[Rail IC] Academy City

[InyutheBeatIs]

[Outside the Cafe]

Hajime soon appears before the scene unfolding before him. The young man just simply stares at the scene, completely confused as to what's going on or if he should even step into the whole thing.

This proves that what he thought earlier was true; any given journey can be interrupted rather flamboyantly.

[Anyr]

Jirou raised an eyebrow at Jane's preferred destination. Even in the outside world archery was an obsolete discipline; Here in Academy City it was practically ancient history.

"[Yeah, we've got a few archery places here and there. The gun ranges outnumber them ten to one, though. That's one of the weird things about this place: Gun control's really strict, but shooting lessons are open to everyone. Weird, huh? It's almost like they-Never mind.]"

He stopped himself from voicing his pet theory about the conflicting laws just before it left his lips. His social life was ticking along well for once, and he didn't want to throw things off with his wild-eyed ramblings.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Outside the cafe]

"Oh, I study over at Nagatenjouki", the girl replies. If Rockwell has done his homework, he might recall that it's one of top five most prestigious schools in Academy City. Then again, it's Academy City. With bazillion school names to remember, it wouldn't be that odd if the name said precisely nothing.

"I was just wondering what you are doing around here. Ain't it a bit odd for an officer to be outside a popular cafe in full gear with no good reason?", the girl teases. "By the way, has anyone told you look handsome in uniform?"

[shinnmoso]

Rockwell is embarrassed by the comment. He tries to look away from the girl. No one ever says that his uniform looks good, even though he washes the uniform with extra care.

"Uhh... Thanks. Well, about being armored... basically, they want a few officers on the street that can quickly respond to violent espers misusing their powers."

Rockwell points to the cafe "A moment ago, I was called to deal with a false report saying that there was an esper misusing his power. You can tell I scared a few customers in the cafe. Especially when I'm armed"


Rockwell gulps. He is going to do something he has never done before, "Uhh.... would you want to have lunch together? I mean... my shift is nearly over... We'll meet here in an hour?... If you want that is..."

Rockwell digs through his pouches for his wallet, opens the wallet and hands the girls a business card.

"Here... take my card... call me... if you can't make it... I'll need to go back to base and change..."

After handing the card to the girl, he makes a dash to the car which has been waiting for me for a while on the road. He enters the car

His partner looks at him on the car "What is it Rockwell? You're blushing... are you sick?"

Rockwell doesn't reply, and motions the car to take the group back to the base.

[Frozen_Feet]

The girl looks at Rockwell, eyes wide. "S-sure... in an hour? Sure, it's fine", she says, taking the card from the officer. She gives a long, odd look after him as he makes his dashing escape. "Funny gaijin", she muses aloud, before walking away and throwing the card into a nearby trash can.

Good grief. It's like he's not seen a pretty person in his life, Fujii Hinata thinks as he heads away, taking some pride in qualifying himself as "pretty" and the thought that Rockwell had fallen for him so easily. How can someone that old be so easily flustered? Oh well... this might turn out to be fun still...

[shinnmoso]

[Shower Room- District 7 Main Office]

"So... Rockwell, you were blushing in the car... what have you done?"

*pfff* Rockwell sprays the content in his mouth onto the sink. He turns to his partner who is staring at him."Nothing much really. Oh, remember that phone I'm talking about..?" As Rockwell tried to change the subject.

"Don't change the subject. I've saw it from the car."

There is a silence in the shower room, partly because all the other patrol teams are still on mission. <"Damn it...">

"Fine then. I'll tell you. I'm 28 right now. For all these years throughout my life, I have never, ever even been close to a girl. Mom and dad sent me to a all male school when I was 6, I've graduated from that all-through school* at 18, then went on to study in MIT, where I've spent all 4 years in the school of Science. No girls pass by there as well, and no female physics professor as well. I've spent my next 4 years serving in the US Marine Corps. Where they decide to put me? Iraq. No female combat crew in Iraq as well, well at least in my designated post. This is the first time, I've ever talked to a girl."

"Ahh.. I see... sorry to bother you Rockwell" His partner leaves the changing room as soon as he finished his sentence.

Rockwell changes back into his casual black beanie, "USMC" Black hoodie, Baggy Dark Blue Jeans and a pair of tan hiking boots. He checks his phone to make sure he didn't miss a call and programs his navigational software to where he met the young lady.

