Fantasy Beyond the Witch's Corridor [Reboot] IC

[Dawnsx]

LAMBDA FIVE-NINER

Λ59

DATE:

Saturday, 6 APR 2047

LOCATION:

Restricted Zone: Sector 6

INTERACTION:

Remembrance Worthlessplebian Pilgrim59

For the duration of Lambda-59’s ride to Lindrow, Sage kept his eyes fixed on the view outside of the window. Any attempt at conversation would be met with responses that were incredibly curt even for the homunculus’s standards. Though the scenery flying by was of little interest to him, he found out early on in his life on Earth that engaging in any other activities during a vehicle ride resulted in headaches, nausea, and abnormal cold sweat. He had been alarmed after he first vomited in one of his foster parents’ car, but he soon learned that they were symptoms of motion sickness. It was a condition experienced by many Sinoans and Earthlings alike, which served as some reassurance that he wasn’t defective. An inconvenience to be sure, but nothing detrimental so long as he wasn’t required to review mission objectives or remain vigilant during a ride.

It was only after the van rolled to a stop did Sage tear his eyes from the window to read along with the text on the windshield. He was unsure of M.A.R.I.A.'s sentience compared to androids like Caiman and Cobra. Regardless, he nodded his gratitude to the van as he stepped out.

Following behind Caiman, Sage carefully straightened out his colorful button-up shirt. A Hawaiian shirt, or so the now-removed tag said. The design consisted of brightly colored flowers and images of palm trees, and it fit looser than he was accustomed to. He had been reminded to not button the shirt up all the way for reasons unspecified, but he obeyed the instructions nonetheless. His movements weren’t restricted by his new outfit, but his body felt uncomfortable in it somehow.

Sage felt like they were being scrutinized, but a quick, discreet glance around the lobby told him otherwise. Perhaps he was still tense from the previous mission? He tamped down the urge to button up his shirt and proceeded into the suite with the squad.

xxx

Despite preferring foods that provided balanced nutrition and dietary benefits, Sage found himself dutifully touring the nearby residential areas with a glazed donut in one hand and a churro stick in another. He only took two bites of the donut– it was too sweet in his opinion and got stuck to the back of his throat. The churro, on the other hand, had a pleasing, crispy texture and a mild sweetness. He couldn’t tell if they lived up to local reports of their scrumptiousness, but he tried to imprint their respective flavors to his mind for later. Though he lacked an appropriate baseline to judge the quality of his sugary treats, he hoped that his firsthand account would aid Caiman in updating his database.

Code by Nano

 

[Nano]

Chapter 002:

Triage

Date:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

Location:

Arcarum HQ

Tags:

You Know Rebel nios Nessi

Right as the minute hand of the wall clock shifted to announce it was 6:23AM, a long-awaited knock sounded from the door, followed by the door swinging open a few seconds later. Completely unperturbed by the fact that he was running late, Ein Askr sauntered into the room and made his way to the front at a leisure pace. While placing his materials on top of the desk, he casually addressed the hidden occupants in the room.

“You may reveal yourselves,” he said without a hint of surprise or panic, only to hit the squad with a statement that would no doubt anger anyone with a quick temper. “There's still seven minutes, but we'll start since everyone is already here.” No one could tell if this was his poor attempt at covering up his tardiness, but his no-nonsense expression truly made it seem as if he were convinced that he'd instructed them to arrive by 6:30AM and not 6AM on the dot. If he took notice of any reactions from the four agents, he promptly ignored them in favor of starting the meeting.

Presenting his Micron Device to Nu-8, the Fae produced a hologram of a man whose gently smiling face was partially obscured by the long bangs hanging over the right half of his face. It was Noah Reinbach, a C-Rank Agent assigned to Squad Epsilon-4. Though he possessed seniority within the organization in terms of years and was the younger brother of the Arcvine City Branch Chief, he was a relatively unknown face within the organization due to his lowkey nature. Despite his position—or perhaps because of his position—the file that Ein provided to Squad Nu-8 contained a preliminary investigation report regarding the Phantasma’s recent movements as well as certain previously unknown details about MAS-01.

So far Arcarum had been successful in suppressing such knowledge from getting out into the public. However, it appeared that over the course of the two weeks since the initial incident where MAS-01 was discovered, several more individuals found with the drug in their systems had been detained by the squads who happened to be close to the site of transformation. These individuals, labeled by Arcarum as Tumors, were reported as missing people for the time being, and agents from investigations units had been dispatched to question the close friends and family of the Tumors under the guise of attempting to identify key figures or details within these “missing person cases.” Strangely enough, acquaintances of two of the Tumors recalled an unknown man whose description closely matched Noah Reinbach who had been seen speaking with them two weeks prior to the disappearances. Further investigation led to the discovery of two more individuals who were in possession of MAS-01 on their person, though none was found in their system. When interrogated, one stated that the Phantasma had not been the one to hand her the drug. However, both refused to give further information out of fear of the Oath, arousing suspicion that Noah Reinback was somehow involved with Final Chapter. Out of concern that the Branch Chief might be involved as well or potentially covering for her younger sibling, the administration had passed on the case to Reim Abraxos who then designated Ein Askr to oversee the case.

The current mission at hand required the selected squad to keep an eye on Noah Reinbach’s movements and find the whereabouts of Michael Davis, a man reported to have gone missing after the Phantasma was allegedly sighted sitting down with him at a café. Though his combative capabilities aren’t particularly noteworthy within the organization, Askr nonetheless sent them off with a final warning about his sight ability which gave him heightened visual acuity. It wasn’t very useful aside from allowing someone to see across larger distances without the assistance of a tool, but it did tend to make him slightly more difficult to tail.

After the briefing, the squad was dismissed and ordered to remain on standby until 8AM, the time when most squads typically reported to HQ. Noah himself would walk through the organization’s doors at 8:19AM, speaking a few words with his squad leader, and then strangely enough make his way to the medical ward. At 8:37AM, he left the building entirely and headed South down 39th Street.

===

Date:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

Location:

Lindrow, CA

Tags:

Pilgrim59 Worthlessplebian Remembrance Dawnsx

Having received correspondence from Arcarum prior to Lambda-59’s arrival, the police force stationed in Lindrow were quick to agree to most requests for assistance in monitoring the city’s traffic. While the members of the squad canvassed the civilians in Lindrow, many of the city’s residents did their best to help out the agents masquerading as tourists. However, none would have much information of note. If they did, they played clueless and shrugged their shoulders.

Only Agent Evander would be struck with a dash of fortune, or so the situation first appeared. Unsurprisingly, the individual that the Homunculus had approached became immediately alert when they felt an unknown arm snake around their shoulders. However, when their suspicious gaze traveled from Evander’s face to the herbs he was shaking in his hand, apprehension quickly morphed into curiosity. One brief exchange later, the person had led the agent to a relatively secluded street tucked in an unassuming corner a few ways from the main street. Unfortunately for the agent, the person who’d foolishly taken his bait wasn’t anyone of particular note. Rather than a secret meeting spot, the suspicious individual had merely taken him to an area without much foot traffic in order to call over a few hooligans in an attempt to shake down the agent for his supposed “drugs.”

As for what happened to said hooligans, only Evander would know.

Perhaps due to the recent crackdown on the laboratory in Arcvine City’s Restricted Zone, any potential Final Chapter terrorists in Lindrow seemed to be laying low. As the hours dragged on, the agents would identify various potential suspects but manage to gain no substantial leads or conclusive evidence of a particular individual being involved with the terrorist organization. At best, they’d accidentally chance upon a situation such as a woman who bent down to pick up her dropped phone, partially revealing a suspiciously familiar marking on her neck. Unfortunately, a cordial conversation “curiously” inquiring about it would reveal that it was merely a tattoo that looked similar but ultimately different from the infamous marking of Final Chapter’s victims.

The names on Caiman’s list would dwindle to a handful of individuals, and when matched with the inspection reports from the harbor, Lambda-59 would finally be able to single out areas and personnel of interest. Out of the warehouses stocking goods from independent sources rather than a corporation, warehouses 24 and 33 were the two that had received the most frequent transports to Arcvine City in the past three months. Strangely enough, both also received a shipment from within Lindrow despite them being located at the harbor.

One source ended up being confirmed to be a house that was used as a temporary address by someone who rented it as an airbnb. The other was a seemingly unassuming house along Valler Street, home to one Ms. Alisson Sylva.

