10758/Marked for Death in Markovia!

Marked for Death in Markovia!
Date of Scene:	16 January 2020
Location:	Markovburg, Markovia
Synopsis:	The Squad manages to keep their target alive (and staying mostly incognito while doing so!), even if Markovians are protesting en masse against that target.
Cast of Characters:	Rick Flag, Yokai (Callaghan), Typhoid Mary, Fantomex

---

Rick Flag has posed:
MARKOVIA:

It's a sunny, but chilly, day in Markovburg, and the streets are filled with citizens--citizens who've gathered, with masks and placards, in the downtown streets around the parliament building. Why? They're protesting the day's scheduled appointment of Karl Gruber, son of state minister Victor Gruber, to a modest deputy ministerial position.

The younger Gruber was recently acquitted of manslaughter following a drunk-driving incident that killed four, despite a strong body of evidence that placed him behind the wheel and heavily intoxicated.

That makes him, even more so than his father, a poster child for the protestors' accusations of corruption in the Markovian government. It also makes him the target of one or more assassins looking to bring justice to the nation's citizens.

To prevent that assassination, Amanda Waller's Task Force X--also known as the Suicide Squad--has covertly entered Markovia. Positioned about the city of Markovburg, the team prepares to find and deal with any who would disrupt the status quo.

Above all else, Waller had made the following clear to the team: the Squad MUST NOT be seen interfering in Markovian politics.

Thus, atop the parliament building itself, Rick Flag, crouched behind the roof ledge, scans the gathered masses with a pair of binoculars. "Nothing yet here," he says into his comms. "Check in, all points."

SUICIDE SQUAD ROLL CALL!
* Rick Flag - Field Leader
* Caligulax - Torture Specialist
* Robert "Yokai" Callaghan - Tech Wiz
* Fantomex - Thief
* Murder O'Crows - Bird Aficionado
* Tumbler - Security Infiltrator
* Typhoid Mary - Pyrokinetic

Yokai (Callaghan) has posed:
    For a man who usually wears a mask, switching out the kabuki for a somewhat more generic one is no problem. It certainly helps him blend in, if nothing else; even his high-collar trenchcoat isn't out of place in this chilly day. Nor is the fact he's, for all the world, just tapping away on a smartphone - albeit a smartphone that's been jailbroken and converted in to a general-purpose computer that includes more than a few scanning programs. With one earbud linked to it and another other linked to the squad's radio, Yokai's presence in the thick of things gives a balance to those who are somewhat more distant.
    "Yokai here. Nothing yet to note," he murmurs in to the mic, briefly tugging at his coat collar as he looks up towards the stage. He's managed to get himself relatively close, but there's still quite a mass between him and it.

Typhoid Mary has posed:
Many people forget Typhoid is one of those world-class assassin types. And so she went with the 'what if I was an assassin with a sniper and wanted to kill lil Gruber?'

And incidentally she does have a sniper. Look at that! She sits atop a church across from parliament, one of the tallest buildings around, peering around the area with a scope and occasionally putting her aim on Flag.

"Nothin' but your nice muscled self, Flag." Typhoid is heard over the comms, tone mocking as it usually is. Being Typhoid means she brought her usual corset, the blades on her back and that sniper because.., hey.., accidents happen in the confusion, right? Right?

Fantomex has posed:
Fantomex is down there, reading a Markovian newspaper (or at least he seems to be reading the newspaper - it being in Markovian) while sitting on a table by the nearby cafe shop. Technically he shouldn't be there masked and dressed up in white. But none of the natives seem to care.

Or maybe he is not clad in white and masked. It might be he just looks like that to Rick and the others while he is wearing civvies. After all the less people he has to mislead the easier for him.

There is also a golf ball sized spaceship perched just a couple yards behind Mary. E.V.A. (tiny) scanners aren't much better than human eyes at this size, but she is stealthier. Shh.

"Look at this, it says King Brion is secretly dating supermodel Suzanne Kuprin. Scandalous," states the thief. "Also, the coffee here is terrible."

Rick Flag has posed:
The general volume of the protesters' conversations and occasional chants grows to the north as a procession of cars, escorted by police, appears from around a corner, approaching the parliament building.

The noise coheres into a slogan adopted by the entire crowd: "GRUBER MUST GO!"

Police officers attempt to make space for the cars to move through the crowd. This goes well at first, but at about the halfway point between 'recognizable edge of the protesting throng' and 'entrance to the building', the protestors appear to decide that's far enough.

