Scene #6810: PAYDAY: The Flub

Owner	Pose
Penelope Vasquez	Boston. Early evening. Downtown. The affluent districts. This part of Boston is, in a word, beautiful. Well-maintained. Streets coated in hovering vehicles and thronged with life, flanked on either side by cute little chain businesses or towering skyscrapers which support a well-developed work-play-live community. Holographic and LED bilboards flash advertisements into the night overhead- some of the bolder holograms stepping directly into the path of walking civilians as hidden speakers blare. There are no stars, murdered by the light pollution of the city. Cameras are atop every other lightpost. Police presence is felt, but not seen. The bank Penelope has picked out is a large, squat little building, taking up a whole block by itself. The front is glass, and despite the hour, the place is both open and busy; lines full of people, tellers working nonstop, private meetings going on in broomcloset-sized personal offices. Those here to rob the place- with the blueprints, thanks to Penelope's footwork- know the vault is five stories below the earth, levels between filled with cubicles, databanks, and the like. She isn't here to act as an eye in the sky tonight. This is a distraction, with the payment for those doing the distracting being the contents of the building. It's time to go to work. The building stands, active and waiting to be knocked over.
Solty Revant	Solty Revant is in a bit of awe as she explores this city of Boston! The green-haired girl in the unusual outfit is now standing outside the bank, just watching the sky and the skyline and the cars. She really has no reason to be here other than that. But, as she sees so many people inside the bank she gets curious and heads inside as well. With no money to withdraw and no other business, she just listens to learn what all is happening. Why are so many people here? What are those people in the offices doing? Her long furry ears wiggle lightly as she listens.
Laina Reliah	Well this wasn't going to be easy, but then again, nothing involving the Multiverse ever was. With the blueprints committed to memory and a plan laid out in her brain. Laina sprung into action. Or, in this case, simply walked into action. Right towards the front door. With her gear covered in a thick winder overcoat, she was stealthy enough to, at least, manage to slip through crowds of people all focused on their own problems, but perhaps not inconspicuously past anyone who knew to look for trouble. Regardless, she knew that, at some point, things were going to get loud. With her face tilted towards the ground, she shouldered her way past the front door and into the crowd, pseudo-politely pushing her way past person after person until she, hopefully, found her way to the door to the next level down. The longer she could stay quiet, the better.
Solomon Lau	Solomon Lau was walking down the street, nearby, at the time everything would start to go wrong. He paused to look up at the sky, again, no stars. It was weird. Shouldn't the sky have stars? It's gross. He steps into the bank, deciding that it was time to trade some of his HK dollars for credits or other money he could use in the Multiverse. He gets into a line. He waits, quietly. Laina doesn't attract his attention, much, nor does Solty. But the man's always paying attention to his surroundings. Windows are noticed. Doors are noticed. The entire room's been mapped out by a few seconds glance, knowing all the choke points and ambush spots. Knowing how many people there are, roughly. It's useful. And it will be, soon.
Penelope Vasquez	Solty doesn't get as many odd looks as one may expect; evidently, women in odd clothes with feline-like ears aren't too unusual. In fact, there's a few men and women in the bank with minor animal-like modifications to their body; the occasional catgirl, a few avant-garde looking artist types with horns or the like. What's most evident is the sheer excess of stimulus around; everyone is talking to someone, everyone is moving, everyone is grunting and jostling in line towards once singular goal; cash. Transferring it, depositing it, withdrawing it, asking for loans of it. It's a bank, that's how it be. Solomon's keen eyes can make out a few patterns in the noise of it all. The entire front of the bank is plate glass- beautiful, but looks like it'd shatter with the right kick. There's perhaps thirty or forty people in her, barring the tellers- half of them aren't even doing any work, just feeding slips or checks or physical bills into machinery to do the work of money management for them. There's a few people in here who definitely aren't actually customers- fellows with a harder-than-average disposition, who never seem to really get anywhere in line. Security, most likely. The floorplan of the bank is modern and open. A single massive foyer, divided with little rope-lines into several different tracks for different purposes. At the far wall, away from the doors, is a bank of tellers behind a tall counter. Off to the side is a little hallway, leading to a few private offices- used for denying loans, of course- and an elevator, leading to the lower levels. It's stamped with a big ESCORT/EMPLOYEE ONLY stencil. This is where Laina has headed, unseen and unnoticed. There's a guard here, lazy and leaned-back. Evidently, they don't expect to really do much to dissuade crime here, particularly in this part of town. Perhaps that's why Penelope picked the spot. The guard perks up, and raises a brow at the catgirl in the thick coat. "...isn't it a little warm out there for the outfit, ma'am? Can I see your appointment sl..." His speech trails off, and his eyes raise over the woman's head, as he peers towards the glass front wall. Before he's suddenly diving, bringing the woman to the floor in a protective tackle. In the same moment, the plate-glass windows explode as a black van lodges itself directly into the bank. Sirens are screaming instantly, along with the people in the lobby. Metal shutters lower over the windows- except where the van blocks them, of course. People huddle together for a moment, before the door is kicked open, dislodging a husky man in military armor and a balaclava, unique only for the broad grin painted on the cloth over where his mouth is. He's wielding a heavy sort of rifle, and his voice is calm, though loud. "EVERYONE CALM DOWN. On the floor. This is a robbery!" There's movement inside the van. Presumably, allies of his collecting themselves.
