2013.05.27 - Home Invasion

Stray looked up at darkened night sky, a few clouds interlaced themselves with the large buildings that towered over the street, but for the most part it was clear. If it was warm the mutant didn't notice, his mutation making it sometimes impossible for him to gauge the air around him. Perhaps it was a warm night, for it was nearing summer time. Blue eyes peered up and down the street, but there wasn't a single soul in sight. Happy with the current conditions his attention turning back to the black wallet he had clasped in his hands. Quickly he started to thumb through the cards and the contents that remained within. Useless credit cards were left alone, however there was the spare key that was carefully tucked away behind an I.D. Now that proved to be of some use. The past couple days have been well spent, Stray was able to space out the money he obtained from the mugging of one called Justin Hammer, and got himself set up for a couple days to come. Money buys little anymore though, and why let the contents he obtained go to waste?

A familiar white building and iron gate were displayed before him, and for a long time he stared at it, contemplating his next move, home invasion. Removing the spare key from the wallet he carefully tucked the rest of it into the back pocket of his jeans, he than proceeded to reach up and pull the black hood of his sweatshirt up and over his ears. Not that it would make much of a difference once he was phased, but it gave him a small sense of security. Making one last sweep of the block the mutant made his way over to the gate, and slowly he started to change like he had before, quickly bending the light around him, and using his mutation to envelop himself into the world of the unseen. Placing the key in the gate the mutant attempted to open it, driven by a necessary greed he pulled the squeaking gate open and started to quickly make his way for the intricate broze door.

It's interesting how much stuff one can carry in a simple wallet. And when that wallet is stolen, how much can be compromised. After he was robbed, Justin Hammer moved quickly on getting his work ID Passkey deactivated, making sure the thief wouldn't have free reign in the Hammer Industries facilities. After that, he filed a police report, canceled his credit cards, and started the ball rolling on replacing his driver's license and concealed-carry permit. The most important things were taken care of, so it seemed, and the minor contents of the wallet were forgotten. A Starbucks Gold Card, an old coat-check ticket and a spare key to the house were among those items. And since the key was forgotten, the locks were never re-keyed, and now the robber has the ways and the means to literally walk right in...

The evening found Justin rolling in fairly late after dinner. He had a couple glasses of wine with his meal, then retired to the living room after his driver had dropped him off. There he had poured a glass of scotch to watch part of FOXNew's 24-hour news cycle. After about 10 minutes of that, another glass of scotch. Finally he had fallen asleep on the couch about 1AM, the news anchor on the television repeating the same stories over and over again. Most of the house is dark, the entire garden level illuminated only by what's coming in from the porch lights in the front courtyard. The main floor where the living room is at is only slightly better- the lights over the wet bar are on, as is one small table lamp, and the television.

Normally this time of night would prove to be the prime opportunity for such a thing such as a robbery. The mutant had successfully had a taste of what the CEO was worth and he couldn't help want more. Approaching the bonze colored door the mutant took a look around. Yes, he was still invisible, but it would be stupid not to look over your shoulder and make sure that there wasn't someone watching. A door randomly opening in the middle of the night for no reason would definitely peak someone's curiosity.

Reaching for the wallet in his back pocket once more the mutant pulled out the tab that held the CEO's keys. There were a few of them, and it was sheer luck that the mutant managed to rummage up the correct key to make it through the iron gate. Thumbing another key from the holder the mutant attempted to place it in the door, and with success once more he had found the correct fit. Turning the key as quietly as he could he pulled the door open. Immediately he was sure that some sort of alarm would start sounding, but he paid little attention to it if did. Instead he made his way down the entryway hallway, proceeding with his mission and determined to remain uninterrupted. As he made his way into the gallery he took a quick look around, fairly certain that anything that was going to be of worth wasn't going to be on the main floor. Stairs came into view and he started ascending them, thankful that they were carpeted and would probably absorb most of the noise created by his boots. Arriving at the next level the mutant stopped in his tracks, scanning the room. Now we were talking, there might be something worth a shiny penny up here.

A television caught his attention though, and the mutant was on high alert, looking around the room fairly frantically. Was this guy still awake? If he was, the mutant came to the conclusion that he had terrible taste in entertainment. Taking a few cautiously placed steps into the room he tried to look for the CEO, not wanting to be caught off guard.

The combination of exhaustion and drink caused another lapse in judgment on Justin's part. He didn't set the perimeter alarm for the house. When he had gotten home it had taken him three tries to get it disarmed, as he kept transposing the last two digits of the code. Once he had finally silenced it's infernal beeping, he simply waved it off and left it alone for the night. As the mutant walks through the house, the illuminated panel on the wall next to the door to the den on the parlor level stays silent.

The CEO himself is still asleep, visibly stretched out on the couch that faces the fireplace and the flat-panel television that hangs above it. He's tossed his suit jacket over a chair and kicked off his shoes, but otherwise looks like he just got off work. He has his arms crossed over his chest and his breathing is very even. He's obviously asleep, and seems pretty well out.

After making a couple more visual sweeps of the room the mutant spotted the CEO splayed out on the couch. What a break, the guy didn't even set his alarm. A welcoming silence had fallen over the home and the mutant embraced it, he was in his element. Cautiously and as quietly as possible he made his way through the dimly lit room, careful not to wake the sleeping weapons manufacturer and taking care not to bump into anything. Making his way over to the jacket laid over the back of the chair he started to go through the pockets, looking for anything that would be of worth to him. Stray assumed at the place was huge, and though he had time and stealth on his side, he didn't exactly have the patience to wander through the entire home and try and find something worth taking. This room had promise though, and if he had planned this out a little further he probably would have brought some better equipment along that would have assisted him in his search. Tugging his hands out of the pockets of the suit jacket he found nothing of use there, besides a ring that looked like it was too small to fit on any of his fingers.

