4613/On the Trail...

On the Trail...
Date of Scene:	12 June 2018
Location:	A small research lab in NYC.
Synopsis:	The Shadow stops a ninja heist of new technology and takes one for questioning.
Cast of Characters:	Shredder, Shadow

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Shredder has posed:
    The heist is late. A good two hours later than it was supposed to be. Here at a lesser known research lab in NYC, a telematics team has been working on a new infotainment technology for cars. Sounds innocent enough, but also incredibly valuable. What a group of thugs or ninjas would want with it, though, that is questionable. However, the dark night is that, and silently above the simple office building there slips four figures in the night. They bounce from roof to roof, and stop,observing the window that leads into the office building.

Shadow has posed:
    Exactly what a group of ninjas want with cutting edge car information systems is a good question indeed - in fact, it's what drew The Shadow to this particular target in the first place. Incongruities are /always/ worth investigating. And so the silent observers find themselves silently observed in turn by a presence shrouded from their minds, unseen and unfelt even as shadows flicker in the gloom...

Shredder has posed:
    These ninjas seem to know their stuff. They throw a grappling hook, landing on a balcony on the corner of the office building. They tie it off, and three of them cross, climbing hand over hand up the line and reaching the next level. The fourth stays behind, crouched low and watching the area for any signs of movement. Of course, he is thrown off by that shrouding of the mind, and his watching seems to be in vain.

Shadow has posed:
    By the time he notices anything off it's already too late - inhumanly strong arms wrap around him from behind, taking him into a sleeper hold and pressing down on his carotids until unconsciousness overtakes him.

    The Shadow cuffs the body in a... /slightly/ unorthodox manner, left wrist to right ankle and vice versa, then tie-rips pulling his thumbs together. Likely uncomfortable as all hell, and he's going to need therapy to fix his spine afterward, but even a ninja is going to have trouble getting out of /that/ on his own...

    The Shadow waits a bit longer until the other three ninjas have dispersed into the office building, then quietly pulls the grapple and rope back up, cutting off their escape route before slipping through the window herself, landing on her feet and following one of the ninjas in their path through the office...

Shredder has posed:
    By the time she reaches the top of the rope, they are already through the balcony door. It's not a complicated office, cubicles and standard looking offices. One of them can be seen through a glass wall that reads "Business Solutions". The shinobi is taking a laptop, disconnecting it from the docking station, and then moves to the next. Across the room, another does the same. The third, however, is not in that room. Where did he go?

Shadow has posed:
    Troubling. But deal with the ones in front of you first, as her grandfather would no doubt say. A sinister chuckle, echoing off the walls to cause them both to look up in what turns out to be the wrong direction, and a series of brutal strikes out of nowhere incapacitates one of the laptop thieves -- but by the time the other has turned to see what's happening, nothing but flickering shadows and a body dropping to the floor...

Shredder has posed:
    The first falls to the ground helplessly, letting out a grunt of pain as the other spins, spotting the flickering shadow. He backs up, drawing his ninjato in a backhand grip. backing up toward one of the windows. "Teki," he calls out, eyes carefully watching for a signs that would allow him to know how to attack.

Shadow has posed:
    A low, sinister chuckle echoes in the silence, the voice seemingly bouncing off the walls and shifting location with every other word.

    {Foe, indeed, little jonin... Pray tell me, what is it your master seeks in this place? Why would the fabled onmitsu stoop so low as to travel to the barbarian lands for simple petty theft? How far you've fallen...}

    Another chuckle, seemingly trailing off into the distance to his left...

Shredder has posed:
    The ninja closes his eyes as the voice echoes in all directions. He's trained well enough to know not to take things for granted. A pellet is untucked from his sash, and he throws it to the floor, causing it to erupt in a plume of smoke. Rather than stay to try to fight an unseen enemy, he attempts to make his escape. The last ninja joins him from elsewhere, This one is shorter, though masculine in physical appearance.

Shadow has posed:
    As the smoke grenade detonates the chuckling escalates into laughter, echoing off the walls almost randomly, pursuing the fleeing ninjas until they reach the place where a climbing rope /should/ have been dangling invitingly from an open window.

    The window is closed. The rope is not there.

    {No escape, little jonin. Not tonight. Not for either of you...)

    The laughter grows more oppressive as the shadows seem to deepen, pure darkness encroaching slowly on the edges of their senses. {Your Mistress was warned to leave this city,} the voice continues mercilessly. {A pity for you that she didn't listen...}

    For a moment, in the darkness, a glint of blue eyes just above a splotch of red, staring mockingly at them before vanishing again in another peal of laughter...

