Session Start: Sat Oct 14 13:11:46 2006
<Ked> (H-1)
<Ked> [Monday, April 18, 2039 - 900 local time]
<Ked> [H-1 offices at H-2 headquarters]
<Ked> It's been a relatively slow week since the big training blowout.  The
team even took last Wednesday off, then came back for two days of H-2
orientation classes.
<Ked> This week, the schedule includes some tactical training for the team in
H-2's hostage rescue course, but Monday morning was not blocked out, and Royal
wouldn't explain why.
<Ked> [session start]
<LadyDestiny> Well, I hope you've all been busy.  Some of you have been busier
than others.
* PrincessRoyal raises an eyebrow.
* Ozawa is waiting around in the main room this morning, rather than in the
gear room.  He nurses his coffee.
* LadyTwister smirks, shrugging as she idly wolfs down a donut. "Mph... well,
let's just say that life doesn't wait for even a Magical Girl. Still, what's
the deal with today?"
* LadySnow is busy positioning furniture in the most feng shui way possible.
* LadyDestiny notices Snow at work. "So, did you enjoy your date with my
brother on Tuesday?"
* LadySnow blushes. "You told her?!"
<LadyTwister> ... eeeeeeh? You had yourself a date, girl?
<LadyDestiny> Oh, come on.  I was expecting him for dinner, and when he didn't
show up, I got nosy."
* LadyTwister grins wiiide and starts clapping. "Alright, good for you!"
<LadyDestiny> And he is my brother.  I know how to lean on him, so to speak.
* PrincessRoyal sips coffee, then puts down the mug.  "Today we get to do the
first round of fittings for our new hardsuits."
* LordFate yawns, and nurses some tea.
<LadyTwister> ... wait, hardsuits?
* LadyTwister quickly forgets about dating, and turns to Royal.
<LadySnow> We get what now?
<PrincessRoyal> Yes.  Or, to put it technically, Earth Magic Enhanced Tactical
Body Prostheses.
<LadyDestiny> Sounds expensive.
<LadySnow> Neat!
<Ozawa> Oh, so that's why you picked me?
<LadyTwister> Okay, no one told me we were getting power armor.
<LadySnow> Do um, do they have cooling?
<PrincessRoyal> Peppermint and I talked about it for a bit at the end of the
eval, but everyone seemed rather distracted by then, so it's understandable
you might have missed it.
<LadySnow> I remember!
<LadyTwister> Heh, no fucking kidding about the distracted part.
<PrincessRoyal> They're not cooled, but they're not heated either.
<LadyDestiny> How heavy are they?
* LadyTwister smirks, walking over to pat Chi on the back. "By the way, didja
make some magic on that date of yours?"
* LadySnow looks down for a moment. "I'm sorry about that... I understand
better now what that was all about..."
<PrincessRoyal> It's been an SDF project that I was in charge of and sort of
commandeered from them, to their...dissatisfaction.  Very, very experimental,
and magic-powered.
<LadySnow> It wasn't a date!
<LadyDestiny> The secluded table in the back of the establishment?  Yeah,
sure...
<LadySnow> No, I just wanted to talk with him! About... personal stuff.
* PrincessRoyal puts her hand out, palm-up, neutrally.  "I overreacted at
parts as well, for which I apologize."
<LadyTwister> Bah, fine. Whatever.
<LadyTwister> And... eh, we forgive you, boss. It happens... we're still
feeling each other out.
* LordFate is much more interested in this power armor than in whatever his
sister is girl-talking about with Snow.
<PrincessRoyal> Anyway, the molds and myomers for the stuff need to be
handmade, so it'll be a long while before we get them, but we have to get the
molding done today in order to have it ready.
<LadySnow> Molding?
<LadySnow> Like you're gonna cover us in plaster?
<PrincessRoyal> More like goo.
<LadySnow> N-naked?
<LadyDestiny> Ew.
<LadyTwister> Gee, someone in R&D must love their magic girls naked.
<PrincessRoyal> Perhaps.  Just think of the end result: custom-made magical
powered armor.
<LadyDestiny> I think I'll manage to put up with the goo.
<LadyTwister> Well, that's a better reward than the usual.
* LordFate eyes Royal suspiciously. He looks almost sinister with those bags
under his eyes.
<Ozawa> With this sort of thing, you have to get the body shape exactly right.
* LadySnow bites her lower. "I guess... I can deal with it. We're not going to
all do it at the same time this time, right?"
* Ozawa reached under the desk and taps on his leg, which clunks a little.
"Trust me, I know."
* LadySnow looks under the desk. "What happened to your leg, Mr. Ozawa?"
<LadyTwister> I'd say he lost a lot of it.
<LadySnow> Yeah, but how?
<LadyDestiny> I don't think we should pry into private affairs.
* LadyDestiny knows the irony about talking about the date in public and her
last statement. Be quiet.
