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Robbers Hideout: Hell's Kitchen
The X-Ternals went to go rob some Robbers robbing a bank.
The idea is to let the Robbers(tm) do all the footwork, and let them make it back to the hideout where the boys will "relieve them of their burden" while Nate and Sev slow the cops down so they have time to take and take off.
Now… became the waiting time.
Jeanne d'Arc JP's 1964 GOT (and second most lovely Bonaventure right after mum, who is a saint and can do no wrong) was loaded for bear. The trunk was already open waiting like a hungry maw. On her dash was the newest tool in their arsenal: a police scanner!
JP mused in that lazy Cajun drawl of his, "Sparkplug, this might be the bes' gift you e'er get me. Okay number two. The garage were tres bon." He grinned and waited for the thing to start squawking with life. There was the station and it sounded an alert indicating and ALL CARS - BANK ROBBERY AT THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK UPPER EAST SIDE!
Calmly JP squint with a sigh, "That what I don' get," He didn't even appear to be concerned that the bank was getting robbed or that armed criminals were en route, No he was worried about how the English named shit, "How can they all be first in the nation? They built at the same time? How come none is ever Secon' National?" Yup. These were the things he concerned himself with during armed robberies.
Elmo glances at his partner with a wicked half-smile. His hair is tied up for once, goggles sitting on his forehead ready to be tugged down. Cigarette in one hand and a little mechanism in the other, tweaking it last-minute. "Yer welcome. …Who would give their money to SECOND national bank, JP?" The scanner squawks and he grabs his bag to stuff the gadget into it.
Vitale slides on his leather gloves, just in case they have to rough up the robbers if words don't sway them. He laughs a little at JP's question, that this is what the Cajun is concerned about right now of all things, and then points to Elmo when he answers him. "Exactly, JP, see Sparks knows how to run a successful business. We wouldn't call the garage the /second/ best in town, right?" He reaches for the knife on his thigh, taking it out and giving it a good toss before he puts it back in, just to reassure himself it's there.
JP answered Elmo with a laugh, "Me, 'cuase tho the hell wanna rob bank number two? No one put their money there." When the thing chirped he nodded to them, "Got about twenty-three to thirty-three minutes. Dependin on route an traffic. Did the run a few times aroun' 4am t' test." Woah, he really was through. Who knew!
«SHORTLY THEREAFTER»
The test runs paid off. It wasn't long before the Lincoln getaway car could be heard pulling up out in front outside where the garage was. There were four of them crammed into the car. The fifth was in a hurry to open the security door open to pull up the garage door so the car could get in there. JP's great plan was to hide in teh side and tag the car as it came in to trap them inside of it. Unfortunately there was not a good place to do this where they wouldn't just get out of the car and shoot him first. Had he been able to he could have done that, Elmo zap the car they take the treasure and retire in the Bahamas comfortably.
It was not to be.
Plan number 2: look Badass as hell which, thankfully, they had practice with!
JP even told Vitale to 'wear the suit' in the words "be the youest you you e'er been, V.'
When the Robbers came and pulled the car in, the X'Terals were tucked around in the corners of things casually waiting out of site. JP took the liberty of closing that baydoor for them once inside. It was enough to confuse them when they came in hot.
"Bonsoir, mes amis." OH he could be hosting a party, but no, he wasn't stupid either and was talking into the short PA system the warehouse used as an intercom from the office. "Glad fo' you to join us finally. you friends? They gon' be a lil late, don' you worry. B'fore you wan be pullin those pistols I think Monsieur DeAngelis? He like t'have a word wit' you." JP was really hoping Elmo was ready on crowd control because through teh slat in the office from his side? These boys had some arms on em.
Elmo's got a big chunky RC transmitter, the kind with thumbsticks, sliders, and thick rubber antennae. He hits one button on it and ZZZT!—miniature lightning bolts leap to the robbers' guns. The metal lights up, sizzling, and those guns now feel as good as a rabid weasel in the hand.
Vitale waits for Elmo to hit the button before he walks out, and he had, indeed, worn his very best suit, black and pinstriped, crimson red tie. He doesn't even pull out the knife right now. "Hey boys," Vitale says coolly, pulling a cigarette out of the pocket on the inside of his jacket and lighting it casually as he takes a drag from it, acting as if they really had all the time in the world for Vitale to explain why the hell he's here. While he blows out the smoke slowly, looking over the faces of the men, trying not to let onto the fact that he's looking for a face he recognizes, he finds one and smiles slightly and just barely resists the ability to pull his fist down with a 'yes' motion.