*Provides Primary and Secondary education

[Rhydeble]

seeing that Jirou was trying to steal Jane's attention away, Cale once again turned to his speeding friend.

"so what do you think is better, throwing spears or bows? or just high-range face-punching?"

[Frozen_Feet]

[Somewhere in District 10]

Meanwhile, Hinata makes his way to the reformatory that serves as his home. He shares mandatory courtesies with familiar staff, hurriedly explains (read: lies) where he's been, punches some annoying chap who gets in the way in the stairs, and makes his way to his room.

It's pretty cramped, with much of the place covered in piles of various clothes. Hinata fights his way through the mess and sits on his bed, hastily ridding his feet of the high heels. Good grief, these things are killing me!, he muses as he chucks them to a corner. For a while, he wonders whether he should clean for a chance - he doesn't want to risk expulsion (again).

Oh well. Just few months and I have enough money to move to a proper place. Then I can arrange my stuff however I like!, he thinks, while absent-mindedly reaching for a cellphone to check the clock. He jumps up in shock when he sees how much it is already.

****! I'll be late!, he thinks, and starts hurriedly throwing garments around to find a comfy pair of shoes - maybe some quilted boots? After a while, he relaxes, though. He won't be on time anymore no matter how much he tries. Better just keep the guy waiting.

He takes some time to rearrange the scattered back clothes to neat piles. He eventually finds a pair of nice (if a bit worn) black winter boots with flat soles, then takes a make-up case from his backpack and ventures to the bathroom to check his make-up isn't running, or too gaudy or brash. Hopefully there won't be a line.

Back in the cafe, Rockwell has waited for half an hour already, and there's no sign of the girl in pink coat. Maybe he's waiting for naught?

[Mina Kobold]

seeing that Jirou was trying to steal Jane's attention away, Cale once again turned to his speeding friend.

"so what do you think is better, throwing spears or bows? or just high-range face-punching?"

Katsu ponders for the few seconds he need to make it look like he didn't decide immediately.

"Bows, definitely. They're much cooler than spears."

He shifts his stance and moves an annoying hair out of his eye.

"My favourite sport's Relay, though. What's yours? Karate? spears?"

[Silverraptor]

Jason watches the two argue on where to go. He could read between the lines. He knew that the two rivals were trying to look more favorable in front of Jane. He didn't want to really put up with it, and him being slightly hungry didn't help.

He leans over to Jane casually and whispers to her.
"Wanna go inside the restraunt? Maybe they'll have a tourist brochures while I grab something to snack on. Lets leave these guys to finish their fight on deciding what to do."

Jason will then attempt to gently steer Jane inside the cafe if she so wishes to go with him. If she does, then by the time Jirou and Cale would notice, they'll be seeing the dorrs finish closing.

[Lillith]

Jason watches the two argue on where to go. He could read between the lines. He knew that the two rivals were trying to look more favorable in front of Jane. He didn't want to really put up with it, and him being slightly hungry didn't help.

He leans over to Jane casually and whispers to her.
"Wanna go inside the restraunt? Maybe they'll have a tourist brochures while I grab something to snack on. Lets leave these guys to finish their fight on deciding what to do."

Jason will then attempt to gently steer Jane inside the cafe if she so wishes to go with him. If she does, then by the time Jirou and Cale would notice, they'll be seeing the dorrs finish closing.

Jane sighed. He was probably right, Cale and Jirou seemed to be bickering again and she had no idea to stop it right now. And getting brochures sounded like a good plan.

She looked at Jason and nodded. <"Lead the way.">

[Anyr]

Despite his best efforts Jirou had indeed found himself drawn into another argument. The incessant prattle between Cale and his new friend was like a magnet powered by idiocy, pulling him closer with every infuriating word that passed between the two of them. Unable to resist chiming in any longer, Jirou left the other two Js of the group to their own devices and fell into line with Cale and Katsu.

"Asking whether bows are better than spears is like asking which side of a butter knife is the sharpest; Whichever it is, they're both just as useless when it comes to actual fighting. You two sound just like those newbies on the martial arts message boards who spend hours arguing about the use of naginatas in alley brawls. Those sorta things might survive as hobbies, but no self respecting bruiser is gonna take them into an actual fight; Not if they want to keep all their limbs, anyway."

