M.O.M.O. Ops

[Revision]

M.O.M.O Ops ​

Episode 1​

Who's That?​

The Mysterious Menace? A New Operative!​

Things were different now...

Himeko shuffled the files on her desk, trying to concentrate through her nervousness. It was an ordinary day and people walked down the hall just beyond the door, going about on their ordinary business. Except it was different. Everything was different. The team itself, once full of those who knew and cared for one another, would be completely changed. New faces, new... talents. And new missions.

The brass hadn't wasted time, Himeko mused, opening the hard copy of the day's objective. No time to train together, no time to get to know one another. But this was to be a routine mission: recruit a new member, one Flore, Mitsuko. Left unsupervised, the girl was a menace. But M.O.M.O. would be able to train her. And given her rumored specialty, it was no wonder she'd fallen to Himeko's team to secure. It would be simple. Surely even the greenest members of the team could handle this. To be sure, the reason she was most nervous was that the damn staff doctor was coming along to monitor the... the fresh meat and make sure no one had any objectionable reactions to anything that might occur.

She'd known them, once, and it had been simple...

This new team... she didn't like it. She was stuck with the Maelstrom Knight, first off, a young man who'd given her nothing but annoyance. She had attempted to befriend him, but he was distant and distrustful and she wasn't sure he let anyone in past his shielded exterior. Then there was the doctor. Saul was... well, quite frankly, any doctor made her nervous. She didn't really know him that well at all. There was a transfer from another team, a young man named Iseya. His squad... well, they hadn't been as lucky as the former members of Himeko's squad.

But at least he was trained, at least the Knight and Saul knew their jobs. But then...

But then... then there was the final member of the team. The real threat to cohesion. Min. Himeko had argued against the assignment of the... creature, if one could call it that... to her squad. She'd been informed that if anyone could handle the special tact that would be needed to deal with a defective---er, defecting-- robot, it would be her. She wasn't sure about subjecting a newly assembled team to something that had until very recently been a cold blooded killing machine, though. This was going to be difficult. Oh well, they'd adapt. They had better.

Putting most of her files away, Himeko headed from office to staffroom. The others should be gathered by the time she got there... at least if they knew what was good for them.

Things were definitely different now.

 

[Astaroth]

M.O.M.O.'s resident medical officer was the first to arrive at the briefing room for the "team meeting".

Dr. Saul Mendel stood stiffly at one end of the conference table, his dark curls falling across a brow that was wrinkling pensively as he focused piercing, golden-brown eyes on the screen of his phone. Stark white numerals blinked softly back at him, confirming that yes, he had in fact shown up five minutes early, and no, no one else was proving to be quite so punctual. That was a shame, because Saul had absolutely no intention of sticking around any longer than was necessary. He was here to formally meet the team, warn them not to do anything fundamentally stupid (on the mission or in his medical lab, thanks), and to schedule their first physicals. That was all.

He could hardly do any of that until they turned up, however. Saul's finger tapped out an impatient rhythm against the cool, smooth touch screen of his phone as he waited, opening and closing different applications to no particular rhyme or reason. A minute or two of this went on before he found himself staring down at his photo gallery, and he lingered for a moment longer on that particular screen.

Saul had exactly five photos stored to memory in his phone. Slowly, he thumbed through them.

One... Two... Three... Four...

His hand shook a little as he poised to flick to the final picture.

What the hell am I doing?

Letting out a harsh huff of breath that sent his curls springing upward from his inclined face, he deftly locked the screen on his phone and shoved it back inside of his lab coat- and then stuffed both hands deep into the pockets for good measure. He'd let them back out when they could behave properly again, but until further notice, he officially didn't trust them. As it turned out, he was also just in the nick of time to avoid embarrassing himself in front of his new superior officer.

"Commander Stasheff," he greeted as the woman walked through the door, his tone flat and a bit clipped. It wasn't that Saul had anything against Himeko Stasheff; he hardly knew her. That was just, well... the way he sounded when he talked to people. He frowned, glancing at the Commander and then away again, steadfastly ignoring how the edge of his phone was pinching the sensitive skin between his thumb and index finger on his left hand.

 

[Vay]

The past week have been busy for Min. Defection came with a price and that price was M.O.M.O. wanting to know exactly what it was that they were getting. Detailed plans for the original units had been sent by the Chinese and every inch of the robots body had been compared to them and differences noted. The biggest sat in the center of Min's chest, a small glowing sphere that throbbed slowly as it produced a seemingly endless supply of power.

