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om_mainNoriko is greeted, rather abruptly, by one of Callisto's gang members. But instead of settling a score, she's looking for help, because some kids are in danger, and in need of rescuing. Noriko feels the situation out, but agrees to help.
It was way too cold to be doing crap like this.
All things considered, Sarah figured she should be snuggled up with a stolen blanket on a curbside rescued couch that she and the others had moved into the tunnels to stay nice and toasty warm.
Still, things needed to be fixed, and they weren't going to fix themselves. The girl in charge wasn't going to fix it. So she was going to do it herself, and hopefully get someone who could help. Even if she knew it was going to get her in serious shit with the girl in charge.
Sarah had taken up a spot near the door to Evolution, the bar where she'd scouted Surge working. She'd timed her last shift, and was hoping that she'd get out at the same time as last night, which was soon. They'd only have an hour or two to work, but they could get it done. They had to. Otherwise those kids were going to die, and she wasn't going to let that happen.
Tonight had not been a good night, and Noriko had put her gauntlets back on the second she was done with cleaning up. There had been the guy who didn't like her mojitos, the group of college kids who couldn't hold their alcohol, the perv with an obvious fetish for short Japanese chicks, and the usual odd patron who'd come to Evo to ogle the mutants. None of it was out of the ordinary, really, but for some reason, it had gotten to her, tonight, and she felt better for having the gauntlets on. Just in case.
It was stupid evenings like that that made her long for the appeasing lull of a good pill, still. Always an addict.
A run would help, and she said her goodbyes without sticking around for a drink, heading out into the street and letting the electricity out to get going.
Putting herself near the door was a good idea, and Sarah was able to stand up quickly enough to hopefully garner some of Surge's attention. And hopefully not the bad kind, considering the, uh, sparks she was seeing. "Hey," she spoke up, looking at the blue-haired girl. Good to know she hadn't really changed her style. "You're Surge, right?"
After a beat, Noriko reabsorbed the electricity, frowning at the girl who looked vaguely familiar. She could always let it back out in a heartbeat if it turned out she needed it. "Yeah. You're one of Callisto's kids, aren't you?" She really might need the electricity again, if she was right.
"Well, yeah, but she doesn't know I'm here," Sarah replied. "Look, Surge, you're the only one I can think of who can help us out right now."
Noriko wasn't sure whether to trust the girl; if she was still with Callisto, then chances were the older girl had warped her mind into thinking all sorts of wrong things about her. But what if what she was saying was true? She could at least hear her out. "What's wrong?"
"Some gang is holding some of the kids for ransom. If we don't pay by midnight tonight, they die," Sarah explained. "I'm taking this one on myself. I want backup, but I wanted... someone who knew how the streets work. I figured you were the girl for the job." And besides, she had to admit that the girl looked... well, she looked good. It made her smirk just a little.
"Why isn't Callisto doing anything?" Noriko asked with a frown, adjusting the strap of her messenger bag and keeping her gaze on the girl. Just in case she tried anything.
"I... don't know," Sarah confessed. "They're all just kids, y'know? They're not... fighters. Maybe Callisto feels it's over her head, and mine. Maybe she doesn't care. She's been... weirder and weirder, lately. But I can't just sit around and not try."
Weirder, that was one word for it. "Were you part of the crew that attacked me and my friends?" Noriko asked, a scowl on her brow. She couldn't remember the girl being there, but that didn't mean anything.
"No," Sarah answered, immediately and honestly. "I heard about it, but I was watching over the kids while, y'know, Callisto was doing that."
Noriko didn't seem to be relaxing any. "So why should I trust what you say, and not just assume you wanna lead me into whatever fucked up notion of a trap she's cooked up this time around?"
"I have their ransom note, if that's proof enough for you. If it isn't, just go ahead and say so, so I can go take care of this myself. I don't have all night to sit around and wait for you to make up your mind," Sarah said, feeling a bit annoyed. There had been a time when Noriko had been the one to watch over her. The ransom note slipped from her hoodie pocket into her fingers, offering it between her pointer and index finger.
