ＧＥＮＥ ＰＯＯＬ << It's in our genes >>

[Placebo Effect]

Richard Thwaite

Richard's eyebrows raised at how fast Nathan managed to finish off the champagne, "Hey Jane, is it alright if I bring your boyfriend home completely drunk? - Cause the way he's going, I'm sure he'll be on the floor singing Rockin' around the Christmas Tree before I can stop him." Richard grinned playfully, swiped another champagne glass from a waiter's tray and passed it to Nathan. "And we all know he's a brilliant singer when drunk. If only they were giving out bottles of the fizzy stuff..." Richard dipped his head to concentrate on trying to decode what Jane had said in another language. The brilliant thing about languages were that most were incredibly similar and if you knew as many languages as Richard did he could gather that 'automobila' was most definitely 'car' or the person who invented the language trying to confuse Richard. Considering that he didn't know enough about Croatian to attempt to reply in it, he chose Latin instead and spoke quietly. "Nolite Jane..."

"Nathan. I challenge you to a game of 'see how much champagne you can drink and still manage to complete the mission.'" Richard grinned and downed his first glass all in one as well. He knew how this game usually ended - when they got to their third glass or so they'd get a telling off from a teammate - and if they managed to get drunk then they'd probably end up being videoed and put on the wide screen at Dusk HQ.

His gaze floated toward the door when John explained that the target was arriving now. He wanted to catch sight of this Miss Natalie Green that had been messing with the minds of several different governments. "Go get flirting my dear Nathan. I think I'm going to pretend to be an Earl and chat up some lovely ladies."

[- serendipity]

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- - - - - - - -She had ignored Thomas' futile arguments to try and convince her to let him drive the getaway vehicle. She might have trusted it with him more than she would have Richard, but that didn't mean she was going to let him. He'd kill us all. She thought, not knowing the irony of her words. The assassin was also trying her best to act just as 'couply' as he was; it was hard though, trying to pretend that she was comfortable with the light touches Richard left here and there, every time a passerby walked near them. She did her best and so far no one had given them a second glance. They were just a couple enjoying the moonlight on the Thames. As Nate spoke through the comms, a smile graced her lips, not a large or rather noticeable one but it was there all the same. She felt safe when when her boyfriend was around. More safe than she had ever felt in her life - even if her nerves still id get to her, sometimes. If she had had a choice, she would have been in there with him; attending the event as his plus one and date. Nathan had refused though, not wanting her in the public eye at all. The others had shot the idea down too; who else would drive the motorboat if things got sticky? How could he flirt with their target with a girl already on his arm? So she had agreed to doing what she was doing now. Albeit grudgingly. This was her job now though, and her protection - she wouldn't ruin that.
- - - - - - - -The girl almost let her lips grow into a grin at Richard's next words, the image of Nathan drunk growing in her mind. It wasn't hard to conjure up an image, all Jane had to do was look back to one of last month's missions when Richard had staggered into Jane and Nate's flat, struggling under Nate's drunken weight. The latter man had been almost passed out, singing Bennie and the Jets. Jane had guessed that the two boys had gone onto a pub somewhere once they'd completed the mission. Usually her boyfriend was at least able to stay up right if he became drunk on missions. "Just bring him home, whatever state he is in." Her tone was fond as she spoke through the comms, the first thing she had said all night that could have been associated with the group's general chatter. "I'm sure you could steal some." She added, the comment being an after thought to Richard's complaint. Then though her voice turned slightly sour, the change unnoticed to her. "Stultus enim me non fallunt Ricardus."
- - - - - - - -The switch from Croatian to Latin was easier than looking normal in London for Jane - the latter a feat she had yet to accomplish without wardrobe advice from the other females at Dusk. She fell silent then, slipping off the wall to stand next to Richard, her left side touching his right in a poor attempt to feign infatuation, only paying attention the limo pulling up and the elegant woman stepping out of it. Her eyes only looked away to follow John across the street as he informed the others of the arrival and went to check for trouble round the back. "She's approaching the entrance. One bodyguard; six foot, Caucasian, bald, black pin-stripe suit." She snapped out the information quickly and quietly, eyes scanning everything she could garner from the scene across the road. "Do you have the cameras Rae?" Her voice was nothing but professional now as the mission really started. She might have been quiet, nervous and uncertain in real life but when it came to killing, Jane knew how to do it.

