Description: Vega goes to Zero, asks for information about the people who were messing around in Thailand - and gets a surprise answer!
'I wish to meet. This is important.'
The request is laid out with steel beneath the velvet of an 'invitation'. It's not friendly, but then again, Vega hardly ever is. Handling things has always been a matter of yelling and screaming to have things done by people who were busy trying not to raise Vega's ire. In the end, it means that dealing with his newfound 'allies' has been difficult. He attempts not to push them to the same level as his Shadaloo forces, but knows he needs them just as much as his loyal minions. In this case, well - information, not brute force is called for. Knowledge that surpasses the information gathering ability of his monitor cyborgs, seeking background to things that have not made sense.
The psychic in him demands he bring others with him on this visit to Zero's domain, to his erstwhile 'ally'. There's something nagging at the back of his head which proclaims 'bad things may happen if you go alone', and Vega is in no mood to be attacked or otherwise betrayed. In this instance, he will take the 'safe' way and bring those he trusts along with him - one of his trusted new minions, Sakura - and her controller and trainer, Kurow.
Sadly, there are few that he truly trusts anymore.
It's funny, in a way -- before this, Kurow was intentionally on the edges of Shadaloo, occasionally doing some work for them but not quite in the inner circle. Now that the group is ascendant, he's that much deeper in; on the other hand, considering how many of its lieutenants the organization... hemhorraged... in the process of ascending to its present state, perhaps that rise is not the most surprising thing.
It also means Kirishima gets invited on all the fun field trips, and not -just- the boring ones; in this case, it's the trip to the NESTS base that Vega has decided to make. What he /should/ be doing, in his mind, is trying to track down Akira before the people who took her find someone adept enough to change her back to the way she was before the Psycho Drive, before him, before everything.
Unfortunately, things don't always work out in such a way that what should be getting done is what is, and Kurow has made his peace with that. Walking a few steps behind Vega and sticking relatively close to Sakura, the youth stays silent. After all, Vega has seemed somewhat... unstable, lately. Speaking up at the wrong time might make things worse.
Likewise, Sakura remains behind Vega -- as a properly-educated Doll candidate should, she knows her role in Shadaloo. That is to say, she follows Vega whenever he's deemed that she needs to be around.
Like now. She bristles at the notion of entering this NESTS facility -- she's been briefed, and she knows exactly the kinds of creepy things that can happen here. It's not, in theory, that different from Shadaloo. But the facilities in Shadaloo, she's come to know over the past two weeks. This one is wholly different.
Occasionally glancing over at Kurow to relieve the monotony of staring at Vega's rustling cloak, the Taiyo graduate nonetheless seems eager to get on with the mission. ... As eager as one can get while her emotions have been programmed out of her, anyway.
The mysteries of Psycho Power. In the end, it is this very power that serves as a warning to the Shadaloo dictator that allows NESTS to maintain some semblence of a 'working relationship' with the great Lord Vega. The entire basis of this alliance, for them, is to unveil those mysteries -- to learn how to harness that power for their own ends. And so, logic dictates that now is not a time to cut short the already strained tethers that bind Shadaloo and NESTS. Not yet. Diplomacy is required, and while Zero is certainly not nearly as charismatic as the cartel's mysterious leader... he still knows restraint and patience more than most.
Patience, and logic, is what ultimately gives Vega what he wants; directions to the NESTS cartel's Thailand base of operations. The headquarters lack the refined, elegant tastes that decorate those that Igniz has had a personal touch in constructing. Instead, it is plain, straightforward, and distinctly cold. Everything within has some practical purpose, which in the end reeks of Zero's own bias towards cold practicality. To some, it might be intimidating. But certainly Vega is used to such things by now.
As soon as the Lord of Shadaloo arrives, he will be greeted by a pair of NESTS soldiers at the entrance to the base, escorted down to the sub-levels of the headquarters and through the long halls until they reach what might be the 'throne room' -- if it could even be considered that. A simple, large circular room, it holds no trappings of regality or grandiose decorations. Rather, there is a long series of screens and consoles detailing data of various combatants; information on chi, on mystic flames -- and towards the very back, a screen dedicated to the findings on the DNA of one Killer Bee. At the center stands Zero, in front of a simple chair that might be considered by some to be a throne -- if one were to stretch that definition. He wears simple, black business attire, and at his feet rests a large lion with, strangely enough, black fur. It merely opens a single eye before the appearance of these newcomers, before it goes back to its lazy rest.
