Realistic or Modern Masks: Thieves of LA

[PeachyEm]

Louis crossed his legs, fingers linking over his knee as he smiled slightly. He liked this guy, despite him being suspiciously young and sort of intimidating with the little bodyguard sort of person beside him. It wasn't hard for him to decide on staying, though. This seemed interesting, kind of fun, even. He wouldn't mind doing a bit of evil in order to fight evil. This was like some sort of illegal superhero shit. He'd take that over his current job any day. With that said, he raised his hand a little, charming smile on his lips as he addressed Alex.


"Is there a huge chance of me dying by taking this job?" He asked, of course waiting for Tyson to finish before he spoke. He was polite when he wanted to be, after all. His eyes slid over to the mask held by the man beside Alex, eyebrows raising slightly. "Also, our masks don't have to be nearly as scary as that, do they? S'going to give me nightmares, just looking at it." He chuckled, easygoing and honestly not nearly as stressed as some of the others in the room.

 

[kaito9049]

Alex opened his mouth to reply to Jeanne, but then thought better of it. No use in scaring off a willing partner in the pursuit of being technical. Instead, speaking to her and Tyson, he simply stated, "Thank you."


Unfortunately for his attempt to be less realistically pessimistic than he usually was, Alex was interrupted by a quip from Louis. The young man sighed. He had hoped to avoid this, but at the same time he didn't want to lie to the men and women in front of him about the true dangers of the career they were about to choose. None of the original members of the Masque crew had any misgivings about what they were getting themselves into, which was part of what made them so efficient; they knew what they had to do, and expected the unexpected.


"Any job carries a certain risk," Alex replied tactfully. "Mine - ours - has a larger risk than most. If you carry out your assigned tasks well enough, there should be no danger to your life. But...there have been cases when things have not gone according to plan, and the target had acted...irrationally." Though he didn't mention the specifics, Alex was particularly thinking of one mission, a disruption of an arms deal between gangs, that had ended in one of his friends getting shot. He had survived, thanks to their computer expert, who had medical experience, but the experience had stuck in Alex's mind for quite a while.


"What I'm trying to say is that if you don't get careless, you should be safe," he finished. "As for your masks, they can look like whatever you want. In fact..." Alex paused to reach under the kitchen counter and pull out a simple white face mask. "This is mine. It cost me a buck fifty. I was never into hand-crafted or tailor-made masks."

 

[Ishtarran]

It was at this point that Lucius deemed time to show off his mask. But rather than simply holding it up, he half-assedly put it on. "Or you can be as diverse and wild as you like with the mask, too. As long as you can hide it 'till you need it, if I'm getting the vibe right." He chuckled momentarily, adding; "Anyone like?"

 

[tammynorthland]

"FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK!!" Gin exclaimed. She was late....as always it seemed she veered in and out of traffic and rushed her way to the location on her gps. She was driving like an animal...as usual. She pulled into a- "a bowling alley?" Gina asked herself stepping out of the car. She slammed the door and grabbed her MK purse. She was lets just say, name oriented. she was expecting this to be like a job interview. But at a bowling alley? She moved across the country away from her home state and favorite city on earth just to get a job at a bowling alley? At the time she received the E-mail, Gina was relatively confused, even shocked someone from across the states knew who she was and wanted to meet her. Never the less she took the shot. she assumed it was fraud or some scam but being the message was so short and had no info to reply to. she was curious.


Gina was wearing a red romper with a pair of black and red loius viouton Stilettos. She walked inside totally not fitting in. "some interview outfit."


"Right this way Miss." a voice caught her off guard she turned to the sound of a man.


"pleasure to meet you sir, I am here for the interview." Gina said professionaly and calm.


He just nodded and waved his hand to follow him. She was quite confused, 'is this guy in charge here?'


"My name is-"


"Your not here for me Gina." he interrupted.


She narrowed her eyes. ' how did he know my name?' even she cannot read minds. He led her down a hallway which led past a few rooms into a conference style room which looked way more sophisticated than the bar and then led her to a door.


"He's expecting you." the man said. and just like that he left.


Small talk left her very confused. his body told her that he was definitely not in charge of this place, but what exactly was she here for?


