Getting the lowdown...

Posted on Sun Jul 3rd, 2011 @ 4:37am by Lieutenant Colonel Anastasia DeVries & Captain Nathan Cowell MD

Mission: Too Close for Comfort...
Location: Seedy Bar, Shala District, Archadia III
Timeline: Concurrent with 'These things just happen...'

Having arrived to the planet with little difficulty the Lieutenant Colonel dispatched her team with relative haste taking only a brief moment to wish the former Lieutenant Commander Halsey 'good luck' before departing in the direction of her own destination - the shadiest, dirtiest establishment within a five mile radius. Luckily for her the number of gambling, disorderly, drunken idiots were in amazingly abundance. Needless to say, Stace S. DeVries felt right at home.

She entered the bar then - an astounding wave of presence washing over the crowds of lustful douche-bags. There was no denying the red head could be seductive and charming if she so chose. If nothing else it was one of the many things that made the woman so dangerous. Tonight, the Valkyrie would strike again.

The room smelt of liquor, hot and sick, and of evil - the type that was often bred and nurtured by individuals who often knew no better. There was no doubt in her mind - Section 31 had their hands all over this place. Their reach had dug much deeper than she had expected. Now, she just had to sniff the bastards out.

"What it be sweet thang?" a gruff voice bellowed as she approached the counter.

Flipping long radiant locks of fire over her shoulders, Stace eyed the short stocky man with playful intent. "Whiskey... the absolute best you have. Don't you dare skimp on me."

"Whiskey huh? Don't see too many of your types requesting that," the man admitted as he reached for a tall slender bottle from the top shelf. "Single... double?"

"The bottle," Stace smirked as she leaned forward to take the precious cargo off his hands.

The barkeep blinked as he felt his gaze constantly drift over the tone figure before him. "You're joking right?"

She laughed loudly at his question - a twinkle kissing the irises of her hazel eyes. "Afraid not m'dear. I came to have a good time... and a good time I shall have."

"Ohhhh... so you're the entertainment then," he continued as if that explanation was all the explanation he needed.

Stace considered the words for a moment before shrugging. If being 'entertainment' got her the foothold she wanted, then 'entertainment' she would certainly be. "Something like that," she nearly purred as she finally snatched the bottle from his ruddy paws. "So tell me... who's running the show around these parts?"

"That'd be him... the gent over in the corner," the man pointed towards the back of the room. "Goes by the name Lynch... or something. Kind of a jerk if you ask me... but I'm sure you ain't."

She felt the hairs on the back of her neck suddenly rise at the mention of the name. Surely it had to be a coincidence. Unless... "Yes... yes... whatever you just said," Stace smiled sweetly as stood straight and adjusted her top. If it was who she expected surely he would not be alone. Either way it was time to find out.

The table indicated held three men, all of them looking shifty as all hell, conversing quietly amongst themselves. They each had a drink in front of them, and several empty glasses occupied the corner of the table not occupied. If the men had noticed Stace at any point since she walked in, they showed no signs of it.

She was slow as she approached them... not quite sure just yet what to make of the men. Yet, the closer she got the more uncomfortable she felt... and with good cause. She knew the man sitting in between the other two. "Evening... boys."

The man closest to Stace looked behind him and gave her a rather deliberate once over, "Hey there, hot stuff..."

The man Stace recognized issued his companion a sharp kick, "Knock it off..." Turning to regard the new arrival, "What do you want?"

"I want to know what you're doing here," she retorted as she took a long swig off her 'stolen' bottle and pulled up a chair of her own.

"Having a drink, celebrating good times," the other man sitting on the other side of 'Mr. Lynch' replied. That comment earned him an elbow to the ribs.

"It's none of your business," the man said after recovering himself.

She took another drink as she tried to work apart their strategy. Their 'bluff' seemed almost too... natural. Surely 'Lynch' recognized her. "Oh I think you know it is..."

Mr. Lynch's eyes narrowed... there was something about the way she was talking that just... irked him. She was being way too familiar with them, like she knew them. Granted, they could have just resembled someone she might know... it had happened before. Still, it was bothersome... she was bothersome.

"Look, we're here to have a nice relaxing evening out after a hard day's work... We didn't order entertainment and we're not going to provide you with any either. So fuck off," the man said after thinking it over.

They were getting annoyed. It was obvious... and something about that pleased her. "Who gave the orders? The ones that brought you here?"

"Look bitch... we don't take orders, we give'em," Mr. Lynch said, slamming his fist on the table, "And I'm telling you to move your ass before something bad happens to you."

Now she was getting somewhere. Anger... that she could handle. "No, you look..." Stace retorted as she stood and leaned over the table. "Make no mistake in understanding that I know exactly who you are... and why you're here... now I think it would be in your best interest to tell me what work you've been doing."

Mr. Lynch stood up and drove his fist against the table, "You don't me... you don't know anything about anything. If you did know me, I'd know you... and I don't... so I'll tell you one last time, fuck off, you nosy bitch, before we make you disappear..."

It was right about then that a series of explosions rocked the small bar. At first the crowd had thought the building was going up, but after a short pause to get an account of the fact that no one was dead in the room, the patrons began to file out. The chaos that ensued gave the three men ample cover to get 'lost' in the crowd. Stace herself attempted to track them outside, but with the throng gathered outside as well as the one endeavoring to push and shove their way out of the bar, it was impossible to keep track of them.

Once outside, Stace took a moment to observe the crowd around her, and then gazed off in the direction they were all staring off into. The object of their attention was none other than the seat of power for the Archadian government, a building that towered over the rest and therefore one that held dominance over the skyline. The still burning embers and scars from an explosion that marred its surface were clue enough what was transpiring. The throng was suddenly bombarded, as they stood gawking at the devastation, by a public announcement broadcasted over loud speakers strategically placed around the city.

"The Ministry building has suffered a vicious attack by those who would claim to be our allies! Representatives of the Federation have been captured, and are now being sent to the Rel'Tura Prison facility. If anyone makes contact with other Federation agents, turn them in to local authorities immediately. I repeat, the Ministry building..."

Stace didn't need to hear it again, she knew exactly what needed to be done, and the overzealous announcer had given her the information she might otherwise have had to find out on her own.