"Maybe you should get out of the cleanup business and become a full-fledged asset?" you ask.
Katherine falls into contemplation. "The best job security... I was thinking the same thing. At least I won't get dusted by a passenger."
"You sure?" asks Kerry. "You'll almost never have a chance to perform again at Hotel Larierre."
"Oh," you say. You remember how your father occasionally visited rich clients who stopped by there for business with L Corp. "You must've rubbed feathers with some of the City's finest; don't they have Hana for security and host events at Cinq's request?"
"And you mentioned how the owner liked your singing and piano. Honestly, you made it sound like a home away from home."
Katherine's voice falls. "But none of that matters if I die on one of these trains."
"That's understandable," says Kerry. "And I have an idea. For our senior event, let's make it karaoke night. You and Blaine can sing; it'll be a nice sendoff."
"If you want. I'm going to walk around for a bit. Thanks for the help and support."
"And Ji-Min, please find out what Blaine thinks, thanks."
You sigh. When you pitch the idea to Blaine, you sigh again.
"Why should I?" asks Blaine. "You know I hate her, and she's about to leave? Why shouldn't I be turning this down and doing a jig?"
"Kerry would love it if you joined."
"So what? When I couldn't have that lunch with you and Sumi, I got over it and moved on. And he'll get over it and move on when I say no."
"You don't think that this'll be something you'll regret down the road?"
"What, not kicking her in the shin?"
You groan.
"Ji-Min, don't you know better than this? I'm not sure what you're expecting."
"It's not, uh, that I was expecting a yes; putting you and Katherine together is like trying to put two like charges together. It's more like I was hoping for a yes."
"You were 'hoping' for a yes?"
"I mean, it's partly Kerry's wish, but, uh, it's also sort of my wish. I just thought it'd be nice if I could live in a world where the people I liked all got along."
"And it'd be nice if I could live in a world where Sumi still lived and Katherine dropped dead." Blaine shakes her head. "I like you tons, but there's no world where I ever forgive Katherine."
"I promise, I haven't forgotten how angry you are with her."
"And this isn't even lunch; this is something that'll cut into our personal time. We barely have any personal time as it is, and life's too short for me to waste it being miserable."
"I'm really sorry for cutting into your personal life for something you don't want, but what if... what if I call in my favors? I've been cleaning out the trains and helping you greatly, so could you please repay me by attending?"
"Let me get this straight: the favors I owe you, which I could repay by covering for you on other trains... you want to instead spend them on dragging me to an event I'm not interested in. And the only thing you gain, since Katherine won't be on the cleanup crew anymore, and you therefore won't have to worry about any feuds, is the satisfaction that I maybe-but-probably-won't hate her slightly less?"
You look Blaine in the eyes with all the conviction you can muster. "I know that it sounds crazy to you, and when you put it like that... but still. Do this for me, and we're even."
"You..." Blaine groans. "Alright. If this matters more to you than the trains, then I can do this for you."
A small portion of the weight falls off your shoulders. "Thank you. It really means a lot to me." With everyone's agreement, you make a reservation for several days later.
At the Director's next routine meeting, he brings a somber bald agent, like one of those religious monks, who has a blue flower on the back of his hand. "Personnel. Since Katherine has also transferred, Girish will serve as her replacement."
"Hello."
The crew makes the usual introductions.
You notice that Clover's gaze lingers on you for a few seconds more than normal, so you prep yourself for Clover to ask why is it that you can contact Katherine like she's fine but Naveed's status is a complete mystery. However, she asks no questions and avoids you after the meeting. In fact, it's as if Clover goes out of her way to avoid interacting with you. You leave her be as the train arrives.
Teresa sizes up Girish. "If you meditate on the tracks as a train arrives, perhaps you'll find enlightenment."
"If only I could be so lucky."
As usual, the two teams get ready in the cab. "Whenever you're ready, janitor."
Blaine scrolls through Teresa's passenger preview, then swipes it closed. "We can win a normal fight, but they aren't unarmed. Luckily, they have a polite temperament; so long as our full expressions are hidden with a body part, we should be able to communicate peacefully with them under the guise of offering trade. Could you all please put a hand over your mouths? And no matter what, keep it covered." She looks at you. "Just like the spinning with the Index."
Teresa snickers as the agents cover their mouths. "Feel like barfing?"
"Retching from your sick face. Open it up."
Inside are flayed passengers. They're spread over the floor with expressions locked in agony. Lorine presses a second hand over his mouth.
"Are you okay?" you ask.
"I feel a little sick, but it's nothing that I can't handle."
"And you, Girish?"
He grips his sai. "It's hard to keep a clear mind with a scene and smell like this, but yes."
A few cars in, the crew meets the first pair of "lucid" passengers. Their clothes are bloody and shredded, but they maintain a firm grip on their spears. Masks made out of passenger skin cover their faces, which leaves only their eyes visible.
They point their spears at you. "Halt. Identify yourselves."
Blaine raises her other hand. "We come in peace from a foreign land."
"Lower your hands."
"You would dare uncover my face!?"
The guards talk with each other. "Wait here." Meanwhile, the other guard travels deeper into the train. An hour passes before the guard returns with another passenger wearing a literal facemask.
"Fascinating!" says the passenger. "I can't remember the last time we had civilized visitors, unlike the savage barbarians who show their naked expressions. How can we help?"
"Our tribe wishes to open trade. The finest pleasures for your finest skins."
Their eyes widen. "I am certain we can work something out; we have ample supplies."
"However," says Blaine. "While we recognize and accept that each tribe has its own customs, our merchants will only deal with those who show the proper respect." Blaine gestures to a seat. "We will have you all take seats in accordance with our instructions."
The diplomatic passenger hesitates. "I shall relay your words to our elders."
Again, you continue to wait with the crew. Another few hours pass. Even without seeing the crew's full facial expression, you can see the annoyance on their faces.
"Hey," says Lorine. "Are we going to spend days here?"
"Hopefully not," says Blaine. "Let them go at their own pace. If it's too much longer, we can 'pressure' them."
The diplomat returns with someone else, this time a wrinkly-faced passenger with a wrinkle-free mask. "Elder Clarus has arrived. We shall all show our respects."
The guards and diplomat kneel, so you and the rest of the crew follows suit.
Elder Clarus speaks. "The lead representative may rise." She continues after Blaine stands. "I am told that your people wish to trade with us, but hold customs of your own. What is this about us taking our seats?"
"Orderly seating is how our people give and show respect." Blaine holds up her scanner. "This will tell us where each person must sit."
"We... will do so. For the sake of our tribe's future, my fellow elders have agreed to follow your customs."
With her permission, the crew begins directing the passengers to their seats. You encounter some grumbling about permitting the maskless to sit, but a reminder of their elders' desire for peaceful trade settles them.
During the seating, you overhear Kerry arguing with some of the passengers.
"We do not intend the seating to be a form of humiliation; as we communicated, this is how we offer our respects. It's like covering our expressions or kneeling."
"What's going on?" you ask.
"They think we intend to dominate them."
The disgruntled passenger stands against the pleadings of their fellow passengers. "It's as I said all along; Elder Clarus intends to grind our faces on the seats and flay our skins!" They draw a sword, then jumps and swings at him.
Kerry draws his swords and clashes, but that bares his face, along with his immediate regret. The other passengers get up as if ready to do battle.
"See!? Elder Clarus and her lackeys sold us out to the savages! We die proud, not as skin-fodder! Rush'em!"
Before your arms move to draw your knives, Kerry shouts at you. "Keep your mouth covered!"
You draw one knife and put yourself between Kerry and the passengers. "Stand down!"
Some of them look at you and the disgruntled passenger in confusion. However, they see Kerry's bare face, and they grab and shove you. You shriek as some of the passengers knock you to the floor, and then proceed to pile on Kerry.
He struggles and grunts under the passenger pile of swinging arms and fists as Blaine arrives with Elder Clarus and her guards.
Before Blaine can grab her hatchet, you issue Kerry's warning as you get up. "Keep your mouth covered!"
"What about Kerry!?"
"H-He bared his face as he instinctively defended himself!"
Elder Clarus bows her head. "I can deal with the troublemakers, but I can't save your friend. Even if we did, we'd have to flay him. And if you attempt to save him, we'll have no choice but to declare war with all of you."
Blaine winces. "Do as you will."
You also wince. With the crew spread out individually, if they had to fight alone under a sudden declaration of war, the chance of further casualties would skyrocket. There's nothing to do but watch the passengers rip off Kerry's face before Lady Clarus will intervene.
Karaoke night arrives a couple days later. You travel with Blaine straight from work to the venue selected, Jukey's. Katherine, also in uniform, stands near the entrance as she looks at the moon. As you both arrive, Katherine searches your and Blaine's sides.
"What a shame," says Katherine. "He's really gone."
"I'm sorry," you say. "But again, thank you for agreeing to keep our meetup, even though its purpose changed."
"Sorry," Blaine mutters. "Any idea about what songs he liked?"
Katherine shrugs.
"You used to be that close to him, and you don't know?"
"Hey, it's not like having a professional relationship means that we need to share every detail of our lives."
"What do you know, then? Huh?"
You nudge Blaine while others glance at your group. This might be a long night. "Let's go inside."
Your reservation is a small room whose blue lighting reminds you too much of the inside of a train. There's a u-shaped couch that can seat five or six around a table, plus space up front for a standing mic and wall-hanging monitor. Katherine and Blaine take a seat across from each other and face the front while you sit at the bend. For a minute, the room is the quietest place in the District.
"I'll go first," you say. You pick a song called "Blueworks".
Blaine smirks. "Low-hanging fruit."
So does Katherine. "Careful; we don't want you to go missing."
"Give me a break, give me a break, you two make it so hard to break the ice." You sing along to a wistful piano tune reminiscing a star employee who encouraged and lifted his coworkers, who had all fallen into a slump, and renewing the promise to carry the fire he reignited in their hearts, no matter how difficult the odds.
A former W Corp. employee wrote the song, who inexplicably vanished a few weeks after release.
Blaine and Katherine clap, although they both continue to give you a smug look.
"That's it from me, since you two are so mean. Sing it yourselves if you think you can do better."
Something like sparks ignite when Blaine and Katherine look at each other, and they both take a turn to sing. You clap, although Blaine and Katherine clap slower on the other's turn.
Blaine then picks a song called "One Point Six". "Because I can exercise a little more creativity than Ji-Min."
Katherine smirks again at you.
A piano and violin tune plays. Blaine sings about a fixer who lost his partner and lover on a mission. The fixer promises to climb to the very top, from the Backstreets of the City to a skyscraper on the moon's Nest, and succeeds. At the very top, he takes one final jump into the void of space.
Inspired by the too-common tragic fixers trope.
You and Katherine clap at your chosen paces.
"Next is me," says Katherine. "How about... something a little more upbeat, like "SUSU"?"
She sings a cheery pop song about a Wing experiment who gains sentience and desperately searches for something to eat, only to be taken in and cared for by a scientist from one of the Wing's rivals. Unfortunately, the Wing shows up and murders the experiment, but the scientist looks forward to rebuilding it.
Inspired by the singer whose claims that her friend was kidnapped and turned into an experiment were vindicated when the fallen Wing's evil misdeeds were exposed.
You and Blaine clap at your chosen paces.
Blaine gets up. "I think that's enough for me. I'll see you tomorrow, Ji-Min."
"Huh?"
"I've had enough singing." She looks at Katherine. "And I don't have any reason to stick around and chat."
Katherine shrugs. "Fine by me."
"Wait," you say. "How about one more song? You and Katherine have beautiful voices; I was hoping to hear a duet."
"A duet?" asks Blaine. "With her? Haven't you ever heard of stopping while you're ahead? We made it through the evening in the same room; please don't spoil the moment."
"But I don't think there's a moment to spoil. We've done much to honor Kerry's memory, but I think he'd want something more."
"What else could he have wanted? We're lucky to get this far and end it without screaming at each other."
"I get it; you'll never forgive Katherine. Maybe... maybe I'm just living in a fantasy, or I inherited it from Kerry, and if you or Katherine suffered for it, I'm sorry. But is it truly impossible for you to see Katherine in another light? That maybe, in another world, the two of you could've gotten along?"
Blaine looks at you, then at Katherine, and then the door... then back at Katherine. "This idiot cleaned trains and helped me out just to drag me here. Let's sing one song together to get Ji-Min off our backs and-"
"Pretend it never happened? I'm down with that."
