Earth

Chem adjusted his jacket and ran a hand through his hair, which stood out irritatingly when walking through crowds of dark haired people in Japan. Standing out wasn't advantageous, at least in his experience. That thought is pointless at this point in time. Chem's thoughts automatically redirected themselves to the operation at hand. He double checked- no, that had to be the third time now- his person to be sure that all of his knives were present, especially the one he usually used to serve his obeisance. He also had to verify that there was a fresh roll of bandages in one of the inside pockets of his jacket. Satisfied that everything was ready, he glanced at the small group that was standing on the rooftop with him. He was the group leader and he'd already made sure to memorize the codenames of each of the people standing with him, especially the person who was his second in command. Carlisle Delanno, code name "Nox" was his second in command. Raelene Huxley, AKA "Osiris," Cory Melarni, designated as "Scapegoat," and Drake Michael, also known as "Dark Star" were his other three Contractor allies. Their Doll for the night was Tatsuo Takeshi, codename "Royal."

He ran through the plan one last time in his head, remembering what to do if something went wrong, to kill anyone who betrayed them, and to do anything in order to complete the mission. They were to sneak in through an open window, which Chem could see from where he was standing. From there they were to get to the penthouse. They were instructed to move through the main halls, despite the risk of being seen, and to use their powers to get to the penthouse. As they make their way up there, Chem was to leave a trail of blood in the halls as a backup plan in case Mr. Ito tried to run.

Satisfied that he remembered everything important for the time being, Chem turned to the group. "Nox, Osiris, Dark Star, Scapegoat, and Royal, it's showtime." although he would normally smile at his remark, Chem's face remained blank.
Picking up the crossbow-like device at his feet, he shot a line across to the window, tugging at the steel cord to be sure the arrow wouldn't come loose from their weight, he clipped the end of the line to the building they were on. Hooking his belt to the line, he nodded to the others and stepped off the side of the building, sliding right to the open window. Inside, he observed that the room was empty, likely that the occupants were currently at the gala several stories below in the main ballroom. He hardly waited for the others before he was out in the dimly lit hallway, having made sure that there were no employees present therein, he stepped back into the room and pulled up his left jacket sleeve and shirtsleeve, making sure they would stay before he swiftly removed a short blade from an inside pocket of his jacket and drew the blade down his exposed arm, following the lines of the dozens of still-healing scars that had been made in the last month.

Glancing back to be sure the four others had entered the building, he advanced into the hall surreptitiously, being careful to leave a mostly hidden trail of blood behind him on the carpet.

Osiris

The weight of the notepad and lighter against her hip seemed to be the only comfort Osiris could identify in the cold nights of Tokyo. The woman needed no other equipment within her reach, as her ability was to create weapons seemingly from thin air. This concept still hadn't quite sunk into her brain despite living for a month with this knowledge. Chem, their leader, had quizzed the team about the mission's plan multiple times before they had arrived at the Hotel. It was practically embedded in her brain, only an idiot could forget it at this point. Osiris, from the corner of her eye, examined the remaining members. She, had to admit, was impressed by how calm her comrades were. The woman had been on several missions before, but they had been done solely by herself. She was interested to see the capabilities of her team's powers and if they could co-exist nicely with her own.

"Nox, Osiris, Dark Star, Scapegoat, and Royal, it's showtime." Said Chem, with a stern face.
Osiris silently nodded in agreement and watched as their leader projected a cord towards the designated window. After he had disappeared into the room, she followed shortly after. Treading softly on the velvet carpet, the woman quickly exited the room and bounded swiftly after Chem who had somehow managed to create a several metre distance within the seconds they had used to slide down the chord. Her long blond hair galloped along her back as she lurched through the hallway - making sure her mouth or boots didn't utter a sound before doing so. She grimaced as blood dripped from the man's arm, her eyes reluctantly followed the trail and made sure to avoid it while still being firmly in pace.

