FourtyTwo

Burning Rubber (Bee and kingkonrad)

Seb waited on Ellie's go, noting that she was quiet, quieter than usual, almost silent and honed in on the task at hand. The noise of squealing down below reminded the two of what they were doing, and as silly as it was, this was a hell of a way to get their kicks.
"Let's do this."

--------

Ross sat in the BMW, the dark grey M4 GTS his more "normal" car for these streets, a car that felt ready. For a half mile sprint, give or take, this was a simple run. And when his walkie talkie buzzed, he looked across to Kimberly, watching her already spin up the four wheels of her Impreza, before blasting off, following suit. He kept his window open, as he went through the gears of the automatic, clicking satisfyingly through gears with the semi-auto, the standing half a mile something that Kimberly had the lead on, but he was gonna keep up, as the speedometer kept climbing, and climbing...

-----

The dive was simple, it was a brisk leap forwards, opening his arms and legs and flying right behind Ellie, keeping straight on, following close behind her, flying past other skyscrapers like giant steel and glass mountains of their own, as he kept on his shit, following tight but with a little margin. It wasn't a long dive, usually, this would have been a short one, it would have been a hop and pop, but with the wingsuits, it was about 10 to 15 seconds longer. That gave them more margin, and that was something that in this incalculably difficult moment, was something he could hold onto.

But what was so different was the sight of two lights beneath them, and they really were racing the cars beneath, given that they could go from 0-120 rather quickly was enough to at least get them closer and closer, and whilst from high altitude overtaking cars on a motorway was not unknown, this was totally different. This was gaining on a pair of very quick cars, and the distinctive yellow and blue beneath were coming close.

Still following on Ellie's lead and keeping her in the shot, he backed off, flaring the speed he had as much as he could in the suit, feeling pretty satisfied with the distance and speed from a standing object. The flare was tight, actually pulling back a few feet of height and killing his forward speed- a perfect chance to throw out the pilot chute. Pitching nicely as he felt the canopy roar open, grey and blue in colour, the two cars beneath skidding to a stop, he chuckled. Ellie's followed suit right in front as he kept her in frame, as he knew it would be up to the footage to tell who just won that one, them or the cars. It was a relatively low pull nonetheless, as he flared hard, barely able to even unzip his legs out before landing straight onto the road, waddling in awkwardly as he landed on the street, wooping as he let the parachute fall onto the floor.

-------------

Ross slammed on the brakes, as he saw the two canopies thunder open in front of him, before Seb and Ellie landed on the tarmac, already aware that this shit was probably the most insane race that he had ever done. And he couldn't help but grin, as he watched on.
"Now that is fucking cool..." He could only slyly comment, his hands sweating from the fact that there was no way he was

Opening the door at his side, he saw Seb run over, canopy in hand, lobbing it into the back behind the seat
"Shit, we need to go!" He yelled, as Ross chuckled, knowing that with great illegality, of doing a standing half mile down a street and assisting in a bit of a trespass was not exactly the best of things to be done for at midnight in LA. So he was gonna go.

"Got it, boss." Ross effortlessly clunked into first as the M4's rear wheels lit up, as he turned around, keeping the walkie-talkie to Kimberly on his dash active, knowing that they'd need to split up.
"I'll head towards South Central, head the other way Kimberly, and we'll see each other later on, let's lose this heat!" He called out to his wife, as he turned hard on one of the blocks, the rear wheels let out a little through the bend, Ross keeping it tight to miss a cab, as he headed over the old tramway, before braking hard again and heading down the hill, away from the building with a pace that was going to leave the police stumped.

Burning Rubber (Bee and kingkonrad)

Hugging Kimberly, before watching her run off to the SUV, he could only chuckle.
"Hell yeah, that was awesome!" He said to her, as he watched her run off, like an exited child. Then again, she had won just a very big street race.

Turning to Ellie, he chuckled, knowing she had a point, but his wife wasn't like that.
"She'll share. We always do, in any big races." The wait was killing him internally, he had to say, as he looked back at Ellie.
"Glad you enjoyed the ride. Hey, it's good to ride with you. Like old times." He was interrupted as Kimberly came back, to announce exactly what she'd won.

