Post by Rhythm on Nov 1, 2018 21:17:27 GMT -4
The place was of ill repute, but if Ashley avoided every place that was of ‘ill repute’ she’d hardly have anywhere interesting left to go.
It was a tinkerer’s shop, of that one could tell. It was a place Ashley had learned of while buying drinks at a seedy bar in downtown Tokyo, a name that had gotten Ashley just what she’d wanted; someone that could make her a suit. Or, at least, the beginnings of one. At the moment she was using nothing more than a mask to cover the bottom half of her face. That still left the scar across her nose and her eyes that left quite a distinctive impression. Ashley huffed at the thought, though she grudgingly admitted that covering her whole face was probably for the best.
The full length catsuit she’d been presented was simple and easy to get on and off, a trait that Ashley desired and had specifically asked for. It was normally used for bikers to avoid road rash if they crashed, so it wouldn’t prevent bladed weapons or bullets but it did cover her up and she looked the part with it on, something she felt that normal attire just didn’t emanate. Also, the cat helmet with the build in speaker was a nice touch, and while yellow wasn’t her favorite color she accepted it as it was. The person that had fixed it up for her had tinkered with it in a fashion that her iPod could be hooked up wirelessly, with the ability to change her tracks on the iPod with simple taps on the side of her helmet. It was a neat setup, though she wondered if there was a way she could improve on it. She still had a bit of cash to spend, though, and decided on a pair of black combat boots, steel-toed and polished to a high sheen.
The man behind the counter, calling himself “The Provider”, bowed as she left and Ashley felt the man staring at her rear end as she exited the store into the dingy alley it was home to. The entire process left her wallet feeling lighter, though she brushed it off with the logical reasoning of her needing these products to be a successful hero, vigilante or not. She’d stuck her nose in on something that wasn’t her business once and had gotten her face all over the news for it. They never had a clear shot of Bluey though, so at least he’d gotten off. But the news channel that had aired the original footage was offering for a lead on her identification, and she really couldn’t afford that.
A half an hour later saw Ashley on the roof of her dingy hotel, getting her catsuit zipped up and helmet locked on tight. She tested the music system on the helmet and nearly jumped out of her skin when ‘Smooth Criminal’ blasted into her ears and seemed to reverberate inside of her head. A few minutes of playing saw Ashley figure out the rather simple and ingenious system, telling herself she should familiarize herself with the equipment more when she had time. For now, she was going to go out and follow up on a lead she’d gleaned from the same group she’d drank with two nights previous, about a supposedly ‘easy score’ that would involve little work and a lot of pay.
The person talking, a balding middle aged man with huge glasses that made his eyes beady, was obviously drunk and talking to a group of about five men, each likely no older than the posted drinking age. She remembered being ‘passed out’ as the man spoke, her head down on the bar as the man spoke. He was cautious despite his drunkenness, but he promised the eager men around him that it was legit, that his information was credible, and all he wanted was another round of beer, a pizza, and five percent. So of course he got what he wanted, the men got what they wanted and Ashley got what she was looking for. One of the men, a taller man with a scruffy beard and a unibrow, seemed to draw every one attention to himself with nothing but gruff command, and Ashley assumed this man was the leader.
“Two nights,” he said, nodding knowingly towards the balding man they’d gotten the information from. “If what he says is true…”
“If half of what he says is true…”
“Shut up!!” Unibrow waved his hand at the one speaking, and then looking around to see if anyone was looking in their direction. “The only reason we’re here is ‘cause my cousin said this guy is the real deal. So, two nights. No talking, got it?”
But Ashley had been listening the whole time, and the name of the building was one of the first things the balding man had said. ‘Sato Construction’ it was called, though according to the balding man they did much more than construction. As far as he could tell, that construction equipment had been gathering dust for as long as he could remember, for almost two years now. What Sato Construction actually did, he informed them in hushed tones so quiet Ashley almost couldn’t hear, was smuggle in illegal drugs and art from other countries.
“What you need to do,” the balding man had said. “Is hit them when security is lowest. Guy on the inside told me this week they hafta transfer a lot of their workers to another site, which is bigger and has a huge shipment to deliver. Sato’s site will be almost empty. Now…” the man looked worried for a second, then held up a hand. “Even then, no guns. You won’t win, even with low security. Strictly non-lethal, no one needs to get hurt. Here…” he slid Unibrow a card. “Side door, Site B. Be careful.”
Ashley felt more than a little lucky having heard all of this, but didn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. It was the allotted day and Ashley had been around the construction site to take in the conditions and see the playing field, leaving her stakeout only to get some food and go to the bathroom. Unibrow never mentioned when they were going to hit the place and while Ashley thought the most likely time would be night she decided to err on the side of caution. She tried to think along the lines of the criminals and decided that, upon finding Site B that she would find a better point of entry for the side door she’d located, then crossed the street into one of the alleys where she could keep an eye on the traffic around the area, her vantage point being able to see any and all of those who entered or exited into Site B.