"Lord Vega," Zero intones, cold eyes greeting the man's entrance -- and his subordinates. "What is it that you wanted to see me about?"
He could kill them all.
It would be easy. Just like he plans to do to the world, just like he plans to do to any that oppose him. But those here now are working with him, if not for him. He must retain that sanity, that edge and balance upon it. He is muted in his words with Kurow and Sakura as they are led down towards the sub-levels of the base, simple directions to be prepared - he does not expect difficulty in this meeting, but dilligence is /always/ needed.
Faced with Zero and his lion, he has a chance to reflect - why is it that everyone he involves Shadaloo with has a jungle cat? Is it fate, or one of those cosmic oddities? Does /Geese/ have a pure black cougar that Vega does not know about? What /is/ it with these people? Sufficently distracted from the burning rage in his head, he's able to address Zero perfunctiorly, and with no acrimony at all. After all, it's not like /he/ is responsible for what is going on. He's a means to a solution.
"You promised your aid to Shadaloo in return for a very precious gift. I am looking for that information now, and I believe you may have a better idea of what I am looking for that my own minions can give." Relax, you two - he's talking about those faceless soldiers. The ones who have photos of Zaki, Cross and Aislinn. And funny enough, there are more photos, of mostly schoolchildren. Beating on tanks. HIS tanks. With one figure circled in both pictures. His voice is frustrated, and just a bit angry.
"I have never seen this fighter before. I study intently all the footage I can be given, but I have /never/ seen this fighter before."
The young man gives a stiff salute to Zero when the NESTS leader addresses the assembled group of Shadaloo operatives; he has no reason to avoid being anything but easy to deal with here, after all, and if Vega thinks NESTS is a powerful and worthy ally... it really might be best to sit up straight and make a good impression. It might let him cut some good deals in the future.
The jungle cat thing is simple, to Kurow; it's a sign of power. Having a 'king of the jungle' like a lion or tiger or panther as a pet is a sign of absolute, complete dominance, and if there's one thing that Kirishima knows is important to maintain the appearance of, it's dominance. In short, no one wants to mess with the guy with the tiger, subconsciously -- he knows that when he met /Rugal/, the youth definitely stayed as formal as possible.
He stays silent as Vega explains the situation; he stays dead silent. When he doesn't have the answer, he knows better than to speak. ... usually.
Likewise... Sakura follows orders exceptionally well, and snaps a salute just as soon as Kurow does. She's a bit concerned as Vega goes through explaining why the trio is here.
Tanks. Battles. Unacceptable losses. She's read the reports, and is quite familiar with their contents. She also knows very little about the fighter circled. The fangirl-turned-Doll still has access to her vast database of fighter statistics, and... like Vega, she is at a complete loss to define the fighter.
But she knows Zaki. And Aislinn. And most of the kids and not-kids in that tank photo.
But it'd be rude to pre-empt the boss. The Doll candidate stands obediently by Kurow's side, lowering her reinforced gauntlets and folding them behind her back. 'At ease', she calls this.
At which point she stares back at the cat. That's a HUGE kitteh. Sakura's not entirely used to cats, having been a dog owner, but... this. Wow. She glances to Kurow for a moment, before returning a pointed gaze to the cat. And then she looks up to Zero.
She'd hate to =continue= to be rude, anyway.
Despite himself, Zero's right brow twitches once.
It's the largest expression of emotion one will likely ever genuinely see from the NESTS Vice President. And it comes from the news that Vega brings him; involuntarily the muscles in his brow spasm briefly, an expression of annoyance. Other than that, however, there is nothing; not even a second later, Zero's expression is one of complete neutrality. Gray eyes look towards the series of pictures. In particular, the ones who have a single, particular target circled. Information is requested. Does Zero know who this fighter is? Of course.
He knows every experiment NESTS has given birth to, failure or success.
