Realistic or Modern Masks: Thieves of LA

[jiminie]

Leah smiled. Diana had a warm, friendly attitude and Leah felt like she could relax a little. She turned her head to the conversation going on near by and heard a new voice in the room, Marcus. Leah didn't appreciate his seemingly constant jokey attitude, however, she did appreciate the apparent scrambling device he brought with him. She'd never managed to make one herself, never had the parts, but she considered herself knowledgable in the various types of signal jammers/scramblers and boosters.


Leah took a step towards Alex and took the device from his hands before she scuttled back over to her seat. She examined the device quickly and stretched her arm out, gesturing for Joshua to take the device.


"It's, uh, exactly what he said it is." Leah shrugged at Alex. "Not the best range on it though."


An idea quickly shot through Leah's mind. She kept a hold of the device and rifled through her bag. After a minute or two of searching she pulled out a small, USB stick sized box.


"If you connect these two together, it might increase the range." Leah grinned. It wasn't often she felt useful. "I made it a few days ago to boost my cellphone reception. It might work for that."


She pulled her small toolkit out of her bag and sat with the device, booster and tools in hand. Remembering that Joshua was also supposed to take a look, she stretched her arm out once more and waited for Joshua have his turn with Leah's version of a shiny new toy.

 

[kaito9049]

Alex nodded to Leah, grateful for her insight. "Your gift is greatly appreciated," he told Marcus. "Please, have a seat." The previous incarnation of the Masque gang had a similar device, but it had malfunctioned after being overloaded by a security system. Thankfully, the team hadn't learned to completely rely on it, and managed to continue on without it. Alex had no intention on allowing his recruits to depend on any tools, but the scrambler could give otherwise impossible heists a possibility of success.


"My name is Alex M.," the young man said to Marcus. "I, as well as a few of the men and women around you, are part of the Masque gang. We target those who deserve it: the corrupt and greedy. We don't steal from the poor or generous, and we don't kill. This is your chance to be a part of it."

 

[Cruor Flumine]

Marcus's smiled faded as Alex spoke. "So basically, we're the modern day Robin Hood's?" He asked before his grin returned full force. "Hella chill, I'm hyped up now. So, when do we start?" He asked. Marcus was indeed very excited for this. Most of what he would steal he would give to the homeless shelters where it would certainly be put to better use than what he had planned. Taking a seat, he brought one leg up to rest upon the other as he pulled his hood down followed by the crossing of his arms.

 

[SimpleReading]

Jeanne sat quietly, bouncing her knee, she felt bad being so quiet, but it seemed that she didn't have much to say. Not that she was against it, if she were really serious about this whole "gang" thing, she would like to get a feel of all the people here before she really started getting to know them. After all, she had done her act of unlawful deeds, and them all being in the same room made her believe that they must all be in the same boat.


Her thoughts were quickly interrupted by the door opening, another woman walking in. "Quite the lil crowd we've got going for us isn't it?" She snickered to herself, thinking about how fun, and potentially deadly this whole ordeal could end up.


As she sat, she watched a girl who's name she had already forgotten had gotten up and found a way to a kitchen. Realizing that they were allowed to do that, she got up herself and swiftly walked to the kitchen after the girl had left, digging through the fridge, hoping this wasn't too rude. Finding nothing in the fridge that seemed appetizing to her, she simply got herself some water and walked back out to the room.


Walking back in, she sat down on her original chair. As she listened to the conversation, a question she had been thinking about for a while. "Yeah you still haven't said that, if we're gonna do this it'd be nice to know when we start"

 

[kaito9049]

Alex had to suppress a thin smile. "We started ten minutes ago." Taking a remote from the table, he turned on a television that hung on the wall. Several images of the recruits appeared, most of them official pictures taken from records. The profiles went to one side of the screen, the other side popping up a blueprint of a one-story building.

Spoiler

Mission #0 - Plupp Art Gallery


Briefing:


Mr. William Plupp, the owner of the small-time Plupp Art Gallery, is introducing an antique painting to his public collection. The work, a depiction of Jewish prisoners at a Nazi concentration camp, is said to be valued at two million dollars. People from all around the country will be visiting the gallery to see it. If this exhibit does well, Plupp will find himself thrust into the big leagues of art collection.


