[Rail] Academy City OOC Thread III: Electromagnetic Hyper-cannon Go!

[Duos]

Are Shiki, Yori, Katashi, etc, on the Academy City Judgement banks?

Yori was wiped from the databanks when he was appointed head developer on the G.E.A.R. project. Essentially, he doesn't exist, for purposes of plausible deniability should something catastrophic happen to the project.

EDIT: Also we're gonna need a new IC thread soon. Such poor timing ,too-right when stuff starts to get really, really interesting. C'est la vie. What are we going to name the new thread?

[Terry576]

Hajime's power is changing to Gravity Control, thanks to how his view of the world changed (Using Moroe as the 'center' that holds him together).

That's definite. Timing is probably gradual.

Academy City III: Abusive Physics Never End!

[Anyr]

Lord-Cao-Cao, I think you might have misread Duos' post. As I read it, he seems to be saying that there isn't a corridor outside the room any more, nor any way of getting in through the former entrance. Here's a portion of the post, with particularly relevant parts bolded:

...As Kouta starts to process that statement and the Antiskill in the hallway starts to draw weapons in response to the threat, the hallway suddenly disappears; or at least, most of it does. The walls of the corridor buckle madly and snap inwards to a width of one inch with a sickening crunch, blood and gore spraying into the room as the insane pressure forces six Antiskill operatives to occupy very little room in a very messy manner. Yori thumbs the safety on his handgun and racks the slide.

"Right now, you are trapped in a small box, that nobody can reach, with a very angry man and his troops. I'm going to count to ten. And if you and that sad excuse for a clone over there are still standing between me and my prize by then, I'm going to do SO MUCH WORSE TO THE BOTH OF YOU THAN KILL YOU."

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

Oh. My bad.

But then what happens to his own troops inside the corridor too? Does he simply kill his own men out of apathy for the fact that they are also in the line of fire?

[Anyr]

Oh. My bad.

But then what happens to his own troops inside the corridor too? Does he simply kill his own men out of apathy for the fact that they are also in the line of fire?

No idea. Only Duos can answer that one.

Edit: Although, reading back, there doesn't seem to be anything to suggest that Yori was accompanied by more than five men. It's possible that all of his guards were already inside the room when the corridor collapsed.

[AnimeKid]

Wow. That situation looks really bad for Kouta and, well everyone else inside the room. Adachi just got put on the back burner beacuse Yori is currently active and not hiding away planning. Yori is a do-er.

I wish I could help but Ryuji is currently walking home, Tobio is a Judgement, and Crocell is trying to beat the pants of Jirou at blazblue.

I really want to help to, because in games like this I get really invested in all the characters. It broke my heart a little when Shougo got beat to near death while Tobio was having his mental breakdown.

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

"It most certainly is possible, to some extent. Shame it's not going to happen, though."

Yori enters the room, flanked by a pair of heavily armed men in heavy body armor. Behind him in the hallway, more soldiers can be seen, weapons ready. Yori draws his sidearm and taps it against his leg.

"This can go one of two ways. The first one is you giving up the brat and me walking out of here no questions asked. The second one is you refusing to give me the girl, in which case I put you all in a coma to match your adorable friend on life support over there, THEN I take the girl and walk out. Your choice, although I'm partial to the first option, since it saves me time. Your call though."

Two specifically entered and Duos didn't note that any more did. Also, I'm making a new IC thread as we're near our limit.

Wow. That situation looks really bad for Kouta and, well everyone else inside the room. Adachi just got put on the back burner beacuse Yori is currently active and not hiding away planning. Yori is a do-er.

I wish I could help but Ryuji is currently walking home, Tobio is a Judgement, and Crocell is trying to beat the pants of Jirou at blazblue.

I really want to help to, because in games like this I get really invested in all the characters. It broke my heart a little when Shougo got beat to near death while Tobio was having his mental breakdown.

Crap hitting the fan at terminal velocity.
As expected with a major villain.

Oh yeah.

[Anyr]

Counterquote!

