8466/Undercurrents: Making a Point

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Undercurrents: Making a Point
Date of Scene: 23 July 2019
Location: MD12 HQ, Mid-Town Manhattan, New York
Synopsis: Shredder, Bebop, Rocksteady and the Foot go to send a message to MD12's leaders in New York. Shredder and MD12 reach an impasse and declare war
Thanks to: Shredder
Cast of Characters: Aquaman, Shredder
Tinyplot: Undercurrents


Aquaman has posed:
Little Brazil is a stretch along 46th Street in mid-town Manhattan lined with Brazilian shops and restaurants. Apartments or businesses fill the top floors of buildings. It also happens to be the heartbeat of MD12's operations in New York. It is here that import and mule operations are coordinated with the larger global MD12 network.

The shop fronts are colourful and the streets are busy. Between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue, there is an alley to the south that leads in between Capital One and Bookoff. Large men with swarthy complexions stand on the both sides of the entrances to the alley, with delivery trucks parked blocking the way. The alley itself turns east midblock and runs behind the Cambria Hotel to the Philippines Consulate General and Bank of America Financial Centre. It also leads to the back of a building with a Mexican restaurant and four stories of apartments above it. MD12 had long ago walled off the front entrances to the residential part of the building, making the alleyway the only access. How they kept the city inspectors from complaining was a mystery, but knowing MD12 it probably involved beatings, rape and money.

Corvo, the guy in MD12 in New York, and his men would be found down that alley and up two floors. This was the nexus of their power in the city, and the proximity to a consulate and major bank was no coincidence. Neither was their location in the Brazilian heartland of the city. They were protected here.

Shredder has posed:
    Midtown. The start of the Foot's operations in NYC. The area at large has increased in scope, but this is where it started. Now that the Foot has spread across the entire city, this is still the nerve center for their operations. Several operational bases are set up in both legitimate and illegitimate facilities. MD12 didn't want to be part.

    That didn't concern Shredder much, as long as they didn't get in the way. Their muggers and rapists had undoubtedly found that the police and heroes weren't the only ones they had to look out for, as Foot ninja squads also roamed the rooftops and alleys now.

    Now they are creating problems. The illusion of control has been broken in NYC. It jeopardizes his control of the governmental agencies. Some he could bribe, but others...they turn their heads because the Foot made life easier for the average citizen. The Shredder is bringing likeminded people tonight. People MD12 might resonate with. The giant warthog and rhino accompany him as he exits the stepvan that reads 'UPS'. High above, a four man team of Foot Elite have been dispatched. Given the potential numbers, the Shredder is expecting this to turn violent. So he's bringing force. The elite are on the rooftops, the rice hats and dragon masks hiding their identity as they leap into position, eyes from above.

    There are times that Shredder is subtle. There are times when he arrives without someone ever seeing his approach. This is not one of those times. The bladed figure walks openly down the street, flanked by the monstrous mutants he's brought for muscle as he heads toward the heart of MD12's operations.

Aquaman has posed:
Shredder's people up above find the rooftop of the building they are interested in is already occupied. A half dozen men sit in lawn chairs up there in pairs. They joke and talk in Portugese, or sit quietly. There is a scoped rifle per pair and they watch the streets below. They call in the approach of Shredder and his mutants on their radios. Some more men step out of apartments on upper floors to lean on their balconies overlooking the back alley.

"Turn the fuck around," says a jacked man with a heavy accent dressed in jeans and a wife beater. He steps in front Shredder before they get off the 46th Street sidewalk into the alley mouth. "Alley's closed, cadela." Behind him is a cube van blocking the alley. Four other men are back there, may six feet away. Seeing Shredder and the mutants, they all pull out hand guns and spread out.

From surveillance, Shredder will know there is another group the exact same size guarding the alley from the 45th Street side.

Shredder has posed:
     Shredder doesn't stop walking, and he doesn't even slow down to address the inhibition. He lets Bebop and Rocksteady respond instead.

