WARP Cleanup Quest

Certain events are rare, momentous occasions. Not all of them are loud and showy.

Your father covered for someone else a few weeks ago, and Lantern Office approved his leave for today.

"A walk!" said your mother. She wrapped her arm around your father's, who was looking at the sunrise through a window wall from your penthouse. "On your day off, there's no smoke today. How the stars aligned! Dear, we simply can't waste this opportunity!"

You smiled. "Are we going to wait an hour for you to dress him? Didn't you buy father seventeen designer outfits for today?" That's exact count - Wing have mercy on your soul, you had to check all those deliveries before you hanged them in the closet.

"Wait?" She giggled. "Such a funny word, Ji-Min!"

Your father turned and grinned at you. In another timeline, you figured that he could've been the face of a boy band or one of the WARP travel ambassadors. "No point in wasting my good looks. Do you have a camera ready?"

For the next hour, you snapped photos while your father struck various poses as your mother gushed. By the end of it all, she finally decided on his outfit for today: a charcoal speckled suit. After your mother looked at your blue blazer, she went with a long burnt-orange dress.

"We're ready!" she said.

Outside, a cool breeze stroked your face as your family walked to the nearby park. On the way, the three of you talked about grades, fashion, and baddies. As you approached the park, the shouts of children at play on the park lawn became audible while birds chirped from the trees.

"Takes me back," said your father. "Their parents'll have a stack of textbooks when they return home. Glad we didn't have to do the same with you. Wait, Ji-Min?"

You gathered several short twigs that would make for a good knife fight. "If it takes you back, how about a game of Offices and Syndicates?"

"Sounds delightful!" Your mother clapped and took a seat on a nearby bench.

He sighed with a smile and took a couple twigs. "Can't even get out of fighting on my day off."

"My tutor has been drilling me non-stop." You took a stance out of his arm's reach, and your father followed suit. "First touch?"

Your father chuckled and looked at your mother. "She's funny. A fight's over anyway on the first touch."

You took a step forward and jabbed as he blocked your arm with his, and he jabbed back. You blocked his arm and slashed across for his stomach with your other arm, but he blocked it. You drew your arms close to your body, stepped back, and blocked his incoming thrust... except no; he pulled back as you blocked air, then poked you hard in the side. You staggered back with a hand over your side and fell to the ground.

"Need a hand?"

"Thanks..."

"Wow!" said your mother. "That was really fast!"

"Please let me try again!" You both returned to your original positions out of each other's reach.

He took a step forward and jabbed. You blocked his arm... except no, that jab was a feint. He poked into your side and sent you to the ground.

"L-Let me try again, please."

To your original positions. You took a step forward and jabbed as he blocked your arm with his. As you searched for his feint, you blocked his arm. You both stepped back and drew your arms close to your bodies, and you probed each other with a jab and block. Again, you jabbed, get blocked, blocked him in return and searched for his feint... and he poked you hard during your search.

Oohs and aahs from the group of kids reached you at the same time you fell to the ground.

"They're both fast!" said one boy. "But that guy's extra quick! Are you two gonna keep going?"

You shook your head and sighed.

"Are you both fixers? Which office do you guys work for?"

Your father shook his head. "I don't work for an office; I'm a trainer. And that's why my daughter's also quick."

"Can you teach me?"

"Sorry, kiddo; I'm booked."

"Darn." He grabbed some twigs and handed them to the others. "Let's play like those two!"

They ran off as your father helped you up. "You improved a lot since last time, Ji-Min. Good job."

Your mother nodded. "That was fun to watch. To move like that must take intensive practice."

You smiled, but found the praise dissonant with reality. A darker cloud formed in your mind: were you not worthy enough for W Corp.? All that training, but you still lost every spar. You were good, but "good" didn't cut it when it came to a Wing. If you weren't the "best" like your father, you were nothing. What was the point of it all?

The smile must've faded from your face, because father and mother looked at each other.

"Oh, uh, sorry," you said. "I still have a long way to go, huh."

Your father patted your head. "Your technical ability isn't lacking anymore, and what you have is enough to defeat most opponents. You just haven't spent enough time with the psychological portion that comes with the higher levels of combat."

"Like that movie where the color went around hunting strong opponents?"

"Right." He took a deep breath and gestured for your mother to come over next to him, which she did. "And if W Corp. rejects you, they're idiots; you're definitely good enough for Lantern Office."

They opened their arms for a hug.

Even if you were "good enough" to join your father, it would still be nepotism in the eyes of everyone else. But your parents still wanted to be your safety net.

You hugged them.

Voting is closed. Third time's the charm, right? Maybe we'll finally get the passengers to settle down without the train imploding.

Or maybe the crew will get slaughtered in an even bigger spectacle.

CW: Contains unspoilered themes of kidnapping, terrorism, and references to dismemberment

On a beautiful day off, you arrive alone at the conference room. A short while later, two other assets arrive.

