Strider

Assassin: After the preliminary sword attack, Liliya had helped Kazuki to his feet, and started moving him back. At this point it'd probably be obvious that they knew of an assailant, and the next attack was sure to be quick. However, there was a bit more time than she would have expected, maybe the assailant was preparing something with a servant, who knew. It was as Liliya was pulling Kazuki back past a a set of shop fronts that the volley was released. It was difficult to time it correctly, but Liliya attempted to push Kazuki into a small alcove containing the door to a shop, then quickly retreat away from the flung swords herself. The speed necessary for this would certainly out her as a servant, but that was going to happen anyway. The weakened master would be unprotected right now, but with offensive pressure they could probably keep the attention off of him. In any case, after this, Liliya began to make her way backwards, away from the attacker. If she concealed herself, she could probably head around a side road, and take the master from behind. You want me to take the master from behind? I could probably head around the block quickly enough. Kazuki's in a shop doorway, getting to be a real pain keeping him alive. Min: You will have to clarify, Peter. Is she a shape shifter? Mental control? That was all he had to say at the moment.

"I'm guessing 'Gibson' is some kind of colloquialism for psionics or similar? Yes, there might be a problem there. But remember, this isn't your world, so the stuff's probably a bit different. And, well, even if it doesn't work directly, I've got a few secondary pathways I'd like to explore." Harry then turned to the two metal-clad men. "Hey, keep me out of this. But. . . he's got a point. Sort of, a bit. Never ending vigilance is a pretty quick way to a heart attack." That was generally pretty well known in the military. There was a reason that commanders let soldiers play pranks and crack jokes with each other for the most part when they weren't in a fire fight. And it wasn't simply the physical health risk that constant vigilance caused, it was also the mental issues, the stuff that causes PR problems. "That sort of paranoia's also the fast track to shooting little kids in the head because they looked like they might be hiding a grenade behind their back." "Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that preparedness and awareness don't have their place, just that they shouldn't be all consuming. When you're going on a mission, by all means, triple check all the crawl spaces, shoot the enemies in the head when they're down. Have backup comms. But if you're not in battle or walking through the rougher parts of a city, well, it can hurt more than it helps."

"Yes ma'am." That was soo stupid, why had she done that? Hina knew she wouldn't normally have done that, and spent the entire walk back to the hotel slightly flushed with embarrassment. By the time she got there, she'd settled on the explanation that she'd simply been really tired, and hadn't controlled a bad impulse. That happened to everyone, right? Well, if that was the case, she'd be a hypocrite not to get some rest, so Hina headed up to her room, after sending Midori a message saying that she'd be turning in for the night.

"You don't say?" Harry nodded thoughtfully. "That'd be pretty damn useful, I'll see if I can trade something for one when we get back to base or something. The surgeries, well that's a long term goal. Just need something with the precision and durability that maybe it could be modified for that eventually. Probably try to get it to do the complex stuff with some combination of psionics, random advanced materials we pick up, Alan's coding skills, and my knowledge. And a boatload of time, I'm guessing. But quite the boon if I can get it working." "Say, what're the medical testing facilities like on the Avenger? Anyway to test effects of substances on stuff like human tissue, bone, that sort of thing? Be best if there was some form of molecular interaction simulator, but I'll make due with what I can. I need to test something to see if it's safe for human use."

"Her contact. . . info?" Hina squinted at the officer. "I'm not allow--you know what? I was lying. This was all a lie, I'm just an unstoppably curious person, and that can sometimes get me in trouble. This Suzuha person? I made her up, so let's just forget about that, no need to go trying to contact her or anything. I'm sorry for wasting your time." And with that she started walking away. This was a mistake, and would probably cause problems. But as best as she could tell, she wasn't going to get arrested for lying or anything. When the officer had actually asked a question, she'd owned up in a sense, and she wasn't really interfering with the investigation. Hopefully the officer would justlet her go with a reprimand or something.