<LadySnow> I'm not prying! I'm just asking.
<LadySnow> He doesn't have to tell me if he doesn't want to...
<Ozawa> It was the first week in the Kuwait campaign.  They're not sure what
took it off, but it was something really high-caliber.
* PrincessRoyal winces.
<LordFate> You were lucky, you say.
<LadySnow> Whoa...
<Ozawa> Lucky would have been not being hit at all.
<LadyTwister> Yeow.
* LadySnow experimentally taps his prosthetic leg.
<LadyTwister> ---Chi, have some manners! Ask first!
* Ozawa shrugs.  "I'll settle for - please don't do that."
<LadyDestiny> So, about these suits?
* PrincessRoyal ahems.  "The molding units are single person, but I don't know
how many they're bringing."
<LadySnow> Sorry...
* PrincessRoyal looks at Destiny.  "You mean, what they do?"
<LadySnow> Is it the same thingy that Reaper had?
<LadyTwister> Yeah, knowing what they do aside from keeping our tender fleshy
bits safe would be nice.
<LadyDestiny> Yes, what they do.  One must know what one's tools do before
they can be used.
<LadySnow> Do they fly? Give us super strength?
* PrincessRoyal nods at Snow, then glances back to Twister and Destiny.
"Mostly the pure-defensive bit--armor--but also strength."
<PrincessRoyal> ...a *lot* of strength.
<LadySnow> Cooool!
<LadyDestiny> Could be useful.
<PrincessRoyal> Powered weapons are still in development, so far.
<LordFate> Do the come with intravenous caffeine drips?
<PrincessRoyal> Mostly it'd just be scaled-up stuff that would normally be too
heavy to heft around, anywa--no, Fate, I don't believe so.
<PrincessRoyal> Sorry.
<LadyTwister> A damn shame, huh Fate?
<Ozawa> DNI interfaces, right?  That must be why I'm here.
<PrincessRoyal> Considering the strength capabilities though, I'm sure we'll
be able to...improvise.
<LadySnow> What's a DNI?
* Ozawa starts looking interested.
* PrincessRoyal nods.  "Yep."
* LordFate polishes off his tea. "A shame, indeed."
<Ozawa> Direct neural... well, interfacing.  The I stands for different things
in different places.
<LadySnow> Whoa, it can read minds?
<Ozawa> In this case, I expect that the armor will basically be controlled by
the same signals as your nervous system carries to your muscles.
<LadySnow> That sounds scary.
<LordFate> It is, if you're fighting it.
<LadyTwister> That sounds neat. Won't take long to get used to them, then?
<Ozawa> Thoughts... well, not exactly thoughts, but it can come close.
<LadyDestiny> There aren't any bugs to worry about, are there?
<LadySnow> It won't hurt us though, will it? Do we have to get things
implanted in our necks?
<LordFate> Better not.
<Ozawa> Heh.  No, this is entirely external.  With armor, I suppose that it
could be dangerous if it misreads the signals it gets.
<LadySnow> ... Does that happen a lot?
* PrincessRoyal sips more coffee and nibbles on one of Snow's granola bars,
letting Ozawa field questions for now.
<Ozawa> But that's my specialty - adjusting and configuring DNI interfaces.  I
did a tour with the SDF fighter nerds as a DNI specialist.
<LadyTwister> Hm. Well, does this mean we might be bringing heavier gear into
the field sometimes?
<LadyDestiny> Ideally such gear won't be needed.  But how often are situations
ideal?
<LadySnow> Hmm... how long after we do the molding stuffs do we get to play
with them?
<LordFate> "Ideally" our unit is unnecessary. Given our existence, I think
that answers your question, Sister Dear.
<PrincessRoyal> Two months, probably a little more.
* LadySnow nods. "And is this another one of those secret things we're not
supposed to talk about?"
* LordFate talks through a yawn, "Time'll... fly."
<LadyTwister> Ah well... I'll mark it on my calendar.
<PrincessRoyal> Don't be too specific, you never know with this sort of thing.
<PrincessRoyal> And, Snow--yes.  Very yes.
<LadySnow> Figured.
* LadyTwister promptly pulls her PDA from its holster on her bicep, idly
noting down a few things.
<PrincessRoyal> Though honestly, the less people know about us, the less they
can figure out, which is always for the best.
<Ozawa> And then I bet it'll take another month or two to get the interfaces
configured.
* LadyDestiny nods in agreement with Royal's statement.
<Ozawa> Especially with something you're wearing, this is stuff that has to be
right before you activate it.
<LadyDestiny> How quickly can such armor be put on, should an emergency
happen?
<LadyTwister> I bet it'll take some time... special interface suits?
<Ked> There's a knock at the big door to the garage.
<LadySnow> I'll get it!
* LadySnow bounces over to the door, opening it up.
<LadySnow> Hiii!
