2014.04.25 - The List Prologue: The Cat

Place: Northern 'Eth Alth'eban
Time: Sometime on a Thursday
In a city filled with assassins, a wide variety of questionable fashion choices can be seen. There are people green hair and swords strapped to their hips. There are people who have necklaces made of various human bones. There is even a guy wearing a Turds of Misery t-shirt. So it is that Gambit, so frequently dressed in a borderline 'peacocking' fashion, is able to blend in as one of the least ostentatious people wandering the streets.
However, wandering the streets is just a ruse, a clever part of his larger, multi-part plan to commit crookery. A plan so complex, in fact, that it requires him to spend most of the day walking around the city's markets, only to sneak into an obliging shop right after closing time and hide away in a closet until the owner has left for the day. Then, of course, is when the fun begins.
As dusk descends, Gambit checks his gear in one of the shop's abandoned storerooms. "Staff. Laser pointer. Rope. Chewing gum. Aerosol spray. Backup rope.... huh? Where did I put the... ah, there they are. Tweezers. Lock picks. Fine-toothed comb..."
The process of checking his equipment and gearing up for the mission takes a while, followed by some stretches until it's good and dark outside. Then, and only then, does he make his way to the roof of the store, and aim his grapple gun at the roof of an adjacent building. But not just any adjacent building: This building happens to be the home of one of the most powerful men in 'Eth Alth'eban, a member of the city's ruling council. A man whose wealth is equaled only by his paranoia. "Okay, Mister Councilman, time to have a look around in your living room."
Several minutes later, a trench coat-clad figure is scaling up the side of one of the most dangerous locations in the world, protected only by the cover of night.
There's not a lot of people who would be willing to risk the ire of the League of Assassins; least of all, for money. However, such is not the reason that Shen Kuei himself crouches in the darkness. He has eschewed all of his armaments, even the armor upon his trench coat. Unlike Gambit, he did not need to infiltrate and then hide until darkness. Dancing amidst the shadows, even the keen perceptions of the patrols failed to find hint of the whisper of the Cat, blending from darkness to darkness with long-practiced ease.
Swishing across the rooftops, a charging leap takes Shen Kuei to the side of the buildings. Two fingers find purchase, sufficient to slowly haul himself up. Before long he, too, is clambering up the side of the building. High up, some servant made a mistake that will likely cost them their life. A window remains slightly cracked open. Shifting it the rest of the way, the Cat creeps within, pulling it back shut before landing in a crouch.
The normal suite of counter-measures. Night vision cameras, infrared detectors, motion sensors... none of which represent much barrier, to a man who can control his body temperature sufficient to not set them off, and maneuver with specialized motions to slither past cameras. Finding a vent overhead, he slips within. So far inside the building, the internal circulation should have next to no defenses... as he slithers his way through, peeking down each grill to orient himself.
There are no convenient entry points along Gambit's route, so he spends some time Adam Westing his way up the side of the building. It is, apparently, something that he's had quite a bit of practice doing, as he moves nearly silently and manages to avoid being seen by either guards, servants, or cameras on his way past windows. Fortunately, it's a mansion, not a skyscraper, or this might have been a real challenge.
From the roof of the building, Gambit is able to find an access door that leads directly to the building's main stairwell. Unfortunately for Gambit, the door is locked with a numeric keypad. Unfortunately for the Councilman, Gambit has a method for dealing with these...
Using his mutant ability to kinetically charge non-living objects, Gambit makes the entire keypad glow with a pale purplish light. The acquired film and bacteria from pressing in the key codes, however, does not take a charge, contrasting sharply with the glowing panel. Using this, and a bit of luck, Gambit is able to put the correct code in after only two incorrect tries.
He pauses, allowing his eyes to adjust to the new lighting conditions. A quick check of the building's blueprints on his phone confirms that he's on the right path.
Always seek the path of least resistance. Such has been useful to the Cat for many years. And such takes him to the vent he sought, carefully pulling it up before dropping down into a crouch. A metal door stands before him, also housing a keypad. And, more troublesomely, a thumb pad scanner. Even the most pure of martial artists must make concessions for the restrictions of modern technology, alas.
Lightly blowing, a supra-fine mist covers the keypad. Six digits. None duplicated. Excellent. A slender knife flicks out, and he pries off the top to reveal a nest of wires. A small device is pulled out, connected via additional wires to the ones attached to the keypad. It's an expensive toy. A brute-force approach.
The thumbprint scanner is more simple. Through an intricate process, he acquires the latest prominent print, transfers it to a pad, dusts it to make it more prominent, and then presses his thumb upon the reader while simultaneously activating the device. In a mild bzzt, the door pops open.
