Fire and Politics

"Different," Djinni thought once MeleeMan mentioned that her face was without a mask, "How should I take this... For a moment he didn't seem too bad." She looked between MeleeMan and Damascus as they spoke at each other, not entirely surprised to see them acting rude towards each other. For a moment she glanced at the place where Fhyre and Szand were, thinking that Szand had always been rude towards Djinni although she wasn't. "Maybe it was normal for SPs and Navis?" Djinni's thoughts continued, but then shifted her eyes to Fhyre who was still dilligently working despite no one had asked her, "But I'm good friends with Fhyre."

"Hey!" Djinni exclaimed at MeleeMan and walked over to Damascus so she'd be in MeleeMan's vision, then turned towards him, "Why are you two on such bad terms?" Once again Djinni brought her face close to MeleeMan's face, thinking that was the only way for him to actually notice she was there, with an annoyed expression and began to talk to him. "Damascus may be a support program, but she's still a woman. You ought to act nicer towards her," Djinni said, but her facial expression did not let up as she turned to Damascus.

"And you," she continued while approaching the metal support program. However, the difference in height was more than apparent between the two. With a light tap against the ground with the tips of her feet she floated into the air to properly lock eyes with Damascus. Pushing her body against Damascus' body, Djinni's face was still locked in its annoyed expression at the program's behavior. "Is it fun to have that frown all the time?" Djinni asked to Damascus, but then something clicked in the back of her head.

As Djinni was busy lecturing, Szand was still supervising Fhyre as if it were some sort of game to him. "Forwards, left, backwards and now trip!" Szand yelled at her while Fhyre was holding a chair in her hands, eventually tripping as she was actually listening to Szand. It didn't take long for her to stand up again and continue her task. "Fool," Szand muttered under his breath, then glanced over his shoulder at Djinni and her two 'friends'. "Looks like she's busy," he concluded and turned back to look at Fhyre, "You're almost done, scarface! Hurry up before I tip them all over so I can command you to do it all over!"

MeleeMan's rude behavior caused Damascus' cold behavior which in turn complimented the rude behavior of MeleeMan as a vicious cycle that didn't end. Her body still up against Damascus, levitating slightly above the ground, she got a thoughtful expression on her face and tilted her head slightly. "I guess they both need to stop bickering for it to work?" Djinni thought, not realizing her position was still the same as before. "I suppose I'd need to know what's troubling them."

"Hey air balloons," Szand said as he looked at Djinni and Damascus, Fhyre running behind him to meet up with the others, "Get down already."

"H-huh?" Djinni stammered as she snapped awake from her thoughts, floated backwards and then to the ground again. "Sorry about that, Damascus," Djinni said, smiling as friendly as possible to the cold program, "I was in my own world for a moment there."

"And all the other times," Szand added to it, then turned to look at MeleeMan and Damascus, "Fhyre here just helped them with the chairs. I'm guessing they're close to getting finished with setting everything up. I suppose you guys are 'fired up' enough for combat."

Thanks to his ability to silently move about with his floating body, IcicleMan showed up behind the group of Navis. He coughed into one of his spike-like icicle hands before he spoke.
Ahem. Our guest is about to arrive, this way please.

He quickly turned around before he started to float off towards the side of the stage. As he approached, he waved towards ThermalMan without saying a word. ThermalMan, who was helping the older prog center the podium on the stage, noticed IcicleMan approaching, then nodded before he said something to the OldProg and followed the floating ice Navi, his feet thumping against the floor with a dull metallic clang.

The two rounded the corner and stopped behind the stage, and waited for Djinni and MeleeMan to follow. As soon as they arrived, IcicleMan turned his head to the side, and a face appeared on a pop up window next to him. Was it his NetOp? Someone else?
We're ready when they are.
[Gotcha, I'll let the senator know.]

The pop up window quickly closed, and IcicleMan looked back at the recruits. He addressed them calmly, but didn't seemed to have a bored tone, as if this was a routine deal.
Just to remind you all, the two VIPs are PolicyMan.EXE and Shay.SP. I haven't met PolicyMan in person yet, but I've been told he's not what you'd expect of a politician. Please be polite, since you're now representing not only yourselves, but also the NetPolice.

ThermalMan nodded in acknowledgement, before he opened a few vents on his back and shoulders to bleed off some residual heat. As he did so, the glow held back by the vents in his hands and fingers rapidly faded. He quickly opened both of his hands, stretching his fingers out. He then shook his hands up and down a couple times, not only to loosen up his fingers, but also to dispel some of the excess heat. The whole process showed how fully armored he was, since almost every movement involved some sort of metal-on-metal contact, of course accompanied by dull scraping and some temporary squeaking as he loosened the stiff joints in the armor.

A few moments later, a pair of yellow beams appeared from the ceiling and crashed down near the group of Navis. The light quickly faded, revealing a pair of suited programs. The first was a man standing around 6', with short dirty blonde hair and gray eyes. He looked slightly out of shape, but his angular face and posture hinted that he was rather athletic not too long ago. He had a pair of conservative rectangular glasses over his eyes, which were secured to his Navi symbols, which covered his ears. His symbol looked like an open book laying down, with several pages stuck in mid flip, with a brass old-fashioned scale floating above it. He was wearing a very dark blue suit with a white collared shirt and red tie. His cufflinks were silver, and had the Electopian seal embossed on each one, while he had a small Electopian flag pin on his left lapel. He looked over towards the group and smiled before he started to walk forward.

The other program was a slightly shorter woman with short brown hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a similar suit, but she wore a pair of black 2" heels, and had a red ascot around her neck instead of a tie. She did not have a flag pin on her lapel, but her cufflinks did have the Electopian seal. She was holding a nearly transparent data file in her left hand like a notebook as she followed the suited male. She looked over the group quickly, but did not smile. She was silent, but the male Navi spoke up as he saw IcicleMan.
Ah Officer IcicleMan, it's a pleasure to meet you in person! Thanks again for taking time out of your busy day to help out. Hopefully we'll get this over with and let you go back to keeping our networks safe in no time!