They swarm the procession, while others throw rocks at Gruber's sedan. There's some friendly fire, but--for the moment--the focus of everyone's ire remains the same.

"You'd better have some good trigger discipline," Flag mutters over the comms, before adding, "Shit. Eyes on Gruber? Anyone?"

There's a glint--a reflection? a distraction?--from the bell tower of a cathedral down the street, an historic tourist attraction for having survived WWII intact.

On the street, the police try, and fail, to clear out protestors from surrounding the cars.

Yokai (Callaghan) has posed:
    Go with the flow? Go with the flow. Yokai doesn't fight it, just lets it push him towards the procession. The phone is pocketed for now, a screen-lock keeping the settings active as its tech strains to catch sight of the vehicle. It's not easy, but he's no pushover, thankfully. Even so, the buzz of the crowd can easily be heard on his comm, and he sounds a little harried, as well- though maybe 'annoyed and frustrated' would be a better descriptor.
    "Working on it- that was my /foot/, watch it! For chrissakes-" the words trail off in to muttering.

Typhoid Mary has posed:
"Discipline is my middle name." Typhoid quips though her posture now is one of readiness, no matter what she may look outward. The scope swivels to the cars where Gruber is supposedly moving through, checking the windows for any sight of Gruber but then. ...

Some glint on the Cathedral not far from where her church is? The sniper turns that way. Damn, maybe she chose the wrong church to be at! Damn amateurs, she would never go with that cathedral!

She looks for the source of that glint through her scope, carefully, hunting now for her prey. "Bell tower. On the Cathedral near my position. Possible assassin, scanning for it." this time her tone is totally professional.

Fantomex has posed:
"Sacre bleu," transmits Fantomex, "I am counting forty one murderously angry protestors, and three professional killers trying to get him." he is moving towards the crowd. Somehow he has grabbed one of the protestor's signs. "Lets see... I suppose getting stoned to death by genuine amateurs does not count as real murder. I'll go after the pros."

Rick Flag has posed:
Yokai's tech can pick up the presence of several electronic signals from individuals in the crowd--signals that seem to be sniffing out automotive receiver signals--in particular, control over the engine, windows, and door locks.

There's another momentary gleam of light from the other tower--lower than Mary's position, yes, but with plenty of opportunity to blend into the tourist crowd below.

"Mary--make sure you get confirmation of a weapon on that target," Flag says. "The last thing we need is to kill an idiot in the wrong place at the wrong time."

The crowd tries to rock the cars in the procession. "Get! Out! Get! Out!" they call, those further away clapping and pounding on nearby surfaces to punctuate the shouts.

Among these is Caligulax, doing his best to stir up the energy of the crowd. "Come on!" he laughs. "Take 'im out! You're not amateurs! You're concerned citizens!" He makes his way through the crowd, pushing others closer toward the cars and, in some cases, into the officers trying to keep the peace.

"Are you insane?" Flag asks over the comms. "No, never mind. Of course you are."

"Just bein' incognito," Caligulax replies with a snarl.

As those nearest the cars turn rowdier, the police present draw their batons. "Get back!" one shouts, first in Markovian and then English. "Back!"

Someone leaps onto the hood of the car. The policeman smacks at their arms, while other protestors pull the injured person into the crowd.

Then a gunshot rings out, the very tip of a rifle barrel visible briefly from the shadows of the historic cathedral. The policeman falls, bloody, against Gruber's car.

The crowd, in response, goes wild, angry and frightened and vengeful.

Yokai (Callaghan) has posed:
    "Caligulax," snarls Yokai, "there's a difference between being incognito and being a goddamn piece of-!"
    That sure was a gunshot covering that last word there. Yokai swears again, then ducks down, reaching for to ready another piece of equipment. This one, a small EMP; not very powerful and not wide in radius, but if the car starts to go haywire, he should be able to shut it down. For now he doesn't set it off, just tries to weave through the agitated crowd while forcefully shoving whomever he needs to.
    "Flag- got eyes on the car. Gruber's still inside."

Typhoid Mary has posed:
A cackle is heard over the comms at Caligulax's response, Mary with seeming amusement. The cackle only gets louder when that gunshot is heard, her voice then heard. "That's enough confirmation for you?" but she only got a glimpse of the gun. Yet it's enough to know the location. Which means it's go time!

