• This section is for roleplays only.
    ALL interest checks/recruiting threads must go in the Recruit Here section.

    Please remember to credit artists when using works not your own.

Futuristic Ｔｈｅｒｅｆｏｒｅ Ｉ Ａｍ - IC

Characters
Here
Other
Here
birdgeoisie

birdgeoisie

leedle creecher
Roleplay Availability
Roleplay Type(s)








I AM

ASNMT 1: "SCRAP MEMORY"









Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras hendrerit, tellus vel molestie pretium, tellus lorem pellentesque nunc, in porta lorem justo eu diam. Praesent urna velit, efficitur vel nisi vel, blandit suscipit dolor. Donec ut cursus dui, non dignissim urna. Proin fermentum, dui a ornare viverra, quam enim euismod ante, ut ultricies justo sapien in orci. Phasellus efficitur nunc non sollicitudin commodo. Proin tempus, sapien id tempor imperdiet, ipsum urna malesuada neque, ut efficitur diam leo ut risus. Vestibulum euismod lobortis massa ut dictum. Etiam hendrerit commodo velit in volutpat.

Integer nulla sapien, egestas eget est eu, varius porttitor nibh. Donec sapien neque, gravida vitae erat nec, accumsan dapibus odio. Pellentesque placerat urna nec magna tristique, ac pulvinar eros ultrices. Aliquam eget posuere neque. Maecenas vel varius enim. Sed eu neque turpis. Sed imperdiet in risus in sollicitudin. In mattis mauris vel molestie hendrerit. Aliquam eget posuere neque. Maecenas vel varius enim. Sed eu neque turpis. Sed imperdiet in risus in sollicitudin. In mattis mauris vel molestie hendrerit. Aliquam eget posuere neque. Maecenas vel varius enim. Sed eu neque turpis. Sed imperdiet in risus in sollicitudin. In mattis mauris vel molestie hendrerit.






♡coded by uxie♡


 
SCORE


40


Julius






/* ------ credit -- do not remove ------ */

© weldherwings.



Serial Number DT-810806
Wartime Genesis 67-A
Designed as heavy artillerymen. Walking tanks who could haul bodies, materials, and large machinery. Often worked in teams to carry and maintain machinery. Accompanied frontliners as support.

6’5. 196 lb. Short brown hair. Blue eyes. Caucasian.

> Last seen at a market strip on the furthest edge of the west side neighborhoods, purchasing scrap from reclamation yards and local vendors, including materials suspected to have been smuggled in from beyond city limits.

> Frequents a block of mid-rise warehouses in the far southeast side. Has been seen with identified black market dealers.

STR: 5
INT: 3
HUM: 1​

BONUS OF UP TO $25,000​
 
TASK: LOCATE AND INVESTIGATE
RESIDENCE OF "JULIUS"​

It was even colder, here, where the Lake Michigan bulkhead towered tall enough that only the high rises could peer overtop to the churning, white-capped waters. Though the rain had long since stopped from the morning, it was wet and freezing near to the lake, where the spray of heavy waves was tossed into the air, only to sink, minutes to hours later, down onto the cinder and cement and black metal.

This particular district was characterized by dripping rust and metal beams piercing the sky. Thirty years ago, machines of destruction had been crafted and parts stored in these warehouses, water pumped in to facilitate their creation. Now, corporations had swooped in, offering to clean the area up, and purchasing large amounts of cheap real estate. In between the new buildings of white concrete and hard right angles, the carcasses of warehouses criss-crossed the mid-levels of the area.

It was a good place to blend in in plain sight. The main streets were busy, full of windows to be shopped from, lobbies of high-end housing, and gentrified parks paid for in the billions by naturalist elites who found the area ripe for recreation. If anything, the history of doom made it all the more poetic to see flourish under the weight of insurmountable credits.

The alleyways, in contrast, remained just as grimy and unpleasant as they'd always been. Those forced out by the new wealth skulked in the shadows, basking in what rays of light they could afford to. It was easy enough to crawl their way up to the midlevels to find respite, and so long as no one drew attention to the hidden population, they were left to it.

The Blue Adept The Blue Adept FloatingAroundSpace FloatingAroundSpace Ambiloquous Ambiloquous

Far Southeast Side
code by birth of venus.


FAR SOUTHEAST SIDE

TASK: LOCATE AND INVESTIGATE
RESIDENCE OF "JULIUS"

It was even colder, here, where the Lake Michigan bulkhead towered tall enough that only the high rises could peer overtop to the churning, white-capped waters. Though the rain had long since stopped from the morning, it was wet and freezing near to the lake, where the spray of heavy waves was tossed into the air, only to sink, minutes to hours later, down onto the cinder and cement and black metal.

This particular district was characterized by dripping rust and metal beams piercing the sky. Thirty years ago, machines of destruction had been crafted and parts stored in these warehouses, water pumped in to facilitate their creation. Now, corporations had swooped in, offering to clean the area up, and purchasing large amounts of cheap real estate. In between the new buildings of white concrete and hard right angles, the carcasses of warehouses criss-crossed the mid-levels of the area.

It was a good place to blend in in plain sight. The main streets were busy, full of windows to be shopped from, lobbies of high-end housing, and gentrified parks paid for in the billions by naturalist elites who found the area ripe for recreation. If anything, the history of doom made it all the more poetic to see flourish under the weight of insurmountable credits.

The alleyways, in contrast, remained just as grimy and unpleasant as they'd always been. Those forced out by the new wealth skulked in the shadows, basking in what rays of light they could afford to. It was easy enough to crawl their way up to the midlevels to find respite, and so long as no one drew attention to the hidden population, they were left to it.
 
Last edited:
TASK: LOCATE ROGUE
A-GEN "JULIUS"​

The sounds of the city were muted in the skies, behind the plastic and metal and glass of the aerocab. Holo-ads glimmered against vast swaths of brutalist concrete on either side of the vehicle: towering grins and barely-clothed women touting the efficacy of the latest vending machine snack, or that totally effective Borellium pill that will replace synthmod surgery. Their target-tested voices barely warbled their way into the interior of the cab.

At this hour, the skies are fairly busy. It's approaching noon, and the wealthy and elite who can afford such luxurious travel are headed off for their undeserved lunchtime feasts or corporate rendezvous. Headlights flashing inside reflect against the metal face of the driver- as much as Kaiser can be described to have a face. Of course, the striping of CPD and the lights atop the cab provide the benefit of breaking as many aerial traffic laws as needed to complete the task, provided there isn't too much fuss about it. The rich could be finicky when run off the proverbial streets by racing cops.

Though, of course, AROs are more than just cops. The elite of the city's combatants sat within the unassuming vehicle, with no marker to indicate that it was operatives inside. Operatives on a hunt, no less, searching for signs of their mark.

Deep below the belly of the cab, the streets were drenched with the now-passed rains of the early morning. Clouds still hung low and dark, the air brisk and wet to breathe. A steam rose from the heat of collective bodies pushing against each other in their aimless rushing. The usual chaos of the streets became invisible when one looked at it so often. But even from the skies, it was obvious that this chaos had been interrupted.

Somewhere in the stretch of meandering streets over New City, the AROs' cab peered down as a figure cut through the crowds. Like the wake off a boat, people split to clear a path as someone made off towards the southeast.

nav nav AmberV AmberV Vagabond Vagabond Bleating Ram Bleating Ram
Southwest Side
code by birth of venus.


SOUTHWEST SIDE

TASK: LOCATE ROGUE
A-GEN "JULIUS"

The sounds of the city were muted in the skies, behind the plastic and metal and glass of the aerocab. Holo-ads glimmered against vast swaths of brutalist concrete on either side of the vehicle: towering grins and barely-clothed women touting the efficacy of the latest vending machine snack, or that totally effective Borellium pill that will replace synthmod surgery. Their target-tested voices barely warbled their way into the interior of the cab.

At this hour, the skies are fairly busy. It's approaching noon, and the wealthy and elite who can afford such luxurious travel are headed off for their undeserved lunchtime feasts or corporate rendezvous. Headlights flashing inside reflect against the metal face of the driver- as much as Kaiser can be described to have a face. Of course, the striping of CPD and the lights atop the cab provide the benefit of breaking as many aerial traffic laws as needed to complete the task, provided there isn't too much fuss about it. The rich could be finicky when run off the proverbial streets by racing cops.

