| Cat's in the Bag |
| Summary: | Domino uses the Macy's Parade as a time to teach Kurt about distractions |
| Date: | (2014-11-27) |
| Related: | Some of the ones where Domino is training Kurt after he offered a year contract for her teachings |
| NPCs: | Random Office Worker |
| Scene Runner: | Domino. |
| Social/Plot: | plot |
| Players: |
 .. .. |
It's not unusual for Domino to disappear without a trace for days or weeks on end. Similarly, it's not unusual for her to pop out of the blue and start telling other people what to do. Thus is the case today when she gives a certain blue teleporter a call, completely without warning.
"Hey, you busy? Of course you aren't. Come find me. Pack light."
Following the instruction is a description of her location, complete with which rooftop of which building she can be found hiding out on. Real inner-city stuff. During the day.
Because she can.
"I was just," responds Kurt, the sound of water running in a bath, or his jacuzi in his suite, as if just warming up and getting all steamy. He isn't given a choice though it seems, and nods, "Light, sure, find you," and he takes down the instructions, the hot water facet squeaking towards shut off. He cringes, a squeak, he'll have to have that fixed, squeaky faucets will not do, at all.
In that state, then, given five minutes to cloth up, pack light (only the clothes on his back), he's bamfing his way to the location. He has totally gone for action suit over regular clothes of late. Something to allow movement while training given his level of agility. Before long, he bamfs nearby, does some tumbling, four-legged running to get there.
"AM I late, did I miss anything, where's the party!?" Hopefully she is clsoe to where she said she would be, otherwise he's talking to thin air.
Spotting her isn't terribly difficult. Once on the rooftop in question Domino is the only speck of black amidst a smoke grey color pallet, the towering buildings blending into the overcast sky. Up here the wind is fierce and quite chilly, though the only change from her typical flexible armor is the addition of orange tinted goggles, both to increase visual contrast and to shield her eyes against the wind.
"Actually the party's right over there," she states while pointing down to the street. They're right near Times Square, where the Macy's Day Parade is in full swing. "We're going to have to be late. This here is what we call an attack of opportunity. Everyone's down there for the big show, which means the offices are almost completely deserted."
A slight pause follows before the albino turns to look back at the other metahuman, still crouching along the edge of the roofline. "Yeah. Macy's. We're going to play a prank on a couple of their employees. Zero engagement, zero footprint. You get picked up by a person or camera, you fail. Today's assignment is all about teamwork and playing to our strengths."
Oblivious to the wind that throws ebony clumps of hair over half of her face, she grins to the teleporter. "We go in then split up. First objective is to each locate a personal item on an employee desk. Second objective is to talk the other to their own desk. It's the ol' switcharoo. Gotta appreciate the classics."
He has to go peak over the edge unless you stop him, its Macy's Parade, and big floats. He would almost be tempted to jump and try to land on one, being safe with bamf-technology hard wired into his body. But tempting. Then you catch his ears. "Domino, a prank, and here I thought you hated me." More that the elf sounds delighted in conducting a prank.
Coming back into the folds of the plotting, he nods and listens. Enter, zero engagement, zero detection, slip in, sneak around in shadows, slip out. Thank goodness for indigo fur. Thank goodness for the police bit and stealing (er borrowing) the charger from the impound lot and learning to watch out for cameras too. Better chance of success. One personal item, switch them around, could be fun.
"Okay, ja, this is great … can we put styrofoam peanuts into some cubicles and glue gun some wheels on rolly chairs too?" His eyes light up, he might be overthinking prank and risking stealth with cameras by going that far.
"Only if you brought the peanuts and glue gun," Domino offers. At least she isn't saying no!
Turning back to the building with a slight incline of her head, "This time we get to use everything at our disposal. Which means it's your job to get us inside and back out. Whatever else you can bring to the table is fair game so long as it fits mission parameters. I don't care where you go or what personal item you decide to move, that's all up to you. Trust your senses, I'm not going to be able to call out any prying eyes."
Here she looks down to a small screen strapped to her left wrist, tapping about the surface a few times. Within seconds and barely a flicker the black and grey hues of her armor shift into a digital camouflage pattern consisting of deep blues and greys.
"We're on the clock on this one but we'll have plenty of time so long as we get started now." Standing, she looks back to the blue elf while motioning with a hand toward the nearby building. "On your call."