Typhoid drops the sniper and gets a grappling hook and rope from her pack. Just what she needs to get to the ground fast. She is determined to go after this shooter, "I am moving to the cathedral." or jumping really... She uses her athleticism to really go down that rope at a rather fast speed. Nothing to see here, just a leather-dressed woman with katanas and a silenced pistol on a holster. Hopefully with all the commotion she will go undetected on her sprint through the streets to reach the cathedral. "Did we actually bring someone on this mission that can take a shot? Would be good to get 'em near the car." no suicide squad mission is a good mission unless a member gets shot.

Fantomex has posed:
"Fascinating. Someone sent several assassins without telling each other," points out Fantomex, casually shoving one of the killers under Gruber's car and then kicking him a few times. He needs to dodge a police baton, but that is okay, he takes the baton and drives it into the gut of another of the killers. Into the gut, there is a good deal of blood.

Then there is a shot and one of the cops falls down, spraying him with blood. "Sneaky. I had not spotted that snipper. We should recruit him, or her. Then again, it was a missed shoot. Maybe not." Quietly, E.V.A. takes flight to try to find the fourth assassin.

Rick Flag has posed:
"Hahahaha!" Caligulax laughs again, swinging wildly to attack nearby protestors as some scramble for cover and others double-down on their efforts to see Gruber brought to justice. He's punched and kicked in turn, but Caligulax is mostly holding his own, slamming placard handles over others' heads and hurling terrified protestors into other protestors.

"Damnit!" Flag exhales, running to the other front corner of the parliament building roof to examine the chaos below. He spots Mary running toward the position of the opposing sniper, and he curses under his breath.

"Crows, give her some cover," he barks into the comms.

"On it," replies a voice that doesn't sound entirely human. Then, a flock of black birds swoops in over the street, spread out enough to obscure from above what's taking place on the ground--a mobile blanket for Mary's movement toward the cathedral before turning off down another side street.

Up to this point, Tumbler had been silent, watching from the entrance to the parliament building itself--ready to prevent anyone from bursting in. "Oh shit," she whispers over the comms. "What am I supposed to do?"

Clamboring down a fire escape, Flag lands on the ground and makes his way in the direction of the cathedral, trying to hug the building facades as much as possible to avoid too much visibility. "Stay there! Be ready."

One of the attempted hacks suddenly unlocks the driver's door to Gruber's car. Someone notices and tries to wrest the door open, the driver desperately attempting to keep it closed.

Yokai (Callaghan) has posed:
    Yokai does have some body armor...but isn't in a hurry to take a shot. He makes a face nonetheless at the idea, then another at someone wrestling at the car. A moment of decision, and then he barrels forwards in to them to knock them away.
    "Tumbler! If you can keep locks /locked/, I could use you!" The EMP device he has may disable a car, but that'd include the locks - something that, for now, they need to avoid. At least he has a plan if Gruber's out of the car, but he'd rather not put it in to play.

Typhoid Mary has posed:
"Awwwww, I feel part o' the flock already.." This Typhoid quips when the birds bring her safely to the entrance of the cathedral, she not pausing on her run. In fact she rushes headlong into the historic building. Which means she runs right into a pair of oblivious tourists. Many have left already due to the commotion but this couple doesn't seem like they took the memo.

Asian-looking, floral shirts and cameras. Yep, definitely tourists, and not english-speaking. Mary simply looks at them and utters a menacing. "Get the fuck out." then a showing of teeth. Enough to get them running! So Flag will most likely see a pair of fleeing tourists moving out of the cathedral at a hurry!

She draws out one of her katanas, the sweet ring of steel over the scabbard heard and she begins making her way to the second floor. "Moving upstairs." her steps echoing over the empty cathedral.

Rick Flag has posed:
The protestor at the car door careens away from the unexpected interference from Yokai. In response, the driver--noticing the somewhat less packed streets, thanks to the number of protestors seeking cover--hits the gas and drives forward another half of the remaining distance to the parliament building.

The cathedral sniper takes another two shots at the car. One of the back tires is hit, but the other shot strikes a random crowd member, who falls limply to the ground.

When Mary reaches the tower, she'll find an older man there--recognizable from the Squad's dossier. He's the father of two of the victims from Gruber's drunk-driving incident. But he's not paying any attention to people coming up the tower--he's focused on Gruber's car as it tries to make its way to the parliament building.

Police sirens can be heard at this point as well, with armored reinforcements arriving, wielding riot shields and batons. They progress from several side streets, trying to hem in the chaos. Part of the line tries to clear a path for the automotive procession.

Flag keeps diving from point of cover to point of cover, trying to keep an eye both on Gruber's progress and evidence of further sniper fire.

