Revision as of 05:38, 10 October 2016

Participants

• Aaron
• Acetyl
• Arris
• Astara
• Briana-m
• Cerl
• Fenris
• Firecracker
• Joannah
• Phosphorus
• Raika
• Redd
• Willy
• Zophah

Date

10/10/2016

Log

Fenris seems to have acquired a box of donuts as well and snacks on them happily as he watches agents assemble. Aware that the prim feline is watching, he waves a glazed pastry at her. Hard to say if it is an offer or just a greeting.

Walking into the newsstand, Joannah looks around the room at the people already gathered there. She is in her usual feline form, well, mostly feline, just with a few differences. Her gear consists mainly of a rather minimalist piece of armor, barely covering her more private bits and a rather large gun strapped to her back next to a backpack made of ducttape. She gives a small wave to the gathered people and walks over to the feline, her wings tightly folded against her back and her lower pair of arms tucked inbetween her two breast rows to keep them out of the way. "I got a call that there is a job that requires doing, and I thought it to be a good idea to volunteer myself." she says, looking confidently around the room, although slightly uncertain due to the size of the gathered crowd.

Zophah enters in near the back, wearing her tell-tale lab coat and bikini. Her bag is loaded down with more supplies than last time, and she stands with a air of determination. "Zophah here. I hope that we make it a lot better this time." She adjusts the compound bow at her sholder a bit before standing at the ready.

The last mission wasn't exactly a stellar success, but Phosphorus is always around to try to make the next mission into one. She slips into the crowded newsroom, lingering by the exit while she waits for everything to get itself sorted. No reason to expend energy pushing through the crowd, nope nope.

Drawing in a deep breath, the feline woman regards the gathering with a sense of quiet contempt. Not hostility, per se; there is simply a sense that she would much rather be doing anything else. "All right." she addresses the crowd, in a voice disproportionately loud enough to be intended to gather attention. "Let's get this over with. It was made clear to me that if more than seven agents arrived as candidates for this mission, I should select the seven I thought should make the best team. So, let's see here..." She appears to be utterly ignoring any questions directed at her. Tapping notes into her PDA, she peers at various agents and starts pointing at people. "You and you." she states, pointing at Astara and Fenris. "You two have good track records. Come here." Glancing at Phosphorus, she narrows her eyes a little bit, a hint of recognition in her demeanor. "You too. Even if the last mission was a colossal failure, your knowledge of the facility might be useful." Her discerning gaze falls upon the others as she continues to work to make her decision.

Arris looks around the crowd, seeing the many others who sie has to compete with. "Uh, I think I should go on the mission too. I've seen the inside of the facility as well, and I'm a good shot with my rifle here. And, one more thing..." Sie passes the envelope to the feline woman. "It's for last time. Took me awhile to find all this catnip." A peek inside reveals two palm-sized ziplock bags of the stuff. "Just... I'm sorry the last mission went the way it did, okay?

The Storm Dragon's eyes flick around the circle of faces, rapidly taking them in. There were clearly too many of them. Not all would be sent. That was obvious at a glance. Acetyl could only hope that he was chosen. Certainly, he had the credentials and field experience to justify reporting for the assignment, but these others likely did, as well, or they wouldn't be here. (Or so Acetyl hoped. Then again, from the rumors he'd heard, that might be why the last attempt at this mission failed... ) Still, all he could do was present himself and hope that luck was with him that day. The Storm Dragon was geared up for combat, but he also appeared to be carrying several pieces of technical equipment. Some of the others spoke up right away, but Acetyl simply returned his attention to the feline businesswoman. He figured it was better to wait to be addressed rather than try to get a word in among the others speaking up right as they came in. Without really thinking about it, Acetyl took hold of the pendant around his neck and rubbed at it idly like a worrystone as he stood, waiting.

When the businesswoman's gaze falls upon him, Acetyl replies promptly, his oddly rhythmic voice cool and even in tone. "Ma'am, my name is Acetyl. I've been an agent of Zephyr for a few years now. I am involved in nanomagic research and design. I am also active in xenobiology and xenopsychology, particularly the study of plant-like mutants. I also have extensive combat experience," he notes, gesturing vaguely at his well-equipped form. In addition to the polearm he leans on, a knife and a homing boomerang are holstered on his belt, and he has not one but two types of armor on, though both are light, flexible types. Still, it's clear the Storm Dragon did his best to equip himself for the mission. "I won't waste your time with a full listing of my credentials and field experience; suffice to say that they are both equal to this mission." Acetyl pauses for a moment, as if unsure he should continue, then adds, slowly, "Finally, as the... caretaker... of Xanadu Gardens, I have specific personal interest in the outcome of this mission." A trace of hesitation cracks through the Storm Dragon's otherwise neutral professional demeanor, but for the most part he keeps his cool. Beside him, the odd inorganic mutant simply waits quietly.

