Vigilantes
 Smiley Specialist
he's big enough
Posts: 164
Preferred Name: Nama
Character Profile: ♦♦♦
Character Name: Levenin Refure
Main Account: Levenin
Status: On Hiatus
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Post by Levenin on Jul 27, 2015 23:53:27 GMT -5
Timeline: Before the true "Nineveh" but at the beginning of his Vigilante career, age 23 in year 2864
A terrible idea. This was an absolutely terrible idea.
It was around 10 PM now, completely dark save for the handful of street lights that were on for the evening. They weren’t much help, with a few barely able to illuminate their own posts, let alone the roads that spanned between them. It was perfect, though. Levenin blended into the ever creeping darkness, fully black aside from the few splashes of reddish purple that adorned his gloves and legs. And even then, he felt exposed somehow. There was no one here this late, local businesses were closed until morning. His paranoia refused to let his mind be at ease over what he was about to do.
Levenin pulled his hood down further down as he stared silently at the building in front of him. It was a simple pharmacy, one of many that could be found in the lower class areas of Novus. Inside, even without any light, the young man could see the treasures locked within: cheap knock off Novi-gel, syrup for coughs, sprays for congestion, bandages aplenty. In all honesty, their stock was poor (after all, this area of town was run down), but Lev didn’t care.
I gotta do it…
He took a deep breath before walking up to the barred doors and pulling out the lock picking set Ellie had so generously given him a while ago. His fingers jumbled around with the small piece of tech as he turned it on. Let’s see, how do I use this again…
Ellie’s instructions played at the back of his mind as Levenin punched in buttons according to memory. It might’ve been easier to pull off this heist in the slums but supplies there would’ve likely been worse. His clinic was guaranteed to run out of the essentials soon. The last thing he needed was to risk his life and freedom for bottom-of-the-barrel goods. Certain he’d done it correctly, Levenin held the device up to the electronic locks. A satisfying crackling and a pop that sounded suspiciously like something opening. Oh, thank God.
Levenin, with much shaking, cautiously opened one door and then the other. No alarms. After one last peek around behind him, he tip-toed inside straight towards the Novi-gel as he began stuffing it in his hood pockets, followed by everything else in the aisle he could possibly carry.
I wonder if I could snag a port cleanser while I’m here.
The machines in question were kept behind glass cases in the back. Hitting buttons once more before aiming the lock picking tech, a shrill noise pierced through the dark store as soon as the thing went off. Well, it was delayed but there was that alarm he’d been expecting. He'd coordinated the lock pick wrong, it seemed. Levenin froze in panic. Ellie never told him what to do when he’d screwed up. Her only advice had been to not get caught in the first place. As if that was any help now. |
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Civilians
Spear of Cerberus
Posts: 109
Preferred Name: Varmun
Pronouns: He/Him
Character Profile: Character List
Character Name: Dante Vasari
Main Account: Isaac
Status: Active
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Post by Dante on Jul 28, 2015 10:38:06 GMT -5
"You excited for your first patrol, kid?" The gruff voice made Dante jolt, and he snapped his eyes away from the passenger window and back to the man beside him: Officer Damon. He wasn't exactly a fat man, but it wasn't Kevlar that pushed out his shirt by about three inches. With his big, bushy black beard, he looked like he should be a logger at the greenhouses. But that shiny gold badge on his left pec said otherwise, as did the gun and handcuffs on his belt.
"Yes sir," said Dante with a nervous smile. "Very excited." He chuckled a little, his fingers drumming on the box of donuts that jostled on his knees with every pothole the car drove over.
"Well, don't be too excited." Officer Damon turned the car down toward the Lower Class market streets, where potholes seemed to breed. "Don't listen to what the meatheads at the station say about all the action and excitement. It may get your blood pumping, but a crime's a crime, not a game. A true cop hopes he never gets called."
Dante looked down at the donut box, his mouth open, his mind taking in those wise words. A moment later, he looked back to Officer Damon and asked, "Is it too late to say I'm really nervous?"
To this, Officer Damon burst out laughing, his voice shaking the car worse than the bumpy road. He clapped a hand on Dante's back and said, "I like you, kid. Relax. Have a donut." But a buzz from his radio silenced Officer Damon, and his face turned hard.