IcicleMan nodded politely before he gestured over towards the group of Navis next to him.
Don't worry about it, sir. I have some additional help with me, these Navis have volunteered to help out, and are looking to join the NetPolice.

The Navi's eyes lit up as he looked over the group.
Really? Wow, this event should be for you all, not me! I really admire you guys, since you all are putting yourselves in harm's way every day to make our networks safe. Oh, I'm sorry, I'm PolicyMan, and this is my assistant and SP, Shay.

He took a step back and put his hand behind Shay's back, touching her shoulderblade and nudging her slightly forward. She smiled shyly as she introduced herself.
Hello, I'm Shay. It's nice to meet you all.

PolicyMan smiled as he patted her shoulder gently. She's the only person that has managed to keep me from getting buried in paperwork or going insane from all the red tape we have to weave around to get stuff done. I'd like to get to know you all, so I could at least have a name to a face.

Shay smiled again from the complement, and watched as PolicyMan stepped towards ThermalMan, and extended his right hand towards him. ThermalMan gladly returned the handshake by wrapping his large metallic hand around PolicyMan's hand and gently shaking it. ThermalMan smiled as he introduced himself.
I'm ThermalMan, sir. Pleasure to meet ya.
The name certainly fits you! I'm impressed by how dextrous your hand is, I was half-expecting a vice grip, hahah

ThermalMan chuckled in response as he let go of PolicyMan's hand, and flexed his fingers before clenching them into a fist.
I'm good with my hands, sir.

PolicyMan continued to smile as he went down the line, introducing himself to the group of Navis and SPs that had volunteered to help provide security for his event. He stopped at MeleeMan, and shook his hand firmly as he glanced over towards Damascus as well.
You two are really sharp dressers! I feel underdressed compared to to the both of ya.

He continued with shaking Damascus's hand, also commenting on her outfit, and thanking her for volunteering to join the NetPolice. He then shook Djinni's hand and smiled kindly.
It's a pleasure to meet you, miss. I really appreciate you volunteering to help keep us safe!

He continued on and leaned down slightly to shake Szand's hand, then to Fhyre. He only got silence from Fhyre, but he quickly changed the conversation to eliminate an awkward pause and possible embarassment to the SP, who he simply assumed to be shy like his assistant. After getting all of the introductions out of the way, he quickly pulled up a clock display in front of him, checking the time. They were still a half-hour ahead of schedule, but people started to show up.

MeleeMan sneered, then shook his head. "Hey, you oughtta know that I only took her as an SP since she promised to be my weapon. I haven't seen her do much of that since I took her on. I have the right to act however I want to her," he replied in an idle way, keeping his arms crossed in an unyielding way.

The SP's frown didn't change. She tilted her head up and closed her eyes, regarding both her master and Djinni as annoying pests. She tried to ignore the feeling of Djinni's breasts pressing up, realizing now that they were obviously a good bit larger, despite the fact that Damascus was taller. "You want me to act bubbly and happy in the presence of this kind of master? You ask the impossible," she replied.

Forgetting the conversation, MeleeMan smiled down at Szand. "Yeah, sure I am. I'm not saying I want somebody to start a fight, but hey, I wouldn't object and I'd probably kinda prefer it," he smirked.

"So you do want it?" Damascus grumbled, keeping her shifty, crimson eyes turned towards Djinni.

"Yeah... Wait, no," MeleeMan responded, then turned to face IcicleMan as he announced the arrival of the senator and his attendant. The senator introduced himself along with his attendant; MeleeMan smiled at her, feeling that she was a contrast to his own SP. "That's the way an SP ought to be; supportive. And short. Not taller than me," he thought to himself, turning another frown on Damascus.

He accepted PolicyMan's handshake, although he seemed to miss the memo about not using his hand strength that ThermalMan provided earlier. "Hey, we don't normally dress like this. The normal me makes girls unfocused and men scared, though. I figure it's better this way," he chuckled. "The normal her is just sort of homely," he joked, in reference to Damascus.

Damascus gave the man a curt smile and awkwardly shook her hand; it was almost like he'd grabbed hold of a sword and the wielder was having to try hard to avoid cutting him with it. "Pleased to meet you," she responded, although she'd have preferred a bow to a handshake.

Rania popped up in front of MeleeMan's eyes, giving him a quick reminder on a private channel. "Remember, you guys are just security detail here, and not even the heads of security or anything. Don't waste too much of the senator's time," she warned them. Now that she was really looking at a senator, she couldn't help but feel nervous.

"Yeah, yeah," MeleeMan answered. He crossed his arms and gave the room a covert inspection, making sure that no one was responding strangely to the senator's arrival.

"Is this simply how it's supposed to be?" Djinni thought as she followed IcicleMan after they had been called to show themselves to the senator's Navi, "But they don't seem impenetrable in attitude." Djinni was convinced that both had just revealed a certain weak point about their behavior and that they both could become friends if they only tried. It wouldn't be the first time for her to be utterly wrong about something though.

Szand was walking slightly behind Djinni with Fhyre, not exactly comfortable with playing the role of obedient support program. "I suppose I have to behave myself," he thought once they arrived at the location of PolicyMan. "But," Szand's thoughts continued while the Navi before him introduced himself, "Damascus really doesn't like MeleeMan. She's just stubborn."

"We would be doing it anyway," Djinni replied to PolicyMan as she gently shook his hand, "Just elsewhere." She wasn't exactly sure what to say to him, but attempted to keep her cool and just answer with whatever she could manage. It was true though. Any bit of virus combat she had done in the past would eventually be part of saving a Navi or network.

Szand simply shook the hand of PolicyMan, not really feeling like talking to him. He had nothing to say and nothing was said to him. Once hands were shaken, he tilted his head slightly to look at the SP of PolicyMan. "She's kinda cute," he thought, "I wonder if that's a GMO or her normal attire." With the thought of GMO, however, he was quickly reminded of his normal form and realized that nothing would come of interest in women. Quickly dispelling the thoughts, he just glanced around without any focus.

Another one had decided to keep quiet, despite there not being a real option for Fhyre. After shaking PolicyMan's hand she tilted her head, her dreadlocks waving around slightly, and just saluted towards him in a strange attempt to make him think she said they have it all under control. It was not easy to have no voice, but Fhyre simply had to live with it.