"For Wing's sake! Who do I look like, Naveed?"
But all of you share a grin before Blaine and Katherine sing "In Heaven We Die, Rejoice".
On the day before your day off, you arrive in your gas mask at WARP Delivery's delivery station an hour before the sun is due to rise. It's a massive building, just like the Misery Terrorist warehouse from the Backstreets, but with a fresher coat of blue paint and better-kept. One guard with prosthetic arms and head covered with a gas mask stands at the main entrance.
"Naveed...?"
"Temporary security should walk around to the back of the building and await further instructions from Kwame." As you stare at her, Naveed repeats her instructions in the same tone without further comment.
You leave Naveed and make your way around the building. In the back, you hear cardboard sliding and wheels squeaking as you find a fleet of vans that you estimate to be four or five dozen inside the bay. Drivers in blue W Corp. vests hustle as they push their trolley carts and scan their packages before loading them into their vans. They glance at you before resuming their work.
"Ji-Min!" shouts Katherine. She's close to the garages but out of the way of the employees.
"Hey Katherine."
"Everyone's hiding a bit deeper inside like Rats." She guides you inside, which is full of shelves with boxes as employees scurry around, to a group of a dozen other assets near the corner and out of view from the outside. "Sucks that we have regular work after this."
"Childish," Eytan says. "Thinking of half a day's work for a full day's wages."
"Nonsense," says Rusty. "Nothing wrong with getting most of the day off in exchange for this battle."
"Morning, Azure."
"L Corp. bitch actually made it."
"I'm Ji-Min." You wave with zero enthusiasm. You hear a few whispers ("That's the L Corp. slacker?" "She's only a janitor for a reason, after all.") but ignore them. "Morning, Kwame and Imamu."
Kwame calls for everyone's attention. "Looks like we have all the people that the Director can send. Regular security had their pay withheld, so they're refusing to work; the guard out front, and us, are all this place has. When the Terrorists arrive, we have one order: kill."
You note that Kwame does not bother to discuss collateral damage, be it goods or people.
He assigns the squads to their positions, and you wait about an hour as you watch the employees move boxes. Engines roar as vans begin their route for the day. With nothing to do, you wonder if the Terrorists outnumber your allies, or if they caught on and called it off.
A boom and glass shatters as one of the vans that just exited explodes. Smoke spreads at the entrance as the employees scream and run the opposite direction.
Red outlines appear in your vision as the front line of Terrorists enter and hurl smog bombs in every direction, which explode and envelop the bay in smog within seconds. Employees cough and collapse.
"Lantern Office tactics," says Eytan. "Let's go."
Lantern Office... oh no. You draw your knives and engage the Terrorists.
"Hahaha!" One of the Terrorists jumps on the shelves and raises his rapier. "I, the great Fergus, have defied a Wing and lived!"
"Headdammit, Fergus! Shut up and focus!"
Your soul gags; the voice of the straight man sounds too much like your father. The grunt of a Terrorist returns your attention to your opponent as they become un-outlined.
"Focus, whelp!" Eytan bashes another Terrorist with his mace. That Terrorist screams as a blue box outline saws through the opponent.
"Mercy," says Fergus. "Sawed'em in half. Guess it's up to me!"
You check if Fergus has a partner, but he seems to covet the limelight for himself.
Fergus somersaults off the shelf and clangs his rapier with Katherine's. They clash again, but it looks as if his rapier phases through hers ("Wha-") and jabs her. Katherine grunts as she lands on the ground with a hand over the wound on her shoulder.
Eytan swings his mace, which Fergus ducks. Rusty fires their grappling hooks, but Fergus blocks those by grabbing Eytan as a shield. As Rusty releases Eytan, Fergus takes a stride behind Eytan and stabs him in the gut.
"A-Agh!"
Fergus runs his rapier through Eytan's skull and un-outlines him.
You hear the old man's body land with a thud, and you attack Fergus. Your knives glow with blue electricity as you slash at his weapon, but your knife phases through. He jabs at your arm and connects; you grunt as Fergus dodges Rusty's grappling hooks again.
"Look out!" you shout.
Another Terrorist bashes Rusty with Eytan's mace. Sparks fly out of Rusty as the box staggers, and one final thud cracks Rusty into a pile of scrap. You lunge at the Terrorist, who dodges but then groans; Katherine stabs the Terrorist with a shaky hand and un-outlines them.
In the distance, a few Terrorist un-outlines another ally. "We're checking the office!" Your father's voice again.
Fergus jumps in your way when you take a step, and he takes a stance. "Not so fast!"
"Ji-Min, we shouldn't let them reach the office. Can you go after them while I duel the great idiot?"
"Can you really handle this guy?"
"I'll hang up my rapier if I lose."
Fergus flourishes his own. "I'm certainly not hanging mine!"
"His trick won't catch me off-guard twice, and you know strong I am because of our other work."
You don't like Katherine's odds, but you want to confirm that your father is one of the Terrorists. The other Terrorists are busy fighting the other assets, and she should be on alert for Fergus's smoky rapier. "Alright."
Both you and Katherine run at Fergus's sides. He somersaults behind as you race to catch the other Terrorists, and you don't look back as you hear their blades clash.
You run into a short hallway with much less smog. There are a couple offices plus a break room. On the floor are the slashed-up bodies of Naveed and a couple Terrorists drilled in the skull. An injured Terrorist holds his palm up, and then a fairy travels into an office door's lock; the door creaks open.
However, the Terrorist turns to you and draws his knives. A mask covers his face, and you wonder what kind of world is possible where this man is not your father. You both take careful steps to each other as you think about the knife fights you played for fun with your father and how he always managed to win.
You take a step forward and jab, but he knocks aside your arm with his. He jabs back, which you block the same way.
Your mind tells you to be wary of his potential feints and smoky blades. You both take a step back and re-advance. This time, he makes the first jab... except no, it's a distraction for his other knife, which you block. With your opening, you... hesitate.
Is this real?
With his opening, he thrusts at your throat... except no, his blade phases through, even though landing a blow on your throat would decide the fight.
Decide the fight... you need to do that. You snap out of your daze first. As he stands there, you elbow the Terrorist, and he falls to the floor and loses his grip on the knives. You raise yours.
The Terrorist holds up a hand. "Ji-Min!"
It clicks again that this Terrorist is your father, along with the weight of the next few seconds.
You are W Corp.'s asset. What W Corp. wants is what you should want, and W Corp. wants to eliminate or exploit your parents. If you kill your father, you can turn around the awful relationship with the Director. Sentimentality like a family reunion or your saddened mother... this is the time to grow up, do your job, fulfill your dreams, and secure your future.
And yet, he's your father. If he's still alive, perhaps you, your mother, and your father can smile together again one day. Like how your father spared you moments ago, they're the only ones in the City who will show you unconditional love. Even if W Corp. tampers with your brain to correct a "defect" like loving your parents, isn't familial love worth fighting for?
As your father gets up, your stomach churns.
Katherine left the cleanup crew. She became an asset and replaced either Rusty or Eytan; gains Elite (Skips availability rolls as an assistant during missions and gains +1 for any effort rolls).
Girish replaced Katherine, Girish's starting M: (4) 4M
Senior's Event / ]Increase Rapport +1 with Kerry, decrease Favors -2 with Blaine, and roll d6. If d6 = 1, Katherine and Blaine become more hostile to each other, and decrease Rapport -3 with Katherine and Blaine; otherwise, Katherine and Blaine become friendlier to each other, and increase Rapport +2 with Katherine and Blaine
Event: (2) Pleasant. Katherine and Blaine became friendlier to each other, and increase Rapport +2 with Katherine and Blaine
Clover's Conspiracy (Week 11) / If Sacrifice Clover is not selected, roll d6. If d6 = 1, decrease Rapport -6 with Director. Repeats for the current and next week, then the Director will deal with her.
Clover: (6) Nothing happened
Week 11 (Work) / Schedule II / If W<2, all agents take -15HP
Girish: (6) 1W
Lorine: (4) 1W
Blaine: (6) 1W
Bahij: (6) 1W
Kerry: (3) 1W
Clover: (3) 1W
Ji-Min: 0W
...6W. Cleared.
Kerry HP Review
40HP ~ 30HP (1W)
30HP ~ -30HP (Meltdown)
HP is less than -20HP, do not save.
...Victory! Clock out for Week 11.
You chatted with Blaine. Increased Rapport +1 with Blaine.
You did not chat with Clover. Decreased Rapport -8 with Clover.
Week 11 (Terrorist Battle) / If AP<(d6+3), Game Over; otherwise, at 12AP, increase Rapport +1 with Director, and further increase Rapport +1 with Director for each additional 3AP. / Assistants roll for major effort.
Azure Squad's stat changes
Katherine: Ready. Rusty, Dead
Eytan, Dead
Replacement TBA
The Crew's stat changes
Ji-Min: 60HP ~ 10HP Katherine, Transferred
Girish: (100HP, Rapport +1, Favors +0, 4M) ~ (70HP, Rapport +1, Favors +0, 7M)
Lorine: (70HP, Rapport +1, Favors +1, 7M) ~ (40HP, Rapport +1, Favors +1, 10M), Meltdown
Blaine: (100HP, Rapport +11, Favors +2, 15M) ~ (70HP, Rapport +14, Favors +0, 19M)
Bahij: (100HP, Rapport +3, Favors +3, 10M) ~ (70HP, Rapport +3, Favors +3, 13M) Kerry: (40HP, Rapport +9, Favors +0, 10M) ~ (-30HP, Rapport +10, Favors +0, 10M), Dead
Replacement TBA
Clover: (40HP, Rapport +1, Favors +0, 9M) ~ (70HP, Rapport -7, Favors +0, 11M), Meltdown
Director's rapport change: -4 ~ -2
Ji-Min Max HP: 90
Director Rapport: -2
INSTRUCTIONS. Select one of the following.
[] Kill your father. Decrease Max HP -10. Increase Rapport +8 with Director.
[] Spare your father. Gain Surgery Lv.1 (Rest on mission weeks only restores 10HP per AP). Reset Rapport to +0 with Director.
Voting is closed, and the decision is "kill". Since this is an irreversible, possibly emotional, high-stakes result from a tight race that will set the tone for the rest of this quest, I want to take a few moments to check up on everyone's well-being.
For those who voted "kill", I imagine that, whether or not you considered it an easy tactical decision, making the choice to end a loved one's life is by no means pleasant. I respect your ability to make tough calls, and I hope that you remain vigilant as we march forward.
For those who voted "spare", I imagine that there may be no small measure of frustration that your efforts could not save a loved one. I respect your willingness to personally endure suffering for their sake, and losing this vote does not invalidate your determination.
Thank you to our voters and readers for your continued support.
As your father scrambles to his feet, all it takes is just a moment to rip space through your father's head. His body falls back to the floor, dead like the other combatants in the hallway.
You stare at your father's corpse for a moment until you remember that the facility cameras are recording. Now is not the time to look like you cared enough about a Misery Terrorist to give him an easy death; there's still a battle to conclude. After a dozen seconds to confirm that none of the offices were broken into, you return to the smoggy bay. In your vision, only blue outlines remain.
"Are they gone?" you ask into your gas mask's comms.
"Yeah," says Katherine. "Fergus and I fought to a stalemate until the first wave of Zwei arrived. Shouted another dumb one-liner and left with what remained of his team. What about you? Did you stop the Terrorists in the office?"
"I did. The offices are safe."
With the battle over, you assist with the cleanup in the bay and let someone else handle the hallway. The Zwei ask a few questions, but you and the other assets refer them to W Corp.'s Legal. After a couple hours of cleanup, the assets return to the train station and wait in the usual conference room. Half of the assets remain, although you note that Sapphire Squad remains intact.
The Director walks in with a bright face. "Debriefing. Success. Through your efforts, we now have proof that Lantern Office, and by extension, L Corp., are the masterminds behind the Misery Terrorists. We look forward to our next round of negotiations with L Corp."
You speculate on the answer to the obvious unsaid question, "Why is a District the victim of its own Wing?"
The door unlocks, and the Branch Manager himself walks in. Executives sure have it good - a cleanshaven young man with a face devoid of blemish, slicked-back hair with a blue stripe streaking down the center, and a bespoke suit over what you expect to be a toned body enhanced by augments that not even Ahn can buy. He takes a second to scan the room. A person less attentive than you would've missed how his gaze paused on you for a moment.
The Director cedes his seat at the head of the table and stands next to him like a bodyguard.
