Log started: 10/15/02 2:15:57 PM $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ IC News $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Message: 14/9 Posted Author Blue Bomber Bolsters Bakery! Tue Oct 15 News Report ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MIDWEST UNITED STATES (GNN) -- After last night's unprovoked attack on the Ma Granny's Pie Factory by the Robot Masters, one Reploid has stepped forward to live up to his hype as the world's hero. Mega Man, the Maverick Hunter Commander, donated twenty-five thousand zenny to the company to defray the costs of rebuilding their heavily damaged factory only half a day after the attack which left many employees wounded, some quite severely. "I had to do something," the Hunter was quoted as saying. "Even though I arrived on scene as quickly as possible, the amount of damage they wrought on the building was pretty impressive, even for them. I couldn't help the wounded, or help rebuild the factory with my own hands, but I can help in a different way." "We're flattered by the Robot Masters choice in our product," proclaims Martha Richardson, CEO and founder of Ma Granny's Pies. "But we would have preferred it if they'd simply come into our factory store and -purchased- them instead of destroying our -factory-!" The elderly woman was then taken to Sunnyside Hospital, where she was admitted after experiencing chest pains. -- Quirky Walton, GNN Midwest $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$ BB Post in Progress $$$$$$$$$ Group: IC News Title: Mysterious Donation ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (Read on GNN and posted on GNN.Com is the following:) Another mysterious donation has arrived for the Ma Granny's Pie Factory, this afternoon. The amount has been said to be 40,000 Z... With the signature being a simple stylized 'K' and a symbol of a Japanese Dragon. With it comes a note, which reads: "I've tried to arrive early enough to save those who work at the factory, but alas, I've arrived too late. It is my sincere hope that this donation which is given freely, will help the company and those injured in this incident, in the months to come." The note is equally signed with a stylized 'K' and the Japanese Dragon Symbol. John McDonald hopes this mysterious person who has donated this money will come forward, but doubts it. "The note mentions him being at the scene, so it could be that mysterious human that has been sighted... or a Hunter or even a Repliforcer. Even so, we thank whoever they are for this donation." With this donation and the donation from Hunter Commander X, the president thinks this factory would be back in operation in as early as 3 months' time. -- Brandy Carr GNN New York $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ [Radio: (A) BD-Main] Derek Vasquez transmits, "... Special K, PLEASE tell me you didn't just do that.." [Radio: (A) BD-Main] Blue Director Kain transmits, "I did." [Guest> Guest has disconnected. [Radio: (A) BD-Main] Derek Vasquez transmits, ".. Did you at least do it to impress a woman?" [Radio: (A) BD-Main] Blue Director Kain transmits, "Um..." [Radio: (A) BD-Main] Blue Director Kain transmits, "...No." [Radio: (A) BD-Main] Derek Vasquez transmits, "... Special /K/. I'm dissapointed, amigo!! Whats the point of grand gestures if no one's about to get impressed, verdad??" [Radio: (A) BD-Main] Blue Director Kain transmits, "I'm *sorry*. Although, the CEO did look... appreciated." [Radio: (A) BD-Main] Derek Vasquez transmits, "... Did you get her number?" [Radio: (A) BD-Main] Blue Director Kain transmits, "...I think so. I got it written down... somewhere." [Radio: (A) BD-Main] Derek Vasquez transmits, "HA! I knew it. You puero!" [Radio: (A) BD-Main] Blue Director Kain transmits, "..." [Radio: (A) BD-Main] Derek Vasquez transmits, "Hey, Special K.... you in the mood for some distraction?" [Radio: (A) BD-Main] Blue Director Kain transmits, "Sure. What's up?" [Radio: (A) BD-Main] Derek Vasquez transmits, "A little fun down in West Virgina, amigo. You like horses and explosions, right?" [Radio: (A) BD-Main] Blue Director Kain transmits, "Horses, yes... Explosions... no. Unless they're fireworks." [Radio: (A) BD-Main] Derek Vasquez transmits, "Alright. Meet me at these cords, Boss Man, and we'll have some fun." [Radio: (A) BD-Main] Derek Vasquez transmits.. stuff. :D Appalachian States The sprawling, hilly regions of Kentucky, Tennesse, and West Virginia are much the same as they have been for the past century. Smooth hills of sandstone and shale rise gently where one of the oldest mountain ranges on Earth makes its gentle way up the east. As in the past, the human population of this area is concentrated in small towns and cities nestled in the valleys between these hills, and in many places, the march of time and technology seems to have stopped. Regardless of the look, however, these are not the backwards hills of yesteryear. The demise of the coal industry has forced residents to look to other vocations, and there are many different jobs represented in this area. To the west is the center of this new wave of technology; the