Fantasy The Albert Branch (Urban fantasy/Secret organisation RP)

[The Mad Queen]

Even if Rachel had meant it as a joke, Chloe spend the majority of the care ride checking on Alfie. There were little things he did, signs that he was still there. A light tapping on the back of Chloe's seat, added condensation on a back window. Things passing cars or pedestrians wouldn't even see.
"It's now where you thought you'd end up, is it?" Chloe asked "I was PSNI until a few months ago. Thought the most dangerous things around here were bigotry and bombs." She gently shook her head, and briefly glanced back at Alfie. He tapped the back of her seat to show he was still there.
"Good lad. We're almost there." She whispered.

The car had to come to a stop at the red light, and a cyclist on a sport's bike who looked more like he was dressed for the Tour De France than a morning ride; spandex and all pulled up. He glanced at Chloe, seeing her uniform and nodded.
While her eyes were trained on him, she looked into the back seat. Alfie was still invisible. She nodded back, but watched as his hand moved for something behind his back. Chloe's heartrate increased, reaching for her sidearm.

She relaxed, seeing that the man was instead pulling out a sport's bottle that he took a swig from. With Chloe's eyes moving back to the road, she noticed another cyclist pull up, another spandex covered athlete. His bike pulled up in front of the car.

"Purifica peccatum." She heard, spinning her head to face the first cyclist. He was reaching for something else this time, and Chloe only had a split second to react as he drew a pistol.
"Down!" She yelled, grabbing Rachel and ducking. The bullet struck the window on Chloe's side, shattering it instantly and sticking into the headrest of Rachel's seat.

Shannon Trevor

 

[Shannon Trevor]

Rachel swore as Chloe shoved her down, the curse lost in the sound of the bullet and shattering glass.

Another bullet pinged the car frame and ricotched away. "Hold on!" Rachel's foot slammed into the accelerator as she yanked the steering wheel down. Their car shot forward, Rachel aiming for the shooter as he took aim again. The nearside wheel caught the cyclist's front tyre, pushing both man and bike over.

A car horn blared angrily as Rachel ploughed through the junction, weaving through two cars coming from her right side. Thanks to the Agency, she had her advanced driving course and covert pursuit training but it had been a long time since she had used either skill.

More bullets followed, one smashing the back windscreen but within seconds their car was into the safety of traffic and speeding towards HQ.

The Mad Queen

 

[jones573]

Daniel frowned slightly at Jack's suggestion. He didn't like interfering with undercover work if it could be helped, though it wasn't like the were working the same angle as the PSNI by a long shot.

"And then what? We tail him, we talk to him?"

Daniel was a big fan of the 'take a gander at his personal files while he wasn't looking' when it came to using one fellow to track down a second, but it wasn't entirely legal. Or plausible, in this case- Folks involved in criminal activity tended to be a bit more protective of their records than someone like a neighbor with their 'Who's Who In The Neighborhood!' list they'd gotten when they first moved in five years ago, sitting under a landline phone that no one used anymore. God bless neighborhood associations.

"You think there's any chance he'd give up information on our Mr. Lemmings if we're clear that's all we're interested in?"

Folks involved in criminal activity were occasionally cooperative if you assured them it wasn't their activity you cared about- But that you knew about it and were willing to inform on it, if they decided they weren't feeling so cooperative.

'Course, some of them occasionally reacted very badly to such a suggestion. A volatile and unpredictable bunch, criminals- No different than supernatural creatures, Daniel supposed, but he still wasn't sure which he preferred to deal with.


@Arzee

 

[The Mad Queen]

Chloe kept her head low as the other bullets stuck the car, her eyes fixed on Rachel. Thankfully the bullets missed her as well, and inside of the car shook as she hit the cyclist. As the car sped into the junction, Chloe reached out and placed a siren atop the vehicle. As the blue light flashed and the sirens blared, the other cars started to clear out of the way. She looked into the rear view mirror, seeing that the cyclists were caught behind. Her blue eyes darted to the front once more, seeing the road ahead as it cleared.
"Just keep going!" She shouted at Rachel "There could be more!"
Checking in the back window, she reached for her radio as the car passed through another junction.

"This is Agent Walsh requesting...." Her eyes darted to the side, looking at Rachel's window as a white delivery van sped towards the car. Before she could even open her mouth to let out a warning, the van collided with the side of the car; shattering the window on her side and sending it on a collision course with a lampost on the footpath.