The scientists had been amazed and had taken their time to catalog everything, but min was unable to sleep through the procedures and pain was a very real thing for the robot with no anesthetic available for a sentient machine. Min hated it, it was exactly the kind of treatment he had defected to get away from but with everything photographed and scanned and the plans for his heart that he had stolen handed over min had paid the price for human rights and a place where no one would know that the face they say hid metal.

It was today that the machine would take it's place among men as an equal even if calling themself the equal of humans still made their skin crawl. Min didn't bother wasting time in the corridors and only stopped ling enough to pick up a bottle of chilli sauce before finding the meeting room and the door opening exactly on time and bottle in hand the robot walked in and fell into a seat the thudding if their sneakers coming to rest on the table hollowing a second later before a hand adjusted the collar of their blue printed shirt beneath a navy blue jacket with white sleeves, Min didn't get much of a clothing budget bet it was enough especially since sweat and skin flakes weren't an issue. Unscrewing the top of the bottle Min waked at the doctor, may as well greet him now since unless his doctorate was in mechanical engineering of artificial intelligence Min was never going to be in the man's office. Then he was putting the plastic covered mouth of the bottle to his lips and taking a gulp. Delicious!

 

[Saint Tribs]

It was Woof's job to get Hinata to the MOMO HQ on time. It was something the large spectral wolf took very seriously as he practically dragged his yawning 'ward' there. He knew it had been a late night for the Maelstrom Knight aka one Hinata Seidou who doubled as a model when he wasn't being a magical boy who saved the world on a regular basis. Being the size of a small pony definitely made pushing Hinata around easy, Woof found himself worrying that Hinata had dropped yet more weight...

"I could have had another coffee, Woof." Came a whiny voice as he was pushed down the hallway, Woof's head pressed against the small of his back. The wolf didn't comment because the two chilled coffees he had had were more than enough! "Early meetings... Ugh. She does this to spite me, you know?" That came out as self-satisfied but hollow. "Do you know what this is about anyway? Was it on the memo?"

"This is what you get for not reading, Maelstrom. It wasn't on the memo though, it's just a meeting. I bet it's a meet and greet, try not to ostracize this group, will you? Eventually MOMO will get tired of your bullshit, Hi-Maelstrom and I won't be able to protect you..."

"I know... I know." Hinata straightened up, giving his jacket a fluff and pressing his fingers against his blue mask. New people always made him nervous but he wouldn't show that if he could help it. Not to them. Put on the mask. Play the part. Fuck destiny. Fuck fate. "I'll be making my own." He murmured under his breath before pushing the door open and walking in, taking a good look at his new 'team mates'.


"Am I late again, Commander?"

"If we are late, we're very sorry. Canine appendages aren't made for watches."

 

[Dawn]

"Eighty-eight...eighty-nine..."

Back muscles tensed and flexed and the young, raven-haired man could feel his energy slowly starting to diminish. "Starting" being the key word there, because really, one hundred chin ups was cakewalk if one considered how in-shape Kouki was. In fact, one hundred chin ups was how he started his day with more exercises to follow later on. As a star athlete for his college, he was just as concerned about keeping in shape as he was about keeping the general public safe from evil.

"Ninety-five...ninety-six..."

A bead or two of sweat trickled from his hairline down the side of his face, and followed the curve of his neck. He paused, mid-lift, to glance at his alarm clock. Hmm~ Did he have enough time for a shower? Probably better to do that and be a bit late rather than show up all sweaty...

"One hundred." Dropping down from the bar, Kouki shook out his limbs a moment, stretched, then thumped his fist down into the palm of his hand with a little "ossu!" before heading off to shower.

Fresh and clean and smelling of soap, Kouki jogged down the hallway toward the staff room in a pair of fitted blue jeans and red Converse, still tugging a bright green t-shirt down over his torso as he went. He'd left Gami-chan behind, the fluffy, cuddly white rabbit curled up on his pillow since in his mind this meeting was just to get everyone more acquainted.

As he pushed through the door, he hesitated a moment to take in the scene before him, then turned to Madame Bosslady and promptly snapped to attention. "Kouki Iseya, reporting for duty! Sorry for being late, Sir--er...ma'am? Boss? ....Uhh... I'll just go sit down now..." With a sheepish grin, Kouki backed away from Himeko, skirted around the rather moody masked man, and plopped down into the seat next to the person holding a bottle of...was that chili sauce?