Gina stood at the door, no marking on it, no room numbers, 'fuck this could be a storage closet' she thought in her head. None the less Gina left her home thousands of miles away to start a whole new life, new job, even her car was new. After what happened these passed 6 months she was very depressed and needed a change after she lost him.


She opened the door.


Heels clip clopped on the tile ground the room was rather large with multiple seats and many different looking people -much less dressed than her- stood and sat down listening to a kid talk. despite herself only being 25. She stilled considered herself very young and very different than most woman her age. She grew up very normal but had the most unique life after high school compared to anyone on this planet most likely. These people looked like they had many different expressions on their faces. Confusion, excitement, content to name a few she could tell by the body language of the gentleman holding a plain white mask by the way he stood and looked.


He was in charge.


Gina walked over and shook his hand. "Gina Carson." She gave a very charming smile. "your the one in charge of this place I presume? I do apologize for being so late, if you want to reschedule I can comply?"


@kaito9049

 

[kaito9049]

Alex paused, his concentration disrupted by the sudden interruption. He mentally went through his invites, trying to remember who exactly the woman in front of him was. Ah, yes. Gina Carson, just one of the several cons whose presence he had requested. Unfortunately, it seemed that this particular recruit was somewhat confused about her reason for being here.


"No, no, this is a good time," Alex replied. "Please, have a seat. I've already explain the job offer to the others, so I'll sum it up now: Masque Gang, stealing stuff from bad guys, you get a cut, no one gets hurt." Satisfied, Alex placed his mask down on one of the tables.

 

[tammynorthland]

Gina grabbed a seat. He gazed confusion at her and she definitely felt out of place she sat down on a bar stool and threw her leg over her other sitting criss crossed.


She leaned forward and listened to his relatively short speech. He mentioned a few red flags.


Masque gang: she had no idea what that was but the word gang immediatly turned her off.


Stealing: despite him saying it was from bad people. She still was very turned off from this her integrity was long withheld and she knew not to get involved with anything that could ever taint her record. That's what allowed her to get the jobs she did.


A cut: .... her ears focused on this though. She was definitely intrested in how this cut works. Especially considering he said no one gets hurt.


Despite all these things she shifted through her head she stared intently at the language his body gave off.


He was telling the truth. And seemed very confident. Her eyes scanned how his spinal cord was straight. Signaled confidence. As for the facial features. Subtle and very stern. He had no microexpressions that displayed any sign of deception.


So here she was getting unknowingly involved with illegal activity.


"A gang?." She questioned. "And why does any of this sound smart? More importantly. You are capable of covering your tracks?" She was very skeptical and very dissapointed with the meeting and of course, she hid those things from her face.


@kaito9049

 

[kaito9049]

"I wouldn't be here now if I didn't know how to be careful," Alex replied. It was true enough. Though the rest of the first Masque gang had unfortunately been captured, he had managed to survive. Though whether that was because of caution or because of a more underhanded act was questioned by some of the underground community.


"Don't think of it as a gang," Alex offered. "Think of it as...a collaboration between like-minded individuals linked by a common cause." He had heard that "rephrasing" from the mouths of many of his targets, but if it worked for them, he saw no reason why he shouldn't try and copy it.


"Where are my manners? My name is Alex. Alex M. If you choose to join the Masque, you will learn your teammates' names as well."

 

[tammynorthland]

Gina listened to him contort the words in to a new favor. Now this gang was a club. What the fuck is her thinking. She continued to listen giving careful detail tothe man's body and facial features as he remained almost harmonized with himself. Not a hint of doubt. He was very pure he seemed.


"So your expecting us to commit crimes?" She asked blatently. She asked a very specific question rude and meant to catch him off guard to allow microexpressions to reveal themselves.


@kaito9049

 

[Tenebrous]

Magnus took a seat as Alex began explaining. A life of stealing? A life of crime? Did he really want that? He had already claimed a life of another, and the chances of taking another life on this job were quite high. Magnus did not enjoy murdering a man cold-bloodedly. If anything, it was the complete opposite. He looked back at the door he just came from. This was the very last time he could turn away and take up a far much honest job, a safer one. He'd risk his life if he took up the offer of joining the infamous Masque Gang. Yet something made him yearn to join the group. It offered an opportunity to do something different, something more exciting. Something Magnus desperately craved. Thrill. "I'm in." Magnus declared. Black steely eyes stared at Alex's blue ones. This was going to be one hell of a ride.