* LadyKiss puts a hand to her face as she watches Snow. It looks like she
might have a headache.
<LadyTwister> Heh. Never change.
<Ked> A thirty-ish man steps through the door, in SDF uniform.  He salutes,
then begins pushing the large vehicle door open.
* LadySnow helps open the door up for him.
<LadySnow> Who are you? I'm Lady Snow.
<SergeantIshigaki> Good morning, Ladies, General.  I'm Ishigaki, and I'll be
running the casting sections this morning.
<LadyTwister> Nice to meetcha, sir!
* LordFate holds up his empty teacup in a casual greeting.
* LadyTwister salutes lazily.
<LadySnow> It's a pleasure to meet you!
<LadySnow> Who goes first?
<SergeantIshigaki> I was told you have a workshop here?
<LadyKiss> A pleasure, sir.
<LadySnow> Yeah, it's back over there. *points*
<LadySnow> You need help with your stuff?
* Ozawa goes to the interior door, and pushes it in.
* SergeantIshigaki waves behind him, and a forklift begins unloading pallets
from a truck.
<LadyDestiny> Expensive stuff requires a lot of equipment.
<SergeantIshigaki> No, unless one of you is extremely strong we'll just use
the machinery to move it.
<LadySnow> We will be!
<LadySnow> But not right now...
* LadyKiss just nods still sitting.
* LordFate sighs and rubs his forehead.
* LadySnow goes about moving furniture out of the way so he has an easier time
getting through.
<LadyTwister> So... uh. Full nude, or just down to our skivvies?
<SergeantIshigaki> Full nude, ma'am.
* LadySnow frowns. "Figured..."
<LadySnow> No one can look while I'm doing mine!
<LadyKiss> Don't worry Snow, I'll keep my hands over your boyfriends eyes.
<SergeantIshigaki> And, uh, I hope you have showers here as well?
<LadyTwister> Ah well. Not like I'm gonna look anywayDAMMIT, Kiss!
* LadyTwister starts chuckling. "What, does the stuff stick?"
<LadyDestiny> If he knows what's good for him, he won't need anyone to cover
his eyes.
<PrincessRoyal> Oh, yes, we have showers.
<LadySnow> Yeah we have showers, sir.
<SergeantIshigaki> There's a... residue.  It's unpleasant, but not really
messy.
<LadyKiss> Ah, then you're offering to make sure he doesn't peak Destiny?
<LadySnow> Does that mean all our hair is going to come off again?
<LordFate> Only if none of you peek at me. *grousing*
<SergeantIshigaki> Hair is not a problem.
<LadySnow> No one wants to look at you. *sticks her tongue out*
<LadyTwister> ... looking back, that was easier than waxing.
<LadyKiss> We've seen almost everything you have to offer dear boy.
* LadyTwister hrms, looking thoughtful.
<LadyTwister> Oh, have we ever!
* LadyKiss starts to look thoughtful with Twister.
* PrincessRoyal coughs.
<PrincessRoyal> Well.  Who's going first?
<LadySnow> Me!
<Ked> A half-dozen large, boxlike apparatii have been deposited in the
workshop.
<PrincessRoyal> All right--oh, good, more than one.
* LadyDestiny is more than happy to let someone else have first shot.
<LadySnow> I wanna get my robot first.
* SergeantIshigaki smiles as another truck rolls into the garage.
<SergeantIshigaki> Okay, we'll just drag the hoses through here, and then we
can start.
<LadySnow> Or maybe they all connect together. Like Legos.
<PrincessRoyal> All right, then.
<LadyTwister> Well, at least she's eager about this.
* LadyTwister hrms. "If we do combine, can I form the head?"
<LadySnow> No I meant the boxes... But merging robots... Hmm.
<LadyDestiny> If they're just armor suits, then there won't be much material
to join.
<LadyKiss> I do believe I've never seen Snow so eager to get undressed,
Destiny I simply MUST have a date with your brother.
<LadySnow> Nah, you'd be the chest. *pokes Mari teasingly*
<LadyTwister> Ei! Don't you start!
* LadyTwister rolls her eyes, arm-folding defensively. "Anyway, you hurry on
and get finished."
<LadySnow> This doesn't-- He didn't--! Argh. Stop being mean, Kiss.
* LadySnow goes in the other room to look at the equipment stuff.
<SergeantIshigaki> This is going to take about a half an hour for each of you.
<SergeantIshigaki> We need a standing, a sitting, and several for each of your
hands.
* LadySnow looks down at her hands.
<LadyTwister> Huh. Thorough. So... warm, cold, lukewarm?
<Ked> The hoses fill up with... whatever it is, and opaque pinkish goo begins
to fill the tubs.
<LadySnow> Ewwww.
<SergeantIshigaki> Most people find it a little cold.
<LadyDestiny> Interesting.
<LadySnow> I like cold.