Caligulax makes a running leap to kick at a group of newly arrived police. Their shields stop him, and together they get Caligulax on the ground, beating him mercilessly until he's barely moving.

"Shit, shit, shit," Flag groans before hissing a series of questions into his comms. "The window's closing--both good and bad for us. Mary, do you have that sniper? Yokai & Tumbler, are you still in control with the car? Fantomex, are there any unidentified pros still on the scene?"

Yokai (Callaghan) has posed:
    Tumbler seems a bit torn between the two orders, but after a moment, heads to help Yokai. The man's pushing himself up, using another protestor as an aid as he looks around for the car - both the squeal of tires and the rev of the engine help him pinpoint it, and with a grimace, he moves after it.
    "Going after it!" he calls out, reaching only to ready his EMP once more. Considering how much this driver seems about to plow through anything, it may end up being useful to save more lives than Gruber's own-!

Fantomex has posed:
Fantomex kicks the car door close, punch an (relatively) innocent angry amateur out of the way and then nearly gets disemboweled by the last professional killer, who is brandishing a rather large combat knife. There is very little space to avoid it. "Just one. A stabby one." He replies to Flag.

Meanwhile E.V.A. barely avoids getting run over (fly over?) by the flock of ravens. Instead she flies around the cathedral, trying to spot the snipper.

Typhoid Mary has posed:
What a bummer. Typhoid was expecting a pro, someone that would make her sweat for it. Because she could certainly use some exercise. Not that she ain't running a fever already, and it's high up even if not enough to get her close to Bloody Mary. Always a blessing.

But revenge, that's something she knows well. She approaches the man from behind, hips swaying as a myriad of thoughts go through her mind. Heads off? Too professional. A stab from behind through the ribcage? Cowardly. A slash on the guts? Too messy. In the end she lets out a sigh and does none of those. Instead she rests the tip of her katana on the man's shoulder, on the joining to the neck.

She turns off her sound emitter, "Your posture is all wrong, you need to square the weapon on your shoulder and calm your breathing. I will give you one last shot for your revenge. Then I will need your weapon." She surveys the street outside, watching the commotion surrounding Caligulax and frowns. "And make it fast."

Yes, she most likely will use that sniper on the police officers once the father has had his one last chance at it. And maybe she is still deciding on what she will do with the man.

Rick Flag has posed:
As Gruber's car continues forward, the police reinforcements move to close off the street behind it--although Yokai and Tumbler manage to stick near enough to the car to beat the blockade.

Not far from the building entrance, Gruber's car stops--and he stares at the door, breathing heavily and clearly contemplating whether he can survive the distance.

Further down the street, the knife-wielding assassin glances at the departing car and grimaces before slashing at Fantomex again. "Fascist!" he growls, his body tense. "Justice for Markovia will not be denied."

In the cathedral tower, the sniper freezes for a moment as the katana makes Mary's presence known. Still looking ahead, he nods slowly and takes aim.

Just then, the door opens, and Gruber sprints toward the building.

The sniper takes his shot.

Yokai (Callaghan) has posed:
    As Yokai races forwards, he remembers:

            'I expect that what we're tasked with doing and what we many of us would like to see happen will differ. Significantly.'
                '...four dead, and no sign of punishment...'
            '...arguably grounds for immediate detonation.'
                '...long-standing corruption in the royal family...'
            '...unlikely to effect real change.'
        '...I'm not promising anything.'

    And that's the thing. Even after reading up on everything, Yokai still hasn't made his decision. What happened was tragic, yes, but to outright kill someone - he's only ever had that urge for one man, and that urge is cold and dead. So he tried to look at it from another angle - would doing this save other lives? That was a little more clear cut, but even so, not enough. So then, a final angle;
    What would a better man than he do? One came to mind, and the answer was clear. But also clear was the fact...
    ...he is not that man.

    As Gruber gets out, Yokai flips a switch on the device. Not to activate the EMP; this one is quite the opposite, the very reason he /made/ and brought the thing. This one sends a surge of power in to the vehicle, and hijacks its engine - sending it barreling forwards. And if Gruber is in the way?

Yokai (Callaghan) has posed:
    ...perhaps he'll be knocked out of the way of the shot. Perhaps he'll be run over. Who knows?

Fantomex has posed:
Fantomex takes a nasty cut to the shoulder, then smashing his fist on the killer's face. "Such outrage," he grunts, "one would say you were not getting paid for this," he kicks the stunned killer on the knee, snapping it. "All clear," he sends through the comms. "Except for the regular angry people and cops."