 

[jiminie]

Leah watched as everyone spoke in turn and she listened to what Alex had to say. A gang.. really? Confused and slightly annoyed, Leah stood up, clung onto her bag strap even tighter than before, and walked over to Alex. She glanced at the mask on the counter and frowned.


"So you want us to do all this shady crap and wear masks whilst doing it? I'm guessing it's all in the name." Leah crossed her arms and took a more defensive stance. She wasn't as ready to accept Alex's proposal as the rest of the group was. Instead, Leah felt more like walking out of the room as opposed to welcoming these strangers into her life but she did like the opportunity, it was a challenge to her and she loved challenges. "What's stopping me from going to the cops right now? I mean I think I'm in, but what is stopping anyone in here from double crossing you? Why are you trusting everyone so easily?"


Leah waited for his reply and hoped no one else in the room heard her, the last thing she wanted to do was cause a scene and put herself in the crossfire.

 

[kaito9049]

Alex nodded wordlessly at Magnus, acknowledging his acceptance of the offer. This was good. But he still needed some key pieces of the team. Namely, a computer expert - essential if he wanted his gang to remain hidden from the cameras. Which was why Leah's dissent troubled him. Perhaps it was his fault that she was so defensive; he did sort-of-threaten her grandmother, after all.


The young man shrugged. "You're free to leave right now, if you wish. But make no mistake: I don't trust anyone easily. But if a team is going to be successful, it has to be one entity. Distrust causes cracks that, when exploited, will bring everyone down. A lot of innocent people can get hurt. That's why I need to be perfectly sure that the Masque gang is solid from the inside out.


"That's not to say that you can't have secrets, of course. We all do. Just remember that even if you don't know what each other are hiding, I sure do. And that's my leverage. You go to the cops, I will too."


Turning to Gina, Alex continued. "Well...yes. But sometimes people have to operate outside of the law to stop people who don't think it applies to them." It was a question that most members of the Masque gang had struggled with at one point or another. Each came to terms with what they were doing in their own way. He had made his piece with the fact that he was a criminal long ago.

 

[tammynorthland]

Gina loathed intently to the man named Alexs words of wisdom. The kid wasyoung, smart, and witty. Based on what she aquire for him he knew at that point she was well under any criminal activity radar. Thus making him useless of blackmail toward her.


These ideas stued inside her head. She was confused as to why they would ask her. But then again. He seemed to know alot about her. Rather than arguing and rather than analysing him further. She grinned a bit and asked.


"This.....cut.....you say.... I have three questions. One: how does it work, two: money laundering is a federal crime and you must have routes of giving us the money that doesn't involve buckets of cash. Even if we get it into our accounts, our income without a job will definitely alert irs the minute any of us pay for something regarding background checks. Three:....she paused. If we are supposed to be safe and have nothing to worry about." She paused and took a sip of the cold water that was poured for her. "What really happened to your old crew members?"


@kaito9049

 

[Mirai]

Diana had helped herself to the little kitchen in the back and made some pancakes for herself, she brought the plate back with a glass of orange juice, found a comfy spot near the TV monitor and enjoyed her meal in peace. She had hoped to explore this safehouse a bit more, but since Alex is busy answering questions, she decided to ask him for permission later, after all, he is sort of the boss around here.

 

[jiminie]

Leah listened to a woman question Alex, she found it somewhat unnerving the amount of questions she asked. Nonetheless, Leah paced around the lounge looking for something to do. There was a small kitchen to the back, which smelt of freshly cooked pancakes, the small table with glasses and various beverages stood up on it and finally a few comfy seats with a large screen TV. A young woman had already made herself at home on the sofa. Leah walked over, her hands behind her back with her bag still slung over her shoulder. The sofa was a suede, velvet type material, dark red in colour. She perked herself on the arm of one of the armchairs and tried to look as unassuming as possible.