Though, of course, AROs are more than just cops. The elite of the city's combatants sat within the unassuming vehicle, with no marker to indicate that it was operatives inside. Operatives on a hunt, no less, searching for signs of their mark.

Deep below the belly of the cab, the streets were drenched with the now-passed rains of the early morning. Clouds still hung low and dark, the air brisk and wet to breathe. A steam rose from the heat of collective bodies pushing against each other in their aimless rushing. The usual chaos of the streets became invisible when one looked at it so often. But even from the skies, it was obvious that this chaos had been interrupted.

Somewhere in the stretch of meandering streets over New City, the AROs' cab peered down as a figure cut through the crowds. Like the wake off a boat, people split to clear a path as someone made off towards the southeast.
 
Last edited:
TASK: IDENTIFY INTENT
OF PURCHASES​

This far to the west, where the walls of the city loomed grey and daunting at the horizon, the bustle of the inner-city was long gone. The spires of shining metal and manmade stone were far more spread out, the spaces between instead filled with boxes stacked on one another haphazardly. Cheap, low-income housing where the dregs of society were shoved to be hidden away from the eyes of the elite. As if the streets could even be seen so clear from their obsidian towers. Here, they argued, they were given purpose: to toil away till their bodies broke or they made something of themselves.

Bursts of flame spouted from tops of metal chimneys. The area was speckled with industry. Metalworking, machining and manufacturing made the West Side's outskirt neighborhoods a junker's dream. Key to it all were the reclamation yards. The remnants of the war left materials ripe for the scrapping. But it was dangerous for the layman, so reclamation yards had swooped in to train any brave- or stupid -enough to delve inside the guts of old machines, or disembowel a debatebly live bomb. Regular shipments passed through from the outside walls- under strict inspection, of course.

Where the AROs had found themselves was a veritable row of a trash market. Stalls stacked three high, connected by ladders and unstable fenced stairs, hawked all things metallurgy. At the end of the block sat Otter's Reclaim, one of the less-than-reputable yards. Which, of course, made it extremely profitable. Every stall, shiny with their unique goods, only hoped to leech off of Otter's success.

ManicMuse ManicMuse AI10100 AI10100 .wren .wren Castello Castello Sear Sear

West Side
code by birth of venus.


WEST SIDE

TASK: IDENTIFY INTENT
OF PURCHASES

This far to the west, where the walls of the city loomed grey and daunting at the horizon, the bustle of the inner-city was long gone. The spires of shining metal and manmade stone were far more spread out, the spaces between instead filled with boxes stacked on one another haphazardly. Cheap, low-income housing where the dregs of society were shoved to be hidden away from the eyes of the elite. As if the streets could even be seen so clear from their obsidian towers. Here, they argued, they were given purpose: to toil away till their bodies broke or they made something of themselves.

Bursts of flame spouted from tops of metal chimneys. The area was speckled with industry. Metalworking, machining and manufacturing made the West Side's outskirt neighborhoods a junker's dream. Key to it all were the reclamation yards. The remnants of the war left materials ripe for the scrapping. But it was dangerous for the layman, so reclamation yards had swooped in to train any brave- or stupid -enough to delve inside the guts of old machines, or disembowel a debatebly live bomb. Regular shipments passed through from the outside walls- under strict inspection, of course.

Where the AROs had found themselves was a veritable row of a trash market. Stalls stacked three high, connected by ladders and unstable fenced stairs, hawked all things metallurgy. At the end of the block sat Otter's Reclaim, one of the less-than-reputable yards. Which, of course, made it extremely profitable. Every stall, shiny with their unique goods, only hoped to leech off of Otter's success.
 
Last edited:


















糖衣炮弹





Already, Venus had spent most of their time in the passenger seat watching Kaiser’s faceplate - which was, of course, their usual reaction to robots. Though they remained stony faced as ever, leaned back in their seat. They’d chosen to sit there with no care for what anyone else thought. Between Jae-sung and their latest rookie, they’d figured that there would probably be minimal argument. And, Hell, Jae-sung knew them well enough to know that they weren’t going to give up a seat they’d already chosen to sit in.

They did not wear their seatbelt (why would they?), and they rested one knee against the glove box as they absently scanned the streets below them. They rested their elbow against their door and, with their free hand, they played with their half-empty box of cigarettes. They flipped the lid open, then closed it again - and from the wear of the cardboard box, it looked like they’d done it plenty of times already. They’d only bought it this morning. Needless to say, missions made them restless.

Anxious to some, with their restless legs and hands. Bloodthirsty was the truth: the need for violence, so acute it stung.

Venus was glad, sometimes, that they’d become an ARO. It was the safest way to let off some of that steam. But when cases took so long and they had to be careful not to do anything suspicious…well. They just needed to be careful. The restless energy sparking beneath their skin was enough to keep them awake, but they had to rein it in. Just a little.

“You think we can stop for food before we find the mark?” they asked suddenly. The words were directed towards Jae-sung, but they didn’t care if anyone responded. A rookie and a robot. Venus was unlikely to listen to them, though they didn’t indicate as much. “It’s lunchtime.”

They took one of the cigarettes out of its pack, but didn’t do much with it. They tapped it absently, noting how sparse the tobacco was.

Venus’ gaze returned to the world outside of the aerocab, narrowing their eyes as people rippled. Crowds did not typically move as uniformly as that; you had to fight to make your way through, or dodge. Venus paused, then made a small gesture at the movement for Jae-sung - and, again, for him over the rookie.

“What do you think?”

It could be nothing. It was usually nothing. They’d chased down movement before only for it to be some poor bastard doing their best to get to work on time. It was better to be safe than to let an A-gen go through, though. Better still to get the opinion of an actual professional; if anything went wrong, Venus could blame him. It was a win-win. They tilted their head back, though their gaze remained fixed.





























welcome home












♡coded by uxie♡

 








What a thankless fucking job.

The cold permeated the interior of the aerocab despite the fact Jae-Sung had cranked up the heat in the back - rookie be damned. One of his long legs was stretched out into the front, resting atop the center console and keeping it firmly closed. The brat had claimed the passenger seat as theirs despite his natural inclination towards it.
"We'll see."
There was no lilt in his speech, flat and disinterested in a show of pettiness.

He leaned his head against the side of the window, cigarette firmly clasped between his pointer and middle finger - filling the aerocab with a haze of smoke. His eyes were trailing the figures down below, skirting their way through the streets like marching ants.

"6'5, 195lbs. Caucasian. They really are making our jobs easy - there's not that many skinny, tall white folk out there in the streets of Chicago."
There were a few individuals fitting of the description - and even then it was completely and utterly possible their Wartime Genesis 67-A 'Julius' had dyed its hair, found some contacts - called it a day.

Lady luck had favoured them this time around though, cctv footage had grainy captures of the target - obscured in some pictures, but with enough to work with that he was certain he would give the individual in question a double take if he saw them in the streets.
"Julius wants scraps and materials, right?"
He paused thoughtfully, taking a long slow drag of his cigarette before he lowered his hand to tap at the cream-colored faux leather lining the seats of the aerocab with his finger.
"It must be building something. What do you reckon it is?"
The question was rhetorical in nature, though Jae-Sung wouldn't quite mind if someone took the initiative to answer.

A slow, sharp grin crossed over his face as he caught sight of the crowd shifting down below. He caught the movement of Venus's gesture from the corner of his eye even as he focused upon the sea of people down below.

Whatever - or more like whoever - was causing the confusion down below was heading somewhere and making good time of it too. There didn't seem to be any panic, no pushing, no runners. Instead, civilians stopped in their steps - some seemed to want to engage, but brushed it off in classic disgruntled Chicagoan fashion.
"Too high to tell."
And it was. The individual in question wore heavier clothes - befitting of the weather, but also smartly obscuring all their features.

They were either just another average joe hustling to make it to a coffee shop date, missing a job interview, very late to work, or a smart enough A-Gen.

"Hey, buddy,"
with his left foot still firmly tucked behind the driver's seat, he nudged it just enough for Kaiser to feel,
"Go a little lower. Stick behind that individual - don't let them see us. I want to see if they're carrying anything. Target was sighted purchasing scrap, they have to be carrying it unless they stashed it somewhere along the road."
Jae-Sung leaned forward to tap the side of the driver's window in the direction of the confusion.







Op. Excalibur



임재성.








  • filler tab!





