(no subject)

[3nanashi]

He's got what he needs. Information from observation, copies of files he's been given, copies of files he's not supposed to know exist.

The problem with losing your security experts is that you don't have anyone to notice when your new security expert is doing more than you'd want him to. Oh, they watch him, but they aren't quite good enough. He wins their trust instead.

Two days ago, he sent an anonymous tip to the police.

Something else he's not supposed to know is that tonight at 0200 hours is when the police plan to act on that tip, and (warrant obtained) move in on Boss Tammany's compound.

Which is why two days ago, and again two hours ago, he contacted someone else, too.

Comments

[maxwellsdemon02]

Several blocks away:

Duo has been listening to local law enforcement talk in bad code for the last hour or so. They're gearing up to move in on the...rather palatial compound of 'Boss Tammany'. It's time to get closer. He'll know his man when he sees him at the rendezvous point. Une was firm about not sharing the identity of her agent until the bust was made. Code words and everything.

He thinks 'Agent Chameleon' is a bit much, but hey. He's not the boss.

Casually starting his crappy borrowed motorcycle, Duo pulls into the street, looking for a good place to settle in and wait.

[3nanashi]

Inside:

'Thomas' slips the last of the backup copies of certain key files into his jacket pocket. He doesn't bother to turn on the light.

He's made a habit of staying up at odd hours. No one will think anything of it. No one will think anything of him wandering down this hallway, either. It's the easiest way from the 'dorms' to the bathroom and minimal kitchen, and he's made a habit of late-night snacks, too.

Getting from there to the outside. . . That's the tricky part.

[maxwellsdemon02]

Duo is perched on a roof a few houses away now, bike stashed behind a dumpster on the ground. Peering out over the parapet, he scans the area with night vision goggles. Guards, guards, guards. This guy is paranoid.

...for good reason, but still. Too late now!

Guards lurking on the corner of the roof where the other agent was supposed to give the high-sign from. Crap. Time to get creative.

[3nanashi]

He doesn't act edgy. Doesn't look it, either.

Quite possibly this is because he isn't.

No one's in the kitchen. Handy. He continues on, into another dim hallway, strolling in comfortable silence.

[maxwellsdemon02]

Creativity leads him on an interesting route between houses, staying low to avoid being seen by the guards. They are apparently not on duty but on break, smoking on the roof of all things. He shakes his head.

Close enough to disable a single security camera. Then it's a leap and a tumble to the ground and a quick dash to the fence. No motion detectors considering the guards patrolling the grounds. But he has memorized their patterns easily enough, and this man's true security comes from confidence, blackmail, and bribes. Not guards and gadgets and cameras.

Next, grab some wall with no windows, and up to the roof.

[3nanashi]

The second floor. He's not supposed to be here without a request from Boss Tammany, but that doesn't stop him. No guards on this level, but there are supposed to be men and women around, unofficially keeping their eyes open, just in case. But it's late at night, and they're more predictable and less attentive than they think they are. It's easy to slip past.

The third floor. There are guards here. The boss lives on this level.

There's also roof access.

[maxwellsdemon02]

Three stories up with nothing between you and hitting the ground with a crunch but two hands and two feet. And the knee is only recently back in service. Duo clenches his teeth as he silently ascends, but hauls himself up behind the two men without them discerning his presence.

"I don't know how he puts up with it," one of them is saying, blowing a cloud of smoke off the roof. "Always nag, nag, nag."

"You're telling me," the other replies. "But I'm the one who has to listen to him." They break out in laughter, drowning out the slight scuff of Duo's boots as he rushes them both.

[3nanashi]

There are fewer guards than there should be.



Time to proceed carefully.



An alarm should go off when he opens the window to slip out onto the fire escape. But he's Boss Tammany's security expert. He's seen all the blueprints, and upgraded half the system. It's the work of a moment to disable the relevant wiring. He's already got the security cameras set to a dummy loop. This is an empty hallway, so far as the system's concerned.

The window shuts silently.

[maxwellsdemon02]

He's got to do it fast and quiet, so Duo propels himself at one man. Their combined weight sends the second toppling to the ground as well, and his breath goes wooshing out as they land heavily.

Duo winces inwardly at the thump, but hopes there is enough insulation for the noise to be muffled. His first punch is left-handed to the guy on the bottom, and it rocks his head back into the railing.

And then it's close quarters with the other guy. He gets off an elbow that impacts heavily with Duo's ribs, but he's got no leverage with almost 60 kilos of Preventer jamming a knee in between his shoulder blades. Duo steps on his flailing hand, and pops a capsule of gas right in his face. Anesthetic like that won't last long at all (being a protected substance, even Preventers don't get the good stuff).

He swipes an ID card from one of them and trots over to examine the door leading inside.

[3nanashi]

He's on the fire escape just below the roof. A quiet scuffle is still audible.

Two thuds, a hiss of gas, then one set of rapid footfalls.

The only light is from the street lamps and perimeter lights and windows below, and there's a chimney half-blocking his view of the figure at the door. (Poor planning on the architect's part. Tammany should have fixed that.)

He eases over the parapet.

[maxwellsdemon02]

That chimney impedes Duo's sight line as well. However, his peripheral vision is good enough even in the low light he sees something-

He has already spun around and pulled his gun before the thought is really finished. The click of the safety being disengaged is louder than anything else on the roof.