Solomon Lau	Solomon mentally notes the security, the plate glass, and the amount of people. He continues in line peacefully, up until the window explodes. His instincts flare up, as he reaches for a gun, but he doesn't draw just yet. He doesn't know how many threats there are, and there's too many civilians. So Solomon's hand is pulled away, as he drops to the ground, waiting. He doesn't draw his gun, and instead, listens and looks towards the van. He wants to count numbers. How many gunmen? What are they armed with, besides the man in the heavy rifle? And most importantly: what sort of random things are lying around that can be turned into horrible weapons? Briefcases, lamps, etc are looked for to see if they exist and are scattered to be weaponized.
Laina Reliah	Quite suddenly, Laina's on the floor with a bigger and heavier man on top of her. Rude. But not an unwelcome change of events. She lets out a soft "Oof!" when she goes down, taking a moment to catch her breath. She listens to the extra help from the new robbers, quietly thanking them in her head. "Oh dear," Laina begins, putting on her admittedly not very good acting chops. Maybe she could be convincing with all the adrenaline rushing through the man's veins. "Elevator!" she hisses. "Elevator and down! Away from these assholes!" Already working as she speaks, she wriggles out from under the man, frisking him for any ID, card, or key that might activate the lift with a mind to scurry in and leave the crowd and the chaos behind.
Solty Revant	Solty's senses are assaulted by all the noise, and she actually covers them for a moment. "Uhn...loud." she says to herself. She is just about to leave when... Suddenly there's a van smashing through the window! And people shouting that this is a robbery! Solty frowns hard. "Don't! Be! Bad!" she exclaims, and in the blink of an eye she is suddenly in front of the van and already mid wind-up! "Get out of here!" Her fist starts to glow with a flowing yellow-orange aura, then she throws that punch! The impact causes a shockwave, and her energy manipulation powers add even more momentum. Back on her world this would send the van bouncing back down the road. She isn't sure just how far she might send this van, but it should be knocked a good distance back through the window! If it is, Solty stands in the broken window, ready to block the way. "I won't let you hurt anyone! So you may as well leave!"