"Should we do anything at this point, sir?" Djinni asked PolicyMan, also shooting a glance at IcicleMan as he was the one who had hired them, "Or just remain in place until the event begins?" Having asked his, however, Djinni continued with a quick question. "If so, where should we take place?"

PolicyMan kept his composure even as his hand sustained quite a bit of pressure from MeleeMan's handshake. He managed to smile, as if he didn't feel it, and shook the fire navi's hand more firmly.
Haha, I bet having your normal attire would help me out with a debate, so both my looks and my words could scare the competition off the stage!

As PolicyMan smiled back as he listened to Djinni's response to his admiration.
Humble too? You'll definitely go far, miss!

The suited Navi made his rounds of introductions, and focused back on Djinni while she inquired about what she and her allies should do. He raised a finger as if he was going to answer, but then glanced over towards IcicleMan.
Honestly I wouldn't know the first thing about area security, but I bet Officer IcicleMan is an expert on the subject.

IcicleMan closed his eyes as waved off PolicyMan, before he focused back on the group. His expression was the same as they had always seen it, but he seemed to have a rather commanding presence as he gave them their orders.
Just a part of the job, sir. Alright, since we're about a half hour from the start, I would like you all to spread out towards the back row. There aren't very many Navis here yet, so on your way I'd like you to look them over for anything suspicious. Once you all spread out, stand by and observe the Navis and other programs who attend as they pass by you. The highest amount of traffic will be at the two main aisles, and both of the sides. Djinni, take the right aisle and have your SPs cover the right side. MeleeMan, you take the left, and Damascus on the left side.

He looked over towards ThermalMan, before he pointed one of his spiked arms towards the opposite corner of the back of the stage.
Post here, and keep watch for anyone coming in from behind. I'll be accompanying PolicyMan until we start, then I'll take this cor-

Before IcicleMan could finish, a trio of Navis burst out from behind the corner he was pointing at, and started to rush towards the group! They both had large items in their hands, and quickly drew them up towards their faces and pointed them towards the group. They didn't even say a word, and continued rushing forwards like they were preparing to collide with them!

"Heh... No offense guy, but I haven't met a lot of guys big enough to fit my jacket," MeleeMan laughed in response, thinking to himself that the jacket was a little over-sized even on him. It'd take a giant to wear it snugly. He watched PolicyMan leave, then frowned toward IcicleMan. "Yeah, although I don't know how much good she's gonna be on a defensive side," he responded in a grumble, speaking of Damascus.

Almost as soon as the words had left his mouth, the three navis showed up and bumrushed the stage. "Ha ha ha! Three of you, seriously? Attacking like this? You guys must be achin' for some achin!" he guffawed, signalling to his operator for chips. Rania responded quickly slotting through two magbolts and a firehit. "They're goin' for you, Senator! Stay behind me if it comes down to it; I guarantee they won't get past me."

As he watched them approach, he readied one Magbolt while sending the other to his SP. "Damascus, you catch one and I'll catch another. We'll beat the crap out of em and then... uh... decide what else to do from there," he smirked, reaching forward his magnetically charged gauntlet and attempting to draw one of the navis in towards his heated metal fist.

Damascus accepted the chip, keeping her red eyes locked on another of the opponents. She prepared to free one arm from her scabbard, only to realize that she wasn't actually dressed in her usual wrap. Shrugging, she steeled her body and pointed forward one sharp hand and transformed it slowly into a two-pronged fork weapon, which shot a loop of electricity outward to attempt to grab her enemy.

MeleeMan occupied himself with trying to knock the living daylights out of the enemy using his flaming fists, regardless of whether he'd caught them or not. "Hey, stupid, that's not going to be enough to kill that guy," he pointed out as he noticed his SP wasn't using any other attacks besides her initial bolt.

"Of course. We'll need one of them captive for interrogation," she responded, keeping her gaze on the enemy.

"Whatever. Alright, Funbags, you're up," he called out, looking to Djinni. "You can nuke that last guy whenever you're ready. Don't hold back, we don't need captives. Seriously, charging in with three guys? What were these dumbasses thinking?"

Damascus turned her eyes to ThermalMan curiously. Why would all three of the enemies not focus directly on the political target? For some reason, they'd chosen to attack the other bodyguard... even attacking Shay would have made more sense. She couldn't help but be suspicious as the enemies violated the rule of priority targets.

MeleeMan
1) Bodyshield for PolicyMan [movement]
2) Transfer Magbolt1 to Damascus
3) Magbolt2 @ NaviC [110 elec melee, B accuracy + stun + magnetic pull]
*) Red Rage [passive strengthen 30]
4) Firehit1 @ NaviC [115 fire melee, A accuracy + impact]
5) Firehit1 @ NaviC [85 fire melee, A accuracy + impact (Double Attack)]

Damascus
*) Receive Magbolt1 from MeleeMan
1) Steel Skin activate [1 turn self ironbody, 2 TCD]
*) Variable debuff @ NaviA [20 debuff]
2) Magbolt1 @ NaviA [90 elec melee, B accuracy + stun + magnetic pull]

"Funbags he says," Szand commented, looking on at the spectacle as MeleeMan and Damascus attacked the enemies. "But something's odd," Szand said afterwards and turned away from the fight in order to head to the right side of the aisle where he had been told to stand guard. "There are too little enemies," he murmured in his thoughts, "It could be a diversion for an actual attack." Szand then took a dash for the right side of the aisle, leaving Djinni behind who had extended her hand towards him.

"Where are you-!?" she had yelled at him, but then turned to the enemies. Fhyre was still by her side, not really knowing what to do and just wanting to help out. Her hands were primed to start attacking the new enemies, but she was not sure if she wanted to attack. "If I enter the fight," she thought, "It means I have accepted MeleeMan's nickname." She had not forgotten the command he had yelled at her, including the nickname. "But maybe it's a compliment...? They do seem to be used for fun. Bhikkhuni seemed to enjoy it." Her thoughts about her breasts continued, staring away without any target. However, the enemies were still present.