It was boring work, with Ashley rethinking the plan that was tumbling around in her head over and over again. She felt stuck inside her own head and she almost prayed a ‘thank you’ to whatever deity was listening to when night fell. Still the martial artist stuck to her alley, moving around only to keep her blood circulating and limbs from getting stiff. Was this what hero work actually looked like? It was a wonder so many wanted to get into it. As much as she’d like to get somewhere warm, these guys needed to be stopped. What if the drugs or guns these idiots ended up stealing killed someone else? That blood would be on her hands. Ashley had enough to feel guilty for. She didn’t need this.
Nearing midnight is when she heard them. By the point she had her outfit on and was in a state of hyper attention, where it seemed like she could hear any and all noise, where she seemed so aware of her surroundings. It was a moment before she realized they were coming down her alley, though they were being just as cautious as she was. Ashley scrambled out of the alley and away into the darkness where the streetlights didn’t reach. Despite their caution Ashley could hear their whispers in the dark.
“Don’t feel good about this. We can-”
“Turn back?” Ashley saw Unibrow look at one of the others, a hard look on his face. “You can, go. Go on. But me? I’m getting’ this score. Then I’m retiring, taking my mom away from this place. You wanna go, go.”
But the man Unibrow was talking to seemed to steel himself, shaking his head and muttering something Ashley couldn’t hear. Unibrow clapped him on the shoulder and the five of them moved on from dark patch to dark patch until they got to Sato Construction’s Site B. The main entrance was huge, but the side entrance, usually used for maintenance and janitorial staff, was small and poorly lit. It was here the five men stopped with Unibrow messing with the door while the other stood watch. Ashley smiled as she put on her helmet, loving the way it seemed to encompass her head and feel snug. She cracked her neck by tilting her head from side to side before she strolled out into the light. She heard the men gasp as she did so, all of them but Unibrow lifting weapons. The leader noticed his men’s attention wavering and stood up to see Ashley walking down upon them, her stride purposeful. He held up a hand and pointed at her.
“Get rid of her.”
One of them, the one holding a large metal bat, charged Ashley and swung. It was a reckless move, made by someone who was more confident in the fact that he was holding a weapon and his opponent was not. A flurry of punches and a knee to the chest later and the man flew back and landed with a loud ‘thud’ on the concrete, rolling over on all fours as he struggled to breath and coughing as he tried to do so. Ashley held up a hand, much in the manner of Bruce Lee, and beckoned them all forwards. There was a moment of silence as the other four stood there, then battle cries rang out as they all rushed forward to crush the would be hero.
It was a tinkerer’s shop, of that one could tell. It was a place Ashley had learned of while buying drinks at a seedy bar in downtown Tokyo, a name that had gotten Ashley just what she’d wanted; someone that could make her a suit. Or, at least, the beginnings of one. At the moment she was using nothing more than a mask to cover the bottom half of her face. That still left the scar across her nose and her eyes that left quite a distinctive impression. Ashley huffed at the thought, though she grudgingly admitted that covering her whole face was probably for the best.
The full length catsuit she’d been presented was simple and easy to get on and off, a trait that Ashley desired and had specifically asked for. It was normally used for bikers to avoid road rash if they crashed, so it wouldn’t prevent bladed weapons or bullets but it did cover her up and she looked the part with it on, something she felt that normal attire just didn’t emanate. Also, the cat helmet with the build in speaker was a nice touch, and while yellow wasn’t her favorite color she accepted it as it was. The person that had fixed it up for her had tinkered with it in a fashion that her iPod could be hooked up wirelessly, with the ability to change her tracks on the iPod with simple taps on the side of her helmet. It was a neat setup, though she wondered if there was a way she could improve on it. She still had a bit of cash to spend, though, and decided on a pair of black combat boots, steel-toed and polished to a high sheen.
The man behind the counter, calling himself “The Provider”, bowed as she left and Ashley felt the man staring at her rear end as she exited the store into the dingy alley it was home to. The entire process left her wallet feeling lighter, though she brushed it off with the logical reasoning of her needing these products to be a successful hero, vigilante or not. She’d stuck her nose in on something that wasn’t her business once and had gotten her face all over the news for it. They never had a clear shot of Bluey though, so at least he’d gotten off. But the news channel that had aired the original footage was offering for a lead on her identification, and she really couldn’t afford that.
A half an hour later saw Ashley on the roof of her dingy hotel, getting her catsuit zipped up and helmet locked on tight. She tested the music system on the helmet and nearly jumped out of her skin when ‘Smooth Criminal’ blasted into her ears and seemed to reverberate inside of her head. A few minutes of playing saw Ashley figure out the rather simple and ingenious system, telling herself she should familiarize herself with the equipment more when she had time. For now, she was going to go out and follow up on a lead she’d gleaned from the same group she’d drank with two nights previous, about a supposedly ‘easy score’ that would involve little work and a lot of pay.