"Hey." Leah looked at the young woman. Pancakes, why not I guess? "What's your name?"


@Identical

 

[Ishtarran]

Lucius simply kicked back and smirked. "This is gonna be one helluva fun time... girl brings up a few complicated points, but there are ways around them. Like spending wisely in small increments instead of being a jackass about it. I'm in; might as well, after all I already have my mask."


Joshua meanwhile was a tad bit nervous. Sure he had pulled some pretty hectic stunts and he knew the periodic table better than the back of his hand, but what was he supposed to do? 'Hey dad, I'm a gangbanger now and I make a living off making firecrackers!' He thought about that for a moment, realizing that especially given where John went, dad probably couldn't care less. And we need food, soon... little stuff out of the local drops isn't going to sustain us forever. Having ended his fidgety jittering, he spoke up. "I... guess I'll do it."

 

[kaito9049]

Alex nodded to Lucius and Joshua. "Thank you, Joshua," he said softly. "I know this transition may seem frightening, but I'm sure that you're smart enough to take care of yourself." He was careful to encourage the young man a little more, since he seemed more nervous than many of the other recruits. As for Lucius, Alex had been fairly certain of his decision; it was the wisdom of inviting the other man in the first place that he questioned. Ah, well. He'd find out soon enough.


Alex sighed and rubbed his eyes. Gina was beginning to wear on him with the constant questions. Though he appreciated her inquisitiveness, there was a certain amount of information that each member of the team needed to know, and she was very close to overstepping that threshold.


"Fair enough," he admitted. "The money is transferred through a series of...reputable businesses. I'm connected in a way that makes the legality a little blurry, but I've always been careful to cover my tracks. As for you, we will be setting up false identities, with several bank accounts, for each of the members. I've had experience with this, of course; the Masque gang didn't escape capture for so long for no reason."


"Speaking of which, when the Masque gang was finally apprehended, it was because of its own carelessness. The members that were captured had no one to blame but themselves." It wasn't the whole truth, and any half-wit could tell that, but it was all that they needed to know; sloppy work would be punished.

 

[Mirai]

When Diana swallowed the piece of pancake that she was chewing on, she was surprised to find Leah, the nervous computer geek, had approached her. "Hello there, you must be Leah." Diana smiled warmly. "To answer your question, I'm Diana O'Hara, professional liar and the con of this team. I should warn you about my untrustworthiness." She winked at Leah playfully.


@Karaleigh

 

[jiminie]

Startled, Leah crossed her arms and smiled. Diana seemed nice but someone to be cautious of. Leah's eyes fluttered around the room before finally landing on the TV. She started into space and watched the picture move around whilst she held an ear out for Alex and his discussion with another person in the group.


Leah suddenly started to feel very 'out of the loop' and anxious. She looked back at Diana, who appeared to be enjoying her pancakes. "What are they on about over there?" Leah gestured over to Alex and another woman, the same woman Leah saw asking countless questions. "What if they're keeping us on the sidelines.. Alex hasn't told me anything."


Leah started to worry and began fidgeting with the straps on her back. She wanted to be sure she'd be valued in the group and not left out, otherwise, what would be the point of her lying to her grandmother and putting herself in possibly danger.


@Identical

 

[tammynorthland]

Gina listened intently. Although he had seemed to be very careful there seemed to be a reason those previous member were caught. But no signs of deception. He was honest and serious. She couldn't possibly take this offer she observed the people around the room. A black gentlemen, a few woman and other men as well. And then. She glanced slightly and eavedropped on Leah and the other woman dianas conversation, something people couldn't detect. She was a conwoman. A professional liar. Someone she would be very intrested in. She shot a glance out of the corner of her eye to spot her movements. 'Indeed, talented liar indeed.' Gina thought but she had sloppiness inside she would need to find it eventually.


Gina had a mind full of confusion, but the gentlemen was very serious about her in this gang. As well as her questions she asked she had a few she kept alone. Like why we should trust him, and what if these people start opening their mouth, she would face imprisonment, worse even, or losing her liscense. These chances couldn't be taken.


Gina stood up and asked a final question. "Can I debate this offer on my own and get back to you?" She questioned.


This was something she'd have to weigh out alone.

