Somnium Aeternum Undercurrents

SedentaryCobra

SedentaryCobra

Outhouse Poet
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The red lights district of New Arcadia.

Deep in the city, apart from the high skyscrapers of the city center, lay the red lights district. The district lay awash in the glow of neon, bathing the busy streets of people in hues of blue and red and green. Sidewalk vendors had taken over the walkways, leaving pedestrians walking on foot through the streets with the few cars foolish enough to try to drive through the hub of Arcadian night life. Cyclists zipped in and between passerbys with practiced dexterity, rushing to make deliveries from here to there.

Everyone moved fast, while the night dragged on. The red lights district was just another set of boarded up streets and run down, reclaimed tenements. But the night was where it blossomed. And the night waited for no one. Noise rang in a cacophonous drone, filling the air with the same liveliness of the streets.

Knock once, wait, then twice on the door to enter. The key's 4972. Punch it in and wait. Tell the man outside with the yellow sweater Pops sent you. He'll know. Illegal activities were as common as the legal ones under the red lights, and they had all sorts of methods to keep prying eyes from getting to them. It hid in plain sight, giving all the telltale signs, but never truly being seen. Every few blocks, an armed and wary officer would be walking, searching for the signs, but all he would grasp were shadows. Unless you were part of it, all you could grasp were straws.

On the streets lay the nightclub The Blue. A veneer of class and wealth covering the lair of a well known mob boss, Mark Mavers. A leader of his own syndicate, he stands a well connected figure in the criminal underworld. Today, however, his nightclub may receive a few visitors he may regret allowing in...

Past two set of metal doors and pair of bouncers, the lowly lit interior of The Blue bubbled with the murmurs of rumors and gossip. An electric dance music beat in the background, dark and soft, just loud enough to cover the distinct words of a conversation. Slick black floors reflected the pale blue lighting back up, setting the patrons in an almost ghostly glow. The colors shifted, red, yellow, green, blue again. A long bar stretched across the establishment, lined with chairs few used. Alcoves in the walls, a table surrounded by a round bench were where most patrons sat, conversations hushed by them, and the lighting kept dark enough to conceal a face. No one came to The Blue for the drinks. They came for the anonymity. A rich kid out on the town, a girl in his lap, whispering sweet nothings into her ears. No one could recognize him here. Here he was just another patron. Several lines of cocaine and a few pills in exchange for a fistful of money. All veiled in the secrecy of The Blue.
 
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Ajax Strumpler in the red lights district

Ajax made his way through the red light district with another runner, Rachel, they had a very important delivery to make with Mavers, so Ajax had decided to take someone along with him to serve as a deco if the need had risen and to keep the product split safely. So far they had gone unnoticed and would hopefully make it to The Blue without having to put their skills to use. As they turned the corner to The Blue Rachel peeled off to go find a hiding spot to wait for Ajax while he did the dealing and to keep some of the product safe incase Mavers didn't pay up. Ajax used the secret knock and code and then asked for Pops.

"He is busy with another customer. You can go hang out in the club and someone will come and get you when he is ready," a tall bouncer told Ajax.

Ajax wandered into the club and found a sit alone in the corner and watched the club dealings, while he waited for Mavers.
 
Liam walked down the streets of the Red Light District among the ocean of people. The atmosphere was chaotic, noisy--uncivilized. People shouting here and there, street vendors trying to make a living, not noticing their hard earned cash being taken like plucking apples from a tree amidst the army of people marching through the streets. They wouldn't know. Imagine their surprise to see their earnings for the night being less than what they remember. Nothing good occurs down here. A man runs into Liam and apologizes, reaching into Liam's coat thinking he's smart. Liam is so familiar with the tricks of common thieves, he simply grabs him by the shoulder and give him a quick headbutt, leaving him unconscious on the ground before walking off to his destination.

In the distance, above the silhouette figures of the people walking about, he spots The Blue. The big-shot nightclub in town. He walks on over, hands in his pocket. The closer he got, the slower his movement until he came to a stop just across the street from The Blue. He taps his earpiece, "I'm here Cale. Get over here," He ends the transmission and walks over to the door. He gives it a good few knocks before putting his mask on. A small segment of the door turns transparent and a pair of eyes stare back at his. "Let me in," he simply says. the segment changes back and the door opens. Liam walks in and scans his surroundings before taking a seat at the corner of the room, irritated by the loud music. He keeps his eyes peeled for his target, Mark Mavers. The Mob Boss. Liam got a report from a woman saying her family has been troubled by a particularly bad guy and his friends. Threatening her husband for money and harassing her and and her children. Liam did some digging, and found out it was none other than Mavers himself.

