I want to be blinded from this dull today​

[levelshift]

Who: Leonardo faceguy, Donatello purplexing, Accelerator levelshift
What: Three children commit light B&E and felony theft.
When: Late May. Probably after that Fantastic announcement, what timing.
Where: An electronics recycling facility in Central.
Content Warnings: Kids committing crimes, body horror, psychological horror, blood, sensory overloading. These kids have trauma, thanks nightmare floor! Will update as necessary.


[With everything going on in Central City - the flooding, the lockdown, Fantastic taking over the Alliance - the smart thing to do would be to delay this whole mission. Or even better - call it off, because even though it should be a (mostly) harmless crime for the benefit of Donnie, stealing equipment meant to be recycled is still illegal. But no, they've made plans, scoped the place out, trained. Dropping things now would be putting all that time and effort to waste, and besides, it should be a simple stealthy in-and-out mission, right? It's a recycling facility, how bad can the security be?

Besides, it'll be fun to stick it to Fantastic. A heist (albeit, a small one) happening right after he becomes head of the Alliance? Now that's fantastic.

Accelerator isn't too sure what to expect. He's been in a recycling facility before, back in Academy City, and the security was incredibly lax. This is a different city - different universe, with different rules. He's a little cautious, since this was originally his idea, and he's the one with only thirty minutes of power to work with. Otherwise he's a weaker-than-normal high school student relying on two very capable ninjas.

It's fucking weird to be relying on other people. He kind of hates it, and he isn't totally sure why, though he can't exactly overthink it right now like he usually would. He's trying to stay focused on breaking into the facility and not fucking anything up for Donnie and Leo. He's even made something of an effort for tonight, with a duffle bag to store equipment (a smaller backpack is inside for stuff he'll grab for the Society's cut) and a black hoodie in case he needs to hide his hair (he isn't sure, white hair just doesn't seem very stealthy).

So far it's going smoothly. With Leo's planning and leadership and Donnie taking care of the security system they're able to sneak in and avoid the paths of the security guards. In fact, it's going so well that it sort of seems like they might be able to get in, grab what they need, and get out with no incidents whatsoever.

Of course, it's absurd to throw all caution out the window simply because things are working out right now. Especially when they run into their first obstacle.

After dodging a few more guards, the trio will come to a long hallway, the only path to their goal without having to pass directly several security stations. Spread through the length of the hall are little red lasers, arranged into one very elaborate grid meant to ward off would-be thieves such as themselves. It's like something out of a spy movie, and it's unclear whether these are the kinds of lasers that will cut a limb off or simply sound an alarm if tripped. Maybe it's both.

Accelerator leans heavily on his crutch, looking thoroughly irritated with this obstacle. His reflection might be actively detrimental here.]

This is fucking ridiculous.

Comments

[levelshift]

[Accelerator pointedly ignores the look Donnie gives his hand, and then the look he gives him, even though he plainly sees both. Offering to carry the bags is the nicest gesture he can muster.

But hey! It's no problem for him to take them. He'll rearrange his grip so two bags are slung over his shoulders and two are under his arms, and despite being filled up it's like he's holding bags full of balloons. Kind of bulky, but the weight isn't an issue.]

Let's hope that doesn't happen.

[He really doesn't want to have to walk home in normal mode or worse, have his battery completely run out.]

[purplexing]

[Donnie only takes Leo's hand to save himself further embarrassment, even if he still is frowning about it.

Once on his feet, he dusts himself off. No one saw anything.]

I'm sure you could handle it if that did happen though.

[Still sore about being laughed at? That is a silly question.]

Let's get going before anything else catches my eye.

[faceguy]

[He'll take that as a compliment!]

Probably a good idea. Let's go!

[Leo will lead the way, though he does toss a look back at Accelerator as he does.]

Can you mask the sound of the elevator?

[If no one hears the elevator coming up or the doors opening, that will help a lot.]

[levelshift]

[Accelerator makes sure he has a good grip on the bags before following, contemplating Leo's question for a moment.]

Yeah. Shouldn't be a problem.

[The motor probably not, but it's going to be far away from anywhere people can hear it. The car, pulleys and doors won't be an issue at all.]

[purplexing]

[Typical Leo.

At least Donnie can't argue that the question his brother brings up isn't a good one.

He glances over at Accelerator, who still looks a bit ridiculous with such a load, not that he's going to say anything because wow, vector manipulation is useful!]

Should probably be ready in case there are people there either way. Quiet elevators are one thing, but we can't exactly turn ourselves invisible and we're not sure where it's going to spit us out.