<LadyTwister> Then you're good to go, Snow.
* LadySnow pokes the goo experimentally.
<LadyKiss> Liquid insulation...
<Ked> The goo has about the consistency of toothpaste.
<LadySnow> Feels like toothpaste.
<SergeantIshigaki> All right.  Who's fir-
* LadySnow rubs it between her two fingers.
<LadyTwister> Snow first.
* LadyTwister chuckles, shaking her head.
<Ked> Everyones' PDA beeps at once.
* LadyKiss pulls hers out to look.
* LadyTwister pulls hers off and gives it a looksee.
<LadySnow> Eeep! *grabs it with her non-goo'd hand*
* LadyDestiny gives her PDA a quizzical look.
* LordFate utters a nonsense command, and lets the caller appear on his
monocle.
<Ked> The screens indicate a waiting emergency conference.
<LadySnow> What's that mean?
* Shihei-san appears on each screen as the call is answered.
<LadyTwister> Hrm. I think we're wanted, and----well, if it isn't the happiest
woman on Earth. Yo!
<LadySnow> Hello Ms. Shihei, ma'am.
<Shihei-san> ...good morning to you, too.  I'm afraid we have some business
for you - have you been watching the news this morning?
<LadyKiss> I don't believe we have.
<LadyDestiny> I've been a bit busy, myself.
<LadySnow> We were getting covered in goo...
<LadySnow> Well we were about to.
* LadyTwister quickly calls up a breaking news feed.
* LadySnow holds up her fingers to show the camera.
<LadyTwister> Lessee what's wrong with the world today! I bet it's nothing
friendly.
* LordFate also calls up the news. He must be off the ball if he wasn't paying
peripheral attention to this.
<Shihei-san> There's been an... incident at the Majestic Tiara Arcology.  It's
over, but It's similar enough in some regards to the other night that the
Duchess wants you to go there.
<LadySnow> Now?
<Shihei-san> Now.
* LadySnow looks over at the tubs of goo and frowns.
<LadyDestiny> Well, it looks like the goo will just have to wait.
<SergeantIshigaki> Uh.  We'll stop pumping, then.
<LadyTwister> Reality has shitty timing. Sorry about that, sir.
<SergeantIshigaki> If this is going to take more than today, give me a call.
* LadySnow points to the garage. "To the H-1-mobile!"
<LadySnow> How long is this gonna take?
<Shihei-san> As long as it needs to.
<LadySnow> That's probably pretty long then.
* LadySnow turns to the Sergeant. "Um, yeah I guess we'll give you a call.
We'll probably be a while. Sorry."
* LadyKiss nods slowly standing up. "It's terribly inconvenient but I'm sure
we can all stare at Snow naked another day."
* LordFate is on his feet and moving towards the car. "Let's go, Ladies."
<LadyTwister> Indeed we can!
<Ked> The quickly-accessed news feeds are all shrilly announcing an apparent
Ningyo attack.  Most of them do not have reporters on-scene yet, but there are
pictures of a badly-washed-out indoor mall.
* LordFate rolls his eyes at Kiss's quip.
* LadyTwister picks up and starts to do some research into the 'incident' on
the way. "... water. Hoboy."
<LadySnow> No one is staring at me naked!
<LadyDestiny> Can we discuss this later.  There's business at hand.
<LordFate> Sis, you got the keys?
* LadySnow heads off to the garage and the van.
<Ozawa> Hey, that's my job!
<LadySnow> Shotgun!
<LadyTwister> You better fight for it, then!
<LordFate> Sorry. Old habits. You heard Shihei-san. Move it!
* LadySnow grabs the passenger side door and hops in.
<Ked> Shihei ends the call, but details of the situation continue to feed to
your PDAs from her office.
* LordFate holds the side doors open until everyone else is in, then climbs
into the seat right next to the sliding side door and slams it shut.
* LadySnow reads through them as she waits for everyone to get in.
* Ozawa quickly eyeballs the weapons rack, then goes up to the front seat and
starts the bus.
* LadyKiss follows, stops to grab a whip and pistol, and continues following,
trying to pay attention to the feed if she can.
<LadySnow> Why would Ningyo attack the mall?
* LadyDestiny takes a seat and gets comfy.
<Ked> The team rolls out into a dreary April morning, and heads west on the
beltway.
<LadyTwister> There's bound to be a bunch more questions stemming from that.
<LadyDestiny> Let's not speculate until we get to the scene.  Conjecture at
this point is meaningless.
<Ked> As they pull away, then see helicopters lifting off from both the H-2
and H-4 buildings.
* LordFate frowns at the helicopters.
<LadySnow> But if it is the same people that attacked the parking garage...
Why would they attack here?
* LadySnow pulls up everything she can on the location as well as any details
about any sort of covert operations going on at that location.
<LadyTwister> We won't know until we get there, but expect the worse... and
lots of screaming.
