RP: ISC Phoenix [Mission 10] - Lock Up The Wolves

Uriel opened his mouth to answer, paused, bobbed backwards to evade the agile weaving of Robert, then resumed where he left off.

"Eggs in toast?" This was a novel idea to the Elysian. Eggs and toast, yes, but IN? It had to be the product of an "on-the-go" mentality, for he could find no reason to meld two perfectly delicious foods.

Smith was particularly irritated today.

He hadn't had breakfast yet. The Baby Mishhu had escaped. And, Enzo had already hopped onto his feet to take a stance at him. "No, it's not Miss Aihara that has attention - it's what's in her hand Mr. Bortelli," Smith replied with a cold smile. Smith admitted he wasn't particularly fond of the Neko, but this was an honest misunderstanding. It still irked him though, and it showed.

As he turned to follow Naoko, he couldn't help but say to the little droid something he learned summarized his existence on Luca Pavone's crew, "Only in the Phoenix." As he passed by Zeta however, he only gave her a more casual 'so-so' gesture to the woman. After finally figuring out her cause, he couldn't help but feel sympathy for her, and as a result was more relaxed in her presence.

When the two were finally in the cargo hold alone with the volatile critter, Smith merely clipped the sawed-off to his belt before crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. The way that Naoko berated the Mishhu brought back memories of his little sister's first pet on Dawn Station; she had to discipline her own pet for making a mess. Of course, what he saw here was a complete mockery of that.

Interrupting this was Luca's voice, yelling in his ear about eggs and toast or other, shattering the image of calm Smith had - the man quickly yanked the earbud out before replacing it gingery. "Mr. Pavone, you don't need to yell over the comms," he answered. "And yes, I think we may appreciate it, however you'll make it." With that resolved, his attention settled on the two in front of him again.

This scene here could be summed up as 'A Neko and Her Mishhu' more or less; it was quite humorous, especially when considering how the tables were turned in relation to the war. At her beckon, Smith casually walked over to the Mishhu and began to talk to it himself, his voice surprisingly soothing in comparison to Naoko's.

"Listen, we'll consider letting you out once in a while if you behave well, but right now you're not," Matthew spoke with the air of a parent softly scolding a child. "We're angry that you went around without our permission, but what we're really angry about is that you skipped your medicine. We can't have that, can we?" he asked it kindly. Out of a vial in his jacket, a small meaty cube was shaken out and laid beside the little critter.

The shotgun was again in Smith's free hand, the barrel dangerously close to pointing at the Mishhu.

"I see. You guys is raisin' it." Enzo seemed to appear in the closest ORV's back seat, he'd been so quietly watching Smith from afar. He peered over the side of the vehicle at the Mishu child with a curious gaze.

"I never had either of yous down as the parenting types." He suggested, cigarette blazing between every word. "What's its name?"

"Ernie also wishes to know what to identify the tiny teuthidian-like lifeform as." the little robot piped up, guns still out, but no longer tracking the little creature as it sat on the floor.

Ernie was still worrying away in its processes, thinking about baby-mishu proofing the ventilation and any other scurry holes it might be able to fit.

Zeta gigled and shook her head as Robert stole the food meant for John. Like a small boy, she thought. As Luca was cooking more of the egg delicousness, Zeta was putting it in fron of people. Sadly Smitthy, Nao and Enzo left.

"So Luca," she said. It was little strange not calling him boss or skipper, but at the time it seemed right. "What do you think of this call you just got?" She asked?

The crab-thing murbled a bit, obviously expecting to be booted around some more, and stayed firmly in its shell.

Until it smelled the food.

Then it sent out a feeler, a little pinprick of a squirming whisker, to inspect. It prodded the bit of meat, poked at it, attempted to assess it without actually looking at it.

Then, what passed for its head, with its beady little eyes, appeared. It chomped down without reservation and munched with a wary eye on the shotgun and 'daddy'.

From off to the side, Naoko stated, "I don't really think we're getting through to it this way, ne."

"Zeta, even if this checks out okay I still think its a load of bullshit," Luca was quick to point out based upon recent events, "Once again, someone clearly wants me ousted, and I'm simply not going to give them that satisfaction."

He then looked over to a newspaper on the table and noted that there was an International Peace Conference taking place, "Then again, I might need to make some verification of my own." He got his communicator out and started tapping away, looking for the right number, "Is it bad that I don't trust a government-run Intelligence company to verify information for me?"

