Cops and Robbers

((Police.))

Blake whistled a tuneless song under his breath as he walked down the streets. He looked around. His blue eyes scanned the allies and side streets and nooks and other hiding places. Nothing. He glanced up ahead and saw the station several blocks away. He let out a small sigh of relief.

“You know, I've got a Dainty (Slang for twenty dollar bill) or two for a good lad who looses his way to the guardhouse.” Said the woman walking beside him. She was in her late fifties and had ratty brown hair down to her shoulders. She squinted up at him.

Blake sighed. “Don't try that on me Martha. I've known you since I was a lad, it's just creepy. Come on, we've got a nice cup of tea for you all ready.” He heard the women sigh in defeat. “I thought you'd quit doing slight-a-hand. You know, now that Henry passed on.” He raised an eyebrow. “Woulda thought without having to pay for his drinkin' you'd be able to just stick with needle work and the laundry mat job.”

Martha sighed. “Nahh, young Oliver got skitted (Slang for caught) for a robbery up in Newr St. Gotta raise up some money for bail.”

Blake nodded. Careful not to let go of the woman's arm, he pulled out a few wads of paper and dropped them in the woman's hand. “Tell him to keep out of trouble, or I'll be comin' round his house for a visit.” He nodded to himself as the woman put the money in her pocket. He walked up to the steps. “Come on, everyone's missed you, you've been gone so long.” He pushed open the door and nodded to the officers inside. “Hello, got Martha Vauger in here, I told you she missed us.” He walked over to a table and started wiring. He looked up at the woman. He gave her a firm look and watched her sigh and sit down. He nodded and went back to his paper work. “New record, a whole three months without being pulled in. I'm very proud.” Martha had been in here twice a month since before she was married. She was famous with the force, and many of the older policemen were friends with her. They watched out for her and her kids, who seemed to be building up their own legacy of captures. She was alright, despite being a little rough around the edges. Even most of the gang liked her, even though she technically worked int their trade. They left her alone and used to give her somewhere to sleep when Henry had gotten himself a little to deep in the bottle. She was always staying with them, or in one of the extra rooms in the special housing.

((Gang))

Toria sat on an overturned crate twirling her truncheon in one hand. The ally was gloomy and damp, and she swear she saw a family of rats run out of it. She wore a knee length dress, torn in several places, mud splashing the skirt. It was an old disguise, one of her favorites. She hid the long stick behind the crate and hopped onto the ground. She ran to the edge of the ally and tripped, narrowly catching herself. She looked back into the ally over her shoulder, eyes wide with terror. She clutched at her ankle and tried to pull herself forward, away from the ally. She looked up and saw a man running towards her. When he caught up to her he put a hand on her ankle.

“Are you okay miss? What's wrong?” He looked into the ally entrance.

“Nope.” She swung a leg upward, catching him in the face with her bare foot. She stood up and pulled him into the ally. She pulled one arm up behind his back and whispered into his ear, softly. “Alright, we're going to do this the easy way. The medium way would be for me to search you, take all your stuff, and knock you out. The hard way, well, let's not get into that. The easy way is where you hand me your wallet and valuables and hide here while I leg it away. So, which way? The easy way? Just whimper.” She smiled as the man whimpered. “Good.” She turned him around, grabbing the truncheon she had hidden and held it ready.

The man pulled out a wallet, took of his watch and handed her his cellphone. “Th-that's all I've got.”

Toria rolled her eyes. “Lyin' don't suit you, you know.” She reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small box. She saw his eyes widen. But, not in fear. In dread and panic. She looked inside the box for a long moment, and handed it back. “It's not worth anything anyway.” She lied. She grabbed his stuff and ran into another side street.

The man blinked and looked down at the diamond ring. He looked after her. “Thank you!” He said, before running into the road.

Toria soon lost herself in the network of allies until she came up to a street. It was small, nearly an ally, and quiet. She crossed the road and walked into an old, abandoned warehouse. She walked up a flight of rickety old stairs and into a large room. She walked over to a chair near one window and sat down. “You shouldn't be so bleedin' sentimental.” She muttered to herself. But, no one deserves that. She dropped the stuff in a small box and leaned back in her chair.

Nera walked down the road with a spring in her step. She smiled happily. “It is so good to be outside again.” She glanced over at Necko and sighed. “Look, I'm sorry I got caught but -what could I do? Mic's eighteen, he would get sent to jail. And, you know what would happen to a handsome boy like that in jail.”

Necko scowled at her. “And what about you? Do I have to pay a visit to any inmates, mark my turf?”

