☆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

[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."

[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..."

[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?"

[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]

"Uh... do me a favor captain, don't put the map in my hands or ask me to draw. I can't promise I'd be good at either," she laughed as she waved a dismissive hand.

"Maybe... we should ask everyone what it is they can do. That seems rather important..." but that would also mean revealing herself and the other senshi. "But I also don't want people's secrets revealed... in case... someone gets... in case something happens."

"I don't... know if my skills are useful here. I thought they would be, but a lot... a lot got taken on the journey here. There's a lot I can't do right now that I'm used to being able to do. And more of this seems to be a lot of fighting that... I mean I can, but it's not exactly my specialty." That was the girls. She could protect, she could defend, she could heal, she could cut through chaos itself, but that... was something a bit less complicated than all this.

[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."

[actsmagnificent]

Ah. Usagi. Haruka blinks once to clear her head - no point in getting stuck in the future and ignoring the present. That will only slow them down.

"You don't have to," she offers, knowing Usagi prefers to be more social than she does. "I don't have the limo today..."

It was a long walk, but Haruka'd arrived on foot. Taxis mean a stranger knows where she is, and Haruka Tenoh does not ride the bus.

[avidita]

She's a frog, Sparks, calm down. "Do you mean our 'fearless leaders' up there, or our opponents?"

[oceantier]

It's a contest with other people's lives.

She doesn't say it aloud. Gold knows that as well as she does. But her eyes narrow as she looks away.

"Are they the only ones?" Her voice hardens, sharpens. "The only Nebulae?"

[dishonestlyhonest]

"You make a map in your head, or if not there, use the... pictures of these things to at least keep track of where you've been."

He could make a map of where and how to get to places so long as he was allowed to. While he always needed his charts and maps for the seas while he sailed, knowing the ways in and out of secret places was partly to luck and partly to having a very good memory. He wasn't sure what the other people could do in that case, but he was sure that there were others that were good enough for that part of the venture.

"The thing with secrets is that it doesn't always remain so." Jack thought of Kerma and how Cutler had found out that Jack had been there and had a charm to let him go there. Losing the charm to the hidden island was still something he completely regretted.

"But if you think that a secret will not be needed then speak around it. Words aren't nailed to one form or another, they're just as free as the tides, and always changing, aye?"

He sighed and sifted and would probably try to hug her if he was certain she would be okay with a hug from him. As it was, he patted her on the shoulder. "Now, now, love, why are you fretting over a trivial matter? True the journey was one that stripped away some of you but think of what you still have left. You have a good heart, a strong hope and a lovely smile. I know plenty of people who can do much with just those three talents. Fighting might be a part of this, but more importantly is having heart and using your wits. That's how I live and find treasure - fighting everything is a fool's gamble, and I see no fool in you."

[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."

[oceantier]

There's a flaw in every system, however. She's proof of that. The Crystal Gems and their leader, thousands of years ago, are proof of that. No hold can be perfectly complete, not when it grasps hundreds or thousands of sentient beings with minds and wills and desires.

Even though she believes that . . . finding such a chink in armor takes time and dedication. Nor does she completely trust herself to find it.

She presses her lips together.

"Can the system be interrupted? Or . . . are they all brainwashed?"

[oceantier]

She's silent at that, staring at a point to the side, away from them both. But shadows waft over her face . . . and the expression that forms is far from delicate.

"So they're prisoners even after they're freed."

[oceantier]

Lapis isn't expecting sugarcoating from anyone; she never has -- least of all from him.

But as he often does, he does manage to poke her.

"I'm up for risk." Her voice is strangely, suddenly more firm. "But I can do more with the job I have than by giving that up. I can give you information about inside. I can leave the door open if you want. But you have to determine how to get out."

[avidita]

After pestering Gold and Silver, along with a little showing off, Mammon clearly seems a bit tired. It's in their body language, for anyone who's even faintly familiar with the illusionist- arms crossed with hands tucked against their sides instead of placed cockily on their hips, shoulders low instead of straight, a troubled frown on their lips.

At some point in the night, they can be found sitting on the edge of the abandoned rails, legs swinging and Fantasma on one of their knees. "Still nothing? After all this time?" A sad little croak. "That's starting to get worrying..."

[nuns4money]

Meanwhile an old acquaintance comes by, still in her work clothes and watching the interactions between greedy bastard and their frog. It's kinda adorable, she ain't gonna lie here.

LET'S DISCUSS POWERS

[lightthedarkness]

Usagi was really very nervous about this, but it occurred to her they couldn't have too many secrets among each other if they were all going to work together. The senshi didn't really have secrets with each other, to many battles beside one another.

