Angels: Act One.

[twiststheblade]

The door opens onto a room, not small, not large. Bare, pale walls that could be made of paper, but aren't. There is a window, shuttered against the sun, pale light struggling weakly in to lie in stripes across the wooden floor.

The bed(futon) hasn't been made, white sheets tangled and draped half off onto the floor.

The only splash of colour in the room comes from a vase containing a single spray of yellow flowers, which sits atop a simple lacquered chest. Also atop the chest is a single, dog-eared book, titled 'Koshoku ichidai onna', and two small brown glass bottles, safety capped, labelled in japanese.

Miho steps noiselessly through the door, one finger to her lips, although of course she doesn't have to remind the others of the need for caution. She's all in her habitual black - soft jeans, well broken-in boots, tightly laced, the usual short-sleeved shirt and a loose kimono jacket over it all. There's a knife at each hip, and one at the small of her back. She has her forearm sheaths, as usual, and the bandolier of shuriken. There is a knife in each boot. No swords. Not. . . yet.

I can do this. It's not different than any other place. And I'm not alone. I don't have to be alone.

She raises her eyebrows to Goldy, and tilts her head to the door, a deceptively heavy affair, locked from outside.

Comments

[the_lioness]

Slipping through the foliage, Alanna silently stalks the third man. He hadn't looked nearly injured enough for her peace of mind. Fingers closing tightly around her knife, she sticks to the shadows, nimbly leaping over puddles, and doesn't show the slightest surprise when the man reemerges with murder in his eyes.

The bullet had only scraped his neck, and once the initial shock passed, he had regrouped easily enough. Gun in hand, he shakes his pants leg free of clinging thorns and charges their hiding place.

Alanna is behind him, two knives in hand now. Her gun, after all, has no silencer.

Thump. Thump.

One on the shoulder, one in the ass. She's running as soon as the second one leaves her hand, quickly retrieving both.

It's a pity he cries out in pain.

[comm-npc.livejournal.com]

A pity, but a stroke of luck for them in the end.

It means that the fourth man comes around the corner of the building at a run, rather than sneaking, or, worse, raising the alarm.

He gives a surprised shout, and draws his gun.

[twiststheblade]

A surprised shout that is rather rapidly cut off when one of Miho's shuriken embeds itself in his throat. His hands fly to his neck as his eyes bug out of his face, desperately trying to keep the blood from pouring out of the gash.

Miho hadn't been trying to kill him, just to silence him, but it rather looks as if he'll die anyway. No real need to make it quick, is there? So after a glance to make sure he's not going to pose further threat, she gestures towards the far end of the building.

"Garage. I hope one of you knows how to ride a motorcycle. We could take a car, I suppose."

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

Goldy is feeling much better already. She's not actually smiling yet, but it's amazing what a few dutiful kills can do for an assassin's psyche.

"Very funny, hot stuff. I thought you knew me better than that."

She slaps her hands onto her hips, somewhat indignantly, still keeping one eye on the guard house.

"Just show me where the bikes are."

[the_lioness]

Ride a motorcycle?

She hasn't yet connected the word with the remarkable machine that nearly clobbered Thom in Piccadilly Circus.

Although the look on her face when she sees it will probably be remarkably similar to the one he wore just after.

"I don't suppose it's anything like riding a horse?" she asks hopefully.

[twiststheblade]

"Not quite," she chuckles, and sidles along the side of the building, pausing at the end to look very carefully around. Nothing in sight, so far. The gates are still closed, the garage door is open. This is good - it sometimes creaks when it goes up.

Again, a careful approach to the garage doors, although faster this time. Don't want to get spotted. She slips inside, doesn't turn on the lights. It's dim inside, bu the shapes of several cars - an imported Rolls Royce, a Mazda MX-03, a purposely anonymous sedan, it's status as an armoured car given away by it's bulkiness- and four or five motorcycles -every last one a Kawasaki GPZ900R- can dimly be seen.

"Goldy, you take Alanna pillion, would you? You've got longer legs and more weight than I have and these are a bit big for me anyway." She keeps her voice low, and snags a helmet from the table, passing it over. A quick glance at Alanna, and another one is headed her way.

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

Advancing into the garage, Goldy nods and stows the helmet under her arm. Her face lights up as she surveys the pristine collection of Japanese superbikes.

"Ooh! Ninjas. Excellent!"

Grinning wildly now, she picks one out, flips the kick stand up and starts to wheel it towards the entrance.

"Come on, Alanna. On you get," she orders excitedly. "This baby's got a top speed of 155 and a standing quarter mile time of 10.55 seconds. We're gonna fly!"

[the_lioness]

Catching the helmet easily, Alanna gapes at the bikes, fighting off a dozen questions.

Where do your feet go? How do you balance?

Does it like sugar cubes?

A small, nervous laugh, and she climbs on, overbalancing slightly for a moment.

"I've always wanted to fly," she says in a brave sort of voice. "But shouldn't there be more between your legs?"

As soon as it's out, she turns bright red and jams the helmet down on her head.