Shen Kuei slips within as two men turn from monitors. One then lunges for the alarm, but a snapping heel catches his wrist and breaks it. The other moves to attack, and in a whirlwind of motion, both are dispatched unconscious upon the floor of the security room in heaps.
 
Oh? It seems they had been worrying over someone accessing the roof with two wrong codes. No matter. With the head of the beast gone, any patrols that radio in will fall on deaf ears, and the cameras are now defunct. Only the automatic sensors might trigger an alarm...
Any self-respecting cat burglar would be silently working his way through the building, identifying security measures and generally trying to avoid getting caught. So why then is Gambit humming as he leisurely strolls down a corridor to the room that houses the Councilman's most valued treasures? "Hm hum hm... Sittin' here in la la, waitin for my Ya Ya uh huh... mmhmmm..." Perhaps he is has developed some sort of sixth sense that has somehow informed him that much of the danger has already passed? Perhaps he is suicidal, and doesn't care if a member of the League of Assassins catches him breaking into the home of an influential member while singing zydeco songs? Or perhaps, most likely, this is just how he rolls, and getting caught is part of his process.
Whatever the reason, Gambit has made it to the very thick solid steel door protecting millions of dollars worth of art and baubles. "A'right, fine-toothed comb, it's your turn." He's almost begging to be caught it seems, which is why it's no surprise that a guard from that level hears the voice and follows it right to Gambit's location. "Why, hello there. Been waitin' for you to show up."
There is a flurry of movement, and when it's all over the guard is unconscious, and slumped over Gambit's shoulder. The guard's hand is placed on the hand print scanner in front of the door, causing the computer to recognize Gambit as security staff. The doors whoosh open, and Gambit gently lowers the guard on the floor.
"How convenient. You've already opened the safe." states a cool voice a distance behind Gambit. Although the automatic lights within the safe turned on after being opened, only the face of the Cat is visible within the blend of shadows. "You are... Gambit, I presume? How quaint. It is always good to meet someone of the same profession. Hopefully, you are not after the warlord mask within. If not, then we can merrily part ways without conflict..." Despite Gambit assuredly knowing who the Cat is on the professional scene, there's no real way of confirming the person's identity, beyond appearing Asian and having also penetrated to the heart of security. The list of candidates is pretty short.
"Well, I can't smell your breath from all the way over here, and you don't have a booger hangin' out your nose... plus you didn't shoot me in the back. Thanks for that, by the way... So you're clearly not an Assassin, which means that there's a good chance for us to settle a conflict of interest like thieves." From the way he says the word, it's clear that Gambit thinks that calling someone a 'thief' is a very lofty compliment indeed. "But from what I know of your reputation, I can tell that respect is something that you value highly..." apparently Gambit does, in fact, know who the man is, despite only glancing at him over his shoulder. This is something that he rectifies, turning around all the way to face the man who seems intent on stealing his hard-won goods.
"... which is why I'll tell you nice and plain that I'm taking the mask with me on account of I got here first." His red eyes burn in the dark, and his posture tenses up noticeably. However, for now, he remains in a guarded pose, right hand drifting slowly toward the pouch on his belt that houses his collapsible staff.
"Assassination? I'm not so confident in myself that I would try to steal work from Lady Shiva." the Cat muses, tone serious. "But there is much room in the shadows, indeed." Stepping forward, it is clear Shen Kuei is completely unarmed. His clothing billowy and loose, no sign of weaponry of any sort, nor any armor. And flashes of his tattoo are visible from the open-topped shirt, even in the ambient light.
"I see. Such a shame. But you know as well as I... if 'finder's keepers' held any weight, then our talents wouldn't be needed." He makes a gesture towards Gambit. "So. Let us settle this in the most honorable way possible...
A slow grin spreads across his lips. "Whoever leaves with it, keeps it."
Cornered in a metal room with one of the world's best martial artists, while armed League of Assassins guards roam around within easy earshot. This isn't the hairiest situation Gambit has ever been in, but it's certainly the hairiest one he can think of at the moment. Sure, he could toss some explosives and make his escape with the mask, but then he'd never make it out of the city without being hounded by LoA goons. "Yeah... I figured you'd say something like that. I guess this is the part where you're supposed to bow?" The hand remains near the staff, but his stance alters a bit, and he begins walking toward his right, as if attempting to circle around the interloper. His feet move deftly and quietly, almost as if he were the one who ought to call himself Cat.
