[b][u]March 2nd, Unknown Time Unknown location, Hub City[/u][/b] The room is dark. No light to be found, except some seeping under the door. It's cold, and not just any type of cold. The type of slightly-below-room-temperature cold that, given enough time, freezes you to the bone. Typical for the midwest this time of year, but there HAS to be an AC blowing somewhere... Footsteps can be heard approaching the door, and after a few clacks of locks opening, the door opens, the light illuminating the room slightly. A lone figure sits in a chair in the middle of the room, and two more figures enter. One of them flicks the light switch with a [i]click,[/i] fully lighting up the room. Leo Cash, unmasked and shirtless, sits in the aforementioned chair, hands and feet bound to it, looking quite beaten and battered. His mask, as well as his other possessions, lie upon a table against the far wall. His bowstring is broken, and his camera is smashed. One of the two men who just entered, thin and lanky, closes the door, locking it behind him. He speaks up: [b]"Well. Here we are again. Let's see how this plays out."[/b] Him and his much more brute-like companion (here on referred to as "Lanky" and "Burly", respectively) approach Leo. Lanky rubs his arms. [b]"Whew, is it chilly in here... How are you feeling, guy?"[/b] Arsenal looked up at the man, tired. [color=9e0b0f][b]"Peachy."[/b][/color] [b]"Cool, cool. You gonna talk now?"[/b] [color=9e0b0f][b]"... Nah, I'm good."[/b][/color] [b]"Ah. I see. Maybe you just need to soften up a bit. Take your time."[/b] He signals to Burly and walks over to the table, inspecting the gear for clues. Burly walks over and cracks his knuckles, giving a large punch to Leo's face. Then another to his gut. Then another. Then another. After a good amount of punches, Burly takes a moment to rest his fists, talking to his punching bag. [b]"Come on. We know you're that internet guy, we're not stupid. But how'd you track us, huh? Who sent you?"[/b] Leo lurches over in his seat, coughing. [b][color=9e0b0f]"... It... It was..."[/color][/b] Burly grabs him by the hair, and Lanky looks over expectantly as they hear this. Burly holds Leo's head up. [b]"Yeah?! Who was it?!"[/b] [b][color=9e0b0f]"... Your mother. We're real worried about ya. Please come back home."[/color][/b] Lanky gives a sigh and a facepalm, and Burly lets Leo's head drop. He rolls a shoulder. [b]"... Well. Back to it."[/b] Another punch hits Leo's face. [url=https://youtu.be/rIbMbXjbW98?t=30][i]Record Scratch[/i] [i]Freeze Frame[/i][/url] [color=9e0b0f]Yup, that's me. You're probably wondering: "Arsenal! How'd you get into this situation?!" Well, let me tell you. It all started about a week ago...[/color] [hr] [b][u]February 22nd, 8:00 PM Downtown, Hub City[/u][/b] [color=9e0b0f]I'd been handling some street crime the first day I got here, but I'd stumbled upon various bits of information pointing to some larger organized crime. Shipping manifests, notes, multiple scared goons begging for me not to hurt them- all adding up. Led me to this place Downtown, Hub City Realty. Seemed legit at first, but with the amount of traffic that place gets? I had to investigate.[/color] Arsenal leaps over the side of the building, landing on the rooftop of the adjacent one with a roll, seamlessly transitioning into a sneak as he moved to the ledge. The Realty office was just across the street. Removing his camera from his chest, he looked at the electronic screen and zoomed it in at the building. [color=9e0b0f][b]"Alright, boys and girls, let's see what we got here..."[/b][/color] The place was strangely lively, with delivery men coming through the service entrance on one side, a man guarding the side door on the other, and a group of fine-dressed men entering right through the front door. Looking through the windows, there were still a few employees working, but the rest of the people inside looked a lot more dangerous than normal security guards... He'd spotted a small balcony which appeared to be an outdoor smoking area on the second floor. That's his way in. Putting the camera back on his chest, he readied a rope arrow, aimed for the balcony, and let the arrow fly. It stuck itself in the wall just above the door. After tieing the rope around a nearby AC unit, he tightened it and double checked it. [color=9e0b0f][b]"All right, let's do this."[/b][/color] After getting a running start, he jumped onto the makeshift zipline, using his bow as a handle. He near-silently zipped across the empty streets, right above the guards, and onto the balcony, landing with barely a sound. Trying the door, he found it unlocked. Probably didn't expect an intruder entering through here. He stepped inside to the dark break room, quietly. [color=9e0b0f]I'd done my fair share of recon, and I was pretty confident that I'd be able to slip in, find out what was going on, and get out without being spotted. But, at the time, I assumed that this place was, at worst, a front for some shady dealings done by some shady guys that'd probably die all the same with a few well-placed arrows. In hindsight, this could not have been a bigger underestimate.[/color] Arsenal, finding nothing of note in the break room, stealthily made his way into the similarly unlit hallway. Had to find the main office, oh where could it be... [color=pink]"And the packages?"[/color] [color=saddlebrown]"Two retrieved so far."[/color] [color=pink]"Disappointing. Yet not entirely unexpected considering some of the ... [i]talent[/i]."[/color] That sounds nefarious. Our hooded hero followed the voices to the door of what must be the main office, the door slightly ajar, allowing him to peek in and listen to the ensuing conversation...