9618/The Heist at Oxley Hall

The Heist at Oxley Hall
Date of Scene:	17 October 2019
Location:	Oxley Hall, Nassau County, Manhatten
Synopsis:	Carmen Sandiego heists a statue of Isis from Hammerhead.
Cast of Characters:	Hammerhead, Carmen Sandiego

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Hammerhead has posed:
Oxley Hall was a old, Victorian estate nestled within a more rual area of Nassau County. It has been owned for decades by the Oxley Family, a family of shipping barons who made their fortune through the spice trade. It was usully a quite old estate, good enough to rest and relax for awhile. However, tonight it was very different. A steady stream of cars were driving up to the old mansion and were parked at every conceivable angle. People of all shapes and sized came out of the cars, dressed up in formal clothing and were walking towards the mansion.
    
     Hammerhead, the host of this party, had overhead Jonathan Oxley, a member of the Tornadoes street gang and curent master of the Oxley Hall bragging to some of Hammerhead's goons about how he recently inherited Oxley Hall after his Father retired to Monaco. Hammerhead, with his great business acumen, decided to borrow Oxley Hall from Jonathan for the night and turn it into a auction site for his newest racket, the black market Artifact Trade. True, it only attracted a certain niche crowd, but they tended to be heavy spenders. Tonights artifacts were smuggled in from China and Egypt, which cost Hammerhead a pretty penny from his contacts there, but the money they would draw in was worth it.
    
     The artifact that he was exicted for the most was a statue of Isis, the Egyptian goddess, which was to be the main centerpiece. Apprently, two other people tried to steal it before his contact, but Hammerhead's contact in Egypt, Abdul's men swipped it before they could and shipped it here. Hammerhead hismelf was wearing his best tuxedo and was sipping a glass of champagne as he greeted the auction attendees. The front door was guarded by two men wearing pinstripped suits. As the guests appraoched, they handed in slips of paper, then were allowed to pass, obviously an invitation.

Carmen Sandiego has posed:
<Long Island. Formally called the Island of Nassau, it's the most popular isle in the States and home to New York's oldest lighthouse.>

"Interesting, Player. Maybe we can see a medium while we're here," comes the response from the roof of a building adjacent to Oxley Hall. The crimson figure's lips are quirked in a smile, as the preteen lists other obscure facts about the area, her eyes on the mission at hand. "From the data you gathered, the artifacts V.I.L.E tried to 'acquire' in Cairo should be on sale tonight. We lost them once...let's try not to let that happen again. Did you get the invites to Ivy and Zack?"

<You know it, Red.>

As if on cue, a sleek red sports car pulls into the outside parking, and two ginger young adults, one female and the other male, step out. The pair are dressed to the nines, in a green evening gown and a midnight blue tux, and approach the front door as if they belonged there.

"Evening, sir," The young man chimes. He can't be more than twenty-one. "I take it you're our esteemed host."

Hammerhead has posed:
Hammerhead, who was in the middle of talking to a rather short man wearing a red tuxedo and black dress shoes. He was grinning and was about to tell a joke when he heard a voice say to him,
    
     Evening sir, I take it you're esteemed host."
    
     Hammerhead looks towards where he was and sees what appears to be a twin brother and sister duo standing at the entrance of the Oxley Estate. Hammerhead looks at the boy, who couldn't be more then 21, and says to them," Yeah kid. I am da host dis evening. Dah names Hammerhead and you are?" Meanwhile, the two gangsters at the door reach their hands out towards Zack and Ivy, wanting to see their invitations.
    
     From her vantage point, Carmen can see the entire front yard of the Oxley Estate, which has a well,manicured lawn and a fountain at the center of the yard. Suddenly, you see a black sports car roll up and screech to a halt right at the parking. A rather thin, nervous looking man wearing a white dress shirt, black pants, prescription glasses, and a red bow tie climbes out of the car and starts to make his way towards the entrance. If you were to watch him, you would see him suddenly drop a flash card and frantically pick it up. But, if you had keen eyes, you would notice the large V on the back of the card. VILE must've tracked down the artifacts as well.

Carmen Sandiego has posed:
The young man casts a knowing smile to his sister, before he coughs and presents himself, in a subdued French accent, as, "Lucien Lefevre," The girl at his arm hands their invitations to the glorified bouncers, rolling her eyes, and he continues, leaning in close to Hammerhead.

"Now, I hear you have something very special for us today," He intones quietly. "Something that will really wow us. I trust we won't be disappointed, Mr. Hammerhead. My sister and I, her name is Delphine, we're collectors, you see. We have traveled very far and are willing to pay very well for such treasures."