Penelope Vasquez	Solomon, the smartest man in the room, ducks and covers along with everyone else. The van disgorges a few other robbers- all wearing those grin-painted balaclavas, all holding some sort of weapon, but not all wearing the armor of the first guy. Everyone's got some basic plating, but this is clearly a team of varied skills; one is coated in bobbles and electronics, another carried a rifle and a backpack stuffed with some sort of portable machine. A fourth is wearing a suit, and has a rather commanding air about him. The goons are staying near the van for now, while he's strutting to the tellers confidently. He even rings the bell for service to summon someone from underneath the counter, and enters quiet conversation about hostages, access keycards, and location of loot. That seems to be all of them, aside from the vague shape of a man still at the van's wheel. The floor near Solomon is littered with the detritus of a panicked crowd. A few lost formal shoes or heels. Briefcases, a lamp knocked free from a table, as suspected. But the most promising item may be the lane dividers themselves; heavy brass ornamental things, with ropes connecting one another on silken tension cord. They would most certainly make an effective makeshift baseball bat. Laina's bluff works- the guard is clearly just as eager to get the fuck otta there. He tugs her up as quietly as he can, and the pair step to the elevator- it opens silently, and the guard sticks his keycard into the floor selector. There's four: MAIN FLOOR, OFFICE, DATATRANSFER, and SECURE STORAGE. The DATA light is lit, and the elevator begins to drop with a magnetic hum. The guard wrings his hands as it travels with painful slowness. "...we gotta head to the security booth down here, call in corpsec, the cops aren't gonna do nothing. Those were fucking /grinners/ man! Hard-ass hard-crime people, they aren't supposed to be here!" Back up above, Solty yells at the group of thieves, which illicts a dull chuckle from the Thick Grinner. But before he can say something insulting, the little synth gives the van a solid haymaker. The front is crushed in as the whole vehicle skids, tires shrieking, out of the window and into the road! A hellish crash as the rear slams into an unfortunate taxi. The goons pause, and stare for about the length of a comedic beat, before they raise their weapons in sync and fire upon Solty, a mix of THUDDA-THUDDA, BRRRRT and THOOM, THOOM of heavy machinegun, rifle, and shotgun respectively. They don't appear to care about the possibility their rounds may hit the people on the floor, who cry out and scrabble to get away. Outside, tires shriek- and the launched van manages to regain traction! It's barreling right back into the bank, aiming for the gap in the shutters- and therefore, Solty! In the distance, there are sirens.
Solty Revant	Solty lets out a distressed 'mmph' when it seems a few gunman made it inside despite her quick response. Bullets spark and ricochette of her as she crosses her arms in front of her to block them, and the shimmering of polished metal is soon visible through the scratches in her outer skin. Then that van screeches as it starts toward Solty again, and Solty turns to face it. "I said...go away!!" This time, she winds up for a kick. Her foot glows with the same aura as her hand did before, and the shockwave this time is even bigger as she tries to punt the van like she's trying to make a field goal. Of course, the goal post is probably a building on the other side of the road or cars down the road. That isn't really ideal, but Solty doesn't seem to be thinking about that.
Laina Reliah	Laina eyed the lights, remembering the blueprints in her head. There were four levels this elevator could go to. The vault didn't seem to be one of them. Unless Secure Storage was the right one? No. Probably not. "No," Laina said as she reached into her coat and pulled out her gun. The device unfolds with the sliding sound of metal on metal, followed by a click. "We won't be calling 'corpsec yet.' She points the rifle at his back. "You're going to take me to the vault. Quietly. Then I'll let you go call your buddies. I'll be out, you'll be alive, the Grinner's will be dead. Understand?"
Solomon Lau	Solty attacks the van. That's bad. Solomon uses their distraction to start moving towards one of the divider poles, waiting for the right moment to react. He does not reach for it to use as a weapon, yet. Instead, Solomon suddenly launches himself forward, towards the man in the suit, springing to his feet. A pistol is drawn from his jacket and pointed at the back of the man's head. "Paladins. Call off the shooting and give yourself up, now." Solomon's finger stays off the trigger, but it'll only take a second to fire. He's hoping the man makes the right choice.
