Heist the Colours (RP)

It was late. Like "3 a.m. or later" late. Rafael was at the same bar as every Friday. "Lucky Chance" with a little neon lady waving with her leg atached to the board-sign above the entrance. He hated that place. He even tried different bars in town. But he hated them even more.

"Raf... only few more weeks and you will have this 'trip' to the Depot fixed... keep yourself together... for that time... a little bit longer... and you will get your ship... your freedom... and you will be able to leave that damn planet with another corrupted government behind" - Rafael tried to convince himself in his thoughts... to keep his composure... and not start screaming in frustration. But to be honest... few glasses of not-so-bad whiskey wasn't helping him with that. And then he received a call... strange considering the time... it was(...)

A man sits down on the bar stool next to Rafael. "You should probably ditch that phone soon. You know that's how they track people, right?" It's obvious that he's making a joke from the grin on his face. Well... Half joking at least. He's wearing a light-grey coat that's covering most of his outfit. A hint of shirt and tie can be seen around his neck at the front. His nose is holding up a pair of small oval glasses. He looks to be about 50 years old, but those who get the chance to look closer might notice that this man is actively trying to look older than he is, for whatever reason.

"I'm guessing you can't sleep either." Ronny continues after Raf finishes his phone call, now with a slight friendly smile and gestures to the bartender to bring whatever Raf's having.

Come on, Catherine, you're better than this.

Catherine Asumoto sprinted down the corridor and ducked into the sleazy bar, trying to quickly blend into the crowd. Seconds later, a figure appeared in the doorway; unmistakably male, and apparently quite angry. He scanned the room and Cat grabbed the man nearest to her at the bar--a bespectacled, well-dressed man--and pressed her lips to his, turning her face away from the door. The man at the entrance lingered a few seconds and then left. Cat released her "lover" and sighed heavily.

Ronny is surprised by the sudden kiss. But his days as a spy have trained him to analyze situations at a moment's notice. From the corner of his eye he notices the angry male figure and he decides to play along with the woman's action.

"I should come to this bar more often, it seems." He says out loud afterward. Hmm, she looks familiar. Where have I seen her before? Is what goes through his mind when he gets a better look at Cat. "Disgruntled boyfriend? Barkeep, a drink for the lady."

Cat smiles in response. "Thank you. Yes, he just couldn't seem to accept the fact that I needed my space. I'm Catherine, but my friends call me Cat."

Rafael after answering the call from X interrupted it by: "Wait just a second X" - and put it on hold.
"Oh... Ronny... you really have this something in you... Cat never welcomes me this way." - he laughed shortly, visibly amused by the situation.

"So this is the Noble Lady" - where 'noble' was uttered with a real sneer - "I was telling you about Ronny. What is good: she need us and we need her - fair trade in my book. But I was quite sure that you have met before?" - Raf asked with raised eyebrows.

"Don't mind me - if you want to kiss some more - as I must answer this call now." - he ended with a chuckle.
"Yes Lio? I'm back. Had sudden attack on my friend to handle..." - saying that, he winked to Ronny and Cat

Ronny laughs along with Rafael's jokes. "Yes, I believe I've seen Cat before. But never been formally introduced." Since the word 'noble' was mentioned, he takes Cat's hand and kisses it gallantly. Then utters a word in some alien language. "Enchantée." Probably butchering its pronunciation.

"Nice to put a face to a name. Please, have a seat." He's about to gesture to the bar stool next to him when he changes his mind. "Actually, let's get a booth. A bit more privacy couldn't hurt." He gets up, hands Cat her drink and walks to one of the booths to sit down there.

Aside from being quite well-dressed, Ronny does not generally come across as noble. However, his career has taught him to blend in with his surroundings.

"Yes, let’s get a booth. That way we can talk freely," Cat replies, seeking out an open booth.

Lio is walking through the city's mall, the shops are closing. Iron shutters are rattling down in front of the neon-lit display windows.
hmmm. This late already? Better make my way home.
Allthough the mall is closing up there are still many people walking around, it seems they are all in a rush, like ants when you throw a stick in the heap. Something is stirring, festering even, Lio can feel it in the air.

...Time to get off this shitty planet... better sooner than late...

In his mind he is going over 'the plan'. It is a good plan, it still needs some tweaking and fine tuning, but he is confident it will work.
Approaching the exit his phone starts buzzing.

That's weird, it's past 11...

An automated voice that sounds way too familiar puts him on edge.
This is an official message from K5289/9. Please hold

Lio knows exactly what he is going to say when he hears the click.
"I QUIT!" He nearly shouts the words and ends the call immediatly. Some passers by give him a strange look, a few of them nod approvingly.

Not 10 seconds later the buzzing starts again. But this time the caller beats him to it and starts talking before Lio can open his mouth... or is there some part of him that actually wants to know what this is all about?

