Session Start: Sat Sep 17 15:38:05 2005 Previously, on Hunters: A missing person case that walked in off the street turned into a magical girl rescue... which turned into a hasty evacuation from a burning apartment tower. Oh, and Leena got her Mallet back! Sakura and Squeegee were known to be in talks with the Americans about something, and a day or two later the Secretary informed the team that a deal had been reached for Squeegee's help with the underwater demolition. The Hunters still needed to help out at the US Navy command center at USC for a few more days - there had been no sign of Ningyo since the last attack, though, so it ought to be easy enough... right? [Monday, March 21, 2004 - 2120 local time] [The team trailer in the Navy encampment at USC] * LadyMallet is braiding her hair, staring in a mirror at an angle while she does so, fastening it every so often with some red hair bands. * Lord_Darkmoon is playing on that game system. Something called 'Samurai Showdown'. He keeps laughing, for odd reasons. * LadyHeat fiddles with her hair a she sits on the floor. [Session start, or something.] * LadyNightshade sits cross-legged on the roof by herself. Mmm, quietness. * Lady_MakeBelieve is sitting in a corner, with several occult texts and maps. * Lady_MakeBelieve huffs. "Nobody knows anything about surveying, do they?" * LadyRoyal glances over idly. "What sort of surveying are we talking about, here?" No, but I can try to read maps. * Lord_Darkmoon beats whatever he's working on, and looks up. "Not in particular. Why?" Eh? Dunno. I'm trying to map the intersection of a bunch of lines, but they get deformed by terrain... and I'm having trouble reading these survey maps. * LadyMysteria sighs, ticking her head back and forth. "I don't know a thing, unfort. Sorry..." Have you tried a topological map? Those are usually completely top-down. * LadyRoyal goes and looks over Haruko's shoulder. I'm good at finding my way around places, but I'm used to street maps. * Lady_MakeBelieve looks over at Darkmoon. That’s what I'm using :P Oh. Oh wait, no topographical I think its called. Sorry, Make Believe, that exhausts my ideas. * LadyNightshade meditates in peaceful obliviousness. Well, these're the Dragon Lines, right? Yeah. Do they just go straight regardless of terrain? ... Dragon Lines? I have references that list where they went *indicates texts*, but there's been a lot of earth moving since then. Dragon Lines? What're those? * LadyMysteria blinks a few times, also confused. Dragon Lines, um, they're also called Ley lines? They carry earth power. ... oh, they're linked to the ground, then. Hm. ... aaaah. That's related to... geomancy and all that, right? The map is dated to the 18th century. The books are older. And apparently they pool in valleys, and move around peaks and such. * LadyMallet clamps down her current progress on her braid with one hand, and goes over to look over Haruko's shoulder. * LadyRoyal shakes her head. "Can't make heads or tails out of it." I wish I could, too, but that's... a lot. And how old is all this information, anyway? Well, figure out where they should meet then, I guess. Why? And then see if where they meet is still the same place today. Does this research serve a purpose, or is it simply a hobby? I can try to correlate it with road maps if you want. Its where the Dragon Lord is! ... it's only been... a couple of hundred years, right? The land can't have moved that much. I see. * LadyMallet giggles. "And if that doesn't work, check Tokyo Tower." I thought they could be moved by things like large amounts of deaths. * Lord_Darkmoon cracks a small smile at Leena's joke. You'd be surprised. Building and landscaping can do a lot in ten years, let alone a hundred. No... something about the sky lines meeting there. So illnesses and battles could affect them, right? Sky lines? * LadyMysteria looks genuinely confused. It's another sort of energy... I think. The books aren't very clear. ...I am going to check on Nightshade. *steps outside* * LadyMallet blinks. "... Ley is earth. Sky...? Are there water lines?" * LadyMallet frowns. Um, I didn't see any. You're welcome to look through the books if you want. Would Shrines count as fire lines? Since there are quite a few sacred fires. ... I bet the sugarglider could find these lines. * CaptainWallace has snuck into the trailer and is looking over Haruko's shoulder as well. "Is this some sort of homework project?" Especially where they all meet. * LadyMallet blinks, and looks behind her. "Hey." * Lord_Darkmoon looks up to the roof, spotting Taki, and then tries to find a ladder up. ^Oh, Hi Captain Wallace.