managed to find an entrance just barely wreathed with fire and dove through, but when he reached it the flames seemed to surge up to stop him, and by that point a pair of firemen had noticed him and pulled him back.

As they told him that it was far too dangerous for him to be anywhere near there, he shook his head and called out, "There's someone still in there! In the lobby! Get a paramedic!"

Glancing back at the inferno, he could only hope Asagi could find whoever it was that was in there and get them out. Preferably without getting herself killed in the process.

 

[Neuromancer]

"We won't know for sure until the fires are out and the police can go in and investigate, but there were sure to be some, hammering out just a few more hours..."

Godsdamnit.

Charles couldn't help but grimace at the sound of that. The casualties may have been few, but they were still casualties. This was definately not the work of any "resistance" group he knew of, and there was no way in hell that the Dynasty would do something that basicly amounts to a declaration of war; the "game" that went on between the MegaCorps had always been a subtle one.

What kinda third party could have done something like this?

"Sir, you're hurt. Don't you think you should have that seen to by someone?" asked the slickly-dressed man. Who was he, anyway? His face, voice and accent certainly felt familiar.

"Oh, den't worry 'bout me. 'Tis but a flesh wound, not-"

"There's someone in the lobby!"

"Wha?!"

Before he could so much conjure up a thought, the copper was already running towards the burning building, jumping into the fires as soon as she found an opening, while the slick German(?), being pulled back by the firefighters, was shouting to paramedics and firefighters to work harder.

Godsdamnit. Not again!

Ignoring the shouts of firemen around him telling him he should back up, Charles could barely see through the wall of flame that had appeared at the "entrance" that the peeler had used to enter. He could make that jump, he deduced from the distance, but he wasn't sure if he could withstand the flames as he did. His longcoat was made of synthetic fabric that naturally gave him a small degree of fire resistance, but it was evident that he would need more than that.

Finally being physically pushed back by a fireman, Charles disgruntedly gave up. This situation was heavily reminiscent of certain events back when he lived in Belfast. He had been made to stand back then aswell, and...

It was then that Charles noticed a fire bucket left on the back of a firetruck, filled with water.

His eyesight momentarily glitched and his face went numb as he poured the water on him. Completely soaked as he was, he could feel the adrenaline rushing through him, numbing what pain he was experiencing. Steeling himself, Charles put his hood on, gave off the best sprint he could and, sheltering his face with hand and stump, leaped into the flames.

He landed a bit roughly, falling on his knees. The heat truly was suffocating, and Charles couldn't help but cough as he inhaled a bit of smoke. It was times like these that he wished he wasn't so tall. Putting his arm stump in front of his face to cover it from further smoke, Charles ducked and carefully navigated hims way further into the flames. He could hear the peeler shouting in the distance.

"SIENNA!"

Sienna!? That was the name of Irina's child. She was the someone that was in here?

His heart racing at the realisation that it was a child that was trapped in the flames, Charles made his way ever more hurriedly towards the copper, eventually catching up with her.

"SIENNA'S IN HERE?!" he shouted at the peeler to make sure that his voice wouldn't be drowned out by the noise, "HAVE YA ANY IDEA WHERE IN THA LOBBY SHE WAS LOCATED WHEN YA FOUND OUT?" he finished, doing his best to look around for the child.

 

[Generic NPC 22]

London 2056 | Smoldering CyCorp Lobby
Introducing Sienna Cray-Rostikova​

A sharp pain in her abdomen kept her from falling asleep, though staying awake was getting harder and harder for Sienna Cray-Rostikova. The normally bright lobby of her daddy's work, CyCorp, was now only lit by the multitude of flashing lights that managed to find their way to where the young girl lay and of course, the low burning flames provided some light for which Sienna could make out her daddy nearby.

Sienna's daddy had never looked so messy in his life. His black silk suit was ripped in several places and dirty all over. There were even some spots that looked like they were soaked. Looking closer at him, Sienna could see that his eyes were open, looking up at the ceiling.

"D...daddy?" Sienna managed to whisper. She found it hard to breathe. She felt as if she was drowning. She tried to crawl towards him, her legs not wanting to work. She couldn't feel them, she realized setting off a wave of panic.

When the young girl was finally able to reach her daddy, tried get his attention, pushing on him a couple of times.

"Daddy? Daddy... wake up. Daddy... this... isn't funny." Sienna said a little louder, causing her to cough from the effort. When she did, she felt herself coughing something up and she tasted blood. She knew what it tasted like because every time she cut one of her fingers, she would put it in her mouth.

"Mommy? Where are you? Daddy... daddy's not moving." Sienna said into her daddy's phone. It was still connected to her mommy's phone. "I ... don't feel good either."