Kouki lifted his arms, entwining fingers at the back of his head, and leaned back in his chair while he studied the person beside him. He couldn't be sure what gender he was looking at...or if this person even had one. But what had the young man grinning was how casually that person was sipping chili sauce straight from the bottle as if it were a cold and refreshing soda.

Well, he was grinning right up until his gaze shifted to the doc and caught sight of that stern expression. Right away Kouki fixed his posture, folding his hands in his lap. Something about that man made him uncomfortable and it probably had to do with the atmosphere around him. 'I wonder if he knows how to smile...? He looks too serious about this.' Deep brown eyes flicked away from the doc and settled on the masked man. 'He looks like a party pooper too. Somehow I feel as though becoming a family will take a lot of work...'

 

[Shiny]

Mitsuko rolled over on her futon, now staring at her little TV screen while upside down. The news anchor on the program was going on about the repairs going on in downtown Kyoto after the showdown between two unknown beings. Mitsuko groaned.
"They're still talking about it, Niko. After all this time..." she stretched, arms and legs sprawling over futon and partly onto the tatami flooring.

"After the mess you made, you're surprised?" Nikoba responded. The black and brown wolf lied up curled next to a window, enjoying a ray of morning sunshine. "Don't let it worry you. You humans are like ants, easily fixing up broken mounds in time. And don't call me Niko." he added.

"You're comparing humans to bugs again..." she moped, "it bums me out when you do that, Nikobii." She blinked and stared at captured footage on the news program. Luckily, the clip of her fighting shadowy monsters was too blurry to make out her face. And with her red hair, blue eyes, and asian features, she could be easily recognizable. But as soon as her stomach growled, away went any concerns about the topic, and she suddenly jumped to her feet.

Mitsuko stepped from her living area into the kitchen, where she began preparations for a delicious cheese omelette. She was living on her own in a cozy apartment in Osaka, where she would soon start college classes. Her parents were still a stir-crazy duo, traveling the world and going wherever work took them. The company of Nikoba had become a real relief. Maybe she'd been too dense to realize it before, but she could get a little lonely sometimes.

After a decent breakfast, Mitsuko grew a little stir-crazy herself. She'd done nothing but laze around all morning. With her setting high goals for herself regarding her college's track and field team, practicing was a must. Once she was changed into a loose fitting sleeveless top, running shorts, and shoes, she left her apartment with a grumpy looking wolf not far behind. Luckily, he easily passed for a big dog.

 

[Revision]

The doctor was, surprisingly, the first one there. She'd honestly expected the robot to be the most punctual, though on second, perfect timing was unnerving to most humans and it made sense to... no, she wouldn't think about that now. If Commander Stasheff kept overanalyzing, she'd not be able to function with the good of the team in mind. Greeting the doctor, she moved to her place at the table. The last file, the one she hadn't put back in the cabinet, was placed before her seat which she leaned over, splaying fingers on the cool surface of the briefing room table. The screen before her flickered to life, pausing on a loading screen before settling on the homescreen. Lifting a hand, the commander keyed in a code, then swiped her keycard. The Maelstrom Knight and his companion were addressing her, but she held up a hand to indicate she was occupied. The computer readied itself.

By the time the correct screens were brought up and the door was snicking shut behind the final member of the team. Finally, Himeko straightened and looked over those assembled. A frown creased her brow and she reached up, adjusting her collar more for show than for any real aesthetic purpose. For a moment, she simply stared, her gaze sweeping over each of the assembled. Only the slightest expression, one of soft irritability, remained on her face as she did so. Aside from the motion of her head, she might have been a statue, hands folded behind her back in parade ground dignity. Finally, she spoke.

"Before we proceed with the meeting, I wish to make one thing perfectly, irrevocably clear. When we meet in this room--" she jabbed a finger at the conference table, "-- we are not some ragged school field trip." That velvet-over-brick gaze went to Kouki. "We are not a rogue janitorial squad." Now those eyes were on Min. "And we are certainly not a group of slackers putting their feet up on the living room table.