Nera grinned. “Nahh, I said my goodbyes this morning.” She slung an arm over Necko's shoulder. “It's good to see you again, Angel.”

Necko rolled her eyes again and smiled. “Good to have you back and on the wrong side of the tracks, Bullet.” They walked down the street and turned a corner. They walked towards the warehouse.

((Civilian))

Mic sat on the steps to his apartment, smiling at the girl sitting next to him. He didn't much care what they were talking about, which he had begun to get used to. Ordinary guys seemed to settle for girls who they don't care about, surely he could too. She was nice, passably funny, and she... Wasn't right. He sighed, inwardly. No body was right, no one he could have anyway. After a while she left and he sat on the steps, alone, watching the world go by. He folded his arms and leaned back against the railing.

((Alright, let's get started! Anyone who wants to sign up, just go here: http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/role-playing-and-communal-story-building/threads/8592 ))

((Gang))

The two figures stumbled through the night, desperate and, for want of a better word, terrified. The man's clothes were ripped and bloodied, a mixture of several people's, including his own, but the most came from the woman he was supporting.

She was tiny in comparison to him and her ruined outfit was covered up by his coat. The coat also hid the reason for the blood- a bullet wound in her side. By the man's judgement, it had missed any vital spot and with fast care she would pull through without any lasting injury but they were on the run and running out of options.

A loose paving slab caused the woman to stumble and she screamed, her clenched teeth blocking out the sound to a strangled whimper. Her companion shushed her.

"Not far to go. You're going to be alright. We're alright..." he lied. He applied more pressure to the wound and she made another pained sound. He was glad his coat was black, he could feel the wetness of her blood seeping through the thick material.

Turning another corner they found something suitable... A warehouse, just ahead and with a door that he prayed would be unlocked. About half way to it, however, he paused. Two other people were walking down the street in the other direction, heading straight for them...

(( Police ))

New recruit, Deucalion Morus (Deuce), made his way to the station, nearly skipping with excitement. It was his first official day and he was excited to see how it would go.

Commissioner Sol Vitex yawned as he signed yet another bit of paperwork. It was endless. If it was possible to die of boredom, he would be succumbing soon. Blinking blearily at the page, he came to a conclusion. They needed more money. Again. Holding his head in his hands, he glared out the window. This mayor was driving him nuts. His nephew could do a better job. Speaking of... He picked up his phone and dialled.

(( Civilian ))

Callaghan White, known as Cali to his friends, sat at his desk, typing on the computer. He was going over a file his uncle and current legal guardian had wanted him to look into. The phone rang. Blue eyes rolled. He accepted the call.

"Yeah?"

A shake of his head. "No, he hasn't called. I'm not your secretary, you know."

"We need more groceries." He hummed. "You sure you want to give me unlimited access to your accounts?"

A raspy laugh. "Understood, Uncle." Cali picked up his keys, he was ready to go. "I'm heading out now. Don't worry, I'll be careful."

(( Gang ))

Valentine Cato sat at his desk, spinning his chair around, legal documents spread out all around him. He figured he should head down to the warehouse soon. There was nothing more he could do here. His loft apartment was sparsely decorated. No personal items or pictures could be seen anywhere, though it was obvious that he wasn't the only regular occupant of the fire hall- but that was something no one else could know. Their lives depended on it. Standing, Valentine twirled his key ring around his finger and made his way out of his apartment and towards the warehouse. Time to check in.

Necko and Nera walked down the small hill towards the warehouse, talking about all that had happened since Nera had been gone. Nera's eyes widened. "They broke up? Seriously!?"

Necko nodded. "Yeah, he hurt his leg and had to leave. Ashley's Right Hand now. Princess said that it was what she 'had to do' but I'm not su-" She stopped. She looked up at the man and woman and blinked. Something caught her eyes. She reached into her pocket and strapped on her brass knuckles. She handed Nera her two pistols.

Nera looked up and took them. She looked them up and down, glanced at Necko, and nodded. They both ran towards the couple, careful not to scare them off.

Necko stopped a few yards away. "Are you guys okay?" She saw the woman and her eyes widened. She could practically smell blood. "Get her inside. Now!" She opened the door to the warehouse.

Nera ran in ahead of them. "Princess! We got company! Oh, yeah, I'm home!" She pulled a table over towards the door and grabbed some make-shift medical supplies. If they could do anything for the woman, they would. If not, they would risk taking her to a doctor.

Blake took Martha over to a holding cell and held the door open for her. "Alright, come on."

