[I'll have John's feedback done shortly. In the meanwhile, I'd like to do my story now.]
Autumn groaned with newfound annoyance, her eardrums beating with the enhanced echoes of the music filling the dark, illuminated nightclub. From what she had gathered in the past few hours of her time within the facility, they DJ enjoyed playing only the loudest, most bass saturated songs of the past and present.
Whether it was old twentieth century rock, twenty-first century pop, or twenty-second century rap, the sounds of the drum continued to cause her heart to give off the sensation of irregular beating.
"It takes a bit of getting used to!" the bar tender, a young man in his late twenties grinned, his voice carrying over the music loud enough for her to hear.
"It's just so random." Autumn shook her head, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Is the DJ trying to give us all cardiac episodes?"
"Only the ones to refuse a tip." the barkeep chuckled, passing over a whiskey. "On the house."
"I appreciate it." Autumn shook her head. "I'm actually here on business."
"Strange enough place for a business meeting." the barkeep shrugged, wiping down a beer mug.
"Give it to someone else, thanks." Autumn smiled, turning in her chair.
Her whole purpose for being within the Nightclub was still pretty hazy for her liking. Something she had shared with her husband was the annoyance at the lack of proper intel with her intel. All she knew was the target was named Lars Bartrum. First batch Spartan IV, ex-ODST. Defected from the UNSC shortly after his Mjolnir fitting.
Lars, from what ONI would share, had been missing for the better part of two years. Blaine was too easily recognizable to handle an undercover bag and tag operation such as this, and Autumn was the only one that had run these kinds of operations for the Office before that Osmin trusted for it.
"No-ones gonna take me alive!~
The time has come to make things right!
You and I must fight for our rights!
You and I must fight to survive!
Autumn's snapped back to attention. She had always assumed that picking a Spartan out of a crowd would be easy. The young woman, however, was sorely mistaken. Out of the thousands of attendants, the majority of them jumped to the beat of the music. An attempt to make out a taller person would be nearly impossible, the crowd of people moving as a wave.
With the new song, young college age girls began to stand. They whipped their hair back and forth, swinging their hips to the beat, the beer mugs in their hands sloshing back and forth. The men on the floor bumped shoulders into each other, causing the crowd to shift back and forth.
No-one's gonna take me aliiiive!~
The time has come to make things right!
You and I must fight for our rights!
You and I must fight to surviiiiive!
Autumn stared at the waved of people in a drunken stupor, her eyes peering expertly in search of her target. He was described as having short brown hair, a scar on the back of his neck from an Elite's wrist daggar, and a prosthetic eye.
No-one's gonna take me aliiiiive!~
The time has come to make things right!
You and I must fight for our rights!
You and I must fight to surviiiive!
"You sure he's here." Autumn whispered into her ear piece.
"
You'll have to speak up a bit, fucking music's drownin' out your voice!" Blaine's voice crackled in her ear.
"The target, are you sure he's here? I can't tell in that crowd."
"Ma'am?" the barkeep asked, as Autumn turned to him.
"Sorry, I said I wasn't sure if you had soda here?" she asked.
"Certainly, what's your fancy?"
"Cola." she said, the barkeep turned to the spigot behind him.
"
Listen, I know he's in there. I have the entire place under lockdown. Scott ran a scan throughout the building, only one prosthetic eye matching UNSC quality is in there." Blaine sighed. "
I'll see what else I can do from here, for now, mingle and keep your cover. This may be our only shot on getting this bastard. Remember, it's bag and tag if possible. No warning shots. If you have to discharge your gun, make sure it kills.Autumn sighed, blowing air out of the corner of her mouth to move a tuft of hair from her forehead. Leaning back, she could lightly hear the sound of a glass clinking on the bar beside her. Turning, a cold glass of cola waited for her.
"Oh," Autumn smiled. "Thanks, how much?"
"On the house." the barkeep returned the gesture. "We like to make sure our customers have a unique time here. Helps people to keep coming back."
Nodding to the man, Autumn turned back, bringing the cup back up to her lips. Being a fizzy soda drink, she could still keep her attention to the task at hand. As the song slowly died down, the people's hopping began to slow, the DJ standing.
"Oh-ho-kay my cool cats and toms! That was 'Knights of Cydonia' by the twentieth century band Muse!" the DJ's voice boomed over the mic. "I'll be taking a few moments to swap around some music, but next up on our list will be 'Come on feel the Noize' by Quiet Riot!"
Autumn took a brave swig of her beverage, when she saw some shifting from within the crowd. When they had died out, the crowd stood practically level. Towards the far end of the crowd, a man easily towered above the rest of them. Luckily for her, the man had been facing her, and his prosthetic eye was the dead giveaway.
Spewing the cola out of her mouth, the barkeep reached a hand out, gently patting her on the shoulder.
"You okay?!" he asked, as she nodded, offering him a thumbs up.
"Yes, thank you." she said, leaving a credit chit on the counter. "Keep the change for your hospitality."
Standing, Autumn worked her way towards the crowd. Drums began to echo throughout the room once more. Marching towards the target, Autumn's heart beat to the rhythm of the filler music. It was a strange feeling, but also inspiring.