His expression, however, is a deadpan, betraying little. He shifts, and his sudden, brisk movement causes the lion at his feet to stir. The beast lifts, shakes out its regal mane of black fur, before walking away from the throne to find another location to rest. "So this person assaulted your tanks." Zero concludes from what he's shown, before his gaze shifts to the second picture. Considering. A girl being assisted by not only /Cross/, but /Aislinn/ as well. Two of his own agents. "... And these pictures are of...?" He imagines the fourth is one of Vega's agents. The significance of it, however, is something that he needs to know before he answers anything more.
As he waits for Vega's answer, however, Zero moves towards one of the nearby consoles, pressing a sequence of keys until finally one of the larger screens that decorate the chambers blacks out. Soon enough, life fizzles back into it in the form of a single picture -- one of Cross, detailing her own statistics. Information, however, that could be gained by anyone who managed to sample her DNA. Zero knows better than to link her to NESTS quite yet.
"This is who you are referring to, the subject known as Cross. Correct?"
"Assaulted my tanks as a member of a press-gang of elite school-children, kidnapped one of my Dolls away with the aid of two others." Don't worry, Vega isn't focusing /soley/ on this 'Cross' person, but being in two important places at once is cause for interest. Vega is not particularly surprised about Zero knowing the girl's name - his job seems to be something akin to a database cataloguer, one that tends to keep detailed statistics of those that exist. The fact that the girl never existed as far as Vega could find before these moments, he'll let slip. For now. Only, only for now.
"Yes. I need to know how the pieces fit together. I am unsurprised that people would do this - but I do not know the /why/. The Doll was a loner, that I was aware of. Why would they come for her specifically and not the target that she was defending?" Perhaps Sakura or Kurow could answer this question - and perhaps he should have thought about asking it before trundling down towards NESTS's base. His voice raises a bit, as he talks to his two 'followers'. "Your input in this matter would be useful."
-This- is something Kurow actually knows something about; unlike the issue of Cross, he has a great deal of experience dealing with the -other- people involved in this situation. "I'm not sure on all of this, but I can guess," the youth says, looking at the picture of Aislinn, Cross, and Zaki again. "I haven't seen this 'Cross' before, but I'm quite familiar with the other two. Aislinn Doyle and Aoi Himezaki, alias 'Zaki,' from Seijyun High." He lingers on the words 'Seijyun High,' a topic which is evidently very familiar to the youth.
He taps his chin, before continuing, "Kazama was a loner, but had powerful family -- and that, evidently, attracted allies to her. I was jumped by some thugs from Gedo because of how I handled her on Saturday Night Fight, and I know Himezaki is part of a gang in Seijyun that Akira has occasionally associated with... and which might want to strengthen its ties to the Kazama family. Aislinn... comes as a surprise to me, as all I know of her is my sister's fondness for her, but there's got to be some connection between Cross and either Zaki or Doyle." A pause, before he finishes, "That's all I can contribute."
Sakura knows the others well, but allows Kurow to speak first. Helps him feel important.
When he finishes, Sakura steps forward, hands dropping to her sides. "Confirmed. The bonds of friendship are 'tight' among Gedo students, a culture which associates Akira Kazama as one of their own despite her attendance of local rival Seijyun High. Aislinn Doyle had attended Gedo High before changing to Seijyun High. The students who attacked Kurow after my Saturday Night Fight were Gan Isurugi and Eiji 'Edge' Yamada, and were principally associated in assisting Akira Kazama during the rescue of her brother from Justice High during their failed attempt to control Southtown." Kasugano glances over to Kurow for a moment, betraying only the very slightest hint of a smirk for a moment, before turning back to Zero. "Aislinn is rather proficient at chi techniques, I understand. Though... I likewise have zero data on the Cross subject."
The Doll initiate takes a step back, once more folding her arms behind her back as she observes Zero.
"Hm." It's a short, musing sound that escapes Zero's lips as lifeless gray eyes lift towards the display of Cross' statistics. His hands clasp against his back as he listens to all that is discussed; from Vega's explanation of the sequence of events, to Kurow's detailing of the other two involved in the kidnapping of Vega's 'Doll.' The level of importance of this particular act, of that particular agent, is established both by that single word and of the Shadaloo leader's focus on the event. From there, it is a simple matter for Zero. Silent as the grave, he looks over the data regarding Cross, and begins to weigh in her own value as an experiment and as an agent, to the amount of trouble Shadaloo could cause for his and Igniz's goals were they to become an enemy so soon. It is this that he mulls over as the others talk, and soon enough... judgment is rendered.