"Good morning," says the Branch Manager. "I had the pleasure of watching you all work hard, and I wanted to personally express my thanks. Today, W Corp. has grown more prosperous. In particular, I would like to recognize Ms. Ji-Min for her efforts."
You stand as everyone, even the Director, claps.
"I've heard much about Ms. Ji-Min ever since she started work a couple months ago. Good things and bad things. However, today is the day that she shines the brightest; because of her, we confirmed that Ms. Ji-Min took down a high-ranking officer for both the Misery Terrorists and Lantern Office. What makes this kill special is that this officer is her own father."
That raises a few eyebrows.
"Encountering him surely took her by surprise, but she rose to the occasion and served justice. I want to hear your thoughts, Ms. Ji-Min."
You swallow. "I have no tears to shed for evildoers. I-" Whether from the suddenness of a prompt speech, having to lie, or reflecting on your father's kindness, your voice cracks. As your face burns in this unloving hell, you wonder how many see through your mask.
"Ms. Ji-Min?"
In his final moments, even though he did evil, your father loved you so much that he couldn't kill you. That love is what the City should remember him for. "I was overcome with joy... because my allies supported me. Thank you all for helping me move past my history of being born to L Corp. scum."
"Well said. And now, the future. As they say, a rolling boulder gathers momentum, and it is with great pleasure that I introduce our special guest. Everyone, stand." While the assets do so, the door clicks as it unlocks, and every mouth drops.
A woman dressed in the robe and vest of black with gold trim walks with perfect grace into the room. While most people wear a tie with their suit or vest as part of their uniform, she follows no code but her own with a ruffle cravat. Her long hair, brown like her skin, flows behind like a queen's cape.
"Ms. Dias, we are honored to have you join us."
Dias? That Dias? The filthy-stinking-rich celebrity Dias who could host a thousand dinners in her thousand mansions without batting an eye? As her eye-mask guards enter, you remember that her personal army, the Udjat, is a Grade 1 Office capable of wiping out your crew no sweat, and you wonder if they survived... until you realize that Dias likely reserved the entire train.
Dias beams as a guard pulls up a seat for her seat at the other head of the table. "Talgat, you're such a striking man in person! I must say, I do enjoy a good trip. We held a friendly competition to see who could endure the longest without moonstone before going to sleep."
"I'm sure you won handily. Would you like a refreshment?"
"Yes, T Corp.'s new signature blend would be delightful." A butler in W Corp.'s colors pushes in a cart and pours a golden tea. Dias takes a sip. "Exquisite. You've been shining lately, haven't you? A beautiful light. After you fended off this morning's Terrorist attack, I thought to myself, 'Here's our chance!' And I've been in touch with a couple friends searching for this opportunity. Quite the brilliant minds, I might add."
"Brilliant minds?"
Dias glides a hand through the air. "Imagine it, Talgat. A Wing producing clean energy so cheap, it costs more to run your cute little errands than any edge you'd gain for negotiation. And then! With the credit of slashing company expenses, why, I imagine that our next meeting will be in the offices of W Corp.'s HQ."
Cheap, clean energy? Isn't this too good to be true? But this is Dias speaking. You look at the Branch Manager, who you imagine to be thinking similar thoughts. However, you doubt that he's also concerned about your mother's future getting shredded to pieces if a new company replaces L Corp.
At last, he speaks. "If I want to make this ideal into reality, what do you need me to do?"
"Nothing much." Dias smiles as she takes another sip. "Just lay a few tracks for me and look forward for the train to arrive."
"Very well. Ms. Dias, I welcome our joint venture."
The Branch Manager appoints a deputy recommended by Dias to coordinate affairs between the Udjat and W Corp. At the Branch Manager's request, the deputy's first order of business is to bring in suitable replacement personnel, and the meeting concludes. After the Director announces the news to Blaine and the others, you work with the crew until the train with your new teammates arrives early afternoon.
"Ji-Min, Katherine," says Blaine, "my report says you deal with this one."
Your new teammate, unfortunately, disembarks from the coach-class train with a quiver in her step. Scars cover her face like she never had access to K Corp.'s medicine, but the poverty of her life contrasts with her black hair bun dusted with gold flecks. She checks her W Corp. uniform and takes a deep breath as she gets off the train.
Katherine, back from her routine missions, folds her arms. "Yup, definitely Grade 1 material." She looks at the other squads who get sturdier-looking newcomers.
"Be nice," says Blaine. "At least she helped."
You nod and thank your newcomer; the arriving Udjat did a good job of softening the passengers during their millennia-long wait. Anyway, now might be a good time for you to break up the glaring contest between Katherine and the newcomer. "Why don't we, uh, introduce ourselves somewhere private? I'm Ji-Min, by the way."
"Amita. Thanks for the... 'warm' reception." Amita continues after she follows you and Katherine to an open conference room. "Let's get this out of the way: just because I'm not Grade 1 doesn't diminish my ability. Fixers in the Udjat are all across the board, because Lady Dias sees something special in each of us."
"This'll be good," says Katherine. "I'll bite. What's special about you?"
Amita's cheeks flush. "Lady Dias said I was like a diamond in the rough, and all I needed was a bit of polishing. Even though I was nothing but a car mechanic, she took me in and cleaned me up." She rubs the hilt of her scimitar. "If I can make myself even a little more useful for Lady Dias, she'll surely hold me close to her heart."
Katherine looks at you. "Caress my Wing."
"Amita," you say. "Don't take this the wrong way, but, uh, I get the impression that you worship Dias like an Index member worships the Prescript."
"And is there anything wrong with that?"
"I mean, if it motivates you, great. But please, please don't put yourself or us in danger with a stunt just because you think that'll distinguish yourself to Dias."
"What? Don't you have someone worth risking your life for? It's only natural to give up everything for the people who matter to us."
You flick the table. "I think we're going to struggle seeing eye-to-eye. The moment you set someone up as your sun, you'll either burn or freeze to death."
"That's not a life worth living." She looks at you with eyes of pity.
"Don't give me that. I wouldn't even have a life to live if I thought like you did."
"Come to think of it, if you're an asset, have you not already made W Corp. your sun? Are you bitter because you're doing so much work for something that can't possibly love you back?"
You think about your daily cleanup job, the terrorism you committed, and killing your own father. What do you have? Nothing? "I'm alive, employed, and respected."
"Enough," says Katherine. "Can you two act like Wings and make a deal? Like, not discussing philosophy?"
"I'm fine with not discussing Dias-ism."
"And I'm fine with not discussing W-ism."
With asset introductions over, you visit the lounge, where a new agent is introducing himself. Like Amita, he keeps the Udjat colors - black hair and golden eye earring studs. You hope that, unlike Amita, maybe this newcomer is friendlier.
"So, what I'm hearing is that I'm replacing some hack. Never knew W Corp. was so weak."
"Hey Ji-Min," says Blaine. "Meet Rama. Did you overhear what he just said?"
"I did. Is the entire Udjat this hostile?"
"I just expectde a certain baseline of competency." Rama sighs. "Just because I wasn't a high grade like some of the others didn't mean I needed to be relegated to the trash heap."
"Rama," you say, "you're wearing out your welcome fast."
Rama taps one of his studs. "See these? Color's wrong for the crew. But guess what - W Corp. isn't gonna do a thing because you need us more than we need you. Betcha you guys die even faster. Who wants to fight me?"
Lorine looks away, Girish keeps his head down, but Bahij stands.
You gesture for Bahij to sit.
"Ji-Min, we can't stand here and let him insult the crew."
"There's no need to fight; I can handle this." You return your attention to Rama. "Besides, the Udjat that I just met didn't seem much stronger than you, but she's working as an asset. You think it's because she at least knows how to do teamwork instead of running her mouth? Either you're a disgrace to Dias and the Udjat, or your office is complete trash."
"You can't invent reasons to redirect attention from your crew's incompetence. If you're that confident, spar with me."
You stare at Rama. "I just had a large-scale battle early this morning on top of my regular job. Do you feel strong when kicking someone who needs a break?"
"Excuses."
"Hey man," says Bahij. "You seriously need a lesson in manners. You, me, and our fists after work."
"Sounds good to me."
Blaine shakes her head. "You guys can't just start a fight! What kind of image does that give W Corp. and the Udjat if we resolve everything internally with violence?"
"Captain, you've got it wrong; what kind of image does it give us when someone challenges a Wing, but we do nothing?"
"Are you saying you'll burn one of your three strikes for Rama's provocation? And do you have any idea what kind of headache I'll have when it's time for me to explain why my crew can't behave?"
He stares at Blaine for a couple seconds before turning to you. "Ji-Min, you know what I'm saying, right?"
"Huh? Uh..."
"We don't take crap. Our rep is our life."
"Ji-Min, could you please help me rein in this hothead? He might listen to you."
You know that Bahij already went through life-and-death and should be able to hold his own, but the way that he and Rama look at each other hints of a serious beating for Rama or both on the horizon. "Bahij, I suggest thinking over, very carefully, what you do next."
"Yeah, uh-huh."
Blaine leans into your ear. "I hate pushing this onto you, but could you please follow them and make sure nothing happens?"
"Uh-huh," you mutter.
At the end of the shift, as you decide whether to let Bahij and Rama settle their differences, you receive a call from the Director for a brief meeting. You ask Blaine to watch over them until you get back, then visit the Director in his office.
"Good evening, Director."
"Ji-Min. Praise. Again, I want to thank you for your hard work during this morning's battle. For some time, I was secretly worried that you were, in fact, a spy for L Corp. But not only did you put an end to your father, you also put an end to my fears."
"Fighting him was disorienting, but he needed to face justice." Because what else can you say?
"Agreed. Now, given recent developments and our new partnership with Dias and her Udjat, our next goal is L Corp.'s destruction. Although W Corp. is willing to assist Dias with setting the stage, the Branch Manager and I agree that a backup is necessary in case her plans fail."
If Dias wants L Corp. gone, you suspect that the plan will succeed, no matter how ugly it gets. You nod. "What do you need?"
"Information. As I previously mentioned, the Branch Manager sacrificed our spies to give this morning's trap its credibility. We therefore don't know the full impact that the defeat of the Misery Terrorists has on L Corp.; in particular, if the Terrorists were harassing their own District, it may have been to support L Corp.'s Singularity. The information may even be pertinent to our current planning."
"Are you... are you saying the acts of terrorism themselves fuel L Corp.'s Singularity?"
"More like conjecture. Perhaps their Singularity isn't sustainable; that might explain the Terrorists' promotion to Urban Nightmare after their increasingly aggressive activity irritated more people. However, having more information will help, which is where you come in. Your mother is a technician for L Corp., correct?"
You want to throw up. "Yes."
"The Branch Manager suggests we take her brain. If her husband was a Terrorist, and his work is connected to L Corp.'s Singularity, then the results of his work affect hers. But it's not as if we can behead her like Vanessa and call it a day; unlike Vanessa, your mother should still have her J-Lock. That J-Lock will erase her memories if we try to take her brain with force."
"Build up her trust, convince her to remove the J-Lock, then..."
"Rejoice. Your side project can bear fruit."
You open your mouth, then force a smile. When you were reconciling with your mother, perhaps W Corp. interpreted it as potential treason. However, killing your father bestows credibility to the interpretation that you are only building that 'bond' with your mother as a tool to further exploit L Corp.
The Director smiles back. "As it happens, your mother called your apartment and left a request asking that you visit. You'll be a dutiful daughter and visit, won't you?"
You killed your father. Gained "Patricide" trait (Decrease Max HP -10). Increased Rapport +8 with Director.
The Crew's stat changes
Ji-Min: 10/90HP ~ 10/80HP
Girish: 70HP, Rapport +1, Favors +0, 7M)
Lorine: (40HP, Rapport +1, Favors +1, 10M), Meltdown
Blaine: (70HP, Rapport +14, Favors +0, 19M)
Bahij: (70HP, Rapport +3, Favors +3, 13M)
Rama: (100HP, Rapport +0, Favors +0, 3M), NEW
Clover: (70HP, Rapport -7, Favors +0, 11M), Meltdown
Director's rapport change: -2 ~ +6
INSTRUCTIONS. Submit a plan. See bottom of post for preplans.
-[] Immediate Events - Mother. You mean the world to her. Decrease Max HP -5 for each +4 Rapport with your mother.
--[] Visit mother. You're a dutiful daughter, after all. Increase Rapport +4 with your mother. Increase Rapport +1 with Director.
