Description: Two of Vega's Dolls (Cammy and Marz) have a discussion about cats, groceries, TV, and whether or not it is tactically sound to kill, maim, or brainwash enemy agents due to orders which are not entirely specific. Cammy also might be going crazy, but Marz is sure it is nothing to worry about. Warning: This Log May Contain Nuts.
Cammy is supposedly out hunting for Angel, but right now is taking time off, settled in front on the TV and watching cartoons with a rather bored eye. A fat fluffy beast of a cat lazes in her lap, though after meeting Vega and Juri the other day it's a little bit on edge, knowing that Evil People are about in this place and it's not all that safe after all, despite the reassuring stroking delivered by a red gauntleted hand. Vega's dictator cap is settled on her head for a change, with her little blue garrison cap on the sofa next to her, unworn. A frown is etched onto her normally fairly blank face.
Marz has had a hard week. She's had to redistribute sixteen crates of uniforms that had the wrong shade of red, interrogate an arms dealer who had tried to screw the organization over, and on top of that, she had heard there was a cat in the base. Marz does not like cats. This is at least partly because, for the most part, cats do not like her. Even if she's not as outrageously evil as Vega or as psychotic as Juri, she still gives off a vibe which animals tend to dislike.
Which is why she gives a momentary frown after she returns to the Chambers. The hat, too, is noted. Marz would be lying if she said it didn't bother her. How come *she* never got to wear Vega's hat? It's just not fair.
But she does her best not to show it. "... Hello, Killer Bee." She says, "I see we have a new addition to the team. What is its name?"
The fat beast on Cammy's lap eyes Marz suspiciously. Cammy merely looks up, still stroking, like Doctor Evil almost, except the cat is not angora, merely some ginger critter of uncertain parentage. "Hi, Marz. Had a good week?" she asks, voice deadpan. Glancing down at the cat momentarily, she blinks. "You mean the cat? I've not given him a name, yet. Master Vega did say I could keep the cat, though." she says, a little defensively. "He even let me wear his hat for a bit, as a show of how much he likes me and how the cat does not bother him." she beams.
She gets up, leaving the cat on the sofa, and stalks around a little bit, restless. "I'm supposed to be on assignment, but not having any luck." she admits.
"It should have a name." Marz says, firmly. Ignoring the fact that Cammy said the cat was a he. "Given a name, it is more likely to gain attachment among the other team members." She moves to stand a little closer to the sofa. But she doesn't sit down. Cammy's cap is there, and really, she doesn't know if it is some sort of test. Better to just stand for the moment, right?
"Perhaps I could be of assistance with your mission, however." She says, "My week has been, fine. I have completed all my required mission objectives, and my duties require minimal oversight." The trouble is, Marz keeps looking up at that hat. It's a nice hat. The best hat in all the world, in fact. Jealous! So very jealous!
Cammy apparently isn't bothered about names, and merely shrugs thin shoulders. "Well, you can name him then, if you want." she offers. "Any assistance you can offer would be most welcome. I think the Master has already assigned you to help me with one of my other objectives as it is, no?" she asks. "I seem to remember seeing your name on one of my notes anyway.". She indicates a pile of secret Shadaloo dossiers stacked up on the parcheesi board nearby.
The attention focused on the dictator hat is not lost on Cammy, either. She reaches up and takes it off, returning her own blue cap to her head. "I suppose it is a little disrespectful to wear it, even if the master gave it me for a while."
Marz considers the cat for a few, long moments. She dislikes cats. However, she had been asked to name the animal, so she should do so. "It should be called Cat." She concludes, with a nod of her head. Then she moves to sit down on the sofa. Which is nice. It is good to sit down for a little while. She doesn't seem to have stopped running around after one thing or another in hours.
"I believe I have been asked to investigate the person known as 'Chizuru'." She says, and one can hear the airquotes around the name. "I have turned up frustratingly little in our existent records. I believe we may need to infiltrate the organization she claims to be CEO of. But we will need to be on our guard. Past experience indicates that the majority of world wide fighting tournaments aimed at the top level warriors have an ulterior motive behind them."
"Cat. A good enough name." Cammy agrees. "Descriptive.". She continues to stalk around the room, having the opposite problem from Marz - she's been sitting on her butt for far too long today. "OK, the cat is Cat.". And nods. Sorted!
"Chizuru, yes. That seems like a big job to me. Master Vega did explain his intentions to me in person, regarding the ulterior motive and such. I was going to attempt that task last - in part because I needed to talk to you about it before actually doing anything. The Master has given me other tasks as well, though. Easier tasks. Your help will be welcome. The first one is - to 'break' Angel. I assume this means the Master wants her beaten as an example to others."
