Post by paprikathenewsalt on Aug 4, 2012 22:52:26 GMT -5
The tip-off had been received late last evening-- Or perhaps early on in the morning, depending on what you considered nearly-three-AM to be. These tips, though often nothing more than a red herring given by some vengeful neighbour or paranoid employer, were always taken as the real deal by those higher up; just in case, of course.
As it turned out, this "just in case" was thrust into Erzsébet's expectant hands as she was forced to endure yet another of Sergeant First Class Lewis Hartwick's laments about how he had to entrust such an important job with a woman.
The man was only a rank above her, for fuck's sake, and had been part of the army for considerably less time than her, but because he had the money to buy his supposedly "prestigious" position, he insisted on constantly being addressed by his full title and looked down on her with such derision it almost made Erzsébet sick when she was in his presence for too long.
Fortunately for her, after several more minutes of him bemoaning how he had to give her this job and thousands of "underhanded" threats spelling out how he would gut her if she failed this task right before doing all in his power to get her ass fired, he finally brief'd her on the task at hand before sending her off with yet another blessing to make sure she screwed up and let a real man handle the job properly.
Gritting her teeth as she did all in her power not to storm out of the building, she wondered how in the world she had managed not to force him into swallowing his tongue yet.
°°°
"Alright, men," Erzsébet grinned as she raised an arm to stop them in their tracks before she turned on her heels to face them. They all stood at the ready, smiling back at her as they waited for her orders; they all expected this to be yet another false alarm, as per usual, and they were all expecting her to make her usual promise of taking them out for a drink.
They weren't far from the truth, she noted in amusement, but that was besides the point. "As you all know, Sergeant First Class Hartwick has informed me that the warehouse here," she nodded her head towards a large, steel edifice that looked like it had seen better days; half of the roof looked like it had started to rust and the paint on the walls was peeling, "Contains some explosive and other harmful weaponry that has been stashed away."
Their grins lengthened when she uttered the man's full title: They knew fully well what she thought of him. Erzsébet continued on as if she hadn't noticed anything, however. "They seem to have been illegally acquired; there is also suspicion of the owner being a Ruthian, so be thorough today. At any rate, do your job quickly and efficiently, and the drinks are on me tonight."
A small cheer amidst their laughter was heard before Erzsébet turned back to face the small side-door and began walking. Having reached it, she didn't bother knocking, as she usually did, and simply barged her way in, her expression neutral and her voice strong and echoing in the large, hollow room as she called out.
"If Euan Leighsmith is present, by order of The Leader your warehouse is to be searched." As she spoked, she signalled her squad to begin looking around while a couple of them went and opened the large, tin gates to provide more light. The interior of the building was a shocking mess, unsurprisingly, but that barely hindered the men who were already busy milling about and hunting through every nook and crany for harmful wares.
"If you could also step out from wherever you are and come speak to me calmly, if you're here, that would be very much appreciated and would make things easier for everyone." She didn't expect anyone to come out and greet her; if he really was guilty and had somehow been informed that someone had snitched on him, the man would have ditched out of the area long ago. Any employee would either arrive later in the day to an unpleasant surprised or would have been sent away earlier on in the morning.
Erzsébet stood near the entrance quietly, looking every bit a soldier in the military as she watched her men work and call out to her, confirming an area was clear or that they may have found something but they weren't yet sure. She had a feeling, however, that things weren't going to turn out well for this Leighsmith, though hopefully this was merely her cynicism kicking in again.
As it turned out, this "just in case" was thrust into Erzsébet's expectant hands as she was forced to endure yet another of Sergeant First Class Lewis Hartwick's laments about how he had to entrust such an important job with a woman.
The man was only a rank above her, for fuck's sake, and had been part of the army for considerably less time than her, but because he had the money to buy his supposedly "prestigious" position, he insisted on constantly being addressed by his full title and looked down on her with such derision it almost made Erzsébet sick when she was in his presence for too long.
Fortunately for her, after several more minutes of him bemoaning how he had to give her this job and thousands of "underhanded" threats spelling out how he would gut her if she failed this task right before doing all in his power to get her ass fired, he finally brief'd her on the task at hand before sending her off with yet another blessing to make sure she screwed up and let a real man handle the job properly.
Gritting her teeth as she did all in her power not to storm out of the building, she wondered how in the world she had managed not to force him into swallowing his tongue yet.
°°°
"Alright, men," Erzsébet grinned as she raised an arm to stop them in their tracks before she turned on her heels to face them. They all stood at the ready, smiling back at her as they waited for her orders; they all expected this to be yet another false alarm, as per usual, and they were all expecting her to make her usual promise of taking them out for a drink.
They weren't far from the truth, she noted in amusement, but that was besides the point. "As you all know, Sergeant First Class Hartwick has informed me that the warehouse here," she nodded her head towards a large, steel edifice that looked like it had seen better days; half of the roof looked like it had started to rust and the paint on the walls was peeling, "Contains some explosive and other harmful weaponry that has been stashed away."
Their grins lengthened when she uttered the man's full title: They knew fully well what she thought of him. Erzsébet continued on as if she hadn't noticed anything, however. "They seem to have been illegally acquired; there is also suspicion of the owner being a Ruthian, so be thorough today. At any rate, do your job quickly and efficiently, and the drinks are on me tonight."
A small cheer amidst their laughter was heard before Erzsébet turned back to face the small side-door and began walking. Having reached it, she didn't bother knocking, as she usually did, and simply barged her way in, her expression neutral and her voice strong and echoing in the large, hollow room as she called out.
"If Euan Leighsmith is present, by order of The Leader your warehouse is to be searched." As she spoked, she signalled her squad to begin looking around while a couple of them went and opened the large, tin gates to provide more light. The interior of the building was a shocking mess, unsurprisingly, but that barely hindered the men who were already busy milling about and hunting through every nook and crany for harmful wares.
"If you could also step out from wherever you are and come speak to me calmly, if you're here, that would be very much appreciated and would make things easier for everyone." She didn't expect anyone to come out and greet her; if he really was guilty and had somehow been informed that someone had snitched on him, the man would have ditched out of the area long ago. Any employee would either arrive later in the day to an unpleasant surprised or would have been sent away earlier on in the morning.
Erzsébet stood near the entrance quietly, looking every bit a soldier in the military as she watched her men work and call out to her, confirming an area was clear or that they may have found something but they weren't yet sure. She had a feeling, however, that things weren't going to turn out well for this Leighsmith, though hopefully this was merely her cynicism kicking in again.