--[] Skip visit. Somehow, you'll explain to everyone that now isn't the time. Decrease Rapport -8 with Director.
-[] Immediate Events - Bahij vs. Rama Black and blue are colors of W Corp.... and bruises.
--[] Break it up. Because W Corp. isn't a pack of animals. Increase Rapport +4 with Blaine. Decrease Rapport -6 with Bahij.
--[] Let'em fight. They'll figure it out. Increase Rapport +4 with Bahij. Decrease Rapport -6 with Blaine. Decrease Favors -1 with Bahij. Increase Strike +1 for Bahij and Rama. Bahij rolls d6. If d6 > 2, Bahij takes -10HP and Rama takes -50HP; otherwise, both Bahij and Rama take -30HP.
-[] Day Off. Distribute AP up to one of the following.
--[] Rest. Two weeks of Dias-knows-what are coming up, so you better get resting. Each AP restores 20HP. Rest for how many AP:
Note: Since Sacrifice Clover was not selected in Week 11, roll d6. If d6 = 1, decrease Rapport -6 with Director.
-[] Workweek. Contribute W with the crew to suppress disorderly passengers.
--[] Make requests:
--[] Contribute W to the quota:
Passenger Advisory Report:
Week 12 (Work) / Schedule II / If W<4, all agents take -25HP
No action is currently asked of the following, but is published as a notice:
Passenger Advisory Report's roll (Week 13): (5)
Week 13 (Work) / Schedule II / If W<3, all agents take -20HP
-[] Meltdown. Keep an eye on other agents to reduce their damage.
--[] Lorine. Increase Favors between +1 to +3 (more Favors with fewer protectors and failed meltdown check) with Lorine. Costs 2AP.
Note: Clover is also in meltdown; however, the Director will replace her at the end of the week. Agents' M will be updated as if she was marked dead.
-[] Relationships. Spend time with another agent. Increase Rapport +1.
--[] Girish
--[] Lorine
--[] Blaine
--[] Bahij
--[] Rama. Additionally, decrease Rapport -1 for all other agents
--[] Clover.
--[] Nobody. Regain 10HP.
PREPLANS. See spoilers for specific details. You may submit a custom plan.
[] Plan: Visit + Break It Up
[] Plan: Visit + Let'em Fight
[] Plan: Skip + Break it Up
[] Plan: Skip + Let'em fight
-[] Immediate Events - Mother
--[] Visit mother.
--[] Skip visit.
-[] Immediate Events - Bahij vs. Rama
--[] Break it up.
--[] Let'em fight.
-[] Day Off.
--[] Rest. For how many AP:
-[] Workweek
--[] Make requests:
--[] Contribute W to the quota:
-[] Meltdown.
--[] Lorine
-[] Relationships.
--[] Girish
--[] Lorine
--[] Blaine
--[] Bahij
--[] Rama
--[] Clover
--[] Nobody
[x] Plan: Visit + Break It Up
-[x] Immediate Events - Mother
--[x] Visit mother.
-[x] Immediate Events - Bahij vs. Rama
--[x] Break it up.
-[z] Day Off.
--[z] Rest. For how many AP: 4AP
-[x] Workweek
--[x] Contribute W to the quota: 1W
-[x] Relationships.
--[x] Bahij
[x] Plan: Visit + Let'em Fight
-[x] Immediate Events - Mother
--[x] Visit mother.
-[x] Immediate Events - Bahij vs. Rama
--[x] Let'em fight.
-[x] Day Off.
--[x] Rest. For how many AP: 4AP
-[x] Workweek
--[x] Contribute W to the quota: 1W
-[x] Relationships.
--[x] Nobody
[x] Plan: Skip + Break It Up
-[x] Immediate Events - Mother
--[x] Skip visit.
-[x] Immediate Events - Bahij vs. Rama
--[x] Break it up.
-[z] Day Off.
--[z] Rest. For how many AP: 4AP
-[x] Workweek
--[x] Contribute W to the quota: 1W
-[x] Relationships.
--[x] Bahij
[x] Plan: Visit + Let'em Fight
-[x] Immediate Events - Mother
--[x] Skip visit
-[x] Immediate Events - Bahij vs. Rama
--[x] Let'em fight.
-[x] Day Off.
--[x] Rest. For how many AP: 4AP
-[x] Workweek
--[x] Contribute W to the quota: 1W
-[x] Relationships.
--[x] Nobody
"Yes," you say to the Director, "I'll visit her." After work, you follow Bahij and Rama on your way home until they pick a different street, then call your mother and share your intention to visit.
The next day, the moment that you open the door to your mother's penthouse, she grins and hugs you. "Ji-Min! It's been so long since you've been home! I thought the day would never come when you'd finally stop by for a visit!"
You smile and hug her back. As you think of your father, and how it's by your hand that your mother now lives alone, you hug tighter, her silky blue dress soft against your arms. For one final time, you pretend that your father is hugging you both, and this is the long-awaited reunion. "I'm glad to be back."
"How is everything? I know this is out of the blue, so I'm not... interrupting your precious rest, am I?"
"I heard your message and thought you sounded a little tired, so I wanted to make sure everything was okay with you."
"I made you worry? I'm sorry..."
"No, it's fine. I wanted to be here anyway."
After you take off your suit jacket, both of you sit together by the couch near the wall window. Thanks to this clear day, you can see all the other buildings below yours, as far as your eyes can see. Reminds you of how your father spent some mornings looking out the window.
"I got word from Lantern Office that your father is away on a mission and that I can't contact him for a while."
"How long did they say?"
"They don't know." You mother takes a deep breath. "But combined with the recent Terrorist incident, I'm scared."
"Scared of what?"
"Part of me is afraid that maybe he's... he's one of the Misery Terrorists, that Urban Nightmare."
You put a hand on her shoulder. "But isn't he an upstanding employee for Lantern Office? There's no way that they'd actively do anything to make the City a worse place."
Your mother studies your face.
"Mother?" You face burns like she set it on fire. "Not even L Corp. wants the District to suffer. Irresponsible? Definitely. But it's nothing worse than self-interest. Besides, wasn't the target this time W Corp.? L Corp. wouldn't poke a hornet's nest."
"It's so weird hearing you defend L Corp."
You both grin.
"Maybe it comes with the line of work that you both chose, but I always feel like he's keeping secrets from me, especially since I barely get to see him. It's like wondering if he's having an affair, only ten times worse."
"That comes with the job, unfortunately. I promise, we took up the work we did because we wanted to make the District a safer place."
"Is the District really safer, though? At the end of the day, even the mighty Lanterns couldn't prevent a Terrorist attack."
"You don't think that keeping the peace is hard? If my father couldn't prevent the attack, it only means that the enemy is well-organized and dangerous. Who knows which Wing is evil enough to use them?"
"But something on a scale this big, and the fact that-" Your mother shrieks as she clutches the back of her head.
"Are you okay!?"
"J-Lock... will be fine..."
You hug her tight until she calms down after a half a minute.
"I'm so sorry!"
"It's okay. I'm here and you're safe."
"I'm scared; I want to share my fears, but there's nobody that I'm allowed to share them with." She gulps. "They say the worst damage comes from the betrayals of the people closest to us."
You stare. What are you supposed to do with a comment like that? However, you hug her. "It's okay to be scared. But Father doesn't want to hurt you. And... I don't want to hurt you."
"I'm sorry." She hugs you back. "I called you out here only to say something like that."
"I don't mind. We both love you, and we'll never do anything to hurt you. Please believe in us."
"With my heart and soul."
The morning after your rest day, only Rama misses the Director's routine meeting.
"Bahij. Explain. What lead to the Zwei taking you and Rama into their custody?"
He shrugs. "He disrespected a Wing. Worse, he disrespected the crew. That guy needed serious help to figure out what's what."
"You needed to put him into Medical?"
"But he's still breathing. And if he runs his mouth again, I'll offer remedial lessons for free."
"Sit," says the Director. "Strike. Wear it like a badge if you're so inclined. Rama can also have a strike for his consolation prize when he returns. Captain."
Blaine stares at you, then sighs as she stands. "Yes, Director?"
"The Deputy is calling for a meeting later today. Be prepared to explain why you couldn't manage your crew. I'm disappointed."
"I apologize, Director."
"We are working with the Udjat out of the goodness of Dias's heart."
You can't help but note how he leaves out the part about her plotting L Corp.'s downfall.
"I expect better. Dismissed."
As Blaine leaves, you catch up with her. "Blaine, look..."
"It's Captain," says Blaine. "And didn't I ask you to stop them?"
"You did, and I'm sorry."
"Yeah, right. If that's truly the case, then why leave them alone? All I asked was to keep things cool. But no, I'm seriously about to get chewed out."
"If Bahij didn't do something, don't you think Rama would've continued acting like a jerk? Someone had to make him stop."
"There's a right way and a wrong way to handle these things. And even if you disagree, I'm still Captain."
"Keeping an eye on them, uh, was an order?"
"No, but... as your friend and boss, I thought my opinion mattered more to you. I didn't realize that I should've dragged you kicking and screaming to stop them. My mistake, I guess."
Regardless of who's right, you still want to remain on good terms with Blaine. You both duck around a corner out of everyone else's way instead of finishing the normal path to the lounge. "Does it feel like I betrayed you?"
"Well... sort of. You're still a good friend. I just wish that you took a different course of action, and that's why I'm frustrated. I get why you did it - you have the crew's interest at heart, and I'm grateful, but I didn't want to resolve things that way. Maybe it just hurts more because you're closer."
"Even if we disagree and I hurt you, thank you for not cutting me off."
"Don't thank me too early; I'm still mad at you, and my life's about to suck more. Even if we're still friends, if I treat you coldly for a while, that's because I'm still sorting out my frustration."
In front of her gruff face, you do your best to put on your most understanding smile. "I'm here if you need anything, okay?"
"Thanks. Get out of my sight."
You leave Blaine and head for the lounge.
Bahij greets you near the entrance. "She mad?"
"Yeah. But we're still friends."
"And you two were close. I was sorta close, but I guess I'll have to wait and see where things stand. Gonna be rough for her, you get me?"
"Mm-hm."
"If Blaine starts struggling, let me know to keep an eye on her. That's what friends are for, right?"
A thought crosses your mind. If Blaine is no longer Captain, wouldn't you become the next Captain, given your asset status and improved standing with the Director?
"Ji-Min?"
"Right. We're her friends, after all."
During the week, you take care to steer clear of Blaine.
After one cleanup, as the crew returns to the lounge, Blaine gets in Clover's face as the latter plops into a reclining chair. "Clover, my patience is gone, and you picked the wrong week to make it worse. Every time we go to cleanup, you're never helping, but when it comes time to mop, you're always slacking."
"Sorry, Captain." Clover blinks multiple times like she's struggling to stay awake.
"Get it together."
When the next train arrives, Clover does her best not to look like a zombie, and you wonder if Blaine will tear apart Clover before the Director gets a chance.
In the cab, Teresa smirks after he compiles this train's information. "Whenever you're ready, janitor."
Blaine scrolls through and grimaces. "What the fuck."
"What's wrong?" you ask.
"What in Wing's name causes the passengers to turn into brainsects?"
Lorine covers his mouth, and Clover looks as she goes from sleepy to sick. Bahij raises an eyebrow.
Teresa shrugs. "Probably some other company's experiment, and the long time made it inevitable. Looks like a job for PR. In the meantime, you can do what you normally do."
"Ugh, open it up."
You, Bahij, and Blaine take the lead and inspect the remains from some of the passengers. All of them are skinless with their heads burst open.
With his trident, Bahij props up a passenger and peers inside their empty skull. "I bet that sucked. Why is anyone even hatching these things?"
Blaine shakes her head. "I don't even want to imagine."
"Q-Question," says Lorine. "Is this brainsect thing contagious?"
"If Teresa wasn't lying when he gave me the information, then no. Instead, they'll stick their tendrils through your nose to reproduce. Basically, we're looking at a bunch of crawling brains, and a nest near the center with the queen. We suppress the queen, we win."
As you open the door to the next car, several brains with spidery legs and long tendrils skitter in your direction. You hold your knives close, then slash when they jump at your face. Bahij thrusts his trident through a couple brains that skitter past you. Blaine swings her hatchet and Lorine swings his bat at the brains perched on top of the seats. The remains splatter everywhere and stop moving.
"G-Good job," says Clover.
"That was easy," says Bahij. "It's not so bad if they're all like this. Smooth riding, Captain?"