"Excuse me, ma'am? Can I talk to you for a moment?" Hina approached one of the female police officers blocking off the street. "This guy Florens, do you know anything about him? I-I, well, do you know if he has any family? Or anyone I can ask about that?" Hina looked around fearfully, making sure no one was close enough to overhear. "I'm not from around here, but one of my friends contacted me out of the blue about a month ago--seriously, she hadn't talked to me for two years before that--, and mentioned this guy and maybe meeting up with him when I came to London. So it was kind of a shock when I saw he w-was dead. I don't know. I don't really want to get involved you know, since this is all pretty scary, but well, since Suzuha knew him, I just thought I should at least investigate a little."

Assassin: As they walked Liliya's expression twisted slightly. She'd seen, in her inner eye one might say, the image of Kazuki's head being removed by a flying sword. The moment this brief vision ended, Liliya's thoughts kicked into high gear. First a message to Karsten as rushed as she could make it, "Attack from 10 o clock." If she'd had time, there would have been far more options. She could have told Kazuki to move on her command, concealing her identity as the servant. His reaction time was probably too low with the injuries he'd sustained though, giving it a pretty low chance of succeeding, not to mention the time it would take her to talk, but it would have been an option. Maybe with more warning, Karsten could have shot the sword out of the air, who knew. She could, of course, attempt to intercept the sword, revealing her presence, and maybe even dashing in to engage, but there was no guarantee that this was a master's attack, and not a servant that could best her. Almost everything could, if it got the element of surprise on an Assassin. But, since there was not nearly enough time for anything complicated, and just a fraction of a second of so till Kazuki would be dead, Liliya simply stuck out her foot in front of Kazuki, aiming to trip him up. If he wasn't falling fast enough, she'd give him some "help" from behind so that the sword could fly past over his head. "Fuck, he was trying to escape." Liliya called to Karsten. It wasn't a great cover up all things considered, but it would fool some, and the fact that it was raining might obscure some of it. . . whatever. It couldn't really hurt. Min "Yes, yes, get rid of her. We have no need of liabilities that might stab me in my back. Tell me when you begin to fight, and keep me updated." If the battle went poorly, Min would order a retreat, and they would have gained useful information. If it went well, then that was one prisoner or dead servant they didn't need to worry about.

"Oh, damn it, I missed the name!" Hina shrugged. All these gangs were ethnic, and territorial. They wouldn't venture this far out to kill someone, right? And well, this was just a guess from tv shows, but these gang people probably wouldn't be good enough for a one shot kill. But what other options did that leave? Hmm, well, the shooting was just a block or two away, right? Hina put some of her stuff away, and arose, heading out to the Lambeth Palace Road. Maybe she could catch some reporters on the scene, or the police involved in the investigation.

"Someone named Florens Harrison. Apparently he got shot a few blocks away an hour or two ago. Ever heard of him?" After listening to the employee's answer, Hina waved, and left the desk, before heading back to one of the couches, and starting to look up the man's name, mafia groups in the city, hitmen who could kill in the way this man was killed, that sort of thing. Additionally, Hina also searched for a way to get into contact with the reporter who'd been covering the story, whether through email, or some other method.

"Yes, yes, but. . . is there anyone you know I could talk to about this stuff? Because the news said there was a shooting, and it was probably mafia. . . " Hina sighed a little, then gave a forced smile. "Well, if not, I guess I'll just have to make do."

Once Hina had made her sole purchase--saving up seemed prudent for a trip like this--she'd watched some of the news. Apparently there'd been a single gunshot, hitting a man in the head. Hina knew basically nothing about guns, but even to her, that seemed incredibly difficult. One shot, for a moving target, in the head, from a moving car. Once the story was over, Hina stood up, and headed over to the front desk of the hotel, searching for an open attendant. "Excuse me, I've got a few questions about this city's crime scene? I heard something on the news about local mafia, and, well, that's pretty scary! Do you think you--or someone you know-- could tell me a bit more about them? I. . . I really don't want to cross paths with them, and it'd make me feel a lot more comfortable in my stay if I knew there weren't mobsters with guns a few blocks down waiting to kill me." Hopefully, the man could put her into contact with someone. To be honest, she wasn't as scared as she was pretending, but more curious. After all, it seemed strange to her at least. Though maybe it was a common thing in London?