===

Date:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

Location:

Arcvine City: Downtown

Tags:

ThatWhichShouldBe Verite

Despite being a Thursday morning, the Arcvine Mall was bustling with activity as per usual. Formerly the grounds which hosted a humble department store, Arcvine City’s mayor in the year 2015 proposed for a larger shopping complex to be built in its place during the city’s rebuilding process. Due to the space allocated on the block being too small, the now four-story shopping mall was divided into an East and West Shopping center on opposite sides of the street, with a bridge connecting the two buildings from the second and fourth floors. Much like the long, dome-shaped ceilings of the buildings, the bridges were made of fortified glass panes supported by steel beams hidden away beneath grey cultured marble. Though the design of the mall had completely abandoned brick and gone for a sleeker and much more modern look, the interior designers didn’t forget to leave space for an assortment of greenery and plush chairs to keep the halls looking cozy rather than monotonous and cold.

Within the short half hour that they’d spent in the mall, the members of Xi-7 would find their leisure activities halted by a call received by Albus. Soon after the call, the Naphtra excused himself and left in a hurry. A mere few minutes after he left, a chorus of angry murmurs would erupt from behind the area that the remaining two members were wandering. A reddish-orange blur shot out from the crowd, nearly smashing her face into the tall figure of Ygero in the process. The woman’s deft footwork allowed her to maneuver around the Dragonborn, leaving behind only a curt “sorry” before breaking off into a complete run once again.

Moments after the woman had scampered off in a panic, a tall man dressed in an army green hoodie roughly pushed past the foot traffic and Xi-7, seemingly in pursuit of the woman who’d just passed. As the man ran down the escalators to the ground floor, the angry exclamations of the crowd slowly turned into a mix of curious and concerned murmurs.


“Hey, didn’t that girl seem kinda familiar?”

“Her hat fell while running, but I couldn’t see her face.”

“I did, and she kind of looked like that one streamer…um. Some sort of fox Naphtra.”

“Whoever she is, that guy seemed like he really had it out for her…”

“Should we call the police?”

Conversations of similar nature were scattered throughout the warpath that the unknown man had paved in his pursuit of the runaway Naphtra. The confused yells of people who were shoved out of the way left a clear trail in his wake, and should Xi-7 pursue the man, any pedestrians they questioned about the man’s whereabouts helpfully pointed out the direction they’d last seen him run towards. This trail of directions would lead them to the city square, where they’d spot the man right as he roughly grasped the arm of the orange-haired woman.

With her face now in clear view, those familiar with the popular MOBA Monsters Among Men or the gaming scene in general would recognize the woman as Cindy Luo, more commonly known as RustyMoon. Born and raised in the peaceful city of Syracuse, New York, she held a deep interest in video games since young and eventually made her way into the streaming scene and enjoyed a great deal of success due to her looks and skill. Unfortunately for the woman, her announcement that she’d be taking a short break to visit a friend in Arcvine City seemed to have garnered unwanted attention.

Code by Nano

 

[ThatWhichShouldBe]

With her face now in clear view, those familiar with the popular MOBA Monsters Among Men or the gaming scene in general would recognize the woman as Cindy Luo, more commonly known as RustyMoon. Born and raised in the peaceful city of Syracuse, New York, she held a deep interest in video games since young and eventually made her way into the streaming scene and enjoyed a great deal of success due to her looks and skill. Unfortunately for the woman, her announcement that she’d be taking a short break to visit a friend in Arcvine City seemed to have garnered unwanted attention.

​

Chapter 002:

Triage

Date:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

Location:

Arcvine City: Downtown
Verite
The shopping mall was just as he remembered it. Comfy, and with that familiar layout that he'd remembered from his youth. Ygero had gotten scolded by his parents more than once for trying to fly between bridges and up and across walkways rather than take the simple and sane measure of 'taking the escalator'. Good times, good times. Albus leaving was a bit of a damper, but hey, he and Veren had a lot of stuff they could get up to. They were just about on their way to a clothes shop, Yggy plotting to get Veren into something nice and silly like a Pirate outfit when there's a bump, the tall Dragonborn turning to see that someone had run into him. He realizes they look a little familiar for some odd reason, about to ask their name before the orange blur vanishes into the crowd once again.

Yggy might have left it at that, despite his usual reservations towards 'not running down a potential new friend' and that sort of business, when someone else passes by him in quite the hurry, running after the orange blur. An Asterope, apparently, hunting down the orange blur with obvious intent. The rumors... Only add to his growing sense of unease. It is a dire sign indeed that Ygero's tail has actually stopped wagging. He looks to Veren with a look of determination on his face, his hand going to his Micron device.

"... That doesn't sit well with me, Boss. I'm... Gonna go take a look."

Guess they were on the job again. His wings flap as his uniform appears over his body, the Dragonborn talking into his earpiece as he takes to the air, flapping just over the crowd as he follows after the pair. The trail of disrupted crowd they left behind them was as clear as day, and he tracks them down the route until eventually, they emerge into the Arcvine City Square, the Dragonborn landing with a thump just as the Asterope manages to catch the Naphtra and- HOLY SHIT, RustyMoon? Fuck, he'd just seen her stream yesterday! What the hell- No, No, getting her autograph can come later. He starts muttering a message to HQ as he approaches, the Dragonborn approaching slowly to avoid an... incident.

"Yo, HQ, this is Agent Ladon. I got an Asterope possibly assaulting a Naphtra in the City Square after a pursuit through the Arcvine City Mall. I recognize the Naphtra, she's a streamer, RustyMoon. May be a case of an overexcited fan, but I'm gonna go in and make sure everything's cool. Not requesting weapons clearance, just a heads-up that I've got something that might be of concern. Will follow up with more info once I've got it."

Ladon walks over with a casual smile on his face, his hands clearly visible and not anywhere close to any weapons. He calls out to the two of them, doing his best to seem non-threatening.

"Is everything okay here? There's been an awful lot of commotion and I just wanted to check and see if everything's alright."

 

[Verite]

XI-7

Ξ7

DATE:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

LOCATION:

Arcvine City: Downtown

TAGS:

Nano ThatWhichShouldBe

"Oh, my, my."

The high-pitched yet dry reaction from Veren in spite of everything that had just happened might have come off as inappropriate, but such was par for the course with one of the most powerful members of Arcarum. Not to toot her own horns, of course.

As she casually overheard the other bystanders speak, the tall Tenebria cocked her head to the side briefly. She didn't particularly find that orange blur very recognizable, as brief as her appearance was, but all the same, Ygero's interest seemed to have been piqued. Veren honestly had a mind to ignore that and move on with her day, if it weren't for the following tall man who ran after her like a predator on the hunt, and with Yggy going into serious mode, it seemed she'd have to step in as well.

With that, she gave chase alongside Ygero until stopping at the city square where the strange man had caught up with the Naphtra. She considered using her ability of Godspeed to instantly zoom through the crowd to catch up to them, but more than the idea that she probably would have unintentionally burnt the bystanders to a crisp if she did, she was honestly feeling a bit out of it right now, and draining so much of her magical energy so quickly wouldn't have helped matters.

Letting Ygero make the report to HQ, Veren merely peered curiously at the scene unfurling before them, and when her dear subordinate stepped forward in an attempt to take control of the situation, Veren couldn't help but add in her own two cents into the mix as well, in hopes of backing Yggy up and seeing if she could help to de-escalate the situation before anything drastic had to happen.

"Mm, you are aware, good sir, that when a lady says no, she means no, yes? Yes, yes," Veren said nonchalantly, holding her chin in her hand. "Perhaps we can sort this affair out amicably, hmm?"

Code by Nano

 

[You Know Rebel]

Chapter 002:

Triage

Date:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

Location:

Arcarum HQ

Tags:

Nano nios Nessi

It was another Monday or Thursday to Asa. She hated losing a day off, especially when those seldom come along at all these days. At least none of the sunrise folks looked twice upon meeting her during odd hours, just another yeah, fuck, I know face commonly found. Like usual, she was the last in her squad to arrive, as busy leaders do. Color her unsurprised when first seeing Heath was blowing that herbal smoke by the wall. It was written on his laid-back hazy veneer how bad he was at coping when left to his own thoughts, she guessed, that he had been internally crumbling for over ten minutes now. But nevermind him - Ein who called them was obviously later than she was and her time in Arcanum had given her the kind of honed temporal sense to sniff out how punctual she really needed to be. She noted the room to be indistinct and uninspiring, perfect for salary B-ranks. The salary A-rank then pulled a seat and leaned back on it, legs crossed and yawning, ready for a probably even longer wait. Asa grabbed that coffee for herself after her grumpy Asterid made it silently known she was done with it. Taste could be sweeter but eh, fine.

