Scene #7261: SR Side-P: Revival

Owner	Pose
Big Boss	TENOCHTITLAN AIRPORT, TENOCHTITLAN, AZTLAN A million dead. The 'rod from god' strike of a Thor Shot demolished the Tenochtitlan Aztechnology Pyramid, rendering it dust. The perpetrators still at large, having done it from space. A horrifying crime, so the Paladins have decided to provide aid relief to Aztlan. The first realization stepping out of the warpgate is that it's hard to breathe. They offer smog masks immediately (for a small fee), but passerbys can feel the pollution choking down on them, and it'd be hard to do much exertion inside without a mask. Outside, you'd absolutely pass out after a few minutes. The warpgate leads into an airport, faded white walls around terminals, escalators, and check-in. Numerous pop-up augmented reality displays show flight times and destinations, though the airport itself is currently closed due to the major disaster, which can be seen from the windows on the upper floors. Specifically, in the distance, there are warped skyscrapers and jutting metal pillars, from where the shockwave dealt trauma to the city. It's in a massive perimeter, rendering it impossible to see the center 'crater'. but it's certainly bad. Other sights are rundown tenements, intact skyscrapers, and intact Aztec-style pyramids, as well as a few old Mission-style buildings. A military perimeter holds the opened exits to the airport. There's a woman in an officer's uniform beret, clearly the closest thing to a head of military around here, and the best person to approach with any aid packages. She's clearly a local, with dark skin, dark eyes, and black hair, a rifle slung over her back, holding a megaphone. They catch one of the alerts as she speaks into it, thickly accented Spanish. "BACK AWAY FROM THE PERIMETER. I repeat, BACK AWAY FROM THE PERIMETER. Anyone who bypasses the perimeter without validation will be shot. I repeat, you will be shot. Don't test my patience." There's a /lot/ of people here trying to get past. A lot of them are Multiversals, though some are separated Sixth Worlders. It seems that this has clearly ramped up distrust, especially as people leer at anyone who actually does get to go past the perimeter into the city proper. In the corner, leaning against a terminal, is a blonde-haired blue-eyed man dressed in a three-piece suit that clearly screams 'I'm American and worth more than you'. He's smoking an e-cigarette indoors, smoke filling the air. As the Paladins pass through, he clearly makes a signal towards them as they walk through, wanting to chat to any who can spare their time. A wink, a nod, and a smile. There's others in suits like him, but they're not flagging you down, and none of them seem related. A lot of corporate sharks out here.
Ishirou	I4 came with Paladin teams to help bring aid, but that is not why I4 was here. Obviously, the investigation was going to be his focus, and he was curious as to what happened, and what caused it. What secrets hid behind the incident? What corporate game was being played? Maybe it'll be better than home, you know, without the racism. I4 was not bothered by the smog at all, Android filtration systems, and the fact he was an android and did not NEED to breathe helped. Walking through the 'airport' terminal told him a lot of what was happening. Whatever happened, it was big. Enough to shut down transportation in a major hub. The man waving him down gets a confused look, and a handwave back. Then he moves on towards the area not allowed to be entered. He places a box of supplies down, then looks to the strange box with arms floating next to him. A small antenna sticks out of its head as it starts scanning. Specifically, the damage done to the city. What caused it, exactly, what was destroyed. The point was trying to get all of the information he can physically first, so he might have some clues to start searching.
All-Seeing Eye	All-Seeing Eye arrives, the engines of his hoverbike humming as it passes through the warpgate. He brings it to a stop fairly quickly, when he notices that Aztlan personnel are flagging down visitors. Eye pays the fee and snatches the mask with a curt "Ttthank you." Only a decadent world like this one would think to charge for clean air. He shakes his head, but says nothing further. There's no point in arguing with people ensnared by the beast--and there's little chance of slaying the beast, either. The scanners here may detect that he is heavily cybered. Several of them are weapons, but he is quick to flash his Paladin ID, if necessary. Eye pointedly ignores the American in a suit. Instead, he heads to the military commander, flashing his badge at her. "Hello!~" he says, forcing a smile. "I am All-Seeing Eye, Warden of the Paladins, and you must be the head of security here. Paladins personnel will be through the gate shortly with a shipment of medical supplies, food and water. Are there any potential disruptions to the supply line I should know about?"
