“Or what, princess? I don’t think big brother pulling your strings would take too kindly to you attacking their best bounty hunter. Your puppeteer signs my checks with a smile on his face -- endanger that and you might not daddy’s favorite anymore.”
“Most of my friends are Underground, my best friend’s dad is in trouble, I have a collar around my neck…I don’t think knowing what my priorities are is ‘showing my hand.’ ”
“Knowing your priorities is one thing. Showing how it effects you is another -- and it’s dangerous.”
“Do you think applying for veterinary schools is worth it? Maybe I shouldn’t waste my time.” Pavlov devices. Handicaps. He wouldn’t voice those concerns up here–he shouldn’t even know about what was affecting Cora.
“Doubt,” the woman mused with a tip of her head, “That’s a new look on you. It doesn’t suit you, Scott.”
▄▄▄▄ TAGGING - BRAEDEN, KIRA YUKIMURA
▄▄▄▄ LOCATION - TOPSIDE
▄▄▄▄ TIMEFRAME - BEGINNING OF “DEEP STATE” EVENT
▄▄▄▄ SUMMARY - Kira paid Braeden to try and help her find where her mother has been hiding. Braeden’s search takes them to the same building that Stuart was held in prior. While they did not find Noshiko, they did uncover more information about the mysterious device that Stuart claimed they put in Cora ; and tried to put in him. [ CHATZY LOG ]
Braeden
Braeden tucked both hands into the pockets of her jacket as she waited for the kitsune. All of her leads led her to a smaller, "seemingly abandoned" government building at the other end of town. The park they were to met in was closest to it -- a ten minute walk, without being too obvious to meet right outside of it. Braeden had her suspicions about what they would actually find there -- but, Kira was a paying customer and she would get the job done one way or another.
She wouldn't exactly call Kira a friend -- but, anyone in the McCall pack was far from an enemy for her. And, part of her did hope that Kira found more of a hopeful lead to finding her mother -- she hoped, somewhere, that what they would find would give Kira more pieces of the puzzle to finding her family. If there was anything that the mercenary could sympathize with, it was family. As she waited, to look less suspicious and out of the ordinary, she sat herself down on a bench and pulled out a book to eyeball -- looking back it, rather than actually at it.
Kira
Kira's footsteps left no sound as she moved through the darkened streets, wary of the curfew and the unfamiliar streets. It was strange to think that after so many years of living in the small town, she rarely ventured near here. The 'abandoned' building seemed like just that, and Kira had never spared it much thought until everything had happened with Stuart and Allison, and even Cora. The disappearance of other supernatural beings had never triggered a fear that her own mother was not in hiding but taken, but after four years of silence from the older Kitsune... well, Kira could admit she did find it strange that her parents hadn't contacted her once during all that time.
She stepped off the road, scanning the empty park until she spotted the silhouette reaching long across the grass. Just as quietly, Kira made her way over and took a seat beside the bounty hunter. "Is, uh, is this the place?" she asked, a little foolishly. She knew that it was, but she wanted to relieve the tension settling deep in her stomach, and asking a silly question seemed like as good idea as any.
Braeden
She rose her faux gaze away from the book before more truly settling them on the kistune. She tucked the book away before turning her eyes over her shoulder to the building in the background -- no more than a very short walk from where they stood. "So I've been told," was her response. She knew what the other was probably thinking, because honestly .. - Braeden was thinking it too. It was a large building and it didn't exactly look occupied. But, then again, that was probably what the government wanted. She found herself idly wandering if this was where the Stilinski twin was found, instead of the handicap building that he no doubt turned himself into. She almost wished now that she had been involved in the plan to spring The Pariah out of his holding. But, it was no matter. It was just curiosity -- nothing that would hinder her job.
"Are you ready?" she asked the other, patting her side to make sure her weapon was still secure before she was standing -- without waiting for an answer, it was a nicety really -- and starting towards the shadow of a building.
