Kaella Corvus Share Posted December 22, 2020 The job had seemed easy enough. Kae didn't know exactly what it was. Some kind of cybernetic organ or transplant of some sort. She just had to snatch the container and deliver it to her employer. Some high dollar black market buyer wanted it, and there was plenty of downstream cash fall involved. If everything had gone smoothly it would have been a pretty quick in and out. Except it didn't quite go smoothly. At the last minute she'd realized they'd given her the wrong kind of container to swap out. She'd done it anyway, but someone had noticed the difference too quickly and now she was ducking through allies avoiding cops. They were getting close and she was running out of places to hide. Finally she found a door with a loose handle outside an autobody shop. Kae fumbled to pick the lock as she heard voices echoing loudly off the walls behind her. She got it open just in the nick of time, pushing her way into the shop and quickly shutting the door just before two officers came around a corner. She ducked down against the wall, catching her breath and listening intently. She could hear the cops as they got close to the door. Kae gnawed on her lip anxiously as she listened, barely breathing despite the walls between them. They got close to the door and shone their lights through the dusty bay windows, but never tried to handle. Eventually they separated and went off down opposite ends of the alley. Kae exhaled and sat up to shrug off her pack to change into a new shirt and hoddie. Just in case they'd gotten a look at what she was wearing before she'd squeezed out. @Morrigan Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Redford Share Posted December 22, 2020 Richie had just gotten into the office when the girl had jimmied the lock on the back door open. He started the coffee and then looked at the paperwork on his desk and sighed. He knew he needed to go through it but he was sure that it was way too early to look at paperwork right. Maybe later in the day. Which really meant tomorrow. As the coffee finished he poured himself a cup and headed back into the shop to the old charger. It was supposed to be his dad's project but he was pretty sure his dad had given up on it as he hadn't turned a wrench on it in almost a year. After taking a sip of his coffee he set it on his tool caddy. He hadn't yet noticed the intruder though he did hear the shouting of the cops in the alley. It wasn't uncommon in the city so he simply ignored it. Unless they came knocking on his door it wasn't any of his business. At least not yet. @Dragon Link to post Share on other sites
Kaella Corvus Author Share Posted December 22, 2020 Kae had just pulled the new shirt on when she heard a door open across the shop. She froze up as her gaze darted that direction. By some stretch of luck, when he flipped the lights on it plunged the corner she was in further into darkness. She grabbed her bag carefully and scooted further back. If she was careful she was sure she could get close enough to dart through the open door and out the front of the building. She just had to stay unnoticed long enough to creep closer. @Morrigan Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Redford Share Posted December 22, 2020 Richie reached up to rub his shoulder as he dipped lower to lean against the car. He was still unaware of the girl in his shop. He looked into the car for a long few moments before he stood up and moved to grab the engine picker. He figured his issue was still in the engine somewhere. Unfortunately for the girl. The exact thing he needed was where she was hiding. @Dragon Link to post Share on other sites
Kaella Corvus Author Share Posted December 22, 2020 It was looking like she might make it. Kae crept carefully along the wall, crouching down low so the car kept her hidden from the man's vantage point. She managed to avoid knocking into anything or even kicking any of the stray bolts or washers on the floor. But that was where her luck ran out. Where all she needed was for him to turn around or cross to the other side of the shop, he did the opposite and started in her direction. Kae cursed silently as she dropped to one knee, gaze darting around for some kind of solution. The car was too low to just dive under it, at least not with her pack and the container inside it. Then just as she spotted somewhere she might be able to squeeze in and hide, a light switch turned and flooded the shadows that had been hiding her. @Morrigan Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Redford Share Posted December 22, 2020 Richie wasn't really thinking, it was the morning, he was in the mood to work and so when he flipped the light on and spotted the girl his eyes narrowed. "Who the fuck are you?" he asked sounding pretty threatening in the moment. @Dragon Link to post Share on other sites
Kaella Corvus Author Share Posted December 22, 2020 Kae blinked as the blinding lights hit her in the face, standing reflexively. "No one," she answered nervously as she found herself faced with a tall, intimidatingly built man, "I was just trying to get out of the cold for a little while. It didn't look like anyone would be here." @Morrigan Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Redford Share Posted December 22, 2020 Richie tilted his head as he crossed his arms in front of him. He didn't look fast but he was and he had a few enhancements that helped too and the girl was tiny but she looked slippery too. "You're the one they're looking for, aren't you?" @Dragon Link to post Share on other sites