♡coded by uxie♡
 
Last edited:
the weapons specialist
location
Far Southeast Side.
interactions
Wilde, Raine, Mica, by virtue of being stuck with her.
mentions
birdgeoisie birdgeoisie , The Blue Adept The Blue Adept , Ambiloquous Ambiloquous
victoria yan.
This was a good place to hide.

Already, the A-gen would blend in with the most milquetoast presentation possible (and the thought that whoever made these motherfuckers so indistinct ought to be strung up and quartered passed through her mind again, futile and pointless as her desires for some form of retribution against the long-dead always were). Add to that the fact that there was no one to look for here, and the reality of the situation was that they were looking for a needle in a stack of needles.

Despite the less-than-optimistic viewpoint she had of the excursion, her gaze was fixated on the throng of people outside. She unfocused from her biological eye, permitting the synthmod to sweep across the crowd, rapidly trying to identify someone who could fit into the description and finding, to her chagrin and disappointment but not surprise, that too many did. This would not be an easy task, but it seemed that her semi-serious desire that perhaps they might be able to catch a lucky break had been for naught, as it usually was. Still, her gaze did not waver, even as the number of individuals that could be continued to climb, her fingers resting plaintively on her knees, the quietest and stillist anyone in the vehicle had ever heard or seen her.

In addition, she hadn’t armed them to the teeth this time, opting for more sleek and subtle weaponry to be utilized in a pinch, hidden beneath layers of clothing and stashed into pockets inside sleeves that could be slipped out easily. There was no bag this time— those would only draw attention, all of hers dirty and covered in patches that had been sewn on again and again, rips and tears that were fixed with a sharp needle and whatever scraps of fabric were at her fingertips. Already, she was treading the thin line between those that wandered the streets openly and those that hid in the damp and dark where their target would probably keep his head down in— her clothes looked a touch too clean, but not new enough, not on trend enough to not turn heads from someone, somewhere. The practically standard issue black boots that shoved her over six feet tall (one of the only personal failings she admitted) that she had attempted to scrape some of the dried mud and dust and debris off of, the one leather jacket that had no traces of viscera on it, and dark jeans that had been washed so much that they looked nearly bleached at this point were just about the nicest things she could wear to a situation like this— and she was already lamenting the fact that they would plummet off the list after this miserable excursion.

“This is a wild goose chase,” she said to the occupants that were trapped with her, voice flat instead of biting. They had so little information to go off of— they had no clue who might even be here. Another glance through the crowd now that the amount of maybe-Juliuses was reaching critical mass, and she found no one that stood out to her, not based on any of the faces and names that she knew (though she would not admit this lapse of judgment aloud, the blindspot that was the sheer swath of corruption in Chicago, that she no doubt participated in passively simply by continuing to follow orders without question). So little information had been given to them— “Even with the block, we’re running ‘round in circles.” Now she turned her gaze onto the individuals in the car, verifying their positions and where they sat in the vehicle, checking her back after letting it be turned for so long.

“Or maybe this is a duck chase, given we’ll just be sittin’ around,” she mused with an edge in her voice, an almost-sneer to mask the grimace that she felt at the idea of being forced to spend extended periods of time with any of the occupants of the vehicle. There was a camaraderie between Wilde and Raine that made her mouth dry and bitter, a sickening sourness in the back of her throat at the thought of two people tied together with her there, too, trying to find her footing in a two-against-one scenario.
coded by natasha.
 
KIALA LOURDE

Location: Southwest Side Mentions: Jae-Sung, Venus, Kaiser Tags: Vagabond Vagabond nav nav

Kiala had promised herself that she wouldn't get carried away. She'd sworn that, on her first assignment, she would be incredibly collected and professional and a perfect example of what an ARO should be. That had lasted approximately five minutes. Now, her face was plastered against the window, staring down at the crowds below. She could pretend all she liked that she was merely keeping her eyes peeled for the a-gen, but she was fairly certain her team would know the difference. After all, both were exemplary operatives with far more experience than she had. She had no doubt that both Jae-sung and Venus could read her excitement, despite her efforts to mask it.

Jae-sung's finger, tapping against the window, caught her attention and she turned to follow the gesture. It wasn't meant for her but she wanted to see what he had noticed. She leaned across, getting blasted by hot air coming from the vent as she attempted to peer out the window on his side, "What is it, what do you see?" He wasn't exactly making this easy on her, with his leg propped up on the center console. If he'd been anyone except her direct supervisor, she would have pushed it out of the way. Instead, she made do with leaning as far over as she could manage without directly touching him.

She only managed a brief glimpse of the figure parting the crowds before a slight jostle of the aerocab had her slumping back into her seat. Unable to get a better look, she turned her attention back towards her window and began looking at the shops below, "I'm surprised it's even bothering to buy things. There are plenty of spots where people dump all sorts of scrap and it'd be harder to track what someone's been picking up when no money's changing hands." She points down towards a shop off to the side, "Also the three of us should grab a snack on the way back once we're done. I think this market is the one with all those carts with those little fried sugar things." Her eyes traveled towards the bot in the front seat. Surely, it didn't actually count as part of the team. It was better served filling the driver seat so no one took that aerocab, while the AROs did the important work.




ARO ROOKIE
 



maylard.





































  • mood



    leisure, alert, wants to get it over with

















The walls loomed over them and a feeling of nostalgia washed over her.

She took a drag of her cigarette as she moved with the rest of the squad into the scrapyard markets, sweeping her eyes around at the numerous stalls that littered the streets. She wondered how many of these were legal and from the scrapyard or if they came from an illegal smuggler from the outside. But that wasn't her job to crack down on and no one was offering any money for that so May just stayed silent.

There were a couple of interesting things in this market. If she knew which was legally obtained versus illegally contained, maybe she would actually move to look over the merchandise. People likely almost got themselves killed getting these from the scrapyard. They were like AROs that way— crazy, death-loving people who want thrill or money or both. She walked up to Alt.
"Anything piques your interest around these parts?"


As they continued walking, her attention went form the shop to the alleys and paths blocked by towering boxes. Her personal aerocab stayed closeby and she was mapping out multiple routes on how to get back to it if things turned sour. She wasn't going to be of much use in a combat scenario— though then again, at least they weren't going to be facing off with an a-gen that they know of. Besides, people were often hungry for credits around these parts. Though she really wouldn't want to let loose some of their credits, even with the bonus hanging over their heads if their performance was up to par.

"So, what's the plan? Where should we start?"
Because if they were going to comb the entire market, May might as well start to power up the aerocab and leave right then and there. She let her eyes roam around the market once again, knowing that a healthy amount of suspicion where being cast upon them. Her personal firearms were in their proper holsters underneath her jacket. Just in case, just in case. Not that she'd ever used it on many humans before, the punishment for it was certainly something.

May threw the cigarette down and crushed it under her heel.
"Suppose we could split up and start asking where this Julius guy purchased his things and what they were."
She snickered, the edge of her lips rising up.
"I don't think they'll drop him that easily but... credits can loose certain tongues can't it?"


































Alive



Daughtry










♡coded by uxie♡
 
Kaiser didn't seem at all bothered by Venus staring at him while he drove the aerocab, it wasn't anything new to him and he was sure Venus didn't mean anything by it. Or at least he assumed. They hadn't said or done anything to make him believe otherwise so far. He was relatively quiet as he drove, simply listening to the hum of the vehicle and the others when they spoke, quietly observing them. He knew he could speak a luttle more openly with Jae-Sung around, but he wasn't as familiar with Venus and he wasn't at all familiar with the rookie sitting in the back, looking like a child on Christmas morning. So silence was his best option for now to avoid any issues, it was better that way.

He remained facing forward, stone faced and emotionless as always, the faint reflections of lights and passing buildings and the like bouncing off of his faveplate as he drove past them. While the aerocab was the easiest thing to drive aside from an actual car, Kaoser felt a bit cramped in the driver's seat, doing his best not to let his huge frame push into Venus' space. Or anybody's space for that matter. No need to cause unecessary drama because his metal plating touched someone. Not when they had a job to do.

"Lunch?" There was hardly any emotion behind the word, but he did seem to cast a glance in Venus' direction for the briefest of seconds. Despite having worked around his human companions for a few years now, there were times where he forgot they needed to actually eat to stay alive and they had silly ideals such as lunch time. It was kind of cute in a way, not that he would voice such a thing out loud. At least not with Kiala in the car. Just Venus and Jae-Sung? That was a different story, he felt he could be a bit more "active" around those two as they didn't seem to hate him the same way most of his coworkers did.