"You will all arrive dressed in either your alternate identities or your standard issue uniforms from this point out, and that goes for you as well, Doctor," she said, attempting to stave off objections. "Your medical suite is one thing, but here, you will arrive in proper attire if you are to remain attached to this team. You will all respect the property of the Ministry and you will arrive on time from now on. Do I make myself clear?" She paused, barely waiting for a response before continuing. "And for the record, Iseya, 'sir' is the correct form of address for a superior officer, regardless of gender within the ministry." Her lips flickered. Nearly a smile.

"Now." A series of keystrokes and the other computers around the table flipped up, revealing information that was, for the most part, reflected on a large screen behind Himeko. "I realize you were all expecting time to settle into your new roles. I also understand that most of you are likely under the impression that this is a meet and greet. The powers that be have other plans for us, though."

The lights dimmed slightly, and the scene on the screen changed to one of destruction and despair. Buildings were in ruin, families were seen pulling their loved ones from wreckage, and smoke choked the air in the images. A video began to play, the same that had run worldwide on many major news circuits over the past while. The battle for Kyoto that had resulted in damage and destruction to much of the city. As it continued to play on mute, the commander spoke again.

"These images were taken three months ago. They've become iconic in the face of our opposition, those who wish to see the Ministry shut down and all Magical Operatives imprisoned. The Ministry has put its best publicity people out there and teams have been attempting to clean up the smear on the reputation of gifted beings. However. To be certain that these efforts take, we cannot allow another Kyoto tragedy.

"For some time, it has been known that a vigilante was directly connected, if not responsible, for the devastation. It has also been known that the destruction was caused in response to a hostile that may well have done much worse if there had not been intervention. Nevertheless, the Ministry has been searching for the identity of both hostile and vigilante and has finally found the human face of the latter."

The screens, large and small, switched to a profile of a young woman. Red headed with blue eyes, she was smiling and appeared happy enough, a normal schoolgirl. Beside her picture, relevant details were listed.

"This is Flore Mitsuko. She currently attends Osaka's Hagoromo International University. She is suspected to be our vigilante. You will find relevant information regarding Flore on your screens." She tapped a button and the big screen turned off, lights coming back up.

"Today, we are being sent into the field as a team to find Flore Mitsuko and either apprehend or recruit her and find all relevant information on her adversary. While we are in the field, you will conduct yourself professionally. We will be transported to Osaka by means of one of Kaliana's fields once everyone has been thoroughly introduced, but will be returning via helicopter once we have obtained Flore. This is to be done nonviolently if possible. If a confrontation occurs, you are to disarm and subdue the vigilante, not kill her.

"Maelstrom Knight, you and Iseya are to approach her. Use your discretion on how you approach this. Min, you will be backup if necessary, but keep your distance unless you are needed. The good doctor and myself will be monitoring the operation and moving in only if necessary. Are there any questions?"

 

[Astaroth]

"Are you saying that I'm going into the field?"

The doctor had been quiet during Himeko's upbraiding of the team, respecting the need to rap knuckles and to get the briefing out of the way. That patience had taken a swift kick to the ribs when his participation in the mission was brought up, and the corners of his mouth were turning down again as he gave Commander Stasheff a sharp and questioning glance.

"I don't do fieldwork, sir," he went on curtly, allowing one hand to slip back out of his pocket so that he could comb his fingers roughly through his curls. He did his best to keep any frustration out of his voice. "I'm medical personnel."

It had been something like seven years since Saul had been "in the field", as it were, and he had never planned on going back. The Ministry had never before ordered him to do anything but operate the Med Lab and patch up wounded officers. Why now? He was too old for this. There was absolutely no reason for him to go. Surely they could go through one mission without needing a doctor on standby. This was... not ideal.

Saul took another look at the assembled operatives: an android guzzling chili sauce with their feet up on the table, a now-thoroughly-chastised boy who surely couldn't yet be out of high school, and an underfed young man who'd come in half-awake with his dog in tow.

A vein in his temple throbbed.

 

[Vay]

Min froze as the commander's reprimand hung in the air. There could only be one reason she she would open the briefing and that was to establish the chain of command, so Min wasn't the only piece of equipment that had to shut up and do what it was told around here.

First one foot was lifted off the table, the the other. Then the android pulled it's chair closer to the table and taking another gulp of sauce plated the bottle on the table and twisted on the lid. One target, one single target and they were sending in an entire team, but this target had been involved in the Kyoto incident and that undoubtedly meant she was dangerous.

