Aberrant Pt. 04

"Sorry, just kind of used to thinking on my feet, even moreso now, so I'm not inclined to think too far ahead." Vanessa said, shrugging slightly.

"If shit hits the fan and somebody can get me one of those lasers, we're not gonna have to worry about any mitoids," Jay chimed in, having otherwise been letting the others do the bulk of the planning.

Sean smiled. "By shut down I don't mean turn them off." He started to explain, "I mean I can redirect every projectile within 20 feet of me with pretty good accuracy. Shooting near me is literally the most dangerous thing they could do to themselves."

"I like to have an idea of what happens down the line so if things go wrong, you know they're going wrong." Gillian replied back with a small smile. "Just how I work, sorry. I know I wasn't really diplomatic about it."

Tavi nodded, then squared her shoulders. "And, of course, my blasts can incapacitate a lot of guys really fast." She said, glaring at Vanessa.

Vanessa looked to Sean curiously, "Can you make that field around someone else? I kind of love the idea of us buffing the shit out of Alex and letting her terrify everyone." She kissed Octavia on the cheek, snickering, "I know, dear. You ARE the Tavi I was referring to as providing cover fire."

Tavi blushed. "Oh..." she blushed, harder. "I-I'm...kinda dumb!"

Sean packed up his phone and micro-comp before stretching.

Vanessa snickered, "OR far too used to people in fiction forcing their competent loved ones to stay home."

"Well, not exactly. It's range from myself, not another. Sorry." Sean offered with a shrug.

Tavi giggled, quietly, then sighed. "So...off we go?" She asked, quietly.

Vanessa nodded to Sean, "Just thought I'd ask now." She smiled, nodding to Tavi, "Unless anyone else has any other objections?"

"Nope. Good to go," Jay assured.

Alexa reached into her pocket and pulled out her striking gloves. She pulled them over her hands and made sure the material was pulled taught, securing the velcro around her wrists. "Game face is on," she said.

Gillian pushed herself up after setting the kitten aside, and slipped her mask on tight. She pulled her hood right up after, leaving her identity hidden behind the plain black visage of metal.

"I'm ready." Sean said with a nod.

Vanessa picked up the kitten, "So.. I just want everyone to remember, this is not a real kitten. Just stating since I'm altering the plan slightly, so if things go bad I'm going to hurl it in the telepath's face."

Gillian held a thumb up before clapping her hands together. She focused and for a moment, nothing happened before she reported, voice muffled with the mask, "I teleported another four clones out that way first. I'll bring you all in next."

Tavi nodded...and then Gillian focused...and they vanished.

And appeared, seated, at Takai's table. He smiled, politely, at them. "So," he said, casually. "I know that you planned to jump me and show your own abilities before I could start this conversation - begin on the right foot, so to speak. But..." He spread his hands. "Sometimes, the best laid plans of mice and men and all that..."

Gillian was looking the most surprised of them all - as if she had been completely thrown by them arriving there. Which...to be fair...the plan had been to arrive outside, not in the center of the killzone.

Takai gestured to the drinks. "But please, this does not need to be a hostile conversation..." he smiled - while, wordlessly, the blue skinned Lacroix stood behind him, watching the others.

Tavi was frozen stiff - looking utterly terrified at the fact their plans had already gone awry.

"Actually we tossed that plan, and altered it to.. well, we were going to arrive outside to be polite. Speaking of which, I don't notice any drinks or snacks laid out for us." Vanessa said disapprovingly. "But I think we can all end this discussion happier than when we started if we're smart. Of course if you're smart, you're already planning your retirement." She raised a finger, "NOT a threat, simple threat assessment. More novas are erupting everyday, making extralegal employment that much more dangerous as the days go by, making it clear an intelligent man would be getting his ducks in a row at this point."

Alexa leaned back in her seat, already looking around at their opposition. She'd leave the talking to the others - her mouth had written plenty of uncashable checks lately.

Vanessa put an arm around her lover and pulled her close to comfort her, putting the kitten in Octavia's arms to comfort her.

Gillian was really happy that her mask was on at that point, before the expression of absolute rage she had could be probably felt through bodyheat alone. Jay just found himself a seat, expression a careful, even mask over some very intense inner worrying.