    "Hey, you don't get to talk to the Shredder that way," Bebop responds, looking down at the man. "This is our turf, shrimp," he says, taunting the strong man. He reaches out to try to take the man by the gun hand, and consequently swing him like a bat at the next gang member as they fan out.

    "Beebs, they got pea shooters, isn't that cute?" Rocksteady snorts. commonly, ninjas wear a sword over their shoulder. Rocksteady carries a 20 lb two-handed sledge hammer. He doesn't need two hands. He pulls it free, and takes a swing at one of the other two gang members wildly.

    Down at the other end, the elite are far more discreet. They move across the roof, signaling with hand gestures as they get in place. Then as one unit, they drop, each of the four to their respective targets, a single strike as they land both with a crushing force of their fall, and their naginatas which pierce through the backs of the unsuspecting gang members. Quiet, coordinated, clean.

Aquaman has posed:
The MD12 men on the roof have no chance. They do not hear death falling from above like an owl on its prey. They just die, none the wiser.

Bebop grabs the man in front of him and swings the man around. The group start swearing but their reactions are admirably quick. They always assume violence. One of the four clipped by the feet of Bebop's human club, who is screaming murder at him in Portugese.

The other three pour semi-automatic gunfire at Shredder and goons. They are reckless and uncaring as to whether they hit their compatriot at this point.

When gunfire erupts there is shouting in Portugese from the far side of the alley and men on the balconies. The men on the balconies, a good five or six, duck back into their apartments and come out again with a variety of firearms that they aim toward the back alley junction with the crossways alley Shredder is in.

Shredder has posed:
    Shredder tucks to one side as a gun goes off, ducking low and bursting forward with a speed that might seem unnatural, his tekko-kagi claw coming up in an uppercut toward the man's chin.

    A few rounds land in Rocksteady, who shouts, "Not fair!" The faux shock is replaced by a chuckle. "Don't ya know I'm ticklish?" He takes another swing to bring his sledgehammer down upon the man who shot him.
    Bebop continues to swing his human club, bringing him around his head and then chunking him at the man who was clipped.

    The Foot Elite remain silent from their striking point, pulling free their blades. They look over the edge at the fighting below, and as the men come out onto their balconies, they pulls smoke pellets from their sashes, and fling them at te respective locations to blind them and prevent an engage. As it happens, it masks their own engage as they follow up with their grappling hooks to swing toward the various additional targets. There may be more than one target for each, but one step at a time.

Aquaman has posed:
The man in front of Shredder backs up and keeps firing, yelling wordlessly. The sound is cut off and replaced by blood and gurgling when Shredder finds purchase with the claw. The man shooting at Rocksteady goes down with a last minute scream and a sickening crunch. Before he can recover, the man Bebop hit the first time is bowled over by a flying gang member and they go down in a heap. A gunshot goes off under the heap when they hit ground. The remaining MD12 tracks on Shredder and just keeps pumping out rounds toward him while Shredder fights.

Smoke pellets go off on the balconies while the MD12 on them are looking down the alley waiting to see who comes. A couple stand and swear, waving their arms. The other three are at least sensible enough to back into their apartments.

The yelling in Portugese from the 45th Street side of the alley has stopped. There is a long loud whistle now instead. If Shredder or any of his men have spent time in favellas, they will know. People are being called to come out into the street. The whistle is picked up by men loitering in the streets on 45th and 46th.

There are some voices yelling in Fillipino from the embassy at the end of the lengthwise alley overlooked by the balconies.

Shredder has posed:
    Shredder hears the whistle, and narrows his eyes. This neighborhood's alliances are strong. It's time to break that. He spins, holding the limp body of the dead man from his claw as a shield to block the incoming rounds. The moment he hears the last round expended for a reload, he pulls a shuriken from his sash, and flings it toward the man's throat to eliminate their last immediate engagement.
    "Bring me a child," he says into his comm. The Elite land, those who are on the balcony find themselves tossed over it quickly, sending three bodies raining down to the alley way with sickening crunches, while the last tosses another pellet into one of the apartments before entering.
    All four enter through the balconies to the respective apartments to find the requested hostage. Meanwhile, the Shredder bursts into movement. "Rocksteady, Bebop. With me." He starts to move down the block rapidly, making his way for the final destination.