He sighed and rolled his eyes, there was a cold war within a hot war in a universe fraught with peril, danger, and things willing and able to tear your face off - you could never do wrong by checking your facts, "Nevermind, phone's ringing - Hello? Yes. I was referred by Iza, tall drink of water, silver-grey hair... yeah, that's the one. Yes, is Luca Pavone receiving a medal in the next couple of days or so? No? Figures."

Then he was asked who was calling: "Oh, who else would ask about Luca Pavone?" He smirked and hung up, he then looked to the others who'd cared to be assembled: "Well, that about settles it, I think I've just told someone what I think of their best laid plans, and I didn't have to fire a single bullet."

He then made and plated up a few more egg-in-toasts and distributed them. The one for John was taken by Robert, Zeta took the second one, Uriel was next, John's egg followed, and Luca's was the last in line. Three more were left for the others trying to interrogate the mishhu into playing nice with the crew and eating its growth inhibitor hormones like a good pet.

"Well, I'd say this is an achievement, personal disaster averted, facts checked, and not a shot fired. I think this calls for a timeskip."
"A what?" John asked.
"Ever wonder what you spent the last two weeks doing, John?"
"Er, I don't follow, what do you-"

MISSION 10 - CO ring ring... ring ring...

"Huh?" Luca blinked and looked over to the communicator, on the table, ringing and pleading for an answer. He stared at it, dumbfounded for a few moments and wondered just how he was interrupted. The number incoming was his secure line to SAINT.

"Should I answer that?" He raised an eyebrow and his hand was hovering over the phone in contemplation. Clearly, whoever was on the other side of the line must've had something important enough to interrupt the end titles. Luca, and by extension, the crew had very little experience with a force this hefty.

Luca's Brain said:

This looks promising!
Its a trap, and you know it. You said it yourself, monkey boy.
Don't leave a girl waiting, Luca - especially if they can flip the fuck out, murderise everyone with their mind and detain your family and crew on trumped up charges.
Hey, shut up. Both of you. Ego, don't say that about my family... Is Murderise even a word?
I dunno. It is now. Now pick up the fucking phone.
I don't care if Iza, or whoever she claims to be is on the other side of that line. This is going to be nothing but trouble.

Click to expand...

Luca was staring into empty space as he wondered whether to pick up his own phone.

"So it ain't got a name..." Enzo deduced. He kept his distance, but relaxed a bit more in the back seat of the ORV; finally holstering his gun. The curious conman climbed over the back of the vehicle, pushing off Ernie slightly to make his way around the imaginary proximity circle he drew around the tiny creature and came to a stop at it's closest point to Naoko.

There, he leaned forward with his hands on his hips, examining it.

"Yous should names it somethin' cool." He said, "An' no stupids Yamataian woids, either."

Uriel graciously received his breakfast and ate quietly, standing all the while. His courtly upbringing shown through yet again, his lips unmarred by crumbs or grease and his egg never leaked a drop. Quite frankly, it was a skill and one that few had mastered, but which Uriel took for granted. He was on his third egg-in-toast and his second glass of orange juice when the phone rang.

For some unexplainable reason he was feeling quite... proactive that morning. Maybe it was the social but calm breakfast. Maybe it was the new food. Maybe it was just human nature, that natural inconsistency that so consistently defined sentient life. Whatever the case, he reached past Luca, picked up the receiver, brought it to his face, and answered with a straight face, "Phoenix Enterprises." He thought it was quite catchy, and very creative for something so on-the-spot. While awaiting the response, he took another bite of toast and another sip of orange juice.

Smith, without taking his eyes of the baby Mishhu, considered Enzo's words. Absurd. Naming it? Why in the name of all that was Manly would they name this thing? It didn't matter. "In all honesty Mr. Bortelli, we had originally planned on selling it and splitting the earnings between the two of us," the Ori-Rep started to explain, "However, finding a buyer that is not aligned or working for any of the major powers, that won't stab us in the back to get it for free, and has an appropriately deep wallet is proving difficult," Smith answered, pushing up his glasses with the base of his palm.

