InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Have you the brain worms?"

tragic_heroes (tragic_heroes) wrote in heroic_essence,
@ 2008-10-17 17:43:00

Current location:	New York City
Current music:	Something from the lobby
Entry tags:	brooke dawson, niki/jessica sanders, npcs

Who: Brooke, Jessica, Trevor ( by mention ). NPCs to feature.
What: Just another day at the bank
When: Evening
Where: Bank of New York, New York
Warnings: Depends on what this crew thinks up~

As a portion of the oldest financial service in New York, the Bank of New York on Madison Avenue was a fine and upstanding building. The bank's ownership was currently in flux, but there was no sign of any of that administrative side today--only the stream of local people moving in and out to accomplish some part of their day's errands and move on. As it was growing near the end of the work day, the crowd was thinning, and the employees were making furtive glances at the clock, feeling the slow movement of the minute hand as they anticipated being released to their homes in only so much more.

Of those still inside, there was a portly older man in some kind of heated argument with the assistant manager. From what those curious enough to look over had discovered, he wasn't too happy with the state of whatever had been in his deposit box and was demanding some kind of compensation. It was the only excitement in the place so far, and wasn't even much at that. The man was stuttering more than he was scaring the assistant, who answered all of his demands with the calm generic replies right from a manual.

Three employees were still at their counters. Two women, one man. Their name-tags said they were Angela, Therese, and Brad. Their faces said they were bored. Only Therese smiled as she leaned forward to help the next man in her line--an older gentleman with a wizened face, and yet still some charisma in him as he smiled back at her. He didn't look around at all while the shouting was going on but stayed focused on getting his own business done with. Behind him, a woman was irritated. She kept checking her watch and then sighing loudly, as if that would help speed things along.

All in all, a very typical crowd for the end of the day at a bank in the middle of New York city. There at the very edge sat the one security guard, yawning, as he watched the door and fiddled with his keys as if his fingers unconsciously itched to lock the doors already.

Ads by Project Wonderful! Your ad here, right now: $0

(Post a new comment)

total__eclipse
2008-10-23 04:48 pm UTC (link)

Personally Brooke wasn't impressed with how fine and upstanding the building was. As long as it provided her with what she needed, she was perfectly satisfied with being a customer here. It's not like she had millions or even thousands stashed away, but what little she did have was pretty much guaranteed to be safe. That was the whole point in putting money in a bank, right? It was easy to get your apartment broken into, but it was far more difficult to pull off a heist, not that she'd ever tried it. Truth be told, she'd actually considered it ( just the once ), but it had been way back in her desperate days when she was young and stupid.

When she was first trying to get on her feet ... constantly running from one city to the next, she often came up short-handed and therefore had considered all sorts of ways to make or acquire some cash. Needless to say she didn't have the guts to go through with most of them, so countless nights were spent on the streets, in abandoned buildings, hiding in stores after closing, or in the lobby of a hotel ( if they didn't ask her to leave ). She knew all about hard times, but she was in a good place now. Not that being a bartender was all that glamorous. Slinging drinks for a bunch of sexist men and fall-down drunks wasn't the epitome of success, but compared to having nothing, it was a vast improvement. At least her life was stable now - aside from her closest friends having abilities. That part was a little weird, but it allowed Brooke to keep living on the edge in a less radical way. Actually, it was kind of nice. They all understood each other.

Why was she thinking about this now? Because she was waiting in line, and there was nothing else to do but gawk around at everyone else in the room, which didn't take all that long. Having always been a bit of a dreamer despite her mistrust of others or occasional cynicism, her mind sometimes ran away with her, leading her to think about the most ridiculous things: like robbing a bank. But as the saying went: 'you can take the girl out of the honky tonk, but you can't take the honky tonk out of the girl.' You wouldn't catch her hollering 'yeeha!' or anything like that, but every now and then she liked a little excitement.