[faceguy]

Hey, just remember: stick to the shadows.

[Leo knows there's a real chance it will spit them out right in front of a whole group of people, and then they'll have to fight their way out (without trying to seriously injure anyone), but he's trying to remain optimistic. After the time they've had, he just wants to hope for now more setbacks.

He calls the elevator, then hops on and holds the door for Donnie and Accelerator (and all the bags).]

Just be ready to move, and follow me.

[levelshift]

[It's super useful, he hates having only thirty minutes to use it. Tonight has at least been a good exercise in managing the time carefully, though. That's new for him, and he's glad it's working out so far.

Once he's stepped onto the elevator he taps a foot, and the doors closing will be soundless. That's taken care of, though Donnie is right, and the uncertainty of where they'll end up after this ride is draining.

Actually, the thought of having to do more stealth makes him even more tired than that, so his tone is going to be very dry.]

Sure thing, Taichō.

[purplexing]

[Donnie slips in, doing a quick check before he move to the side. He arches a brow as the doors slide silently shut. That is too weird, but still cool.]

Uh. We're in an elevator. Not much by way of cover or shadows and even if Accelerator's shadow is twice as big with all the baggage...

Hm.

Well, in a pinch, I guess it'll serve enough for an element of surprise.

[faceguy]

Taicho!? Wait, what does that one mean? "Super cool and awesome leader guy"?

[He knows from Accelerator's tone that he doesn't really mean this to be flattering but he's going to take it that way, anyway. And he only knows "sensei" - sorry, Accelerator.]

Anyway, you have to think out of the box, Donnie. [He points to the sides of the elevator door.] Blind spots there and there. Aaaaand... [He points up.] Blind spot up top!

[Yeah he's basically suggesting they suspend themselves from the roof. It's not really a serious suggestion. Though, now he wonders if he could do it...

This isn't really the time or place for finding out though.]

[levelshift]

[He has regrets already.]

No.

[Maybe in a loose translation, which he is definitely not going to say. Nor is he going to give the actual definition.

... Besides! Donnie has a very good point! Not many places they can hide in here! Though, as he follows Leo's gaze upwards he sees the emergency escape hatch.

He taps his foot again, altering the car's vectors, and the hatch pops open soundlessly.

There we go, blind spot.]

[purplexing]

[With each place Leo points out, Donnie looks. No, he can't argue with that, and he blames his impatience on the exhaustion that continues to lurk, waiting for the chance to spring on him again.

He could probably manage to stay up top with the aid of his battle shell. His aching shoulder won't be great for hanging on anywhere for long otherwise.

And then Accelerator acts like he's Mary Poppins or some magician, causing the hatch above to open. Donnie blinks before looking at the other two.]

Well, that works too.

[faceguy]

[Dang, he just popped that open with a tap of his foot! He really does have pyrokinesis (nope)!

Leo only looks somewhat impressed, though, because he has to keep up appearances that he's annoyed that Accelerator stole his thunder.]

Yeah, sure, and get crushed against the roof like in all the movies.

[He's just giving Accelerator a hard time with that one. It's not a bad idea, if they end up in a crowded hallway.

Speaking of which... The elevator starts to slow.]

Alright... be ready. It's show time.

[levelshift]

[Please, he isn't nearly as powerful as most of the magicians back in his own world!

He scowls a little at Leo for the smarm, having thought it was a pretty good idea (also, getting crushed by things has never, ever been an issue for him, so he didn't think about it). At least Donnie appreciates it.

Anyways, with the elevator slowing he sidles off to the side, though it doesn't make a ton of difference with all the bags he's hauling. If there are people on the other side throwing them won't be an option, so he's just going to have to stick to air blasts if they have to fight.]

[purplexing]

Unless this elevator's suddenly hauling itself beyond its normal speed capacity, getting crushed shouldn't be an issue. There's undoubtedly fail-safes installed in the event of an emergency, not to mention there should be considerable space above and between the elevator roof and any present ceilings.

[He's just a bit anxious, let him blather a bit. But with things slowing down, he knows it's game time and so he prepares himself.

While Accelerator moves to one side, Donnie moves to the other, gesturing towards the top with Leo before pointing at his own shoulder. His brother would be better off getting the drop on anyone from above, and at least now he has somewhere to brace himself against.]

[faceguy]

You’re sucking the fun out of it.

[That’s directed at Donnie for ruining several tense elevator scenes for him from now on.