Liam puts on his hood and keeps himself hidden in the shadowy corner he nests himself in, waiting for Cale to arrive should things go south and keeping an eye out for Mavers.
 
Mavers's a real mysterious man, that's for sure. Nobody really knows who he is, except for the crooks and criminals who line his inner circle. However, one thing was for sure; Mark Mavers is the crime lord and unopposed king of the filthy streets of the New Acadian red light district.

"On my way," the deep voice of a man called into the midnight air. The voice went amidst the choir of passers by just like the man himself, unnoticed. Little did they all know who he was, or what he was capable of.

No, only those who'd already spent half a decade in a prison cell would recognize the face of Cale Rogers, or (as they would know him) Shade. This wasn't Cale's first night hunting down a trouble maker, equipped with nothing but a standard issue NAPD pistol and two fists. The only difference was that, before joining the Suez Helping Hand, Cale went after the small guys; the robbers and drug dealers. Now that he's employed, Cale can hunt big game, including Mavers.

Cale approached the entrance to The Blue, leather boots thudding the ground under his weight. A hood and tinted glasses where covering his head and eyes, to avoid recognition. A loud bang was emitted by his knuckles on the door. The eye slit, sitting at Cale's shoulder height, opened and soon the door itself did too. The tall hooded man entered the club and examined his surroundings.

"I'm in," Cale said under his breath, spotting Liam. "I'm at the bar, boss" He added, heading over to the bar and taking a seat near a sketchy looking guy, dodging drunk men and horny women on the way.
 
Aphrodite "Smokes" Jones
Red Light District, New Acadia


Aphrodite was on guard duty at The Blue, a too-rich-for-her-blood nightclub stuck deep in the heart of New Acadia's Red Light District. She was tasked with guarding the life of one Mark Mavers, the rich suit who owned the nightclub.

She didn't know much about the man who she worked for, other than that he was rich and powerful and preferred to give orders through subordinates rather than give them face-to-face. Those same subordinates made a conscious effort to keep the juicy details away from her, so Mavers was filed under "shady". However, it wouldn't be the first time that Aphrodite had to deal with shady characters as it was necessary to communicate with them in her line of work. And from what Mavers had and what he was supposedly capable of doing, she came to the conclusion long ago that she was on a mob boss's payroll. The typical kind of shady, she thought.

Aphrodite kept watch over The Blue at one of the back walls of the club's ground floor, while the other guards kept watch on the higher ones. Her arms were folded and a cigarette hung from her lips as she leaned against the wall and scanned the area repeatedly for troublemakers, her revolver ready to fire at them if it came to it.
 
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Ajax Strumpler in the red lights district

After waiting around the club for a bit one of Mavers men came over and told Ajax Mavers was ready to see him. Ajax followed the man to a back room where Mavers did his business.

Mavers let a grin slip when he saw Ajax, "you find the job hard?"

"Na, I brought a decoy to keep it extra safe, just like you asked," Ajax replied taking his backpack off and removing a small silver box from it and handing it to Mavers. Mavers typed a code into a little screen on the box and it popped open. Inside were twenty tiny green pills. Ajax didn't know a lot about drugs, but he knew that drug was dangerous and probable deadly.

"Want some?" Mavers asked picking one of the pills up and examining it.

"No thanks, money will do just fine," Ajax replied. Mavers opened draw at his desk and pulled out the agreed payment.

"If you want to stick around kid I think I got a buy for some of this and I will give you a nice little tip if you deliver it for me," Mavers explained.

"Sure thing, I will be outside the club. No offense but I can't stand all the noise and drunk people." With that Ajax took the money and headed for the exit to go find Rachel.
 
Liam grew increasingly irritated by the music as he sat in his little corner, keeping an eye on every living soul in the room. For the last 15 minutes, Liam hasn't even been looking out for Mavers, but his goons. Liam came to the realization that the chances of that scumbag popping his head out around here was unlikely, so his goons were the next best thing. He got up from his cozy seat and walked across the room over to the bar, taking a seat next to Cale, his back to the counter and his eyes staring back at the crowd, scanning everyone for the fifth time, wanting to make sure he didn't miss anyone. He searched through the crowd one last time when he spotted a little someone at the back of the room. "Aphrodite..." He whispered under his breath. Someone he knew. Badass girl comes home from war and starts doing the only she knows how to do. Had a run-in with her once and got his ass kicked. Something Liam will never let happen again. Having it happen once is enough, can't have his rep going down the flusher. As soon as he's about to get up, he spots a kid walking into the back room and later walking out with something in his hands. Liam figured that this kid could help him get to Mavers, and in turn make the job a lot easier, considering that killing him quietly in the back would result much less chaos among the people in here. Plus, no cops.

