Thugs And Collars

December 06, 2014: Nate Grey and Ravager take a job from an unknown corporate interest to recover some stolen goods. Things go sideways and they get a better offer.

Chop Shop in Rochester NY

<Location Description>



  • 15 Mooks (Deceased)

Mood Music:
[* Sounds of people getting thrashed]

Word was put out that a shipment, private trucking company, in upstate New York was moving something to the Niagara Crossing when it was hijacked Friday December 5th in the evening. The trucking company was contracted. The ownership of stolen cargo is not being disclosed, and the content itself is likewise obscured.

It must be something quite serious though because a contract was put out for the recovery of the truck's contents on the grey and black market mercenary circuits for a good deal of money and urgency.

Someone who knows what they are doing, or liberally used telepathy, could find the truck in a chop shop in Rochester NY in the early hours of Saturday morning, in the bad part of town near Nick Tahoe’s (home of the world famous garbage plate special). There is a reason it hasn't gone further, it seems like they are trying to cut their way into a secured container in the back of the shipping truck and having mixed luck. The individual in charge seems to be a large black gentleman dressed in an impeccable suit. "You better get that open or I will be forced to act in creative violence on the lot of you."

Nate finds fascinating how Rose goes looking for action. Apparently some of the Internet (or is that Under-net) pages she knows from her home parallel Earth are the same here. Vanishing truck with likely illegal cargo. She also knows the places to look. And Nate doesn't need to ask. So what a detective would have taken days and some busted head (or hefty bribes) they managed in six hours. And now they are… somewhere in New York. Nate didn't pay attention. Rose has her motorcycle, but he can fly, y'know? « What comes next? Do we wait for them to open the container? » He is curious!

Ravager needed money. She was still much in resistance to tapping into the account The Wall offered her, making her shackles to the woman and their mockery of 'Stormwatch' that much deeper and harder to break. Odd jobs. She needed a new place, one more fitting for herself and Nate, but to afford it she has to go back to old tricks, known tricks. What she is at home doing…

Is there much of a tactful way to go about interrupting them? Intel had been gathered and leads brought her to this seedy side of town and the garage where the truck is currently being attempted upon. From a rooftop just next door the leather bodysuit moans, crouched position shifted within as binoculars are set aside, dropped from the one eyed gaze of the woman, the mass of white hair framing the frigid blue ocular in its setting around her face. In front of her feet the duffel is unzipped and the MP5's are withdrawn, two glock 21's put into holsters and their modifications set into place.

Her motorcycle was left behind this building and she gives up much thought after the scoping and prodding from Nate, casting him a small smirk with that look towards him over her shoulder.

"We go say hello." Standing she pushes to a stand and leaps from he side of the building, only two stories, but one down and she lands on the fire escape only to vault to the ground and start her trek forward. A casual saunter set aside from being openly armed, the body suit bearing scaille maille and the two rather large swords crossed at her back.

«They just want the contents, it'll be easier if they stay in a running truck.» Knock. Knock. Like a hammer on the chamber door. «Wear your brightest smile.»

The thing Nate would likely notice, he can read the minds of everyone in there but the large well-dressed suited black gentleman. He simply can't read that mind. The others, well they are highly agitated. It shouldn't have been so hard to open up the box. The cops could be on them and they are not on the move. They are absolutely scared stupid of the man threatening them.

At the knocking, knocking, at the chamber door. Or well on the garage door to the chop shop everything inside goes very still. "You two, keep cutting, the rest of you fan out." a pause and then the gentleman adds "You, check who it is." oh the scorn at the one singled out in the tone, maybe he made some errors. Nate would know that is the guy who promised they would be able to cut into the box in no time flat. All the guys, seems like twelve of them in all, fan out with their weapons drawn while their poor boss opens the door by the garage door to see who it is.

Nate does a brief telepathic scan while Rose knocks at the door. "About twelve armed goons," he tells the white-haired girl. Then he frowns. "The boss is shielded, interesting. No one seems to know what is in the container, but they can't pry it open."
That might be important for later. Right now he is just ready to follow Rose in and block the incoming bullets with a TK-shield.