Wait, this guy makes guns right? Surely there were some pretty impressive weapons around here, weapons worth a decent chunk of money. After all, the man did have a concealed weapons permit in his wallet. Where to look though, was the question. Why not wake the man himself and ask?

It's probably a lucky break for Justin that he hasn't been carrying his pistol with him, having to wait for his replacement permit to arrive in the mail. Normally it would have been tossed on the same chair as the suit coat, still holstered, but in plain view of the would be thief. This evening, however, it's conspicuously absent. The CEO is still out for the moment, any noise that the mutant theif would be making is well covered by whatever story is rolling across the broadcast news station.

For the most part the mutant was feeling pretty confident in himself, he had successfully infiltrated the home of major weapons manufacturer, and was even staring at the figure sleeping on the couch. Not caring anymore if he made some noise, he made his way over to the television and turned it off. Thankful that the annoying news cast was finally silenced Stray turned his attention to the CEO on the couch. A small smirk played at the corner of his lips and he made his way over to him. "Rise and shine Mr. CEO. I have a question for you." His voice was somewhat loud and demanding, more than likely to wake Justin.

The sudden silence of the TV started to stir the sleeping man, but it was that voice that finished it. Justin's eyes shoot open and he sits bolt upright, moving fast enough to make himself a little dizzy. That voice, he knows that voice. That's the same one that he heard when he got robbed just last week. Frantically looking around, he sees nothing. The TV is off, but he can't quite remember if it has a timer on it. Consciously slowing his breathing the man runs a hand through his hair, guessing it must have been some kind of bad dream.

It took every ounce of composure for the mutant to not laugh at the man. Of course the reaction was to be expected, but it didn't make the scene any less amusing. Watching the human for a moment, he let him settle down, at least to the point where he might be semi rational. Screwing with people was fun, and the mutant enjoyed every minute of it. Whistling the mutant made his way to the back side of the couch, putting his hands into his invisible pockets. "I have a question for you, Mr. Hammer. Where are the guns?" The whistling had stopped and again there was a demanding air about his tone, and it was right back down to business. He could be serious and still mess with the guy.

Now this time Hammer knows he's not asleep, and whatever this is, it isn't a dream. The mutant- he assumes it was a mutant, anyway- that robbed him had phased in and out. He'd been invisible. Tensing visibly at the whistling, then flinching at the sound of the voice somewhere behind him, Justin finally reacts. He doesn't answer, he turns quickly, taking a wild swing over the back of the couch with a balled up right fist. Since he has no training, is trying to hit someone behind him while he's sitting on a couch and he can't see his target, there's little to no accuracy in what he does. His only chance is the element of surprise, that the invader won't expect him to actually try to defend himself.

A blind fist came flying at the mutant in the dark, and despite his efforts to try and dodge out of the way of the onslaught, it catches him, sending a rippled escaping over his entire form. Justin had a bit of an advantage now, Stray's features were fairly prominent and the CEO would be able to get a good look at him. "Whoa!" the mutant responded in surprise, honestly shocked that the man he had brought to the ground not a few days earlier was actually making an attempt to hurt him. As the ripples started to dissipate from the surface of his form he couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Well, you have more fight in you than I gave you credit for human."

That... Worked? The shock of actually connecting with the mutant causes Justin to pause, then the sight of his form flickering into visibility before dissolving again like ripples on a pond startles him. That is creepy as HELL, but he got a look at his assailant finally. "Get the hell out of my house!" the CEO yells as he scrambles off the couch and onto his feet. He's facing nothing again, and searches desperately for any clue as to where his attacker is. There's a heavy, thick-pile rug with a geometric pattern between the couch and the television, but behind the couch there's nothing but hardwood. "Get out now! You've tripped the alarm and the cops are on their way by now!" Did he set the alarm? Justin can't remember now. No, he didn't... Maybe the mutant will buy the bluff and leave.

Alright, so now the guy was yelling at him! Stray was someone startled by the sudden raise in the CEO's tone. However it only caught him off guard for a moment, for his mind was caught up in the possibility that Justin had finally got a good look at him. Not that Stray had much of an identity in the first place, he was basically untraceable, but he would like to keep himself off the grid if possible. When the man jumped up from the couch and turned to face him the mutant couldn't help but laugh. "Threaten me all you want, they'll never find me." Stray was aware that he wasn't terribly familiar with the security system, and for all he knew the CEO could be telling the truth. Not being a huge fan of being trapped in this man's house, and being surrounded by police, the mutant decided to retreat. "This isn't over Hammer." With that the mutant made for the stairs and quickly made his way out of the house.

Justin is about at the point of panic. He can't see where the guy went. He thought he heard someone go down the stairs, and maybe the front door. But that doesn't mean anything, since he can't see the intruder. The mutant could have doubled back, he could still be in the house, waiting. Hammer takes several unsteady steps backwards, backing into one of the end tables that flank the couch and nearly falling. Catching himself on the edge of the couch, he grabs his cell phone and manages to dial 911 after several failed attempts and dropping the phone once.