The sound of civilians screaming filled Chloe's head, buzzing with a piercing pain. She groaned as she felt the side of her head, feeling a wetness on her forehead running down across her left cheek. Blood.
"Rachel...Are you hurt?" She asked, looking over at her fellow agent.

Shannon Trevor

 

[Eliasdagood]

Aziza sighs, and walks back inside, looking around and listening until she hears Fletcher’s voice. She comes up beside him, whispering in his ear. “Situation’s been handled, they’re heading back to HQ.” She whispers.

Then her radio comes to life, and Chloe’s voice comes through, sounding very urgent. She grabs the device off her belt, speaking into it. “Agent Walsh, do you need backup?” She asks, striding away from the group of elders, not that she imagines their hearing is any good at this point.
Foster The Mad Queen LindsMagee

 

[Shannon Trevor]

Rachel was almost certain the siren Chloe fixed to the top of the car was not Police issue but it seemed to have the desired effect, the traffic clearing just enough for her to squeeze their vehicle through. She pushed further down on the accelerator as they approached a second junction, the traffic light showing green.

She heard Chloe gasp as the car shot through the clear junction. Rachel turned her head just in time to see the white van barrell towards them. Her hand gripped the steering wheel hard, knowing the collision was unavoidable.

The van struck their car hard enough to rattle Rachel's teeth. She pulled hard on the steering wheel but the vehicle wouldn't respond. There was a blinding flash of white light and then sudden darkness.

Chloe's question went unanswered. When she looked to Rachel she would see the older woman slumped over the steering wheel. There was no blood but a small bump could be seen on her temple.

 

[Foster]

Any excuse to get off baby sitting duty was a welcome one and Aziza was providing just that. Sure sitting here with these chittering civilians and keeping the peace was part of the job description but at the same time he'd taken this promotion in an effort to get stuck with less of the grunt work. But with any rise in power comes an added weight of responsibility. He couldn't expect new recruits to give it their all if he didn't set a good example for them to follow. So he'd gritted his teeth and smiled politely at these blissfully unaware patients but the moment the genie showed up he was chomping at the bit for a chance to escape. Listening to what she had to say he was pleased to hear that everything had apparently been wrapped up. That was quick. It did bother him slightly that the rest of the team had apparently already left and nobody had bothered to let him know, leaving the genie to inform him what was happening. Typical.

With little left to do here Fletcher informed the group that he was leaving and pointed them in the direction of a junior agent, informing them that she would handle any questions they still had. The group seemed pleased with that outcome, perhaps his surly nature hadn't been masked as well as he would have liked. Following Aziza he caught wind of what she was saying as well as the crackle of her personal radio. The man's ears perked up, his pulse suddenly racing. Something had happened, he could feel it in his gut.

"That doesn't sound good. Come on, let's get on the scene." He said, placing his hand gently on her shoulder for a moment before hurrying towards one of the remaining Albert branch vehicles on the scene. Even if the radio chatter had been nothing serious it wouldn't do any harm to start heading back to base anyway. Sliding into the driver's seat Fletcher revved the engine as he waited for Aziza to get in. The moment she did they were off, making their way back to base as quickly as the roads would allow.

"Keep at that radio Aziza, just try and get a response out of them."

 

[The Mad Queen]

Chloe's blue eyes widened with concern at the sight of Rachel. No blood, but she could have a nasty concussion among other things. She reached out a hand to shake her fellow agent awake but quickly turned at the sound of doors opening. Stepping out of the van were two figures in jackets, masking their faces with balaclavas; an article of clothing Chloe had seen a little bit too much of her own tastes in her PSNI days.

Unfastening their seatbelts she dragged herself and Rachel out of the car as the masked men approached. Another bullet flew through the air, striking the side of the car and missing both women.
She lay Rachel in the recovery position and reached for her sidearm. Looking through the rearview mirror she saw that while one man was armed with a pistol the other had a rifle. From the look of the thing it was a bolt-action rifle, difficult to tell what model from this distance but before she could get a better look a bullet pierced the rearview mirror, shattering it.

"Two armed assailants, possibly more." Chloe spoke into the radio "Pinned down behind the car. Rachel's hurt."
Screams of civilians could be heard through her transmission as Chloe returned fire. Peaking her head out would be suicide but firing blindly could risk hitting a civilian, so instead she got onto her chest and peaked under the car, firing a shot aiming for the assailant's feet. She struck one, hearing a yell and watching as he went down while the other dashed for cover, firing off a few return shots at the car.

