Match of the Millennium

Description: Moondyne's work in Sunshine City has finally attracted the attention of the Black Dragon's criminal head, Kano. A mousetrap has been set in the form of a potential big weapon's deal. One that springs in an explosive fight between Mouse and Dragon at an underground fight club.

[KANO]
Someone's been running through the Dragon's Den. As if Syndicate and Shadaloo weren't bad enough, the loyal eyes belonging to the Cult of the Black Dragon have been watching the influx of technology, the shifts in the air, the fights in the streets, the everpresent technocrats and their noise. Word gets around and it gets around fast. And word means that the local bedrock of the criminal element has to start cleaning things up in their own kitchen.

"Should be on the bloody beach," grumbles the criminal cyborg, Kano. He's been busy establishing footholds in Zepp, and making deals with the Black Dahlia to dig a claw into the Japanese markets. Get a few ports of call, something and somewhere stolen tech can flow and stow. The best of Japan, the wonders of Zepp Chi-Tek, and the Dragon's own otherworldly arcane connections, each builds a wider and wider set of resources for the Black Dragon. And each of those resources is a means for Kano to acquire the greatest power of them all; money.

But now there's a nuisance running around, now there's some other upstart. But it's not just finding who or what has been moving things around under their nose, it's something special doing that moving. Someone hawking goods, and that someone looking like they were rigged with tech. Something that the head of the Black Dragon's commercial wing is more than interested in.

The opening gambit was easy. Cultists that need things, that need weapons, posing as gangs. They need things, they need technology, they need weapons. Send out feelers. Send out word that they need something to stand against the Dragon. While Kano's end ramps up noise. Fight clubs double, cages get loud and rowdy. Money flows.

All to entice a certain curious figure. Shining chedder to bait the mousetrap.

[MOONDYNE]
After the failed effort to return with a HitBit projector PCB had ended up with it destroyed and herself damaged, Moondyne Mouse was not about to head back to Sunshine City that soon. However, the news of a weapon dealer in town might has apparently gotten the mouse's attention. If there was something worth it, NESTS would want it--which mean she'd just take it. Or if there was another group trying to make a presence there, she'd also be tasked with dealing with it.

Disguises for her were easy, thanks to solid hologram tech--she took on the appearance of a bag-lady at first, hunched over with scoliosis--once closer she shifted to a rotund if short looking man with high-top sneakers, tank top and suspenders, once out of sight. She never remained in the same guise for long, though she also tried to pick people she'd seen close to her own height and shape. Which was... hard. Normally she had to assume the form of someone a fair bit taller than her--which wasn't too tough on it's own, it was just like wearing platform shoes--or in the more extreme cases like balancing on the tips of ones toes, like a ballet dancer. In either case, the bigger the disparity, the more she might be liable to be off-balance. This was the difficulties of wearing 'people costumes', or suits, like a big mascot one, at a football game.

The larger, rotund man in cap in suspenders sniffed and wiped his brow then face--seeming quite normal enough--now all she needed to do was find who in this club was looking to make a deal.

[KANO]
So the target took the bait at the fight club. A crowded venue, bodies mashed together in the basement floors of a parking garage. Chain link fences lashed around in a cage, bottles and tools and weapons littering the concrete floor; most already stained. The crush of people push and shove, the stale stench of beer and sweat and blood hangs thick in the air. A haze of smoke makes seeing above the crowd difficult. The din of the crowds echoes off the concrete surroundings.

People are always watching. The Black Dragon knows the regulars, most of them are cultists, the majority are surface level and don't understand the true machinations of either Johan or Kano, but they're loyal. And then there are the ones with deep ties. The real criminals, the true believers, and more. They watch, they follow, and they keep mental tallies on those that are new and who has come to the other nights. It's them that follow around and pry. All for the man that sits in a lawn chair in a shipping container with it's doors opened up to view the fights. The man with the metal faceplate, drinking from a bottle, his eye and chest glowing a deep red. Standing near him are a few others. A few crates sit behind him, smaller ones, they carry materiel from Zepp. Pieces being worked on, picked apart and understood. The shiny, shiny bait waiting; all fresh from the cloistered masters of chi-tek.