With Szand on his guard point and Djinni examining the worth of her breasts, Fhyre was the only one who could still accomplish something here. Forcefully she took Djinni's hand, then brought forth a thumbs up at Na'im as request of him sending her a chip or two.

Na'im was still not sure about the whole situation. The video output was not being cooperative for him so there were no details on the weaponry the enemies were carrying. It was a blind bet, but it was one that Rania had already taken for him with her companions. Two chips were slotted in, after deciding not to give Djinni any chips of her own. It was still too early to go full assault. He had failed previous missions by plummeting head first into situations, something he did not want to happen this time.

Accepting the chips and uploading them, Fhyre silently joined the ranks of MeleeMan and Damascus and commenced her attacks. Digging through the inner pockets of her jacket, she pulled out three small kunais and threw them with grace at the one that was not targetted yet by those she stood with. Shortly afterwards the bandages wrapped around her right hand began to shift and grow in length. As she balled her hand into a fist the bandages formed a satellite dish and started to vibrate by itself. There was truth and wisdom in the words of Damascus, although crude, that they would do well with interrogating them. With this in her mind, Fhyre sent forth a sonic blast from her weapon at the item the Navi was wielding.

"Maybe I can get fun through them too," Djinni continued thinking, completely ignoring the situation before her. This was partially because she knew MeleeMan could easily handle it, having identified the threats' health data, and she might just wreck the team's footing. With that in mind and her inner debate about the pleasure to others coming from her breasts, she grabbed hold onto them while looking down. If she were capable of identifying her own chest as 'fun', MeleeMan's comment would not be an insult.

"What the hell is she thinking." Szand commented from his location, looking back at his companions.

PolicyMan, Shay, IcicleMan and ThermalMan turned towards the group of incoming navis as well as they dashed towards them. Shay took a step closer towards PolicyMan defensively, and the suited Navi put out his arm slightly, shielding the SP. He lowered his head slightly to get behind MeleeMan's profile, but otherwise stood his ground. IcicleMan quickly swung his arms out to his sides, and was about to intercept the Navis, but he saw MeleeMan was about to attack.

Without a word, IcicleMan thrust his right arm into the ground, and with a loud crack, a wall of ice burst up from the ground and made an almost clear barrier between the group and the incoming Navis. However, two of them were already caught in the magnetic pull of the Magbolts, and were held firmly against the wall of ice, looking almost like bugs on a windshield.

ThermalMan was also about to confront the Navis as well, before IcicleMan raised the wall of ice in front of them. He saw Fhyre getting into position, and appeared to be pulling something from her jacket. He raised one of his large, iron-clad arms in front of her just as she threw the kunai, causing them to ricochet off his armor with a trio of metallic clangs. He looked back towards the SP, but he didn't appear angry or agitated, he seemed more curious as to what was actually going on.

The wall of ice seemed to be pretty sturdy, but a couple of MeleeMan's flaming punches caused the wall to crumble in one place, causing the Navi to fall to the floor, and the object in his hand hit the floor next to him. On closer inspection, it appeared to be some sort of recording device, like a video camera
OW! What the hell was that for?

The second Navi, who was still pinned to the wall of ice, squirmed about in protest.
What's wrong with you people? We're the press! This is police brutality!

The third Navi, also pinned, chimed in as well.
Yeah! I hope you bullies have good lawyers!

IcicleMan looked back towards his group, and gestured his left arm towards them.
Easy, everyone. Just stand down.

He looked back towards the Navis, finally released from their magnetic holds, and floated towards them as he crossed his arms.
So you're the press, right? Mind if I see your certifications please?

The middle Navi immediately flinched, and clutched his camera to his chest.
We... uh, we have the certifications, but we haven't gotten the physical copies yet!

Oh really now? So you're saying you are attempting to claim privaledges to certified members of the press, when you yourself have no such certifications? What I see are a trio of navis who, without identifying themselves, charged towards a VIP and several NetPolice members while brandishing objects that can be easily perceived as weapons. I believe in this situation, you should be contacting your lawyers instead.

The three Navis shifted in place, one of them looking down at the ground while the other two moved nervously, their seemingly air-tight plan was spun on it's head, and now it has become entirely obvious that they themselves were in the wrong.
Now, what I would recommend is that you three calmly remove yourselves from behind this stage, and either watch the event politely, or log out. Consider this a verbal warning. If you are caught pulling this stunt again, we will have a talk at Police HQ, and no one is going to be happy with that. Sound fair to you? Any questions?

The three navis shook their heads, one mumbling a "no, sir" while shifting his camera in his hands. He gestured towards one of the corners of the back of the stage, and they turned away and walked off. After they rounded the corner towards the seating area, IcicleMan turned back to the group.
Sir, miss, are you alright?

PolicyMan stepped out from behind MeleeMan, with Shay following close behind.
Yeah, we're alright. That was a bit of a shock, they certainly were lacking a bit of tact, even for paparazzi.

IcicleMan nodded his head, and looked towards MeleeMan, ThermalMan, and Djinni
Okay, that was a bit unexpected, but this provides a very good teaching point. As NetPolice, we will be dealing with pretty much every single kind of Navi and program out there. In a perfect world, the distinction between a law-abiding program and a dangerous thug is essentially black and white, but unfortunately it's not the case. We really need to air on the side of caution.
Yes, with the EJO system we don't cause lasting harm to programs, but something like this can bring a lot of bad publicity, and possible shakeups in the organization. We have had some pretty good officers get fired because of incidents like that. It's not always easy to tell if someone is actually being threatening or not, we've actually had a few programs attempt to bait officers into engaging them, then going to the press.

IcicleMan sighed, it certainly appeared as if he wasn't very thrilled about the situation, so much so that this was really the first time he has shown some sort of emotion in front of the group. PolicyMan's stern expression made it seem like he wasn't too happy with the situation either. He tried to smile and console the group.
Just when I thought I couldn't respect you guys more. I doubt I'd be able to handle something like that. One of my goals in this campaign is to forge a better relationship between the public and the NP, it would make both of their lives easier if the public has a better understanding of what you all go through every day to keep them safe. You guys should be an inspiration for us all, and I'm going to do my best to enlighten the public to that fact.