He was a little shocked. 10 million? What the fuck? That wasn't street racing money, a 1000 maybe at most, $5K but not that much!
"What the hell?" Ross asked, his confusion turning to joy, as he hugged Kimberly, giggling.
"Okay, you won. But remember, this is for us." He nodded, chuckling, as he walked up to her, holding her hand as they looked out over the airport

Seb looked over, nodding.
"You drove like a madwoman, fraulein. But that was incredible. Well done." He said, as he knew that no doubt, this was a time to celebrate, and that was surely going to gloat to Ross in no time.

-----------

OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBkHHoOIIn8
Portugal.The Man, Feel it Still

Back at the house, Ross had also paid mind to the conversation, sitting close by Kimberly.
"They're offering you work as a getaway driver if they are. They'll give you a fast Audi or BMW, and your job is to drive as fast as possible. Transporter style. I mean....the risk is high. Reward is too. And while you made us more money than any street race I'll ever do...I know what this means to you, sweetie." Ross said, reassuringly as he embraced her, sighing a little.
"I'm with you all the way. Look. Let's think about it. This is a big deal, for both of us. We make a decision as a couple on these things, and we've had our fair share of close calls. Mia has a lot of potential, and I want her to have the best upbringing. Without us, it won't mean a lot." He added, knowing he was the type of person that actually DID these things more often than not, in the UK that was what he did. A wheelman.

And yet, it felt like the first proper time he'd come clean on it. He had grown into his responsibilities. And knew that when money like that was thrown around, this was not a small time deal. This was big.
"Listen. If they have $10 million to give to a little street race, they are paying for talent that gets way more than that stolen. That means they would want to steal something big, you know. So whatever you do, don't get in over your head. For both of us. This is me saying it, okay?" Ross said, to the point yet calm, warm in his embrace, as he kissed her on the forehead, letting her lean against his shoulder.

"It'll be alright, my love. Whatever you think is right, we'll do." He added, as they spent a few more minutes there, just taking the quiet in.

Heading downstairs after a few minutes, Ross took in the party that had become so impromptu, the amount of cars parked outside was mad, the upstairs was quiet at least, so Mia could get some sleep with Kimberly's sis. It was clearly popular, with Ellie and Seb on the couch, chilling and drinking various energy drinks. The new age, no alcohol he thought to himself, these were adrenaline junkies of the vehicular and airborne kind.

Seb looked over, mid sentence as he was talking to Ellie.
"The only catch is, we are going to need to break in. This one isn't going to be legal, I found out...so maybe let's not upload this one?" He mentioned over to Ellie, as he saw Ross.
"Hey man, you good?" Seb asked, as Ross nodded.
"Yeah, we're alright. Tell you what. We down for this little adventure of yours?"
"We're ready when you are. Just give us a ride, we'll let you know when. We need a fast exfil on this one. This is a hell of a stunt we're pulling."
"Sure is. Think you can handle getting in?" Ross asked, as Seb chuckled, trying not to laugh but he had a shit-eating grin with the worst response he could have.
"We have disguises."
"I swear to God.....are you joking?"

-----------

Seb led the way, leaving the elevator, wearing a highly reflective vest, and a white helmet on. Generic, but they were working on the building site at the top of the building. And it had gotten them past one security guard so far. His gear bag stowed over his back, containing pretty much everything, and a smug look on his face.
"That should not have worked." Seb laughed, still aware that this was as stupid as it got, and Ellie in the same attire seemed to work just as well. For now, it had to stay on while the cameras were pointing their way, and they still had stairs to go up. In the pitch black.

As they headed up through the floors, Seb looked back at Ellie, knowing she was more the leader of the two of them, more than usual at least. That what made their partnership so good. They furthered each other, pushing one another, and they were getting into the flow and rhythm of it. There was no weak link. They were just as good as one another.
"Good old days. This is black-hat BASE. Doing it for the sheer tally. I guess we have more marketing stuff to do in the week, anyway. This is....well, I think they'll have fun trying to keep up with us. Let's keep it tight, Ellie." Seb was not an idiot when it came to stuff like this, BASE jumping was after all, an extreme sport but sometimes that meant breaking a few rules. Legal ones too.