"Open Sesame?" Right? Something like that, the first thing to hiss free at the sound of the door being handled is both of the swords, held out at her sides as the smile Ravager bore now becomes far more foreboding.
"Good, less work for us, keep light."
When the door opens she lunges forward, bringing both of the pommels of the swords in a downward sweep, aiming to simply slam the heavy reinforced hangles into his temples, rendering the man unconcious if the blow falls right, after that she will be pushing her way into the garage at a fast speed, heading for the nearest goon number two.

That would be right about when all hell breaks loose. It isn't the passcode, but the sword hilts to the temples definitely works as a passcode. The main Mook goes down boneless and blissfully below the line of fire as all the other mooks open up on Ravager even as she wades in to mook number too. Funny thing is those bullets get caught and deflected off by Nate's TK Shields getting nowhere near her as she does her business on those Mooks.

The man in the suit frowns "Telekenetics, interesting." then when Nate comes in behind Ravager the individual squints "X-men. Of course… inexplicable meddling X-men though I can't say I recognize either of you really." he does reach into his coat though and pull out two very sharp looking knives of an unknown alloy. "You will not be taking this from me X-men, not today."

Nate rushes quickly behind Ravager. Bullets bounce, and he takes flight to punch one of the goons. Their boss words make him look up curious. "Did you expect the Fantastic Four?" Because, really, the X-Men do not go for truck thieves. Usually.
"Well, we ain't either," not for a while, in Nate's case. He smirks when he sees the knives. "Feel free to surrender or run away anytime now. We aren't cops, and just want the container."

Ravager knows well Nate can handle his own, but the level of this man he gave her a heads up on being shielded.. Primary target acquired, but to get to him..
Mook 2 is met with an upswing of her sword, leaping behind crates to try and ward off bullets if any are missed or ricohet from nate's shield, jumping high and her body twists mid air, arching the sweep of sword to slap the flat of it against the back of knees, if he doesn't buckle he will be wheelchair bound until tendons get replaced.
Landing only has her springing towards 3….4….5… Though as she is going for her chosen victims others firing upon them now come under the crosshairs, one glock drawn as the sword is flicked back to run along the length of extended arm, firing the barrage of one clip into the gunmen.
"X-Men?? Can you buy their love? Because this truck bought mine." Pausing in a kneel upon one knee she drops her clip to reload, pressing lips to heated barrel just before she aims for the main man.

The main man as it were watches all of this without really seeming overly worried. Dark eyes taking in all of Ravager's movements and Nate's flying and TK shields. He taps the back of his knife against his chin in a thoughtful motion "Very interesting. You wear the x-men symbol on your belt and claim to not be one of them. Frankly I didn't expect any capes to be coming after this. I mean theoretically the X-men would be interested in the truck if they knew about it, which seems unlikely." he doesn't seem to be morning the mooks going down either, just waiting for Ravager confidently. "Why are you interested in my truck if I may ask? Perhaps we can be civil about this."

If Ravager engages with those swords, well Mystique isn't human peak condition she is better than that, and she decades upon decades of experience with those knives and fighting. The attacks are also quite fluid and changing, it is probably a very good thing that Rose has that precognition, though Mystique is used to mutants with similar abilities.

Nate and the X do have a story. Which is way too long for combat banter and not to tell to just anyone. So, "the X-Men… not your business," is his answer. "The truck, you stole it, we get it back." While Rose takes care of the mysterious, close-minded man, Nate starts hitting thugs with psychic attacks, putting them to sleep. It shouldn't take long, and he expects Rose to have finished with the boss soon. If she has not, maybe they will have to get 'civil' or something.

Using the final mook as a kick off while going down she lands on the hood of the truck, that one pale blue eye staring dead ahead the the Man-Mystique, sweeping swords out and back in a splatter of blood across the paint job, the glock holstered. Blame Ravager's genetics, perhaps a bargain can be struck, but the banter between Nate and the 'Man' gets a quirked brow before she leaves it alone.
"We have expensive tastes and this trucks delivery offers to pay for them." Pulling up her cell phone she sweeps her thumb over the screen and shows the price offered for its retrieval.
"Outbid them." A glance to Nate as she slowly begins to walk up along the body of the truck towards the cargo trailer they had unsuccessfully been working at.

The man doesn't even squint to see the screen, good eyesight. "Well they are desperate aren't they? Tidy sum that but you mutants are operating cross purposes to your own best interests here I am afraid. Fine, as I don't fancy killing either of you I will outbid them. I'll increase the offer by twenty five percent which should leave you both quite well compensated for having not found the item." the man watches Ravager walk off like that and then looks to Nate. "Trust me on this, you do not want to continue this fight x-men…. " he frowns "What do you both go by?" call names.