"Calling all cars," came the voice of a woman through the radio. "we have an alarm at the NG Pharmacy on Lower 5th Street. Please respond. Over."
Officer Damon pressed a button on his radio, activating the Bluetooth in his headset. "This is Car 23. We're on Lower 5th. What's the situation? Over."
"Cameras show a single perp stealing drugs and Novi-gel. Unidentifiable gender and weaponry. Suspect seems to be carrying a digital lock pick and is wearing a black hooded cloak. Over."
"We're on it." Officer Damon drove faster down the street, his sirens wailing. As they neared the pharmacy, Damon said to Dante, "Stay calm, kid. Two-bit looters like these are never armed. But stay safe and keep a cool head."
"R-right." Dante gulped and hung on to the car door, feeling his own gun tap against his hip.
The car screeched to a halt in front of the pharmacy, and both Dante and Officer Damon sprang out onto the street, their guns drawn. The flashlights on the tips of their pistols lit up the dark pharmacy as they entered, and they searched for any signs of the hooded crook. As they went along, Officer Damon called out over the blaring alarm, "Novus Police! Come out with your hands up."
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Vigilantes
Smiley Specialist
he's big enough
Posts: 164
Preferred Name: Nama
Character Profile: ♦♦♦
Character Name: Levenin Refure
Main Account: Levenin
Status: On Hiatus
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Post by Levenin on Jul 28, 2015 14:37:12 GMT -5
In the time it took for Levenin to finally compose himself and appropriately react to the situation, he heard the droning of sirens creep in just outside the windows.
”Oh no oh no oh God oh no.”
Stashing the lock pick away alongside the copious amounts of medigel, he frantically ran into the employees only area in the back of the pharmacy. If he weren’t so afraid of being caught, Lev would’ve kicked himself for not scoping this part out first. He was surrounded on all four sides by shelves upon shelves of prescription drugs, half of which he could never hope to pronounce. Even if they weren’t practical, the amount of money here to be made from black market sales was a staggering estimate. Perhaps it was a nagging curiosity that had the man taking random bottles and pilfering them during his search for another exit. There was still a chance to make it out of here in one piece. Better make it worth while. Maybe he’d even be able to afford real Novi-gel with this haul.
Levenin could hear the demands of some gruff voice telling him to surrender out front and that was his cue to stop distracting himself with extras. His eyes were drawn to a glowing display on the other side of the room, where the words clearly read “EXIT” next to yet another locked door. He really should’ve expected it to be there, but the thief was known to act irrationally when in a blind panic. Fumbling around with the lock pick again, Lev swiftly dropped the thing on the floor with a loud clatter. Surely the cops couldn’t have heard that one, right?
What he thought were the rippling shadows of law enforcement swarming into the room caught his attention, to which Levenin reacted by quickly diving behind a counter and out of sight. They’re gonna find me at this rate. What do I do?
For all of his smarts, Lev had trapped himself in with the cops real easily. One crime and into the slammer he was going to go. Some thief he was. His only hope now was to sneak out the front once they were in here. A long shot but with Ellie’s device certainly in pieces all over the floor, there was little else he could try. Hopefully the police department hadn’t sent back ups to jump him outside. If nothing else, screaming and crying at them after the fact was a surefire way to prove his innocence.
Lev activated his gene splice, praying they weren’t keen of eye to see the glow coming from under the counter. The moving shadows of officers were much clearer now as they closed in on his location, but he could see it: potential openings as the search in the dark began.
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Civilians
Spear of Cerberus
Posts: 109
Preferred Name: Varmun
Pronouns: He/Him
Character Profile: Character List
Character Name: Dante Vasari
Main Account: Isaac
Status: Active
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Post by Dante on Jul 28, 2015 21:44:10 GMT -5
“We know you’re in here,” said Officer Damon. The cameras would have shown if someone had left or not, and they would have gotten a call over the radio by now. “Come out and we can make this easy.” Dante stayed quiet and kept his gun moving. His arms shook a little and his breathing got heavier and faster as he continued to wander through the dark pharmacy. The suspect could be anywhere, ready to pounce. Maybe the perp did have a gun and was trying to get behind them. Maybe the perp had garrote wire and was going to take them out like a professional hitman. Maybe—
Something clattered against the floor, and Dante gasped, turning on his heel toward the sound, his arms trembling and his finger pressed against the trigger. Damon flashed his light on the dropped tech and quickly scanned the area for its owner, but the perp had gotten away. While Dante took a few deep breaths to calm down, Damon clapped his back firmly and said, “Get yourself together, kid.” He then reached up to his ear, pressing on his headset and asking, “D’you have visual?”
