Realistic or Modern CODENAME : PANGEA - [OMEN_OF_THE_END] <ACTIVE DOCKET>

[LindsMagee]

(Mentions: A L M O S )
(Interactions: ReverseTex )

Noticing the shoes set on the floor and the relaxed posture of the man as he sat on the bed, Vasilissa assumed he was looking to get some rest. She was prepared to leave until he invited her in with light conversation. As the man poured and handed her a glass, she thought of the Hunter’s earlier remark regarding double agents. Who would be a better suspect than a negotiator, great with people and mental manipulation. As for the cards however, what a truly tragic loss. The idea of a card game between everyone at camp trawler was oh so interesting...especially in when the competitive natures and tempers that Vasilissa herself and those surrounding her had came into play. Hell, the thought of that deadly card game alone was almost enough to make Vasilissa go to town and purchase a deck herself!
“What a pity about the cards. Probably good that we don’t have any here though, wouldn’t want to interrupt your winning streak now would I?” Vasilissa responded with a smirk and a sip of the vodka. Surprising, she pegged him as more of a Chambord kind of guy. Perhaps just a bit of French stereotyping on her part though. Slowly pacing the tent, she stopped in front Claude as he asked about life. The question caught her off guard, causing her to tilt her head back in a light laugh. How amusing it was- the situation they were in and the question he had asked -they were super spies, formerly from enemy governments, and he had asked about life! The notion of this question seemed oh so humorous to her in the moment, or maybe it was the amount of liquor she'd consumed in this sorry state of hers.
“As for life, Monsieur Marceau, I must complain the cards are ill shuffled until I have been dealt a good hand.” Vasilissa presented a charming smile, she knew he would appreciate and understand the reference. After all, he was one of the only worthy adversaries she’d ever come to face in regards to card games.
Pondering for a moment, she tapped the side of her glass softly with her ring finger, the metal echoing against the glass in a minuscule ringing sound. “Not that I don’t want to share details about my life, but I am very curious to know something,” finishing the rest of the small glass, she challenged “I’m afraid I must inquire to know just what a man of your expertise thinks about the various people gathered here so far? You must be good at reading people, no?” With an intrigued expression painted on her face, she sat against the small side table near the bed and leaned forward to hold out her glass, awaiting the response and the liquor.

 

[ReverseTex]

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Claude simpered at Vasilissa’s quip, seeing as the two have had their share of gambling encounters. The most memorable had to be when he was in charge of entertaining the Prime Minister of Luxembourg in Monaco... “Three years strong dear, and I plan to keep it that way...”

His question however made her mind flicker. Suspicion. Her physical pause, as well the placating laugh were dead giveaways. Simpering at her response, the truth to it being all to real, he looked up at the woman as she posed a question to him. ..

Intelligence.

Claude took a sip of his drink as he carefully plotted his words. He humored the Russian girl, but he still wasn’t sure on trust quite yet... “Personally I believe Hunter is a good man, I’ve known him long enough to feel comfortable trekking the Nambian Deserts... The American isn’t as bad as you presume. Yes he’s hot-headed but he’s a master of his given craft... The German seems pleasant enough, so does the Korean man... It takes more than a word to read a person, but that is the basics..”

His icy eyes glanced up at the woman with amusement as she held her glass to him. Reaching for the bottle that laid next to him upon the bed, he carefully poured her a second glass, before returning the bottle back to its spot. “But I think alliance is key Madame... You a thief of objects, me a thief of the mind... We’d make a good team no?” A playful smile emerged from his face, along with a shrug.


[/div][/div][/div][div class=credit]credits RI.a [/div][div class=overlay]Claude Marceau[/div][div class=tags]Location: Camp Trawler
LindsMagee [/div]

 

[Kent]

Nangong Hyung A.K.A. "NOBODY"

He was rapidly pressing the keys on his laptop as he tried to obtain more information to the place where they are going when his partner, Hideki, asked him a question. "Is your japanese good? I've only seen you write."

Hyung looked at him and smiled awkwardly. He was too preoccupied with his laptop that he mostly ignored Hideki while traveling. He thought this was a good time to strike up a conversation.
"I'm an international agent and Japan is less than a thousand kilometer from South Korea, so of course." Hyung replied in Japanese before he diverted his attention back to his laptop. "I'm sorry for not chatting much, I was busy obtaining information. But I've got results at least; According to this information from the Luderitz and nearby airports, a french military plane passed through and according to the direction it is travelling, it would fly near the assembly point. I can't assure that it's safe."

Hyung couldn't help but be suspicious. This could be a trap, but trap or not, they still need to head there. Chimera is fucking the world government and the latter is after them. As they neared the gathering place, Hyung took a drone from one of his bags and launched it. It was personally modified by him so it could fly longer and farther. Up to 2,000 meters for an hour. "I'll use my drone to check the place out."

The drone flew in circles to survey the surrounding lands before heading straight to the camp. As the drone neared, Hyung saw some tents and vehicles so the drone stopped. It hovered at a fair distance away from the camp. It was already dark and Hyung disabled the flashing lights from the drone beforehand so it is unlikely that anyone could notice the drone unless they were paying attention to the sky or had a device that could detect it. Hyung ;however could clearly see them. "Good news, the camp exists. Slow the car down, there are a few people outside the tents and I need to confirm their identify."

