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[Takosher]

OOC

It had been fifteen minutes since they all showed up, and the group of guards was starting to get impatient. It wasn't like Markus to be late, and with the dangerous rumors floating about, being locked outside the warehouse with the lights off was not exactly a calming experience. On top of that, the already spotty cell signal they normally had was completely out tonight, so calling Markus to ask what was happening was out of the question.

A light in the distance put them all on edge, but they were quickly set at ease when it turned out to be Markus using his phone as a flashlight. "Sorry I'm late, everyone." He apologized, though he actually seemed rather amused to see how unnerved everyone was, "The cell tower is out, so I had to go borrow some radios."

He exchanged greetings with everyone on his way to the door and unlocked it. He then went over to the utility box, unlocked that as well, and flicked the switch to turn the light over the door on. He then turned to face everyone and switched into boss mode.

"Alright, time for assignments." Markus announced, "There's only four radios, bur we usually go in groups anyways, so I don't expect it to be a problem.

"First off, Erika and Hands, you've got the back. We're getting a shipment tonight and the dock lights are still out, if they complain again, tell them to take it to maintenance. Giena and Mike, you two will stay up front here. Dodger will be inside in the camera room. There's an old radio setup in there, so he'll be fine on his own. Arkady, you're with me, we'll go hang out at the west entrance. And Remi, I'm in a good mood, so I left you the roof.

"We've speculated a lot about the rumors going around, we'll I've got confirmation from the bosses that they're legit. I know none of you are here to slack off, but be extra attentive going forward, all of our lives depend on it."

With the assignments complete, Markus handed out radios to Mike, Hands, and Remi, keeping one for himself. He told everyone he'd send out a check in call in five minutes, and he expected everyone to be in position by then. He then headed off towards the west entrance with Arkady and Remi in tow.

Erika

Erika and Hands had to sprint to make it to the back in time for Markus's check in. Luckily, they were both quick on their feet and neither lacked endurance. What they did lack was light, because just as Markus had said, the back lights were still out. It had already been a week without any lights in the back. They'd only had a couple of deliveries since then, but the delivery crews had been really obnoxious about it. It was pretty reasonable to assume they'd be complaining again tonight.

Once he'd finished checking in with Markus, Hands went quiet, though Erika knew that if she struck up a conversation he'd be happy to carry it.

Arkady

The walk to the west door was uneventful. Since both Remi and Markus were in hardcore work mode, Arkady knew that any attempt at conversation would be shot down immediately. Though he did think he caught the hint of a smile from Remi before she headed up to the roof.

Once Markus was finished with the check in, his attention went to Arkady and he asked, "So, what games did you bring today?" Clearing away the tension in the air and lightening the mood significantly.

Mike and Giena

With everyone rushing off to their assigned locations, Mike, Giena, and Dodger were left to their own devices. Dodger, ever cheerful, stuck around for a couple minted to make a little small talk before rushing off to his post saying, "I better go inside now, let me know if you guys need anything."

Not long after, Markus came through on the radio, "Alright ya bastards, you better be in place because it's check in time."

Most of rest gave quick responses, just leaving Mike and Remi to check in before the pair could relax and get into the usual routine of standing around and trying not to get bored.

"You know you could just look up, but yeah I'm in my spot." Remi's reply was unsurprisingly confrontational, as well as a good bit less utilitarian than she probably thought it was.

"You know, I trust you guys to do your jobs, so I don't normally do chtcks like this. Maybe you could use your critical thinking skills for half a second to realize this exercise is intended to check the radios instead of looking for an opportunity to mouth off." Markus shot back. There was a silence when Remi chose not to respond, eventually broken by Markus asking, "Anyways, Mike, you two all good up front?"

[Sutoratosu Akira]

"Nothing wrong so far, over." Mike replied into the radio, scanning the outer perimeter. One hand rested on his MP7 poking just beyond the edge of his coat- he usually didn't feel the need to have it so exposed, but well... tonight was different. And he be damned if any intruder rolled up on them without at least getting a good burst of lead hurled their way.

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Erika

To say that Erika was worried would be an extreme understatement. She was always tensed up sure, but now it had reached what felt like its peak, not just for herself, but for everyone else as well. She wasn't deaf towards the rumors going around, on how other warehouses have been attacked, leaving no survivors, and that only served to make her more worried, especially with the dark night. Not even a bit of smoking could help her calm down, try as she might. Thankfully, she could at least distract herself while on the job... Which mostly involved standing in the back, which was still without light, and a shipment coming in.

Great.

Erika didn't complain about the condition, she almost never did. In fact, she had gotten used to the lightless back of the warehouse, and made a small investment to help her when she was posted there. Specifically, buying a maglight and keeping it on her person. In fact, while Hands checked in with Markus, Erika merely flipped the flashlight on, sweeping it around the area to find it... Seemingly plain. Which was good, as it gave her enough time to flick it back off, take out her lighter, and light up a new cigarette, as she had thrown away the previously spent one when the two had to sprint to the back entrance. Once she had that taken care of, letting out a breath of smoke before putting the cigar back into her mouth, flicking the flashlight back on so the two would have a light source.