The person talking, a balding middle aged man with huge glasses that made his eyes beady, was obviously drunk and talking to a group of about five men, each likely no older than the posted drinking age. She remembered being ‘passed out’ as the man spoke, her head down on the bar as the man spoke. He was cautious despite his drunkenness, but he promised the eager men around him that it was legit, that his information was credible, and all he wanted was another round of beer, a pizza, and five percent. So of course he got what he wanted, the men got what they wanted and Ashley got what she was looking for. One of the men, a taller man with a scruffy beard and a unibrow, seemed to draw every one attention to himself with nothing but gruff command, and Ashley assumed this man was the leader.
“Two nights,” he said, nodding knowingly towards the balding man they’d gotten the information from. “If what he says is true…”
“If half of what he says is true…”
“Shut up!!” Unibrow waved his hand at the one speaking, and then looking around to see if anyone was looking in their direction. “The only reason we’re here is ‘cause my cousin said this guy is the real deal. So, two nights. No talking, got it?”
But Ashley had been listening the whole time, and the name of the building was one of the first things the balding man had said. ‘Sato Construction’ it was called, though according to the balding man they did much more than construction. As far as he could tell, that construction equipment had been gathering dust for as long as he could remember, for almost two years now. What Sato Construction actually did, he informed them in hushed tones so quiet Ashley almost couldn’t hear, was smuggle in illegal drugs and art from other countries.
“What you need to do,” the balding man had said. “Is hit them when security is lowest. Guy on the inside told me this week they hafta transfer a lot of their workers to another site, which is bigger and has a huge shipment to deliver. Sato’s site will be almost empty. Now…” the man looked worried for a second, then held up a hand. “Even then, no guns. You won’t win, even with low security. Strictly non-lethal, no one needs to get hurt. Here…” he slid Unibrow a card. “Side door, Site B. Be careful.”
Ashley felt more than a little lucky having heard all of this, but didn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. It was the allotted day and Ashley had been around the construction site to take in the conditions and see the playing field, leaving her stakeout only to get some food and go to the bathroom. Unibrow never mentioned when they were going to hit the place and while Ashley thought the most likely time would be night she decided to err on the side of caution. She tried to think along the lines of the criminals and decided that, upon finding Site B that she would find a better point of entry for the side door she’d located, then crossed the street into one of the alleys where she could keep an eye on the traffic around the area, her vantage point being able to see any and all of those who entered or exited into Site B.
It was boring work, with Ashley rethinking the plan that was tumbling around in her head over and over again. She felt stuck inside her own head and she almost prayed a ‘thank you’ to whatever deity was listening to when night fell. Still the martial artist stuck to her alley, moving around only to keep her blood circulating and limbs from getting stiff. Was this what hero work actually looked like? It was a wonder so many wanted to get into it. As much as she’d like to get somewhere warm, these guys needed to be stopped. What if the drugs or guns these idiots ended up stealing killed someone else? That blood would be on her hands. Ashley had enough to feel guilty for. She didn’t need this.
Nearing midnight is when she heard them. By the point she had her outfit on and was in a state of hyper attention, where it seemed like she could hear any and all noise, where she seemed so aware of her surroundings. It was a moment before she realized they were coming down her alley, though they were being just as cautious as she was. Ashley scrambled out of the alley and away into the darkness where the streetlights didn’t reach. Despite their caution Ashley could hear their whispers in the dark.
“Don’t feel good about this. We can-”
“Turn back?” Ashley saw Unibrow look at one of the others, a hard look on his face. “You can, go. Go on. But me? I’m getting’ this score. Then I’m retiring, taking my mom away from this place. You wanna go, go.”
But the man Unibrow was talking to seemed to steel himself, shaking his head and muttering something Ashley couldn’t hear. Unibrow clapped him on the shoulder and the five of them moved on from dark patch to dark patch until they got to Sato Construction’s Site B. The main entrance was huge, but the side entrance, usually used for maintenance and janitorial staff, was small and poorly lit. It was here the five men stopped with Unibrow messing with the door while the other stood watch. Ashley smiled as she put on her helmet, loving the way it seemed to encompass her head and feel snug. She cracked her neck by tilting her head from side to side before she strolled out into the light. She heard the men gasp as she did so, all of them but Unibrow lifting weapons. The leader noticed his men’s attention wavering and stood up to see Ashley walking down upon them, her stride purposeful. He held up a hand and pointed at her.
“Get rid of her.”
One of them, the one holding a large metal bat, charged Ashley and swung. It was a reckless move, made by someone who was more confident in the fact that he was holding a weapon and his opponent was not. A flurry of punches and a knee to the chest later and the man flew back and landed with a loud ‘thud’ on the concrete, rolling over on all fours as he struggled to breath and coughing as he tried to do so. Ashley held up a hand, much in the manner of Bruce Lee, and beckoned them all forwards. There was a moment of silence as the other four stood there, then battle cries rang out as they all rushed forward to crush the would be hero.