^ No, this is... a magical girl thing. * LadyMysteria glances up at the Captain and smiles. "Hello, Captain." Wouldn't we be able to feel where they meet since we can sense Sea Magic? * LadyRoyal looks up and nods to Wallace. And I can feel them when they are near, but they don't spill out into the environment much. That’s why its important to be on top of them if you want to use the energy. Well, how about we find where they're supposed to intersect then. Then you and her go out there and feel it out. I can sense there's one near here for example, but I can't tell you direction. But you could sense where there's a bunch of them. Huh. Way over my head, I guess. But if we took you somewhere, could you tell if we were getting further away from it? Yeah, I guess it might be worth plotting where the old ones intersected, and seeing if the current intersection could be felt from there. Play Sugarglider Hot and Cold! * Lord_Darkmoon finds his way up to the top. "See anything interesting up here, Nightshade?" Are you doing endorsements for Square now? * LadyMallet giggles, then frowns again. "The skylines thing kinda worries me, though." I hate to interrupt... Something's up? I dunno, the books don't talk about them much since they said they were hard to tap... oh, sorry, go ahead. Skylines... another possible factio---eh? Captain? * LadyNightshade opens her eyes at the disturbance and looks up at Darkmoon. "Huh? Oh. No. I was just uh... thinking." * LadyMallet makes a pouty face. "Well, interrupt already, then!" Oh. Any interesting insights, then? I wish. Did your, uh, Princesses tell you what the plan is? Not...exactly. Nothing in detail. * LadyMallet shakes her head. * CaptainWallace sits down. They started talking bout Make Believe's dragon lord. Thought I'd come make sure you're still breathing, and all. So, are you going to tell us about the plan? * LadyRoyal sits back to listen intently. But wouldn't the Dragons be sky? Since they fly and all. Maybe they're also fire. * LadyMysteria turns to focus on Wallace, looking serious. Ugh. *shakes her head* Yeah, I'm still breathing, I guess. Sssh, Heat, Wallace is talking. * LadyMallet sighs, and focuses on Wallace. "Well?" That's good. What with your massive ninja sneakiness, sometimes it's hard to tell. * LadyHeat zones back in. Very early Wednesday morning, we're flying Princess Squeegee out over the bay, along with a very, uh, large bomb. Hopefully this will be settled then. We're going to need you through the end of the week, but after that we'll pack up and move out. * LadyRoyal half-chokes. "With a *what*?" That's just the way we like it. * LadyNightshade tries to fake a smile. We'll destroy the carrier, of course. That'll end the threat. * Lord_Darkmoon returns it, maybe just a bit more genuine, if smaller. "Something bothering you? Your silence seems more sullen, and less mysterious, than usual." ... what about Squeeg? What about her? It's uh... personal. She's going to be safe from this, uh... 'large bomb', right? Wait, weren't there nukes in there? * LadyRoyal lets out a breath, thinking. Isn't it a bad idea to just blow them up? Didn't we already discuss the "Giant irradiated Ningyo" possibility? Large... bomb. Please say it's conventional. Oh, she'll be well out of harms' way. The bomb goes off on the bottom of the bay, and she'll be jetting away before it even detonates. * Lord_Darkmoon stands just behind Nightshade, and rests a hand on her shoulder. "I understand. If you do feel the need to talk about it, though, I...or Rin...will always be ready to listen. That's what friends are for, after all." * LadyNightshade nods and places her hand over his. "Thank you." Okay. So where do we come in? You don't. Well, taking into account success, what should we expect after this? And yes, where do we fit in? Defen---uh. Oh, I see. * LadyMallet frowns. I'm just telling you so you understand what the schedule is, and because you deserve to know. For what it's worth...I'm sorry about yesterday. * LadyMallet glances at Maya. "Am I the only one who has a bad feeling about this?" Probably not. For what? * LadyNightshade blinks. I don't think I like it either. So what's this about needing us through the end of the week? Just to make sure nothing happens beforehand? The, um, live swords, and property damage. *lets loose a short, self-deprecating 'heh'* No, see. What bothers me is that I think we should be there, just in case. It's the perfect chance to ruin things beautifully, and if I were the Ningyo, I'd take it. Well, we need to take a day to survey after the drop, just to be sure we don't have to hit it again. Oh uh