Aquaman has posed:
The men that backed into their apartments open fire the moment the ninja land amidst the smoke. A shotgun in one apartment and a handgun each in the other two. The ones on the balconies go over into the street and those ninja find either nobody else or someone's girlfriend in the apartments they enter.

Except for one. A short, slim woman Brazilian woman with a pockmarked complexion screams when the ninja throws her man over the balcony. She runs for the bedroom, grabs her five year old son and huddles on the floor beside a dresser.

There is shouting in Portugese in the hallways of all floors now. Lights are coming on in more apartments.

The last immediate shooter clutches at the shuriken in his throat and falls to the ground gurgling.

When Shredder and his goons pass the cube van in front of them, they are met by a hail of semi-automatic gunfire from the five MD12 men from the 45th Street side. They are using their cube van for cover.

Shredder has posed:
    Godan, the art of sensing danger. As Shredder passes the van, he senses the incoming bullets, and slides down to the pavement feet first below the first volley of gunfire. As he does, a flash pellet is pulled from his sash, and thrown into the alley, the bright spark enough to temporarily blind, particularly in the dim lighting of the alley.
    Bebop and Rocksteady charge blindly, quite literally, down the alleyway. "Boss! You gotta warn us! We can't see!" yells Rocksteady.
    Bebop snorts. "Just run, Rock! One on the rear, and one on the front, they plow toward the van, trying to use it as something to squash the squad on the other side.
    Meanwhile, the ninja who finds the the boy wastes no compassion, giving a swift kick toward the mother's face so that he can take the boy, then return toward the alley, looking to rejoin Shredder. "I have found one," he reports.
    The other three disengage, the one who entered into the shotgun taking a pretty good shot to his shoulder and right arm. True to Foot fashion, he makes no noise, but instead stumbles back, and leaps back out, gripping the balcony with his left so he can inspect the injury. It's pretty bad. He should probably retreat, if he's given the opportunity.

Aquaman has posed:
The man with the shotgun hurls obscenities at the injured Foot soldier in Portugese. He moves forward to try and get another shot.

"Nooooo!" the woman screeches in abject terror as her son is ripped from her arms. The Foot with the boys makes it most of th way to the balcony before he hears a wild and enraged scream behind him. Blood streaming from her face, the mother is charging at the Foot soldier.

The men near the second cube van swear and shoot blindly after the flash. Bebop and Rocksteady run through the gunfire and plow into the cube van. It slides and rolls, scattering or crushing the shooters.

Dozens of people are starting to pour out into 46th and 45th. Many armed. Sirens have started up not far away and armed men are now standing on the roof of the embassy.

When Shredder rounds the corner, several armed men come out of the MD12 building a quarter block down. Two have shotguns and another uses the doorjamb as cover and holds a semi-automatic rifle.

Shredder has posed:
    The two unoccupied Elite soldiers climb back to the rooftops to get a vantage point.
    "Darken the street," Shredder commands. In response, a few flings of shurikens begin to whistle through the air, dousing the lights in the alley one by one.

    "Are the officers under our command?" Shredder asks back to his headquarters. "If so, tell them that we are locking down one of the Hook suppliers, and that they should assist. If they are not, then send a distraction. Koya. I need you in the air." Shredder walks forward casually, disregarding the Embassy soldiers.
    To the men with the guns at the end of the alley, he announces. "You may surrender now if you wish to live. I am the Shredder. You know who I am, to resist is to die. We also have one of your children, whose life will be forfeit if you resist."