Dante could just barely hear the woman over the radio answer, “He moved too fast, and I was watching the exit. Hold on, I’m rewinding now. I’ll let you know when I’ve got him.”
Damon scoffed but quickly refocused, pointing his light back down on the fallen lock pick. His light then drifted toward the back room. He made his way to the door and stepped inside, not realizing that the thief had actually left that room already and was up front. “Vasari,” he said softly to Dante. “Cover the front.”
“Yes sir,” whispered Dante. While Damon explored the back room, Dante stayed up front. He moved toward a corner of the room to avoid getting jumped from behind. Once he had his back to the corner, he swiveled left to right, sweeping his flashlight all across the room. It was far from a good plan, though, since anyone could easily slip down the aisles when Dante’s flashlight was looking the other way. And along with that terrible idea, Dante didn’t even notice the glowing purple eyes. His attention was always focused on the end of his gun, and so every time he swept over the front counter, he always missed that obvious clue. If only he had his brother’s keen eyes.
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Vigilantes
Smiley Specialist
he's big enough
Posts: 164
Preferred Name: Nama
Character Profile: ♦♦♦
Character Name: Levenin Refure
Main Account: Levenin
Status: On Hiatus
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Post by Levenin on Jul 29, 2015 1:33:27 GMT -5
For a second, Levenin considered giving up the ghost. He could hear the officer’s voice in the room, his tone unthreatening and less gruff than what it’d sounded like earlier. It set him at ease in a way but he knew better than to turn himself over. Even if this particular cop was a good sport, the rest of the system would surely punish him accordingly.
Forgetting about the remnants of the lock pick (Ellie would berate him later but oh well) and sidling out of his hiding spot, Lev kept his steps silent as he kept watch through his night vision. An unfair advantage on his part, though the figures in the room made it easy as they searched away from his location. Pausing to make sure he didn’t run into anyone while exiting the threshold, Levenin bolted to the front of the store but noticed a circle of light dancing around his feet as he did so. Someone’s aptly timed flashlight. Did they see…?
Practically rolling into the nearest aisle, he could almost savor the taste of freedom now. The police lights were flashing an obnoxious blue and red in the windows beyond, but no wandering figures from what he could see. What luck they’d all pursued him to the back. Levenin caught a glimpse of who’d followed him in here in the meantime: a slender figure holding what was most certainly a firearm. They were shaking quite a bit, though. That was a laughable thought- Levenin being intimidating enough to scare anyone older than a small child. Regardless, one wrong move and he was a bullet pincushion.
Lev decided it was safer to crawl. Slower, yes, but less likely for anything on his person to pop up above the aisle. The record time in which he regretted this decision was mere seconds long. As soon as his knees and palms hit the floor, the gel he’d confiscated began to fall out of his hood one by one. Scrounging what he could along the way, something else managed to make his misfortune worse. A corner of his cloak snagged on a clearance item end cap just as he was about to make one last dash for the exit. Of course, whatever was holding the display together was made of the cheapest material available to man. It collapsed into a heap of rolling lip balms and blemish erasers as his position was instantly given away.
That was his cue. Any more dawdling and whoever was trailing him was going to pop a cap in his backside. Levenin took a deep, ragged breath before running, his ankle smacking into the side of the door as he fled the scene like an idiot.
”Oowoowww!” Tonight had gone wrong in every imaginable way, but at least he was about to leave this nightmare behind him.
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Civilians
Spear of Cerberus
Posts: 109
Preferred Name: Varmun
Pronouns: He/Him
Character Profile: Character List
Character Name: Dante Vasari
Main Account: Isaac
Status: Active
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Post by Dante on Jul 29, 2015 8:42:34 GMT -5
The beam of Dante's flashlight warped, rolling over something moving. Dante flinched and snapped his light onto what he thought he'd seen, but there was no one there. His light shined between an aisle and the front counter—two likely hiding spots. But which one was it?