"No. The brains get more concentrated the closer we get to the nest."
The crew continues to fight more brains, each wave a bit larger than the last. The crew has little difficulty destroying them, but soon, the brains swarm. In one car, they skitter past you for Lorine and ignore losses that you, Blaine, and Bahij inflict.
"Help!" Lorine swings his bat, but he might as well be swinging at water.
"Cover your nose!" you shout.
As he does, they tackle him to the floor and wrap tendrils around his legs. He bats and bats as the crew fight their way to him. One brain slices your arm, but you slice that brain in half.
You slash, Blaine chops, and Bahij stabs until Lorine is free.
"T-Thank you."
"No problem." Blaine looks over him and confirms his health. Then, she checks your wound. "They weren't poisonous, or so I'm told. You'll be fine. They're getting stronger, so that's probably nest-level. And Clover? How can you stand there when someone else's life is in danger!?"
"Hey, I've been having it rough lately! And it worked out okay, didn't it!?"
"I hope one of these brains gets you, jerk!" Blaine turns to the rest of you. "Come on, let's get this finished."
In one car, passenger skin covers the wall, floor, and seats. The queen brain, about the size of a seat, rests in a nest of bones. Chunks of other brains form something like a crown, and the tendrils are about a few adult legs long.
The crew clashes with the guard brains. After you cut a guard brain's tendril and ready the final blow, the queen brain swipes at you. The guard brain tackles you to the floor, but you roll and get up as a queen tendril drills where you just were.
"Help!" shouts Clover.
You turn to see Clover stabbing her spear at the ground swarm. She kills some, but they jump and pin her to the floor. You can save Clover, but if the Director wants her gone, why bother? As a brain shoves its tendrils up Clover's nose while she screams, and a quick check shows the other agents holding their own, you leap at the queen brain.
You dodge one swipe from the tendrils and slash the queen brain in half. The guard brains lose their vigor, and the crew finishes them off. Bahij and Lorine then clear the brains on Clover, but Clover herself twitches as her head throbs and expands. Blaine stares with something like horror.
Before Clover's head can explode, you slash her head in half, and Clover's brain halves spill out and shudders. Underneath your stomps, they splatter.
The next day, the Director introduces Clover's replacement at the same time when Rama returns to work.
This new agent reminds you of Dias in appearance, but her shorter hair is no royal cape; it only reaches her shoulders. Not-Dias opens her mouth as if to yawn. Then, as if remembering where she is, Not-Dias clamps her mouth shut, straightens her back, and coughs. "I'm Irmtraud. Nice to meet you."
The crew looks at Girish to start the introductions, but his gaze looks unfocused.
"Girish." The Director folds his arms.
"Oh... sorry. I'm Girish."
"I'm Lorine. The King Coals are playing next week, and if you want, we could watch-"
The Director sighs. "Lorine. Stop." The rest of the crew introduces themselves as usual, although Rama shoots Irmtraud a look of disdain.
Once the Director dismisses everyone, you remain seated as Katherine and Amita arrive.
Katherine takes her seat. "Thanks for taking care of that nuisance; feeding Clover to the passengers was a great idea. We were expecting a big scene when the time came to clean her up."
"I'm just glad it's over."
The Director begins after Amita takes her seat. "Background. It's no secret that L Corp. is the most reviled Wing in the City with many enemies. To destroy and replace L Corp., Dias is opting to exploit their grievances from multiple angles and encourage them to act. Our work may ultimately be pivotal or trivial, but every mission is an opportunity to, as the Branch Manager would put it, get the boulder rolling."
"What I'm hearing," says Katherine, "is that W Corp. is basically Dias's pawn."
"Truly," says Amita, "there's no greater honor than to serve Lady Di- ow!"
"Shut up already."
"What's our mission?" you ask.
"K Corp. has been working to coerce L Corp. into following targets that'll reduce pollution. Sometimes, K Corp. sends negotiators to this District - and more importantly, attaches one of their Hero Fixers as a show of much the issue matters. If L Corp. were to say, return their heads in a box, the people of District 11 will demand retribution."
Katherine grins. "Time for W Corp.'s favorite industry: crimes and coverups."
"They'll be staying at Hotel Larierre for a few days. I suggest infiltrating then."
The playfulness vanishes off her face. "Hotel... Larierre...?"
"Where else were you expecting someone of their caliber to stay?"
"But it's under Hana's protection."
"Were you planning to introduce yourself and challenge them in broad daylight?"
"There must be a better way to deal with them." Katherine leans forward with a determined expression. "Can't W Corp. run this mission in District 11?"
The Director shakes his head. "The Hero Fixers are dominating fights because that's a low-priority battlefield for HQ. You'll have to go yourselves, but if that's what you want, I can look into making preparations."
Katherine huffs.
"Katherine," says Amita. "Why are you so determined to avoid dealing with Hotel Larierre?"
"What, too scared to ride the train?"
"Don't dodge it. I don't know about your past, but even if you're attached to them, isn't casting them aside part of being an asset?"
The Director claps. "I couldn't have put it better myself. After all, Katherine, this is the work you negotiated so hard for; I expect you to participate."
"Ji-Min." Katherine looks you in the eyes. "Please say you're analyzing this situation logically. If you think about it, isn't conducting this operation at Hotel Larierre a bad idea?"
You visited your mother. Increased Rapport +4 with your mother (and decreased Max HP -5). Increased Rapport +1 with Director.
You let Bahij and Rama fight. Increased Rapport +4 with Bahij. Decreased Rapport -6 with Blaine. Decreased Favors -1 with Bahij. Increased Strike +1 for Bahij and Rama.
Bahij: (6). Bahij takes -10HP and Rama takes -50HP.
You rested for 4AP and restored to the maximum 75HP.
Clover's Conspiracy (Week 12) / Since Sacrifice Clover was not selected last week, roll d6. If d6 = 1, decrease Rapport -6 with Director. After this week, the Director will deal with her.
Clover: (3) Nothing happened
Week 12 (Work) / Schedule II / If W<4, all agents take -25HP
Girish: (3) 1W
Lorine: (4) 1W
Blaine: (3) 1W
Bahij: (4) 1W
Rama: (3) 1W
Clover: (1) 0W
Ji-Min: 1W
...6W. Cleared.
The Crew's stat changes
Ji-Min: 10/80HP ~ 65/75HP
Girish: (70HP, Rapport +1, Favors +0, 7M) ~ (40HP, Rapport +1, Favors +0, 10M), Meltdown
Lorine: (40HP, Rapport +1, Favors +1, 10M) ~ (30HP, Rapport +1, Favors +1, 11M)
Blaine: (70HP, Rapport +14, Favors +0, 19M) ~ (40HP, Rapport +9, Favors +0, 21M), Meltdown
Bahij: (70HP, Rapport +3, Favors +3, 13M) ~ (90HP, Rapport +9, Favors +2, 17M, Strike +1)
Rama: (100HP, Rapport +0, Favors +0, 3M) ~ (80HP, Rapport +0, Favors +0, 7M, Strike +1) Clover: (70HP, Rapport -7, Favors +0, 11M) ~ Clover: (-50HP, Rapport -7, Favors +0, 11M) DEAD
Irmtraud: (100HP, Rapport +1, Favors +0, 6M), NEW
Director's rapport change: +6 ~ +7
INSTRUCTIONS. Submit a plan. See bottom of post for preplans.
-[] Day Off. Distribute AP up to one of the following and set the battle conditions for Week 14.
--[] Hotel Larierre. Katherine can suck it up. Katherine gains trait Trauma (Reduce AP contribution by -1), effective this battle. K Corp. rolls d6-1 for X / Assistants make major effort rolls / If AP<X, assets take -40HP or ST +2 and decrease Rapport -4 with Director; otherwise, increase Rapport +6 with Director. Costs 1AP to select.
--[] District 11. Amita can suck it up. K Corp. rolls d6+1 for X / Assistants make major effort rolls / If AP<X, you take -40HP and decrease Rapport -4 with Director; otherwise, increase Rapport +6 with Director / Assets gain ST indefinitely until successful extraction; at the end of each week, Week 14 included, Assistants roll d6 to extract themselves from District 11. Katherine extracts on d6>3 and Amita extracts on d6 = 6. Costs 1AP to select.
--[] Broad Daylight. You can suck it up. K Corp. rolls d6+5 for X / Assistants make major effort rolls / If AP<X, assets take -50HP or ST +3 and decrease Rapport -4 with Director; otherwise, increase Rapport +6 with Director. Does not cost AP to select.
--[] Decline. The Director can suck it up. Decrease Rapport -8 with Director.
-[] Workweek. Contribute W with the crew to suppress disorderly passengers.
--[] Make requests:
--[] Contribute W to the quota:
Passenger Advisory Report:
Week 13 (Work) / Schedule II / If W<3, all agents take -20HP
No action is currently asked of the following, but is published as a notice:
Passenger Advisory Report's roll (Week 14): (1)
Week 14 (Work) / Schedule I / If W<17, all agents take -50HP / Conduct Emergency check
-[] Meltdown. Keep an eye on other agents to reduce their damage.
--[] Girish. Increase Favors between +1 to +3 (more Favors with fewer protectors and failed meltdown check) with Girish. Girish will contribute 0W. Costs 2AP.
--[] Blaine. Increase Favors between +1 to +2 (more Favors with failed meltdown check) with Blaine. Blaine will contribute 0W. Bahij will also reserve 2AP to protect Blaine if this is selected. Costs 2AP.
--[] Sabotage. Blaine dies. Become Captain; as Captain, upgrade Overcharge to provide 6W, and (Authority) may be used freely.
Note: If Blaine dies, decrease Rapport -8 with Bahij.
-[] Relationships. Spend time with another agent. Increase Rapport +1. If Irmtraud is not selected, Irmtraud gains Motive -1 (Motive modifies the Effort Roll by the count shown).
--[] Girish
--[] Lorine. Additionally, increase Rapport +8.
--[] Blaine
--[] Bahij
--[] Rama. Additionally, decrease Rapport -1 for all other agents.
--[] Irmtraud. Additionally, decrease Rapport -1 with Rama.
--[] Nobody. Regain 10HP.
PREPLANS. See spoilers for specific details. You may submit a custom plan.
[] Plan: Hotel + Blaine
[] Plan: Hotel + Sabotage
[] Plan: District 11 + Sabotage
-[] Day Off
--[] Hotel Larierre
--[] District 11
--[] Broad Daylight
--[] Decline
-[] Workweek
--[] Make requests:
--[] Contribute W to the quota:
-[] Meltdown
--[] Girish
--[] Blaine
--[] Sabotage
-[] Relationships
--[] Girish
--[] Lorine
--[] Blaine
--[] Bahij
--[] Rama
--[] Irmtraud
--[] Nobody
[x] Plan: Hotel + Blaine
-[x] Day Off
--[x] Hotel Larierre
-[x] Workweek
--[x] Make requests: Ask Lorine to work 3W
-[x] Meltdown
--[x] Blaine
-[x] Relationships
--[x] Nobody
[x] Plan: Hotel + Sabotage
-[x] Day Off
--[x] Hotel Larierre
-[x] Workweek
--[x] Contribute W to the quota: 1W
-[x] Meltdown
--[x] Sabotage
-[x] Relationships
--[x] Irmtraud
[x] Plan: District 11 + Sabotage
-[x] Day Off
--[x] District 11.
-[x] Workweek
--[x] Contribute W to the quota: 1W
-[x] Meltdown
--[x] Sabotage
-[x] Relationships
--[x] Irmtraud
Adhoc vote count started by ChroniclerW on Aug 29, 2023 at 9:28 PM, finished with 14 posts and 3 votes.
[x] Plan: Blaine Favor + District 11
-[x] Day Off
--[x] District 11
-[x] Workweek
--[x] Make requests: Ask Bahij to protect Blaine
--[x] Make requests: Ask Lorine to protect Blaine
--[x] Make requests: Ask Girish to work 3W
--[x] Make requests: Ask Blaine to work 0W
-[x] Meltdown
--[x] Blaine
-[x] Relationships
--[x] Irmtraud
"I agree, Katherine," you say. You suspect that at Hotel Larierre, even the aloof Katherine might experience something like you murdering your father. The last thing you need is a traumatized teammate. "Let's go to District 11."
Both Katherine and Amita sigh.
"You've got a brain cell after all."
"All you have is a brain cell."
