Description: Having done his homework on the Hellraisers, Jiro takes the initiative in getting the ICPO more involved in this unusual case by calling in the very agent who recruited him in the first place. The two meet and discuss what they know, resolving future action soon...
It's another day in Metro City. For the large part, everything is quiet. But really, it is considered the calm before the storm, as the scientists have been missing and there has been -nothing- to look into or any update since then. Last time there was an investigation, even the Mad Gear were losing horribly.
It's been another point of time that this meeting would be needed. It is an important meeting between him and the undercover agent. Metro City is going to have problem soon.
Jiro knows it.
He's dressed in his usual clothing, but with a trenchcoat over it. He leans against the wall, idly waiting for Soma.
...Of course, should he come out through a wall or the concrete, he'll have a back hand ready. As he's -LEANING- against the damn thing.
In a densely-packed place like Metro City... a city of millions on a tiny island barely 12 miles long... there are inevitably little bolt-holes, maintenance ways, cubbys and other tiny spaces for people with the right judgment and enterprising knowledge of architecture can be. It would appear Jiro knows enough about Metro to find the most charming places from among them to have secret meetings at... and the desolate pathways below the Metro Bridge are one of them. Of course, a part of Soma actually admires Jiro's decision. After all... who'd think of looking for them down here?
As it stands, however, Inspector Travedi is not Kool-Aid Man, and has no intention of bursting through the concrete with a pitcher of flavored water. Instead he's nimbly hopping from the tops of fences and narrow walls, moving quickly to keep from being seen and avoiding the obvious pathways that gangs might travel in this crime-infested neighborhood.
Eventually he drops down from above a few feet to Jiro's right, landing in a crouch and then pulling himself standing, dusting off the sleeves of his jacket. Looking around, the Indian takes in the scenery, then turns to Jiro with a raised eyebrow. "It's a little film noir, but it works, I suppose."
While waiting, Jiro is folding his arms while gazing at the ground. It's such a boring time waiting for Soma, after all. While tempted to have his PSP, he forgot to bring it along for the wait. Plus, it'd look unprofessional.
There is something important that needs to be discussed about.
When Soma appears and actually addresses his attire, Jiro offers a grin his way, "Well, I gotta look the part somehow, eh? Just be glad I didn't pull out the fedora as well." He muses, "...Then again, it'd look stupid on me."
He looks towards Soma, finally getting to the point. "You heard about the recent events here, right? Hellraisers versus the Mad Gear, and now the abduction of some scientists?" He considers, "...Mad Gear's losing. I already saw their condition. However, we need to investigate this city further... things are becoming too hot for the Metro City Police Department to deal with."
One dark eyebrow goes up at the mention of the Hellraisers. Of course, when Interpol scouted Jiro, it was primarily because of his fighting ability, and his history of something akin to vigiliante justice; Gedo schoolkids are known for their own brand of street justice, after all, never mind his involvement in the Metro City takeover. Still, he hadn't expected that, as a brand new officer, that Jiro would go hunting into the Burn case on his own initiative quite so quickly.
A good thing he did, too.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Soma frowns a little at that news, though. "I'd heard about the scientists, but I didn't know about the gang fighting. Must be that their supply has dried up, maybe? Which makes me wonder where the Burn was coming from in the first place." It shows that once upon a time, Soma was a military intelligence analyst rather than a detective. Drawing lines of conclusion from one place to another, though as Jinchuu showed... they're not always right.
Turning back to Jiro with a faint grin, Soma shrugs a little. "I'm not surprised. The MCPD are probably treating the Hellraisers like any other gang, but the truth is they're more like a cult." He pauses, thinking of his own run-in with one of Crash's toughs. It didn't end so well... in fact, it ended so poorly Soma was in the hospital for two weeks recovering. And that had been... some nameless pusher. "I did some investigating myself before the Jinchuu case dominated my available time. Got beat up pretty bad... but the guy who did it, he didn't talk about Crash like he was a gang leader. He spoke more like he was a god, or a religious figure. As long as the police think they're just some drug-addled gang, they're going to keep getting stomped." He shrugs. "The same probably goes for Mad Gear. What else have you found out?"
There is the vigilante antics in Jiro left. As far as the Burn case goes, that was his continued work even when he was part of Metro City. The new officer considers for a moment, "Admittedly, we had dealings with them when we tried to do a surge. It ended really poorly. Few of our officers got killed." He grits his teeth, shaking his head.
"It's why I want those guys stopped. I was a bit weak when I first fought Crash himself." He shuts his eyes, "Even one of the nameless pushers was tough." He snorts. "Katana, the current Mad Gear leader, is more than aware that the Hellraisers are a serious threat by now."
Pause.