''LIO! Don't hang up! Ricky is in trouble"

Ricky, Ricky... Who is Ricky? A shopper carrying a milion bags bumps into him mumbling an excuse, Lio doesn't even notice.

" Are you talking about majo... But the voice cuts him off.
"Not over the phone, meet me at the place you were exactly 3 months ago" with a click the call ends.

Not many people would know the exact location they were last week, let alone 3 months. But he knows, oh how he knows.

Major Richard 'warhead' Bodson was his commanding officer on several missions, the man once saved his life. The kinda guy that would stand behind (or in front) his team no matter what. Lio could not ignore this call. The place the caller spoke off was at least an hour's drive from the city center. Public transportation would be the smart thing to do in this situation but there was no time. He wistled for a cab and when it came near the license plate made him smile "fresh-p". It reminded him of yet another navy companion, the clown of the troop, funny coincidence.

He gave the driver some instructions. The man didn't ask questions but the look on his face said enough. Why would somebody want to go to an abandonned factory in the middle of the night. A quick stop at his appartement to get his medical gear, he had a feeling this was going to be bad.

Arriving at the factory he tipped the driver too much. "you were never here" All the cabs had trackers, but maybe this would keep the driver from telling his friends.

Lio walked the last 300 meters to the entrance. He knew exactly where to go, third door to the right, then down the stairs to the basement. Open the hatch and descent further down by ladder. A room filled with empty storage cabinets but only one of them would lead to the primitive surgery hidden in the adjacent room.

Opening the ssecret door in the storage cabinet he found himself bading in white light. A man lay grunting on the center table, blood dripping from the table into a puddle on the floor.

"How many?"
"4 entry wounds sir"
"How long?"
"It's been a couple of hours, 3 max. We did everything we could"
The orders came natural to Lio
"Both of you, disinfect and put on some gloves, they're in my gear, give me some too"
Lio injected an anesthetic and started operating You are not going to die major, not on my watch

Sweat is dripping from his brow as he cuts the thread on the last stitch.

"Listen up you 2. This man will be out for at least another 2 hours, afterwards he will need a lot of rest. Make sure he gets to safety. I don't want to know what caused this and will be leaving now. Questions?"

The 2 soldiers in the room saluted as if he was a senior officer, little did they know...

"He wanted you to have this errr sir" A brown envelope was handed to him. In it a small paper, more of a napkin actually. Only a few words were scribbled on it.

It's on, get out if you can

Lio takes his gear and rushes out without a word. His mind is thinking a milion things at a time, most of them are swear words.

"Raf, it's Lio, I hear from the background noise where you are. I've got some bad news. Stay put"

If only he would have made the cabdriver wait. No other choice but to hitchhike to town. He pulls his long overcoat close so possible rides won't see the bloodstains on his clothes.

I better go home and change first

On hold... He bloody put me on hold

Of course Lio didn't wait for Raf to 'unhold' him. What the hell was he thinking. Hold... I'll show him hold!
Disgruntled Lio enters the bar to give Raf a piece of his mind. The bar is not crowded, but still there are a lot of people at this late hour. making a lot of noise. He stands in the entrance looking to find his companion. A woman is sitting in the booth.

...

Ronny joins Cat at the booth, takes a sip of his drink and makes some light conversation while waiting for Raf.

But when Rafael refocused on the call... all he heard was a long, static signal.

"Our Big Doctor's got ants in his pants these days... I hope he doesn't let it affect the careful approach we need to take, before time runs out."
A quick, but worrying thought came to Rafael's mind as he realized Lio hadn't even waited for him for this short time. He quickly ran through his mental checklist of what they still needed to do to pull off the heist. These thoughts were interrupted briefly by a woman who, sitting alone at a table in the corner, abruptly got up from her seat. She must have received an urgent call or message. She passed Rafael, tossed some credits on the bar and left as if she was being pursued. Rafael watched her leave, feeling her subtle but still perceptible perfume and a sense of regret.

"A shame. We could have had some really nice... conversations... in bed... after I settle things with Ronny. But duty comes first."
- Rafael smiles sadly, remembering how his father always spoke of duty and discipline... little did Rafael know back then how much he would need those in his adult life. Rafael would give almost anything to listen to one of his father's "sermons" once more. Now all he has left of his family is a strong desire for duty and discipline and a few memories.

Rafael glanced for a second at Ronny and Cat, who were apparently having a casual conversation at the booth, just as he was about to call Lio back. At that moment, the door opened again and he saw Lio standing there. By the look on his face, Lio wasn't happy about Rafael putting him on hold... but that wasn't what set Rafael on high alert. Rafael could already feel adrenaline starting to flow through his veins, even though nothing seemed to be happening... yet.

Lio and Rafael had been tight for a long time, from their days at medical university when they were fellow students. But as with many old friends, you know you can trust them, you stay in contact with them, you even think about them during holidays, but sometimes you don't see each other for months or even years. But when you call them, they'll be there for you. It was similar with Lio and Rafael. They had been in constant contact for the past few weeks, but they hadn't seen each other in the "meat space"(as the kids call it) for almost a year.