"Angel." Marz repeats. The girl closes her eyes for a moment, and a ghost of a smile threatens to touch her lips. But doesn't quite make it. "I presume this means that we are resuming hostilities with the NESTS Cartel. That is good. I did not enjoy working with them. They are sloppy." A heartbeat, and then she continues, as though reciting from a report.
"Angel displays a high level of agility and an ill-disciplined nature which makes her difficult to predict. Her style is sloppy, but she has been augmented to a degree which will make her a threat to low-and-mid tier operatives. Multiple attack vectors and wide-scale attacks are recommended."
There's a heartbeat, and then she adds, "Unless she has support, you should be able to deal with her easily. But if Lord Vega wishes her to be ... 'broken' ... then I will assist on the slight chance my initial analysis is incorrect."
Cammy nods... "Yes. Master Vega only assigned me to her for a reason. But. It would be more enjoyable with some assistance, Marz. Besides.". Her nose wrinkles. "I have not had any luck in actually finding her yet. I cannot break her, if I cannot find her. Maybe you could help me with that, if nothing else. I cannot just walk into their base after all. And hanging around outside is just so... dull. On my own, anyway.".
"And your presumption is correct, Master Vega has a list of other NESTS targets. He does not like them, and that is why we are to punish them." she explains. "K9999 is to be broken after Angel.".
Marz nods her head, and folds her hands into her lap. "Well." She says, slowly. "Many NESTS targets are outside of my current level of combat experience. Though there are some exceptions, I would be happy to assist you during any of your missions. I am your subordinate, after all."
She hesitates, and there's some genuine uncertainty before she continues, "I have been improving, though. My power is growing as I use it more. Engaging targets like Angel and K9999 alongside a more experienced operative would no doubt teach me many things. I have reviewed some of your combat data, and I would be interested to see you in action personally, Killer Bee."
Just so long as that data does not include Cammy having her ass kicked by Juri... "You are, but Master Vega did not mention you at all in these missions, so it seems presumptuous to expand on his orders. But if you have nothing else to do...". She shrugs and spreads her hands. "Then you should come along. And yes, it will be a learning experience for you, no doubt. I am sure that your contribution would be valuable." she says, with a small nod. "And you could review my performance as well. Independent analysis is always welcome.".
Marz looks a little pained. "Lord Vega did not mention me..." She murmurs, and bites at her bottom lip, before she rallies, and recovers some of her composure. "Of course, Killer Bee. I will need to take some time during field operations in order to ensure that the areas of logistics I am overseeing have not suffered unduly due to my absence, but as far as I am aware, we are not planning to utilize our massed armed forces in the field at any time in the next three days, so I am freely available to assist any other Shadaloo operative in their missions."
She stands up, turns, and salutes, sharply. "I am ready and available to prove my worth to Lord Vega at any time!" Not... that the fact he hadn't mentioned her was rankling at all. No, not at all.
"I'm sure he would have mentioned you if you were there..." Cammy points out, somewhat reassuringly to Marz. "He did assign you specifically to me for this Chizuru operation, so you are clearly on his mind somewhere. I'm sure he just assumed that I would be able to handle these more minor tasks on my own is all.". Doll Zero may not exactly have a sparkling personality but she does care about the wellbeing of her fellow Dolls after all.
She returns the salute! "When we are done breaking Angel I am sure that Master Vega would be most happy with the details of how we did it.".
Marz nods her head slowly, and straightens up a bit. "I would warn, though..." She starts, and it clearly takes her some effort, because it is almost like she's questioning an order from Vega himself. But she isn't. Not really.
"Breaking people like Angel... it depends if he meant mind or body. Body, should be no problem at all. She is not that strong. Though she is quite strong, she isn't unbeatable. The mind, though. I believe that her spirit is strong enough that beating her will not change that. If we do not kill her, I believe that she, and her allies, will come back at us." She clasps her hands behind her back. "Unless we were to bring her here and she were to ... meet, Lord Vega personally, of course."
Cammy hmms, and ponders. "Well... Master Vega did not specify. I suppose Angel is too insigificant for him to waste too much time thinking about, so he left it up to me. Us.". She shrugs. "Well. We can break her body and then maybe bring her back here, I suppose. I am not sure if Master Vega would be happy or not. If she is insignificant, maybe he would not like to be disturbed... and I am not sure if I should bother him by asking for a clarification.". She gnaws on a fingernail briefly. Such difficult decisions. "You think we should bring her back here?".