<LadyDestiny> I bet the screaming will be over by the time we get there.
* LadyKiss sighs. "I have the feeling that the press screaming will just be
starting.
<LadySnow> Do you think they'll be taking pictures?
* LadySnow checks her hair in the mirror.
<LadyKiss> Of course they will.
<LadyTwister> Yeah, so mind your manners. And try not to stand out.
<LadyDestiny> Just ignore them.  They are not why we're going there.  Just
stick to the job at hand.
<LadySnow> Right.
* LadySnow goes back to reading the info Shihei sent over.
<Ked> Indeed, news reports are that the attack was over within minutes, though
how it ended seems to be unknown.
<Ked> Snow finds a lot of data on the Majestic Tiara Arcology, but little of
it seems useful.
<LadyDestiny> I'm going to scout out nearby buildings.  If it is similar to
the last attack, then evidence should be on nearby buildings.
<Ozawa> It's inside the arcology, my lady.  There won't BE nearby buildings.
<LadyDestiny> Well, never mind.
<LadyKiss> I...have a stupid question. If it was Ningyo wouldn't we have felt
something or a lady near by?
<Ozawa> If there were Ladies nearby.  Not a lot go for arcology life, you
know.
<LadyTwister> Likely, but it depends on who was on the scene. We'll keep an
eye out for other MGs.
* LadySnow looks up addresses of nearby Ladies to see if anything might've
sensed Sea Magic before or during or even after the attack.
<Ked> The bus heads into western Tokyo, and a massive building rises ahead of
them.  It must be ten city blocks square, and at least fifty stories tall.
Two stories below the top, a band of glowing yellow is the building's only
decoration.
<LadyTwister> So... dull. But I guess that's what a self-contained little
world tends to be like.
* LadyBobOmb has been pretty quiet. She's been poring over her PDA.
* LadyDestiny has been trying to relax this trip.
* LordFate has been staring sullenly out the window, rather edgy.
* LadySnow looks up at it. "They're so cool... I want one."
<Ked> Helicopters are landing on the roof of the building, and police have
marked off a lane for emergency vehicles to approach.
* Ozawa pulls in line between two H-4 mobile command trucks, and drives
straight into the basement of the massive structure.
* LadySnow pulls up maps to try and figure out where they're going.
* LadyKiss is quiet, eyes closed, thinking.
* LadyBobOmb taps into the local H-team communications, listening in and
having Glitch pick out any pertinent details that might come up that haven't
already.
<Ked> The bus goes past the normal parking garage entrances, and into the
service level.  The "road" here is a floor between pipes the diameter of the
bus cabin, and almost-subsonic rumbling sounds can be felt from the
surrounding physical plant.
* LadyBobOmb also checks on the ANL response or presence. They worry her.
<LadySnow> This is so neat.
* LadySnow looks at all the pipes, trying to figure out what they all do.
<LadyTwister> I dunno about neat. Impressive, though.
<LadySnow> Have you guys been in one of these before?
<Ked> News crews are reporting that the ANL is already staging a rally near
the shopping center.
<LadyDestiny> I've not been here before, no.
* LadyKiss frowns a bit and starts to twiddle with her PDA.
<LadySnow> They're so big. It's really cool. I took a tour this one time and
they showed us all sorts of neat stuff.
* Ozawa slows as the bus pulls into a more-open space, and parks in a line of
ambulances, trooper transports, and agency cars.  There are hundreds of
police, H-2, and H-4 personnel moving about.
<LadyTwister> ... shit, that's a lot of people. How far are we from the scene?
<LadySnow> That's a lot of people... Will we even be able to see anything like
this?
* LadySnow looks around for whoever is in charge.
<LadyDestiny> I think we'll manage.
* LadyBobOmb glances up for a moment, at Destiny's comment, then resumes
poring over her PDA.
<LadyTwister> We don't have much of a choice, now do we? And Snow, don't leave
us behind, now!
<LadySnow> I'm not leaving! I'm just looking!
* LadyNeko knocks on the bus door.  "SIS?"
* LadyBobOmb smiles. "Hai!" She tucks away her PDA, and stands up.
* LadySnow opens her door, looking out. "Hi!"
* LordFate looks at BobOmb curiously.
* LadySnow hops out of the van.
* LadyKiss takes a moment to compose herself, taking a deep breath, and
getting ready to talk her way through, then she notices the sister comment and
just smiles.
<LadyTwister> ... hoboy. Well, at least we'll get info easier.
<LadyNeko> Good.
* LadyDestiny gets a look of surprise on her face, as if she figured something
out that she didn't know before.
<LadySnow> We're here to look at the, um scene.
* LadyTwister gets out as well, turning her PDA on and adjusting the
earpiece/micro-camera combo deal. "... heh, fancy meeting you here, ma'am."