Then E.V.A., still bird sized, zooms in. Too small to fire bioenergy blasts, too light to do more than a small bump on an adult man if she hits him. But still large enough to hit the barrel of the rifle and move it an inch if no one stops her. "No killing!" She shouts, in a synthesized but clearly female voice.

Typhoid Mary has posed:
Typhoid wasn't really expecting a tiny ship to come over and hit the rifle. So eager she was in seeing if the man would be able to fulfill his vengeance. The interference enrages her though, and the shot that seemed clearly squared to hit the man on the chest gets diverted just so. Enough that it grazes on one of the man's shoulders. But no killing shot.

Typhoid bares her teeth at the tiny device and sends an instinctive push of her telekinetic power to the machine. It's not enough to destroy, she doesn't have that kind of power. But just enough to push it back a little. "Let it be a lesson to you. The world ain't fair." this she says down to the father while reaching to take the sniper away.

"The cathedral has a backdoor on a side entrance near the altar. Noone should be there. Get out of here and go back to your wife. If I see you again you know what will happen." Her attention goes to the police officers that are hitting on Caligulax and she opens fire. Well-placed shots, aimed to make them 'dance' and not to kill. She hopes to cause a distraction or at least to make them get away so the big guy can get out. The comms are turned on. "Assassin neutralized. Doing cover fire on Caligulax. Can you get him, Ricky?"

As for Gruber, well, the shot got him off balance but if he will be ran over..., who knows!

Rick Flag has posed:
Gruber's car lurches forward, even as the man desperately races toward the parliament building entrance. He's not fast enough to outrun it, though, and so he's simultaneously struck on the shoulder and knocked backwards onto the car hood until it slams into the entrance steps--at which time he rolls forward onto the ground, groaning and gasping for breath as he hugs his ribs.

The assassin facing Fantomex gets his nose caved in, and he stumbles backwards, eyes rolling back in his head as he collapses on the ground, unconscious.

Three police officers wrangle Caligulax, restraining his arms behind him. He, in turn, tries to resist, although he's not in any real shape to do so. Once they turn their attention to other nearby protestors, Rick Flag launches himself out to grab Caligulax by the arm and pull him into a fireman's carry.

Murder O'Crows' bird-screen flies through once more, obscuring Flag and Caligulax until they can make it to cover. "Got him. Headed to the extraction point," Flag huffs. "Get to whichever zone you can ... we're out of time."

In the tower, the sniper lowers his rifle and begins to sob, shaking his head angrily. "Just ... just do it," he whispers in a harsh tone.

Yokai (Callaghan) has posed:
    Right. That's all he can do. The car may still be on its drive, but if the driver can keep from running over Gruber, that's his own responsibility to manage. Yokai manages to sight Tumbler and jerk his head away in a clear 'let's go' gesture, ducking down and reaching for a second mask. This one still isn't the kabuki, but is swapped easily enough as he rejoins the crowd, intent on making his way out regardless of the end result.
    Worst - or best - case scenario? Gruber might have a little more respect for the power of an uncontrolled vehicle. And while he'd like to be sure of that, Flag is right; there's no time. All he can do is hope that he did /something/ that'll have an impact.

Fantomex has posed:
Fantomex waits a second as Gruber getting smashed and grazed by a bullet. "I think he will live," then he gets hit by a couple stones thrown by angry amateurs, just as the police tackles them. "Still will live, he might need surgery for that ear."

Then he glances upwards, feeling how E.V.A. is hit by the telekinetic wave. The pocket-sized spaceship bounces on a gargoyle's head, then hovers down, much like a dizzy duck. Fantomex sighs and sneaks out of the riot.

Typhoid Mary has posed:
"No." The tone is harsh. Cruel. She regarding the fallen father for a few moments and sheathing her katana away. She brings the sniper up to herself, out of the man's reach, "Kill yourself if you want. It's a big enough drop, or get out of here and go back to your wife." she frowns a bit to herself. When did she become a damn life councillor? But in the end there is one thing that's true: "I wasn't paid to kill you."

And she will begin making her way out of the cathedral, to a rendezvous point. She leaves the man's fate entirely to him. What right would she have to deny someone their vengeance? When she has been seeking it for so long? Revenge for all the slights made against her, imagined or not. It's enough for Typhoid to not want to be dominant, retreating and shifting until she becomes Walker, the balanced of her personalities. Which means the person that will rendezvous will be yet another 'sister'. Red-haired as well but somber. A soldier's look to her. Silent.