"I'm taking the girl. It's not a question of what she wants; it's a question of how long it takes for me to do in in a nice, organized fashion. You just saw what she can do, and I need that. And there's not a whole lot you can do about it, because you're alone. In a room with five very well trained and very well armed men."

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

Oh. That's true. But when did that happen!? How can five armored soldiers fit through one tiny hospital door!?

For that matter, how are there even so many people in Shougos' hospital room, anyway?

If the above is true, that means that there's Yori, Moroe, Koizumi, Shiki, Hajime, Kouta and Yoris' five men standing around in Shougos' ward. Twelve people, including Shougo himself, all within 20 feet of each other.

[Anyr]

Oh. That's true. But when did that happen!? How can five armored soldiers fit through one tiny hospital door!?

For that matter, how are there even so many people in Shougos' hospital room, anyway?

If the above is true, that means that there's Yori, Moroe, Koizumi, Shiki, Hajime, Kouta and Yoris' five men standing around in Shougos' ward. Twelve people, including Shougo himself, all within 20 feet of each other.

Well, there were. Yori and Hajime have left, so that opens up a bit more space. I don't know, maybe this hospital just has really big rooms...

[Terry576]

Shiki is a small child standing near the hospital bed. The hospital bed (assuming six and a half feet, compensating for the high end of the height spectrum,) takes up a bit of room, as this is in the ICU, so it's probably a larger room. Shiki, Hajime, and Moroe are all closely bunched together (Hajime and Moroe because they're crazy murder maniacs, Shiki because they are her bodyguards), and Kouta is presumably standing in front of our Golden Onyx Trio! (Onyx because it is dark and Hajime and Moroe are morally gray as hell.) Because he was reaching out his hand to Shiki.

Yori is on the other side of the room, near the entryway presumably. I thought his five men were outside until there was that long thing about them entering, which means they are spread out along the wall to cover all the ends.

Also, Adachi? On the back burner? You mean the guy who runs pretty much every major science project in Academy City, is probably somehow involved in this massive screw-up because it involves clones and he kind of has an army of them? One of which was referenced by Yori, implying that he knows there are more and that he knows what they were for?

Damn. We could have gone with "Academy City III: @%$# Just Got Science'd".

EDIT: Going to bed. It's... 7 AM.

By god, my insomnia is going to murder me someday.

[AnimeKid]

Yeah, involved not active. It's basically saying that he may have his fingers in it but he is not killing Anti-skill and trying to kidnap a little girl.

[Duos]

I'm working on the assumption that the remaining members of Yori's retinue either filed into the room to avoid drawing attention from the Antiskill coming down the hallway or they moved in and out of the way so Yori could pull Kouta into the room. Also, your average hospital room (assuming that it's a larger one, designed to allow for visitors or more than one occupant) can easily fit twenty+ people in standing position, with a little bit of wiggle room.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Classified Document: Personality Profile of Mami Matsuoka

Spoiler

Show

Name: Mami Matsuoka
Aliases: "That Damn Woman"
Level: [REDACTED]
Gender: Female
Age: Twenty-eight
Groups: Academy City, MAR, [REDACTED]

Description:

Appearance: Underdevelopment.

Personality:
Mami Matsuoka is an open and friendly individual whom, upon actual conversation with, is usually dubbed as shady and secretive about topics of any real substance. Officially, she has no rank or purpose within the experiment that is Academy City, being without psychic potential, exemplary heritage, or resources that would explain her presence within the city and yet the arrival of her, or those within her group, sets Anti-Skill officers, MAR agents, scientists, and anyone with the least bit of clout within the city on edge. This is for the simple reason that whenever the shadowy leaders of Academy City suspect that an experiment has taken a turn for the worse, that resources are being squandered (or worse, 'misplaced'), or that a gross abuse of power might be happening, Mami or one of her ilk is dispatched to investigate the situation and resolve it. She's a trouble-shooter who answers directly to the anonymous 'rulers' of the city and she's enabled with the authority to terminate any project, asset, or personage that threatens Academy City or the experiment itself. Often times this puts her odds with the many unethical scientists of the city who begin to panic and suspect that it's their behavior being analyzed even if Mami is investigating an entirely different manner.

