A Weekend Pass (Jake and Tabby)

[Tabby Whitman-Foster]

Time: 8:15 a.m.
Date: Saturday January 3
Place: New York City
Status: Closed to Jake, Tabby, and eventually a few members of the BPRD.

Tabby breathed in the morning air of New York City...and slightly hacked. She tried to keep the volume low and her head down since she wasn't in a particularly good spot of the city. After coming back from Christmas with her family, she obtained a weekend pass from Manning to go into the city and get some things and try to find some old parts that weren't manufactured anymore.

And that's exactly what she was doing in a bad part of New York City on a brisk January day. She regretted wearing the bright striped scarf and matching hat and gloves to ward off the cold because that immediately would make her well...Noticeable. In this part of the city, nothing was bright apart from the glittering frost on the sidewalks. Well, at least her parka was black.

Tabby pulled out the scrap of paper scrawled with the address of the part shop and checked out the street signs, and then her little city map. It might as well have been written in Greek because nothing looked familiar to her. "Damn, I knew I should have at least taken a cab..." Tabby murmured under her breath. Great. She was lost in a bad part of New York City. Superb.

[almira]

Jake jumped, his breath spiraling behind him in the frigid air. He tucked and rolled on the next rooftop and leaned against a fire escape to catch his breath. He looked around at the adjacent buildings, trying to decide his next route. This surprised him. Must be getting a little rusty. He really shouldn't have taken that year off, even if he could control his powers a little better now. Jake closed his eyes, letting his internal map of the city guide him where he was supposed to go with his package, an unassuming, grimy, yellow messenger bag. Right as Jake found the quickest and most direct route, he heard sounds coming from the bottom of the fire escape. People were walking up the stairs, trying to be silent...and failing at it. Jake looked down the fire escape at the exact moment that two or three were looking up to find someone. Bad idea. The cops started hurrying now, calling out.

"Get in the center of the roof, hands on your head!"

Damn. Cops usually weren't usually this good at spotting and finding runners. Was he really that out of practice that he'd let himself get caught? Jake heard sirens coming from the direction he was planning on going. Had they found out about his delivery location too? The only way left was into a gang-controlled, seedier area of the city where even runners didn't want to go. It was his only choice, however, and he took it. The moment Jake saw the first helmeted head -SWAT Team?- emerge from the fire escape, he was off.

"This is your last chance, get in the center of the roof, hands on your head!"

Too late, Jake was at the edge of the rooftop, and he jumped. The police fired. What!?, cops never fired on people unless they were dangerous enough to warrant it. And the police had no reason to assume that Jake was dangerous. A lot of stuff must have happened in the past year for him to be this out of the loop. A bullet grazed his left arm, and he lost concentration. Jake reached for the oncoming rooftop edge...and missed. His fingers groped out uselessly for a few moments before he realized exactly how high up he was falling from. I'm dead...It was ironic, actually, for all of his powers, he was going to be killed by falling off of a building. His powers, Jake would have slapped himself if he could've, he'd forgotten all about them. Falling headfirst now, he stretched his arms out towards the ground and pushed. A gust of wind, nearly 100 mph was released from around him, flying straight at the ground, providing enough counter-thrust to soften his fall. Trash, cans, paper, and other objects flew around the alleyway as he landed with a *thump*. It hurt, and he would have bruises in the morning.

It was just now that he decided to take a look around at where he landed. Disoriented as Jake was, he still could make out a young woman with matching, eye-blinding, scarf, hat, and gloves. She's gotta be lost, wearing that around here. He started to talk, but just then the pain registered, both in his head and throughout his body.

"Umm, He...Ugh, oww..." He clutched his head, as he vowed to never try running again until he'd practiced it a bit more.

[Tabby Whitman-Foster]

Tabby pulled out her cell phone and was in the process of accessing a GPS feature when the sharp, cracking sound of gunshots interrupted the sounds of the city. True to form, as in any dangerous situation...Tabby began cussing. "Oh, son of a b****! Are you f***ing kidding me?!" Tabby said to no one in particular. She ducked, kneeling on the ground and covered her head. Great. She gets a weekend pass, naturally doesn't bring a handgun (this was a Bureau mission, after all), gets lost in a seedy part of New York, and now someone was shooting a gun. Spectacular!

Tabby finished clicking on the GPS on her phone, just in case someone needed it to find her body, and tucked it in her right jean pocket. With that, she looked around on the ground for a makeshift weapon...Just in case. The air was punctuated by a few more shots as Tabby snatched a decently sized broken brick from a nearby crumbling stoop. She stood up and surveyed the area as a strong breeze suddenly whipped up nearby trash. And then Tabby realized...Someone was descending from the rooftops above.