Shen Kuei steps backwards, allowing Gambit out into the open of the dark main room. It is obvious he wishes to take no advantage; one bonus, at least. Beautiful portraits and sculptures line the luxurious walls, windows and open safe the only things illuminating the room in mostly heavy darkness. "If this was a fight between martial artists, we would bow." the Cat offers. "But this... is a fight between thieves." Kicking forward, Shen Kuei crosses the distance rather shorter than instinct might indicate; some manner of stepping-technique that zips him forward in short bursts, before stepping into a powerful sidekick with a good several hundred pounds of force concentrated behind it. To Gambit's eyes, he might not be moving exceptionally fast. But it does confirm that those movements are perfect, and precise, like flowing water. There's no guessing what Shen Kuei's next action can be -- it is as if every motion and step includes complete freedom, center of balance completely concealed.
What Shen Kuei has developed through years of constant training, Gambit has developed by wearing a dramatic trenchcoat. Rather than concealing his direction, he simply attempts to misdirect attention. As he leaps/somersaults out of the way of Shen's preliminary attack, he sends the tail of his coat flapping behind him with an audible 'whoosh.'
In the larger space of the main room, Gambit doesn't feel quite so claustrophobic. However, his need for silence is just as strong as ever. Unfortunately, so is his compulsive need to make his heists as exciting as possible. Which is why he takes advantage of the space he's managed to put between himself and the Cat by snatching an obliging piece of sculpture and chucking it, uncharged, in the Cat's general direction. Whether it hits him or not, things could quickly take a turn for the more interesting.
The pair are certainly similar in the desire for a thrill and challenge. And indeed, for all the motions of Shen Kuei, he hasn't even made a whisper, even to attentive ears. The very violent swooshes of his attacks are subdued like a zephyr. Beginning to advance, the hucked sculpture is caught, rather than evaded, with the smallest of grunts. Brushing it off, a finger waggles with a firm shake of the head 'no' before he circles, trying to herd Gambit towards the center of the room so he can set it back where it was. Although hefting the heavy thing around also makes him quite vulnerable... if Gambit wished to go right for the throat, now is the time!
Like the man said: This is a fight between thieves. This could mean lots of things, but what Gambit appears to have taken from it is the idea that opportunities must be stolen. Despite having distracted his opponent, he doesn't attack directly. Rather, he attempts what can only be seen as a cop out, by running forward as if about to strike and then dropping at the last second in an attempt to sweep the leg.
Gambit's attempts at stealth are less carefully adhered to than his opponents, but for now, he makes very little sound aside from the mildest of grunts as he attempts to do the spinning kick from his lowered position on the ground.
The rush forward causes the Cat to pause, although what he actually does is almost laughably simple. Gambit's feint was read, the need for being quiet muddling things. As the drop towards Shen Kuei begins, so is the sculpture dropped, the Cat leaping upwards before kicking sharply down, to send it right hurtling towards the floor-whirling Gambit with accelerated force. Rolling away would result in a loud shatter, and a number of guards, which could lead to catastrophe. If everything went completely tit's up, the Cat could probably escape... but could Gambit avoid an angry League? That's the question he's trying to find the answer to!
Grimacing in the brief moment before the object collides with him, Gambit does his best to brace for impact. The kicked sculpture lands right on the spinning Gambit's left shoulder, nearly dislocating his arm from its socket. However, the spinning apparently works to soften the blow enough to keep it in place for now, though he'll certainly have a nasty bruise in the morning. And possibly the imprint of the little fertility statue outlined on his bicep. At least it'll be a good conversation starter.
Although the impact threatens to throw him off balance, Gambit completes the 360 degree spin to face his opponent once again. The soles of his feet glow with a purplish light as he leaps to his feet, gaining quite a bit more air than he should really be able to. Thank you, energy abilities. Leading with his feet, it appears that he's attempting to kick Shen's head clean off of its neck.
There's something of a smirk from the Cat, who's danced backwards to get a bit of distance. However, the purple glow is an unknown factor. Suddenly Gambit is coming at him with greater speed than he had thought possible. His forearms cross, twisting to absorb the fierce kick with no room to spare, grimace of pain on his face. Slid a foot across the ground, there's a deep exhale before hands whirl, aiming to grasp the offending leg and twist, to send Gambit hurtling towards the ground. That kick hurt; had his muscles not explosively tensed at the right moment and the kinetic force been absorbed rather than fought, his forearm would be broken in multiple places. But more importantly, he nearly forgot he was fighting someone powered. All he really knows of his opponent is he can make things purple and explode, and uses a staff. ...The leaping part was new. His expression now is far more serious, taking a proper stance. No matter how well one thinks he can read a snake, it takes only one mistake and bite to die...