Though at the moment, she was trying to remain on her best behavior since Claire was staying with her. Just because Brooke was a thrill-seeker and a slight danger junkie didn't mean she wanted her younger friend to follow her example. Peter either, for that matter. They were both pretty impressionable. As for Isaac - well, he had his own issues long before she'd come along.

Instead, she tried to find other ways to entertain her roommate, and most of those ways required money. You didn't get anything in life for free: nothing good. So here she was to cash in her paycheck so that she and Claire could go out and splurge on whatever they wanted to. It's not like she had a whole lot of friends, and it wasn't likely that Claire's parents would let her come up to New York City every day. You see, Brooke was an opportunist. Thinking about the future was great if you had some over-arching goal, but she lived for the moment - treated each one as if it were her last.

She turned to the side and leaned back to avoid getting bumped into when the woman in front of her pivoted and nearly plowed over her on her way out the door. Geez. They hadn't been here that long. But that was New York for you: everyone was always in a hurry. Or maybe that was just life.

A smile was cast in the teller's direction ( an act of common courtesy ) before she slid the check over to him. It wasn't a big whoppin' amount, but she wasn't a big spender ( thankfully ), so she had other money in her account that she was thinking about withdrawing too.

Brad, he looked like a Brad.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

_duel_roles_
2008-11-02 09:45 am UTC (link)

Jessica held the briefcase in her hand, walking down the sidewalk with purpose but still looking like some sort of business woman heading towards the bank to do some business. She was a business woman, though. Her boss had told her to deal with some business with those guys, and she dealt with them.

Of course, she had to change clothes to make sure there weren't any traces of blood anywhere on her clothes. They put too much of a struggle to make it as neat as possible. Not that it mattered. Really, the bloodier the better. She grinned to herself as she approached the bank.

"Stay out here," she told her companion, Trevor. "I won't be long so don't cause any trouble while I'm in there." She gave him a grin as she walked in and stood in line behind another woman who had just slid a check towards the teller's direction.

Jessica's eyes scanned the immediate area through her dark glasses, hoping no one would give her shit about the money she was about to deposit into Mr. Linderman's account. He had given her specific instructions on how to go about it. She peered a piece of paper where she had jotted down the right numbers and passwords to get her through. It didn't mean there might not be a little resistence.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

tragic_heroes
2008-11-17 05:43 pm UTC (link)

"For cash or deposit?" Brad asked, sounding more like a machine with a programmed line than a human being right then. He took the check, unabashedly staring at her name, the amount, and then Brooke's face. He was likely trying to guess at what she did for a living. Hey, you had to entertain yourself at work somehow. And don't think he hadn't noticed that he had both attractive gals in his line. Score.

The large stuttering man gave a particularly loud exclamation of "That's why I put it in a bank!" which momentarily distracted all three tellers to glancing in that direction--even smiling Therese. That older man in line fumbled in apparent surprise, dropping the pen he'd been writing with, which rolled past his feet and across the floor. Previously sighing, the impatient woman took to rolling her eyes at what she considered the lowest of human behaviors--public displays.

At that exact moment, the door opened again. The security guard had been considering if he was needed over by the growing argument but he spared one glance towards the door in idle curiosity to see who else was coming in so late. He immediately forgot about going to help.

There was quite a lot of woman strolling into this bank. His eyes trailed absently downward, scanning legs that seemed to go on forever, and when he looked back up it was just in time to see the elbow before it connected with his nose. As the security guard stumbled backwards, the woman deftly reached into his belt and removed his firearm. Her other hand went into her coat, retrieving a second pistol. As soon as she spun around to the front again, she threw the security guard's weapon--but not aimlessly. No, it sailed in a perfect arc towards the front of the bank where the wizened middle-aged man in the front of the line turned and expertly caught it. His weapon immediately went to aim at the surprised faces of the bank employees, while the woman lazily batted hers in the air,

"Evening, ladies and gentlemen. This shouldn't take more than a moment of your time, as long as nobody gets stupid."