that. Don't worry about it. We don't scar anyway. And then it'll take a day or two to pack up. I see. ... I imagine the fish will be pretty pissy following the fact. That's... a possibility. After we kill a bunch of them? Probably. That's what I've been saying... * LadyMallet rubs her hands together. "Especially if -that- fish is still there." And... Captain. Have you and your men been keeping an eye on USC? * Lord_Darkmoon nods. "You going to stay up here, or join us below for a bit? They're probably done discussing that thing by now. And I need an opponent for Bushido Blade who won't complain about lethal moves." The ROV's are showing fewer Ningyo hanging around the carrier this week, though. We think they're moving on. I guess I can go down if you really miss me that much... Just for a bit, at least. It's not like the quiet night's going anywhere; you can come back up after showing the others I didn't just hide your body. *winks, squeezing her shoulder companionably before backing up* USC has still been slow in handling our requests, but they're not doing anything overt. * LadyNightshade stands up slowly. "Alright but if it does go anywhere I'm holding you personally responsible." * Lord_Darkmoon bows. "I shall call off my scenery-changing minions post- haste, m'Lady," he jokes, heading down the ladder. I'm just worried. It's... too perfect a moment to go smoothly. Someone should be there. * LadyNightshade hops down after him, beating him to the ground. Yeah. When has anything ever gone right for us? We're forgetting that Squeegee's part of the plan, and she's pretty powerful in her own right. Well, they turn out alright in the end, but that's no excuse for not taking precautions. The Princess said she'd bring along a few, uh, friends. She implied that they would be better suited than you, when I asked. I'm sure that if she decides she wants a guard, she can bring one along. Squeegee's powerful, yes, but she's still just one person. And... ah, is that so? * LadyNightshade heads into the trailer and notices the Captain is there. * LadyRoyal nods. "Good." * Lord_Darkmoon smirks at Nightshade. "Cheater." He holds the door open, gesturing for her to precede him. "Lady's first." * LadyMysteria sighs a little. "... why do I feel bad that we're not doing protection duty for once?" * LadyNightshade thwaps Darkmoon, "You could've told me the captain was here!" * Lord_Darkmoon blinks. "I didn't know." * Lord_Darkmoon didn't even block. Shame on him. * LadyNightshade sighs. * LadyMallet waves at Darkmoon and Nightshade. * LadyNightshade steps in and tries to blend into the background while she tries to figure out exactly what is going on. * LadyRoyal nods at Darkmoon and Nightshade. "Good of y'all to join us. The U.S. is going to blow up the bay with Squeegee." Hey Nightshade! Didja hear the plans? ^Good evening, Captain Wallace. What is the purpose of your visit?^ --ah. So she agreed to it? May I suggest setting nets across the harbor exits so that no fish can evacuate? And, sort of on a minor note, no lasting environmental impact, yes? ... like a net will hold them. We're not trying to kill the Ningyo. Just secure our, uh, interests. If there are Ladies guarding it, it can. * Lord_Darkmoon sighs. "As you say. Pity." Anyway. Very well... * CaptainWallace stands. "It's been good working with all of you, and I hope we can continue to cooperate in the future." * LadyMysteria nods, smiling a bit thinly. "I hope so as well, Captain." * LadyNightshade nods, "Indeed." You have our number. * Lady_MakeBelieve also looks a bit strained "Right" Mm-hmmm. * Lord_Darkmoon bows. "^It has been of interest, this experience.^" * LadyMallet holds up a hand, in a high-five gesture. "It's been fun, and I hope we'll have some more fun in the future." I'll see you later this week. * CaptainWallace steps out of the trailer. * LadyRoyal broods. * LadyMallet looks at her hand still held up, and at the departing Wallace, then pouts, and goes back to braiding her hair. Mmmmmn. It still bothers me... but Squeegee's on it with some high-end Ladies, odds are. So uh. What are we doing? Guarding this facility until then, I would guess. We're pulling guard duty here before and after the big show, it looks like. I'm glad we're not going to be here for the bomb. Pity. I would like to see the fish fry. ... that still bothers me. Well they know their technology better than we do. Though, it really is not the Americans' place to take the fight into the Sea. ... nothing much we can do about that, though. I'm still curious about this whole lines thing. What lines? One of these days, we shall have to make strikes