Description: Continuing with her search, Luise travels to southern Honduras to find the second of the mysterious installations. However, it would appear that her travails in Peru have not exactly gone unnoticed... ("Schmetterling und Strohblume", Part 2)
And so the trip onward brings Luise to the Honduras. Why anything would be placed within one of the poorest parts of of Central America would be anyone's guess, really, but at the same time it's the only place that makes sense with the leads Miss Meyrink has so far.
Downtown San Pedro Sula, is pretty much as good a place to start as any, really, the streets quite busy on the muggy afternoon. The area isn't as run-down as one might expect, it's actually quite a respectable city-sort, plenty of places to eat, hotels, museums, all the good stuff.
It's a it odd, but while Luise may not know the exact location, she may feel like she's getting quite close. As she would look northward, she could see the mountains clouded by fog outside of the city. Westward leads in the direction of a flourishing park, the area currently most heavily occupied. To her very right a decent looking hotel, and the south is pretty much where she came from, where a shuttle (should she have chosen to take it) would have dropped her off, made a u-turn and headed back to it's original destination deeping into the city.
Leaving South America wasn't difficult. Once she returned from the tiny mountain town and made her way to a big city, Luise was all too happy to leave the troubling thoughts that even the very landscape was etching into her mind. However, in truth the Dancing Butterfly... didn't know where to go. Obviously, her first priority was to find this 'Jaeger' person... but where to even start looking?
Hoping that the long trip would trigger something subconscious and intuitive -- and perhaps needing the rest -- Luise opted to take land transport from Peru up through Central America to Mexico City, where she could catch a plane... where? Southtown? Or her family's home in Schwartzvald... no. Sitting quietly on the seat of a rickety tourist bus as it trundles through the Central American isthmus, she rejects the idea of going back to her barely-sane mother to explain to her the situation with her father. Southtown would certainly be the best choice, or perhaps Metro City. Somewhere with lots of people.
Reviewing her notes on the bus as it winds through Honduras, Luise considers that whatever power is behind these facilities, it likely chose impoverished South and Central America because the local governments are in dire need... or are simply greedy. Either way, an infusion of cash and a small show of force is enough to keep the local authorities out of the way, something that likely couldn't be assured in the United States or Japan. In fact, maybe that 'intuitive reflection' is what made Luise take the land route after all.
She shields her eyes from the sun as the shuttle bus pulls away, and the young German is faced with the beauty of the Central American mountains... a beauty that's hiding something dangerous she needs to find, and soon.
As the shuttle departs, blowing out exhaust rather heavily when it does so, Luise is still faced with a few choices. Though it almost seems to make the most sense to head toward the mountains, with a name as odd as 'Installation X', it'd likely stick out like a sore thumb in the city itself, right? What a terrible name.
However, the german woman doesn't have much time to actually go and /head/ in that direction; it's rather timed too well, the hotel doors open and two middle-aged gentlemen step outside.
They're dressed very differently from the locals, and clearly do not look of spanish decent. They wear white dressy, pants and black boots, and a slightly unbuttoned white uniform top- no hats. Perhaps 30 years of age each, one gentleman has slicked back, dark-brown hair with white streaks along the sides, face clean.
The other is bald, with early wrinkles at the corner of his eyes and a black mustache. They both make their way toward the Meyrink, and aren't even making a secret out of it.
You have to work really hard to surprise a trained fighter, let alone someone with psychic powers... combine the two, and even ninja crawl away in defeat. There's a certain hum in the air with normal peoples' thoughts... they're difficult to read but typically it's like the sound of a radio playing when you're focused on something else. Barely perceptible, mostly forgettable. People with very intent purposes -- people bent on some thing or another -- stand out like big bursts of static. Luise 'hears' the two mens' approach well before she actually sees it, turning toward them.
Yet strangely, she doesn't run away... not just yet. Certainly if they try to do her harm she is more than capable of defending herself, and if they want to help her she is certainly able to sense duplicity. "Sometimes the best response to a trap is to spring it, after all..." she murmurs to herself, running her slender fingers through the tumble of pale white-blonde hair running down her back. After all... what could they try in the middle of a crowded street?
No running away? Neither figure can say they're very suprised. Once they come to a halt, hands in pockets there actually isn't any talk for at least half a minute, there's just simply staring as the sounds of pedestrian's footsteps and roaring vehicles fill the air.
The energy they exude, very mildly hostile despite their relaxed stances. The mustached fellow draws out a black sunglasses case from his pocket, flipping it open to draw out a pair of, well, sunglasses. They look fairly expensive. Once set on his eyes, he glances upward, and mumbles in a gruff voice, "It's hot as hell out today, in't it?"
The other, however gets straight down to business. "We're not authorities of this country, but people you may never see again if you make this simple. Miss, are you a former employee of Installation R, Peru, the facility you infilterated approximatly two days ago?"