She had to make sure the two would be fine, especially as Markus had confirmed that the rumors were, in fact, true. This could be their last night alive. All of their last night, and she had to make sure not to let anything take her by surprise or get back her. She could live with death, but letting the others die? That was not something Erika was not going to let happen. That was why she brought her own personal gun to work today, a .500 Magnum. Less ammo capacity, but more of a punch, which could prove vital.

... Of course, there was still her partner in question, utterly silent, as he had finished checking in with Markus.

"Hey, Hands" Erika began, taking the cigarette out of her mouth and holding it between two of her fingers, "How's your daughter doing?" she asked.

[Takosher]

Erika

Hands smiled, but it wasn't quite his usual smile. When his daughter came up he usually lit up bright, but tonight his smile was bittersweet. Even if the darkness prevented his face from being seen, his tone of voice would make how he felt abundantly clear. "She's doing well, got her grades back on track. Your advice was a big help there, I really appreciate it." there was a but waiting to be said, Hands went quite for a moment but continued without prompting, "One of her friends has been sneaking her beer and her mother found out. The bitch is threatening to take me back to court over custody again. It's really not that big of a deal on its own, but I'm worried that if the court finds out about this job I'll lose Avalon for good."

Erika had heard a lot about Avalon and her mother since she'd met Hands. The man's ex-wife had gotten deep into religion and her obsession had put a wedge between them, resulting in a messy divorce. They had shared custody, but Avalon's mother had been making near-constant attempts to change that. Having been a stay at home father, Hands had struggled to find good work, and the woman's attempts to hurt his reputation hadn't helped that any. But somehow he'd managed to keep a tentative grasp on his daughter's life.

[IntSys]

Arkady

The tension was unnerving for sure. However, that's what games are for, isn't it? To relieve the unbearable pressure. And besides, having Markus next to him made him feel safer than usual.

"Oh, I brought a classic today -Rummikub! It's like a mix between rummy - that thing you play with poker cards, and mahjong." Arkady said with enthusiasm. "It was all the rage back in elementary school. Heh, in fact, my teacher back then gave it to me when we were graduating, so the set I have with me today has quite the history."

His steps slowed ever so slightly, as he continued with a light frown. "Though, we'll have to wait until we're done with our assignments." The second half of the sentence was withheld. Chances were, they had to stay on guard for the whole night, especially with how the boss above had confirmed the dreadful rumors.

[Cheesy Honkers]

Giennadii

Honestly, things could get worse. Guarding the front wasn't the worst assignment, though if trouble came our way me and the jarhead over there would be first to get it. At least I don't have to stay with that judgemental ass, Marcus, all night. And I really think everyone is too nervous about this. I mean, everyone is tense as string and nothing has happened yet. Maybe if I keep my cool I'll finally get some respect around here and I won't have to listen to the trashman up there saying I'm not fit for this. I'm kinda tempted to talk a bit to... Mike, was it? Just to show I'm not scared. Yeah, I'll do that.

Giena hangs the shotgun strap over his shoulder, grabs two cigarettes and stands there for a second, looking at Mike's stern expression, and puts one cigarette back into the packet. Instead of approaching Mike, he simply lights one cigarette and smokes as casually as he can.

Maybe another time.

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Erika

As someone who tried to get to know people, Erika caught on to Hand's mood almost immediately, but at first, she chose not to press it, "Thank you, I'm glad I could help" was her only reply, suddenly becoming content to stay on full alert in silence. At least, until her partner continued. If the darkness had not been presence, the look that passed onto Erika's face would've been enough to darken the room (or area, as it were) itself, "Dammit Avalon..." she muttered, rubbing the bridge between her eyes slightly in annoyance. Avalon was a good kid, from what she had heard. Maybe not the best, but that was nature, no one was born perfect.

Either way, she deserved more than her birth mother.

Taking a bit of a drag on her cigarette, Erika lowered her hand to her pistol, mostly just keeping a hand on it, just in case, "I’m not much of a law person, unfortunately, so I can’t offer much help there. Just… Know that I’m always here to help back you up, no matter what happens. If you kept a tight lid on your involvement here, I think you can hide it from the court. But either way, I’m sure Avalon will see you in a better light than your mother, no matter what happens”

[Takosher]

Arkady

"Sounds great, but yeah." Markus felt pretty bad, he would normally try to make some break time where everyone could relax, but the risk was too great tonight. It wasn't his fault, it was whoever was causing these rumors that deserved the blame. But he was the one who had established that breaks happened, so he still took the blame for skipping one tonight on himself.

"This stuff won't last long. If there's actually a vigilante out there killing people, I'm sure the higher ups will find a way to stop them." Markus attempted to reassure Arkady.

Erika

Hands started to speak, but stopped himself. He trusted Erika, and he felt that they were certainly friends, but what he wanted to ask was a big deal. It wasn't something you could just spring on someone, not even a friend. He couldn't just not say it though, the reason it was so hard to say was because it was important.