against them the way they do us. If this is ever to end. *voice lowers at the end, almost hopelessly* Want to help me plot the old lines then? It really isn't, but it might be a good idea to see just what they can do. Yeah! Darkmoon's phone rings abruptly. Who is it? And if there's sky lines, and the possibility of ... sea lines, we can probably justify getting the palace to foot some heavier research to that end. * Lord_Darkmoon blinks, and pulls it out. "Lord Darkmoon speaking." * LadyMallet blinks at the phone. What lines? The dragon lines! ... I'm sorry, I must have a wrong number. Oh. Great. They're ley lines, kinda. ... and they carry Earth Magic. Make-Believe's been doing work with... ley lines, and whatnot. It's... confusing, to me at least. It's confusing to me too. And there might be sea lines. And the more we know about both sets of those, the better. * LadyNightshade mumbles something about them carrying craziness. Don't they also talk about the lines in British and Chinese literature? * LadyMysteria then looks to Rinada, but doesn't say anything. Heat: Yeah, but I'm specifically looking for Japanese ones. * Lord_Darkmoon 's eyes widen, then narrow. "Oh. Good bye." He hangs up, looking a bit off-kilter. I mean we can look for more about them there, like what they do. Well, I don't really care what they do. I think the Dragon Lord knows though. ...how did she...? * Lord_Darkmoon eyes the phone. "...oh. Wrong phone. Well, damn." The phone rings again. ... Rin? * LadyMysteria sidles over closer, catching the off-kilterness. ...? * LadyMallet blinks. "Something wrong?" Close the window-drapes, quickly, please. *looks for an out-of- the-way corner* It's my mother. ...Oh. * LadyRoyal frowns. "What's going--oh." * LadyNightshade heads around closing all the blinds. ... * Lord_Darkmoon moves into an area with as little outside access as possible, and detransforms in a shimmer of purple. ... uh. ... if you don't wanna talk to her, turn off the phone? Let one of us talk? It's still ringing... No, I've been trying to reach her. * LadyMysteria holds a hand up to Mallet, but doesn't say anything. * LadyMallet giggles. "I know! We're holding Rin ransom for a bike!" No, that’s just you. No, they'd probably send the police after us. They're rich, remember? That would probably be a *terrible* idea. Guys be quiet. Aww. ;_; Let's not freak her mom out. * Rin flips it open again. "Hello?" She makes shushing gestures with her free hand. Rin-chan? * LadyRoyal watches silently. * LadyMallet shuts up. ;_; * Mother sounds... strange. Excited, happy, worried... * LadyMysteria stays close to Rin, not having minded the transformation much. Hello, Mother. It is good to hear from you again. * LadyHeat looks at Haruko's maps and such. Have you been well? * LadyMallet keeps braiding her hair. * LadyNightshade stays near Leena to make sure she stays quiet. I have. Rin, I just was contacted by your father. Oh! *schools herself back to polite and calm tones* His business is going well, I trust? * Rin 's face is not at all as calm as her voice. In fact, those might be tears in her eyes. He did not say. Well, not precisely. He apparently still can not come home, at least for two weeks or so. * LadyRoyal politely looks away when she notices Rin's expression. * Lady_MakeBelieve does her best to explain quietly to Heat what she's doing Where has he been? It is not like him to be away without contacting you regularly for so long. * LadyMysteria rocks a bit back and forth, looking nervous and concerned all at the same time. * LadyNightshade shushes Haruko. He would not tell me why he has been out of touch. Just that something came up where he had the opportunity to call home. * Lady_MakeBelieve brushes Nightshade off. * LadyNightshade looks rather annoyed but does not kill her just yet. Rin-chan... he wants you to leave Tokyo again. * Rin closes her eyes. "Did he say why, this time?" He explained no more than last time. If anything, he seems surer that it is necessary to leave, though he is much less clear about when this bad thing is to happen. When last he had me leave for a time, no catastrophe leveled the city. I do not wish to leave; my friends are here, and my school. I am only a year away from graduation. * LadyRoyal 's eyebrows shoot up at that. I do wish to see you and he again, Mother. Father's concerns worry me for his sake, though. You are sure -he- is alright? * Mother hesitates. "...I am worried. There is too much he can not talk about, even to his wife." Yes. Rin, I will not tell you what you should do - all the reasons you stayed last time are still valid. But I do wish for