Trap Setup Point
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"What they say about you is true then," Aya stated as she dropped the act. Suzume followed suit. They followed Cabal into the building and then changed into their Ninja.GMOs. "Yes, we are Neo-Shoguns," Suzume began. "We heard you might know where we can find a navi by the name of Scavenger. Her sister is trying to find her and bring her home. That was the reason for the staging of this whole charade."
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Aera watched cautiously as the mysterious figure did reveal she was part of the NetPolice, though her demeanor was even less professional than the rest they've encountered so far. Aera slowed her pace as the Navi gave a creepy cackle upon putting eyes on the half-naked SP. Aera's brow furrowed indignantly, first impressions weren't going very well so far. She finally introduced herself as Cabal, the target they needed. She seemed astute enough to suspect she was summoned, and hinted on the NS's involvement with an all-too-convenient glance towards Dee and Escort, but Cabal didn't appear to be at all resistant to further contact.
Aya and Suzume pressed on, and followed Cabal into the previously closed shop, which she conveniently unlocked with significantly quick lockpicking skill. Though she was hesitant to follow as well, her curiosity began to override the myriad of doubts she had about the situation. There wasn't much she could do out in the street anyway, other than likely get questioned by the NP. She stepped inside, just as Aya and Suzume adopted their NS-esque GMOs and revealed their association with the Shogunate. Not to be odd one out, Aera activated her own NS_Uniform.GMO. Fully covered after what seemed like forever, she felt marginally more comfortable. Unseen and unheard to the rest of the group, she began to charge her internal capacitors. She wasn't expecting a fight, but some electricity may prove useful if this ends up becoming an interrogation. All Cabal would see is Aera glancing around to briefly evaluate the features of the shop, then look back to Cabal with focused, sapphire eyes.
Mach continued to move leisurely down the street, listening to the voices coming from the street parallel to his. He could still hear what sounded like orders being called out, and caught the occasional glimpse of airborne programs. It was probably best to maintain his current position or even move closer, he imagined they'd be clued in by someone attempting to flee... but then again, maybe a pervert would attempt to get an eyeful of his victims in plain sight? Regardless, he maintained his current path walking parallel to the main street. A familiar smell then registered, the sweetness of glaze and the mild flavor of freshly baked breads... it smelled delightful for some odd reason, maybe it's a quirk of the Cross? Mach did remember Red did have an affinity towards sweets, it's possible that lingering preference somehow rubbed off on the SoulCross.
Aya and Suzume pressed on, and followed Cabal into the previously closed shop, which she conveniently unlocked with significantly quick lockpicking skill. Though she was hesitant to follow as well, her curiosity began to override the myriad of doubts she had about the situation. There wasn't much she could do out in the street anyway, other than likely get questioned by the NP. She stepped inside, just as Aya and Suzume adopted their NS-esque GMOs and revealed their association with the Shogunate. Not to be odd one out, Aera activated her own NS_Uniform.GMO. Fully covered after what seemed like forever, she felt marginally more comfortable. Unseen and unheard to the rest of the group, she began to charge her internal capacitors. She wasn't expecting a fight, but some electricity may prove useful if this ends up becoming an interrogation. All Cabal would see is Aera glancing around to briefly evaluate the features of the shop, then look back to Cabal with focused, sapphire eyes.
Mach continued to move leisurely down the street, listening to the voices coming from the street parallel to his. He could still hear what sounded like orders being called out, and caught the occasional glimpse of airborne programs. It was probably best to maintain his current position or even move closer, he imagined they'd be clued in by someone attempting to flee... but then again, maybe a pervert would attempt to get an eyeful of his victims in plain sight? Regardless, he maintained his current path walking parallel to the main street. A familiar smell then registered, the sweetness of glaze and the mild flavor of freshly baked breads... it smelled delightful for some odd reason, maybe it's a quirk of the Cross? Mach did remember Red did have an affinity towards sweets, it's possible that lingering preference somehow rubbed off on the SoulCross.
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Cabal grinned again as the girls confirmed they were members of the Neo-Shogun Empire. After closing the shutter back, she listened to the rest of their questions. "Oh, I've allowed myself to get surrounded and cut off from my allies, now that I think about it!" she joked. "Fortunately, I've been studying you folks for a while... Long enough to realize that whatever net-invading bloodlust you all had a while back has been subdued. Recruitment fairs, talk shows, game shows... those are more your venues these days, it seems, probably because you realized how important public opinion was for generating interest from new recruits. That said, I'd been wondering why you all would appear here together... I guess now I have my answer," she finished, her smile half illuminated by the light peeking in from the slit in the shutter. "Well, since you answered my question, it's only fit that I answer yours..."