Her eyes drifted up from the cup's rim as she added in response, "Heath approved his short absence, I doubt it's related anyhow." Actually I okayed it, but we're familiar with me dumping logistical responsibility onto my competent secretary anyway her mockingly accusive tone seemed to say. Of course, Asa was fully aware what curbing tactics were used here and who was taking the fallout for any misjudging of the situation, certainly them. Rather than wonder about spoiled milk, their reputable leader thought it was more apt to joke about ludicrous reasons for the fae's tardiness: caught in an affair, 7th generation great-grandmother visiting, sinkhole with rats, a complicated situation involving Arcanum's higher ups in suspicion with volatile circumstances about underground groups and hard-to-trace individuals, or just plain not having enough pants for every occasion.

Asa tipped further back on her chair and watched Ein walk into the room, her smirk fading. The stoic instructor wasn't any different today. Returning a stone face with a peace sign, to help him just in case notice her where she was already sitting in front of him since he asked, she didn't receive any of the acknowledgement she was fishing for and shrugged back comfortably. With the meeting commenced, she more or less recognized this Noah person but focused her attention on the report, quickly perusing it over. MAS-01 was a current hot topic and she knew of their HQ's ongoing investigation. She'll have to check if there were any further accessible records that could assist in fully profiling their targets later. Michael Davis was one thing, but the naphtra wasn't keen about their task of shadowing a suspect phantasma who was Rose's family, clicking her tongue. But if Nu-8's two super sensitive hounds (not to be mistaken with emotional state which would be a different pair) weren't up to the task, then it was hard-pressed to find another team who was. Though whoever collected the intel so far did a plenty competent job. Why they didn't continue was another question.

She glanced up at Ein's expressionless face once again while listening to him discuss the next steps of their plan. True to his laconism, he ended the briefing much faster than he started it. Taking Miri's coffee on her way out, Asa thought a bit before carefully wording her line of command that showed her stellar leadership:

"Welp... there's still more than an hour to kill until the appointed time. You heard him so feel free to take care of anything you need to, eat, take a smoke outside, whatever. I'll loiter here and we can proceed when Noah arrives. If you want, you can help me look up anything pertaining MAS-01 and follow-ups regarding those missions from 2 weeks ago. Oh if you already did all that Heath, that's great and I can take a look..." she pinched her brow before continuing, "Maybe need to look up the internet for urban myth cult things or something too."

Perhaps it was her bias, but Asa didn't believe there was inside betrayal happening, and if there were, they were likely marking the wrong people. Going over possible motives and intents derived from the results of recent events, time passed swiftly until Noah entered the building, where she promptly tucked her micron back behind her ear. Loosely keeping tabs on him up to his departure, she tapped her earpiece, "Our best lead to Michael just exited. You guys know the drill, just protocol. Miri, you're in charge til further notice. I'll talk to Ep-4 for a bit before catching up."

She went over after and made small talk, not prodding nor asking anything explicit, and mainly talked about herself. If nothing else, she got a better idea of how low-profile Noah was. She left Arcanum thinking that it would've been nice to have gotten a mission to some nice seaside tourist city instead before disappearing toward her squad’s trail.

Code by Nano

 

[Worthlessplebian]

LAMBDA FIVE-NINER

Λ59

DATE:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

LOCATION:

Lindrow, CA

INTERACTION:

Pilgrim59 Dawnsx Nano

Having successfully neutralized the mutated entity known as Nexus twelve days ago, Strider Unit designated Cobra entered a brief recuperation period of fourteen hours and twenty minutes to regain spent core capacity and repair damages sustained during the procedure. The apprehension of the mutated entity, unfortunately, raised several questions that Cobra found an increase in his annoyance parameters. The squad was then deployed to Lindrow, California after Arcarum's investigation department ransacked the Final Chapter laboratory. The trip had been officiated via M.A.R.I.A. Her cheerful voice did not dissuade the android's disappointment at not being able to drive a vehicle to their destination, but decorum silenced his protests. Moebius Corp did not program their 'droids to be bellyachers.

Upon their arrival, Caiman issued an investigation order upon which Cobra would happily executed. Reconnaissance is one of the tasks that the Strider is incredibly well-suited to, even if he is a higher generation and bulkier than his previous line-brethren. He had equipped himself with modest clothings and an archaic form of information recording imaginable: a notepad and pen. He prowled from the rooftops and noted exactly what Caiman requested to the letter, from police-response times to the millisecond degree and truck routes. Even drawing a little map of them all and street names.

Soon enough all of this, Evergreen's and Cobra's work, would be consolidated to form a picture with the two most probable targets of interest. Warehouse Twenty-Four and Thirty-Three stuck out as the oddest bunch from the whole. An additional target had also been drawn up in the form of an unassuming house on Valler Street, belonging to a woman going by the name of Alisson Sylvia.

Cobra paced around their temporary operation base in the Ocean View Hotel before finally speaking up a suggestion. "Suggestion: Investigating the address of Alisson Sylvia possess potential in uncovering sordid details. The apparent disadvantages to this would be potentially alerting Final Chapter memberships to our presence or how deep onto their trail that we are. As for the residence that has been recently rented as an airbnb, I am not so certain that we would discover much of anything. If it must be inspected, then devoting a single individual would prove to be adequate and more efficient than several." The Strider stood with arms behind his back in his "I love San Francisco" jacket as he condensed their gathered info.

"The warehouses are divided into fifty/fifty if we select the correct one then congratulations are in order. But if we select the incorrect one then Final Chapter have a chance to attenuate any knowledge that we could possibly gleam from the incident." At this point, Cobra turns to his squad leader and machine brother, Caiman. "Statistically, despite the multiple avenues of intrigue, our outcome is still favourable. And if we respond with speed then it is probable to achieve one-hundred percent of mission objectives."

 

[Nano]

Chapter 002:

Triage

Date:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

Location:

Arcvine City: Downtown

Tags:

ThatWhichShouldBe Verite

Though the Dragonborn’s approach triggered the Asterid’s guard, the man didn’t make a move, choosing to instead warily observe Agent Ladon’s pacifistic stance. When the vulpine Naphtra attempted to slip away while her stalker was distracted by the newcomer, the man immediately tightened his grip on her arm and roughly pulled her back towards him. The woman let out a sharp yelp but the evident fear written upon her face made it clear that she didn’t dare utter any words.

“Don’t try anything stupid,” he growled at the Naphtra before fixing a glare back on Agent Ladon. “Look, buddy. This is between me and her, alright? So fuck off.”

For all of Agent Ladon’s efforts to make himself seem unthreatening until he could ascertain the situation, all would become for naught once Agent Raikou made her presence known. Once confronted with yet another unknown party as well as the steadily increasing number of people stopping to watch the commotion, the Asterid visibly grew more agitated. Agent Raikou’s little lesson on manners only served to feed the man’s ire.

Perhaps emboldened after spotting the telltale Micron Devices on the Xi-7 members’ wrists, RustyMoon nervously began to speak in a timid voice, “W-we should talk things out, or else the authorities-”

“Or those wastes of tax money will what?” he cut the woman off with an aggressive tone, not noticing that two of said wastes of tax money were standing right before him. “And talk things out? Who was the one who kept ignoring me again?”

By now, a sizable crowd had gathered around the four. Some stood on the sidelines muttering judgmentally about how “young'uns need to stop fighting in public” while others began to take out their phones to record the incident.

Noticing that he was currently encircled by the crowd, the Asterid began to panic. He released RustyMoon’s arm and looped his arm around her waist to drag her off like a sack of potatoes.

“Get outta my way!” He yelled as he suddenly bolted away from Xi-7. One unlucky onlooker had been too focused on texting and only looked up in time to drop his phone in shock. If the teen didn’t jump off to the side, the Asterid was clearly poised to roughly hit him out of the way. However, his knees just happened to lock at that moment.