sprawling supercity that was once Lousiville, Lexington, and Cinicinnati. This giant, if thinly spread, megalopolis is proof that this region is no longer as far behind as it once was. Rigger [Vest] [MH] Derek Vasquez [Normal] [C] Eildath Estates Lex/Lou/Cin City Mammoth Cave National North leads to Midwest. East leads to Eastern Seaboard. West leads to Great Plains. South leads to Louisiana. Up leads to Sky Above Eastern United States. The Caddillac slips out of a teleporter in what could only be called an amazingly TINY town. Quickly sliding through the old /cobbled/ streets, out into the country side. Derek driving without once consulting anything even resembling a map, or asking directions. Either he's been where ever the place is before - or he's depending on luck and 'Natural Male Instincts' to get him there. Isn't Natural Male Instinct an oxymoron on a verbosive level? Either way, the town is quite quickly beginning to give way to almost utterly unspoiled country side. Especially this far away from any major cities, in West Virginia. Pretty quickly, one can hear a sudden deep THUMP in the distance. One that continues, rythmic, white smoke rising up from the horizon.. Rigger has by now learned to lean back into the seat of whatever vehicle Derek has managed to scrounge up, and just hang onto the door for dear life. She'd really like a 'oh god' handle to grip onto but being as it's a convertible that's a bit out of the question. Her attention is quickly caught by the distant *thump* and she glances askance at the Mexican Strider. "...If I end up in the hospital because of you, I am so kicking your ass." And a easy going... likable kinda guy is at the cordinates that... SUPPOSELY... Derek 'The Sexican' Vasquez will pick him up at. There is a thin gauze around his neck... the only signs of Punk choking him... then chokeslamming him to the ground last night. Well, that and a slight limp. That's all. He patiently waits... The Blue Gambler draws a pair of orange tinted jazz shades from somewhere in his black vest, snapping them open and placing them on the bridge of his nose. A single finger used to push them up, as he glances aside. And winks. "If you end up in the hospital again, lover, I'll bring you COFFEE! in a solid chocolate mug." Female Mechanic Kryptonite, in other words. "We've a small friend to pick up. You remember my cousin Kay, right?" Unlike his 'Brother' Shaun. Or his 'Sister' Sarah. The Caddillac taking another corner just a WEEE too hard, the tail end fishing over the edge for a moment. Before it pulls to a sharp, but surprisingly smooth, stop - near the man on the road. With the gauze. No whiplash today! Derek leans on the door, peering out and grinning, for all the world, like he had just won the lotto. "Hola, chico. Give us a bit of leg and you can get a ride." Hey, he's the Blue Gambler. Being a Strider is a PART TIME job! He's allowed to fool around with the Boss! ... Cause, despite how much of a goof off and an ass he can be, he IS a Strider. And dangerous for it. Kain just... EYES Derek. "..." He crosses his arms and stares wordlessly at Derek. Hey, he learns this from the best. Silent Yu. After a while, he just sighs... and lifts the pants leg (right one) slightly up. He will not blush. A true strider will not blush. No. ...an true Strider will just sentence another to KP Duty. Really. Rigger grips the edge of the door for all she's worth, her knuckles going white in the process. Her hair whips about from the fishtail and she ends up with most of her ponytail hanging over her face like Cousin It. Very calmly she reaches up to brush her hair back normally just in time to see Kain flash some leg. The corner of her mouth twitches and she bites her lower lip firmly to keep from laughing. "Hi Kain." Yes, apparently she does remember. Including his real name and not 'Kay'. "Please, join us. I'm afraid he's going to get me blown up. Something about horses and explosives." GRIN Frankly, the KP Duty would be worth it. Derek just LAUGHS, but it's not the mocking laugh. It's the laugh of a good joke pulled off perfectly, easily forgotten as he tosses a thumb towards the back seat. "Hop in, Special K. I'm taking you and Lover Girl out for a little fun, verdad? You two spend way too much time at home anyways." Meanwhile, in the distance, another sudden flurry of deep ended THUMPS! And the soft, wavering sound of hundreds of voices rising in a chorused yell. Kain just sighs and nods, "So I heard. Hopefully, he doesn't finish off a job... someone started yesterday." He rubs at his neck gently. Still hurts. x.x He climbs in the back, and waits for the Road Show From Hell to begin. He eyes Derek. "Well, someone has to handle the finances of our... business transactions... so to speak," And that is his job. "Oh, and Derek? If you do end up killing me, do note that I'll haunt you." "I won't. He'd like that too much. Probably try to see if my clothes end up transparent as a ghost," Rigger remarks with a solemn nod as her gaze again sweeps towards the distance and that peculiar noise that wasn't entirely unfamiliar to her. A glance is cast over her shoulder