Hyung zoomed the camera towards the people near the campfire. "Hmm? That seems to be Claude, the french negotiator. And..." The next person he saw made him chuckle. Both the people he saw are in a friendly relationship with him. "Hehehe, it's Vasilisa, the russian spy. " Hyung became friends with Claude because of his big role in North Korea's Denuclearization and Vasilia because of their frequent contact in social gatherings and in casinos. They usually gamble or party together. Vasilisa actually owed him money one time and when he tried to collect it, she actually disappeared! Even Hyung couldn't find her. After that, Hyung wasn't annoyed, but was actually impressed. Only a few people could impress him.

"I guess it's safe to go." He told Hideki. Hyung then intentionally activated the blinking lights in the drone and had it fly in circles around the camp before landing next to the campfire. The drone had the word 'NOBODY' in it so Hyung hoped that they could get the idea of who it was. Hyung didn't want them to get the wrong idea and think he was hostile. Their jeep arrived a few moments later and stopped right next to the camp.

Mentions: ReverseTex LindsMagee

Interactions: ttlovepie

 

[LindsMagee]

(Mentions: Kent Arrt Saunders )
(Interactions: ReverseTex )

Vasilissa thought back to the first time she encountered the Magician in a casino. Not on a job at the time, she believed him to be a cheat, possibly colluding with another player solely due to the fact that he’d bested her in more than one hand. Vasilissa had lost a pretty penny to the man that night, and nothing made Vasilissa’s blood boil more than a cheat. When she found out he was not cheating, he earned her respect. Looking back, she would have never believed that this is where she would be now. Making conversation with a French super spy in the middle of the Namib desert.
As he paused before speaking, Vasilissa made note of Claude’s calculated responses. Brilliance was in this man’s DNA, she could tell in the way he spoke, analyzed the others, and his mannerisms in general. Nodding in agreement as he listed out his perceptions of their fellow spies, she noted that he left her out of the reading, but didn’t say anything about it.
Lifting her glass to her lips again, she paused when he spoke of an alliance. Even in Russia, in the security of an agency, she felt as if she had no allies. And she had been right. The bruises marked on her from a few days earlier proved it enough.
Don’t trust anyone.
“An alluring offer, Monsieur Marceau. It is certainly correct that you are a thief of the mind, and I am a thief of objects. And I can assure you we would make a good pair, however, I believe I’ll have to think it over.” Vasilissa set her glass on the side table and stood up, hearing a car motor in the distance. “In the meantime, I believe we have new additions to Camp” she added and began to walk out of the tent. Before leaving fully, she turned around and slyly stated "Oh and do remember to always protect what a thief is most likely to steal, whether it be a watch or a mind", she threw him his timepiece she disappeared into the fresh night air. Spotting a jeep on the opposite side of camp, she walked that way and briefly saw two figures through the windshield. Coming to a stop in from of the jeep, she crossed her arms and waited for the new arrivals to reveal themselves. She wondered about who it could be, there were only three options left and she doubted that Everyone would arrive with another person. It was most likely Nobody and the Tinkerer, they did live in close proximity compared to many of the other spies. Vasilissa hoped it was someone she was familiar with. Maybe it could be Hyung, they had partied and enjoyed some of the many luxuries of life many times before. Last she saw of him, though, was when he came to collect the money she owed of him. A smile played on her lips. She wished she could've seen the look on his face when he figured out she dropped off the map. Regardless of the last time she saw him, it would be calming to have another friendly face around camp and he would surely lighten the mood.

 

[The Pattern]

Asher raised his eye at the drone as it began flying over the camp. Must be another equal, not even the BND is incompetent enough to fly a drone in such an obvious way... Wait. Which equal would use a drone? Asher was definitely intrigued by the drone, to the extent that he proceeded to pick up the drone and look at it. The only clue on it was the word nobody, and Asher didn't even know Nangong existed, let alone the fact that he was an equal. Nobody? Is that a moniker? No, that's too awkward, what if someone needs to tell someone else that nobody's home? That'd just confuse everyone... Wait. Everyone... So if he's still alive and this Nobody arrives then I'll be working with everyone and nobody... So I'll need to refer to the total number of people in a given situation as everybody and no one just so I don't confuse everyone... I mean everybody. What have I gotten myself into?!

Before Asher has a full crisis over synonyms and his future colleagues, a jeep pulls up beside the campsite. Best to take the suppressor off, the gunfire should wake the others up if it comes to that. Asher then callously drops the drone almost onto the fire, he then takes his suppressed pistol out of the briefcase to take off the suppressor and arm himself. After Asher arms himself he slowly stand stands up, and begins gingerly walking towards the jeep. Asher made sure the pistol was visible as he walked up, holding it at the ground a few centimetres ahead of him. "Good evening! Who told you about this place?" Asher called out to the jeep's occupants. As he noticed Mirage step out to greet the newcomers as well, Asher called out. "Mirage, best arm yourself. We don't know who's in it."

 

[ReverseTex]

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Claude’s icy orbs glittered with amusement as he studied her reaction to his offer. A pause was the only physical tell-tale sign, however he knew people far past the surface. She had been processing the same training every spy had. Trust no one. Despite that, he had little doubt in his mind to trust the Russian. Watching her as she sat her glass upon the nightstand, the light purr of an engine interrupting the conversation, he sighed. “Fair enough my dear...”