 

[Mirai]

"Don't you worry now, love. Alex is a fair man, he's passionate about this pulling this team together and making it work." Diana took a sip of her orange juice. "He will spill his beans when time comes, but honestly? Just ask him if you want to know something, I'm sure he'll gladly answer. Besides, they're just talking about money matter and something about those captured Masque members, don't worry, you're not missing out on much." Diana laid her hand on Leah's forearm, hoping it would calm her anxiousness.


@Karaleigh

 

[Cruor Flumine]

Marcus was, to say the least, excited for what was to come. He had gotten an email from some anonymous source, asking him to meet him at the bowling alley he was standing in front of. Even when he got serious, he found that it was damned difficult to trace the sender's location, which led here.


With a sigh, Marcus pushed the door open and walked inside. A man with a name tag reading 'Wilson' approached him, he looked stressed out enough for some reason though. "Are you here to see Mr. M too?" Wilson had asked. Marcus nodded, his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets and the hood pulled up. "Then please, follow me." Again, he nodded, following the gentlemen through a fake bookcase and down a passage. The first thing his eyes caught was a camera out of the corner of his eyes. His fingers wrapped around a small cylinder and prepared to press a button on said cylinder, but decided against it. "Please look at the camera." Wilson asked." Marcus complied by flashing a smile towards the camera. Wilson nodded before turning to leaving the passage. "The door is unlocked." He stated. Marcus turned towards the door and let out a breath before opening it and walking through the doorway, seeing a multitude of people around the room. He smirked. "What a party, good thing I was invited."


@kaito9049

 

[kaito9049]

Alex nodded. Gina's request was understandable; this was a major decision, after all. "Take a couple of days," he told her. "Once you've made your choice, come and see me." There was always the off-chance that Gina would use those two days to coordinate with officials on how to infiltrate the gang, but he was confident that his police contacts would warn him of any incoming threats. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time he had to deal with cops.


The young man's pager beeped, notifying him of yet another guest. At this point, he'd be able to (or have to) form multiple teams. "Mr. Marcus Sculins," he greeted, turning to the man who stepped through the doorway. He certainly appeared to be a candidate for a gang member. But Alex wasn't looking for an enforcer with this one. He was looking for a mechanic.


"You're a little late," Alex stated. "Before I explain what's going on here, would you kindly take your hands out of your pockets? Slowly, if you please." His voice was raised just high enough to allow for the other recruits, particularly Lucius and Magnus, to hear him. If this man was carrying a weapon, he needed to be ready for a fight. Though the sensors had not been triggered, he suspected that Marcus was smart enough to get around them if he needed to.

 

[Cruor Flumine]

Marcus, still smirking, complied. he lifted his hands in the air, the cylinder still clutched in his right hand. "Ya caught me." He said. Moving the cyclinder between two fingers, it could be seen that it was steel with a black button set into the top of it. "Here, catch." Marcus said, tossing the device towards who he assumed to be Mr. M.


@kaito9049

 

[kaito9049]

Quickly recognizing that the device did not seem to be a grenade, and that Marcus was inside the blast radius even if it was, Alex did not hesitate to snatch it out of the air. After inspecting it for a few moments, he failed to discover its purposes. He wasn't a technician, after all. Satisfied that, at the very least, it wasn't a threat, he handed it over to Leah, who was speaking with Diana on the other end of the room. "You and Joshua take a look at this," he said. He wasn't sure whether they'd be able to figure the device out, but it seemed like a suitable challenge.


"So, what is it?" he asked Marcus. "EMP? GPS beacon? The new iPhone? Thermal detonator?"

 

[Cruor Flumine]

"None of those." He replied. "It's a scrambler. It'll make the best damn scrambled eggs you'll ever have!" He said with a grin. "No. But in all reality, it is a scrambler. Press that button on the top and any electronic devices within, lets say, twenty yards, will not be able to pick up any signal from you. Or in a camera's case, get a clear picture. It's something that I made and found to be very useful, thought you would too. Consider this thanks for the invitation." Marcus explained. It took him a good four or five months to figure out how to make it, and another two to make a working prototype. Improvements could always be made however, such as a range extender.