[Mina Kobold]

Katsu looks at Jirou and chuckles.

"Bows and spears aren't for brawls, silly, they're for silencing people at five blocks away."

He seems completely oblivious to how creepy saying that completely innocently is.

"But we're talking about sports anyways, you have a favourite?"

[Lillith]

District 10, Anti Skill headquarters
Yamato leaned back into his chair, folding his arms behind his head while having a satisfied grin on his face. It had taking him little more then half an hour to look up those violent boys in the database. On his screen were three profiles of Esper students that lived in Academy City. It had their names, histories, addresses, arrival dates into the cities and photographs on it.

Name: Cale Schmirnovich
Aliases: The Tripper
Level: 4
Gender: Male
Age: 14
Esper power: Density control of gasses

Name: Jirou Kiyoshi
Aliases: None
Level: 3
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Esper power: Disrupting the form of matter

Name: Jane Walker
Aliases: None
Level: 3
Gender: Female
Age: 15
Esper power: Telepathy


All three of them were very interesting profiles. The son of a mafia boss. A boy who could basically walk into a vault without breaking a sweat. And a girl who arrived here only 3 months ago because she could read minds. Were they up to something? Which of them was the ringleader? He knew they had something to do with his case. He felt it in his gut and his gut was never wrong.

After the files had been printed out, he put them in his pocket and headed out. Moreau was already gone. Probably patrolling the district. It didn't matter anyways, she would just have wanted to tag along with him. This way he could find those thugs himself and deal with him his way. With that thought cheering him up, Yamato grabbed his coat and headed over to his car. Now, which address would he go first?

[Silverraptor]

Jason had managed to order some hot chocolate while Jane was checking for brochures. After he got his cup, he would meet up with Jane and look for a table. However, most tables were full except for one that had a leftover newspaper on it.

"[Well, we might as well sit here then. Doesn't seem to be occupied.]"

He moves the paper over out of the way and then sits down.

[Lillith]

Jane was standing at a wall full of brochures with the different sights and places of interest that Academy City had to offer. They were ordered in order of the districts, so Jane decided to stick to District 10 and the ones surrounding it.

Meanwhile a cute black haired waitress made her way to Jason. She leaned against the table in her green waitress outfit.
"Good morning sir!" She said happily. "What a lovely day isn't it? How may I help you?"
The waitress seemed to be bouncing on her feet, full of energy. Her wiggling became even worse when she accidentally knocked against the table and made the newspaper drop on the floor.
"Oh deary me! I am so sorry!" She said before Jason could respond and picked up the newspaper. She put it up in front of him and looked a bit sad when glaring at the headline. "Dreadful discovery, didn't you think so sir?"

Outside of the cafe
A frail boy with platinum blond hair and blue eyes walked past the group of bickering boys and raised his eyebrow. It was kind of rude to be talking that loudly on the street. Honestly, people can hear them from blocks away.

Shrugging the boy crossed the road, passed a blue van and walked into an alley.

[Silverraptor]

"What?"

Jason bends over to look at the headline better.

[Lillith]

Inside the cafe
The AC Chronicle
Mysterious Body found in District 4.
Anti-Skill refuses comment
Yesterday morning two students, who's identities will be unmentioned to protect the investigation, stumbled upon a body dumped in a dumpster behind a local restaurant. After the young boys panicked they fled towards a nearby Anti-Skill office and alerted authorities of their find.

As of yet there has been no detailed information about the body and we assume that it has yet to be identified. The only details that we, the AC Chronicle, were able to discover was that it is about a Japanese boy approximately 17 years of age. The Anti-Skill officers refuse to give any comments on the case and have yet to confirm or deny this sensational story.

The waitress looked worried at the newspaper. "I've heard similar rumors like that. Honestly if Academy City isn't safe anymore, then where is?"

Outside the cafe.
A door slams shut and footsteps are heard. On the other side of the street where Cale, Katsu, Jirou and Hajime are located 3 men in light blue suits are seen running inside an alley where moments before a blond haired boy disappeared. Not soon after they also vanish, a loud scream is to be heard across the street, but isn't loud enough for people inside the restaurant to hear.

