Open Carnival

[Ivy]

March 1st, 2014
Copacabana Palace
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Ivy Monaghan, supervised as ACME Securities completed their set up of a basic monitoring studio. She was in a junior-suite directly above the Copacabana Palace's Golden Room, where suspected drug cartel leader Barbas Chuate was said to have purchased entire tables for his inner ring of associates. ACME could only receive minor audio and visual information from wireless cameras planted outside the room's doors, as legal red tape prevented them from setting anything up inside. It was also the reason why ground agents were needed.

The ACME crew, all under cover as party guests would have to mingle undetected as they tracked the movements of whoever came in and out of the Golden Room. This was no easy task, considering it was the start of Carnival in Rio de Janerio. The wild street parade and celebratory atmosphere spilled into the hotel's lobby and was continued as waves along the ballrooms and open balconies that surrounded their target area. In addition, hotel guests would be treated to the unveiling of an exhibition of Portuguese artifacts from Brazil's colonial era. The rare items, showcased within glass enclosures throughout the main hallways, provided stopping points that slowed foot traffic and created blind spots.

Ivy exhaled as her eyes scanned the now operational monitors. Rio's evening was quickly beginning to buzz as more guests arrived and took advantage of the free flowing alcohol.

"Toaster, comm check," She clicked her communicator, using her predetermined callsign. Nodding in approval to the green light, Ivy awaited the other agents to confirm her message.

 

[Spring-Heeled Jack]

Johnathan Bartholomew Nimble, or JB to his close acquaintances in the upper crust of society, stood in silence as the elevator took him down from his hotel room. He was dressed impeccably, with a bit of flair thrown in. A tuxedo cut in an older style, with tails, white gloves, bow tie, deep red vest, and a top hat were all on his person, and they all had just a hint of a crimson sparkle around the edges of the fabric as an accent. He supported himself on a black lacquer cane with a bottom tip and handle of rose gold. He thought of the night to come, and allowed himself a small, private smile.

It had been a long time since he had been to any sort of social gathering as himself, preferring instead that the world see him as a recluse. Still, something had drawn him to this particular ball. Perhaps, he thought, he was simply looking for a chance to relax and mingle, to remind himself why what he was doing now was better than this. Or perhaps it was just because he had never been to Rio and wanted to see if it lived up to the hype. Both of those were a lie, though, and he knew it. He had his equipment up in his room, ready to strap on and get to work, he just hadn't decided on a suitable target. Sure, there were those artifacts, but none had really struck his fancy. For now, he would just enjoy the night and see what happened.

Every once in a while, he supposed, he could have a night off.

 

[Tex "Ace" Holdum]

"Wild Card, standing by," replied Tex, tugging at the collar of his dress shirt. He hated the fact that he had to dress up all fancy for this shindig, and although he hadn't said anything when the mission was planned, he doubted that he'd be much use to anyone if some sort of ruckus broke out. Formal attire did not make for the kind of ease of movement needed to corral a suspect. Ah well, at least he was getting to see Rio.

Looking around the main hall, he half-expected to see Daniel Craig walk by on his way to the baccarat table in Casino Royale. High-class drinks, high-class grub, high-class people. Why was it that the high-class lifestyle always attracted the worst scum of humanity like this Barbas Chuate guy? He didn't know, but right now he couldn't help but feel the contrast between the beauty that was visible and the ugliness that was about to go down behind closed doors. Tonight, ACME might be able to bring down a drug lord. Not their usual prey, but something that needed to be done, and he was glad to be a part of it. Taking a small sip from the glass of whiskey he had procured more for appearances than anything, he looked around, trying to spot anything out of the ordinary.