"Cross is a test subject of NESTS'," Zero's explanation comes with a bland, impassive tone; a way that suggests that even though he knows what he is saying might enrage the mighty Shadaloo dictator, he still has more to say on the matter. "However... the experiment was a failure." He does not explain /what/ the attempt of said experiments were. The fact that he doesn't should be clue enough it's not for them to know. "She is considered by us to be defective; whatever actions she has taken in Thailand have been independent of our commands." Only the latter is true. The former, however, may as well be; the rigid, emotionless tone that Zero takes betrays nothing as his gaze sweeps back down to Vega. The judgment is clear. Cross' value to him does not remotely weigh in equal to seeing his and Igniz's plans be fulfilled without interference. He is cutting her loose. "However, she has yet to be detained and disposed of properly. Whatever her motivations for being in Thailand are, they are unknown to our organization."
A pause. "This 'Doll' of yours was likely taken back to Southtown if they have not yet left Southtown. We shall reacquire her for you, if you consider her to be a valuable asset." It's his own way of saying 'sorry for the screw up' without even remotely implying that they had made any mistakes. After all... NESTS does not make errors.
Vega is probably glad that there wasn't anything for him to rest his hands on. In his Throne Room, he would have held his fingers on his chair as he listened to what Zero had to say - and the admission that this interloper, this nuisance, was an /ally/ would have caused him to snap the chair in half and quite possibly throw it at the man telling him this before simply rending him limb from limb. Vega holds onto that seeting purple rage, letting it build as Zero matter-of-factly explains that while he knows about her existance, he's 'not at fault' for what she does. He's prying, too - Vega is trying to see beneath that mask that's proffered to him. And no, no, he can't see anything beneath it, and that drives him to more madness - something that is quite visible in the slowly roiling waves of psychic energy that gather around his fists.
But still, Zero claims to have ideas of 'where' they would go. His offer is considered - then changed, in a split second. "You will have assistance. I do not want you to have to worry about more 'defective experiments' interfereing with your ability to retrieve what is mine. Sakura, Kurow - you will be joining him and his.. unless you believe there is a better rationale for you being here."
Go on, try and give him a reason.
I /dare/ you.
And this is precisely why Kurow traditionally disdains the less tried-and-true 'scientific' methods of creating 'test subjects' and other such things; it's something new, and is as such often predisposed to failure. (Never mind that his methods have failed too, more than once; that's just a weird twist of fate, that's all.) The way Zero handles it, however, is inspiring -- he's feeding one of his less-important associates to Vega now that she's caused a problem. If nothing else, it's a /familiar/ feeling.
Kurow returns Sakura's little smirk; hearing about Hyo Imawano failing at something is a day-brightener for him. Every time an Imawano fails, Kirishima's day gets that much better. He then looks back to Zero and Lord Vega, with a respectful nod. "I will do as you ask -- after all... I have a /personal/ interest in seeing Kazama returned." What he -really- wants is to see if the little experiment he tried with her made her conditioning worked as well as intended; he took a calculated risk, and wants to see if it's a trick worth keeping in his repertoire.
"Sakura will, of course, accompany me; after all, I have no doubts that she'll want to see her... 'sister' return." Back to Sakura, now, with a little smile. "I'm not wrong, am I?"
Sakura regards the test data intently. She's... attempting to make sense of the data readouts as the numbers blur past. As much as she has a head for fighters and abilities, numbers escape her. Sorry, Vega, no free DNA data will be taken by Sakura here.
"Southtown," repeats Sakura, a slight frown appearing upon her features as she looks down. The expression only lasts a moment, though, as she looks back to Zero attentively.
And then Vega delivers his order. She'd expected as much. "Gladly, Lord Vega." She's felt Vega's force first-hand, and doesn't quite wish to repeat it.