Lory Thumper	Lory Thumper had heard the reports, but things like this just never quite sink in until you see the area for yourself. When the short bunny cop in full riot gear emerges from the warp gate, she looks toward the city. Even though it is hard to see the true extent of the damage from here, she still stops and just...takes it in for a moment. What kind of people would do this? Devastate much of a city just to destroy one target? Okay, she can think of one group of people who would, but she isn't here to point fingers. Not yet at least. Of course, the choking air distracts her from that train of thought. She really hasn't encountered pollution before, and so she quickly buys one of the masks. Though the vendor gets a frown of suspicion from her. Making money off of misery doesn't sit right with her. Still, she puts on the mask, then checks in at the gate. She joins All-Seeing Eye and introduces herself as well. "And I am Lory Thumper, MPD. Whever you guys need help, just let me know. I'll do whatever I can." she says. Her eyes then drift toward that rich white guy. White guys aren't a thing on her world, but rich elite is still plenty recognizeable. She eyes him using that vape for a moment, then crosses her arms. "Not enough pollution in your breaths already?" she asks.
Maya	A million people dead, that is something that brings back terrible memories of a weapon form her world. The call for aid? It is quickly answered by Maya, she has experience with salvage and more importantly, is a very adept healer. She's not alone as her hulking magi-tech dog Runner follower after her who would be potentially a good deal of help to any aid efforts. Maya looks out at the scenery and humm it reminds her part of her homeworld a massive city that spans one of its continents, She will take a moment to pulls the mask down and make sure it's working. She takes note of the Aztlan personel with some people handling the suits? Maya would head to the soldier along side All-Seeing Eye. "Hello, my name is Maya and I'm with hte Paladins how can I help? I healing experiance and have spent a lot of my life salving and recovering things." Runner looks like some kind of heavy industital bot or evne a combat bot.
Nanoha Takamachi	Having heard about the devastation of the city through the news, Nanoha was already organizing on gathering what aid support she could. Utilizing what resources her meagre department has, along with speaking to a few people for additional support, Nanoha has managed to collect a small shipment to join with what else the Paladins as a whole have been able to put together. Of course, Nanoha's not satisfied enough to just get the supplies and have them delivered. She wants to do more to help. Thus she has joined the Paladin team in heading to this 'Sixth World'. She leaves the warpgate, wearing her TSAB uniform and holding a flat device to her chest. Upon arriving, one of the first things Nanoha notices is the gas masks being sold. A little cold... But Nanoha pays for one anyway. She slips it on and continues on behind All-Seeing Eye. Any security she passes through may report her significant magic powers. And in addition to the harmless datapad she carries, she also has a far more complex magical device hanging from her neck. Though it too seems relatively harmless and currently in standby. Flashing her Paladin ID should also help reduce any suspicions. Joining Eye, Lory and Maya, Nanoha provides a salute to the military officer, saying, "Captain Nanoha Takamachi. TSAB." She doesn't go into detail, not wanting to overload the officer. "Also with the Paladins." A quick wave of Nanoha's hand displays her holographic credentials. Nanoha then produces the datapad she was holding, displaying the organizational details for the supplies the Paladin group has collected, "This is a list of supplies we will be bringing through. Additionally, we can provide assistance with any search and rescue efforts that may require it."
Rean Schwarzer	Rean enters the airport, wheeling a trolley with crates of medical supplies and other aid related items in front of him. Obviously, since this is some level of physical exertion, he's quickly in need of a mask. He coughs as he pays the fee for the mask, strapping it on his face. Was this world just naturally like this, the air filled with pollution, or was it a side effect of the attack? Speaking of, he glances up at the windows, and looks at the twisted metal. Rean lets out a sigh. All those people, dead and injured. At least they were here to help now, though. He wheels up next to All-Seeing-Eye and the others. "In fact, here's some of it." Rean says, taking his hands off the cart. He then produces his ID "Rean Schwarzer, also of the Paladins."