Feeling a lightness to his wrist as she began to exit, but turned her head last minute to him. Smirking as she held his timepiece, he spoke. “It’s Claude. No pleasantries for a grubby mind theif like myself...” Seeing her amused as she exited, he sighed to himself as he was left alone. You know better than this. But yet...

It took the man a few moments to tie his Oxfords again, but none the less he exited the tent short after Vasilissa. It’s Nobody. The South Korean hacker, a man of interesting intellect, and a fun man to brain pick. The younger man admired his approach to denuclearization with the man’s neighboring country, and had been a asset to acquired some of the important information needed to help convince the North Koreans of the task. The other man however he didn’t know...

Placing a hand on Vasilissa’s shoulder, he dipped his head to meet her ear level, and whispered. “You can trust the Korean. Just make sure to keep anything that buzzes or beeps away from him... As for the other I haven’t a clue... But don’t bark at them like you did Vincent. I don’t need to scrape a bloody Russian girl off the ground...”


[/div][/div][/div][div class=credit]credits RI.a [/div][div class=overlay]Claude Marceau[/div][div class=tags]Location: Camp Trawler
LindsMagee
Kent [/div]

 

[ttlovepie]

• Hideki seemed a little dejected after his attempt to start up a conversation didn't seem to go anywhere. I nodded politely and smiled as Hyung spoke. This was definitely a safe way to go about it. He had been trying to take his mind off of how nervous he was coming into the situation, and it relaxed him a bit to see Hyung had been more prepared. Hideki sat back and took a deep breath as they rode along the last stretch, thinking about how much he was going to miss his lab with hundred million dollar plus equipment, and how much he didn't want to deal with a bunch of egomaniacs who could kill him in an instant. He briefly thought about how much not having his tea was going to be unpleasant as the jeep rolled to a stop. Hideki opened the door and said "Yo!" with a distinct Japanese accent.

• Hideki surveyed the group in front of him sitting around the anomalous drone at near the campfire, they seemed pleasant enough. He may not have had actually met most of them but he recognized a few. He was a little disappointed not seeing China among the group. But that feeling was slightly overtaken by a slight sense of a dread as he saw a man with a bottle of alcohol. Images of broken coworkers and electronics flashed through his mind. He quickly stopped looking at the man and towards the group in general. He Stood there in a weird sort of silence, as he let Hyung walk in front of him. They both approached the group, Hideki somewhat tentatively.

 

[Kent]

Nangong Hyung A.K.A. NOBODY

Hyung looked at the approaching figures. There were three of them. It was naturally Vasilisa, Claude, and Asher. He saw Asher pulling out his gun and grinned. He's a cautious one. Hyung understands him. After all, Asher doesn't know who he is; However, Hyung knew who he was. He heard of his name before and did some research.

Hyung got off the car and stared at Asher's gun and then his face. 'This guy is quite interesting. I'd love to play games with him in the future. It would be quite interesting to see who would get played in the end.' He grinned and dismissed his thoughts.

"Sir Vogt, you're too cautious. As for your question, you already know the answer. It was The Hunter." He then took something out from his coat and gave it to Asher. It was his business card. It had his name and former address printed on it. It would give him an idea of who he was. "It was a good life before my government tried to screw me over."

He then diverted his attention to the two next to Alex and spread his arms. "Claude and Vasilissa! Long time no see!" He approached Claude and patted his shoulder. "You seem to be doing fine. Nice job talking those pilots out of it." Hyung then gave him an 'I know everything' chuckle before looking at Vasilissa.

"I finally found you. You played me that time, but never the next time!" His pride took a bit of hit when that happened, but he still enjoyed it. He then walked back to Hideki and stood right next to him. He pointed at the Japanese and introduced him. "This guy is Hideki, also known as the Tinkerer. He can make magic happen if you give him some materials. He was my travel buddy since China."

Interactions: ttlovepie ReverseTex The Pattern LindsMagee

Mentions: A L M O S

 

[Arrt Saunders]

Everyone​

​

The Journey

Everyone pulled at the leather straps of the backpack by his feet, taken from a train station in England, where he and A had secretly stashed their provisions. Everything he needed for a Namibian getaway was packed inside. His passports, his travel documents, his cards and money, his masques and prostheses, and A’s raven-black pistol. His fingers glided across the grip of the weapon as they searched within the backpack for a bottle of water, and his battered heart, which had quickly - albeit without any alternative - recovered from the Circus’ coup d’état, whined at the gritty feeling of desert sand that coated the grip. It was the older of the two guns securely stored in the locker, scarred with memories of use, but it was all he had to remember a friend.

After leaving the station, Everyone had chartered a private plane. He landed in Johannesburg and, without taking a moment of rest, procured a vehicle to travel the remainder of the way. His backpack had enough cash to source whatever transport he required; the trick was to keep moving.

The Circus had Odin-eyes in every corner of the world, every dark nook and cranny, from where the ravens of the Circus reported deferentially to their Ringmaster. If Everyone stood still for an instant, despite the extensive web of identities forged, he knew that the whispers would trickle back to his pursuers.

He kept the gun in the backpack. He had blades closer to hand if matters descended towards ugliness.