Penelope Vasquez	The bullets bounce harmlessly off of Solty, of course. The heavy machinegun probably stings a bit- but the others are light, civilian-grade firearms, and simply can't penetrate her skin. The robbers curse and fall back to get away from the impending crash of the van- before Solty straightens herself, glows, and... the crowd goes wild! Field goal! The van goes flying, again. Significantly further- into the crowded street, slamming directly into the hood of a police van, pulling up to cordon off the scene. The pileup explodes in a petite nuclear fireball, the reactor of the high-tech patrol vehicle not reacting nicely to the low-tech gasoline-fed vehicular missile sent directly into the engine block. Outside, Solty's enhanced hearing can pick of screams of terror, but more importantly- the local authorities. "Holy shit, did you see that?! What the fuck're we dealing with?" "I got the feed from inside, the- jesus christ it's a little girl. She /kicked/ it! Two groups- look like masked banditos, and... whoever the fuck she is. The robbers ain't from here, they're 'versers!" Within, the goons take a different tack; if they can't hurt Solty, they can threaten the civilians within the bank. They don't need to speak- the trio of grin-faced goons each take someone hostage, the heavyset gunner grunting the very clear message. "Girlie. Try something stupid like that again and you got blood on your hands. Back off." The suited man turns away from the counter, wild surprise in his eyes as the getaway vehicle is punted into next week- but he calms, slightly, as his boys take some hostages, a time-honored tactic. And then the click of the weapon behind him. His hands raise, slow and steadily, his voice like liquid as he addresses Solomon. "I believe they may have the same message for you, sir. I neither know who you represent- nor do I care. Soon, some group is going to storm this building and shoot everyone they see with a weapon- unless you've made prior arrangements, I presume this to include you. I do not intend for it to be me. Call off your attack robot and let's talk like men, mm?" Down below all the chaos- though both in the elevator may feel the THUD of the explosion above- Laina draws on the guard. He 'eeps' quietly. He raises his hands, of course. "We- we. Okay! Okay. We gotta- we gotta pass through the security checkpoint to get to the vault elevator. And if they see you, with a gun, on-on-on, on me! It won't be good for you! So, uh." The elevator swings open, revealing wall-to-wall terminals and server racks. The air smells stale and dry, and there's a hum of technology all about. A sign on the wall, with an arrow, points towards SECURED ACCESS. The guard swallows heavily. "Let's just, uh. Play really really nice and they won't suspect anything about me and someone they've never seen going towards the vault during a robbery topside?" Outside, the police have collected themselves and sealed the area, after the detonation. Someone with a megaphone screams towards the building. "YOU ARE SURROUNDED. PRIVATE SECURITY IS ENROUTE. THIS IS YOUR ONLY CHANCE TO DEESCALATE, AND KEEP YOURSELF FROM BEING HURT."
Solty Revant	Solty kicks the van...and her lack of foresight finally catches up with her. It hits an officer's car, and explodes! "Ah!! Oh no!" She hesitates a moment as she hears the screams and the men threatening those hostages. She mmphs, then leaps out into the street and straight toward that police car that just exploded. She doesn't bother with the criminals yet, but if there are any officers inside that car she rips open the car to get them free. "Please be okay!" she is saying worriedly as she works. "Quick! Someone call an ambulance!" she adds to anyone nearby. She can't do much more for them once they are clear of the vehicles (if they are even still alive), but once they are clear she holds up her hands to show she is surrendering. She can't do anything else while there are hostages. "Okay! Let's talk! I can hear you from here!" she calls to the man inside.
Solomon Lau	Solomon's finger does not go to the trigger. The man has a point. They're running out of time. Solomon Lau can't die - not while he has things to do...and if he works with this man, perhaps he can learn more about him to arrest him later. Solomon first, however, radios in to the Paladins. He doubts they'll be fast enough, but he's getting them in contact to start alerting whoever is in the local security that he's here and is armed and is trying to diffuse the situation and 'please don't shoot him'. Solomon then proceeds to lower the gun. "Talk quick. I don't need a gun to take you down." His eyes and body stance is like that of a hunter, or more accurately, a killer. He oozes 'criminal' in his body language, despite no longer being one. Solomon's type is probably familiar enough to this guy to get an idea of the type of skills he's good at, honestly.
Laina Reliah	"Of course," Laina says, folding up the gun and stowing it again. "We don't want to be in trouble. Do we? But just in case..." Laina detaches a glass orb full of a sickly yellow liquid from her belt and slips it into the man's pocket. "I wouldn't jostle that if I were you. I can set it off whenever I want, but if you move it around too much... well there's a reason I was walking very slowly." With her painful little trap set on the man, Laina puts her hands in her pockets, humming a soft tune to herself as she nudges the man forward once the elevator's doors slide open.