[Anyr]

Jirou's feet were already running towards the scream before his brain even knew it had happened. There was nothing rational about the way he sprinted at full pelt across the street; It was an ingrained response which bypassed his conscious mind entirely. Someone was screaming, and he needed to be where they were. That was all there was to it.

[Silverraptor]

As the waitress moves on, Jason just stares at the article. A memory floats back into his mind from just a few minutes ago.

"[Pretty damn common. Think about it; This whole city is basically one giant research lab, working to harness a type of power which didn't even have a name until recently. And since it's far easier for kids to learn this power than adults, it's no surprise what it gets used for half the time.

Take me for example. Do I look responsible to you? Do you think any sane adult would put the keys to reshaping reality in my hands if they could help it? But that's the thing; They can't help it. Only a few kids have the potential, so bouncing any because of their psych profile just isn't going to happen. So in exchange for getting our brains poked by guys in lab coats every once in a while, we get to spend the rest of the time using them to break things. Not a bad deal, right?]"

But... killing people? Is this what Espers did? Is this what is to be expected of him?

He is so deep in thought that he will not notice if anyone approaches him.

[shinnmoso]

A block away from Cafe

Rockwell is on the streets. At the last minute, the commander wants him to go to the rifle range in District 2 and show the new batch of Anti-Skill how to fire their rifles. However, the range will be out of rifles, since all the new recruits will require a rifle each. So Rockwell decides to carry his rifle to the range.

He managed to pack his rifle in less than 10 minutes. He's now carrying it in a hard, black case, with the logo of Anti-Skill and the word "Rifle" printed on it. The case is locked with a simple fingerprint reader than only opens when an Anti-Skill swipes his/her finger over it.

Rockwell walks down the street slowly, while nervously checking his watch so that he isn't going to be late for lunch with that young lady...

[Lillith]

A small alley across the cafe
If one would enter the alley where just now a boy and three men disappeared, he or she would be in for a scary scene. The three men were all quite tall and muscled. They were light blue suits, like they came out of a prison. There was no logo or emblem on them. On their hands were thick gloves to hide their fingerprints and their head seemed to have been shaved completely. It seemed these guy had planned this from the start. Their appearance was almost completely identical.

The tallest of the three seemed to be carrying the blond haired boy on his shoulder, who was unconscious. The smallest of the three seemed to be carrying a strange device, but quickly pocketed it away when he heard noise. From his belt he grabbed a large gun and so did his two partners.

A few blocks away from the cafe
The streets were all but abandoned. It seemed that people here were enjoying their free Sunday by staying in their beds. Only three or four people were up and about, but otherwise the street was completely vacant. A large blue truck screeches through the streets, barely avoiding the few pedestrians that were there. This alone would make any Anti-Skill officer notice it and grind his teeth, but just before the truck disappeared one of it's side doors seems to open and a large elongated package is dropped on a pile of garbage.

What to do, chase the truck or check what they threw out?

Inside the cafe
Jane walked to Jason's table, obviously excited. In her arms she carried a stack of brochures and quickly set down opposite of him.

<"I never knew this city had so much to offer! There's so much I'd like to see! And do! I also picked out some stuff I think you guys might like!"> She noticed Jason was staring at a newspaper. <"Hey, why the serious look on your face? You look like somebody died.">

[shinnmoso]

Still a block away from the Cafe

Rockwell notices an Anti-Skill Armored Vehicle driving Recklessly down the street. Hmm... That's strange... Better copy down the licence number... As soon as he copied down the number and about to grab the phone, he noticed that that truck already left the scene and what's left is a packet.

Noticing something strange about the packet, Rockwell opens his case, slips on his protective gear (Ballistic Helmet and Vest, Tactical gloves), takes out his H&K 417 Rifle, loads the rifle and walks towards the package.

With one hand on the rifle, he uses his other hand to slowly open the package....

[Lillith]

A block away from the cafe
The package seems to be a bunch of paper wrapped around something. It is unclear what exactly it is, but it is very long. Once it is unwrapped the face of a redhaired girl appears. Her blue eyes look vacant and just seem to stare at right through you. She is dressed in nothing but what looks like one of the hospital patient garbs. Overall she appears quite death, but you notice, after unwrapping her completely, that she still has a pulse.