Shay nodded, before she looked down at her clipboard and then looked up at PolicyMan. He looked down at her as she pointed at the timer on her clipboard.
Oh wow, it's almost time. I should go over my notes one last time before we start.
Right, we still have an event to do. Everyone please take your positions. Don't forget to look for any suspicious activities or Navis. Please be tactful in approaching any programs you feel should be stopped, and if any of you experience any trouble, please feel free to contact me via the secure line. I have sent the link to the voice chat to your operators. Good luck.

MeleeMan nearly failed his already misguided strategy as he became distracted, watching Djinni's hands cup her own breasts. Seldom had he ever thought to himself that he would care to possess any hands but his own. Now he thought to himself that he would easily give up a year or two of his processing time just to feel what those hands felt.

As such, Fhyre's impressive display of power went largely unnoticed. Damascus watched Djinni herself for a moment, then turned back to her opponents. Her eyelids lowered as she realized what she was in the process of beating the daylights out of: ordinary, perhaps overzealous reporters.

Rania panicked, thinking about what sort of a PR catastrophe she'd just allowed while she'd been busy talking to Na'im. Still, she resolved to stay calm and let MeleeMan and Damascus handle the situation. Freaking out right now would look bad... although in her mind, she was writhing in self-loathing and worry.

MeleeMan had been ready to hit the supposedly offending navis even more, but then learned that apparently officers of the law weren't supposed to unreservedly attack people just for running in their general direction. "Well damn," he grunted, using up all of his very small pool of tact to avoid throwing a "served them right" into his speech.

Damascus gave a deep bow, apologizing for both of them, although her usual belittling frown didn't change. "Forgive us. We had only your safety in mind and failed to think about the public image. With this new goal in mind, I am certain that my master will relax his fists somewhat and my new acquaintance will quit groping herself."

Unhidden by his visor, MeleeMan's eyes darted back over to Djinni. He closed them and then coughed into his fist, trying not to stare. "Public image, right. I guess Public Safety or whatever she signed up for should keep that kind of stuff in mind. Man, if only I'd had my coat and helmet instead of this suit, those guys would have thought twice before even looking in this direction," he boasted. With that out of the way, he took up the defensive position that he'd been asked to.

His SP also took her own side, then gave a glare to Djinni. "I assure you, he gives everyone such demeaning names. Don't think anything of it," she half-advised, half-scolded Djinni. The latter part of her suggestion said both "don't think he meant anything bad by it" and "don't think you're special."

The commands meant little for Szand as he had taken his position already before the ruckus the reporters had made. Looking at it from a distance, a part of him was happy the situation went on without being too disturbed. A part of him wanted to see the reporters deleted, their data floating off into cyberspace, to give them some time to think about their stupidity. "Hey Fhyre!" Szand shouted, beckoning the ragged girl to him, "Get over here already."

"I wasn't groping myself!" Djinni exclaimed at Damascus once the taciturn SP mentioned it, "I was merely investigating." Following the next words of Damascus and MeleeMan, Djinni brew up some thoughts about the situation again. "Maybe she's... Jealous? MeleeMan does seem to pay more attention to me," Djinni thought. Despite being in her own world for the past moment, she was still paying attention to the situation at hand. With that in the back of her head, she turned her eyes to Fhyre who had tried to attack the reporters. Patting the little SP on top of her head, now she had a head, she smiled and reassuringly spoke to her, "You did fine, Fhyre. I'll take any consequences of your actions head on."

The SP turned her face to Djinni, then nodded. But it was still obvious the mistake she had made had caused quite an impact on her behavior. Letting her arms hang lifelessly across the sides of her body, her head hanging and her back slightly arched forwards. It was a sad sight, one that Szand did not enjoy at all.

"Hey mummy," he commented once she arrived, hitting her on top of her head with his fist. Fhyre sadly held her head downwards as a reply, allowing Szand to put his arm on top of her head and rested against her nonchalantly. "Nothing is perfect," he told her, "Just forget about it and learn to look before you act." Fhyre remained sad though, although Szand didn't really care as he now had his object to lean against.

"But there's still a chance to correct MeleeMan's, Damascus' and Fhyre's mistake," Djinni thought and, ignoring the command that she had to go to her spot, decided to take matters into her own hands. "Everyone!" she shouted as she ran towards the point the visitors arrived from while waving her hand. Djinni came to a halt near the point, her assets jiggling from stopping her motions, and proceeded to talk to new visitors. "If you're from the press and wish to interview sir PolicyMan, please show me proper identification and/or certification. If you do not have physical copies of such, please consult this with our supervisor IcicleMan." After mentioning IcicleMan, she held out a single hand out towards the Navi in question and continued to talk, "Those who simply wish to hear sir PolicyMan's speech, please take a seat and do not cause any trouble. Professional security is on stage, so do not worry about a thing."

A sweet little lie about being professionals was all Djinni needed to boast in this situation. The scene the workers had created were for PolicyMan, not for Djinni, and she relucantly allowed him to take the spotlight. Djinni remained standing by the main entrance point, checking for identifications of the press and assisting people by with finding a seat. Noticing her allies had taken point already, she realized what point was yet unguarded and fully intended to go there once everyone had taken their seats.

((If your Navi/SP(s)'s locations are incorrect, please feel free to let me know. If you want, you can alter your Navi/SP(s)'s locations on the map after you post, so I can accurately plot them in the next mod post))


PolicyMan and Shay started to walk up a few steps up to the stage, and stuck behind a somewhat decorative curtain which only partially obscured the stage from view, though it was nearly entirely open from the back. One could see PolicyMan ((Yellow\Blue)) looking down at Shay's ((Yellow hourglass)) datafile, and speaking as if he was rehearsing and doing one final look over the notes for today's presentation. IcicleMan ((Blue)) stood at the nearby corner, and ThermalMan ((Red\Gray)) thumped past MeleeMan ((Black\Red)) and Damascus ((Black hourglass)) on his way to his corner.

As he passed, he wiped the sweat from his brow as he started to leak the heat that had built up from the brief period of battle.
Whew, that was a bit close. Good thing IcicleMan won a battle of logic against those punks, I was afraid we weren't gonna be able to get the job done.

