thecapitol | Cyborg Tribute Bender Spy

Entry tags:

Cyborg Tribute Bender Spy

Who| 002, 004, and "the Blue Spirit"
What| Infiltration and information extraction
Where| Some important Capitol building
When| During the three hour power gap
Warnings/Notes| Lots of action and grown men playing super spy with a teenager

It's an opportunity that they'd been waiting for.

They'd had no foreknowledge of the event, but Albert had been saying all along that something was going to give, that the Capitol had hurt enough people that eventually someone was going to take them down, be it the Tributes, a general rebellion, or a grieving mother with a viking-size axe to grind. This may not be as grand as all that, but it's a start and they'll take it.

It doesn't take Jet and Albert long to choose a goal, suit up (black, given that they don't have their uniforms but they each wind a scarf around their necks. Some habits die hard.), and make their quiet way to slip out of the tower. They only have 3 hours, and with the Capitol thrown into chaos by the outage, they hazard most of the peacekeepers will be devoted to quelling any rioting or looting that may occur. It's the perfect time to sneak into the looming hulk of a government building a few blocks down and see what they can find out about how the Capitol has streamlined the entire process of grabbing and detaining off-world tributes and what really happened in District 3.

The two men make their way downstairs, lucky to have only been on the third floor when Eva's message came through, and skirt the outer perimeter of the lobby casually to slip down to the training room briefly. Even if they have no intention of making this into a fight, it's still better to snag something to defend themselves.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

There was a young man there, dressed all in black as well. His face was obscured by a blue fencing mask and he had the same idea as them. He was looking through the weapons, trying to find something that might be useful.

After that, all that was left was finding something worth using them for.

When he'd woken up in his bed, right before all the chaos, he could barely believe he was actually still alive, that the stories he'd heard about being revived were true. Now that he had a second chance, he had to make the most of it and find some way to strike back at the horrible people behind all this.

Now seemed the time to do it, but he needed to find a way to do it.

Finally finding what he was looking for, he picked up a sheathe that held curved twin swords. Unsheathing them, he worked through several forms that made it abundantly clear how skilled he was with them, before turning to look at the two men in the training center, also dressed in black, who looked like they were looking for weapons, too.

Huh. Interesting.

They would see the strange silent man in the mask tilt his head at them, an obvious nonverbal question of 'What are you doing?'

A chance to finally do something and they weren't going to let it slip past them. Like clockwork, they fit back into the roles they'd had back when they'd been a team, that same easy balance they'd always had on missions kicking in now that they had a new one. Albert was the planner and the muscle while Jet had the stealth and speed, combined with the fact they knew each other well enough to communicate wordlessly, they were formidable even without the other seven members of their group.

Albert came up with the plan, their goal while the city was blind and Jet followed his lead easily, choosing their outfits (and the scarves) as well as suggesting they grab some kind of weapon. A fight would slow them down, but not being armed was just begging for a failure tantamount to their attempt to board the ship near Mocawa.

Considering the number of potential vigilantes among the tributes, it really wasn't surprising to find there was someone else with a similar idea. At least, he assumed it was another tribute, it was hard to tell with that mask, but they didn't look like a peacekeeper or an avox, especially not with how he'd handled those weapons. That kind of skill could be useful...if they could even trust this person.

Jet glanced at the German with that very question in his expression before turning to collect the weapons he wanted. A bow and a small quiver along with three knives--one small and two decently sized--should do nicely. Thank god for Victorian women who were pros at archery.

"Who're you? And what's with the mask?"

It could almost be considered a normal conversation if the situation were different.

Edited 2014-09-23 05:32 (UTC)

On his end, Albert takes a rope and a knife of his own, not turning to join the other two until he's gotten his tools. When he has, he steps up behind Jet to hear the answer. As he does, he looks the masked figure over, trying to discern who he may be through any physical cues.

He's certainly not a peacekeeper, he's too short and slight, potentially meaning he's young. Another tribute? It would certainly make sense, but a smart one even if he is young, which narrows things down a little. A handful of the younger tributes have gone out to wreck havoc in the form of petty vandalism and defacement but this one has instead come down and procured a mask, meaning they're taking precautions to keep their identity secret, leading Albert to believe he also has something more specific in mind.