A man about her age with onyx hair was descending from above -- but not falling. It was almost as if he was floating erratically down. Tabby's eyes widened; sure she saw stuff like this at the Bureau but not in the every day world! She still stood poised with the brick in hand, but upon the man's final drop to the ground and the thump that resonated from his body, she forgot all about defending herself.

After standing there for a few seconds, Tabby took a few quick steps towards the man, adrenaline rushing through her veins. She didn't really know what to say. She stared at him for a few seconds, blinked a few times and said, "Uh...Hey." Blink blink. "Just decided to drop in?" Did she really just say that? Lame, oh totally lame! "Are you ok?" She dropped the brick and offered him a hand, unsure of what to say next. What she did know, though, was she should probably contact the Bureau...It's not every day that some random dude floated down from the rooftops instead of plummeting to his death!

[almira]

>>>"Just decided to drop in?"<<<

Did she really just say that?...Ow Great, even thinking hurt now. Jake took his head out of his hands for long enough to see the proffered hand that this brightly-accessorized woman was offering him. Jake took the hand, not knowing if he'd be able to get up by himself in his current state. He looked at his coat, along the jagged rip in the sleeve, and with it, the shallow groove cut into his arm from the bullet that made him fall.

"Ugh...getting shot hurts..." Did I really just say that? Today must be a day for bad conversation. Actually, Jake really had no idea what to say to this woman. What do you say when you fall from the top of a building nearly landing on someone, don't die, and they ask you if you were "just dropping in"? Jake looked at her face, for a moment there, more than just shock or worry was plastered across it. It was probably nothing, anyway, he couldn't really trust what he saw, considering he just fell off of a building. He decided to break the ice a little and introduce himself.

"Umm...hi. I'm Jake, you aren't from around here, are you?"

Before he could hear her reply, however, he heard the unmistakable sounds that people oh-so-fear, police sirens. Damn, they must be checking for a body... They were getting tougher, normally police never came into this area of town, were the gangs getting cracked down upon also?

"Listen, I don't know who you are or what you're doing here, but these cops just started shooting at me, for just freaking running away from them! If they see you anywhere around here, you might get the same treatment."

Jake glanced at the entrance to the alleyway again, and saw the unmistakable helmeted head of a SWAT member poke around the corner, and some orders being given. Damn. Jake grabbed the woman's hand and started running in the opposite direction, with her in tow.

"C'mon, now that they've seen you with me, they probably think that you're my contract or something!"

Great, he'd just gotten someone else mixed up in this, he could just leave her there and escape, but he didn't just want to leave this woman, a victim of circumstance to her fate with these trigger-happy cops.

OOC: Sorry if I moved you around a bit, I can change it if you have a problem.

[Tabby Whitman-Foster]

Tabby's eyes looked over the man, taking in his hurt arm and assessing a physical description if she needed to give it. And then he said something.

>>"Ugh...getting shot hurts..."<<

Tabby's blue eyes widened slightly. "Yeah. I'd imagine it would." Tabby suddenly felt kind of awkward, especially with the stupid joke she made earlier. She was about to say something when he spoke again.

>>"Umm...hi. I'm Jake, you aren't from around here, are you?"<<

"Nope. I was lost--" Police sirens suddenly sounded, startlingly close. Tabby's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at Jake. Great. So he was being shot at by the cops, presumably? Or maybe there had been a shooting and the cops were coming? Crap. She was sure that when the cops arrived, she'd probably get bogged down in whatever this 'Jake' had been involved in. And Manning would be so pleased.

>>"Listen, I don't know who you are or what you're doing here, but these cops just started shooting at me, for just freaking running away from them! If they see you anywhere around here, you might get the same treatment."<<

Tabby felt like there was more that he wasn't telling her, but she wasn't in a situation to pry. Especially since she only knew his name and the fact hat he could float. "This is just...Well...Crap!" Tabby spouted, unsure of what else to say. At that moment, the sun glinted off a SWAT helmet of a man peeking around the corn. Tabby spewed several curse words. Jake grabbed her hand and began running.

>>"C'mon, now that they've seen you with me, they probably think that you're my contract or something!"<<

Tabby's feet and brain didn't catch up soon enough, so Tabby stumbled for the first few steps before getting her feet to function with her brain. She heard indistinct speech behind her -- and then a flashbang clattered ahead of them. "Man, I think you did a lot more to these guys than running away to piss them off!" Tabby gasped. She hopped in front of the flashbang and kicked it backwards with her heel - just in time for it to go off behind them rather than in front of them. While any SWAT officers behind them were blinded, Tabby and Jake were booking it down the alley. "If we can get....somewhere safe...Tabby gasped as she ran, "I think I might make a call...that'll help us both."