"Cale, do me a favor and keep your eyes on badass blondie over there. I'm gonna go get us a way to Mavers," Liam says before getting up and walking towards the red haired kid. He followed him to the exit and as soon as he got out, Liam grabbed him and pinned him to the wall. "Hey there kid. Mind helping me get to Mavers?" He stared him in the eye, his mask doing some facial recognition. "Ajax Strumpler. I've heard of you before," Liam loosens his grip on him and lets him go, taking a step back. "Get me to Mavers, and you'll see yourself rewarded,"
 
Ajax was surprised by the attack, how had he been caught off guard? Must of been the music, but more likely it was waiters, "I am just a lowly slave, Mavers will have me beaten by one of his men if I talk to long. If Ajax does not do what Mavers tells him Ajax gets no food too." Ajax explained to this guy with a smile that gave his lie right away.
 
Behind his mask, Liam chuckles a little bit. "Spare me the bullshit kid. I know who you are. I know what you do. Just get me to Mavers,"
 
"If you know who I am then you know I can't help you. I make a living off these goons, what you think will happen if they find out I helped you try and get Mavers?" Ajax replied.
 
Kesser Hendo - Red Light District

Kes hated not being in control of a situation. He wasn't a fan of cigarettes and dub step, either.

The date rape, cyberfunk sheen of The Blue swirled around him like a psychedelic mandala of sex and potential violence. It made him nervous. He'd rather be anywhere else but here. But, he thought diffidently, he'd rather be here than face down somewhere with a bullet hole in he back of his head. One of Maver's heavies stomped up to his table and motioned him to follow. Fuck, he thought. Here we go.

Kes was led through the labyrinth of bodies to a flight of metal stairs that bordered the dance floor, they were roped off with a gold colored chain and a sign that read private. The stairs climbed to a balcony that overlooked the club. Kes was seated at the only table, and the bodyguard stood stoically behind him. A silhouette leaned casually over the balcony, and without haste, walked with equal confidence and nonchalance to the table. He took a cushioned seat in the lounge chair that was the twin of the one Kes sat in.

"Mister Hendo, it's a pleasure," he said like they'd already become fast friends. Kes only nodded.
"My name is Jof Rikker, but you can call me Jay. Everyone else does," he sipped a mixed drink Kes hadn't noticed was on the table.

"What can I do for you and...umm, uh. Him, I guess," Kes stumbled.

"Mavers?" Jay laughed, "No. You don't need to worry yourself about him. You can relax. There's plans afoot, things in motion, pawns at play. No one will worry over him much anymore I think. But you. You been a worrier lately, yes? Worried that we've noticed your...business growth?"

"What do you mean?" Kes squirmed. He was hoping a point was coming soon so he could get out of here.

"I have business with you Mr. Hendo. You're the best smuggler in town, and you've been cutting in on our bottom line. Some see this as a problem to be swatted at like a fly. I see an opportunity. Would you like to be the opportunity or the fly?"

"Shit," Kes said.

"Indeed," Jay smiled.

"Now there's these pills..."
 
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DestrixGunnar said:
"What will happen is they'll be laying dead on the floor,"
Click to expand...
"I will help you kill Mavers, but I get my drugs back when were done and 100 bucks for my time. Also they can't know I helped you, so I am just gona get you close. Now, let's step outside real quickly so I can get your escort." with that Ajax pushed out of the man's grip and went to find Rachel. "Mavers will know something's up if I come back in with your ugly face plus I told him I would wait outside, so Rachel will help you get in through the back while I meet with him to get the drugs for delivery. Just listen to Rachel and she will get you exactly where you need to be to put a bullet in Mavers." Ajax found Rachel sitting behind a dumpster across the street. Ajax explained the plan to Rachel, "Okay, so you two go get in place it won't be long before Mavers want's to see me again."
 
Tegan Mika - Red Lights District

Another late night at work, another late night trek home through the seedy Red Lights District of New Acadia. And it just so happened that Tegan had an emergency house call for The Blue. Local hotspot for the rich, local drug dispensary for the addicts. While she despised going there, the owner paid well and money was a thing she was in need of. Her job for tonight was simple: get in, perform some routine maintenance on the machines (a list of which were given to her prior), get paid, and get out. Before knocking, she sniffed her clothing. She definitely smelled like a mechanic, that's for sure. Shrugging to herself she performed the customary ritual of gaining access to the club and entered.