Firecracker lands on the ground, standing on her hindlegs and crossing her forelegs in front of her while showing off a cocky grin, demeanor completely different than usual. "Heh, you said we better be ready to fight in a hydroponics lab, right? Well I'm betting you'll need someone that can deal with plants, and I'm betting this'll be helpful at least." She raises a forehoof in front of her, giving off a pink flame that changes colors, getting larger and smaller before she waves her hoof, extinguishing it.

"Bribery isn't going to get you a spot, you know." The coyote smirks. "I've got plenty of experience with locks and doors, and a fair bit of biology and medical knowledge. I'm sure Zephyr's more than familiar with my record on missions. No failures, deaths or severe injuries." Redd pulls his hat off, "If you pick someone else, I'll be fine, and ready if there's a need for backup. Fast enough to get most anywhere in the region in ten to twenty minutes."

Astara nods in response to the feline woman, smiling wider now. "I'm glad to be of service, Miss." She looks around and inspects who else is coming along... and sees basically all familiar faces, nodding to Fenris, Phosphorus, and Redd.

Cerl looks around at all the other applicants, but few looked capable of stealth when sneaking was required. Several even reeked of their lust. Quickly checking that her own scent masking device was properly activated, she states, "I specialize in getting in and getting out unseen. I, too, am skilled with locks of all kinda, and posess considerable xenobiology knowledge. If that will be useful to you, I am here."

Raika simply watches and listens at this point. She's already said all the information that the businesswoman really needs about her; any specifics about those competencies she mentioned -- combat and technical -- can probably be ascertained just by looking at the kind of gear she's packing. It's up to the woman to make the decisions about the team, and if she ends up not being chosen, oh well, she can find other work to do.

Willy grins a little as and looks about the group and then back to the woman. "I truly think I would be helpful for the task. I am very knowledgable when it comes to technology, and computers, and I have been working as a scientist at the Clairmont College studying Nanites." he says with a he gives a smile grin and a swish of his tails as he continues. "I have also been the lead researcher on several projects, including one to improve the sewer system." the Fennec then strides a little with a hand out. "Added to it, I am a trusted person in combat, and I have completed a mission before I believe having to do with this situation a while ago. So yes, I think you should pick me."

Briana-m goes through checking her gear again, making sure everything is in working order. "In addition to what I said before, I have a good handle on dealing people, especially deceiving them, and am quite familiar with the standard operating procedures and rules that must be followed."

Fenris pops his last donut in his mouth and nods at the cat's recognition, just smiling a little as he chews. The tubby tanuki raises a sugar coated finger to the brim of his hat in a lazy salute and folds his arms waiting for the rest of the team to be chosen.

Joannah gets a small grin on her face. "Right, so a resume then? Okay, I have a history of going into the toughest places alone, but I can function well in a team. Versatile and quick on my feet, quick thinking and adaptable." she says with confidence, her large feline tail swishing happily behind her. "I may not be from Zephyr but I can go toe to toe with almost anything from the Wax Museum." She shrugs her shoulders a bit, adjusting the large M4 Carbine that is strapped to her back, revealing the large sword that it was lying on top of. "I have trained quite a few people myself, among who is Yaprap, who has been on a previous mission and I'm a very good crafter, I made almost all of my own requipment and it's to a very high standard. I don't know if that is good enough for this mission, but I think I could be a great asset, not just for my reconnaissance abilities." Joannah nods back to that large M4 which also has a very heavily modified laser scope attached to it.

With the intent to prove herself, Zophah pulls out one of her smaller notebooks and holds it up for the Zephyr woman to see. "I have gathered information on the lab since the last mission, first on which paths through the wilderness will take the least amount of time. I also included some information I've been able to gather from others on the possible layout of the building, based on pre-P-Day buildings of similar use and architecture. Near the end of the notebook is also research on what the entity might consist of and possible powers or traits it might have. Even if I don't go on the mission I suggest you take a look."

Phosphorus gives a slight, tact nod over to Aaron as her name is called, leaning by the exit of the newsroom and watching the others duke it out for a slot. She shoots a nod towards Fenris, too. They did well enough last time.

The woman furrows her brow, looking from agent to agent. "You." A clawed finger points at Acetyl. "You're in." she tells him, before eyeing Firecracker with the same expression one might use when wishing death upon a mosquito. Returning to the task at hand, she repeats the same gesture she used with Acetyl at...Willy. "You're in." she tells him in a flat tone, before considering her remaining options. "You. And you." Finally, Cerl and Raika have been selected. As if reciting a rehearsed speech, she states, "I'd like to thank all of you for expressing interest in this mission, and your presence here today will be documented." A quick picture is taken - let's hear it for comm unit features, even if this one isn't widely available - and she dismisses the rest of the agents. "Now then, let's get on with it."