OOC: Oh no! Very well written, I enjoyed it!

[almira]

Jake felt Tabby falter behind him, but he didn't let go, and he didn't stop running. He was in no mood to get shot again, and it still hurt. Also, for such an innocent-looking woman, she had quite the mouth on her. A flashbang clattered down right in their pathway to potential freedom.

"Oh, Sh--" Jake cut himself off as Tabby jumped in front of the grenade, and kicked it backwards at the SWAT team that threw it.

>>>"Man, I think you did a lot more to these guys than running away to piss them off!"<<<

"If you only knew..." Jake muttered under his breath. "Thanks". He could hear that Tabby was getting tired, and quickly, so he slowed his pace a little, just a little bit, he still didn't want to get caught by these psychopathic police officers.

>>>"If we can get....somewhere safe...Tabby gasped as she ran, "I think I might make a call...that'll help us both."<<<

Who does she know? He became immediately suspicious, but Jake still didn't want to just leave her here alone, he couldn't, after he inadvertently got her into this. Who could possibly have enough influence and power to get them away from the NYPD, which apparently had a "shoot on sight" order put out for Jake and anyone he associated with? They were nearly to the end of the alleyway when he heard more sirens, this time coming from the direction that they were heading in. Great, cops in front and behind. Jake grabbed Tabby's sleeve, stopping her from running any further.

"More cops..." Normally, he'd just turn himself in at this point, but it didn't really seem like these guys wanted to talk out their problems or anything, they wanted blood, and seemed determined enough to actually get it. Hell, they already did get some of his, Jake fingered the rip in his sleeve.

They were trapped, so Jake did what he'd practiced doing for 8 years, he looked up, and saw another fire escape.

"Here, this is going to sound a little bit crazy, but if we can get up onto the rooftops, I bet I can get us away from them. That is, unless you want to take your chances with them." He pointed in the direction of the sirens.

"Coming?" Jake jumped onto the bottom step of the fire escape and held out a hand to help Tabby up.

[Tabby Whitman-Foster]

Lord, Tabby knew she was no Mia Hamm or Venus Williams or anything, but she was out of shape! Already her legs were screaming for rest and she was panting for air. Her breath rose in huge puffs of vapor in the cold air, and several times Tabby's shoes were scrabbling for traction. She couldn't reply to Jake's 'Thanks' or anything, for already the rapid inhalation and exhale of breath made her throat raw.

Thankfully (or unfortunately), the pair stopped as the sounds of sirens now seemed to surround them. Tabby's eyes strayed to the cut on his arm and she yanked off her scarf, grabbing his arm and tying the scarf around it. "That at least solves one problem." She said, tightening it. Sure, he might not have really needed it, but a blood trail would be easy to follow, especially in the snow and ice.

>>"Here, this is going to sound a little bit crazy, but if we can get up onto the rooftops, I bet I can get us away from them. That is, unless you want to take your chances with them."<<

The rooftops? Tabby looked from the ends of the alley to the fire escape and then to Jake. So once they got up...Would they float or whatever? Tabby's heart pounded from excitement (and the exertion she just experienced) at the very thought. What other choice did she have? For a moment she thought of at least dialing the number to the BPRD and let them listen in on what was going on, or maybe send a text to Manning's cell, but there was no time.

>>"Coming?"<<

Jake's hand was held out to Tabby's and she grabbed it just as the SWAT team caught up and kneeled, pulling their weapons into firing positions. "CRAP! GO GO GO!" Tabby's muscles poised, ready to rocket up the fire escape right behind Jake.

[almira]

>>>"CRAP! GO GO GO!"<<<

Jake spared a glance back at the SWAT team, they were already drawing a bead on him and Tabby. They don't even know her, what the hell is going on here? He checked back at the fire escape, it seemed to be one of those made before the 1960's, a little rusty, but made out of heavy-duty steel, and not this new aluminum-alloy crap. Good, that ought to stop a few bullets. Jake rocketed up the steps two at a time, although he didn't go so fast so he wouldn't leave Tabby behind. The SWAT team opened fire. They better not have armor piercing rounds, though with all of the weird crap going on today, I wouldn't be surprised. Luckily, they didn't.