Min's eyes focused on the commander's. In Min were in charge it would be a dart to the girl's neck then she could wake up in containment and be told the business somewhere safe. Maybe that was the android's work with his previous owner talking but it was clean an efficient.

The commander had to know what Min was, in fact Min was sure they have spoken before and the android has a sneaky suspicion she was afraid or at least suspicious. Did the doctor know too? "Do we know what she can do? What do we do if she's not cooperative? What are you giving me to stand up against someone like her? It would be embarrassing if those who were screaming for their lives and I have nothing but shoes to throw at her."

 

[Saint Tribs]

The Maelstrom Knight listened as their Commander droned on and on and on and- Woof stepped on his foot to make sure his charge was listening properly. There was a wince. Wait. They were going out? To grab some kid? It was times like these when Hinata wished he had remained rogue... But the threat of death or whatever it was they did to the people that didn't join their side was frightening enough to the model that he stayed on the side of 'good'.

"You want me to approach her?" He let his mouth curve up into a grin. "Hey, she's kinda cute too. All happy happy in her picture." He glanced over to the boy he thought was Iseya and raised an eyebrow behind his mask. Kid with a baseball bat. Hinata knew that he wasn't that much older than him but he felt like he was on the other side of the age line... "Why don't you just send her a letter or something? But wait! Oh no, I forgot. We're all about intimidation tactics!" He rolled his eyes.

I should just retire... I'm twenty two years old. I've got something like a life... Haaah. Who am I kidding? This is my life, without being this - this... Magical Boy gig, I wouldn't be anyone besides a model. He flexed his gloves. "I'm sure even if she 'misbehaves' I've got it under control but hey, the more the merrier." Hinata went and stood beside the door and grinned at the boy...girl? Who had said they'd throw shoes at her. "Don't ever doubt the speed and force of a pair of nine inch stiletto heels. You'd be surprised at what they can do to a person."

 

[Dawn]

That intimidation tactic of the commander's was working on Kouki at least, even if everyone else seemed perfectly unaffected by it. Or rather, it was working right up until she started to speak. First a tickle in the back of his throat and a pressure deep in his chest formed and Kouki struggled to hold back a giggle. Then his lips began to twitch as he fought with a big ol' dumb grin. Somehow he managed to settle back down, just in time for the words "janitorial squad" to reach his ears. At that, he made a face and mouthed the words with amusement.

He was always like this when he met new people - giddy and full of energy - even if those people happened to be surly and grumpy and far too serious for their good health. He couldn't help it; he just really liked making new friends. Hell, he still remembered the first time he met his baseball teammates. Oh, and his classmates. Oh and then there was that time he made friends with the corner store Owner-san he used to always visit.

Ah~ Good times... Oh wait. He was supposed to be paying attention.

Blinking away the glaze over his eyes, Kouki quickly skimmed the information in the file before him. The doc was complaining about something and this smiling girl before him looked about as dangerous as a bright yellow, fully in bloom buttercup. The chili sauce drinker was saying something about throwing shoes, which earned a quiet little snort of amusement from Kouki. Flore Mitsuko. The masked man was now saying exactly what the young athlete had been thinking - she's cute.

"So what," he finally spoke up, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. "Are we just going waltz into her university in our sore thumb or..." and he glanced at the man called Maelstrom Knight, "fabulous battle attire and demand she come with us? I don't mean any disrespect, Sir, but Knighty here has a point and really, that's not how I remember being recruited. I remember it being a little more subtle than that. Can't I just wear my normal clothes? This girl doesn't look like she's going to hurt anyone on purpose. Villains are usually loners, right? Why would she be into clubs if she was messed up?"

If they forced her...would she forgive them? Kouki couldn't stand people hating him. Hate was such a horrible thing. Besides. It would give him a good opportunity to check out the baseball competition.

 

[Revision]

Of course it wasn't going to be easy. Resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose, Himeko frowned. This was her team now, a team that seemed less willing to listen to orders than any she'd ever worked with. Well, she'd asked for questions. She'd gotten them. And since she couldn't just tell them that these orders were from the top and she'd argued against them as well...

"Of course we will be trying to avoid conflict. However, the seriousness of the situation means that we must appear as representatives of the Ministry. If she does put up a fight, the public needs to know that M.O.M.O. is doing something. This is as much about saving face as it is about getting a new recruit. So yes. We will be going in costumes or uniforms. And if she doesn't transform or fight, well, then at least the public knows we're conducting an official inquiry.