Nate chokes at Rose's offering… what? That is… unsportive? Unprofessional? Or it is? Ah, the mercenary world. "What is in the container? Because it is something anti-mutant, it gets personal for me. And who are you anyway?" Sure, he asked first, but they are the ones getting paid, right?

Ravager had a feeling Nate would want to know. It does not change her stance, the one on silent and heavily booted feet, metal grinding across metal as the scaille maille plating that runs up thighs and down arms as well as sides in reinforcement adjusts to her crouched position, a suspicious and narrowed gaze set upon Man-Mystique in that heavy outbidding.

"It will do me just as well as their price will. Now it is up to him if this is a closing bargain." Or if this gets interesting fast. Platinum head tips Nate's way in emphasis as arms prop eased over bent knees, already seeming as if she is making a 'nest' atop that truck. "I do insist you stop plastering a title to us we do not aside to." Not now. Not yet.

The gentleman nods his head and steps around not putting the knives away to check on the back of the truck "Did I say stop cutting?" to the two he left in there working. Then he steps around out of sight of them and as he does he changes going from the dapper dressed African American gentleman to a blue skinned red head with black leather clothing. The two energy pistols on her belt are visible, perhaps they were under the suit coat. "I'm not sure what it is, but the people transporting it are decidedly anti-mutant and I will not be parting with it. Now what do I call the two of you enterprising mercenaries."
From inside the truck one of the guys goes "We got it…. we…." there is a small explosion inside the truck and Mystique just sighs deeply. "God damnit… it better still be in one piece." The men in the truck aren't.. but ye s a silver case inside the lucked container is sitting amidst a lot of shrapnel and two dead mooks.

Nate arches an eyebrow at the transformation. He recognizes the woman. "She's Ravager. I am Nate Grey." Mystique might have heard of Ravager in mercenary circles. But nothing from Nate.
He winces briefly at the exploding truck and the dead goons. Then he reaches telekinetically for the case and pulls it close, making sure there are no more explosives attached. "And what the hell is this, then?" No one knows? He opens it.

It takes Ravager a moment, once after giving Mystique a new look of appraisal and sizing up before she responds with a name, that and a small adjustment in her position upon the truck after the explosion sets it to rock ever so slightly and then remain as if nothing happened.
"Ravager." She states, confirming Nate's own introduction while staying rather indifferent to what lies inside, business is not yet concluded. Though when Nate takes on the case her teeth press together behind lips.
"She said those transporting it are anti-mutant.." Standing sharply she now watches warily, ready to move yet again.

Mystique seems content to let Nate take and open the case, just in case it is also booby-trapped. Because frankly he seems to be a really powerful TK. "Nate Grey." she rolls the name around as she watches him open it. "Are you related to Jean.. would explain your TK I imagine." yes she is familiar with the X-Men.
With the case opened she steps around to look at what is revealed, which happens to be a silver collar of some sort, carefully set in the case for transport in impact foam. "Ah.. .. prototype so be gentle with it. They believe they have a way to nullify any mutant."
"Related, yes," confirms Nate. The 'collar' brings a scowl to his face. "Yeah, you better keep this, Mystique," he closes the case and hands her to the blue woman. "If you can reverse-engineer it, well…" He can't do much about it. Maybe find the X-Men and warn them? Or find out who sent the truck. Looks like his 'vacations' are over.

And Nate thinks her taking the highest bidder is unprofessional? Trusting it in a shape shifting blue woman’s hands who is uncaring of all around her dying seems to be no better.
Clearing her throat Ravager descends from the trucks top to come stand beside Nate, not so much as a look given to the collar. "You have this price you bid?"
Yep this got more complicated than a Stephanie Meyer pre-pubescent novel of 'love'. The simple part? Show me the money!

Mystique accepts the case from Nate "Thank you Mr. Grey." then pauses and looks to Ravager "Of course I have the money. We are a very well financed operation. Down payment is in the bag over there." she indicates a duffle on one of the work benches. "I will need to wire you the rest to an account you provide, which I can do now so don't get jumpy if you have one ready for funds of that amount." she looks back to Nate "I'll work on that. I will also be removing the people who designed this device, if you are interested in another job."

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