Big Boss	As long as I4 doesn't try to pass the perimeter, he's left unassailed. Looking through the windows and setting up scanners, he gets eyes from the military, but they're not ready to push back the line for one decker, and cause a bloodbath. They might be /considering/ it, but they're not causing another bloodbath so willingly. The source of the attack is known by the Paladins, and I4 can verify the accuracy. A large object was dropped from a space station, impacted with an arcology-pyramid containing almost a million people, and flattened it to almost nothing. Everyone inside was vaporized. The destruction has spread out for quite a distance, shockwaves blasting, but this airport is far enough that it didn't really get struck. All-Seeing Eye, being clearly Multiversal, does not get a warm welcome as he approaches the checkpoint. The badge actually makes the woman more sour, as she puts down her megaphone to talk to him. "Ah, the outsiders have come to give weak old Aztlan some help, is that it?" She sighs, knowing they need the supplies, but there's no pleasantcy to her voice. "Drop them off over there," She gestures the megaphone towards an inside location, one of the empty terminals. "And get the fuck out of here. We'll inspect the supplies ourselves." Having likely read the dossier, All-Seeing Eye would know that the rumors are currently 'Multiversals did this' locally, despite the station belonging to one Ares Macrotechnology. Ares claimed the station was hijacked, and the fact they haven't dropped a WMD on Aztechnology before makes that seem decently likely. It's too dangerous to their cred to just drop a bomb. Maya gets shrugged at. "What, do you think we don't have doctors? We've got medical under control." Nanoha gets a firm halt of a hand. "We don't require any of your 'search and rescue'." She mutters a word at the end that is /possibly/ offensive, but it doesn't translate either way. Rean gets the cart directed to the drop-off area. They do get the idea that the head of military can be primed for more info, but probably not for too long. Lory gets a scoff as she introduces herself, but then she heads over to the rich man. He's much more friendly, as he replies. "I have cyber-lungs. This is mostly for the flavor." He smiles like a photogenic movie star, and then puts away the vape. "Mr. Johnson. Ares Macrotechnology." He just comes straight out with it. That's not normal, for anyone who knows this world - they must really want something. "You're with the Paladins, correct? I'd like to chat with any of your group willing to discuss 'business'." He airquotes visibly. Make no mistake, he's a corporate predator, but he's likely the closest the group will have to an ally right now.
Ishirou	Hm, well that much was correct. Nothing at ground zero would have survived, being vaporized...Which seems excessive? I4 starts doing some checking. What was the building here? Who owned it? What occurred here? Cross-referencing that in the local network with other things. He also attempts to scan for anything out of the ordinary. Something that probably shouldn't have been there, or any debris that might be out of place. Failing that, he starts running a scan on the other buildings, attempting to see if there were any other trapped people. Maybe they might have relevant information. Also saving them is a good thing. Though, I4 might be more interested in the data. 'Local Forces are becoming irritable. Please be aware.' the feminine voice of the POD speaks up. I4 doesn't say anything in return.
All-Seeing Eye	Eye giggles in a very condescendingly coy kind of way. "Oh, darling, yes," he says, placing a hand upon his chest in pearl-clutching formation, before expertly transitioning into an over-the-shoulder hairflip. "Now, we're not quite used to the local way of doing things, but I think in just a few months' time, we'll be leveraging humanitarian aid for political favors with the best of them! Perhaps it would make you feel more at home if we charged you? Your people /have/ managed to make breathable air into an industry, after all." He stands in a somewhat similar contrast to her, wearing a Paladins uniform complete with a beret of his own and an armband which bears the Paladins insignia. It's not in the usual Paladins drab, but is instead an urban camo pattern--evidently, he expected to have to work in the city. "You wouldn't be keeping people away at gunpoint if things were under control. If you don't want our help, that's perfectly fine, dear." His hearing allows him to pick up 'Mr. Johnson's' introduction, and he scoffs. That opportunist doesn't seem to have any qualms asking for help. "But don't lie to me." He wrinkles his nose playfully. "It's just a bit gauche," he adds, lifting a hand and making a 'little bit' gesture with his thumb and forefinger.
Lory Thumper	Being in law enforcement, Lory is kind of used to people not being happy to see her when she arrives on a scene. With the military being rather resistant, she continues with Mr. Johnson. "Cyber-lungs? So, this world is pretty advanced then. Since he is being amicable she takes off her helmet to be more polite, which makes her long bunny ears pop upward. "Business, huh? I can't really establish formal agreements myself, but I can take any offers you have back to my superiors." she says, then holds out a hand to the man. "Lory Thumper, MPD." she adds, just in case he missed it earlier. "So, what kind of 'business' do you have in mind?" When Nanoha arrives Lory offers a wave. "Hey there, Nanoha. Been a while. I guess you haven't needed any off-world teachers yet?" she asks, her tone and smile friendly. Her ears also twitch toward All-Seeing Eye, keeping up with his conversation as well. Rean also gets a wave. "Hey, how are things going? I've heard you've been through a lot lately."