The only problem is how he acquired the painting. Word on the street is that the painting was originally owned by the daughter of the artist, who has fallen into some hard times recently. Plupp offered $200k for the work, and she was in no position to haggle, not knowing its true value. Apparently, he lied about how much it was worth and then refused to make the payment. Unfortunately, the cops can't touch the guy; there's no way to prove that he lied, since the deal was under-the-table, and the sale, while dishonorable, isn't illegal.


That's why we're here.


Objectives:


Retrieve the painting and find evidence of illegal activity in Plupp's operation.


Plan:


Mr. Plupp will be on the floor, talking up his amazing painting. A con will be there to attract his attention and try and trip him up in a lie - coms will pick up the audio. Someone will go into the electrical room adjacent to the lobby and switch off the lights to the main room. Guards are likely to be suspicious, so be ready to find someway to escape notice. Once the lights are down, burglar(s) will have to move quickly. Either swiping a key card from a guard or picking the lock under the cover of the dark, they'll have to get themselves, a computer expert(s), and a bruiser(s) into the staff hallway. From there they'll have to get into both the file room and the security office, both of which have locked doors. Be warned, the security office will have at least one guard. Though we could just jam the cameras entirely, I suspect that there is some video evidence that we could use against Plupp. The file room will likely have the other part of what we need. Finally, we'll kill the lights again, disable the alarms from the security office, and steal the painting, located at the end of the art room. Move quick, because the guards will be on edge.








Satisfied that he had covered everything, Alex shut off the television. "Any questions?" he asked.

 

[Cruor Flumine]

Marcus nodded and leaned forward in his chair. "Yeah. What equipment are we gonna be outfitted with and will I have some time to prepare some goodies?" He asked. He planned on preparing some chemicals to help with the locks and he would have to make sure his gun was loaded with the proper ammunition...

 

[kaito9049]

Alex gestured over towards one of the rooms. "Over there. It's an equipment closet, with lockpicks, burner phones, chems, rubber bullets, and the such. Take whatever you think you will need, but I advise that you travel light. There's also a selection of formal wear. This is a public exhibit for a major art piece, after all - dress the part."

 

[The Omen of Death]

Dabiživ was extremely annoyed, currently being late. The flight from Belgrade had been delayed, he had almost forgotten his fake Montenegrin Passport which made matters worse, although he obviously knew that this Mr. M knew who he was, and that this obviously was a huge step backwards from what his life was with the Pink Panthers. He had heard a bit about the Masques, he wanted to know why he got it and what he would do. He was driving in a very cheap rental as to not cause too much suspicion, and since this was partly a new beginning he was curious to see as to his new life in a new group. Finally he would pull up to the location. Muttering to himself in Serbian "Барем, он је паметан..." (At least he is smart) nodding to himself in approval of the location choice. He would get some of his stuff and would walk down into the alley. He would identify a mysterious man with the name tag 'Wilson' whom he definitely assumed was the man who would show him to Mr. M as he could tell a lot by appearance that a man looking mysterious was usually the person who lead you to the man you needed. He then walked up to him saying in a clear but obviously Serbian accent "Yes, I know who Mr. M is, yes I was called here, yes I know your the one who knows where to guide me, yes I am sorry I am late, and yes I am that one Serbian whom I bet no one here can say my name properly." Wilson then said "Yes, he has been waiting for you. Please follow me." He would then follow him down to the spot. Wilson adding "They should be at the conference room for a briefing." Dabiživ then saying "Thanks, gonna start everything without me... How great." He would then go in into the conference room "Sorry for the interruption for whatever the hell is being planned Mr. M, Airplane troubles were really bad. Anyway I believe you should already know who I am. If my accent does not give it away... Then I am damned, but anyway hopefully I did not miss anything too important."

 

[Cruor Flumine]

Marcus stood and nodded at Alex. "Then I'll get to work." Turning towards the newcomer, he waved. "Welcome to the party by the way." He greeted before walking into the side room. He opened the cabinet and smirked. Grabbing a multitude of materials, he began to work.