 

[Colleen]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Although Colleen Slate wiped down the elevator button before pressing, her fear of social interaction at the sumptuous Magic Ball far outweighed any germ anxieties. The high-profile event was her first operation for ACME and she intended to display exceptional surveillance skills. Ordinarily reliant on painstakingly-crafted gadgetry, the young woman opted for a dramatic white-sequined evening gown, silver mask, and only a few hidden devices. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]The interior of the Copacabana Palace appeared deceptively smaller due to the lively crowds and lavish decorations hanging from the ceiling. [/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]Ornate masks, makeup, and costumes illuminated the elegant backdrop of the famed hotel. While scanning the main hall, Colleen was reminded of both Cirque du Soleil and [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Eyes Wide Shut.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Her gaze turned to the elevator and a very well-dressed gentleman (@Spring-Heeled Jack) caught her eye. She watched him exit, seemingly supported by a cane, and employed her logic. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]“Why wouldn’t he just use a compact lithium-ion battery-powered assist robot?” [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]She pondered, finding him very odd.[/BCOLOR]

 

[Joe Kerr]

Joseph Kerr adjusted his mask as he mingled among the guests in an ornate variant of his jester's costume. Along with the rest of the performers, Joe was busy getting everyone in the Carnival mood with his juggling and stilt-walking.

As he walked around in his stilts, Joseph Kerr did a quick scan of the people around. VILE's info had put Barbas Chuate in the building and the possibility of an ACME sting op occurring.

For Joe, Barbas was the type of criminal he loathed. The man was an arrogant scum bag with no honour and no concept of the sanctity of human life; he was concerned only for his own wealth and standing. He was however, ACME's problem.

The Jester had not come here tonight to deal with Barbas or interfere with any ACME plans. No, he had come to obtain a very special birthday gift for a very special person, and he could not, would not, fail in this endeavor.

 

[Nace Bilby]

48 Hours ago...

"Molly, for God's sake, let's switch seats." Nace replied, as he heard the cart bang into her left arm for the third time in the flight.

He put down the translated copy of Des Res Militari he had been reading for one of his history classes and said, raising his left hand slightly with the index finger in the air, "If I hear you go ouch like that again I'm likely to think you're injured."

“Oh no. The index finger,” she half rolled her eyes and suddenly smiled, “Do you realize you always do that when you’re trying to instruct someone?”

Nace couldn't help but smile back, "The Major does that a lot, and as his grandson I guess I picked up the habit."

It wasn't out of any sort of orders that caused Nace to refer to his grandfather as 'The Major' but rather his respect for his grandfather's service in three nations' military forces.

Molly pursed her lips and rubbed her elbow. She saw the logic in what Nace was saying, but hated moving seats as much as she hated repotting an established plant. Everything needs time to grow into its space. What made her even more uncomfortable was the aspect of fieldwork--in all its randomness--which she was now invariably committed to for the duration of this mission.

"Right then, please humor me on the seats thing. It won't do to have you hurt before we even get to Brazil." Nace replied with a small smile.

Molly gave him a playfully exaggerated sigh, “Fine, you win,” she stood, shifting her position with Nace, “But promise me, no more lifting your finger when I’m setting up the field lab. You’re protective detail, not my professor.”

"Professor, dear lady, is a role I didn't want to assume at all." Nace said as he stood, shifting his position with Molly. He did gently brush past her, which triggered more than a bit of electricity running through him.

Bloody perfect, yet another thing that complicates this. Nace thought, thinking of how this little 'thing' he was feeling for Molly, decided to bring itself to the forefront yet again.

It had barely been a year since Evey...Best not think on that now. Nace thought. Though he felt attracted to Molly he didn't want to rush into something needlessly. But by the same token he was feeling feelings he had not felt towards a woman since he and Evey had started seeing one another seriously.

He had taken Ivy's advice and gone to see Dr. Freeman who encouraged him to explore his feelings for Molly. Two days in Rio before everyone else could be an opportunity to try and see where those feelings fit.

 

[Molly]

[Present...]

Molly was nervous.

She checked her pale blue beaded purse again. Where a woman would usually keep lipstick and perhaps an atomizer for perfume, she only had neat rows of chemical solutions and evidence containers. It was the lightest possible version of a field kit ever created by ACME labs, but wasn't near as complete as she would have liked.

To match the ‘field kit’ Molly wore a satin 1920s style, deep v-neck dress that gathered at her hip and just barely brushed the floor as she walked. Her hair was put up, and pinned together behind a braided crown of fresh hydrangea and orchid blooms.

Looking at herself in the large mirror of the hotel reception, she forced a smile. It was just like acting again.

 

[Nace Bilby]

A voice would sound behind her, a familiar voice. "You look absolutely lovely tonight."