    The Foot Elite with the boy simply flees, spending no extra time with the charging mother. He takes hold of his grapple, and swings to the ground, chasing the trail to where Shredder is to prove the threat.
    The last one, hanging from the balcony, shakes his head so that his rice hat falls back over his back by its teher, and looks up at the man who is trying to get a bead on him. As the gang member comes forward, he swings his feet, back, and then forward as he uses his good hand to pull himself up feet first, throutgh the bars of the balcony to try to kick the shotgun goon up and over the edge of the balcony.

    "Who, Beebs, that was some stuff, wasn't it?" Rocksteady laughs, looking at the truck.
    "Damng straight, Rock. My man." They give each other a fistbump, and turn back to watch Shredder on his advance, casually strolling up behind him, chatting with each other about their recent exploits.

Aquaman has posed:
"The embassy called the police. They are sending many units. Tactical teams are enroute," is the report Shredder gets back. Nobody messes around when an embassy reports a large gun battle nearby.

The woman nearly throws herself off her balcony chasing after her child. She reaches out screaming in inarticulate rage and despair. Several armed men run out onto the balcony with her. People from 45th and 46th streets are entering the alley with the cube vans now.

"You will die," calls Corvo after he comes out of the building and stands behind the shotgun men. Three more come out and take aim down the alley. Others come out onto the balconies, also armed. This is looking less like Bushwick and more like a Rio favella every moment. "And so will all your men. And your family. And their friends. Until nobody remember your name."

The woman on the balcony keeps screaming for someone to go after her boy in Portugese. Corvo gestures. The woman screams one last time before going silent when her head hits the pavement two stories below. The alley is quiet save for the yelling of the approaching people around the alley corner and sirens.

Shredder has posed:
    The scenario is not advantageous. Shredder, though his expression is hidden beneath his mask. "You will not know the morning," he promises Corvo. With the incoming police, the massively outgunned state, and the apparent lack of regard for even the children of his members, Shredder realizes that he is not dealing with a warrior, but with a monster that needs no quarter, and will receive none. It's time to test out a different method, a scientific one.

    "Regroup at the warehouse," he commands Bebop and Rocksteady. "And don't go through the Embassy."

    Koya arrives, circling above. "Koya, extract me." The falcon takes a dive, her blinding speed picking up, and just as the last light goes out, she enters the alley, talons reaching out to catch Shredder by both arms.

    "Boss?" Rocksteady asks, a little slow to pick up the change in direction. "He wants us to get out, Rock, let's go!" Bebop turns, and rather than face the trucks and armed men, he plows through the brick, landing in the back kitchen of a hotel. "Pardon me," he snorts, "Do you have any grey poupon?" The resulting screams and desertion of post earns a chuckle, and Rocksteady follows in, grabbing a steak from a plate ready to as he passes through. He takes a bite, "Whoa! That's hot!" he exclaims. "It burned my tongue!" The two keep running, smashing out into the lobby of the hotel, plowing through tables, knocking over wine, and make a bull look good in a china shop in general.They burst through the front doors out and onto the street, heading for home.

    The elite looks at the boy in his arms, then back at the woman who was pushed. He seems to consider something for a moment, and then, throws down a smoke pellet. They are both gone when it clears. As for those who had taken up residence on the roof, They fade back, moving into the shadows from whence they first arrived.

Aquaman has posed:
"Kill them!" Corvo shouts too late when Shredder is scooped into the night. The men in the alley and above pour fire down at the empty spot where Shredder had been. The two massive mutants charge through the hotel when the shooting starts, eliciting screams and panic from the people inside. People are knocked flying, covered in their own entrees, stumbling over their luggage, caught by flying furniture.

The ninja, which the MD12 as a group never really understood were there, fade into the night.

The shooting stops. There are four bodies in the alley, three men and one woman. A small mob reaches the head of the alley and stops. Corvo's men walk down the alley to talk with them.

"Call Florida," Corvo says to Ceifeiro, his number two. "We have war."