Maybe it's for the best that Luise has never seen 'Reservoir Dogs'... or perhaps not. Then she might have a better idea of how to deal with random people showing up in her personal space with sunglasses and bad attitude. However, Ms. Meyrink has a poise like steel when she wishes to exercise it, and the two men do not have the pleasure of seeing the Dancing Butterfly flinch as she turns to face them, trying to exude... well, curiosity, perhaps. Innocent amusement, even.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know an 'Installation R'," Luise responds in a cool tone... and that's actually the truth. Until 10 seconds ago the psion had no idea what the place was called. She realizes the 'did I do that?' ploy is never going to work on these gentlemen... but tipping her entire hand right off the bat isn't going to be terribly helpful, either. "And I didn't know that wandering into an unlocked, abandoned building counted as an 'infiltration'..."
No matter how hardcore one may make themselves out to be, it is just a little difficult to be completely badass when dealing with a rather attractive target. That is probably what is keeping the two men from being completely uncivil. Still, a job is a job.
Tucson, the partially-white haired fellows lips draw to a frown to Luise's first response. Apparently that was a mess-up on their part, or the woman is just playing dumb. "Normally we /might/ buy that," the man then replies, "However the facility was hardly unlocked. You clearly bypassed the security lock after it identified you as 'Meyrink'. In fact you've bypassed it on more than one ocassion during your visit, allowing you to see things non-personel shouldn't have access to even in that buildings current state."
"If you couldn't guess, our job is to identify you as an employee. Of course, if you can prove this was all just one big misunderstanding and you're just being nosey, well.. We'll see what happens." the other, William, finishes for his partner.
Now that IS interesting news... almost worth the effort of being detained by these two thugs, in fact. One darkish-brown eyebrow goes up, in incredulous surprise, at that story. The Dancing Butterfly had wondered why the scanner on the facility's front door recognized her, even let her enter. Some of the more powerful criminal organizations, she would surmise, have access to excellent security measures... but even still, only half of Luise's DNA comes from Detlev Meyrink. The other is from her mother... and while she is no biochemist, Luise knows enough to know that any good DNA-responsive sensor could tell she had the wrong number of proper chromosomes.
Still, puzzling...
With a shrug, Luise continues to play it cool, letting her dark blue eyes settle on William, who all but threatened her. "Actually, the biometrics on the door responding to me was entirely accidental, as far as I know," she says blithely. And that's not even a lie. "Although honestly, can you expect the security equipment to be working properly when the rest of the place was in such a state?"
The two men glance to one another for a moment, and then back to Luise. It's difficult to tell if the answers Luise is giving them is 'correct' or not, even if they don't seem very satisfied by it. William, however, does seem to be in agreement. "Actually you're perfectly right, it's possible that it isn't working properly. On the other hand, it's possible it is working properly. However that's not for me or him to speculate, as much of a pain in the ass it is for us."
"Still," Tucson cuts in, "We're getting ahead of ourselves here. The important question here, Miss, is that are you saying you are /not/ an employee of Installation R?"
Well, it's certainly the elephant in the room, isn't it, that question. Luise has been giving carefully evasive answers but the truth is, she's *not* an employee of Installation R, nor does she have even the slightest way of proving it. Never mind the fact that these two don't seem to be the brightest bulbs in the marquee and their interrogation methods don't exactly seem to be the best in the world.
To Tucson's question, she can only sigh.
Turning her face to her questioners, Luise puts one hand on her hip, the pale skin standing in sharp contrast to her black clothing, something that should be driving her to sweat like crazy in this heat and which clearly is not... perhaps something the thugs should be aware of. "Gentlemen. Do me the favor of not treating me like an idiot. If you thought for even a minute I was an employee of Installation R, would we even be having this conversation?" And having finally crossed the Rubicon with that statement, Luise steels herself to move quickly... either in her defense, or the defense of the innocent public around her.
For the first time, a bit of a smirk forms on Tucson's lips, "Working in an area like this? Dealing with these kind of people? It's not out of the question to fail to break out of habit, you know? But still, you make a point. So I guess that just leaves us with one final order of business, right?"
And Luise is correct into steeling herself, because at that moment William, with his hands clenched into fists rushes forward and attempts to slug Luise in the gut.
Tucson himself stands back, drawing a cell phone from his pocket. It may be a bit odd, but there seems to be little to no effort in making the scuffle private, and of course this means that the bystanders will be pausing to gather around in a moment!
Perhaps William and Tucson should have done a little bit of homework before accosting this particular woman. After all, it's not as if Luise Meyrink isn't an internationally-known figure if you know where to look. A wealthy dilettante with an interest in multiple academic fields, as well as the fighting world? Not to mention the distinct butterfly motif and appearance to her clothing... apparently these are the lowest of the low, totem pole-wise. And thus Luise feels no compuncture about defending herself.