The first is shaved, head and face, complete with the serious look that combatants like to wear. But what catches your attention are his glasses, and his gaze seems less on the room and more like he's trying to read something in the air. "You Azure Squad?"

"Yes. I'm Ji-Min, nice to meet you."

"Where's the rest?"

"Injured, so it's just me. You two are Sapphire Squad?"

"Yeah, just us two. I'm Kwame." He elbows his partner. "Hey."

"Fucker, stop that." The woman flinches as she massages her scalp through the curls of her short hair. She glares at him with her baggy eyes.

"Then introduce yourself."

She turns her glare to you. "Imamu. Are you the shithead who skipped out on observation last week?"

"And you'd scoop your eyeballs out if the Director asked?"

Kwame takes his seat. "I'll bring you up to speed. Vanessa is taking today off to go on a picnic at Little Park with her husband and son. Two of us will approach and one will remain behind as backup."

"Wait," you say. "We're doing this in broad daylight? In front of multiple witnesses?"

"Nice thing about District 12 is that we can walk around with gas masks, and everyone else will just assume we're health-conscious."

"Aren't attitudes changing a bit because the Misery Terrorists are taking advantage of the same norm?"

"Which is why we'll approach her all friendly-like. She'll know her jig is up and either cooperate or run. If she runs..." Kwame slides his hand over his throat. "W Corp. only needs a living brain to check her memories, so we'll take her head in a U-Box and cover our leave with a smog bomb. When it's all over, the MTs will probably claim credit."

"And you're sure we can't just grab her at work? I'm still, uh, bothered about this whole 'in broad daylight' thing. I think the Director mentioned something, but..."

"The Director has the same concern, but the Branch Manager prioritized the handler over Vanessa. If it was just Vanessa, we wouldn't even run this mission, let alone observation. But since W Corp. is going after the handler, and that handler may be involved with a Wing that wants to keep Vanessa out of our hands, today's our only chance to discover what she knows."

You sigh. "I'll remain behind as backup."

Kwame thinks for a moment. "Imamu, you stay behind with her."

"Huh?"

"But why?" you ask. "I thought you wanted two to approach?"

"I'd feel better."

"I can handle something like lookout by myself. What're you expecting to happen?"

"Anything. You'd be surprised. And truth be told, you're also an unknown to me."

"And there's bad shit floating around about the L Corp. bitch who couldn't handle fucking observation."

"Look," you say. "The Director wants to let Engineering play around with my brain. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to convince him otherwise."

Imamu flinches, but Kwame shakes his head.

"Ji-Min," says Kwame. "Are you doing this work because you believe serving a Wing is serving the greater good?"

You look at him without comment.

"You're cleanup crew, right? This isn't a passenger you can justify attacking for their own sake because they'll be restored. We're probably about to kill one civ, possibly more as collateral damage, and inject fear into a community."

As you look at the table, you mutter to yourself, "I can do it."

"If you insist to stay on your own, freeze in the middle of the mission, and everything devolves into chaos, you'll take responsibility. Your brain is going to be Engineering's plaything."

"I don't care if you want two lookouts while you approach alone. But I won't stand for it if you're adding the second lookout because you're afraid Vanessa will slip through my fingers."

Kwame looks at Imamu, who shrugs. "One lookout it is." He proceeds to discuss more specific details.

After discussing your plans, the three of you lose the blue ties from your uniforms and don the gas masks before walking Io the park. It's a small lawn enclosed by walkways and skyscrapers, with bushes and trees lining the lawn edge. Two straight walkways cross each other, and a couple small children squeal as they race from one end to the other while their parents laugh.

A few other families relax and enjoy themselves, including Vanessa's family. Their clothing appears normal to you; blouse, t-shirt, or jeans, nothing that suggests an expectation of combat. Vanessa herself spreads a blue checkerboard picnic blanket.

Kwame takes a call, then pats your shoulder. "I got the signal. Keep an eye out." With Imamu next to him, who carries a package disguising the U-Box, he waves and call out to Vanessa.

Vanessa freezes at the sight. She looks to her husband, who takes a stand between her and the asset duo, and folds his arms. Her son stops running, and he watches his parents from afar with an expression like his mother's.

"Hey." You turn to see a fixer in Zwei Association's signature long blue coat walking in your direction with a stern expression on his face. "What're you wearing a mask for? There's no smoke advisory today."

Your heart must be pumping against the limit of its augments. "I don't trust L Corp. to tell me the air quality. My doctor said I'm gambling my lungs if I don't wear a mask."

He points to Kwame and Imamu. "They with you?"

"Yeah. Said it'll... it'll only be a minute."

He scans your body, and his eyes fall on your knife sheathes. "Show me your ID." He takes a stance that looks ready to move against a surprise attack.

You glance at your allies. Vanessa hides behind her husband as he argues with Kwame.

"Your ID."

"Uh, sure." You reach into your pocket with one hand, then leap at him with your other fist raised.