[yuki,]

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-------nathan's attention was drawn to the main door at the crowd gathering there. he could only guess at why they seemed all excited all of a sudden; another celebrity had arrived. it was the same every time. the journalists, reporters and photographers all gathered around the celebrity, all of them clamouring for an exclusive or a better shot. the bright flashes of the paparazzi's cameras were always annoying, especially when pointed right at you. nathan had been forced to get used to it. besides, in his profession, he often had his photograph taken. however, what hadn't crossed his mind was that the new arrival was in fact their target, natalie green. that is, until he heard john announcing it through the comms. it seemed it was time to get down to business.
-------"i'll take you up on that challenge, ricky." the young man grinned as he adjusted his cuff links. there was many a time when they'd gotten home drunk after a mission, after having gone out to celebrate their success. most of these occasions were a little fuzzy in his head, but the memory of the hangovers he'd suffered the mornings after were still very clear. "sorry, jane." he added, although he was glad to hear her voice again. the mention of home was also something that greatly pleased him. even after living with his girlfriend for quite some time now, it still made him smile to hear her say the word 'home' when referring to their flat. the smile was soon replaced with a frown however as richard and jane conversed in latin, obviously not wanting anyone else to understand. nathan had studied the language to a certain extent, but the only words he could pick up between them were 'do not' and 'fool'. not surprising considering the words had probably been directed at him more than once. "anyway..." he began, casting a confused glance in richard's direction. "perhaps we should get this party started." and with that he drank his next champagne, throwing richard a grin as he moved away to find their target. he wasn't totally unaffected by the alcohol anymore, unfortunately. he still had control though, despite feeling a little tipsy.

-------"miss green, pleasure to meet you. i'm nathan houston." nate greeted the woman, plastering on his signature charming smile. the woman was attractive, so it wasn't a complete pain to charm her. however, he couldn't help but feel an uncomfortable tug in his chest at the idea of flirting with another woman. still, it had to be done. "please, call me natalie." she smiled, offering him her hand in greeting. nate took it, raising it so that he could place a kiss on the back of her palm. it was a bit of a cliche and pretty old school, but he found that it usually worked. and natalie green was no exception. nathan had kept an eye on her bodyguard the entire time throughout the exchange, noting how the large man seemed to lose interest the moment he realised that the model was merely flirting. "would you care for a drink, natalie?" nate asked, offering her the champagne he'd grabbed from a waiter a few moments earlier, another in his hand for himself. she accepted the drink with a nod of her head, a faint blush staining her cheeks. it seemed it wouldn't be so hard to charm her after all.


ooc: writing this was a bit of a task, sorry. it's nothing to do with the roleplay, sky. don't worry. i've been like this for the past hour or two unfortunately. it's not writer's block, i don't think. i'm just, not exactly in a creative mood, i guess. sorry, i'm being a bit depressing. but i'll continue with the exchange between nathan and natalie green in my next post, if that's ok.

[Dumezil]

ᴛʜᴏᴍᴀs ʜᴀʀᴅʏ Catching a glimpse of the target entering the building from the corner of his eye, Thomas stayed quiet and let Jane do her work as he continued to create the illusion of harmless couple enjoying the evening water. The water below refracted the lights of the buildings looming above the Thames as the evening light quickly dwindled. On a normal night perhaps it would be a nice place to have a date. There was accessible food not too far away even for those not made of money and it was a light atmosphere His attempts to convince her to let him drive the boat had only been in fun but he was slightly disappointed when she didn't humor him.

To tell the truth, Thomas had been getting a little bored. He was the thug of the group while the others seemed intellectuals as well as assassins. If it came to a knife fight Thomas could hold his own and more but this wasn't a knife fight and it didn't look like it would turn into one unless one of them screwed up which was highly unlikely. Although Thomas was quick to relate to others on bad nights he resented the others and was sure they looked down on him for it. Paranoid thoughts filtrated his thinking only when he was drunk, and alone, normally. It was annoying him that they had begun now while he was completely sober.

Quickly brushing the bad thoughts out of his mind, Thomas returned and a small smile danced across his lips as he thought of something crude and sarcastic to say, back to his typical self. It was probably in light of recent events he had not been his usual self. Thomas was just as intelligent as the rest of them but like all of them; it was in his own way. Once they had a mission where his skills were required then he would have no doubts. And neither would they.

Thomas was careful to not stare any more than the average plain civilian wanting to see the famous but quickly made mental note of odd angles or bulges in the clothing of the party that might signify weapons. Of course there would be weapons as she was a prominent figure in high standing society and needed protection but it was good to know what was where and who the most dangerous thug to watch out for was.

“Relax a little.” He said with a smirk toward Jane, who looked slightly too tense for the average date. He assumed she was mildly worried about Nathan, though. Perhaps not because of the nature of the mission as much as the own confusion of having to date a man who was required to partake in actions that a normal boyfriend would never allowed to do with another woman. Job always came first but they were human after all. Even if they could get past the mental part of it with no effect on their performance ability the fact it was there was still the thoughts could be unsettling to the brain. “He’ll always come home to you at the end of the mission.” He said quietly, his words for Jane’s ears only. He wore his typical crooked smile that hinted at the brutal sarcastic comments that usually pervaded his personality but his eyes were momentarily kind. “We’d kill him if he didn’t.” He said with a quick flash of teeth before turning away again, the familiar mischievous spark back in his eye. “Now look a little more relaxed before we get kicked out for ruining the mood for the other couples.” He said sarcastically, teasing as he tucked one of her hands into the crook of his arm. It was a brotherly gesture that looked couple-ish enough without making her feel too uncomfortable.