Buildings were not normally that welcoming to BASE jumpers, given the nature of the sport, and sometimes that meant breaking in. That in itself was a rush, it was just like how Ross and Kimberly raced cars, it was getting into a place you shouldn't have been, trespassing a bit then leaving without taking the elevator.

The last staircase took them to the last floor, the last one that they were going to be able to access. The windows were installed, all apart from a pane missing on an access point on the western side, the office in full refurb clearly, and this being a site for an exterior walkway to be installed. At some point. Of course, it was fenced off and the appropriate health and safety measures had been taken, but it was easy to get out through. Dropping the gear bag, Seb took the high-visibility vest and white plastic helmet off, breathing out.
"Shit. We'll have to radio our friends at the bottom. Hopefully they don't get a parking charge waiting on us." Seb added, as he pulled out his distinctive black, grey and blue wingsuit, with a black and blue container, with a grey full-faced helmet to follow, a GoPro distinctly set up on top. Looking across to Ellie, he nodded.

"Kinda never stops getting real right?" Seb gave a grin, knowing the adrenaline always pumped, even in places like this, as he began to set his wingsuit and rig up. Slowly and surely, he set up, the wingsuit the same as the kind that they'd used in Norway, a high-performance, fast wingsuit model, something a little unruly to fly sometimes but still, something. It took a lot of physical pressure to fly one, but he knew that Ellie and himself were up to it, and after a few seasons in the Alps and in parts of the US and Canada, that always stayed.

Doing his last legstrap up, he slid his helmet on over his head, before approaching Ellie, checking her straps, as well as the pins on the BASE rig, as well as running through the rest of the check.
"So, let's run through it. Exit is simple. Dive, fly straight on, and keep going straight on, the boulevard goes right between a lot of tall buildings so we have only one way out. Really push the performance out. We'll keep a nice separation, I'll deploy nice and early, so it gives you plenty of time. Nice and easy. " He asked, as he finished up, then opening up his leg and arm wings, letting Ellie check him over, almost an unsaid thing.

After Ellie had checked him, he adjusted the walkie-talkie that he had kept out with the rest of the building site gear, picking up Ross and Seb on the line.
"Okay, thirty seconds till we go. We'll give you the head start. Light up some tyre smoke, watch the skies above you. This is a race, right? See you on the ground." Taking the radio, he popped it on a pocket on the front of his suit, tucking in deep and out of the way, as he looked to Ellie, smirking.
"Ready?" He asked, as he kissed her gently, before turning the window, standing toward one side to let Ellie set up, and lead the flight in her bright white and golden suit. This was going to be quite something. the view of Los Angeles from up here was just ridiculous, and some part of him that screamed inside reminded him this was very, very real.

Juggernauts (BigPapaBelial and kingkonrad) IC

Markus stayed at the wheel, foot to floor, keeping it going.

The Land Rovers in pursuit were aware of the high-velocity round flying at them, and were watching their sectors, with a couple backing off.
"Keep raising hell!" Markus yelled at Eric, as they thundered over a bump, letting Eric dispatch the two Land Rovers on their tail, using his MG36 as he focussed on the road. And it was looking good. They were putting distance between them and their pursuit vehicles behind them, and Eric seemed to be able to at least ward them off, if not entirely kill them.

And that was the moment Markus didn't see it on that tiny dirt track, they were close too. The other armoured vehicle slammed out of the trees, hitting the rear quarter, as the German attempted to countersteer. It wasn't working. They were gonna tip. And with this speed, he already knew to brace.

-------------

Coughing, his vision slowly came back, as he undid the seatbelt, lower down in the forest valley and the distant noise of a stream audible. They had come down into the bottom of the valley, the crash had been significant and they were above a slight drop into the river beneath, he could tell that much...but the Commander was missing.

The two armoured soldiers stood watching, clearly none too pleased, as Markus coughed, clambering for his gun, which had been knocked from the position in the side of the door. One step, another....kick.

He came down to the floor, barely sitting on his knees, as one of the armoured troops hit him hard with the butt of their M249, pulling the damaged helm from his head, looking on as he took Markus's own hands and zip tied them around his back, taking any weaponry out of his vest. It was the same to Eric, as the German looked across at his friend, then back at the two imposing figures in front.
"You can't run forever. You did well to go this far. But not good enough." The accent was muted through the man's helmet, as he looked at his arm, the German flag and the insignia.
"They're private contractors. Fair game for us." The armoured man said to his friend, as he knelt down.

