[Rail IC] Academy City

[Rhydeble]

"Well, I guess that's the end of that."

Jirou emerged from the hospital with a dark cloud over his head. Still slightly shaken by what had transpired inside, he took a deep breath of the midday air to calm himself. The feeling of disappointment from before also remained, no matter how irrational it was. Taken logically, there really wasn't anything to complain about; He'd played a valuable part in seeing justice done and received plenty of recognition for it. Furthermore, he was exhausted from said efforts and in no condition to continue them. It was unquestionably the right call to leave this matter in the hands of trained professionals. And yet...

Before this latest moping session could gather full steam it was interrupted by a light vibration from Jirou's jacket pocket; His phone was ringing. Abandoning his current train of thought, Jirou hurriedly grabbed the device with all the speed at his command. It was amazing what being in Harada Rin's phonebook could do to a person's reaction time.

"Hello?"

"<Greetings young man. I am going to make you an offer you CANNOT resist. keep on walking, do not act surprised, I am watching you.>" The shadow said, his face slightly lit by the wall of screens in front of him showing life security feeds of Jirou's location.
"Cross the road here,then keep on walking straight, do NOT look into that phone-shop on your right>"

[Anyr]

Jirou blinked. Then he stopped. Then he looked very deliberately at the phone shop to his right. And finally he spoke.

"[Yeah, how about no? Listen buddy: This day's not even half over yet, and it's already given me more trouble than most people get in a lifetime. I'm tired, annoyed, and in no mood to play Simon Says with some discount Morpheus wannabe. You wanna talk? Then talk. But you'd better make it fast, because my ears close shop in about twenty seconds.]"

[Rhydeble]

Jirou blinked. Then he stopped. Then he looked very deliberately at the phone shop to his right. And finally he spoke.

"[Yeah, how about no? Listen buddy: This day's not even half over yet, and it's already given me more trouble than most people get in a lifetime. I'm tired, annoyed, and in no mood to play Simon Says with some discount Morpheus wannabe. You wanna talk? Then talk. But you'd better make it fast, because my ears close shop in about twenty seconds.]"

"<Well then,mister dust, it seems I have to get your attention first. The robot and kidnapping incidents are not connected, you have the ability to disintegrate matter at level three, you've played 246 games of mahjong in the last year in 7 different parlor's, and yesterday you lost to my son. Now if you listen to me there will be a lot of people that will suddenly show you a lot of respect. If you ignore me...>"

[Silverraptor]

Jason was typing away at the keyboard. Webpages were moved about left and right as Jason was using the three screens to their fullest potential. Finally, he spoke out in excitement.
"[Hey! I think I may have found something about Jirou!]"

[Anyr]

Okay, that was a little disturbing. Suddenly much more alert, Jirou's mind began to race. Unfortunately it didn't have enough time to do much before his mouth began to move again; He didn't want to seem weak or hesitant by pausing, even though he'd have been very glad of the opportunity. So for the moment he just let himself talk as he normally would, without any pesky second thoughts to slow him down.

"[First of all, the only reason that little punk won the game wa-your son? Actually, I dunno why I'm so surprised; I should've known that Cale would go crying to daddy the second he got in a jam.

Lemme ask you something, Mr Smirnoff: It's real sweet of you to stick up for your son like this, but have you thought about what it's doing to him? Kids who get bailed out all the time tend to get real careless once they grow up. They never learn to get out of trouble on their own, because they always had a safety net to catch them if they mess up. Why don't you try stepping back on this one and letting Cale shake of the training wheels? Trust me, He'll thank you for it in the end.]"

[Rhydeble]

"[A safety net you say? laughable. Please understand that I do NOT want you to tell that little idiot about this. It seems like you do not even like him, which works for my purposes. See, when I do not pressure that child, he pulls stuff like winning from a reknown mahjong player without any significant experience on his own part. What I need, is for someone to beat him, and keep on beating him until he's ground down to dust.

And that's why I called you.]"

Now the shadowy figure had thrown in the hook, but he knew that that might not be enough, he needed to do one more thing, it was time to bring in the bait.

"[I guess this might be a bit much for a child like you, why don't you go home and think about it for a while?]"

[Anyr]

The look of happiness that adorned Jirou's face during the explanation was a sight to warm the spirit; Provided that the spirits it warmed weren't aware of its source, anyway. Cale's father was actually offering a reward for the deliberate humiliation of his own son! This bliss lasted until the final question came, when it abruptly shattered as if hit with a diamond sledgehammer.

"[A bit much? Time to think? A child?! We'll see how much of a child I am when I end our talk by tracking you down and making you swallow your own phone! And as for time to think, I don't even need a nanosecond to know that I'm in for front row seats on this one. Just tell me what you want doing, and save the insults for someone who can't put you on an all phone diet.]"