"Min, you will be given what gear is necessary. Of course you will receive a standard field operative package, including a stun gun, restraints, and all of the fun toys you will need as a nonmagical operative. Doctor. You will indeed be going into the field. No argument. You are going to observe the effects of stress upon a newly assembled team. Besides, this might be dangerous and having a doctor on site will be an assurance that no one comes back in pieces.

For a moment, she felt sorry for them. They didn't deserve to be sent out like this to do the ministry's lowest dirty work. But trust Peach Ops to test their teams in the messiest way possible. Himeko swallowed her anger. It wasn't her place to fight this battle. They'd have to learn to get along and function as a team. And if that meant that they all unified in hating her... so be it.

"If that is all, gather your gear and meet in the portal room. We're behind schedule as it is and really need to get this underway."

 

[Vay]

Well that was that, the new commander had a stick up their arse and was treating them like they'd have military training? Was that it? Maybe their fearless leader was career military and didn't know how civilians behaved... but then Min was sure they didn't know either. It was all... irritating. Was that the correct word for the feeling settled deep in the android's chest, literally in their chest unlike humans. That was almost always enough to bring a subtle curve to Min's lips.

Standing and giving a salute calculated to the nanometer to be just wrong Min left the room without another word and the memory of the building's layout coming to mind started tracing exactly identical steps towards the armory located within the bowels of the building while pulling out an identity card and pinning it onto their jacket. No need to be stopped by the guards.

The standard package as it turned out consisted of a uniform that although was just a standard unisex size fit Min like it was tailored, the promised stun gun or taser as it was more properly known... maybe she WASN'T military, metal cuffs, not plastic disposable ones, a sidearm, and very little else, so Min would be apprehending a highly dangerous magical girl with what amounted to what a cop carried on patrol minus the shotgun in the car... today was going to be a fun day.

 

[Saint Tribs]

Today was going to be a horrible day. Hinata didn't like being on a 'janitorial' squad, not at all. He didn't approve of terrorizing young women who probably didn't realize the damage they caused. He certainly hadn't. It wasn't like you could tell the bad guys to just not attack innocent civilians though...

Plus there was this new 'partner'. Oh the joys of joys! This was almost as fun as walking into an 'adult' store and finding posters of the older brother who raised you covered in... Well. Genetic material. Hinata looked over to Woof and shrugged. "Want to sit this one out or do you think you can do the big lovable stupid dog thing so she is less likely to think we're trying to kill her?" For Hinata Woof was solid, he stroked the top of the 'animal's' head and started off towards the portal.

"Everyone loves dogs."

"Except people who hate them."

"Those people are broken."

"Mhm."

Hinata and Woof went to the Portal Room, standing there idly and looking iffy about the entire ordeal. Hinata didn't care who heard him talk to the wolf. At least they could see him.

 

[Dawn]

Well there was no point in arguing with her, especially when she looked so unimpressed. Kouki wasn't the kind of boy to deal well with grumpiness considering people like that were just about his polar opposite. He wasn't about to let some bossy woman get him down though, not when it was only the first day of a brand new team!

With a little nod at Himeko, the young man pushed himself to his feet and left the meeting room. "Oi oi oi~" he sighed, folding his arms behind his head, entwining his fingers. "Such a serious group. I wonder if they'll ever warm up to each other..." It was just too soon to tell, and he hoped it wouldn't be the case, especially if he had anything to say about it!

"Don't worry, Kou-chan! I'm sure they'll be blown away by your good-boy nature and adorable smile!" said a squeaky little voice from a few feet away. Kouki had been staring up at the ceiling while letting his feet guide him down the hallways, but at the sound of that voice, he glanced down to find Gami-chan looking up at him with a cute little bunny smile.

"You think so? I hope so... Oh! Gami-chan! We've got a mission already!" Stooping, the boy scooped up the bunny and set him on his shoulder so they could chat the whole way to the portal room and once they were there, Gami hopped down and scurried into the room. Kouki paused outside the door, however, and dug his glove out of his pocket.

It was just a regular batter's glove - or so it seemed. In reality, the moment the boy slipped it onto his hand, the glove would glow with a brilliant light and his transformation would begin. This time was no different and it was only a few seconds before his jeans and t-shirt vanished, replaced by his uniform. "Mannn," he complained as he sauntered into the portal room, long jacket billowing behind him. "I always hate going out in public like this. Everyone mistakes me for some kind of delinquent."

