14628/Little Russia, Big Trouble

Little Russia, Big Trouble
Date of Scene:	04 December 2022
Location:	Vasyli's Car Repair, Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York
Synopsis:	Vasyli thinks he has a good thing going, smuggling illegal weapons into the country. Unfortunately for him, Berri, Kit, and Bucky have each independently decided that it's time to shut him down.
Cast of Characters:	Winter Soldier, Kit Killovarras, Berri Sundae

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James Barnes has posed:
They say that, in the US, everything is bigger. Bigger cars, bigger houses, bigger cities, bigger egos. And yet for a country so replete with things bigger, there is a surprising amount of littles as well. What tourist hasn't heard of Little Italy, or Chinatown? That these places are known to those who live there as something completely different is quite beside the point. So it is with Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, which known to outsiders as that other little... Little Russia.

It would, of course, be slander to suggest that Brighton Beach is overrun by Russian Mafia, just like it would be slander to suggest that Little Italy is run by the Ndrangeta or the Cosa Nostra, or Chinatown a haven for the triads. It would be slander... but that wouldn't make it any less true. Criminals thrive where they are less likely to be detected, and what better place to hide than in plain sight?

To the community, Vasily's Car Repair is known as the best mechanic in Brooklyn. When you leave your car with Vasyli, you're guaranteed to have it back the same day, good as new. Better even, in the case of many second or third hand jalopy's that often roll through those doors. Vasily always seems to have spare parts on hand, and a team of eager mechanics ready to take on any job. If that means having a team of over fifty mechanics, most of which rarely do any work, and two large warehouses to store those spare parts, well...

That's just Vasyli for you.

Night has fallen across Brighton Beach, but the mechanics at Vasyli's are still hard at work. Work, in fact, never seems to stop. But behind those closed doors the more specialised machinery is now at work, manufacturing and assembling high demand items of a completely different nature. It has taken James Barnes months to track down the source of the untraceable firearms that have been flooding the state, most of them spent undercover as a taciturn mechanic named Illya. And tonight, Illya is making his usual delivery run, a van filled with unregistered receivers for a variety of automatic weapons, cleverly hidden in crates of oil filters.

Berri Sundae has posed:
The Mafia was...considered relatively 'small-time' for Berri these days, given the retainer from Lex Corp and the other heavy hitters she'd worked for, but sometimes their paths crossed even if she hadn't worked for them directly since her early teens.

Not that the 'icecream colored' girl looked particularly like a hardened criminal, her two-tone brunette and pink hair, those mismatched heterochromic eyes...either she was a meta-human, or there was some interesting fashion choices being made.

Maybe both if one were being honest.

Still, tonight she had a little work up her sleeve, a rather simple job to fill her pockets and stretch her legs. Convince Vasily that business wasn't going to be profitable here without some changes....

And with that in mind, the young woman was currently moving through the shadows, an acrobatic leap bringing the girl gracefully and soundlessly down into the yard with a grace her League Trainer could be proud of.

Kit Killovarras has posed:
For some it's a night like any other and where there is crime? There are those who are often brave enough or stupid enough to seek it out. Enter a young man simply minding his own business, yup! Nothing to see here, just a teenager wandering around at night in dark clothing, head bobbing a little under the shadows of his hoodie as if zoned out to music.

It's what people can't see that would scare them.

All wrapped up and comfy in his disguise, the yeen's senses are in overdrive, collecting scents and sounds from every possible location around him. Normally gun-runners or arms dealers aren't his typical forte, but he's gone after them before when he knew where they were. Tonight though he'd simply planned to wander around and see if anyone tries to jump the random kid, walking around unaware at night in a bad part of town.

Imagine his surprise when he catches not one, but two different scents that he'd recognize? One from an encounter at a drug den and... A waiter? Looks like it's time for a teenage yeen to snoop a bit.