<Heads up. Looks like V.I.L.E's making an appearance.>

The woman on the rooftops pushes her red wide-brimmed sombrero firmly onto her head and lifts her binoculars to her face. "I have eyes on them. Take a drone around the building, and see if there are any backdoor entrances. Preferably unguarded."

A black drone, stripped red, rises from behind her shoulder and silently approaches the house.

Hammerhead has posed:
Hammerhead surprisngly grins at the young man and says," Well Monsieur Lefevre. Me and mah friend from Egypt Abdul can gurantee high quality artifacts tonight. Just wait till ya see da centerpiece of dis auction. I guarantee that it will be worth every single cent ya spend tonight. I intended on keepin it a secret till da end. But, i will give ya a hint."
    
     Hammerhead then grins as he says in a hushed tone of voice," It is so beautifil it is almost magical."
    
     As the bouncers look at and confirm Zack and Ivy's inivtation, the nervous looking V.I.L.E agent walks up the steps and says while handing over his invitation,
    
     S-sorry i'm late. My GPS got me lost and i ended up in Winston Hall instead of Oaxley Hall. I am here representing the Countess. My name is Nick, Nick O'Tyme."
    
     As the bouncer wave Zack and Ivy in, Hammerhead just grunts at Nick and says," Would've expected someone as glamourus as The Countess to show up herself, but ya can go in if ya wish." Nick nods frantically and rushes into the main lobby of the mansion. The main lobby was crowded with Hammerhead's guest, which were comprised of mostly crime bosses, collectors, wealthy socialities, and other well-off individuals. The room smelled of cigar smoke, cologne, perfume, and oddly enough, leather. Butlers walk around the lobby taking people orders while photos are displayed on TV Screens, showing off the various artifacts on sale, but not the mystery one.
    
     Player's drone flys around to the back of the estate. In the back there is a well-manicured garden with all kinds of flowers growing. The drone eventually sees what appears to be the servants entrance to the back of the mansion. There is a rather rotund gangster guarding the door, but he appears to be busy goofing off on his phone. Suddenly, there is a loud crashing nosie and the gaurd runs off to investigate, SHouting and hissing is heard, obviously he is having trouble with a stray cat. This should keep the guard occupied for a while, enough time to slip in.

Carmen Sandiego has posed:
It's conspiratorial, the wide smile that spreads across Zack's freckled face. A sharp nod, "Merci, Monsieur Hammerhead. The excitement in the room is almost palpable," and the duo moves into the main hall, eyes locking with this Nick O'Tyme character for just a moment, before they pass him.

Touching a diamond earring at her ear, Ivy, or Delphine for the evening, murmurs, "The item of the night is gonna be revealed last. We'll keep an eye on things until then, Carm," A pause, as she glowers at her brother, coughing at the smell of strong tobacco. "I don't know about this operative, guys. He looks pretty benign to me."

"Don't ever underestimate V.I.L.E," Carmen Sandiego shoots her hand forward, a grappling gun protruding from her crimson sleeve, and fires a hook directly to the back of the manor. She's ever observant, keenly watching the area for any opportunity to strike. The moment one presents itself, "Heading in now."

An expert athlete, she rolls safely onto the ground and slips in through the servant's door, carefully examining the room she was now in before pressing forward.

Hammerhead has posed:
As the room fills up with people, Zack and Ivy would notice something bizzare near the corner of the room, a man dressed up as a biker arguing with one of Hammerhead's pinstripped-suit wearing goons. You then see Hammerhead rush over then, after a few moments of unheard dialog, you see Hammerhead usher the biker into what looked like his office. As he was ushered in, you see a image of a wailing ghostly woman on his vest and writing above it that said Wailing Banshees MC. What was a member of a outlaw biker gang doing here? Before you can ponder this however, you hear a bell ringing and see a young man of about 21 standing in the center of the room. He grins at everyone present and says to them,
    
     "Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome to the lovely Oxley Manor. I am the owner of this fine estate, Jonathan Oxley. Follow me to the dining room and we shall begin the auction."
    
     The crowd surges into the dining room of the estate, which appears to have been rearranged to turn it into a auction room. You see rows after rows of chairs set up and in the very front of the room you see a whiteboard with a projection screen nearby. Nick immedialtey rushes past Zack and Ivy and takes a seat at the front row, eyeing the board intently as he seemingly scratches a itch on his ear. But, someone with keen focus would notice his finger lingering for a bit to long and Nick's lips moving.
    