A quick aside is cast to Arris: "Sorry, honey. I'm trying to cut down."

Firecracker shrugs and says, "Well alright then, good luck and don't screw it up guys and gals! Believe in me who believes in you!" She grins and walks out of the room on her hindlegs, forelegs folded behind her head as she goes.

Arris nods, giving the exec a smile. "Ah, that's alright. I understand, no hard feelings. Maybe I can catch your name next mission? Yeah, good luck in the lab." Sie turns to leave the newsstand, nudging Zophah on hir way out to follow hir. "C'mon, Zophah. Let's go get some drinks over at the Milk Saloon. We'll find out what happens at the lab sooner or later."

"My offer of backup stands, I'll find ya'll if I hear about trouble." Redd nods to those selected. "Phos, Fenris, I know you two are competent, take care of the others, and if you need help, don't be afraid to ask." The coyote sneaks the panda a quick hug. "I expect to hear some good stories later."

One by one, the others make their cases to be chosen. Acetyl does his best to wait calmly. He'd either get included in the mission on his own merits, or not. Impatience could do nothing but hurt his chances by making him look unprofessional, foolish, arrogant... whatever the case, it was self-destructive. So although part of him wants to chew at his lower lip, or lick his lower teeth in anxiety, he holds control of himself. To stop himself from fiddling with his pendant again, he forces himself to keep his free hand at his side. The inorganic mutant nuzzles fondly at Acetyl's hand with its bony muzzle, drawing a small inadvertent smile from the waiting Zephyr agent. He wipes his expression back to cool neutrality quickly, but not before giving the quadrupedal mutant a quick rub atop its skull-like head. Settling himself mentally, Acetyl listens, and waits.

In spite of his attempt to discipline himself by preparing emotionally for failure, the Storm Dragon can't help but let out a small breath of relief when that clawed finger jabs in his direction. Whew! It was bad enough he'd missed the last call for this mission. If he'd failed to qualify this time, he would have been very angry with himself. As it was, he nodded to the feline and moved to join the others who had been chosen, patting his hip softly to call his mutant companion after him. The inorganic creature seems to have a fairly bestial mentality, but also appears to be fairly mild and well behaved. Again it sits beside Acetyl calmly, looking up and around at all the agents with a vacuous expression of vague curiosity.

Astara poses for the photograph with her arms crossed under across her chest, smiling genuinely, but in a way that comes out a little intimadating considering her overall demonic visage. "So, team... I suppose we should start with names and introductions: I'm Astara. Happened to be on the prior mission to this, so I have some idea of what we're getting ourselves into... it isn't nice. Don't know what's changed in the intervening weeks since the least expedition, however."

Cerl calmly checks her rifle, slapping the mag back in but not racking a round before reslinging it over her shoulder as those not selected depart. Glancing over at Astara, she quietly growls, "As I said earlier, I'm Cerl. I'm a specialist in getting in and getting out silently and unseen."

Raika is actually a little surprised that she got selected given that she didn't try to sell herself like the others (perhaps her gear really did speak for itself, or the woman just wanted someone who would listen rather than talk; who knows), and she doesn't do the best job of hiding that surprise. It fades quickly, though, and she nods -- both to the businesswoman and to Firecracker on the whole 'don't screw this up' thing -- before focusing back on the businesswoman and listening for the mission briefing. Or she tries to, anyway. Seems this Astara fellow wants to do introductions. "Raika. I'm a child of the nanite age and have been spending most of my life playing peacekeeper, or something to that effect. I'll be the first to admit I'm probably most comfortable when it comes to combat, but I do hope I'm at least not a burden otherwise."

Willy smiles and bows "I thank you for the oppertunity, and I will do my best to make sure this mission goes off without a hitch" he says as he rises back up, his tails rapidly wagging in happiness for getting the job. As he awaited first orders, the Fennec takes a quick look within his backpack and makes sure all his stuff is in order so that there aren't any suprises as the mission goes. As he pulls his head out of the pack, he hears Astara's request and turns with his hand behind his back. Smiling and trying to look more gentlemanly than cute he smiles and starts to say "I am William Swift, although most people here just call me Willy. As noted I am a bit of a science researcher, which has been my main work over the past few months, but I figured it would be good to go out and explore agian, and help everyone in the process." He smiles "I am also a capable shield if combat breaks out, though I may shift a little if that is the case. This form is fun when being around town, but I probably need something bulkier if stuff becomes heated."

"It wasn't so bad," Fenris says amiably, "Just a bunch of screaming vines. Nothing so bad about that!" The tanuki starts a little as something occurs to him and he grins, tapping his nose and producing a pair of bright orange roll up ear plugs. "Brought these this time," he says, "I'm all set!" He grins and nods at the introductions. "My shirt says Tubbs," he says as an introduction of his own.