"Do you know who we are?" The man asked, visor still down, accent still muffled.
"You're a fucking piece of shit, I can tell that much! Eric, keep your fucking voice shut!" Markus yelled back, as the armoured figure chuckled, looking across.

"Pieces of shit. Well then. You are feisty." He looked on, their face covered by a balaclava, his armour probably that and above that of what Ross and Carl used, clearly Western with a mixture of Russian features, significant indeed and enough to take a pounding with.

"We are a part of an organisation that is the black mirror to your West. And for this long, you have always had the upper hand. Not any more. You stumbled upon something you really shouldn't have. The damage is limited, you fought a good game. But I think your time has ran out. If you at least had some official presence, we'd have at least been able to sell you to a terror cell that pays top dollar for captured soldiers. But you're a contractor. You, and your friend." He sighed, as he let his M249 hang from a carrying point on his webbing, shaking his head.

"So we have no worth out of you. End of the line, as you would say. Your friend was at least a little more respectful. I think....we'll have fun with him. He can be of use to us in time. But we only need one of you." It didn't sound any less sinister, as he looked across at his friend, the other armoured soldier removing their helm, though she was certainly a lot of uglier now he saw it. Not exactly the last thought he had in his head, as he resisted, pulling downward on the zip tie, nothing.

"Eric, don't fucking give in!" Markus yelled, as the armoured lady chuckled.
"Is that the best you have for last words?" She looked across at his still helmed friend, watching him draw a rather horrible looking knife. Markus bit his tongue, and for a moment, the world stopped, his heartbeat quickened, every single smell, every noise, everything just went visceral, everything came into view, as the man knelt, turning the knife in his hand, before grabbing his head from the back and cutting open his throat, before shoving his lifeless body onto the floor, Markus's world turning from colour to black, from life to death.

The other two dragged the body over the edge, pushing Markus's lifeless corpse over into the ravine and the river, momentarily absent from Eric, who was still tied. Perhaps it would be enough for him to do something, perhaps not.

----------

The commander had been recovered, and was heading up, flanked by a number of other soldiers, well, just about four for now. He clearly was tired, and was angry at them for the lack of security. It was a poor effort, he kept yelling and swearing at them. It was actually a help for someone.

With the sub-sonic plink, the first of the 7.62mm rounds found home in one of the commander's soldiers, the second turning around and looking for the shooter. But she was quick. Magpie was good at what she did, she may have been young, barely 20, but the training she had recieved and work she had undertaken made her capable as a ghost.

The next three were all headshots, like a hunter stalking their prey, before the commander himself, drawing his own pistol, received a bullet in both his kneecaps, falling to the ground in a heap of body. Shooting that even Nolan would have been impressed by, no doubt, as she gently rested her face away from the scope, emerging from the forest floor like she was invisible.

Revealing herself from her ghillie hide, the shooter was clad in a black long-sleeved shirt that tightly clung to her body, a light body armour vest, a beanie and black and dark green facepaint, her gear all in black, her hair tucked in and it's colour lost beneath the hat and the shirt she wore. A Russian-made SVU in her hands, she knew that it had been difficult making the hunt on the motorbike through the forest. Markus and Eric didn't know her, they wouldn't, given she was there in a very different context. She was...well, freelance. Had a set of skills that many senior operatives wouldn't even dream of having. While they had gone in for data recovery, she had wanted this man.

And when they evolved their mission to grab both, she knew that she had to be ready when things went to shit. She understood exactly the enemy they were up against. Magpie was young, yes, but she was a warrior, first and foremost. And while they were close, she had followed this up, fast. Her mission had been very different to begin with, but after watching the events at the camp unfold differently, her usually trigger-free method had changed. Like anything in this line of work, she was aware that she could now strike and that she did, to get this bastard into custody. And after he was in Blue Sword's extraction, she would vanish again. Because that was what Magpies did. They stole very high value things, and weren't really seen.