Her cloak swelled out as she spread both arms and shook her head; although her words sounded apologetic, her face was still smiling. "Too bad, though; the truth is, I haven't heard anything about a navi named Scavenger. Maybe you could provide me some more details? Who is Scavenger? Who is the other sister? When did she disappear?" Cabal asked; suddenly, it seemed they were the ones being interrogated. "You wouldn't believe how many tangents and circumstances I have stewing inside my noodle, ladies... I probably know something about your lost girl and don't even realize it!" It couldn't be the news the girls were hoping to hear, but there might still be a way to get some relevant information out of the strange NetPolice navi.
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Outside, MachMan was thinking over his newfound love of baked goods, when he discovered another possible cause for alarm. "We've lost the targets... If one of them is still on the net, he's probably hiding. We have to search each of the nearby shops," DimensionMan informed the other officers, as he descended from the rooftops back to the street.
"Oui, however... I can imagine zat will take quite some time. Most of ze shops are locked!" the unseen voice of Garde pointed out.
"That's where being DimensionMan comes in so handy! My portals can get me behind those shutters, no sweat!" he announced, presumably striking another pose once he'd finished speaking. "DimensionGirl! Alternate DimensionGirl! DimensionGirl White! Spread out and conduct a thorough search!" he instructed. It sounded like, at this rate, they'd be certain to pop into the store that Cabal and the others had vanished into. "Send me a message immediately if you discover the perp. In the mean time, I'll help the victims here."
"Help us how? Do you happen to have a spare outfit?" Dee joked, but drew laughter from no one.
"Erm, well... I'll keep you all guarded, as it were," the young but senior officer responded, sounding slightly flustered. At any rate, MachMan (and potentially DragonierMan) would need to think up a way to keep the investigating forces off of the backs of Cabal and their SPs, unless they were planning to withdraw now, seeing as their target may have been a dead end.
Her cloak swelled out as she spread both arms and shook her head; although her words sounded apologetic, her face was still smiling. "Too bad, though; the truth is, I haven't heard anything about a navi named Scavenger. Maybe you could provide me some more details? Who is Scavenger? Who is the other sister? When did she disappear?" Cabal asked; suddenly, it seemed they were the ones being interrogated. "You wouldn't believe how many tangents and circumstances I have stewing inside my noodle, ladies... I probably know something about your lost girl and don't even realize it!" It couldn't be the news the girls were hoping to hear, but there might still be a way to get some relevant information out of the strange NetPolice navi.
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Outside, MachMan was thinking over his newfound love of baked goods, when he discovered another possible cause for alarm. "We've lost the targets... If one of them is still on the net, he's probably hiding. We have to search each of the nearby shops," DimensionMan informed the other officers, as he descended from the rooftops back to the street.
"Oui, however... I can imagine zat will take quite some time. Most of ze shops are locked!" the unseen voice of Garde pointed out.
"That's where being DimensionMan comes in so handy! My portals can get me behind those shutters, no sweat!" he announced, presumably striking another pose once he'd finished speaking. "DimensionGirl! Alternate DimensionGirl! DimensionGirl White! Spread out and conduct a thorough search!" he instructed. It sounded like, at this rate, they'd be certain to pop into the store that Cabal and the others had vanished into. "Send me a message immediately if you discover the perp. In the mean time, I'll help the victims here."
"Help us how? Do you happen to have a spare outfit?" Dee joked, but drew laughter from no one.
"Erm, well... I'll keep you all guarded, as it were," the young but senior officer responded, sounding slightly flustered. At any rate, MachMan (and potentially DragonierMan) would need to think up a way to keep the investigating forces off of the backs of Cabal and their SPs, unless they were planning to withdraw now, seeing as their target may have been a dead end.
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DragonierMan heard the NP talking over the open comm-line he had with the NS members. Looks like he needed another distraction. He pointed his arm up and discharged a PhoenixShot2 into the air. The bird-shaped flare flew high into the sky. Changing direction, he headed off to the east. The makeshift flare should be enough of a distraction to give the others some time.
Aya almost smacked herself for not thinking of the possibility that Scavenger might be under an alias while within the Mafia ranks. "I don't have a description of the sister," Aya stated. "But given the name and what her sister looks like, she probably looks like a vulture to some degree." Suzume continued the descriptions. "The sister's name is Roc. She looks like a human-bird-thing. Like a hawk or an eagle or something."
Aya spoke up again. "From what I've heard, Scavenger was partnered with two other girls named Idol and Stalker on a mission to drum up recruits at a NetPolice safe-house for unoperated navis. Somewhere during a battle there, all three disappeared. Idol was seen being captured by the NP, with the other two were seemingly redirected upon jacking out. The thing that confused Roc was that the NP used cuffs and a van to take away Idol, so she asked us why the NP would change their methods to take the other two another way. Unfortunately, that lead her to the conclusion that the NetMafia, who specializes in invisible, area-wide jack-out prevention technology took her. So we tracked where she might have been taken and infiltrated a NM hideout. The Mafia individuals there told us that the Police have them. Thus we are here."