After sipping at his water, Everyone drove on again; the dirt-road struck eastwards towards the rising moon, and the sand stretched further than his eye could see. Beyond the horizon, hidden where in the graveyard of ships, was the Hunter’s camp, and Everyone’s final destination.

He estimated his arrival to be just after sunrise. He wondered, as he travelled, whether the Hunter had successful made it to his own rendezvous point; whether whoever else he had invited had successfully evaded the noose around their necks.

“Screw this stupid journey,” Everyone muttered angrily under his breath, clouds of dust forming in front of him. “Seriously, why do people never arrange to meet somewhere nice?”

 

[The Pattern]

"I'm not paranoid yet... Also, when did I get the knighthood?" Asher sounded quite friendly as he spoke, his exaggerated happiness still noticeable in his voice. I've been far too flippant with my real name... Not only did Hunter know it, but this Nangong did too. Probably Tim being an idiot again, knew the BND shouldn't have put him in charge of Asian and African monitoring... Still, at least Nangong passed the test, any other answer would just reveal that he was working for Chimera. After looking over the card a little more, Asher casually flings it into the sand as he tries to holster his pistol despite the fact that he didn't have anything he could safely put the pistol in. After realising he didn't have a holster, Asher decided to just drop the pistol. The safety was on so Asher didn't see any problem with it. The team seems well-rounded, could do with more direct field-operatives... Even if there were I'll still probably have to step in to help with the fieldwork more then just talking though, I don't think anyone here knows how to drive an armoured vehicle competently.

"Don't mind the pistol, I don't have a holster or a need for it right now. Anyway, welcome to the holiday camp! Feel free to wonder around and pick your new home. You may need to share with someone else, but that's alright, it's not like any of the others are trained killers with recently developed trust issues over the inevitable betrayal we have all suffered at the hands of our respective governments... I'd avoid Cinderblock if I were either of you. He's the American with a dyed raccoon tail on his head. You could also do the sensible thing like I plan on doing when it comes to choosing a new home and sleep in a vehicle... I'm not sharing my truck though." Asher's greeting was bombastically cheerful and welcoming, despite the growing weariness that was beginning to weigh the jovial German down.

 

[LindsMagee]

(Mentions: A L M O S Arrt Saunders )
(Interactions: The Pattern Kent ttlovepie ReverseTex )

Vasilissa watched as the two figures got out of the jeep. The first, Hyung and the second, well she didn’t know. She observed the playful grin on Hyung’s face as he analyzed the Red Rook; imagining that his thoughts would surround wanting to play a game with them man. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she scoffed at Claude’s words. “Yes I believe I can trust Hyung, he and I are very familiar with each other.” Vasilissa didn’t even turn her head to whisper back to him, “As for scraping bloodied bodies off the ground, mine probably would not be the one you’d have to collect” she added, still watching how the others interacted. She knew that Claude was just trying to be helpful, but after years with the disgusting men in her agency, she had grown to resent men giving her advice she didn't need, feeling as if they thought her to be inferior. Shaking the negative feeling away, her eyes then flickered to the man slightly behind Hyung, at first seemingly full of giddy energy and now…he seemed to recoil from the group. She kept her piercing eyes on him until Hyung made his rounds to her.

A light smile tugged at her lips as he spoke of their last run in. “I know how you enjoy a challenging game, Hyung. Nothing personal” she replied in an amused tone. He was the type of man who could make anything entertaining, whether it was a conversation or a party. A great addition to this camp. Hyung introduced the now-quiet man as Hidecki, a tinkerer. Vasilissa studied him further, wondering what had caused his entire demeanor to do a complete 180 in a split second. Before she could speak to Hidecki though, Asher began with his friendly banter again.

He cast his pistol nonchalantly into the sand causing Vasilissa to raise a brow at him. The German had a weak facade of excited energy, but all of the spies could probably see right through it. “Maybe we all need a bit of rest now?” She voiced to the group, looking around at all of them, but mostly saying it for the Red Rook’s sake. The fatigue was setting in on the camp, she could feel it within herself and see it on the faces of the others. “The Hunter has already retired for the night I believe” she added at the end, noticing that he didn’t come out to see the new arrivals. Vasilissa needed to change out her bandages and perhaps put a bit of ice on her neck before she went in for the night. If only this place had an ice bath, she thought with a heavy sigh. She highly doubted that she would get a good night’s sleep; she probably wouldn’t even get a wink. Everyone surrounding her was most likely as on-edge as she was due to the events of the last few days and the ever-present notion that someone here could be a part of Chimera. A feeling of hopelessness flashed through her mind as she thought of the future; a future where she and the other spies would most-likely be on the run for the rest of their lives…or dead. Releasing that thought from her mind, Vasilissa waited for the input of the others surrounding her. Now that two more people were here, that left the camp waiting for one more person to arrive. It was already a bit late to arrive, so she wondered if the man, Everyone was it? was still in conflict with his agency or on his way.