The fixer jumps back as he presses something on his belt while you draw regular Kukri knives. "Hostiles in Little Park! Need backup!" He draws his Zweihänder.

You glance at Kwame and Imamu, who see the commotion. Imamu draws and thrusts a stun gun into the husband's chest while Kwame grabs something from his belt and throws it into the air.

A boom and screams follow. Heavy smog envelops the park in a second. Families run from the park, but you run into the smoke. Your goggles draw blue and red outlines on individuals within the smog, and you join the blue outlines. One red outline twitches on the ground, and another red outline you presume to be Vanessa flees.

"What now?" you ask.

"You chop her head. I'll fight the Zwei. Ima, cover the cut."

Your hands shake as you sheathe the regular knives and unsheathe the cleanup knife you use for train combat, then sprint out of the smog and after Vanessa. With your Wing-authorized augments, you catch up and knock her down. As you kneel over her and ready your knife, Vanessa screams and stretches her arm out.

"Mommy!"

You look up to see her little son shrieking.

Another boom, and smog covers the area again. "Cut her now! Cut her now!"

Your knife glows a tell-tale blue, and your mind loses track of everything for a moment.

"She's boxed up! Let's go! Go! Go! Go!"

You still hear his shrieks.

"Fucking move!"

You blitz out with Imamu behind you, and you both keep running. Behind you, gunshots crack the air. You glance behind to see Kwame firing into a group of Zwei fixers as he catches up. They give chase, but they're no match for Wing augments.

"This way," says Kwame. "An extraction's nearby."

The three of you sprint into a car and take off your masks. In contrast with the three of you gasping for breath, the driver yawns as he starts the ignition and hands you a copy of your ID. "Busy day?"

"Motherfucker," manages Imamu.

The driver sets off. A few minutes later, several Zwei fixers stop the car, most of them gasping like you were. He rolls down the window. "What's going on?"

"Terrorists. IDs, now!"

All of you show your IDs.

"W Corp.?"

"We left Wonder Office a short bit ago."

"Okay. We'll need to search-"

Before your driver can protest, the questioner gets elbowed by the stern-faced fixer you encountered earlier. "Are you insane!?"

"But-"

"Don't hassle Wings!" He bows his head to the driver. "Forgive him, sir. We'll just make a quick call to confirm you're Feathers."

"Not a problem. I'd be jumpy too, if I was responding to a terrorist incident."

The fixer calls Wonder Office, then nods. "You guys are clear to go."

"Thanks. Hope you catch'em."

---

"Yeah, it's horrible!" Blaine says to Sumaiya and Miguel as you take a chair next to them in the conference room. "What monster beheads a child's mother in front of him!? And his father even passed away. It's so heartbreaking..."

Your throat goes dry, and the best that you can manage that moment is a whisper. "The Terrorists? It's scary."

"I know, right? The mother was even from our Wing! But now that the Branch Manager released a joint statement with L Corp., vowing to bring the perpetrators to justice, it's only a matter of time before the Terrorists are gone for good."

"I don't know," says Sumaiya.

"You don't know? Sumi, it's two Wings with a common cause."

"The Terrorists would be upgraded to a Star if they really cared."

"Just give the funding a few days; I'm sure it's tied up in the bureaucracy somewhere."

Your insides are tied up as well.

"Anyway, are you two okay? Miguel? Ji-Min?"

"My parents and siblings are afraid to go out, so I had more errands to run than usual." He forces a smile. "Just a bit tired."

"Wish I was off today like Katherine. Actually, uh, would it be too much if I asked you guys to cover for me?"

"Cover for you?" Blaine gives your body a lookover. "What's wrong with you? We need all the help we can get for that Schedule I today."

Miguel chuckles. "I guess neither of us are okay."

Blaine sighs. "Guess I asked the wrong question."

"No," you say, "you didn't. I really need someone to cover for me."

Sumaiya looks away while Miguel and Blaine exchange glances.

"Well..." says Blaine. "If it's just you not fighting, the rest of us can probably manage. But why should we give you a pass?"

You look at Sumaiya, then at Miguel. Sumaiya's eyes widen in what you hope is recognition of your plan to honor silently her request to keep an eye on Miguel, but then she looks away again.

"I can't justify to the crew about why I should put their lives at risk to let you skip."

"Do you really want someone not fully attentive to fight? I don't, really don't, want to end up like Dorian."

"But we only have so many agents to a crew. What if you're the dam that stops the chaos from flowing? Unless you plan to shoulder the burden next week, I don't think it's fair to let you just sit out."

"If... if I do promise to shoulder the burden next week, will you cover for me?"

Blaine grins. "You really think you're in bad shape, huh? Alright! I'll work hard just for you. Miguel, Sumi, you guys too."

"Huh? Sure..."

"I'm... honestly at my limit."

Blaine looks at you and shrugs, then waves at Lian as they walk in. "Good morning, Lian. We have a Schedule I today, and Ji-Min looks a bit ragged, so she'll work hard for us next week if we work hard for her."

