[h3][color=bc8dbf]Veronica Silverstone[/color][/h3] [color=bc8dbf][i]"Alibi incarnate."[/i][/color] Kilroy closed the laptop and her eyes, rubbing the bridge of her nose. [color=bc8dbf]"That was too close."[/color] She sighed. Mary had sent them a text of a card tocontact this so called Shadowbroker. [color=bc8dbf]"Nah,"[/color] Veronica said, waving away the issue dismissively. [color=bc8dbf]"She's fine! Good old Mary. Can always count on her to talk her way out of something."[/color] [color=bc8dbf]"she has the charisma of an offwhite plasterboard wall."[/color] Veronica tsked and look down at Bloodrose who was still laying on the floor. [color=bc8dbf]"She's more useful than you are."[/color] [color=bc8dbf]"i could be [i]really[/i] useful. you just don't let me use my talents."[/color] She struck a seductive pose. Veronica made a disgusted face. She didn't know how she felt about the idea of her Epsilons pursuing romantic interests. Or being some sort of erotic entertainer like Bloodrose. It made her feel gross. [color=bc8dbf]"That's...no. Not...not yet." "let me fly!" [/color] Veronica shook her head and thought for a moment. [color=bc8dbf]"You really want to do this?" [/color] [color=bc8dbf]"yes! oh my god, yes. i'd be so good at it. you don't even know. you don't even know! i'm way sexier than you are so you wouldn't know. no offense. i could be so good at anything. something serious."[/color] [color=bc8dbf]"Okay, okay. Fine! Fine. No weird stuff. Hit a night club or something. Chat some people up and see what you can learn. Okay? Does that sound good?"[/color] "yes ma'am." With that she confidently and excitedly popped to her feet and strutted out the door. As it was about to close, she popped her head back in and smirked, tilting her head back. [color=bc8dbf]"They won't know what hit 'em."[/color] The door shut behind her, and she was gone. Veronica exhaled and turned to Kilroy, who shook her head and looked back at her laptop. [color=bc8dbf]"What?" "She is a rogue element." "I can reel her in if she gets out of control." "I certainly hope so. Speaking of out of control, how are the Twins doing?" "I think they are getting dragged into some gang war. Trying to make a profit. I haven't check in in a while." She blinked. "Woah. Looks like things are really heating up. I'm gonna need to sit down for this."[/color] She plopped down on her bed and stared up at the ceiling, concetrating on her shared vision. -An abandoned warehouse, somewhere else in the Shanty- "You ready for this? Shit's about to get real. In and out, real quick." A young, tense, but eager man wearing a balaclava. "I've never been more ready for anything in my life." Jassaliah said. She was wearing a black, tight high collar sweater and cargo pants. She was wearing a similar balaclava that left her eyes and mouth open. [color=bc8dbf]"What about you, sis?"[/color] She said, glancing over at her "sister". Phoebe was bouncing nervously on her feet. [color=bc8dbf]"Oh, yeah. So ready. So, so ready. I was born for this."[/color] She was wearing an identical outfit to the woman she was pretending was her twin sister. The both of them wished they had Abi with them, but the leader of this operation who went by Jericho wasn't trusting of outsiders. He had four of his men with him, plus the Twins, and himself, making for a seven person operation. Mary had discovered the location of a rival gangs place of operations. There were drugs and money to be found, and with the element of surprise on their side and the numbers advantage, they should be able to get inside and take out the competition and get the money and resources for themselves. Jericho is an ambitious man, and so has hired the Twins as mercenaries which is something they have a reputation for. "Okay then," Jericho muttered. "Remember, we don't give a shit about any of these assholes." He braced up against the wall. He had supplied them all with Uzi's and shotguns, the Twins taking a pair of the smaller submachine guns. [color=bc8dbf][i]Damn, girls. You really going through with this?[/i][/color] Veronica's voice apparated in the pairs head. [color=bc8dbf][i]Yeah we are. We're gonna kick some ass. Just you wait- we're gonna get a lot of fuckin' money for this. More than we've ever had. The Twins are making a name for themselves.