The hulking boiler Navi stopped at his corner, before he rotated in place and flashed a thumbs up towards MeleeMan with his massive iron-clad thumb.
If you two need any help, I'm literally on your side. We do have some people here already, so I'd head out there now.

Szand ((Red hourglass)) had already taken up a position on the right edge of the seating area, and were quickly joined by Fhyre ((Gold hourglass)) and Djinni ((Gold\Red)). Fhyre was reassured by Djinni and Szand, but she still seemed depressed about mistakenly attacking the three Navis. She was standing next to Szand, and was used as a leaning post by the male SP, while Djinni started to move out towards the back row. As she made her way past, there were a few random Navis and progs taking their seats, but she also noticed something a bit odd in the back row.

Sitting near the right side of the middle section, all the way in the back, were a pair of HeelNavis ((White\Purple and Purple\White)), sitting there chatting to eachother and occasionally laughing quietly. They seemed to be minding their own business, but their yellow eyes quickly caught Djinni as part of her bounced up the row.

Djinni made her announcement, and several patrons had stopped what they were doing and turned towards her to listen. They went about their business after she finished, and found their seats towards the front. However, one of the HeelNavis muttered something towards his cohort.
Hahah, "professional." *snicker* Ri~ght.

Before she could react, she heard another voice in front of her.
Excuse me ma'am...

The voice came from a NormalNavi ((Brown\Green)) standing a few paces in front of her. He had a pretty standard green and brown color scheme and yellow eyes, but what made him stand out was a data recording program in his hands, similar, but smaller than the ones the "press" trio had before. He held it out with one hand.
Um, I'm not the press, nor do I have any certifications, but can I record the speech from my seat? I'm not sure what sort of policy you all have for recording devices...


Meanwhile, near Szand and Fhyre, others started to approach from the sides, and appeared to be looking for seats. Others started to approach from the left side as well, and more seemed to be logging in or walking from the walkways towards the stage.

MeleeMan grumbled to himself as he watched Djinni deal with some curious regular navi. "I guess I'll just be thankful I don't have to deal with that crap; I'd be likely to beat them up again," he thought to himself. It wasn't that he was humbly admitting that he had a hard time controlling his temper; rather, he was blaming the paparazzi for being so hard to avoid beating up.

Damascus watched ThermalMan take his side of the stage, engrossed in her own thoughts. "He's really eager to help, isn't he? With all of that muscle and the genial attitude he possesses, that guy seems like the MeleeMan that Rania originally wanted," she thought to herself, pondering over the history she'd recently learned concerning MeleeMan's creation.

The SP's thoughts were right on the mark; Rania was indeed thinking about how she'd originally envisioned MeleeMan. Then again, if things had gone really well and she'd had a polite but tough guy like that as her navi, maybe she'd have grown bored, just like the sports and games she was competent with? She thought it quite possible that having a navi like MeleeMan was the first big challenge she'd had to overcome in a while and that's why she stuck with him.

MeleeMan held his arms lazily at his sides and swaggered over to the spot where IcicleMan had ordered he stay earlier: the left aisle. He looked at the rows of progs and frowned. Boooring. At least if he was a little further up he could stare at Djinni's rack some more. The back view wasn't bad either, but the space for the event was deceptively large; he found himself a little too far from his partner to allow her to enjoy his company.

Damascus, on the other hand, didn't feel like taking her position yet. She figured that for the time being, MeleeMan could probably watch the left side well enough (and might be bored enough to do so). She instead kept an eye on IcicleMan and their ally, ThermalMan, figuring it'd be more useful to be at hand if they needed her.

Her presence provided very little comfort, however. The shifty gaze of her gleaming red eyes darted back and forth between them, looking ever-critical, and her silent frown persisted. It would seem she'd never be much of a conversation partner...

"I do not think that will be an issue, sir," Djinni replied to the Navi in front of her. She was glad this was the only question directed to her, not knowing what would have happened if more complex questions had been asked. Despite the amused comments of the HeelNavis, Djinni kept a good smile on her face and didn't let them get to her. "Now please take your seat," she continued to the curious Navi, "The speech will commence shortly." This type of talking wasn't exactly Djinni's style, but she was not a stranger to adapting to situations.

"We gotta keep our eyes on those guys," Szand commented as he tapped Fhyre on top of her head, still leaning against her. "Oh wait," he continued, "You don't have eyes." The differences were pretty clear between himself and Fhyre, one being a good looking blond haired guy and the other a tattered mummy girl. "And we even had free reign in our design," Szand ended with, guessing that Fhyre wanted to look as bad as possible so the focus of people would remain with Djinni even if Fhyre did all the work.

Little did he know that his guess was spot on for Fhyre's appearance, the little SP who was still being used as an object to lean against. In reality, she did not dislike Szand mistreating her but also wasn't exactly fond of it. It was a mixed sensation for her, but even in this state she kept an 'eye' on the surroundings.

Between having to help an innocent Navi and getting laughed at for her choice of words, Djinni had entirely forgotten where to position herself according to IcicleMan's order. Knowing, however, that two suspicious people were in the crowd, Djinni positioned herself at the back of the middle part of the crowd. This way she has a clear sight of the 3 columns while also being available for newcomers to ask her about whatever. Except her e-mail and/or phone number.

The green NormalNavi "smiled" in response to Djinni's verbal approval, his yellow eyes appearing like a pair of caret symbols.
Thank you very much, miss! I really appreciate it!

The Navi happily went off to his seat, and the HeelNavis appeared to notice their little exchange. One started to imitate the Navi sarcastically.
Oh thank you so much, Miss NP Lady! You're oh so kind~ Hahaha!
It's hilarious how the sheep try to butter up the fuzz.
Yeah, especially when they think the e-pigs actually care about them, looool.

The Normal Navi looked back at the HeelNavis as they taunted him, but he simply rolled his eyes before taking his seat near the front row. Multiple others had started to file through, some approached from the two main isles, where Djinni and MeleeMan were located, but some simply walked in through the sides. As the crowd started to grow, the amount of chit chat amongst the programs started to make the area a bit loud, so much so that it was starting to become difficult to hear someone else speaking at a normal volume, if they were more than several feet away.