[MOONDYNE]
A sorry sight, to be sure. Moondyne had been inside worse, however--filthy hotels, hostels, crack houses, dens of even more ill repute than the usual--the way humans were so messy confused her. Though that might have been due to how she'd been programmed originally. The rather big boy that was currently sliding through the mass of rowdy, bouncing people ddin't seem to have too big of a problem--Moondyne had enough muscle to make the fat-bodied disguise work out for her, so she was able to match the girth and muscle.

Separating themselves from the throng of people, 'Big Ben' as the shape had been known soon did it's fatty waddle over to where Kano had been sitting and watching, or at least asking to talk to whoever was selling some 'hardware'. They seemed calm and jovial enough, though it would be difficult to move if someone tried to well... move them.

[KANO]
Kano and his branch of the Dragon have little concern for cleanliness or order. They thrive in the chaos, they live on the underestimation of others for their rabble-like ways. While others like their organization, their suits, their shine; Kano brings the vice that people want and live for. The blood and flesh. Bread and circus for a more "civilized" age that goes only circus deep.

So it was the fat man that does the deal? Not bloody likely. But if that's what's going to happen, then so be it. Kano makes a wave and two thugs, one in a full body boiler suit, the other in a low cap and sunglasses despite it being indoors and at night, approach "Big Ben".

"You're here for the produce?" the capman asks. His partner, speaking around a half-clipped vent mask, adds, "This way. The Dragon is always looking to oblige a new client."

[MOONDYNE]
"Oh yeah, I was curious about that," 'Big Ben' had gotten himself a hotdog from somewhere, likely on the way in, and was already scarfing it down. The flecks of mustard and crumbs dropped from their chin, the food was definitely real. "Show me something new, even if it's shit, at least it's new," the fat man nodded vigorously, the folds of his face wagging along with him. He reached up with a rather large, thick-fingered hands and pushed down the bridge of their sunglasses, peering right at Kano. Oof, this looked like a tough customer, to be sure. All decked out in the metal face-plate and whatnot. The large man seemed to respect it.

"So what've you got for me? anything fun?" he asked jovially, as if he and his crew had done this quite a lot, before.

[KANO]
Not often an unused carpark had hotdog salesmen, but Kano's not about to question the fat man. As the two goons flank Balloon Ben, Kano finally gets off his rear and approaches the big man with outstretched arms and a cold smile. "Got all sorts of fun," Kano says, "New toys from Zepp. A few things left over from Outworld, or maybe Makai. Or, good old fashioned top-o-the-line tech, you guess the government."

Kano laughs and strolls with big, thumping bootsteps toward Ben. "But maybe none of that's fun and new," he says, voice lilting with acidic playfulness. "Cause word on my street is that you the one been making deals with some," he whistles, his grin is all teeth, "Real space-age stuff. Stuff we ain't even seen. And I got to thinking, bonzer, this fella's got an in on something primo."

Kano's hand goes to clap Ben's shoulder, his eye and chest glowing deep and violent red. "So what's the connection, fatboy."

[MOONDYNE]
"Outworld? Oh," Big Ben looks suitably impressed with that, lips forming a little O for a moment. Ben shuffles the hotdogt to the opposite side of him than Kano is suddenly putting their hand on. He doesn't want to offend his host with dripping mustard on him, it would appear.

"Mmph, always gotta be on the look out for the next big thing, you know?" Ben reached up and took a big chomp out of that hotdog, chewing it.

It might be around this time that Kano would find that his hand and fingers are literally /sinking/ into 'Big Ben's' shoulder, at first becoming the consistency of play-doh, then more like thick mud--the white of his shirt and blue of suspenders mixing together and flowing over his skin.

"Like, for example," Ben muttered, speaking with their mouth full, disgusting habit--"A full metal mouse," 'Ben' turned his head to grin at Kano, and suddenly the eyes were glowing a funny kind of yellow with the pupils visible through the sunglasses, plus the teeth were now suddenly buck teeth--like a cartoon animal's.

"Something like this, you mean?"

[KANO]
"Always," Kano answers, "The bigger, the better."

If the fatman wasn't going to give up his source of tech, then he'll just gut the boy and leave him trussed up like suckling pig. But that plan gets pushed by the wayside when Kano's seeing his hand clip in through the disguise worn by Moondyne; making things all the more interesting.

