Enter Paradiso

[Gands02]

     As you might expect, Ray sat and listened to the briefing. From what he had heard, it seemed perfect for him. Room and board included. Ray though the whole deal was sweat. 

     Then the boss came in. Sienna Cordova. She carried some terrible scars on her face. By her attitude, which seemed to be just shy of fierce, there were mental scars to match. Ray tried to compare his own experiences to hers and in his own mind came up short. 

 

     What might have seemed like easy money at first certainly wasn't. They would all have to work hard for their lofty salary. The moment of quiet after she finished speaking made him think the others agreed. 

[michalecs]

21 hours ago, Peypeypeypey said:

"My name is Sienna Cordova." She introduces curtly. She stands with her hands folded behind her back, slowly making eye contact with her good eye to anyone who will match her gaze. "I have called you here for a simple reason: the gangs rule too much of this city. Of my city. I need them chased off. Killed, if need be. The police, the new mayor, and all the other professional heroes don't have the guts to travel into the mouth of the beast. They want to slowly take back the city, one goddamn building at a time. To hell with that. The longer we wait, the more innocent men, women, and children die on the outskirts of our city. We need to strike at the heart of this infection. Once you're properly trained and working as a team, we'll strike at the major gangs of the city. Once we topple one, the rest of those cowardly heroes will join us. Any questions?"

Karen was still mostly disappointed that her work would have to wait, but she was excited that she'd be working with a team on the streets.  "I have a question... You said, uh, kill when needed, you don't mind if I leave that part to the more... Martially equipped members of the team? My powers... And my moral center, don't make that part of your job description easy for me." She smiled nervously, folding her hands in front of her as she explained.

 

[Bergy_Berg]

On 9/2/2020 at 12:37 PM, Peypeypeypey said:

"As a final perk, Master Cordova would like me to assure you that she is a well-connected woman in this city. She is more than willing to help resolve any personal or professional matter that you may have in the interest of focusing your efforts on this team. She has a personal team of scientists, researchers, and investigators, and knows many people in the upper ring of the government. Should there be any issue, you may relay it to me, and I will see to it that the bulk of Master Cordova's resources get put to it."

Mercury had listened intently. The money was certainly a nice bonus, but the possible connections that could be used... That meant a lot to him.

3 hours ago, michalecs said:

 And my moral center, don't make that part of your job description easy for me."

"You know they won't have any problems with killing you, right? There are some really sick, twisted people in and around Paradiso, and for them killing folks is as normal as washing your hands." Mercury looks around at everyone gathered at the table. "I'm sure just about everyone knows this already, but if we're going after those gangs we should be ready to use any means necessary, because if you hold back you'll probably end up dead."

[Gands02]

     Ray once again found himself listening to his new comrades. His own life, especially the last decade or so was lived under terrible conditions. Food and comfort were rare. Trust was doled out sparingly. But, that being said, love and comforts could be found. They were rare. The colorful teleporter was a scientist. Raised in a different kind of life. They would have to look out for her. 

 

" Karen, it is a cold hearted place out there. Mercury is right about that part. But I don't think you'll have to kill. As a team, the theory is we look out for one another. I think the rest of us will do plenty of killing if this works out. At least in the beginning. I had a girl once, lived that awful life with me for about a year. One day, she just left, real sudden. I forced myself to forget her. She came into her powers before me. As an initiation, the gang she joined, Los Apocoliptos had her blast me with her new powers. I woke up about a week later with my new powers. She never looked back. I've been trying to make any damned Apocolipto punks pay ever since. Any way, I at least respect who you are, where you came from as long as you do the same for us. Funny thing is, like twilight zone funny, crazy old Doc Heller says she probably hit me just about when my own powers were ready to come out and the power she hit me with probably made me more powerful than I would have been otherwise. "

 

Still sitting, Ray looks like he is thinking about his past when he stops talking. Remembering the brief time he was happy in his crappy life. 

[michalecs]

13 hours ago, Bergy_Berg said:

"You know they won't have any problems with killing you, right? There are some really sick, twisted people in and around Paradiso, and for them killing folks is as normal as washing your hands." Mercury looks around at everyone gathered at the table. "I'm sure just about everyone knows this already, but if we're going after those gangs we should be ready to use any means necessary, because if you hold back you'll probably end up dead."