Kira
The affirmation did absolutely nothing to allay Kira's fears and suspicions about what they were about to do. Kira hadn't done much since getting the collar around her neck to outwardly challenge the government. Everything that she and Scott had done since she registered had been in the name of keeping peace. Breaking into a supposedly government building? Yeah, that was about to blow all that to hell. "I, uh, I think so..." Kira replied, her hand automatically fingering her belt. That oh-so-trusty belt that she had worn every single day since she had left the Skinwalkers.
Kira stood too, following the other towards the building with quick and light footsteps. Despite how long it had been since she had broken into anywhere, these things were apparently like riding a bicycle.
Braeden left this message 91 minutes ago:
She eyed the other's belt for a moment at the touch -- and for both of their sakes, she hoped there was an actual weapon hidden amongst it. She didn't anticipate any fighting to go down, but she liked to be prepared.
Once she was turning and heading towards the building, she found herself thankful that Kira fell into a quiet gait -- that she didn't have to babysit the kitsune. "We are going to enter from the back enterance - it's the least guarded. It used to be a truck drop off, before it was a government building. I can pick the lock so long as you cover me," she was telling her softly, in a breath that was almost lost to the wind as she rounded the side of the bundling -- still at a safe distance. Not yet approaching the property line of it all.
Braeden joined the chat 91 minutes ago
Kira: ((does Stu have any visible differences to Stiles in your headcanon besides the glasses?)
Kira: ((like a mole on his face or the like?)
Braeden: (( after the thing, he has a branding on the back of his neck now ))
Kira: (oh i meant in his appearance from the front. like the sheriff noticing differences between stu and stiles at the moment)
Braeden: (( ohhh. Probably different placement of moles, yeah. Since even identical twins don't have the same freckle placement. ))
Kira: ((coolies yeah i was gonna say something like that but i didn't wanna assume. they also have a different hair cut right?)
Braeden: (( stu's hair is a little longer and shaggier, yeah ))
Kira: ((i've always pictured stu with the google movie haircut compared to stiles' one)
Kira: ((awesome!)
Kira: Kira nodded soundless as Braeden continued to explain the situation and what they were going to do. It was probably a good thing as Kira found that her mind was racing too fast for her to say anything out loud. She wasn't exactly panicking, but she would be a fool to say she wasn't scared. "I can do that," she replied back in barely more than a whisper. As the pair rounded the back of the building, Kira began to scan there surroundings, wary of every movement in view. Suddenly, even the sway of trees in the wind seemed menacing, and Kira had to swallow any premature warnings as she let Braeden survey the building.
Braeden left this message 74 minutes ago:
Once they made it to the back, the mercinary took a quick survey of their surroundings before moving forward swiftly to the back door in question. She dug around in the bag that was secured to her hip for a moment before she produced a small tool to work at the door with -- peering over her shoulder to make sure Kira was keeping her end of the deal.
Once satisfied, Braeden crouched down and began to make swift and quiet work of the door -- one hand on it to feel vibrations from the inside.
Braeden joined the chat 74 minutes ago
Kira: As they reached the building, Kira stood with her back to Braedon, fighting stance ready. She was hesitant to draw out her katana just yet, as she didn't want to draw attention to the fact that they were breaking into a government building. There was a loging in there that didn't make 100% of sense, but Kira still didn't remove her belt which doubled as her one protective weapon against both the supernatural and the human. She periodically checked on Braeden's progress over her shoulder, but still said nothing. In the corner of her eye, she spotted movement and she crouched low beside the bounty hunter, signalling for extreme caution. A pair of guards appeared for the shadows on the far left of the building, walking between two adjacent buildings, but not headed in their direction. They disappeared from view again, but Kira stayed on alert all the same.
Braeden left this message 62 minutes ago:
Braeden didn't pay the passing guards any mind -- they weren't important unless they became a barrier. Until then, she kept her focus on what she was doing. Once she finally felt the lock give, she was quickly tucking away her tool and shouldering the door open -- slowly, so as to not make it creak.
"Inside -- quickly," she breathed to the kitsune, waiting at the threshold for Kira to enter first.