you to be safe. * LadyHeat attempts to trace the lines with her fingers. Her fingers get twisted quickly - these lines are not straight, and even on the page it looks almost like they are moving. I am as safe as I was when you and Father moved away. I will take care of myself. *sighs quietly* Perhaps I can spend a weekend with you and Father when he returns, in two weeks. I would see what he has accomplished in his exalted position. And I miss you. I miss you too, dear. * LadyHeat whispers to Haruko. "This is really hard." * Rin blinks, and a couple tears fall from her eyes. "Give Father my love when next you hear from him. Tell him... whatever happens, I have learned his and your lessons of honor well, and that I ask him - both of you - to trust that I will do what is right, just as I trust him. I love you, Mom." * Lady_MakeBelieve whispers back. "I know. I wish modern scholars had done something with this" I'm sure some have... we could look online. I... of course. I love you as well. Be well. * Mother hangs up I shall. Y-- *pulls the phone from her ear, and closes it before pocketing it* Well? * LadyNightshade looks up at Rin. "Is everything okay?" ... Rin. * Rin turns away, facing the wall. She pulls out her Tessen, and waves it in front of her face before using it to transform again. * LadyRoyal waits for Rin to transform, then looks up. "I gather something's up." Feel free to look it up, I don't think anyone else is using the computer ... Yeah. Spill. I hope nobody needs to reach me tonight. I took the wrong phone with me. * LadyHeat decides to wait for Rinada to talk. * LadyRoyal shakes her head at the follies of the excesses of the wealthy. It happens. * LadyMysteria nods, then walks over to Rin and pats him on the shoulder. "Understandable." My father is alive. He survived the wreckage of the ship. He FINALLY called my mother, to tell her. He should have kept her informed, let her know. *spoken evenly, calmly, despite the fact that that the words themselves are only moderately coherent* Mm. That's good to hear at least. What could the Sea be promising them? ... oh, goody! *she finishes her braid, and claps one fist into a palm.* Get a location so we can go and kick his ass? Leena! What else did she say? Money? Power? What else is there? Goodness knows what the Sea is saying, but it can't be true. * Lord_Darkmoon turns and throws the Tessen at Leena. * LadyMallet glances back at Taki to retort, and doesn't quite duck the Tessen in time. * LadyRoyal winces at her inability to distract Darkmoon from Leena. * LadyMysteria does then look at Mallet in mild shock, but holds her tongue. ... Can we please stop fighting between ourselves? * Lord_Darkmoon closes his eyes, and grinds his teeth for a moment, then turns back to Royal as if nothing had happened. "He wants his daughter to leave Tokyo. He is apparently more emphatic than ever. It will not happen. Whatever Hitachi-2osen is up to, it will happen within the next two weeks." * LadyMallet glances down at the Tessen, then blinks. "... sorry." Forgiven, Mallet. * LadyMallet heads out of the trailer, quietly. Two weeks, eh? Two more weeks of watching, then. And just when is the ship- bombing occurring? It can't be connected to what the US has planned can it? No, or the timeframe would be much tighter. ...dammit. Now I need to apologize. I should not have lost my temper. They can't know about that. Even if they did know about it. Save your apologies for when they're needed. It was my fault. * Lord_Darkmoon follows her outside, calling after Mallet. It's perfectly alright Rin. Leena was being stupid. Didn't Wallace say they'd be done with the matter by the end of the week? * LadyMallet closes the door -before- Darkmoon catches up. * Lord_Darkmoon opens it and follows. Don't indulge her, Darkmoon, she's right--damn. * LadyNightshade sighs. Well, anyway. * Lady_MakeBelieve also sighs * LadyMallet then takes a nice little leap to the roof of the trailer. If it's going to be two weeks until then, I'd say they're going to be a little late. ... Which is just fine with me. * LadyMysteria just watches all this helplessly, and with more than a bit of anger. Mallet, come down. Please. Someone is always causing problems, it seems. It might not even have anything to do with that though... That's the way of the world. True. Cool off. I'll be down soon enough. ... one way or another... * LadyNightshade just ignores Haruko. Which means it's still good that we're going to be free of this duty before the two-week mark is up. ...very well. *goes back in* * LadyMysteria pauses, then turns back to the conversation. "I-it does give us time to at least comb about for possible happenings." I am sorry, everyone. Now. What are we going to do about this? Heat, you want to go look things up on the internet, I'm going to keep trying to trace the old lines We can tell the palace. Okay, I will. 