"Hey Erika, if I..." Hands started again but immediately trailed off, "Look, I'm not one to put much stock in rumors, but this one has me worried. Avalon only has a few more months until she turns eighteen and her life is in her own hands, but if something were to happen to me, she would have anyone but her mother to rely on. If the worst happens, can you keep her safe?"

Mike and Giena

As if purely to stimulate Giena's heightened nerves, something moves in the shadows just beyond the range of the warehouse lights. Mike immediately recognized from how it moved that it was too big to be a rodent or a cat, but that was all he could gather in the darkness. There weren't any telltale noises that would clarify what it was, but considering the area it was probably a dog. Still, the two of them would be remiss not to check it out. The last time someone decided not to check up on a dog, Markus had practically bitten their ear off. Though with "someone" being Remi, there was a decent chance she did check it out and just said she hadn't to upset Markus.

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Erika

"... Of course I would. But I'm not going to let that happen in the first place" Erika replied after a brief pause. It may have been tempting fate, but she had already sworn to herself to do what she could to make sure they all got through the night fine. It made her sounds like a little child who was merely scared of the dark, but that was something she could accept.

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Mike
"Giena," Mike said, Immediately flicking on his gun's light and shining a good 600 lumens worth of light at where the figure had been just a moment ago, "You see that shadow just now? Probably a dog, but..."

But dogs weren't that silent. If it was just a stray, surely he'd heard it's panting or its claws scraping on the concrete. Cats and rats could move silently, sure, but they never grew to that size. Hand hovering over the trigger, Mike proceeded to slowly sweep the beam, and the barrel of his gun, around the area, trying to find where the shape might've gone.

"Well, doesn't matter what it was. We gotta check it out either way..."

[IntSys]

Arkady

"Mm." Arkady nodded hesitantly, barely reassured. It was a good question in itself whether help was on the way or not. After all, a lot of people had already died to what was presumably a vigilante. Maybe they all believed that the higher-ups were going to find a way to stop the vigilante, all the way until the final moments of their lives.

The ominous thought caused the young man to shudder. But, perhaps there was even more pressure in Markus' mind, and so he kept it to himself.

[Cheesy Honkers]

Giennadii

"Uh, did you see what that was? A dog?"

What was that? Was that a dog? Kinda big for a dog. Probably a dog. Maybe just the wind. But a dog. Yeah. A dog.
Giena's mind raced to uncertain conclusions as he tried his best not to look worried. He reaches behind his back and grabs the shotgun. Just in case. It's fine. Calm down. Calm down. You want to impress them? Then don't look like a bitch. Yeah, don't. I won't. He reaches deep into his pocket and fishes out two shells and loads them in. His frantic fumbling causes one of the shells to fall out of his pocket, clanking onto the concrete. Giena cocks the shotgun and visibly calms down. A new expression slowly made it's way to Giena's face. He raises the weapon up to his shoulder and aims it down at the place where the figure was, and slowly starts moving forward. Then, he stops and turns to Mike, lowering his gun.

"Do we, uh, tell anyone? On radio? That we're going to check something out? If we're going away Dodger can hold the door or whatever."

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Mike
Mike lifted the radio and depressed the receiver in response to Gienna's question "Markus, we've got movement at the front. Moving to investigate, over." while he waited for Markus to respond, he looked back to Gienna

"You got a light, son?"   

[Cheesy Honkers]

Giennadii

"What? Oh, yeah, give me a second."

Giennadii reached into another of his pockets and pulled out a small, crank operated flashlight and started cranking it furiously. After a few seconds it slowly started emitting a short, dim beam of light. At this point Giena started pointing the flashlight forward with the left arm, his right hand awkwardly holding the shotgun.

[Takosher]

Mike and Giena

Mike's initial sweep didn't reveal the source of the movement, but Giena's shotgun managed to cause another stirring, and thistime Mike was able to make his catch. The beam swept over a the silhouette of a human, who immediately turned to face the source and threw his hands in the air. "Ahhhh! I'm sorry! Don't shoot me!" the boy pleaded.

He seemed to be 14 or 15, though with his small stature he could have been even younger. He had short, spiky blonde hair that poked out from under his oversize black hoodie, dark pinkish skin,  and grey eyes currently wide with terror. It was a little tough to see past his clothes, but it looked like there was a rather nasty scar slicing its way around the right side of his neck. Overall, he didn't look like much of a threat.

While the kid was busy being frightened, a reply came over the radio from Markus "Understood, do you need backup?"

Arkady

Markus saw clearly that his attempt at positivity had failed, as was going to try again when the radio sounded off with the worst possible message. Of course there would be an issue right when he was trying to convince Arkady they wouldn't have any issues. He replied to Mike and then smiled at Arkady. "Probably just a dog again. No big deal." He wanted to quickly change the subject, but he didn't know where to take the conversation that Mike's next response wouldn't immediately halt it and drag them back to reality.