[shinnmoso]

A block away from the cafe

<"Holy...!"> Careful not to be too loud, Rockwell slowly removed what seems to be a lifeless body onto the floor. A crowd seems to have gathered now. Rockwell begins the normal procedure for First aid.

Rockwell kneels by the girls head, talks in to her ear "Madam, can you hear me?"

No answer.

Rockwell then points to a person in the crowd "Sir, I'm going to need your help. Call 119, tell them that there is an unconscious girl by the cafe, and we need EMT on the scene. Talk to me after you're done."

"Right away..."

Rockwell continues to perform basic life support on the girl so she doesn't die before the EMT arrives on the scene.

[Rhydeble]

hearing the screams, and seeing Jirou starting to run, Cale knew he could not be outdone. He started running towards the scream and prepared a nitrogen spear in his hand.

[Anyr]

A small alley across the cafe
If one would enter the alley where just now a boy and three men disappeared, he or she would be in for a scary scene. The three men were all quite tall and muscled. They were light blue suits, like they came out of a prison. There was no logo or emblem on them. On their hands were thick gloves to hide their fingerprints and their head seemed to have been shaved completely. It seemed these guy had planned this from the start. Their appearance was almost completely identical.

The tallest of the three seemed to be carrying the blond haired boy on his shoulder, who was unconscious. The smallest of the three seemed to be carrying a strange device, but quickly pocketed it away when he heard noise. From his belt he grabbed a large gun and so did his two partners.

Jirou stood his ground, not even attempting to dodge back out of sight. Instead his eyes simply flicked between each gun as it was being drawn. By the time any of them were lined up to fire they'd no longer be intact enough to do so. This was no last-second improvised defence; The routine was executed with a smooth precision which spoke of uncounted hours of practice. With that accomplished, Jirou allowed himself a wide smirk before addressing his attackers.

"Hey guys, that's not cool. You know what it feels like to be shot? Lemme tell you, it's not something I'd care to repeat. How about we settle this some other way instead?"

After that Jirou simply stood there, leaving the next move to the other three men. Despite his smirk, he wasn't feeling particularly confident about a three-on-one battle against trained killers. He continued to size them up, trying to gauge what their skill would be if it came to a fight; Or how fast they'd be able to go if they chose to run.

[shinnmoso]

District 10

While Rockwell is busy with dealing the girl in District 7, his partner (Delta-two-three) is on patrol somewhere in District 10. He hears a voice, and decides to investigate in the alleyway.

What he sees isn't pretty. Three men, armed, holding a hostage, with Jirou trying to go against them three. He won't stand a chance! Hiding behind a dustbin, he gets ready to engage. Armed personnel means Rockwell can shoot back, and at their vital points too.

He gets a flashbang from his tactical vest he has on. Removes the safety, and throws it out.

*FOOM!*

The flashbang creates a loud bang and a blinding light. Although Rockwell is deaf from the loud bang, he isn't affected by the blinding light.

Delta-two-three pushes Jirou to the ground, even though she is still still dazed by the sudden loud blast and blinding light.

Delta-two-three takes aim with his Rifle- 7.62 NATO round, that should do it!, aims at the first person in the suit on the shoulders, puts two round into him.

Switch Targets, pull trigger twice.

Switch Targets, pull trigger twice.

Delta-two-three can now only hope that the men aren't wearing ballistic armor.

[Rhydeble]

Cale turned around the corner just in time to see the guns, and started to form a barrier in front of them to slow the bullets to a drop, only for the guns to dematerialize into dust.

taking view of the situation, Cale saw Jirou standing, obviously responsible for the disappearing guns, and three men, one of them carrying a boy on his shoulder.

Cale widened the spear in his hand, until it was about half a meter wide, sacrificing sharpness for area of effect. then, he threw it towards the feet of the man carrying the boy, And quickly tried to increase the density in possible escape routes, so that the enemies would have to go past him and Jirou.

[Silverraptor]

Inside the cafe
Jane walked to Jason's table, obviously excited. In her arms she carried a stack of brochures and quickly set down opposite of him.

<"I never knew this city had so much to offer! There's so much I'd like to see! And do! I also picked out some stuff I think you guys might like!"> She noticed Jason was staring at a newspaper. <"Hey, why the serious look on your face? You look like somebody died.">

Jason looks up at Jane.
"[Someone did.]"
He then slides the newspaper over to her.