<LadyNeko> Yeah, well, I caught lead on this one.  You're covered here as H-2
SIS, so you can throw your weight around.
<LadySnow> Alright!
* LadyBobOmb walks out of the van, smiling one of those shiny, dazzling smiles
at Neko. She looks like she's -trying- to be more neutral, but it's just not
working. "So what progress have you made so far?"
<LadySnow> Can you show us what you know so far?
<LadyTwister> Anything, as always, would help. I've a feeling this is going to
get weird pretty fast.
<LadyNeko> Everyone is really just getting here.  I haven't been upstairs yet,
but the H-4 hazmat squad is securing the scene.
<LadySnow> Hazmat?
<LadySnow> For what?
<LadyDestiny> I bet we find more traces of Earth Magic behind this attack.
<LadyNeko> ...it was suggested, after... you know... that we should check it
out.
* LadySnow nods. "Did they find anything?"
<LadyTwister> True, true. Any word on them finding---yeah.
* LadyNeko starts walking towards a massive support column.
* LadySnow follows.
<LadyNeko> No, there's nothing up there except lots of sea water and debris
from the destruction.
<LadyKiss> Nothing?
<LadyNeko> Or if there is anything, H-4's detectors are not sensing it.
<LadyKiss> No explosives, no magic, no signs of tampering?
<LadySnow> Do you know if there are any Ladies that were nearby that sensed
anything?
<LadyNeko> No Ladies within two kilometers, I'm afraid.  There are a couple
who have penthouses here, but they were at work downtown.
<LadyTwister> Mn. Well, there has to be a motive... and a way for the attack
to have happened in the first place. I assume ningyo do have access to the
arcology?
<LadySnow> Bah. Any idea how they got in and out?
<LadyNeko> It is Ningyo-accessible, at least on the lower floors.  And we
don't think the attacker got out.
<LadySnow> So they're still in here?
<LadyNeko> ...no.
<LadyTwister> Okay, what?
* LadyNeko reaches the pillar, and steps into a waiting elevator.
* LadySnow follows.
<LadyDestiny> Well, let's go then.
* LadyTwister follows, looking rather confused.
* LadyKiss slowly follows.
<Ked> As the doors close, the Deputy Director continues.
<LadyNeko> There's an Ningyo corpse in the middle of the mess.
<LadySnow> Do we know time of death yet?
* LadyBobOmb nods. "How did it happen?"
<LadyTwister> Well, that explains that. But... hm.
<LadyDestiny> It doesn't explain anything.
<LadyNeko> As near as we can tell, the time of the attack.
* LadyTwister rubs her chin, muttering to herself faintly.
<LadySnow> What's the cause?
* LadyKiss takes a deep breath looking over everything.
<LadyNeko> Gunshot.
<LadyTwister> Must've been a damn good shot, or a not-so-tough ningyo.
<LadySnow> Do we have the shooter? Or shooters?
<LadyNeko> No.
<LadySnow> ...
<LadyBobOmb> What caliber?
<LordFate> It wasn't the Ningyo, then. At least, not alone.
<LadySnow> Well. What about cameras or witnesses?
<LadyNeko> ...it's a mess.  You'll see in a moment.
* LadyBobOmb nods, and has Glitch start a search through the Arcology records
and all the various PDAs in the network for any kind of coverage. "How much
video or audio coverage do we have so far?"
<LadySnow> Has the ningyo been ID'd?
<Ked> The elevator opens up in a huge indoor mall.  It's a six-story canyon in
the middle of the building with shops lining the sides, and open space in the
building above it.
* LadySnow steps out, looking all around.
<LadyTwister> Maaaaan. Huge.
<LadyNeko> There's surveillance, but we'll be a long time collecting all the
witness footage.  There are a LOT of people around.
<LadyDestiny> Pretty gutsy to attack like this.
<LadySnow> We need to get names and addresses of all of them.
<LadyNeko> That's not your job, Snow.  Let us handle that.
<LadyTwister> Rather, but then we have to find out who put the ningyo down to
get some additional answers.
<LadySnow> Sorry. I'm just saying. We should.
* LadyKiss follows, staying quiet and taking this all in.
<Ked> The bottom level of the artificial canyon is filled with a meter of
water.  The balconies on one side of the mall, about three hundred meters
ahead of you, have collapsed, and water continues to waterfall out of the
fifth-level walkway.
* LadyTwister shakes her head. "God... the base structure's sound, at least?"
<LadyNeko> ...we think so.
<LordFate> I assume the repair crews are already on their way, if not already
here. That's not our department.
<LadySnow> We have a possible suspect I think we should check against all the
people who were here to see if any of them match up.
<LordFate> Though we should investigate the damage.
<LadySnow> How far down can we go?
* LadyNeko is leading the team to the collapsed section.
<LadyKiss> Yes, has any one looked at it yet?