MeleeMan, who would have much rather had been staring at Djinni, was still at his post as Navis and progs filed past him. He did overhear some of them mentioning his sharp appearance and rather imposing build, some wondering why someone who looked more like a bodyguard was acting as an usher of sorts. Most of them weren't carrying anything other than some data files, little Electopian Flags, or snacks. However, one particular prog appeared to be bringing quite the heavy load with him. The prog was a very dark green, almost black, and was carrying an almost comically large bag on his back. It was a wonder how it could even keep its balance. Several other progs followed closely behind him, conversing with each other. As they approached, MeleeMan could hear them mentioning Policyman, and the upcoming election.

Damacus remained behind the stage, near ThermalMan. He was occasionally looking out from behind the stage to see the building crowd, but mainly focused on what was going on behind the stage. He appeared focused, but he seemed... restless. He looked over towards the silent SP with a raised eyebrow.
Is everything alright, Miss Damascus?

The boiler-esque Navi had already noticed her rather quiet demeanor when they first met, but he felt he had to say something, partially due to her almost suspicious behavior, and his apparent restlessness.

MeleeMan smirked, please to hear that the general impression of him leaned towards "imposing guy who looks like he should be beating stuff up rather than standing in the aisle." He rubbed one thumb quickly across the bridge of his nose, then turned his head stiffly to look at the prog with the pack.

It wasn't so much that he wanted to help the prog because the pack looked so heavy; rather, he thought it was sort of disgraceful to watch something so weak try to lift such a heavy object. "Hey, come on, dumbass. Rule of thumb: don't try to carry things bigger than you are unless you have muscles like mine," he grumbled, trying to wrestle the pack off of the little guy. "Let me see what's in here and we'll figure out how to arrange this so you aren't killing yourself." He didn't give the prog a chance to object.

Damascus, in the mean time, turned her red eyes to stare at ThermalMan. He looked almost afraid of her; that made her happy. With a cold smile, she raised one eyebrow and maintained her erect posture. "Nothing's the matter. Don't worry though, I get that a lot. I guess I just have one of those faces," she replied, then turned her attention back to the crowd. She saw that MeleeMan was making an ass out of himself again, but felt like the situation would probably resolve itself.

Still patrolling on her spot, Djinni continued to eye the two HeelNavis which she found all too annoying and suspicious but she had no reason to accuse them of anything. She had to, however, do her utmost best to ignore the imitation and humiliating. "Excuse me, sirs," Djinni started to talk as she put her each hand on the back of their seats. She leaned forwards, her chest resting onto the back of the seats. "People are simply here to listen to PolicyMan. I will have to ask you to behave while you're here," she said. All this time she had been keeping a smile for image, but for this occasion her smile got crooked as she smirked and beared her fangs. Flames escaped from her mouth and her charcoal eyes lit up like burning coal as she focused on the two. "We are, however, allowed to use force if necessary. Any interruption and you'll answer to my flames." Straightening her back again, having said what she had to say, her eyes returned to normal and her flames were under control again. "Aside from that, enjoy the speech," she ended with, figuring the two got the message.

"Have you ever seen her angry?" Szand asked Fhyre silently, not wanting Djinni to hear it despite the large area between the two. He had stopped using Fhyre as object to lean against as Fhyre had started guiding people around to their seats, enjoying to help people. She took a short break to turn to Szand and nodded. "Huh, really?" he muttered, looking over at Djinni.

Fhyre then grabbed Szand's hand and got him to focus on her, then held a finger up in the air. 'You' was written in the air with some flames, followed by 'Cause'. She then ran off to help more people.

"I was the cause?" he asked himself, tilting his head and stroking his chin, "That can't be right." It was true that Djinni had gotten angry during the mission in which she would've gotten a second SP, but the true cause was the threat at her friend Broadside. "I kind of want to see her angry again," he said, knowing what kind of program Djinni had.

Just like Fhyre Djinni had been helping random arrivals as well, but as she was doing so she noticed MeleeMan wanting to help a Prog with a heavy load. "Aww, that's sweet of him," she said to herself, "I'm glad to see he has some manners and kindness after all. Maybe I can be good friends with him after all." The truth remained invisible to Djinni.

The pair of heelnavis chuckled as Djinni's attention turned to them.
Oh no, the big bad police lady's gonna spank us~

They did manage to shut up once Djinni's expression turned from a sweet little smile to a immolating glare. Though they tried not to reveal it, they were surprised by the literal firepower the Navi was capable of wielding. However, they tried to cover up their nervousness with more cocky comments.
Ooh, real scary.
So scary that I should've brought marshmellows! Hehehehe

More navis continued to file in to their seats, passing by Djinni, Szand, Fhyre, and MeleeMan in a fairly orderly, casual fashion. The satchel-carrying prog looked up at MeleeMan with a slightly annoyed look. He spoke up with an almost monotone voice, not expressing irritation, almost as if this has happened multiple times before, and it's all a part of the drill.
Easy there, turbo. Paws off the equipment, we'll take care of it.

The prog simply detached itself from the satchel, and it gently slumped to the ground as the other progs started to swarm the bag, opening it up to reveal a neatly organized pile of metal scaffolding, lights, and recording equipment. As the progs quickly started to unpack and begin construction, the near-black prog opened up a data file in front of MeleeMan. The file showed a Press Certificate, showing the name of the news company they were working for, and accurate information about the time and the location of this event, showing they were scheduled to be here, with a signature of approval to boot.
We're with the News Server reporting branch, and we've been approved to report on this speech. We'll stay out of the way of the isles and the seating area, and make sure other programs don't climb up on our equipment. We'll take care of ourselves.

The prog's almost bored speech suggested it had made that same speech over and over again so much that it had become routine. He waited for MeleeMan's approval, but the other progs continued construction, assuming there wouldn't be a problem.

ThermalMan chuckled in response to Damascus's statement, and rolled his shoulders slightly with a few creaks and scrapes, loosening himself up.
Just curious why you want to hang out back here, instead of with your Navi. There ain't much going on back stage...