"Sir?" said Dante, not sounding as confident as he would have liked. "I think he's up front. I need backu—Whoa!" Something smashed against the floor, startling Dante. His finger squeezed down, and he pulled the trigger of his pistol, firing a shot into the ceiling.
"Vasari!" shouted Officer Damon, who came running out of the back room.
Dante pointed his light at the fallen display stand, just in time to see a pair of glowing purple eyes run past him. He gasped and turned, seeing the hooded figure rush through the door. "H-hey!" shouted Dante with all of a confidence of a prepubescent flirt.
"Get after him, kid!" Officer Damon's deep, harsh voice made Dante jolt, but it spurred him into action.
He ran after the perp, both hands remaining on his gun as he rushed outside and called out, "Freeze!" That was a far more confident and appropriate line… though ultimately worthless, given that Dante couldn't even see the target. The man was fast, and Dante hadn't seen which way he had gone. He snapped his body around, trying to find him, when out of the corner of his eye he saw the tails of the man's cloak, and he shouted again as he gave chase.
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Vigilantes
Smiley Specialist
he's big enough
Posts: 164
Preferred Name: Nama
Character Profile: ♦♦♦
Character Name: Levenin Refure
Main Account: Levenin
Status: On Hiatus
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Post by Levenin on Jul 29, 2015 13:47:11 GMT -5
Levenin ran past the cars parked outside, thinking it would’ve been cooler to jump over the hoods like a pro but knowing full well he’d never be able to pull it off. Besides, he was pretty sure his ankle was bleeding anyhow so it was better not to aggravate the poor thing. Precisely why he was fleeing for his life on it instead. The calls of ”Freeze!” did well to motivate him to ignore the stinging.
There was a limp in his gait as he dove into the first alleyway he could. For all of his failures at playing thief, at least he knew the lower class section of town relatively well. About halfway down, Lev realized he was taking a path dangerously close to his home. Ah yes, lead the cops there so they could catch him later. Levenin paused to take a few staggered breaths as he looked back behind him. A small gasp of surprise escaped his lips when he saw the slender figure from before still hot on his trail. Lev could admit he wasn’t the fastest guy ever but the tracker had caught up so quickly. Probably because he had the luck to be chased by the one fit officer in the squad.
Feeling the inside of his boot begin to dampen with blood, he searched for a second option and found a fire escape just down the way. An old relic but necessary in these neighborhoods where the technology level was poor at best. Climbing onto it, the ladder certainly showed its age in the way it creaked and groaned under what little weight he possessed.
Where am I gonna go from here? blared a question in his skull. A good question it was. This thing only went up to some poor sap’s window on the third story. He could break in and- oh wait, he’d smashed the one device that could’ve gotten him inside.
Alright, plan C. Sweet talk: his absolute specialty. More like his greatest weakness. But there was something that could be done here. Only one person had bothered to follow him.
Levenin stopped his ascent and turned to face the officer, hands up in the air as he leaned over the ladder. ”What seems to be the problem?” he asked innocently, the sweat beginning to bead on his forehead.
That was right, there was only one of them. Poison versus a gun wasn’t a fair match up, but if he could get close enough…
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Civilians
Spear of Cerberus
Posts: 109
Preferred Name: Varmun
Pronouns: He/Him
Character Profile: Character List
Character Name: Dante Vasari
Main Account: Isaac
Status: Active
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Post by Dante on Jul 29, 2015 14:40:32 GMT -5
Officer Damon was certainly giving chase as well, but he wasn't even half as fast as Dante. Growing up with an acrobat brother, and spending so much of his life running through the Slums had given Dante a lean, fit body. The last few months of eating right in the Lower class had helped, too, and he easily kept up with the hobbling thief. He bounded over trash cans and rounded turns without losing much speed. His movements were rather reckless—making him really easy to ambush around corners—but luckily the thief was on his own, and Dante's fierce determination was rewarded when he finally caught up to him.
The thief climbed up a rusty, squeaky fire escape ladder. "Hey!" At least Dante said that with a bit more force this time. He pointed his gun and pressed his finger to the trigger. Now that he knew this thief didn't have a gun, and now that he could see him, he wasn't as afraid. His arms were steady, and he kept his gun trained on the thief. "Freeze!"