Sakura responds tersely to Kurow, "Of course not, Commander." Whether that's his actual rank or not is irrelevant. "I have a personal interest as well." It was nice to have someone to talk to.
She starts to look to Zero... but it seems he's not giving out specifics on anything. Instead, she returns to her at-ease posture, with nothing further to report.
There is not much to grasp onto or glean from Zero's emotions, or his mind, and unfortunate fact that Vega gets to discover. There are no real emotions there as he turns to regard the dictator and his subordinates, his dull gray eyes exuding nothing more than a cold, lifeless sensation. No doubt frustrating for those who seek to pry into his mind, and no doubt unnerving for many others who are not even psychic.
But still, emotionally blank as Zero may be, he is not a fool. Despite knowledge of the simple fact -- though some may call it 'belief' --that the NESTS cartel's goals and ambitions far surpass the simplistic desires of Vega, Zero is not so dense as to contest the ideas of a man with almost limitless Psycho Power in a room full of sensitive, and extremely expensive, equipment. Somewhere in there Zero also accounts for his well-being, likely above the expensive equipment. So instead of challenging the man's authority with little to no logical reason to do so, Zero simply inclines his head in a nod at the other man's words. "It will be taken care of, then. I shall accompany your agents personally." For him, this is something of a grand gesture; there are, after all, better things that Zero could apply his time to other than mercilessly beating on schoolgirls.
One would assume, at least.
Beyond that, however, Zero says nothing more for a time; instead, he moves to his so-called 'throne' after shutting off the data on Cross, sitting down as Gorgon moves to sit beside him, its red eyes staring intently at the trio. "We will deploy within twenty-four hours, unless this interferes with your own plans. The Doll will be delivered to you within ninety-six hours after today. I trust this is acceptable to you, Lord Vega."
"Acceptable. I do not believe any of you will fail."
With that said, and with the plans created, Vega is through with this conversation. As Zero moves back to his 'throne', Vega turns his back on the man. Over his shoulder, he does offer one tidbit of information. "Were they to try and break any conditioning of a Shadaloo soldier, they would look for a mystic named Rose. /I/ will investigate her whereabouts, and make certain that she does not interfere. Thailand will stand for a day without my presence, I am certain."
Oddly - would Kurow's conditioning stand up to Rose's attempts to change a person? This is something Vega will have to think about - in the meantime, however, he has much to plan. The others will follow him on his way out, he assumes - if not, well - they can stay and visit with mister 'I'm not telling you nothing' all they want.
He's done.
Another rigid salute from the young ninja comes after Zero and Vega exchange words. Kurow is good at shutting off the ambition and the greed and playing the part of a loyal soldier; after all, it's how he handled the Darkside Society Organization immediately before selling them out to Shadaloo in the name of more power. "I look forward to working with you, Zero, sir," Kurow says, with a smile. "Your presence will be quite the boon in our mission -- especially given your intelligence on the parties involved."
When Vega turns to leave, Kurow follows, gesturing for Sakura to do the same. "I believe that went as well as could be expected, given the circumstances," he declares... though Sakura's frown at the mention of Southtown sticks out in his head. It's the littlest red flag, the littlest crack in the monolith that he feels an obligation to patch. For all he's worked on getting her to approximate normal human feelings, he seems awfully bothered when she looks at a mission with anything less than enthusiasm.
... And here Sakura was looking forward to a sleepover at the Thailand base. ... More importantly, she was looking to get started immediately, and Zero's telling her 'twenty four hours'. Perplexed by the delay, when it was her belief that time was of the utmost importance, the girl shuffles her feet slightly.
That is, before the Doll programming remembers that it's supposed to be making the girl behave, and stiffens her posture once more. Lord Vega found the plan acceptable after all. Rose... well. She can be sought in the meantime. That's an excellent idea, Lord Vega. If it weren't rude to say it when Zero's here...
"Likewise, an honor, sir." She salutes stiffly to Zero, before turning to depart.
See, Zero, this is how you ought to be dressing your girls. Live a little!
On walking out, Kasugano nods in concert with Kurow. "I will begin any research deemed necessary to ensure mission success."
Log created on 18:57:33 06/19/2007 by Vega, and last modified on 19:23:15 06/20/2007.