The Director snorts. "Preparations. I'll see to it that they're made for your trip. Katherine and Amita, you'll both do low-risk routine missions until then. PR can explain everything else needed. I hope you all enjoy your trip."
As the week progresses, you continue working with the crew. Blaine remains snippy with you, Bahij, and Rama. Her hatchet swings increasingly miss, and a zombie-like passenger almost bites her neck.
Back at the lounge, your nerves are still jumping. "Captain, can we, uh, talk for a second?"
"Hi." Blaine glances at her imaginary watch. "Bye."
"Sorry, I meant T Corp. second."
Blaine puts her hands on her hips with the sourest frown.
"Guess I might as well gather everyone. Bahij, Lorine, could you two please come over for a second?"
Bahij tries to catch Blaine's gaze as he joins, but she looks elsewhere. Lorine hesitates as he pauses something on his wPhone with one hand while he flicks his other wrist, as if pitching a baseball, but he also joins.
"Captain," you say. "I don't know if you realize this, but you've been out of it lately."
"Really."
You look at Bahij, who nods, then at Lorine, who stares at you. "I'm really anxious about leaving you alone."
"What? Why? Nothing happened, right? Besides, I'm the Captain; if anyone can take care of herself, that's me."
"Hey Cap," says Bahij. "Ji-Min's right, I don't think-"
"If something actually happens because you don't shut up, I'm blaming you."
You fold your arms. "Would a Captain disregard her team's concerns?"
"Sorry."
"Bahij, Lorine, can I trust you two to stay with the Captain?"
"Of course, but..."
"Sure..."
You sigh. "Let's, uh, start with you, Bahij. What's wrong? Didn't you want to keep an eye on Blaine?"
"I do, but why don't you? It's like you're shoving your work onto Lorine, you get what I'm saying? That's not fair to him at all."
"I really do want to help, but my asset work is a thing. It would be so easy for me to ignore the Captain and hope that everything works out, but I want her safe."
Blaine turns her face away. "Do whatever you want."
"And you, Lorine?"
Lorine hesitates as he slowly flicks a wrist. "Umm..."
"Go real talk," says Bahij. "Ji-Min's cool; she'll handle it."
You nod. "The Director used to yell at me, and there's nothing worse than getting on his bad side. You don't need to yell at me, but I want to hear your honest opinion."
All eyes fall on Lorine and several seconds pass as he looks at each person, then you. "It's not fair that all the attention goes to the seniors but not anyone else. When those brains were over Clover and I, would that have happened if someone was guarding me like we're discussing now? And when we're done protecting the Captain, are we going back to ignoring me? It's like everyone wants to sideline me, promising that I'll get a chance to play on the main team but then changing their mind. It's not fair at all."
With his piece spoken, Bahij and Blaine turn to you.
"I understand," you say. "You're worried that I'm only using you. If I left that impression, I'm sorry. But I think that you're an important part of the crew. I haven't had as many chances to spend time with you like I've had with the Captain, but that doesn't mean we can't start."
"I don't mind," says Blaine.
"If you're both telling the truth, let's watch the King Coals and the Conductors. It's supposed to be a great game, and I'd love to watch it together. Even if I have to pry every passenger off the Captain myself!"
The tension eases as the day passes until a train arrives carrying a minor syndicate that's relocating from District 10.
In the cab, Teresa smirks after one look at the defensive formation of Bahij and Lorine up front guarding Blaine, and you guarding her rear. "Whenever you're ready, janitor. Or do you need more bodyguards?"
"Not your business," says Blaine.
"What's this formation?" asks Girish. "Why do we need to be defensive?"
"I'll let Ji-Min answer that."
"Our Captain hasn't been doing well, so I asked Bahij and Lorine to help. And I have asset work, so I can't overexert myself."
Girish and Irmtraud exchange glances.
"Girish," you say. "Can I please ask you to take the lead on this train?"
He stifles a chuckle. "Perhaps I shouldn't complain that I'm asked to handle the work by myself."
"Your, uh, your frustration isn't lost on me. This is an extraordinary circumstance, so could you please bear with it this one time? We promise to repay your help."
"If you insist."
"We appreciate it," says Blaine. "Open it up."
Girish checks the first car, then signals that it's clear. Bahij and Lorine enter next.
"We really letting on a whole syndicate?" Bahij performs a second inspection after Girish. "Man, W Corp. must've received half their heist gains or something."
"That doesn't sound like a profitable heist. Are you saying W Corp. is greedy and corrupt?"
"I like living, so no."
Blaine enters next, followed by you and Irmtraud.
Despite your position in the rear, you keep an eye open for possible threats. "Please be careful, Girish."
"It's only my own life."
In the next car, passengers each have several stab wounds. As they lumber to Girish, he adds more wounds with multiple stabs from his sai.
"Nothing fancy," you say. "At least they won't do anything complicated while we're fighting them."
Bored-looking passengers in blood-soaked torn brown suits and bowler hats stare at the ceiling until Girish comes in. They get up and pull out their daggers. But instead of rushing, they dance in their approach, pumping their arms up and down.
While their hands holding the daggers are up in the air mid-pump, Girish leaps and stabs one in the stomach, then kicks the other. While the second passenger pushes up from the seat, Girish stabs them in the neck. He leads the way into another car, filled with a club of a dozen dancing passengers. Bahij and Lorine stand guard at the doorway while you, Blaine, and Irmtraud wait behind.
The passengers dance and shuffle over. As Girish tangles with a pair, a team of four pass and engage your door guards, two to a guard. Lorine bashes one passenger's head with his bat, but another passenger tackles him at the end of his swing. Bahij stabs one passenger with his trident, but that one grabs and tugs while the other stabs Bahij's arm.
Meanwhile, Girish backs into the legroom as other passengers surround him.
"I'm going in," says Blaine. "You two help the boys."
She leaps into the Girish crowd and chops one passenger's head off from behind. During the distraction and surprise, Girish stabs another and breaks out. Blaine dodges a couple daggers and splits another passenger's head open.
You slash an arm off the passenger tugging on Bahij's trident with your knives, and Bahij pulls his trident free. He stabs the other passenger through their eyes.
Irmtraud jumps onto a seat and slashes into Lorine's attacker with her scimitar. The top of the passenger's head falls off.
Bahij and Lorine close in on the remaining passengers fighting Blaine and Girish. However, a white suit passenger arrives from the back. Girish faces the white suit while Blaine covers him against the other passengers.
You hold your breath as Girish dodges, dodges, then... counterattacks the white suit. He stabs their weapon hand, and the dagger falls to the floor. As the dagger clatters, Girish thrusts his sai up from underneath the jaw, and a burst of blue electricity detonates the white suit's head.
Blaine dodges her opponents' synchronized stabs, chops off one passenger's arm, and punches another in the face. Bahij and Lorine finish off the rest, then strike a pose.
During the post-battle cleanup, you take a break with one car left to mop and look for Irmtraud. However, all of Irmtraud's cars that you pass through remain messy. You groan to yourself; if Irmtraud is this slow, she'll get a yelling from Blaine, and the crew will have to take Irmtraud's share as well. It'll be Naveed all over again.
The silver lining is that when you do see her, Irmtraud sits in a cleaned car and stares at the ceiling like a dazed passenger.
"Hi Irmtraud," you say. "Is everything okay?"
Irmtraud stands up. "Hey Ji-Min. I just finished my break."
You could drop it and keep the peace, but not if Irmtraud's slacking becomes a regular habit. "And how long was your break? I had to walk through some messy cars."
"Got a problem with that?"
"If the Captain gets upset, she's going to make me upset. Since mopping is slow, is it strange that I'm worried?"
"Would you have said all that if I was Lady Dias?"
"If she didn't put forth the effort? Yes. But what does Dias have to do with our work?"
"I'm disposable and she's not? No matter what we do, some people are more valuable than others. Take you, for example; you're an asset, right? If one of us dies, we can always be replaced. But if you die? W Corp. will throw a fit."
"I don't know about that; if I die, W Corp. will keep chugging."
"But still, W Corp.'s preference is to make us die before you."
Comparing yourselves to others does not strike you as a fruitful line of conversation. "If you're anything like the other Udjat I've met, Dias must've picked you for a reason."
"I'm sure that Lady Dias looks at me as a reflection of her more useless self in another timeline. Like I'm an object of morbid fascination."
You sigh.
"Am I always this self-negative? Yup. Because that's literally my purpose in life." Irmtraud takes a seat. "I'm disliked in the Udjat. Guess I can be hated here as well."
Self-restraint stops you from yelling something along the lines of "good riddance, loser" and storming out. "Can we forget about Dias and the Udjat for a second? Right now, you're cleanup crew. Know what that means? All of us here are counting on you to pull your weight."
"There's a crowd of us. How do my efforts actually matter?"
"Because an oversight from one of us could be the death for all of us. Like our battle earlier, it's the difference between someone having their back covered or not."
"Make my job my life, huh. I see why you eagerly became an asset."
W Corp. would never allow you to protest Irmtraud's comment, but you don't need to parrot the "serving a Wing is serving the City" philosophy. "I can't give you a grand purpose. But if you at least do your job, maybe the crew will still find that meaningful."
Neither of you say anything for a few seconds. With the topic at an end, you mutter goodbye and return to mopping up your final car.
For the District 11 mission, your squad's terrorist uniforms (a.k.a. Lantern Office getup) and weapons (including your father's smoky knives, as is fitting) wait in safehouses away from the urban center. Your squad agrees to scout the area before the mission and pose as casual tourists. On the morning of your District 11 trip, you keep your black button-up shirt, but partially tuck it into a pair denim shorts, and bring along a crossbody purse. At the train station, you find your teammates in a tie-waist black dress, and another in a yellow blouse and black skirt, both with shoulder strap purses.
Katherine eyes your crossbody purse. "A dash of Backstreets fashion?"
"What's so valuable?" asks Amita.
"Anti-theft and free arm movement are both fashionable and valuable." You stare at the WARP train. "So... uh... we ready for this? Massacre or sex cult?"
"PR is crazy," says Katherine. "I'll never look at travel ambassadors the same way ever again."
All three of you board the train and fasten your seatbelts. The most vicious butterflies scream and claw against the walls of your stomach.
"Welcome aboard to WARP." The feminine announcer goes into the usual speech for passengers, including a warning that the train will not depart until all passengers have fastened their seatbelts.
You check Katherine and Amita. If either have anxiety, neither show it.
"We are now departing for District 11." Just a moment passes. "We have arrived at District 11. Our agents will now conduct the standard arrival inspection. Please follow their disembarkation instructions. Thank you for riding with WARP."
"Long speech," says Katherine. "Short trip."
You glance at the District 11 Captain, who gives a curt nod. Once you disembark and the butterflies go into hibernation, you make a call to your guide, who instructs you to meet outside. It's unfortunately a beautiful day, meaning no gas masks to conceal your faces. Sunglasses it is.
Your guide, an older person with short brown hair and open button shirt like this is a beach, waves. "Are you three the ladies from District 12?"
"Yes," says Katherine. "I'm Devi, the one you've been in touch with, and these two are my... friends?"
As your guide chuckles, you and Amita introduce yourselves as Calfuray and Maks, respectively. The names of deceased Misery Terrorists might as well find some use.
"I'm Zenia from Wanderlust Travel Agency, glad to meet you all. Anyone care for breakfast? I know your schedule's tight, but even if you already ate, there's a nice tea shop selling delicious omelets. ...No? Well then, since rush hours ended, let's head off." They guide you to a red car and turn on their wPhone. Once everyone is inside, they continue. "In here, we can talk freely."
Katherine turns on her wPhone and transmits addresses. "Familiar with these places?"
"Safehouses and residential areas... what the heck is W Corp. planning?"
"Take a guess."
"Assassination?" Zenia whistles as they drive while your squad takes in the surroundings. "I heard about big things in Twelve, what with the Terrorists and Diaz, and now you three as well."
After talking and driving by the three negotiators' skyscraper home residences guarded by the Zwei, you drive past K Corp. headquarters. Floating spherical drones with green eyes watch your car drive by. With a couple hours gone and increased familiarity with Nest K, your squad discusses strategy.
"If I may," says Zenia. "Don't attack as they leave headquarters, okay? Not even Shi Association is that suicidal."
"How tough's Zwei?" you ask. You notice a green car with tinted windows now following.
"Softer than the ones in Twelve. You'd be surprised how fast K Corp. gets a drone to wherever a major incident happens, so that discourages most crime. And without Terrorists keeping the Zwei on alert, the only necessary security is K Corp. Well then, we still have your safehouses to cover. They're in a suburban location, so they're less-monitored."