Penelope Vasquez	The officers outside jerk away in mixed surprise and fright as Solty jets towards the totaled vehicles. The van is little more than metal wreckage; the patrol car is a crumpled wreck, engine leaking dangerous amounts of heat as the reactor responsible for keeping it in the air cools and dies. The entire front has been smashed in by the long-haul kick of the woman. The roof is crumpled inwards, and the shatterproof glass is buckled towards the driver. There's a man inside, bloodied and injured. It's impossible to tell if he's breathing from outside. Luckily, the mundane metals of the vehicle likely pose no threat to Solty's progress, and as she rips the car apart like a can-opener, it's evident he's... badly hurt, but alive. Legs shouldn't bend that way, and he's covered in nicks and gouges. As she raises her hands, one of the officers- someone in a bright blue shirt and hauling around a caterpillar mustache- approaches, slowly. There's about eight of them out there. They do not have the building surrounded. "...I can't believe anyone who'd go darting to rip Hecktor outta there is against us, even if you some kinda freaky alien girl. Just stay out here with us. Private security should be coming to mop this up, and you can explain your side in a court of law. What's going /on/ in there?" What is going on in there is negotiations between Solomon and the suited Grinner. He lowers his hands, and makes no attempt to hide the fact he's slipped his hand into his suit to find some weapon- but doesn't pull it out. At a jerk of his head, the goons release the hostages. The heavy Grinner thunks at the hole in the shutters until they drop, to cover the entrance made by the van. "I can respect a professional, sir. We're much the same. I presume we don't need to explain our motives. We're in a bank. We're here to rob it. We do not wish to be impeded. We will reward you if you step outside and misinform the local constabulatory as to our description, motives, or equipment." He draws his hand from his coat- revealing a keycard. "This will take us to the basement. We have no further need to harass these fine people, unless you insist upon it. Lower the gun." Outside, there's a heavy thrum of some sort of jet engine, droning louder. The big boys will be here soon. Down below again, the guard 'eeps' quietly, and begins to move with extremely slow deliberation. The pair march towards a hallway, where men in armor that would look at home on some sort of space marine are guarding a checkpoint dutifully. On the guard's approach, one opens his helmet, revealing a youthful face. "...holy shit, Simon, dude. You look like you seen a ghost. Who's the modgirl, someone who ran down after you?" The guard, evidently Simon, chuckles nervously. "...something like that! We, uh. They had big guns, dude. Can we hide out here?" "Yeah, man. Keep low, this's the only route downstairs, they gotta head through here." He chuckles, and his voice is morphed to a menacing drone as the helmet closes again. "And they ain't getting through. Ma'am, just keep to the back there." 'The back there' is where the elevator is. It has a palm scanner above the single button next to the doors. Simon glances at Laina, then the button, with a slow shake of his head. His hand won't do. He quietly crawls into a corner and ducks for cover as the guards focus down the hall towards where they think the trouble is.
Solty Revant	Solty mmphs softly at the officer. "I'm sorry. I was just trying to stop the robbers. But, then the van hit this police car and they took hostages inside..." Her ears twitch as she focuses, trying to hear what is being said inside using her super hearing. She can't hear all the way down to the basement, but she should be able to hear what the suited Grinner is saying. If she can she relays this information to the officers. She watches the shutter close, then looks toward the officers. "There's someone else inside. A Mister Solomon Lau. He's also a goodguy so please don't hurt him." she says. Her hands lower a bit, but not completely.
Laina Reliah	Laina stared up at the Space Marine-looking guards with an impassive face, though her brain was panicking in her skull. "Yes sir," she murmured as she walked to the elevator. A new plan needed to be developed, and fast. Luckily for her, the guards were looking towards the direction of trouble. And she was no trouble at all. Laina stared at the hand pad and button, furrowing her brow. It was just a security system, right? All of those could be bypassed in one way or another. However, Laina knew how to work mechanical locks, not electronic ones. This would be trouble... The catgirl looked around the checkpoint, frowning at the guards' backs. Surely their hands wouldn't work either, so someone or something had to be here that would work. Someone well-dressed and important, perhaps? Then again, worst-case scenario, she could always try to blow the doors open and figure out the rest of her plan as she went.
Solomon Lau	Solomon nods, and puts the gun away. He removes his badge slowly as he turns, but keeps an ear out for a surprise backstab. He moves towards the door, raising both hands in the air as he does so. "Solomon Lau, Paladins from the Multiverse. I'm armed and drew my gun previously on the leader. I can provide full details on everyone, their equipment, and their methods." And he's going to tell the truth. He doesn't need bribe money. He considered it, heavily. but...he's not that man anymore. He does turn to Solty as he approaches her, though, and turns on the comm. The cops probably don't have the multiverse frequency on.
