Futuristic Crsytal Oz (DEAD)

Sev

Sev stared at the orderly, but didn't get a chance to decide if they could trust him or not before he was cheerfully herding Sev and Nine off. But he knew Thirteen, and he was definitely another scarecrow. It was hard to tell, because he was solid and adult in a way most scarecrows never got the chance to be, but he was.

"Who are you?" Sev asked, still holding Nine up. "How do you know Thirteen?" They wished they could go faster, but Nine wasn't that much smaller than they were, and starting to tire.

Emerald eyes brightened at the sight of the embossed copper plate, passing his kerchief back. Then she blinked at the news of the shooting and warning about Pan. Magnolia nodded. She wouldn't be looking for murderers. She couldn't stand if she was close to someone dangerous.

No, really. Her legs buckle whenever she feels like danger is too close for her comfort, scared out of her wits.

"Of course. Thank you, Sir Le Grin - Oh! Wait-!" She leaned in a bit in his direction, worried and a bit frightened.

"Be careful if you see a tin with a cat mask. He killed a CEO named Eastman. I think they had a business deal of sorts before he murdered her, believing he was scammed out of something . . ." Magnolia bit her bottom lip for a moment. It was only fair to let Le Grin know, he did give her a warning about someone murderous. Might as well help him out too.

Zer0

Mr. Le Grin's ears perked up and a look of recognition crossed his features. "Thank you for telling me that, Ms. Noir. So you're on the same case too." he said thoughtfully, his tail swishing. "Please wait here a moment." He opened the door, went out for a couple of seconds, then came back after taking a quick glance around to make sure no one was eavesdropping, before closing and locking the door.

"I encountered him during the shoot-out this morning, Ms. Noir." he walked back to her, holding something in his paw. "Hence my missing arm." he rolled the shoulder stump. "Me, him and Pan were the ones fighting. I had no idea this was related to the murder of Evvamene Eastman. That cat mask man is a tin called The Agent, Ozymandias' trump card. He was looking for something, went into JJ's Repair shop to fix himself up and this . . ." he opened his paw. "Is his C-chip. Could you look into it for me? I'm not so good at crify, but I can follow you into the field and we can search together -- should make it faster to find out what he was looking for and what she scammed him out of. "

Katsuya TrashRabbit

"Okay . . ." Magnolia tilted her head as she watched Le Grin search the place after coming back in the room. Locking the door behind him after he checked as she stood back up and patted her puffy pumpkin like skirt. So Black Cat hired others to take a look on this case too.

As she listened to Le Grin, brows furrowed at the news of who was part of the shooting. Emerald eyes moved from his geared and furry face to his shoulder stump, she bit her bottom lip nervously. Her eyes looked back up at his face and jumped to the C-chip that's on his paw.

"Uh...I can try. I'm not a pro at crify but I can take a crack at it." She repeated herself, reaching out to grab the C-chip, and delicately took the chip. As she turned on her glove again, the witch-like woman wanted to correct Le Grin on something.

"Mr. Le Grin? I don't think Eastman scammed Agent. If anything, she didn't know the item was missing too when they checked her safe. A little scarecrow maid took it without Eastman knowing." She informed as she place the C-chip in her glove and tried to connect.

"Okay . . . " She muttered, nervously tuning her hearing aids again, and took a deep breathe to calm down.

Zer0 TrashRabbit

"What is this item?" asked Le Grin, curiously.

Suddenly he grabbed her glove as though he just realized it was a venomous snake. "Wait, Ms. Noir, there could be some dangerous malware in The Agent's chip. For safety, how about we rig it into a tin head? We won't be able to get at the data directly, but it would be safer and we can still interrogate him." he suggested.

After some discussion, Magnolia and Mr. Le Grin agreed on that plan. It wouldn't do them good to be seen leaving the shop together, so he gave her the address of a repair shop, owned by a certain Kaledescope Jones, a tin who sympathized with the Lizatko faction and was on the same vein of anti bio-humans pro robots as Pan, but is less awful and aggressive about it. "You can't miss her, she has a television head." added Mr. Le Grin, emphasizing with a paw. They were going to have her rig it on a head. "We'll rendezvous in an hour. If it's alright with you, Ms. Noir, will you go on ahead and carry the chip?"