[/i][/color] No response. They felt Veronica and Kilroy watching through their eyes. Plinko might be there aswell, it was hard to tell. "Okay. Three...two...one...let's go!" Jericho kicked down the door and ducked inside. The masked twins followed behind. Phoebe's heart was racing and Jassaliah was hopped up on adrenaline, a grin plastered across her face. It was a brief gunfight. Everything faded into a muffled cacophany as shots rang out. The four gang members inside were taken completely by surprise. Two of them were gunned down in a hail of gunfire as they fumbled for their pistols laying on the table. Phoebe and Jassaliah focused fire on a young woman who's gun fired off as she hit the floor. One of the men got a shot off but missed. It whissed underneath Phoebe's arm, and she returned fire and he crumpled to the ground. Breathing heavily, she smiled and looked over at Jassaliah, who gave her a thumbs up. It was so hard to believe. Her right ribs stung and ached, as if that bullet had struck her. Phoebe felt that area, and all was well. Her hearing was still recovering and her hands were shaking. [color=bc8dbf][i]Okay, then. Color me impressed. [/i][/color] Jassaliah scooped Phoebe up in her arms and gave her a huge hug. Their idenity as Twins was a fascade, but the two clearly thought of each other as sisters and had the closest bond out of anyone. "Fuck yes! Nice work, everyone." Jericho said, kicking at a corpse. He was standing at a large wooden table. There were cardboard boxes of cocaine, and stacks of cash scattered about. Phoebe picked up a clipboard, her fingers trembling. [color=bc8dbf]"Looks like there's about twenty five grand worth of stuff here. Think the cops will show up?"[/color] Jassaliah shook her head. [color=bc8dbf]"Nah, they rarely come round here anymore. Especially in this warehouse, this place was chosen for a reason. Clean kills."[/color] Jericho agreed. "Alright. That's about eight thousand for you ladies." He said, counting the bills out. "Let's get this cleaned up and ready to go." Veronica's thoughts wandered away from the Twins. Sweat had appeared on her foreheads and her palms as the pure adrenaline of combat bled over into her own body. [color=bc8dbf]"Wow. That was intense."[/color] Kilroy nodded and began looking back at her laptop. Her corner of the room was barren. Unlike the clothes strewn about Bloodrose's bedroll, or the books, magazines, video game console and TV Veronica claimed, all Kilroy had was a little laptop. [color=bc8dbf]"You ever look away from that laptop?" [/color]Veronica asked, incredulous. Kilroy shrugged. [color=bc8dbf]"It has everything I need." [/color] -Midtown- Mary leaned her forehead against the wall of the bathtub and let the water run down her back. Closing her eyes, she saw the image of that woman's face right up infront of her. She was all she could think about. Unbeknownst the rest of the Identia, the Shadowbroker had gotten beneath Mary's skin. The motel was okay. The wallpaper curled and the lights were dim, and the TV was curved, but all in all it was just fine. At least she was safe and alone. [color=bc8dbf][i]Hey. Are you- oh, sorry.[/i] [i]Don't worry about it. [/i][/color]Mary's clothes were crumpled in a pile on the floor of the bathroom. Her phone was sitting on a desk next to the bed in the other room. The door into the bathroom was open, and Mary could see her phone if she looked at it but was preoccupied with washing herself. [color=bc8dbf][i]Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to take point on meeting this Shadowbroker woman you ran into last night.[/i][/color] Mary tensed up. Shadowbroker, Shadowbroker, Shadowbroker. Mary would be fine if she never saw her face or heard that name in her life. Was that all Mary was? The Epsilon who met Shadowbroker? Fortunately, Mary thought, thinking like this is different from thinking aloud. Thinking aloud? [color=bc8dbf][i]I don't know. You know her best. Couldn't someone else go? Maybe. But you know her best. And you know the streets best. She almost killed me, V. You were fine! Come on. You really gonna ask Plinko to do it? Plinko doesn't have to do anything. What about Abi? What about Abi? She's even worse at talking than you are. If that's even possible.[/i] [/color] Mary sighed and closed her eyes.[i][color=bc8dbf] Fine. Whatever.[/color] [color=bc8dbf]Don't be like that. I'm not. Can you back off? I'm trying to take a shower. Whatever. Chill out. I'm gone.[/color][/i] Mary could feel the difference. It was like Veronica had entered the room with her. It felt odd, to have someone else in her head. Veronica tried to push in 'maximum effeciency' and have the Epsilons talk back and forth without ever saying anything. The silence, despite the room being filled with chatter, was unbearable. And no one knew whether to look each other in the eyes or not. Or when someone was paying attention. It was like anyone could call her up at any moment and she would have no choice but to answer. Veronica doesn't get it. She can just block us out. Maybe we can talk to her about it. Mary turned off the shower and the water dripped down to the floor in erratic taps. After a few moments she gathered up her clothes and wrapped a towel around herself, not bothering to do anything to spare her hair that dangled at her shoulders, and laid down on the bed, soaking it in the process. She grabbed the remote and turned on some garbage to watch.