Match of the Millennium

Description: Takehiro Glenn's mission continues, this time taking him to Metro City to talk to one Captain Charlie Nash. This conversation proves somewhat trickier: his previous "client" was not so law-bound as this one.

[CHARLIE]
Metro City. Fun in the Sun during the hot summer days and the only slightly cooler nights. A place that can still remember its own run in with a cataclysm and a good a place as any to remember that other cataclysm both big and small are happening all over the world even while the citizens of Metro are finding joy again.

Captain Charlie Nash, appointed lead of the newest Interpol Task Force, takes time from his day meeting and planning with officials and agents in order to remind himself the purpose, point, and importance of his newfound position. He's fought around the world, and in a tournament for the fate of dimensions, but sometimes you need to remind yourself of the small points of light that give you a reason.

He drinks from a bottle of water, walking along the beach boardwalk. He listens to the people splashing, the water rushing, the vendors hawking cheap and greasy and delicious food. He surrounds himself in Metro City. It helps keep perspective. Because he has a feeling that once he leaves the city, he won't be back for a while.

Leaning forward, he rests his arms on a safety rail. Foot on the lower rail. He pushes his glasses up his nose by the bridge and thinks. Kidnappings, gang wars, rising tides of conflict in Mexico. So much to tackle, and so much that can go wrong. He just needs to figure out where to start.

[ZACH GLENN]
Charlie Nash finds himself with some company after a moment. A youngish man takes up a place on the railing within conversational distance but just outside of what would probably be a good striking distance.

The young man is obviously Asian, despite the shock of red hair that could not be anything but natural. He wears a nice business casual suit, all muted blues and greys, and has his own bottle of water in his hand.

"You are a difficult man to reach, Captain Nash," he says politely. "It took me a while to find you."

The man turns to face Charlie a bit more squarely, and offers an empty right hand to the veteran.

"Takehiro Glenn," he says by way of introduction, "You worked with my cousin Zach once."

[CHARLIE]
Charlie is quick to take in this new arrival, especially once he hears his name spoken. He grunts in greet, but extends a hand before a more genial, "A lot of people vying for my attention lately. Only have so much time to be everywhere, good to meet you, Mr. Glenn."

The name gets a nod. "I remember. I was hoping to catch ahold of him. I'd like to talk to him about a place among my team."

Light catches off Charlie's glasses, however, and his face is drawn to a subtle, stern frown. Charlie Nash is an observant man, he knows the read of a situation better than many. "But I take it from your arrival here that that might pose a problem," he says, taking his hand back. "So what's happened, Mr. Glenn?"

[ZACH GLENN]
Takehiro is incredibly unassuming, outside of the oddity of his apparent heritage. There is nothing at all in his stance to indicate that he is any kind of threat in any meaningful way to anyone. Charlie might get the impression that Takehiro could vanish in a crowd just about anywhere at any time if he wanted to. He smiles a bit, then frowns a bit more when Charlie quickly figures things out. His frown turns into a weak grin though.

"I suspect that might have been an issue even before this, Captain," Takehiro says carefully. He glances around at the recovering city. "He resigned his commission after what happened here," he explains. "And I know for a fact that there were people at Interpol that didn't care for the job he took up afterwards." He goes silent for a long moment, pensive.

"But that's not the issue here," he says tiredly. "He's gone missing, sir," Takehiro says. He considers for a moment. "You know about what happened on that island, Mortal Kombat, correct? Zach was there." He shudders. "He died there. He, and I would guess everyone else who died there, rejoined the world of the living after the tournament. He had set up a... call it a protocol. Anytime he took an unexpected trip, he'd let me know, and then contact me every two or three days to let the family know he was still alive."

He takes another shuddering breath; the matters at hand clearly weighing on him. "It's been a month since his last contact. The next steps in the protocol involve me contacting various people that chaged from time to time. You and a shrine maiden near South Town were the two constants. Getting here and finding you took me some time."

[CHARLIE]
"If that was all he's worried about," Charlie says with a confident smile, "Let me handle the brass. It's my task force, and I was given command for a reason." But the confidence slips to a stoic, steady sullen state, joining in the silence until Takehiro continues.

"I was on the island," Charlie confirms, but says no more on that matter.

He thinks, takes time, uses the moment to collect his thoughts. He takes his glasses off and looks at them, thin and angled in his large hands. "Your cousin may think he's not a good fit for service, but that doesn't mean he isn't someone that serves all the same," he says, putting the glasses back on.

Charlie looks away and downward for a moment, turning from Takehiro. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't see connections with what's going on in the world and your cousin's disappearance, Mr. Glenn. And I want you to know you came to the right place. But I do need you to come in and give a detailed report on everything you do know." He turns back toward Takehiro. "Everything."

[ZACH GLENN]
"He'd argue the first point, about not being a good fit." Takehiro says carefully. "But he'd totally agree with you on the part about serving." He frowns when Charlie wants to bring him in all official-like, though.

"I'm more than happy to tell you what I know, right here and right now," Takehiro says, still careful. "But I can't go with you for reasons you will understand when I lay things out."

[CHARLIE]
Charlie crosses his arms. He stands resolute. A small frown carved into his features. Still and steady as a rock. "So you don't want to come in? This isn't police work. It just makes things documented."

But Charlie didn't end up in charge because of too much rigidity. That keeps things from happening. He relents and his posture loosens. "Say your piece. But if it's something that needs documentation for safety or legal purposes, you know I'll need to ask you to come in just to cover things. I want to help you, but it has to be done in a right and fair way."