The truth was, he did know someone who fit the bill exactly; Aerin Tatst. However, no matter how perfect she fit the bill, the image of Aerin entangled in the Mishhu's tentacles horrified Smith. Of course, she'd take precautions like anyone else, but this was a Mishhu! Anything could happen, and he'd not jeopardize someone with whom he felt was like family. Women + Mishhu = Disaster. This was something that was drilled into all people in this day and age.

"As is dealing with this one," he then admitted to Naoko. "If you don't think this is making a good impression on it, what do you think will?" Smith asked her. "We can abuse it all we like, but we can't kill it, and it knows that. Plus, it's...one tough Cookie," the man admitted. It could shrug off what abuse they gave it, so long as it wasn't lethal. What would get results from it?

"I seriously doubt showing it with lots of love and affection will do anything," Smith sighed. He was at wit's end - it was a miracle Luca and the others hadn't become fed up with it yet.

"You's havin' troubles findin' a buyer?"

Enzo's eyes lit up. In that moment he was singularly the best and the worst person to hear Smith's words. Whatever Smith said to Naoko after that went into one of Enzo's ears and flew out the other on its way to her. In fact, Enzo may as well have been in another room with a little green visor on his head, for all the math he was doing. He silently mouthed a few words here and there, but otherwise stood entirely still for a moment before blurting out, "Cut me in."

Zeta are her egg in bread and wondered how Luca got idea for this meal. It was actually pretty tasty. He always though up crazy things like this, like it was perfectly normal thing to do. He really was amazing man. Zeta analysed that though for a while. She wondered if her hormones got better of her just now? Was she in love with Luca? Maybe. But can simple clone as herself even be capable of love? Isn't this just some though that was programmed in her when she was created? Luca was man she was supposed to protect after all.

Zeta shook her head to get though such as that away and quickly downed a glass of orange juice. She then sighed. Suddenly Luca's phone started ringing and Luca was apparently not sure whether he should or should not pick it up. Zeta though she might take the call for him, but Uriel moved in and took it first. Much to Zeta's surprise.

Ernie also came out of his cover in the hangar and joined the others, pistol down by its side as it approached, whirring in thought again.

"Ernie has completed some searches on similar creatures," the little robot piped up "it appears that it has a brain similar in design to a neko's. Therefore, Ernie predicts that nekovalkrja mind-altering substances will produce similar affects in..." Ernie paused, almost in thought. "...the thing."

"A strange substance whose existence seems to have been surpressed by multiple powers, commonly referred to as 'catnip'."

When Uriel picked up the phone, he heard a voice he didn't recognise: "Please put Mr. Pavone on the line, sir." Female, motherly, and by the sound of that slight gruffness to her voice, experienced. Thanks to the phone's construction, Luca was also able to hear what was going on, and he gave Uriel a nod to hand the phone over, or at least put it down on the table and loudspeaker - which he did.

"I'm here, but note that you're on loudspeaker," Luca recognised the voice with a raised eyebrow and a coy grin, "I have to admit, you have balls for calling me when I'm on holidays."
"Your sense of privacy isn't one of your strong suits, again," She replied, almost toyingly with the kid, "You don't seem to understand why I called you specifically - Do you remember your Brother?"

Luca's face scrunched up into one of concern before he looked to the others. For the first time in two weeks, Luca had been genuinely concerned about something. He picked up the phone, disabled the loudspeaker, and held it to his ear, "Please tell me you've found him, anything, even a body. Its been eight long fucking years."

"Do you remember N-357?" Luca blinked in reply to the question.
"That little speck of dirt beyond buggery? Yeah. I believe I destroyed a fortress there with a mad scientist, and his virus. I had a different crew at that time... how did you find out about that?" They never released the information as to where that mission took place.

"I have my ways."
"So you have access to SAINT's slush files. I always figured they had a category labelled 'entertainment', that narrows things down - wherever you're from."
"I'm from nowhere, just like you. One day, I was simply fed up with the way things were and I decided to go out and make a difference, just like you." Her tone was teasing, which made Luca roll his eyes, "However, I am a solo act, but if you feel the need to surround yourself with like minded people, that is fine."

"Cut to the chase. I'm not exactly receptive to philosophical dressings down on the nature of what I do and why - I just do it," His brow furrowed in anger, "What were you saying about my brother? Is he alive? Is he dead?"

"Let us say that he requires your assistance, there is something he cannot complete by himself. Someone was able to see the invisible and he has paid a dear price. Not before he could turn them into... a twelve piece puzzle."