Angela, Therese, and Brad were well aware of their procedure. They froze in their places as Angela, the farthest from the man, very carefully went for the silent alarm. But she'd barely twitched in her place when the bank robber's eyes were suddenly on her and his aim on her forehead,

"Please don't," he said in a voice more befitting his kind face than the nature of his actions. Angela instantly surrendered her effort, raising her hands quickly into the air with a squeak.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

total__eclipse
2008-11-18 06:29 pm UTC (link)

Eyes widened once it registered that this was a heist.

Why hadn't she come up with a cheaper way to entertain her houseguest? This was bound to get ugly, even if the woman wielding the gun claimed that everything would be okay as long as everyone cooperated. Cooperated - in a bank robbery? Highly unlikely. Even if the hostages were afraid for their lives, there was always one hero in the bunch. Brooke was really hoping that person didn't end up being her. She wasn't anxious to escalate things. If these robbers meant what they said, if they were just here to sweep in and out without hurting anyone, then so be it. Let the cops catch them later. Money wasn't worth dying over. But at any moment someone in the bank could move in a way that made one of the thieves uneasy, and they would pay the price for nothing more than an innocent shift in stance. All it'd take was one person getting shot to start a panic, and then you'd have a full-fledged disaster on your hands.

... Though the idea of a non-disastrous bank robbery was pretty ridiculous.

With fear came that rush of adrenaline that she'd felt so many times before - the kind that usually came right before she did something most would classify as stupid. It wasn't that she liked being in pain or that she felt like she was invincible to the point where she could dive into the middle of any fight and win. It's just that someone had to protect these people, and she seriously doubted that anyone else would want to take that chance. Okay, and maybe she also had a few extra advantages others didn't: some tricks up her sleeve. The downside to using them was that if anyone caught on to what she was doing or even suspected that she was the one doing it, she could get in a lot of trouble. The real question here was whether she wanted to be a hero, or did she want to be normal? She could shrink and shrivel into a corner when instructed like everyone else, or she could do something about it and risk being seen as a freak - even if she was saving people in the process.

Thing is, no one would be able to prove it was her. Flickering lights? Big deal. There was no way to link that to Brooke. The trickier part would be getting a hold of a weapon. She'd have to do that when the lights were out if she stood a chance, and others would start to wonder how she'd been able to do that when no one else could see a thing - not even their hand in front of their face. Luckily, she could probably bolt so fast that she wouldn't have to put up with the awkward stares for too long, but she would have to stick around long enough to talk to the police, or it would look highly suspicious.

Crap. She could really use some reinforcement.

She wasn't looking forward to saving the day, and if anyone else was willing to step in and take action first, by all means ... but the second the situation got worse, she knew with absolute certainty that she wouldn't be able to stand idly by and protect herself like a coward while everyone else remained terrified and in grave danger.

Even though the teller that had apparently been reaching for the silent button designated for emergencies like this had surrendered, Brooke was worried that maybe the man pointing the gun at her head wouldn't believe her, so she decided to draw his attention away from Angela. "Hey, leave her alone, alright? No one's going to do anything. Just take your money and go." Or valuables. Or bonds. Or gold. Or whatever the heck was so important in this bank that they had come for. And while she had spoken up, she didn't budge an inch. She'd put on a brave front - but not too brave, because she wasn't trying to instigate anything. Her only purpose right now was to serve as a distraction so some lady just doing her job didn't end up with a bullet in her brain.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

_duel_roles_
2008-11-19 01:29 pm UTC (link)

Jessica was paying little mind to anything else. She had to make this look as good as possible otherwise, she wasn't sure how she was going to get the teller to deposit the money without breaking SOMETHING. Her firearm was still tucked away in her pants when she heard a connection of body to nose, making her turn. Her straight blond hair twirled with the movement, eyes behind sunglasses staring at the would-be bank robbers.

Well, shit.