Bullets ricocheted around them, sounding as if someone dropped an entire bag of ball bearings down the steps of the fire escape. Jake had an idea, if these cops were as corrupt as he thought they were, this could work. He ripped open the flap on his messenger bag and threw it in the air. Hundreds of bills flew out, 20s, 50s, even some 100s floated down from the sky like some bizarre snowstorm. Jake managed to reach the top of the building without incident, and looked around. It was flat, two skylights, a roof entrance port, normal stuff. He heard SWAT officers start climbing up the stairs after him and Tabby. Damn, when did cops get so dedicated? Jake grabbed on to Tabby's hand once again.

"Sprint as fast as you can toward that edge" Jake pointed at the edge of the building he was talking about with his free hand "and when I say jump, jump as far and as high as you can."

He started running.

[Tabby Whitman-Foster]

Tabby let out startled yipes as bullets made contact with the fire escape. She had never been shot at before, and it was flipping terrifying! She had been on a few missions with agents, but usually it was with beings that didn't shoot at you. They were more into disemboweling someone or eating them alive, not guns. And they were bad guys too, not good guys like these SWAT officers were supposed to be.

A bullet whizzed precariously close to Tabby's cheek and she screamed. She realized all of her ridiculous noises probably were freaking Jake out, so she said, "Ignore me, I'm fine!" She followed him up to the roof and stood there, breathing heavily. She didn't know she was so out of shape, but she guessed that a run for your life would test your physical fitness as well as anything. As the money floated in the air, Tabby arched an eyebrow. Holy crap, just what did this guy do? Jake grabbed her hand and began speaking.

>>"Sprint as fast as you can toward that edge and when I say jump, jump as far and as high as you can."<<

Tabby didn't have time to dwell on what he was exactly asking her to do because he began running and so did she. She heard the SWAT team clamor up the fire escape as they neared the edge. Tabby fleeting wondered if there would be ice that would screw everything up, but that was all. They reached the edge, and Tabby jumped off the roof with both feet. She managed to look at the alley below: a dumpster and some bags of trash, nothing special. Nothing to cushion the blow if (when?) they fell.

[almira]

They jumped, flying through the sky like the snowflakes spiraling around them, albeit flying with a downward momentum. Jake laughed, there was no way that anyone would catch them, they were in his element now. He hoped fervently that he had enough juice left in him for one more big push of wind, and tried. It worked, although a little bit too forcefully, gale-force winds crashed into their backs about halfway through the jump, propelling them onwards to the next rooftop. Jake managed to regain his balance on the rooftop, sliding to a halt about a quarter of the way across it. He looked around for Tabby, finding her, and motioned for her to get inside a roof access doorway with him. The muffled sounds of shouts and police sirens found their way through the poorly lain brick, reaching Jake's wary ears.

"They won't find us, at least until we move from here, because I don't think that we can stay in here forever."

Jake remembered something. Didn't this woman say something about making a phone call? Who exactly did she know that could help them out with homicidal NYPD officers? Jake shrugged, more out of habit than anything else.

"I think now would be a good time to make that phone call, oh, and I never caught your name, Ms...?"

[Tabby Whitman-Foster]

Tabby was sure they were going to fall, so she closed her eyes and braced for an impact...that never came. She opened her eyes as a gust caught her and propelled her onto the roof, right behind Jake. She slipped and fell upon landing because...well, that's just how she was. Nice and clumsy.

Tabby scrabbled to her feet and followed Jake to the roof access doorway. She leaned against the frame and panted from exhilaration and the sudden adrenaline rush. "Your gift Jake....is amazing." She gasped, smiling brightly. She was so thrilled to still be alive! That was awesome.

>>"I think now would be a good time to make that phone call, oh, and I never caught your name, Ms...?"<<

"Oh, it's Tabby, call me Tabby." She offered a gloved hand to Jake and pulled out her cell with another hand. "I'm a...A member of a Bureau that I think would be very interested in you, Jake." She dialed and pressed the send button. "And with some luck, they'll be able to get us off this rooftop within the hour."

[loki]

Thane had been enjoying an extra large black chicoree coffee and a sudoku puzzle when the call came in. He didn't even have to pick up his cellphone to know; 'Enter Sandman' trilled from an inner pocket in his special jacket. He had selected that ringtone specifically for incoming work calls.
The were-hawk made an irritated face as he reached for the phone, but the childish expression immediately disappeared as he became aware of the nature of the call.
Looked like he wouldn't be making it to the pow-wow - and that had been the whole reason he was even in New York in the first place!
But, if nothing else, at least it meant he'd get to stretch his wings. Thane loved attending the annual pow-wow that went on in downtown New York every January, but he strongly disliked having to wear his specially made jacket for the whole event. But it was necessary. Broad wings made of real flesh and feathers weren't something one normally saw on a man after all; he had a hard enough time explaining away the slight taper to his ears. Thane had crafted the jacket himself, being a skilled leatherworker, but no matter how many times he modified the massive camel leather trenchcoat he couldn't wear it for more than a couple of hours before beginning to suffer major cramps in his wings.