"Yeah," Kano says, remarking at the tech that made good on the Big Ben disguise. "That's just the sort of thing I'm looking for." But his grinning facade is a predatory one. And he reaches for the knife at his hip. "After I rip your heart out for trying to muscle in on Dragon territory."

COMBATSYS: Kano has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Kano             0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Moondyne has joined the fight here on the right meter side.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Kano             0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0         Moondyne

[MOONDYNE]
Kano might find it is somewhat difficult to pull that hand out of Ben/Moondyne's shoulders, especially as more of the disguise begins to melt and reveal the much smaller and slender form beneath. Right now a hand emerged from the shoulder to grasp Kano's wrist--Moondyne turning to face him--quite like someone pulling their arm out of the sleeve of an overcoat to reach out around it to grab something--it wound up being Moondyne's own hand that was now clutching his wrist.

"I mean, if you wanted to do business you could have just asked..." it was that point where electricity crackled down Moondyne's upper body and arm--heading straight for Kano's hand!

COMBATSYS: Kano endures Moondyne's Weather Wizard.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Kano             0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0         Moondyne

[KANO]
Stuck in the draw. Kano grits his teeth and pulls, pulls, pulls to get free. Only he finds himself held on by the mouse's hand. "Well then, that your real face?" he asks, head tilting just so. "Or just another stupid mask?"

Even as Moondyne lights up, Kano shouts out a wordless cry. Electricity shoots up his arm and sears over his body. For a moment, the many, many parts of him more metal than man are visible. But all holding onto Kano means is he's that much closer to Moondyne when he hurls himself forward. Wheeling in the air with his heel crushing and crashing down toward the mouse's head.

COMBATSYS: Moondyne blocks Kano's Penal Colony.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Kano             0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1         Moondyne

[MOONDYNE]
"It's the real me, uhuh!" Moondyne replies in a raised, affirmative tone--her eyes going wide as the electricity reaches Kano. "Ooh! We've got a real live one here!" Moondyne is grinning already, decoupling her hand from Kano's wrist as he brings his leg up and charges at her--raising her arms to guard against the heel drop just as the much larger man's foot comes crashing down!

"Squeek! Yeouch--you're a heavy one,, that hurt," she frowns, taking a step back in defense.

"What were you doing sniffing around anyway--were you looking for me?" she asked if she was surprised.

Bringing an arm up, it suddenly freakishly elongated--the hand becoming wide and flatter than before, like a cricket bat. She swung her arm outward and it gained elasticity--coming down against Kano's side like a club of some sort!

COMBATSYS: Kano fails to counter Improvised Smack from Moondyne with Dirt Counter EX.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Kano             0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1         Moondyne

[KANO]
A cracking blow. Confusing little mouse. She strikes Kano hard across the gob with a bellowing, lumping thump and a klang. He staggers backward, the glow in his chest bright and shining. "Fucking hell," he spits, snarling. The rest of the Dragons starting to turn inward. To bring their presence to know. To fight unfairly if the need or want comes up.

"So, what exactly are you?" he asks, curious, shaking the brief pain from his arms and sorting himself out as he considers this strange opponent. "Cyborg?" less a question and more a statement. "Well, first I was just gonna rough you up a bit. Now. . ."

The greed of the Black Dragon's human eye glints nearly as bright as the glow in his mechanical one. "Now I think you're the prize after all. C'mon sheila, let me pick that brain of yours."

[MOONDYNE]
"You already have--and I'm a cybernetic mouse! Very cool, I know," Moondyne's hand snapped backwards from it's previously 'rubberized' state, the outer layer of it dissolving into pixels and voxels as the holographic substance was dispersed.

"I don't really want to fuck with you, like you humans say--I just came to see who was looking to sell some supposedly high tech gear--was I scurrying around in your territory?" Moondyne tilted her head at him, suddenly confused.

"My name's not Sheila, it's Moondyne! you humans are /weird/," the mouse bot then proceeded to stand back, recalibrating itself.

COMBATSYS: Moondyne gathers herself, knees bent and shoulders leaned forward, concentrating on her opponent.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Kano             0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1         Moondyne

[KANO]
Cybernetic. Tells Kano a lot of things. Not the least of which is how this has turned from a beat and release to a kidnapping opportunity. "Could sell you," Kano points out. "Bet you'd make a pretty penny on the black market. All sorts of weird types these days."

