Play@YSDC

Thomas gives Maksim a brief nod to indicate his trust.

"Whatever we do, we need to talk to the cops before we leave the area.", he says, opening the window so he can blow his smoke out. "There are too many witnesses, and we have nothing to fear anyway. They'll ask us questions and then let us go. The only thing we'll need to "fix" will be your guns' ownership."

[OOC: Is Maksim going to chase the bad guys, and if so how far away from the hotel is he prepared to go?]

PS: Warhammer I think Thomas' car has had it, deprived of the chance to smash the window, Maksim obviously wants to total the whole car.

Maksim will attempt to chase after the car but believes it is a lost cause. He will not take any undue risks with any pedestrians, though.

Maksim Rukov wrote: Maksim shrugs at the sight of him. <<I didn't think you let them get away. I got in the closest car and hoped to run down whichever villain was nearest. I assumed you wouldn't want blood and hair in the fender.>>

He frowns, shaking his head a little. <<Listen to me, I sound like you. That shot to the head has really done wonders for my blood lust.>>

"I hope that man on the third floor is all right."

"Well, likely if you shot him in the head the man on the 3rd floor wouldn't be," replies Timour wondering why his brother would shoot a man only to hope he lived.

"Drive! Drive!" instructs Timour irately as Thomas and Andrei pile into the car. "Even if were not chasing them they may lead us somewhere important!"

Maksim frowns as he accelerates off. "The injured man who's wife was screaming. I hope he's alive. That might not have been on the third floor but it's who I meant."

Before entering the car, Andrei protests, "Where are the others, are they safe?" Assuming the three men assure him the worst is over, he hops in the car.

...

Andrei is quietly listening to their conversation.

"I took something from the assassin on the 4th floor. People saw me do it. I'm pretty sure that's illegal, and I think we should be very careful about having our names associated with Jackson."

He pulls out the papers that he found on the assassin and quickly scans them.

"Who are we chasing? More assassins? How many were there?"

[OC: does the handwriting on the papers look like Jacksons? I spend the last day reading his manuscripts, so I might recognize it.]

Thomas shakes his head.

"Of course it's illegal." he says while blowing smoke. "You stole items from a crime scene when there were people watching? Are you positive people saw you? You better copy these fast, because chances are you'll have to hand them over."

"Yes, there were people everywhere. Give me a pen, then."

Andrei tries to scrutinize the papers, but looks up when Maks quickly changes lanes, accelerating past another car. "Who are we chasing?" he repeats?

[OOC: Back to the action ]

With Maksim at the wheel Thomas’ car hurtles around the corner onto 8th Avenue, heading north, ahead of them the fleeing Hudson is still in sight, but it’s nearly two blocks ahead already.

Maksim keeps his foot down, but seems to be loosing ground, the Hudson’s driver seems much less worried about the safety of other cars and pedestrians than Maksim is.

By the time the assassin’s getaway car takes another right, this time onto 32nd street, Maksim is three blocks behind, and almost out of sight.

"Maksim," urges Timour looking from the car ahead to his brother's worried, concentrating expression.

Maksim just swears in Russian under his breath, his recent exhileration washed away in a wave of irritation and hopes he'll somehow gain some ground on them. He'd love to blame the car he's driving but he's not that sort of person. Instead, he blames himself.

Andrei has given up trying to copy the documents or learn what's going on. While watching the driving from the backseat, Andrei says to Thomas,

"I don't like the idea of talking to the police. You were all firing guns. Maks and Timour and I aren't even citizens of the country- who knows what trouble we'll be in? We can mail them these documents, anonomously. Lets drive by, you can get out and see what the situation is - but the three of us should stay away. We need to get Timour's car out of there as well."

Maksim sighs. "I don't believe two devillishly handsome Rukov twins won't be recognised by witnesses," he says with a smirk. "Nor will high society types like yourself and Elizabeth."

"Also, the moment we try to take Timour's car out of there will likely be the moment witnesses jot down the plate number. Unlikely too, but possible."

"Right. Lets leave your car there until later, then."

Thomas will shake his head and request the documents from Andrei and copy them himself if Andrei gives up on doing it.

This man is driven and stubborn, I'll give him that. Those are good personality traits to have... just not right now. he thinks.

"We'll have plenty of time to talk about what happened later," he says in a surprisingly collected manner given the fact they are in a car chase, "I understand you're upset but now really isn't the time. And you can trust me about talking to the police: I'm a lawyer and I know we won't get in trouble. The guns were fired either in our own self-defense or in an attempt to protect other people, both of which are good reasons. There are too many witnesses, and escaping will simply get the police on our back for the remainder of the investigation. There will be dozens of people back there who will be all too willing to describe what we look like and to tell their own perception of the story."

"The only problem is that some of you lack a handgun permit. We can be honest about everything else and it'll be just fine."

"I vote that from now on we follow the expert's opinion," says Maksim, uttering an excitable laugh to try and take the sting off the statement. He gives Timour a quick wink before turning his attention once more to the road.

"Sure."

Andrei hands Thomas the papers and falls silent again.

On the road.

Maksim follows the getaway car onto 32nd Street, just in time to see it disappear onto 7th Avenue, still heading north.

As he makes the left hander onto 7th Avenue himself Maksim goes a little too fast, and Thomas’ car skids towards the sidewalk, but Maksim regains control in the nick of time. A few blocks further north and they are right behind the escaping assassins.

[OOC: The getaway driver is having to make the same rolls as Maksim]

Timour leans forward and rest his arm on the stable security of the car's window frame. Aiming his gun he draws a bead on the back tire of the escaping vehicle and squeezes off a shot.

"What do I do now?" Maksim asks, continuing to try and get right behind them as Timour lets off his shot. "Just keep following him?"

However, too impatient to really listen for an answer, he has a good look at the street. If it is a wide and significantly vacant street, and the car bumpers are both of similar height, he will wait until an opportune section of the road and he will pull alongside them until his front wheels are aligned with the other car's back wheels, and then attempt a PIT manouevre (which likely wouldn't have been called that back in the day).

If such an opportunity doesn't present itself, he will merely attempt to tail the enemy.