Sons of Mutancy - Log 9a
Aug. 1st, 2021 08:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsBrand takes her team back to the club to arrest Costa, but he has a very unpleasant surprise for them.
They got the call twenty minutes after the ambush. The look of victory in Brand’s eyes didn’t reach her lips as she spoke quickly with Costa, providing an exact inventory of the weapons seized. After a few minutes, she’d nodded and they quickly filled the SUVs. The Huns were dropped off at the local Sheriff's. Most had outstanding warrants and Brand had SWORD sending along further charges as real agents came to secure the warehouse.
Within a few hours, they were back at AZTECA. This time, the guards waved them straight through to Costa, who stood with his hands folded behind his back, watching the fire table. As they went in, he waved for a round of drinks, personally handing Brand the first one.
“Very impressive, Director Brand. The Cartels have already contacted me with questions about your SWORD and how they targeted their shipment. It was clear that those weapons they consider lost, just as you predicted.” He handed over a piece of paper. “The shipment is worth 1.2 million based on our negotiations. Once you transfer the funds, we can celebrate properly.”
“Of course.” She tapped on her phone for a moment and a few seconds later, Costa raised his own phone and thumbed a couple of screen interfaces.
“And our business is complete. Now, when can we start discussing future shipments? The Cartel will want replacements as quickly and… expensively as possible.
"Yes, that concludes things nicely." Brand took a sip of her drink and then set it down as her tone became formal, official. "Frank Costa, you are under arrest for weapons trafficking, conspiracy, dealing in restricted demonic magic and whatever else I feel like pinning on you. You do not have to say anything, but anything you say will be taken down and used against you. Kane, cuff the man."
"It's actually that you have the right to-" Kane said as he started forward, and the man laughed in his face.
"I was expecting a clumsy possible betrayal but this? This... ham -fisted confrontation? I'm disappointed, Brand. Very disappointed." He snapped his fingers and the room darkened. "You know why I love my little orgy blackmail. I mean, other than putting my dick into people of all types? I love it because it makes people pause and think whether or not they want to do something stupid. Because when people get stupid, I have to up the ante."
Black flames started to jump from the fire table and in the eerie light, Costa's visage changed. His eyes grew deeper, his features sharpened and his whole body seemed to swell. "Because what that means is that I lose an expensive suit and I always have to renovate." He pivoted towards Kane and with a hand that was suddenly full of talons slashed him across the face and on the back swing, caught Brand across the cheek.
“Jesus fuck.” Kyle shook himself, and dove to catch Brand before she hit the ground - the swing had been enough to move Garrison, they didn’t need Brand cracking her skull open on the floor. “Lock him down, Doc!”
Jean's eyes were wide as she took a step back, feeling a small ripple of fear. Swallowing down that fear, she launched a telekinetic blast aimed to knock him backward.
The telekinetic blast seemed to shred the man's skin, as his face was revealed as a fanged visage carved in white bone. Costa smiled, not moving an inch from where the blast hit him.
"Not nearly good enough, little bird. Not by a long shot."
"The fuck?" Gabriel staggered back as Costa's true form began to reveal itself. Later, he'd take a small comfort in his not being so jaded that things like this didn't phase him. But for now, he was mostly reeling. "Demon," he said, somehow both a question and an answer.
He fired up his powers, allowing the world to slow down around him. Then he ran toward Costa in the hopes of landing a high-speed punch that would allow the team to see what it was really dealing with.
The punch landed, but instead of jarring Costa, he just smiled as the force of the blow against his altered features dislocated a couple of fingers instead.
Flames exploded out of the table, wreathing the doorway and the walls in black fire. "You still haven't figured it out, have you? When I tell people to go to Hell, it's because it's my home. This is my home." His body was now twisted and grotesque, capped with spiny protrusions of white bone and red flesh in the flickering eerie light.
"And here, everything... everything, is mine."
They got the call twenty minutes after the ambush. The look of victory in Brand’s eyes didn’t reach her lips as she spoke quickly with Costa, providing an exact inventory of the weapons seized. After a few minutes, she’d nodded and they quickly filled the SUVs. The Huns were dropped off at the local Sheriff's. Most had outstanding warrants and Brand had SWORD sending along further charges as real agents came to secure the warehouse.
Within a few hours, they were back at AZTECA. This time, the guards waved them straight through to Costa, who stood with his hands folded behind his back, watching the fire table. As they went in, he waved for a round of drinks, personally handing Brand the first one.
“Very impressive, Director Brand. The Cartels have already contacted me with questions about your SWORD and how they targeted their shipment. It was clear that those weapons they consider lost, just as you predicted.” He handed over a piece of paper. “The shipment is worth 1.2 million based on our negotiations. Once you transfer the funds, we can celebrate properly.”
“Of course.” She tapped on her phone for a moment and a few seconds later, Costa raised his own phone and thumbed a couple of screen interfaces.
“And our business is complete. Now, when can we start discussing future shipments? The Cartel will want replacements as quickly and… expensively as possible.
"Yes, that concludes things nicely." Brand took a sip of her drink and then set it down as her tone became formal, official. "Frank Costa, you are under arrest for weapons trafficking, conspiracy, dealing in restricted demonic magic and whatever else I feel like pinning on you. You do not have to say anything, but anything you say will be taken down and used against you. Kane, cuff the man."
"It's actually that you have the right to-" Kane said as he started forward, and the man laughed in his face.
"I was expecting a clumsy possible betrayal but this? This... ham -fisted confrontation? I'm disappointed, Brand. Very disappointed." He snapped his fingers and the room darkened. "You know why I love my little orgy blackmail. I mean, other than putting my dick into people of all types? I love it because it makes people pause and think whether or not they want to do something stupid. Because when people get stupid, I have to up the ante."
Black flames started to jump from the fire table and in the eerie light, Costa's visage changed. His eyes grew deeper, his features sharpened and his whole body seemed to swell. "Because what that means is that I lose an expensive suit and I always have to renovate." He pivoted towards Kane and with a hand that was suddenly full of talons slashed him across the face and on the back swing, caught Brand across the cheek.
“Jesus fuck.” Kyle shook himself, and dove to catch Brand before she hit the ground - the swing had been enough to move Garrison, they didn’t need Brand cracking her skull open on the floor. “Lock him down, Doc!”
Jean's eyes were wide as she took a step back, feeling a small ripple of fear. Swallowing down that fear, she launched a telekinetic blast aimed to knock him backward.
The telekinetic blast seemed to shred the man's skin, as his face was revealed as a fanged visage carved in white bone. Costa smiled, not moving an inch from where the blast hit him.
"Not nearly good enough, little bird. Not by a long shot."
"The fuck?" Gabriel staggered back as Costa's true form began to reveal itself. Later, he'd take a small comfort in his not being so jaded that things like this didn't phase him. But for now, he was mostly reeling. "Demon," he said, somehow both a question and an answer.
He fired up his powers, allowing the world to slow down around him. Then he ran toward Costa in the hopes of landing a high-speed punch that would allow the team to see what it was really dealing with.
The punch landed, but instead of jarring Costa, he just smiled as the force of the blow against his altered features dislocated a couple of fingers instead.
Flames exploded out of the table, wreathing the doorway and the walls in black fire. "You still haven't figured it out, have you? When I tell people to go to Hell, it's because it's my home. This is my home." His body was now twisted and grotesque, capped with spiny protrusions of white bone and red flesh in the flickering eerie light.
"And here, everything... everything, is mine."