He doesn't relent when she calibrates. Instead, he pushes on with a quick, stomping approach. A sudden, sharp spike of a kick aimed right for the center of Moondyne's chest. A small blade slicking out with the pistoning of his bootheel.

COMBATSYS: Kano successfully hits Moondyne with Front Kick.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Kano             0/-------/-----==|=======\==-----\1         Moondyne

[MOONDYNE]
Moondyne takes the kick right in the center mass of her body--which throws her back against a wall and causes her to emit threads of electricity.

"Owww--oh alright then, I'm not getting sold to a bunch of weirdos on the internet!" Moondyne then straightens her back and brings her arm up--suddenly, she is flanked by multiple flickering copies of herself who appear out of thin air, as she runs up and proceeds to try and drop kick the metal-faced man!

"Hiyah!" she cries, kick coming down toward him as the clones bounce about in the vicinity. Is that the real mouse??

COMBATSYS: Kano blocks Moondyne's Shadow Self.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Kano             0/-------/----===|=======\===----\1         Moondyne

[KANO]
Kano pulls a knife from his thigh sheath and picks at his fingernail. "How much of that brain's ones and zeroes, I wonder?" he says with a slow, dripping malice. "How much of whoever made you left their fingerprints all over your hard drive. That's a lot of information. And information, that's as good as gold."

He strolls toward Moondyne with blood and worse on his mind. As the three other Moondyne's appear, his laughing response is cruel. And with it is a quick and sudden slam of his heavy metal forehead against the flying drop kick. A loud clang echoes off as the Ozzie brute seems to shrug off the blow in its entirety.

"Got anymore things to show me?" he asks. "Course, after I have the boys look at your coding, you'll be eating out of the palm of me hand."

He lunges forward, his knife slices through the air for Moondyne's belly. A heavy stabbing that's just the opening number for the small grenade he has secreted in his opposite hand. One that has an explosive surprise for Moondyne if he can sock it hard into the knife wound he plans on making.

COMBATSYS: Kano successfully hits Moondyne with Deadly Digger.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Kano             0/-------/---====|=======\======-\1         Moondyne

[MOONDYNE]
"I was made in a hermitcally sealed environment--you take that back!" Moondyne however is not actually jumping through the air, that mirage of her derezzes as Kano's head passes through it--however the next one to approach her is the real one--and winds up getting slashed pretty badly by that knife!

"Ack!" Moondyne recoils back in a shower of sparks and arcing electricity as the lower portion of her is gashed open, revealing severed wires and metal parts beneath. The other shadow clones of her promptly disappear, briefly.

"Ow, not good, not good--" she looks around quickly, voice almost a little monotone, as if she's repeating it like a recorded message.

The floor seems to pulse with electricity--arcing out and lashing at everyone--Moondyne flickers again, trying to desperately engage her holo-systems to cloak herself and escape--running away!

COMBATSYS: Moondyne has left the fight here.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Kano             0/-------/---====|

[KANO]
And there are all the shiny innards. The girl was robotic. A toy. A toy that Kano wants. He keeps walking through the blast, through the pulsing electricity. He scratches his cheek, sliding the blade of his knife up and down, scraping his skin while he grins and grins at the robot girl stuck on her loop.

"You wanted to deal in Sunshine, mousie, fine, but you gotta learn when you're the dealer or the deal." He flips the knife around and sheathes it against his thigh. The crackles spark off him, glowing against his metal faceplate, making the red core of his chest glow.

But she's there, and she's not, and she's all over when her holograms flicker up to life. The dark joy on Kano's face twisting to a disappointed, shrewd frown. "What're you waiting for!" he bellows to the throng of Black Dragon and associated thugs. "Twenty grand to whoever gets me that mouse! Get on it!"

He crosses his arms, glowering, fingers drumming against his biceps. She wasn't solo, no way no how. But none of her looked like anything he was familiar with. That just meant some sort of new player was in the game. Someone other figure with top of the line gear. But Kano had to know; was this a new market? Or a new competitor.

COMBATSYS: Kano has ended the fight here.

Log created on 22:53:04 08/09/2019 by Kano, and last modified on 21:36:50 08/17/2019.