James Barnes has posed:
"Illya, late again?" a man by the gate, who just happens to be loitering there in the company of three others, calls up to the cab of the van. Clearly considering himself a wit, he continues the conversation while the gates are being wrestled open by the rest of his crew. "Been hanging out with the cheap ladies again yes?". The driver, the assumed Illya, makes no response. None, that is, until the gates are open, at which point he turns to the man, enunciating in perfect Saint Petersburg russian

"Your mother says hello."

Leaving the enraged man behind as he drives into the compound, Illya even cracks a wry smile at the reaction, not at all surprised to see that the man suddenly decides to follow him red-faced into the yard while the others are closing the gates again, staying well out of it. Goal one achieved. And so when Illya dismounts from the van, he's ready for the snarling goon and the hastily thrown punch.

Which is caught in in a hand.

The left hand.

"Yob t'voyu maht!" is about the last thing the goon manages to gasp before there is a series of cracks followed by a resounding *BONGG* as can be made by a head hitting the bodywork of a van.

Was that necessary? No. Was it cathartic? Oh yes. Bucky rolls the man underneath the van, and then strolls towards the gates of the workshops.

There are no guards alert enough to spot Berri, since most of them are either drinking, gambling, or just leaning against the nearest wall and chatting. After all, who's going to break in here? Ludicrous!

And when the goon at the gate doesn't return, his crew decides to go take a peek... which necessitates them opening the gate again to get inside. After that much effort, they don't actually bother closing it behind them again. Good thing there's nobody skulking nearby...

Berri Sundae has posed:
It probably wasn't the most ego-boosting thing to be knocked out by a girl who was maybe 5 foot tall in boots, but that very much wasn't likey to be improved by the fact it happened without even knowing what hit them.

Slender yet strong thighs wrap around the throat of one guard, choking him out tightly while the man beside him turned to face the disturbance only to collapse as her parasol was swung with inhuman precision and colliding hard against his temple to make him collapse down onto the stonework.

As her first victim collapsed? She rolled off the thug and gleefully skipped towards the next step.

Kit Killovarras has posed:
There's a sound that accompanies a mans head hitting a van, or a body hitting stone.. It's one that most people wouldn't hear as clearly from a distance, one that's unmistakable though for someone with ears as sensitive as an aardwolf. Two familiar smells AND the sounds of impromptu violence? Yeah, obvious reason to snoop.

There's an open gate, but when has a yeen ever been simple? Up and over is his usual way to get around and it's a fairly easy leap given the sort of thing he's had to do to try and escape his families compound more than once and once he's in? It's time for the instincts of back alley ghost to kick in.

His landing is silent, each movement fluid and practiced. After all, if you're good at snooping? No one should ever know you were there.

James Barnes has posed:
A few moments after Kit clears the wall and has made himself one with the shadows, two of the three guarding the gate return. In slightly more dampened spirits, as one might imagine, which sink even lower when they realise the gate had been left open. For the look of the thing, they close it. But because they're not complete idiots, they don't lock it... for some reason, they seem to think they might need to open it again in a hurry. It just goes to show, not all thugs are fools.

The two thugs loitering by the warehouse never saw what hit them, and would never believe it even if they did. Perhaps that's for the best, because the night may prove to have more surprises in store for them. Berri certainly has a good view of a tall, strongly built man in coveralls entering one of the warehouses and immediately starting a discussion.

"Delivery is here." Illya throws at the nearest thug by the door, who shrugs in reply and motions for him to bring it in. At this, Illya walks over and pulls the thug from his seat and propels him towards the door. "What I look like? Pizza delivery? I bring goods, you bring them in. You expect me to do all lifting myself? Nyet!" And then he imperiously points at half a dozen thugs who are currently busy fabricating precision parts "You, you, you, you, you, and you... yes you! Go help. Don't have all night, da?"

It's only when the seven have scuttled out to clear out the van that Bucky calmly walks over to the side wall and begins to fiddle with the valves on the stored Acetylene tanks.