to size up Kain's injuries a moment before she simply asks, "So who tried to put the squeeze on you? Had some nutjob Maverick try to eat my arm a couple months back myself." "Lets just say a *PUNK* of a Master decided to put me through... what the Undertaker calls 'The Last Ride' and nearly succeeded," Kain notes calmly... but looks a bit... unsettled? Nah, maybe it's your imagination. "He nearly crushed my throat. If it weren;t for the assistance of a Repliforcer..." "Well... duh, Rigger." States the Mexican, even as he presses the accelerator down again: "If I'm going to have you hanging over my bed every night for eternity... " That GRIN begins to slip up the Latino Lover's face once more, as he says, towards K: "Duley noted, Boss Man." Leaving the two to chat, for a moment, as he continues down the winding road. WAAAY too quickly. Eventually, one may notice the thumps growing larger and larger. Eventually, one passes a break in the hill line that shows what APPEARS to be /hundreds/ of humans and reploids charging uphill towards a battallion. Save... whats this? Cannons? Yep, /cannons/ are being fired off, white smoke billowing out as they explode the ground. Sending thick chunks of dirt and debris into the air, and making that deep, spine rattling THUMP. And the sides seem to be seperated into VERY old fashioned blue uniforms and /extremely/ ragged, old fashioned grey suits. Like, a uniform style thats been dead for near four hundred years. "... Estamos aqui, amigoes." (Dear sweet god... Derek is trying to kill me!)Oo. At least that's Kain's first reaction... until he sees the uniform. "...The American Revolution???" He asks, eyeing Derek for Confirmation. "At least you didn't have to rely on one of the Masters to save your hide. King dragged me to the hospital," Rigger remarks amiably enough to Kain. She doesn't press the issue further however given Kain's unease. She knew that feeling, she'd been in a similar situation far more times than someone of her position should. She too is distracted by what she's been dragged to, her mouth hanging agape as she just stares. Then, very calmly, too calmly, she asks, "Do you want to kill him or should I?" You say, "Ladies first." "Civil War, Special K." States the Mexican Lover, pulling into a designated parking spot - FAAAR behind the cannon line, of course. Letting the struts ease down as he raises his hands, as if surrendering. Eyebrows squeezing together: "Whoa, whoa! Amigoes, come /on/. Look. Flash shields.." He gestures towards an unlucky squad that just had a cannonball explode in their midsts. Little white flashes of light pinging where the weak forcefields keep them from being hurt while keeping realism. The group, with a mutter, remaining where they lay. "PERFECTLY SAFE! .. you know.. so long as you don't get a direct hit... " That grin starts sliding up again. Kain repeats once more, "I insist... Ladies first. I'll get the leftovers." Rigger claps her hands together with a sharp clearing of her throat. "Right. Been meaning to find out where he hides that toy of his when he wears so little to begin with..." "You know, Lover, if you wanted to get my clothes off and look... all you had to do was ask." A wink, as the Mexican glances between the two. Glances again. That grin beginning to fade as it becomes utterly apparent - they're serious. Without warning, Derek throws his arm up, pointing as he laughs: "HEADS UP! Bola de canon!!" And immidiatly rolls back over the driver's side door. Just leans back and rolls out, rather than bothering to open the door. When he hits the ground? You bet your ass he's gonna be running for the nearest signing booth. Working on instincts mastered by his years as a Strider, Kain dives low... ...but pauses ever so briefly. (The Yang didn't go off...)Oo. He groans and facepalms (Dammit! He tricked me again!)Oo. With that thought, he opens the door for Rigger and himself... if they hurry, they can halt Derek beforehe does anything really stupid... ...Like signing them up for the front lines. Rigger wasn't as easily distracted as some of the other Hunters, especially when she was intent on following through with her promise to kick Derek's rear soundly. Still, the thought of being cannonballed does make her tense. Once she realises it was a fake, as Kain did, she jumps out of the newly opened door to chase after Derek full-tilt. Realising he's got enough of a headstart that she won't be able to catch him without a little boost of effort, she throws herself into a kamikaze attack. At least it was worth being called a kamikaze attack when she used it against Vile in the training rooms. Pushing off the ground mid-run she flips forward to send a kick out at Derek that was meant for his back. Unfortunately it falls just a little low and aims instead for his butt. Good enough. He saw it comming. Hey, despite how gregariously STUPID Derek acts sometime, there are razors beneath that golden glitter and flash. He was a Strider. Trained in the ancient arts, more than capable of breaking a man - or robot - into pieces with little more than his skill and his fire cipher, Coin Spinner. He