The note itself was short and to the point. It listed the money demands per head, and it was a bit extreme: one thousand per head, and they had three of the kids. That kind of cash was hard to come by. If they didn't pay, the kids died. Sarah had been honest about the deadline: midnight tonight, which was in just a couple of hours. The meeting place was described, having to take a certain number of turns at certain points in the 'Marauder tunnels,' as they were described within the note. The actual point of entry into these tunnels was actually fairly close by, hidden in a nest of back alleys.
The note was signed by one 'Riptide,' of the Marauders.
Marauders. It wasn't the first they heard about them, and Noriko sighed as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. "I'll call this in, we'll get the kids back."
"We don't have time for a phone call," Sarah replied, crossly, reaching for Noriko's phone to stop her from dialing. "We either do this by the rules of the street, or I do this alone. You got me?"
Noriko moved the phone out of reach instinctively when the girl reached for it, reflexes developed on the street rather than in DR sessions. "The timing's short, but I'd rather have back-up on the way, even if we have to go in without them."
Sarah considered, briefly, using her powers to get rid of Noriko's phone, but that was a stupid thing to try. It would just make her trust her less. The skin on her face rippled slightly, and a pair of bone protrusions erupted from each cheek, pointed and hooked slightly, showing her frustration. "Just do it quick. Who knows what these sickos are doing to the kids right now."
The call had already connected while Sarah was talking; it wasn't as if Noriko had been waiting for her agreement. Scott picked up, and Noriko gave him the facts, and her conclusion - that he'd better find one of the teleporters to take a team to them fast, if he wanted them not to have to go in alone. He didn't like it, but there were kids at stake.
"You've gotta be a special kind of stupid to try and ransom street kids," Noriko muttered to herself after hanging up. Then, addressing Sarah and getting moving already, "Come on. What's your name, anyway?"
"Call me Marrow," Sarah replied. It was her street name, anyway. "It's this way."
It was way too cold to be doing crap like this.
All things considered, Sarah figured she should be snuggled up with a stolen blanket on a curbside rescued couch that she and the others had moved into the tunnels to stay nice and toasty warm.
Still, things needed to be fixed, and they weren't going to fix themselves. The girl in charge wasn't going to fix it. So she was going to do it herself, and hopefully get someone who could help. Even if she knew it was going to get her in serious shit with the girl in charge.
Sarah had taken up a spot near the door to Evolution, the bar where she'd scouted Surge working. She'd timed her last shift, and was hoping that she'd get out at the same time as last night, which was soon. They'd only have an hour or two to work, but they could get it done. They had to. Otherwise those kids were going to die, and she wasn't going to let that happen.
Tonight had not been a good night, and Noriko had put her gauntlets back on the second she was done with cleaning up. There had been the guy who didn't like her mojitos, the group of college kids who couldn't hold their alcohol, the perv with an obvious fetish for short Japanese chicks, and the usual odd patron who'd come to Evo to ogle the mutants. None of it was out of the ordinary, really, but for some reason, it had gotten to her, tonight, and she felt better for having the gauntlets on. Just in case.
It was stupid evenings like that that made her long for the appeasing lull of a good pill, still. Always an addict.
A run would help, and she said her goodbyes without sticking around for a drink, heading out into the street and letting the electricity out to get going.
Putting herself near the door was a good idea, and Sarah was able to stand up quickly enough to hopefully garner some of Surge's attention. And hopefully not the bad kind, considering the, uh, sparks she was seeing. "Hey," she spoke up, looking at the blue-haired girl. Good to know she hadn't really changed her style. "You're Surge, right?"
After a beat, Noriko reabsorbed the electricity, frowning at the girl who looked vaguely familiar. She could always let it back out in a heartbeat if it turned out she needed it. "Yeah. You're one of Callisto's kids, aren't you?" She really might need the electricity again, if she was right.