She glanced over at Rachel, feeling for a pulse. The agent was still alive.
"Rachel..." She attempted to shake her awake "Rachel, can you hear me?"

Shannon Trevor Eliasdagood LindsMagee Foster

 

[Eliasdagood]

Aziza grits her teeth, looking over at the agent in the driver’s seat. “Fletcher, we have an agent down, and the other is under fire. Do I have permission to teleport us there, and deal with the cover up later?” Gods, she hates having to ask permission for something so simple, but rules are rules. She reaches for his hand so she can get both of them to Chloe’s side as soon as she’s given the word.
Foster The Mad Queen LindsMagee

 

[Shannon Trevor]

"Rachel."

The voice was distant. Muffled. From the encompassing blackness, Rachel heard a scream, further away than the voice calling her name.

"Rachel, can you hear me?" There were other sounds too, sharp thuds in quick succession. Rachel knew the sounds but couldn't quite remember how.

Her world shook suddenly, a blinding flash of light cut through the dark. Rachel groaned, blinking away the blurriness to see Chloe crouching over her, concern etched on her pretty features. The younger woman ducked as a gunshot sounded nearby and Rachel realised what the sounds were. She sat up quickly, pulling on Chloe to help get herself to a sitting position.

Her hand went to her temple, feeling for wetness and thankfully finding none. She shook her head, trying her best to clear the last of the grogginess as he hand went for the pistol holstered at her waist. She remembered the cyclist and the van shooting across the intersection. She could only assume Chloe dragged her from the car while she was unconscious. Looking at the state of the interior of their vehicle, it was a near certainty her fellow agent had saved her life.

"What's the situation?" She asked, her voice still unsteady. She kept low as a bullet pinged off the car exterior.

 

[The Mad Queen]

"Two shooters, got one in the toe. There's more on the way if those cyclists catch up." Chloe answered, delivering another two shots as the second shooter tried to peer out of cover. He drew back, blindly firing with his rifle and striking the car. She looked up at Rachel "Try to stay awake for now, and stay low." She gave Rachel a light smile, just relieved her fellow agent was okay.
The sound of police sirens filled the air and Chloe watched as an armoured car pulled up at a set of traffic lights.

"Thank Christ." She muttered, firing off a single shot towards the van as the shooter peered out with his rifle, trying to take a shot at the police car. He was struck in the arm and as he clutched his wound, yelling in pain he fell to the ground. Before either woman could have a chance to relax however, another shot off and one of the officers was struck in the shoulder. A second shot went off, nearly striking the second officer, an older gentleman with a bald head but he managed to dive for cover.

The wounded officer clutched his wound, trying to crawl away while he groaned in pain.
"Stay down!" Chloe yelled over.

Shannon Trevor Eliasdagood LindsMagee Foster

 

[Foster]

Upon hearing what the situation was Fletcher let out a sigh of despair, he'd made up his mind in a split second but neither choice had been ideal. Removing the keys of the vehicle he stuffed them into his coat pocket hurriedly, before offering his gloved hand to Aziza. He had no way of knowing how much of a risk this manoeuvre would pose, if there were civilians on the scene things would almost certainly get messy. Especially in this modern age, if some fool with a smartphone catches the firefight on camera it would be almost impossible to cover up.

"Take us there. Not directly on them, at least 10 meters out." Ordered Fletcher, not bothering with formalities when lives were on the line.

 

[Eliasdagood]

“Yes sir.” Aziza says curtly, taking his hand, and then they’re sitting on a bench in a sheltered bus station. There’s no feeling of movement, they’re just suddenly in the new location. Aziza bolts up, looking around the edge of the barrier to look at the situation. “Local police got involved. Not looking good for them.” She mutters, pulling her gun out of its holster. “Permission to engage?”
Foster

 

[The Mad Queen]

Chloe kept low, staring at the downed officer who was clutching his bloodied shoulder. Her gaze moved slightly, trying to get a view of where the shot could have come from. She reached into one of her pockets and took out her phone, switching the camera function on and slowly moving to the edge of the car; crawling on her stomach as she moved into position.