 

[The Pattern]

"That's not a bad idea, goodnight everyone." Asher said, the feigned energy fell very suddenly as Asher picked up his pistol and simply walked off to the campfire to retrieve the briefcase. That went well, could've been a lot worse, especially if Nangong answered incorrectly. So... Collect the briefcase, store the pistol, get to the pickup truck, make sure the doors are locked and then relax... I'll have to get the others' names tomorrow, referring to them by their monikers will grow tiring after a while. Soon after reaching his log and briefcase, Asher opens it up and places both the abandoned suppressor and the pistol itself inside, closing it afterwards. Asher had parked his pickup truck near a tent on the outskirts of the camp, and it was a fairly short walk to it from the campfire, although it was a pleasant walk. Despite how unpleasant the desert seemed to Asher, he couldn't deny that it was beautiful to look at, seeing the serene landscape stretch out before him. Although, Asher's admiration of the landscape also served to help Asher remember where Walvis Bay was, and to try and get a grasp on the geography of the local area. "Why couldn't we just spend this time in a nice village nestled in a valley or atop a hill instead of a desert? It'd be just as remote but we would have actual buildings to sleep in. Also, there'd actually be some life around us other then fish. The only green thing around here is the truck, and even that's mostly brown and dull." Asher muttered aloud to himself, as far as he knew no one else was around so he was able to voice his complaints without judgement.

When Asher's little walk ended, he faced the truck he had traveled the coast in. Around a decade or so ago, it was a rather subtle green, although age and sand had put an end to the uniform colour. It wasn't a pretty sight, but it still worked reliably. It took Asher a few moments of fumbling with the keys before he actually managed to get into the car, and a little longer to collapse the front passenger seat so he could get to the back of the pickup truck to wind the windows of the back doors up and lock them. After doing the same to the doors at the front, Asher grabbed some blankets he bought with the canned goods before he finally settled down on the two front seats of the truck. With his top half on the passenger seat, his lower half on the driver's seat and the heating on, he threw the blanket over himself and took about an hour to finally fall asleep.

 

[ttlovepie]

• Hideki stared off into space as Hyung ran his mouth, it's not that he wasn't listening, he just had other things on his mind. After a few moments he noticed Vasilissa staring at him. He thought about it as he slightly recoiled at her harsh glare. At some point her gaze softened up, and Hideki relaxed some. He was hoping to at least talk some his new coworkers but it was at this time Asher declared it a good time to sleep. Hideki decided to pull out his paperback notebook from and make some notes. Planning on going to bed straight after.

 

[A L M O S]

I.M.P.O.R.T.A.N.T​

LOCATION: THE_SKELETON_COAST
DATE: 11/07/2018
TIME: 05:44

AMBIENT - CAMPFIRE AND WAVES AT SUNSET
INTERACT - ALL

He had not slept well. Christopher sat up from where he had been lying - his back making another discomforting sound. They had better all be here by now. He was done waiting. They needed to get to the safehouse. Anyone who was not here before they left... would not be able to find them. At least, he was almost sure they would not. Slowly getting up from his position on the ground, he put on his jacket and took a swig from his flask. The warm burning is his throat woke him up more completely before he opened the flap to his tent - frowning at the mist which had crept in during the night - and would remain till around 11. Which meant they had a few more hours before they needed to leave if they wished to use the cover the ocean provided. Sighing, he stepped out - taking a deep breath of the fresh morning air, looking over the rest of them. The dampness in the air already seemed to cling to his clothing and his skin. He hoped it would not get much thicker. Nothing worse than packing up camp when everything is wet.

He walked towards the fire pit, which had died out during the evening. Quietly he set about making a pot of ground black coffee, boiling some water over the new, struggling coals, the dark brew causing vapour to form on the sides of the tin cups. As he quietly sat next to the fire he ran over the plans in his mind. He needed to talk to them. Privately. Even more so than now. Which meant he was going to allow them to come to his safehouse. But before he could do that he needed to inform them of his plans. Or at least his intentions, which would lead to his plans. Which meant he needed to make sure that they knew what they were getting themselves into. This was a dangerous mission and one he could not force them into.

This was perhaps the first time in their lives where they could potentially decline a mission. Perhaps giving them that opportunity would show them that he was on their side. He had never been a very nice person... and this was the first time in a very long time where he needed to court favour with someone else. Seeing that the coffee was almost done, he got up - picked up one of the tin mugs and a spoon - and started walking along the half moon where some of them had slept or parked their vehicles.

Softly tapping the side of the cup with the spoon, starting at a very low volume and tone nearer to the bottom of the mug, he slowly increased volume and tone as he walked around. "It's almost six you lot. Wake up. We have to talk. Coffee. Coffee." God. He felt like a fucking drill Sargent, having to get the recruits up around the base before breakfast. He was sure they were not going to be very appreciative of this. Or perhaps they would. A bit of a return to their idea of normal. He cleared his throat. "Wake up! Coffee. Get your asses up and on those logs for coffee and a briefing." He sighed as he walked back to the log and sat down, closing his eyes - waiting for them as he sipped at the strong, bitter liquid. His ears perked, as he listened for any unwelcome noise. Or perhaps a gun being readied to shoot at him from inside a tent. He was sure most of them were awake already and just waiting for the rest to stir. They could take this as stirring. Another few clangs ran through the campsite.