     The room Carmen was in appeared to be a old storage room that hasn't been used in a long time, as evidenced by the thick layer of dust everywhere. She would see thick sacks of what could only be spice labled with the Oxley Company Logo from the 1930s. Before you can go any farther however, you hear the sounds of two voices appraoching the room. Suddenly, the door knob turns and the door starts to open.

Carmen Sandiego has posed:
"Flat Top is on the move," Zack says in his brash Boston accent, a hard pivot from the etiquette and flattery in their initial conversation, but he's careful to speak in hushed tones. Much like Nick, who the siblings move to sit near. By now, Ivy has found herself a glass of sparkling champagne, and when the attendees gush into the large dining room, they do as well.

"Nervous?" She drawls, her voice serene, with a coy smile. Zack and her have sandwiched the man in. "Don't tell me this is your first time?"

When the men enter the room, well, Carmen is simply not in sight. She's probably under one of those sacks. Or maybe clinging on a line to the ceiling. The disappearing trick was her very first, and vanishing from sight remains a simple task.

Hammerhead has posed:
Nick looks around at both Zack and Ivy and immedialtey puts his finger back on his lap. He then says to them both," Y-yes. This is my first time. O-of course i am nervous. M-my boss has a lot riding on this auction and she dosen't like to be dissapointed."
    
     As everyone settles down, Hammerhead comes stomping into the room looking furious. Obivously whatever the biker said to him must've upset him. As Hammerhead takes his seat in the front of the room near the projection device, Jonathan claps his hands and the rooms lights dim. Egyptian music fills the air as Jonathan says," Weclome friends to tonights auctions. Tonight, we will be selling artifacts from Egypt's illustrious past. Our first item up for auction is a geniune Egyptian Book of the Dead. Bidding starts a $10,000 dollars." Nick immediatley raises his hand up, bidding $10,500.
    
     The two men who walk into the room are wearing pinstripped-suits. One of the men, a tall, broadshouldered one turns to his shorter companion and says," Ya sure da wine cellar is in here. This place looks like it hasn't been cleaned in ages." The short man just grunts and walks over to the way Carmen came in and walks out to the garden, the tall man following. Now that the room is quiet, you hear the sounds of laughter and poker chips coming from the room the men came from.

Carmen Sandiego has posed:
"Boss, you say?" Ivy's looking at this man, as if a more interesting person did not exist, "This is pleasure for us, not work. You will do fine. Just try to keep up." With that, brother and sister settle into their seats and watch the auction begin.

"12,000!" Zack counters back, raising a hand almost just as soon as Nick does. If he looks towards him, he'd notice that Zack has actually moved seats and appears to be closer to the front near Hammerhead. Ivy remains, though, frowning softly at her brother's impulsiveness. Anything to throw the operative off, though.

Carmen lands on the ground silently, with all the grace of a thief. She reaches for her comm but quickly reconsiders. An old building like this would not have blueprints that Player could pull up in time for her to pull off this caper.

Instead, she presses her ear against the door. She could act now, but she could just as easily hold off and act later.

Hammerhead has posed:
Hammerhead is setting on his chair, arms crossed. As he watches the auction begin, he begins to mutter to himself. In between the auctioneers prattle you manage to hear a few choice words, " Darn bikers, Metropolis, lost shipment. Now i have ta go down there mahself and sort it out." And so on so forth. Eventually, the bid is up to $15,000 and Nick is grinning confidently, thinking he is about to win the book.
    
     Carmen hears the sounds of what's obviously a poker game being played on the other side. As the chips are being placed on the table, you hear a gruff, gravley voice say," This sucks. Why are we on guard duty while da rest of the guys are out at the auction?" A sharp pitched voice with a heavy Italian- American accent then interjects with a scoff as it says," Well, look at Mistah Sophisticated here! Why don't ya grow a brain genius. Da big boss wants us here to make sure nothing happens to this stuff until after the auction is complete. Now, start dealin!"

Carmen Sandiego has posed:
"12,500!"

"13,100!"

"14,000!"

"14,500!"

Once the bidding reaches $15,000, there is no counterbid. Zack has a content smile, as he glances at Ivy and Nick, and the victor claims his prize. The crew has set their eyes on bigger fish, and they will not be catching it with ludicrous amounts of cash.

Carmen has heard enough. She reaches into her crimson trench-coat and produces a small pellet. This will be tricky. Contained within the device metal device is a condensed airborne incapacitating agent that would realize within seconds of being thrown. If her aim is off, if a single guard notices, if a man manages to escape its range, this could get loud. Real loud.

She's either supremely confident no element is off, or she's perfectly comfortable with things getting loud because she rolls the pellet under the door to the center of the room.