It was probably the baseball bat that did it more than the shin-length white jacket with far too many buckles and straps.

"I told you already, Kou-chan. Your outfit reflects your inner self. You're a tough kid, even if you've got a heart of gold," Gami chuckled, twitching one of his bunny ears. "Annnd you tend to be a little unceremonious about things, just like a delin--"

"Not funny!"

Now thoroughly pouting, the boy rested the end of his baseball bat on the floor and leaned on the handle. "Where are the others anyway? They're so slowww." But despite being whiny, he was also entertained, as always when he visited the portal room. The woman sitting in the center was watching him quietly and he instantly smiled at her, even gave a little wave, and then proceeded to look around the room again.

One thing he really liked about the portal room was that it used magic circles just like his alchemy did. The room was completely circular with several little round platforms around the edges. A thin groove in the floor formed the magic circles on each platform, ran down the edge, and across the floor to the center of the room where the woman was sitting inside clear, vertical tube. The grooves were covered with the same clear material as the tube and when the woman wanted to activate a platform, she simply reached up and touched the corresponding pad and passed her magic through the grooves to the platform. Kouki had seen it happen so many times now and still it was such a cool sight to see the clear strips and magic circles light up with such a vibrant light.

He thought about striking up a conversation with the woman but at that point, he was joined by the masked man. What was his name again? ...Uhhhh.... He was drawing a blank. So instead he just beamed a smile right at the man and slipped his bat into the cylindrical holster on his back. "Late to the meeting but we both got here quicker than the rest. Nice rebound."

 

[Revision]

Himeko really wished she knew what the brass were thinking. When she arrived at the Portal Room, it was to see her team assembled and hodgepodge. She'd stopped for her own equipment and currently wore a utility belt and a heavy looking backpack that seemed to be moving of its own accord near the top flap.

After confirming coordinates at the portals they were to use, she turned to look at the team once more. Would they be able to manage this? She had to trust that they could or she'd never pull them through the simplest of missions. A soft purring started in her backpack and a brief smile flickered across the commander's face.

"Some of you have taken portal transit before. You know what to expect. The monitor above the portal shows the location of egress, so you will be prepared. For those who haven't gone through before, listen closely. The portals have an automatic shunt so you will coming out in shadows and out of view of anyone. Pay attention to the monitor. If the image shifts, the new image reflects a hidden area nearby." She paused to hand The Maelstrom Knight a small device. "GPS. The coordinates you should be able to intercept the girl at are loaded inside. She should be on her way to college. If you miss her, well, you're going to have to find her the old fashioned way. Min, Maelstrom Knight, and Iseya will be transiting through the number three portal. The Doctor and I will be going through the number five to a monitoring van already in place nearby. Good luck and let's get underway."

She turned, looking to the doctor before nodding to their designated portal. With that, leading the way, she stepped through.

 

[Shiny]

"Hnnnnnngh," Mitsuko stretched her arms upwards, looking at the rays of sunlight shining between fingers. She'd jogged her way to her campus's field, where she had continued running for another lap around the track. Now she was stretching while looking to the high jump pole in front of her. Nikoba had taken a shady spot on some benches, watching the human girl run around, set up equipment and flail her arms about like some sort of demented squirrel. Blowing a sigh out through his nose, the wolf rested his head on front arms, closing his eyes.

Mitsuko took a deep breath, attempting to clear her mind. She took off, the fast motion more like skipping than anything else. Both feet left the ground, but she could feel her mistake already. No good, her hind leg clipped and dislodged the pole. She fell into the cushion with a fump, and just lied there while sharing at a particularly lumpy cloud in the sky. "Ahh... I messed up." Rolling over, she turned her gaze in the wolf's direction. "Ne, ...Niko-tan. Was it really okay? Just leaving after all that... mess?" She asked, resting chin in palm.

"Didn't I say it already? Nothing good will come from wallowing in guilt. In the end, some broken buildings mean nothing." The wolf sat up and gave a large yawn that showed off rows of sharp teeth, then continued. "Humans may have been injured, but no one perished. You worked hard to make sure of that." He was scratching his ear with a hind leg as he said this, but the weight of the words managed to sink in anyway, making Mitsuko grin a wide grin.