After she had gone, Le Grin dashed up to his attic room, then pulled out the drawer that had his old gun. The murder of Evvamene Eastman . . . this case was not for a briefcase of bricks. He needed a better weapon.

The next hour found him in the shop of the eccentric Kaledescope Jones, as a customer here to see if she could fix up his arm and see to a proper repair of his chest. He pretended not to know Magnolia, only dropping the facade when they were safely at the back.

"Hooo, there don't look like much that needs repairing." she commented as she took a look at Le Grin's chest that had been disassembled with the furry cover off, so that now it was all a bare machination of clockwork gears, wires, all whirring and ticking inside a steel frame dotted with holes. His body was constructed light, with struts on his limbs that had coil springs that made him look flexible and as though he was better able to absorb damage from falling without destruction. "That Pan did a good job considering the situation."

"I"m still angry he shot me." said Mr. Le Grin on the chair. "Gave me a lecture too." he scoffed.

"Well, I think he meant well. He didn't repair ya to put bugs in ya that's for sure. It's all clean here." said Jones, her tv head flickering to show a smiley face.

She had greeted Magnolia enthusiastically after learning she was Lizatko, warning them both about the shoot outs in the slums today, the one at JJ's, the one between Pan and Atlantis and a third one- a big shoot out down in the tunnels. People are saying that one of the sides was the lost bots. She had asked them if they knew anything and that was when Le Grin told her about the one at JJ's.

Underneath the shop in a secured room was the tin head rigged with The Agent's chip. Jones gave Magnolia free reign to it, while she repaired Le Grin. It stood now wedged between a book and a toolkit to keep it from falling. The door was closed, and there were no windows. The way the room was made muffled noises from the outside too. It was all dark and dusty, save for one bright lamp hanging from the ceiling.

"All I could see was that it was square shaped and it fit in her palm." Magnoila replied, close to connecting only to tense up when a paw grabbed her glove. Her breathe stuck in her lungs as she listened and soon she lets it out in a sigh of relief. Did he had to be sudden? Scared the living dickens out of her.

'Ah, but he does have a point.' Magnolia pondered, taking the chip out of her glove. After discussing with the robotic cat, the cleaning lady agreed to leave with the chip safely tucked in between her notebook first. "I'll see ya soon, Mr. Le Grin - Oh! One more thing-!" She paused by the door, spun around, and said "Just call me Magnolia or Maggy. Either one is fine."

Smiling brightly, she left the candy shop after thanking the shop worker for letting her rest at the back. Within that hour of travel, the witch-like woman was looking for information of where Eastman could be. She did remember from overhearing a couple of higher-up workers in the East Sector that the tin are assembled in the ECE neighborhood and that new tins go to tech school for a few weeks. Acting like a student in a public high school (because she does look young enough to be a teen), Magnolia asked around. Of course, lots of the folks in the East Section didn't want to answer her even if it's a school report. Okay, sure it was a fake school report but she's pretty sure that kids would want to have first-hand information like this too. Yet barely anyone wants to say anything. However one decent guy in the company next to the ECE (one of many, she figured) mentioned about yesterdays batch being contracted out to a zoomer company called Iris INC.

"Thank you so much, Sir!! Heheheh!" Magnolia chimed brightly, waving at the suited guy goodbye as he left the trains. When she realized the time, the witch-like lady made her way to the meeting spot over at the repair shop of one eccentric Kaledescope Jones. Acting as if she just wanted to see all of the different tech the lady has to offer. Emerald eyes wandered back at the television head of the repair woman, a quirk from the corner of her lips flashed an admiring grin.

This lady looks so cool~

No later then a second passed and Cheshire came in, asking for a repair while ignoring Magnolia. Which is fine with her. They are on a mission to figuring out why was Eastman was killed and what the square item the scarecrow girl took is used for. It wasn't until Le Grin dropped his act that Magnolia relaxed as well, greeting Kaledescope whom greeted back enthusiastically, hugging her tightly.

"I-I c-can -" She took a sharp gasp. "Can't breathe!"

