Rosa took the lead across the lobby and up the stairs to the hive of apartments that rested above them. They passed by their two comrades who were guarding the lobby. They were talking about hockey or something. The climb to the missing man's floor wasn't a long one. Mr. Black and Rosa spoke little as they climbed. He suspected that she was in a focused mood. Investigations were always a time to be on one's guard after all. However, Atter had been to places were even the hardest gang member would cry his eyes out. Soon enough they were knocking on doors and flashing badges. It was an odd feeling. Usually he was the one getting badges flashed at him. It was nice to be on the other side. he got to pretend he was one of the good guys. There would be less ability to throw a few hooks into the sides of uncooperative heads, but, there seemed to be less need for such an action in general. The opening words of the conversations all seemed to be the same. In just a few door knocks the words were a meaningless mantra. Maybe he would try to meditate later on those words. So many mystics meditated on the words of ancient sages and none of them had really transcended this mortal plane. It seemed just as likely that he could achieve enlightenment working the words "Hello, sir or maddam. I am Agent Richard Black, US Marshals Service, we have a few questions about David Jimenez. Would you mind giving us a hand?" The two agents knocked on two doors. They seemed nice, nice enough anyway. They were the type to answer the door for the police but had little to say. They seemed nervous, maybe even something was making nervous to speak with the authorities. Black knew that feeling. He had a similar feeling on most of the time. The was a clever art of telling the police a pile of bullshit while never saying a single thing. It made him think of his time spent around the gangs of his youth. He filed that information away. These people weren't snitches, because after all, snitches got stitches. The third door was a welcome surprise. Not only was the young woman who lived there rather perky and inviting, going so far as to invite the two agents in and offer them coffee. Atter, of course, took the offer. He could always use more stimulants. Rosa refused, not even enough sense to take the offered coffee and just not drink it. You did not refuse hospitality, it was just rude. This young woman was chatty, too chatty to be anything aside from the popular girl in high school and the 'pep-leader' in her college. She informed the two agents that she was in fact in college and just about everything else going on in her life. Stormy, the girl's name was, also seemed to be a bit of a gossip. Good, they were the best. She had taken a special interest in the strange goings on of Mr. Jimenez and all the other neighbors around her. She informed that Ahmed had moved out after an episode when David had began to scream in some odd language she didn't understand. Black had a hunch about what language David might have been speaking if he scared someone named Ahmed so much that he moved. Yes, Ahmed would be getting his own special visit. After the meeting in the diner of course, maybe after a brownie concrete as well. He loved those terribly sweet things. The door after Stormy's was just another repeat of the no-snitching clause that seemed to have infected these people. Black turned to Rosa with a sigh, "I think if I go check out Ahmed's old apartment and you keep knocking we might make some progress." the younger woman mirrored his exasperated sigh and nodded. The two of them split up. Black stood in front of the vacant apartment and reached into his pocket, grabbing his lock-gun. He knew the placed had been vacated, but, it sounded like it had been left in a hurry. Maybe something was left behind. Black stuck the end of the lock-gun in the lock when he heard a shout from the floor below him. His hand stopped dead in the lock. Why would someone be screaming? The yell was also cut very short. The lock gun slid from the key hole with a metallic scrape and Atter placed it back in his pocket. He moved to the stairs, reaching into his sport jacket and unclasping the button of his shoulder holster. He thumbed the safety off but did not draw. Instead he stood at the entrance to the stair well. He took a deep breath and stepped through the door and into the stairs. He walked carefully up the concrete steps and to the floor where Rosa would be. He pushed open the door, he did not see her. "Damn." he whispered to himself. The sounds of bass and harsh lyrics could be heard drifting from one of the closed doors in the hall. 'some niggas wanna head blast, cuz I run with the red rags.' the chorus repeated. "Tech Nine. Bloods then." Atter muttered to himself as he approached the door. He placed his ear to the wall beside the door and listened, it was difficult to hear anything over the thumping bass, in fact, impossible. However, Rosa was gone. He flipped out his dedicated coms burner and sent Rosa a quick text. 'Wer u @, boo?' he stepped away form the door and back into the stair well. He waited, waited, waited, buzz. He pulled the phone to his eyes, 'got a flat b ther soon.' Atter closed his eyes. He opened them and sent a text message to the rest of the team. 'Rosa captured. Taken by Bloods, most likely. Comms from her are compromised. Advise course of action. I suggest we make it look ghetto and gangsta. ;)' He dropped the phone back into his pocket. Just when he was starting to like that girl she went and got herself grabbed by a gang known for it's distaste for police. (Rolls, ordered as persusasion for door knocks, then the numbered intero rolls, followed by awareness rolls.) http://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/1660 http://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/1661 http://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/1662 http://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/1663 http://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/1664 http://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/1666 http://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/1667 http://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/1668 http://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/1669 http://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/1670