[plot] United in fate, together in action, part II

[theearth]

Who: Thunder Corp and anyone who wants to be involved in the machine theft!
Where: A little-used road in the middle of nowhere, heading towards the echo boundary
When: Nighttime, August 6th
What: Hijacking (and later, testing) Project Jump!
Warnings: Violence, most likely.



[ Ellie has done as promised and kept in contact with the hijacking team since making her announcement. They have been supplied with the following information:

There is one truck containing eight guards, with Ellie being the short one. All of them carry guns and have some training in their use. They're not expecting trouble, but if something does occur their orders are to escape with Project Jump instead of fighting, if possible.

Which means the truck itself needs to be stopped. Ellie has informed the team that she won't be driving, so she can't help them with that. She'll also need to put up some token resistance in the event of a fight, but she promises not to hurt anyone.

(The latter statement was texted along with a little winky emote. Ellie is not good at being reassuring.)

Finally, the team have been given a spot along the road to await the truck's arrival. It's an excellent place for an ambush: trees line both sides of the road, offering plenty of hiding places. ]

Comments

STEALING PROJECT JUMP

[theearth]

[ All is quiet, so far. Anyone who has been at the meeting point for a while might have noticed that no vehicles have been on this particular road in over an hour. Thunder Corp sure know how to pick their secluded spots!

According to Ellie, the truck is on its way. Unfortunately, she hasn't offered an ETA. Hopefully you aren't getting too restless, team! ]

[seed_of_memory]

[and thanks to Ellie, Fuyuka has a map of it's route - a route she managed to set up surveillance on before being noticed.

As such, even without an ETA, she was able to send notice to the people waiting to spring into action]

The truck is almost there - BE READY TO STOP IT

[peacefulwinter]

Thank you. We're just a-about ready on this side.

[Winter's on hand for the business end of this operation; she's been at the assigned location for some time now, just waiting for the signal. She's also presently hiding in a tree; there's a reason for that, though. Faintly, down from the tree:] Precure Love Link!

[The flash of light is as suppressed as she can manage, and basically unnoticeable, because some work's gone into that. Cure Diamond drops from the tree to the ground with a faint rustle, sliding her phone into the pouch it shares with her Lovely Commune. With a gesture to her side, her Love Heart Arrow also falls out of thin air into her outstretched hand.]

It's just about showtime. Is everyone ready?

[guitar_case_vagabond]

Yeah, I think we're pretty much ready over here.

[Raye and Senketsu aren't transformed just yet, since there's no way to do that without being flashy but they're standing by, waiting for the signal for their team to move in. She folds her arms after delivering her reply, huffing a little.]

I'd rather be on the ass-kicking team though.

It can't be helped. Our strength in our transformed state makes us more suited to transporting the machine.

Yeah, yeah, I know that. Doesn't mean I have to like playing delivery girl though.

[Yeah, she's been talking to her clothes the whole time. Deal with it.]

[gogoghostpowers]

[Okay, well. He sure is standing next to a girl who's talking to herself. That's happening, then.

It's a good thing there are more important things at hand, or he'd question it a lot more. As it is, he's still solid and perfectly visible, but he's also alert and ready to change that at a moment's notice.]

Yup--I think we're about ready for Operation Intangible Swipe over here.

[He just made that up, but screw you guys, he likes it. Especially because it's not a pun.]

[icy_heavens]

[Toushirou almost feels odd, here. He seems to be just about the only one who doesn't need to transform. It's a good thing, since transformations seem to have this tendency to be flashy, but it kind of sets him apart. Well, whatever.

[As he's not public, he's at least got the light blue hood covering his most distinctive physical feature -- the white hair. (It had been a thing among the team of kids, everyone having their own disguises with signature colours; this is about as far as he's willing to go with it.) Hyourinmaru is strapped to his back in case he's needed, though he hopes it won't be too necessary.

[He can't help the side-eye over at Raye. Talking to her clothes. And then he feels Hyourinmaru rumble expectantly in his mind and reminds himself that his sword talks to him, so he doesn't have any room to judge.]

Ready anytime.

[He's not suited to carrying the machine off, but being part of the so-eloquently-put "asskicking team"? Yep, that what he's here for.]