[.Ape.]

JOHN DOE

As John made his way around the back of the building the thought of no guards in the back was odd. He decided this may have been something to remember. Something smelled fishy and no it wasn't the nasty dumpster that a couple alley cats were digging through. Seeing them reminded him of his two cats at home. He had rescued them. The thought slightly warmed his heart. But then chatter rang through his earpiece as another conversation was sparking over the comm. Richard and Nathan were having their usual challenge. This time a one we all remembered. Then Richard began speaking with Jane in Latin.

He heard Jane speak over the comm and announce Natalie had a 6 foot body guard. Once he heard Nathan beginning to converse with Natalie, the target, a thought ran through his head and a wolfish smirk spread across his face. He cracked his knuckles then made his way back around to the front of the building. John bobbed and weaved through the crowd. Trying as best as he could to stay out of the shots of the cameras so he wouldn't be a part of a tabloid magazine. His face spread across the country was not good for business, even if he wasn't suspected of anything.....at the moment. What he was about to do may have some bad consequences but hey Dusk HQ takes care of that. "Hey Rae I'm pretty sure you're gonna be hacking into a few magazine companies tonight to erase my face." He laughed.

He made his way to the target. He saw Nathan kiss her hand and he walked up and put a hand on his shoulder. "Well my my my!" He exclaimed using a fake slur to create the thought of him being drunk. "What a beautiful lady!" He looked over to her body guard. "And what an ugly ogre!" He said sizing the guard up. He was trying to agitate him it would make his plan go more smoothly. "Sir I'm going to have to ask you to leave." The guard said with a stern voice. "No I think I'll stay and get my flirt on!" John said reaching for Natalie's hair awkwardly. The body guard slapped his hand. "Watch it!" He said with a grumpy tone. "No you watch it!" John retorted. Finally the body guard lost his patience and grabbed John up. Well grabbed him by his arm. John was a little taller than him. He escorted John to the alley and once they were clear of curious, prying eyes his drunken act was over.

John grabbed the man's wrist firmly and twisted it. As he spun he grabbed a hold of the guard's tie and tugged it making it tight, and then proceeded to strangle him. A fire escape was right next to them and he quickly tied the tie up to it and kicked down the stairs sending the man into the air. As he went up John saw the man was packing. He quickly pulled out the 9 mm pistol from the guard's belt. He saw a silencer was on it and John aimed it right at the guard's heart pulling the trigger. This all happened within a matter of a few silent seconds and just as he was finishing the guard off a black van came speeding into the alley. "Oh great." John mumbled.

Four men hopped out of the van talking urgently. "We have to get to Natalie quickly! The window is closing! Soon she will be among many friends and cameras." Then they saw John standing there. "The window has already closed fellas." He said before firing two bullets at two of the men. One finding its way to one's head the other finding the other's heart. John tried pulling the trigger again but the gun jammed. "Get him!", one of the remaining two men yelled. They both bull rushed him. He threw the gun down then quickly clothes-lined one then grabbed the other and attempted to slam him. The man he grabbed was small and quick...a little too quick. He hooked John clean in his gut then got a nice jab to the chest in. John quickly recovered using his forearm and blocked the right hook coming straight for his face. He elbowed the man in his nose then grabbed his head.

The man on the ground heard a crunch then saw his colleague fall limp to the ground next to him. John grabbed the man on the ground. "Who do you work for?", He growled. The man spat the ground next to him and spoke something quickly in a foreign language. John punched him hard in the face. "Who do you work for?", He asked again more violently. The man still didn't answer. John knew the hired assassin was not going to talk so he called for help. "Guys I have a man here who I may think has been here to also kill our target. What should I do?" John looked around at his handy work. A hanging body guard and three dead assassins. He looked at the man. "You move you die." He said standing up. He took out some zip ties he had handy and tied the man up. He untied the body guard hanging from the fire escape and threw his body into the back of the van. He did the same with the three assassins and threw them over his shoulder using his super strength and laid them in the back of the van also. He slammed the doors shut then walked back over to the remaining assassin waiting for instructions.

[R A I N]

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Rae tried her best not to take Jane’s harsh words to heart. She knew the female never understood why one had to think of other’s feelings. “Nathan, when you aren’t completely drunk, would you mind explaining to your girlfriend that she really needs to work on her people skills? I might just be the geek, but I am a vital part of this team.” Okay so she was feeling sorry for herself. She was always the one stuck at headquarters. She wanted to be out in the field too.