Nanoha Takamachi	Nanoha doesn't react to the possibly offensive something that she doesn't understand. Though she has probably realized the somewhat hostile intent behind it, along with the rest of the officer's behaviour. But Nanoha doesn't blame her. This is a terribly difficult situation to be in. So in response to her offer being declined, along with permission to start bringing in the supplies, Nanoha nods, "Understood." Briefly turning to the side, Nanoha quietly radios the all clear to the supply team waiting behind. And sure enough, personnel begin to arrive through the warpgate, dragging the palettes of supplies behind them. Nanoha waves them over to the empty terminal. As she is greeted by Lory, Nanoha provides a nod in return, "Officer." That was very brief, though there's likely no harsh intentions behind it. Nanoha currently seems to be in Official mode. A not inconsiderable difference from her more casual behaviour that the bunny might be used to. Catching most of Eye's words to the military officer, Nanoha glances at him for a moment, possibly concerned. But she doesn't say anything, instead turning back to said officer and asking, "Is there any more information on who is responsible? And who can we speak to about coordinating a hunt for them? If this was indeed caused by Multiversals as has been suggested, then we are interested in seeing them stopped before they cause any further destruction. While I imagine you wish for us to stay out of this, it would be a mistake to ignore our experience in the Multiverse at large and the assistance we can bring with it."
Maya	Maya shifts modes a bit, she's had to deal with situations like this before. She looks at the soldier for a moment for she seems to nod. "If you have that handle then fine, I was simply offering aid. If you do not need it and have it handled very well. However, if it is as my co-worker said? That would be a problem." Runner, however, growls lowly at the treatment of All-Seeing Eye and Maya. Maya has to swat the machine to get him to stop. She will back off for the moment and look to Lory and Nanoha it may be better to chase the suit's information rather than work with the military on this. Still she'll look at her one last time. "Is there actually anything you do need aid with? Or would you rather we go else where?"
Rean Schwarzer	Well, that's a hell of a warm welcome. Not surprising, given the prevailing theory. Rean drops off the supplies at the point and heads back over to where the others are. Now what? Lory is talking to the guy in the suit, so he goes to join her. Lory addresses him, and he nods. "As well as I can be I guess. Trying to just move on at this point."
Big Boss	The pyramid was an arcology belonging to the megacorporation Aztechnology, one of the triple As of the world, I4 will find. It served as both a corporate headquarters and 'miniature city'. Residential and business services were both rendered there, though every resident was an employee of Aztechnology, and several executives were killed. There is, however, something out of the ordinary, and it's not 'people trapped'. There's static on the feed when he pries too close. Some sort of occult matrix was there, some bad juju. What it is, he can't exactly tell, but it was certainly magical, and certainly not good. It's mostly faded - but there's likely to be some form of side effects. It'd be /impossible/ for them to not have known of it - it certainly did not come from the explosion. That was a simple rod from god. All-Seeing Eye steps up to the commander. His attitude frustrates her immensely - this is a woman who expects to be in control. "Listen here. You dance with me, after your kind of people dropped a Thor on our pyramid, expect respect for bringing us some simple supplies, and flap your tongue like a diva? Thanks for the supplies, but go fuck yourself. You bastards destroyed the pride of Tenochtitlan." Nanoha gets an actual answer to the first question. "As far as I know, it was some of you versers. Probably whoever attacked that amusement park in Pueblo." Regarding the help... "'Appreciated', but unneeded. Aztlan can handle its own problems." The appreciated is probably sarcastic. Maya gets a wave of a hand. "As I goddamn said, I would absolutely rather you go elsewhere. I can't let you through this perimeter." Mr. Johnson shakes the hand without a problem, as he responds, nodding to Rean as he approaches. "I believe they'll be very open to it. You see, as you might know, my company is not very liked right now. Not after what happened with the Thor." He gestures towards the blockade. "If I walked over there, they might just shoot me out of spite!" But, he looks out the window, lowering his voice. Only those engaging him as well as All-Seeing Eye can hear it. "But, what happened was very, very awful. You know that, I know that. A million lives snuffed out in an instant, with our hijacked station. Damien Knight, our chairman, is seeking a combined taskforce to track down the perpetrators of this attack, who we have a strong suspicion are Multiversal, and end their reign of terror." "Our investigations have provided us a very credible lead on the perpetrator. Have you heard of Big Boss?" He starts walking, towards the airstrip, if they'll come with him. Somewhere more private, away from other rivals and the military checkpoint.
Lory Thumper	Lory is in uniform so often that she sometimes forgets to be more formal in situations like this, so she looks surprised a moment at Nanoha's short response. But, that passes quickly enough after a moment of thought. Rean approaches and she nods lightly with a sympathetic look. "Well...I know we've only met a few times but, if you need anything don't hesitate to ask." she says to Rean, reaching up to give him a pat on the shoulder. She listens to Mr. Johnson, and when Big Boss is mentioned her ears lay back and she frowns. "Yeah...he's kind of infamous with the Paladins." she says, though doesn't say more than that for now. "But, why would he do this? He doesn't seem like the type to destroy so much just for fun." She pauses a moment, then asks. "And what about the station? Is it secured?"
