The Machine [Open/Accepting]

[lil_lollypop1]

"We did, ma'am. The first was a head shot and the second was for the heart. They're wearing helmets as well as armor under those cloaks. That's what I've been trying to tell you." The officer told her with irritation.

Lianne didn't struggle and looked exhausted and starved. As she was, she was knocking at death's door.

Shadow burst from the darkness between the vehicles just as they had lit the torch. She slashed through the rope, as the head priest, with alarm, threw the torch at Shadow. She bearly dodged, grabbing Lianne and bolting off.

"N-no! Stop them!" the head priest yelled as several members of the cult started chasing after her.

"W-who are you?" Lianne asked weakly.

"Pandora's box." Shadow replied. "Nothing good can come from me... except hope. Now be quiet before they kill us."  

[Ayame-Yuura]

"Do everything you must. Keep shooting. It doesn't matter. Stop it!", Monica said.

((OOC smile )  

[lil_lollypop1]

((Oh crap, there was another line in there that got deleted. Aka, the first line in this post.))

"Ma'am, there's a rogue! Whoever it is has the priestess! They're bolting! It appears as if the cult is chasing them, and they're heading towards *insert road name* out of my range!" He said, firing at the cult members, but it only momentarily distracted them rather then killing them.  

[Ayame-Yuura]

"Get down and move in range now. Seriously, do I have to tell you that? Alert the snipers in the other three buildings", Monica asked as the troops she had sent for arrived at the scene and began cornering Shadow from four directions.

"Hand over the priestess", the secret police officer said, pointing a gun at Shadow as everyone else had. A fifth car of secret police officers began holding off the cult members and shooting them expertly in the faces and, knees and feet, having been alerted that they were wearing helmets and bulletproof vests.

((OOC smile )  

[lil_lollypop1]

"There you f******* people are! You, take her, get in that car, and get out of here now!" Shadow yelled, putting her into the officer's arms on top of the gun, then turned him towards the car and looked at the man with the communicator. "I hope you have more firepower then that." She said, speaking more to Monica on the other end of the communicator then the man holding it. "They've got people in the surrounding buildings and bullet-proof jackets and helmets under their cloaks. They'll swamp you by surprise if this is all you've got, and they've got people as far as *insert building names* where they're making their magic circles. This is not a small cult. They've got over 10,000 people, some fairly influential. They've probably gained a lot more since the rebels fell as well. The priority is the priestess, and she needs to be out of here now. She can't hold out in her state, but whether you stay and try to arrest them all or retreat is not my call. Unless you have grenades or something stronger, the only weak point is their legs, which are only part covered. And tell your leader that he owes me big time, because I sure as hell didn't get paid to do this!"  

[Ayame-Yuura]

"The situation is under control", Monica replied simply and she knew that Shadow could have probably heard her at the distance she was at. Of course, she knew the cult was big, which was why she had her secret police scower the entire vicinity to hunt down those hiding in buildings. That was underway. It was only the priestess that was the problem.

"Lock down that entire city section and bring the priestess to me A.S.A.P. Create a diversion", Monica commanded and they attempted to bring Shadow into custody while a smoke grenade was dropped on the street and they loaded the priestess inside one of the cars, and split in different directions, one of them to take Shadow to jail. The car with the priestess inside was being watched by secret police snipers who were deployed along the way to the secret police headquarters.

((OOC smile )  

[lil_lollypop1]

Recognizing the smoke grenade, Shadow smiled. "So that's how it's going to be, Damien. Couldn't have expected any less." She said, as the grenade went off. As the soldiers went in for her, she tossed a few more gas grenades and bolted in the opposite direction towards her bike. She got on to take off, when a cult member with a rocket launcher fired at the wrong car, but killed all of the members going after Shadow. She swore under her breath, waiting for the cult members to pass towards the other cars when she headed towards the dead secret police. She looked around the dust for survivors when she saw the communicator on the ground, still in one piece. She picked it up and put it on. "Ok, Damien, or whoever this is, you obviously don't have this under control. I was just about to leave, when I saw your squad just got obliterated by a guy with a rocket launcher and they're going after the priestess. Put cat and mouse aside and work with me here before this becomes a blood bath. We both know you're not going to catch me, and it's only putting people at risk."  