Any hope of keeping the fight completely silent and ninja is dashed when Gambit is ungracefully slammed against the ground, back first. Sure, he manages to roll enough to avoid needing a backiotomy in the morning, but the resultant crash has surely alerted at least one guard. If it hasn't, especially after nearly a minute of kung fu, they're the worst guards ever.
Gambit's leg is free, so he quickly rolls back to his feet and immediately goes on the offensive. Now that their cover is blown, he appears to be dead set on ending the fight as quickly as possible. A veritable flurry of quick strikes ensues, while the mutant thief presses ever forward to keep as close as he can to his opponent.
This time, Shen Kuei is prepared. Two open palms face Gambit, before stepping forward at the last moment. The first strike he tries to deflect with his elbow while shooting a fist towards the ribs, weaving away from the second and beginning to snap up his forearms in a flawless defense. Desperate attacking is rarely a good method against the Cat. Suddenly something seems to distract him, and a blow strikes him heavily across the face, blood spurting from a broken nose. But twisting down, he turns the momentum into a snapkick towards the side of Gambit's knee, a second one aimed at his chest to knock him backwards.
In a heartbeat, he's across the room. The guard that appeared lets out a shout upon his radio, drawing a katana and swinging upwards in smooth iaijutsu. Weaving around it, a heel from Shen Kuei impacts the man's temple, slamming him into a nearby wall hard enough to dent it before he slumps down. So much for stealth, indeed. Can't two men have a fight without being interrupted?
As Gambit's leg is kicked out from under him and the wind his knocked from his chest, he all but crumples to the floor. It's a testament to his presence of mind that he's able to keep a hand raised to try and block further attacks. Whether his ribs are bruised or just broken will have to be discovered after he makes it out of the mansion.
Regardless, the intrusion by the guard buys Gambit the time he desperately needed to get back up on his feet and get some air back in his lungs. With an arm folded across his chest, it's clear that his effectiveness has been diminished somewhat until he can either rest of find some really good drugs.
Unfortunately, the guard is just the first one to arrive. Sure, the control room has been taken out, but that doesn't do much to keep the shouted cries from the guards from spreading. Within seconds, three more guards are in the room and from the sounds of booted steps outside, quite a few more are on their way.
Grasping the dropped katana, Shen Kuei moves like lightning. One of the guards brings down a glaive-like polearm, deflected to the side before a swift kick takes the assailant to a kneel, which is followed by an explosive knee to the face that sends him on his back. Two more are upon him, one wielding dual katar, the other a longspear. Keeping the foremost in the way, the spear wielder curses and is forced to attempt a flank. In a blinding exchange, a spray of blood erupts from the offending assassin's hands, dropping his weapons with a grunt of surprise before a smooth elbow between head and shoulder drops him like a limp fish. A spear thrust forces him to lean back, followed by a curse as a backflip evades a handful of shuriken from across the room. He's gotten the attention of almost all the assassins now... certainly not what he intended! A good six are converging on him, and only the remaining two take notice of Gambit.
The distinctive 'Snap!' of a telescoping staff popping open could probably be heard, if it wasn't drowned out by so many other noises. The guards haven't broken out the firearms yet, but they're still throwing around weapons and shouting orders like the professional ball-stompers they are.
Gambit is able to deflect a blow from one of the guards with his staff, and although he's still clutching at his chest he misdirects one of the guards into clubbing the other like a grimy mutant matador.
But it's clear to Gambit that although this might be a fight that he and his opponent/ally could win, it isn't a fight that they stand to gain anything from. "It looks like you have things under control here. I'd best be scootin'. My distraction should start in 6, 5, 4..."
Gambit's count is slightly off, as a massive explosion from the roof rocks the very foundation of the building like an earthquake. Apparently he left a time-delayed present on the roof, just in case things went tits up during the infiltration.
 
Guns? In the League of Assassins? The owner of this household must be truly old-school, but the number of shuriken and pointed stars are not to be made light of. "Hrmph." is all the Cat says. It's clear he's trying not to kill anyone, which does affect him somewhat. Two more guards are downed, but the remaining four have him on the complete defense, barely managing to evade being impaled or cut. Yet the moment the explosion goes off, Shen Kuei leaps up, steady in the air while the others stagger. In a brutal display, when the building settles all four are down. "Well. That wasn't very stealthy." he allows, panting lightly. Kicking forward, his goal is the safe now, a spiralling leap evading another spray from yet more guards and their pesky ranged weaponry. Now the entire CITY is probably awake!
Gambit seems content to let Shen run toward the safe without following. Instead, he begins using the items he brought with him.
"Backup rope." The rope is hastily attached to something that looks solid enough to support the rapidly-descending weight of a geared-up thief. Having affixed this, Gambit begins running toward a wall.