Berri Sundae has posed:
Well that was...interesting to say the least. Certainly something Berri was going to notice....and yet so far she was unnoticed herself.

A girl with pink hair in white and black carrying a parasol was probably something most people would see coming...and yet, as Bucky sent the guards headed outside noone seemed to notice her entering. Strange.

How could she simply walk past them? Well...that was the mystery anyone who didn't know her meta abilities was probably going to have to ponder.

What was likely -more- noticable when Bucky turned around from his valve-fiddling or Kit made his own way to the building was Berri leaning there near the box of completed weapons, a rather compact but need block of plastic explosive held on her hands as she bent over to nestle it in place, only to look up and blink at the sight of the other apparent sabatour.

Kit Killovarras has posed:
Well, he's not going to get in without some kind of distraction and Kit knows it all too well, but he also knows that stressful jobs and criminal activity are often one and the same. When stress is high and people are being bossed around? Nerves can fray pretty easily.

He waits for a moment, for the RIGHT moment and when it's just right? When a thug is grabbing a crate? There's a gentle tug and a gentle prod, a crate's balance is upset in just the right way, while another of them would feel a hand grope a buttcheek. Two of the men, the ones who look to be the most frayed, are his targets and he's been toying with criminals for a while now, so knowing how to set them off is as much a skill as it is a gamble.

When the chaos starts? The yeen will slip in with that same silent stride, trying to stay out of sight of both of the saboteurs, for the moment at least.

James Barnes has posed:
The seven by the van are not happy. For many reasons, but mostly because manual labor was not in their loosely defined job description. On the other hand, people had learned the hard way not to mess with Illya, so there was really no choice but to bow to the cantakerous bastard's demands yet again. Honestly, that man is just getting worse. Why is Vasyli still putting up with him? Those questions and others, including those about Illya's maternal legitimacy are being asked in muttered, sullen voices. It really doesn't help that there aren't any other thugs around these seven could potentially dragoon into helping them, because mysery loves company, and now they face the prospect of having to deal with this heavy cargo all by themselves. The awkward crates are lifted, the awkward crates slip in unsteady grips, one thug over balances and drops the whole thing, another turns around furious and sees the thug behind him trying to wave feeling back into his fingers from trapping his hand between a crate and the van. The gesture is, naturally, misinterpreted after the magically assisted sensation provided by the shadowy aardwolf, and soon enough a frustrated punch is thrown. This gets the attention of the two thugs still on gate duty, and the third who has been looking for their comrade. As they try to intervene, tempers boil over.

After which the melee becomes, as it were, general.

Done with his sabotage, Bucky turns and spots the newcomer planting C4 by the box of finished product, and waits for her to be done before making comment. "I knew Vasily was making enemies, but I didn't know it was that bad. Good placement though, best dispersal pattern for maximum chaos."

Berri Sundae has posed:
The chaos outside was unnoticed by Berri at first, aside perhaps from some errant sounds and a little psychic 'background' across her senses. Along with the vaguely different 'flavor' of surface thoughts that was Kit. Curious.

still, the staring from Berri and the blink exchange from Bucky brings a little quirk of the silent girl's lips and a shrug of her shoulders as she stands, pondering for a moment before fishing out a smaller charge and gesturing to the leaking tanks...then tossing it to Bucky's hand.

Kit Killovarras has posed:
Now is about the time that the yeen is going to make his presence known and now? There's a charge being tossed and normally, to those who understand physics? What goes up must come down, right? Certainly it doesn't simply stop in mid air and hover there...

He'll let it hang there for a moment before he steps into clear view, brushing his hood back as he studies the two of them, looking more than just a little unamused. "So a waiter and a barbie doll walk into an illegal arms manufacturing plant.." he says, just loud enough to be heard by them, but certainly not loud enough to be heard outside. "Sounds like the start to a -really- bad joke.."