 

[Mirai]

"So, do you have anymore information on this William Plupp? What he likes? Besides paints of course. And what would attract his attention?" Diana thought the lack of information on the suspect himself in the briefing was sort of... dare she say, unprofessional. Maybe Alex just doesn't like digging into people's personal lives. She thought. Though it wouldn't be too much of a problem if he has yet to obtain that knowledge, she could always search it up on Google.

 

[The Omen of Death]

Dabiživ now noticing how young the people in the room were while waving back at Marcus "Oh yes, we definitely started without me... And this definitely seems like the kind of group to go out to a party and get drunk. You know I am 33, and I see a group of 20 year olds. God am I old..." Chuckling a bit at that "Anyway seeing as no one wants to introduce themselves, I suppose I need to some for myself. Name is Dabiživ Radulovic, I would assume none of you can say that, Mr. M should be the one to know maybe. So I was born and raised in Belgrade, back when Serbia was a couple more countries bigger, and we all loved each other and were like brothers, back in good ol' Yugoslavia." "I see you got yourselves a heist in the works this should be interesting!" With a bit of a childish tone in his voice.

 

[kaito9049]

"Hello Mr. Radulovic," Alex said dryly, taking a couple of files that were lying on a nearby table. "Welcome to the Masque gang, we target the corrupt slash greedy, no killing, etcetera." He was beginning to feel that his little speech was redundant. At this point, he could probably write the entire invitation on a Post-it note. "Here, read this," he told the man, handing him one of the files. "It's the briefing that you just missed. It'll give you an idea of what kind of thing we do."


"You bring up a good point, Diana," Alex replied, turning his attention to the woman. He handed her the other file, containing clips of information about their target. "I'll be on coms to advise you on what topics to approach, but if you want a little prior information, read that. Plupp likes foreign accents - he thinks they make one look distinguished - as well as silent films, exotic food, and anything else that might give him the appearance of being a high-class art collector. Pander to his pride, and he'll be eating out of your hand." The young man shrugged. "But it's your call. Do what you have to do." He still wasn't a huge fan of manipulating people, even someone as loathsome as Plupp, but a job was a job.

 

[The Omen of Death]

Dabiživ would raise one of his eyebrows, no way this kid could be M, but his mind immediately knocked the thought out of his head since he knew from his experience in the Pink Panthers to expect the unexpected. But this was definitely high on that list of unexpected things. "You're definitely the idealistic type. Oh and your still hiding under that persona of your's, no name of your's to me? Well obviously that must make sense... I told you mine, and I have a way MORE notorious reputation than all of you combined." Taking the briefing from Alex "Oh yes, how noble... Usually me and the Pink Panthers would just be in and out by doing something outlandish to steal it, buuuut obviously this is a different ballgame your playing. Hopefully no one catches my identity, or INTERPOL is going to take notice, and the Masques are going to have some unwanted attention that is why I am also going in under an alias..." Putting down his fake Montenegrin passport on the table with its name reading 'Dragoljub Arsenov'. "Also how do you plan on escaping? If this works out?" "Oh and I have an accent. Think Plupp would like this voice of mine? I totally think so." chuckling a bit afterwards.

 

[Tenebrous]

As the so-called meeting continued, an additional 2 more people had joined them. He was quite shocked when Alex had just given them their mission on the first day of their job--quite literally. But he supposed these jobs would come spontaneously as time goes by. Magnus frowned at the thought of switching his casual wear for something more formal, he needed to sacrifice mobility and comfort to blend in. He excused himself from the table and walked over to the equipment cabinet after Marcus and began picking whatever he needed for his very first mission.

 

[Cruor Flumine]

Marcus, after setting out his ingredients, had made an unknown chemical compound and filled a couple syringes with the liquid. Not knowing that Magnus was there, he began to sing.


"My body doused in ash with two empty cans of gas


The only evidence they have is a police sketch of my mask


And it's hard at times to ask if you can save my heart for last


And it's hard to face the facts when the darkness fades to black


It's not just make believe when they make me take a seat


And they put amphetamines in the air and make me breathe


So come on and grab your children, look out for burning buildings


And villains who pillage, they're killing by the millions


And billions of people die for a lost cause


So now I pray to my nation destroyed under god!"