Osiris slowed down to a walk as she approached the entrance of the main hallway - their leader was already making his way through the room. She scanned their surroundings with each step, ready to pounce on anything or anyone. Her fingers tingled with potential energy, prepared to summon a blade.

Cory stood high above the rest of Tokyo. He couldn’t help but feel the excitement of vertigo. Despite the excitement he didn’t allow himself to be corrupted from his concentration on the mission at hand. Like usual, his job was to protect the rest of the group. He was very capable in combat and strategies but his ability was more suited for support rather than aggression so his hands were more or less tied.


"Nox, Osiris, Dark Star, Scapegoat, and Royal, it's showtime." Chem said with some authority.

He slung down the rope and was soon followed by Osiris. Cory took his carabineer and housed it along the rope. Waited his allotted time to be a safe distance from Osiris and then launched himself off the roof. There was an almost instant peace in the feeling of flight. It was a secret delight to Cory that he wasn’t sure he should share as contractors tend to be as serious as they can while on missions. He crossed to the next building in a mere couple of minutes. With a flick of his wrist he was free and sailed through the open window. He tucked into a ball and rolled back up to his feet and was ready behind Osiris.

He was quick behind her as she paced through the hall and followed Chem who was dripping blood everywhere. They came to a main hall and Chem walked straight through without hesitation or a second glance. It wasn’t like him to be so careless; that was Cory’s job. Cory readied himself by stepping back into the hall and stretching his hands out forwards. Like an impossibly thin pane of glass into another world a portal was open large enough for him to step through. He would have to duck slightly but it was large enough to not be uncomfortable. His training was paying off. This portal allowed Cory to pass from one hallway to the other without passing through the main hall. He exited and stood waiting for the other team members so he could close it.

His mind worked like a computer, continuously going over and identifying and categorizing everything he took in from his environment, absently sifting through the most mundane and the most intricate details with meticulous efficiency. The height of the rooftop, the time it would take to fall from said height, what kind of injuries would most likely result, and the chance of death. The distance to the window they were headed to, the type and the strength of the zipline there and how much weight it could support and the speed someone would travel along it relative to their weight. Tatsuo's mind worked over such observations and calculations incessantly, with ease; for him it was no different than an ordinary mind taking in the color of the sky or the shape of a building.

The youth's conscious thought, however, mostly revolved around the mission ahead - the image and name of the group's target, the route they planned to take to him, how much interference they were likely to encounter, and the role each group member was assigned to play.

Chem, Osiris, and Scapegoat had already made their way across the zipline. Being next closest in line, Tatsuo followed suit. For having the mind of a robot, 'Royal' had the grace of a cat, with practiced and precise awareness and control of his lean frame that allowed him to move near flawlessly. He followed down the zipline and was deposited into the window smoothly, where he waited with Chem and the others for the remainder of the group before trailing after them.

Already, he contemplated better methods of executing the mission at hand, and alternate routes each group member could have taken to achieve the Syndicate's goal. But he did not feel obligated to voice these theories, and simply continued as instructed, dark eyes sweeping the halls for signs of anyone or anything that might threaten the mission; even without involving his observer spirit, Tatsuo was very observant.

After they left Madeline felt as if there were a hole in her heart. How she worried unnecessarily for those who went out into the night. Usually it hadn't been like this. Working with these mindless bodies had become second nature to her after the first few days. Now it was blind instinct in handling them. Although, it all changed when she met the six contractors which she was supposed to watch over and command.
Worry. It's what she felt now. The sound transmitter placed in her ear, a "bug", as some referred to it as crackled in and out unnervingly. Madeline or "Cybel" paced back in forth, in the comfort of the Syndicates walls trying to concentrate. Hotel California, this place had someone on the inside that was more technologically advanced than those in the Syndicate had expected. Even the top-notch equipment they had would have the possibility looming over that it would fail.
A few minutes passed, and it seemed all was going smoothly for the time being. With contractors Madeline never knew what to expect, but for some reason, she didn't have a good feeling about this.
Gathering up her inner strength to control herself, she walked over to the computer. The room she was in was dark, but the low glow of the large computer monitor illuminated the room partially, enough to enable Madeline to sit.
It was the sound of silence for a long while, and only the faint hum of the computer’s hard drive was audible. The transmitter she knew went out again- but just as she thought this, the signal reconnected and she could hear what was going on again. This was no longer a reliable way to keep in contact, unfortunately it was the only one for her, since she was only a mere human.