Lian nods and takes a seat as Kerry also walks in.

"Oh! Did you hear me, Kerry?"

"I was planning to work hard anyway. It's my first Schedule I, after all."

After the Director arrives, officially shares the news ("Tragedy. Let's offer a moment of silence for our colleague.") and debriefs you during your asset meeting ("Praise. I'm still annoyed with you, but the Branch Manager and I commend your work."), you catch up with Sumaiya in the lounge.

"Have a sec?" you whisper.

"Yeah," she whispers back.

"Did I hear you correctly earlier? That you're at your limit?"

"Ji-Min, I was pushed to the brink of death to save you."

"And right now, I'm trying to repay my debt by keeping an eye on Miguel like you asked when I should be helping the crew."

"Look, I still haven't fully recovered."

"And you'll never recover if the passengers gain the upper hand because you also decided to take it easy!"

Sumaiya hesitates. "I'm sorry. I promise to do what I can, but I need to keep an eye on my own health."

"...Sorry to bother you."

After a few trains to get warmed up, the Schedule I train arrives. If the previous battles ended in disaster and they were just Schedule II, a Schedule I disaster can only be worse.

"Whenever you're ready, janitor."

Blaine takes a deep breath and swings her arms in circles. "Okay! So! This! Is! It!"

Miguel and Lian look at each other.

"Try to chill a bit, okay? Let's stay loose for the main event."

"We're not afraid of a few fiery passengers."

"Alrighty." Her arms come to a stop. "Everyone has their fire-resistant gear, right? The trains are always hell, but Liu probably made it more literal. Get burned, and it's going to be a long cleanup."

You adjust your gas mask one more time as you recall your chemical burns and lung pain from a couple weeks ago.

"The fixers are deeper inside, but don't let your guard down. Open it up."






During cleanup, Kerry drops by your car. "Ji-Min, I'm sorry to bother you, but would this be a good time for a break?"

"Uh, sure, Kerry. I just need a sec." You pile the arms and legs of a well-done passenger onto their seat. "What is it?"

"It's about Katherine. I hate to gloss over Miguel's death, but we'll probably meet his replacement shortly. You remember how she campaigned hard to get me on her side and tried to smear you in the process?"

"Yeah, and you two seem to be getting along well. Don't tell me that she plans to do the same again?"

Kerry nods. "It's risky to fight alone. And she probably would, but Katherine's been out of it recently."

"Are you asking me to cover for her?"

"No, I plan to do that myself. I just want you to consider talking with Katherine."

"I..." You sigh. "I really, really doubt that'll change anything. I don't think I can emphasize 'really doubt' enough."

"And not talking is guaranteed to not change anything."

"If you're that determined, can I ask that you rein in Katherine after we talk? I don't know if I'll be talking to anything other than a brick wall, so can you please make it worth the headache?"

"Sure. By the way, I also wanted to talk about Lian."

"Lian?"

"I didn't ask you to cover for Katherine, but I would like you to cover for Lian. They're the type to hide their feelings, but I get the sense that Lian's going through a rough time now. Apparently, they're still thinking about their old boss from time to time."

"I don't know if I can; I promised Blaine to help the crew in exchange for sitting out this battle. I can't both help the crew and keep an eye on Lian at the same time."

"Next week shouldn't be too hard; maybe you could promise to help the crew later?"

You pick up the passenger's arm and drop it back onto the pile. "I don't know..."

"Think about it for a bit, okay? Also, I told Katherine to sit out, and I was also thinking of asking Lian to sit out until they're feeling ready."

"You want both Katherine and Lian to sit out? Who's left to deal with the passengers?"

"It shouldn't be a problem if the rest of the crew pitches in. There shouldn't be any difficult passengers like this train for a while."

"Please don't underestimate the passengers. I don't want to get run over by Schedule II again."

Kerry puts a finger on his chin as if he's thinking about something.

"Oh no, there's more?"

He chuckles again, then turns serious. "It's okay; I'm done with the requests. But would you happen to be getting the sense that Lian avoids you?"

"Huh? Why?"

"I was just wondering."

You think about it for a bit and keep your thoughts to yourself. For Kerry, you shrug.

"I see. Well, I'll catch you later."

Near the end of the cleanup, Sumaiya drops by. "Finishing up, Ji-Min?"

"Hi Sumaiya. You're done?"

"Yeah. Uh... thanks for keeping an eye out on Miguel. I appreciate it."

"Ah." Many seconds of silence pass. "I'm sorry that he couldn't make it. Uh, I hate to bring it up like this, but we're even now, right?"

"Yeah..."

Blaine waves with a smile. "Oh, you're both here together!"

"Captain," says Sumaiya. "Have you checked my passengers?"

"I'm almost done, Captain."

"Your cars are good, Sumi. I'll check yours shortly, Ji-Min. Anyway, I was thinking about a girl's lunch out at some point in the near-future for the three of us to celebrate clearing a Schedule I."