"Does K Corp. monitor us like the green car behind us?"
"No, because K Corp. doesn't need that kind of proactivity. Let's wander for a bit." Despite Zenia's aimlessness, the green car continues to follow. "Still there. Thoughts?"
"Let's have lunch," you say. "That way, if they need to follow us into a restaurant, we can at least figure out who's curious."
After parking at a deli, and the four of you go inside and order. The green car stops, and out steps a woman in a green suit with a golden "7" lapel... Seven Association. She takes a spot at the opposite side of the seating area as you wonder who hired her.
Zenia and Katherine guide the group on casual topics ("Devi, are you not going to eat that?" "HamHamPangPang serves it better.") to pass the time until Seven gets a call. She looks at your group, then her phone, then leaves and drives off. Your group returns to Zenia's car.
"Always a wrinkle," says Zenia. "Can't call anyone, sadly, lest K Corp. intercepts it. Better decide if it's still okay to proceed."
"Probably is," says Katherine. "Felt like a brief observation of unusual activity, like what Amita and I sometimes do? She'll need to make her report first before anything else can happen, and there's only so much she can report. We can still do our mission later this evening just before our targets get home, and since we aren't operating longer than today, I doubt that Seven compromised our mission. Your call though, Cal."
"Agreed," says Amita. "And please keep in mind that this is a mission from our bosses. They probably allowed for something like this and calculated that the value of success here outweighs other consequences. Backing down will not be pleasant."
Zenia shrugs. "But if something major happens after the suspicious ladies arrive, then you three are going to become the most wanted individuals in the City. W Corp. and WTA will shield you to the fullest extent possible, but K Corp. and Seven will seek a Head's-eye view to crack the case."
You give the matter some thought.
Spent 1AP to set up the following battle for Week 14 (Day Off) K Corp. rolls d6+1 for X / Both assistants make major effort rolls / If AP<X, you take -40HP and decrease Rapport -4 with Director; otherwise, increase Rapport +6 with Director / Assets gain ST indefinitely until successful extraction; at the end of each week, Week 14 included, Assistants roll d6 to extract themselves from District 11. Katherine extracts on d6>3 and Amita extracts on d6 = 6. Costs 1AP to select.
Week 13 (Work) / Schedule II / If W<3, all agents take -20HP
Girish: 3W, per Ji-Min's (and crew's) request (Favors -1; "We promise to repay your help")
...3W. Cleared.
Bahij protected Blaine, per Ji-Min's request ("Didn't you want to keep an eye on Blaine?")
Lorine protected Blaine, per Ji-Min's request ("I'd love to watch it together, even if I have to pry every passenger off the Captain myself!")
You chatted with Irmtraud. Increased Rapport +1 with Irmtraud. Additionally, decreased Rapport -1 with Rama.
The Crew's stat changes
Ji-Min: 65~55HP
Girish: (40HP, Rapport +1, Favors +0, 10M) ~ (10HP, Rapport +1, Favors -1, 10M)
Lorine: (30HP, Rapport +1, Favors +1, 11M), no net change
Blaine: (40HP, Rapport +9, Favors +0, 21M), no net change
Bahij: (90HP, Rapport +9, Favors +2, 17M, Strike +1) ~ (60HP, Rapport +9, Favors +2, 22M, Strike +1), Meltdown
Rama: (80HP, Rapport +0, Favors +0, 7M, Strike +1) ~ (100HP, Rapport -1, Favors +0, 11M, Strike +1), Meltdown
Irmtraud: (100HP, Rapport +1, Favors +0, 6M) ~ (70HP, Rapport +2, Favors +0, 9M)
Director's rapport change: +7, no change
INSTRUCTIONS. Submit a plan. See bottom of post for preplans.
-[] Day Off. Distribute AP up to one of the following.
--[] Mission. Dias and the Director expect results. K Corp. rolls d6+1 for X / Both assistants make major effort rolls / If AP<X, you take -40HP and decrease Rapport -4 with Director; otherwise, increase Rapport +6 with Director / Assets gain ST indefinitely until successful extraction; at the end of each week, Week 14 included, Assistants roll d6 to extract themselves from District 11. Katherine extracts on d6>3 and Amita extracts on d6 = 6. K Corp. opens an investigation. Contribute how many AP:
--[] Rest. No matter the preparations, it's too risky. Each AP restores 20HP. Decrease Rapport -10 with Director. Rest for how many AP:
Note #1: Director's Rapport is currently +7.
Note #2: Rest is scheduled for next week.
-[] Rabbit Protocol. Blaine is proposing to activate Rabbit Protocol.
--[] Activate. Clears Workweek quota and skips Emergency and Meltdowns.
--[] Decline. Decrease Rapport -1 with Blaine.
-[] Workweek. Contribute W with the crew to suppress disorderly passengers.
--[] Make requests:
--[] Contribute W to the quota:
Passenger Advisory Report:
Week 14 (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 15): (1)
Week 15 (Work) / Schedule I / If W<17, all agents take -50HP / Conduct Emergency check
-[] Meltdown. Keep an eye on other agents to reduce their damage.
--[] Bahij. Increase Favors between +1 to +3 (more Favors with fewer protectors and failed meltdown check) with Bahij. Costs 2AP.
--[] Rama. Increase Favors between +1 to +3 (more Favors with fewer protectors and failed meltdown check) with Rama. Costs 2AP.
-[] Relationships. Spend time with another agent. Increase Rapport +1. If Lorine is not selected, decrease Rapport -1 with Blaine and Bahij, decrease Rapport -8 with Lorine, and decrease Favors -1 with Lorine.
--[] Girish
--[] Lorine. Additionally, increase Rapport +3.
--[] Blaine
--[] Bahij
--[] Rama. Additionally, decrease Rapport -1 for all other agents.
--[] Irmtraud. Additionally, increase Motive +1 (Motive modifies the Effort Roll by the count shown); and decrease Rapport -1 with Rama.
--[] Nobody. Regain 10HP.
PREPLANS. See spoilers for specific details. You may submit a custom plan.
Voting is closed. Looks like we're betting the quest for a tactical benefit, and I've got quite the game over scene in mind... let's see if I need to use it.
CW: Contains unspoilered themes of terrorism and child endangerment
"Let's do it," you say. "We'll worry about what everyone's up to after the mission."
Katherine and Amita nod.
"That's our fearless leader, running straight to where everyone but the Head fears to tread. Cheers to your long and healthy future."
"I wanted to stay in District 12, but at least I can still prove myself."
Zenia shrugs as they drive your squad out of the urban center. "The Wings never rest. And soon, neither will any of you."
The squad arrives in a quiet, suburban area. Perfectly painted homes and trim lawns line the road. After going over your plans and backup plans, the three of you change to your terrorist outfits, which includes dark-tinted wGlass instead of masks.
You look over yourself. "How do I look?"
"Like your father," says Katherine.
Although you have W Corp.'s space-cutting knives, you hold your father's smoky knives and reflect on him. Like father, like daughter.
Zenia checks their watch. "If all three of you are ready, I'll start dropping you off at your designated locations. With any luck, maybe you'll stay alive to meet me again one day for an actual vacation." They drop you off near a bus stop in the evening about an hour before your target should arrive as rush hour picks up.
You kill time with a back-and-forth walk, then sit and wait as the arrival time draws close. An old man takes a seat next to you.
"Why, hello!" he says. He looks away and coughs for a second. "Sorry about that, my lungs do that to me. I'm waiting for my granddaughter to get home from work. How about you? Are you waiting for someone?"
"My, uh, coworkers."
"Are you planning to celebrate a mission well-done together?"
"Yeah, with drinking." You're not a fan of sudden small talk with strangers, but it gives you an excuse to not look suspicious. "Uh, know any good places?"
The two of you pass the time with chatter until the target, a woman in a black suit with green trim, gets off. You thank the grandpa, but both of you get up.
"Mehmet!" The grandpa outstretches his arms and hugs your target as she smiles and rolls her eyes. "Another long day, huh? Your grandmother has dinner ready."
"Is it-"
You cut her question short, throw a smog bomb into the air, and don't look back while you zip through the streets as the bomb explodes and spreads thick smog. As the screams fade, you approach a four-way intersection. On three other streets, you see the blue coats of the Zwei.
You sprint straight at a couple of Zwei and ready your knives. They ready their Zweihänders. The Zwei start their swing, but they're slower than the ones in District 12. You leap; your knives ghost through their arms and resolidify in time to slash their necks open before they ever complete their attack.
"Halt, evildoer!" A woman in a bright-green bodysuit and jade cape leaps off a rooftop and chases you. Seconds later, she's next to you and slows to your pace. A couple droids hover behind her. "You can run from your crimes, but you can't run from justice. I, the Amazing Aurél, will see to it that you pay for what you've done!"
Your hopes of getting away without fighting a Hero Fixer vanishes in the cheers and roars of the bystanders. Part of you wants to run, but if your opponent caught up and slowed down just for you, then running will only exhaust yourself. You draw your knives and cross your fingers that she's a fragile speedster.
The Amazing Aurél hurls herself at you fist-first. You... dodge somehow, and the wind rustles your side bangs. Aurél somersaults into the air before you can even think of a counterattack. Land and repeat. This time, Aurél's punch connects with your stomach, although your tactical vest absorbs part of the blow. You tumble onto the street, then roll to your feet as you calculate your odds.
Winning a fair fight: zero.
Winning a fair race: zero.
Is this the type of high-grade fixer that PR works to seat in first-class cars? Your heart beats a hundred times per second, but nothing prevents a breakthrough more than panic. If a fair fight is out of the question, then what can you do to cheat? You dash at the bystanders, and they scream. Specifically, you dash at a father and his little daughter. He steps in front with his arms stretched out, but you knife and shove him to the pavement with little effort.
"Don't you dare!" shouts Aurél.
You grab the little girl and fling her into the air when a boot kicks you to pavement. Your back hurts a bit to move and the screams overpower all other sounds. You look behind at Aurél as she scans the crowd, the child, and you.
"Tch." As Aurél grits her teeth, she presses something on her belt, then jumps up and grabs the child as you get up again.
The W Corp. knives. You switch your ghost knives for the space cutters, then leap at Aurél before she lands. With the girl in her arms, that exposes Aurél's midsection. You rip space as she cradles the girl tight to her chest.
When you run, the two droids give chase. If you can't shake them off, then you'll never have a chance to hide. Perhaps an attack can stop them? But if you miss, then that's wasted time. Instead, you tap your wGlass, and it shows Katherine on the run nearby. You run in her direction until she comes into view.
Katherine has no immediate enemies. You run ahead as the droids continue their focus on you. Upon a zap and the smell of burnt metal, both you and the droid turn to see that Katherine short-circuited the other one. She lunges for the second, but the droid evades; however, you get to slash. The droid falls to the ground in two pieces as you both sprint out of the urban area and into the woods.
"Thanks," you say. "How'd it go for you?"
"Target's dead. Killed the couple Zwei nearby and made my escape. Are you okay? That vest looks like someone punched it into your body."
"Fought a Hero Fixer. Don't ask me to fight another. Any idea about Amita?"
Katherine shrugs. "Let's make sure we get out first."
Both of you run out into an open field, then into the woods again and up a hill. The underbrush crunches beneath your feet as you slash any overgrowth in your way. You're both in a suburban part of Nest K, and people should be getting home around this time, but the woods shelter the area. It's suitable for children to play hide-and-seek.
You arrive at the safehouse's back door and collapse as your exhaustion makes itself fully known.
The next morning, you ride a bus to the W Corp. train station with Katherine. To the dismay of everyone, boarding a train now requires the permission of K Corp. guards ("I'll be late for my meeting!" "What did you expect after a terrorist incident?"). They scan each passenger's ID and verify it with a call to the employer. The Director vouches your fake IDs, and you board a train as the butterflies in your stomach roar. Just a moment later, you arrive in District 12.
Blaine and the crew conduct their arrival inspection. "Hey you two. The Director is busy, but he said to continue working."
Your butterflies go away once and for all, but not your soreness and tiredness. Blaine proposes Rabbit Protocol in the cab, and you agree in the middle of your stretch.
Bahij and Rama, however, glare at each other.
"Don't need it. Feel like I can take on the City."
"Dumb brute."
You glare at both. "Can we not? You can go all-out on the Schedule I for next week if you're so inclined, but some of us need to rest."