She cleared her throat and when that didn't work, she did what she did best, she yelled.

"EXCUSE ME EVERYONE!"

And when there were suddenly eyes on her she blushed and put up her hands nervously.

"I know we're... less than when we first started, I don't know if they just couldn't make it or... what the reason is. But with all of us here, I think it's important to discuss... that is what it is we can all actually do. We can't all keep working separately and expect things to go well. If six different people make six different plans to attack the same person, we're all just going to get hurt in the end.

"We have to work together, we're all here for the same goal even if our reasons are all different. And we can all help each other! I-" she glanced to where Minako and Haruka were standing.

"I'll start, that is, my name is Usagi Tsukino and I came here to save my friend Rei Hino, I'm honestly... not that smart and not great with being subtle. But if anyone gets hurt... I can also heal people." She wouldn't reveal the Sailor Moon aspect without support, but she would reveal this. "I can heal wounds and... I don't know how powerful it is here but I can even restore buildings and plant life too. But most importantly, I can heal people... anyone. It doesn't matter if your human or alien or animal. I can heal all of it. And I want you all to know that in case any of you ever need it... if you ever need my help."

She looked around at everyone and bit her lip.

"If uh... a-anyone else wants to go and mention... something... n-now is a GREAT time..."

[lightthedarkness]

"Haruka..." she bit her lip and came up to the older woman locking her gaze. "We have to work together... all of us. Not just... the three of us. This isn't something you can do all on your own and I don't want you to feel that way either. You and Michiru and Setsuna... I know I'm asking so much because of what you do. But this is such a different place, we aren't... complete here."

[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]

A squidkid sits down next to them with a flop. "I thought we would have made some progress too..." But even as Agent 3 says that, she knows that in Ink Battles, the outcome of the match could come even late in the game.

Still... she doesn't like the idea that the most they've seemed to have done is get jobs and housing...

[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!

[woomy]

"I can shoot and throw ink and swim in it like this!" Agent 3 lobs a Burst Bomb high against the nearest wall, leaving a splotch of bright green ink there, and she then shoots a line of ink across the floor. She continues firing until the line on the floor connects with the ink left by the Burst Bomb.

3 then melts into her squid form and then disappears completely into the ink she just laid down. Ripples and a mini wake show her position as she zips across the floor and up the wall. Once she reaches the highest point of the ink on the wall, she jumps back out and changes back into an Inkling midair. "My Super Jump's not working though."

Maybe she should have also said that she can change from being a kid to a squid to a kid.

[actsmagnificent]

Haruka nods: she isn't dumb, nor is her pride fragile enough for her to take offense. But she also can't stand completely facing Usagi, choosing to knife her body even if their eyes continue meeting. "I won't do anything foolish," she promises. Which is not the same thing as working together with everyone else. Everyone else has different priorities, and that's wonderful. They can draw fire. They can help get the kidnapped people to safety once that time comes - if that time comes. Haruka trusts anyone who's agreed to come along to do just that.

But Haruka doesn't trust the people who brought everyone here to have a plan, nor is she willing to see any of the people at this gathering taking on the goal she's set for herself. It's for their sake she won't talk to them. She can't invite anyone along on a suicide mission and she won't shrink her ambitions. Until their supposed supervisors come forth with a plan that actually sounds like it'll work, she's doing this her way.

[determinate]

I can't do anything here.

Frisk writes out the words and looks at them for a long moment. It's true enough. They'd have set and reset and reset again a million times by now if they could, if only to get information without any true fears of getting caught. Especially since so many of them are missing already. Where did they go? If they knew, they might reset it all just for that, but how can they prevent something they know nothing about?

They've got their monster food, at least, and they add another sentence - I can hide big things in my phone and I have food that can heal. The phone has mostly been useful for carrying their belongings before, but they don't think anyone but them would know how to get stuff out of it. It could be good for hiding things. The food isn't quite as good as healing magic, but it's useful on the run, or if they just can't get to Usagi at all.

They walk up next to Usagi to hold up the message. That way everyone can see it.

"Um." They wet their lips. They haven't spoken aloud to most people here individually, much less all at one time. "But if anybody dies, tell me how."

[lightthedarkness]

"Captain... would it be okay if we stopped with the uh... ship and pirate terms?" she was getting a little last with it all. "I'm... not exactly keeping track of all the metaphors."

She is okay with a hug, she loves hugs. Usagi was a very physical person and tended to show her affection the same way. But she accepts the pat on the shoulder with a warm smile.

"Ah, well, I have to help Rei, but thank you," she smiled as he mention how much she can do with just the three talents alone. "Ah... but I do have to stay strong for my loved ones. They do a lot to protect me as it is."