Nanoha Takamachi	Nanoha makes a mental note about the amusement park attack. Then as her offer for help is more once more declined, Nanoha nods along, "Understood. It's clear that this grave situation has left those in charge with a lot of rebuilding to focus on. That must take a lot of effort, especially given the losses suffered here. I'm happy to see such concern for the people. But, I believe I've taken up enough of your time." Nanoha bows briefly to the officer, "Thank you." Nanoha then turns to All-Seeing Eye, "Perhaps we should offer our assistance to one of the other local factions. They're likely in a better position to accept. And also be able to provide greater assistance, increasing the chances of us being able to bring them the ones responsible."
Rean Schwarzer	"Thanks, Lory." Rean says with a smile. the guy in the suit continues to talk and brings up an unfortunately familiar name. Rean frowns. Of course it was him. He follows after the suited guy for now. He hears I4 bring up something on the comms and Rean asks, "Would you happen to know what an Occult Matrix is?"
Maya	Maya looks at the soldier for a long moment, shrugs and walks away and looks back over her shoulder. She thinks about saying nothing but Runner pawls along after her. Lory's report comes in and at the mention of Big Boss she scowls at it but focus on other goals. Like helping Nanoha with the unloading of the supplies. Runner will join in the machine going on its hide legs towering a good nine feet over Maya as they work together with unloading with the mention of Big Boss it has her attention and she's curious about the businessman that Lory is talking to. She might be able to get some more leads form that but first she'll finish up helping to unload the supplies.
Ishirou	Hmm...an occult matrix? This was something bad, and interfering with his investigation. Big Boss's name is mentioned, but he lets that group handle that. He can't be everything and do anything, so he sticks with his strengths. Maybe he can cut through the interference and find out what is going on? Or at least get more clues. He'll also have to do more looking into this Megacorporation because obviously there HAS to be a reason that they were targeted like this. Was it because they were doing something that the Watch didn't like? Or was it that the Watch wanted something...and if they couldn't have it..? Or there could be another player involved. Whatever the case, I4 tries to move into a better position and try and cut through the interference. There had to be something being hidden, and they had to know. Their standoffish nature might be less because of xenophobia, and more due to wanting to hide something damning.
All-Seeing Eye	"/My/ kind of people--" Eye lowers his finger, stopping himself. He begins again, but evenly rather than incensed. "My kind of people respect law and order," he states, his hands clasped before him. "As we speak, there is a war being waged, against those very things, by the kind of people who would bring /this/ to bear." He doesn't need to point or motion with his head. "You may not respect me, but you /should/ respect that, if you have the nerve to put on that uniform every day. Now, I have come to you, first, because you are clearly in charge here, and I would much rather help /you/ than that parasite." She probably knows who he means by that, too. "Do you see that gate back there?" He doesn't turn his head. He can see it without needing to. "I don't step through it without intending to do some kind of work, darling, and if that makes me a diva, then so be it. With or without your help, I intend to see this place back on its feet. Regardless of what /you/ believe, I don't think innocent people should suffer for the indiscretion of terrorists." "Now, do you have something for me, or should I go slumming with that Ares boy?"
Big Boss	Nanoha doesn't get much of a response as she leaves. All-Seeing Eye gets a wave off. "I thought I made myself clear? I guess the Paladins are deaf! Funny hearing that." The line tries to push past the woman and she grabs her megaphone again to shout the same alerts. Back to normal - dhe'll be of no help. Mr. Johnson keeps talking as he walks. "Of course he didn't do it for fun. Our expert believes it's very likely that he did this to cause a war - slay a giant, and the others plunder his corpse. While the others plunder, their backs are exposed. Jack comes in for the kill." Mr. Johnson responds to the question about the station with a quiet answer that speaks volumes. "That's classified." Which means, no, it's not. He then replies to Rean. "What's the context? I've never heard that term myself, but it sounds firmly magical." I4 changes positions, causing a soldier to change to watch him. As he cuts through the interference, he finds out what the problem is: whatever occult mess they caused, it may have created ghosts when the Thor crashed down. This is likely still because of xenophobia, but there's a reason they don't really want the Paladins to go in, and that's because it's theirs to clean up. Whatever magic caused this was theirs, and they don't really want it to be public. As the group heads towards the airstrip, something's flying in. It's a gunship, in camoflauge, armed with heavy guns and rockets. It moves to land, not here to attack. While the military woman doesn't seem to care, one of her soldiers gets agitated and runs up to it, as Mr. Johnson speaks. "That must be our expert." The cockpit opens, as a blonde shirtless man in an opened-up trenchcoat, wearing a pair of dogtags, steps out. The soldier's approaching him, and he's utterly ignoring it, as he turns towards the group. His accent is Received pronunciation, very refined. "Ah, these must be the Paladins. Not too shabby. One second, let me validate my parking." The soldier comes up and forces his gun into the British man's face. Almost reflexively, the man grabs the rifle, disarms the soldier, removes the magazine with a quick motion, winds the soldier by pushing him back with the rifle, and then drops both into his arms. And then, he clicks an RFID, indicating that he is, in fact, licensed to fly a gunship here. "Father fights that way." He says, a personal joke. "I even came out on top at times!" He's full of life and energy. This is Ares' expert on Big Boss.