Code by Nano

 

[ThatWhichShouldBe]

Chapter 002:

Triage

Date:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

Location:

Arcvine City: Downtown
Verite Nano
Shit. Shit shit shit. His mouth is moving quickly as the man pulls Rustymoon towards him, Yggy's whole body tensing up. This was almost the worst case scenario. And with how that guy was apparently a fucking Mooncel, he didn't like the chances of things reaching that even worse option. He keeps his voice calm, though, firm and gentle as he tries to stay in control of the situation and oh, fuck, that was quite a crowd they were pulling. Shit. He did *not* want to get into a fight here, with Rustymoon on the line. She might be fucking fierce in her games but out here she was squishy!! He was not going to become that guy who got RustyMoon killed! The bros would never forgive him! And he wouldn't either! And- Jerrik's own fucking blood, the son of a bitch was bolting.

"There's no need to get all uncivilized about this. Let's keep things reasonable, no need to play rough. There's a big enough mess already."

The first sentence sent an alert to HQ. Hostage taken. The second sentence was another code. Kidnapping in progress, officer in pursuit, and with it, a live feed transmitted to HQ. And the last... Civilian in line of fire, no clear engagement. Hopefully HQ could get some help here, because he did not like how this was developing. Not one whit.

By the time the finishes speaking, Yggy is already moving in a blur, lightning sparking from his heals as he dashes forward. The frozen teenager was the first problem here, so Yggy puts his blazing speed to use outrunning the panicking Asterid, fast enough to pull the teenager out of the way before they got hurt with a firm but measured yank. The moment the teenager is clear, and isn't stumbling from the pull anymore, Yggy's off and following the Asterid. His wings flap to keep pace with the man as the dragonborn takes to the air, making sure there'd only be *one* fast-moving son of a gun bolting through the streets, liable to crash into people or things. He keeps talking, trying to keep the situation from escalating further while he follows the pair, Yggy's voice continuing to stay calm and friendly.

"Look, I'm a Mooner too, and I don't really get it. How'd she ignore you? Did you just miss the last QnA session a couple weeks ago or something? I know it was at like 7 am, but c'mon, this seems a little excessive, don't you think?"

 

[Verite]

XI-7

Ξ7

DATE:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

LOCATION:

Arcvine City: Downtown

TAGS:

Nano ThatWhichShouldBe

"Tch."

Veren clicked her tongue; an outsider might have been able to imagine she was either ignorant or uncaring about her role in unintentionally escalating the tension in the conflict, but it was something she did take note of, and she only realized her mistake after the fact. She had to take better care not to take any wrong steps in an already volatile situation.

Honestly, she couldn't help but be quite a bit impressed with Ygero's initiative. What was she even here for, she almost found herself thinking. Though others might have seen him (to say nothing of herself) as happy-go-lucky, he was more than competent when it counted, as she noted he beat her to the coded report to HQ, and zapping into action once another civilian on top of the girl seemed to come into risk of danger as well.

As the two were off, Veren let out a breath as she weighed her options. Even with her physical conditioning and natural speed, she had no hope of keeping up with the two parties on foot, which only left her with one choice. She was initially hesitant to use Godspeed in such a crowded space, but she had no choice. With that said, spotting a nearby lamp post in the center of the area, she bolted for her target and slithered up like a lizard, safely far away from the hordes of onlookers, before just as swiftly jumping off, tapping into the power of lightning to zip through the center to catch up with Ygero and their little troublemaker, occasionally reverting to physical form so that she didn't overshoot herself, or burn out her batteries.

FWOOSH!

Though she managed to steadily keep up with the perp alongside Ygero, Veren struggled to cycle through her options. She couldn't do much to the suspect while he was on the move lest she risk hurting the civilian as well, so they'd have to ground him somehow. With Ygero seeming to draw his attention with his talking, Veren wracked her mind for the next move before finding her resolve and her next course of action.

Zipping even further ahead, surpassing even the Asterid a few meters, Veren drew her trusted blade Vajra and leapt into the air, before planting its wide length into the ground like a vertical roadblock for the perp, lodged firmly into the concrete. Whether it would slow him down enough for Ygero to make his own move, or force him to try to maneuver around, Veren was ready to adapt and make her corresponding move in response!

Code by Nano

 

[Nano]

Chapter 002:

Triage

Date:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

Location:

Arcvine City: Downtown

Tags:

ThatWhichShouldBe Verite

Stunned, then star-struck. Fortunately for the teen, he’d been safely pulled out of harm’s way by Agent Ladon and his fast reflexes. As a passerby who’d been walking past with his face glued to the screen of his cellphone, he wasn’t quite aware of the situation at hand. However, he didn’t forget to fumble through a flustered “thank you” and a confused “good luck?” tossed at the back of his savior. When he remembered to retrieve his phone—no doubt in an attempt to film the commotion—the boy groaned at the sight of a cracked screen and the mere fragments of light that appeared upon prompting the phone to turn on. First, the dragonborn was already long gone, and now he was left wondering whether or not his mother would believe it if he’d informed her that his phone had been pulverized by a raging bull of an Asterid…

Despite the runaway Asterid’s speed, the commotion he caused as he pushed and shoved as well as RustyMoon’s shrill screaming as she was manhandled made him easily tracked by his pursuers (and the media). Tires screeched harshly against asphalt and car alarms set off as the man dashed right onto a busy street, vaulting over a car that hadn’t stopped in time.

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” the Asterid shouted, though it wasn’t clear whether he was addressing Agent Ladon’s inquiries from above or the distressed Naphtra flailing over his shoulder. Turning sharply into a narrow alley—perhaps in hopes of forcing the Dragonborn to continue the pursuit on ground—the man paused ever so slightly at the sight of a deadend. Undeterred, he broke off into another run and attempted to jump atop the dumpster. Right as his foot landed on the edge of the dumpster’s cap, RustyMoon swung her right arm and dug her claws into the man’s side. At the unexpected pain, the Asterid’s knee wobbled, forcing him to topple backwards.

When the two fell, the Asterid twisted and threw RustyMoon off to the side, causing the woman to hit her head against the neighboring brick wall and knocking her out cold. The Asterid had collapsed ungracefully onto his front, though he was quick to jump back onto his feet the moment he spotted Agent Ladon.

“That bitch just couldn’t-!” he managed to heave out. However, his sentence remained unfinished as he snapped back towards the dumpster, deftly hefted it over his shoulder, and launched it and its putrid contents towards the Dragonborn pursuing him.

Code by Nano

 

[ThatWhichShouldBe]

Chapter 002:

Triage

Date:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

Location:

Arcvine City: Downtown
Verite Nano
His heart stops when the bastard *throws* Rustymoon into the wall, his hands already moving even as she flies to send out a macro'd message, requesting an EMT be routed towards him. Best case scenario, she'd get a concussion. Worst case... He'd paid attention enough in his classes at the Academy to know how easy it was for someone like him or the Asterid to make someone much squishier break. But the way was clear now. He didn't have weapons clearance, but that was just fine and dandy. He didn't need it for trash like this. The dragonborn bursts forward to meet the thrown dumpster mid-air, before Ygero slams a palm down upon the flying dumpster's roof to send it crashing to the ground with a thud. Ygero's face is bared in a snarl, as lightning begins to crackle around his body. His left hand pulls out a set of handcuffs rated for high-physicality individuals, while his right curls into a fist.

"Captain! Secure the civilian, I'm bringing this guy in!"

Thunder booms as Ygero bursts forward towards the Asterid, the smell of ozone in his wake. But rather than a kick or punch, as the Asterid might expect, Ygero employs a much simpler technique. He tries to tackle the would-be kidnapper, aiming to bring them to the ground. In close-quarters hand-to-hand combat, there were very few people in Arcanum who could get the better of him, and this Asterid was nowhere near their level.

 

[Verite]

XI-7

Ξ7

DATE:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

LOCATION:

Arcvine City: Downtown

TAGS:

Nano ThatWhichShouldBe

"Oh, my, my, my."

As the perp, with his hostage in tow, veered and crashed into the next alley over, Veren clicked her tongue, speaking with a degree of casualness that one might have found inappropriate, but mixed with a loud, boisterous enough volume to indicate she certainly wasn't bored if nothing else.

