☆TRACK VIII: I'LL REACH YOU BELOW

[interdimanagers]

Who: All rescuers!
What: The trio is here to give you the deets.
When: The evening of February 18th.
Where: An abandoned subway.
Warnings: Nothing predictable, but you never know.

“Word has it on the wire That you don't who you are. Well, if you could jack into my brain, You'd know exactly what you mean here.” ☆I'LL REACH YOU BELOW The notification is sudden. A several hours in advance, all rescuers will receive a ping over the network from Shep that they are to gather at a specific location late that evening. The location will not be given out until one hour in advance of the meeting, but they are advised to be ready to receive it and move out immediately. When they arrive, the meeting is taking place in an abandoned subway. At first it doesn't seem like there is a way in, but after slipping through the rubble in some collapsed tunnels, you'll find it. Shep, Gold, and Silver are all present, and will spent the first while doing a careful headcount of those that show up, until approximately 15 minutes after the starting time. The results seem to be disappointing. People who were here the first time are missing, that much is obvious just from looking around – the leaders’ unease with it is clear. However, it doesn’t cause them to panic or change the point of the meeting, either. At 11:15 PM on the dot, then Shep will begin the meeting by explaining what they are all there for: information. There have been details that the team has been holding back on giving until now, and Shep will somewhat sheepishly explain that it’s because they didn’t want the risk the change of it being leaked in the event that new recruits were incapable or unwilling to blend and lay low for the time being. Thankfully, he’ll explain, everyone here has more than proven themselves capable of working within Vista’s system. So, they’ve been brought together so they can be fully brought up to speed. Information will be delivered in three parts, by each one of the leaders. Afterwards, questions can be asked, and the rescuers will be allowed to mingle and discuss for a few hours. All the information is concise, and in the end the actual explanation will end up taking a half hour or less. Afterwards, Gold has brought snacks to share, as has become customary. Hopefully you like pastries. “So, if you've got the time, Set up the tone to sync. Tap in the code, I'll reach you below.”

Comments

[lightthedarkness]

All this information, it didn't really change anything, not for her. She still would save Rei and everyone. If she could fight against Galaxia... she could fight against these... god-like creatures. She pressed a hand to her heart. But she was so much weaker here.

What use was she when she got tired just from a simple wound?

Could she even turn into Sailor Moon?

She had to concentrate, she couldn't let her mind be filled with doubt because if she doubted herself, she'd not be able to do anything. She was sitting down on a bench and had to wonder what would happen to this planet when they defeated these beings, especially if they had been doing this for hundreds of years.

She looked up when someone sat next to her and offered a smile, even though she didn't really feel like smiling.

"That sure was a lot of information, huh?" she offered. "But we'll still save them."

[invisiballman]

"Of course we will."

Kuroko smiles back at her encouragingly. He brought Tetsuya #2 along as well and the little dog looks up at Usagi and tentatively wags his tail. He's helping. Cute dogs boost morale, right? Or possibly hes just hoping she'll pet him.

"And having more information will help us to plan ahead."

He is a little concerned with how few people showed up to this meeting, but he won't bother her with worries like that.

[lightthedarkness]

How can she resist a cute dog? She picked up Tetsuya and brought him into her lap, gently stroking him under the chin and scratching him behind the ears. She looked up and then scooted over to let Kuroko sit down next to her.

"I'm worried, is all. All this new information... I know some already want to take out the managers but... this new species..." and she was so weak...

No.

Those thoughts wouldn't help Rei.

She had to believe in herself.

"I wonder if we can use this... astral alignment thing ourselves." If she could find some way to use it to save everyone, even if it meant her death, she'd do it.

[invisiballman]

"We need to have patience. Eventually we'll have to confront them, but we should do it on our terms, not theirs."

He sits down next to her, and watches her expression carefully. Kuroko is good at reading people, and he's trying to gauge whether there's anything else troubling her. Something besides what they were already dealing with. He's surprised at her suggestion though.

"Use it ourselves? In what way?"

[lightthedarkness]

"I have a feeling some people aren't going to be as patient... with all this new information... an attack may be happening very soon..." she glanced around, at how many were angry, at how many were tense and pacing. So much pent up energy, and so much of it with a focal point.

"I don't know, honestly, I'm not sure I understand it all. But if they can tap into it, why couldn't we, right? So long as the right person was able to wield it or something."