 

[LindsMagee]

(Interactions: A L M O S )

She had heard someone up and about in the kitchen and around camp before the Hunter had started to yell. Being up since around five o’clock, Vasilissa strolled out of her tent and into the clearing. Rolling out her shoulders as she poured herself a cup of black coffee, she sighed at the lack of sleep she’d received the night before. It was a night of restless tossing and turning; and when she did manage to fall asleep, she would awaken to every little sound around camp in a cold sweat and a choking feeling of panic. At least she had the chance to get off of her feet for a few hours though. Everyone needed to be in their prime both mentally and physically if they hoped to take down Chimera. There was still the issue of double agents as well, but they would deal with that when-if the time came. The dark liquid burned her throat as she took a large sip, not waiting for it to cool down after pouring. If coffee proved to be useless by itself today, maybe she’d add a shot of something stronger into the mix. She’d see how the meeting went first; it could either go extremely well with teamwork and smooth communication, or it could end in a bloody brawl. Either way was entirely plausible considering the members involved.

Taking a moment to shut her eyes, Vasilissa allowed herself to be immersed in the cool breeze and sounds of the ocean. It was simple to imagine that she was on a nice beach retreat if she only closed her eyes. However, not wanting to entertain herself with useless fantasies, Vasilissa made her way to one of the logs around the fire as The Hunter had instructed them to do. “Sir yes sir”, she stated, throwing up an underwhelming salute paired with a mockingly serious tone. If they were going to be stuck in a situation like this, they could at least make light of it in any way they could, like joking with one another. “Coffee's quite strong,” She added as they waited for the others to arrive, removing a small paper journal from its place tucked under her arm. Flipping through the pages- pages that would look like gibberish to anyone else- Vasilissa read through the list of contacts and information about them, information that connected to her agency and the contacts she made while on various jobs around the globe. Over the course of a few days, she had began to memorize the contacts that filled the small pages, wanting to burn the book lest it fall into the wrong hands. Not that she didn’t have confidence in her code, she just trusted that ashes were a more secure route to take. Filling her time before the meeting started, she began to finish the last few pages, scanning and reading them repeatedly until they were engrained within her mind, and seeking to throw the old book into the fire when she was done. It wouldn’t take long to finish, after all she had been graced with a great memory and already new most of this by heart anyways. An added bonus would be the fact that her fellow campers would probably refrain from conversation with her if it looked like she was busy. Well, she could hope so.

As she was completing her task and slowly draining her coffee, she wondered what this meeting would have in store. Would the Hunter already have a method of attacking Chimera? And what would happen if anyone ended up refusing to comply, would they be hunted down by this makeshift group of super spies as they had been by their government, or would they simply be allowed to walk away? These questions bubbled through her mind, waiting to be answered in the next few hours.

 

[ttlovepie]

• Hideki woke up to the man yelling. He took interest in finally hearing the enigmatic presence. He woke to the familiar sensation of his notebook on his face. The flashlight on his glasses turning back on as he opens his eyes blinding him slightly. "Itai!" He lets out as he gets up letting the notebook slide down, and turning off the flashlight. He went to go change into his day clothes before hitting the top of the tent with his head and only then remembering that this is the only outfit he had. He let out a sigh. He grabbed the auto-turret he had trained at the curtain and removed the sign saying "WARNING: DO NOT ENTER." He had that written it in red pen on a piece of notebook paper. Folding it neatly into his pocket before exiting.

• "Yo." He says to the two in front of him. At least not all the spies here were giants, he thought to himself. "I'm sorry, I do not drink coffee, but thank you very much," he says in his accent. He looked around for a place to sit and after remembering last night he tentatively decided to sit closer to the lady, assuming she had something she wanted to say. He began to take his notebook out again looking at Vasilisa expectantly. Seemingly completely oblivious to her desire to not be left alone.

Interacted with: LindsMagee and A L M O S

 

[ReverseTex]

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Claude had slept very little that night. Not because of discomfort, but out of routine. Being a world stage negotiator required many overseas trips for the man, and running on a singular, yet small sleep sheduale often reduced the effects of jet lag significantly... Currently he sat leisurely on his bed, preforming a complex coin flip, The French Drop to be exact, with his lucky old Chinese Ban Liang.

In his youth, Claude had been a street magician, preforming a assortment of illusions and tricks for any sort of payment. And the French Drop had been his first trick to learn as a boy He slaved over that damn coin, trying to perfect the drop to be seamless. Call it obsession, he called it necessity. The drop was key. But now in his thirties he had the drop mastered, and had evolved it to add a few flips and hand passes...

"Wake up! Coffee. Get your asses up and on those logs for coffee and a briefing."

Back to reality... Snapping from his reverie, Claude seamlessly flipped the coin into his other hand, then pocketing it. Quickly redressing his shoes and buttoned shirt, he rolled its sleeves, then reattached his breast holster with gun. Satisfied with the tossed mess he was, he left his tent.