Veren hopped off the top of her sword's base, the blade still lodged into the ground like a roadblock, and began to walk toward the alley where the Asterid is trapped, with Ygero in even hotter pursuit than she is. Despite the dire situation, Veren can't help but chuckle to herself as she looks at Ygero's aggressive initiative. Sure, perhaps his fiery determination in this context may have been fueled by his personal admiration for the civilian in question, but it was refreshing to see how competent he could be when he truly wanted to.

In that regard, perhaps he'd make a good captain of his own squad one of these days, once she was no longer needed, but that was a thought for another time.

"Make sure not to hit him too hard, Agent Ladon. He won't be able to reflect on his actions in confinement if you get too ahead of yourself," Veren whistles, confident in the agent's ability to handle the perp by himself as she hops toward RustyMoon's unconscious form and scoops the smaller girl up, carrying her body in her arms with extra care towards her head, so as to not exacerbate a potential concussion.

Code by Nano

 

[Nano]

Chapter 002:

Triage

Date:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

Location:

Arcvine City: Downtown

Tags:

ThatWhichShouldBe Verite

The metal dumpster creaked painfully as it bent from the force of Agent Ladon’s palm and crashed into the floor. Undeterred by his failure to distract the Arcarum agent for long, the Asterid hastily shoved something into his mouth. As the crackle of thunder warned him of his opponent’s approach, the Asterid lifted an arm in an attempt to block the incoming punch. What he didn’t expect was for the Dragonborn to recklessly charge right into him in a full body tackle, and as the two crashed into the wall behind them, the distinct sound of glass breaking came from the tightly clenched teeth of the Asterid.

When his back painfully made contact with the ground, the Asterid coughed, sending out a spray of glass shards and droplets of a silvery liquid mixed with saliva. With a wretched snarl, the man attempted to flip Agent Ladon over to no avail, the hatred blazing in his eyes changing targets from the woman he’d harassed to the interloper before him.

The man would continue to struggle for a while, attempting to shake off the Dragonborn and even aiming a headbutt at his opponent. Soon enough, visible confusion leaked into his expression, then his anger seemed to once again explode seemingly from nowhere.

“Fucking hell! Why isn’t it working?” he spat angrily.

In the meantime, a passerby who’d happened to witness the chaotic scene squeezed herself past the growing crowd of curious onlookers trying to peer into the alleyway. The young woman quickly introduced herself as Melissa and claimed to be a nurse. Upon a quick check on the injured Naphtra, she sighed with relief.

“You Sinoans play rough, but fortunately the bleeding from her head is superficial,” the human informed Agent Raikou, “I’d still let the EMTs take her to the hospital for a proper checkup, but it shouldn’t be anything worse than a mild concussion.”

Code by Nano

 

[Nano]

Chapter 002:

Triage

Date:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

Location:

Arcvine City

Tags:

nios You Know Rebel

“Miri, you’re in charge til further notice.”

When those seven dreaded words dropped from Asa’s mouth, Miri made no attempt to hide her disdain towards their leader’s decision. Had her father been present, he would have berated her for revealing her thoughts so blatantly as well as for wearing a disgraceful expression unbefitting of a noble. However, when she gave the man beside her a once-over, her thoughts quickly morphed from disgust at having “babysitting duty” dumped on her into yet another oddly twisted interpretation of Asa’s words.

Lifting her head high (or as high as she could relative to someone six inches taller than her), Miri gave Heath a smug look like a cat that got the cream. Those unfamiliar with her personality would likely attribute her moodiness to a Grisean noble’s eccentricity. However, it wouldn’t be difficult for someone who’s dealt with her for several years and counting to decipher the obvious albeit insignificant message in those sanguine eyes.

Asa likes me better,

she thought, preening herself over winning a contest that neither had signed up for.

Her smug expression still in place, Miri tapped Heath’s shoulder to follow her lead, officially beginning their mission to tail the younger Reinbach. Taking heed of Ein’s warning concerning the Phantasma’s ability, she kept a fair distance away, relying more on her sense of smell than her eyes to keep tabs on the man. Not that her sight was very reliable in the first place.

They had managed to follow the Phantasma to a subway station, where a young woman waved the man over. Though her pair of sunglasses helped to keep the harsh sunlight of the mornings from hurting her eyes, it did little to aid her poor eyesight as she squinted in an attempt to get a better look at the woman’s face.

“Was she mentioned in any of the files they gave us?”

Miri whispered to Heath while observing the twosome exchange greetings and eventually make their way into a shop half a block away from the station. The nameplate of the building they’d entered read “Café Astelle”, though the Asterid couldn’t make that out either.

Code by Nano

 

[ThatWhichShouldBe]

Chapter 002:

Triage

Date:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

Location:

Arcvine City: Downtown
Verite Nano
In the press of the ground, in the context of grappling, Ladon was in his element. He quickly works to get handcuffs on the raging vamp, slipping them onto the man's wrists and ankles as they tussle, the Dragon rolling to disorient his prey. If they ever got a bit too feisty, a slap of the tail to their temple or their gut should be enough to disorient them so that Ladon could get the vampire completely wrapped up. Eventually, Ladon holds the vampire up and under his right arm like a particularly large, wriggling worm , looking to his captain with a relieved look on his face. His tail, no longer tense with the rigors of combat, finally starts wagging again.

"Got this asshole handled, Cap'n. Looks like M- er, the Civie," Ladon was finally cognizant of all the onlookers now, "is good. I'm guessing we just sit tight and wait for the EMTs and a proper squad car to bring him back?"

 

[Verite]

XI-7

Ξ7

DATE:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

LOCATION:

Arcvine City: Downtown

TAGS:

Nano ThatWhichShouldBe

When the so-called nurse approached Veren and checked in on RustyMoon, the Tenebria could only let out a soft laugh at the woman's words, just as she did in response to most situations. "Yes, well, in turn, it is as you Earthlings say. Work hard, play hard, yes?" She said, before nodding toward Melissa's advice.

"I shall take that into consideration. It simply wouldn't do if something worse were to happen while this girl was under my care. And besides, maybe having a celebrity in my debt would do me well, fufu," Agent Raikou chuckled softly, perhaps overestimating the extent of RustyMoon's fame by just a little bit. Or maybe not, as far as Ygero was concerned.

Speaking of him, once the over-eager criminal was apprehended and Ladon came back around with him in tow, Veren gave a ginger clap for his troubles while the unconscious RustyMoon was still in her arms. "Oh, good show, Agent Ladon. What did I even accompany you for? It looks like you managed to handle the situation all on your own without any need for me to intervene. Perhaps you should be the squad captain at this rate," she teased. "Yes, with both our suspect and our would-be hostage secured, it seems the hard part of the work is over. And then we can be on our way once our cargo has been transferred."

With a playful smirk, Veren added one more crack for good measure. "Perhaps once she recovers fully, your dearest RustyMoon might want to reward her knight in shining armor with a kiss, hmm?"

Code by Nano

 

[ThatWhichShouldBe]

Chapter 002:

Triage

Date:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

Location:

Arcvine City: Downtown
Verite
Ladon preens a bit at his Squad Lead's praise, always happy to get a job done without being yelled at for stuff like excessive disturbance, use of force, or collateral. Which was more often than people thought it was! He'd gotten pretty good at this! But at Veren's next words, he pouts, his tail beating against the ground in slight agitation. His little face scrunched up like he bit into a sour lemon, as he shakes his head vehemently, even with the vampire still in his grip and trussed up like a turkey.

"Hey! I'm pretty sure Rustymoon's got a boyfriend. I'm not into NTR! I'm not that kinda guy!"

 

[Pilgrim59]

LAMBDA FIVE-NINER

Λ59

DATE:

Thursday, 18 APR 2047

LOCATION:

Hotel Ocean View, Lindrow, CA

INTERACTION:

Evander ( Remembrance ); Evergreen ( Dawnsx ); Cobra ( Worthlessplebian )

MENTIONED:

N/A

As most of Lambda-59 squad gathered in their shared room, with the exception of Evander, of whom was running late. Caiman remained quiet, leaning back in his seat as he reviewed the recently-adjusted list of suspects that helped to narrow down their area of operation. The identification of singularities and the effort to formulate the next course of action, a calculated measure of progress, are the blissful sensations known only to mechanized beings that is comparable to a dose of endorfins. Ejecting an empty can of A-Fuel, Caiman procured another and fixed it against his internal intake. Having hydrated himself, the android looked to his brethren in metal as they spoke. Even with their parameters simplified, the warehouses remains an uncertain element. Meanwhile, the logical argument posed by Cobra dictates the insignificance of such locales. One thing that struck Caiman's train of thoughts was the philosophy of their non-metallic counterparts. After all, humans tend to defer to their emotional response, rather than abiding by the rules of logic and reasoning. Their recent retrieval of MAS-Zero-One was a testament to such justifications. Rather than turning himself in to prolong their odds of survivability, Nexus chose to abandon it. If the Agency was to catch the Final Chapter by the belt, they needed to explore the sporadic route of emotional response.