Looking around, Alexa didn't see any of the goons on the dance floor. But with railguns, that was a kind of academic point. Tavi leaned against Vanessa, while Takai chuckled.

"What is extralegal one day may be patriotism the next - not every nova who erupts shares your...comic book view of the world, Miss Stacks," Takai said, cheerily as a very very very extremely nervous waitress in a bunny-girl outfit walked over, set down a bunch of snacks, then hurried out.

Sean rolled his shoulders and adjusted his tie before shifting in his seat to be more comfortable. "Also, since we should start properly, I'm Sean Toulman, otherwise known as Diamond Dog. A pleasure to meet you in person."

Takai inclined his head to Sean.

"Thank you, miss!" Vanessa said to the woman, then shook her head to Takai, "I was not simply referring to champions of justice like myself. Terats might see you as equipping their enemies, and your fellow extralegal entrepreneurs are just as eager as you to employ novas. Not to mention customers who make the foolish, foolish choice to pay in bullets rather than cash." She smirked, "Unless you have a nova with the power to keep you from getting caught in the crossfire."

Takai shrugged one shoulder. "And you assume I'm so cowardly I wouldn't want to supply the enemies of the Teregen?" he smiled. "The other dangers pale next to the potential good of my profession. Utopia has a stranglehold on technology - letting us have scraps, while their own hardtech labs race ahead. I do not fear the future, Miss Stacks. Only its inequal distribution."

In the background, the more observant noticed the telepath's brow was furrowing every so slightly.

Gillian Haynes: Gillian brought hands up and calmly set them on the table. She then calmly tapped once. She'd continue doing it every so often.

Vanessa shook her head, "You misunderstand. I am merely stating that Teragen will see you as an enemy combatant and try to squish you like a bug." She snickered. She shook ahead, "But your well being is not the purpose of this meeting, but.." She looked to Sean, letting him take over.

"Entrepreneurship is a risk-taker's game," Jay noted casually, mostly to himself.

Sean nodded politely to Vanessa. "Thank you- As my companion was saying, we are here to turn over some of the black tech my foolish cousin bargained for, and to ensure that your operations do not cause harm to the situation enough to force the hands of either party." Sean calmly explained.

Takai leaned back. "So, you wish to simply...disengage your cousin's debt?" he asked, arching an eyebrow, slightly.

Vanessa snickered slightly, looking to Gillian with a grin and making an illusionary voice whisper in her ear, "Would you like me to provide background music?"

Vanessa nodded to Gillian, signing to Sean curiously, "Hey, you think these dumb fuckers can read sign language?"

"Yes," Takai said, smiling. "My mother went deaf when she was twenty." He leaned forward on one hand. "It's true, then, that you were born mute, Miss Stacks?"

Gillian didn't respond to Vanessa, only make a fist. She made it look like her rage was just getting the best of her by dragging it back under the table. There she quickly signed to Vanessa, Play music when you want me to start going wild.

Vanessa smiled, "Indeed. And thank you for being so open about it. I admit I was playing a sneaky trick on you." She winked playfully. "I find people find it hard to ignore a hidden insult if they can understand it. Not saying that's what outed you, just explaining my rudeness."

Sean chuckled softly. "Not simply. I wish for my entire family, and the families of my friends, to be off limits to any conflict that may arise in the future. We will also have to set out operating rules to ensure your operations aren't going to be spilling out into the public eye. That is, for your continued operation in the LA area I will be making sure that your presence is a net positive on the community, even with your chosen career path." He explained.

Takai inclined his head. "Very well," he said, cheerfully. "That sounds entirely workable - a less dramatic victory than some of my bosses might wish, but the long, steady growth is better..." he said, nodding. "May I call up and tell them?" he asked.

Jay made a pleased, mildly surprised sound around a mouthful of whatever drink he'd managed to find. Alcoholic? Nah, he's 18, he wouldn't drink. Sean, meanwhile, nodded. "Please do. Less dramatic is always more preferable. Also, if possible I would like to get a picture of the dragon tattoo on the 3rd soldier on my right side, counting from stage right." He said with a smile. "You've likely noticed I have a taste for art."

Takai blinked - and managed to imperfectly hide how impressed he was with Sean's demonstration of perceptive abilities - seeing through walls came in handy. He stepped away, and began to speak in Japanese through the phone.