The part of Crash is known. Jiro shrugs, "I figured that much. My dealings with Crash.. Meh. I sympathize with him on one aspect, but I'm crushing him on sight." He snarls. Then, he considers over the update. "Not much more that I know of so far."
"That's why I wanted to talk to you. We've overlooked this too long. Unfortunately, tracking down Hellraisers hasn't been easy in this 'cam before the storm'. We'll both have to do some tracking in the city, as this isn't something I like doing alone."
For a moment, the violet-eyed gaze Soma is tracking on Jiro turns cold. It's not a long moment, but it does happen. Even if he weren't so emphatic about it, the psion can sense the anger that fuels Jiro's determination... and as a somewhat dispassionate individual himself (well... sometimes), Soma knows too well that anger can lead to mistakes. Of course, it may be Jiro's ability to harness that anger that's pulled him this far. The undercover detective resolves to trust Interpol's judgment for now.
"You're probably right. The SCD doesn't have a lot of field agents, so when I was diverted to the Suiryuu we didn't have much of anything until you signed on." For a moment, Soma's thoughts drift to Chun-li and Hon-fu, two inspectors from the Hong Kong branch that the Indian would love to have on his side... and doesn't. Chun-li has left, and Hon-fu isn't actually part of the Special Crimes Directorate... meaning that he's got his own street-level work in southeast Asia to handle.
It's just Soma and Jiro.
Running a hand through his hair, Soma breathes out noisily. "I know what you mean about sympathy. The guy I met... all he ever wanted to do was be strong and respected, he just chose a really stupid way to do it. The problem is, Crash knows who you are, and I'm sure that recruiter gave him my description." He pauses, then smirks and points a finger at the silver tips of his hair. "This plus the dark complexion is pretty distinctive. So undercover work is out of the question. We may have to do it the old fashioned way and beat the information out of someone..."
Shutting his eyes, the young man hears the evaluation on the numbers of agents available. His eyes narrow and the tone becomes flat, "Lovely." He shakes his head, then he throws both hands up in the air with a shrug. "No matter, we can handle this, no?"
He muses, then he looks towards Soma, "Either case, I sympathize with them... on a more empathetic level." He shuts his eyes, "I did the same thing once." He doesn't go into detail, but he shrugs, "Well, I guess that works now. Or... you know, disguises." He narrows his eyes at Soma, "You'd think that Interpol would have fake faces or something to make undercover easy."
Soma's response to that is a short, sharp laugh. Yeah... he too was a little confused when he was told his 'cover' for this undercover assignment would to be a famous author and known fighter. Of course, over time he came to see the wisdom of it. The art of hiding in plain sight, as it were; the trick is to convince people there's no possible way you could ever be a cop, so why should they be worried about you?
"You've been watching too much sci-fi. Still, there've been a few times when I've asked myself the same thing. Trust me, if they ever ask you to do undercover stuff, say no." The Indian can't keep the grimace off his face. All Suiryuu drove home was that rather than being effective at getting into places the police might not normally have access to, his efforts to do something positive were hampered by his inability to invoke the ICPO's clout. All in all, that could have gone better. "Of course, the Hellraisers don't know I'm a cop, just someone who was investigating. It might be better if we let them think you're MCPD for now, and maybe I'm some sort of vigilante..."
Shrugging, Soma lets the speculation go. "Anyhow. Keep watching their movements. If you think you've got an opportunity for us to shake someone down, let me know."
The laughter earns a grunt from Jiro, who throws his hands up with a shrug. There is not much amusement on the young man's face, but he does listen to him as he states about atching sci-fi movies. He shakes his head with a shrug.
"Bah. Anyway..." The young man considers, then he laughs, "I will give that a thought. I guess undercover would never work out well for me, eh?" He shakes his head, then he turns to walk off once more
"MCPD. Gotcha. Not a problem. That just means I'll have to do things the direct way, which is cool with me." He grins, then he walks off, throwing a wave as he passes back up towards the bridgeway.
"See you when we get more information, eh?"
There's a nod, not that Jiro can see it. Soma watches the former Stray Dog of Southtown walk away, crossing his arms over his chest as he does so. He's seen the boy's fighting abilities firsthand, so that doesn't worry him. Perhaps his under-the-surface rage does... but some of the best policemen he knows are people who've turned that anger into something constructive they can use to their advantage. It remains to be seen if Jiro can do that, but Soma would like to think he would.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Soma warns jokingly as Jiro stalks off. The two are, interestingly, as different as night and day... yet that might be why the SCD was so keen to recruit him. Of course, if their eventual goals are to be realized, it's going to take more than just Jiro to round out the team... and Soma is ever watchful for more.
Hopping up onto a fence and then out of sight, only the scattered detritus of Metro's outskirts is witness to their passing.
Log created on 15:09:59 11/25/2007 by Soma, and last modified on 17:22:02 11/25/2007.