Statistics [Open]

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Current time, 20:34. 20:35. Ten minutes before the exchange was to take place. Gear Shift studied the surroundings for the fourth time. 93 possible escape routes were available, at this point in time, chances the exchange would go wrong 10%. That was subject to change once her client and his men arrived. Mr. Y always came with three or four men at his beck and call. Two of which were always heavily armed. How she knew such information was simple enough, Mr. Y was a good client. She had sold to him before, he had been her first and most frequent client.

Mr. Y arrived at 20:49, four minutes late and with six men in tow. Four were heavily armed. This change in behavior was unfavorable and chances the exchange would go wrong rose to 51%. Mr. Y was never late, and an increase in guard usually filled people with a sense of arrogance. Her escape routes dwindled to 28 possible routes as Mr. Y and his posse walked into the warehouse, he was the only sharply dressed man wearing a shiny royal blue tie. He was blonde and his smile looked too white if Gear Shift believed she had emotions she would think Mr. Y would give her the creeps.

Her mask picked up on movement in the second floor of the warehouse, two more tried to hide in the shadows. When her mask adjusted, she could see that they were dressed similarly to the men behind Mr. Y. More guards, meaning there were now eight men, chances this exchange would go wrong; 72%. Mr. Y was going to try something, all the numbers said it was likely and numbers never lie.

“You’re late,” she said. Her voice was altered through her mask, it sounded deep and robotic. Just the way she wanted it. “The agreed upon time was 20:45, you're lucky I'm still here,” she uncrossed her arms and hopped off of the crate she was sitting on, bringing a large black bag with her. Mr. Y smiled his bleached teeth at her and held his hands out in a peaceable gesture.

“My apologies, traffic was unimaginably slow,” he said and took a step towards her. One of his men followed next to him. “Now Gear Shift, what do you have for me?” Mr. Y folded his hands behind his back, he looked smug. As if he believed he already won something. It was too bad for him he was playing the wrong game against a much smarter opponent.

Chances this would go wrong; 79%. Chances she would escape without harm; 87%. Chances she would get paid; 33%. She didn’t like those odds.

[OC: Intro thread for Gear Shift~ Be a Titan or maybe one of Mr. Y's hired hands.]

[Kenni]

"Be careful, sir. This wasn't parr'f the deal, please baer in maint," advised 'Guard #4', a shock of red hair just visible below a black toque, and his arms folded behind his back as he moved forward with his boss.

His employer was in for a rude awakening if things got hairy. The undercover archer was here for one thing, and one thing only: intel.

Career criminals, white-collar and gang bosses from Jump and Steel City alike had been getting far more, and far too creative lately in their tech, and after a few of weeks of investigation, Speedy and a few of the other Titans at headquarters had determined that source to be somewhere, or rather, someone, in Jump.


Speedy was moonlighting now as 'Guard #4' (Mr. Y. didn't care much about his backstory as the Irish baker who'd fallen on hard times, resorting to being taken on as hired muscle in exchange for protection against the mobsters he owed for his property; in fact, Mr. Y was terrible at names).

"Hold yer positions, lahds," he muttered into a headset irritably.
Speedy raised a hand briefly to some of the other guards positioning themselves about the area to ask them to still themselves, watching Gear Shift carefully. He adjusted his shades.

The undercover Titan's current charge was taking a huge risk towards antagonizing his supplier; this 'Gear Shift' had clearly stated rules of engagement, and this was the second time Speedy had been in his entourage when meeting the weapons supplier.

Gear was good at 'his' craft, and even better at making a hasty exit when things weren't going as planned.

Which way were things going this evening?


OoC; Titan, Mr. Y's guy. How 'bout both? C; ||

[Deleted]

A rather familiar lilt caught Gear’s attention though it was a much stronger version than the one she was used to. So Mr. Y’s second in command is an Irishman and a not so stupid one at that. She would commend Mr. Y on his choice but the annoyed look he gave the guard told he didn’t really care. Mr. Y glared at the Irishman, “I didn’t hire you to advise me. You’re here to be the muscle while I’m the brain.” Gear Shift’s mask made a noise, a rare one that sounded like a burst of feedback.