Braeden joined the chat 62 minutes ago
Kira: It seemed to take and age, but once the door was finally opened, Kira didn't hesitate to follow Braeden's instruction, quickly entering the building. She glanced around at the dimly lit hallways as Braeden closed the door behind them. "Do you know where to go?" she asked quietly, though it seemed like the blood rushing through her ears and pounding of her chest were loud enough for the whole world to hear.
Braeden: "Stay close," was her next instruction, drawing her small gun now that they were inside and holding it at the ready at her side. She didn't want to get caught off guard and something jump them. Eyes darted back to Kira briefly for a moment. "Mostly. I looked at the blueprints for this place -- it's probably changed a little. Should be down the hall and before the stairs."
Kira: Kira nodded once more. Even if she had known where she was going, she doubted that she would have dared leave the bounty hunter's side. "Okay," she answered, trying not to feel nervous that Braeden felt it necessary to draw out a gun. She almost second guessed herself, wondering if she, too, should draw out her katana, but Kira decided against it. She trusted Braeden to act if they were found, but wielding a sword in such a confined space was not really a good idea. "Should I take the lead? Or should you?"
Braeden: "I can," was her instant response. It wasn't that she didn't trust Kira in this situation, it was the fact that she was armed and Kira was not. She rose her gun to
Braeden: (( shit ))
Braeden: shoulder level as they passed a corner - eyeing down it before continuing. Once they came to the door in question, Braeden was about to try and open it. But, the stairwell a good five feet from them caught her attention; charred marks against the doorway drawing her closer. "Do you see this?"
Braeden: (( driving home ))
Kira: ((okay! i'll probably around until about the same time as yesterday, but if we don't finish we can continue when you're free next))
Kira: Once again following instruction, Kira brought up the rear, occasionally checking behind her for any movement. She wasn't too sure what to expect in a building such as this. She hadn't been there when the rescue mission had been mounted, and now Kira was sneaking through a supposed government facility for clues about her mother and father's whereabouts. Braeden stopped, and so did Kira. She frowned at the charred marks and nodded. "Yes..." she drew out softly. "Do you think... Is it a sign we should go down here?"
Braeden joined the chat 15 minutes ago
Braeden: She looked back at Kira for a moment before back to the door. "I want to know what made those marks," was her only reply before she was heading towards the door - easing it open slowly with her gun drawn. But, even she was not expecting what she saw. Looking down the stairwell, the entire three floors below them were completely blown out - almost like someone had chucked a stick of dymnomite down it and let it blow; white walls charred with imperfections and the upper floors damaged by holes and debris.
Braeden joined the chat
Kira: Kira nodded uncertainly. Her natural instinct was to stay away from the place where fire had obviously once been, but then again, she wasn't a bounty hunter. It was Braeden's job to investigate, not shy away. At least, that's what Kira understood. It was probably necessary for them, just to know what they might need to expect, but still... Kira gasped as she took in the remnants of the room below, gripping the railing tightly as she noted how high up they were. Not to mention... the room had been completely obliterated, leaving nothing but the scars of what happened behind. "Oh my god..."
Braeden: Braeden's eyebrows furrowed inwards at the new revelation -- eyes darting around their surroundings and taking in the giant hole that lead to the outside. "This is recent," she breathed, running her finger along one of the charred scars on the wall, coming away with black soot on her fingers. "Not today recent, but I'm willing to bet that this was all still standing when they came in to get Stuart."
Kira: "Really?" Kira asked, surprised that Braeden could tell. Now, that Kira was paying closer attention, she could in fact still smell the faint aroma of a fire. The air still dusty and slightly thicker than that of the hallway. "They did all this... to hide the fact that they were here?" It shouldn't have shocked Kira as much as it did. This was a government bold enough to make at least three people disappear. Blowing up three stories of a building was hardly out of the realm of possibility. "Is it safe to be in here?" Kira asked further. "I mean, structurally?"
Braeden: "I don't think they did this," Braeden whispered, still looking at the remains of the stairwell instead of the kitsune. "I don't think that humans did this -- metaphysically, anyway." She wasn't going to get into the whole human versus supernatural debate. She of all people knew that the supernatural still functioned on a fundamentally human level; still harbored emotions and pain. That was not what she was getting at. "As long as we don't try and climb down, I think we're fine right here."