Sumaiya stares at the pile of a passenger.

"Sumi?"

"Uh," you say, "seems like losing Miguel was... the three of you were the team seniors, so..."

Blaine slightly frowns and approaches Sumaiya. She reaches out with a little hesitation, then pats her shoulder. "Yeah, it's the two of us left. Sumi, I think you should sit out for a bit."

"What? But I-"

"It'll be fine." Blaine turns to you. "I'm counting on you to keep your end of this train's bargain. I need to keep watch on Sumaiya while you clear the trains. In fact, I should probably get some rest myself."

"I, uh, I see..."

Sumaiya brushes off Blaine's hand. "Captain, you don't need to do all this. Or maybe, you especially, shouldn't be doing this."

"What are you talking about? I want to be a good Captain who keeps an eye on her colleagues."

"But I think you're too close to crossing the line of professional detachment."

"This again?" you ask. "Sumaiya, I thought we went over this already. Others are allowed to be concerned about you."

Blaine winks at you.

"I accept that," says Sumaiya. "If it was a team lunch out, or Blaine wasn't Captain, I'd probably feel better. But I'm worried about favoritism causing problems."

"Sumi! Am I not allowed to have friends?"

"Well..."

You put a hand on Sumaiya's other shoulder. "I don't think you'll convince anyone that you're not close friends, and that your actions are separate from that fact. And so long as your friendship doesn't disrupt the crew, is there an issue? It's like this train - if the passengers don't complain about the ride, there must not be a problem with it." Your face burns hotter than Liu Association as you think deeper about the analogy.

At last, Sumaiya grins. "W Corp. did a great job with brainwashing you! But I get the point, thanks. Blaine, I'm sorry. Lunch sounds like a great idea."

"There we go! And Ji-Min, we'd love for you to join us."

"Thanks, I'll think about it."

The rest of the trains that week are cleaned without incident, save for a complaint from Katherine ("Why can't I make passive income like you?"). Later in the week, you get a phone call you get a phone call from your mother.

"Do you finally get a day off this week?"

"At long last. Why?"

"If... if you don't mind, I was thinking of stopping by for a visit and bringing over some home-cooked meals. Actually, I got excited about meeting you and ended up cooking extra."

The memory of Vanessa flashes in your mind, and you clamp your hand over your mouth. "I-I'm not sure I'm hungry..."

"Ji-Min, are you okay?"

---

INSTRUCTIONS. Submit a plan.


-[] Immediate Events - Mother. Your mother would like to visit with some home-cooked meals. Increase / decrease Max HP by 5 for each -4 / +4 Rapport with your mother.

--[] Reject. After that Vanessa mission, dealing with family now is a bit much. Decrease Rapport -4 with your mother and increase Max HP +5.
--[] Food. You're feeling ill, so just leave the food with you. Apply Food Notes in Day Off and Relationships.
--[] Invite. Even that Vanessa mission won't stop family time. Apply Food Notes in Day Off and Relationships. Increase Rapport +4 with your mother and decrease Max HP -5.


-[] Day Off. Distribute AP into one of the following.

--[] Rest. Two more weeks of missions are coming up, so you better get resting. Each AP restores 20HP. Rest for how many AP:

Food Note: If this is applied, restore 40HP after Rest (ignores Max HP).



-[] Workweek. Contribute W with the crew to suppress disorderly passengers.

--[] Make requests:
--[] Contribute W to the quota. If 3W is not selected, decrease Rapport -1 with Lian, Blaine, and Sumaiya.
---[] 3W. Increase Favor +1 with Lian, Blaine, Bahij and Sumaiya. The crew will not contribute W this week.
---[] Contribute how many W:

Passenger Advisory Report:
Week 6 (Work) / Schedule II / If W<3, all agents take -20HP

Note: Rabbit Protocol is on cooldown for the current and next week.



No action is currently asked of the following, but is published as a notice:

Passenger Advisory Report's roll (Week 7): (1)
Week 7 (Work) / Schedule I / If W<17, all agents take -50HP / Conduct Emergency check


-[] Meltdown. Keep an eye on other agents to reduce their damage. If Lian is not selected, decrease Rapport -2 with Kerry.

--[] Katherine. Increase Favor between +1 to +3 (more Favor with fewer protectors and failed meltdown check) with Katherine. Costs 2AP.
--[] Lian. Increase Favor between +1 to +3 (more Favor with fewer protectors and failed meltdown check) with Kerry (instead of Lian). Costs 2AP.
--[] Sumaiya. Increase Favor between +1 to +3 (more Favor with fewer protectors and failed meltdown check) with Sumaiya. Costs 2AP.


-[] Relationships. Spend time with one pair of agents. Increase Rapport +1 each. Decrease Rapport -2 with Blaine and Sumaiya if they're not selected. Decrease Rapport -1 with Kerry (but not Katherine) if they're not selected.

