☆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

[woomy]

"So maybe they're not just captured, but they could be brainwashed too?" It's much less a question and more musing and siding along Minako's thoughts. And it makes her feel a little better too. If the missing rescuers are brainwashed, they're not dead and can be rescued.

"What kind of groups are you looking at? Can I help?"

[hearted]

Minako steeples her fingers, exhaling softly. There's so much to worry about here, so much to consider...

"I doubt they'd put anyone they captured from us front and center in the hottest bands unless they wanted to taunt us. Somehow I don't think they're ready for a fight, or they already would've brought it to us, yeah? So they might be in tiny bands, something we wouldn't spot so easily."

[woomy]

After what the trio said, it sounds like the labels have the power to end them pretty easily, so something so drastic would have already happened. They'd be squashed.

"So... an indie garage band? Wait, can a big label even have an indie garage band?"

[hearted]

"Well, nothing's impossible!" Minako laughed. "Though it could be unlikely. Maybe they're in other cities for now...ah, we'll have to search the whole world! I'd better get started as soon as we're done."

She's serious. She's gonna rip those library and internet archives to shreds looking for a trace. "Have you been reading the tabloids? It helps sometimes."

[woomy]

"And this world's going to be bigger than the one at home. The polar ice caps haven't melted. There's more land to search!" It's a hard task, but maybe they haven't gotten too far. It hasn't been that long... Although there are planes and trains, so they could move long distances in a short time.

"I read a tabloid about a giant eel that was controlled by music in the ocean near Vista City. I thought that maybe it could be an ancient version of the Great Zapfish." It is completely understandable if Minako didn't understand a word she just said. "There's also one about Roy Mustang and another about multi-colored bagels." She leans closer to Minako, almost with an air of conspiracy. "Roy Mustang is Riza's special someone, but I know love will win and bring him back to her."

The bagels were just neat.

[hearted]

"Right, right, so we've gotta look our hardest!" Minako's determined. She definitely won't give up...

...though the girl's next statement makes her break out in a delighted cackle. But...wait, she could be here. Minako would have to lower her voice. "I knew it! I met Riza and the way she talks about him...she denies it, but you're right. It's absolutely unforgivable for the managers to break up true love like this."

She huffs, fists balled on her hips. There's a lot more she could say about true love, but...best to be cautious for now.

[woomy]

"And he totally remembers her. Did you see the title of his last album?" 3 struggles to keep her enthusiasm in check because Riza is probably in the area. Yes! Another who believes in love like her!

"I guess I need to read up on some others... but I don't know who to look for. Are all the musicians in this world kidnapped?"

[hearted]

"Yeah! It'll be amazing, I can't wait to see their faces when we win," Minako gushes. Ah, reunions of lovers, something she can never quite resist. She could giggle all day thinking about it. But as far as the musicians...

"Maybe not all of them. Every world has people who dream of becoming superstars! I did...and I bumped into some creepy managers, but nothing like this." She scowls. She doesn't care that they're bots, she's gonna sharpen her heels and show them the business end of a Sailor V Kick.

[woomy]

"We'll show them the right way to become superstars, just like the Squid Sisters and all the band back home." Agent 3 knows a number of fresh bands from Inkopolis. They were able to hit it big without evil brainwashing schemes and kidnapping.

"But... first we got to deal with Pride and Virgo."

[hearted]

Minako nods, gritting her teeth. "I want to use my full power to take them all out, but...I know we have to be sneakier about this. We have to disrupt slowly, like chipping at the base of a huge hulking fortress, right?"

[woomy]

"Full power? What can you do? Go full kraken and charge ahead?" She tries to think of what could be the most powerful ability back home. Maybe the Great Octoweapons... but that's not really foolproof and nothing that could be brought here. "Or maybe let loose an Inkstrike from the sky?"

[hearted]

"Ink? Kraken? No, I'm not really scary!" she confessed, waving a hand in front of her face. "They're more...ah, like laser beams."

Usagi had already confessed part of her powers, so this wasn't wrong, was it? She hadn't said anything about the costume. "Sky strikes are more your thing?"

[woomy]

"My thing is more of a Bomb Rush! It's kinda my squad's specialty. The bad guys can't stand a chance when all four of us unleash it!" Agent 3 waves her arms in the air as if she's unleashing a mass of bombs.

"But sometimes some of my teammates switch it up with a Killer-Wail or Inkzooka or a Kraken. Or an Echolocator, that's usually me if I'm not rockin' a Bomb Rush."

[hearted]

The more she talks, the more Minako's inner strategist starts to emerge. Maybe she's not the very best at this, but she can pre-plan something!

"Can you still do that now? Toss one and make a quick escape if we end up in trouble?"

[woomy]

"Yeah, I can throw Burst Bombs with this weapon. Watch!" Agent 3 pulls out her Hero Shot Replica and lobs a Burst Bomb against the wall with little reservation. It's much like a water balloon filled with bright green ink, and it leaves a splotch against the wall. "Now imagine me throwing a lot of those at once. That's a Bomb Rush with Burst Bombs."

[hearted]

"Whoa, that's perfect!" Minako couldn't help but clap a little. Delightfully messy and perfect for an escape. "And I can stun the bad guys, or maybe dazzle them with a new disguise? So if we're outnumbered...together we can still win."

That was the plan, anyway. She nodded to herself. "I just wish there was a way we could train together without catching attention."

[woomy]

"We need to find a secret base where we can practice. Where are the abandoned depots?" There were abandoned warehouses, so there has to be some place where they could practice some fresh combo attacks. She really likes this idea. It's a plan.

[hearted]

"I'll scout some out," Minako agreed. Excellent idea. "We'll just have to keep changing the place every so often and be careful about the group sizes we travel in. We've already lost too many of us."

That simple fact haunts her, but she won't let their sacrifices go to waste. She'll get stronger for everyone's sake.

[woomy]

"This city can't all be shiny and new. Not even Inkopolis is like that." The warehouse they first stayed in supported that idea.

And as it turns out, Shep has a theory on what's happening with the missing that Agent 3 can share with her later.