'Course. * LadyHeat goes to search for Japanese ley lines on the web. * LadyMallet sighs, and smacks herself on the forehead, before leaning back and staring at the sky. Have the other ladies out and about to try and sense something coming. ... The Palace should be made aware... and Sakura might be able to touch base with a few people. And legwork always works... well, usually works. And there is the last-ditch premonition from the Queen. And how will we explain our knowledge? Sakura already knows about your connection. We shouldn't have to. They'll accept it, and like it. Very well. It's not their business to know. Information, and that's it. The details remain with us. * LadyRoyal grins wolfishly. "Besides, we're the damn Hunters team." * Lord_Darkmoon mutters, "Damned indeed..." * LadyMysteria catches that and chuckles. She still looks a tad unsettled. "Oh, indeed." * LadyRoyal snerks. ... I wonder how mama and papa are doing. The last time he tried to get me to leave, the ship sank in the harbor. My dad's still in London... The tranquility of the trailer roof is disturbed mildly by two sounds - there's a semi pulling away from the Navy encampment, and there is a distant sound of multiple sirens from the southwest. He knows something, and he's trying to protect you, like a father shou---... * LadyMallet groans, and hops off the roof, already summoning the Mallet. "Great timing." * LadyMysteria promptly takes herself outside and looks in that direction. AND I'M BETRAY-- shit. * Lord_Darkmoon swoops over to collect the Tessen. * LadyHeat gets up and heads out of the trailer, then starts towards the sirens. * LadyNightshade heads out the door towards the sound. * LadyRoyal frowns and heads out, sparing a concerned glance for Darkmoon. * Lord_Darkmoon heads out after the others, face once more a hard and unreadable mask. ... Rin. Your father is potentially betraying everyone in Japan. It's unfair, and I wish you weren't in this position... but the lines are drawn. Let's pray we can save him from his choice. I fear he sees us as the traitors, Mysteria. * LadyMallet grins fangily as the others come out, Mallet out and held loosely. "Looks like I should keep running hot, ne?" When do we not? No comment. Let's go. * LadyRoyal looks around to pinpoint the direction and heads off. The sirens are quite far away, and you can't see the vehicles at all around the various buildings on the USC campus. Quickly, the group finds itself at the border of the US Navy encampment... Is it even in the camp? What's going on? * Lord_Darkmoon doesn't reply and just keeps going. * LadyRoyal keeps going. A couple of Marines are looking off towards the noise as well, but they don't seem concerned. * LadyNightshade looks around for whoever is in charge. * LadyMysteria isn't missing a beat, wand ready. * LadyMallet jogs lightly, eyes peeled for anything at all weird. * Lady_MakeBelieve runs along with the rest, momentarily forgetting about her personal quests The team is passed through the nearby gate with a nod at their badges. The rest of USC around them seems deserted. * LadyRoyal peers. ... it's odd that this place is so empty. Yes. I have a bad feeling about this... .... Do you think they all got on the semi? ... the fuck? * LadyRoyal edges around. The semi rolls out of the base beside you, and pulls away to head south down the main road across USC. Norcliff, sense anything? * LadyRoyal tenses nervously. ... because I've got the sneaking suspicion we've been found out. We were not exactly a secret. Not a well-kept one, at any rate. Let's go. We won't know until we get there. ... yeah. Wish we'd thought to get Haruko or someone to ask. I'm feeling a lot of Dragon Lines, but no Sea Magic or Earth Magic * LadyMallet advances, somewhat cautiously. Mmmmn. Let's move for now. We'll take matters as they come. So, business as usual. Should we keep going to the sirens? * LadyNightshade just tries to keep her senses alert. She's not really in the mood for talking. * LadyRoyal flashes a tight grin and continues on. Do we have anything else to do? No, not really. ... thinking back, is it just me, or did it seem kinda weird how Wallace was talking to us, like it was a goodbye? Are they not leaving when the...thing...is done? But weren't we supposed to be here guarding after they finish? ...Mallet? Is it okay if we talk about how we may have just been