* LadyDestiny follows along, looking around for details others may miss by
engaging in conversation.
* LadyBobOmb walks. She takes out her PDA and starts capturing footage.
<LadyNeko> I'm not sure... but the Ningyo body is on the second level.
* LadySnow looks around as she talks.
<LadyTwister> There's probably someone on that, but for now let's just see our
beautiful fishy ex-ningyo.
* LadyZero is watching her crew mark off a crime scene to keep the repair and
rescue teams away from the body.
* LadyKiss nods.
<Ked> As the team approaches, they see the Ningyo's fluke on the balcony
ahead.
<LadyTwister> And there we go.
<LadyZero> Ah, you guys again.
<LadySnow> Hi, Miss Zero!
<LadyZero> Did you ever figure out that... you know?
* LadyZero glances around.
<LadyTwister> Things are still up in the air. That's all I can say.
<LadyBobOmb> We've got a few answers, but many more questions.
<LadySnow> We're uh, yeah.
<LadyKiss> We are still looking into it. What can you tell me about the hole?
* LadyBobOmb shakes her head. "So, nothing yet."
<LadyZero> Well, we're still going over the mess here, but from the witnesses
we encountered, the first sign was when water exploded out of a tanning salon
on the fifth.
* LadyZero points up at where the business was.  It's little more than a hole
in the wall now.
<LadyKiss> So bets are it happened suddenly.
* LadySnow looks to where she points.
<LadyTwister> ... a lotta water. So that must've been one hell of a shot.
<LadyZero> And it kept coming, and coming, faster and faster.
* LadyKiss glances up and nods. "Small hole, pressure does the rest."
<LadyZero> There were a few actual blasts out of the shop.
<LadySnow> So did anyone actually see the Ningyo making the water?
<LadySnow> Blasts of what?
* LadyBobOmb frowns.
* LadyZero points across to the other side, where several storefronts
collapsed, but the balconies are intact.
<Ked> They're dripping as much as anything else, so you guess it was water.
<LadyTwister> Good old-fashioned saltwater, methinks. Damn.
<LadyBobOmb> Are there any other Ningyo in the area?
* LadyTwister starts towards the fluke. "But why in the hell would she attack
to begin with?"
<LadyZero> Eventually, the balconies overloaded on this side, crumbled under
the flow, and we got the damage you see.
<LadyZero> None of us have sensed any.
* LadyNeko is looking at her PDA.  "Hospitality services for the arcology
report that there were no Ningyo guests expected today."
* LadyBobOmb blinks, looking around. "Have you found out anything regarding
the tanning salon?"
* LadyTwister , if not stopped, will try her damnedest to actually get a
looksee at the fish up close. "Anyone have some latex gloves?"
<LadyNeko> They were taking delivery of new tanning beds today, but we've not
found any survivors from the store yet.
* LadyBobOmb glances at Glitch, seeing if it can pull up anything on the
tanning salon, especially if there's been Ningyo there before.
* LadyBobOmb , as an afterthought, does a search for any known relationships
between Ningyo + Tanning. Might be something there.
<LadySnow> How would a Ningyo even get in here?
<LadyTwister> ... I really need to carry an evidence kit with me more often.
Damn it...
<Ked> Kasumi finds out that Ningyo don't tan.  Who knew?
<LadyBobOmb> ...
* LadyBobOmb frowns. "The Ningyo of before were able to suddenly appear in
areas."
<LadyZero> Anyway, the water kept coming for about four or five minutes.  Most
of the casualties are from the flash flood on the lowest level.
<LadySnow> Alright. What happened next?
<LadyZero> Then... it stopped.
<LadyBobOmb> Was there any sense of sea magic when it happened?
<LadyBobOmb> Before, during, or after?
<LadyZero> No one was nearby who could sense if there was.
<LadyNeko> I told you, no Ladies in the building.
* LadyTwister frowns, looking towards the balcony edge... then tries to move
so that she can pull the ningyo away from the balcony. "Need to see how she
bought it..."
<LadySnow> So then how'd she get from there to here?
* LadyDestiny continues to look around the area. Scoping out various nearby
places, good attack points, that sort of thing.
* LadyBobOmb zooms in with her PDA on the floating fluke, getting a closer
look at it.
* LadyTwister tugs her away enough to feel comfy with a close-up inspection,
giving her body a few prods and presses here and there... then lifts her head
and looks behind it... and back to the very empty left eye socket. "Beautiful
shot, no exit."
<LadyTwister> Must've scrambled her brain in no time.
<LadySnow> Eww don't touch it!
<LadyZero> Anyway, they found the body here when rescue teams were searching
the area.
* LadyBobOmb then joins Destiny in doing much the same thing, figuring out
possible entrances and exits, locations for attackers, etc.
<LadySnow> Where were the witnesses at that point?
* LadyTwister sighs, using a little bit of standing water to clean her hands.