But no matter, duty calls!

Thane exited the busy Starbucks and strolled briskly down the sidewalk. Despite the crowd, everyone was so engrossed in their own business that no one noticed the large man with the braided hair duck into an alley. Once as far back as he could go and ducked around a corner, Thane threw off his jacket and stretched his wings with a long sigh of relief. Damn but that felt so much better! He then rolled up the garment and tucked it beneath one corner of a dumpster where it would hopefull stay undiscovered.
Thane shivered in the freezing January air, but not for long: A gentle white light enveloped his body and his form seemed to melt and fold in itself, his humanoid shape disappearing. It was over in a few seconds, and where a tall, winged man had stood a moment before now stood a red-tailed hawk - the size of a pony.
Thane had to resist the urge to screech with delight as he pumped his powerful wings and lifted into the air. This was serious business; he needed to find Tabby and her new friend. With a sudden twinge of concern, he hoped nothing had happened to her.
The were-hawk leveled off within the skyline, below air traffic routes, but high enough so that anyone perching on an apartment balcony wouldn't give him a second look should his silhouette pass overhead. Peregrine falcons weren't uncommon in New York, but the rougher outline of a soaring hawk could draw a few second looks. But he'd have to be quick anyway, so it didn't really matter; the clock was ticking on how long he could hold his hawk form.
Keen eyes set to the rooftops, he began to search.

[almira]

>>>"I'm a...A member of a Bureau that I think would be very interested in you, Jake."<<<

So, this "Tabby" was a member of a Bureau that specialized in...people like him. Great, what was with him and getting into stuff with the government lately? First, homicidal police officers, and now he had a Bureau that would make any conspiracy theorist scream with joy on his hands.

>>>"And with some luck, they'll be able to get us off this rooftop within the hour."<<<

They had to be bigger than Jake thought, or based in New York to get there so quickly. Jake peeped out from behind the doorway, he didn't hear any police sirens anymore, that was a good sign. Normally, this would've spelled the end of the chase, but Jake wasn't so sure. If these cops were gutsy enough to start shooting without getting proper target confirmation, of all things, they wouldn't stop just because they had to search a few rooftops. No, they'd be up here sometime, he just had to hope that Tabby's "backup" would get here quicker. A gigantic shadow flew over Jake's head, he looked up, afraid of a police helicopter spotting him. What he ended up seeing was just a bird, however, this bird looked to be the size of a small horse. Jake gaped, his mouth hanging open for a few seconds before he turned to Tabby.

"I, uh, I think your friends are here..."

Not wanting to sound like a gibbering idiot, he pointed out the equestrian-sized bird to Tabby.

[Tabby Whitman-Foster]

Tabby closed her phone and leaned against the door frame, waiting. Thane, luckily, had been in the city too. The Bureau would contact him and give him the a vague location from the GPS, and he'd come and hopefully help get them out of this situation. The only negative Tabby could see was that she probably interrupted Thane's own weekend pass to the city -- She'd have to make it up to him with cookies or something.

>>"I, uh, I think your friends are here..."<<

Tabby followed his gaze up to a winged figure in the sky. She smiled and looked to Jake. "Oh yeah." She walked from the shelter of the doorway and took off her obnoxiously bright hat and waved it in the air to attract his attention. She looked back at Jake, her grin still on her lips. "Don't worry man, we'll be out of here...soonish."

When Thane landed, Tabby pulled the hat back on her head and walked forward. "Hey Squi-- Thane. ...I guess I interrupted your weekend pass."

[loki]

Thane would have recognized Tabby even if he didn't have hawk eyes. After all, who else would be so absent-minded to wave a colourful article of clothing when being actively sought by police? This almost put her on par with Hellboy (something he was going to have to let her know).

Thane released his hawk form as he descended, alighting with surprising grace on his booted feet. He was only wearing a polar fleecey over his usual sleeveless spandex shirt, and immediately wrapped his wings about him to ward off the frigid wind blasting around them at this elevation.

"Hey Squi-- Thane. ...I guess I interrupted your weekend pass."

"No biggie," Thane replied with a smile, tanned face poking out amidst a swath of chestnut and copper feathers. "The sooner we get out of here the sooner you can buy me a coffee to make up for it." He flashed her a broad grin then turned to the man, folding his wings and offering his hand. "Agent Thane Whitefalcon, brother! What kind of trouble am I getting you two out of exactly?"
His 5 second cellphone briefing hadn't been very informative.