Hammerhead has posed:
Jonathan nods as he bangs his fist on the table, confirming the sale. Jonathan then says to the gathered auction attendees," We were intending on keeping this a secret till the end. But, now that we are in a spending mood. Allow me to unvail out centerpiece. The statue of Isis, the goddess of magic herself!" The TV screen flips to a image of a 6ft statue of Isis, the Egyptian goddess. It appears to be amde out of solid gold and looks surprsingly human-like. Jonathan then grins and says," We will be taking bids on this statue all night ladys and gentlmen." As he said this, a number screen appeared undeneath the tv, with a bunch of zeros in it. Suddenly, the numbers start to rapidly rise as people start placing bids on it, including Nick.
    
     The pellet does it's job acording to plan and rolls to the center of the room. Before any of the guards can react, the pellet leaks out it's gas and you hear the sounds of bodies falling to the ground, one of them flipping over the poker table as he does.

Carmen Sandiego has posed:
"Carm, we might have a problem," whispers Zack.

"What is it?" comes the response, as Carmen pushes open the door and steps over the unconscious bodies to come face-to-face with the six-foot-tall golden statue of the Egyptian Goddess of Nature. "Oh."

"Yeah, it's taller than you," Zack snorts and joins in on the bid, to prolong the auction. "What are you going to do?"

"Working on it," Carmen scans the room, for anything else besides the statue.

Hammerhead has posed:
As you look around the room you see a bunch of other artifacts that haven't been pulled up for the auction room, a few tools, and what appears to be a dolly used for hauling boxes from a cargo truck. Before you can think up anything else, you hear a door open and a huge, muscular, bearded gangster wearing a pinstripped suit walks in carrying a case of beer. Upon seeing you, he gasps and tosses the beer, making a shattering noise as he charges you, raoising his fist as he charges.

Carmen Sandiego has posed:
Oh dear. Okay, Carmen was clearly not expecting company. She's caught red-everything, and there is a brief wide-eyed moment where she looks like a child found stealing from a priceless, golden cookie jar.

Only a moment, though.

The next, she's up and over the burly man, digging her heeled foot deep into his beefy neck. She uses the momentum and the large expanse that is his back as a jumping board to leap off of him and simultaneously push him into the wall behind her.

Hammerhead has posed:
The man growls as he swings his fists at Carmen, missing all together. He crys out in pain as Carmen's heel digs into his neck. He is then pushed into the wall by Carmen's push and he impacts it with a loud bang. However, he is still standing, but he is now staggering and appears to be clutching a bloodied nose.

Carmen Sandiego has posed:
She moves quick, not sparing a moment for the man to recover, and swings back, a crackling rod that was quickly retrieved from her trenchcoat suddenly in hand. It is brought down on the giant's shoulder, delivering a high voltage shock throughout his body.

He may be a thug who deserves more than a bloody nose, but Carmen's on a schedule and abhors senseless violence.

Hammerhead has posed:
The man lets out a scream of pain and fall down on the ground hard, obviously unconcious. Apprently, your fight wasn't very loud as no more goons were coming this way. Now that the giant was out of the way, you can now focus on finding out how to get the statue out of the room.

Carmen Sandiego has posed:
<Everything alright, in there? I heard someone come in.>

"Ran into some trouble, but it wasn't V.I.L.E," Carmen focuses her attention back on the statue. She's a strong woman, in good shape. She may not be able to carry the statue out of here without dragging it around and alerting everyone within a mile radius, but she's built enough to put it on the dolly and start wheeling it out. "Target secured. Cover our exit, Ivy."

In the roar of the intense bidding, and Zack and Nick coming at the statue like sharks, Ivy escaped the dining hall and located the building's transformer...with word from the Lady in Red, the electrical supply in the mansion is abruptly cut off.

Hammerhead has posed:
The building goes dark and the crowd starts murmuring, some of them screaming in panic. Hammerhead then yells out loud," Wat da hell is goin on here? Wat happened to da lights? Go fix em now!" The sound of two gangsters shuffling towards were the circuit breaker was located was heard.

Carmen Sandiego has posed:
Naturally, Ivy isn't around when the guards come looking. Once they manage to get the electricity up and running, and the lights back on, the only hint that she was even there is a pair of cream-colored heels.

And if Nick O'Tyme looks around, he would notice that Zack has mysteriously disappeared, as well.

The statue is wheeled out into the garden and further down, into a back road, where a getaway van patiently awaits Carmen's arrival. It's not her most flawless caper, and she didn't manage to stow away with the complete collection of Egyptian artifacts, but Alexandria National Museum will certainly be pleased with the Statue of Isis for their national record.