She glanced at Rachel, and nodded as she slowly stuck the phone out. A gunshot quickly followed, striking the side of the car and whizzing over Chloe's head. With the phone in hand she watched the video back.
"I have his position." She whispered into the radio "Shooter located behind a White BMW forty meters North-East of the crash site. Numberplate: Alpha, Tango, seven, seven Alpha Sierra Mike." Her voice was calm and unmoved, but in truth the officer was trying desperately to ignore her shaking right hand.

"Alfie." She whispered. She had been so caught up in protecting Rachel she hadn't been able to check on their passenger. "Alfie, these men can't hurt you. If you're still there, give me a sign."
A mild crackling sound was heard over Walsh's radio "Good lad." She smiled. Her blue eyes moved towards the wounded officer, still groaning in pain as he glanced towards Chloe and Rachel.

"Do you think you can help us out? It's a big ask, I know but that man needs medical attention. Just distract him...Once for yes, twice for no."
The radio crackled.
"Alright. I trust you."
Her eye's met Rachel's again
"Stay low, and stay awake. I'll be back."

Shannon Trevor Eliasdagood LindsMagee Foster

 

[The Mad Queen]

The Officer rested her back against the car as two more bullets flew overhead. Chloe reckoned the shooter had to have some kind of assault rifle judging my the fire rate and sound, but couldn't pin down the exact model. Unloading the clip from her sidearm she performed a quick ammo check. Three bullets, it might well be enough.
She took one deep breath in, loaded the clip and waited, hearing a loud yelp from come behind the BMW. A few more shots went off as the shooter started to fire wildly into the air.
This was it. Still keeping low, Chloe started to move up while the shooter screamed at something she couldn't see at first. As the Officer moved closer she made out a very faint silhouette floating a few meters above him. Although her lips were sealed, she gave the spectre a nod and stood up from behind the BMW, unloading her last three bullets into the shooter.

The first went into his shoulder, causing him to yell and turn to face Chloe but before the man could let off another shot the second struck him in the arm, causing him to lose grip on the rifle due to the sharp, sudden pain and it clattered to the ground.
The third and final went into his left leg as Chloe noticed him using his remaining arm to reach for something.

With all three, he fell to the ground, now clutching his leg.
"Shooter down. Requesting medical assistance." Chloe announced into the radio, panting.

The next thing the officer did was handcuff the shooter to the car's door handle, kicking his rifle away and searching him, finding a small handgun on his waist and a smartphone.
"Don't wander off." She commanded drily, marching her way towards the wounded officer and placing pressure on his wound. She sat with him until the ambulance arrived and another police Land Rover pulled up to take the shooters into custody. To the public it would seem that the Land Rover was taking the shooters into custody, but in truth it stopped behind a police station's walls and, after some time had passed quietly made it's way back to branch HQ.

At the scene of the shooting, one of the paramedics would approach Rachel while another tended to Chloe's wounds.

Shannon Trevor Eliasdagood LindsMagee Foster

 

[Eliasdagood]

Aziza waits till the medics and shooters are off the scene, before approaching Chloe. “You still got everyone you left with, looks like. Nice work.” She says with a smile. Chloe is still new to the crew, and she did beautifully in staving off the sudden attack.
The Mad Queen

 

[The Mad Queen]

The Officer sat in the back of an ambulance while a paramedic attended to the wound on her head, giving Aziza a slight nod.
"It was nothing, ma'am. I simply followed my training." She glanced towards an empty space, and half-smiled "And Alfie helped. I don't think we could've done this without his help."
She winched slightly as the paramedic removed another piece of glass. Chloe had taken a few bruises in her day, and while she could take a hit the glass still stung like hell.

"I just hope we can still find his grandmother's killer, but I know this attack is just the start of something. They were waiting for us, Aziza. This wasn't random."
She winced once more as the paramedic started to apply stitches to the side of Chloe's head. "They said something too, before the attack. It was a language I didn't recognise." She gently shook her head.
"I'm done. Just make sure those don't split open."
"Thank you." Chloe nodded at the paramedic and stood to her feet "I suppose we'd better get back to the station, but our car was totalled."

Shannon Trevor Eliasdagood LindsMagee Foster

 

[Eliasdagood]

Aziza nods, waiting till they’re out of earshot of the civilians till she says anything. “Doing it in public like this heavily restricted us. We couldn’t openly use magic. I’ll teleport us back to our car once we’re back together.” She says softly.