"Just because they're casual killers doesn't mean I have to be. If we're just hired murderers that's not what I'm interested in." 

7 hours ago, Gands02 said:

" Karen, it is a cold hearted place out there. Mercury is right about that part. But I don't think you'll have to kill. As a team, the theory is we look out for one another. I think the rest of us will do plenty of killing if this works out. At least in the beginning. I had a girl once, lived that awful life with me for about a year. One day, she just left, real sudden. I forced myself to forget her. She came into her powers before me. As an initiation, the gang she joined, Los Apocoliptos had her blast me with her new powers. I woke up about a week later with my new powers. She never looked back. I've been trying to make any damned Apocolipto punks pay ever since. Any way, I at least respect who you are, where you came from as long as you do the same for us. Funny thing is, like twilight zone funny, crazy old Doc Heller says she probably hit me just about when my own powers were ready to come out and the power she hit me with probably made me more powerful than I would have been otherwise. "

"Yeah, the world lost something in the half a century I missed, Rey. I'm really sorry for your loss,but I was raised differently than any of you, and I didn't lose a love or an eye or come out with scars..  I lost my whole world. The first person I called after arriving here was my niece, who was a toddler when I had my accident. She's got grandchildren now,and none of my other family or friends are even alive now. I missed their lives."

She looked over at Mercury then, and picked up another coffee mug. "Another reason I want to avoid killing?"

A portal appeared in front of Karen, with the other end in front of Mercury. She pushed the mug halfway through then collapsed the portals. Karen was now holding half a mug and the other half fell towards Mercury's lap.

"I'd rather not see what happens when I do that to a person."

 

 

 

[Peypeypeypey]

3 hours ago, michalecs said:

"Just because they're casual killers doesn't mean I have to be. If we're just hired murderers that's not what I'm interested in." 

"Yeah, the world lost something in the half a century I missed, Rey. I'm really sorry for your loss,but I was raised differently than any of you, and I didn't lose a love or an eye or come out with scars..  I lost my whole world. The first person I called after arriving here was my niece, who was a toddler when I had my accident. She's got grandchildren now,and none of my other family or friends are even alive now. I missed their lives."

She looked over at Mercury then, and picked up another coffee mug. "Another reason I want to avoid killing?"

A portal appeared in front of Karen, with the other end in front of Mercury. She pushed the mug halfway through then collapsed the portals. Karen was now holding half a mug and the other half fell towards Mercury's lap.

"I'd rather not see what happens when I do that to a person."

 

 

 

Cordova watches the conversation, her good eye darting back and forth as each individual speaks up. She thinks on the exchange for a moment, then speaks up. "Perhaps I have spoken imprecisely." She looks directly at Karen. "As registered heroes, it is your sworn duty to uphold peace and justice in this city. You are not vigilantes, and are not authorized to use lethal force unless absolutely necessarily. If you never find yourselves in such a situation, then good. However, I merely want to assure you that we have a legal team on staff that will defend your actions, if they are truly justified. I want you to know that no amount of force is too much in this war." She pauses. "Of course, if you can bring down the criminals without needing to resort to such measures, all the better."

[Hugo Fowl]

10 hours ago, Peypeypeypey said:

Cordova watches the conversation, her good eye darting back and forth as each individual speaks up. She thinks on the exchange for a moment, then speaks up. "Perhaps I have spoken imprecisely." She looks directly at Karen. "As registered heroes, it is your sworn duty to uphold peace and justice in this city. You are not vigilantes, and are not authorized to use lethal force unless absolutely necessarily. If you never find yourselves in such a situation, then good. However, I merely want to assure you that we have a legal team on staff that will defend your actions, if they are truly justified. I want you to know that no amount of force is too much in this war." She pauses. "Of course, if you can bring down the criminals without needing to resort to such measures, all the better."

"Do we have any current leads or do we have to show off what exactly we can do?" The detective was curious now.

[Peypeypeypey]

On 9/8/2020 at 3:02 AM, Hugo Fowl said:

"Do we have any current leads or do we have to show off what exactly we can do?" The detective was curious now.