Tonight seemed busier than the previous times she had been here. She gripped her bag a little tighter and followed one of the workers back behind the bar. It smelled overwhelmingly of booze and salty bar snacks as she knelt in front of the main tank. She pulled up a panel on the floor, revealing tubes and a small control panel. From her bag, she retrieved her specialty gloves, a stick of gum, and some cheap goggles one could easily find from a vendor on the streets outside the club. After popping the gum in her mouth, she flipped a small switch and a small, dim light turned on, illuminating a small circle on the area below her. Tegan would remove the lid of the control panel and begin fidgeting with the wires, testing this wire then that one for a specific level of conductivity.
 
"Whatever you say kid, but double cross me and I'll forget my morals and put a bullet in you, too. Both of you," Liam turns his head and faces the girl, doing his best to somehow scare them a bit with the mask and the built-in voice changer. Rachel moves on to where Ajax told her to go and Liam follows suit, his hands in his pockets. He does a scan on the girl and he learns quite a few things. He turns back and glances at Ajax, "Runners huh..." he mutters to himself before facing the front once more. The further back they went, the darker it became. When they got to the seemingly secluded back door, Rachel leads him in, closing the door behind them. In the next room, Liam overheard people talking but couldn't make out exactly what they were saying, but he knew Mavers was in there. He leans in closer and puts his ear to the wall, "You, go see that Ajax kid out front. Be quick,"

Liam hears footsteps getting closer and retreats from the wall, grabbing Rachel by the arm and pulling her towards the corner of the room adjacent to the door. Liam simply watches as two people walk out the back door, passing them by. "Cale, I'm near Mavers, gonna go in for the kill," He says into the comms before going through the door and pulling out his gun, shooting down everyone in the room and finally pointing his gun at Mavers. Mavers turns around and holds up his hands. "You know, you should've brought a silencer with you, I can imagine someone calling the cops after hearing gunshots," Mavers says, smirking and chuckling. "Pretty handy with a gun I see, you just took down six armed men in 5 seconds,"

"The shitty music outside is my silencer. I doubt anyone can hear anything through that music, let alone the fact that we're in the back room here. Even if they did, NAPD can't navigate down here, too many people to get through on the streets. By the time they get here I'd be long gone. Now, give me the little tip you offered the kid,"
 
Aphrodite's cigarette was done for, leaving nothing but the bitter taste of addiction in her mouth. She removed the burnt end from her mouth and flicked it to the floor. No need for the boot, it was already out.

She looked up from the ground, her eyes focusing on the crowd once more. The paranoia sets in and she begins to wonder if for those few seconds she allowed someone to make their move. No, she couldn't have. There were guards everywhere, they'd surely pick up the slack. No one gets past the men Mavers hired, the subbies told her. With that in mind Aphrodite eased her back unto the wall once more, letting out a long sigh. Another uneventful night.

Before she could slip another stick between her lips Aphrodite was knocked out of her boredom by the faint sound of gunfire, something she was trained to listen to no matter how distant it was. She was sure of its reality, even though the music was deafening and the crowd hadn't let their ears tuned to listen beyond the blasting of electronica yet. Someone somewhere was popping off. It was about fucking time.

Aphrodite unholstered her revolver and pushed her way through the crowd as she followed the distant noise. The trail led her to the outer door to Mavers' den. How the fuck did they get past me?

She didn't bother calling for backup. The party was far into its full swing and causing a scene would be bad for business, and Mavers was known to hand out a pretty bonus for people who went the extra mile for him. Aphrodite didn't want to share that bonus.

The vet stuck her gun out in front of her, pushed the door open and moved in. The gunfire had died down and people, her people, were surely dead. She moved faster, with any luck the person who started the shooting was too busy talking to the boss without actually doing the deed of ending him. The assailant must have been waiting for something like this for a long time.

Who could it have been? Mavers was a shady guy, Aphrodite knew, and she was aware of the enemies that a man like him could possess. Did the NAPD finally grow a collective pair and made their move, or did a shadow-lurker finally see his shot at the big time with the blood of a mob boss on his hands? Whoever it was, Aphrodite was going to make sure that they didn't leave The Blue alive.

She made her way to Mavers' hole. As expected, the door was wide open and the smell of blood and gunpowder was in the air. She walked through the doorway and slowly pulled the hammer of her revolver back.

The floor had six men dead on it. Six guards, two of them she knew enough to mourn the loss of them.

She walked slowly to the office of Mark Mavers, only to be greeted by the back of the man who was obviously responsible for the deaths of the guards behind her in all his hooded glory. And he had his gun pointed directly at Mavers, who showed no hint of fear.

"The shitty music outside is my silencer. I doubt anyone can hear anything through that music, let alone the fact that we're in the back room here. Even if they did, NAPD can't navigate down here, too many people to get through on the streets. By the time they get here I'd be long gone. Now, give me the little tip you offered the kid," the man said, his voice muffled. He wore a mask.