This constant dance with danger has imparted a cavalier and jovial attitude in the woman who is faced with the fact that every day she might step on the wrong person's toes and end up the subject of some maniac's psychotic attentions. When you're concerned about becoming a lab-rat for ticking off the wrong person, the problem of little things like jay-walking or tardiness (just for example) rarely concern her. To say this has earned her the ire of traditionally minded Japanese residents of Academy City, Anti-Skill, and Judgment is putting it mildly, but one of the perks of her position is that any file such a group might start on her is 'lost' or mysteriously edited to remove any trace of her. It's liberating to be a ghost...


Abilities

Esper Ability: [REDACTED] The following classified information is for Level 5 clearance only.

Spoiler

Show

Agent Mami Matsuoka was first discovered as an orphan abandoned within the confines of the city while it was still being constructed and, as is the custom, put through the Power Curriculum Program once she was old enough. Despite repeated runs through the PCP, Mami Matsuoka was discovered to have no latent psychic potential or ability. When told this, the girl immediately applied to join Anti-Skill, with little practical knowledge of what exactly that entailed. Still, her spirit was commendable and it was decided that she would be put through combat training, psychological courses, and other such subjects that may be of use to a special ops soldier in many military institutions. Her aptitude for these subjects was quickly discovered and Mami advanced quickly to the point that she was deemed ready to participate in the tests to join MAR. The young woman's admission surprised few, but her continued perseverance and loyalty to Academy City did despite certain projects she became aware of during her stay with MAR.

After seven years, Mami Matsuoka was officially inducted as an agent of the newly formed [REDACTED] and became answerable only to the leadership of the city. As a top agent, she is provided with experimental devices and equipment to help in her investigations and, as a Level 0, she is deemed to have no personal stake in the experiment and is thus considered impartial when it comes to matters relating to espers. Dealing with rogue experiments and powerful espers has become something of a specialty for her, albeit a very dangerous one. Her current task is unknown, but her investigation has lead her to a small group of school children.

Physical Traits:
-Medical Training: Although mostly exercised in a self-help fashion, Mami is well skilled with first aid and is learned enough in medical matters that she can follow a doctor's conversation or notes with little help.
-CQC Expert: As much as she may like it, not every esper or enemy remains at range and thus a large portion of Mami's training went into CQC training and exercises. Despite her formidable skills in this area, she insists on augmenting them even further with a pair of gloves being tested that deliver a painful shock when used.
-Marksman: Mami is a trained marksman and is never without her tranquilizer gun. This specially made 9mm pistol has been modified to fire hypodermic needles that deliver a potent sedative or, should the situation turn dangerous, a lethal poison. Her aim is good, but not remarkable.
-Strength and Speed: As part of her training, Mami is in excellent physical condition and is thus quite strong and fast, traits which has helped her to remain alive despite repeated attempts on her life.

Mental Traits:
-Psychology Specialist: A large part of Mami's job is interrogation, manipulation, and reading people. To further her skills in this area, she was given an extensive education on psychology as well as a hands-on education within [REDACTED]. As a result, she's an excellent judge of character and is reasonably skilled at being able to tell if someone is lying to her. This skill has also helped to keep her alive in her engagements with ESPers since analyze of the targets in question, their ability, and their state of mind has been the deciding factor on if she survived many an encounter.
-[REDACTED] Access Card: As an agent of Academy City, Mami Matsuoka was given a special access card and code upon her initiation into the group. The keycard can open any electronic lock in an Academy City building while the code gives her unlimited access to classified files and documents. In extreme cases, as well as with approval from her superiors, this code even allows her to access the Tree Diagram and divert it's computations from other tasks.
-Memory: While it's most often employed in remembering video game secrets, trivia, or people's backgrounds, Mami has a good memory and doesn't often forget the face of someone she's talked too before. A far cry from a perfect memory, or even flash memory, she's still a sharp cookie.
-Academy City Backing: By far the most dangerous thing about Mami isn't what she can do...but who she represents. It is undeniable that she acts in the stead of the 'board' of Academy City and that she has their full support. If she tells them a facility is corrupt, it's employees are detained, questioned, and possibly terminated. If she needs evidence of some kind to disappear, then it does. She's trusted to have the City's best interests at heart and given the lee-way to use whatever means she deems necessary to protect them. Even if someone isn't worried about the woman herself, it's the men and women back her that are the real threat especially considering the fact that Academy City's own motives are often less then clear...to put it mildly.