With the traffic being monitored by the police, all Lambda needed now was to further refine their intel. A surgical strike will require their instruments to be sharpened and well-calibrated. Just as Caiman was reeling back from his thoughts, the familiar vissage of their anticipated homunculus entered the room. Adjusting his straw hat slightly, vacation-Caiman folded his arms in thoughts as he review their ongoing investigation. As far as their last combat assessment went, Lambda fought an enhanced individual without much hassle. As for the details of their current mission, it was not fatal to fairly distribute themselves accordingly. As the data presents itself, Caiman believed that his squad would be able to carry out this assignment without fail.

"Logically speaking, I concur." Caiman replied in agreement. "However, working under the sensuous assumption that either this Alisson Sylva or the AirBnB is indeed the fulcrum of our profile, perhaps we can use it to our advantage. Should they be alerted, the Final Chapter will be forced to relocate. And when they do, we will know exactly where to intercept them. Given the circumstances of four different targets and the support of the local law enforcements, we will need to split up to avoid any loose ends." Caiman then bring up the map of the warehouses.

"Evander, Cobra. You two will each pick a warehouse to stakeout. Given their numerical order and the layout of the port facility, the target will be restricted to one route here, should they try to make a run for it. Your adequate abilities to engage in long-range combat are ideal for interceptions." Caiman then zoom in on the western exit of the port. "I will contact law enforcements to be on standby for an armed response, upon your direct confirmations."

"As for the sources, perhaps we could get more out of Ms. Sylva without alerting anyone." Caiman noted, as he made his way towards the duffel bag. "All we have to do, is walk straight through the door." The android then unveiled a pool-cleaning apparel that came with a tight pair of shorts, before fixing his green optic towards the green-haired brawler. "With this apparatus, you will go undercover and see if you can find anything in Ms. Sylva's home. Gear up, Evergreen. You have a pool to clean."

"As for the AirBnB, I will investigate it myself. And that should solve our success probability issues, eliminating any blindspots. As far as combat effectiveness is concerned, I have faith in your abilities. Compared to the Winter Wonderlands, this is a far warmer job for Lambda-Five-Niner." Caiman finalized, reminding the squad of their cozy Christmas episode in the Sierra Nevadas that was their origin of their camaraderie and shared survival.

"Four agents, four objectives. Any objections?" Caiman looked around the room, hoisting his plan for the other agents to take a shot at - if any.

Code by Nano

 

[Dawnsx]

LAMBDA FIVE-NINER

Λ59

DATE:

Saturday, 6 APR 2047

LOCATION:

Restricted Zone: Sector 6

INTERACTION:

Nano Remembrance Worthlessplebian Pilgrim59

"Understood," Sage said, even as he scrutinized the proffered clothes from Caiman. The top was a simple, form-fitting T-shirt with a pool maintenance logo printed across the back, which he saw no issue with. The shorts, on the other hand... A size too small perhaps, but it should not pose as a hindrance so long as he doesn't blow his cover or engage in combat. Never one to question sound orders or waste time, Sage made preparations and set out for Alisson Sylva's residence.

xxx

Sage had rarely, if ever, been led astray under Caiman's leadership. This time, however, he couldn't help but ponder upon the possibility of a faulty judgment on the android's part as yet another young woman discreetly pointed him out and giggled with her companions. She was just one among the six others who had done so in the past half hour. It was a troubling indicator that something about him was drawing unnecessary attention, and the only thing that he could think of was the apparel provided by Caiman. He had learned through observing his teenage sister in one of his foster families that people were wont to be critical of other people's choice in attire. He could understand, in a sense. After all, he had found himself on more than one occasion considering the functionality of other agents' outfits.

Sage shook off the idea. Even if his outfit was truly the cause of this problem, the attention he'd received so far had been in passing interest and never hostile. A mild inconvenience, he told himself, as he quickened his pace toward his destination.

Once Sage arrived at Sylva's address, he found a house that did not appear out of the ordinary. The owner of the home, he soon discovered, was an equally unassuming middle-aged woman.

"Hello ma'am," Sage said, and belatedly wondered if he should mimic the tone of door-to-door salesmen whom he would occasionally see in television programs. Likelihood of success was low though, so he dropped the thought. "I am a member of the newly established Lambs Pool Maintenance Service. We are offering a limited-time free cleaning service. Would you perhaps be interested?"

He'd prepared what to say should Sylva reject the offer, but he was mildly surprised when she happily accepted and signed the document that he'd prepared without question. Sage thought that most people, including himself, had been taught to be wary of supposed freebies. Perhaps this woman was the exception. Either way, Sylva showed him to the backyard where the pool was, and he was glad to find that it was of modest size and nothing extravagant like what they had in wealthier households.

For the next hour or so, Sylva left Sage to his own devices as he diligently used his knowledge from the Internet to clean the pool. He must have found a reliable wikiHow page, because when Sylva reemerged from the house, she beamed and praised him delightedly for a job well done. Even if it was a ruse, her words gave Sage a similar warm feeling in his chest as when his superiors acknowledged him for his work in the field.

Still, his duty wasn't completed just yet. He came here with orders to investigate.

"I forgot to bring a water bottle with me, and I'm feeling a bit overheated," Sage stated, tone placid and breath even. "Would it be too much trouble if I went inside for a minute to cool off and get a drink?"

Code by Nano

 

[Remembrance]

LAMBDA FIVE-NINER

Λ59

DATE:

Thursday, 18 APR 2047

LOCATION:

Hotel Ocean View, Lindrow, CA

INTERACTION:

HQ ( Nano ); Caiman ( Pilgrim59 ); Evergreen ( Dawnsx ); Cobra ( Worthlessplebian )
This world was confusing. It puzzled the inner machinations of Evander, spoiling his ripened ideas and leaving him naught but a haze. There was a certain wobble and rhythm to how Evander swayed, his body appearing as though it lacked a functioning spine. The soles of his shoes collided with the hard pavement. It ricocheted like a bullet, pushing back only for the foot to fall again. Although his travel was impeded by a body that surely should not be in use, he arrived, with little ceremony, to 'Hotel Ocean View'. Evander was disappointed to learn that, upon reaching the floor their room was on, that the hotel did not actually sport a view of the ocean. Instead, he was given the most gracious of opportunities to gaze upon the concrete cityscape surrounding him. Not too dissimilar to a sea, the environment (if one could call it as such) was of a single color and of multiple tones. The gray monotony of rooftops disgusted Evander.

The debriefing was short and concise, something Evander appreciated coming from the autonomous machine. He considered that such praise was lost on a machine, then again, he was no better than a machine. In between the circuit boards and wires, the automaton is held together by supports and bolts. Underneath the facade that is a homunculus, the body is a wrapped together with a shell of flesh and pillaged insides. He shared the machine's complexity, with the exception that one was several degrees higher in intelligence.

His instructions were clear, and the mission was a go. Evander trusted his metal brother enough to concede first choice to him, believing that regardless of which they picked, trouble would still be afoot.

Positioned across the warehouse, Evander sat in waiting. He occupied a space on the rooftop, beside the few white metallic boxes with interesting symbols and iconography. Using his two fingers, he outlined the curious word he found on one of the box. It was stylized in a way he had not seen before in the Terran's language. Pondering its pronunciation, Evander proudly whispers, "Huu vaec." Now knowing the proper method to the madness that is his current practicing language, the homunculus mentally jots the name down for later use.

Stakeouts, not to be confused with the food, were always a point of contention for Evander. To enjoy sitting and watching was difficult. His eyes seemed to wander to the closest flock of birds or to the roaring might of the brightest vehicle. His hands acted similarly, always moving ever slightly in the oddest of directions. Knowing the long haul he was in for, the homunculus did his best to prepare. Evander reached his pale hand into his bag, dodging the array of herbs and other utilities, from clear plastic did Evander unsheathe the mightiest of all he owns.