He turned around with a series of dull clunks from his footfalls, and he leaned to the side to look over towards PolicyMan and Shay. IcicleMan was standing nearby, while the two VIPs were still discussing something, and appeared to be going over notes.
Yeah... getting a bit boring.

The navi sighed slightly as he turned back around, and went back to scanning the area for anyone approaching. He didn't exactly expect a reply, but at least she could keep him occupied for a bit. He didn't seem to be the type that was comfortable with just sitting around.

MeleeMan was always annoyed to see things he thought were obvious truths be proven false. It turned out that the progs were just doing something they always did; the pack probably wasn't really bothering the little thing at all. "Suit yourself," he grumbled, letting go of the pack and crossing his arms across his chest. Worse yet, they had actual press IDs, so he couldn't pick on them even if he wanted to... which he sort of did, just to alleviate the boredom.

But no alleviation was coming. Groaning, he leaned back and forth on his heels, waiting for something to happen.

Damascus felt a pretty strong craving for blood, which was her terminology for wanting to cut something. She was the type that, despite her stoic and passive look, didn't like staying still for too long either. "If you'll pardon my speculation, I don't think that the front of the stage is much more engaging than the back right now," she replied, keeping her same stance. She probably cared even less about what PolicyMan and Shay were doing than even ThermalMan or her master. Living as a blade had never given her much reason to care about politics, and another couple of decades of sleep had distanced her even further from caring.

"Sticks and stones may break my bones," Djinni thought to herself with an agitated look on her face. She couldn't exactly attack them without any reason. The last time she gave in to anger was when she was deleted during the Neo-Shogun war. Surely giving in to anger again would not help her and MeleeMan's cause at all. She figured that if she were to ignore them completely, they would stop eventually. Glancing at the Navis that were already sitting and waiting for the speech, Djinni thought how many more they would need to actually get started. "I wonder what the speech is actually about," Djinni suddenly mentioned to herself, not even knowing what this PolicyMan was known for.

Szand and Fhyre were as bored as probably anyone else at this point. Fhyre was fine with waiting, but Szand didn't like it one bit. "Is he still rehearsing or something?" he commented as he glanced at the stage where PolicyMan was.

Behind the stage, ThermalMan nodded in response to Damascus's desire to move out to the seating area, though from her lack of movement, it seemed she wasn't entirely thrilled about moving either. Strangely, the crowd got oddly quiet; was there something happening up on stage?

As Djinni was wondering what the speech would cover, and MeleeMan was being discontent with his inability to pester the Press Progs, Shay walked out from behind the curtain and quietly made her way up to the Podium. She smiled slightly before she spoke into the small microphone-like device on top of the simple wooden podium.

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, I thank you all for coming. I am Shay.SP, and I will be your "MC" for this event. I'd like to thank ElectoCorp for helping us fund this event, ZipBuilders for this wonderful stage and seating area, and the NetPolice for providing security and a watchful eye over every one of us here. Now to reward your patience, I'd like to introduce you all to Mr. Policyman!

The navis and progs who were making their way towards their seats stopped and started to clap and cheer, while the majority of those seated stood up and began to clap as well. The HeelNavis remained seated and joked with each other, and the progs up on the scaffolding hurriedly made the final set up of their recording equipment. PolicyMan calmly walked out from behind the curtain and smiled as he waved to the audience. He shook Shay's hand and kindly put his other hand on her shoulder, thanking her for the perfectly executed introduction. She smiled and blushed just slightly before she walked behind the curtain and sat down, out of view. She almost immediately pulled up a data file containing his speech, and was still smiling a bit as she prepared to take notes. The crowd started to quiet down as he looked out over them, and they took to their seats when he started to speak.

Greetings programs, thank you for coming out here today! As my lovely assistant, Shay, mentioned, I am PolicyMan.EXE. I'd like to talk to all of you about issues that affect us as net denizens, and what sorts of solutions we could create. I'm asking for your attention, and your inspiration, so together we can make our wonderful network a better place.

And with that, PolicyMan's speech began. If one was paying attention, like nearly everyone in the audience, he claims to be from rather humble origins, and was actually unoperated for the majority of his existence on the net. He said he felt the rougher parts of the net, and knew how it felt to live in fear of what lurks out there in the less-regulated and protected areas of the networks. He must have been pretty convincing, because even the HeelNavis stopped joking around and seemed to be legitimately listening. With his ethos firmly set, he seamlessly shifted into what sorts of problems he'd identified, and some ideas he'd like to see implemented, with the help of his NetOp, and everyone in attendance today. Some of the policies he envisioned were actually quite well thought out and seemed to be finding a happy medium between near total freedom of the individual programs, while still having enough restrictions in place to protect programs from those who wish to engage in criminal activities.

His arguments were sharp and accurate, trying to cut down hackers, data thieves and other criminals without causing harm to the innocent. However, one particular flaw with his arguments was the fact that not only would current policies need to be completely re-written, but nearly the entire system would have to be changed. His ideas seemed so utopian, but it would call for a massive shakeup in the system, where the entire idea of legality and punishment would be revamped. This would require a huge amount of support (and likely funds), but he continuously tried to appeal to the "hearts" of the audience, trying to convince them their combined strengths would be able to make this new system work.

MeleeMan, Damascus, Djinni, Szand, and Fhyre could almost visibly see the crowd transform from a very disorganized mass of individuals, into a single unified group that was hanging off PolicyMan's every word. Even though he was only speaking to them, it definitely illustrated the point that words, when used skillfully, can be incredibly powerful. All eyes were focused on the Navi behind the podium, even the HeelNavis and the Press Progs were focusing intently on him; he certainly had a silver tongue.

Thanks to the entire audience being transfixed by PolicyMan's speech, and that no one else seems to be arriving, it wouldn't be necessary to stay in the same spot. Whether it be to patrol the area to make sure patrons didn't smuggle in something bulky or dangerous, or to simply chat about what's going on.


[spoiler=Map][url=http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/7099/stagespeech.png[/spoiler]http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/7099/stagespeech.png[/spoiler[/url]]