--[] Katherine + Kerry
--[] Lian + Bahij
--[] Blaine + Sumaiya
--[] Nobody. Regain 10HP

Food Note: If this is applied, "Increase Rapport +1 each" becomes "Increase Rapport +3 each", and "Regain 10HP" becomes "Regain 30HP (ignores Max HP)".

Voting is closed. Looks like the plan was thirded and fourthed!

"I'm fine, mother. If you really want, you can... you can visit."

"Oh! I mean, if you're fine with it."

"If I wasn't fine with it, I would've made my excuses."

"Sure, but... you really don't sound great."

You grit your teeth. "Please visit. Even if I don't sound like it, I want to see you in person. But please don't make me regret asking."

"I'll see you soon."

Your day off arrives. A home-cooked meal, huh. Perhaps Vanessa was about to share her own dishes during her family's picnic. They looked so happy together.

"I'm here, Ji-Min!"

You open the door to see your mother in a long blue dress and carrying a couple bags of U-Boxes. "I'll get those for you."

"Ji-Min?" There's an uncomfortable look on her face. "Are you getting enough rest? I know you're working way more than a normal 70 hours, but even then, you shouldn't look so... drained."

"I'm fine, mother." You set the bags on the counter and prepare the silverware on a small table for two people. "Would you like a seat? What did you cook?"

She opens her mouth as if to say something, but then points to a bag. "That one has a box with... well, just open and see for yourself!"

The aromas of a crispy egg and green onions hit you. "Is that what I think it is!?" You spy a vegetable pancake... the pajeon. It's the first recipe that your mother taught you.

"There's also the kimchi, tofu stew, and that ridiculous red chili paste that you and you father like so much." She helps you set the table.

During the meal, you both talk about your mother's upcoming plans ("I'm traveling to District 10 for a company retreat - you're sure that WARP trains are safe, right?" "You'll arrive at your destination for sure."), and you goad her into trying the red chili paste ("Ji-Min, help! I-I'm dying!"). The pajeon also sparks a few shared memories ("The spiciness in your first pajeon could've set the penthouse on fire." "But father and I enjoyed it, so...").

It's a wondrous meal. Just like the one that Vanessa could've shared.

"Ji-Min? You would be so much more animated if you just set aside some time to cook."

"I'm fine, mother."

"Are you making sure that you don't overtax yourself?"

The grip on your chopsticks tightens. "Mother." You both eat in silence for a minute.

"Then... is there any advice that you actually want?"

"Huh?"

She smiles. "Or does the first-in-class girl know everything?"

Advice you need? Maybe dealing with troublesome coworkers? Not that you would ever need your mother's help, but... another perspective wouldn't hurt?

"Better watch out, it's going to be on the test!"

Come to think of it, you never wanted to give her an inch back when you two clashed, lest she turned it into proof that you were better off giving up getting into W Corp. You made it a point to prove that you were capable on your own.

"If something's bothering you, won't you please tell me? I want to help you be the best asset that you can be."

You walk around and lean on your mother's shoulder as she wraps an arm around you.

---

"Whenever you're ready, janitor."

"Holy Head," says Bahij. He grinned as his hands shake while holding his trident. "The orientation video really wasn't a prank. So, we're about to 'fix' the passengers next?"

"Ji-Min is, alone." Blaine strokes the blue highlight strands of her own pigtail. "By the way, I like your W Corp. logo undercut; for however long it lasts, it's always reassuring to see team spirit."

"Thanks. What's up with Ji-Min?"

"It's my turn to help everyone." You ignore Kerry's frown. "Everyone else pulled out all the stops to cover for me during a Schedule I, so it's time to repay the favor."

"Or you could let the new guy prove his worth."

"What," says Blaine, "think you can handle it?"

Bahij flexes one of his arms. Dorian has him beat - well, Dorian has anyone beat, but Bahij still has the "don't mess with W Corp." look nailed for the arrival inspection.

"Maybe next week," you say. "I'll deal with this one."

"We're counting on you, Ji-Min. Open it up, jerk."






The cleanup that follows is a brief affair, and the crew's wPhones beep after the arrival inspection. After Nadiia disembarks without a care of the crew's glares behind them, you and the survivors go to the conference room. The Director walks in with an exasperated shrug.

He holds up two fingers. "Again. Schedule II! I will hear what happened. Captain!"

Blaine looks at him like she's the horror serial killer's next victim. "I-I..."

The Director shifts his attention between his fingers and Blaine, then shakes his fingers in front of her face as she leans back. "How hard is it to say what you saw?"

"Ah..." Every muscle in Blaine's face fights to save her from a breakdown.

"Every time I think that this crew can't fail worse than before... my expectations are always exceeded."

You raise your hand. "It's not her fault. Please let me make my report."

"Not her fault? This better be good."

"The crew did not struggle to control the situation. We suffered injuries and deaths only because we were covering for the mistakes of the deceased. If you want to fault anyone, then you can only blame Lian and Sumaiya."

"Shifting the blame to the dead?"