Assassin: "So it was a Berserker. Nice. Hard to control, beastlike. Most of that we could have guessed, but good to know. Well, we're gonna. . ." Liliya stopped here, and then spoke directly to Karsten's mind. You think we should blindfold him? I don't see him escaping, but, it ain't a hard precaution to take. After that, I'll probably go spirit form, take point as we go on and scout out the way ahead. Min A little girl with a wolf. Was the wolf the servant? Or were they a pair? Well, Min didn't know who this was, so he had nothing to input, save, "Thank you." In the mean time, he simply waited, watching the rain splatter down on the window.

"Free time. I got a lot of zenny there, so I can probably spare some. . ." After getting her key card, and depositing some of her stuff in a room, Hina headed out to the Program Dealer. She was going fine getting chips on her own, and in fact, it appeared that the dealer had something that might facilitate that. With that purpose in mind, she will purchase 1xChip Collector. Once she had gotten that, Hina headed back to the hotel, picking up some chicken at the buffet, to eat while she checked the news. Obviously there'd be crime in a city like this, but it was worrying that it was so near to them.

"I'm sure we'll be able to figure something out. I just need something basic for now, and I'll tackle problems when I get to them." One idea Harry had was the possibility of transfering his consciousness to an XCOM drone, though he'd have to consult with Proditor on the feasibility of that. "About that robot, did you get any links to ADVENT through it? Or any important intel?"

"Fair, I guess that's the best they could have hoped for." So, the man was a little self interested, but willing to help when it didn't hurt him. Not admirable certainly, but not the worst. And his skills were powerful. "Say, about your drones, think with the right tools, we could make a basic medic drone? Or even something a little more advanced. It'd be nice to have something to patch myself up if I'm incapacitated, and maybe even let me perform operations on myself." Specifically his brain, but he didn't mention that. People might get the wrong idea, and he didn't really want to list off all the precautions he had in mind right now. "It's a little bit hard to set a bone with one hand, or re-fuse nerves in your own spine when your lower body is paralyzed."

"You willing to let them take a look at it, Alan?" Harry didn't have a great read on the man currently, so he was genuinely curious what the answer would be. In addition of course, to his curiosity about this meld stuff. "So, they've probably encountered meld before, on missions you weren't on I guess." Harry mused. If other soldiers had picked it up on a mission, and it had shown promise, Database would have known about it from passing conversations. Since she had not, it was probably inert until investigated. And, it must have shown something interesting in investigation, or else the commander would not have recognized it and had a name for it. So the conclusion was that information on the substance was classified, or at the very least, only available on a need to know basis.

"A bit, I guess. . ." However much he tried, Edmond was still unable to wipe the look of confusion from his face. However, he would try to help. "So uh, the servant is capable of nodding then, minor movements. First thing that comes to mind is some sort of touchscreen device to type into. It'd have to be pressure based, rather than conductivity based, but it could work. Don't think it would be fast though, and it'd be a little difficult to do I think. LOTUS probably wouldn't want to be used in that way, and I left most of the tools and gear I've collected back in the castle. We could maybe jury rig something with my suit here though. " "Actually, have we looked for any of the people with mental powers here yet? If we've got any type of mind reader, that'd probably be far more effective than typing. The problem is of course, I don't really know who we'd go to for that. Any ideas?"

"Oh, that is interesting! I do wonder whether that would give you some access to more. . . secret information." This was interesting, and somewhat worrying. Ena knew that most beings resented deception when they learned of it, and they were attempting to repair this machine. "It might be a good idea not to get too attached to the bike, since the machine may recognize that you aren't who it thinks you are when we fix it. We don't want to make an enemy of the thing we wanted to repair." With this new information, Ena returned to the holographic projection, and started searching through the logs, that Tiffany was using for a diary, for mentions of a Jim Raynor.