Martha looked around. "Hey, where's Sol? I haven't seen him in months."

Blake raised a brow. "Guess."

"Paper work? Man, this mayor doesn't with with you boys and girls, do they?" She shook her head. "Such a shame."

Valentine slipped into the warehouse only to be met with a scene of chaos and blood. Lots of blood. "What can I do?" He asked, falling into crisis mode.

Nera looked up at Valentine and flashed him a smile. "Hey Valentine, ice to see you. Yeah, go get Princess, she's probably upstairs."

Morgan was reluctant to let himself be separated from Lucie and stayed as close as possible to her. She was placed on a makeshift table and Morgan took the opportunity to grab her hand.

"I'll be fine," Lucie slurred. Morgan pulled the coat aside and peeled back layers of her clothing to reveal the wound. It was still leaking a little blood, but at least it wasn't gushing like it had been earlier. Morgan bent over Lucie, examining the damage.

"The bullet isn't stuck in there, its a clean wound. You're going to have to be quiet now, Lucie."

Lucie managed a weak, "Ha!" She peered around as best she could. "Where the hell are we?"

Valentine nodded. "I'll be right back."

Striding to the stairs, he took them three at a time, crazy long legs were quite helpful at times. He knocked on a doorframe. "Princess? We've got a bit of a crisis situation downstairs."

---

Sol growled, standing up. The next person to bring him a piece of paper was getting a pen shoved in their eye. He needed to get out of this bloody office.

Necko set some supplies on a table next to Lucie's. "The warehouse. Where we call home. Don't worry, your safe."

((Uh... I know nothing about surgery or how to write it...))

Toria was out of her before Valentine had finished the sentence. She ran to the door, forced it open, and ran past him down the stairs. "What's happening?" She demanded. She looked at the newcomers. "Crap."

Blake looked around. "Actually, it's about time for break, maybe I should get him." He stopped and turned. "Uh-uh. Get in." He pointed to the cell. He watched the woman roll her eyes and walk in. He nodded, locked the cell, and tapped on Sol's door.

((Don't worry, nor do I))

Morgan turned to the man. "I'm a physician. She'll live, but we have to keep the wound clean. Forgive me but this isn't the best environment for that. Do you have antiseptic and bandages?"

Lucie moaned and coughed. "Which bastard did it, Mor? I wanna tear them into little bits."

Nera grinned at Lucie. "I like her."

Necko nodded to Morgan and handed him some bandages. She picked up a few boxes filled with little antiseptic containers and put them on the table.

Sol yanked open the door with a stormy countenance. "What?" He barked. "I swear, if you have another piece of bloody paper, I rolling it up and stuffing it so far down your throat they'll have to go up your ass to grab it again." He blinked. Oh, it was Blake. Sol offered a sheepish grin, coughing lightly. "Er... Hello. Sorry about that."

---

"I don't know." Valentine said, following Toria as she went down to see what was going on.

"Hands off," Lucie said. "I'm his... And he's all mine." Her grey eyes gave Morgan a not-so-subtle once-over as he tended to the wound, carefully wrapping the bandages around her torso.

"Rest, Lucie," he demanded. "Listen, she's going to have to stay still and comfortable for a while. I don't want to intrude on your..." He looked round the warehouse. "What kind of operation is this, anyway? I mean, I can take a fair guess but..."

Blake blinked. "Uh... No, sir. Just commin' to tell you we're on break. Oh, and Martha sends her love."

Toria walked up to Morgan and looked him up and down. Her red hair was tangled from her run and her clothes were torn, yet she held up her confidence like a force-field. "Who are they?" She asked Necko. She glanced over at Nera and gave her a smile. "Hey Bullet, nice to see you out and about again."

Nera nodded. "Nice to be back Princess."

Toria rolled her eyes.

"Do'know. But, she's got a bullet in her side, so I let 'em in." Necko looked at Lucie and Morgan.

Toria nodded. "Alright, probably for the best." She looked Morgan up and down. "Do you have a name? Or, at least mind making one up?"

"Aw, how sweet." Valentine commented. He didn't feel comfortable answering without knowing how much information Toria wanted to give out. "Do yo need anything else?" He asked.

Necko shrugged. "That's all I've got so far." She whispered to them.

Nera nodded. "I know right? Their so cute!"

"Morgan Rook," he responded. "She's Lucie Queene. We got into a firefight and it ended badly."
"Very one sided firefight," Lucie chipped in.
"Sleep," Morgan ordered her. Lucie closed her eyes, head falling to one side. "Can I ask you your names now?" Morgan asked.