He points to one of the beefcakes, a brunet with a square chin, grey eyes. "Jacobs, right? That's your last name. You got a couple little brothers and a.. kid, right? Son? How old he got to be now? He doin' good in school? How's your wife?" He takes another smooth step towards the robbers with all the confidence of a man who heals from all his wounds and then another. "Now, from what I remember, Jacobs, you took out a loan from /my/ father. You're a bad bet, ain't you? Done a lot of gamblin' you wanted to hide from your wife, right? Now, you don't want your next payment to just go missin' right? Don't want us to pay your pretty wife a visit? You like her face the way it is, right?" Now, JP and Elmo know that Vitale would never hurt a woman or a child, but right now, Vitale sure sounds like he was raised by a mobster, voice calm and cool, terrifyingly slow. "You want to hear our terms now?
|ROLL| JP +rolls 1d20 for: 1
The Robbers were good. Very good but not faster than lightening. Guns were drawn and the five men looked, well, pissed. They didn't expect a welcome party and as soon as the pistols were out-
KHAZHATT!
Lightening arced across the guns with great aplomb and they clattered, and thankfully, didn't go off when they hit the ground. Hissing and swearing followed. One of the four there, a larger guy who seemed to answer to 'Jimmy Knuckles', made himself the sign of the cross and started to back away slowly as Vitale stepped on the fuck UP and addressed the rabble. Specifically addressing the lanky piece of work who was the one to unlock the door when they came back.
Jacobs looked to Vitale and tried to keep his cool, "Y-yeah. I know M-m-m-mister DeAngelis y-your father - good man- whom I highly respect see? I was d-doing this t'get his money back for him." Vitale mentioned his family and the guy went sheet white. "N-no, please leave Beverly an' my kid outta this. L-look as a sign of good faith, you're welcome t'take my cut to em." Those eyes went glossy!
JP watched from the door and hardened his face into a mask. It was an area he was never comfortable going to. He was a father, and as such, just never liked hearing kids get involved but his boy there was on a roll. Right though, game o and JP leaned on the door of the office lighting up a cig furrowing his brow, "He cryin? Cause it look like he cryin… I dunno he's takin you seriouls." He took a drag off the cig and slowly went about collecting the pistols keeping a rag between he and them. If they popped anyone he didn't want his thumbprints on it.
Elmo just outright snickers as guns get dropped. He follows JP out. Goggles on, long brilliant blue coat on, holding his weird and complicated toy in both hands, he looks like the junkyard mad scientist he is. One calloused thumb flicks a switch and with an enormous racket of springs and metal, the self-deploying electric fence flings itself up. Another switch and KZZZT—all its wires crackle to life, humming and hissing with menace. "Don't go nowhere, boys," he address the crooks (the OTHER crooks), grinning. "We still got business."
Vitale takes another long drag off his cigarette, leaning back slightly while he watches Jacobs stammer. He pats the man's cheek lightly. "Oh I'm sure, I know you would never cross my father. That wouldn't be a very good idea, would it? Not if you want sweet Beverly to stay just as pretty as the day you married her, right? You see, I don't just want your cut, handsome, I want all of it." He pulls the cigarette out of his lips, tapping the ash off the tip before he puts it back to his lips, this time when he blows the smoke out, he makes sure to avoid blowing it in Jacob's face, by blowing it in the man /next/ to him's face.
He puts his hand on Jacobs shoulder. "I'll cut you a deal, Jacobs, because I know beneath all that gamblin' sin you a good man, you do me somethin' and I'll make sure your pretty wife and son are taken care of forever. Doesn't that sound nice?" He pinches the man's cheek lightly. "You give us almost all of your stash and then you stay here and turn yourselves in, say you had a change of heart. You'll do fine in prison, it's just stealin', that ain't no big deal right? And then pretty Beverly and your kid, I'll make sure they want for nothin' while you're in the slammer /and/ your debt with my father? I'll make that go away. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me."
|ROLL| JP +rolls 1d20 for: 8
|ROLL| JP +rolls 1d20 for: 10
Jacobs looks ashen. "I, I can't… I mean I can only"
It was the olive skinned fellow next to him, Marcus, turned to Jacobs and went, "You can do what you want with your cut but the rest is ours! We ain't givin them shit!" This was coming from the man who looked like the organizer or perhaps the aggressor.
JP stood just out of arms reach of them, arms folded across his jacket watching. this go down. What was Gearhead's game in this? They were pressed for time and the police scanner was squaking as much with one of the police officers on their mic «"Aaaah! What the hell IS that thing!?"» He thought to himself *That would be a Bonaventure and the Future-Man you unfortunate fucks. Hilarious.* His arms unfolded and he grabbed the muzzle of one of the pistols and offhandedly held it out for Marcus giving him that Don't fuck this up for yourself look. The HELL was JP doing!?