AFTERMATH/TESTING PROJECT JUMP

[theearth]

[ With the machine safely delivered to Espresso Yourself, it's time to actually see what this thing does. Or just nurse any wounds you sustained during the operation to grab it, I guess.

The machine is emitting a very faint buzzing sound - reincarnates who experienced the buzzing in relation to Proud's statues and Wise Snake might recognise this as a weaker version of the same effect.

Feel free to make your own thread starters under this heading! ]

L+ Open

[dead_black_eyes]

[The call was desperate and urgent. The answer, though reluctant, did not lack conviction; after swiftly consulting every employee he could reach on short notice, L had made a decision that it was better to know where the machine was and keep it close, offering the basement of his twice-destroyed coffee shop to harbor it. That wasn't to say he met with no resistance at all given the alarming number of unknown quantities in the equation, but ultimately, he swayed those who had their doubts with reassurances that it was, in fact, the most logical option.

He unlocked the doors a short while ago, looking on with a wholly unreadable expression as yet another liability found its way into his establishment. If anything goes wrong he will feel at least partly responsible. This notion, along with the fact that he is simply terrible with crowds, currently keeps him to the edges of the action. He says little, and seems to second-guess the authority that has started coming more naturally to the detective lately.

He keeps measuring the distance between onlookers and the machine with his eyes, as though calculating how many guard rails he realistically needs to make sure no one does anything stupid before they understand what they're dealing with more fully. His vigilance alone can't watch it from all angles, and his strength, time and attention won't be a problem for someone truly determined.]

[Open]

[purestambition]

[ Certainly, Saretha has seen the notice of Thunder Corp absconding with who knows what to who knows where, but there was little she could do about it at the time. After all - for all intents and purposes, her actual being among the Numbered was not quite as broad or public as some. She intended to keep it as such until a time when it was most opportune to reveal otherwise - and with the aftermath of all this there would certainly be a need to act a little faster.

That would have to wait, for now she's making her way into this basement, looking very much like someone who does not spend a lot of time in basements. ]

Well. That was a feat, I suppose.

[ Her stance shifts, arms crossing and eyebrows knitting together as she observes the machine from a relatively safe distance. ]

The question now is, who is brave and/or stupid enough to see what it does? For something that rather distinctly puts our reputation on the line, I would certainly hope it is worth it.

[originaloddcouple]

We could just put a camera in there!

Or maybe a little kitten could test it out for us!

[Or maybe they don't actually know what they're all talking about.]

[purestambition]

[ ...well, this would be her luck, wouldn't it. Saretha tries to show no visible reaction to the sound of the voices popping up around her, besides a slight shrug. ]

A camera is not the worst idea I've heard.

[ Look. Even she has her limits, she's not going to acknowledge the prospect of a test kitten. ]

[originaloddcouple]

Oooooh, what is the worst idea you've heard?

And the best idea you've heard!

Great thinking Miria!

Thanks Isaac!

[dead_black_eyes]

[The somber-looking woman to L's left is a commanding presence, quite a contrast to the shabby and insubstantial figure that the detective strikes. He can be charismatic, given the proper channels, but in person he tends to fall somewhat short. Dark eyes glancing over Saretha's straight back and crossed arms, L can see clearly that she is the real deal.]

I can't say I'm thrilled about this, but it's better than a group of vigilantes wandering the streets with Thundercorp's stolen property in tow. Reputation is a legitimate concern, but so is safety; I'd prefer to have it close at hand and observable, and most of my employees feel similarly. To answer your question...

[He pauses, then decides it's well within his rights as the proprietor to lay down such a rule]

I don't have the energy to deal with bravery or stupidity tonight. I don't want anyone close to it unless they're guarding it and I trust them not to tamper with it until we know more. There are Numbered Thundercorp employees we could grill, rather than putting our own hands close to the flame.

[feastorfamine]

[you ever feel like you were caught between a rock and a hard place? That's Amy Dylandy right now. Except, instead of two stones, she's quite literally caught between two bosses.

Of course, one thing comes to mind - something she's not quite sold on speaking openly about: using her senses to see if there were any strange energy forces or particles coming off the thing]

... Do we know the names of any of those people? Besides the one who told us it was being moved, I mean...