"Niko, you always know just what to say~."

"...Whatever." was all the wolf said, going back into a napping position.

The red head giggled, rolling off the cushioned mat to reset the pole. Then, she returned to position for a second go. This time, she felt the steps fall into the right place, and jumped. Blue, blue sky, and clouds seems to soar by in front of her. A moment of flight, until her back hit the matting with another fump.

 

[Vay]

Still feeling under-equipped Min listened to the explanation of how the portals worked... fancy! "All this and I can't get a gun that says 'presence' when we're displaying our presence and all..." the android muttered. "I guess we're displaying our presence as a police force..." if the machine could have sighed it would have but for that being able to breathe would be required.

Then without another word they stepped up to and through the portal and suddenly they weren't there anymore, instead they were in an alley between an ice cream parlor and a shoe shop behind a dumpster that smelled like rotten eggs and dead cats, and this would be where they had to hide...

 

[Saint Tribs]

Huh. The baseball cap wearing dorkferbrains was a snappy dresser than he seemed. A little on the delinquent side of things but still snappy. It made Hinata feel old and think of his much older brother. He could only imagine Ko's face of distaste he'd wear if he saw ... Kouki. Kouki. How funny that you could shorten his name to the same as Ko's, especially considering his brother's vibrant dislike for delinquents.

"I suppose so, huh?" Hinata brushed back dark hair with a gloved hand and looked over at ... What did Commander lady say? Min. What a weird name but, he supposed, it wasn't any weirder than 'The Maelstrom Knight' was it?

"Alright Iseya... Or Kouki. Or ... what do you want to be called again? It doesn't matter. Let's go get this chick so we can call it a day and I can go do more important things. Like sleeping." Anything to get this over with. Hinata and Woof stepped into the Portal thingy, not really caring how it did what it did but pleased with it in general. They stepped into the alleyway. "Ugh...Well kid, let's go get the girl." Hinata stepped out and started walked, Woof at his side and most invisible for the moment. Just a hit of shimmer in the air let it be known where the giant ghostly animal was.

 

[Dawn]

Oho! So the bosslady was capable of smiling after all! Kouki bit back his own grin and quickly diverted his gaze up to the monitors for a moment while he listened to the woman's orders. "Roger that," he muttered, studying the monitor's display for Portal Three. An ice cream parlor and a shoe shop's shared side alley was the drop location, both of which stores he was familiar with from having a love for clothes and sweets. Actually, it wasn't too far of a walk from there to the University.

Once the boss left with the doc, Kouki followed Knight-san onto the third portal platform, tucking his hands into his pockets to root around for some candy. He pulled out a lemon lollipop, tugged off the wrapper and stuffed it into his pocket, then popped the candy into his mouth just as they began to teleport. And man, was it ever a good thing he'd put something sweet smelling near his nose because the dumpster they'd ended up beside smelled like all the things you really hoped to hell and back weren't in your ice cream.

As they moved into the morning sunlight and away from the gloomy alley, Kouki tilted his head sideways to look at Knight-san. He supposed this wasn't the first time he'd met a mysterious man like this, but the urge to learn all of his secrets never seemed to grow dull. Maybe Kouki came off as a childish, nose kid but really he just wanted to enjoy living and build up friendships into something epic and eternal. He just couldn't understand the appeal of being alone. Loneliness was a feeling that really hurt his heart. It'd been tough - that stretch of time living in solitary confinement. Maybe that was why he wanted to make friends with his new team so badly.

Turning away, he settled his gaze on Min and flashed the bo--..gi--...uh, person a soft smile. This one was strange. Not particularly grumpy, maybe just a bit cynical, but very unique. I mean, who would just drink hot sauce out of the bottle like it was a chilled soda? he thought with amusement. Really, Min grabbed at his curiosity just a little more than the Knight did.

Oh well, there'd be time for making friends later. Right now, he wanted to avoid saying anything that would throw off the team dynamics. Pulling the lollipop out of his mouth, he leaned closer to the Knight and gazed down at the GPS screen. "Yeah, I thought so. We're nearly there. I've been to this Uni for a tournament more than once. We could check her classroom but, I dunno. She seems a lot like me and I would be out on the field, especially on a nice day like this."

Casting his face upward at the Knight, he gave the man a cute little smile, popped the lollipop back between his lips and faced ahead again.