Penelope Vasquez	The officers calm, slowly, gradually, as Solty explains. They settle in, waiting for their superiors to sweep in and save the day. They rustle and point a few guns as Solomon exits- but as Solty's assurances that he's with them, they settle down again, and absorb the information. They relay it over their own radio networks as some sort of VTOL gunship comes into view over the city. It's stamped with a simple star motif, branding underneath the logo; BUREAU OF DOMESTIC DEFENSE. It lowers with all the grace of a leaf, and settles on the payment. The back opens, disgorging a handful of soldiers; fairly ordinary looking men and women, really. Wearing the same sort of armor as the heavy gunner of the grinners. The only thing setting them apart is the thin little wires sticking from each one's forehead, and they way they move and communicate without speaking. A chunky little woman in a bright orange sweater steps from the craft after the soldiers disembark, and approaches the pair of do-gooders with a smile. "Hi. I'm Monica, I'm the handler for the grunts back there." One soldier rolls his eyes. She reaches into a pocket, and extends a couple little earpieces. "And yours, ideally. I represent the Extraterritorial Affairs department with the Bureau. That means I-" A thumb to her chest. "Get to deal with YOU. And the trouble you people from out there bring. Like allllllll this nonsense." A thumb to Solomon's chest at the pointed word. This little woman is projecting the exact same intimidating energy as the mob bosses Solomon is accustomed to. Moreso; it's that intimidating in-charge energy, combined with a schoolmatron. She lightens, a tad, giving Solty a sunny smile. "But, you're on our side here, more or less, so I'm authorized to offer you a little job. Get in there, secure the basement, detain or liquidate anyone with a gun who shouldn't have one. Lead the team on in." She glances at the middle space for a moment- before focusing. "They've entered the elevator. Decide quickly, please." Down below- somewhere in the cavernous depths of the bank's server racks, there's a ding as the elevator arrives. Heavy thumping. The guards before Laina tense up, and prepare themselves in the little security booth. What look like extremely oversized tasers are mounted against cover and steadied. Everything is silent, for a brief moment. A cannister bounces into the hall and explodes with choking, sight-obstructing gas. Sharp blossoms of red and rattles of gunfire ring into the hall as the grinners enter conflict with the armored guards.
Solty Revant	Solty smiles as Solomon emerges. "Mister Solomon! You're alright!" she calls out, even offering a little wave despite barely even knowing him. She watches as the VTOL lands and listens as Monica explains. She takes the offered earpiece, then hesitates a moment as she tries to figure out how to wear it with her non-human ears. She finally just pokes it onto the end of one of her pointy, furry ears, then smiles and gives a salute to Monica. "Yes ma'am!" she says, as one might expect of a little kid. "If they are in the elevator, then we shouldn't have to worry about the people inside." With that, Solty is off. Instead of going through the door that Solomon used...she smashes through the metal of one of the shutters, then heads to the elevator entrance. It is headed for the same fate if she isn't stopped, and hearing the gunshots she leaps down the elevator shaft, smashing through the top of the elevator if necessary and preparing to hit the gunmen from behind. "I'm Solty Revant, and I'm here to help!" she calls out to the armored guards when she reaches them, then just charges into that smoke.
Solomon Lau	Ah. So this is what a big bureau is like. As Solomon comes out, waits for them to lower their guns, and then gets intimidated, he smoothly just looks up to the sky, looks back, and nods. "I was just here to use the bank, ma'am. I'll accept your job. I'll just need a bigger gun. Something like an MP5, preferably, but beggars can't be choosers." Whether or not he gets the bigger gun (if he doesn't, he draws two pistols), Solomon moves to lead the team inside. Once they reach the grinners... Assuming they haven't gotten away, he draws his weapon and moves to start firing. He looks for cover in the process, but he's fluid and mobile and never stops moving, even in cover. He aims for the head, less armored, and despite this usually being a bad decision, he has good accuracy on it.
Laina Reliah	Laina's ears perk as she hears the elevator ding, stopping her in her tracks. The catgirl swiftly dons her gas mask and pulls her hood up just in time for the canister to bounce down the hallway. Perfect. A distraction. Laina turns to face the elevator doors, crouching to minimize the chance that she would be shot in the back. The devious little bank robber pulls an explosive from under her coat, sticking it to the elevator doors. She only has a few of those, and they would hopefully be enough for the vault. Either way, she was at least getting through this door. She scurries off to a corner, watching the guards put rounds down the hallway as she counts in her head. One. Two. Now. She thumbs a button on her glove, setting off the explosive attached to the elevator doors. Her ears ring from the proximity of the blast, but she ignores the pain and noise. If her attempt succeeds, she attaches a hook to the ground and starts to make her way down the shaft as quickly as she can.