Cordova smiles slightly at this. "Very eager, aren't you? That's good." The smile fell, as quickly as it risen. "We do have leads , but we'll need to be patient with them. For now, our top priority is you getting acquainted with each other. To that end, I have asked Nicolas to find missions suited to your skill level that will help you get to know each other, and learn to hone your skills as well."

Nicolas sets down a file folder onto the table. "Each of you should read through these options, and then democratically select which choice you would like to work on. Once you have made your choice, inform me, and I will give you any additional materials you need to get started."

 

[Hugo Fowl]

Henry read through the files.

Times like these, he appreciated his professional background as he weighed them in before speaking.

"In named order preferably, I would like to do the first,third and second last. The first one will give us information that will enable us to perform the third mission far more easily. Then combined with her backing and our Intel, we should have a more easier time sweeping up the punks without worrying about some falling through the cracks. Good information can save us a lot of hassle down the line."

His opinion given, Henry leaned back and waited for the rest to speak up.

 

[Bergy_Berg]

Mercury shakes his head uncomfortably fast. "No, I think the second mission is most important. Gangs are bad, but the most dangerous people are those who think they're doing the right thing. The Heathens actions have farther reaching consequences than any gang."

[Gands02]

 

        Ray takes his time reading the documents. "You both have good points. Here is my take. Mission two should go first, not because it is or isn't more important, but it will give us a chance to get to know how to better work together. But, I agree Henry that Mission one should be before mission three. I too saw that the same gang, Paradise Lost would be at that bar. Maybe we can get information on their former leader and what he is up to before trying to locate the retired hero. And Henry, you should probably take the lead talking to the bartender..."

[Hugo Fowl]

Henry frowned in consideration, pondering before he spoke again. "While I'm confident in our strength to stop this gang, it's what happens after that concerns me. I'm more inclined to seek out their various avenues and cut them off before we move in. So we get them all in one, clean sweep rather than miss a few because we rush in and find out later the fact because they blew up a school bus in retaliation or some shit like that." 

[michalecs]

14 minutes ago, Gands02 said:

 

        Ray takes his time reading the documents. "You both have good points. Here is my take. Mission two should go first, not because it is or isn't more important, but it will give us a chance to get to know how to better work together. But, I agree Henry that Mission one should be before mission three. I too saw that the same gang, Paradise Lost would be at that bar. Maybe we can get information on their former leader and what he is up to before trying to locate the retired hero. And Henry, you should probably take the lead talking to the bartender..."

After looking at the file and hearing with others have to say, Karen frowned. "I'm afraid that the missing woman might be more than missing if we wait too long on that one, but since the consensus is to take care of the vigilantes first... I'll go along with it. One thing to realize is that we haven't even worked with each other before, and they have. Bad guys they may be, but they can probably work together as a team. We need to be sure that we can do the same."

[OMFG]

Bastille snapped awake, he had fallen asleep while the rest of the members were discussing which mission would be better.

 

"Uh, so it's either... Rescue some lady, talk to a mole, or beat up a bunch of wannabe superheroes? I don't know about you guys, I can handle myself in a fight, so the second mission should be easiest. If we try the rescue mission first, we won't have enough info on what's goin' on behind the scenes....I say mission one is the important one. Get some info, rescue the old lady, beat up the punks in that order."

[Bergy_Berg]

Mercury's head quickly snapped back and forth between Huntsman and Bastille as he addressed his new associates.

"Look, I get where you're coming from. But the Heathens don't sound like they're connected to the gangs. So the Rat might not be that useful to us." He could feel the sweat accumulating on his brow under the goggles. It had been a while since he last spoke to a room full of people.

Mercury took a deep breath before he continued, as he tried to settle a heart that felt like it was racing at 1000 beats a minute. In fact, it might very well be going that fast. "If the Heathens are out there killing people based on rumors of gang activity, or offing someone just because they lifted a watch, then they need to be our first targets. When someone thinks there's a purpose to murder they do it a lot. How many people die while we track down the Rat?"