[dishonestlyhonest]

"Miss Bunny."

If there was anything that Jack was good at, it wasn't really that useful in any situation that he was hearing right now. He had no idea what this 'robot' thing was - though it sounded a bit like the tales of golems and clockwork beasties that populate old tales of ancient kingdoms lost to the seas. He was a simple pirate and he had little idea of what he could be doing in order to aid people. But if there was one thing that he knew, just giving up was not the answer. After all, if he had ever given up, he would be slaving away under Davy Jones and the Pearl nothing more than a husk of her former self instead of a trapped in a bottle image of her former self.

He cleared his throat and nodded. "Aye. It may seem like nothing more than squalls and ill winds ahead of us, but old sailors knows that it's always that way before the new day appears full of possibilities. It may be that we're weak for now, but it can't always be that way. We just have to seek out a different current than the one they're willing t'give us."

[lightthedarkness]

"Captain," she offered a smile before scooting to the side to make room for him to sit beside her if he so chose. "Well, have to have rain to have rainbows, right?" she offered, trying to add something poetic since he offered quiet a lovely statement.

"I'm just worried about this ill wind and bad current, I guess. I don't want the boat to sink if it's not strong enough," at least she hoped she was getting the metaphor right.

"I'm a bit at a loss on what to do, stuff like this... I've never done something like this. Everything is more... straightforward, or at least... less to do with laying low."

[dishonestlyhonest]

"Aye, that we do."

He would sit next to her, settling down with his legs crossed and shaking out the lovely lace at his wrists. He had actually been managing to keep himself clean and presentable which could be a miracle in itself, but it could also mean that he has been nagged into doing so. He had noticed that they were missing a few people and he wondered about whether they had slipped back home or if they had ended up caught and hung out to dry. Neither thoughts were good ones, but he felt that the people they had here and now were strong enough.

And if they weren't, well, all they needed was to look towards a different wind.

"All the boat needs to do is last long enough so we can acquire a new boat, savey?" He grinned, remembering that time he borrowed a boat that sank just as he reached port.

"Ahh. But Miss Bunny, the thing of the matter is that we're strangers on a strange shore without any map or compass to show us which way to turn. Some of the natives will eat us, some will kill us, and we need to be careful of the tides if we're to make way to the treasure and lit off with it. What we do is keep our heads, remember where the treasure lays and be willing to do something incredibly stupid when the times right."

[lightthedarkness]

She blinked and was doing her best to keep up with the boat metaphor since she knew nothing of sailing. Actually, outside of Ami who just knew everything about everything, none of the senshi had ever really sailed. Michiru and Haruka maybe?

"So uh... Captain, if we don't have a map or compass, and we're looking for a way to turn, what is the best way to go about getting the treasure? Especially with such dangerous natives?"

[dishonestlyhonest]

"We make our own map," he replies easily enough, waving his fingers towards their friends the blue guy and those helmet guys. "They told us that the treasure's under lock and key but that it moves. They said the jailers are something we can probably defeat given the right talent, and the rulers are something we need to avoid until we can match them. The compass points to all these factors in play, but what do we have? What are the strengths of all those in this venture? Can we use it to our advantage now, or should we wait until we find the powder kegs?"

He was a sailing man and he knew the sailing terms, but at her confusion he stopped and waved both hands around as if he was grasping at other words to use. How to speak lubber and not piratey was his thought and then he just shrugged.

"Me thinks that what we need to do is see what we can all do together. I'm a simple sailor but I'm sure that others here have a lot more skills then that to sail a ship and steal treasures from those not good at keeping treasure safe."

[balletbattler]

"It's a lot to take in," Pearl says hesitantly, agreeing with Usagi but sounding nervous all the same. For Pearl, it's at least more information than she had before, but coming up with plans to deal with every facet of this is... overwhelming. Thank goodness they have a whole team here, maybe if she can focus her talents...

She gives Usagi a reassuring smile. "But you're right. At least we're getting somewhere."

[lightthedarkness]

"Ah, I forgot to mention... I ah... I've met up with Garnet.. er... a couple of times now, actually." Two were pleasant, one was not, though that wasn't Garnet's fault. "I didn't... think want to risk asking anything, but she's doing well... she was in good health when I saw her. I'm afraid I've not come across Steven or uh... his dad."