Walking up she grabbed the comander's plate carrier.
"You don't get off that easy. Now shut the fuck up." Her accent was distinctly Norwegian, distinctly thick, as she felt him scream out, her strength able to drag him to the the armoured vehicle that was intended for his pickup. Leaving him in, she ran towards the cliffside, seeing one of the armoured soldiers running up. She didn't want to stay, but took pity on the two mercenaries who had gotten themselves in a very deep pit of shit. And one less of them would help. It was just so convenient that one of them had decided it was a non-helmet wearing day. Silly bitch. All that armour...yet Magpie didn't need to even readjust her sight for the movement and distance. She dropped a knee, and shot once. With it, the ugly armoured woman was on the floor, with a large Russian 7.62mm round in her head. And their friend was firing up the hill. A good moment to get the fuck out, running back to the armoured vehicle and past the berm, leaving her dead corpse and their friend who was rather angry behind.

With that, she clambered in and drove off, and in a funny taste of irony, the armoured soldier had been left behind again, as she felt the gearbox clunk in and the road ahead, now empty of any hostiles, clear for her route back. The armoured soldier at the bottom of the hill ran up, without Eric, still distracted from the scene unfolding, only half keeping an eye on him.

Game of Thrones : The Pact of Ice and Fire (Always Open)

@Abefroeman

I haven't actually written her response. Likely she got it- I'll come around to that plot sometime into the future. :)

Burning Rubber (Bee and kingkonrad)

Ross was quick, but Kimberly was driving like a woman alive, she was going for it and no doubt, Seb was having a hell of a ride in the passenger seat. Dropping a gear, the rotary roared as they entered the garage, catching a little air almost as he hit the brakes, passing a awkwardly parked car in the lot, chasing the frontunners. He had to keep going, he said to himself internally, and he knew that Ellie was going to have her heart pounding from what came next.

The ramps were steep, and he had to slow, or he'd rip the entirety of the undercarrige, it slowed him more and would mean he wouldn't catch. A disadvantage in hindsight, but he wasn't going to hit the ground running on the other side. He'd hit it skidding. The low weight on the rear wheels as they rolled onto the second level combined with a bit of clutch kick sent the rear wheels skidding, drifting elegantly around the tight lot, and into the next ramp, a cloud of smoke pouring out of the ruining rear tyres, as he followed it up the next ramp, a little immersed in it, far more sideways and far more aggressive, the redline closer and the Mazda going hell for leather. But it wasn't enough, even by the next one.

Kimberly's Mustang roared, the Pony car that had the heart of a warhorse in it in front of the Evo, as Ross chased the Evo, unable to take him despite the power advantage. He let it go, aware of his passenger, as he downshifted, the gearbox sounding as Victorian as it could get, the sequential clanking like he had pulled a cog with a sledgehammer, yet it was fast and transferred power down with a subtle whine and exhaust run-off popping. The RS7s were waiting, and there was no doubting that he had given it his all. Sometimes it wouldn't be enough, and in a car like this, it had proven itself. Another project car that had made it's mark, and it felt like a hell of a machine.

Finding a parking spot, he looked across to Ellie, Ross only nodding.
"You okay?" Ross said, still almost locked into his Wheelman mode, as he breathed out.
"That was fun. I mean....she got us this time. Bet she'll be smug." Ross added, shaking his head with a smirk, as he undid his harness, opening the door and clambering out, to join Kimberly.

Sierra Vanguard (Espionage RP)

Kingmaker's phone buzzed again.
"Section."
"Kingmaker, we have a fix from what your man just did. The device he's carrying, whatever fucking magic he just did, it's enough to point the direction. We have him headed west, CCTV has tapped him to the Docklands Light Railway station at Canary Wharf, five minutes ago. He's likely on a train and has covered some distance. Our analysts are combing everything....it fits the profile. He's hiding incredibly well. This man is not easy to follow."

"He'll try and put distance between us and him. Can we get an exact fix?"
"Other analysts can't. But we're watching the cameras....we'll see him. He's nearly at the end of the line at Bank if the timing works out, he's hiding from any cameras after the stop at Canary Wharf. We have armed police moving onto site and across the Underground network, but we don't want another Menzies here. The man is going to pass off as anyone."
"Then we're fucked." Martin replied succinctly, as Section audibly agreed. Bank Station was an Underground station in the City of London, and with numerous Underground lines coming out of it, things would only get nasty if they couldn't make this work.