Grumbling, "I only meant it feels like the skinniest horse known to man."

[twiststheblade]

Miho has her own helmet on her head, and has wheeled her bike out next to Goldy's - it really is a bit big for her. She'll manage.

"A couple of hundred skinny horses," she giggles. "Grab on behind you rather than to Goldy, she'll need to twist about. And just - let it move. Don't try and control anything."

Her toes barely touch the ground, but her balance is good enough that it's not a huge issue.

She turns the key.

Turns to Goldy.

Waits.

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

Goldy winks back, reholstering her gun under the back of her shirt. She slips her helmet on as well, turns her key all the way and guns the throttle.

The engine roars!

She revs up, forcing the noise to an even louder decibel level. Without further ado, she grasps levers with each hand, drops the bike into gear and quickly lets it go of the clutch.

The back wheel spins and smokes, losing grip and fishtailing to the right before she releases the brake. Then Fable and Knight leap forward like a shot, the front wheel raising high off the ground...

[the_lioness]

Fable leaps forward more than Knight.

Knight lands on her back in the dust, looking rather like an overturned bug with her arms and legs in the air.

"...ow"

[comm-npc.livejournal.com]

There are a few shouts from inside the building, the little room behind the garage where the guards drink endless tea and watch sports, and where most of them are hiding from the rain.

[twiststheblade]

Miho doesn't swear, it's a waste of breath.

She'd started her engine as Goldy had, and not wasted time with theatrics - her bike had leapt neatly forwards. She was checking their getaway in her mirrors, and just caught the accident.

She slams on the front brake, pulls a perfect endo, rolls forward a few feet, then twistts the bike in the air, and drops it back down, gunning the engine and racing back the way she'd come.

Comes to a spray stop, ready to take any action that needs taking. Hoping she's not going to have to do anything other than head off again.

And it's her damned fault - Alanna wouldn't have expected the bike to be so fast, why did she tell her to hold behind?

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

The accelerating bike suddenly feels a lot lighter and the front wheel hits the ground again. Goldy looks over her shoulder and curses when she sees Alanna several yards behind now.

"FUCK!"

She hasn't ridden this type of bike before, and she hasn't carried anyone pillion for many years. But really, she's cursing the fact that she attempted to show off. To make matters worse, she catches a glimpse of the men now charging into the garage, guns trained on the downed knight and the little samurai on the giant bike.

"Fuck."

She reaches behind her with her left hand and hauls on the front brake with the other. Leaning forward and to the side, she executes a stylish turning endo to match Miho's. The only difference is that hers is one-handed, and she comes round with her Springfield .45 blazing.

By the time the stunt is completed, men are dropping with various wounds, and others are diving out of the way behind the cars. She speeds back to Alanna and skids the bike around so it's facing the gate again.

"Sorry!" she yells over the engine noise. "Grab hold of me this time."

[the_lioness]

Unable to move for several moments, Alanna treats the advancing guards to death glares and a lashing with her sharp tongue. It doesn't do anything useful other than make her feel better. Still cursing, she rolls to her feet when she hears the bike returning, careful to stay out of the way of any bullets.

"No worries there," she yells, leaping on the bike and wrapping her arms around Goldy for dear life. "Go!"

[twiststheblade]

Miho had never come to a complete stop, and as soon as Alanna's on the bike again, she twists the throttle viciously, and the bike jumps away. She also has trouble keeping the front wheel down, but at least there's only here on the bike, and she wrestles it down again, shooting off down the driveway.

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

Goldy revs up again and sets the bike in motion. Not quite as violently this time.

"Don't look back!" she screams as she lobs something over shoulder back into the garage, where the unfallen men are regrouping. And off they zoom, following the spray of Miho's wake.

Hopefully Alanna and Miho both heed her warning, because the object is a stun grenade. It explodes with a flash and an incredibly loud bang. The remaining guards are blinded for a crucial few seconds and then left disoriented and unbalanced.

[the_lioness]

Alanna couldn't turn her head if she tried. Everything is all speed and noise and light, the rain hardly obscuring her vision at this rate.

A slow smile starts under the helmet, and soon there's a carefree laugh.

"I knew there was a reason I came along," she shouts near Goldy's ear. She doesn't care if it's heard or not.

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

Goldy hears. She can't help but remember a certain afternoon spent galloping through the woods of Milliways, where she was the one clinging and laughing.

She swivels her head and grins back at Alanna. The bike accelerates even harder, weaving recklessly in between cars on their side of the road, and giving hard chase to Miho.

[twiststheblade]

Miho is uncatchable, really - they're on the same bike, there's only one of her, and she doesn't have an inexperienced pillion. She might have a death-wish, judging by the number of times it looks like she nearly side-wipes vans or clips the front of an oncoming car - but she never does.

The road stretches out in front of them, miles upon mile of slick wet asphalt. At it's end, is the port city of Yokohama, and as the day gets darker, it will loom up on the horizon, lights reflecting off the sky, casting an eerie orange glow.

But that's hours off. Time to enjoy the ride.

Pity they've no music.

(Act 2)