Kira: Kira's eyes widened at Braeden's implication. She had seen a lot of crazy stuff since her powers as a kitsune awakened - she had even been the cause of some - but still, Kira never imagined that the supernatural had the power to blow up 3 stories of a building. "Was it... our side? Or, you know, the others?" Kira asked solemnly, still staring at the gaping hole. She knew she should step away, but after what Braeden had said, she saw every scorch mark in a brand new light.
Braeden: She shook her head a little bit, "I don't know," she admitted. Unlike some, Braeden had no problems admitting when she didn't know something. It only encouraged her to want to search deeper, a frown against her lips before she was taking a few steps back. ( Not to mention, Braeden didn't really have a side. But, she didn't have time for that conversation. ) "Let's get back on track -- I don't want to meet whatever made these marks if they're still around." Eyes found Kira fleetingly before she was raising her gun back to shoulder level to turn over her shoulder and back into the hallway. " -- we should put a little more fire in our step. I don't want to be here much longer." Not after the knowledge of whatever blew out the stairs.
Kira: Kira nodded numbly, taking one more moment to take in the horrible sight before following Braeden's movements. The kitsune definitely hoped that whoever had been able to affect so much damage wasn't dangerous to the general public. There were casualties of war, that much as certain. But this war had too many innocent people caught in the middle - her kids, included. Kira just didn't want to see anyone else get hurt. "O... Okay," Kira stammered out, a little unsure of herself. She wasn't even sure what (else) Braeden hoped to find, or how the hunter knew where she was going, but Kira trusted her enough to follow without any objection. "Which way should we go?"
Braeden
She nodded down the hallway to the door she had hoped to go in prior to the discovery of the destroyed stairwell. " -- there," she murmured, taking a few long strides towards the door before placing her ear against it. She closed her eyes and listened for a good few long beats; hearing nothing. Once she was sure ( hopefully ) that it was empty, she was slowly turning the handle and pushing it open. "Stay by the door and keep it cracked," she murmured.
The room was fairly small, and empty -- aside from a desk with papers strewn out across it and a computer that illuminated the dark cubicle.
Kira: Once again, Kira followed Braeden's lead, more than glad that she wasn't the one expected to know what to do. Kira felt completely out of her element. Since registering, Kira had done barely any 'real' fighting. Only helped Scott and the others out when needed. Coming here... looking for evidence that the government had kidnapped her mother... it was all really surreal. As Braeden listened, Kira, too, trained her hearing, listening out for any kind of movement in case she could forewarn her unlikely ally. But not a sound was heard. And Braeden seemed to conclude the same. Nodding, Kira stood by the door while Braeden searched the room, one eye peering through the crack for good measure.
Braeden joined the chat 46 hours ago
Braeden: Braeden shifted through the files a few times -- looking over the meaningless information. Nothing that appealed to her. Nothing to do with Kira's mother, and nothing to do with The Claw. As far as she was concerned, all of it was useless to her. She was only concerned about her directives, nothing else was relevant. After coming up short on the papers, she moved herself to sit in front of the computer; clicking a few times before scoffing to herself. "High security government facility -- computer left unlocked," she scolded no one in particular, beginning to click around to find anything that had to do with Kira's mother.
Braeden: (( I'll start going more in depth with the big things in the next few replies ))
Kira: ((okay. i might reply once more for each and then head to bed. not sure i can handle anything big tonight - lol that came out dirty and i didn't intend it))
Kira: Kira split her focus between Braeden and the hallway outside - something that she had expressly been told not to do during her training with the skinwalkers - but she simply couldn't help it. With every movement the other woman made, the possibility of learning something of her mother clenched at her chest with almost paralyzing fear. She knew she had to be strong, but it was hard when her belief of her parents safety could come crashing down at any moment.
Braeden
Braeden fell quiet as she poked around the computer -- trying to find any kind of file that would help uncover any kind of information about Kira's mother. Finally, though, she let out a soft noise and clicked on something on the screen -- pulling up a profile. "Noshiko Yukimura," she murmured, scrolling through the profile and letting her eyes skim it to try and take in the important bits.