[purestambition]

[ Oh, hello Amy. Of course, she noticed you there. She's just going to pretend you're an ordinary employee of this man for the moment, okay? Okay.

Still, she observes L as he speaks. Though there's little from her perspective to be said about his presence, his words are another matter. ]

All the same, it's probably wise that this is not in Thunder Corp's possession, either. So, for the moment... there are far worse options. However... you are right. For all we know this could be a weapon of some sort, or at least something geared to work against us. Either way, they wanted it out of the city and away from us, so... it will be our best interest to figure out what it is for as soon as possible, all the same.

[ She pauses a beat, eyes now finally flickering over to Amy at her question. ]

I saw one of the Precures talking about intervening, which does leave me to wonder one thing... [ Now, back to L. ] The people who brought this. I don't suppose one of them was a rather sparsely dressed girl?

ota / option B closed to Walter

[notbloody]

[There is a dog underfoot, simply checking everything out. She's trying to not have anyone step on her, but that aside the puppy seems rather happy to approach everyone, even if they look stressed or tired, or sniff at things. Address/approach?]


{closed to Walter}

[And now the puppy is sniffing at the machine and moving to climb on the platform. It looks rather oblivious to the danger and simply interested to see it, but really, she's following a trail! After all Killian is freaking out because his brother just left, so she's got to find him if the human noses are too bad for it, and it's clear that he vanished in this direction...]

[waltharius]

[ He needed to get out of his house, and when his parents said no... he left anyway. There'll be consequences when he finally goes home, but he's delaying the inevitable and busying himself with the mystery machine at the coffee house.

But not touching it, of course. Not even getting that close to it. Because he's sensible.

Or he is until the cute little dog gets near it. Walter doesn't even think before reacting; he just goes right after her. ]

Hey...!

[ He's about to launch into Scold Mode, but this is a puppy. Might as well just go pick her up before she can get into trouble. He moves closer, approaching slowly but steadily. ]

[notbloody]

[She doesn't quite think that this is directed at her - after all there are still a number of people around - and continues her explorations.

Hnghhhhh why is it so hard to climb on this? She doesn't want to be a cat, but sometimes it would be practical.]

THE VOID

[theearth]

[ Whoops. Perhaps being a human guinea pig for the weird machine the enemy created wasn't such a great idea after all.

The void is completely featureless, and any reincarnates trapped here will be devoid of any physical form. While they will be able to speak to each other, they will be completely unable to contact the network or the outside world in general. Their perception of time may also be warped to an extent - the void is extremely disorienting in every way.

Feel free to make your own thread starters under this heading and/or handwave your character actually testing the machine! ]

open to all

[moreweaponsthanyou]

[Fil should really have paid more attention to the saying 'curiosity killed the cat'. He'd been in Expresso Yourself getting a cup of his favourite coffee drink and to take a look at the wares Kililan was selling in the shop and overheard the commotion of the machine being brought in. Despite common sense telling him he should be staying far far away from anything like this, he couldn't help himself by crowding in to take a closer look. And everyone there was curious about how the machine worked or even what it was meant to do in the first place, so of course he couldn't help punching a few random buttons. He was only trying to help!

No one could have expected for SOMEONE to disappear right after those buttons were punched. Fil 'woke up' in the void, spending the first few minutes desperately trying not to hyperventilate.]

Hello! Anyone else here? Help?

[notbloody]

I found you!

[But now... how to get to him when it is dark and doesn't smell like anything, and she can't really tell where her legs are... or even her nose.]

[moreweaponsthanyou]

I was starting to think I was the only one here! You alright? [Fil tries to move, THINKS he might be moving, but isn't sure if he actually is.]

OPEN!!

[waltharius]

[ This? Is entirely his fault. He shouldn't have been so careless and clumsy. Shouldn't have even come out to the coffee house. Disaster always followed him.

He can only stew in his guilt for so long before he tests the limits of this... horrific expanse of nothingness. He can't move, he can't see, he can't do much of anything, but he can... speak? ]

Can somebody hear this??

[ It's worth a shot. ]

[notbloody]

Go away!

[waltharius]

[ ??? ]

I don't think I can, um...

Who is this? What's wrong?