Nanoha Takamachi	Nanoha stares at All-Seeing Eye for a moment. She may just be facepalming on the inside. Thankfully though it seems like the officer doesn't have the time to get into anything further, essentially dismissing them. Oh well. It was worth a shot. Nanoha makes her way towards the others to join up with them and this Mr. Johnson. She's kept up with what's been mentioned so far, thanks to the others reporting on it. She tilts her head at the arrival of the gunship as she walks up to it. She holds onto her long hair to keep it from whipping around too much. When its pilot finally disembarks, Nanoha blinks a little at the resemblence to the one who has been named as the possible culprit. But before anything can be said, one of the local soldiers approaches. Nanoha reaches out, trying to stop him with her words, "Ah, wai-" But it's too late. The soldier is expertly disarmed. Nanoha the soldier a sympathetic look, hoping that he doesn't take the mild assault and embarrassment too personally and make things more difficult. Nanoha turns to the new arrival, politely asking, "Please try not to cause a disturbance? The situation is already clearly very volatile." Nanoha looks over the so-called expert for a moment before offering a salute, "Captain Nanoha Takamachi. Time-Space Administrative Bureau. Attached to the Paladins." She looks very serious as she asks, "Do you believe that this action is something that Big Boss is capable of taking?"
All-Seeing Eye	"Slumming it is." He gives an extremely, sarcastically crisp salute to the commander, then leaves. Eye is anything but deaf, figuratively or otherwise. BEGIN PLAYBACK Damien Knight, our chairman, is seeking a combined taskforce to track down the perpetrators of this attack, who we have a strong suspicion are Multiversal, and end their reign of terror. The Exalt clicks his tongue. At least this one talks the talk. This Mr. Johnson is on the move. He can pick out the sound of his voice, isolating it from the crowd and pinpointing his location. His ultra-peripheral vision easily picks out the suit, scanning through solid matter and tailing him. In a matter of moments, he's caught up with the others, cheerfully watching the disarm attempt. He applauds politely, stepping into view. "I like longcoats, too--and may I say, you /really/ make it work for you, dear." Eye smiles brightly at him, though with the mask it's hard to see but for the twinkle of his champagne-colored eyes. "I never knew Big Boss had children. What's your name? And... just as importantly, what makes you believe your father was responsible?"
Lory Thumper	Lory follows after Mr. Johnson, looking around as they go. The gunship comes in and Lory doesn't think much of it. Gunships landing in a military-controlled zone really isn't unusual. What is unusual is the one soldier who comes up to it, and that puts Lory on edge. She puts a hand on her pistol just in case, and when the expert disarms and pushes him back that pistol is free of its holster and aimed in the blink of an eye. But, no guns are fired and the soldier doesn't seem harmed. That RFID is activated and Lory raises an eyebrow. "Why are you flying dark? Are there hostiles in the area? And..." She is about to ask why he looks like Big Boss, but Eye seems to have that covered so she just gestures her head in his direction as she reholsters her weapon. When Nanoha asks if Big Boss could do this, Lory gazes sidelong at her. "He brought down the Ad Coelum. This seems about par for him to me."
Ishirou	I4 thinks about the information he has for a while, makes some minor conclusions, and decides he needs more information, but this well is dry. So he moves to follow back with the others, giving the guard watching him a friendly wave. The box with arms follows him. While with the others he listens, recording everything for playback and review later. Though the guess about the man being Big Boss's child gets a more interesting response from him, giving the man a deeper scan. Maybe it's a clone of Big Boss created by a rogue government organization made to take over the world(s)? Nah, that's too convoluted! Instead, he sees if he can remotely access the internet and tries to turn up anything on the megacorp that got smashed and tries to see if he can make a timeline of action in this universe from the Watch.