"The mask is obvious, but I would also like to know who you are. If we can trust you, perhaps we're after the same thing."

Zuko briefly considered insisting on staying masked but he knew they would have no reason to trust him. For all they knew, he was someone in support of the Capitol in disguise. They didn't know him, but knowing he was a Tribute would possibly gain their trust. And if they had an idea of how to hurt the people behind all this and were offering him a chance to help, well, maybe it was worth the risk.

He looked around to make sure they were the only ones close, resheathed the swords at his back, and briefly pulled the mask off of his face, giving a brief glimpse of his face and very recognizable scar. Then he quickly put the mask back on.

They had likely seen him in the arenas. There had been a time that he'd run through most of the mall holding Aang when he'd been injured and getting him to safety and he'd run past quite a few people doing it. If they hadn't, he'd at least been all over the not-magic screens like everyone else.

But he knew they probably needed more of an explanation than him just being a Tribute. He imagined that plenty were possibly self-serving and only looking to work together with the Capitol to survive.

"My name is Zuko. I'm the prince of my nation and there's a war back home I need to help stop. If my friend Aang and I don't get back, there could be a massacre of countless innocent people." A brief pause. "And he's - he's important to our world. He's twelve. It's bad enough he has to fight back home because of what he is, but that's at least something he's ready for. He shouldn't have to suffer and die here in a world that isn't even ours. And I know what the Capitol did to children before they brought us here."

He stepped forward.

"If you have some way of fighting back against the Capitol and know what you're doing, I can help. I can fight. And I'm good at sneaking around."

Jet hadn't been able to see anything past the second week of the arena, but Albert had kept him partially sane through it by talking to him about anything and everything. When the mask lifted and Jet saw the kid's face, a feeling of something familiar came over him and he remembered Albert mentioning he'd seen another kid in the arena, this one with a very identifiable scar over his eye--the same scar this kid had. So he was another tribute.

Jet certainly couldn't fault him for wanting to do something to strike back, especially in defense of someone important to him. Between what Jet had already seen demonstrated and the fact Zuko was claiming to be good at sneaking around, the blond was willing to give him a try.

"Fighting and sneaking around are definitely helpful. Yeah, we've got an idea, but it's definitely gonna take as much stealth as you can muster. But I'm not against you tagging along."

He glanced back at his partner. "What'dya say, Al? Think Zuko here can tag along?"

"I think that will be fine, so long as you can keep up," The addition of 'young man' is almost audible despite Albert not actually voicing it.

He did see Zuko running around with another boy, though he hadn't been able to remember his name at the time, once with said boy protectively in his arms, which spoke well of Zuko. He's said as much here, he has someone to protect, which also means he has cause to be careful.

"We're going after information. I don't know if anyone's told you about District 3, but it's reportedly been wiped off the map. I want to know how and why, and if we can find anything else the Capitol has been keeping secret, more's the better." He swings the front tail of his scarf over his shoulder to dangle down his back, the rope looped securely to his belt and the large knife strapped to his leg in easy reach. He wishes uselessly, not for the first time, they could get their hands on a gun but beggars can't be choosers.

"I've heard you can wield fire. If that's the case, you shouldn't use the ability where we're going. It will give you away." You'll have to excuse Albert, Zuko. He's constantly underestimating the abilities and forethought of anyone under the age of 25.

It was only because he didn't know if Albert was some kind of species of non-human...person that never got tired and because of a childhood filled with etiquette lessons that had him biting back, 'Let's see how well you can keep up, old man.'

That would've been the old Zuko talking. As it stood, he was trying to be a little more polite, now that he wasn't angry all the time. Especially to these strangers who might become allies.

The most he could restrain it to was a light scoffing noise as he also grabbed a length of rope to take with him. It was rare that he even ever needed rope but this was unfamiliar terrain, not a fire nation fortress.

"I still can't use my Bending," he said, "and even if I could, I never use it when I'm doing something like this so I don't give myself away."

Implying that he'd had to sneak around places and hide his identity while doing it before.

"Lead the way."

He's not really surprised Albert was talking down a bit to Zuko, the kid was obviously young, but he recognized the tone as the same one Albert had used to use with Jet himself when they first met, it would just take the teen proving he could do what he said and he figured his partner would get over it.

Jet nodded and jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards the exit. "Alright, then, let's go cause some trouble."

