"How do you feel about the Arachnos Government and what is your stance on world politics today?" asked Pistol, ignoring Adams's question.
"Seriously?"
Ms Adams eyed her surroundings, well aware that if she spoke out against her employers in the middle of their home turf she may well end up 'dealt with'.
"Listen lady, I haven't got time for your little pop quiz. I have an engagement this evening that I'd really like to keep."
Ms Adams stepped towards the woman in black and lowered her voice, "And I wouldn't want to lose my table at El Salvadore's fish restaurant in Sharkhead. Tables are so hard to come by as it is."
The green-clad woman maintained eye-contact, hoping that the hint she had dropped was picked up. She folded her arms and assumed an air of impatience, waiting for the figure to depart and let her on her way.
Later that evening at El Salvadore's Fish Restaurant...
Lady Pistol entered the restaurant, her feet sweeping across the carpet gracefully. She looked around for the woman she'd spoken to in Grandville.
A woman in a little black dress waved her new acquaintance over. She indicated the adjacent chair, "Do sit. And there's no need to worry in this place. I know the owner. We have an understanding."
Ms Adams handed a menu to her dining partner. "I recommend the Tusk'n Red to accompany the smoked haddock with lemongrass. It's Californian wine but don't let that put you off."
Ms Adams had already ordered a bottle of champagne and a surly waiter approached the table to pour out another glass. She raised her flute in a toast, "To change." And promptly downed her glassful in an unladylike manner. She smiled at her companion.
"To answer your question, or should I say questions, I couldn't care less about Arachnos. And I've always considered myself deeply concerned with the future." The answers were short and vague, but Ms Adams's face portrayed a 'concerned citizen' remarkably well.
She sat back in her chair, waiting for a reply.
"Good to hear" said Pistol, allowing herself to enjoy the wine. "I won't waste your time, so this is it; my company operates in secret to heal the world and by 'world' I mean the universe, not just Earth. There are a lot of world powers involved with us and what we do is often resisted by super-powered heroes, albeit misguided, so in some ways we're villains, villains with a good cause. Exactly what we do I cannot proceed to disclose, without having to kill you." Pistol then produces two pills, a red one and a blue one, and offers her hands to Ms Adams. "The blue pill will without side-effects erase your memory of me and our conversations since this afternoon. The red pill is a location transmitter. If you're interested in joining my company, to help secure the future of this world, to save it from its impending self-destruction..." Pistol lowered her voice. "...then take the red pill as a token of mutual trust, otherwise take the blue pill and I'll leave." The lady fixed an intense gaze upon the assassin, watching for her reaction.
Ms Adams stared at the pills.
"One pill makes you larger..." she half muttered to herself and smiled again. A jumble of thoughts and questions littered her mind all fighting to the surface, hoping to be the one that would make it out.
"How much are you going to pay me for my services?" the assassin's eyes gleamed as she picked up the red pill.
"An elite agent such as yourself would earn two million dollars upon each successful mission. We understand the value of our assets' lives you know" said Pistol, offering a handshake to her new associate.
Ms Adams completed the deal with yet another smile and a handshake.
"So, do I take this now?" she referred to the pill.
"And do I get your name now? Or later?"
"My name is Alicia Barzini, cousin to the Marcone. People in my circles call me Pistol. Take the pill now Adams, and welcome to the Illuminati" said Pistol. "Have you ever heard the expression 'you never truly know a person until you've fought?'"
Ms Adams swallowed the red pill and looked straight at Alicia.
"Oh good, another test." She said dryly.
"I've heard the saying but then most of the people I fight don't live to know more about me." It was an arrogant remark but, in the relative safety of the restaurant, she thought she could get away with it.
"And I've heard of you, I think. Rumour mill, grapevine, that sort of thing. Don't you usually hang around with undesirables who do your dirty work for you?"
Ms Adams tensed again, partly due to the unpleasant sensation induced by the red pill but mainly because she thought she knew where this was going.