Rean Schwarzer	Rean shakes his head. "Maybe. I just heard it in the crowd or something." Rean says, playing up the dumb teenager angle. "...Yeah, that sounds about right." Rean says as they walk along. They eventually make it up to the airfield, and one of the local soldiers jumps the gun and tries to attack the newcomer. The guy is knocked on his back, and Rean goes over to try and help the poor guy up, as the conversation continues. He glances up at the 'expert' and nods when Eye comments that he might be related to Boss. Their fighting style, their faces...it made sense.
Maya	Maya would finish up with helping Nanoha and joins up with this man in a suit. Maya's mechanical companion follows suit along. She will join up with the others as the man in the trenchcoat makes himself known. She takes a moment to look at the expert and the Ares' rep "I am Maya an operative with the Paladin. As for Big Boss? If that is the case you are not on very good terms with your Father if you are here are you sir? Might I have your name? Or at the very least something to address you by?" She seems pleasant enough and looks to the Ares rep as well.
Big Boss	As the soldier is disarmed and returned his guns, the blonde man speaks, in fluent Spanish. "Don't worry about this. You don't want to be the one to start another war in the middle of a cataclysm, hm?" After a few moments, the soldier quietly, reluctantly leaves well enough alone, allowing the man to switch back to English. "Liquid Snake." He introduces himself, with a flourish. "Ah. This is just my personal vehicle. You must understand." As the various members ask him their questions, he starts firing off at them one by one, starting with All-Seeing Eye. "Yes, he would never talk about me, would he? I am..." Dramatic pause. "Big Boss's eldest child." And then, he continues, turning to Nanoha. "Oh, dear. This is not my father's first dalliance with a weapon of mass destruction. Far from it. Perhaps the first one this version of him fired, based on his timeline, but he has it in him. He's a beast of war." This also replies to All-Seeing Eye, but before he continues, he talks to Lory. "I like to live dangerously." And then, back to the questions at hand. "There's a timeline of events, isn't that right, Johnson?" The Johnson nods, as he pulls out a compad, and hands it to Liquid. It's obviously a burner, as Liquid taps on it, pulling up a map. "Pueblo Corporate Council, an amusement park is attacked and an executive for the Horizon Group abducted. Watch members spotted, as were the Concord's own Starbound Flotilla. The most likely to hire for this job, based on crossreferences, would be Aztechnology. They share a border with the PCC, and have a fierce rivalry with Horizon." Click. "A futuristic gunship, likely belonging to the aforementioned Starbound Flotilla, assaults a warehouse district in a PCC town, near the Aztlan border. A group of Shadowrunners are sent running, fleeing into the shadows, where they were later killed by Aztechnology. My suspicion is a hit gone wrong on another team - perhaps..." He leaves who up for the imagination. Click. "Shadowrunners, likely with Multiversal aid, assault AresSpace' Houston complex. We have brief footage of the attack - and signs of teleportation, an ability that does not exist on this world." One last click. "Ares' Thor Shot bunker, in an undisclosed location, is hijacked. Satellite images show helicopters swarming it. All personnel are dead. Exactly the maneuver my father would take." "All this led to our partnership. This is exactly the type of operation Outer Heaven would take - impossible odds to cause a war." I4 learns quite a bit about Aztechnology. While they're rumored of using blood magic, they have a very strong public image, known for their agricultural and medicinal companies. They are (or were) the second most powerful company in the world. And while he can't find much on the Watch themselves, he can verify everything of what Liquid said - all except the Ares information, which obviously hasn't been released to the public.
Nanoha Takamachi	Nanoha blinks at the introduction. Liquid Snake? Can't be his real name. Definitely a codename. She listens as Snake talks about his father and then lays out the sequence of events that have occurred so far. As the explanation continues on, Nanoha looks more and more concerned. This is all very serious. Though she's definitely not surprised that Boss and the Watch are involved in it. The mention of the Starbound Flotilla does cause some brief confusion as she wonders out loud, "I wonder what their motivation is..." They don't appear as heavily involved, but still clearly interested. Finally Snake finishes and Nanoha shakes her head, "This really is horrible... Why would he be going to such great lengths to start a war? This isn't even his world. And do we have to consider the Concord's involvement also?" Nanoha looks at the other Paladins, "This has gone on for too long. Too many lives have been lost. We have to do something. But... Where do we begin?"