Easing her way into the crowd, she had her piece hidden snugly within her holster, beneath her shirt. Unclipping the safety strap, she advanced on the target. Reaching him, she held the weapon in her hands.
"Lars Bartrum." she said. "You're under arrest for acts of high treason and desertion against the United Nations Space Command. Will you come peacefully."
"Heh." the guy snorted, as she could just barely hear his prosthetic eye clicking around in it's metallic socket. "Wait until the song, sweet cheeks. I love dat song, requested it special."
Holding the pistol up, aiming towards his head, Autumn shook her head.
"Ho-okay you fine ladies and gents! It's a wonderful night to feel alive and free, don't you agree? If you do, let's see your Come on, and feel the noise!"
Come on feel the noise!
Girls rock your boys!
We'll get wild, wild, wild!
Wild, wild, wild!
With the song's beginning the crowd around them began to stir once more. Autumn held the pistol even tighter, prepared to squeeze the trigger if her refused to follow instruction. Lars, however, began to move his body with the crowd, dancing along.
"So you think I got an evil mind? I'll tell you honey!" Lars grinned, rubbing her chin with his thumb, singing along to the song. "I don't know why! I DON'T know why!"
Smacking the pistol from her hands, the weapon discharged into the air, before scattering into the crowd. At the loud explosion, the crowd, even in their drunken stupor, began to charge their way towards the exit. The DJ's eyes opened wide, as he ducked beneath the DJ's booth.
Recoiling backwards, Autumn grunted as Lars' knee smashed into her ribcage. Ducking backwards, she braced her left forearm against one of his wide swings, pushing his attack back and smashing her right forearm into his throat.
So come on feel the noise!
Girls rock your boys!
We'll get wild, wild, wild!
Wild, wild, wild!
Taking her change to be on the offensive, she ducked under one of Lars' counter swings, sweeping his right leg out. Falling onto the nearest table, Autumn swung a boot up to catch his chin. Lars, however, caught her boot and twisted, spinning Autumn to his right. Autumn groaned, smashing another table.
Rolling backwards, she stood at the ready, while Lars cracked his fist.
"I shoulda known they woulda sent the wife of Blaine Harlowe after me. It's only fitting, considering he's the one that trained me." Lars spat. "I take no pride in beatin' a lady."
"Neither do I, princess." Autumn cracked her neck. "Save the semantics for a woman that gives a shit."
Both combatants approached each other, exchanging blows. Autumn ducked under one, smashing a mighty left jab into his right kidney. Groaning, she hopped off of her right boot, smashing her left foot up and into his chin, knocking him back. Continuing her advance, she smashed him in the chest with one knee, than the other.
Following up, she smashed her fist across his cheek with a mighty right cross, snapping his head across. On the way back, she back handed him, causing a mixture of saliva and blood to splatter against her cheek.
Stepping backwards, Lars growled in annoyance as Autumn attempted to follow up with a swift uppercut. Catching her fist, he squeezed, pulling her arm close to him, before elbowing her in the forehead, punching her with his spare arm.
Come on feel the noise!
Girls rock your boys!
We'll get wild, wild, wild!
Wild, wild, wild!
Spinning through the air, Autumn crashed into the DJ's booth. Recovering, Autumn stood, a trickle of blood running down her forehead. Her vision was a little blurry from the exchange, but she could overcome him. Preparing herself, Lars advanced, placing a boot firmly into her ribs.
Stumbling backwards, he continued the assault, attempting to punch low again. She growled, wrapping one arm around his waist, her spare arm bracing his punching arm. Flipping him over her back, she turned and smashed a nasty fist into his nose, breaking it.
"Augh, du bish! Du broke ba node!"
"I'll break more than that, if you don't come quietly." Autumn huffed.
"Fug off, cut."
Grabbing one of her ankles, Lars tripped Autumn up, the woman landing on her back. Swinging a mighty fist down to attempt to reciprocate her attack, Autumn rolled to the left, smashing her elbow into his mechanical eye two times.
When Lars was sufficiently stunned, she lashed her left boot up and into his forehead, staggering him. Recovering to her feet, Autumn kneed him in the chest again, smashing a nasty right cross, followed by a devastating headbutt. Using hall of her strength, she jumped off of her right boot, swinging her left boot around across the side of his head.
Turning around from the force of the blow, Lars crashed into the DJ's booth, effectively shutting off the music. Things became eerily quiet, Lars standing to his feet, clenching his fist in rage.
"I'b godda kill you, an' I'b godda do id slowly. I hope your husbad is wadching."
Turning to stare at her, his one remaining eye glared at her with rage, while his prosthetic one sparked. Autumn watched as he reached into his back pocket and produced a knife, flipping it in his hand expertly.
Advancing towards her, he swung the knife at her, as both of her hands reached out, bracing his lunging arm. The two locked in a battle of strength, one that Lars unfortunately had the advantage over. Reaching back with his left fist, he smashed her across the cheek, knocking her head back. After his punch was completed, he smashed it back across her forehead, causing the gash to deepen even further.