Shredder has posed:
    They both turn as they reach their escape, and the second pulls a sets of nunchaku from his sash, flipping them in a basic, but competent manner to put them by the ready. The one with the ninjato speaks. "We are not afraid," he says with a distinct japanese accent. He makes a good front at least. "Show yourself." The smaller one does not seem to share his resolve. "We should get out of here," he says, it sounds like he is still a youth, and he sounds far more American, a Bronx accent. Sounds like the older ninja only speaks for himself.

Shadow has posed:
    The chuckling becomes darkly gleeful at the older one's attempt at bravado. "Liar," comes the only response, and now even the lights and sounds from outside seem to be dimming in time with the ever-louder beating of their own hearts. "Wish..." And before them, the shadows seem to flow together, becoming more dense, coalescing, solidifying until a tall, dark figure stands facing them, blazing blue eyes mocking them from under a dark slouch hat, the rest of the face covered by a burgundy scarf -- and two heavy automatic pistols pointing at their heads. "... Granted."

Shredder has posed:
    The first ninja attacks as the form coalesces, striking forward and ducking low. He brings the blade upward , and attempt to slide straight up the stranger's torso.
    He would have been well off perhaps if his younger ally had followed up, but instead, the younger falls backward, clearly not ready for this level of engagement. It's all he can do to just hold onto his weapon, and instead of attacking the terrifying figure, he swings at the window, shattering the glass. It's a four story drop from here, probably not his best exit.

Shadow has posed:
    Someone as experienced in the arts of stealth and misdirection as a ninja really should have been more wary of an enemy apparently deliberately revealing their position. Or at least remember that the balcony had a sliding glass door, even if he didn't remember closing it. Luckily for him (relatively speaking), the glass is quite sturdy and he simply slams into it at pouncing speed rather than shattering it and - forgive the pun - shredding himself at the shards.

    Meanwhile, the younger one finds his wrist grabbed between one frantic swing and the next, and even as he reels from the shock a sharp kick to his shins knocks his feet out from under him. The next thing he knows, he's on the ground with something heavy pressing into his back -- and the sharp metallic click of an automatic pistol's hammer cocking next to his ear. "Hold /very/ still if you wish to see the next sunrise," comes that sinister voice...

Shredder has posed:
    The young ninja is taken completely by surprise, losing his nunchaku in the process of being knocked to the ground. He freezes, his breath coming fast and uncontrolled. He doesn't dare say a word.
    The older ninja growls, and turns to where his fallen comrade lays. "You are a skilled opponent," he confesses, dropping his sword, realizing that she has the clear advantage. "We have no quarrel with you, Why have you interfered?"

Shadow has posed:
    "Your quarrel with me started the moment you first began preying upon the people of this city," The Shadow replies. "Your mistress was warned of this. Now, you will tell me what you were sent here to seek..."

Shredder has posed:
    "We cannot tell you that," the ninja says. "You must know that," he answers. "We will bring something greater to this city."
    The younger one, however, has no resistance. "Laptops," he says, "We just were here to take some laptops, we don't know what's on them!"
    "Chinmoku!" comes the sharp rebuke. Silence.

Shadow has posed:
    "{I suggest you take your own advice,}" comes the equally sharp response from the Shadow before continuing in English. "The Hand has promised 'something greater' for centuries now, and it has never been other than a murderous lie."

    A stab in the dark, but a calculated one - these are not dressed as Hand ninjas, but the older one seems to have enough Clan Pride to rise to the bait, especially rattled as he alread is...

Shredder has posed:
    There is a brief pause from the older ninja before answering. "You know nothing," the hooded ninja laughs. "The Hand will most certainly not be defeated by the likes of you. For centuries now, they have worked their craft, many have tried to stop them. You would not like to see what the result of their absence would have been."

Shadow has posed:
    The Shadow chuckles again. "Oh, you have no idea what I /know/...."

    His mirth is cut short by the faint but growing sound of approaching sirens. "But I'm sure you'll have plenty of opportunity to practice your silence when the police demand answers. In the meantime, I'll be taking your young companion with me for a more... Private... conversation."

    Before the older ninja can decipher the implications, the shadows themselves seem to leap out at him and everything goes dark; the next thing he knows there's a sharp strike to the temple and the world goes away...

    By the time the police arrive in response to an anonymous phone call, they find one unconscious and slightly concussed ninja on the balcony, one unconscious ninja flat on the floor on top of a laptop in the office, and a third ninja handcuffed and hogtied on the roof... And no sign of the fourth ninja, or the one responsible for their state.

    It's confusing and unsettling, but at least all three of them can be booked and charged with breaking and entering, even if their silence makes it impossible to determine their ultimate motives.

    For who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?