Marcus looked to Jacobs in tears pleading with his crew, "My wife Marcus-" Marcus cut him off, "Don't use my name you idiot! Your debts are not our fuckin fault! We brought you in on this in good faith and you want to turn our cash over to DeAngelis and the rest of us over to the cops?!" Now that gun was being waved in the air/ "Fuck you and fuck these assholes!" The pistol was aimed at Jacobs. He pulled the trigger and…. nothing?!
Absolutely nothing!?
JP said "You ready to listen t'this offer or you gotta get stupid?" He looked from Marcus withthe gun to the rest of them It was right now Marcus swung the pistol on JP who was either too calm or entirely unawares. That trigger got pulled and
*BLAM!* it about took half of Marcus' hand off in an instant. There was screaming and so much blood as that pistol backfired. Slooooowly JP turned to look at the rest of them calmly not even acknowledging he almost got shot and sighed as if he were just tired, "Anyone else wanna opt for stupid?"
The god fearing man and the one with one of the bags turned to run. Jacobs stayed the fuck put with his face full of tears knowing his life was crashing down around him. DeAngelis was pissed at him and no doubt his wife or his life would leave him at the end of the day. The fourth wasn't running, wasn't staying, but was backing against the wall slowly.
The clock is ticking. BLAM! Blood spraying, Marcus screaming— Elmo flinches, mouth twisting. He knew JP had the gun under his control, but he sure didn't expect it to backfire and shred the unfortunate asshole's hand. That flinch is authentic. Then the other men are running, one of whom has the X-ternals' loot. Elmo flicks another switch. Nothing happens. He shakes the remote. Nope, nothing still happening. He curses, drops it and takes off after the robbers. Reaching out, he yanks long licking tongues of lightning from every outlet in a ten-yard radius, then flings. *CRACK!* The electric fence finally deploys, erecting itself with a clamor across the thieves' path. Elmo beckons and the fence lights up, spitting and sizzling, crackling and hissing. "You schmucks stay right where I put ya, you hear me!" He's grinning, his eyes wild behind his goggles. Electricity crawls over him, lifting his hair, tossing his coat, flashing crazy pops of light and madly dancing shadows. "Hand it over and I won't cook ya in yer boots!"
Vitale nearly has it in the bag but then Jacobs bossman doesn't seem as sensitive as Jacobs, nor moved about his wife either. Vitale leans back when JP hands Marcus the gun, again the movement was completely cooled, as if he had nothing at all to worry about even if there was an armed man within an arms length of him. Then the gun goes off and blows off a fair bit of Marcus' hand. "Ooo, that looks ugly, Marcus, how you gon' find a wife like that." Completely chilled, as if it was completely normal for someone's gun to come to life and blow their damn fingers off.
He watches as they scatter and nods at Elmo, like 'you're up.'. He stands back to watch, winking at Jacobs. "Good man," He finger guns at the man who stays in place. He looks over to watch Elmo be incredible. "Damn, Sparks. I always knew you were incredible but /damn/."
As far as these crooks were concerned Elmo and JP worked for Vitale on behalf of Mr. DeAngelis, mob boss and semi-professional boccie ball enthusiast. JP was very okay with this plan as it kept the X-Ternals entirely out of the focus and just made it look like DeAngelis has Mutant muscle in his employ… which until Vitale moved in with the team was entirely true. So see? No one's lying…really.
Marcus was clamping his hand on his arm screaming and turning the floor of the warehouse into a mess.
JP, now spattered with blood from being close range, finished his cigarette watching Elmo tear off after the two. I mean really if Elmo couldn't handle two runners there were going to be bigger questions out there, and he and Vitale had three pistols and a shotgun still there that they confiscated. JP rocked back on heel when that Faraday cage Elmo rigged up lit up finally like a wonder. He laughed with a wide grin and flinched as the sparks came out, "Don' run you'll only go down tired. You think the boss don' now where all yous cats live tryin t'take off wit' his money? Yeeees the man here said his." JP was willing to play his role with it and held up a hand to Vitale in that, sir I got this gesture.
"Look guys best offer you're gonna get all day. Mr. DeAngelis can turn a blind eye t'this on yous guys, buuuut you gonna sit here and we ain' gona speak Mr. DeAngelis' name right? Cause the las' thing you wan is f'him t' get a subpoena and know exactly why you up in his business. Tha' business you don' wanna be in." JP stepped over the crying bleeding man that tried to shoot him careful not to leave a bootprint in the blood puddle, "Jacobs, do this and you find youself in a very favorable light wit' some people that will be mos' appreciated an you family be fine, hmm?"