"I agree," says Lorine. "Bahij, I don't think you're a dumb brute, but I also don't think you can defeat the City."
"Does it matter?" asks Irmtraud. "I never say no to a day off, and if Lorine agrees, then you guys can scream to your hearts' content."
"I agree, but no screaming."
"Calling the vote," says Blaine. "We've got our four."
"Sit down, losers." Teresa snickers. "Inspections has no objections. Rabbit Protocol authorized."
You wring a frown but sit down as a screen appears in the air.
Almost a few dozen soldiers with rabbit helmets teleport into the first car as usual.
"Feeding us leftovers." One rabbit kicks a bone from one of the passenger skeletons. "Isn't this W Corp.? What the fuck goes on in these trains? Did they invite their Backstreets for lunch?"
"They're not true cannibals if they left the bone. You can grind it up, y'know."
"Pipe down!" shouts the leader. "Today's grass field is this WARP train. Graze everyone who moves. Hop on!"
The rabbits trample over more skeletal remains. In the next car, a couple passengers curled on the floor gnaw on bones. Despite their apparent harmlessness, the rabbits gun the first down. The other passenger gets on their hands and knees and growls.
"Put'em down."
Bullets rip through the passenger. The passenger whimpers until bullets pierce their throat.
The rabbits continue through the cars and find fatter passengers. They hang out their tongues with their arms stretched forward and lumber for the rabbits. They get no more than a couple steps before the bullets shred them. "I ain't your meal!"
Someone growls in the next car, and the rabbits encounter a human, but one with broad shoulders, muscular arms, and the head of a bloodhound. The human-dog scampers on their fours with a bone club in their mouth as the rabbits open fire.
"Dogface bitch-agh!"
Bullets pierce the body, but the human-dog grunts as they pounce and swing their bone club. The rabbit falls with the skull caved in, but then the other rabbits score a bullseye on the human-dog's eyes. The human-dog howls and clutches their face as blood runs from ruined eyeballs.
"Fucking Goodboys!" The rabbits draw their daggers and swarm. They carve up the Goodboy's muscle and chop off the head. "Think you're better than us puny humans?"
"Drop it and focus on the grazing."
The rabbits encounter and open fire on another Goodboy, but this one wears bones in addition to the bone in their mouth. The bullets dent the bone vest and bounce off the skull helmet.
Goodboy crunches the bone in their mouth with a crisp snap and sprints on their fours into the crowd of rabbits. They pounce and punch a hole through the head of one rabbit. When the rabbits fire more bullets, Goodboy shields himself with the hole-head rabbit, grabs the gun, and fires back. Goodboy retreats through the doorway.
"Fuck his chokepoint. The best food works up the appetite." The rabbits fire into the doorway and rush through.
Bullets from Goodboy flatten each one, and a small pile of dead rabbits grows. The Goodboy tosses aside the spent gun and reaches for another one.
"Oh no you don't!" One rabbit hops over the dead mound and tackles the Goodboy. On the floor, the rabbit and Goodboy grapple each other, but the rabbit headbutts Goodboy's face. More rabbits swarm in and pin Goodboy to the ground. "Time to feast!"
The rabbits shove their guns against the squirming Goodboy and fire pointblank. Multiple loud rounds of gunfire blast through until Goodboy stops moving.
"Are there more!? I've never felt so alive!" But as they graze the remaining passengers, they find no more Goodboys. "It's over already? Wipe my mind now, I can't live with the disappointment."
The rabbits gather their dead, almost a quarter of their original force. "What a meal. W Corp., clean up the leftovers."
"Hey, it's starting!" says Lorine. "The King Coals and the Conductors are playing!"
"I'll be there shortly." You finish a call to your mother saying you're thinking of another visit while pushing out thoughts of your eventual betrayal. Bahij is already at the lounge's monitor, and you join Blaine as she makes her way there. However, you notice Blaine scanning over a document with a grim expression before she can switch to a smile. "Captain?"
"Oops..."
"Don't like baseball?"
"It's not that." The paper crinkles under her grip. Blaine lowers her voice. "This just came out: we've got a third consecutive week of Schedule I. Bunch of Seven Association fixers from District 11."
"Oh no..."
"They had a terrorist incident last night, didn't they? Don't tell me you caused it?"
You stare until Blaine grins.
"I'm kidding." Her grin fades. "Still... I'm getting flashbacks to Sumi and Hell Month just thinking about it."
The Director always rejects difficult cleanups as an excuse to get out of missions. Should you petition him for cleanup reinforcements due to the extraordinary circumstances, even if that ruffles his feathers? "What if I asked the Director for personnel?"
Blaine shakes her head. "We're expected to handle this week for sure, and probably the week after. Oh, and don't even think of ignoring my wishes this time; as Captain, I get final say on crew composition."
True, but Blaine isn't the one worrying about asset missions on top of regular work. You make a note to ask her again later.
"You ladies coming?" asks Bahij. "What's up with the scary faces?"
Blaine puts on her sociable smile. "You try smiling whenever the Director comes calling."
He chuckles at the same time your wPhone goes off. Speak of the Head.
"I better take this. Yes, Director?"
"Debriefing. Visit my office and deliver a report with Katherine on your last mission. We also need to discuss the impact of that mission and determine our future plans."
"Uh..." You glance at Lorine. "When should we meet?"
"Now. I need your report urgently in case there are key details that may affect W Corp.'s next steps."
"I'll... be there shortly."
Blaine, Bahij, and Lorine all look at you.
"Lorine, uh, I know you were looking forward to watching the game together, but I can't stay and watch. I need to meet with the Director and give him a report related to asset work, and it's not something I can reschedule. I'm sorry."
Lorine stares for a few silent seconds. "But you promised."
"I know, but I can't refuse the Director. How about we watch another game together?"
"If you're rescheduling now, what's stopping you from rescheduling again? People keep saying stuff like 'I'm sorry, please wait a bit longer, I'll let you play later' over and over again. Are you a liar like them?"
Your heart races, and you remind yourself to not raise your voice. "I'm not. It's, it's, just that this involves the Director. I would honestly rather hang out with you instead of dealing with him. Are you asking me to disobey our boss?"
"Do your own words not matter to you? You'll break a promise because it became inconvenient? Besides, what's the worst that'll happen? People show up late all the time and get away with it; in fact, you get excused for showing up in terrible shape."
"Uh, what if you asked the others to vouch for me?"
Blaine and Bahij look at each other.
"You can trust Ji-Min. I've known her to mean well, even if we don't always agree."
"And Ji-Min saved my life."
Lorine shakes his head. "I like you two, but friends protect friends. And I don't care if any of you think I'm being rude or insensitive because those are the words that everyone throws around whenever I challenge something."
There's no way you'll get to watch the full game. However, perhaps you can still watch an inning or so before the Director loses his patience and sends someone to fetch you. Besides, how angry can he get over a few lost minutes?
Week 14 (Day Off) K Corp. rolls d6+1 for X / Both assistants make major effort rolls / If AP<X, you take -40HP and decrease Rapport -4 with Director; otherwise, increase Rapport +6 with Director / Assets gain ST indefinitely until successful extraction; at the end of each week, Week 14 included, Assistants roll d6 to extract themselves from District 11. Katherine extracts on d6>3 and Amita extracts on d6 = 6.
K Corp.: (2) 2AP Quota
Katherine: (5) 3AP
Amita: (2) 1AP
Ji-Min: 3AP
...7AP. Victory! Comp earned for Week 14 (increased Rapport +6 with Director).
Week 14 (Work) / Schedule I / If W<17, all agents take -50HP / Conduct Emergency check
The Crew votes to activate Rabbit Protocol. Cleared Workweek quota and skipped Emergency and Meltdowns.
...R. Victory! Clock out for Week 14.
You chatted with Lorine. Increased Rapport +1 with Lorine. Additionally, increased Rapport +3 with Lorine.
Azure Squad stat changes
Ji-Min: 55~25HP
Katherine (6) Ready; successfully extracted from District 11
Amita: (2) ST; Stuck in District 11
At the end of each week, Amita attempts to extract from District 11 (success if d6 = 6).
The Crew's stat changes
Ji-Min: 55~25HP
Girish: (10HP, Rapport +1, Favors -1, 10M) ~ (70HP, Rapport +1, Favors -1, 10M)
Lorine: (30HP, Rapport +1, Favors +1, 11M) ~ (90HP, Rapport +5, Favors +1, 11M)
Blaine: (40HP, Rapport +9, Favors +0, 21M) ~ (100HP, Rapport +9, Favors +0, 21M)
Bahij: (60HP, Rapport +9, Favors +2, 22M, Strike +1) ~ (60HP, Rapport +9, Favors +2, 26M, Strike +1)
Rama: (100HP, Rapport -1, Favors +0, 11M, Strike +1) ~ (100HP, Rapport -1, Favors +0, 15M, Strike +1)
Irmtraud: (70HP, Rapport +2, Favors +0, 9M) ~ (100HP, Rapport +2, Favors +0, 9M)
Director's rapport change: +7 ~ +13
INSTRUCTIONS. Submit a plan. See bottom of post for preplans.
-[] Immediate Events - Lorine. Who matters more - Lorine or the Director?
--[] Lorine. The Director can wait. Increase Rapport +4 with Lorine. Increase Rapport +1 with Blaine and Bahij. Increase Favors +1 with Lorine. Decrease Rapport -4 with Director.
--[] Director. Why make your boss mad? Decrease Rapport -8 with Lorine. Decrease Favors -1 with Lorine.
-[] Immediate Events - Mother. W Corp. wants you to visit again. Decrease Max HP -5 for each +4 Rapport with your mother.
--[] Visit mother. Remember the innocent times? Increase Rapport +4 with your mother. Increase Rapport +1 with Director.
--[] Skip visit. You and your mother should not mix. Decrease Rapport -8 with Director.
-[] Day Off. Distribute AP up to one of the following.
--[] Rest. You've got at least two Schedule I weeks on top of more missions. Each AP restores 20HP. Rest for how many AP:
-[] 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 and next two weeks.
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: Bahij has the option to overcharge (add 3W to the quota. After the Meltdown calculation step, Bahij's HP is set to 0HP) this week.
Passenger Advisory Report:
Week 15 (Work) / Schedule I / If W<17, all agents take -50HP / Conduct Emergency check
-[] Immediate Events - Lorine
--[] Lorine
--[] Director
-[] Immediate Events - Mother
--[] Visit mother
--[] Skip visit
-[] Day Off
--[] Rest. Rest for how many AP:
-[] Workweek
--[] Make requests:
--[] Contribute W to the quota:
-[] Relationships
--[] Girish
--[] Lorine
--[] Blaine
--[] Bahij
--[] Rama
--[] Irmtraud
--[] Nobody
[x] Plan: Lorine + Contribute
-[x] Immediate Events - Lorine
--[x] Lorine
-[x] Immediate Events - Mother
--[x] Visit mother
-[x] Day Off
--[x] Rest. Rest for how many AP: 2AP
-[x] Workweek
--[x] Make requests: Ask Lorine, Blaine, Bahij, and Irmtraud to work 3W
--[x] Contribute W to the quota: 3W
-[x] Relationships
--[x] Nobody
[x] Plan: Lorine + Authority
-[x] Immediate Events - Lorine
--[x] Lorine
-[x] Immediate Events - Mother
--[x] Visit mother
-[x] Day Off
--[x] Rest. Rest for how many AP: 4AP
-[x] Workweek
--[x] Make requests: (Authority) Ask Rama to work 3W
--[x] Make requests: Ask Lorine, Blaine, Bahij, and Irmtraud to work 3W
--[x] Contribute W to the quota: 1W
-[x] Relationships
--[x] Nobody
[x] Plan: Director + Authority
-[x] Immediate Events - Lorine
--[x] Director
-[x] Immediate Events - Mother
--[x] Visit mother
-[x] Day Off
--[x] Rest. Rest for how many AP: 4AP
-[x] Workweek
--[x] Make requests: (Authority) Ask Rama to work 3W
--[x] Make requests: Ask Lorine, Blaine, Bahij, and Irmtraud to work 3W
--[x] Contribute W to the quota: 1W
-[x] Relationships
--[x] Nobody
Looking for fugitives? Then you're looking for the Goodboys.
Humans have weak listening, smelling, and mobility capabilities. Our dog-enhanced trackers hear, sniff, and run better than anyone in the City, so only we can stop the perp before they wreak havoc. Don't let'em get away; deploy the Goodboys today!