Chem had gone through one of the intersecting main hallways without a second glance. In his mind, it was logical to not look suspicious by glancing around every corner. A glance behind him revealed that Cory had created a portal to keep them from having to go through the main hallway. Chem wanted to call the man an idiot, but he didn't want to speak in the quiet hallway where there was the risk of being overheard. It was pointless to use his powers every time something came up, especially since the dimness of the hallways worked to their advantage in this situation. Shaking his head, Chem continued down the hallway without waiting for the others. At the junction with the next hall, Chem stopped and waited for the others to catch up. This was where they'd need to really start using their powers.

Staggering into the wall like he was drunk, he peered up the hallway. There seemed to be an elevator at the end of the hallway, but of course there were two guards guarding it, though Chem couldn't tell if they were armed or not.
Staggering backwards until he was out of sight of the two guards, Chem stood up straight and turned back to make sure the group had caught up to him. Turning to Osiris, he waved to catch her attention. "20 feet. Two guards." he gestured to show which direction down the hall the guards were. He trusted that she'd know what to do.

"Run after they're down. Elevator." he spoke shortly to the rest of the group, keeping his voice low.
"Royal. Cybil. Anything unusual?" he realized he should have asked that before sending Osiris to eliminate the guards, but it was too late to go back on that now. His voice was low as he spoke to their human contact and the Doll, but he knew they'd be able to hear him.

Cynbel replied to Chem as quickly as she could with the poor signal- who knew when it would drop out again. She was glad Royal was there with them so that they weren't in there blind.
"The police have been dispatched. It's amazing that they were so quick to react this time. I estimate that you have 5 minutes before they arrive. I'll try to prolong them for as long as I am able, from here, so that they won't be in the way." She cracked her knuckles unconsciously before typing out her password on the computer logging on the main data frame of the hotel. It was undoubtably obvious that the cameras would be blocked on any floor other than the main floor. Due to the nature of this drug trafficking, Madeline had to find other means to get a look on the inside.
"Just to recap, you are here for Mr. Hiroshi Ito- you're on orders also retrieve the drug which was sythesized from materials on the otherside of the gate. I need you all to focus this time," Madeline knew this part of her lecturing wasn't necessary, but the Syndicate would be at her neck if she let this team fail. Again though, she was highly confident in this team, there was no real cause for her worrying. "It's possible that drug could have been already moved, and I know that that is highly unlikely but in-case that suspicion is correct, I need you to keep Ito alive for interrogations until you can confirm the drug to be from the other side. If he dies, and it's a false product then we may not find another lead to the drug."
A headache was accumulating in her mind, the window which was ajar only slightly let in the noises from the active city. Police sirens. It looks like this was going to be a long night.
Pulling out her cell phone, or the "company's cellphone", which eliminated the threat of the device being tracked, she called one of the only numbers listed on it.
A man, his voice husky and unclear picked up, "Hello?"
"This is Cynbel, I have a small job for you. The police are going for the Hotel California, it's on 17th North st. I need you to stop them before they get there, any diversion will do, preferably nothing that will cause for clean up later. Please. I'll explain payment later."
There was pause, but finally the person agree'd to it and hung up.