automatically turns his next step, popping up in the air as hands come forth. Automatic instinct to grab, twist the ankle, and toss the opponent to the mat. Course, problem is that it strikes him just a moment too soon: It's Rigger. The hesitation is enough, now that Matrix time is over, that the amatuer kick lands SQUARELY at Derek's gut. The Latino Lover bowled over, rolling over twice before comming to a sprawled halt on the grass. Coughing a few times, before he lets his legs drop back to the earth.. "Quite a ... pair of legs..." Cough ".. I think I'm in love." Burst Man arrives from the Eastern Seaboard. Burst Man has arrived. Burst Man enters the Great Plains. Burst Man has left. Kain catches up with Rigger and the pinned Derek. "So, got any plans to do with him, Rigger?" He idly inquires. Rigger lands from her jumpkick a but awkwardly. She was used to being grabbed and thrown down. But if it worked for once she wasn't going to complain too much. Rising from her spot she dusts her hands off with a short grunt. "Got any rope?" "... Kinky..." Coughs the Blue Gambler, even as he begins to get his breath back. Better hurry, amigoes! He's down for the count, but he'll be on his feet in but a moment. Kain hrms and dashes back to the convertible in question... and comes back with some rope... labelled 'Kinky Rope'. O_o He just hands it to Rigger. No, he doesn't know why Derek has 'Kinky Rope' nor does he want to know. O_O Soft and silky, too! No rope burns here. Rigger isn't sure she wants to know either. She stares at it a moment, then Derek... And then looks back at Kain. ".." Shaking her head a little she lunges forward to try and tie up Derek hog-tie-style. Derek Vasquez has disconnected. Kain glances back at the cannons and just... shakes his head. (Definitely KP Duty...)Oo. He glances back at Derek, who looks at least unconscious for now. He regards Rigger. "Trunk?" He asks as if he's asking for Opinions on certain stock. Rigger rises from her tying of a knot to look at her handywork. Satisfied she gives a nod, and steps back with a little frown. "Gonna have to help me lift him. My arm's still shot a bit." Kain nods and takes up the heavily section of Derek -- The Upper Protion -- and waits for Rigger to pick up her end of things. "I could leave him tied up in the car... at our home," Read: Secret Hidden Base, "I'm sure when he wakes up he could escape... at his leisure." Rigger stoops and reaches down to grab ahold of Derek's feet with her left arm. Apparently that's the one still 'good'. She's strong enough that she lifts him without too much problem, though Kain's help certainly is a bonus. "Whatever you want. I don't intend to take him to my place, that's for sure." Kain nods understandingly, as they load Derek up in the trunk... and he looks at Rigger, "I was wondering... exactly how much did Derek tell you about us?" After all, Derek met Rigger first... and Kain is curious, after all... Rigger takes a deep breath at the question even as she ensures that Derek's tucked inside not too uncomfortably. She doesn't want him to suffocate or anything. "Well it wasn't so much him telling as me finding out," she begins to explain. At least she keeps her voice to a reasonable level, though the cannons pretty much erase the chance of someone overhearing anyway. "I knew something was fishy with the way he seemed to intercept my transmissions to the other Hunters. Then I saw him retreating from a battlefield once. And then..." She pauses a moment to look up at Kain with a bit of a shrug. "I was in Cairo and saw him 'practicing' with two friends of his. He went to take a shower, and I kind of poked around in the locker room. Found Coinspinner, and when he got out he took me for a ride and a little chat." Kain nods once more. Derek didn't say anything. Rigger figured it all out for herself. That alone reminds Kain more of a certain little girl named Sarah who was snooping around and found a Cipher. But that is beside the point... that and... there is a question... "...Which two friends...?" She might mistake a Red for a Blue after all... Rigger tucks the last of Derek into the trunk and pops it shut. Rather than get into the car immediately she leans against it to give Kain her full attention. "No one important. Some mexican buddies of his. They were just attacking him both at once." A slight smirk crosses her face as she gives a helpless shrug. "I've seen Dr. Cain in the training room, I know real skill when I see it." Kain smiles, "Yeah, most of us have that skill... or talent. Sometimes I think it was ingraded into us when we were young, and we just didn't know..." He regards the Trunk (Even you, Derek. You may have given me more grey hairs than anyone... save Sarah... but you will never trade your antics for your absence...)Oo. He looks at Rigger, "McDonald's?" Yum. Fatty Foods. Oh well. Kain gets into shape... so one Big Mac should be okay... Rigger considers the suggestion a moment before nodding in agreement. "Sounds like a plan. I ran out of candybars anyway." Out of shape? Her? Never. Addicted to caffiene and sugar is another matter. "You wanna drive or should I?"