Penelope Vasquez	Solomon is given gun. It's not quite an MP5... some boxy little approximation of a submachinegun, which he is assured will work wonders. He proceeds, slowly and tactically, towards and through the bank. Using the holes that Solty has quite conveniently created for him. Solty, of course, just charges in there in a rahter Hulk-like manner. The steel slats on the bank windows? They put up some resistance, but after a few solid punches, give way. The elevator doors? Toast. The elevator itself? Crushed through- the cables groan and strain. And she's behind the gunfight now! Very stealthily done. Just as stealthy as the round that pings off of her forehead, and the muffled curse she can hear over the sounds of the firefight. "Goddammit the robot is back! We gotta push, now!" "Pushing!" There's a rattle of a weapon, and a scream. Solomon follows behind, and behind him, the Bureau soldiers. In the smoke and hectic environent of the server-farm firefight, he works with surprising ease. The Grinners are caught in a pincer, and can only force through the guards so well. Rounds fly. Sparks shatter the smoke-filled darkness. Solty breaks a face. Equipment is ruined by full-auto fire. Something makes an earth-cracking THOOMP as it explodes. But thanks to the tactical advantage, the Grinners don't stand much of a chance. By the end of the fight, most of the guards are still alive, though incapacitated by their wounds. The robbers are dead- barring two. The man with the heavy backpack full of machinery, and the one in the suit, are nowhere to be seen. The vault's elevator has been cracked open by a bomb. Laina grapples her way down the shaft, landing on top of the elevator below, which can be scooted through via an access hatch. Finally- her goal. The vault. A great round wheel-shaped door, with a smaller wheel in the center for turning. As she's figuring out how to get the thing open- footsteps from behind. The Suited Grinner and the equipment-toter, huffing and bloody and winded. They stare, for just a moment, before the suited man speaks, exhausted. "I don't care who you are. I don't care what you want out of here. Just please, for the love of /fuck,/ don't try and kill us. Hold 'em off while we work and you can take whatever you want from in here." The equipment-toter slings his pack to the ground with a metallic clunk. It unfolds- into a drill. It begins it's work on the vault. The suited man winces and clutches a hole in his arm, leveling a revolver towards the short hall leading to the vault. The toter tends to the drill, and angles a shotgun to the hall. It's a chokepoint. The drill whines in protest as it slowly peels apart hardened metal.
Laina Reliah	A few long moments, a short instant where Laina thinks she might be shot in the face. Then, joy, more spur-of-the-moment allies. "Works for me," came the mask-muffled answer. And like that, they're all best friends. Laina goes about doing what she does best, making life difficult for the people around her. With no time to be clever about it, Laina throws two handfulls of gas grenades down the hallway, holding her thumb ready to press the button to detonate them. She drew her gun, the rifle unfolding in her hands. Her winter jacket falls from her shoulders and to the floor, creating a nice little pillow for her to kneel on as she aims her gundown the hallway. She holds her hand up, thumb hovering dangerously over her detonator as she makes a note to possibly steal grinning mask style of these mistery bank robbers.
Solomon Lau	Solomon's submachine gun is put to use immediately. As they push forward, dropping robbers, the elevator has been cracked open. Solomon calls over the earpiece, <"Which way?"> and then follows the directions. He gets to the hall eventually. And the first sigbt of a hostile gets a shout. "Down on the ground. I'm sorry, but I couldn't agree to the deal. I'm a professional, you see." The submachine gun is raised. If somebody fires on him or ignores him, he starts firing. But gas grenades are rolled down the hall. "Shit!" Solomon pulls back for cover, holding his breath, and firing his submachine gun around the corner with a glance. It's not as accurate, but there's a lot of bullets going down, with rapid reloading whenever he runs out. Hopefully, it forces Laina to pull back.
Solty Revant	There is a very metallic 'CLANK!' as Solty is hit in the forehead by that bullet. She stumbles back with an 'ouch!' and falls onto her backside, then mmphs and hops up again. "You should just give up! We're here with the Bureau of Domestic Defense now!" she says. She charges forward once more, and once the Grinner gunmen are down she stops to at least check on the armored guards who are down. She can't really do anything for them though, so hopefully there are paramedics on the way. Then, just like with the first elevator, Solty leaps down the shaft and drops right through that open elevator access door. With little regard to the shotgun and revolver she once again simply charges forward. She blinks as she sees Laina. "Wh-...how did you get down here?" she asks even as she is aiming a punch at the revolver-wielder. And probably taking some SMG fire from Solomon thanks to her recklessness.