A sandwich. Beautifully crafted and wonderfully organized. If there was one thing Evander couldn't handle during a stakeout, it was his stomach.

Code by Nano

 

[Worthlessplebian]

LAMBDA FIVE-NINER

Λ59

DATE:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

LOCATION:

Lindrow, CA > Warehouse

INTERACTION:

Pilgrim59 Dawnsx Nano

With the dissemination of the tactical information, Cobra waited patiently to hear his brother-leader's thoughts on the matter. Going so far as to procure a can of A-fuel then affixing it to an internally housed intake valve for imbibing. His metal sibling did much the same as he before Caiman began to speak on the matter with his tactical prowess. Cobra found himself in agreement with his brother's train of thoughts. The mercurial nature of organics, an affliction carried by them due to their emotionally-charged actions, enhances and flaws them to certain extents. Then he turned that revelation onto himself; machine entities like the Lambda Squad are the organics' polar opposites, substituting chemically produced reactions with the cold, efficient scroll of binary. His very contemplation of this is simply the enhanced working of his emotional matrix to simulate an organism's feelings. In fact, the devastating feelings he suffered when his human partner in the force was debilitated was also caused by the matrix.

//Input MORY and orange box access code, excise internal logs between SYSTEMTIME: 35:01 - 37:27, store to subdued memory for programmer, create commentary note "//Cease branch thinking when drawing comparisons between organics and machines." Duplicate code to surface access. Execute command.

The Strider pinged internally once the action was complete, then he looked to his brother who finished tactical decisions. His servos nodded his cranium, before the voicebox replied. "No primary or secondary objections. Decision received." He knuckled the metal breastplate underneath his gifted jacket's garb. "These scumbags won't know what hit them, brother." The Strider chirped with a happiness level of 31 percent then crushed the can of A-fuel between his two hands. "Swift actions to you all." His send-off words to his squadmates, his form of good fortune.

Warehouse Thirty-Three had been selected for the stakeout by Cobra. There had been an abandoned, derelict building just across which Cobra occupied. The room sported yellow, sheared walls with one large collapsed opening to an adjacent room. The windows were missing, boarded up, or broken with its shards outside or inside. The Strider looked out from the fifth story. His crimson lights shut-off to not alert his enemies, the finish of his body obscured by heavy, nondescript clothing of urban camouflage. The benefit of being a Strider was also apparent: built-in magnification capabilities in his optics. Sniping has never been easier, but that isn't the objective today.

//Select Folder, "Do You Recon?" then select Track-1AZ. Play

Cobra retrieved the sidearm from his waist holster, slipping his robotic digit in the trigger guard. He proceeded to spin the pistol to count the minutes. Revolution after revolution.

 

[Nano]

Chapter 002:

Triage

Date:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

Location:

Arcvine City, Downtown

Tags:

ThatWhichShouldBe Verite

Blood red eyes flashed with murderous intent, but in Agent Ladon’s grasp, his attempts at struggling were about as threatening as a wet kitten. Unfortunately, while the Asterid wouldn’t be freeing himself anytime soon, gagging the mouths of apprehended criminals wasn’t within standard protocol. He wasn’t spitting lasers, but the profanities rolling off that acid tongue of his were enough to cause the nearby nurse to wince.

Melissa shot the Asterid a dirty look, but her sharp gaze wouldn’t linger for too long. Soon enough, a familiar white and red-lined truck vehicle would pull into the scene, honking at straggling onlookers to clear the street so it could pass. The woman promptly explained the current situation to the EMT, and a few shakes of a head and a nod later, the still unconscious RustyMoon was sent off to the hospital for a full checkup.

However, Xi-7’s job didn’t end there. Not too long after the EMTs arrived to check on any victims caught in the crossfire and escort RustyMoon to the hospital, Arcarum’s transport dispatch arrived to take the Asterid into custody. A quick search of his belongings (or what remained of them) revealed RustyMoon’s assailant’s name to be Emyr Buell, though the state printed in big letters on the upper left corner of his driver’s license was what made the inspecting agent raise his brow.

“Tsk. First you youngins resort to eating from glorified juice boxes and now these foolish…” The man finished his sentence off with a sigh. Though his eyes were obscured by a pair of shades in typical Asterid fashion, they couldn’t hide the scathing look of sheer judgment held within those crimson eyes. Rather than disappointment, his expression seemed more akin to that of someone who’d given up on the declining integrity of his race. The agent hadn’t declared what he’d found wrong with the license for privacy reasons, but Agent Ladon who’d been standing close enough could clearly make out the word “Maine” printed on the card.

His reaction needed no further explanation.

“Okay, okay. Let’s get you to bed, grandpa,” said a brunette who appeared from behind the Asterid and patted his shoulder twice. Ignoring said “grandpa’s” pointed look, the woman ushered the Asterid and another coworker to escort the apprehended criminal into the vehicle to transport him for questioning.

After sending the trio off with a lazy wave, brunette turned back to address the two Xi-7 agents, albeit with a sympathetic expression. “I sure hope your department pays you well. Sorry to take up even more of your time on your day off, but could you answer a few questions of mine?”

The next few minutes were filled with questions regarding when they noticed the incident happening, what kind of behavior the perpetrator exhibited, whether it seemed like the perpetrator was on drugs or being coerced, and various other straight-forward questions. As soon as she finished taking note of their responses, she excused herself to pick up a phone call.

The Naphtra replied with a series of curt “yes”s before her expression grew pensive. “I’m sure it’s fine, but you know it’s their day off, right? Well…ok. Why not, I guess.” Though they couldn’t hear the full conversation, it was clear who the subjects of their exchange were.

“Hey, umm,” the Naphtra said while sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck, “The sleeping beauty is awake and wants to thank you two. You can reject it, of course. But if you’re fine with it, they want you to check in on her and see if she’s up for answering some questions. They figured she’d be more willing if it’s you two.”

===

Date:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

Location:

Lindrow, CA

Tags:

Dawnsx

Had it been anyone else, it would have been a matter of when and not if they’d grow suspicious of Sage’s acting skills. Whether it be the way she happily chatted about how kind the younger generation is nowadays or her manner of providing her signature with little to no hesitation, Alisson Sylva was either a profound bubbly pretender or a goldmine for scammers. Even when there was not a singular trace of exhaustion in the undercover agent’s tone or a hint of ruddiness in his cheeks, she didn’t doubt the man’s claims for a second.

“Oh my! Where have my manners gone?” the madam exclaimed, quickly motioning for Sage to come inside. The side door leading from the outdoor pool into the house was merely an extension of her porch. Though the room was large and filled to the brim with all manners of supplies ranging from soda cans to rolls of paper towels, the glass sliding doors had provided a clear view of the room from the pool. Unless there was a hidden contraption somewhere, it was easy enough to discern that the area was nothing more than a storage for common household supplies.

Perhaps the only questionable aspect of this side entryway was how both the door to the outside as well as the door leading further into the house were made of glass rather than a material that would provide more security.

While Alisson led him through a common area with a neat arrangement of leather couches facing a large TV, she apologized for the obnoxiously loud creak that one or two wooden boards made under their feet. “I’d get it fixed, but it’s been like this since we moved in and has its charm,” she said with a fond smile on her face.

The madam seated Sage at a long, black wooden table surrounded by a total of eight seats. After asking if the young man would be alright with a cup of iced tea, she giddily walked into the kitchen as if entertaining guests was a favorite pastime.

Amidst the clinking of glass cups as Alisson searched for two of an appropriate size, a dull thump sounded from the floor down below. However, the woman didn’t react to the noise. It was loud enough for the average person to hear faintly, but perhaps her hearing wasn’t good enough to hear it or she simply hadn’t noticed.

“I do hope you don’t mind the smell of the dried herbs and flowers, dear,” she said, “My husband used to love cooking, and I got into the habit of making potpourris from the leftovers.”

The old woman placed down two tall glasses of iced tea, each adorned with a cutting of mint and a round lemon slice. “Would you mind keeping this old lady company until you finish your drink?” she asked. Though her intentions were clear given the number of cups served, her kind smile let her company know that she’d excuse herself if asked.