The blue skinned nova - her brow furrowing - inclined her head. "Merci," she said, simply - then vanished with a loud crack of displacing air.

"So...she can teleport too..." Tavi said. "A teleporting, mind reading nova whose willing to work for pay...is that scaring anyone else?"

Alexa held up two fingers about an inch apart. "Just a little bit."

"Meh, there are worse options. She could be working for the Teragen." Vanessa said honestly.

"True..." Tavi said as Takai paused - then started to look worried. He glanced at them, then started to speak faster, his Japanese growing more heated.

Gillian remained impassive, though she mostly did so by just moving her implacable raging gaze from the spot the Nova was in moments ago to Takai. Takai frowned, then stood up taller. "I won't," he said, in English, sounding very firm. "I would do anything for my Oyabun...but I will not do that." He tossed the phone down, looking grim. "Well..." he sighed, his hands shaking.

And then the ceiling exploded and the mitoids came swinging down!

Alexa had been waiting, dreaming, begging for a chance to use her strength ever since erupting. And now here was the perfect opportunity to find out what she could do. As the mitoids dropped in, she surged into action a split second later. She grabbed the table - the thing weighed about as much as a piece of paper in her wickedly strong grasp, and spun, as if she was going to Irish whip someone into the corner. The table whipped around with the flat end forward, connecting with one of the mitoids as they dropped!

The miteoid was dressed in highly advanced, damage absorbing ceramic and composite armor, with a helmet concealing his face, night vision goggles and HUDs enhancing his aim. He was carrying a kinetic sledgehammer that combined the speed and striking power of a highly lethal sword and a...well, a sledge hammer.

He took the table in the sternum, the wood shattering into a thousand peices, spilling drink and chips onto the floor. The miteoid went flying backwards, smashed into the wall, smashed out another wall, and crashed into a dumpster in the alleyway beside the building. The other yakuza with rifles dove for cover - their hiding place revealed in the pal of smoke, while screams broke out from the rear of the strip club.

Takai was, wisely, throwing himself flat on the ground.

Now free of the table being in the way, Sean stood up and tapped his own reserves of power. That hard body of black material covered his skin, appearing shiny and reflective in the pulsing light of the club. That fancy suit augmented by the change, looking as it if was a physical part of him carved into stone. In a furious rage he snapped something out in harsh clipped Japanese, loud enough to be heard across the room as he stepped closer to the nearest miteoid with an eerie quickness.

Sean swung with an uppercut to punctuate his little speech given personally for Takai and his boss, but it was the end of that cannon that connected with the body of the thug, and the roar of a cannon pressed right against an armored abdomen that served as the final note to his decree.

The blast flew through the miteoid who had just landed - and with his friend flying through a wall, that miteoid staggered backwards, blood flecking against the wall as a spray of flechettes sprayed through him. He staggered a bit - shaking like a wolf that had been smacked...but he wasn't down!

Gillian must have had a plan in her head for when things went bad because the second she got the chance the walls suddenly exploded inward as two of her clones came rocketing in at colossal speeds. Each had their foot extended in a kick, and each was aimed to strike a different Miteoid square in the head as hard as they could. Gillian, the one in the building, used the distraction to dash over to Takai and grab him firmly by the scruff of his suit before smacking her other hand down on the ground. She suddenly disappeared with Takai. In her place stood four more clones: Each wearing the same clothes, all with a different color of mask.

Vanessa dropped to the ground, thrusting out her hand, pausing for a moment, then cursing, suddenly a snapping her finger, a bodysuit wrapping around Alexa's form, coating her in a gleaming metallic looking suit that flashed and shined in the club's lights, coating her in incredibly powerful armor.

The roof caved, patrons and servers screamed, tables and Mitoids went flying. All amidst the chaos, Jay just takes the second to pound back the last of his drink. One hand reached under his jacket as he bellowed something in Japanese, then the barrel of Mark's Glock spat two shots at the same number of Mitoids. Jay almost didn't even look up to aim.

The first shot, by sheer luck, hit the armored chest piece of the suit, bounced up, then smashed into the bottom of a miteoid's skull, fragmenting and exploding outwards. The other one was shot in the dent that Gillian's foot had left in his helmet, causing him to stagger and fall to one knee - stunned, but not out of it yet.