And now Lio was there. In person. Standing in the bar doorway, looking for Rafael. Even though Rafael hadn't seen his friend for such a long time, he instantly knew...

something was very wrong.

Raf moved nervously on his seat with a gesture resembling a hand wave, to attract Lio attention and stayed where he was not to make too much commotion in the bar and not draw too much eyes on them.

Ronny looks up when he hears the sound of the door. From where he was sitting, he couldn't quite see who had entered, but the expression of Rafael's face had changed from someone telling jokes on the phone to something nervous or worried. His hand moves instinctively to the body pistol inside his coat.

Most places on the good side of town would check for weapons at the door. The body pistol, however, didn't set off any alarm unless they used the most expensive scanner. No small business could afford that upkeep cost.

With a subtle head movement, he lets Catherine know something's going on.

Lio picked up on Raf's hand gesture. He glanced at the booth one more time.
Could that be her? Must be...
Lio takes the stool on Raf's left side. The last couple of hours were rough and as he takes a seat, a fatigue comes over him.

"A water and a whisky please. Or better yet, make that 2 whiskies
When the bartender puts the glasses in front of him, Lio downs the glass of water and one of the whiskies.
He shakes his head to get rid of the burning in his throat and looks at Raf.

"We have a problem. The deadline just got moved forward, we need to leave ASAP"

Then, with a nod of his head he continues:

"Who's the lady over there in the booth with Ronny? If she is who I think she is, we might wanna join them and discuss our actions"

Rafael eyes widened when his brain processed the information about the deadline and what it really means... he read Lio correctly... He wouldn't have bothered to go here personally if it wasn't something so important. So... it has begun.

The war is coming...

After long few seconds when Raf was trying to figure out what they should expect and do in this situation, he woke up from his thoughts and finally answered Lio question in short emphatic sentences: "Yes. It's Cat. This: Catherine. Good she is here today. Maybe we are not completely out of luck then. Let's go to her and Ronny. Time to put our plans in motion." - with assuring nod of the head Rafael started to walk towards mentioned booth.

---

Raf already knew what his friend was going to say to others. But hearing it with his own ears somehow made even stronger impression on him. He started to be a little nervous. Just a little. It wasn't fear. It was something resembling... anger... connected with a thought that if they won't act very fast, all of their recent preparations they were making for weeks and even months until now... could burn to ashes. With single decision of some unknown military general or conspiracy leader!
"Fuck! It won't happen! Not this time! I will not allow any freaking official or self-proclaimed leader of some fucking cult - or what it is - ruin my plans again. NO!" - if someone would pay attention to Raf he would see how his eyes are burning because of such thoughts and determination.

At this moment Raphael was deprived of any restraints and stoped to care how much "the team" they are or aren't already(at least for now) and simply moved to putting their plan in motion:
"I hope you all remember how we planed all of this?" - he checked his "so called friend" faces to get to know if he has their attention - "I have this guy - the name is Bob - he work as currier at the star port, mainly making trips to Depot and back here again with cargo or personel. He will be our transport to the Depot. He owns me a BIG favor, so he won't have too much questions and will help us make everything look legit. For this we can trust him." - a weak smile resurfaced on Raf face, as he would have more "pressure points" on Bob... than simply a favor.

"But still we have to get to the starport. Be allowed to depart from there. And even to fly towards the Depot. So probably getting a believable service order or something like that issued for work there will be still necessary. And somehow to get the proper clearance that will allow us access to proper decks. Can all of you tell me - once more - how are you going to do your part and if you are ready to do it..." - Raphael hesitated for a moment - "no later than tomorrow, before evening?"
"Or we have even less time? Lio!?"

Waiting in suspense for answers from every participant of "this little heist of theirs", Raf remembered something suddenly:
"And Ronny... I know you have a new love now..." - Raf he couldn't help but make that mocking remark, even considering the current situation, referring to what happened with Cat - "but is your old love still willing to work with us on this?" - Raf ended this with dead serious expression.

He really felt the clock ticking, so he knew they will have to fill all the details on their way to the next "checkpoint". And they should depart there as soon as they can.

"F*ck" was the first word out of Ronny's mouth when hearing the news from Lio and Raf. "Already? I hate doing a rushed job." He's noticeably annoyed by all of this.

When Rafael mentions his old and new love, Ronny smirks. "She was last time I saw her. She's not going to be happy with this new deadline though, that's for sure." He takes another sip of his drink. "I'll get her to join. It's the only way to get out without instantly alerting the authorities."

"Tomorrow it is then." He reluctantly agrees. "Best time to do it would be when the day shift goes home and the night crew comes in. That gives us a small window where people are packing up, talking, or settling in."