He lead the way up and out of the tribute center, only pausing once they were outside to get an idea of the state the city was in. Suitably chaotic, it seemed.

He lead them down a couple blocks, sticking close to the buildings and the shadows they created, but there was a split in the road and he couldn't remember which way they were supposed to go. The blond looked to his partner with a tilt of his head towards the split, the question in his expression.

Jet taking point feels completely natural. He's the faster of the two of them even without his accelerator and Albert can easily read his body language in case they come up on something they need to handle. The two have worked together a very long time, so long that they hardly need to use hand signals, much less talk. They're silent as shadows and Albert is gratified to find that Zuko matches them for both stealth and speed. It wasn't a mistake to bring the prince, so far at least.

When they come to the crossing, Albert flattens himself in a shadow against the wall as Jet tilts his head in question. The building they want is actually the hulking thing in the middle of where the street forks, which is likely why Jet can't remember which way to go from there. They had decided to see what sort of guard they were dealing with before choosing an entrance from one of two sides.

Turning to Zuko, Albert mimes with his hands sneaking around one side of the building and looking, then coming back. To Jet he indicates he means the same for him on the other side. He'll stay where he is for the moment, watching and waiting to see which avenue is the best for them to take. Frankly, he's not sure from here. There don't appear to be many peacekeepers around - likely off dealing with the blackout emergency - but they can't afford to be sloppy. It could mean their lives.

Zuko gave him an abrupt nod, then zoomed off like a living shadow, movements fluid as he swept over to the side of the building to do reconnaissance.

He was back before long, almost at the exact same time as Jet.

"One entrance," Zuko said to them both, voice only just loud enough to be audible. "Possibly guards on the other side of the door. I saw an armored one walk in. He didn't see me. But in the back there's what looks like some kind of chute to the outside that leads to all the trash."

That was one possible (smelly) entryway, unless Jet had found a more promising one, like a vent.

Jet was off almost as soon as he saw the signal, practically invisible in his movements as his grace allowed him to practically become a shadow himself. What he found, however, was less promising.

Two doors along the side of the building and a vent high above them--too high for them to reach with it nearly being at the roof. A careful experimental tug on each door produced nothing and even a more forceful pull with all of his weight didn't make the doors budge. One he could tell was likely locked for the little electronic pad beside it, but the other didn't seem to have any locking mechanism, making it impossible to access.

He was back at roughly the same time and listened to Zuko's report before offering his own. "Two doors and a vent, the vent's unreachable and one of the doors seems sealed. The other has an electronic lock." Probably not a viable option unless they wanted to get loud.

Edited 2014-10-01 03:13 (UTC)

"The vent shouldn't be unreachable." Albert motions to Jet's bow, simultaneously holding up the length of rope he'd snagged from the training center with his other hand. "We can climb it, but we'll need a distraction around the other side of the building."

It's a decent plan if they can pull it off, unfortunately there hadn't been any flash bombs or similar in the training center when they'd grabbed supplies. He's at a bit of a loss, not wanting to ask either of the other two to function as bait.

"I could attempt to draw them away, then double back and rendezvous within the building, unless anyone has a better idea."

Zuko decided to suggest the good ol' Firebender standby.

"We can set something on fire and make a loud noise on the side we need to draw them to. They'll think it was a small bomb."

And they could run to the other side of the building and climb up long before anyone even got outside to investigate the blaze.

"And they'll also have to put out the fire, which would buy us some time."

Edited 2014-10-02 05:38 (UTC)

As much as he enjoyed the idea of setting something on fire and letting the peacekeepers run around trying to deal with it, there was one hang up he had.

"Sounds like a good plan, but how do we set something on fire when we don't have matches and you can't do your thing?"

If they could get over that, he liked the idea more than Albert acting as bait and trying to get away, Jet knew he was better for that since he was faster but he also knew his partner couldn't fire a bow so it wasn't like they could switch places.

"Can you shoot a bow, Zuko? If you can, you and 004 should go deal with the grate and I'll make the distraction and circle back."

Edited 2014-10-03 02:14 (UTC)

"It's a good plan, but 002 also has a point." It's easy to slip back into old codenames despite their doing nothing to hide their identities to anyone that overhears. It's a habit thing, more than safety. They're on a mission, they use their numbers. It's just something the two old men are hardwired to do. "Do you have a way of starting a fire? If so, we could light an arrow and set off the distraction that way."