His ear like antennae seemed to perk up when Jae-Sung spoke, talking about their target and what they could possibly be building. While he had no suggestions on what they could possibly be building with scrap pieces, he did have a little sympathy for the poor guy. Not much but it was there. Kaiser felt a little bad for them, having been built for a specific thing and once they were no longer useful they'd been deemed dangerous and in need of being shut down. To the smallest extent he could sympathize with that. If he was deemed dangerous it'd be lights out for him as well. Unfortunately for their targets, Kaiser's sympathy only went so far. He'd been upgraded to view them as a threat that needed eradicated, and no amount of robotic sympathy was going to stop him from carrying those orders out.

The tapping of Jae-Sung's foot seemed to do the trick as Kaiser's head turned slightly to pull the other into view. With a small nod he looked forward once more. "If they cannot spot the aerocab following them then that will explain how they were caught, or it shows I am a much better driver than I thought," it almost felt like as if Kaiser was trying to make a joke, or at least be slightly amusing. The robot did as he was asked though, carefully bringing the vehicle lower to the crowd but not so much to grab attention as he began tailing the suspicious individual who seemed to be causing an issue. "It is a shame there are so many civilians in the area, this would give us a clear shot to simply drive into our target and, as they say, get the drop on them."

Kaiser chose to ignore Kiala saying "the three of them", after all why should he be upset? He couldn't enjoy food, let alone eat it. And he was aware of how she viewed him. Not that it mattered. She was not only like everyone else, but Kaiser was certain this rookie would face the same fate all the rookies did. He could only hope for her sake that hers was actually quick. The robot also knew that even if Kiala didn't want to include him in anything afterwards, the man sitting beside her was an entirely different story.

"Are you able to get a better view, Jae-Sung? Or would you like for me to try and get closer? I fear if I push our luck with the distance between us we will be spotted."

Tags: Vagabond Vagabond nav nav
 
Rory Havertz
Interactions - AI10100 AI10100 ManicMuse ManicMuse Sear Sear .wren .wren
Mentions -


Weaponry:
Shotgun: 8/8 Bullets available
Revolver: 5/5 Bullets Available

Mental State:
Stable/Bored
Metal legs clambered across the west-side ruble carelessly. Rory visage showed bleak imbalance, scarfing out brief yawns and moans of disinterest, if any emotion peaked its head, it was sullen anger. His disposition remained passive, a mixed assortment of contempt featuring a box of noodles he shovelled into his face with a broadened scowl.

His body closed in itself, keeping itself drawn away from the low-lifes of the west side. It almost made him sick, to be scrapping around the slums for petty info. His arm folded, his eyes beaming with child-like defiance. Rory's professionalism did not lie dormant, however, his pupils were well peeled for any little details.

Rory vaguely listened to May, offing little shoulder shrugs as she but forth suggestions. "Look, there's hundreds of stalls in this neighbourhood, we could spend weeks following shitty leads even if we split up. AI10100 AI10100 "

Rory dropped his noodles to the ground, crushing the styrofoam container beneath his sole. He stuck up his index finger before he began to speak again. "First, we know he bought scrap, which doesn't fucking help because that's what 99% of these fuckers sell." Rory sighed, sticking up a second finger. "Second, it's an A-gen model, he's not gonna buy from some second-class citizen whose tongue can be loosened with a few credits." Rory put up a final, third finer. "Finally, we know he's not building some elaborate art project, what he's building is going to need dangerous materials not sold on these streets. Whatever he's building has legal and illegal sources, so it should not be hard to crack some info out."

Rory hummed in thought, looking throughout the group. "Here's the plan: I'll take Alt and Rat dumpster diving in the reclamation yard, have a quick little word with some smugglers Sear Sear .wren .wren . May and Jade, you ladies can sift the scum on these streets and local vendors, radio us some hints if you get any, can't see a suspicious guy like our Julius to walk around without drawing some eyes. ManicMuse ManicMuse AI10100 AI10100 "

Rory's body began to open up a bit, a smile curling under his beard. "Well, any objections from the smarty pants here?" His words opened up to the group, but it was clear it was directed at Alt.
.wren .wren
​

 



alt.





































  • mood



    neutral, curious, observing his surroundings.
















Alt had never been to this side of the city before. The industrial area was run down, without a doubt, and all those residing there were like little drones. Working until they dropped or they could find an out. Then there were those that resorted to cashing in on illegal means, as were the vendors around him.

It wouldn’t be too hard for Alt to tell exactly what was or wasn’t illegal upon inspection. Many vendors had their ways to avoid detection, but they all had flaws. Concealing illegally obtained body mods within pieces of overpriced scrap metal or AI in simple machines weren’t all that hard to spot and were always found in the dark. Someone would have to be stupid to sell such items in broad daylight. Even with the sale of scrap itself, whether legal and harmless or worth thousands and deadly, he could always connect the dots and single out the fishy pitches. Vendors, especially ones new to the profession, weren’t all that well at verifying their customer’s intent, either. The job very well could be a one-and-done case, in that sense. One slip of the tongue and they’ve got their guy.

He wasn’t all too shocked by May’s dragging of her cigarette. He had been surrounded by AROs for far too long to know that every single one of them had an unhealthy habit. For some, or rather, most, it was smoking. At this rate, it was rare to come across an ARO that didn’t smoke; even rarer to find one that was right in the head. Alt himself wasn’t all too innocent either, but far more so than all others. He just wasn’t all that capable of developing those habits.

"No, I wouldn’t say there’s too much around here that grabs my attention. I’m sure that may change when we move throughout the market, as some of this could definitely be a front. If the vendor that made transactions with our target is experienced in any way, they wouldn’t expose themselves so easily unless they were confident in their ability to conceal the goods or had their own front for their activity. "


He was, however, glad that Rory took charge. Everything he said made sense as well. It wasn’t a gamble to say that everyone here sold scrap, in fact, you’d be viewed as pretty unenlightened if you did. His source of scrap wouldn’t be your average joe, which also made sense. They’d require big money or brute force to start talking. Rory also had a good point— by getting accounts from sellers on the street and people underground, they could compile a list of materials that can be used to determine a decent chunk of the target’s plans.

As Rory finished fishing out the plan, alt nodded and began fishing through his backpack for something. He was, however, slightly interrupted by Rory’s snarky comment. He didn’t take offense to it, but the intent of his words were clear nonetheless. In reality, that’s just what came along with his creation. He couldn’t please everyone, and he knew that much, but he proceeded to try his best to anyways. Being what was, more or less, a glorified government pawn whose sole purpose was to fill in the gaps that presented themselves to him and the teams he is ordered to assist had little perks, after all. Loved by some, hated by most. That was the summary of his existence, along with the existence of almost every other armistice (and even wartime, with emphasis on the whole ‘hated’ aspect) in existence.

"No, I have no objections. Here, though, for May and Jade,”
he said as he pulled out a bag full of multiple small devices and a modified radio-meets-walkie-talkie device to go with them.
"These are bugs. Place them around while you look, both spaced out well and around stalls or areas that you deem suspicious so you can have some extra ears. On the undersides of tables, walls, wherever, so long as they are decently hidden. They’re super encrypted— so don’t worry about anyone breaching the signal— and you can use this radio to shuffle through the feed coming in from the different bugs. That, or you can use this earpiece. That’s it.”

he explained. As he wrapped up, he pulled out the earpiece for the set and placed it along with the other items, which were a small, compact and light load, and held them out towards both May and Jade.
































(ambiance)













♡coded by uxie♡
 
Last edited:


















糖衣炮弹





Venus shifted their weight and considered the moving figure carefully, but it was too high to tell, and they were loath to admit that. They grunted out a quiet agreement as Jae-sung spoke to Kaiser, then leaned forward, lowering their knees and instead resting their elbows on the dashboard. They tapped one nail against it, brows pulled down.

“Find somewhere I can get out without losing him,” they said, “doesn’t need to be on the ground. You don’t even need to land. I can drop a little.”

They slid their cigarettes into an inside pocket of their jacket, and shifted their weight back. Beyond their easy boredom, they figured it would be easier to have someone on the ground. Sure, it was dangerous - if the A-gen realised he was being tailed by someone, it would probably turn real sticky real fast. But Venus trusted their own abilities to survive until Jae-sung touched down, if that happened. They turned around in their seat to look at him, glancing briefly at Jae-sung before they finally looked at the rookie.

