Description: After getting his clock cleaned by Cammy, a narrow escape finds Zach Glen aboard the Sky Noah, with some questions.
Outside even the outskirts of Bangkok, a pair of bruised fighters are finally picked up via a sort of magnetic harness, and quite efficiently airlifted out of the region. Out of Thailand entirely, post haste. Sometime in the middle of the night, she finished her trip northward... concealing position over the arctic, waiting. The first thing most sensitive fighters would recognize on the airship is that it has its own energy, even impressions of personality or power. The reactor that thrums in the Sky Noah's heart is not simply powerful fusion, but a construct of chi and engineering... the very, /very/ astute might even liken this to another vessel, a prototype from times past.
Inside, the corridors are a smooth-finished gunmetal, for the most part. Tracts of lighting diffuse illumination along each, and come complete with a variety of flashing color codes for various crew-wide order paging. These corridors are largely circular, with utility space along the hull outside of the concourse, and secure facilities towards the core of the ship. Individual, rather reinforced security bulkheads seperate most units from one another, though it would not be too difficult for Zach to poke his head out of his quarters, and wind up directed to the Commander.
Adelheid stands on the observation bridge of the floating battleship, a fully functioning command center linking to a chamber on the fore of the vessel's underbelly, offering a panorama of arctic tundra and blowing snow beneath the ship. The room is largely finished in dark tones, it bears a central command center for functions of the ship, the aforementioned stellar, panoramic view, and a wide, open arena-like space before those windows. Also, there is a large, grand piano. A Steinway.
Zach is mildly creeped out by the vessel, actually. Something about it seems horridly familiar, but hell if he can place it. He looks around cautiously. He's not sure where he is, or why he is here. Last he remembers was fighting Cammy. He didn't even really /see/ Adelheid.
But he /does/ notice the emblems on the crew uniforms. Zach recognizes them. They have... had something to do with Jiro. Or Jiro had something to do with them. Zach plans to get an answer either way, really. He's lead to the observation deck.
He stands in the doorway and looks around with reservation. "Hello," he says finally. "Um, I'm not sure how I got here."
Adelheid stands in front of the expansive, reinforced windows, watching the icy ground slowly drift by in the brightening sunlight, "You were waylaid in the outskirts by an agent of Shadaloo known as Cammy, or the Killer Bee. Fortunately for you, our efforts to scout her presence yielded fruit at approximately the same time she zeroed in on you. I was able to reach the battlefield as you were defeated, and prevented her from... removing you herself. Being a prisoner of Shadaloo is no picnic. You must have known the risks." The last is almost a question, as Adel turns to face Zach. The lithe Bernstein wears a somewhat more decorated version of the standard uniform, as most in the elite ranks of Einherjar do. The double-breasted jacket is unbuttoned partially, clearly not a moment where Adelheid plans to stand on any sort of pomp.
"After driving off Cammy, I helped you out of the city, and got you aboard this ship. You must have already been in shock, but the doctor noted you recovered quite quickly once proper steps were taken."
"I... bounce back pretty quickly," Zach replies judiciously. "I've found that even if people /want/ to find someone, the odds are more in favor of the person trying not to be found." There's no record of Zach /entering/ Thailand, no credit cards to track. It was sheer, dumb luck that allowed Cammy to find him.
His gaze zeroes in on that Einherjar insignia on Adelheid's uniform. His face flickers with frustration before settling into a mask that betrays little. He looks around for a moment, defusing his anger. "Well, thank you for that," Zach says. He's... since Adelheid. Twice. Once was on that boat during the first Jinchuu. The other... was Metro City. "I saw you once," he continues. In Metro City. You helped Kiryuu bust up something in a club there. Someone was kidnapping... people like me. I don't know why. Busted out before I could find out."
"An important trait for some of us, indeed." Adelheid agrees with a ghost of a smile, pacing away from the windows across the dark floor to consider Zach closely for a long moment. "I'm afraid I can neither confirm nor deny any involvement in the... remarkable events at the casino. I heard many other captives escaped with the vigilantes that were.. reportedly there." As far as Zach's subtlety?
"While you are correct, generally the hunted with the best luck is the one who does not wander about the predator's territory. Or at the least... choose wisely when and /where/ to strike. If you are so eager to die, Glen..." Adel does smirk now, good-natured despite the biting words, "At least make it /mean/ something." Adelheid turns back, gesturing to the icy landscape outside the airship, "We're standing by, making final plans to strike a cartel operation, put them on the defensive, maybe knock their feet right out from under them. I can drop you off after we're done, but not before."
Zach frowns at that last comment. "So... I'm stuck on this tug then," Zach confirms as he continues to take in his surroundings, and the view. Then the frown deepens. "I had some things with me when you found me," he says. "A bag and a sword. Did you grab them, by any chance?" He looks worried about this.
