X-Factor Casefile: The Sting: The break in (incomplete) (Backdated)

[x-invisiblegirl.livejournal.com]

Arthur and Sue go to see what's up with the warehouse

Arthur never understood why they called it cat burglary.

Tugging on the rope Sue nodded and pulled herself up to the jimmied window reaching above Arthur's head for the security cables which ran over head inching a pair of pliers out of her pocket as she stripped the rubber coating off to reveal the copper cables beneath. Unhurriedly the blonde attached her own device into the system before snipping the revealed copper cable. "And we're good to go, you'd think that they'd have more sense than to leave their security systems halfway up the side of a building where anyone could get to is," she noted good humorously to the older man.

"Does your definition of anyone include people with poor senses of self-endangerment?" Arthur, still unsecured, had managed to work open the slim window while Susan had taken care of the security. "Because this is going to be a doozy."

Then he was gone.

The dark, foreboding interior of the warehouse was briefly illuminated as Arthur's powers activated, and his fall into the warehouse's interior was a mad series of flips, perches, and swings between boxes as he ended up, no worse for wear, on a suspended catwalk eight feet down, but fifteen feet across, from the window.

Arthur flashed Susan a winning smile. "Com'on, anyone."

The blonde stepped out into the air, generating a forcefield beneath her feet which slowly lowered her down to the ground next to Arthur, "Yup, totally anyone," she agreed flashing him a teasing smile. I mean who can't get up the side of the building or down onto a walkway? I thought everyone could do that." The blonde glanced around the warehouse. "Nice place they've got here."

"Eh," and there was a noncommittal shrug with this, "You work in enough action flicks old, poorly lit warehouses become a staple. You see one, you —"

He was cut off by the menacing grinding of machinery and what seemed to be a human scream. It was short-lived.

Sue's gaze flicked over in the direction of the scream. "That sounds..." she gave Arthur a wordless look before turning in the direction of the scream and making her way along the walkway in the direction of the noise.

As the two crossed above the warehouse floor, it became very apparent that something was rotten in Denmark, or, at least, this place did more than peanuts. The stacks of boxes and industrial machinery were there, but suddenly it all stopped. The far north side of the workplace was suddenly spotless and clean in a way that created a line across the floor; like crossing between two different buildings. The equipment changed too: Refrigeration units, screens and cots, computer screens. All lit by the pale yellow and green of running equipment.

The scuff of feet on concrete broke the silent tableau, and Arthur shot Susan a serious look. He mouthed soundlessly, "Time to cheat."

Sue grabbed Arthur in a hug and threw a forcefield up around the two of them, "They won't notice us if we're very very quiet and avoid getting too close to something we might knock over," she whispered into his ear. The blonde had discovered that the hard way, and had the close calls to prove it. Luckily for her, most people just assumed it was the wind.

Grabbing her companion's hand, Sue paced forward hoping for a look at the machinery. Something about this felt wrong. So very wrong.

As the two advanced across the catwalk, the scene only became grimmer. It was very apparent that they were not alone — a writhing mass of shadows sat silhouetted against the last medical station in the row, but it wasn't until Arthur and Sue had crossed half than half the space remaining that they could tell that there was another figure laying prone under the moving figures.

A very still figure that seemed to be maned with quills instead of hair.

One of the figures lifted what looked to be a saw, and the scene was suddenly painted in a different light as all of the details clicked into place. The medical equipment. The fridges. The security outside.

The figure discarded the saw and put a hand into the patient's chest, removing something small and oblong very carefully.

"I...did they just," Sue gasped and span away unable to watch, "they're cutting open mutants for their organs," Sue took a deep breath and turned back around the young mutant deserved that much from her at the least. "That guy is into a lot darker things than I thought...but what do they want with mutant organs, they're very specific to the person. Wouldn't be much use at all to a black market ring trying to sell them."

While her current partner in crime was just as shocked, he wasn't the type to wonder. Arthur put a hand on Susan's shoulder to steady the shaking she didn't realize she had begun. His tone was flat and even.

"Listen. I suggest we ask these questions in a safe place far, far away from here. This is too much. We have to leave."

Sue banished her anger to a core deep inside of her, her face falling into a mask, "You're right, lets get out of here."  she agreed, pulling out her phone and activating teh camera. "The others need to see this," she told Arthur.

He waved a hand in agreement, but his eyes were trained on the men surrounding the surgeons. "Obvs. Get what we need, instagram it or whatever, and then hastag gone? Alright?"

"hastag never been more right," Sue muttered distractedly as she pocketed her phone, "Ok, lets get out of here."