[Lillith]

Jason was typing away at the keyboard. Webpages were moved about left and right as Jason was using the three screens to their fullest potential. Finally, he spoke out in excitement.
"[Hey! I think I may have found something about Jirou!]"

<"Really?"> Jane looking a mixture of angst and relief. <"What did you find?">

Moreau's office

Katsu looks curiously at the various interesting things around Moreau's office, almost deciding to taste the sandwich before being brought back to reality by the mugshot book.

"On it! I'll find them in no time!"

He picks up the book and almost lives up to those words by flipping the pages so fast one'd worry why they aren't catching on fire.

Katsu would be flipping through the mugshots, sadly none of the faces seemed even slightly familiar. The men weren't bald for that matter, but also didn't seem to have that weird tattoo or broken nose that Katsu remembered from before. One of the mugshots was missing an ear though, that could have been interesting.

[Rhydeble]

The shadow smiled to himself. this young man reminded him of himself when he was young, much more so then his own son did.

"Shortly after you entered the ambulance, an anti-skill officer by the name of yamoto arrested Cale. One of my people in the anti-skill headquarters has reported that this "trenchcoat" believes a certain Jane Walker is behind the incident of this morning, and that she is controlling Cale. Knowing my son,he will try to prove the innocence of the girl he has taken a fancy to. I don't care what you do, just make sure that Cale is NOT the one to solve this case,"

[Anyr]

So this was the big job: Stop Cale from doing something stupid? That wasn't exactly what Jirou had had in mind when he'd pictured the coming task. For all the father's protestations to the contrary, it sounded more like an act of protection than humiliation. Still, there was no reason why it couldn't be both; Especially with the methods he'd probably end up using.

"[Fine, so long as you can tell me where to find him. Or have you spent so much time looking at me that you've lost track?]"

[Silverraptor]

"[Well, I can't be sure. But there is a report of a kid accompaning someone to the hospital by the name of Anthony Jackson. The other kid sounds very similar to what Jirou looks like...]"

[Rhydeble]

Above AC
While Cale was having a sneezing fit, he walked over all the buildings between the AS headquarters and the café where he had last seen Jane.

Coming closer, he started seeing just how big that earthquake had been. getting worried, he grabbed his phone and started calling Jane from it.

A shadowy room

So this was the big job: Stop Cale from doing something stupid? That wasn't exactly what Jirou had had in mind when he'd pictured the coming task. For all the father's protestations to the contrary, it sounded more like an act of protection than humiliation. Still, there was no reason why it couldn't be both; Especially with the methods he'd probably end up using.

"[Fine, so long as you can tell me where to find him. Or have you spent so much time looking at me that you've lost track?]"

[I have trained my son well enough that he knows how to stay out of sight, so no, I cannot track him for you. I do, however, know something else that might help you. The drug that the ambassador's boy has been injected with is made by a company called OFES. Sadly, that corporation has a very strict security program, and does not sell it to outsiders. I am quite sure that the only other party in possession of it is the V.I.G.I.L., the Voluntary Investigative psi-Gamma Interrogation Labs. An organisation that mostly takes care of dangerous rogue espers, by means of traditional military force combined with the help of ESPers with extraordinary sensory powers.]

[Anyr]

This time Jirou did pause. Up until now he hadn't really cared about the depth of knowledge that his communicant had displayed. Learning scattered facts such as power levels or mahjong history wasn't that difficult; Especially if Cale was closer to his father than the two of them let on. Even the hidden camera/accomplice who apparently watched Jirou right now was little more than a fancy parlour trick. But classified research secrets? That was something else entirely. Academy City lived and died on the secrecy and exclusivity of its scientific knowledge. Even finding out the name of the company who made this drug was an impressive feat. Just exactly who was this man?

"[...Thanks for the info. I'd better get started in finding your son. Nice talking to you.]"

Without waiting for a reply Jirou hung up. He then started walking again, but towards a lesser bystreet rather than the main thoroughfare he'd been using before. He didn't like the idea of being under surveillance, however well-intentioned it might be. Taking the back roads would at least make it easier to spot any tails or cameras. After traversing a fair distance, he eventually stopped in an apparently deserted alleyway. Soon his phone was in use once again, making a call that should probably have been made much earlier.

"[Jason? It's Jirou. Is Cale with you?]"

[Lillith]

"[Well, I can't be sure. But there is a report of a kid accompaning someone to the hospital by the name of Anthony Jackson. The other kid sounds very similar to what Jirou looks like...]"

Jane nodded. <"Indeed, thank goodness at least one of them is alright. Now we only need-"> The phone in Jane's bag started to ring before she could finish her sentence. Quickly digging it out, Jane answered the phone. "Jane Walker."

[Rhydeble]

Jane nodded. <"Indeed, thank goodness at least one of them is alright. Now we only need-"> The phone in Jane's bag started to ring before she could finish her sentence. Quickly digging it out, Jane answered the phone. "Jane Walker."