Kaella Corvus Author Share Posted December 22, 2020 "What?" she asked, falling back on playing dumb. @Morrigan Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Redford Share Posted December 22, 2020 Richie frowned and tilted his head back jutting his chin out. "Why don't we call them over to find out? Nothing to hide right?" he asked. @Dragon Link to post Share on other sites
Kaella Corvus Author Share Posted December 22, 2020 Kae didn't know enough about what the cops knew to want to risk that bluff. They might not have recognized her now that she'd changed. But if they did she'd probably get murdered in some cramped holding cell. It would have been a lot easier for the people paying her. "Jimmying a lock is enough to get picked up for," she countered, "I didn't touch anything. I was gonna leave after sunrise, just didn't think anyone would be in on a Sunday." @Morrigan Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Redford Share Posted December 22, 2020 Richie didn't say anything as he stood between her and her freedom. "There is someone here every day. Best mechanic in all the city," Richie advised her. "I think I'm gonna go grab the cops. If you need a place to stay their cells aren't too bad from what I've heard. Better than the streets." @Dragon Link to post Share on other sites
Kaella Corvus Author Share Posted December 22, 2020 She felt her stomach sinking at the possibility. Dealing with the cops in this city was never a good thing for the ones like her. She'd really be in trouble if they picked her up with whatever the hell was in the cooler. "Please don't. I couldn't afford a room last night I'll never scrape bail together." @Morrigan Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Redford Share Posted December 22, 2020 "Not my problem," Richie said to her. His mom taught him to be kind to people but he had a feeling she was lying to him and that made him give no fucks over her. She was likely in there to steal something or more than something. Being in there alone was suspicious as hell being who he was related to. @Dragon Link to post Share on other sites
Kaella Corvus Author Share Posted December 22, 2020 "I'll just leave. You don't need the cops." @Morrigan Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Redford Share Posted December 22, 2020 "Not gonna happen sweetheart. Don't know if you know whose shop you just 'happened into'," he said uncrossing his arms and putting up air quotes, "but it was not a wise decision. You'll be better off with them." @Dragon Link to post Share on other sites
Kaella Corvus Author Share Posted December 22, 2020 "I'll be lucky if I even make it to the jail with the cops in this city," she answered, "I haven't done anything to you just let me leave." @Morrigan Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Redford Share Posted December 22, 2020 "I don't know that," he said to her. @Dragon Link to post Share on other sites
Kaella Corvus Author Share Posted December 22, 2020 "You can check my bag. I didn't take anything." @Morrigan Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Redford Share Posted December 22, 2020 Richie paused and said. "Sure. Give me your pack," he put his hand out for her to hand it over. @Dragon Link to post Share on other sites
Kaella Corvus Author Share Posted December 22, 2020 Kae was a little hesitant as she shrugged it off. But the transport container wasn't actually anything that stood out, and it was locked securely. Other than that the pack had the bare necessities - spare clothes (pretty much all dirty), toiletries, frayed charger to her equally battered phone, a plastic baggie with her social security card and a copy of her birth certificate that was effectively worthless because it didn't have the seal imprinted into it, and a small bag of a recreational substance she'd gotten as a bonus on a different job. Maybe he wouldn't find that, though. @Morrigan Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Redford Share Posted December 22, 2020 Richie hadn't had enough coffee for this but took her pack and opened it and started to rifle through it to find the larger, clean box compared to her destroyed and frayed items in her pack. "What's this?" he asked her as he settled the item onto a shelf beside him and continued to look through her pack. @Dragon Link to post Share on other sites
Kaella Corvus Author Share Posted December 22, 2020 She watched anxiously as he lifted the box out. "I'm not sure, exactly," she answered. Which was true. She didn't know exactly what it was. @Morrigan Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Redford Share Posted December 22, 2020 "You gonna tell me if fell off a truck?" he asked. @Dragon Link to post Share on other sites
Kaella Corvus Author Share Posted December 22, 2020 Her natural impulse was sarcasm, but that didn't seem serving in the moment, "I'm just getting paid to courier it. I don't know what's in it." @Morrigan Link to post Share on other sites
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