left to our own devices until *after* we kick the ass of whatever might be coming to kick our asses? He said they'd only want us around for a couple more days. Dammit, Royal. your paranoia is rubbing off on me. We're outside of their territory anyway. Sorry. * LadyRoyal only sounds half-apologetic. What in the world could be causing this?! Mn... frustrating... Let's just find it and put a stop to it. Mind if I scout ahead? Is it still our jurisdiction if it's outside the base? It is not paranoia if they're really out to get you. We're at war, Ladies. Nightshade is right; we should stop worrying and just do. As the group moves west around the last line of warehouses, they can see the semi being blocked by a phalanx of police vehicles. None of you have ever seen so many flashing lights in one place before. ... and that explains the sirens. ... ...hm. Yes, scouting ahead would be a wise move, I fear. Mysteria, if I may suggest we make ourselves a bit scarce until she's done? * LadyMysteria stops and keeps her distance. Agreed. Nightshade? * LadyNightshade nods. G'luck. ... okay, here isn't a good place to be right now. * LadyNightshade goes invisible and sprints towards the commotion. I wish we had been watching the TV instead of playing games... something like this might have been on the News. There are squad cars, SWAT vans, some unmarked cars, and what appear to be a couple of news trucks following in their wake. That looks pretty bad... 20/20 hindsight, Make Believe. * LadyRoyal edges into the shadows. * LadyMallet stays out of obvious sight. This might put a kink in the plan to blow up the carrier... Perhaps some sort of a sting operation? Yeah, well, I was gonna stick around here on that day anyways, even if I'm not a part of it. * LadyMysteria gets out of immediate vision as well. Two squad cars get left with the semi, and the rest of the procession starts moving up the road towards where you are. I wonder what's in there. * LadyNightshade heads towards all the cars, staying out of the light so as not to uncover herself. * LadyHeat moves back with the others. * LadyRoyal moves back even further. They're heading your way. I'd suggest getting back to the base... Sounds good to me... * Lord_Darkmoon changes his shirt to a darker color. "Understood. Keep an eye on them. Mysteria?" * LadyMallet mutters something, and glances up. Out of the way. Let's not be seen. Right. We don't want to look too suspicious either. After that... hm. We need to see just what it is they're after. Stay together... if those goes down bad, we're not leaving anyone behind. * LadyNightshade creeps towards the truck, trying to figure out what the cops want with it. * LadyMallet starts a walkin' back to their trailer, looking around and thinking about possible hiding spots and escapes. * Lord_Darkmoon keeps his eyes open for pursuit and for anything else unusual. * LadyRoyal walks back. * LadyHeat heads back. * LadyMysteria does the same, vaguely curious as to what Taki's going to find out I want a closer look at this.... * Norcliff jumps off Haruko's shoulder, and runs towards the truck. The other vehicles move on past Taki, and she gets close enough to hear the cops as they come back out of the trailer compartment after searching it. Nightshade, can you hear anything? I'm trying to. Wow, what are those things? I think they're submersible exploratory gear. Remote controlled, you know? Did you find what you were looking for? Naw, you don't have any kids hidden back there. You'll have to stop again at the front gate, but you should be fine. Fuck. * LadyMallet frowns, and points at one of the open warehouses. "We can hide in there... do we- shit. Yeah, going to the trailer's a no go." Get out of sight. Now. * LadyMallet heads for the nearest open warehouse. * LadyHeat heads with Mallet! * Lady_MakeBelieve follows Mallet and Heat! * Driver gets back in his truck and fires up the engine. * LadyRoyal proceeds to do as Nightshade sez. * Lord_Darkmoon heads that way, too. * LadyMysteria snarls and slips into the warehouse as well. What's going on? They're looking for us. This has nothing to do with the US it seems... Okay. New plan: Who here wants to help them search? Darkmoon, can you get away with as posing as a young officer or something? We don't even know who they are. It might be an option for you. Might. * Lord_Darkmoon looks around, making sure the Team's all that's in sight, and waves his Tessen over his clothes, suddenly, indeed, a young officer. Yeah, its kind of hard to pretend we're one of "them" when we don't even know who "they" are. * LadyRoyal starts checking out the warehouse layout. Why