Hearing Jane's voice after worrying about her almost made Cale miss a step, but he kept his feet solidly on the sky.
"Hi Jane, it's me. Sorry for being gone all of a sudden, but there was a kidnapping and a big showdown and an earthquake and then I got arrested, so I've been kind of busy."

[Lillith]

Hearing Jane's voice after worrying about her almost made Cale miss a step, but he kept his feet solidly on the sky.
"Hi Jane, it's me. Sorry for being gone all of a sudden, but there was a kidnapping and a big showdown and an earthquake and then I got arrested, so I've been kind of busy."

Jane's heart pounced. <"Oh my goodness Cale! I'm so relieved you're- wait... what... ARRESTED? What happened? Did you do something? And a kidnapping?!"> Her voice went from happy to shocked in less then 2 seconds and Jane felt like she had to sit down for a moment.

[Silverraptor]

Jason's phone went off at the same moment Jane's went off.
"[Oh, hey Jirou. No, we don't know anything about what happened to Cale-]"

Jane's heart pounced. <"Oh my goodness Cale! I'm so relieved you're- wait... what... ARRESTED? What happened? Did you do something? And a kidnapping?!"> Her voice went from happy to shocked in less then 2 seconds and Jane felt like she had to sit down for a moment.

"[...Nevermind. Jane's on the phone with him. And apparently he got arrested...]"

[Rhydeble]

Jane's heart pounced. <"Oh my goodness Cale! I'm so relieved you're- wait... what... ARRESTED? What happened? Did you do something? And a kidnapping?!"> Her voice went from happy to shocked in less then 2 seconds and Jane felt like she had to sit down for a moment.

"While Jirou, Katsu and I were standing outside, Jirou saw some kidnappers or something. We rescued the kidnappee, but they got away. That earthquake was their doing by the way. Then a paranoid police-officer came by and though I had caused the earthquake or something, and he started going crazy.
oh and by the way, if you ever meet a detective called Yamato, don't trust him. he has something against ESPers, especially those with more....subtle... powers...

anyway, how are you?"

[Anyr]

So the old man's story had some credibility behind it after all. That was a relief; Falling for a prank call would have done Jirou's self esteem no good at all.

"[Yeah, I know. Are you honestly surprised? Listen, it'd probably be a good idea for us all to meet up and compare notes. Where are you now?]"

[Mina Kobold]

Katsu would be flipping through the mugshots, sadly none of the faces seemed even slightly familiar. The men weren't bald for that matter, but also didn't seem to have that weird tattoo or broken nose that Katsu remembered from before. One of the mugshots was missing an ear though, that could have been interesting.

"Aww, they're not here."

Katsu closes the book after his second-short search and almost immediately snaps his fingers and looks franticly around.

"Do you have some paper? I could try drawing them, I'm pretty bad at it but if I spend a few minutes on it...-Or maybe a computer?"

Chattering on his questions, Katsu keeps looking around but somehow manages not to investigate every papaer or file he sees.

Must still be in serious-mode.

[Silverraptor]

So the old man's story had some credibility behind it after all. That was a relief; Falling for a prank call would have done Jirou's self esteem no good at all.

"[Yeah, I know. Are you honestly surprised? Listen, it'd probably be a good idea for us all to meet up and compare notes. Where are you now?"

"[Ummm...]"
He looks over at Jane feeling suddenly akward.
"[I, uh... brought Jane over to my place after the earthquake. It was the only safe place I could think of after that.]"

[Anyr]

The tone of Jirou's reply would probably do nothing to ease the awkward atmosphere. It was so strongly emoted that his smirk was practically visible through the phone lines.

"[Seriously? Way. To. Go, man! I never thought you'd have the guts to move this fast. Since it's like that, you want me to hold off on coming over? I can always take the long way round if you two need some more alone time...]"

[Silverraptor]

Jason's head is quickly buried in his hand.
"[You know Jirou, you're quickly wiping away any concern I had of something bad happening to you.]"

[Anyr]

Jirou wasn't so dense as to miss the implications in Jason's tone. When he next spoke, Jirou's own voice had lost much of its mockery. He made an effort to speak seriously, because the subject at hand was one which actually did matter to him.

"[Hey, it's not like I'm saying anything out of line. There's no shame in liking a girl, especially when you've got so much in common. Besides, have you thought about what'll happen if you don't make a move? Maybe you think you're being all noble by stepping back, but we both know that letting her end up with Cale would be a mistake. Jane's a great girl, and she deserves better than that."

After this uncharacteristic seriousness, Jirou's voice gradually became even more somber. His thoughts had turned back to a depressing subject; One which he'd been trying not to think about ever since he'd left the hospital.