Notable Equipment:
-9mm tranquilizer gun: See Marksman. She carries ten tranquilizer darts on her at any given time and five poison darts.
-Handcuffs: When Mami needs to detain someone (or multiple people) she pull out the handcuffs. Unlike Anti-Skill or Judgment, this is not always a good thing since the people she tends to need to interrogate or bring in are also the sort who are rarely ever heard from again...
-Level Down: When Mami suspects that she'll be confronting espers, she requisitions these experimental devices. The size of a small recorder and shaped in a similar fashion, these devices interfere with the AIM fields of espers within their range and weaken their psychic powers. While a fully built Capacity Down system can completely deprive an esper (even a Level 5) of their abilities, they are also much too cumbersome to be easily carried around on a daily basis and work best when integrated into the defenses of an existing facility, Level Down is the first attempt at a portable version that Mami volunteered to test in the field. Unless scattered over an area, the range of Level Down is short (within 10/5 feet) and it only deprives the weakest of espers of their abilities (Level 1's or below). For others, it merely weakens them as the sound Level Down emits interferes with an esper's AIM and weakens their abilities. Mami coined the term 'Level Down' since that seems to be the extent of the device's ability, to lower an esper's Level by one...which is usually enough to put her on much more equal terms with them. It's effect on Level 5's is, so far, undocumented though and Level Down's effectiveness on such powerful espers is debatable. She's not eager to test it out, except in either the most controlled test situation or in a battle that is already heavily slanted in her favor already.
-Shock Gloves: Mami's prized possession, these personal defense items are a relatively new invention, but one that is already being considered for mass distribution. Appearing as a slightly bulky pair of driving gloves, they are actually quite capable of delivering a painful jolt that can range from 'non-lethal' to 'debilitating' to 'lethal', though the later quickly drains the limited battery supply of the gloves
-Requisition: Within reason, Mami can requisition almost any item that she may need in pursuit of her objectives. In the end, it's the decision of her superiors if an item is necessary for her success and although she is trusted on these matters, said superiors may decide that (for example) a full tactical package would cause more damage to Academy City assets then Mami would preserve with it's use.

Let me know what you guys think Trying for a Bad-ass Normal with shades of the Spectre organization from Mass Effect.

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

She sounds cool; although a little like a grown up Ishimaru Moroe in terms of what she does and what she has.

[AnimeKid]

Um Cao? I think you suddenly had Kouta transform into Kensuke.

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

Yep, I know. But Gitp servers seem to be lagging out so horrendously that I haven't been able to change it until now.

[Anyr]

Erm, Ren's stunt just now seems to contradict his character sheet. It ignores a lot of his stated limitations: 'Must teleport an area'; 'Blind teleports are extremely dangerous' (since he can't see the bullets); 'Destination and source areas refract light heavily'; 'Teleportation takes 1 second' (problematic, considering that the targets are constantly moving); 'Teleporting more often than once per 5 seconds induces headaches'. Even someone with Move Point might have trouble pulling off such a complicated, precise set of teleports; For Ren, this comes across as being beyond his stated limits.

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

HA HA. TOLD YOU, ATRUM.

Although to be fair, the GEAR soldiers aren't really capable of moving much at all-They're in a pretty small room, to be honest.

[Anyr]

HA HA. TOLD YOU, ATRUM.

Although to be fair, the GEAR soldiers aren't really capable of moving much at all-They're in a pretty small room, to be honest.

When your target is a single, unseen bullet inside a complex mechanism, any movement is going to be problematic.