The men that Elmo was chasing screamed and the god fearing man reached over TOOK the bag from his counterpart and just walked it over to Elmo not even waiting for Jacobs at this point asking Elmo, "Would you like me t-t-to put these in the car for you? Dammit Stevens just start unloading the damn car I'm not dying here with my balls on fire!" Looking back to Elmo he winced, "I am really sorry about all this."
Good thing that Elmo's grinning like a madman already, because that would make him laugh and give their game away. Shivering, hands spread, hyped up on adrenaline, he looks like he's about to do something worse, pull some other nasty toy out of one of his many coat pockets. "Youse oughta make sure your buddies take care a their debts. C'mon, get it done!" He points the guys to get unloading. A spark leaps off his finger and sizzles a black mark on the concrete. …He totally meant to do that.
Vitale reaches into his pocket and pulls out another cigarette, lighting it and handing it to Elmo. "Good work, Sparks." He says, more than happy to take the boss role here, so long as they think that this is just the mafia mutant squad, no one traces the X-ternals back to the X-ternals, which is exactly what JP doesn't want. Though, he's sure to expect some teasin' from the actual boss later. He resists the urge to laugh when Elmo scorches the floor.
He gets an idea with Elmo's scorch mark. "Sparks, make a few more of those?" He turns to the guys as they hand over the money. "All of your cuts but one, set that one on fire and you'll tell the cops that's what you did with the rest of it. Say somethin' about stealin' from the rich, make somethin' up, I don't care, you get to be real creative, have fun with it but you tell them you burned the rest." He says and looks back to JP to confirm this. The bank was going to wonder where the rest went, right, even if these men took the fall.
|ROLL| JP +rolls 1d20 for: 14
JP really wanted to weep and shake Vitale and ask him to spare all those Benjamins, but… it might make them stop looking for it. That's okay too. He just stared at Vitale and … shit that was actually a pretty fly plan he hadn't thought of and offered, "We have them stick it in the trunk we can feign car fire or explosion?" He looked to Elmo and asked curiously, "Can you do that?" He looked back to Vitale and shrugged, "If that's what Mr. DeAngelis wants." This whole heist was going to look insane in the paper tomorrow.
And JP will read about it…
…when he buys one…
…with their money.
Ha.
Elmo accepts the cigarette from Vitale, his hand shaking. "Boss," he says, still grinning like a mad fox. The look he gives JP is pure 'when I get you alone'. "You askin' me if I can set somethin' on fire? Buddy, the answer is always gonna be yes." He grabs some things out of his bag and goes to work.
Vitale reads the heartbreak on JP's face and gives him a nice pat to the cheek. "Just some of it, pal." We can buy plenty of things to dry your tears on later, JP, with all this money. He turns back to Elmo and nods, smile wide with the same kind of high the pair of them were on. "Yeah, set the car on fire, Sparks, go wild, show us what you can do."
The scanner on Jeanne d'Arc's dash, near the little Mutant doll Madeline that was the team's mascot, was squaking on the cops getting close and knew where they were going. The cops would be here in 8 minutes. JP tapped the hoof of the Robbers' sedan and the trunk popped. The cash was moves tuit suite and Gearhead pointed to the last cut. To Marcus he said, "Yous see that? That one' you cut, mon ami. This what you get when you pointin guys at our people, hmm? You watch your world burn. Don' make that mistake again. Now… you migh' wanna crawl you ass outside." He snagged a ledger from the office and he unplugged their phone from the cord and took that with him too. Now the garage would have two phones. This summer was so amazingly profitable on the quality of live scale.
Time was short. JP took the rag and moved the guns outside so all blame was properly attributed to not them, and Elmo got the car up. As a mercy JP had it back itself out of the warehouse first. He DID try to limit collateral damage and there were no offensive little signs. See? He was following his own rules here.
In very short order they all dove into the car, Vitale in the back because that is how the mob do it: muscle in the front. Jeanne d'Arc was thrown into low gear making a careful departure not to leave tracks before hauling ass away. They evaded the cops by three and a half minutes. JP took a deep breath, "I can' believe we jes took on five guys with guns an the only shot fired hit the asshole what fired it. Guys… I think that a new record for us. Merde, I' proud of you! Now… Let us hope Nate and Sev see so much luck. Let's get t' that church jes' in case they gotta dive nearby, then we all get on home."