"Well, I have good news and bad news -- and I'm not sure which is which. But, she was here. And ... it looks like that those scorch marks in the stairwell are from her. She was escaping," she told the other, continuing to read and try and understand.
Braeden joined the chat 7 hours ago
Braeden joined the chat 62 minutes ago
Kira joined the chat 2 minutes ago
Braeden joined the chat
Kira: At the mention of her mother's name, Kira couldn't help but turn around at look at Braeden. Both fear and wonder clenched at her chest because Kira had no idea her mother was capable of such power. Yes, she knew her mother was a very old and very wise kitsune, with many secrets she had yet to teach her, but still... being able to blow up the inside of a buidling? It was mind boggling. "She... what?" Kira stammered. "My mom... but she escaped?" Unable to push down her fears, Kira rounded the computer and took a look at the screen herself, reading over the information until the words fully registered. "But then, she would have come to find me..." Kira gulped, truly afraid of what that would mean.
Braeden
Braeden was continuing to search the file as Kira looked over her shoulder. She had half a mind to tell her to go back to the door -- but she held her tongue instead and hoped that she wouldn't regret that choice. That the hallway on this wing was really as abandoned as it looked. "They had her before they even got Stuart -- " she was saying, clicking on different files that were attached to Noshiko's. One in particular, however, caught the mercenary's attention -- one they had only code named Pavolv's Device.
"Get in my bag and get my thumbdrive. Your friend, The Pariah, he's going to want this information --" she breathed. The Underground may not be her concern, but this was. This was larger than she was; and this could mean a lot of damage. To society as a whole.
Braeden: (( uhh.. oh. pretend she set her bag down before getting on the computer. i forgot to write that ))
Kira: (haha ok!))
Kira: Something didn't feel right. The ease at which Braeden was getting this information - Top secret information - felt too... easy. Still, Kira did as instructed and retrieved Braeden's bag, trusting that the bounty hunter knew what she was doing. If she felt there was any danger, Kira was sure the other would say something. "Here," Kira handed over the thumbdrive, still hovering by Braeden's side watching the screen instead of returning to her post by the door.
Braeden
She took the thumb drive and put it into the computer tower, continuing to click around. She found a list of names she did not know of people who the device had been tried on -- the only one on the list of successful attempts that she knew was Cora Hale. A list to the side only had two names ; an untitled list reading Dymek Stuart Stilinski -- Escaped before procedure ; Noshiko Yukimura -- Escaped during procedure.
" -- they look to have developed a device that is ... not quite mind control, but just shy of it. A conditioning device; like the theory of Pavlov's dog. Exposing the victim to extreme amounts of pain unless the orders spoken directly into their mind are obeyed." Reading more, as the files downloaded, she saw that it could produce bouts of memory loss after the procedure; the information too in depth for her to take all of it in in one go.
Kira: Mind control? As if their situation wasn't bad enough, the government were now trying to control the supernatural? Kira's hand subconsciously moved to her collar, which had clearly marked her for almost four years now. It had completely rid her of her more 'superhuman' abilities and had alienated her in a town where the tensions between both supernatural (registered and unregistered) and humans were high. Her eyes scanned the list too, with only a few familiar ones popping out at her. Cora, Stuart and her mother. There was no mention of her father, but he was human, sparking even more worry about what the government had done to her father to keep her mother in line for all this time. "So... they might have ordered my mum to do that? To blow up the building, I mean?"
Braeden: "It says she escaped during the procedure," she breathed, looking down to the progress bar before back at what she was reading. "And I don't think they would order their own hideout to be destroyed, even if partially. I don't know much about celestial kitsune, but -- my guess would be that the fox was too much for them to control. They tend to underestimate just how powerful some supernatural creatures can be, and my best education assumption is that, before they actually managed to finish, the fox retaliated and she got away."