[Hugo Fowl]

7 hours ago, Bergy_Berg said:

Mercury's head quickly snapped back and forth between Huntsman and Bastille as he addressed his new associates.

"Look, I get where you're coming from. But the Heathens don't sound like they're connected to the gangs. So the Rat might not be that useful to us." He could feel the sweat accumulating on his brow under the goggles. It had been a while since he last spoke to a room full of people.

Mercury took a deep breath before he continued, as he tried to settle a heart that felt like it was racing at 1000 beats a minute. In fact, it might very well be going that fast. "If the Heathens are out there killing people based on rumors of gang activity, or offing someone just because they lifted a watch, then they need to be our first targets. When someone thinks there's a purpose to murder they do it a lot. How many people die while we track down the Rat?"

"They're not connected that we know of."

Henry pointed out as he added. "I'll go with the majority. I'd just like to point out that these apparently, violent assholes have evaded authorities and such with an arrogance that doesn't seem to fit them. So it stands to reason, if it's not them...Then who? Who's protecting them from retaliation and hiding them? It's conjunction on my part admittedly, but I'd like to personally make sure. With that said, you all know my stance."

Having said that, Henry settled back-reading the files once more as if they would tell him secrets.

[michalecs]

6 hours ago, Hugo Fowl said:

"They're not connected that we know of."

Henry pointed out as he added. "I'll go with the majority. I'd just like to point out that these apparently, violent assholes have evaded authorities and such with an arrogance that doesn't seem to fit them. So it stands to reason, if it's not them...Then who? Who's protecting them from retaliation and hiding them? It's conjunction on my part admittedly, but I'd like to personally make sure. With that said, you all know my stance."

Having said that, Henry settled back-reading the files once more as if they would tell him secrets.

"Having more information sounds like a better option than going in blind. Since we're going after the kidnapped former heroine last, I'd rather it be with whatever information we can get from the informant first..."

[Gands02]

Ray, who had been looking over the files again takes a moment to add another two cents worth. 

"Something bothers me about the retired hero. She had gone silent for months accord to the file.  Out of the blue a distress signal is sent to Mistress Cordova ? Sorry, but it seems a bit like a trap. I think with the timeframe involved, I'd be worried about someone else sending that signal. As for dealing with the Heathens, First or last I suppose it doesn't matter that much to me. But we need to talk to the informant before investigating the retired hero in either case. "

[Peypeypeypey]

"Very well then." Nicolas listens intently, speaking after the talking had died down. "Let's put it to a vote, shall we? Simply say "Mission 1, mission 2, or mission 3." Once we have a majority, I will send you more information on your choice." 

[Bergy_Berg]

"Mission 2."

[michalecs]

"Mission One is my preference." Voyd replied.

[OMFG]

"Mission 1..."

[Gands02]

Mission one

[Hugo Fowl]

"Mission one."

[Peypeypeypey]

Nicolas listens intently. "It looks like the 1's have it then. Rest assured, we will be closely monitoring the Heathens in the meantime, and we have our best people trying to find more information about Mrs. Hutchinson's whereabouts. Now, onto the task at hand. Some more information you should have before you go to the Imaginary Gentlewoman." He removes a remote from his pocket and presses a button, and above the holographic city appears an image of a middle-aged man, gruff looking, in what appears to be a mugshot. He has grey hair, deep blue eyes, and a menacing smile about his face. "This is Mr. Regis Wagner. For years, he was an information broker who bought and sold secrets of all three of the major gangs in town. They left him alone primarily because they knew that he knew enough to severely hurt their bottom line, and was willing and able to go down with the ship, so to speak. He is the only man we know of who has ever seen the Rat. Word on the street is that The Rat has been having a very hard time finding someone else he can trust enough with his secrets, given that Mr. Wagner was arrested. In exchange for his freedom, he gave up much information to the police about the other gangs, specifically about "El Caballero." Mr. Wagner's name was changed, and he now works for the aforementioned establishment as a bartender. He is heavily monitored, so we know he is no longer dealing with "The Rat." However, if we can somehow convince him to give us the information we want, we believe The Rat would be willing to work with us. If there are no further questions, make your way to the Imaginary Gentlewoman, and seek him out."