[Atrum-Persavor]

Just move part of the mag- any part of the mag- into the barrel.

And when was the last time you seen people wave rifles around instead of holding them steady?

Crazed terrorists don't count.

And it's not really -that- complex, he's not messing with the bolt mechanism at all, rather moving a bullet and anything near it (Parts of adjacent bullets as well) into the barrel.

He's not even targetting the trigger mechanism, or anywhere near those parts, but I'll modify it.

[Anyr]

There's still the matter of it needing a full second, causing light refraction and having a 5 second cooldown. How did Ren even manage to sneak up on the soldiers, when his ability would (if I'm reading this correctly) cause him to appear in a flash of light? As was said when you first created the character, teleporting distant targets is a very powerful ability; It needs limitations in order to stop it from getting out of control. This sort of rapid-fire (and still relatively precise) teleporting is more the domain of Shirai Kuroko (or Sakurako in our game); Not someone who's supposed to be far more reliant on preparation time and precise coordinates.

[AnimeKid]

From what I read Ren was out in the hallway on the opposite side of the door leaning in too look. The light refraction would have been concealed by the door. Plus the GEAR soldiers are in cover with Moroe shooting at them. It is not inconceivable to think that Ren had teleported parts of the mag while they were in cover from Moroe's shots or even reloading. So six seconds isn't that long a time for something like that to happen in

[Atrum-Persavor]

"Refraction" =/= "Radiant Sunburst".

Refraction means that the light around the teleported object bends in a weird way- Not exactly the most telling motion in the heat of combat. Furthermore, it's not exactly HARD to randomly teleport a chunk of something out of the target-

Just take a 10x10x20 square centimeter chunk out of any modern rifle near the load feed and it's essentially useless. Precise teleportation would be, for example, removing the firing pin, or the trigger mechanism.

Anyway, remember Coordinate Twist swaps two points, so he could just simply swap parts of the rifles with each other, the wrong way in.

Which would still achieve the desired result.

[Anyr]

From what I read Ren was out in the hallway on the opposite side of the door leaning in too look. The light refraction would have been concealed by the door. Plus the GEAR soldiers are in cover with Moroe shooting at them. It is not inconceivable to think that Ren had teleported parts of the mag while they were in cover from Moroe's shots or even reloading. So six seconds isn't that long a time for something like that to happen in

There is no hallway outside the room, nor is there a door; Yori collapsed both of them earlier. Thus, that section of Atrum's post doesn't actually work, although that's only a minor problem. Obviously, Ren would have been able to get into the room whether he paused in the (non-existent) hallway or not.

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

True; except that Yori himself has also left the premises. I'm not sure if he released his power or not-I would assume that he has, now that his concentration has been heavily broken and he is most certainly not within visible distance anymore.

[Anyr]

True; except that Yori himself has also left the premises. I'm not sure if he released his power or not-I would assume that he has, now that his concentration has been heavily broken and he is most certainly not within visible distance anymore.

Why would that matter? As I read it, he wouldn't need to maintain anything in order to keep the hallway crushed, any more than he'd need to concentrate in order to stop one of his victims from coming back to life. The collapse may have been caused by an Esper ability, but the result doesn't seem to be supernatural.

Of course, that's simply my interpretation. I can certainly see how the ability could also work in the way you describe.

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

Oh. I thought he used his powers to warp the dimensions of the corridor into, as mentioned, one inch-Not physically crushing it to that level, but ....

eurgh

space warpan

Only a tad bit less confusing than time travel.

In any case, I assumed that when he said 'No way to access the room', what he really meant was 'You cannot access the room, because the corridor is now supernaturally one-inch-thick'.

[Anyr]

She sounds cool; although a little like a grown up Ishimaru Moroe in terms of what she does and what she has.

That might actually work out well. Moroe could view Mami as an older role model, or at least as a source of hope for the future; Or maybe she'll just see her as further proof that escaping from the Academy City isn't possible, no matter how high she rises. We'll have to see.

[Callos_DeTerran]

So any problems? Concerns? Things I should change?