The Scarman Enigma

[|Scarecrow|]

Lucas slid silently in between the walls of the two tall buildings, taking care not to step on any rubble. One of the club bouncers stood no less than six meters away from him, ready to turn at the slightest sound. As Lucas moved, his foot caught a loose piece of brick that had crumbled and fallen from its host building. The debris fell off the wall and broke up on the floor with a distinct clacking noise. Lucas managed to creep through the gap just before the bouncer turned, disappearing into the shadows beyond. He took a deep breath, counting himself lucky that the bouncer hadnt seen him. The bouncer looked around for several seconds, scratching his head, before returning his attention to whatever it was that had occupied it before.

Lucas let his breath go slowly, edging himself away from the street. He finally dropped out into a small back alley. He ducked behind the shadow of two recyclers as a couple of bouncers looked his way. These two carried Mac40s, an old sub machinegun design that Lucas had encountered several times in the past. He drew his blaster pistol and edged his way around the nearest recycler, taking care not to expose himself with the light from one of the streetlamps. He glanced up at the fire escape above the two bouncers and thought hard. What he needed was a distraction. Thinking quickly, he looked about him for something he could use.

He noticed a half eaten energy plus bar on the floor beside the recycler, slowly decaying inside its wrapper. He delicately picked up the energy bar and chose his target. He then hurled the bar out into the open, towards a stack of round silver bins on the other side of the street. The bar hit the side of one of the bins with a clang, giving Lucas his window. As Anderson had hoped, the energy bar stirred up a hive of activity as a mob of rats jumped out of their hiding places to inspect the noise. They began clattering and squeaking as they fought over the energy bar. As the two bouncers turned the opposite way, Lucas broke cover and jumped for the edge of the fire escape, narrowly catching the metal rim with his fingertips. He quickly hauled himself up and onto the fire escape before the bouncers turned back around.

Relaxing for a moment, Lucas looked down at the two bouncers. One wore a well pressed black suit and a pair of neat, shiny shoes. The other however wore a tatty black jump suit with a red skull crest on his breast. Lucas didnt need to look twice to recognize the symbol of the Black Flag Corsairs. He turned away and began to climb the fire escape. Once he reached the top, he opened the fire door and stepped into the building.

It was dark inside, with no lights on up on the higher levels. Loud music hammered away from somewhere down below. Lucas closed the door quietly behind him and gave his eyes a moment to adjust to the dark. His blaster ready, he advanced into the black, relying more on his hearing and sense of smell to guide him. He descended down several flights of stairs, the thumping sound of music growing louder.

When he finally reached the bottom, the music rose to a crescendo. It seemed to be some form of new metal, a genre of music Lucas recognized as an early 21st century earth favorite. He arrived at a wide set of double doors masked with a sprayed on skull and crossed bones. Strobing lights winked through the gaps in the doorframe, indicating the activity taking place beyond. As Lucas pushed the doors open, he was almost deafened by the roar of a set of bass speakers close by. He holstered his blaster and mingled with the crowd.

Kurt, Im inside, Lucas said, discreetly pressing his finger to his earpiece.
Roger that, Mannings voice replied, Im over by the bar area, Ive not been able to spot our friends as of yet.
Confirmed, Lucas said, Keep looking, Ill move closer to the bar, but dont acknowledge me if you see me.
He let his hand drop to his side as he left the link. Gently pushing his way through the crowd, he began to make his way across to the bar.

Several meters away, Kurt Manning stood with a double bourbon, casually leaning on the bar but keeping his senses alert. The loud music blared behind him as he surveyed the scene before him. Bright lights flashed on and off in time to the deafening roar as countless half naked human bodies jostled and writhed to the sharp electric sounds. Men and women dressed in revealing clothing filled the nightclub; a sea of spiked piercings and ominous tattoos. Kurt observed the scene casually as his sipped his bourbon, still looking for the two pirates.

A young woman wearing an incredibly high skirt and black fish-net tights sidled up to Kurt, twirling a strand of her raven hair with the finger and thumb of her right hand. She held a shot glass in the other, filled with some unwholesome blue liquid.
You lookin for a good time handsome? The woman asked, pressing her body up to Kurt.
Im always looking for a good time, Kurt grinned as he looked down at her. But my idea of a good time is a leggy blonde and a few stiff whiskeys. Lets just say youre not my type.
The woman glowered at him, throwing back her luminous blue shot. She gulped the alcohol down and threw the glass at Kurts feet. The small glass smashed on the hard floor, but the sound went unheard beneath the thunder of the music. The woman gave Kurt one last lustful look before turning around and dancing back into the crowd.

After watching her go, Kurt returned to searching the crowd. He spotted Lucas moving casually through the throng of people, looking around him for any sign of the Black Flag Corsairs. Lucas made his way across the dance floor, subtly checking everybody as he went. He turned around when he got to the end of the room and gave Kurt a disheartened look. Kurt sighed and finished his bourbon, turning around to lean over the bar. He raised his hand and called across the barman. Before he could order his drink however, his eyes met those of a man sat across the room on the opposite side of the bar. Kurt found himself rooted to the spot as he stared into the eyes of Sayne Jadyn.

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| S C A R E C R O W |

"See you space cowboy..."