Osiris

Not with the slightest of hitches in her breath, the woman eventually managed to close the distance between her and Chem. She approached their leader warily, her sharp eyes still aware of any unknown presence. She jerked her head backwards to identify the progress of her comrades - the team was, more or less, together now. Osiris watched on, curious, as Chem ushered her towards him.
"20 feet. Two guards." She nodded in agreement, no other information was needed in order for Osiris to understand the meaning underneath.
I have to kill them, The woman thought hungrily. Easy.

She crouched behind the corner as the pupils of her eyes began to illuminate a startling crimson. From either side of her back, two thin black daggers quietly burst into existence. They continued to spiral and twirl seamlessly in mid-air for a short moment before abruptly shifting direction towards the enemies. The daggers propelled towards the guards, instantly hitting home - the heart. The pair immediately plummeted to the ground, shock evident in their faces. Without a second to lose, Osiris dashed towards the guards - a glowing scabbard manifesting on her hip. The scarlet pulsating light surrounding the long narrow weapon evaporated into the air, as Osiris swiftly unsheathed an ebony katana. While still in rhythm, she advanced towards the duo - who now lay vulnerable on the floor - and slashed off their heads without a second thought. They unceremoniously tumbled onto the ground, a thick trail of scarlet blood trailing from the severed neck.

The limp bodies blocked the way towards the elevator. Osiris shoved them away with the toe of her boot, disgust written across her dainty face. She looked down at her katana irritated, a line of their crimson body juices coated the edge of the blade. The woman pressed the elevator button and roughly shook her weapon around as she waited for the team to make their way towards her.

Cory watched as Osiris slaughtered the guards and cut their heads off after they were already dead. "Gotta love ruthlessness in the evening." it was typical mocking fashion of Scapegoat. He couldn't help but jest his companions as they worked. As he turned the corner and sauntered easily over to the elevator he pulled out his pad of paper and tore a piece off before slipping it back into the large pocket of his sweater. His fingers idly folded the paper and felt every crisp edge. He turned to see where the other companions were coming from and finished his paper airplane. Creased every edge and felt the sharpness to them. He placed the airplane back into his pocket and turned to Osiris "I am going to toss them off the roof of the building. I wanna see if I can beat them to the ground." He offered a friendly smile and continued to play up his carefree nature.

As Chem continued on while other team members arrived through the window, Tatsuo waited just long enough for everyone to reach the room before taking off at a brisk stride after his group leader. He stopped when Chem stopped, glancing briefly at Osiris as she received instruction. Before even being prompted, Tatsuo slipped his compact mirror out of his jacket pocket, flipping it open and then placing his fingertips at their reflection. His dark eyes glazed as he focused on his observer spirit, sifting through restrooms, occasional hallways, and lobbies. There weren't many mirrors in the halls, but he could see through other reflective surfaces - albeit slightly less clearly, like framed portraits covered in glass, and the sleek doors of the elevators.

His gaze lifted from the mirror when he heard the thmps of the two guards hitting the floor, and as Chem had instructed, he moved swiftly for the elevator, studying the bloodied bodies as he passed them expressionlessly. "Nothing unusual." He informed with the usual utter calm upon arriving in the elevator. Being rather soft-spoken, it would have to be relatively quiet for anyone to hear him. "There are two guards at each elevator. I believe... two others patrol the halls of each floor." He paused, fingertips still pressed to his mirror as he stood in the elevator. His eyes momentarily went glassy again. "... Only one from the floors above us is currently on break."

His touch was removed from the compact mirror for the time being, and his hollow gaze turned to Scapegoat. Recalling weather conditions, his mind estimated the route and speed of the paper plane Scapegoat had just made, and calculated roughly how long it took for Scapegoat to create and utilize a portal. "... You can." He monotonously answered the question Scapegoat had not technically asked - having little concept that the other boy had wanted to find out for himself whether he could beat the paper plane to the ground.

Chem nodded as he received information from Royal and Cynbel. He knew their words were likely reliable, but he really only trusted Royal. Who knew what humans thought; at least he could predict what a Contractor or Doll would do in a situation. Hearing the swish of Osiris' blade cutting through air and flesh and Scapegoat's following joke, he felt the corner of his mouth twitch into something resembling a smile.

