[CENTER][hr][h1][color=556B2F][b]T A R I Q[/b][/color][/h1]
[sub]New Lilith | [i]The Spires[/i][/sub][hr][/center]
The [i]pitter patter[/i] of the rain intensified as Tariq drove, police communications and emergency calls cutting the silence every now and then. It was an eerie sight, a tall man dressed in black robes driving in silence, completely immobile aside from the few movements you would need to drive safely. Inside their mind however, it was a long range of conversations between two individuals, discussing the task at hand. They were on the outskirts of the Spire, the lack of traffic and people unnerving them. It was unusual, it should be hustle and bustle within a city, even with the pouring rain. [color=olive][i]'You think this is another Mecca? It seems way too quiet Al.'[/i][/color]

As Islam's holiest city and one of their most famous, many would think that the Saudi government would have intense security and law enforcement patrolling the streets. After all, even with the power eclipse that pushed the country to the brink of collapse, millions of Muslims still made their way to Mecca annually for the [i]haji[/i] pilgrimage, a practice that most Muslims are required to do at least once in their lifetime. After the destruction of an Ottoman citadel, the Aiyad Fortress, to construct a mega skyscraper complex, there was much international outcry, particularly from the Turks. The Abraj Al-Bait was planned as a sign of Saudi Arabian progress in the light of their near-collapse, seven skyscraper hotels and apartments. It was to be a sign of the country's rise back into the first world, turning a once destitute country into a beautiful marvel that travellers around the world would love to visit. It was a part of King Abdulaziz's modernisation project for the city, a pearl amongst the sands.

It was never finished, having a predicted 15 billion dollar cost in construction. The demolished Ottoman heritage site ultimately led to nothing, all that was left were unfinished skeletons of planned skyscrapers. It became a squatter's paradise, containing one of the largest homeless populations in the world, most of them previous workers who were hired for the construction but subsequently fired for their effort. It was a multi-billion dollar disaster and hit the government hard, so funding was taken away from different departments to make up for the economic costs and debt. One of them was the law enforcement. The homeless paradise became criminal heaven, neither the military nor the underfunded police bothering to patrol such a lawless place.

As it was meters away from Islam's holiest sight, there was many people who sought to demolish the unfinished buildings but the government couldn't afford to. Unfortunately, some extremist Turks decided that the eyesore was both an affront to their heritage and to the Prophet Muhammad himself. They decided to take action themselves and purify the construction site by demolishing it, regardless of any casualties. When Tariq had tried to stop them, many of the squatters were hiding from the armed terrorists as they "discreetly" placed bombs around the foundation. It was unsettling, bustling populations of people stricken with fear, turning their communities into ghost towns.

Alien broke the silence with a grim tune. [color=olive][b]"Mecca is different, this is something intelligent. Planned. Unlike the unorganised rabble we encountered back then, this is organised."[/b][/color] The Human huffed mentally, stamping down on any memories rising from that time. Past mistakes were unfortunate but should be out of mind during a mission. Mecca was a mistake of grand proportions and almost ended their career. Fortunately, they were still living and breathing, scars and trauma aside. As they drove further through the city, another call of significance was picked up and voiced through their radio. As it did so, they were halted by a pair of officers.

[color=c18dc3]"-no one in the streets apart from the officers. And I use that term loosely. I don't think these men are cops."[/color] A voice of authority, feminine. A policewoman maybe? There seemed to be another investigator on site, probably someone who was sent by the real law enforcement. Not like the "police" who were reported by civilians and currently knocking on their window. "Sir!" One of them knocked, peering into the window while the one behind him tried to hide a grin. Unprofessional and slack were the first thoughts that came to mind. "Please lower your window sir, this is police business."

Tariq turned the radio off as the call ended, taking their holographic UI off with the headset. They opened the window, their head turned directly at the officers, trying to sound as innocent as possible. Instead, the dialogue became nervous rambling [color=olive][b]"Ah, officer. Nice day, is it not? I am looking for my aunt. Matilda."[/b][/color] The Human face palmed, dragging his hand over his face. He knew that his partner could be a bit thick when it came to human dialogue, it was natural after all. He was an extraterrestrial, someone who's customs and culture were literally out of this world. But after two years, you would think that the ET would have learned how to speak normally but unfortunately, you would be wrong. He also knew that Alien was a horrible liar and was starting to regret letting him take over. Sure, his combat skills weren't as good and shots could go loose in his hands sometimes but at least he was better suited for an infiltration mission. The officer looked at them weirdly, nodding slowly with a skeptical look as the accompanying man took a phone call.