Seeing a spare log across from Vasilissa, wishing to not be obvious like the Japanese man, he took a seat. Claude took the offer for a cup of coffee, preferring it black , and sipped at it gently. Studying both Hideki and Vasilissa with curious icy eyes, he peaked a brow. “I’m curious as to a man like yourself Monsieur made it out without a scratch...? You’re a tinkerer, so I must assume you’re a man of creativity, but not a hardened spy. No. You just build your toys, turning a blind eye to the deaths you cause...” Claude was merely picking the man, trying to provoke a reaction. It was a common practice for him, and allowed for a more comprehensive reading of a person. Continuing with a sly, yet amused glitter in his eyes, he sipped at his coffee. “You’re uncomfortable right now. I’m making you uncomfortable, this camp is making you uncomfortable, this whole situation you’ve lost control of. Everything is going opposite of plan no?” Having hopefully deduced the man’s tick, he crossed his legs gingerly as he watched the man with interest.
[/div][/div][/div][div class=credit]credits RI.a [/div][div class=overlay]Claude Marceau[/div][div class=tags]Location: Camp Trawler
A L M O S
LindsMagee
ttlovepie
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[ttlovepie]

• Hideki pulled his notebook out of his bag, putting it on his lap and turned to face the man talking to him. He'd have to figure out what this ladies deal was later. He seemed happy that someone was talking to him.

• He nodded in response to the first series of statements and decided to answer each question in order. He seemed to miss any emotional sting the words may have contained. "Lucky and prepared." He responded simply and slowly, he was never very good at English. The language was way too loose for his taste. "It takes one lucky shot to take the hardest man out." He paused for a moment. "And thinking too much about death, is not healthy I think." He took a mental note of the man's smug smile. Afterwords he seemed bored of the conversation.

• He nodded again. He was concerned about that. Making a side glance towards the ocean. Right now he just wanted to have more information so he could finish his plan proper. He briefly thought about adding more, but the man didn't seem like he wanted to be a confidante. Rather he seemed to just be another egotist exercising his skills. The most important thing to note here is the Frenchman's ability to read people was impressive for sure.

Interactions: ReverseTex LindsMagee

 

[The Pattern]

Asher had a rather pleasant sleep in his truck, he had the nightmares about his friends in the BND turning on him years ago when he first prepared for the idea that he would be betrayed. The BND's methods were quite unforgiving to say the very least, and Asher was a witness to what the BND did when they captured a traitor, he wasn't involved in the treatment but he got to see it. Although, the worst has happened, and Asher isn't in Germany so he's evaded it so far. It was what gave him such a settled few hours of rest before Hunter came around calling everyone to the campfire. Coffee wasn't exactly a decent lure for Asher, but any chance to leave the desert was. Despite being recently woken up, Asher's mind was already racing with ideas as to how he'd be able to escape it. Hopefully Hunter's competent enough to realise we can't just stay here after being told to meet up here. What about the codes he sent to the former equals who have died? Those dockets could be in Chimera's hands now, and once they deciphered the docket they have us, and we'd have nothing but a handful of pistols and three vehicles. As Asher was running this through his head, he was grabbing his briefcase and stowing the blanket away. As soon as he was done with the preparations the German left his truck to reclaim his log at the fire.

Asher managed to catch the beginning of the Magician's first trick; Pissing off the group midget... Good to know the Magician has his priorities straight... He'll probably try it with me too. "Good morning everyone... I mean everybody. I won't bother with the coffee, mad Australian farmer tried to bury me alive in coffee beans... Still don't know how he gathered so many." Asher sounded genuinely cheerful, last night's exaggerated mockery of joviality wasn't needed anymore as Asher had little to hide. "You don't see how he escaped so cleanly, good magician? He is an inventor, and when an inventor wants something done, he designs the perfect tool for that specific job. Thing is, you need more then just tools and trinkets to get proper jobs done." Asher thought he already knew what kind of a person Hideki was, the focus on technology and the fact that Hideki was even worth considering an equal by others supported his first judgement. Also, since Asher was just guessing on something about Hideki, Asher felt confident he wasn't giving the Magician much.

Asher was glad he could sit on the same log he did last night, it was in a good spot near the fire, and it had at least one other log between him and anyone else, anyone could have a goat's head on their back to the prepared German. Proper job... Proper job. Hunter wants us for something big. He's not just offering us refuge, he'd have more tents and wouldn't have bothered inviting me if he just wanted us safe. He's got the field operatives, the intel gatherers and the tech expert for something. It's obviously something to do with Chimera, or he'd invite us earlier. Maybe taking the deformed lion down? We're outnumbered but one operation at a time could do it if they're impactful operations.

 

[High5ives]

Vincent wasn’t exactly thrilled to be receiving a wake up call, especially considering he had hardly slept through the night. He lay there for a moment, gazing up at the top of the tent before slowly sitting upwards and running a hand back through his hair. Today was most definitely going to be a long day, one that Vincent wasn’t looking forward to in the slightest.

He stood, taking a moment to stretch as best he could in the cramped confines of the tent. At his feet say an empty bottle of scotch with a few meager drops of liquid resting at the bottom of the bottle. Kicking it aside softly, Vincent exited his tent.

His gaze swept across the area in front of him, quickly taking a count of who was already awake. Cold eyes fell upon the Frenchmen, whom seemed to be trying to get Hideki worked up. However, The Tinkerer seemed unphased. Then the German came along, offering in his two cents, something about ‘The Perfect Tool for the job.’ Vincent chuckled and approached.

“Tools don’t make a man.” Vincent proclaimed, not raising his voice, but certainly not faltering in his words. “I don’t give a damn what you’ve got up your sleeve, if you haven’t got the will to do what’s needed, you will fail every time. I’m certain our little inventor made it out on luck alone.”