[3nanashi]

. . . Ah.

Trowa lifts his hands, expression unchanged.

[maxwellsdemon02]

"Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me," Duo says in a furious hiss. "You're what Une was being secretive about all week?" He holsters his gun and rolls his eyes.

"Your checkpoint was compromised. Got what you need?"

[3nanashi]

Une? Secretive? Gosh, that never happens!

"Yes," says Trowa, instead of discussing the rest of the matter on Boss Tammany's roof.

[maxwellsdemon02]

"Then let's get out of here, before these two sleeping beauties wake up. Or someone realizes one of the cameras is on a loop. I was a little messy splicing it, since I didn't think I'd have to come over the fence."

Duo is already heading back toward the edge of the roof. "I'm guessing you don't need a rope?"

[3nanashi]

Trowa follows.

Which is to say, no.

[maxwellsdemon02]

Luckily Duo has gotten pretty used to translating silence and body language when it comes from his friends.

Going down is much easier than going up. When Duo hits the first story, he just lets go. He lands silently, glancing left and right before moving ahead. He trusts Trowa to follow.

[3nanashi]

Silence is easier on a stealth mission, when the other person can be trusted to interpret correctly. . . . And most of the time. To Trowa.

There are a few yards of lawn between building and fence. Enough to patrol, and enough to make sneaking in harder, but nothing spacious.



Not much cover either.

Which is a problem, when a guard decides to be a little ahead of schedule.

[maxwellsdemon02]

"Oh, shi-" Duo makes an aborted move to bolt for some of the sparse cover, or maybe the fence.

"Hey!" the guard calls out. "Stop!"

[3nanashi]

A hand snags his collar efficiently, if not over-gently.

It's not the guard's.

"I've got him."

[maxwellsdemon02]

Duo makes a noise sort of like 'hurk' and comes to a halt. He eyes Trowa for a second, wondering how he wants to play this. He goes with the 'swear and struggle' route because that makes it look more real, and he can avoid any hits that come at him.

"Thomas?" the guard says, approaching cautiously. He's reaching for his weapon. (He isn't a total idiot.) "Is that you?"

[3nanashi]

"Yeah."

"I was checking some of the window wiring, and I thought I saw movement." This is all to the guard. He's ignoring Duo, except to maintain the tight hold on his collar.

"You should've let me know," the guard grumbles. This is his beat, and it looks bad for Thomas to have caught somebody sneaking around instead of him. Besides, Thomas could've gotten nabbed as an intruder instead. But he's relaxed enough to reholster his gun, and come nearer to peer at the captive.

[maxwellsdemon02]

Any closer and he'll spot that Duo isn't dressed like a punk kid on a dare, a rival from some other criminal group, or even an undercover cop.

Duo taps Trowa's arm lightly and feels the grip on his collar loosen. The guard takes another step-

A blur of black and a heavy thud later...

Duo gets up. "C'mon and help me hide this guy."

[3nanashi]

There's a cluster of rosebushes right up against the house. A wide stretch of bare lawn means it's not much cover for anyone sneaking around.



Plenty of room to shove a burly unconscious guard behind 'em, though.

[maxwellsdemon02]

"That's gonna sting in the morning," Duo posits cheerfully (if quietly). "Let's blow this popsicle stand. Hope you don't mind riding shotgun."

Of course, it would be a little hard to shoot a shotgun from the back of a motorcycle. But Duo is confident that Trowa could manage it.

[3nanashi]

"It's fine."

The fence is easy. And Duo's security camera rewiring is still holding fine.

Fifteen minutes left before the police are scheduled to move in.

[maxwellsdemon02]

They don't even need to take the rather circular roof route that got Duo close enough to spot the out of place guards. Straight street work, moving quickly, but not running full out. That would attract too much attention in this part of town, especially at night.

Duo stays quiet until they reach the bike and he hauls it out from where it was hidden.

[3nanashi]

When they're a few blocks on, Duo fishes out a cell phone and passes it back. Trowa flips it open and punches in a number.

A few coded phrases later, he returns the phone. Initial check-in accomplished.

Now to lay low while the police swarm over a certain nearby mafia den.

[maxwellsdemon02]

Steering them toward a seedier section of town, Duo dodges a late night block party and two people practically making out in the middle of the street. They shout and shake fists after the retreating bike. Duo just snickers quietly under his helmet.

Soon after he pulls them into the parking lot of a motel that looks as if it has seen better years. The bike settles and rattles a little. It too, has seen better times. "So, I got jet lag and hauled your ass out of that compound for what, exactly?"

He doesn't know all the details. He doesn't need to. But he is nosy curious.

[3nanashi]

Trowa glances at him.


. . .


"None of the locals got close enough to get any information that would stick. He's been expanding internationally."

[maxwellsdemon02]

Duo rolls his eyes. "No shit, my friend. I didn't figure Une would call you in because she missed your sparkling personality. What did you get? Enough?"

This brings them to the door of their room, and Duo brandishes the key with a flourish.

[3nanashi]

"Yeah."

His jacket pocket has several discs safely zipped in.

[maxwellsdemon02]

Duo opens the door and waves Trowa in first.