He sucked in a breath after using so much air. "Could do better..." He muttered before setting down a fourth syringe.

 

[kaito9049]

"Hopefully there won't be a need for a rapid escape," Alex replied. "Once the objectives are completed, try to escape unnoticed; the guards will be looking for anyone suspicious. Once you get outside, a vehicle will be waiting for you, more than one van if necessary. They will be unlocked and the keys will be on the dashboard. If a more dramatic escape is deemed necessary, I will make some calls and secure transport for you. No one gets left behind."


The young man checked his watch. The exhibit wouldn't begin until late in the evening. "We have a few hours," he said. "Get whatever supplies you need and feel free to talk to your partners."

 

[Cruor Flumine]

Quickly, Marcus gathered the four syringes, caps coverinv the needles, and dropped them into a pocket on his shirt. Turning, he saw Magnus gathering his things. Marcus slipped past him and grabbed a box of .45 rubber bullets. He opened the box and looked inside, inspecting the bullets before nodding and closing it. He gave a half-assed wave to the bruiser before walking back into the main room. "I got one more question, what happens if we're recognized before the lights go out?" He asked Alex. His parents, even if they didnt buy, would oftern go to these kinds of events to check out what was there.


@kaito9049

 

[The Omen of Death]

"Well then, I hope you can all remember my alias. So please when in public speak to me under the name Dragoljub Arsenov unless I change the alias if I get that alias leaked as belonging to me. Because, if my real name is figured out by the public, INTERPOL is gonna take notice and this gang will be getting the wrong kind of attention ESPECIALLY if I get linked to this gang because of my notorious former association with the Pink Panthers." Dabiživ would then take his forged Montenegrin passport and would put it away "Oh! And that reminds me." He would then reach into his bag and would grab his case where he leaves his expertly handmade lockpicks. "I will probably need to get my hands on those rubber bullets, but luckily," he would then open up the case "I always bring my own expertly made lock picks with me everywhere I go. So don't worry about me hoarding all of your lockpicks. Because you probably totally make all those handmade like me. Also I am still waiting for an actual name Mr. M..." Now this time sitting down in one of the chairs nearby him.

 

[Mirai]

"Cool, I'll work on it right away." Diana took the file and went back to her seat to take a look at the content inside. There were several news articles about Plupp, she noticed that he had a different woman in his arms in each photo, however, they all shared noticeable smiliarities — dark brown/almost black hair, deep blue eyes and pale complexion, those women were all breathtakingly beautiful. "What a picky man." Diana mumbled, "I'd better get some supplies..." She made a list of the things she'll need to buy, before grabbing her belongings and exiting the lounge. "I'll be right back." She hollered just as she stepped out of the room.

 

[kaito9049]

"Mmhm, be careful," Alex replied off-handedly to Diana. He was carefully studying the blueprints, going over Plan B and E. While he had high hopes for this crew, he also knew that things could spiral out of control quickly, and so back-up plans were in order. He just hoped that he wouldn't have to execute Plan G; it was surprisingly difficult to find a rabid ferret, and gasoline wasn't cheap in LA.


"The members in the main room have the least chance of being spotted," Alex told Marcus. "The guards won't be actively looking for any of you; just try to remain inconspicuous. But if the burglars or bruisers get noticed, then we'll have to change up the plan a bit. The worst thing you can do is panic." The young man sighed and rubbed his eyes. He should have gotten some sleep, but he'd been up all night double-checking each recruit and putting in additional security measures. "Just...I'll figure something out if it comes to that."


Then replying to Dabiživ, Alex said, "M is fine. Or Alex, if you prefer a first name." No doubt that at least some of the recruits were uncomfortable, not knowing their boss's identity as well as he knew theirs. But that's just the way things went. At least for now.