“You don’t get to make lunch plans with us,” they said to her. Their words were monotonous and flat, but when weren’t they? “If we encounter this A-gen, we are not guaranteeing your survival.”

They settled back down and began to pin their hair back meticulously, twisting back small sections of hair with practised ease. They tightened their ponytail, checked their pockets, then zipped up their jacket to make themselves a little less conspicuous. It wasn’t much, in the way of looking natural, but it would do.

“Who’s to say we can’t just drive into him?” they muttered, making sure the laces of their boots were tight enough. “It would be more fun.”

They’d never been a fan of the investigative side of things. At the very least, they wanted to get out some excess energy before they had potential to run into the guy. They were someone who was meant to be in guaranteed action. It was strange to consider that maybe there had been some of this guy’s model in the few scuffs they’d been in. They didn’t know. They didn’t really care. It was just curious. It always would be; it was a novelty, really, to kill their own kind. When it came to armistice models, well, they didn’t matter so much. They were house pets in every sense of the word. But Julius and Venus - two peas in a pod. He was a much older model than them, sure, but they were far more similar than the little pups who either got too big for their britches or bit the hand that hit them.

Point was, Venus was intrigued, and they wanted to see what he could do.

“He’s building your mum,” they said, like a grown adult. Then, they reached over and patted Kaiser’s head lightly, as if that was a normal thing to do. From Venus, it probably was. They didn’t care much for personal space - human or robot. Or A-gen, they supposed. “If I can confirm our target from the ground, I’ll radio up.”

Not that they were guaranteeing they’d be able to confirm. It was pretty difficult to navigate crowd-thickened streets. Venus, though, suspected that they’d have an easier time of it. Sure, sure, Jae-sung was a commanding enough presence - but Venus was simply built differently. The rookie wasn’t even a contender. It would probably be better for her to sit back and try to take an easy mission until they needed a meat shield. If that guy had a gun, and Venus wasn’t going to put it past him, then they’d need someone to absorb the bullets. Like a cushion. A cushion that bled. A real shit cushion.

Their hand rested on the door in a subtle gesture of their impatience. They were being so good for not jumping out from this height. Because it would break a normal person’s knees. And, well. That was probably not good. It would probably not break Venus’ knees, but that was because Venus was not a person, and that would be a rancid thing to expose due to impatience. So, they waited, leg bouncing absently and fingers drumming gently.





























welcome home












♡coded by uxie♡

 
MICA

Location
\\
Far Southeast Side

The environment past the window panes felt representative of the city more than any other district she knew—it was the perfect slice of Chicago pie, with all the ingredients required to craft the modern dystopian metropolis. Trappings of affluence built on top of decay, a populace divided by capital and luck, and enough polluted water to mutate an infestation of cockroaches. Like it or not, one of the differentiating features of the city-state was the freshwater lake beside it, though it really couldn’t be said if the “fresh” still applied.

Fiddling with the miniature pistol that was supposed to be hidden in her oversized coat, she stretched the limits of her imagination to connect the passing scenery to thoughts unrelated to her looming task. Unfortunately, trying to take one’s mind off something by expressly not thinking about it never worked long-term, and the anxiety bubbling beneath her skin burst to the forefront. Her job might have only been to locate the target’s residence, but it was a fact of the world that ARO missions were never far from danger. The A-gen could have come back home between the time last spotted and now or their collaborators could be hiding out at their place or they could have planted a bomb or—the building blocks of her paranoia scattered like memories under a mnemosurgeon’s hand at a voice coming from behind her.

Victoria.

She tensed, tightening her fingers around the barrel. The emotions in the statement had been leached out, but she had seen the weapons specialist in action, and she knew her temper was tied to a hair-trigger. Only once it was clear she wasn’t trying to pick a fight with anyone in the cab did Mica relax a fraction. The woman had made a reasonably good point, though the developer almost wished the rest of the day would continue to be such a wild goose chase. She was of the opinion that finding nothing and coming out unscathed was better than finding something and coming out possibly dead.

Opening her mouth to reply, she thought better of it, and shut it again. She didn’t want the full force of Victoria’s angry attention on her, especially when her nerves were already on edge. Until the other started talking about ducks. After keeping her mouth shut for nearly the entire ride, she just had to lose it at the ducks.

Quirking an eyebrow only partly in confusion, she blurted,
“Why would we be sitting around once we get off the cab? I dunno, I don’t think there’ll be seats nicely laid out in a bunch of long dead warehouses. Besides, if we’re sitting, wouldn’t that mean we’re the ducks, not the A-gen? So it wouldn’t be a duck chase, it’d be a duck chas… er…”


She trailed off, as the realization of what she was doing hit her. Her heart started pounding in her chest as her flight response urged her to escape the fuck away from the soon-to-be furious gun maniac behind her.

Luckily, sometime during her spiel, the aerocab had landed. Gripping the handle in sweaty palms, she scrambled to open the door faster than Wilde could unlock it, nearly falling in her hurry to get out.

She wondered if it was worth it to leave the team for the rest of the investigation. There was already a wobbly path traced in the corner of her vision outlining their aerocab’s route, just faint enough that it wouldn’t block her vision and just inaccurate enough that she needed an actual map to make sense of it. She’d probably be able to make it back to headquarters without a ride, if she really put her mind to it.

The stench of an alleyway and the quality of the streets woke her up. No, there was safety in numbers. Even if the numbers were made up of an incensed ex-soldier and two AROs who hadn’t even made it to a year yet. Wilde appeared reliable from what she’d seen, though it wasn’t often she was in the field to see it, and Raine was… weird. Attached to Wilde, and that’s really all she’d interacted with him enough to know.

“So what’s the plan? We gonna go by order? Split up and search from corner in? Ask around for specific sightings instead of—”
She bit her tongue before she could mention duck chasers again.
“—uh, running into warehouses randomly?”

 
Last edited:



wilde





































  • mood



    determined and grumpy
















This was an interesting crew of people. And Wilde wasn't exactly thrilled to be babysitting them all. She could only hope they didn't all decide to bite each other's heads off. And the energy on the ride over was, in a word: tense. Peering from the corner of her eye, she could see Mica looked a little off. Then again, when didn't Mica look a little off. The mnemosurgeon prodigy always seemed antsy. Antsy, or disconcertingly not- which in a lot of ways was still just as worrying. And Wilde was, after all, a worrier. She turned her attention back ahead, prodding at the toothpick clamped between her teeth. Hm. She'd just have to keep an extra close eye on Mica, then. They didn't need any anxieties fucking the job up. And if there sat, like oil over water, a glimmer of compassionate concern for her. . . well, Wilde would just ignore that.

"They're always wild goose chases. You didn't pick this job expecting it to be easy, did you?" Wilde scoffed, glancing at Victoria. She jabbed a few buttons at the front console, watching analog displays flicker between settings as the vehicle began to descend. "We got enough information, and we'll find more. Remember all those investigative skills you learned in academy?" Come to think of it, she wasn't actually sure that they even taught that. Not like she'd ever attended this academy herself. If the business had been like the present when she was younger, she was pretty certain she wouldn't have even had the chance to become an ARO. A little less mocking, she continued, "We'll find what we need, or we won't, and we go home a little less rich and a little more bored."

The vehicle landed, gentle, tucked away in a back alley. Discretion was always a benefit to an Arrow. She watched Mica scramble to flee the cab like it was on fire with an eyebrow raised, shooting Raine a look as she exited as well. Concern, confusion, and worry; Wilde's favorite cocktail of feelings. The Arrow moved over beside Mica, leaned back against the vehicle with crossed arms. Her head cocked as she squinted at the other woman, and observing her for a moment. She thought about warning her of this kind of behavior in the field, but it wasn't her job to make sure the surgeon didn't make an idiot of herself. Not strictly, at least.

"Well I'd say running into the warehouses is probably a bad idea. You might be shot dead making all that noise. But taking a careful look inside could work." The Arrow grinned, somewhat sardonic. Then she shrugged, "But I've always thought that talking was one of our greatest tools." And though she much preferred to take that task on herself, she got a feeling it would be best if Mica stayed out of disconcerting situations for the moment. Skulking in dangerous areas might be less her speed. "How's about you and Raine go and try to ask around, see if anyone's seen something strange. Maybe weird sales been happening around, or new groups of people moving in- anything that isn't the norm around here. Me and Firepower here'll go take a look around and see if there's been left any ah . . . physical clues left behind. A-gens always like a little property destruction. They can't help it. I think it's in the edited DNA or something."