It wasn't any surprise that she didn't feel too hot at the moment. Despite taking the brunt of the blast, Nathaniel Cray's body could only protect his daughter so much from the explosion. A large chunk of metal had been propelled by the blast and pierced the CyCorp executive's body, cutting through it like a hot knife. Despite that, the father's body had slowed the shrapnel enough to not kill Sienna instantaneously. Instead, it pierced her stomach area.

As for the rest of her, Sienna found it hard to hear. Touching her ears, she found more blood, the girl's proximity to the blast caused a perforation of her eardrums. Despite the damage to her body, Sienna didn't cry. None of the wounds she incurred were painful.

"Sienna!" A faint voice called out to her in the darkness, one that was familiar to her.

"Miss Asagi?" Sienna remembered the name of her mommy's neighbor, the scary lady.

"Sienna!!" Another voice called out, one that she didn't recognize.

"Miss Asagi!" Sienna tried to call out again, the blood in her lungs not allowing her to talk too loudly. Reaching out towards the scary neighbor lady, the world suddenly seemed to go black as the little girl struggled to ger Miss Asagi's attention, "H... help..."

 

[Knife-28]

"Are you feeling alright Kaz?"

The sound of Selene's voice snapped Kazuko out of his daze, and the fact he just got caught looking like a braindead dropkick kicks him into damage control mode. "Yea, I was just wondering where the nearest bottleshop was so I could pop down and pick you up some real alcohol." Kazuko said, his smirk giving away the fact that he was joking, though he still decided to clarify himself, "I'm kidding, I'll just grab a coffee if it isn't too much trouble."

Any response Selene might have given was drowned out by the deafening sound of twin thunderclaps and the ominous rumble that followed them. For a second, Kaz believed the sounds to be just that, thunder, after all it wouldn't be unlikely the weather tonight to take a turn for the worst, but the rumble that followed the blasts, along with the slowly rising crescendo of sirens hinted at their true nature, even if Kaz would rather not believe it.

Quickly he crossed the room to the nearest window, and the slow ticker tape of instant news stories confirmed what he was seeing with his own eyes; CyCorp's headquarters had been bombed and were going up in flames.

Part of him felt elated, though another wondered how many innocent people had actually lost their lives in the blast. For the sake of the CyCorp employee next to him, and to not seem like an anarchist, Kaz simply chose to swear under his breath.

"Bloody hell."

 

[Evrant-Knight]

"Yea, I was just wondering where the nearest bottleshop was so I could pop down and pick you up some real alcohol." Kazuko replied, coming out of his frozen looking state with a smirk to show that he was joking, though it still got a huff from Selene as she calmly took a sip of her tea. "I'm kidding, I'll just grab a coffee if it isn't too much trouble."

He then began to approach the kitchen. But before he could reach or Selene could react, there was a cacophonous roar of thunderous claps followed by a ominous and foreboding rumble coming from seemingly anywhere. The suddenness of it all made Selene stagger backwards a step as she kept a firm grip on her tea.

As Selene regained focus and looked to see where it was that roar came from, out from the corner of her eye she saw the source. Off into the distance Selene saw the raging fire that now crowned the headquarters of CyCorp. Approaching the window next to Kaz to get a better view, something in her gut was telling Selene that this had to be in some-way connected to the twin murders at the Hotel earlier; it would be too much of a coincidence for it not to be, and going by that line of thinking, it meant that H.A Dynasty would have been targeted as well.

"Bloody hell." She could hear Kaz faintly under his breath.

"Indeed Kaz, this is a very grim day indeed."

 

[FalloutJack]

As stated, she really hadn't been paying attention to those who were calling after her. No offense to Karl or anything, just that she tended to focus on her job, especially important moments such as these. Still, it was her intention to spider-crawl around this room 'till she found the girl, when...

"SIENNA'S IN HERE?! HAVE YA ANY IDEA WHERE IN THA LOBBY SHE WAS LOCATED WHEN YA FOUND OUT?"

Holy shit, when did HE get in here?! And how? Wait, he looked wet right now, so...he must've drenched himself to give his clothing a membrane of fire protection. That wouldn't help much on the way out. The fire and the heat will have taken care of most of it before getting out again, and that's no good for Sienna in the interim. Asagi looked properly annoyed and her expression - which Charles could see even in the fightlight - read as 'What are you doing here?! This is dangerous!'. Granted, it was dangerous for her too, but of the two of them...who had military training and four cyberlimbs? She did! That meant there were whole sections of her body that weren't going to suffer much from fire anyway. He was a one-handed street bum! He shouldn't be in here! Regardless, they didn't have time for this. A girl's life was at stake, and Asagi didn't want to leave a lone girl alone to suffer. That was...too much like her own accident.