"My point exactly. Get your team to Bank. Cut him off. We'll get our camera feeds. Keep honing in and watch the CCTV in, look for identifying features, whatever Bugcatcher has, feed the intel upwards and we'll scrub it. See if you can get an exact fix if he tries anything. Suspect could be armed, and we don't know if he is alone from there."
"Shit....understood, Section. Bugcatcher's feed is open to your analysts still. We'll dispatch our team there. Out."

Kingmaker disconnected, shaking his head.
"Fuck." He was not normally this discontented, he was in control, even in chaos.

But there was a man about to get off a train who had planted an explosive that had rocked a skyscraper in the East End of London. And he was walking into the City of London, at a major junction of almost four different Tube lines.

There were usually higher stakes than this, Kingmaker reminded himself, but this was at home. Not in some remote shithole somewhere. This could quickly turn into a terrorist attack, and no doubt, the man wouldn't go easy. Armed Police just wouldn't have the information to head him off fast enough, even if he could transmit it, they wouldn't be ready. But his team were.

"Liberty, Lancaster, we have a potential fix. Head to Bank, ASAP, foot to floor, we are intercepting a potential agent. Standby for further orders."

"Bugcatcher, get me cameras, and comb this bastard. He should be on a train, we need to find which one. You're working for your paycheck today I'm afraid..." Martin added, watching on.

---------

Thom swore, as they barely passed the bollards, the car screeching to a halt, as he opened the door.
"Get in!" He yelled at Liberty, clambering out, MPX at the ready, as he opened the seat, revealing a tiny space in the back, before noticing her hobble.
"Shit...her leg's had it. Liberty, can you drive?" He asked her, knowing George was gonna hate him for this.

"We need two of us on foot. If you can take the wheel....we can get the rest. Clutch isn't too steep on this right?" Thom asked shyly, as he knew he'd have to clamber into the back, into the bag hold almost, knowing that things were going to get real.

"We need to get to Bank. Fastest way should be sent through on the GPS. Just drive, and we'll head in, and get this bastard. I'll prep non-lethals." He added, as he opened up one of the seats in the back, pulling out another P226, loading in a set of specialised tranquilliser darts, not too indifferent to what Liberty was using in her accurate M9, setting it up for one of the other two.

Game of Thrones : The Pact of Ice and Fire (Always Open)

Cooking up a short collab- should be up soon :)

Game of Thrones : The Pact of Ice and Fire (Always Open)

@MrDidact

This is the point where I'm like, well, I haven't very much disclosed what the Tyrells want- the political game is so varied that I tend not to run a standard narrative, but tend to run it a little more deceptively. I think I've disclosed what I've intended for my main characters- but it does adjust a little from time to time, and certain plots or ideas can vary or change. Definitely am interested to see in what way it develops- I do see the Reach being a force in politics, a little more than it used to be, but some of it is more about maintaining power rather than trying to earn it.

Game of Thrones : The Pact of Ice and Fire (Always Open)

@Applo

Sure, just send it and we can get to work. :)

@agentmanatee

Ooooh, interesting. He'd make a really good sparring partner with Ellion potentially :)

Burning Rubber (Bee and kingkonrad)

Ross was close, pulling off the highway and pulling a long drift onto the next road, adjusting the angle as the rotary screamed, slamming a gear and clutch kicking out, feeling the torque nearly shift the whole chassis impossibly, as he knew that Kimberly had been out of his sight for a while. She'd found another way, no doubt, as he barely overtook a modified Subaru BRZ, highly so, given how quick it was holding pace. He knew that would be the way it was, with any street race, it was always tight for a reason.

He didn't follow Kimberly, though he had taken a different route, going the main way into the garage. He had punched his way into the top three, as he saw Kimberly come in, the Mustang roaring as Ross knew that his own tyres would have to be taken steady. The compound wasn't particularly soft, but it was like butter and boiling hot when you were shredding it through corners and creating a smokescreen. Seeing Kimberly, he followed her in, barely darting past another car as it too flight over the entry ramp, hitting in a hail of sparks and uncomfortable noises. He had to follow her up, and there was one car, right in front that she could take.