Wilde turned to look at Victoria. "Sound good?" The arms specialist was far from her favorite person, but she figured she was the least likely to break her neck or have a panic attack around her. Besides, Raine could easily protect Mica if they ran into trouble on the street. And maybe the need to be stealthy would temper Victoria somewhat.

































mesa













♡coded by uxie♡
 
CODE BY SEROBLISS
West Side
Jade With: .wren .wren Sear Sear AI10100 AI10100 Castello Castello

Jade's pace, or lack thereof, left her straggling at the back of the pack. She might have even lost them between moving metal and man within the broken-down marketplace. The ingenuity of those facing the world with fewer means fascinated her. In her opinion, there was no pride in being well-off, well-kept, and otherwise well-to-do. Grit comes from struggle.

The glint of artificial light reflecting onto her face drew attention. In the front of one of the many shacks for shops, a wide metal gear now hosted strings for a collection of various items. Some of which were shards of glass bottles that had been sanded down on the edges and shined up. "Hmm," Jade admired the piece keeping several feet back so as not to disturb anyone with a wasted sales pitch. An elderly, hunched figure sat in the back of the stall, cloaked in well-worn rags. They hummed a tune, rocking softly as steam billowed from a large pot in the opposite corner.

Hearing the fate clinching of metal and wheels, Jade slowly crouched down, forcing others in the walkway to move around her. Two tiny hands rolling along tinker toys built from spare parts in the gap between the tattered tablecloth and the muddy ground. Bouncing back up to standing, she strolled forward, closing the gap. Coming to the edge of the table, she heard the toys stop moving and the shuffling of a little body before a brown-eyed round-faced boy peered up from the opposite side of the table.

"Hi, 1 credit 1 KUL!," his tiny palm smacked the table before it outstretched to accept the funds that Jade was apparently supposed to produce. However, the smack on the tabletop set the elderly figure in motion as they shakily pulled out a warped, crudely made metal bowl. Then moving to the pot, the bowl was filled with a thick dark liquid and slowly slid onto the tabletop. Jade could not help but smirk. "Smart kid." Reaching into her Jacket and producing 1 credit, placing it in the kid's hand. Just as quickly, the boy nodded and promptly disappeared to the floor again to continue his play. Grabbing the now boiling-hot bowl, Jade juggled it from hand to hand before switching her grasp to the top rim. Turning back toward where the group had been traveling, she turned on a heel and worked to quickly and carefully press through the block to catch up. Luckily, Rory was still smacking on the noodles, making them easy to hunt down.

"Suppose we could split up and start asking where this Julius guy purchased his things and what they were."
Jade blew on the liquid in the bowl before sniffing at it. The aroma confused her nostrils, it was eerily familiar, like a memory trapped in the past but she could not place it. May continued, "I don't think they'll drop him that easily but... credits can loose certain tongues can't it?" "Good way to get robbed and stabbed, maybe," Jade muttered the words in a hushed tone before taking a sip of the KUL. The rich spices almost numbed the tongue as a thick gravy-like mead sloshed in her mouth. They continued as Rory discarded and smashed his bowl. 'Litterbug,' Jade silently mocked him as he worked to flesh out a plan. Though the plan was lost on her as she finally forced a swallow.

'Was this made with battery acid?!' The burn cascaded down her throat and somehow made her mouth water. Considering her options for a split second, she opted to down the lot. Cheering for herself within, 'Chug, Chug Chug. Don't let them see you sweat bitch.'
"May and Jade, you ladies can sift the scum on these streets and local vendors, radio us some hints if you get any, can't see a suspicious guy like our Julius to walk around without drawing some eyes."

With a loud belch, Jade gave Rory a nod and snickered, waving her bowl. "My happy meal came with a souvenir." Stomach already turning, she worked to distract herself from it by finding a spot in her pack to store the 'happy meal' bowl.

"These are bugs. Place them around while you look, both spaced out well and around stalls or areas that you deem suspicious so you can have some extra ears. On the undersides of tables, walls, wherever, so long as they are decently hidden. They’re super encrypted— so don’t worry about anyone breaching the signal— and you can use this radio to shuffle through the feed coming in from the different bugs. That, or you can use this earpiece. That’s it.” Alt was winning points today.

Presented with more toys, Jade produced a Cheshire smile. "Oh, this is going to be a good day. Last one to get a lead is buying lunch!" Greedily, snatching her half, Jade turned right around and disappeared into the crowd toward a wall of stalls. She loved a good snoop. Her stomach was still in knots; this was just what she needed to get her mind off the KUL. What did KUL stand for anyways? Kill your liver? Releasing another burp, she eyed the different stalls, seeing nothing that drew interest. Finally, however, one rather tall row stack gave her an idea.

Seeing the decaying, rusted remains of a fire escape, Jade wondered if a higher perspective would prove fruitful. Stowing the newest buggy toys, she wandered up to one of the nearby shacks. Pretending to browse behind another few persons investigating what appeared to be various sheets of metal, Jade snatched up a ladder fashioned out of old black iron pipes and duct tape. Leaning the ladder precariously against a corrugated metal panel being used for a side wall and began to climb. Making it to the rusted, mangled remains of the fire escape, she stretched out to reach it and barely made it. She climbed up further until she could clearly watch the street below. Leaning into a hold on the question ladder, she scanned the area for any bug-worthy stalls.


 








Jae-Sung skillfully ignored the blur of movement beside him even as the rookie leaned a little too close to his leg, but not enough for him to bend his knee and knock her back. He was still keeping an eye on the crowd, watching to see if there was a change in the behavior present. It was only when she continued rambling unprompted that he bothered to spare her a glance. What a talkative fucking rookie.

"That's a labor of time,"
he said, eyes once again affixed on the streets down below.
"This could be time sensitive. Some parts are harder to get than others, it's like finding needles in a haystack."
Desperation was one hell of a drug.

It was the rookie's next words that caused him to truly raise his eyebrow. Should? He wasn't exactly one for regime and structure, hell, he let the kid get away with their fair share of shenanigans back in the day, but for all their blunt callousness they never fucking told him to do anything. Asked, sure.

Jae-Sung could not help but snort at the immediate retaliation. This rookie sure wasn't winning any favors and he grinned in an almost dogged manner, sharp canines on display as he glanced down at the brutish cold concrete down below. There were plenty of overhangs that Kaiser could lower them close enough for Ven to drop from. He tapped the side of the window loudly, the 'click' audible in the car.

Later, he'd get Kaiser to turn on the radio.

"Little fried sugar things? Shit, you really do know how to sell a good time,"
his words dripped with honey sick sarcasm even as he side-eyed the rookie briefly,
"Sorry, no dice. What were you thinking about getting later, kid? Seen anything interesting? What about you, Kaiser? You seem interested in lunch. Something strike your fancy?"


Yeah, he was pretty damn sure Kaiser didn't eat, but at least he had a sense of humor. The rookie was dead weight until she proved she could do something more than plaster her face up against the window and make benign lunchtime plans. And even then, that wouldn't guarantee her survival if a fight did break out. And if Julius was as paranoid as he seemed cut out to be, that was likely. Very fucking likely.

"Putting you two together was a fucking mistake,"
though his words were colored with amusement,
"You know if you drive into our target, you'd be paying for vehicle repairs for days and who the fuck knows. Maybe that guy will just get up and walk it off while us meat bags figure out which screw of yours belongs where while playing doctor with broken bones."


"See that overhang on your left, bud? Seems as good a spot as any for the kid to get down and follow after the mark. Above the fucking red awning, it'll leave Ven a little behind our target but it'll give you some height to keep eyes on them through that fucking crowd."


He leaned back comfortably into his seat, rolling his shoulders as he did so. He placed his cigarette back between his teeth, chewing at the end thoughtfully despite the bitter taste.

"If you do lose track of Julius in the crowd, look up. We'll be in its general vicinity - shouldn't be too hard for you, right?"
Jae-Sung's eyes seemed to brighten in delight even as he simply shrugged off Venus's ever so articulate sentiment about 'his mum'.

Brat.







Op. Excalibur



임재성.