Penelope Vasquez	The forces of Unquestionable Good press deeper into the bank's depths. Laina and co are backed into a corner against the vault, her gas grenades keeping the Bureau forces at bay. The drill drills, baby. Finally, with a resolute CRACK, it pierces some vital lock. The vault is unlocked, and swings open, just a hair. Unfortunately, Solty doesn't need to breathe, and therefore, mustard gas defenses aren't very effective. She simply charges headfirst through the corrosive gasses- stripping her paint in the process- and moves to bullheaddedly punch the men with guns, blocking Solomon's shot at the same time. Efficient teamwork! The wounded man with his revolver can't do much against the bulletproof robot. The man with the drill, though? He catches an idea. The thing is rotated on a swivel- and he shoulder-checks the device, launching the thing against Solty! The hardened drillbit pierces her, finally, as the heavy machine's momentum knocks her into the wall, if only out of sheer surprise. She can probably just knock it off with her obscene strength- but it seems he just wanted a moment to grab his compatriot, and book it into the vault. Within, the vault is the final dead end. It's a plain concrete bunker, filled wall to wall with filing cabinets, secure lockers, and pallets of billfolds. There are no exits, no secret passages. The robbers, and Laina, are well and truly backed into a corner. Monica's voice titters into the ears of the party. "Excellent work. They've nowhere to run, and they know it. You can pull back now, if you like. We can handle it from here. Is the catgirl there with you two?"
Laina Reliah	"I'm smarter than you," comes the arrogant answer. What a bitch. Having pressed the button, gas fills the hallway, offering her at least some time to move. She backs away from the bulletproof bot, norting a short, amused laugh when one of her cool new friends shoulder-checks her with the drill. Yeouch. Rather than stand and fight, she backpedals into the vault to find... well it wasn't piles of gold bullions, but cash is a close second! She keeps her gun pointed at the vault doorway as she grabs a handful of cash. Then her ear perks as a voice comes through it. She groans when she hears Monica. Surely this wasn't another one off her elaborate schemes. "What do you want?" she responds, pocketing a wad of cash.
Solomon Lau	As the bullets fly forward, Solomon pulls back, as everyone ducks into the vault. Over the ear piece, he responds. <"No. She doesn't seem to be with the grinners either, though. Probably a solo agent. Who would have guessed two bank robberies at once?"> Solomon's going to pull back. The locals have it from here, and he won't be much use except to shoot them more. He certainly can't talk them down.
Solty Revant	Solty realizes her question might be answered for her as she notices Laina holding a gun, but not facing the robbers. Instead, Laina is aiming at the goodguys! "Wait, are you-" Solty starts to ask something, but that is interrupted as she cries out and gets pinned to a wall by that drill. True to its name, it penetrates quite deeply into the android's lower belly before she punches it squarely in the drill shaft. She falls to a knee, wincing in pain and holding the sparking and arcing wound. Her ears twitch as she hears Monica, then she shakes her head. <"N-no. She is not with us."> she confirms over the comms. With the badguys apparently trapped, Solty stays by the vault door but at least not in line of sight this time. She blinks as she hears Laina on their comm, then peeks inside the vault. <"Um...is it alright if I stay here until they are secured?"> she asks.
Penelope Vasquez	At the orders of the woman upstairs- the Bureau forces step forwards into the vault, to deal with the remaining heisters. They avoid Laina. She isn't harassed- despite the Bureau almost certainly knowing she has pockets stuffed with stolen cash. The footsoldiers eye Solomon and Solty with distrust- the Handler whispering silently into their ears, feeding them information, most likely- and now knowing that their purposes have been fulfilled. It's time to go. Topside, Monica isn't there to congratulate, or deliver payment. The street is slowly being allowed back to the public- wreckers take care of the van Solty crushed, clean-up crews work at the bank, news crews are starting to filter in. Unfortunately, it seems Solomon will not be making any deposits today. The heist is over, successfully stopped, for a given definition of 'stopped.' Probably time to go before anyone can question who's responsible for all the property damage. Solomon will find a deposit of fairly substantial size once he gets home. Solty will find one of equal proportion- appended with dozens of reductions to pay for the damage she caused, until her paycheck from the Bureau is approximately one nice lunch. Better than nothing.