Mr. Y turned back to Gear, “So are you going to show me the new tech or are you going to reprimand me all night?” He flashed her his too-white smile again. Mr. Y was her least favorite client.

Gear unzipped the bag and took out a black ball that fit in the palm of her hand. She tapped the top twice before a soft high pitched start up sound came from the ball. A geometric pattern of blue light pulsed underneath “It’s called a Shock Bubble, once activated it has five second delay and a five foot radius,” she threw it up where the two hidden guards were waiting in the shadows.

The ball beeped before a flash of bright blue electricity burst from the device. The men she threw it at let out a grunt of pain until the bubble disappeared with a sizzle of electricity. Soon after there were two thuds as the guards fell.

“It’s basically a taser grenade, but Shock Bubble sounds much better and more accurate. It has two settings, the first mode is activated by two taps and it is for disabling people. The second is three taps and has enough voltage to kill a horse, it can overload an electrical system and render it useless. Unless you want to be a murderer I suggest not using the second setting in an occupied room,” she zipped up her bag again. “The price is ten thousand a pop and there are ten in here. How many do you want?”

Mr. Y looked at her with shock, he didn't think she knew about the two guards yet his shock was quickly replaced with an eager glee. "All of them, I want all of them but the price is much too high so I'll just be taking them," Mr. Y raised a hand and the guards behind him raised their weapons. The action caused Gear Shift to drop her shoulders in defeat.

"Really?"

[OC: Well, didn't think about being both xD]

[Kenni]

"Apologies, sir. Please praeseed."

Roy 'O'Malley' scowled once the irritated and distasteful millionaire turned his back, but his senses were sharp and the strange noise from Gear Shift made him reflexively reach for the holster at his belt. He disguised the action by turning his gun-hip to the left, making as to scope out the rest of the area and take stock of the rest of the guards' positions.

There was no cause to lift the firearm, however, he soon found.
Roy whistled low, checking in with the two guards up-top, hardly expecting an answer after that light-show.

"Traen'r? Wheels? ...s'quite a kick those pack, aye."

At least, not yet.

When Y made his villainous proclamation, the Titan sighed, then grinned grim; he knew he'd have to scrap 'O'Malley' from his undercover repertoire, or at least have him lay low a spell.

"S'no wae t'be treetin' yer sepplier, sir."

The gun was at Y's temple in a flash, and a bellowing order issued from the ginger.

"NO A LAHD MOVE OR TH'CHIEF CHOKES, SAVVY?"

5 more guards, 3 heavily-armed; Roy as the 4th heavily-armed made, he thought, their chances of getting out unscathed rather good! He'd faced worse alone, but he and Shift had a common interest in losing these guys.

Of his arms were twin hand-guns (one resting against his former employer's head), automatic rifle strapped to his back, (model, encasing his ) and a duffel with his bow and quiver encased.

"Now ah must advise ye, laek it or no, ti be on with 'is pae, or on yer way. Shift could blow us all ti kingdom come with that spread, so save ours and yer own life'n empty yer coffers, aye?"

OoC; That's good; means neither did Jack. Surprises all around if 'Irish' here can't salvage the situation..|

[Deleted]

It had been awhile since Cherufe had burned off some steam. The sun had set and he was a bored from sitting around in his dark apartment. His vast amount of books couldn't satiate his need for destruction. Keeping his identity a secret for the past few years had started to become difficult. His appetite for chaos grew each day with him minimizing the use of his abilities. Not only that, but his patience was also running thin. In Jump City, he was a nobody unlike when he was back in his hometown. The time for Jump to come to the realization of true destruction was drawing nigh.