It was as if the whole bank just froze in time, no one moving, barely breathing. Except Jessica. She just looked around, watching the fear in everyone's eyes then looking back at the thieves.

Well this was interesting. Here she was, trying to do something semi-legal, and now she was faced with something so very bluntly illegal. Ain't life grand?

The female who was ahead of her in line suddenly spoke up, making Jessica glance behind her. She gripped the suitcase filled with more money than anyone dared to carry and looked back at the robbers. Really, she should just let this happen... watch these maggots fend for themselves. She glanced down at the suitcase, however, and knew Linderman's cash was in serious danger if they started to go for people's money.

She looked back up. "Yeah, hurry up and get this over with," she joined in, no fear in her voice. "We've got things to do and here you are, interrupting a perfectly good day." The urge to attack was so great, she really had to tell herself not to do it. It was stupid to even try when her firearm was far from her hand.

She wasn't out to be a hero, not at all. She had her own agenda.

And if any of them got within an foot of her to grab the suitcase, Jessica was pretty sure they would lose an arm - literally.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

tragic_heroes
2008-12-29 03:32 pm UTC (link)

The gun had been holding steady and it didn't even twitch when bank customers started speaking up about who should be pointing their business where. "I believe this kind lady and I have already come to an agreement," the gentleman thief responded, giving a passing glance to Brooke that he repeated, slower, as a more interested expression passed over his face. "That's what we are planning on doing," he added contemplatively to her end.

"Yeah, they make it sound as if that isn't exactly what we just said," the woman snorted with a lot less patience. They both glanced at the tone of Jessica's voice, but the woman merely rolled her eyes and turned to her partner, "You got it up here." It was less of a question than it might've been. And anyway, she was already trotting around the side of the bank towards the back. She passed by the astonished assistant manager to his previous problem, both of which she gave a hard shove to get them onto their knees as she went.

There was a sort of murmur amongst the civilians left in the front of the bank. Mostly because, gun or not, there was now a lone man between them and being safe again. The man, however, was still paying much attention to them. The gun he used to gesture to the ground behind where the three separate teller lines formed, "I'd very much like it if you'd all come and have a seat here," he said, "You'll be emptying your hands, purses, and pockets and tossing the contents away from you as well." After a shaky start, the other patrons each decided to oblige. Even the impatient woman hurried to get into a crouch at the spot indicated. She clung a little more hesitantly to the expensive-looking purse around her shoulder, however, while others' cellphones, wallets, and old receipts were slid across the floor into a small pile.

Meanwhile, the three tellers inched their ways out from behind their booths to come out into the main section of the bank. The security guard was also picking himself off the floor at about this moment. The gentleman with the gun did not seem at all tense for having to keep track of this many people but only watched the proceedings with a sort of good humor.

ooc; if anyone would like to make attempts at the robbers right now, either write the beginning of the attempt or IM/email me to see what response you should expect.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

total__eclipse
2008-12-30 09:18 pm UTC (link)

And what understanding was that: you move an inch, and I'll shoot you? Somehow that kind lady didn't have a whole lot of choice in the matter. But clearly this guy wasn't budging - though hello, bank robber. They usually weren't wimps, not that she knew any personally ... that she was aware of. Regardless of how dangerous these two really were, they still had guns. There was a small chance that if everyone did exactly as they were told, no one would get hurt. However, most of the time when someone with a weapon in their hand said that, they were lying. Let's face it: they were not your typical fine, upstanding citizens that could be trusted.

Then again, what if all they were after was the money? Was it worth dying over? Not to Brooke. She didn't have that much tucked away in the bank anyway. She was mostly one of those paycheck to paycheck people, although she did have some cash stored here. A lot of it she just hid around her apartment. Probably not the smartest thing to do, but it was what she'd always done in the past.