Aya seemed to sigh at the end of her speech. "Frankly I am getting tired of the runaround. Somebody has this Scavenger girl and we were tasked to find and deliver her to her sister, Roc. I don't know if the Mafia is lying to us or not, about not having her, but I can really care less at this point. Either we find her soon, or my Master is going to lose his temper and start tearing the entire Net apart looking for this girl. And that is a fate I would like to spare you all from dealing with. So please, if you have any idea where this girl Scavenger is... Please, please tell us." Aya put her hands together and had a tired, yet pleading look on her face. "Or better yet, deliver her to us. I don't know what we can give you in exchange, but a fair trade seems reasonable."
Aya almost smacked herself for not thinking of the possibility that Scavenger might be under an alias while within the Mafia ranks. "I don't have a description of the sister," Aya stated. "But given the name and what her sister looks like, she probably looks like a vulture to some degree." Suzume continued the descriptions. "The sister's name is Roc. She looks like a human-bird-thing. Like a hawk or an eagle or something."
Aya spoke up again. "From what I've heard, Scavenger was partnered with two other girls named Idol and Stalker on a mission to drum up recruits at a NetPolice safe-house for unoperated navis. Somewhere during a battle there, all three disappeared. Idol was seen being captured by the NP, with the other two were seemingly redirected upon jacking out. The thing that confused Roc was that the NP used cuffs and a van to take away Idol, so she asked us why the NP would change their methods to take the other two another way. Unfortunately, that lead her to the conclusion that the NetMafia, who specializes in invisible, area-wide jack-out prevention technology took her. So we tracked where she might have been taken and infiltrated a NM hideout. The Mafia individuals there told us that the Police have them. Thus we are here."
Aya seemed to sigh at the end of her speech. "Frankly I am getting tired of the runaround. Somebody has this Scavenger girl and we were tasked to find and deliver her to her sister, Roc. I don't know if the Mafia is lying to us or not, about not having her, but I can really care less at this point. Either we find her soon, or my Master is going to lose his temper and start tearing the entire Net apart looking for this girl. And that is a fate I would like to spare you all from dealing with. So please, if you have any idea where this girl Scavenger is... Please, please tell us." Aya put her hands together and had a tired, yet pleading look on her face. "Or better yet, deliver her to us. I don't know what we can give you in exchange, but a fair trade seems reasonable."
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Cabal was unsurprisingly well-versed in the NS's activities, and it appeared she didn't consider the organization an outright threat. Aera felt somewhat relieved, as it supported what the Shogun preached, and contrasted with Rhea's grim warning about the organization's previously conquest-focused doctrine. However, Scavenger's situation didn't ring a bell. Aera would've jumped in or at least commented, but Aya and Suzume pretty much summed up all of the info they had. A moment later after replaying the conversation with Kizmet in her head, she did find a couple nuggets of info to pass along. "This safe-house was reportedly managed by an ex-NP member named 'Cranium,' and said safe-house is located in Internet City." She hoped that bit of extra info helped jog the Navi's memory, or at least show they weren't just chasing leads with little information. Her capacitors reached combat-operational levels, and remained primed; Cabal had shut the door behind them and claimed to have cut herself off from her allies and projecting her apparent disadvantage, but Aera wasn't entirely buying it.
Still outside, Mach heard the NP continue to expand their search. Moments later he received a message from Mazer. ["Sounds like they're going shop-to-shop to find yo- the "pervert" I mean."] Mazer clarified before continuing. ["Cabal appeared to sequester herself from the group on purpose, and the SPs have revealed their allegiance to the NS. I suggest you draw them o-"] He was cut off by the tell-tale fiery bird-shaped wave of a PhoenixShot fired into the air. ["I bet that was DragonierMan after hearing the same thing. Think it's time to make a public exit. A chase, maybe?"] An excited grin twisted under Mach's mask. [[i]"I like the sound of that. This'll be a good opportunity to put the new cross through it's paces."[/i]]
["New cross?"] Before Mazer could ask more, his Navi's body again became covered in fragmented data, which then reconfigured to take the form of his newest SoulCross. Moments later, Mach's entire garb changed. His hair returned to its natural orange, but his ears were covered in black headphones with a boom mic in front of his mouth, which was covered (along with his nose and neck) by a long white silk scarf. One end was tucked down the front of his dark brown leather bomber jacket, while the other end flowed over his shoulder and seemed to be suspended in a slow breeze. His lower body was covered in tan cloth pants, which were held up at the waist with a black belt, while the legs were tucked in to the pair of brown boots covering his feet.