Again, a name she was forgetting but she hadn't actually meant him.

"I wish they had said this before, I understand why they didn't, but so many missing pieces suddenly in place..."

[balletbattler]

"Yes, there were a lot of missing pieces weren't there..."

Pearl's quiet for a moment, looking down at the ground with a forlorn look on her face. "It's good to hear Garnet's doing well," she says, like there's something else on her mind. "I haven't been able to... I was worried, that if I tracked them down I wouldn't be able to stop myself. All I want is to see them again and try and get them to remember who they are."

[lightthedarkness]

"Actually... I know exactly how you feel. I keep running into Rei," she dragged her hands over her face, perhaps all Pearl needed to know on how well that went.

"I wasn't ready, I didn't... I didn't think I would run into her only a few days into the mission, I didn't even go looking for her. And it was... it was terrible." Her shoulders slumped forward. "I broke down and tears and scared her."

[balletbattler]

Pearl hesitates, but then puts her hand on Usagi's shoulder in a gesture of comfort. "It's alright," she says, reminding herself of all the times she needed to tell Steven the same thing. "I'm sure once she remembers you, she'll know it's because you care so much for her."

[woomy]

"... We'll save them together, right?" It's a quiet voice, maybe not as confident as it once was, but Agent 3 is still not giving up on helping. She can still help with stuff!

She... just needs to figure out what that other stuff is.

[lightthedarkness]

"Agent 3!" she saw the younger girl and nodded, still feeling terrible for yelling.

"Of course, because we're all going to work together to save them. We have more information now and a much better idea of what we're facing and why! We can't give up and we won't."

[woomy]

Agent 3 gives a firm nod. Not rescuing them is simply not an option for this Inkling. "I hope they weren't by themselves... No one should be left alone to fight without any backup."

[lightthedarkness]

Ah... she brought up...

"Uh... about that, Agent 3... I actually, I want to apologize for yelling and making you cry, I really didn't mean to or want to do that."

[woomy]

"I'm not salty about it." Her mouth quirks into a thoughtful frown. She actually wasn't bringing up what happened, but the advice is the same. Fighting outnumbered is a sure way to get splatted. "And... you were right. Ink's not going to work like it does back home."

But that doesn't mean it won't work at all. It still has to be useful!

[eversohungry]

"We don't exactly have the option not to, now that we're here." Blunt, but Vastra smiles to show she doesn't mean to chastise.

"The most important thing seems to be these devices in their heads-- if we can't disable those, there's no point in attempting to lure any of the musicians away just yet."

[lightthedarkness]

"I know.... I know just..." she was so much weaker here. She wasn't even this weak when she had first started at 14 and it felt so strange. Certainly, she had never been strong like Haruka or Rei or Makoto, they were always strong. She wanted to save everyone, and she wanted to keep holding that hope, she had to as that was where her strength was, but like this?

She swallowed as she looked at Vastra.

"Magic won't be able to get rid of them, at least, not... any sort of magic I can do."

[eversohungry]

"Fortunately, you are in the company of several who have no such ability, but are well-versed in the scientific laws of time and space. For the moment, it seems we must rely on our leaders providing the technology, and when the moment is upon us, we shall provide the movement."

She smiles down at Usagi. "At which point, hopefully your own talents will find an outlet."

[lightthedarkness]

"I don't know, I just... I'm pretty used to relying on others, that isn't the problem. But how many times are they going to keep things from us? Are they going to wait several more weeks to give us even more information?" she rubbed her arm as she looked around. "So many aren't here... I hope they're okay."

"My talents are in healing others." Though her ultimate power was in sacrifice.

[eversohungry]

Vastra has a very bad feeling that the many of the rescue party who were absent had been discovered and imprisoned. The fact that their leaders seem not to know where they have gone to is disturbing alone, but only reinforced Vastra's commitment to staying as hidden as possible.

"It is difficult to trust someone who has not been entirely forthcoming with all information, I agree with you. However," Vastra smiles, amused and nostalgic. "The time lord I am here to rescue is much the same. He always lies. To keep people safe, to spare their feelings, to spare his own... he lies outright and by omission. So I find myself unable to be wholly discomforted by their hesitation."

She takes in the description of the young woman's power and nods. "I have a feeling we will need a healer before all of this is said and done, my dear. We are doing far too much talking for this to be a rescue mission, my experience tells me that much."