"[Anyway, that's not our biggest problem right now. I kinda wish I didn't know this, but there's some seriously twisted stuff going on in this city. I'll fill you in on it when I get to your place. You wanna start giving out directions?]"

[Silverraptor]

[Liking a Girl?!]
Jason could feel his cheeks going red and quickly turned his back so Jane wouldn't see.
[Why did Jirou have to make implications like that?! Ya sure, Jane was nice. But it was way too early to be considering that kind of nonsense! What was his real goal here?...
He stops suddenly.
[Oh, I see. He and his rivalry with Cale. So I'm just his tool to use to make sure he doesn't lose to Cale, huh? Well I won't fall for it Jirou. I will like go about liking Jane my own way...Whether or not it comes to that.]
Jason's cheeks turn slightly red again as he thinks the last statement. He also does all this forgetting that Jane was also a telepath.

"[Well okay. If this stuff is really as twisted as you say, then I guess we all need to hear it. Here's the instructions...]"

[Anyr]

"[On my way.]"

Jason's apartment turned out to be a fair distance from Jirou's alley. Even walking quickly, it would be a while before he reached it. With his luck Cale would probably get there before him, which would make things more complicated. Ah well, he'd just have to be extra careful about keeping him out of the loop.

[Lillith]

"While Jirou, Katsu and I were standing outside, Jirou saw some kidnappers or something. We rescued the kidnappee, but they got away. That earthquake was their doing by the way. Then a paranoid police-officer came by and though I had caused the earthquake or something, and he started going crazy.
oh and by the way, if you ever meet a detective called Yamato, don't trust him. he has something against ESPers, especially those with more....subtle... powers...

anyway, how are you?"

<"Relieved that you're okay."> Jane said happily. <"I tried to call you earlier but I couldn't seem to reach you. Jason brought me to his place after the earthquake happened and after setting up the computer we tried to find some information about what happened and what happened to you and Jirou. From what I can reckon from Jason being on the phone right now, Jirou is okay too and has an interesting story he wants to share with everybody. It sounds serious."> She bit her lip while wondering what was going on.

"Aww, they're not here."

Katsu closes the book after his second-short search and almost immediately snaps his fingers and looks franticly around.

"Do you have some paper? I could try drawing them, I'm pretty bad at it but if I spend a few minutes on it...-Or maybe a computer?"

Chattering on his questions, Katsu keeps looking around but somehow manages not to investigate every papaer or file he sees.

Must still be in serious-mode.

Moreau seemed slightly disappointed that Katsu wasn't able to identify the culprits and wasn't so sure if a young boy's drawing skills would be of help. Then again she should give him a chance, she could always call a professional later.

"Of course." she said while sliding a pencil and some paper to Katsu.

[Rhydeble]

<"Relieved that you're okay."> Jane said happily. <"I tried to call you earlier but I couldn't seem to reach you. Jason brought me to his place after the earthquake happened and after setting up the computer we tried to find some information about what happened and what happened to you and Jirou. From what I can reckon from Jason being on the phone right now, Jirou is okay too and has an interesting story he wants to share with everybody. It sounds serious."> She bit her lip while wondering what was going on.

"Shall I come over then? I geuss it'll be easier to talk when we're all together.

By the way, do you know what happened to Katsu? He's a classmate of mine and I'm kind of worried, he can be kind of... airheaded."

[Mina Kobold]

[COLOR="YellowGreen"]Moreau seemed slightly disappointed that Katsu wasn't able to identify the culprits and wasn't so sure if a young boy's drawing skills would be of help. Then again she should give him a chance, she could always call a professional later.

"Of course." she said while sliding a pencil and some paper to Katsu.

Katsu grabs the pencil and paper and begins to draw but stops a few seconds later and shakes his head.

"No, doesn't work. Didn't you say you could get someone to make these? Maybe I could ask them how to draw people"

[Lillith]

"Shall I come over then? I geuss it'll be easier to talk when we're all together.

By the way, do you know what happened to Katsu? He's a classmate of mine and I'm kind of worried, he can be kind of... airheaded."

<"Yeah it's probably better if you come down here. Maybe we can figure out what's happening that way."> She gave Cale Jason's address and how to get there. <"No, I don't know what happened to Katsu, sorry."> Jane felt her cheeks burning, she had forgotten about that third boy completely!

Katsu grabs the pencil and paper and begins to draw but stops a few seconds later and shakes his head.

"No, doesn't work. Didn't you say you could get someone to make these? Maybe I could ask them how to draw people"

"Of course." Moreau nodded in agreement, she figured this would happen and stood up from her seat. "Alright, I'll go get somebody, I'll be right back."

It wasn't until about 10 minutes later that Moreau would come back with a tall Asian looking man who carried a sketch pad and a case full of different panels.

"This is officer Iwate." Moreau introduced him and the man nodded. "Please give him as many details as you can remember and he'll try his best into making the drawings of the people as accurate as possible."