Striding swiftly toward the elevator, he stepped inside after a moments pause to check for any visible bugs on the outside. The doors had opened almost instantly after Osiris pushed the button, which set Chem slightly on edge as he wondered why the elevator would already be on this level. He paused to think for a couple seconds, coming up with a secondary plan.
"I don't trust this." nonetheless, he stepped into the elevator. He'd mostly just said it to remind the others to stay alert, though he was sure he probably didn't need to remind them.

He cast a rather suspicious eye at the panel in the elevator as the light for the top floor lit up. He hit the door open button, holding it just long enough to give the members of his team enough time to make sure they were in the elevator before the doors shut and it began ascending.

"Dark Star, Royal, and Scapegoat, go after the substance. Osiris, you and I will go after the target." his voice was low, eyes narrow as he observed the elevator walls suspiciously.
I keep expecting to see cameras tucked in the corners or microphones. Who knows what crazy shit these rich people can get a hold of Chem's thoughts wandered momentarily, his frustration temporarily distracting him from the task at hand. Shaking his head, he pulled himself back to attention as the elevator dinged to signal their arrival at the suite.

Osiris

"I am going to toss them off the roof of the building. I wanna see if I can beat them to the ground."
She glared at the man who had spoken.
"This isn't a game." Snarled Osiris, "Our lives are at stake. You shouldn't be wasting your powers whenever you feel like it."
Was he even taking the mission seriously? Osiris disliked how he had talked to her, it was as if he felt superior. It was clear he was mocking the woman, and that irritated her immensely. Who was he again? Scapegoat? What kind of name was that? Osiris decided that she would not tolerate any bullshit coming from his mouth tonight.

After making sure it was spotless, the woman slipped her katana back into its sheathe and strided into the elevator, choosing to stand in the top left corner of the mechanism. Osiris waited patiently as the team entered the metallic prison and listened in to what was the Doll saying. Two guards on each elevator... That would mean a few would be there at the entrance of the penthouse. The woman watched the elevator doors shut close and felt the container slowly rising upwards. The scabbard resting on her hip brought relief in an otherwise tense situation. She knew she was prepared for whatever was awaiting them at the suite.

"Dark Star, Royal, and Scapegoat, go after the substance. Osiris, you and I will go after the target."
Osiris, once more, nodded in understanding. This Mr. Hiroshi Ito was going to have the night of his life. His last night. Serves him right, he brought it upon himself.

A sudden thought bubbled into her head. The woman whipped out her notepad and pen before scribbling something brief and ripping the page out. She placed the pad and pen back into her packet only to fish out her cigarette lighter. Osiris ignited the edge of the paper and watched, fascinated, as the flame quickly ate up the notepad page. Once it disintegrated the majority of it and started licking at her fingers, she dropped it the floor and and stamped out the fire. The woman ground it in with the heel of her boot until only a sprinkle of ash was left.

It was just in time, as the elevator stopped to a halt and a familiar sound was emitted to indicate their arrival.

"So where is this substance supposed to be?" he pretended to cough as Osiris stomped on her paper. "Seems like a waste of time to write something down if you are just going to burn it after... why not just burn it?" He smirked coolly and looked around the elevator to the other people. "Is there any intel on this substance? Are we just going to be walking into a trap? How many guards and so on... anything would help." He shrugged and placed his hands within the large pouch of his sweater. He pulled the headset up slightly so he could hear the song. Hearing a song and the pull it had on him he slipped the headset on and then removed one of the ear pieces to behind his ear so he could still hear the conversation.

He turned to Chem suddenly. "How long will we have? If we find it quickly do you want us to come back you up or head out?" It was the first time this mission that he was showing signs of being serious, but even his voice betrayed him slightly as the friendliness was still there. He may always joke around but that doesn't mean he didn't want to see his teammates die.