The majority of the bank's hostages complied to the man's demands without a word of protest. There'd only been one other woman who'd said anything, and it probably had something to do with the briefcase she was hanging on to for dear life. She didn't seem afraid, but Brooke didn't see her surrendering all her valuables anytime soon. And when she refused? All it took was one defiant moment to start a bloodbath. Now was the time to act, but if she moved from her spot on the floor, she'd be the one starting all the trouble. She had to come up with a better plan, and fast.

Fortunately, ever since she'd told Peter about what she could do, she'd been practicing turning her ability on and off. Obviously, if she got up or even appeared as if she was about to break away from the crowd, it was over. Any attempt she would've made would be stopped before she had the chance to at least try and prevent what was happening. So she cheated. Maybe it wasn't an honorable plan, but it was the only one she had. Realistically, it was her only saving grace, and even then, it wasn't going to fix the problem. What she really needed was help.

... But the only option Brooke had was to compromise.

On that note, the lights flickered, then temporarily went out. This wasn't due to any short in the wiring; it was her doing. Once the room was pitch black, she silently slipped from her position on the floor and hurried in the direction the woman had gone. If she could get the lady's gun, knock her out, and tie her up somewhere ( because she really didn't want to resort to taking someone else hostage - it seemed kinda counterproductive ), then she would almost be on equal ground with the guy who she would shoot if she had to, but only so she could deprive him of his weapon. No one had to die. All she needed was a clear shot. Then she'd let everyone out, and let the cops in. Smooth and simple - although she had a feeling none of this was going to be that easy.

The male robber had yelled a warning to his partner during the brief power outage, but Brooke was generous enough to relight up the room once she got her opponent in sight. Maybe it was a sloppy move. She'd soon find out, and if things got too intense, she'd just do it again and fight dirty. 'Cause come on, she'd already been stabbed. She wasn't looking to add 'shot' to that list, and she wasn't supergirl.

The lethal long-legged lady had already broken into the vault. It certainly hadn't taken her long.

Normally Brooke would've folded her arms stiffly across her chest to look tougher, but she wanted her hands free for the fight that was sure to follow in just a few seconds. She could also dive faster if the gun got pointed her way if her stance was loose instead of rigid.

"You and your partner need to leave, now. Before someone gets hurt." And she wasn't referring to herself.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

_duel_roles_
2009-01-08 08:24 pm UTC (link)

Jessica eyed the stand off with intrigue as her speaking up did no good. What did she expect? They'd just throw their hands up in the air and surrender? She knew that would be the last thing she would do if she were in their shoes. Still, to look legit, and to show there was little she was afraid of at the moment, Jessica felt like it was what she had to do. Her eyes slid from one bank robber to the other using sarcasm as a weapon.

How quaint.

When the woman rolled her eyes, Jessica was imagining ripping those orbits right out of her skull. But she just lifted a brow and smiled, watching the female robber moving towards the back.

That left the man and the gun. Jessica watched him, almost in a predatory manner. But it was so subtle, she doubted anyone noticed. When he told them to empty out their bags and purses, that's when Jessica's hackles went up. She glanced down at the suitcase. Giving this money up to a bunch of petty thieves would not sit well with Mr. Linderman.

As people began to crouch or sit down, doing as they were told, Jessica continued to stand, grasping the handle of the metal briefcase. It was going to take a little more than a gun wave to make her give this up, especially when it was Linderman's money. She eyed the man with the gun as she probably had drawn his attention by being the only one who hadn't bowed down - literally - to his request.

But before anything could happen, the lights suddenly flickered then turned off all together. It only took Jessica a moment to pause and wonder why that happened but even as the gunman yelled a warning, Jessica began to take long strides towards the front door. She didn't know how long the lights were going to be out, and it really didn't matter. She wasn't going to give up the cargo, and she wasn't out to save anyone's ass - just her own.

Only a few feet before she was at the door, the lights came back on. She paused a moment, a little surprised at the sudden lighting around her. Then she couldn't help it, she turned back towards the gunman, her free hand going to her own gun.

(Reply to this) (Parent)