Ishirou	I4's eyes are thankfully hidden behind a 'blindfold', but they are busily reading information as he gets it, using public data to match up what Ares is telling them. Well, everything that isn't specifically not released by the public, such as the Thors shot. Tapping his fingers across his legs, this gives him some more data points. The Flotilla and the introduction of the Concord to the situation is...a thing. "The Flotilla was likely hired by Aztechnology for this specific purpose, they're known mercenaries," he says towards Nanoha. "If there is anything deeper there, then it'll likely come up." I4 considers what they know, and what they DON'T know. He also has to consider why Ares is involved in this. Revenge? To preserve face? I4 turns his head towards Liquid. "So why get involved? Not us, I mean you and your bosses." Let's see what story they weave.
All-Seeing Eye	Eye laughs quietly, reflexively lifting a hand to cover his mouth despite the mask. "My, but you have a penchant for the dramatic, don't you? We'll get along famously." Nanoha asks why Big Boss would go to such lengths to start a war. "I believe it may be as simple as Liquid himself stated. Big Boss is a 'beast of war.' All criminals are beasts, of course," he says without a hint of restraint. "If you could reason with beasts, we wouldn't call them beasts, now, would we?" Eye twirls his long, braided hair around a finger. I4 asks a very pertinent question. Eye looks expectantly at Liquid. His hearing pinpoints two heartbeats--Liquid's, and that of the Ar3es rep. As they answer, he listens for subtle changes in their BPM, as well as watching the both of them for microexpressions. In essence, he's running a lie detector test. After they've answered I4's question, he asks one of his own. "You're an expert," says Eye to Liquid. "If we want to stop Big Boss before he attempts to instigate another war, where should we look first?" It seems an innocent enough question, but these corporate types are not to be trusted--this could be an excuse to get some Multiversal help for loose ends of theirs. He won't make that mistake again.
Lory Thumper	Lory Thumper blinks a bit at the name. "Liquid Snake? That's an unusual callsign. I'm assuming that's what it is since it seems an even more unusual name." she says. The answer to her question makes her raise an eyebrow. "Well...that is a pretty dangerous activity. Entering a military zone without your IFF going." she says, then watches and listens to the short presentation. "So...you do have satellite images. Do you have any current photos that might show if the station is still up and running? I don't know about you guys, but I'd rather something like this not happen again. And I'm kind of curious why a corporation needs such a weapon. Usually eliminating the competition is more of a figurative thing." Nanoha speaks up, and Lory considers a moment. "Well...the Watch seems to be all about decentralization of power. Maybe they think the corporations have too much control here? And I guess we do have to consider if the Concord is involved, but this seems counter to their usual MO. Weakening one of the strongest corporations when they seem to have a sort of 'might makes right' mentality as a whole? If they hijacked the station they could have hijacked the ship as well." She considers a moment on the issue of where to begin. "If they are trying to destabilize this world, then we have to find out where they will strike next. If we can stop that, maybe we can prevent the war before it really gets started." She then looks to Johnson and Liquid Snake. "I think securing that rogue station is the first step. We need to make sure it can't be used like this again, and the bunker might have clues about their next objective." I4 does indeed ask some good questions, so Lory listens for those answers as well. Eye speaks up and Lory looks to him. "You think he might be starting a war just to have a war to fight?"
Maya	Maya nods to Liquid Snake "Liquid Snake? I will not forget that and it's a very nice ride." Another useful bit of information is given if true, Liquid Snake isn't the only son of Big Boss. The information is noted, a number of watch operatives and the Starbounders? That is troubling given how dangerous those five are. "So war mongering but to what ends?" She thinks for a moment. There's going to some serious research to do. "What could have the watch been after?" Maya looks to All-Seeing eye for a moment looking him over. "What would he be likely to hit next if he was trying to spark off a war?" Others have asked some pretty good questions and she's fishing for some information of her own it seems.
Big Boss	"Because was is in that man's blood, and consumes him. He's a soldier, after all." Is all Liquid replies, at first. He then replies to I4. The Ares Johnson is about to try and intercept, but Liquid goes first, and he's overly forthright. "Why, clearing their name, is their reason. It's bad for business to be accused of a war crime. As for myself..." Dramatic pause. "I seek to spite the man. That is all." Lory gets the next reply. "Are you not familiar with mutually assured destruction?" This is about why they have the WMD at all, and then he stops talking to her immediately and moves on to answer Nanoha and Eye's most important question. "The station is likely armed - they'll expect an attack on it. No, not there. We need to find their next move, and intercept them to it. It's going to be in Africa - wartorn, revolutionary, and wild. The perfect place for insurgency. Where? I don't know this world enough yet, but I'll tell you as soon as I do." "Assuming, of course, that you take my card." He presents a mercenary business card, with his name on it. After that...fade to black.