"How about I give you a tip?" Aphrodite said in response. She held her gun coolly in her hands. Killing this guy would be easy.
 
"How about I give you a tip?" Liam heard the female voice behind him. His brain processes his next move in a split second and he fires a round into Mavers's foot and swiftly turns around, pushing aside his attacker's arm and pointing his gun at her. He pulls the trigger, but to his dismay the hammer smacks the firing pin and a click is heard. "Shit," Liam says aloud before kicking the girl in the gut and grabbing Mavers, using him as a human shield. He whips out his short sword and holds it to his neck. "Stand down lady, I don't want any trouble with you. Thing is though, there's two of me and one of you, if you still haven't noticed. So just let me get my stuff and finish my job. We can quarrel some other time," Liam's back knocking the door behind him and he pushes it open.

Liam tries to contact Cale who is probably still outside. "Cale, I've got a situation here. Come to the back of the building, now,"
 
The masked man didn't respond. He put a bullet in Mavers' foot, ruining his well-polished dress shoe. The bossman yelled in pain and tried to bend down and tend to his foot in any way that he could, but the pain was too much for him to do anything beyond cry out. After wounding his target, the masked man turned around to face Aphrodite with a speed that she couldn't even begin to process. His gun was inches from her face, ready to end her life with one pull of the trigger. She was done for.

Click.

The masked man swore. His gun was empty. Thank God.

But before Aphrodite could respond with her own gun she had the wind knocked out of her by one swift kick to the stomach. She stumbled onto the floor. The masked man was faster and stronger than she thought. She looked up, and saw him dash over to the wounded Mavers, who was red-faced from his yelling. In one quick motion the man produced a sword that Aphrodite failed to notice and held the blade to the mob boss' neck from behind. Aphrodite got up from the floor, having recovered from the blow she received, and held her gun up to the man once more, but she couldn't risk taking a shot as he was using Mavers as a human shield.

"I'm sorry, Mask," the vet replied, "but you have my boss. A woman's gotta eat and you taking off with my source of income isn't something I appreciate. Let him go."
 
"Well guess what Blondie, this guy's getting me paid too. Indirectly, of course. All I need to do is stick this sword right through this son of a bitch and I'm gone," Liam continues to pull him back, the music getting louder and louder each step. He radios in Cale one more time only to get no response. At this point God knows what's happened to him. Probably got himself drunk. Not to mention Ajax, who's probably still outside oblivious to Liam's situation. He realized he's all alone now and he's gotta improvise.

"Well then it seems that my...cavalry...is a no-show, lil shit," he mutters the last part under his breath.

"Hah!" Mavers let's out a laugh. "Aphrodite kill-" Liam cuts him short with a smack to the face.

"Look lady, I got not beef with you. I'm just here, to do, this," in the blink of an eye, the blade pierces through Mavers's chest. Liam pulls his sword out and launches the corpse at the girl in front of her with a strong kick. "Till we meet again, Aphrodite," Liam exclaims before running out into the club and out the exit. He runs up to Ajax and says, "Hey kid, I'm really sorry to tell you're not getting that tip from Mavers. If you want your drugs back you can go get em and about your little payment, head on over to my office, ask around if you don't know where it is, okay? Okay," Liam rushingly says before running off in the crowd and slowly blending in.
 
Avaeana Morix - Red Light District

Ava was sitting at a table in the nightclub, by herself though she had attracted some interest from a few of the male patrons. She of course, kindly turned them down since she was on a personal mission. Tegan was going to be working here tonight, and Ava knew the reputation of this kind of place. Especially with who ran the club. She was wearing a silky black poncho over her bodysuit so it wasn't obvious of what she was carrying or doing. Her black sunglasses shielded her eyes from the light of the club, but also shielded them from any prying eyes trying to decipher where she was gazing.

As she was lounging, she saw Tegan come in and head back to begin her work. Just before, she saw some shady people head in the back, as she watched. Then she could have sworn she heard gunshots. Normally, she wouldn't have thought anything about it with the music as loud as it is, but having seen the people walk back there, she could be confident in what she heard. She quickly got up and walked to the bar, hopping over. The bartender quickly tried to shoo her back to the other side. She pushed him out of the way just far enough to reach Tegan before touching her shoulder and leaning down to speak into her ear.

"Tegan, we need to go. Now. Gunshots in the back. This place will be swarmed with Police in a bit."

She spoke quickly, but clearly, then raised back up as she placed a hand on her firearm. Seeing her actions, the bartender backed off slightly giving her space.



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