"Right. Matilda. Your aunt, you say? Look pal, I'm sorry but there has been a situation here and the Spires is off limits." The policeman then indicated around the place, pointing out the empty roads. "We've closed it down and we've been ordered to take any suspicious persons. I'm gonna have to ask you to step out of the car, we'll need to conduct a search on your vehicle." He crossed his arms and tried to look threatening but Duos had caught the small mischievous smile the policeman's partner had before it was quickly wiped away. Suspicious, definitely suspicious. [color=olive][i]'Good job Al, we're going to get robbed and 'arrested' by crooked cops before we even get to investigate the calls.'[/i][/color]

Tariq let out a small sigh, currently under the influence and control of the Alien. [color=olive][b]"الشرطة سخيف."[/b][/color] They muttered under their breath before exiting out of the car with their hands on their head. They were slammed on the car roughly, the rain hiding the small grunt they made. [color=olive][i]'I hope you have a plan Al, otherwise we are fu- Oh. OH! I like your thinking. Make it quick, we gotta get outta here.'[/i][/color] 

The policeman that was previously interrogating them made Tariq put their hands on the roof of the car in front of the driver's side, while the other cop hung up his current call and started to open the side door next to them. It happened instantly, quick and efficient just how they liked. Alien willed their body to spin right, trying to deliver a hard backhand to the "officer" behind him. He backed away in instinct but their body kept coming. They followed with two punches in the gut before grabbing the man's extended arms as he bent over. They placed their foot on the man's stomach before pulling hard, pulling his arms out of their sockets. A sickening [i]crack[/i] was heard as the man fell screaming, his painful outcry masked by the intensifying rain. He fell to the ground, shouting curse words and obscenities unfit for a true law officer. Then again, they had just delivered a frighteningly painful injury to the man.

Tariq was suddenly brought out of their musings by a cry of anger behind them. They spun, turning to look at the other officer who had reared his arm. They ducked, letting the man swing and miss before rising quickly to deliver a punch of their own. They buried the fist into their opponents abdomen, feeling tensed muscle and hearing a small exertion of breath. Surprisingly, the young man stood strong and tried to grab them by the neck, rearing his head for a headbutt. Unfortunately for him, the otherwise vicious blow was quite ineffectual to the thick skull of an alien lifeforms, only serving to knock himself unconscious. They threw the pair back into their car, making sure that there was little evidence of them even being there.

As Duos entered the car, they quickly noticed a ringing cellphone in one of the officers pockets. They picked it up and let the person on the other line drop the call, unsure of whether a voice message would come or not. A thick foreign accent came through the speakers, screaming heard in the background [b][i]"Juan? You finished dealing with the Muslim freak Boss told you to pop? Its fuckin' crazy here at the hotel man, these fuckin' hoes are some good A-class bitches. Finish up and come have some fuckin' fun."[/i][/b] The message ended with a large whooping noise and a harsh laugh. The phone was thrown to the back as the car accelerated forward. Crime like this was commonly found in their line of work but it still made the Human sick every time he heard of it.

They speeded down the roads towards the hotel, rapidly looking back at the previous intercepted calls using the holographic UI over their right eye. Tariq looked at the last one and traced the original caller's number, owned by a certain Priya Khurana. Since the headset was relatively small, it was difficult to find more information on an intercepted caller aside from their phone's registered name. Throwing all caution to the wind, they sent a quick voice message to the woman, hoping that she would receive it before she arrived at their shared destination.

[color=olive][b]"Ms. Khurana? You are headed to a very dangerous place with a possible hostage situation forming. You are dealing with some organised criminals here, your suspicions were indeed correct. I have been tracking your calls ever since you stepped into the Spires. I do not have time so I will make this short. My name is Duos, I am here to help. Come to the street four blocks over from the hotel at the Fifth, I am in the black Ford. We will need to work together to keep these hostages alive."[/b][/color] The Human told Al every word, making sure that the dialogue sounded as reasonable and clear as possible while also making it short. They avoided any patrol cars like a plague, any hint of them caused the duo to turn the other way immediately. It was through this constant zig zagging that they finally reached their destination, a street corner with many cars parked in front of a group of apartment buildings. They parked in front of one, hoping that none of the patrols had caught them in the act of parking. They turned the car engine off and formed plans in their combined heads, hoping that the woman would come soon. 

The clock was ticking and the sudden weight of another hostage situation began to go down on them. [color=olive][i][b]'Please let this be an easy one. Anything but Jeddah, anything but that...'[/b][/i][/color]