don't get one of Haruko's stupid friends to do it? The police, of course. But... why? Did UCS tip them off? Or... ...that's it! If the Sailors can draw attention away, we might slip through. Oh Wow, is our stupid ninja actually asking for help? Haruko! It depends what the supposed crime is. She started it. You don't have to continue it. Enough bickering, girls. ... and that's a good idea---Make-Believe, Nightshade, civility! * LadyNightshade continues to ignore Haruko. I could call around and see who isn't busy. * LadyMysteria takes a breath. "Make-Believe, we need a distraction. Now." And I'll finish it! Shut up about it until we're out of a potentially life or death situation! * Lord_Darkmoon looks over the others. "Royal, Mysteria, Heat... you three might pass as police, too." I'm glad my hair goes dark when I change. * Lady_MakeBelieve pulls out her oddly translucent cell phone, and starts making calls. The convoy turns the corner and rolls up to the base gates. The guards there proceed to freak out appropriately as the police seem to try to bully their way through. I'm really not certain about this whole disguise thing...let's just... Hey, can't we go through the warehouses until we get to the admin building from here? * LadyNightshade moves to a place that's out of sight and pulls out her phone, dialing the Captain. * LadyMysteria simply nods to Darkmoon, too busy trying to parse all that's going on. What are you thinking of, Royal? *offers the Tessen to anyone who wants it* Remember those plans we saw? * LadyRoyal discusses ways of using the warehouses to get to the USC admin building, maybe. * LadyMysteria takes, quickly uses it, then returns it. "And what if these aren't cops, but more assassins?" Of course, there's no guarantee that that'd be the safest pace. They have police disguises; from a distance, at least, we'll pass. Just stay out of sight. Call Sakura or Squeegee or someone and see if they know what's going on. We don't know how many of them there are, and they just might. * LadyHeat takes it too, then. * LadyNightshade listens to her phone ring. ... if they're after us, USC will probably be a fairly safe place. USC doesn't want the cops poking around their sensitive places, do they? * Lord_Darkmoon 's eyes glow purple for a moment. ~Norcliff, you see anything more than Nightshade does?~ * Lady_MakeBelieve gets off of the phone very quickly. There's a big old hullabaloo at the base gates now, as policemen and MP's are swarming around. More soldiers are coming from the sandbag lines facing the bay and many of them have their weapons drawn. We're in luck, all of the Sailors were together working on homework. * CaptainWallace picks up. "Not now, busy!" ...wait, what did you tell them to do? * CaptainWallace hangs up. They said they were just finishing up though. Fuck if this is just a distr-- Damn it! Things could definitely get worse, and if we can avoid things being stirred up more than they have... ... What if they were doing it now. Should I call them back and tell them not to come? What’s going on? Doing what now? Just tell them not to do anything until we give the signal, maybe? * LadyMysteria groans, hands in her pockets. "Offering a distraction?" ... if they're looking for us, we can give em what they're looking for, ya'know. Cut the 'merkins some slack, do something as soon as we get out. The bomb. ... the bomb. ... they wouldn't. They were talking about kids... 'Cause it strikes me that without knowing exactly what's going on, we could fuck things up to a serious degree of shit. There are two considerations. One, if we don't give them what they're looking for, the Americans will have to handle this for as long as it's pushed. Two, if we -do- give them what they're looking for, even if we get away, the Americans will have a hard time explaining why what the police are looking for was, in fact, here. But *we* are what they are looking for. We need to figure out right now if we're staying or leaving. Sooner the better. Helicopters are now beginning to circle. You can't tell whose they are. Leaving might not be unwise. If we can get out undetected. This isn't our problem unless the Ningyo take this time to attack. You *think* we're what they're looking for. USC might work, but I'm betting the warehouses won't stay viable for that long. * LadyNightshade finds the warehouse the group is hiding in and heads in. Saying "kids" makes it a high possibility. I'm with you guys now. But it's not a guarantor. * LadyRoyal looks around, even though it's futile. "Oh, good." Unless the US Navy has some other "kids"... I don't want to fight the police...