Some of the data had clumped into a mass a couple feet behind him, then quickly formed into a red cylindrical metal housing, sprouting with four ovoid intakes and seven piston cylinders, which led to two large exhausts and a three-bladed, red-tipped metal propeller. The prop began to spin slowly with a whine as the engine began to cough and sputter for a second or two, before two black puffs of smoke spat from the exhausts and the prop quickly blurred into a whirling disk as the area around him quickly began to echo with the roar of the engine and prop.
If the sound of an airplane starting merely a street away didn't catch the NP's attention, the Navi rocketing skyward probably would have. Mach couldn't help but further announce his presence with a tight aileron roll before breaking a hard right and scream away mere feet from the rooftops. He hoped the flashy exit would be enough to warrant a chase, he didn't want to spoil the fun by having to awkwardly come back and say "it was me," before running off again.
Still outside, Mach heard the NP continue to expand their search. Moments later he received a message from Mazer. ["Sounds like they're going shop-to-shop to find yo- the "pervert" I mean."] Mazer clarified before continuing. ["Cabal appeared to sequester herself from the group on purpose, and the SPs have revealed their allegiance to the NS. I suggest you draw them o-"] He was cut off by the tell-tale fiery bird-shaped wave of a PhoenixShot fired into the air. ["I bet that was DragonierMan after hearing the same thing. Think it's time to make a public exit. A chase, maybe?"] An excited grin twisted under Mach's mask. [[i]"I like the sound of that. This'll be a good opportunity to put the new cross through it's paces."[/i]]
["New cross?"] Before Mazer could ask more, his Navi's body again became covered in fragmented data, which then reconfigured to take the form of his newest SoulCross. Moments later, Mach's entire garb changed. His hair returned to its natural orange, but his ears were covered in black headphones with a boom mic in front of his mouth, which was covered (along with his nose and neck) by a long white silk scarf. One end was tucked down the front of his dark brown leather bomber jacket, while the other end flowed over his shoulder and seemed to be suspended in a slow breeze. His lower body was covered in tan cloth pants, which were held up at the waist with a black belt, while the legs were tucked in to the pair of brown boots covering his feet.
Some of the data had clumped into a mass a couple feet behind him, then quickly formed into a red cylindrical metal housing, sprouting with four ovoid intakes and seven piston cylinders, which led to two large exhausts and a three-bladed, red-tipped metal propeller. The prop began to spin slowly with a whine as the engine began to cough and sputter for a second or two, before two black puffs of smoke spat from the exhausts and the prop quickly blurred into a whirling disk as the area around him quickly began to echo with the roar of the engine and prop.
If the sound of an airplane starting merely a street away didn't catch the NP's attention, the Navi rocketing skyward probably would have. Mach couldn't help but further announce his presence with a tight aileron roll before breaking a hard right and scream away mere feet from the rooftops. He hoped the flashy exit would be enough to warrant a chase, he didn't want to spoil the fun by having to awkwardly come back and say "it was me," before running off again.
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"Like a vulture? Hm! That rings a bell or two..." Cabal chuckled, but then quieted down, letting the ninja finish her description. "And Roc was briefly involved in a string of cons with a criminal named ChronicleMan. That was one of his higher profile crimes, as I recall... it's been a downward slope for him since then. But more importantly, Roc hasn't been spotted alongside him since then, so he must have either fired her or they otherwise parted ways... At any rate, I guess that isn't really pertinent here. Why can't you girls just look for Roc, hm? She's much easier to keep tabs on!" the witch-like navi joked. Aya had more to offer, though, so she piped back down. Once the whole description was finished, she smirked, looking amused by Aya's plight. "The runaround? Oh, dear... if conspiracies were easy to solve, they wouldn't be conspiracies! If someone has pointed you towards me, then that's exactly what you're dealing with: a conspiracy," she reminded the two, crossing her arms and not seeming afraid to be annoying, despite being outnumbered. "As for your master, maybe he's a bit out of place in the Empire after all? That sounds like behavior that the Bloodhounds would appreciate, if he's interested in giving them a call..."