 

[Arrt Saunders]

Everyone​

​

The Arrival

Everyone rolled up his sleeves. His pores, entirely desiccated of vital water by the blistering sun, screamed with delight as a breeze brought temporary coolness. His skin was glistening in the morning heat and the nape of his neck was annoyingly damp, droplets of sweat trickling slowly down his back. He cursed the ideality of the Skeleton Coast for the millionth time that morning, furious at the advantageous, but wholly unbearable, nature of the Namibian wasteland.

He had decided to leave the vehicle he had procured, and any traces of incrimination, in the middle of a gasoline-fuelled pyre at the base of dune, and continue on foot the remainder of his journey to Camp Trawler - depressingly fitting for such a ghastly location, littered with the corpses of old sailing vessels. Nevertheless, Everyone was glad that the ocean mist offered some comfort to his red-coloured skin; relief was brief but pleasant.

Passing through the swirling fog, Everyone slowly began to hear voices in the distance. He heard male voices, loud yet mischievously quiet, provocative yet quietly suggestive, and a single female voice. He recognised one or two, but committed the unknowns to memory in an instant: he memorised the linguistic cues, the lexical choices, the undulating cadences, the highs and lows of wordly inflexion, the soft sounds and harsh fricatives, the humps and bumps, the trips and falls.

"Tools don't make a man, but a cinderblock is a happy addition to a real man's fist," Everyone called out, his voice shifting like the desert sands to an accent all to familiar. "Although, a little luck can brighten a game of chance, non? One luck shot takes the hardest man out. Or the ability to fade into nothingness like a mirage, with pockets full of jewels and rarities? Or simply being a bright and happy sort of human being, snaking their way through life and into other people's lives."

His voice rang out through the mist, the tempo and amplitude altered to feel like it came from different directions, each person around the camp fire masterly mimicked to perfection.

"Good morning," he smiled, stepping in the firelight, "Sorry it took me so long - this place is a fucking nightmare to find on a map."

 

[ttlovepie]

• Hideki gave a shy nod blushing slightly as the German spoke, he was definitely the most likeable person so far.

• Hideki looked at Vincent as he spoke. His face flashing a few different emotions dread, irritation, sadness, amusement before stopping at confusion. Wait, did he just speak without talking? There's no way this man was into ventriloquism. Suddenly, without much respite, the Frenchman began to speak, he looked over and again! He wasn't? A cold chill ran down his spine, was he having a stroke or something? No others seemed to be reacting as well. As he heard his own voice Hideki physically jumps.

• He started tenuously following the gaze of the people facing opposite of him. He was actually surprised and somewhat relieved to not see some kind of omen of death behind him. Possibly a little disappointed and embarrassed to see it was yet another huge spy showing off. "Creepy." He mumbled in Japanese before the man spoke in what he could only assume his natural voice.

Interactions: Arrt Saunders High5ives The Pattern ReverseTex
Sitting with: A L M O S LindsMagee

 

[Kent]

Nangong Hyung A.K.A. NOBODY

He talked with the others for a bit before heading to the make shift "intelligence office". He looked at what was inside and smiled wryly. Who had the idea of calling this tent an intelligence office? He understood that it was set up in an unfavorable condition, but they shouldn't call it an "Intelligence office".

"Guess it falls into me to transform this into a real intelligence office." He took a seat and grabbed his bag. He took out all his equipment and did an inventory before nodding. He took two laptops and paired each one with a tablet. The tablets would act as a secondary screen for each laptop. He connected the tablets to the laptops and had raspberry pis act as its core. The tablets are now basically a secondary computer.

"Wonderful. Now to connect to the outside world..." He plugged two wireless usb cards to the laptops. Those cards would give him access to some of his network on the outside world. This way, they could obtain information on the outside from this desolate place.

After he finished setting the equipment up, he stood up and looked around the room. He nodded and gave a smile full of satisfaction and pride. Now this was a real make shift intelligence office.

"Good enough." He sat down in a chair and checked the time on his watch. It was around midnight. Most of the other agents should have slept now since it's gonna be a long day tomorrow. He was the hacker so he should also rest up to bring his mental energy to its peak. He turned the laptops and tablets off to save battery since they have nothing here to constantly feed it power. He did bring power banks but he knew it wouldn't last long. He didn't dare to be choosy and slept on the table.

A few hours later...

He woke up to Christoper's shout and sighed. He didn't get too much sleep so he was quite disappointed, but when he heard "coffee", his disappointment immediately turned into excitement. He didn't get to enjoy coffee these past few days due to them constantly on the move, it made him feel that his life was missing something. People like him lives on coffee. How do they think we manage to stay awake while staring at a monitor for days?

He stood up, did some stretches and changed his shirt before heading out. He overheard their conversation with Hideki, and Hyung couldn't help but smile. He walked towards them and sat on an empty log. He smiled at the other people, but he didn't join on in their conversation. He decided to remain silent and not defend Hideki even though he knew what transpired. The reason? He was interested on how Hideki would react.

Hyung took a mug with coffee and took a sip. He closed his eyes afterwards to savor the taste of the coffee. It felt quite pleasing. He opened his eyes a few seconds later and nodded in satisfaction.

"Good coffee" He finally broke his silence and then looked at Christopher. "I believe we can start the briefing now?"