He does get what he’s being told, though, being both the least bogged down and least injured, so as the elevator slows to a stop he hops up high enough that he can grab the edge of the hatch and shimmy his way up. Now if anyone comes in he can drop from above.

It’s all the element of surprise they’re going to get. He hopes it’s not actually needed…]

[levelshift]

Seems like having an extensive knowledge of elevators is a useful thing to have.

[He appreciates the info dump.

The elevator comes to a stop as they all get into position, and the doors open soundlessly. There's no one on the other side, which is great! Accelerator furrows his brow, not taking a look outside.]

.... I'm not getting any soundwaves from out there.

[He can pick up on ones that can't be heard by regular means too, so unless there's something out there that doesn't make any soundwaves at all the hallway is in fact completely empty.]

[purplexing]

[Donnie pokes his head around the door at Accelerator's observation, blinking.]

Huh.

[He lowers his goggles for a quick scan, eventually easing out of the elevator.]

Look at that. We...are all clear.

[faceguy]

[Leo waits until Donnie confirms it before poking his head out of the hatch.]

Seriously? Oh, our luck is never this good…

[Leo drops out of the hatch (quietly, even if Accelerator weren’t dampening the sound), coming to peek around the door, too.]

…Maaaaybe they realized someone breached the lower floor and went to look?

[Well, whatever it is, Leo doesn’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth.]

Let’s not waste this super weird but convenient chance.

[levelshift]

If it's a trap it's a good one.

[If neither he nor Donnie are picking up anything strange, then they have to be in the clear, right? He steps closer to the elevator doors, and even after looking out into the hall he doesn't even notice any radiation that's out of the ordinary for the building.

It's unsettling, given the whole nightmare floor business. He'd like to get out of here ASAP, especially since his choker's battery time is ticking down.]

Which way do we go?

[purplexing]

[Donnie's poking at his computer, head cocked as he tries to tap into security frequencies.]

I think you might be right, Leo. Sounds like everyone's been rerouted.

How're you doing for time, 'Rator?

[He brings up the building map, ignoring the headache as he juggles windows.]

Straight down, make a left and then...right at the second branch. There might still be guards posted at the exit but if I rig one of the alarms to go off, it might be enough to get them to investigate.

[faceguy]

Great - do that and we’ll hope for the best.

[Leo steps out of the elevator fully and starts down the way Donnie indicated, keeping quiet as he goes.

If they make it out of here now unscathed it will be a miracle, and yet it seems like that’s about to happen.

Even though they couldn’t hear or sense anyone, he still takes his time to check for any sign of another person before waving the other two forward.]

[levelshift]

[Thank god, no nightmare floor round two.]

If we can get out of here fast I should still have enough time to drop this shit off at your place.

[He might uber or walk home after that, just to be safe and depending on how far away their place is from his.

With that answer he goes silent, trailing after Leo and keeping his calculations focused on noticing anything out of the ordinary. It's really weird, paying this much attention to his surroundings.]

[purplexing]

[Nodding once at Leo and then at Accelerator, Donnie follows once they set forth.

He leaves the other two to handle keeping an eye out while he works on where the most ideal place will be to set the alarm off that will get any lingering guards away from where they are and where they want to go.

Just a little longer and they'll be out of here. He's narrowed down security feeds.]

I've got eyes on our egress route. Two guards.

Once we're at that last turn, hang back until I set things off. I'll give you the all-clear.

[faceguy]

[Leo gives Donnie a thumbs up at that and leads them to the last turn, then stops, signaling for Accelerator to stop, too.

They'll just chill here while Donnie does his thing.

If this works, they can get back to the apartment, stow this stuff and then... what? Maybe Leo shouldn't let his mind drift too far off, but he's thinking maybe a blanket nest in the living room and some Lou Jitsu films at low volume. The kind of thing he used to do with his brothers as a kid when one of them had a nightmare.

Focus on getting out of here, and then worry about that. He stays still and quiet while waiting for Donnie to enact his plan.]

[levelshift]

[Accelerator is counting down the seconds. It feels like slow going, but he's been judicious with his time in esper mode. It's a complete 180 from how frivolous he had been that night with Kihara. He supposes that's a good thing, that he's been able to change.

He stops when Leo signals to, and while he keeps his attention mostly on their surroundings, he does glance over to watch Donnie tap away at his computer. Damn, this is so impressive. He knows Last Order can unlock doors with her electromagnetism, he kind of wonders if she could use it for hacking stuff like this.

... If she can she'll probably figure how to do it, eventually. That'll be a pain to deal with.]