[ZACH GLENN]
"Zach told me that he was going to Cabo San Lucas on a vacation with Honoka Kawamoto," he says after a moment's consideration. He had a job to do as well. "She won the Mortal Kombat tournament. She's also the head of the Akatsuki Yakuza leader known as the Scarlet Dahlia. They had been dating for a very long time, and the two of them made it a point to keep wach other out of their... occupations, I guess you'd call them. They departed on a small twin engine boat that left out of Yokohama at 8:30 pm local time to meet up with the cruiser. I could not track the boat after it left the harbor, or the cruise liner they were supposed to link up with."

Takahiro takes another breath before continuing on. "Tell me, Captain," he says carefully. "What do you know of the organization known as Shadaloo?"

[CHARLIE]
This was a good deal of information. Some of it fresh, some of it not so much. But it was all important that this man was coming to speak so frankly and openly about the subject to the announced leader of Interpol's latest Task Force. And so Charlie treats all of what is said with a great deal of consideration. His brow furrows, his lips thin and he nods with each small revelation to the situation.

"I can consider this an anonymous source," Charlie tells Takahiro after a moment of internal deliberation. "I would prefer it if you came in and I can get all of this recorded. It would go a great deal in protecting people in the future."

And even as he asks for a hand, he has to close a door at the same time. "I'm afraid I cannot tell you the details of what Interpol knows. Other than we do know of it, its leadership, and actions it has undertaken in the past. I'm guessing by your question you suspect Shadaloo's involvement in your cousin's disappearance and not the South Syndicate?"

[ZACH GLENN]
"I wasn't asking about your Task Force," Takehiro clarifies, "I was asking what you, yourself, knew." He shrugs. "They are run by a man who calls himself Vega. He is a strong fighter and a powerful psychic. You sparred with Zach once. Vega wields similar energies. They were responsible for the incidents surrounding the Flight of the Soaring Spirit tournament a few years back."

"Vega..." Takehiro takes a deep breath. None of this, at all, will hold up in court. "Vega has a very strong interest in people like Zach and Honoka. People like me. He tries to take them, and subvert them to his own will, even to the extent that he overwrites their own."

"And corrupting and subverting existing power structures is very much a modus operandi of his," Takehiro says. "I have no problem sharing this information, but the second I am in your system in any way, I am placing myself in danger I will not be able to avoid. I'm not nearly as strong as you or Zach. I'm not a fighter."

[CHARLIE]
"Don't presume I'd keep information all to myself," Charlie says, eyes narrowing at the insinuation he might have insights he hasn't given. But if Takehiro wanted to give up what he knows, there may yet be more to learn from the cousin of Zach Glenn.

And so he listens, with the rolling of the beach and the people enjoying the limited summer sun offered by Metro City's climate. "Psycho Power," he says, quiet, with an air of tired knowledge. "I understand, and you fear he and his organization would be most likely to take a shot at your cousin and Miss Kawamoto. I understand that." He understands, and he knows the level of danger is already too high to risk threatening Takehiro with more problems.

"I'll give you an address. But be aware that if Shadaloo is behind things, then they're not above using whatever means necessary to trouble you. At least with us you'll have someone to watch over you."

[ZACH GLENN]
Takehiro replies, "I am not entirely certain that Kawamoto is not complicit in this matter. She may have saved the world, Captain, but she's not exactly what you'd consider on the side of angels, either." Another moment of consideration. "Zach trusts her, but he's also determined to save her from everyone. Including herself."

"I'll accept the address," he says after taking a sip of his water. He understands why the offer is made, and appreciates it. "But I'm not without resources when it comes to going to ground," he says in a tone that suggests that while he's grateful for the offer, that this is also not his first rodeo.

[CHARLIE]
More information. Useful information. Though it doesn't mean that Charlie isn't in some way fearful for the man who gives it. Nor does it mean he takes it all at face value. It does, however, provide a foothold into the manifold problems that are rising up around the world.

He doesn't answer, or respond in any way for a moment. Instead, he pulls a small receipt from his pocket to use as scrap paper to write down the location of the local Metro City office for the Task Force's activities. A place that he feels can offer greater security, but can't bring himself to force the man willing to offer information so readily.

At the same time, that information needs to be vetted, and Charlie can remember Takehiro's distinct nature and face in the chance that this whole situation is a duplicitous charade.

"Good, take it and go here if you feel in danger. Tell them I sent you. They will take care of you. Resources or not, you must respect your opponent on the battlefield and take what advantages you can get," he says, passing the paper over to Takehiro to take. "I want to thank you for the information you offered, protection is the least of that."

[ZACH GLENN]
Takehiro takes the address, glancing at it before pocketing it. Charlie might get the impression that he has it memorized already. He bows at the waist, his heritage outweighing his upbringing for a moment.

"Thank you, Captain Nash," Takehiro says as he straightens up. He turns, one hand in his pocket even as he tosses the water bottle into a trash can. A moment later, someone breaks the line of sight between the two men, and Takehiro is gone. Charlie will no doubt remember the man, and the conversation, but later?

Despite any camera footage of the conversation, Charlie will not be able to find a single eye witness. There will be no signs of intimidation or coersion, but people will only remember seeing Charlie and not the red-headed Japanese man talking to him.

Log created on 13:35:05 07/15/2018 by Zach Glenn, and last modified on 17:43:43 07/15/2018.