"Well, yeah, but she doesn't know I'm here," Sarah replied. "Look, Surge, you're the only one I can think of who can help us out right now."
Noriko wasn't sure whether to trust the girl; if she was still with Callisto, then chances were the older girl had warped her mind into thinking all sorts of wrong things about her. But what if what she was saying was true? She could at least hear her out. "What's wrong?"
"Some gang is holding some of the kids for ransom. If we don't pay by midnight tonight, they die," Sarah explained. "I'm taking this one on myself. I want backup, but I wanted... someone who knew how the streets work. I figured you were the girl for the job." And besides, she had to admit that the girl looked... well, she looked good. It made her smirk just a little.
"Why isn't Callisto doing anything?" Noriko asked with a frown, adjusting the strap of her messenger bag and keeping her gaze on the girl. Just in case she tried anything.
"I... don't know," Sarah confessed. "They're all just kids, y'know? They're not... fighters. Maybe Callisto feels it's over her head, and mine. Maybe she doesn't care. She's been... weirder and weirder, lately. But I can't just sit around and not try."
Weirder, that was one word for it. "Were you part of the crew that attacked me and my friends?" Noriko asked, a scowl on her brow. She couldn't remember the girl being there, but that didn't mean anything.
"No," Sarah answered, immediately and honestly. "I heard about it, but I was watching over the kids while, y'know, Callisto was doing that."
Noriko didn't seem to be relaxing any. "So why should I trust what you say, and not just assume you wanna lead me into whatever fucked up notion of a trap she's cooked up this time around?"
"I have their ransom note, if that's proof enough for you. If it isn't, just go ahead and say so, so I can go take care of this myself. I don't have all night to sit around and wait for you to make up your mind," Sarah said, feeling a bit annoyed. There had been a time when Noriko had been the one to watch over her. The ransom note slipped from her hoodie pocket into her fingers, offering it between her pointer and index finger.
The note itself was short and to the point. It listed the money demands per head, and it was a bit extreme: one thousand per head, and they had three of the kids. That kind of cash was hard to come by. If they didn't pay, the kids died. Sarah had been honest about the deadline: midnight tonight, which was in just a couple of hours. The meeting place was described, having to take a certain number of turns at certain points in the 'Marauder tunnels,' as they were described within the note. The actual point of entry into these tunnels was actually fairly close by, hidden in a nest of back alleys.
The note was signed by one 'Riptide,' of the Marauders.
Marauders. It wasn't the first they heard about them, and Noriko sighed as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. "I'll call this in, we'll get the kids back."
"We don't have time for a phone call," Sarah replied, crossly, reaching for Noriko's phone to stop her from dialing. "We either do this by the rules of the street, or I do this alone. You got me?"
Noriko moved the phone out of reach instinctively when the girl reached for it, reflexes developed on the street rather than in DR sessions. "The timing's short, but I'd rather have back-up on the way, even if we have to go in without them."
Sarah considered, briefly, using her powers to get rid of Noriko's phone, but that was a stupid thing to try. It would just make her trust her less. The skin on her face rippled slightly, and a pair of bone protrusions erupted from each cheek, pointed and hooked slightly, showing her frustration. "Just do it quick. Who knows what these sickos are doing to the kids right now."
The call had already connected while Sarah was talking; it wasn't as if Noriko had been waiting for her agreement. Scott picked up, and Noriko gave him the facts, and her conclusion - that he'd better find one of the teleporters to take a team to them fast, if he wanted them not to have to go in alone. He didn't like it, but there were kids at stake.
"You've gotta be a special kind of stupid to try and ransom street kids," Noriko muttered to herself after hanging up. Then, addressing Sarah and getting moving already, "Come on. What's your name, anyway?"
"Call me Marrow," Sarah replied. It was her street name, anyway. "It's this way."