Nace stood behind Molly as he watched her look at her reflection in the mirror. That was an understatement if he ever uttered on, Molly looked absolutely stunning in that pale blue v-neck dress. Nace himself wore a simple black tuxedo, one he had actually purchased in London a long time ago, and maybe wore once or twice since.

A special forces soldier should be as comfortable in a three piece suit with a concealed pistol as he should be on a battlefield with a rifle. An old adage he remembered from his SAS close protection training. He was Molly's close protection for this bit of work.

"Dingo, in position." He had quietly reported to Ivy and her lot at the nerve center.

 

[Cali]

Calina Corranos arrived in Rio de Janeiro first, but she was quite prepared and ready to hit the ground running. Her brother in the Força Aérea Brasileira (Brazilian Air Force) was kind enough to provide her with unofficial logs of the area during Carnival, and even gave her air traffic information as a boost.

For this ACME operation, Cali took the official role of Fixer. Although she was an explosives expert, her family contacts and former base in the country allowed her to work quickly with existing sources.

The most difficult part? Was remembering who she told what to.

Cali also watched the monitors in the junior-suite. While @Ivy coordinated with the international agents, Calina coordinated with the local Brazilians.

 

[Vic]

Vincent Fumigalli was in Rio de Janeiro more times than he could remember. Today though, was meant to be special. It was months of planning and a few more days of extra work, but things were coming together as planned.

As far as he knew, Carmen was already in the city, but she won't be sending him a message until she was sure things were clear. He had no idea what 'clear' meant in this case. It was after sundown and Vic was still waiting for a ping from the birthday girl. He was starting to worry she'd never show up... again.

The conman looked around nervously for some sort of signal and began to check his cell phone every 5 seconds.

 

[Zack]

"Bacon, checking in." Zack Daniel Monaghan replied using his usual Bunker Boy codename.

Readjusting his tux he felt so awesomely James Bond. Part of him wanted to instagram this moment, how often did an average agent get to stay at The Copacabana Palace and attend one of the world's most exclusive parties? Walking through the surrealistic decorated halls, he nearly bumped into a woman who towered almost a foot and a half above him. She had 8-inch heels on and a purple feathered headdress that glowed with mesmerizing LED lights. As she nearly fell over, Zack grabbed her arm to help steady her center of gravity.

"Sorry, miss," He apologized, then remembered they were in Rio, "Com Licença."

He walked right up to the sticky-camera that was being blocked by some display of a Dali-esque flea-legged animal and moved it to a more advantageous point. Flashing a thumbs up, he got a positive confirmation from the radio team.

Suddenly, people started snapping photos and gathering together, whispering familiar Hollywood names. Zack was sure that meant the movie stars had begun arriving. The wide hallways now seemed a heck of a lot narrower. Now how was he supposed to make it back up to the control room?

 

[Contessa]

Flying in from Florence, Countess Adrianna Covrenzi had checked in one of six penthouse suites at the Copacabana Palace. After a short time to sleep off the jet lag and a strong Shiatsu massage session at the spa, she arrived at the party with great fanfare, wearing a sleek silk gown adorned with hand dyed butterfly wings to resemble the surrealistic art of Salvadore Dalí. Amongst her entourage were two body guards and a young ward training to be her new valet.

Contessa enjoyed a good party. Though this one was special in the fact that it was also an exhibition, one that had on display an object of her desire. In the central hall was an ornate gold cuff stolen from the Incas in South America by Spanish conquistadors long ago. Named the 'Band of Flight' for its delicately carved eagles, the item was beautiful in its own right, though it was only saved due to uncharacteristically inlaid turquoise crosses within the gold -- something which appealed to the religious invaders. While most other "pagan" relics were melted into bars and coins, this one particular arm cuff was saved and placed aboard the Spanish Galleon, The Nuestra Senora del Carmen.

Not long after, said Galleon was accidentally sunk through miscommunication with a British vessel off the coast of Portugal. Saved by a a lowly deckhand, the cuff was then ransomed to the Portuguese court for the crew's safe return to Spain. It would take five decades but the Band of Flight found it's way back to the New World through the arms of missionaries. It was said to then be passed from the hands of various unscrupulous collectors until finally resting amongst other seized artifacts on display now.

Upon catching site of the valued artifcat, Adrianna grined. She knew it would be hers by the night's end.