 

[Cruor Flumine]

Marcus nodded. He hoped it wouldn't come down to that. Hopefully his parent's wouldn't recognize him if he did manage to see them. Walking over to the big, accented man, he pulled one of the syringes from his pocket and offered it to him. "Take this, big guy, you won't be needing lockpicks with this stuff." He said. The chemical compound inside the syringe was one that would make the metal inside most locks brittle, allowing the bruisers, or even themselves, to force the door open without much noise or trouble.


@The Omen of Death

 

[SimpleReading]

Jeanne was surprised that that Alex was giving them a mission within hours of them arriving to the building, it seemed as though he was backing on the idea that enough people would show up, and have enough experience to get the job done. Looking around, she supposed he had assumed correctly, but it still didn't seem very intelligent.


Jeanne wasn't sure how much help she could give, but figured she could at least show up, and be a part of the whole ordeal. She took a sip of water and watched as a couple of people left to the supply area, and she was hit with the thought that she had no idea what she would need. The only thing she was really good at was lock picking. Thinking for a moment, she got up and decided to look around with the others. She picked up a lock picking kit, and looked around, deciding that there wasn't much there that would be helpful to her.


As she walked back out, and sat down, she decided to voice her opinion on the matter, finally tired of being quiet. "Okay, but, what about all of us who aren't trained spies, isn't this pretty risky to do after just meeting all of us?"


@kaito9049

 

[The Omen of Death]

While sitting down Dabiživ would close up his case with his personally made lockpicks. His face lighting up "Ah, so M has a name. Alex eh? Not bad. Also you are 100% right, I am going to hope most if not ALL of you guy's have done this kind of shit before... And know not to panic or chicken out on the operation... Also Alex, I got contacts for the most part around the world, including LA. Sooo if ya need stuff or if we need stuff for an escape or just about anything for that matter pertaining to our operations I should be able to get my hands on it for us." Then noticing Marcus "If you think being 6'0" tall is big and 190 lbs is big, well 190 lbs is bigger than most, not sure about being 6'0" tall though. Also what are you trying to give me in that syringe? Liquid crack? Gamma rays to turn me into the hulk?" Looking a bit perplexed as to what Marcus was giving him.

 

[kaito9049]

Alex chuckled and glanced over his shoulder with a glint in his eye. "You're absolutely correct, Jeanne. But I wouldn't send you or anyone else out there if I wasn't confident in your abilities. You'll have to trust me and your crew." The young man paused, as if hit by a sudden memory, before continuing. "Besides, with or without us, Plupp's exhibit will go on tonight. If it's successful, then he'll get the attention and funding that he's always wanted. And that'll make our jobs that much more difficult. Don't worry. The best way to learn is on the job."


Though what he said was all true, Alex didn't mention the fact that he had been feeling restless as of late. Perhaps it was the constant knowledge that people were being taken advantage of while the Masque gang struggled to rebuild itself. Maybe it was an attempt to preserve the hope and terror that the Masque name instilled in the citizens of LA. Or maybe he was just feeling antsy to go on another adventure. Even he wasn't completely sure.

 

[Cruor Flumine]

[QUOTE="The Omen of Death]While sitting down Dabiživ would close up his case with his personally made lockpicks. His face lighting up "Ah, so M has a name. Alex eh? Not bad. Also you are 100% right, I am going to hope most if not ALL of you guy's have done this kind of shit before... And know not to panic or chicken out on the operation... Also Alex, I got contacts for the most part around the world, including LA. Sooo if ya need stuff or if we need stuff for an escape or just about anything for that matter pertaining to our operations I should be able to get my hands on it for us." Then noticing Marcus "If you think being 6'0" tall is big and 190 lbs is big, well 190 lbs is bigger than most, not sure about being 6'0" tall though. Also what are you trying to give me in that syringe? Liquid crack? Gamma rays to turn me into the hulk?" Looking a bit perplexed as to what Marcus was giving him.

[/QUOTE]
"Last one. Totally. Nah, it's a chemical compound that weakens metal, making it easy to break open. Quietly too. Thought you'd like to save those lockpicks ya got." He explained. "Sip the needle into the lock, empty it, and push, the lock should break and allow us entrance." He said. Hopefully it would work like he planned. If it didn't, he would just have to use his lockpicks to get it open.