[Ayame-Yuura]

"Patience is a virtue", Monica replied back and nodded to the officer at the computer to send even more reinforcements. So far, three-fourths of the buildings around the vicinity were cleared and all that was left of the cult members were those near where they were supposed to make a scene out of the high priestess. A good number of the cult members relentlessly followed the other cars that didn't have the priestess in them. "This is Monica", she said simply, knowing her influence would be evident especially to an information dealer. "It seems you're a rather slippery one but we'll catch you when orders are given"

((OOC smile )  

[lil_lollypop1]

"Right, right... that's exactly why I'm currently in a cell waiting to die." Shadow said, as if adding lemon juice to a hurt wound. "And the priestess never got captured because the evidence I sent weeks before, warning that this would happen was properly utilized. And on the off chance she did, your men would be in the 'proper' place, and took down the cult before the priestess was exposed to the public, and of course not saved at the last minute by a mercenary information salesman because their leader didn't realize their enemy was wearing layers of bullet-proof armor. Hell, the priestess was never here in the first place, because the central headquarters never got burned down by rebels, and the head general never got injured."  

[lil_lollypop1]

((There. My avi looks like Monica now. lol. Btw, chat isn't working.))  

[Ayame-Yuura]

Monica flinched when Shadow had said that and did not reply. She looked over to the window of the secret police HQ and saw the car with the high priestess arriving and heading towards the underground parking lot. Monica constructed her words carefully and said, "Touche" and had her secret police reinforcements began to corner Shadow from the location tracked to the communicator she was using. The remainder of the cult members spotted them also and gave out their very last shot, resulting in a gruesome slaughter spectacle.

"Come", a vaguely familiar voice said. As the commotion was taking place, a hooded man, dressed as a cult member(?) took Shadow by the hand and dragged her out of that place, silently taking her into a corner, where she could easily slip into the shady establishments, known by route and used by smugglers, drug rings and formerly, rebels. As soon as they had gotten there where Shadow could easily find her way, the shadow was already making its exit from the venue.

((OOC smile )  

[lil_lollypop1]

"Yeah, well, good luck without me. My information is the only reason your division even functions." She said taking off the communicator, and dropping it on the ground. 'Now let me think... one, two...' She started to count when she heard a voice from behind herself. She stiffened and slowly turned towards the man. 'It... can't be...' she said, taking his hand and following him. "You, stop!" She told him, when he let go of her hand, leaving her behind. "Damn..." she muttered, knowing he had gotten away.  

[Ayame-Yuura]

Monica nodded silently in disappointment when she got wind that Shadow had gotten away once again. She took a packet of smokes and went to the balcony, locking the screen behind her and, letting her men carry the priestess to the clinic after she had seen them pass by her office. If all Shadow said was true, then everything up to this point truly was her fault and it was her own misuse of troops that had gotten Jian to that point. At this idea, she crushed the cigarette and angrily threw it with full force into the wind. She cried out in anguish, falling to her knees and caressing herself like a child afraid of the dark. It hurt her deeply, the idea that it was she who did this to Jian.

Those inside heard her but were afraid of interrupting private time lest some severe punishment might befall them.

The shadow wished to stop when Shadow had called it out although it knew the consequences if it did and went along, disappearing into the shadows as quickly as it had appeared. It left a note lying on the floor. It simply quoted a passage from the holy book along with its verse and chapter. "Angels watch where no man may. Dark angels watch where no man has gone." On it also was the name of another safe house where Shadow could go in case she was injured or anything.

((OOC smile )  

[lil_lollypop1]

((Hey look! I'm Zil now! xd ))

Shadow scooped up the note and read it. She wondered whether or not she should tell Dustin. She let out a small sigh before heading back towards her apartment. It had been a long day.

((So... I had this dream last night where Shadow and Monica met at a bar, both in disguise, and both drunk together, talking about their troubles, and became good friends, not realizing they were enemies.))  

[Ayame-Yuura]

Monica had gathered and dusted herself off in a few minutes, taking another smoke to calm down before heading inside. The people were stunned and didn't know what to say or do lest she lash out at them. "I'm going to the usual. Get me ready", she said simply walking towards the appearance-altering area of the secret police department. Without question, they went along in less than an hour, got Monica ready to be taken to a bar she had grown fond of over the years... Mostly because the place was brimming with information and drunken slips of the tongue. Tonight though, she only sought to relax and drink her worries away. "Leave me be", she said to her men as one walked up beside her to act as an escort. She waived them off and entered the fine establishment by herself, not allowing the others to come with her. They would have to be satisfied with watching from the outside CCTV cameras and waiting in plain sight for her to appear again.

Monica stepped in wearing a chic black dress that accentuated her figure with an elegant and feminine appeal. With it, she wore three-inch matching black stilettos studded with glitters as the upper part of her dress had been. She had a short black wig on with full bangs to obscure her identity as well as a darker shade of makeup than she was used to wearing. She blended in perfectly in the club setting except that her face showed a unique beauty with a strange sorrow to her eyes.

((OOC: Sounds good! Let's do it~ biggrin ))