Its all good, whatever he finds in the office that doesn't reveal who he is to anyone, cameras and the like, its fair game. His smile indicates he overthinks it, good thing he did spend lots of time in an office and knows what he might be looking for. The elf nods, trust his senses, he can do that, he can even run if he really needs to. Faster than running with a good teleport even, but he wants to win by not being caught.
Then she cheats, throws some ideas out the window, her armor shifting patterns. "Whoa, where did you get that, do I get one? Can I change colors, Domino you're holding out on me, you keep all the cool stuff,. This just isn't fair." Joking, yet serious, he wants to change colors it seems.
A shake of his head. Looking back at her, on the clock, back at the nearby building. A nod. "Ja, I'm calling it now." He says, moving over to touch her with a tail. Having looked through an open window, seeing his mark is enough to get him to port in, and there is a cubicle city. One cubicle had the tall walls with a 'glass' door on it. He gets them into there, just in case there is a black glass bulb covering a fish eye camera. He whispers, "This can be yours, unless you want the challenge …" For chosing a personal item, he's already planning on his mark. Its the executive office on the floor. He can get to the secretarie's entry desk, hopefully behond the cameras and into it without being seen by main floor security cameras.
Dom grins slightly at the other meta, "I -did- say we can use whatever we bring to the table, Wags. This is one of the ways I avoid getting tagged by electronic security. Since I can't teleport or hang from ceilings and all." Then with a slight shrug, she says "Sure. Just need to find a supplier and be ready to dish out a crap ton of cash for one."
Any further thoughts on the matter are put on hold as the world suddenly changes in a puff of heavy-scented smoke, causing the woman to wrinkle her nose and try to keep her stomach in check. Teleporting, man… It's not so easy for those not yet used to it.
"I make my own easy," she replies in a soft-turned voice while shifting the goggles up onto her forehead. "I'll give us a generous fifteen minutes," she then states while starting a timer beneath her wrist. "Oh yeah, and for coordination," she remembers before handing over an earset comm.
Then it's a quick smirk and salute before she makes for the door, ducking out into the hallway beyond. Fortunately most of the lights have been turned off to conserve power. Most, though not all.
There is a nod, he will dish out cash for armor that changes color like that, or even clothes. A wishful eye saying he would do his whole body, then no one would see the blue elf being the one teleporting around - take the SHIELD!
They can talk about it later, now there is the office, he takes the earset before he's off to the executie suite/office on the floor. "Perfect, if you see any silly pictures in a cubicle, like a clown picture, or someone's kids in halloween get up, I think I'd like to know where it is. There is a nice Van Gogh replica in the bosses office, from his visit to the Louvre no doubt, that wants a new home I think."
He's pretty serious, most likely pushing the talk button with a tail, you can hear him grunting a tad as he is lifting up the picture from the wall, off its mooring.
Despite the armor, which Domino's almost never without, she's opted to leave most of the real fancy tech behind. This includes the imagers which let her see where the operational surveillance equipment is hiding. It's all down to skill and luck this time, ducking and weaving through the cubicle farm in pursuit of ..something. She doesn't yet know what but she'll know it when she sees it.
"Got a red Swingline over here, too obvious," she comms back while poking her head around the corner of a fabric coated wall panel. "Yeah, Halloween's a good one. Something personal and current."
Check on time, stop, listen, press on.
"Hey, this guy's stockpiling a Nerf arsenal. Could be fun. Oh - hang on." Under a camera, into another cubicle, aaand… "Tag. Entry level, three aisles north and fourteen east. Past the deluxe copier and the dorky looking fern."
Now to find the executive office…
Grinning, not quite chuckling, he does try to keep quiet and limit his voice to the earpiece and talking enough for her to hear him. Kurt listens to the instructions of the location. "Depends, if the staplers is taped with someone's name, then its a good one still. Been done, but its a classic, really." He has reprinted/mounted/framed picture in hand and returns to her finally. "Opposite the elevator bank, near the water color, the one with cold and hot water, and the stupid big name plaque, can't miss it." He has to think for a few moments, on the best way to port to the location she described while avoiding sercurity cameras. On his initial look, he was sure it was on a big round pillar. But he has to take a look outside for bearing, and sticking out of the secretary office, he has the picture up like the Van Gogh selfie is his own head. He doesn't care if it shows up on security, so long as he doesn't. Just a glimpse, and he is bamfing towards the fern, onto the copier, then the wall and towards the location she hinted for his new placement of the art.