All of this had taken six seconds. Six seconds for a surprise attack by five miteoids to become a single miteoid uninjured, one lightly injured, one seriously injured, one unconscious...and one dead. Looking around in the few moments each nova had to think and collect themselves, they saw the twenty other Yakuza toughs...were gone. Gone as if they had never been.

Sean took the stance of a duelist, one arm behind his back as that arm cannon formed a perfect line with his shoulders before the barrel barked again. This time a solid slug was propelled down a rifled barrel, ensuring the distance wouldn't affect the shot.

Unfortunately, the miteoid, by that point, had gotten his feet mounted. He wasn't even aware that his friends had been downed - the chaos and confusion of the fight was too fast. The round that Sean sent his way smashed home...

And rebounded - reflecting off the sloped armor, having found no weak point!

One of Gillian's clones move quickly to snatch up a hammer and turned, screaming, to slam the miteoid behind her that was totally uninjured. The Gillian with a still injured target pulled a quick uppercut that was aimed for her foe. Each clone struck their target with perfect unity, knocking the first with her new hammer back hard enough to send him flying. The last was sent reeling upwards by a good foot before coming down on his back. Her four clones quickly spread out as well, with two rushing to join the battle in the middle despite it's conclusion while the other two rushed to investigate the Yakuza's spot as their faded into the shadows.

The uninjured mitoid went flying over the heads of her friends, smashed into the back of the stage and put another hole in the wall of the Cheetah club. As the smoke faded, and they saw that the two remaining miteoids had hit the ground and were knocked out cold...the true Gillian returned with a pop, carrying Takai, who was panting.

"A-Are you okay?" He asked - a distant siren wailing. The Yakuza soldiers, the ones with rifles and swords, were gone - gone as if they had never been.

Alexa shook splinters from the table off her jacket. "Awesome..." she muttered, sounding giddy.

Gillian Prime dug a hand around in her pocket and pulled out a spray can, holding it up while her clones gathered up to help in gathering the miteoids still in the building together before dumping the hammer down after wiping away prints along the haft with a fabric. "If somebody wants to spray paint japanese around, go fast. I'll teleport us out in two minutes."

"A bit annoyed the others got away.." Vanessa said, then smirked at Alex, "You know you're going to have to give that hammer back, right?" She said in amusement as she hugged her lover tightly, petting her hair gently. She blinked at Gillian, "Why are we leaving?"

"Get down and stay down," Jay ordered Takai, firm but not hostile. He stood and sighted down the barrel of the Glock, checking the club's other doors before speaking up for the whole group. "It's okay. Just cover your faces and come up with a hero name if you want."

Tavi - who was still sitting at the table - started to hyperventilate as she looked down at the two miteoids - one with no head, another who had been smashed by Jay's bullet. "Ah...ah..." she whispered.

Gillian turned a masked face on Vanessa, "UH, Do you want to have Takai by the scruff and a media story?"

"I called the cops. SWAT's coming to clean up," Jay finally said, lowering the gun when he was satisfied the coast was clear.

"Like legit, no shit?" Gillian asked, trying to gauge what Vanessa's plan was.

Takai, meanwhile, shook himself. "I am very sorry about that dishonorable...that..." He shook his head. "I was ordered to kill you! My family...they..." he looked quite pale - not even seeming to care that he was being manhandled still. "They wanted to get into...soma."

Vanessa shrugged, "We didn't do anything illegal. We came to ask a man to free someone from his criminal grip. We were attacked, we saved a man's life.. how do we not come out smelling like roses here?" She said curiously. \

"Your boss really put you between a rock and a hard place Takai." Sean noted as he looked around to ensure no bystanders were hurt and checked the structure of the building. Being able to see through solid materials was pretty handy.

Gillian shrugged, moving over to Vanessa. She kindly parked Takai down next to her, and was even kind enough to brush his shoulders free of leaves and some dirt and straighten his suit before going to join her clones. All six copies smacked hands in a highfive before just exploding in smoke.

"It sounds like your family wants you out of the game now," Jay said to Takai, gesturing toward a chair close to him. "If you cooperate with the cops-and probably Utopia, when they hear about us being involved-you'll turn a lot of charges into some new friends." Then he finally put the gun away, and moved to check on Octavia. "Breathe. We're okay. Close your eyes and breathe."