Technically not in Ottawa, but connected...
classified location
February 17, 2017
2:22 PM
Not so very long ago, she was plummeting to her death. Now, she was out of her car and sitting on a rickety fire escape platform. If this was Heaven, it lacked a certain allure. If this was Hell or a Naraka, it lacked a certain distress. So she was probably alive. Somehow. And she had finally calmed down enough to notice that somebody was talking just below her.
"I couldn't warn you about something I didn't know about," somebody - a young woman or older girl - complained.
"No, that's alright," replied a second person - a young man, most likely. "You've been my bodyguard pretty much since you got here. I don't expect you to gather intelligence and protect me at the same time."
"Who was gathering intel for us? And where are they now?"
"Calm down, Musujime. We can't do anything to them that Rhodes hasn't already done."
So the girl's name is Musujime, she thought.
"Good. I don't like wasting time on revenge. But now we'll never know why they didn't warn us about the powers Rhodes showed off, or the magic that some of the others used."
"That can't be helped," the man replied. "And I'd like to know more about some of his friends who weren't there, especially the ones who use magic. But we used up all of our goodwill with Uranus and Neptune." Those names caught her interest. He went on, "And it isn't as if somebody else who knows anything about the Puella Magi or the Sailor Senshi or Mimete is going to just drop into our laps."
"Mimete?" she gasped, just before one of the bolts holding the fire escape onto the wall snapped and she went flying... one storey.
The man who had been talking quickly moved to grab her, breaking her fall at the expense of being knocked off his own feet. He ended up sitting on the ground, the eavesdropper draped across his knees.
Musujime laughed. "I'll bet you $1000 that somebody who knows something about the Puella Magi or the Sailor Senshi or Mimete just dropped into your lap."
The man smiled. "Considering the perversity of the universe we've found ourselves in, I'd be a fool to take that bet." He turned his attention to the woman in his lap. "Hello, miss. Is my companion correct?"
"Oh, yes. Yes, she is."
"Would you care to join us inside for coffee? Oh, but I'm neglecting my manners. Leonard Testarossa; I'm pleased to meet you."
"Yuuko Arimura. And if you know where I can find Mimete, I'm very happy to meet you."
classified location
February 18, 2017
9:26 AM
They'd pulled together a small selection of weapons, mostly borrowed from the Social Welfare Agency, to test the newcomer's claims. She's made it most of the way down the table already, having only three more items to comment on.
"Armalite AR-18. Takes 5.56x45mm ammunition. A pain to enchant because of all the steel components, if you're expecting the aluminum components of the AR-16. I never really liked it." She walked over to the next weapon on the table. "ROKS-2. A museum piece, although the fuel tank can be disguised as a backpack so nobody knows you're wearing a flamethrower until it's too late. I never bothered with one, prefering to build my own." Moving along, she saw the next weapon and smiled. "VSS Vintorez. One of the best sniper rifles in existence, in my opinion. Easy to hide, easy to use, easy to enchant. If you have access to a ready supply of these, I'm in."
Leonard smiled and offered his hand. "Welcome to AMALGAM, Ms. Arimura."
As Yuuko Arimura shook Leonard Testarossa's hand, she replied, "Please, call me Eudial. Now, I believe you mentioned knowing where Mimete is...?"
classified location
February 17, 2017
2:22 PM
Not so very long ago, she was plummeting to her death. Now, she was out of her car and sitting on a rickety fire escape platform. If this was Heaven, it lacked a certain allure. If this was Hell or a Naraka, it lacked a certain distress. So she was probably alive. Somehow. And she had finally calmed down enough to notice that somebody was talking just below her.
"I couldn't warn you about something I didn't know about," somebody - a young woman or older girl - complained.
"No, that's alright," replied a second person - a young man, most likely. "You've been my bodyguard pretty much since you got here. I don't expect you to gather intelligence and protect me at the same time."
"Who was gathering intel for us? And where are they now?"
"Calm down, Musujime. We can't do anything to them that Rhodes hasn't already done."
So the girl's name is Musujime, she thought.
"Good. I don't like wasting time on revenge. But now we'll never know why they didn't warn us about the powers Rhodes showed off, or the magic that some of the others used."
"That can't be helped," the man replied. "And I'd like to know more about some of his friends who weren't there, especially the ones who use magic. But we used up all of our goodwill with Uranus and Neptune." Those names caught her interest. He went on, "And it isn't as if somebody else who knows anything about the Puella Magi or the Sailor Senshi or Mimete is going to just drop into our laps."
"Mimete?" she gasped, just before one of the bolts holding the fire escape onto the wall snapped and she went flying... one storey.
The man who had been talking quickly moved to grab her, breaking her fall at the expense of being knocked off his own feet. He ended up sitting on the ground, the eavesdropper draped across his knees.
Musujime laughed. "I'll bet you $1000 that somebody who knows something about the Puella Magi or the Sailor Senshi or Mimete just dropped into your lap."
The man smiled. "Considering the perversity of the universe we've found ourselves in, I'd be a fool to take that bet." He turned his attention to the woman in his lap. "Hello, miss. Is my companion correct?"
"Oh, yes. Yes, she is."
"Would you care to join us inside for coffee? Oh, but I'm neglecting my manners. Leonard Testarossa; I'm pleased to meet you."
"Yuuko Arimura. And if you know where I can find Mimete, I'm very happy to meet you."
classified location
February 18, 2017
9:26 AM
They'd pulled together a small selection of weapons, mostly borrowed from the Social Welfare Agency, to test the newcomer's claims. She's made it most of the way down the table already, having only three more items to comment on.
"Armalite AR-18. Takes 5.56x45mm ammunition. A pain to enchant because of all the steel components, if you're expecting the aluminum components of the AR-16. I never really liked it." She walked over to the next weapon on the table. "ROKS-2. A museum piece, although the fuel tank can be disguised as a backpack so nobody knows you're wearing a flamethrower until it's too late. I never bothered with one, prefering to build my own." Moving along, she saw the next weapon and smiled. "VSS Vintorez. One of the best sniper rifles in existence, in my opinion. Easy to hide, easy to use, easy to enchant. If you have access to a ready supply of these, I'm in."
Leonard smiled and offered his hand. "Welcome to AMALGAM, Ms. Arimura."
As Yuuko Arimura shook Leonard Testarossa's hand, she replied, "Please, call me Eudial. Now, I believe you mentioned knowing where Mimete is...?"
--
Rob Kelk
Sticks and stones can break your bones,
But words can break your heart.
- unknown
Rob Kelk
Sticks and stones can break your bones,
But words can break your heart.
- unknown