"Isn't it inevitable that some our allies will open themselves to injury due to negligence and through no fault of the crew?"

"In that case, I will hear your report on why I should hold Sumaiya and Lian responsible for their own deaths."

"Ji-Min..." started Blaine.

However, you shook your head. "Nadiia was just faster than Sumaiya, which resulted in her getting kicked to and restrained by the passengers. Blaine, you attempted to stop Nadiia from immediately finishing her off; even if Nadiia landed that first blow on Sumaiya, you still gave her a few critical seconds to save herself."

Blaine still looks like she wants to cry but nods.

"Nadiia? You know the name of the passenger?"

"Yes," you say. "Nadiia was unusually sane and competent to the point that Teresa attempted to recruit them."

"Fascinating. What about Lian?"

"Lian, they..." You push the "friendly fire" part out of your mind. "They got involved in a fistfight with the passenger, which resulted in the passenger piercing Lian's neck."

"Question. How does the fight go from fistfight to neck injury without anyone from the crew intervening?"

"The area around them was electrified."

"Many of our weapons have electrical backlash at maximum power. Why not later grab something from the post-cleanup kit if that was a concern? Do you mean to say that the crew just let Lian and the passenger fight fair? Was there really nobody else to help them?"

Should you have kept an eye on Lian instead of prioritizing Nadiia's suppression?

The Director looked at the rest of the crew. "What was everyone else doing?"

"Nadiia blocked us," said Katherine. "Used Kerry as an impromptu mat for pin the donkey."

Kerry put a hand over a stab wound while Bahij winced.

"That leaves Ji-Min, since Blaine was injured during her attempt to protect Sumaiya."

"Ji-Min. Did we not discuss a few weeks ago not to waste other agents? I believe it was part of your criticism against Katherine."

"Yeah, but I... I didn't think Lian would go down so easily. I was trusting Lian to give me an opening on Nadiia."

The Director studies you for a moment. "Very well. Judgment. I will not fault the crew for what happened on this train. Dismissed."

A few days pass with Blaine in a daze and Kerry not speaking with you unless it's for work. Katherine remains distant as usual. Bahij rarely relaxes in the lounge and instead opts to stay behind and stare at trains. You decide it's time to try your hand at reconciliation.

"Katherine, do you have a few minutes?"

"Our workday lasts about a hundred hours, or about six thousand minutes. Do I have a few minutes to spare? Yes. Do I have a few minutes to spare on you? No."

"Actually, I'd like to talk with both you and Kerry. Could you please get him?"

"I hope you realize that something's wrong when you need to go through me to reach Kerry and not through Kerry to reach me."

The three of you meet at in the cafeteria. From the corner of your vision, you notice Blaine entering. You make eye contact. Before you can say anything, she leaves.

You set her aside from your mind and set a U-Box from you mother onto the table. For difficult coworkers, you want to implement your mother's advice of sharing dessert. It's not a foolproof method, but it's much harder to stay angry at someone offering something tasty.

"My mother dropped by recently with a bunch of rice cakes." You take a moment to inhale the sweet fragrances. "There's a bunch with red bean filling, but there's also honey and sesame."

"Glad to see that someone out there still loves you."

Kerry chews one of the rice cakes with a blank expression.

You notice Katherine not eating anything. "Katherine?"

"I already ate."

"What? But it's still morning. What did you do, eat a passenger?"

"The Manual specifically forbids the consumption of passengers."

You chuckle until Katherine pulls out her wPhone. "Yeah, uh, I already read it before." Between Katherine not eating and Kerry's poker face, you gulp at the failure of Plan: Through Their Stomachs.

"If that's all, then..."

"W-Wait, please. Katherine, I was wondering if we could talk about, uh, your grudge with me."

"Why? I should just drop it for your convenience?"

"You don't have to drop it for my sake, but I'm worried that it'll divide our crew and disrupt our effectiveness."

"That's funny. I was under the impression that you could just order us around with your asset authority. In fact, Teresa even gave me a prototype rapier like he did for Sumaiya. Why should I believe that you won't order me to 'try it out' and benefit from the results at my expense?"

"I won't kill you just because we struggle to get along."

"I hope so," says Kerry. "I'll hold you to that."

"Are you both that cynical about my intentions? Why can't the explanation just be that I've been forced into dilemmas?"

"I get that, but I specifically asked you to keep an eye on Lian. We have every right to be cynical if your default decision is to disregard the crew."

Katherine glances between you and Kerry." Wow. Yeah, let's go with what he said. Your charm offensive flopped pretty spectacularly."

How easy it would be to storm out! You fight your frustration and put together your parting thoughts. "I don't know if I can dissuade either of you from any negative preconceptions about me. All I can ask is to please don't caricaturize me as someone who wants to sacrifice the crew."

You eat a rice cake without registering the flavor and pack up the rest. After Kerry leaves, Katherine pats you on the shoulder.

"This was a fun meeting. Since I'm in a better mood now, I'll smooth things over with Kerry for you."