"We'll need to test your combat skills. Friendly spar in the Arena?" asked Pistol. "We can talk more about my reputation en route to Port Oakes"
"Very well." Ms Adams signalled to the waiter and instructed him that the pair would not be needing anything to eat.
"It should give me the chance to stop by my apartment and change. There's not much I can do wearing this dress." She lied.
"Tell me one thing before we leave - may I keep the blue pill? Only, there's the short-term problem of my involvement with Arachnos. I may have a use for it."
"Ages Past"
Gar Imperiat, London
The Empress stepped into the control chamber of the Citadel, looking round, finding the seat she wanted empty.
"Where is he?"
The soldiers reading the monitors all looked at one another, deciding amongst themselves who should answer. One of them took the initiative, tired of his colleagues cowering.
"He left earlier, Empress. To watch a movie"
She looked at him with contempt but could see he spoke the truth.
"Thank you"
She left, strolling out of the room. The mutterings of the soldiers were obviously geared towards 'suck-up'.
Gar Palace, King's Lynn
Tyrone had watched these two movies about a guy called Neo and his super-powers and was reaching the end of the third, his attention focused on the interaction between the two main characters. So engrossed that he didn't notice his first wife had already walked in and observed him. She walked over and put her arms round him but he remained vigilant, watching the film as it finished. As the credits began to roll she straddled him to block his sight of the screen and he smiled.
"Hello, my dear"
"You seemed to be enjoying that a little too much"
"Well it makes a refreshing change to be swept away in the narrative as opposed to knowing everything inside and out before anyone utters a word. I particularly enjoyed the Smith character..."
She smiled and did a double-take looking over her husband. Her face dropped as she recognised who was there.
"Seems you have visitors..."
"I know"
She stepped off him and headed out of the room.
"Let me know when they've gone, I needed to shower anyway"
Tyrone stood up and casually walked over to the drinks cabinet, pouring himself his favourite.
"Must you interrupt me on these moments?"
"You seemed to be rather lax in your pursuit of our ultimate objective"
"Maybe because it's still working, despite your impatience"
"The Echelon is concerned that your fondness for your acolyte is blinding you..."
Tyrone slammed the bottle he was pouring from down on the edge, turning to face his ethereal visitors
"My fondness is none of your business and I'll thank you to keep out of my head"
"But your feelings for her are strong..."
"... And under control. And it's not her per-sae but her alternate, the one of this world who I cared for. She carried three of my children, including my first-born son and then died because of some arrogant fool's impatience"
"And you see our concern with that"
"Having these feelings and unleashing them are two very separate things. I faught long and hard for this position and I won't let anything jeopardise it"
"It still means you..."
"ANYthing!"
A silence washes over them all as Tyrone finished mixing his drink, remembering how he came to this point...
Tyger (50), Mutation-Controller Mind/FF - oldest Mind/FF on Union
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Dispari
I don't know why Dink thinks she's not as sexy as Jay was. In 5 posts she's already upstaged his entire career.
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((Just been transferring onto the Handbook and I must say, rereading these golden stories was all the fun!))
-------------------- INDEX --------------------
Chapter One: Ziggursky Penitentiary - Pages 1 to 3
Featuring the Wolfmother; Skull Biker; Cruise Control; Danger Baby; Hatespawn; Mob Mentality; Spruk; Lady Blitz; Tommy Furr and the notorious Pistol. In this chapter we are introduced to the founding members of the underground criminal syndicate known only as The Gang.
Chapter Two: Prisonbreak - Pages 3 to 15
Featuring the Wolfmother; Skull Biker; Cruise Control; Danger Baby; Hatespawn; Mob Mentality; Spruk; Lady Blitz; Tommy Furr, Pistol, Shift, Mugshot, MaX, Bonnot, Silent Creeper, Zurd, .Test and the hilarious Mr. Jingles. In this chapter, we see the Gang battle members of the Freedom Phalanx to escape the high security prison.
