The Heist

[crypddyd]

They had been investigating for weeks, planning and setting up for what seemed like forever. But now was the time for everything to go into action. One team dressed up and settled into various undercover positions in the casino- including Lion himself over at the slots, in case he needed to call Greta and let her know someone was calling her out. Though hopefully, word of mouth would find her first.

Another at the bank, Mona using her Executor weapon to prove they could break-in at any time. It was all or nothing now- either way Greta was about to learn there were way more Executors than she previously assumed.

That is, if the Executors were right in their assumptions. But after last time who knows what might happen...

Comments

[mementomoritz]

No problem! [She smiles cheerfully.] Hmm, this isn't your blood, is it?

Can I keep it?

[You know, totally normal things to ask someone.]

[swordofajerk]

[. . .

Just. Handing the handkerchief back now, yep.]

It's probably from that bitch anyway.

[mementomoritz]

[Taking the handkerchief with a polite 'thank you!' and neatly depositing it in a little plastic baggie to avoid sample contamination.]

Which bitch, specifically? Just so I know what to label this.

[swordofajerk]

The previous Authority. She tried to kill us, so Phoenix sliced her hand off.

[mementomoritz]

Oh, that makes sense. [Medic nods in understanding, apparently completely willing to accept this as an explanation. She uses a sharpie to label the baggie "Pn: Avaritia Auth-1".]

Should we be worried about her coming back, or did he kill her again?

[swordofajerk]

She killed herself. The vaults were starting to collapse and she didn't care.

[mementomoritz]

Huh! That's depressing. [She's very matter-of-fact about it. That happened, it sucks, unlife goes on.]

Do you think Ruin could get them to let me into the vaults to look around and see if there's anything left of her, now that he's the Authority?

[swordofajerk]

---wait. He's what?

[mementomoritz]

[Blinking confusedly.] He's... the Authority. Of Avaritia.

It's the same way I ended up being one of the Invidia Authorities- we were the ones who took Esme's position from her, so the Authority switched to us when she lost it.

[swordofajerk]

I didn't join you guys until after that. Was that the plan?

[mementomoritz]

Oh! Yes, that was the plan. Sorry, we probably should have explained that in more detail.

[A pause, and then her terrible need to be Correct about things kicks in:] Well, removing the Authority from whoever had it previously was the plan, at least. One of us becoming the new Authority is more like a side effect!

As long as whoever ends up with it lets us go down to the next Layer and doesn't start abusing their power, I guess it doesn't really matter.

[swordofajerk]

So...fuck, how many layers are there?

[mementomoritz]

As far as I know, nine in total? One for each of the classic seven deadly sins, plus Limbo up at the very top and the Cogs of Renewal down at the very bottom.

[She frowns briefly, and mutters under her breath:] I still don't understand why the afterlife is using Catholicism as a filing system.

[It's the aesthetic, don't worry about it.]

Limbo didn't seem to have an Authority at all, but I can't be sure if that means anything about the Cogs or not.

[swordofajerk]

Catholics....? What the hell are you on about now, Medic?

[mementomoritz]

Oh, they're a religious group in my world! Not a very common one, these days, but they're still around here and there- and I think they were a pretty big deal, pre-Cascade.

Anyway, the whole "seven deadly sins" idea was something they had. Each layer of Purgatory seems to match up to one of them: envy, greed, pride, gluttony, lust, sloth, and wrath.

[swordofajerk]

...and why haven't you shared that information before? If that's the case, then knowing that might help us prepare for the next Layer.

[mementomoritz]

[FURTHER CONFUSION.]

I have, though? Chiron and I had a whole conversation about it. It got very philosophical. [Eh, that's just Chiron.] And I'm pretty sure Rei already knows...

[swordofajerk]

To the rest of us, Medic. Chiron and Rei are two people out of how many?

[mementomoritz]

Twenty-seven, total.

[Her expression is... suddenly, uncharacteristically solemn.]

I hope it still is.

[swordofajerk]

Hope what still is?

[mementomoritz]

[Medic looks him very calmly, very flatly in the eye. She pulls out one of her notebooks, and flips to one of the earliest pages.]

This is every Executor appointed by Rei or otherwise currently operating, to my knowledge, since we woke up. [It's a list of names.]

[Rei, Seal, Wolfsbane, Pariah Autumn, Relic, Beast Achilles, Magnum Opus Mona, Ariel, Medic, White Eagle, Espresso, Lion, Royal Veil, Brainiac, Hope, La Luna, Your Majesty Chiron, Kingslayer, Phoenix, Iris, Jock Isabel, Clocks, Fury, Ruin, Frost, Sword, Second.]

And... [She flips to another page. This one is much closer to the end.] ...this is every Executor that I've seen, spoken to, heard from, heard about, or seen any proof of life for within the last three weeks.

[The list is fifteen names long.]

[swordofajerk]

[Sword scans both lists.]

Stop. You're just hurting yourself.

[mementomoritz]

No. [She shakes her head slowly.] I'm not hurt. Maybe no one is, and everything's completely fine.

But we don't know.

Unless we find out what happened to them, we might never know at all.

[swordofajerk]

And is wasting all your time wondering actually helping anyone?

[mementomoritz]

I'm worried we might have wasted too much time already.

[She sighs quietly, snaps the notebook shut and tucks it under her arm, and opens her eyes to meet Sword's gaze again.]

I haven't found any of them. But I've found a lot of places where they could have been- should have been, in more than one case- and weren't. I've never found any sign of a struggle in their last known locations, or anything out of the ordinary about their behavior in retrospect. They just... aren't around anymore.

I don't know what's happening to us, but my current working theory is that it isn't good.

I would really like to be proven wrong.