Kira: Despite everything, Kira felt a little relieved to hear Braeden's assessment of the situation. Her mother was very powerful, far more powerful than even Kira realized, but then again the kitsune could have minds of their own. Afterall, that was why Kira had left to train with the skinwalkers in the first place. "That's reassuring, at least," Kira replied. She was still worried, of course. This brought up a whole slew of new questions that Kira had no answers too. Especially the one where if her mother had escaped, then... where was she now? "Is there anything else?"
Braeden
She watched the download bar progress -- it far too slow for her liking before it finally hit 100%. Dark eyes darted around to the door, as if she was expecting someone to throw themselves through it as she tugged the thumb drive out of the tower. "Give this to your friend," she breathed, pressing the device into Kira's hand. Only using his codename when referring to him betrayed that -- while she knew who Stuart and The Pariah were separately -- Braeden did not know it was one in the same person.
"We need to get out of here."
Kira: Kira clutched the thumb drive in her hand and nodded solemnly, determined to do at least something useful. She had been left behind when Stuart and Allison had been rescued, and she had only really tagged along with Braeden here. She had never done anything that could be considered worthy of the cause. This small thing was her part, even if it was, well, small. "Agreed," Kira said, a little relieved to be moving on, and that they had not needed the use of either of their weapons. "Let's go."
“In this world you can’t afford to not be worried about your safety -- especially with the job you do. I know a lot of people who not react kindly if they knew what you do.”
“Why, you gonna turn me in for treason?” he asked, feeling more irritated as she smirked back at him. He was careful: or, as careful as he could be as someone so closely involved with the rebellion. Registering, pretending to be a law-abiding citizen…that was all just a ruse for now. At the end of the day, he didn’t agree with the government’s laws, and he knew that one day he would have to choose. The choice was an easy one, but right now, being able to easily navigate between both Topside and Underground was working in his favor, and he was going to continue to do just that.
“If someone paid me enough, I just might,” was her simple response without hesitation -- a quirk pulling at the corner of her lips. ( Truth be told, she wasn’t sure just how truthful that was. If she would be able to turn any of Derek’s old pack in. She would cross that bridge if she ever came to it. ) “If the number is right, I’ll do just about anything.”
“Does it really matter?” Stiles spat, unsure sometimes of why he even humored Braeden at this point. Her allegiance was questionable, and he didn’t trust her. “I’m just saying. Their list is stupid, and if they don’t know real names. they’d might as well not put those people on the list at all.”
“I’d also be careful with who you let hear you call anything the government does stupid,” she noted with a small tip of her head; a smirk dancing across the corner of her lips. “I would just be a little more careful if I were you, Stiles, in general. You have a habit of sticking your nose into things too much -- and, balancing Topside and the Underground -- you can’t have both worlds.”
Scott didn’t say anything about Le Chasse nor did he intend on doing so. He didn’t know if she was fishing for information,too, or confirming something she already knew. He’d been too close to too many names on the Wanted list.“Everyone forgets the second part: Satisfaction brought it back.Be safe.“ He slipped on his helmet and sped away on his motorcycle.
Despite whatever he may believe, Braeden had no intent of fishing for information about Le Chassé. As she had told Camden, Le Chassé was not her problem. She wasn’t getting paid to find anything out about them, and she was focusing herself on her mission, not her “friends.” She had a goal in mind, and nothing was going to distract her from that. She merely hummed at the alpha’s response, not finding anything else to say to try and dissuade him from getting himself into trouble. “I wouldn’t worry about my safety,” was her response, turning and leaving after watching the werewolf take to his bike.
He couldn’t think of a way to respond.She had valid points. “Well,I’m not hiding. And you have my number. Maybe…don’t mention government next time.” Not that he was certain there would be. And a part of him hoped ‘government’ meant track whoever had really committed the murders. Not something else. “It just makes people curious.”
Eyebrows rose fleetingly at the comment from the other before she was shaking her head -- she did not need to hear any kind of lecturing from someone younger than her. Even if he was Scott McCall. “You just keep your nose in your own business for now, Scott. I’m sure Le Chasse needs you a lot more than you need to be poking around in things that you don’t need to be. Curiosity killed the cat; or, in this case, the wolf. Go home, Scott.”