"That's one way to look at it." Adelheid confirms calmly, not seeming too swayed one way or the other, over it. "You kept them slung over your shoulder while we cleared the area. They're in a locker, waiting for you to reclaim them. A relatively impressive weapon - and you certainly winded Cammy before I arrived. Interesting enough." Adelheid seems suddenly a bit more distracted from the business at hand, walking to one console and regarding a few charts thoughtfully, "You certainly do make a lightshow of it. At any rate... what you make of the time here is to you. There are training facilities and entertainment areas enough to satisfy, I think, if that's your pleasure."
"Lightshows are what I do," Zach says noncommitally. Adelheid could find that out from any of the dozens of televised fights Zach's had. He looks around. "Which cartel?" Zach finally asks. "I've run afoul of one or two. One of them was run by Rugal."
"So I see." Adelheid agrees, equally noncommitally, before dismissing the readings and looking back to Zach, crimson eyes studying once more, "Ah, yes. 'R'. Had to turn down their offer, wasn't a fan of the pension plan..." The mocking levity hides a bit of a dark truth, really. But it's been some time since the Prince of War broke free from his father's shadow... after a fashion. "But no, this time... we're going to hit NESTS. Management, if possible." There's a bit of a wry smile at the news, but it's freely offered. Of course, the spoken intent is that Zach isn't leaving until it's finished, so what's the harm?
"That's the other one," Zach says with a grin, peering at the piano with interest. "And since I'm not leaving until the job is done anyway, would it be alright if I were..." Zach pauses to find the right words. "...assist in expiditing that process?"
Adelheid pauses, looking from the view, back to Zach. "The Initiative is only as strong as the next of its operatives. You have potential, Glen... but you are still green in many ways. This isn't a tournament fight, and these stakes have a way of multiplying in the middle of the hand." One bare hand traces the smooth body of the piano fondly, "You have to be ready for that, and we have to know you're ready. There isn't time for adequate tests, not really... but perhaps. You might be of use, at that."
It's partly doubt expressed, and partly a challenging question.
"I survived Ryouhara's deathtrap in China," he says utterly without conceit. That was a near-run thing. "And the invasion in Southtown. I'm not just a tournament fighter." Zach shrugs before looking at Adelheid.
"Can I ask you a question?" Zach asks.
There's a slow nod, before Adelheid relents and concedes, "As long as you know what you're signing up for. But yes, ask." There's a second, quicker nod, the young commander pacing back the other way, now, still thoughtful.
"Why'd Kisagi get it in head to fake his death," Zach asks without hesitation. "Lot of people got hurt on account of that."
"I don't know why Jiro did what he did. He shouldn't have, perhaps... and he shouldn't have been caught out there alone, either." For that, Adel does clearly blame himself, at least in part. "I can only say I am sure he was doing what he always did, regardless of anything else... what he felt he had to do."
"I was there," Zach says, the implication being that he wasn't alone. "For a lot of his time in Taizhou. He went out holding off a psycho Korean chick while some of us checked out a foundry."
"One way or another.. it wasn't enough, and I... misjudged the situation in Taizhou, perhaps." Adelheid doesn't seem inclined to further explain that, right this moment, however. "Be ready, though.. sharpen up your skills - I'm not looking to lose anyone else, so we need to be at our very best."
Zach shrugs, not quite understanding. "I'll be ready," he says. "If you'll excuse me, I need to stretch out a bit. I'm always a bit tight after recovering from a beating."
"I'll let you know when the briefing begins. Someone will be by about the physical tests, so we have a baseline for you in the field." Adelheid nods over one shoulder, and the door at the far end of the observation bay opens, yawning back towards the heart of the vessel.
Zach gives a short wave and a nod before heading out the door. He eventually finds his way to the training room.
The Sky Noah's ready room is one-third briefing room, a table with a holographic projector and numerous black leather seats occupying a portion of it. One third observation post, the walls dominated by monitor after monitor, while most of the rest of the room is occupied by various computer stations and sensor readouts. The final third belongs to fortification, four sets of doors sliding open or closed whenever anyone leaves the sensitive room that serves as Sky Noah's higher brain functions. Multiple internal defenses are (usually) invisibly worked into the walls, here. Into the ceilings and floors... ninja design is dastardly that way.
It's here that Adelheid sits, and has sat for much of the day, currently at the large round table examining dossiers and recordings, both visual and energy-related, of NESTS various command staff and operative pool, as well as their cartel dossiers.
Log created on 17:07:50 10/31/2010 by Adelheid, and last modified on 23:40:26 11/08/2010.