"Gee, thanks."

---

Your "day off" arrives. For the first time in nearly a month, the old man made it to an asset meeting with Azure Squad. His expression remains dour as ever.

"Eytan! Welcome back."

"Hmph."

"How is it that I get so much grief when I don't show up even once, but you can just take off without worry? Are assistants always allowed to be that lax? And speaking of no-shows, where's Rusty?"

"Rusty is undergoing repairs at Engineering, you obnoxious child, because we had to deal with important matters."

The Director arrives. "Briefing. To recap, the Vanessa mission was a success. Unfortunately, nothing of note was obtained from her brain, but eliminating her at least closes an open book."

"But her motivation," you say. "Why did Vanessa risk her life? Didn't she have too much to lose?"

He stares at you. "It's nothing you need to think about."

"...Alright."

"As for the handler, we sent multiple assets to capture them. On this front, we were partially unsuccessful; the handler escaped. However, we did force them to trade blows, which gave Seven Association some data for analysis. The fighting style matched, with a high degree of confidence, to a high-ranking Misery Terrorist named Fergus. He likely manages several underlings from a base somewhere in the Backstreets. That leads us to the current mission."

Horror stories about the Backstreets swirl in your mind.

"If we confirm the location of his base, of which we have a general idea where, we can later raid it and possibly gain more insight into any ulterior motives of the Terrorists. Azure Squad, your task is to investigate an area that we identified as a high probability of containing the base."

You raise your hand. "Can't we just make Seven Association look?"

"What," says Eytan, "afraid of even a little work?"

"Enough," says the Director. "Ji-Min, there are many, many missions that could be outsourced to the Associations. However, even Wings set budgets, and in this case, it's cheaper as a DIY mission."

Eytan relaxes in his chair. "Backstreets, huh? But if we go around as W Corp., we should be able to safely gather information."

"I don't know," you say. "We'll be going around 'safely' because even a stoned Rat knows better than to approach a Wing. I'm just brainstorming right now, but we could blend in by hiding our identities. If we really wanted to sell it, we could use old gear, like a broken gas mask."

"Where's your sense of self-preservation, young lady!? You want to get treated like a regular loser of the Backstreets? We'll have every syndicate big and small looking to give us trouble if we go around without a symbol of authority. Heed my wisdom: do not underestimate the Backstreets just because you're a Feather."

"I won't deny the appeal of having authority, but if we want to rely on the Backstreet residents who know more than we do about what's going on locally, we'll have to make a convincing effort." You spend a few moments to think of the best path forward.

---

INSTRUCTIONS. Submit a plan.


-[] Day Off. Distribute AP into one of the following.

--[] Investigate as W Corp. Don't mess with us and we won't mess with you. Roll d6 / Eytan adds +1 to roll / If d6<5, nothing happens; otherwise, increase Rapport +1 with Director and gain a temporary assistant next week. Does not cost AP.
--[] Investigate as a Backstreets resident. Speak softly and carry a space-slicing knife. Gain a temporary assistant next week. Syndicate rolls d6-1 for X / Assistants makes major effort rolls / If AP<X, assets take -30HP and ST +1; otherwise, increase Rapport +4 with Director. Contribute how many AP:
---[] Make Eytan assist by having him pose as a Backstreets resident with you.



-[] Workweek. Contribute W with the crew to suppress disorderly passengers.

--[] Make requests:
--[] Contribute W to the quota:

Note #1: Rabbit Protocol is on cooldown for the current week.
Note #2: You may prefix one request with "(Authority)" this week (force one agent to follow that request, regardless of Rapport or Favor).
Note #3: Katherine has the option to overcharge (add 3W to the quota. After the Meltdown calculation step, Katherine's HP is set to 0HP) this week.


Passenger Advisory Report:
Week 7 (Work) / Schedule I / If W<17, all agents take -50HP / Conduct Emergency check



No action is currently asked of the following, but is published as a notice:

Passenger Advisory Report's roll (Week 8): (1)
Week 8 (Work) / Schedule I / If W<17, all agents take -50HP / Conduct Emergency check


-[] Meltdown. Keep an eye on other agents to reduce their damage.

--[] Blaine. Increase Favor between +1 to +3 (more Favor with fewer protectors and failed meltdown check) with Blaine. Costs 2AP.
--[] Bahij. Increase Favor between +1 to +3 (more Favor with fewer protectors and failed meltdown check) with Bahij. Costs 2AP.


-[] Relationships. Spend time with another agent. Increase Rapport +1. If Blaine is not selected, decrease Rapport -1 with Blaine.

--[] Katherine If Katherine is selected, "Increase Rapport +1" becomes "Increase Rapport +2"; and "If Blaine is not selected, decrease Rapport -1 with Blaine" becomes "If Blaine is not selected, decrease Rapport -2 with Blaine"
--[] Naveed
--[] Blaine
--[] Bahij
--[] Kerry
--[] Clover
--[] Nobody. Regain 10HP