Zophah sighs that she didn't get to go, but is determined to give the group its best shot at success. She moves forward to hand Astara her notebook on the biolab, saying "I know you can make use of this, or at least get it to whomever can use it. Good luck." She then joins Arris in hand as they make their way out the door.

Phosphorus notes, "I don't feel we should actually be expecting combat, here. That might be going in with the wrong mindset. I'd recommend keeping your wits about you, rather than having your finger on that trigger." She drums her fingers idly on the outside of her armor, checking to make sure she has her basic kit with her. "We should probably get moving, if we plan to get out of there in any reasonable amount of time."

The woman draws in a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment as she addresses the remaining agents. "Now that we've got that mess sorted out, I'll make this short and sweet." she states in an even, severe tone. "This is the second attempt at this mission. The first was an unmitigated catastrophe, as some of you already know. Your mission is to inspect the hydroponics lab east of Fairhaven near the hills, and determine what happened to it. Fortunately, the team before you at least got the door open before transforming the area into a raging inferno that cost countless lives." Tap-tap-tap on her PDA, and she continues. "Your task is to investigate what happened in the lab and report back. Bring whatever you can salvage, and for god's sake, determine what the hell made that horrible screaming sound for a solid day after the mission was set ablaze." Tap-tap. "The location has been sent to your comm units. Now, get moving; I don't know what that place is like after dark, and I don't want to." With that, she begins to walk out of the room, tailtip twitching behind her.

Willy thats fine with me

On the ride out, Acetyl feels a little awkward. He scratches at his scruffy, overgrown human-like hair, flicking his muzzle to toss a strand of it out of his face. Now that he's less anxious, having secured a place on the team, his speech flows a little more casually, though still with that strange rain-like rhythmic cadence. The others introduced themselves, so he felt an obligation to do the same. "Well, decided to keep my trap shut back there, but now we're en route, might as well take my turn. My name's Acetyl. I do a lot of things for the big Z, and I guess you already heard me say before why I'm here. I can do a lot of things not so well and a few things very well," he adds with a toothy grin. "Suffice to say I'm ready to try to help in as many ways as I can." He didn't say that he was also hoping to find the answers to some questions of his own regarding Xanadu Gardens and plant-based mutants, but that thought was also in the Storm Dragon's mind as he spoke.

As an afterthought, Acetyl patted the inorganic mutant beside him again and said, "Oh, yeah. This here's Iatro. He likes to follow me around. Thought of asking 'im to stay home, but - " At those words, the iatrogenic golem's head dips sadly, and Acetyl rubs at one of its antler-like horns to soothe it. "See? Just the idea makes 'im sad. He likes to go where I go. And I can't deny he's got his uses. But don't hesitate to give him orders if needed. He knows he's to mind y'all," the Storm Dragon added in a slightly firmer tone, eyes flicking to his companion. The mutant made a soft whistling noise, blown through its nose-hole. This seemed to be an acquiescence, because Acetyl looked back to the rest of the team, nodding a bit in satisfaction. "So what can those of you who were on this ride the first time tell us newbies?"

Astara shivers as she moves, unable to shake the visceral memory of the blood-curdling screams the team encountered last time. She's roused out of her semi-trance by Acetyl speaking, turning her attention to him, nodding along. "I don't know just what we're going to be facing in there, but if the... whole having-your-extremities-incinerated didn't end up killing whatever floral monstrosity is inhabtiing the facility, we're probably going to have a rough time. Every last little bit of help we have, we're going to need."

Drawing upon her illusionary abilities, Cerl fades almost to invisibility until she appears to be no more than a dark shadow moving along the road with the rest of the party. She kept a watchful eye everywhere, though the risk any group of ferals would try ambushing a party this large was remote.

Raika stays quiet, since she's said what she needs to say, though the explanation of Iatro does get her visibly thinking about potential tactical things. She'll learn more by listening than talking, anyway.

Willy smiles as they are journeying out to the site. It had been several months since his last mission outside of the main cities, and he was curious what sort of mess he had come in on. Hearing Acetyl's introduction be nods to her and listens about Iatro, nodding twoards the end. As he listens to the others discuss, he looks to the others in reaction to Astara's comments. "What happened in that last mission to cause for the fire by the way?" he asks.

Fenris taps the brim of his hat in salute, then turns and jogs out of the Zephyr building, fluffy tail bobbing along behind him. For being such a large guy, he moves with surprising speed and grace, even humming a little as he listens to the others. Every now and then he happily murmurs lyrics. "Raaaaaaight iiiintooo the DANGER ZONE!" he sings quietly, watching the abandoned highway as they pass the city limits. "Dunno," he breaks from his singing to answer Willy, "I didn't see the fire til it was all over."