Board Thread:Role Plays/@comment-5999656-20160207063839/@comment-5999656-20160516000325

Zanipher and Fen sat inside a black minivan with tinted windows. The former had a palmtop holoset projector open, receiving messages and tips from the area where the last murder had taken place. Fen sat across from her sister in the car, outfitted with a new black warsuit which completely covered her body. It was topped off by a smooth bulletproof visor helmet with an inbuilt air filter and untraceable microphone which connected to the Syndicate's field radio system. Along with giving her protection against toxic chemicals, it also concealed her identity. Flexible yet durable, this was modern combat technology designed for the battlefield, specifically covert ops. A gift from one of the Dragons' many benefactors.

Fen didn't like it.

Aside from going against her typical color scheme, the suit's capabilities suggested that she was going up against a dangerously capable enemy, one who couldn't be taken down by typical Huntress means. This was the compromise she had to make in order to come along. Not only that, Zanipher had specifically told Fen to stay out of any fight unless she authorized it.

It's a precautionary move, so chances are you won't need this but it's best to be prepared.

Zanipher wasn't taking any chances when it came to her younger sister. The woman herself had her own, modified version of the suit, less conspicuous but still not something you would want to be spotted in during public hours. It was currently laying folded in a compartment next to  Zan's leg.

"Alright, my guys have met with the local mobsters and ascertained that although there weren't any murders prior to or after that of the one that tipped us off, they spotted some activity from a group that they didn't recognize. They weren't police, but they had tracker dogs sniffing around the entire neighborhood, and they took off into the woods not long before we got here."

Fen's heart sank. Why on earth was Cyzarine getting involved when she'd specifically told the girl not to, not once but twice?

"The Bluthardts are here, you mean?"

"Affirmative." Zanipher tapped her palmtop and the projection canceled out as the van began moving. 'I've told my men to keep low-key watch in the town in case the Bluthardts make another move, and one team will be accompanying us into the forest. The gangsters gave us a map of all the abandoned places the killers might be hiding out in, but they also reported a distinct direction the organization had headed." Her face was grave. "They've already had some time to move, so we need to get there soon if we want to have a say in what happens next."

What was concerning for Zanipher, beyond doing the job itself, was why the Bluthardts had gotten involved in a personal matter. If they were motivated by some sort of personal issue, and if what Fen told her was correct, then it was likely they were trying to find a reason for the Suzhens to owe the Bluthardts. As for what they would do with this forced moral obligation... the Suzhens could merely say 'thanks'  and wait to see what offer the interfering party made, and consider carefully from there. Her job was to lessen this debt as much as possible.

As for the overzealous friend... Zan was going to do whatever she could to keep this Platinum girl safe. If it meant throwing herself into battle, then so be it. A commitment like that could easily be handwaved by the public announcement of an alliance between the Syndicate and the Suzhens, and it wouldn't take long for people to come to the conclusion that the CEO of the D.S. and the heiress of the Suzhen Co. looked too similar to just be acquaintances. Hence, the power of a blood bond was demonstrated. Mom and Dad Suzhen might object, but there was no legitimate threat that came from this revelation other than damage to their egos brought on by questions about how their first daughter ended up under a different family in the first place.

"I'm going to let you do the talking, Fen," Zan said as the van rumbled along. "But only after the Fullers are dead. And if I give you an order, you're going to have to obey it, alright?"

Fen knew this wasn't a game, and Zan was definitely acting like they were approaching a credible threat.

"Affirmative," she said, copying Zan's tone.

____________________________________

Platinum flew through the forest, dodging low branches and bounding over fallen logs.

Lustra had the unique ability of seeing an individual's Aura footprint, so to speak. Once she had glimpsed that individual, she could see a glowing outline of their Aura extending where they had just been, and this afterimage remained as long as the girl focused on it.

"So do we chase or what?" Vayne grunted, returning to ground level. Receiving a nod of assent from his wife, he jogged over to the truck and began loading chemical weapons into the back. Everglades had changed into a full-body suit herself, replete with gas mask, before giving Lustra a smaller version of it as well. The trio loaded themselves into the car and with a screech of rubber on concrete they were off, after their quarry.

It's a forest full of fucking Grimm!

Platinum had no idea where she was going, only that she needed to get as far away as possible. It had taken the killers hours to reach the warehouse in their truck, so chances were she was very, very far away from civilization. She stopped to catch her breath, looking around suspiciously at the woods around her, but nothing moved in the underbrush. it was just her, it seemed. Knowing that the Fullers weren't far behind though, she kept running.