After she let her go and went to repair Le Grin, the witchy woman coughed and waved away any worries. She enjoyed bear hugs -

She just wasn't ready for Kaledescope's, that's all, is her excuse.

After getting permission to go underneath the shop, Magnolia hesitantly went down, not comfortable with the darkness. She sneezed after closing the door behind her and after not hearing the Polite Le Grin to say 'Bless', she assumed the room muffled sound. Perfect for a secret interrogation. So she started to rig the C-chip in the tin head that's plugged in with wires. Sneezing again, the woman muttered about cleaning the place.

Dust-! Her number one mortal enemy as a cleaning lady . . .

By the time Cheshire came down after his repairs, he would see Magnolia wiping the tin head with a napkin of her own, making it sparkling clean.

After Jones finished reattaching his arm, she laid on the synthetic fur over the shoulder. Le Grin closed his eyes.

"What are you doing?" he suddenly asked her when he heard a whirr and opened his eyes to find her with a hair dryer and a bottle that smelled of shampoo.

"Imma make you fluffy." she said with glee, tv head flickering to show a grinning meme.

"What?"

"Trust me, trust me." she crooned reassuringly. "It's the Queen of Heart's grand reopening tonight, right? She'll forgive you being extremely late for work if you look awdorable. It's what the ladies you entertain love, right?"

" . . ."

Jones' meme grinned even wider.

"Yes." admitted Le Grin with a sigh. "Alright then, make me fluffy, but! Not too fluffy. I am not a toy."

"Hehe, sure, Le Grin. That steely personality of yours will match --- you'll be grumpy cat! Can I take pictures?"

"Will you give me a discount?"

"Yes of course!"

"Alright." he chuckled. And off Jones went fluffying his fur. "I thought you were against the ladies I entertain, you not liking fleshies and all."

"I just want an excuse to do this."

"I knew it." There was silence for a while as Le Grin's eyes looked into the distance. Internally, he was skimming through the messages he's received since this morning and that he had ignored. There were many messages and missed crify calls from his work place. The Queen was angry he missed the fancy breakfast in the gambling house this morning and was threatening a month of unpaid overtime. Though the grand reopening was tonight, The Queen had arranged to entertain her investors during the day, three of which were ladies who had been long time clients of Le Grin and who had been promised that he would be there this morning. Le Grin closed the interface.

"Jones, I have another request." he said. The mechanic just hummed a reply. "I have an old pistol, an old model from fifty years ago, I was wondering if you could turn it into a non-lethal weapon for me. One that fires tranquilizing and stunning ammunition."

"Sure, will take me some time though. How soon do you need it?"

"Tonight."

Jones chuckled. "Uhh, may need longer than that Le Grin, but I'll see what I can do."

And hour later, the door to the underground room opened and out stepped a fluffy cat in a suit who looked at the sparkling clean floor, immaculate walls, and then at Magnolia, surprised. "Did-did you clean?" asked Le Grin, amused. He was surprised again to find out that she had waited for him, saying that he thought she was going to go on ahead, but chuckled in good humor at her politeness and stood at the side, ready to interrogate The Agent.

"Ready? Let's wake him up." and he flipped the power switch to turn on the tin head.

Palace of the Queen of Hearts
Chelsea Vestigen / Whisper

Her first time in the midst of such debauchery, Chelsea pulled her fur shrug closer to her neck, and scanned the area slowly. Dr. Diggs, the one man she was here for was nowhere to be seen. Sighing, she turns around with a slight jump as a slight, "Madam?" floats through the air to her. A waiter dressed up as a rabbit bows his head and offers several glasses of sparkling wine - she takes one. Slowly sipping on it, she makes her way to the bar, and settles down on a high chair. Leaning over the counter to tap the bartender on his shoulder, she asks if he has a packet of menthols.

"13 bucks, and you gotta smoke out back."

Chelsea fished through her purse, and handed him the money. Sliding off her chair, she leaves the champagne behind and heads straight for the exit. This is her chance to poke around.