"You've got to stop hurting yourself like that!" A flood of memories came returning to Luca. He found himself lying down in a ditch with a broken arm, and his brother looking over him wearing a motorcycle helmet.

"You've got to stop hurting..." The scenery started to shift subtly - the ambient light begun to dull and walls closed in. A stuffy room with a chair in the middle.

"You've got to stop... Vincent O'Malley, Arin Berelai, Hitori Sasorix, Michio Kano - Luca remembered them all too injured to fight and took it on himself to finish what they started.
"You've got... Michael Kreisen was dead, but not by Luca's hand.

Finally, there he was, standing over a twelve piece puzzle on the ground, formerly a vile mercenary pursuer, with a vibro-blade katana in hand, and a heavily modified Harpy armour, with six eyes and invisibility systems. Navy blue and sleekly constructed.

"You've..."

"You've grown..."

As Luca snapped back to reality and it all fell into place, he dropped the phone. A cold sweat ran down his face, "...Fuck. Me. Running." He freaked out and bent over to pick the phone back up and fumbled with it. His voice was frantic, "Tell me. Tell me now."

With breakfast devoured ever so tidily, the Patrician waited patiently for this news. Instead he seemed to earn only more half-clues to a half-explanation of an event far in the past. None of it pertained to him, and more importantly none of it thus far concerned him. So he rose, murmured to be excused, and left for his room. He still had some reading to do and not the faintest idea that Naoko and Smith were attempting to raise and sell a Misshu just beyond the kitchen.

But oh, if he only knew the whole story to Luca's past, or was aware of all the goings-on...

...If only.

Zeta frowned. "So much for vacation," she said and started taking plates of the table to keep herself busy. So Luca had a brother. Why did he never mentioned him? Was he not related by blood? Was he just some comrade from army that he considered so close to call him brother. Many options, but Zeta reminded herself that it was not her bussiness. Yes she could go ask Sebastian, or Luca's mum. She would hate to go behind his back though. She will tell Luca he can talk to her and if he decides to talk to her, then he could and she would be there for him. She plans to be there for him till the end after all.

A third wheel. Just what we needed, he sarcastically thought.

Smith's face stood frozen and impassive behind his clear glasses, inscrutable as he briefly turned to look at Enzo before centering his attention on the little baby again. Inside however, he couldn't help but feel annoyed. "What do you think Naoko?" he asked. It was a toss up either way in all honesty. With a third person, the profit margin obviously shrinks, but we may be able to get rid of this thing sooner. Which happens to be better; the last thing we need is - he paused briefly as the little robot spoke up.

"...What?" Smith asked, a hint of annoyance creeping into his voice. "Catnip? Now, why...why would we do that?" the Ori-Rep went on slowly. "It already wants to rape and kill, not in that order of course, and you're suggesting we make it want to rape first?" Smith shook his head very deliberately before continuing on, voice frosty. "I'm not sure that making the little squid have priorities in order is a good thing."

And not only that, but I don't want Naoko taking a sniff of that stuff either, he thought to himself, recalling the scene when he stepped into the infirmary at the exact wrong moment. Thank god I rolled high. No telling what would have happened then if luck wasn't on my side. As Naoko took her leave for one reason or another, Smith pressed a finger to his ear bud as something else entirely came up.

"Interesting. It seems something's going on upstairs with Mr. Pavone. A caller is rattling his cage it seems."

"Ernie recommends euthanasia if your pet is untamable." the droid replied. "Ernie also requests you find better accommodation for the creature while it's here."

The little robot looked from Smith to Enzo with its sensors then turned them towards the ground and made its leave for the galley.

"So, judging by the extended silence on the other end of the line, you're in?" Yuki's voice was still playful while Luca was still mulling his options, "C'mon, wolfman, you owe me for Drift."

"Oh, I'm not in yet. I need a full picture first. I need confirmation that he is in danger, and that he exists. Gimme a photo." He put the phone down and linked it to the screen. Yuki's face was framed in shadow, but Luca recognised the silhouette. Those blonde curls were difficult to mistake after they'd cut a Ripper armour in half - with a Katana, which was probably stolen from a dead Ketsurui Samurai.

She smirked and and said, "You realise that I can see you too. I can tell you've been working out. Mind if I ask how you got injured?" She then snapped her fingers and started an irritating string of giggling, "Wait I know how, its all over the news - like you said, SAINT's entertainment section. Hah, how shortsighted of me."