Thankfully, her teasing was derailed by Aera pitching in another final important detail. "Okay, okay... So back to the attack on Cranium's orphanage, which was attacked by Idol and two henchmen," she began again, seeming to already vividly recall the details of the situation. "It sounds as though one of those henchmen was this 'Scavenger' you're looking for. Well, I can confirm this for you: none of the three navis, including Idol, ever ended up in Police custody. That said, I can also confirm that Scavenger and... the other henchman, whoever they are... were seemingly defeated in battle. They weren't arrested. If one navi was arrested there, however, chances are that someone was ready to retrieve more of them. They may not have been expecting Mafia navis to be ejected... rather, I'd be surprised if they weren't looking for orphans, who are relatively untraceable compared to operated ones, since no human goes looking for them. Still, while the two 'henchmen' were reportedly the dregs of the mafia, rather weak and low on the totem pole, Idol was known to be quite powerful. The car versus capturing the EJOs... If you ask me, I think we have two different perpetrators. One party was interested in extracting Idol specifically, knowing that she probably would not be ejected, and the other was interested in casting their net wide and gathering whomever dropped from the battle."
"Anyway, all of that is just something to think about! What you're here for is the actual location of Scavenger. That I don't know, but I do have a good lead for you... in Hades Net, at the coordinates I've attached, there have been sightings of a 'deformed, dark navi with bird-like talons and wings', which sounds an awful lot like your missing girl. In the same area, a suspicious navi with a helmet designed like a skull and crossbones has been seen several times. Both of these I know because they were filed as suspicious persons sightings. When you put the two together... that sounds an awful lot like your girl, Scavenger, and her captor, doesn't it? Well, she's either held captive or dead, and I don't believe it could be the latter. One things about conspiracies: they usually err on the side of intrigue. This would be a rather open and shut case if she was dead! Where there's smoke there's fire: if someone's mentioned the jackout barrier redirecting ejections to you, then there must have been such a thing, which certainly makes it sound as though she's now a hostage," Cabal finished. "And there you go. Take these coordinates and head for Hades Net... or better yet, get someone else in your organization to do it for you! I think you and your master might be a little... impatient, for the investigative business."
*Coordinates.DAT received*
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Outside, MachMan and DragonierMan both had ideas on how to buy their navis some more time. DimensionMan turned his eyes up towards the PhoenixShot... but kept his position. "Continue the search! Someone's playing games with us, DimensionForce," he warned his allies, motioning for Dee and Escort to move inward. "I feel like we're being distracted from something... but what? They must know they can't bring enough of us out of here to expose the base to attack..."
"Oh, I got it! Zey're after me!" Garde announced, huddling close enough to DimensionMan so that her breasts squished against his bright orange armor, causing him to jump in place. "Zey saw me when zey entered the district and are working z'eir way up to ze pièce de résistance!"
"I-I don't really think-" DimensionMan started to dissuade her, feeling they were getting onto the wrong track, before MachMan popped back up in a new costume. Unfortunately, despite his hope that the situation wouldn't develop as awkwardly as having to return after dashing away, DimensionMan again raised his hand and told the DimensionGirls to continue their search. "It's another distraction, they're not acting on anything! Keep your guard up! The enemy could attack from anywhere. We're going to find what they're hiding, though!"
The DimensionGirls had begun searching again with renewed vigor, popping in and out of buildings with alarming speed. Things were looking grim; Dee had begun to sweat, putting on her poker face smile in a situation where a smile wasn't really a poker face. Fortunately, Escort was still focused, and offered an out. "Hmph... You Dimension People have wasted a lot of time searching... when your target was here all along!" she announced, reaching out and grabbing up Dee from beside herself. Adopting an evil smirk, she lulled out her tongue and stroked it across the length of her friend's neck, wiping the sweat up and replacing it with saliva. "I'm the pervert!" she explained, keeping her tongue out. Dee, for her part, had started giggling, either from being ticklish or amusement that her friend was acting out. "You're a fool if you think I need distractions to deal with you all! I'll escape on my own!" Escort boasted, just as a jet-black limousine swung out from one of the alleys, hitting a 90 degree drift so that it would face towards the street and raising a thick cloud of smoke. Escort hopped onto the front, carrying Dee, then rocketed away. "You'll never catch me! She's my new favorite toy now... Mwuhahaha!" Escort cackled. "But I'm also going to swing back around and grab the other girls, too!" she added, to make it clear she was going to remain a threat.
"DimensionGirls, after her! I'll stay with the hostages!" DimensionMan commanded, pointing forward dramatically. The DimensionGirls gave up their search for the mystery perpetrator, now that they had someone who was actively kidnapping one of the affected. "I'm calling more backup... But first. CITIZEN!" he bellowed, cupping his hands to his mouth. "USE YOUR JACK OUT ROUTINE, IF AVAILABLE!" he commanded. Dee, of course, did not. "Well, it was worth a shot," he sighed, before falling silent, apparently involved with sending a private message.