It would eliminate the need to split up and keep them relatively free of danger. The matter of how to light it is still the issue, though. "Even if we had a pair of sticks, that would be something..."

"Call me...uh." Wait, he didn't know what he should be called. "Just call me Blue while we're out here. Don't use my name."

He reached down to pick up a scrap of paper clinging to the curb - advertising half-priced drinks at some ridiculous Tribute themed club, then unsheathed one of his swords.

"We can shred this for tinder. If I hit one of my swords hard enough against the street, it'll make sparks. It shouldn't be that hard to get something alight."

Edited 2014-10-03 03:32 (UTC)

He hadn't really thought about it, the numbers had come from his mouth naturally, those were their names on missions, that's just how it was. Hearing Zuko offer a cover name of his own just made it stand out to him, but it was ultimately safer that they do all use other names, so he nodded.

"Blue it is."

He took out one of his arrows and motioned with it. "Seems like a good place to start as any and, if it works, it'll save any of us from risking our necks anymore than we already are."

He knew sparks could be effective, that's what the point of having flint to start fires was, he'd just never tried it with steel and concrete, but it was worth a shot.

He glanced over to Albert and then to the alley's mouth, a silent request to keep watch, just in case they'd been spotted.

Well now he feels like a bit of an idiot, but it doesn't show. He simply nods to "Blue" and puts a hand out for one of Jet's arrows, effectively green lighting the plan. He tears a strip of paper and winds it several times around the arrow just before the metal tip so it will stay alight long enough to catch and be fired once they're ready.

"Blue, did you see anything on that side of the building that would catch easily? Nothing residential." Closed businesses or even foliage is one thing, but he won't be suddenly visiting a fire on random city folk. They may technically be terrorist according to the Capitol, but they won't sink to the level of the state.

Albert hands the prepared arrow back to Jet, ready for it to be lit as soon as they have a proper target to call the attention of the guards once it bursts into flame.

Now that they were going with the whole fire thing, they did actually luck out in one respect.

"There was a paper store. Stationary paper." Super convenient and super strange. He was royalty and that meant he'd seen a lot of letters and royal decrees and scrolls and wax seals, but it wasn't something he ever imagined would have its own store. "It had a cloth awning that'll probably catch and if the store itself also goes up..."

That'd be a pretty big fire.

"Closed, with nobody inside. No second floor."

So that meant that there wasn't some kind of living space over top. Some poor business owner might lose their shop but given that nobody here, even people that ran businesses, seemed to want for nothing because their prosperity was built on the backs of these "districts" he wasn't going to feel all that bad about destroying their shop.

It wasn't like they were taking their livelihood away when they were living fat and large off of other people's sacrifice.

"The other buildings are shops, also closed, no people, and separate from the one so they might not even catch."

Ideal, really.

Edited 2014-10-09 07:43 (UTC)

Jet nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

He took the arrow back and held it where it was needed for Zuko to start the fire. It took a try or two, but it caught soon enough. Jet quickly notched the arrow and pulled it back as far as he could without singeing himself, making up for any loss in power with his height. He just hoped his aim was right.

He let the arrow fly. And a few seconds later, the orange glow of a growing fire could be seen. Success.

The moment the arrow is let loose, Albert motions for the group to move to another covered position, lest any of the peacekeepers somehow be clever enough to track them back. He needn't have worried, though. The fire roars to great heights very quickly, paper catching alight and sending up just as much smoke as flame. It's not long before even the street under the grate is completely deserted.

Making doubly certain no one is left, Albert crouch-runs to the spot of wall under the grate and quickly knots his rope to the end of another arrow. Jet lets it fly and several tense moments of scaling later the three men are inside the vent and Albert's quickly hauling the rope back up and replacing the grate to cover their point of entry.

He gives a thumbs up when he's done, the universal symbol for good to go.

Zuko nodded and immediately drew his swords, as quietly as possible, peeking around the corner to see if anyone was down the hallway. He waved at the other two with the hilt for the the all clear, letting them go first.

He didn't exactly know what to look for, after all. All this strange technology was alien to him.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Cyborg Tribute Bender Spy

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

moving this along, I hope you don't mind.

no subject