Williams' fist hits Luise's open palm, which she has almost casually placed in the way of his punch without taking her eyes off his. "I'm terribly sorry about this," she says, almost automatically, before twisting her wrist and attempting to send the enforcer to the concrete behind her with one simple redirection of momentum. "I really do hate to impose, but I think you'd better put the phone away, sir." Her voice is eerily pleasant... but there is a knife edge somewhere in the niceness. She's wearing the type of smile that people instinctively back away from.
"... Uh." The first words to pass Williams lips when his fist hits not its intended target, but Luise's palm. That much control with such little effort? It has to be a fluke, he thinks, as his fist withdraws. "Heh, you don't look like much, I guess that was a ploy all along, huh?"
And no, neither of the pair seem to catch on to the unusuality of the woman wearing all black and not sweating like a pig.
Tuscon pauses as he looks back to Luise, the brows above his shades furrow and he actually does look nervous. Nervous for just half of a second until he realized the woman is outnumbered. "I don't even have time for this.." he mutters under his breath, the phone is pocketed again, but not because Luise told her to, but to back up William. There's a second attack then, the whiter-haired man striking from the left with a kick toward Luise's side, there's nothing very 'martial arts' about it, probably just street fighting. Tuscon's punch though is more skilled, like a boxers. He approaches from the right, with a full swing toward the womans cheek.
Two-on-one tactics have never been Luise's forte; she excels in combat where she can use her blinding speed and psychic powers to dance around the opponent's attacks. That might be why the tableau plays out the way it does. The Dancing Butterfly lives up to her name as she spins out of the way of the kick... only to find the more effective boxer's punch coming in toward her jaw. Her block -- shoving a forearm in the path of the strike -- is ragged and less elegant than the rest of what she's attempted here, but it is servicable; she's able to avoid taking a punch to the face. Even with her greater degree of experience, soaking physical damage has never been her strong suit.
Of course, now she's annoyed. It shows.
And if Luise on the defensive was casual and elegant... Luise on the *offensive* is like a Chinese sword-dancer: beautiful and entirely lethal. "I really had hoped this would end somewhat differently," she says, swinging around and aiming a stomping kick at Tu(s/c)on's feet, even as her other hand shoots out in a knife-hand to forestall any offensive moves by Williams... that uncanny use of Psycho Power to know *exactly* where to time and place her blows without even needing to look. "I really did."
The annoyance in noted, however given the situation, the duo don't particularly care. Williams missed kick causes him to stumble slightly, which he follows with an expletive. He's no pro, but he can see that this woman is way more skilled than she lets on. Oh well, so much for this ending very clean.
Tucson, while not quite as shaken up by Luise's skill, seems to be similarly frustrated. Usually forms of resitance can be fun- But this certainly is not.
In the blink of an eye almst, William finds his chest struck by one attack which stops his counter-attack cold and sends him hitting the ground on his back, and clutching the struck spot. The stomp to Tucsons feet? Well, it was more painful than it looked to say the least, there was a *crack* that wasn't audible due to the boots. He drops as well, though only to one knee, he reaching into his uniform to draw out a simple handgun.
Though this handgun is, for some reason, painted completely white.
It's signifigance isn't clear, but the very moment public eyes land their sights on the weapon, there's panic at the snap of a finger. The bustling crowd is thinning out immedietly to get away from the three. Luise is probably quick enough to move forward before he can pull the trigger if she chooses. "Tell me about it.. And here I thought this was my lucky day."
To onlookers, Luise doesn't actually appear to move at all.
In point of fact, what happens is this: first, she frowns at the introduction of the handgun to the game. Second, in a barely-visible blink of blue energy she is *behind* Tucson. Third, she is sending a spinning roundhouse to the back of his head, and this is no warning shot; if the man can't get out of the way, he's almost certainly going to be unconscious for a good long while. In the street with a gun, which should make the local police thrilled to death.
Turning her head, Luise fixes her glare on Williams, and clears her throat. "I won't lie to you about your chances, because you don't have any," she says carefully, enunciating her words with laser precision, the clipped speech sounding somewhat odd coming from her mouth. Anger is an unfamiliar and even uncomfortable feeling, for Luise Meyrink... but something tells her she's going to need to embrace it, somewhat, before this ordeal is over. "All you need to do is tell me who you work for. Then you can take your friend and go."
A good question at this point is 'What the hell just happened'? Unfortunatly the two realize way waaay too late that they're up against one of those confangled street fighter types! That's really the best way he can explain it. He being Tucson whom Luise vanishes right before his eyes, and then the next thing he knows he's hanging out in slumberland. The gun goes flying out of his hands and slides along the floor.