The industrial part of Jump was the perfect place to train. Here he could be alone and cause a bunch of ruckus without being heard. The red flames from the young man's body made him look like a comic streaking the night sky. He landed with a light thud on the asphalt. His flames seemed to dissipate as he landed. Looking around his usual spot was a number of blacked out vehicles. The feeling like these guys were impeding on "his territory" emitted through him. He reminded himself the reason he came here was to burn off some steam and this moment would be perfect.

A twisted smile erupted on his face and his corneas turned crimson under his shades. The heat from his body went from 98.6 degrees to 140 degrees in almost an instant. The cement under him began to melt under his boots. He walked toward the usual side door and entered. Upon entering the warehouse, he walked up a set of stairs and found to unconscious armed bodies. He noticed a group of men standing armed to the teeth. It look like a deal gone wrong. One of the first things he noticed was a a red haired man. The first thought that came to mind was that he was a guard who had some wicked intentions. The next thing he noticed was the probable physique of a masked woman.

Cherufe figured he would stand back and watch to see how this would play out. That was until the metal under him started to creak from his body temperature. It was a loud creak and he knew it would be noticed. It was dark and the only thing that he thought would be seen was his glowing red eyes. He quickly thought about the weapons that were lying on the floor and quickly melting the barrels closed. Whispering, "We don't need that anymore do we?" he spoke to the passed out guards. Kneeling down, he waited to see what would happen next. He was hoping that the older man (Mr. Y) would bite the dust.

[Deleted]

It was all so unexpected, even to Gear Shift who had been measuring the chances of it all. The numbers dictated that a betrayal like this had been under 30%, she expected Mr. Y to turn on her but she thought that his payroll would have been much too large to have his lackey’s turn on him. Now the statistics had changed as she watched Irish pull a gun on Mr. Y, quickly she recalculated everything she could. Her free hand slowly reached for the long metal objects at her sides. She would need her shield to hinder the paths of any bullets. Meanwhile, Mr. Y couldn’t see to shut up.

“What the hell are you doing?!” He yelled. Knowing there was a gun at his head caused him to freeze, but it, unfortunately, didn’t quiet him. "This isn't how it's supposed to go!"

There were 17 possible escape routes available, 43% chance this would end up a fire fight, 72% chance she would get out unscathed. She didn’t like those numbers dropping but if she could get to her shield in time there would be an increase in 10%.

“I’m paying you to keep your guns on him!” He pointed at her, but Gear’s attention was focused on more important things. “I’ll double your pay if you all point your guns where you're supposed too.” Mr. Y continued to babble incessantly, but Gear tuned him out when nothing he said was of importance.

Every guard had a weapon out and pointed at the traitor, confusion was evident on their faces as they couldn't decide whether to side with the traitor or their boss, a good thing for Gear. Suddenly her mask's interface picked up on movement from where the two guys she zapped were passed out. They weren’t supposed to be able to move for another 15-20 minutes, but when her mask zoomed in she saw another person. Male roughly 5’11’’ and unarmed, as her mask adjusted to the darkness she could see something weird about the air around him. It resembled the air above an overheated engine.

Gear didn’t like surprises, not even when she was a kid. They were a constant annoyance that she had to put up with and so she planned for them in situations like these. There were many plans varying on circumstances and level of threat. It did not help the situation when Irish reminded the guards of her presence and the possible threat she was. But when the metal creaked where she spotted the new arrival, every gun pointing at Irish and her moved to the direction of the noise. She took this moment to drop her bag of goodies and grab the other half of her shield. Gear had them both unfolded and clicked together before the bag hit the floor. When it did the attention, and guns, were back on her and the noise forgotten by the guards.

"My, my. This was quite the turn of events, the chance of this happening was under 30%. Though I should remember all factors should be taken into consideration. Yes, I can blow this place to kingdom come and I will if my leaving is met with resistance." She said holding her shield in one hand and retrieving her bag with the other. The thing about a robotic voice changer was that it could cover a lie very well. Perhaps she should rig her next meeting place with explosives.