"Better, I've got some guy's overweight tuxedo cat in a Batman costume," Domino comms back. "This is photographic evidence of pet abuse on a couple different layers."
Making her way back out into the hall, progress is quickly interrupted when a lone employee cuts through the dull grey interior on the way to her desk. It's fortunate that she has a one-track mind as she ducks into another cubicle (the one with the stapler, in fact,) and reaches for the phone.
It's not far away that the mercenary woman is hunkered down beneath a desk, waiting. Listening.
"Hi..Pete, it's me. About our plans for tomorrow-"
"Make that six cubes away from the mystery woman on line four," she hisses into her comm before edging her way out, all but crawling across the floor as she puts some distance between the two. "If you're gonna get your bamf on, do it carefully."
Close to the destination, Kurt rather ducks into his own cubicle. Having to stifle himself at pet abuse and the batman costume. He was going to talk about reporting it to PETA even, but someone has come in, talking about plans. Its a quiet office, even in cubicle city the voice can carry.
"Let's hope this isn't some weird office reindevous, hence the cancellation." Looking at the back of the picture, Kurt gets curious, wondering if he should rip the brown paper backing to see if something is hidden inside. Most likely not, but curiousity and cat - Kurt. Hearing Domino mention not to get his bamf on unless careful, he decides to stay hunkered down for the moment. Brimstone is rather a noticeable smell, especially with a fresh bamf.
"I'll hold, if we get close to our mark, give me your location, I'll waste the bamf on gettning us both out to avoid detection."
"The great Macy's Day heist of twenty-fourteen," Domino mutters to herself while darting past another intersection. Then on the coms, "The thought had occurred to me as well. Seems like an ideal time for someone to get a little freaky in the office. Cheap thrills. I should be about thirty seconds out from drop point. Hold the bamf, we're still fine."
Like two ships passing in the night, it's entirely possible that the two heisters slip past one another without ever realizing it. There's only so many places they can pass through, though the end result is that there is now a chubby tuxedo cat in a silly costume hanging where a painting had once been displayed.
"Godspeed, Cuddles," she says back to the picture before departing the office. "Cat's in the bag, moving to extraction."
Kurt hold's off, as requested, giving it the time, no cheap thrills today thank goodness. Passing and none the wiser, but Kurt keeps his focus and that they don't see each other, he's learning it seems, taking notes. Thus when Cuddles is on the chief's wall, one super happy cat lady will be disppointed to see a funny man with an ear bandage in the place of Mr. Cuddles rocking the Batsuit. He finds a post-it pad, scribbles. "Me Dear, I have secretely admired you, wear that holiday dress, with the kittens all over it, and be in my office by the time I get in Monday, I'll be your snuggle-cat."
Then he makes his way back to the extraction point, "Cat's in the bag," a chuckle, "Your rich Domino, too rich, I'll have to up my a-game I see. Can we get bagels after this, I think there is a rumbly in my tumbly?" Always food, maybe porting so much makes him hungry. He ports to the extraction point, she might already be there.
"Are you buying?" Domino asks back while ever so gently reaching up to press the knuckle of a finger against an exposed camera to shift its point of view. "Being rich has also made me greedy."
With the drops made it's not difficult to return to the initial office, the hard parts are already taken care of. As soon as the two reconverge she flicks her headset off while asking "You sure you want to jump out for bagels like this? Because I think this is more of an evening ensemble," she trails off while looking down at her blocky camo-patterned form. "Not that I'm going to shy away from covert bagel ops."
"Oh yes, it is flattering, and I'd have you in nothign less than evening wear Domino," grins Kurt, offering his hand over more like a gentleman this time than touching and bamf even. "We can go to my place, have some deliver person run some up? I mean, bagels, you can't pass them up. Giving that I don't have a cool view of the parade there, I did try to go to another part of the island. Bagels and you can tell me all about getting my own evening attire?"
"It might involve calling in a few favors," Domino thinks aloud while automatically reaching out for the offered hand. Like they're about to take a lovely stroll through Central Park on a fine autumn day. "Delivery sounds grand, let's get out of here." (And not push our luck any longer.)
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