♡coded by uxie♡
 
KIALA LOURDE

Location: Southwest Side Mentions: Jae-Sung, Venus, Kaiser​

Kiala's teeth dug into the inside of her cheek at the dismissal of Jae-Sung and the indifference of Venus. At least she didn't have to worry about sass from the robot. Kiala had assumed that she'd be dealing with some hazing and teasing on her first few assignments, especially considering this particular field was typically the stomping ground of AROs who had come up on their own in the pre-CPD era. She was on the outside here.
It didn't make it suck any less.
She leaned back into her seat, folding her arms and watching Venus prepare to disembark. There were several things she wanted to say, from salty remarks about understanding the risks of the job, to trying to convince Jae-Sung that 'fried' and 'sugar' were all the convincing most people needed. But it was pretty clear, from just that brief moment, that neither of them had any care for conversation with her.
Dickhead next to her would rather chat with the bucket of scrap, apparently.
She looked out the window, keeping her eyes on the suspected target. It would be best to just do her job as best she could and survive first contact with an A-gen. She had to stick to her work, buckle down, and handle the worst, dirtiest, least-desirable bits of the job. If they weren't ready to respect her, they would at least have to begrudgingly find her useful. And she could build on useful.


ARO ROOKIE
 
Kaiser gave a little nod to let Venus know he'd heard them, already searching for a suitable location that wouldn't be too high for them to drop down from but now low enough to bring attention to them. "Unfortunate we cannot simply drop you onto them, I feel like that would eliminate a lot of time and possibly energy to drop you down and have you tail them while I look for a place to allow Jae-Sung to follow suit. The man isn't getting younger, it'd be best to start taking that into account," the tone was monotonous, but the slight twitch of his ears showed Kaiser was attempting to make a joke of some sort. It wasn't uncommon when either Venus or Jae-Sung were around, neither seemed to mimd and so far they hadn't turned him in to be scrapped. The rookie was only a small concern, she'd have to survive first and then she'd have to do an awful lot of convincing to get him decommissioned. There was a chance she could get him permanently shut down, sure, and to an extent it worried him, but if that was his fate he couldn't stop it.

"Your chances of survival should we engage with this a-gen are very low, lunch should not be your priority at this time. Your efforts would be best put into writing a will for your loved ones," he added before glancing back to Jae-Sung for a second and then ahead, "Venus can decide on lunch this time, I would simply like to see what they choose and experience it in any way I can." He couldn't eat anything they got, but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy the experience of it all which is usually what he did anyways.

The robot had to resist the urge to laugh, that probably wouldn't end well in his favor and so he simply spoke up to stifle whatever horrible sounding laugh would escape."I'm sure I would only lose the bare minimum of my parts if we crashed into our target, and it would not be the first time a vehicle was damaged on duty. Though I do forget that you and Venus are human, and the rookie is young. Perhaps you wouldn't survive the damage from such a collision. Good thing I haven't done that yet then, isn't it?"

"Ah, Jae-Sung, I didn't know your mother could be built in such a manner," it was an innocent statement, clearly Kaiser still wasn't a pro when it came to the way humans spoke. He didn't seem to mind Venus patting him and he gave a little nod to his team as he manuvered the aerocab to the awning Jae-Sung had pointed out, being as careful and gentle as he could be all while keeping an eye on their target. "And if you are in serious danger the option still stands of simply driving the aerocab into our target. At the very least it might slow him down and we will look at the repercussions and consequences afterwards."



Tags: nav nav Vagabond Vagabond AmberV AmberV
 


















糖衣炮弹





“Mapo tofu it is,” they said, so confident in their ability to survive whatever was about to come their way.

Venus did not shy away from engagement, but they knew stealth was the objective here. They leaned forward to peer at the overhang that Jae-sung suggested. Perhaps difficult for someone else, but not for Venus; once they hovered above it, they rested their hand on the door and took a moment to glance at their target. They didn’t want it to be obvious that someone was getting out and tailing him.

“Don’t drive the car into our target,” they murmured, eyes narrowing. “It won’t do enough damage to him and then we’ll be down an aerocab. Just focus on keeping him in your sight while remaining out of his sight.”

Now faced with an opening, they swung open the door and hopped out, using the force of their push away from the car to shut the door behind them. They landed in a neat crouch and moved quickly to find some cover, lest they be spotted. Venus took a moment to reposition, finding somewhere both covered with a view; if it came to the worst, they’d drop to street level and tail from there. But for now, they preferred having the height advantage.

They managed to get a visual on their mark, which was convenient. They watched him try to continue on through the crowd, and took the opportunity of someone distracting him to reposition yet again.

“Target confirmed,” they murmured into the radio, “try not to linger too close to him for too long. Target is nervous and wary of the skies.”

They didn’t want to be up here anymore. Though it provided some good advantages, Julius seemed far too twitchy for them to continue the risk. While the furious stranger continued to hassle their mark, Venus found a quick pathway down - perhaps a little higher than necessary, but they dropped to their knees in an alleyway and they were quick to merge with the crowd. What was another body in the lunchtime rush?

Their eyes were half-lidded in an attempt to conceal their distinct gaze; it worked more often than not, and Julius seemed to have his hands full. They did not trust that their voice wouldn’t be noticed, though, so they settled on no communication unless absolutely necessary. They moved through the crowd as if they belonged, as if they were just getting lunch. It was easy to do, and Julius didn’t seem capable of moving too fast even with his attempted rushing.

The person who kept intercepting and pulling Julius back was not his companion, it seemed. They hadn’t even noticed him from the sky, but here it was clear as day. Onlookers only glanced briefly before they continued onwards, used to the dramatics that came with busy streets and a commanding presence. They paused to look at one of the many vendors shouting about their lunchtime specials or their deals when the A-gen was stopped yet again. His progress kept being hindered, and it was by someone entirely out of their control. It was useful for now, but wartime A-gens were not built to deal with bullshit for too long. How long would it be until patience was lost and a casualty was thrown into the mix?

It was benefiting them for now, so they didn’t care.





























welcome home












♡coded by uxie♡

 
the weapons specialist
location
Far Southeast Side.
interactions
Wilde and Mica.
mentions
birdgeoisie birdgeoisie , Ambiloquous Ambiloquous
victoria yan.
Victoria drew in a deep, dramatic breath of air, obnoxiously loud when Mica started rambling. It was exhaled in an equally forceful way, the tail-end of a groan rounding out the gesture of exasperation at the other woman’s rambling. “It’s a metaphor,” she stated in a voice that screamed the idiot part she didn’t say aloud, ignoring the fact that her own usage of the metaphor was rather haphazard and confusing. She wasn’t hired or kept around for her language skills— or her manners, for that matter. She could shit out a report with whatever mildly ambiguous language she needed to ensure that the bare minimum requirements she had been assigned were met and get it to the appropriate people that would skim the words with a glazed over expression and wave her off afterwards. As for her manners, well.

The fact that Raine had a companion and all of Victoria’s had been dead for at least the past couple years was indication enough of that void.

Wilde was now saying something, and Victoria leaned her head back against the headrest, her eye swiveling in its socket to glance over at the towering figure seated next to her even as she did this, letting out another heaving sigh at the other woman’s words. “I learned all my investigative skills in the army,” she said flatly. She straightened her head up, narrowing her eyes at Wilde— had she not been to the academy? Victoria knew that the job was crawling with people brought in on bargains, traded like chips on the table as they tried to find the bodies to replace the fallen as quickly as possible. They needed mass, not talent.

In a slower voice, in one that was a tad suspicious as her eyes fixated on the back of Wilde’s head, she stated, “You think the academy is actually trying to teach anyone shit? Nah, they’re churning through as many fucking suckers as they can get, in and out the door as quick as possible to replace whatever bodybag they haven’t even label and probably can’t identify that day.” She paused for a moment as her hand rested on the door to let her out, tilting her head in thought. “Suppose that makes us all suckers then,” she concluded in an untroubled tone, before finally stepping out.

Victoria leaned up against the aerocab, keeping something against her back while her eyes focused on the other AROs around her. The plan Wilde presented sent Victoria’s left eyebrow all the way up to her hairline, stating, “You want this gaggle to talk? I’ll piss off someone in five seconds, she,” she gestured to Mia, “won’t be able to spit three words out that someone can piece together to pretend they could respond to, and they,” this time gesturing to Raine, “won’t try to talk. You’re the only one who can half-ass a sentence well enough that’ll get us an answer.” She paused, tilting her head at Wilde, gesturing to Mia. “I can take the nerd along— between the two of us, we’ve got a pair of eyes that can see the big shit, and a pair of eyes that can pick up the subtleties.” The developer was also the one that was least likely to set off Victoria’s fight-or-flight response, given the fact that she wasn’t a looming presence.
coded by natasha.
 