Thankfully, her teasing was derailed by Aera pitching in another final important detail. "Okay, okay... So back to the attack on Cranium's orphanage, which was attacked by Idol and two henchmen," she began again, seeming to already vividly recall the details of the situation. "It sounds as though one of those henchmen was this 'Scavenger' you're looking for. Well, I can confirm this for you: none of the three navis, including Idol, ever ended up in Police custody. That said, I can also confirm that Scavenger and... the other henchman, whoever they are... were seemingly defeated in battle. They weren't arrested. If one navi was arrested there, however, chances are that someone was ready to retrieve more of them. They may not have been expecting Mafia navis to be ejected... rather, I'd be surprised if they weren't looking for orphans, who are relatively untraceable compared to operated ones, since no human goes looking for them. Still, while the two 'henchmen' were reportedly the dregs of the mafia, rather weak and low on the totem pole, Idol was known to be quite powerful. The car versus capturing the EJOs... If you ask me, I think we have two different perpetrators. One party was interested in extracting Idol specifically, knowing that she probably would not be ejected, and the other was interested in casting their net wide and gathering whomever dropped from the battle."
"Anyway, all of that is just something to think about! What you're here for is the actual location of Scavenger. That I don't know, but I do have a good lead for you... in Hades Net, at the coordinates I've attached, there have been sightings of a 'deformed, dark navi with bird-like talons and wings', which sounds an awful lot like your missing girl. In the same area, a suspicious navi with a helmet designed like a skull and crossbones has been seen several times. Both of these I know because they were filed as suspicious persons sightings. When you put the two together... that sounds an awful lot like your girl, Scavenger, and her captor, doesn't it? Well, she's either held captive or dead, and I don't believe it could be the latter. One things about conspiracies: they usually err on the side of intrigue. This would be a rather open and shut case if she was dead! Where there's smoke there's fire: if someone's mentioned the jackout barrier redirecting ejections to you, then there must have been such a thing, which certainly makes it sound as though she's now a hostage," Cabal finished. "And there you go. Take these coordinates and head for Hades Net... or better yet, get someone else in your organization to do it for you! I think you and your master might be a little... impatient, for the investigative business."
*Coordinates.DAT received*
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Outside, MachMan and DragonierMan both had ideas on how to buy their navis some more time. DimensionMan turned his eyes up towards the PhoenixShot... but kept his position. "Continue the search! Someone's playing games with us, DimensionForce," he warned his allies, motioning for Dee and Escort to move inward. "I feel like we're being distracted from something... but what? They must know they can't bring enough of us out of here to expose the base to attack..."
"Oh, I got it! Zey're after me!" Garde announced, huddling close enough to DimensionMan so that her breasts squished against his bright orange armor, causing him to jump in place. "Zey saw me when zey entered the district and are working z'eir way up to ze pièce de résistance!"
"I-I don't really think-" DimensionMan started to dissuade her, feeling they were getting onto the wrong track, before MachMan popped back up in a new costume. Unfortunately, despite his hope that the situation wouldn't develop as awkwardly as having to return after dashing away, DimensionMan again raised his hand and told the DimensionGirls to continue their search. "It's another distraction, they're not acting on anything! Keep your guard up! The enemy could attack from anywhere. We're going to find what they're hiding, though!"
The DimensionGirls had begun searching again with renewed vigor, popping in and out of buildings with alarming speed. Things were looking grim; Dee had begun to sweat, putting on her poker face smile in a situation where a smile wasn't really a poker face. Fortunately, Escort was still focused, and offered an out. "Hmph... You Dimension People have wasted a lot of time searching... when your target was here all along!" she announced, reaching out and grabbing up Dee from beside herself. Adopting an evil smirk, she lulled out her tongue and stroked it across the length of her friend's neck, wiping the sweat up and replacing it with saliva. "I'm the pervert!" she explained, keeping her tongue out. Dee, for her part, had started giggling, either from being ticklish or amusement that her friend was acting out. "You're a fool if you think I need distractions to deal with you all! I'll escape on my own!" Escort boasted, just as a jet-black limousine swung out from one of the alleys, hitting a 90 degree drift so that it would face towards the street and raising a thick cloud of smoke. Escort hopped onto the front, carrying Dee, then rocketed away. "You'll never catch me! She's my new favorite toy now... Mwuhahaha!" Escort cackled. "But I'm also going to swing back around and grab the other girls, too!" she added, to make it clear she was going to remain a threat.
"DimensionGirls, after her! I'll stay with the hostages!" DimensionMan commanded, pointing forward dramatically. The DimensionGirls gave up their search for the mystery perpetrator, now that they had someone who was actively kidnapping one of the affected. "I'm calling more backup... But first. CITIZEN!" he bellowed, cupping his hands to his mouth. "USE YOUR JACK OUT ROUTINE, IF AVAILABLE!" he commanded. Dee, of course, did not. "Well, it was worth a shot," he sighed, before falling silent, apparently involved with sending a private message.