John’s comment about being a genius managed to pull her from her depressing thoughts. He always seemed to make her feel a little better when her mind raced off in dark directions. With her fingers still flying over the keyboard, Rae scanned the security cameras. She spotted the Limo the same time John did and did a quick facial recognition on the beautiful woman that got out of the long sleek vehicle. “That’s her.” Rae mumbled to herself as the others talked over the comms. She was vaguely aware of Tanya entering the room and gave an awkward nod. Something was wrong. Rae chewed on a pen, and she scanned the data the laptop was showing her.

She had preprogrammed her laptop to find any and all photographs of the team and to erase them, but there were a lot of photo’s the program was missing. These photo's were being transmitted wirelessly from inside the party. Some of the pictures were perfect headshots of the team. "Do you have the cameras Rae?" Suppressing a groan, she scanned all the camera’s once again. “Yeah… Everything is fine. You guys are the phantoms of tonight party.” The words came out harsher than she had meant, making her feel slightly bad for her sudden agitation with Jane.

“Seriously? I have already erased like twenty-seven photographs of you in this last minute. Someone is really working hard to get these photos online.” She said as she deleted yet another photo of John as she moved towards the body guard.

Rae moved towards the main computer, which sat in the middle of the room and continued typing furiously. “Oh hell no! Someone is trying to hack into my system.” She snarled as yet another program popped up. She cursed under her breath as she threw roadblocks at the intruder stopping him dead in his tracks. “Ha! Now, it’s my turn. Get ready to get your cyber butt handed to you in record time.” Within seconds, she had back hacked the intruder and frozen his system. “Now, let’s see where you are little cyber bug.” She tapped the enter key and sucked in a breath. The map was showing the intruder’s location was coming from a building right across from the party. “I really don’t want to cry wolf, but something is up.” Her bewildered eyes turned towards the other two females just as John's voice came through the comms. "Guys I have a man here who I think has been sent here to kill our target. What should I do?"

{{Finally found muse, but now i'm drained}}

[Placebo Effect]

Richard Thwaite

Nathan had just downed his second glass and already had a third in his hand? Oh but Richard would not be beaten so easily. He quickly took his second glass from a waiter as he moved over to the water fountain placed in the center of the room. From here he wasn't too far from Nathan, could grin as he downed that second glass, and could see the door. Also, for some reason, standing by a water fountain and acting like he had genuine interest in the plaque on it meant he could stand in the center of the room and look completely natural.

And consider things.

Like how pretty the buffet table looked, how much he liked the song being played by the band, how odd it seemed that John had been attacked by assassins. "Here's a thought I'm gonna throw out there..." Richard muttered on the comms, "What sort of ridiculous assassin agency would only have people placed outside? Surely there would be a primary agent in the party itself. Or perhaps a similar set up to what we have? It's a stupid idea to just have someone rock up in a black van, pull a trigger and expect not to be caught by the police. There's someone else who'll have a subtler way of killing her and they'll be in the building..." Richard downed his second champagne, then started meandering through the crowds towards the back of the room where the doors to the elevators were blocked off by screens - oh a simple screen would not hold him. "I'm gonna go look around... Any objections? No no no? Ah that's good."

Richard thumbed for the top floor when he got into the elevator, and found himself walking out onto a moderate balcony that lead to a lighting rig above the crowds below. "Rae you'd love it up here... So many weird computer things and lots of lights for you to shine in people's eyes."

[.Ape.]

-poke-

[yuki,]

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-------whilst nathan continued to flirt with their target, he listened to the commotion over the comms. between focusing on his conversation with natalie and trying to work out what was going on, he'd gathered that something had gone wrong. not horribly wrong, but it didn't seem as if everything was under control. it had been about a minute since he'd last seen john, the man pretending to be drunk so as to get thrown out by the bodyguard; essentially distracting the big brute of a man. but now it appeared as if some unwanted visitors had appeared on the scene. and now someone was attempting to hack into rae's computer. not good.
-------but nathan couldn't do much, he had to focus on charming a woman who he really had no romantic interest in whatsoever. in fact, it had been quite some time since he'd last actually felt any interest towards any other women. great. i'm turning into a sap. he thought, the amused smile on his face becoming a little more genuine. jane will be thrilled to hear that. not that he intended on telling her. sarcasm was something nathan tended to use a lot. not so much around jane considering that she never really understood it, but he was trying to teach her how to pick it up. there were a lot of things she had missed out on in life, but she was learning. slowly but surely.
-------"you really are a delight to talk to." nathan smiled, almost cringing at his own crap line. he definitely wasn't on his best performance. it seemed to be working on natalie, fortunately. but he really needed to pay more attention if he was going to be successful in 'wooing' her. "would you like a drink?"


ooc: i had a plan, but it's kinda gone out of my head. oh well, i'll just wing it.