To his surprise, the thief actually stopped. He—yeah, it was definitely a he—was up on the ladder, but he didn't go very high, and he put his hands in the air. The man asked what was wrong, and Dante said, "You evaded the law. And you uh… you committed a breaking and entering. And you were in possession of illegal tech. You have the right to remain… wait." Dante muttered that last part. "That comes later, doesn't it?"
With a shake of his head, Dante tried to regain some semblance of authority and said to the thief, "Now get down from there and put your hands behind your head. No one has to get hurt, and if you just cooperate, you'll be in a lot less trouble." Man, if only Officer Damon could see him now—or Isaac. They'd be so proud.
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Vigilantes
Smiley Specialist
he's big enough
Posts: 164
Preferred Name: Nama
Character Profile: ♦♦♦
Character Name: Levenin Refure
Main Account: Levenin
Status: On Hiatus
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Post by Levenin on Jul 30, 2015 1:59:44 GMT -5
Tonight was full of surprises. Here was some kid who had to be younger than him, probably barely even Test age, with a loaded gun and some authority. Levenin chuckled despite the situation being weighed heavily against his favor. Ahh, he remembered when he was young… Well, younger. 23 wasn’t exactly considered the twilight years, though a life in the lower class and among the slums really did make one feel older.
”What if I gave it all back? Then it was just borrowing,” he asked, trying to remember what Ellie told him about dealing with the law. You gotta grow a spine, Lev, she’d told him. If you’re all nice and compliant, you’ll never make it in the underground. Her personal philosophy about "having a spine" meant being as belligerent as possible. Also, lots of punching. It’d unfortunately been a lesson he’d yet to fully learn. All he could think about now was failing. What good would he be to the clinic behind bars?
Lev grew despondent, realizing he’d risked his skin for something stupid. So what if he managed to steal a few things? None of the gels and bandages that lined his pockets were worth any of this. His clients couldn't exactly visit him in jail. The plan to poison the kid as an escape seemed less appealing now. Potentially sticking an officer, a teenager no less, into a coma? The force would be on him like flies drawn to honey. Sorry, Ellie. I guess I was spineless in the end after all...
”Look, I’m sorry,” he began, arms still in the air. ”I know it was wrong but I had to. I’m desperate. There’s a lot of people who need these things and I…”
Another idea hit him. Brute force and sweet talk were out. But sympathy? That was a game he could play. Levenin stood on the railing, balanced against the side of the building with one hand. ”I can’t go. If you try to take me in, I’ll jump.”
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Civilians
Spear of Cerberus
Posts: 109
Preferred Name: Varmun
Pronouns: He/Him
Character Profile: Character List
Character Name: Dante Vasari
Main Account: Isaac
Status: Active
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Post by Dante on Jul 30, 2015 14:04:37 GMT -5
For a moment, Dante thought over the thief's words. His gun tipped down by half an inch as he considered the idea of accepting the stolen items and giving the man a slap on the wrist. After all, everything would be back where it belonged. If Dante and Officer Damon gave the man a pat-down to make sure he wasn't keeping anything, then maybe that could work.
But Dante soon shook his head, remembering what he had learned and what Damon had told him only minutes ago. "A crime is a crime. You still broke into a private place and stole with the intention of… well, not borrowing. I'm not even sure how you could borrow medicine, to be honest." Focus, Dante!
Training his gun back on the man, Dante said, "But if you come quietly, you'll only have a few months of jail time. We could maybe even work out a house arrest." But soon, the man said what the supplies were for, however vaguely. Dante's eyes drifted down, and his gun drifted down again.
It was medicine. Of course it was medicine that the man was stealing. But Dante had never really thought "why" until now. Who steals medicine for themselves? Veteran cops could give him a cynical answer, but Dante couldn't think of one on his own. "I uh…" he mumbled. "I mean you still…"
Then, Dante snapped back to life when the man threatened to jump. His eyes flared open, and he thrust out an empty hand, calling, "No, don't!" Dante's hands shook, and he put his gun down on the ground, taking a step back from it and showing the man his empty hands. "Don't jump, please." Dante was nervous. His stomach twisted, and his heart beat faster. He didn't know what to do. Officer Damon would know, but where the heck was he? Dante needed to wait. He needed time to think, needed time for Damon to get here. "J-Just… tell me what you need the medicine for. Tell me and I'll consider letting you go."
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