"I imagine the shot killed her, or at least put her close enough. Looks like
she fell enough to add injury to injury, to boot."
<LadyZero> My folks have sniffed it all - no radiation, no biologicals or
toxic chemicals.
* LadyBobOmb takes a closer look at the eye-socket. Bullet wound or
blade/stick thing?
<LadySnow> But did anyone actually see this ningyo attacking people?
<LadyTwister> If you ask me, I'd say it was someone who was good. Really good,
or lucky. Maybe both.
<LadyDestiny> Given past experiences, I'd side with good.
<LadyTwister> Shit, wish I had some forceps...
* LadyBobOmb takes a couple more visuals, and then tries doing an visual ID on
her.
* LadyTwister frowns. "And a penlight. I'd feel bad trying to root around in
her skull just for the fuck of it."
<LadyZero> Let the autopsy do that.
<LadyKiss> Want me to look at it?
<LadyTwister> Bah, I knew I got into the wrong department.
* LadyTwister smirks, grimly, rising and shaking her hands as dry as she can.
<LadyTwister> I imagine you'll try to determine what gun that round came from.
I'd like to get that info when it's dredged up, if you don't mind sharing.
<LadyBobOmb> Can you tell what range she was shot at?
<LadyTwister> Close enough that if the barrel were a mouth, it could lick her
eyeball clean.
<LadyTwister> How someone got that close, though...
<LadyBobOmb> In any case, the Ningyo was a victim.
<LadyTwister> But then you have to explain the wide scale water damage.
<LadyTwister> And, well, we got ourselves a body. And... hm.
* LadyNeko frowns and taps at her PDA.  "We haven't found anyone yet that saw
the Ningyo before the attack.  Or for that matter, before her body was found."
<LadyBobOmb> I'm not sure about that part yet. Maybe self defense.
* LadyTwister idly dips her finger in a random puddle and gives it a taste.
<LadySnow> I don't think this Ningyo did this.
<Ked> It's seawater, or a good analogue thereof.
<LadyTwister> Yep, seawater.
<LadySnow> I think we're just supposed to think that.
<LadyTwister> Maybe, but you have to exhaust the obvious angles first.
<LadySnow> I take it that means no one saw the shooter either? What about the
weapon?
<LadyZero> ...come on, I mean, this was classic Ningyo attack!
<LadyBobOmb> Was it?
<LadyZero> We've not found a gun yet.
<LadyTwister> Well, maybe, but we need a motive.
<LadyNeko> It certainly does look like ones I saw in the war.
<LadySnow> The Ningyo aren't attacking us though! They wouldn't just start for
no reason.
<LadyDestiny> Who would leave the weapon lying around?
<LadyTwister> And so far it's 'because', which usually isn't enough. And this
isn't the war, ma'am.
<LadyNeko> A few more of these, and it could be.
<LadySnow> Well. How many people have left since the attack? If the weapon
isn't here, then someone has it.
<LadySnow> I don't think we should let any of the witnesses leave.
<Ked> There's shouting from another two hundred meters down the canyon - the
Anti-Ningyo League has gotten protesters into the mall.
<LadyZero> ...you're kidding, right?
<LadySnow> No I'm not!
<LadySnow> Whoever did this must still be here.
<LadyDestiny> Great.  Just great.
* LadyTwister looks up. "And we have jackasses. Someone make them vanish,
please."
<LadySnow> Gosh darn it!
<LadyZero> Witness control here is a lost cause.  Everyone ran out of the
mall, and are you going to lock down a half-million people in the whole
arcology?
<LadySnow> Would you rather have a war?
<LadyTwister> Snow, we couldn't without causing a scene...
<LadyZero> How would we even begin to interview that many?!
<LadySnow> They already caused a scene!
<LadySnow> This is a scene!
* LadyTwister sighs. "Even if it's Hierarchy business, people will bitch about
their civil rights being stomped on. We'll hafta do it another way."
<LadySnow> Argh.
<LadyTwister> Perhaps checking to see if any of the recorded witnesses
leaves...
<LadyNeko> We're calling for people to come forward, especially those with
video logs.
<LadySnow> I don't think they'd let themselves be video taped. You saw what
they did at the parking garage.
<Ked> H-4 is trying to contain the ANL group, but the protesters are entering
the mall at multiple levels, and it's obviously going to take a while to run
them all down.
<LadyTwister> If it's them... but still, here's to hoping someone speaks up.
<LadyDestiny> There will be video, I have no doubt.  But I have my doubts as
to whether or not we should believe it.
<LadyNeko> Do you think it's the same people?
<LadySnow> We wouldn't be here if we didn't.
* LadyBobOmb frowns. "The ANL are suspects."
<LadySnow> Right now I want to know who this Ningyo is.
<Ked> [end session]
Session Close: Sat Oct 14 16:39:33 2006