Then his ears perk a little before he adds, "I'd say we have about five minutes before someone either draws a gun, or they figure it out by the way." with a little tilt of his head, motioning vaguely towards the door with the gesture.

James Barnes has posed:
Planting explosives was not part of the plan, but Bucky has been known to improvise when necessary. So he gives a shrug and makes to catch the charge... never refuse free high explosives. Besides, from the sounds of the fight outside, it's unlikely the assembly crew will start grinding parts again in the next half hour, so there will be nothing to set off the acetylene vapours that are now slowly seeping from the tanks. An explosive will be just as good, with the added benefit of being able to control the timing.

And at that point, physics fail. Huh.

Bucky recognises Kit immediately from the undercover gig at Fred's... honestly, he'd done that one as much for fun as for actual intelligence. But now is not the time to explain who or what he is, not in the middle of a major arms smuggling operation.

"Could be a good joke, not sure I'd want to be around to hear the punchline." the man formerly known as Illya casually mentions, gesturing over his shoulder at the acetylene tanks. "One way or another, this place is going out of business tonight, and unless I'm getting really old, you're probably not going to be too unhappy about that. So, how about we leave the explanations for later, and get on with things before the guys out there trip one of the thermite grenades I stashed into each of these crates?"

Wait, what?

Berri Sundae has posed:
Kit at least probably remembered that Berri...didn't tend to speak, if not her generally eerie 'innocent murderdoll' vibe. Still, his reference to her as a 'barbie' does indeed earn a little arching of her brow and a frown from her lips. Still, making to stand from where she'd leaned, another charge is lazily tossed into some of the fabrication machinary before Berri reaches down the neckline of her attire rather unbothered by the slight immodesty and retrieves a small flip phone.

Either the girl liked a retro-vibe...or that was the detonator as she started to saunter towards the back door of the building.

Hopefully they'd follow, because it didn't really look like the happily skipping pyromanic pixie intended to wait long.

Kit Killovarras has posed:
"The going out of business part I don't give a shit about, best course of action if you ask me, it's the corpses." he murmurs, giving the skipping Barri a glance and a quirk of his brow before he just shrugs. "I'll leave you guys to do what you do best, you guys do the same for me.." is all he adds, waving a paw and causing the charge to slap down onto one of the machines.

Then, without a second thought he springs for the door, but not the back one! It's right out into the courtyard, right out into the melee with everything about him in full view.

His training it seems, has paid off, or at least that's what would be running through his mind as he darts out, belting, "Yo fuckwads! Ya' bosses mom's a hoe!" as he dashes past the melee in an attempt to grab as much attention as he can before leaping the gate, catching it with one paw as he just barely vaults it and takes a moment to belt out, "LIGHT IT UP!"

Yeah, that's going to cause a little confusion, but generally that's a very BAD trio of words to hear next to heavy machinery and weaponry. Hopefully the thugs aren't THAT dense.

James Barnes has posed:
"Silent and creepy... I really am getting old." Bucky manages as two of the unexpected complications go in separate directions. Now he has a split second dilemma. On the one hand, the person with the detonator and the clear talent for destruction has gone one way, while on the other hand the person who kicked his conscience in the proverbial privates has gone another. Well crap!

The thugs in their melee pause for just a brief moment as they see Kit rush out of the assembly building. Their tempers already aroused, the added taunt has the desired effect, and a truce is rapidly established in favor of hunting down the interloper. It's only when they hear the dreaded 'light it up!' that some sense is starting to prevail.

By that point they are overtaken by Illya running full tilt, carrying two unconscious thugs on his shoulders. The gates really stand no chance as they are shouldered aside, the blow to Bucky's shoulders cushioned by the interposing of the aforementioned unconscious thugs. Sheet metal and wooden beams go flying across the road, but 'Illya' doesn't stop until he's across, where the thugs are unceremoniously dropped. As if all the demons from hell were after them, the thugs from the courtyard follow.

A shame about Vasyli, but... no great loss, really.