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Aya, again, got what she came for. But at the same time, not what she came for. How many more of these so-called 'leads' would they have to investigate before they found this Scavenger girl? She placed her hand to her ear and communicated over the open, internal comm-line. {The NetPolice don't have Scavenger. She was last seen in HadesNet. Forwarding coordinates to everyone. We have some contacts from Hades that we might be able to contact for more info. Time to withdraw back to base-camp.}
{WHAAAT DID Y-!?}
She put down her hand and looked at Cabal. "Thank you for the information," she said. "Perhaps we can exchange contact information so we can exchange information in the future in a more private setting. It would save us the trouble of having to cause a commotion outside your front door every time we wanted to chat," Aya offered. "It would go a long way towards a tentative cooperation of-sorts between our two organizations."
"It was nice talking to you," Suzume said with a smile. Assuming Cabal agreed to the exchange of contact info, Aya and Suzume would nod at Aera and then disappear in a beam of light after the exchange. DragonierMan was furious, cursing openly through the comm-line. Scavenger wasn't there and they would have to go on another mission. He stomped his foot hard, cracking the concrete before disappearing in his own beam of light.
{WHAAAT DID Y-!?}
She put down her hand and looked at Cabal. "Thank you for the information," she said. "Perhaps we can exchange contact information so we can exchange information in the future in a more private setting. It would save us the trouble of having to cause a commotion outside your front door every time we wanted to chat," Aya offered. "It would go a long way towards a tentative cooperation of-sorts between our two organizations."
"It was nice talking to you," Suzume said with a smile. Assuming Cabal agreed to the exchange of contact info, Aya and Suzume would nod at Aera and then disappear in a beam of light after the exchange. DragonierMan was furious, cursing openly through the comm-line. Scavenger wasn't there and they would have to go on another mission. He stomped his foot hard, cracking the concrete before disappearing in his own beam of light.
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Aera instantly cued in to Cabal's mention of ChronicleMan; was it true Roc was working for/with him prior to joining the NS? Aera quickly tried to remember the mob of Navis along with ChronicleMan that ambushed them along with Escort and Sylk in that NetVegas alleyway, but she couldn't remember any familiar faces beyond ChronicleMan and Dino. Cabal finally outed the information, not without throwing a few jabs at the NS and the SPs. [[i]Rats, assumed too much, but hopefully we'll finally find her there...[/i]] Aera thought, unsurprisingly disappointed their plan didn't produce anything beyond another lead to follow.
Since Aya effectively relayed the new information to the rest of the group, Aera remained silent. She did, however, turn down DragonierMan's volume as his brief, but angry rant was a bit distracting. Mazer was listening in as well, and on cue transferred Aera from the area back to the encampment shortly behind Aya and Suzume.
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Mach looked back to see if his display gained some pursuers, but was met with disappointingly empty skies. "Aw, that's no fun." he said, his voice mostly drowned out by the engine, even as it began to quiet down as he eased off the throttle. He banked to the right and began to circle back in a wide arc, trying to get eyes back on the group. He too got the message, and expected to see them disappeared or at least the telltale jackout light trails. Instead he happened upon a significant cloud of smoke, and what appeared to be one of Escort's limousines lurching away with the sound of screeching tires. Mazer managed to see what happened just after the limousines made their entrance, the sound of it drifting into the alleyway grabbed his attention from checking on Aera's successful transfer. ["Escort and Dee are inside, cover their retreat, then I'll warp you back,"] he updated his Navi.
"Copy." he responded simply as he cranked up the throttle again, causing the souped-up prop engine to roar with renewed fervor and push him at ever increasing speed through the air. He lined himself up over the street, coming in the opposite direction of the limo. He tried to time when the limo would pass beneath him, and rolled inverted before diving down to the street below in a tight arc, attempting to ultimately reverse directions and put himself close behind the limo. Just before leveling out behind the vehicle, white smoke began to gush from the engine's twin exhaust pipes, which quickly filled the street like a suddenly summoned cloud. Though the smokescreen was small, it was nearly impossible to see through, and hopefully enough to cover their escape.
[[i]"Waiting you you, ladies. I'll be right behind ya,"[/i]] he advised the pair over their channel, hoping they'd get out of dodge before the NP called in sufficient resources to trap them. As soon as they appeared to have departed the area, Mach promptly beamed up and out of the network, leaving a cyan trail of light behind him.
Since Aya effectively relayed the new information to the rest of the group, Aera remained silent. She did, however, turn down DragonierMan's volume as his brief, but angry rant was a bit distracting. Mazer was listening in as well, and on cue transferred Aera from the area back to the encampment shortly behind Aya and Suzume.