TASK: LOCATE ROGUE
A-GEN "JULIUS"​

The streets of Chicago seemed to be a perpetual state of chaotic disarray. The concept of being kind to strangers had largely been tossed to the wayside. People were enemies until proven otherwise- or more profitable for them to be friends. So to witness a fight in public was not unheard of. In fact, it was quite common, especially in the rougher areas of the city. Though, as central as the ARO team was currently, these sights were much rarer.

A small crowd had gathered, speckled stationary figures or those that had slowed their pace to peer with intrigue at the scene winding up in an open patch of asphalt. The taller man, with a canvas bag slung over his shoulder, swiveled his head, noting all of the eyes on him. It wasn't something he was used to, evident in the way his shoulder raised, tensing, and jaw muscles popping with the grinding of teeth. The vendor in front of him, was going red in the face as he yelled. A couple dozen feet back lay the shattered remains of a shelf filled with glass figures that the target of his ire had stumbled into.

"Do you know how much that all cost? I expect a full repayment! You break, you buy, ever heard of it?"

And it was all drawing far too much attention. The taller man continued to try and push ahead, focused on his task. But the man would simply not. Let. Up. Every sound of passing aerocab overhead only increased his agitation. Every second that passed meant more trouble, more danger incoming. Shooting another searching glance upward, his eyes landed on the familiar colors and shape of a CPD vehicle.

With renewed vigor, he shoved the vendor to the ground with ease, pace speeding up. This time, people were crashing to the ground left and right with the force of his shouldering through. The growing aggravation of civilians only barely inconvenienced but who felt somehow slighted, in combination with the vendor, even louder now, pointing and yelling to "grab him"- anyone could see the fuse was about to blow.

Did greed overpower self-preservation?

The man turned, hand snapping out impossibly fast. Fingers wrapped almost entirely around the vendor's neck. Julius' head cocked to one side, devoid of expression. Before him, that red face of anger began to turn purple, the vendor's feet hanging, lightly kicking, lifted clear off the ground.

They should have just left him alone.

nav nav , Bleating Ram Bleating Ram , AmberV AmberV , Vagabond Vagabond
Southwest Side
code by birth of venus.
 








The silence from the rookie had come as a surprise - but a welcomed one nonetheless, considering the circumstances of the job. Crossing her arms, huh? It was possible she was insecure or defensive about what just occurred, he could see that. Not that she didn't have anything to be insecure about, she was the bullet sponge here as far as he was concerned. Ven was good in a scrap, Kaiser out front could get the vehicle going. That left one person to eat lead for him if the situation came down to it.

He snorted without saying a word to dissuade the mounting displeasure the rookie was most definitely feeling, chewing on the end of his cigarette since the nicotine wasn't enough. Jae-Sung's mouth tasted of bitter dust even as he spared Kaiser's a glance,
"Venus gets away with one shitty ass joke about my mother and now you're harping on my age? I got no friends in this fucking car. Familiar faces gunning for that target on my back, huh?"
The words were equally dry without any real heat to them.
"Best watch yourself, bud, keep it up and I might bore you with the stories about the 'good old days' and how my generation was better."
Which, in all fairness, they were, but that would be putting him at risk of sounding like an old geezer that walked along the parks with their hands tucked behind their back partaking in the early ass taichi stretches.

"Don't fuck up and we'll have as much mapo tofu as you want,"
he called to Venus cheerfully only once the door swung open, the wind buffeting around them loud enough to eat up most of his words. He shied away from the door all the same, popping his collar up to block out some of the cold despite the fact his scarf was still firmly tucked in place.

Couldn't these god damn a-gen choose better weather to go exposing themselves in?

As the radio buzzed to life, he sat up a little more - not so much so that he seemed alert like a dog ready to hunt - but enough, like a lion lazying about watching its prey trot back and forth while flicking its ears to ward off the flies.

That was when the situation nosedived completely. His eyes narrowed though he did not seem all too concerned,
"Our mark's new pal is starting to look a little purple,"
there was a note of amusement in his voice - laughter lingered on the tail end of his words.
"What do you think, bud? This seems like an objectively reasonable and necessary moment to use some firepower if the kid can't talk 'em down to a nice, quiet place, right? Let's drop the rookie off, Ven's good at a lot of shit - being polite and connecting with people ain't one of them."


He reached to undo his seatbelt, still gnawing thoughtfully on the end of his cigarette,
"You must think you're hot shit."
He wasn't looking at the rookie even as he spoke to her,
"So prove it. Put aside your biases, get that man out of there alive."


In all honesty, Jae-Sung could care less if that man died or not. Chances were, however, Julius's little science fair project was going to be worth more trouble than not if it was left in some desolate corner of the city while the a-gen bled out on the pavement down below.
"That roof over there has a good vantage point, I bet it's got one hell of an angle on Julius. Care to drop me off there after you get the rookie settled?"
He was leaning into the back despite it being nonadvisory to get out of one's seat in a moving vehicle, reaching for a clean cut nondescript black leather briefcase.

"Stay parked once there. Radio Ven and the rookie, get ears on the situation on the ground."
The sniper rifle was assembled in record time sitting neatly in his lap. He lifted it up slightly to check his scope, not bothering to look at the rookie as he spoke to her.
"I want you to try to de-escalate the situation, get the kid to remote mnemo that bastard if possible - the chaos it caused is a good opportunity. Let the mark run if necessary, don’t push too hard just yet. I don't want to scare Julius into a corner, it won't take us where we need to go. It bought some shit that it's planning to use for something. I want to know what."
He was hoping he wouldn't have to use it, not yet. One vendor wasn't the end of the world.

Jae-Sung's gaze passed over the growing crowd below. He had no doubts about being able to hit his mark when the time called for it, but public killings - even ones with assured anonymity - had just never been his style.

"Chances are our little friend isn't that smart. There might be a 'who' in this equation as well."








Op. Excalibur



임재성.













♡coded by uxie♡
 
Last edited:
KIALA LOURDE

Location: Southwest Side Mentions: Jae-Sung, Venus, Kaiser​

Kiala watched the pulsing rush of people below, only half-listening to the strange banter between Jae-Sung and the robot. She hadn't been aware that robots like this one were programmed with humor, but she'd met a few folks who had worked on robotics projects and all of them were freaks. Maybe it was a fun challenge for them to attempt to program sarcasm.
She didn't even like mapo tofu. But, considering the current mood, she'd get to pick lunch around the same time they bothered to learn her name.
Her gaze followed Venus, nearly losing them in the crowd a few times before picking them up again. They blended in well, Kiala was only able to pick them out by specifically looking for people in relation to Julius.
She jerked forward, pressing closer to the window to stare down at the crowds, "Target's picking up speed, looks like an altercation-" Even from so high above the street, she could see the ripple of shock through the crowd of people as Julius turned. She immediately unbuckled herself and grabbed the door handle, ready to burst out as soon as the drop wouldn't shatter her kneecaps. She couldn't pull her eyes from the scene and instead gestured behind her towards the robot, "Get medical here, asap, he's got a civilian by the neck."
Kiala had no plan beyond that. The aerocab was too high up for her to move to intervene and while she considered her gun for a moment, she discarded the idea quickly. She had line of sight, but there was no way in hell she was firing a gun down at a crowded street. That was just asking for casualties and it already looked like there would already be at least one.
Until the aerocab touched pavement, all Kiala could do was sit and watch.


ARO ROOKIE
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)

Similar threads

Midrick
Fandom Cyberpunk: Streets of Fire
cyberpunk
Replies
2
Views
95
Slowpokie
Slowpokie
StormWolf
Fandom Cyberpunk 2099
Replies
4
Views
131
SomebodyElse
SomebodyElse
wickedlittlecritta
Fandom BattleTech: Clan Invasion (IC)
battletech mechwarrior
Replies
5
Views
53
Viper Actual
Viper Actual
hotsauce
Multiple Settings Alumni of the Arcane || IC
Replies
2
Views
87
lostbird
lostbird
Misty Gray
Realistic or Modern The Roaring Twenties - IC Thread
Replies
19
Views
342
Misty Gray
Misty Gray
Back
Top