"Chewing gum." A wad of gum that had previously been stored at the back of Gambit's mouth is spit out in front of him. The wad of gum is glowing a bright purple, and the way it rockets toward the wall is an obvious indicator that it's been charged with Gambit's signature energy. As the gum hits the wall, another explosion tears a hole out of the wall big enough for Gambit to leap through, slowing his fall with the rope.
As his feet hit the ground, Gambit begins running with no pause. He pulls out yet another vital item from inside one of his many pockets. "Fine-toothed comb, you're up." The comb is quickly run through his hair, to flatten out the whole 'just stole some shit and did kung fu' look. After running the comb through his hair, he tosses it behind him, blowing up the black SUV parked in front of the Councilman's mansion.
The confusion from the passersby on the city streets just makes Gambit run forward even faster, slowing only to look inside his coat pocket at the mask nestled safely under his armpit.
 
It only takes a minute for the Cat to smirk inside the safe. Touche. A number of assassins are heading towards him now, but yet another explosion from Gambit sends them reeling. He bolts towards a window, rolling past a descending blade before leaping, bursting through the armored glass. An extended foot catches the rim, and he descends straight down, balling up before kicking off the lower story, gripping the corner of an adjacent building, and sliding down to the ground to land in a three-point stance. Somewhere, Tony Stark's lawyers are squinting around.
It's not too hard to track down Gambit after the fact. Exploding SUV's gave an idea of the direction he went, and he got a glance of his form vanishing into an alley. That doesn't mean he arrives soon, but Gambit would find Shen Kuei crouched on the corner of a roof above in a reasonable amount of time. "Well. It looks like you won the game." His expression is more curious, than anything else. His martial superiority to Gambit was not in question, but someone who's mastered such a power and only used it once in the fight, let alone without his staff... he's a far cry from thinking the mutant easy prey.
"Although in truth, we both win. My client simply wanted the mask out of that man's possession. I did not have to retrieve it. It seems he acquired it only today, and a few unscrupulous sorts did not wish him to have it due to some mystical properties. If I had to guess, your client would be the one who was second and barely lost the underground bidding...? Hmm. Mine couldn't afford a guaranteed retrieval."
Just when he thinks he's momentarily safe, Gambit gets the unpleasant jolt of seeing that the man he left to take the fall for the caper has actually managed to outpace him. Which means he'll have to start moving again quickly. Still, he doesn't look completely surprised to see the Cat, nor does he look unhappy that the kung fu master made it out okay. He does, however, look puzzled.
"Client? For this thing?" Gambit reaches into his pocket and pulls the mask out. Looking at it with a slightly upturned nose, he tosses it upward to his new acquaintance. "You've got me all wrong, I steal for the fun of it, and that jackoff was running his mouth within earshot of me at an auction. Something about how impenetrable his security was." He looks up, standing straight but wincing a bit slightly. Still too early to tell what kind of shape the ribs are in. "Feel free to take it back to your boss, maybe you'll get a bonus. I've got no use for the thing though. When you're a thief, you can have everything. But you can't keep anything."
The mask is caught in one hand, looked over by the Cat. Before... "...Hahaha!!" the Cat seems to be genuinely surprised by this, eyes closing in a warm smile. "Oh. Such is the beauty of life. While men battled fortunes to get my contract, you simply took it to whet your pride. And you would have succeeded, whether I came or not. Of that I am sure."
He tosses it back towards Gambit, disinterested. "You won it. Do with it what you will. I fulfilled my contract, and it's fate is no longer important to me. Perhaps break it into pieces and mail it back to the owner?" A sort of lazy shrug follows. "I'm impressed. If you made your abilities more public, I'd certainly have a formidable rival. But..."
 
His hand flicks out, and something's whirling at speed towards Gambit. Yet if it struck, it's just a dark grey business card. Embossed on one side is a black cat, identical to his tattoo. On the other, a phone number. "If you ever hear of anything fun, do let me know. I'll discount my prices significantly if you can promise me some excitement." He then leaps backwards, vanishing into the shadows; given the yells coming from farther behind, it's probably best for both parties to disengage!
The practiced thief has more than enough expertise in the area to tell when a card is being thrown at him. Some might even consider 'that' to be his mutant ability. Catching it lightly between the middle finger and index finger of his left hand, he flips the card over casually before pocketing it. "Oh... I think I might know something he'd work out great for..."
However, the Cat clearly has the right idea at the moment, and Gambit quickly follows suit. With both the mask and the contact info of his new associate in his possession, he disappears into the night. As is his custom.
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