Edmond had spent the last few minutes in silent contemplation. He'd left all the toys he'd picked up in Seattle back in the castle--oh, he'd have to ask about that later--and he really didn't have any idea of what to do with himself at the moment. He'd wanted to head to the library earlier, but it seemed as though that sort of thing wouldn't be important in this world. They were just here to fight some battles. He could go up on the walls, but he'd been procrastinating, afflicted by a slight bit of apathy. He'd be fighting more later, why do something without much reward in the meantime? It wasn't like they were in much danger. He was on the verge of overcoming this laziness when he noticed Ritsu approaching. Carrying a stuffed toy, a figure, armored. Edmond had really no guesses as to what purpose it served, and was expectedly confused when the maid spoke as though the thing was alive. "Hi Ritsu. I don't think it's been tha--huh? I'm sorry, what exactly do you mean? That's just a stuffed toy, right? You're saying it's alive, did you just pick find it somewhere? And--no, nevermind. I just, I'm gonna need a bit more information, but I'll try to help, I guess."

Seeing as the information appeared to be out of date, whether because the ship had built in the redundant systems as a method of surviving, or because it had received modifications before the crash, who knew, Ena abandoned the display for now. "What did you find then? Something stuck?"

That doesn't really matter. Ena started to quickly flick through the different logs, recording what she saw as she read. Uploading it would be quicker, but she didn't fully know how to use this device, and it would probably be slightly more dangerous if there was any form of data corruption. Following this, Ena will attempt to locate schematics for the ship, focusing on alternative entrance and exit points, and possibly using said schematics to help guid people who can fit inside from the exterior.

Assassin: "Pretty compliant one, isn't he. That's good for him." Turning to the captured master, Liliya smiled, not gently, but not cruelly, a simple of simple enjoyment of the circumstances. "Anyway boy, don't worry, we'll keep up our side of this, long as you keep up yours. We'll even make it as easy as possible for you." This of course, was just a guessed based on the little she'd seen of her master, but even if it was wrong, it'd keep the man calm and make the job easier. "We wanna get him out of here, somewhere a little less exposed?" Liliya queried Karsten privately, before addressing the prisoner again, "So, tell us a bit about this servant of yours." Min "Tell me when you find them, Peter, and where you are. I need to keep my distance right." It had been barely a minute or so, but the importance of communication needed to be impressed on Peter before it was actually necessary.

"Looks like somebody else got the big bad, Ms. Hina. Heading out now." With that, Buzzkill headed out. Not much else to do in there, the guards weren't gonna let them just wander around, and fighting with the guards seemed like a poor choice. "Alright then. Good job, but we're gonna have to step up our game next time." Hina leaned back, readying herself for the beginning of the ride.

Min: "Yes, let's play." He tapped slid open the opaque divider to the front of the car slightly, and ordered, "Pull over up ahead, get a gun ready. You must be ready to drive again, fast." "Now go Peter. Try to see if you can beat them on your own. If you cannot, make a slow. . .retreat? in a direction. . . east south east. Keep me updated." As soon as Peter left the car, Min began to fiddle in his pockets, bringing out two bags of white powder and a syringe. He did nothing with the for now, but if this servant was fast, or another was in the area, he would need everything he could get. One more brief phone call, "Get everyone out withing five minutes, I will need the building" And then he sat still, in the back seat of the car in the dripping rain, pulled up on a curb facing east, waiting.

"Oh, so it's a ship. That does make sense. I do not know exactly how to operate your device Law, is there a way we could access data logs? The events that lead to the crash may assist in repairs." Additionally, looking at how the intelligence perceived the events going on around it could give some vital information about its functioning. With Law's input, Ena will try to access ship's logs, to try to determine a few things, such as how long the ship had been lying here, what might have lead to the crash, whether it was recording previous interactions with these people, etc. Of course, it could be that the logs were nonexistent, in which case, Ena would head over the maintenance door that had been until recently blocked by the tree, and assist in opening it if there was still anything impeding its opening.