King looked at Officer Nolan from a distance. He weighed his options. If he walked to officer Nolan, then he will know exactly who he is and he might be put on the officer's watch list. A slim possibility but very plausible. The last thing his boss wanted was his cover to be blown. His involvement in the investigation was meant to be kept under-warps. Besides, he did obtain HIS records illegally. He looked at the officer one last time before turning his body around and heading towards the Tubes. The smell of the chicken he just ate aroused his taste buds as they hit his olfactory sensors yet again. This chef knows how to draw in a crowd. He picked two full roasted birds and went to the tube.


The ride to the West side was calm as usual, though with a bit of a twist. His stomach was wailing in agony and his temptation to silence it was all too great. But he kept his cool. Although the staring eyes around him then at his oddly suspicious yet sweet smelling package. AT least his LION attachment was not the talk of the Tube. After pondering for a few moments, he decides to be a gentle soul. He opens the bag of goodies, places them next to him and extended a warm invitation to whoever was brave enough to see past the implant.



After a surprising lunch with the strangers in the tube, he made his way towards the apartment complex belonging to the deceased. According to protocol, forensics should be done with the place. Maybe he can be able to spot something they missed. A slim chance but a chance nonetheless.

He made his way to the entrance and straight to the elevator. Thanks to Officer Dolan's report, he knew exactly where to go. He managed to find a free elevator and quickly boarded it. He was joined by a beautiful blonde woman and as though by reflex, his hand went straight to the implant. What I'm I looking for there? He asked himself as he retracted his arm. His chance of introducing himself was cut short by the ding of the elevator. He excused himself and walked out.

After a few minutes, he reached the door. He took a deep breath and walked in.
"Now. Time to test my luck."

The Agent
Katsuya Zer0

The face startled as the power switched on and looked around in distress. The shadows casting eerily across his bunched factory standard eyebrows.
“Hello?” he says in his thick accent, “What is this-where am I? What the hell.”

Each of you roll wits to see how you do at this interrogation.

Scopae Escape
wickedlittlecritta

“She hired me, but now we’re friends,” He said. “Let’s go, go, go,” He all but lifted Nine down the stairs and then opened the fire escape at the bottom, spilling the three them into the back alley. Thirteen was still familiar, even behind the blue helmet and the spiked leather jacket and she waved at them all to get on the zoomer or into the side car. Vidar hops on the back, and with everyone in and the fire alarm going off, she hits the gas and takes off like a maniac.

Roll wits to lay roll!

Magnolia paused her sweeping when she heard Le Grin's amused voice, snapping her head towards the very FLUFFY cat tin with wide eyes. She looked like a little kid caught stealing a cookie from the cookie jar. A dust of pink spread on her tanned cheeks.

"U-uh . . . " Green eyes lowered to her broom, quickly folding it as to put away in her bag pack. "I-I was . . ." She said, a bit embarrassed for momentarily forgetting about the time while cleaning.

She explained that she wanted the fluffy cat to hear what Cat Mask had to say too before shaking her head; already getting tense on meeting an assassin. There's no way she's ready on talking to a hitman, but Le Grin turned on the head and she flinched back at the hitman's curse words.

"H-H-H-Hello . . . " She timidly greeted, warily waving at the tin head. "Y-Y-you're d-downloaded in a s-shiny h-head a-and . . . u-um . . . " Magnolia didn't know how to continue with the questioning, not really wanting to metaphorically poke a sleeping tiger. She awkwardly looked at Le Grin, twiddling with the ends of her skirt.

Zer0 TrashRabbit

Lewis

"Dead, what do you mean-" Lewis started to say, before realizing that nothing was happening. He started to move, but not because he wanted to. Everything that had happened, was happening in reverse, including his recollection of those events. The cry-fi was forcing thoughts back to the front of his conscious mind, but they were reversed, making them feel strangely alien. He was flung out the door after watching the short conversation again, and his head was starting to hurt by the thoughts being wrenched out of the back of his mind and the ones that were there being shoved back.

His vision started fracturing, like how his vision was when he was immersing. Everything went white.

< // DISCONNECTED - DISCONNECTED - DISCONNECTED // >

Lewis woke up a few hours later with blood plastered to his face, and a pounding headache. He had to lie on his bed for a few minutes before his new pounding headache faded- and the information he had learned returned.