Chapter Three: Underground Sewers - Pages 15 to 18
Starring Mugshot, Skull Biker, Pistol, Spruk, Zurd, Bonnot and the infamous Tommy Furr. In this chapter, we follow the lives of some of the crimelords after fleeing from the Ziggursky Penitentiary, to the Rogue Isles.
Chapter Four: Sionis and the Circle of Thorns - Page 18
Starring the notorious Pistol and introducing Sionis. This chapter tells of the recruitment of the infamous criminal mastermind, Sionis into the Syndicate.
Chapter Five: The Good Life - Page 18
A chapter of three parts, Punishing the Mole, The Assasination Ring and Gun Kata, stars the murderous Spruk and the notorious Pistol on a typical day of betrayal, vengeance and blood-soaked violence.
Chapter Six: Hatesman and the Secret Society (Terra Liberation Front) - Pages 18 to 20
This chapter stars the venomous Spruk, Pistol and her twin sister the Falcon Blitz. Featuring the Hatesman, who is invited to the Scisarose Mansion after his proposal of anarchy and social discord upon the world.
Chapter Seven: The Long Halloween - Pages 20 to 22
The chapter tells of Sionis's origin and his plot against an old nemesis and the New Mafia's rival family, the Marcone. Featuring Sionis, Pistol and the Falcon Blitz.
Chapter Eight: Brawling the Brawler - Page 22
The Falcon Blitz and the Cross Fist gang rush to the aid of fellow criminal mastermind, the venomous Spruk on an assignment to capture the ex-member of the Freedom Phalanx: the Backalley Brawler.
Chapter Nine: Assasin - Page 22
Starring Mob Mentality, the notorious Pistol and introducing the infamous Bunji. The assasin is invited for dinner at the Scisarose Mansion concerning an impending threat to the New Mafia.
Chapter Ten: Chronodyne - Pages 23 to 27
Life as we know it at the Scisarose Mansion just got shot twice in the chest, stabbed in the back and dumped in a dark alley, metaphorically speaking. This long chapter brings a new saga of betrayal, loss and the usual blood and gore. Introducing Big Lunk and Doctor Mechano of the European Villainous Immorality League, the Falcon Blitz and Axel Hunter co-star with the notorious Pistol in this intense drama of drugs, guns and extreme profanity. The mafia boss, known for her patience and tolerance is pushed to her limits after her sister gets involved with experimental drugs.
Chapter Ten: Looking For Work - Page 28
Vincent Zampelli drops by the mansion looking for work but crime boss Axel Hunter lets him down. He hints that the Lady Pistol was otherwise engaged in a city-wide Gang War which of course, later leads to her death in the far away Virtue Universe.
Chapter Eleven: Dark Pistol and the League of Righteous Destroyers - Pages 29 to 38.
Following her demonic resurrection, Pistol takes up Hatesman's previous plans and forms a secret society of world villains, aiming to conquer the world by political control, also starring Countess Báthory Erzsébet, Lord Erebus, Lord Borealis, XV18222, Romanov and Primogen.
Chapter Twelve: Dark Pistol and the Midnight Illuminati - Pages 38 to 42.
The plot thickens! After the League of Righteous Destroys planned to kill her, Dark Pistol returned from defeat to try again at world power. She amassed a number of political links and quickly became a key member of an otherworldy cult made up of leading world figures, bent on radically changing the human race, for the better.
((Over the holidays I will be revitalising this RP project, among others.))
Original post: http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showt...61#post4324361
"Business?" Ms Adams remained on guard but the woman before her clearly wasn't from the Midnight Club.
She cocked her head to one side, "Sounds intriguing. But I already have gainful employment - and as far as I'm aware Arachnos are the only powers-that-be who pay top dollar for my... services."
She smiled underneath the mask.
"You seem to know my name, or part of it at least. So, who the hell are you?"