"No, I don't! But lobby is better than nothing!"

[sub]"Miss Asagi!"[/sub]

Huh? What was that? Where was that? She focused until she saw the girl with her hand raised...and then she blacked out. Asagi headed towards Sienna and discovered the extent of her harm.

God...no... Not like me... Not like...!

She almost lost her composure at the sight of the girl's damaged body, trying very hard to regain control as she saw that her stomach had been pierced by some metal and her ears were... She needed emergency care and fast. Now, it seems that she needed Charles, after all.

"Charles!!"

She pointed to one of the fire extinguishers required by law to be hanging up in plain view on the wall for easy access.

"Clear me a path to wherever they focus the hoses!"

She worked quickly, mentally and physically. Taking off her longcoat, she wrapped the girl in it for her own protection. She would have to keep her as parallel to the ground as possible to prevent further damage or higher loss of blood. If they could get her outside to the paramedics, she would live, and hopefully without too much work done to her. The mental part was to contact the nearest surveillance drones capable of audio transmission to home in on the firemen and inform them to focus their efforts on an opening to allow the three of them to escape.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

~ Karl Adler ~​

As he was pulled back from the inferno, Karl couldn't help but stare into the flames in worry. But a blur out of the corner of his eye caused him to turn to watch the one-armed man rush through the fire that covered the entrance Operative Asagi used.

"What are you doing?! Are you insane?!" he called out in vain, before shaking his head and pulling away from the firemen, turning away to start and pace.

There wasn't much he could do besides hope and wait, since he was a little ashamed to admit that he wasn't prepared to leap into a burning building. But as the surveillance drones started to give out instructions in Asagi's voice, specifically to clear a path for them to get out.

"There are at least three people trapped in there! They need an exit, so focus your efforts so they can escape! And hurry!" he told them, making sure to point to the entrance they had used.

If they were going to get out, that was the most likely place he could think of for them to use. While the firemen worked to clear an opening in the flames, a paramedic came up behind him.

"There's someone trapped in there? Any idea what to expect in the way of injuries?" he asked.

Karl shook his head before he replied, "No, so I'd say to expect the worst. Two others rushed in to save whoever it was, so I'd prepare for three more injured, just in case."

 

[Neuromancer]

The peeler shot him a hard, concerned glare as he made his way next to her, clearly failing to understand that Charles was well aware of the dangers rushing into a burning building presented. He couldn't just stand back, not knowing that someone was trapped inside. One person can only do so much and she would need all the help she could get, even if it came from a one-handed drunkard.

"No, I don't! But lobby is better than nothing!"

"Shite! I'll look this way, you look the other! We need ta find 'er qui-"

The copper motioned him to stop, as though she wanted to hear something, before abruptly turning towards...

Next to the mangled corpse of what more-than-likely was her father lay a girl with her hand raised, before dropping unconcious.

No!

Charles run, following Karine's -yes, that's what her name was!- lead. Terror filled him as he saw the extend of the wounds the little girl that surely was Sienna had suffered.

Goddamnit...

It did not look good.

Goddamnit all!

Charles clenched his fist in an attempt to contain the anger that was slowly building up, an anger borne from the hopelessness of the situation they were in and the resentment at watching it all happen all over again.

Why, damnit, why-

"Charles!!"

At the sound of his name, Charles snapped out of the trance he was in. Following the way Karine was pointing it at, he noticed what she wanted him to see: A fire extinguisher.

"Clear me a path to wherever they focus the hoses!"

She was right; standing in horror sulking at the situation would do no good. As long as there was a chance, no matter how small, that they could save the little girl, they owed to her to keep trying.

"On it!" he said, determined, as he run towards the fire extinguishers.

Lucky for him, CyCorp was using the newest models: The ones that were hoseless, used a simple "one-two" button configuration and were more efficient in their use of their contents, allowing for an extended period of use. Still, the kickback was significant, so it wasn't something that could be used with one hand.

Not unless you thought unconventionally, at least.

Pulling the safety pin, Charles pulled the fire extinguisher towards his upper body and cradled it with his stump, which allowed his hand to be able to hold on to the trigger in an reverse-grip fashion. It wasn't comfortable and it sure as hells wasn't anywhere near practical, but it was the only way that a one-armed man could possibly wield a fire extinguisher in a semi-competent fashion.

"Let's go!" he shouted at Karine, who was at this point holding Sienna as carefully as she could.

Charles aimed for the base of the flames blocking their path and squeezed the trigger. The kickback was significant, but he would manage. He had to, if they were to get Sienna out.