"Just show me the picture, will you? I can appreciate being jerked around like this just because I'm on holidays, and because I owe you," Luca seemed to be playing the role of voice of reason against the woman who could cut a Ripper in half, "Just 'cos you hold all the cards doesn't mean I can't flip the table - a lot of my enemies seemed to think so."
She snorted and stopped laughing, and gave him a nod, "A valid point as demonstrated time and time again, Captain!" She then started tapping away at a keyboard and to her right, a photo appeared of the Power Armour Ninja, from all those years ago. It was definitely a modified Yamataian Harpy armour, fitted for close range tactical espionage action.

However, she scrolled over to another picture. This time, the helmet was removed, revealing a shaved-bald man with sharp features, slate eyes, just like Anna's, and a calculating look in his eyes. What little hair he had on him was a very light brown, and his stubble was difficult to see.

Luca blinked for a few moments, and opened his wallet. He discarded a few cards he didn't need, like health insurance, social security, and dual citizen ship. Crumpled in the back of the wallet amidst old receipts and baby photos was one particular photo. Yellowed by age and nostalgia, this photo was of two brothers, one fifteen years old in an arm cast, the other was 23.

Luca held the photo up and compared the photo of his brother then, to how he looked now. Aside from one newly accquired trip scratch running along the elder brother's head accompanied by the passage of time, it was a perfect match.
"See? I am a woman of my word," Yuki said, "Don't you want to keep your brother waiting, do you?"

Luca's face had lit up and he looked jubilant, ecstatic even, "That's Joe. There's no doubt about it," Luca wiped a tear of joy from his eye and smiled a genuine smile, "Where is he and where does he need me?"

"I'll be happy to brief you, but your crew must be behind you too. They are as family to you in fire as your brother is in blood."

Luca looked over to John, who gave him a nod of mutual respect, "I remember Joe, he was the best kid on the block, one of Henry's best friends too." John was referring to his brother, who was somewhere in the Nepleslian Marines as an Engineer.

-

Sebastian woke up and rolled over, giving Anna a kiss before rolling out of bed and getting dressed for another lazy day. Unfortunately, the cycles of fate had a different idea for him. He realised this fact when he walked into the kitchen and saw Joe's photo wearing the modified Harpy suit.

His first action was to walk over to and sit next to Luca for an explanation, but he looked down and saw the photo. Two brothers, united then, torn apart by fate and now reunited by the same threads that tore them apart.

He sighed and looked at his youngest son, "Luca, I want you to know that whatever you're about to do - I support you. I miss him as much as you do."
Luca held back a sniffle, "Like you wouldn't believe, pops."

"Ah. The Big Bad Wolf has come back to rattle little Red Riding Hood. Remember me?"
Sebastian's eyes lit up as he realised the voice, and looked at the shadowed face on screen. He narrowed his eyes and gave the Nekovalkyrja a few icy words: "Its been a while."
Luca raised an eyebrow, but he'd gotten used to skeletons coming out of his dad's closet from his stint as a Mercenary.

Smith sighed. Even the little bot seemed to have a point.

Was it more trouble than it was worth? In all honesty, even he wasn't entirely sure about this himself. Reaching into his coat, the Ori-Rep pulled out a pair of tongs typically used to move food about a grill and quickly grasped the little alien by its chitinous shell - it squeaked and chittered angrily, whipping its tentacles about in an attempt to stab and sting. Of course, it eventually gave up in a frustrated, tired huff. "So, just what do you have in mind Mr. Boratelli?" Smith asked the other man as he made his way back to the kitchen with the heavily panting, coconut sized creature in tongs. "We need a buyer both reputable enough to not pull any tricks, and one that can also provide the goods," he reminded him.

He wasn't sure why Naoko walked out on them both like that, but did it possibly mean she didn't care about her portion of the deal anymore? He'd have to ask her to make sure, but it was something to worry about. Nekovalkyrja minds often did not follow any rhyme or reason, especially since they tended to loose it much more frequently than a human of course. But still, had she come to the conclusion that this baby Mishhu would be the death of them? That perhaps it wasn't worth trying to make a profit with?

As Smith arrived in the Kitchen and nodded to Luca, he couldn't help but fear that Naoko knew something he didn't.