William looks like he's about close to soiling his pants after that little trick. "H- Hey now, we're just trying to make ends meet here, we just get orders and a paycheck to keep tabs on the place. That's all, we're just doing our job, no hard feelings, right?"
If she were more aggressive, Luise would probably be advancing on Williams right about now, fist clenched, demanding to know what he's done with the president. As it stands, she simply looks... tired, perhaps? Out of sorts. "Somebody's writing those checks," she says carefully, kneeling to check -- actually *check* -- that Tucson isn't seriously injured or worse. She didn't think she hit him that hard, but then, the last few seconds are a bit of a blur.
As she does so, she looks up at Williams. "I appreciate you were just attempting to do a job. But believe me when I tell you that this is something larger than... than petty thugs. Do you understand?" It's amazing how such a pretty face can adopt an expression that really conveys the message 'Do Not Argue'. She doesn't seem angry, just... in another world. A world where what happens to Williams and Tucson, once they're out of her sight, matters very little. "So please, answer the question and we can all be on our way."
How quickly the tables had turned and Luise was now using there phrases! Williams breathing starts to pick up, his eyes trying very hard not to shift toward the weapon that has escaped Tucsons hand.
Tucson whom, by the way, is just simply unconscious, Luise managed to land a very very good hit on him. And he probably has a cracked foot on top of that, ouch.
Williams slowly nods his head, whether he really agrees with Luise or not. "All right, all right, just calm down. We were employed by Installation X, that's all I know, and it doesn't mean anything to you, right? Now you'd better l- leave this place cuz it's only gonna be more trouble if you stick around, don't think you're keeping the upper hand here."
She lets out a sigh. Yes, Luise had hoped her pursuer's employer would be stupid enough to reveal their name to her, but quite frankly it was a longshot in the first place. Anyone with advanced biometrics keeping watch over their installations probably has a nice, convoluted paper trail that it would take an untrained person like Luise forever to sift through. It's not worth it, and this entire diversion was... almost pointless.
Her blue eyes open somewhat wider for a moment when she realizes the implications of what Williams just said. If his instructions came from Installation X... then that means it's still manned and operational. And it might be where she can get some answers.
"Thank you for your cooperation," Luise says mechnically, standing up. She's confident that the police are not going to come beating down her proverbial door over this; after all, she has a crowd full of witnesses who saw both men attack her in broad daylight like a couple of idiots. And now she's going to have to find lodging here in San Pedro Sula. Installation X is going to be close at hand, and she's got to find it.
Then she's confident enough to simply turn and walk away. Only an idiot would try to shoot her in the back at this point, particularly after Luise used the tiniest fraction of her powers to really drive the point home that she's out of their league.
Confident, sure, Luise has every right to be. William's more suprised that Luise was actually going to let them be on their way just as she had said. But the bottom line here is that Luise has a little too much faith in the mans judgement. It's difficult to say why, but the Dancing Butterfly can definatlyfeel the hostility skyrocketing as he rolls toward the gun, and (if he manages to get the time for it) proceeds to shoot at her, until the clip is empty, and if anyone had been sticking around, oh they're definatly not going to get in the way of that.
Again assuming all of this happens, and it doesn't seem Luise is hurt, his last option is to throw the gun at her before attempting a hasty retreat.
She had hoped he would just run, but as the feelings of violence prickle the back of her neck, Ms. Meyrink is forced to concede that Williams is an idiot.
Shortly after the sound of the first gunshot, she half-turns... and there's a sound not unlike the bullet hitting a stone wall, as Luise's outstretched hand is surrounded by a perfectly circular, swirling disc of blue Psycho Power, which springs into being with an almost musical tone. Bullet after bullet slams into the shield uselessly, until the gun skitters across the ground at her feet, and Luise lets the reflective shield fade... the bullets trapped within it landing on the ground with a faint clatter.
When she looks back up at Williams, it is with an expression of deepest... disappointment. Like a parent who's just found a child that's promised not to steal cookies with his hand in the jar.
"That really is..." she begins, before blurring across the intervening distance to appear in the fleeing man's way, and snapping a high kick up right under Williams' chin, "...most disappointing."
William could swear he was home free, nevermind the fact he had seen that odd teleportation trick. Who even knows what was going on in that mans head! But the important thing is that he ends up taken care of in the most effortless of ways, a grunt the last thing escaping him before he gets a little air time, twirls and then collapses in a heap of person much like his partner. And so that is pretty much that, from that end.
What Luise doesn't know is that she'd at that moment become a hero of sorts, even if no one is really cheering or anything. Perhaps it'd be more obvious when she finds her rate of stay at wherever she chooses, to be the considerably lower than normal.
Log created on 14:41:55 08/18/2007 by Luise, and last modified on 16:00:11 09/30/2007.