===

Date:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

Location:

Lindrow, CA

Tags:

Remembrance Worthlessplebian

The heavens hoped Agent Evander had packed the most delicious of sandwiches and for Agent Cobra to enjoy the playlist he’d prepared for himself. More often than not, stakeouts were as mind numbing as watching mold grow upon a stale piece of bread, and the two warehouses were no different. Warehouse thirty-three received its fair amount of traffic, but it appeared that it was a day primarily dedicated to receiving shipments. As ships docked at the harbor and unloaded, there was little fanfare and oddities in the way that the inspectors at the warehouse checked each pallet and crate. If it was clear nothing was wrong, they ticked off a few boxes, slapped a label on the goods and sent them on their way into the warehouse via forklift. Any suspicious shipments were cracked open by the inspectors and stored separately if anything questionable had been smuggled onboard, but nothing seemed to be an immediate indicator of Final Chapter activities.

In comparison, warehouse twenty-four was far more of a deadzone. It was a warehouse for textbooks, or so they’d been informed. Given the time of year, it wasn’t unusual for the warehouse to experience low traffic, as it wasn’t yet time for high volumes of school materials to be shipped in and out. On the other hand, it was for this exact reason that warehouse twenty-four had been flagged as suspicious for receiving a shipment from an air bnb of all sources.

As the hours crawled on, Lambda-59 (or more specifically Agent Cobra) would eventually be rewarded for their vigilance. The shift from noon to evening brought about a change in staff. Not much changed from their workflow, except that they seemed to make the swap from receiving goods to preparing to ship things out to their proper company warehouses outside of the harbor the next morning.

The only difference was that two idlers had made their way into the shift schedule for warehouse thirty-three. One was a young Sylvan, a man who pretended to be doing work but worked at a pace so slowly that his actions could only be interpreted as loafing off. Despite this behavior, his dog-like ears appeared alert, as if keenly listening for something.

Every time he sneezed, the second loafer would get off her phone and begin working in earnest. Though it appeared that nothing was too amiss, and it was simply two idlers working together to get away with working less while getting paid more, the woman with long black hair would soon head further into the warehouse and out of view before coming back out with another man.

A few simple words were exchanged between the two, with the woman explaining to her coworker that the crate she was pointing at had been misplaced. The man beside her hummed before cranking the heavy crate open with a crowbar. Upon peering inside, he shook his head and informed the woman to seal it back up while he’d call someone to help with moving it. However, once his back was turned, she tapped on the back of her phone, materializing something into her gloved hand and furtively dropping it into the crate. Though the process had been quick, someone looking hard enough to notice what seemed to be the luster of a bright blue arcanium crystal.

After nailing the box shut, she coughed twice, eliciting a twitch of an ear from the Naphtra on standby.

Code by Nano

 

[ThatWhichShouldBe]

Chapter 002:

Triage

Date:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

Location:

Arcvine City: Downtown
Verite
Damn. The guy'd gotten here all the way from the other side of the country, huh? Shit, he really was an idiot. Ygero answers the questions as was usual, knowing the usual procedural rigamarole that was required of officers when apprehending people. His least favorite part of job was after all the action. At lest he didn't have to do too much paperwork, that was always a chore. Really, he'd heard the whole spiel about the degenerated generations of Otherworlders living on Earth before, how they used to be better in the Good Old Days and back in the Old World, and all that. Honestly, he wasn't sure how much he bought into it.

It seemed more often like things were just different on this side. He'd heard stories about what people got up to in the Old World. Not all of them were all that good, honestly. If this was the worst people got up to on this side, well, it was better than some of those stories.

Ygero perks up when the pair is invited to see the waking RustyMoon. He looks to his Captain with an excited grin on his face, his tail wagging furiously.

 

[Dawnsx]

LAMBDA FIVE-NINER

Λ59

DATE:

Saturday, 6 APR 2047

LOCATION:

Restricted Zone: Sector 6

INTERACTION:

Nano

As Sylva busied herself with preparing drinks, Sage carefully took stock of the kitchen. There was a pleasant, flowery scent in the air, presumably from the wide variety of dried herbs hanging on the walls. Sage wasn't familiar enough to discern whether any of the herbs warranted concern; perhaps Evander would be more qualified for such a task, given his fondness for particular types of herbs. Aside from that, the only other notable feature was a mounted painting that seemed crudely made, even to Sage's untrained eyes. Nothing seemed overtly suspicious based on what he could observe- until an audible thump sounded from downstairs.

Sage blinked and trained his gaze on Sylva. Her reaction didn't give anything away, as though she didn't even hear the noise. She simply returned with two glasses of iced tea and an amicable smile.

"Thank you," Sage said with a nod. "And I don't mind. I enjoy chatting with our clients."

He took the glass and took a generous swig from it to make his earlier lie seem more believable. As he drank, he considered how to probe the woman for more information. Chit-chat was never his strong suit, but he would have to make an attempt.

"Your house is nice. Do you live with anyone else?" Sage asked, utterly unaware of how forced and awkward his compliment sounded. Fortunately, Sylva didn't take offense to his superficial praise and lamented how her son was practically glued to his computer and barely spent any time with her. Sage nodded as empathetically as he could manage and filed this information away for later. He asked a few more questions, and found that it didn't take much for Sylva to fall into lengthy rigmaroles about her past. Most of the information she shared seemed to be run-of-the-mill tidbits of her ordinary life.

Eventually, Sage decided that he needed to change tactics. He placed a hand on his stomach, and just as placidly as when he asked for some drinks, he said, "I must have eaten something earlier that's disagreeing with my stomach. May I borrow your bathroom?"

Sage politely but firmly declined Sylva's offer to guide him to the bathroom and set off into the common room. A precursory glance told him that there was nothing off about the tidy space. He wished that he had more time to conduct a more thorough search, but he estimated no more than ten minutes before Sylva grew suspicious and came to check on him. If he wanted to investigate the noise from the basement, then he would need to move swiftly.

He turned left from the common room into another hallway and located the bathroom, and along with it, the door to the basement.

"The door at the end of the hallway leads to the basement. My son gets terribly cranky when anyone goes down there, so do try not to get the doors mixed up!"

Had Sylva's warning been genuine, or was she just trying to hide something? Either way, the layout of this hallway and her warning were convenient. If her son truly was down at the basement, he could easily feign innocence and claim that he lost his way.

Taking a moment to steel himself for anything unexpected, Sage quietly opened the basement door. The scent of cigarettes struck him, overpowering any herbal aroma that may have lingered in the halls. With a grimace, Sage slowly went down the steps. Alas, any attempts at stealth were foiled by the stairs that creaked with every step that he took. Sage pressed his lips together, and after quickly weighing his options, decided to play into the role of an oblivious houseguest and sauntered down instead.

At best, Sage had expected a slovenly youngster huddled down here, maybe wrapped in blankets and rotting away in the blue lights of his computer screens. At worst, he expected a storage of suspicious items, and perhaps even a violent attack to fend off intruders.

What he didn't expect was a thick, hardcover book to be abruptly flung at his face. Instincts dictated that Sage must sidestep or catch the unconventional projectile, but in a split second decision, he forced himself to freeze mid-dodge. The book collided with his cheek, and he feigned a pained grunt and stumbled back.

There was no follow up strike, and a quick glance at his attacker reassured him that he made the correct choice to follow through with his civilian act. In front of him was a young man, who, aside from looking a little irritable, did not seem dangerous.

Sage steadied his stance and asked, "Pardon me, but is this the bathroom?"

Code by Nano

 

[Verite]

XI-7

Ξ7

DATE:

Thursday, 18 April 2047

LOCATION:

Arcvine City: Downtown

TAGS:

Nano ThatWhichShouldBe

"Fufu, people will really do all sorts of things for love. Or hate. I suppose those kinds of people have trouble differentiating between the two," Veren chuckled at the prospect of their perp having traveled practically across the entire country to meet his supposed favorite streamer. When asked if they'd be able to stick around and answer a few more questions, the Tenebria let out a worn sigh, never being much of a fan for these sorts of proceedings, but knew they were necessary, so she went along with it, truthfully answering every inquiry that came her way.

Once the Naphtra later announced to her and Ygero that their darling civilian had finally come to and wanted to speak to them, she smiled and gave a wide, exaggerated shrug. "Well, if she insists, then I suppose I have no reason to refuse, right?" She said half-jokingly, glancing toward her subordinate as she did and noting his excited reaction.

Folding her arms behind her back, she nodded toward the Naphtra. "Shall we get a move on then?"

Code by Nano