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Mach looked back to see if his display gained some pursuers, but was met with disappointingly empty skies. "Aw, that's no fun." he said, his voice mostly drowned out by the engine, even as it began to quiet down as he eased off the throttle. He banked to the right and began to circle back in a wide arc, trying to get eyes back on the group. He too got the message, and expected to see them disappeared or at least the telltale jackout light trails. Instead he happened upon a significant cloud of smoke, and what appeared to be one of Escort's limousines lurching away with the sound of screeching tires. Mazer managed to see what happened just after the limousines made their entrance, the sound of it drifting into the alleyway grabbed his attention from checking on Aera's successful transfer. ["Escort and Dee are inside, cover their retreat, then I'll warp you back,"] he updated his Navi.
"Copy." he responded simply as he cranked up the throttle again, causing the souped-up prop engine to roar with renewed fervor and push him at ever increasing speed through the air. He lined himself up over the street, coming in the opposite direction of the limo. He tried to time when the limo would pass beneath him, and rolled inverted before diving down to the street below in a tight arc, attempting to ultimately reverse directions and put himself close behind the limo. Just before leveling out behind the vehicle, white smoke began to gush from the engine's twin exhaust pipes, which quickly filled the street like a suddenly summoned cloud. Though the smokescreen was small, it was nearly impossible to see through, and hopefully enough to cover their escape.
[[i]"Waiting you you, ladies. I'll be right behind ya,"[/i]] he advised the pair over their channel, hoping they'd get out of dodge before the NP called in sufficient resources to trap them. As soon as they appeared to have departed the area, Mach promptly beamed up and out of the network, leaving a cyan trail of light behind him.
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"Hm hm hm... Well, that's fine. I'm used to bothering other people to get the clues I want and... bothering other people to give them clues they don't know they want! But if you want to do a mutual exchange now and again, that's fine... Just be aware that, well... No e-mail is entirely private. If you have something truly important to tell me, it's best we meet in person. Then again, is there any real privacy in this connected net world of ours?" she shrugged. "Still, take this e-mail and drop me a message some time, if you feel comfortable doing so. Just... maybe give it an inconspicuous title, okay?"
*Aera and Aya received e-mail address for HTwist@netpolice.gov*
"Nice speaking to you as well, dear..." Cabal finished, smiling wide. She seemed like she might have more that she wanted to ask about, but both the precariousness of their meeting and the desire of the SPs to leave the scene made that impossible. The three left the officer in the dark.
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"The other one's here again!" one of the DimensionGirls cried out, once MachMan reappeared on the scene. Just as quickly as they'd gotten eyes on target, the DimensionForce lost him; MachMan, along with the limousine atop which he rode, were engulfed in a smokescreen.
Escort looked back, smiling with approval; Dee looked like her eyes were spinning, perhaps from being slung about wildly by her captor and then involved in a high speed, limo-top ride. "Good work... We'll use this time to escape. I'll see you back at the base," she finished, then gave a brief salute, before vanishing along with Dee. MachMan would follow next.
It was no surprise to the officers to find the car empty once they finally tracked it down; they'd seen three beams of light come off the car, indicating jackout. "They got away... I never got my survey answered," the White DimensionGirl murmured, quietly, so as to avoid having others point out her foolish sense of priorities.
"Something fishy's gone on here... All we can do is investigate the area and think about what we know," DimensionMan reassured the others, before the whole group used a portal to transport themselves back to Garde.
*Aera and Aya received e-mail address for HTwist@netpolice.gov*
"Nice speaking to you as well, dear..." Cabal finished, smiling wide. She seemed like she might have more that she wanted to ask about, but both the precariousness of their meeting and the desire of the SPs to leave the scene made that impossible. The three left the officer in the dark.
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"The other one's here again!" one of the DimensionGirls cried out, once MachMan reappeared on the scene. Just as quickly as they'd gotten eyes on target, the DimensionForce lost him; MachMan, along with the limousine atop which he rode, were engulfed in a smokescreen.
Escort looked back, smiling with approval; Dee looked like her eyes were spinning, perhaps from being slung about wildly by her captor and then involved in a high speed, limo-top ride. "Good work... We'll use this time to escape. I'll see you back at the base," she finished, then gave a brief salute, before vanishing along with Dee. MachMan would follow next.
It was no surprise to the officers to find the car empty once they finally tracked it down; they'd seen three beams of light come off the car, indicating jackout. "They got away... I never got my survey answered," the White DimensionGirl murmured, quietly, so as to avoid having others point out her foolish sense of priorities.
"Something fishy's gone on here... All we can do is investigate the area and think about what we know," DimensionMan reassured the others, before the whole group used a portal to transport themselves back to Garde.