Kneeing her in the hip, Autumn groaned as Lars chuckled, the knife growing ever nearer to her. The two continued to lock arms, fighting each other for dominance, the blade now locked in both of their hands. Autumn, in her dizzy state, however, did not notice as Lars brought his head back for a nasty head butt.
Her head snapped backwards, Lars taking the moment to plunge the knife into her ribs, from the side. Autumn's eyes widened as excruciating pain filled her every being. Lars didn't stop, however, as he smashed fist after fist into her face, keeping his other hand on the knife.
Finally, he kicked her away, admiring the crimson liquid on his knife.
"You'll nodice I didn'd ged you id the heard." Lars said, moving slowly towards her. "I wad you du suffer, da same way your husbad made ME suffer in dat hell he called 'draining'."
Autumn grasped at the wound, the world around her was dizzying. Black and red seemed to form around the edges of her vision. Crawling away, Lars began to advance, a wild grin on his face.
"Guess it's the 'coda' of this song for you." he smirked, twirling the knife around in his hands.
Lars stopped, however, as the door to the room opened. Blaine Harlowe stood there, without his power armor, fists clenched. Lars turned to face the Spartan II, a cheeky smile adorning his face.
"Ah, id dakes doo do dango. Free makes a crowd."
"I see you can count." Blaine growled. "You'll be missing that particular skill very soon."
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Blaine's mighty roar echoed throughout the nightclub, the DJ, who had braved a peek, suddenly retreated once more.
Sprinting towards Lars, Blaine slid on his knees, smashing Lars square in the gonads with a mighty left jab. Jumping to his feet, Lars released the contents of his stomach onto the floor. Blaine grabbed him by the back of the neck, pulling him backwards.
Using his Spartan II might, Blaine threw Lars with one hand at the far wall. Charging after Lars, Blaine scooped up a pool cue from the wall while en route. Swinging with his everything, the stick shattered over Lars' skull, slashing the skin just beside Lars' last good eye. Kicking Lars in the gut, Blaine crouched low.
Sprinting at Lars, Blaine jumped off of a nearby table, super man punching Lars across the cheek with his left fist. Following up immediately, Blaine's right foot smashed up and into Lars' chin. Walking forward, Blaine's fists smashed Lars in the face, left and right, fast as a bullet, hard as a roaring steam engine.
Lars slumped up against the bar, as Blaine hefted him by the neck of his shirt. Sliding Lars across the bar, the barkeep, who had opted to stick around, vaulted over the counter as Blaine passed, bringing a medkit directly to Autumn.
Throwing Lars into a group of tables and chairs, Blaine hefted one of the stools like a club. Smashing the club into Lars' chest, Blaine swung the wooden seat across Lars' face, sending the man soaring into one of the nearby pillars.
Without letting up, Blaine smashed fist after fist into Lars' face, who at this point had the consciousness of a steamed vegetable. Ducking down, Blaine prepared a nasty right uppercut, the force of the punch knocking Lars off of his feet. Blaine's hands lashed out, grasping Lars' ankles. Spinning around and around, Blaine gathered enough speed for his liking, before tossing Lars head first into the bar. Glass bottles filled with alcohol cascaded down upon the man.
Walking over, Blaine reached over the counter, pulling the sticky, beaten and broken man to his face. Using a cloth from the counter, Blaine gingerly wiped the gook from Lars puffy, broken face.
"How can you see yourself out in public like this, Lars me boyo?" Blaine tisked, wiping blood gently off of Lars' now useless prosthetic eye. "Wouldn't you much rather be in the safety of your jail cell? Where no-one can judge you for how you look?"
Lars dope-fully nodded his head, his eye lids opening and closing slowly, as he likely saw stars.
"Didn't I tell you when I trained you that squad-mates were family, and under my watchful eye, everyone was a family." Blaine said, almost sounding like a reassuring, yet berating mother.
Yet again, Lars nodded his head slowly, his head swirling back and forth.
"Do you think it was wise to attack my wife, knowing full well that I was likely around?" Blaine asked, wiping some drool from Lars' mouth.
This time, Lars slowly shook his head left and right. His eye now almost completely swollen shut, slowly scanned the room.
"You gonna go peacefully now to jail, like a good boy?" Blaine asked, as Lars nodded. "Good, though there is one thing..."
Blaine smiled, patting Lars on the head, clenching his left hand around the back of Lars' neck.
"You ever lay your filthy fucking hands on my wife again, I'll make Midnight station a fucking paradise for you."
Smashing his fist into Lars' face, the man crumpled to the floor. Blaine non-chalantly dragged Lars by the ankle to Autumn and the barkeeper, who had tended to her wounds.
"Hey, it means a lot. Thanks." Autumn smiled to the man, who nodded, taking his leave. "Sorry Blaine, I almost had him."
"Almost is like horseshoes and hand grenades." Blaine said sternly. "You did well today, and I'm really glad you're okay, honey. Now, what did I tell you to tell the others at the Office when we bring this useless twat back?"
"You should see the other guy?"
"Exactly."