Marz considers the question for a moment, and then she shakes her head. "I do not." She decides. "Angel is a member of the NESTS Cartel. Even if she could be broken in mind as well as in body, the costs outweigh the benefits. If we beat her and she runs back to NESTS, they will attempt to strike us cautiously at first, in order to determine our true intentions. If we kill or brainwash her, they will have no choice but to respond with full force, and we will both be weakened significantly."
Marz nods firmly, "I believe that Lord Vega wishes us to warn, not to go to war. I cannot see the benefit in a full scale war at this point in time. It is more like... fencing, the first move of a chess game."
"Thats the impression I got, Marz. Some warning beatings." Cammy agrees. "I fear we are making too much of what is intended to be a simple task.". She picks up the Cat, and settles back down on the sofa again, before depositing the furball in her lap, going back to stroking the beast idly. "I suppose I should return the masters hat fairly soon." she sighs, looking down at Lord Vega's token of approval.
She sighs, and looks up at the ceiling. "I've been having these memory blackouts again. I think maybe I have displeased the master somehow and needed treatment. Either that or maybe something is wrong with my head. Yesterday is all fuzzy.".
Marz doesn't know what to say about that. She's never had any blackouts herself... except for one, particularly bizarre circumstance. She doubted there was another powerful psi-threat eating Cammy from the inside out, though. Vega would almost certainly have noticed.
"I am sure it is nothing to worry about." She says, vaguely. "... Lord Vega would tell you if something was wrong. You would be in the medical facilities." And well, that's true, isn't it? Cammy is Lord Vega's favorite. He'd never put her at undue risk.
Cammy shrugs. "Well, I'm not really worried per se. As you say, I am sure the master would not allow his expensive weapons projects to be unduly endangered. It is still discomforting, though. It is hard to concentrate on my tasks when I am fighting my own brain." she mutters, morosely. "Though I know I should have faith in Lord Vega and just try and ignore these little difficulties. Oh well.". The life of a Doll is a hard.
Marz looks genuinely pained, "I'm sorry to hear you are uncomfortable." She says, "I find that concentrating on my duties helps me to stay focused and not worry about anything else. Maybe you will feel better after we have located and incapacitated Angel." The girl looks to the cat in Cammy's lap, and adds, after a moments thought. "If you like, I could have some resources assigned to making Cat more comfortable, too. Proper cat food, a litter box... that is what cats like, isn't it?"
"I don't know. Is it? He seems fairly happy at the moment. But he has not been here for very long" Cammy replies, looking down at the furball. "I appreciate your suggestions, though." she says with a rare half smile. "And yes, I will feel much better after we have warned the NESTS via Angel. I am looking forward to it. And am frustrated that she is hard to find!".
Marz nods her head, "I will begin monitoring our information feeds personally for any possible leads on her. We'll find her, and then we will beat her, and Lord Vega will be pleased with you." She stands up, and starts to walk towards the door, only to pause mid-stride. "... I would like Cat to be kept away from my room, though. If possible." She says, shooting a dark glance at the animal before she meets Cammy's eye. "I understand that animals are meant to assist with morale, but, I do not like the idea of it snooping around my belongings."
"I don't think he is likely to be interested in your clothes, Marz." Cammy replies, deadpan. "And I cannot keep an eye on him the entire time. I am sure he won't be a problem. Isn't he nice?". She wraps her hands around his belly, and holds the protesting beast up, to display him to Marz. "It's very relaxing to have him around. And he's only small. You can just pick him up and put him in my room if you find him somewhere he shouldn't be.". No, cats can do no wrong.
Marz gives the cat a long, appraising look. "... Alright, Killer Bee." She says, absolutely refusing to comment on the niceness of the ginger animal. She'd never understand the purpose of these interactions. But at least it wasn't a puppy. Puppies were so much more, loud and obnoxious than cats. So that's something. But she still can't shake the feeling that the cat doesn't like her. Which means she doesn't like the cat. Which in turn probably means that the cat *doesn't* like her. And so it will go. "I will be sure to confine him to your quarters for any misdemeanor." Wait, what? "And I will contact you as soon as I have information about Angel's location."
"Thank you, Marz. The sooner, the better!" the bored Killer Bee replies, settling back down on the sofa to go back to watching cartoons, wondering if she's going crazy or not as yesterday is all a blur, wondering if she should talk to Lord Vega about this or not, and hoping someone else (that would be Marz) does the boring job of actually finding Angel so that she can do the fun job of breaking something important to her, like a rib or an arm or something.
Log created on 05:50:21 10/21/2010 by Marz, and last modified on 08:15:54 10/21/2010.