If you could call it information, Lewis thought, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and sitting up, rubbing his eyes. With reconsideration, of course it was information. Even if it's not the information you were looking for, it was self destructive to just throw it off to the side without considering it.

The facts were that his target was working alongside, for, or with these Nekomancer people. She either betrayed or double crossed them, because if she had been working against them the whole time, then they wouldn't have been so aggressive about wanting to kill her, or at least "wanting her dead". But that didn't make sense. Perhaps the Nekomancer group didn't want Evvamene to die, and 13 had killed her anyways? Maybe it was the other way around, they wanted 13 dead because she knew they killed Evvamene. Either way, it seemed like his only choice was to locate 13 and try to get the truth. Why Evvamene was killed, and what was the Cat-faction's place in the attack.

He headed to the bathroom to clean up. Time to find another angle.

Sev

"Shit shit shit," Sev chanted softly, stumbling trying to get into the sidecar, and crouching down low to watch behind them as Thirteen tore off. For a moment, Sev thought they might get away before anyone came after them, but another zoomer shot after them.

"Thirteen! Behind us!" Sev shouted. She barely glanced back before she was directing the zoomer down a side alley and back around, taking a looping, backtracking, nonsensical route that Sev could barely follow, gripping the sidecar so tightly that their fingers hurt.

There was no way they were going to escape, Sev thought. Instead of saving themself and Nine, they'd just gotten Thirteen and Vidar caught too.

Thirteen whipped the zoomer around into a narrow alley, and the sidecar caught on the edge of the building, and the zoomer tumbled over.

"Shit," said Sev again, climbing out. "Thirteen? Nine?" Their palms and knees stung from contact with the pavement, and they didn't dare find out where the wetness trickling down their face was from.

Vidar had bounced to his feet and dragged Nine up, and Thirteen grabbed Sev's arm. "This way," she hissed. Vidar pulled a manhole cover up, and vanished into it, and Thirteen urged Sev down after. She followed last, pulling the cover closed over them.

"Go go go," she said. The water came up past Sev's knees, and they tried to go as fast as they could without splashing too noisily. The tunnel stank, and Sev didn't want to think about what it stank like too hard.

"Where are we going?" they asked Thirteen instead, gasping for breath.

Predatory eyes glowed orange in the dark beyond the solitary light, watching Magnolia and the head. Le Grin emerged from the darkness, steely visage held up by a ruff of fluff, his wispy fur puffing from the collar of his suit and out of his cuff links like wispy cotton stuffed inside a too small bag.

"The Agent." his voice was deep. He was different from the polite gentleman at the shop. There was authority in his tone, and a heavy encompassing presence as though this four-foot fluffy feline filled the entire room. "We are underneath the East Sector, quite close to the shop where we had that little scuffle." Le Grin lied smoothly. "You are here because we want answers to the murder of Evvamene Eastman and to know what Ozymandias sent you out to retrieve."

Le Grin nodded at Magnolia. "Please show him the video of the murder." and he stepped back for her.

"My name is Mr. Kitty." Le Grin said seriously, head sinking to his fluffy ruff, as he gave the assassin a nod. "Perhaps you're worried about your safety. I assure you, you will be treated with respect in return for your cooperation, and you will be given protection should Ozymandias come around looking for you. As far as they know, you are likely presumed dead, killed in action, but here we are, and we are willing to negotiate your reward for your information."

It took a while to get the truth out of The Agent, as it turned out that little remark he had made in the shop about liking cats worked to their favor when Le Grin unleashed The Face on him. But it was all for naught. He was startled to realize that The Agent did not remember anything. At first he thought that Pan's shots had damaged him, but no, he had wiped his memory clean.

Le Grin looked at Magnolia with barely disguised frustration, tail swishing in jerky twitches. As though he was taking it personally that they got nothing from this guy. That heavy presence from the feline diminished as his frustration gave way to acceptance. Eyes no longer steely, Le Grin sighed and was once more the gentlecat Magnolia first met in the shop, looking at her for any ideas she might have to make some progress with their mission.