"Mr. Y our business is over and I won't be supplying for you anymore. You will be regretting this decision in the near future as your company and your life crumbles at my hands. Now, I will take my leave as this warehouse is getting too crowded for my taste," Gear took a careful step back. She held her shield over the vital parts of her body and her bag slipped onto her shoulders. Once she was outside she would activate her skates and be off into the night. That was only if the statistics were in her favor.

44% chance this went all to hell, and steadily rising.

[Kenni]

"Ye dern straight it's no the wae proper!" The turncoat replied in exasperation, a firm grip on his former employer, and took steps away from Gear Shift as well. As far as 'O'Malley's' plan went, a third party had not been accounted for.

"Eht's no werth eht lahds. Dinnae sit on mae word ferrit; bide yer time in 'ere, while Shift rolls a few of the merch' in on 'is way out. See if this bloke'll pae yer workers comp' then."

Harper was not the numbers man Gear Shift made himself out to be, but had he known an unknown variable the likes of the destructive Cherufe were in the vicinity, he wouldn't have pulled out the live-random strategy just yet until all the players were out in the open. He made for the entrance, backwards, with Y in tow, still babbling on in fear with cold metal flush with his blighted brains.

This one was shot and Harper didn't even have to pull the trigger anymore.

"Am no bidin' by thah', tell ye raeght noo."
As he filled the tense air with filler, working on his knowledge in-the-now alone, his first priority had shifted.

The mental checklist began.

1). Get as many of these people clear as possible. They might be criminals but they had lives and families, and no he wasn't just being sentimental because Wheels had invited Harper to his niece's quinceañera.
2. Get clear of Mr. Y. retaliation. It was tentatively open-fire on Harper depending on how safe the other guards felt from losing Gear Shift's new weapons, against their job security with the millionaire, whether or not he'd be riddled with bullets the second they exited the warehouse.
3). Tail Gear Shift back to wherever headquarters were. There were times not gallavanting around in his favoured red get-up worked in the mission's favour.

"Jess' knoh thah' the rest of us have family, Shift. No a one wants what yer packin' without yer pae, or we'll haff tae pae, one way'r the other."

Harper dragged Mr. Y around the warehouse door, and pulled the trigger...

A newly-conscious former boss would find an utterly convincing model gun with a tacky red and yellow 'BANG!' flag out the barrel, as the cause of his aimed knock-out earlier. As the remaining (conscious) gaggle of guards split into a two and three-man faction apiece, two rushing to defend their boss, the other two hightailing it out the side-doors, a Grappling Arrow was shot up onto the roof, and Irish traded  shades for domino-mask.

[Deleted]

The guards guns were now pointed in Cherufe's direction. He chuckled with sarcasm, "Oh really?" The man of fire wasn't invulnerable to firearms. If he were to be shot, he would have to go to the hospital like every average human. Though, the guards turned their weapons off of him and was pointed back toward the traitor with the "hostage". Standing to his full height, he crossed his arms. The scene kept him interested enough until Gear Shift made her exit.

Cherufe was then officially bored and thought he may intercept Gear Shift. The equipment she had could do a lot of damage. Even though he didn't like using gadgets and trinkets, he could give it a chance. He quickly brushed off the idea. She could have easily used the devices on him and he wasn't interesting in dying today. There were other ways of causing chaos that he would prefer. His own raw power would be enough to handle any devastation he wanted to cause.

He did enjoy the scene that he saw so far. The traitor started to push his way to the main door with Mr. Y in tow. Cracking his left knuckle, Cherufe made the decision that it was time to figure out what would happen next. He went back through the side entrance he took earlier quickly. Outside, he thrust fire into his feet to elevate himself. An aerial view would be needed to see anything else. He could see the guards checking on Mr. Y, but couldn't necessarily spot the other red head and the masked. Scanning the area didn't take long before he spotted a figure. Though, he wasn't sure of what he was looking at. It was somewhat hard to tell being 50 meters in the air. He hoped he would be able to find Gear Shift and find out her overall intentions, but it looked as if he had missed out.