CLOSED.

[variate]

WHO: The Riverstone bad idea heist mobile aka Kyna, Sam, Ren and Akechi. With some Cassian and Jyn, as a treat.
WHERE: By the gate in New Tokyo.
WHEN: Just after the Riverstone ordeal.
WHAT: The heist mobile gets kicked out of New Beijing and reconvenes in New Tokyo to figure out what to do with their next steps. This is related back to this plotting comment.
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Nothing offhand, but this will be updated if something comes up.

[ just as they board the train to New Tokyo from New Beijing, Ren sends the message to Jyn and Cassian. ]

@ren.amamiya
Hey, we got something.
We should discuss it. Meet us in New Tokyo.

[ (he means the gate, of course.) ]

BACK IN NEW TOKYO

[ it had been a long last few days, and he's still on his feet fueled by his own adrenaline. they had stopped to stay in New Tokyo for the night, hassled for a few hours at the New Beijing train station on their way. it was better to go to a different city and then back through the gates to New Amsterdam. that's what Riverstone'd expect, right? well, they can't begin to fathom the extent of where those claws are reaching, but they can at least be a little smart about it.

they stop for the night in New Tokyo. everyone needs a nap and a shower, but Ren beckons them out early that morning, head off to the New Tokyo gate to finish their journey to New Amsterdam. it's easier to wait for Jyn and Cassian there, and when they arrive, Ren speaks up: ]

I know we really took a chance, so I wanted to say thank you. [ he starts with that, then nods and goes into the rest. it's in his usual quiet, firm tone. ] But we know for sure now. We need to discuss what to do next.

[ this isn't something that they should keep to themselves. ]

Comments

[realists]

Vindication aside.

[ jyn doesn't have the ear for gossip that cassian has but they'd stayed long enough with priya to hear murmurs and that's enough for her to be Mildly Concerned for ren and akechi.

sorry kyna and sam. (unsure.) ]

You guys okay?

[variate]

We're fine, but I don't think we'll be going back to New Beijing anytime soon.

[ since they're banned. ]

[evocation]

Whatever, that place sucks, anyway. At least we figured something out.

[An optimistic? viewpoint.]

[withmeinparadise]

They got dim sum in New Amsterdam. It'll be fine.

[ More important than getting hassled in future China-- ]

Who d'you wanna tell about this? Everyone?

[evasives]

You are on their radar now, I take it. How many of you were caught?

[ he's feeling better about his decisions to keep apart from them, with that tiny hint. ]

What did you discover? [ it had to be something good, if they got kicked out of a whole city for it. ]

[variate]

[ someone had to, but Ren isn't against making enemies if they take a stand. ]

We left, but they know we did something, even if they can't prove it.

[ then: ]

The experiments are a front, Riverstone wants to control us.

[realists]

[ after a slight pause, looking between them, jyn queries: ]

We're not meant to be shocked by this, right? That was basically written into their offer when they demanded —

[ she puffs out a sigh, grasping at a word to explain the consent forms probably posing as a waiver of rights and that ndas mean shit when they're one of the biggest corporations in the world, before waving her hand dismissively. ]

Whatever I didn't read the post, but Tony said it was suspect. [ a beat. ] How badly do they want to control us?

[variate]

Enough that they're making a move. [ he says quietly. ] I didn't want there to be any question.

[ there's a little shake of his head. ]

Meredith Ling has a personal vendetta against the person who messed up Project Spinetail.

[impede]

[Akechi may be the only one sad that he can't return to New Beijing. While he knows the lower levels are left to rot, he rather enjoys the surface ones in a very selfish and shallow way. And now he can't.]

They're making a move but they waited for the opportunity. It means that they were hoping that someone would slip up, leaving a door cracked open. I doubt that this is only about her vendetta. That still seems like a grab for sympathy, what with all the people who died.

[No, Akechi doesn't seem to think ... it's sad ... that those people died.

Whoops.]

[realists]

How nice of the Displaced to give them an opportunity.

[ she's already laid into marcos for his participation – FOR THE LOVE OF FUCK, DIAZ – so she doesn't further disparage the idea as a whole. ]

So Ling hates what happened with Spinetail, they are determined to control us for their own ends. Cassian still has an in at Riverstone that isn't going to sell us out – [ because priya doesn't know ] – so if we need to clarify anything, we might be able to.

Did you find anything else?

[variate]

Some monsters.

[ there's a glance in Kyna's direction, and a nod. ]

[evocation]

Yeah, a lot of parts. They must be studying them. I can send you the pictures. I'm pretty sure most of the samples I saw were of the slugs, but they might have more hidden somewhere else.

[But, her biggest takeaway right now—]

I really, really hope they're not trying to figure out how the slugs controlled us.

[realists]

Yeah, if you could. P said she'd pass my questions on to the biology department.

[ the more info she has the more info she can get. knowledge is power etc etc ]

They've had specimens since the first so you're right, they're hidden somewhere.

[evasives]

But as a note, a large number of employees in the biology department are currently on leave for a week. It's administrative leave, typically aligned with a corporate retreat, though this time of year is atypical for that.

And usually they get just one day of paid time off here and there. A whole week off and out of the buildings at random sounds like more Riverstone was prepared for us to do a whole lot more.

[ he'll come back to spinetail in a second. ]

[variate]

No matter how much they prepared, they were still not prepared enough for just the four us.

[ they were still cautious for the excursion, even if Ren would've liked to do a little more. ]

[impede]

We can't dismiss the possibility that Ren is too optimistic. They weren't prepared for us, but what we found was a biology department studying a recent catastrophe and confirmation that they wished to use us as tools. Confirmation that nearly everyone suspected. They can't prevent our powers, can't keep us out of everywhere, but they knew that already and invited us in through the front door. We did steal Judas, after all. We can't fool ourselves into believing that they don't know that.

[Unlike Ren, it doesn't seem like they were ill-prepared to Akechi.

They just limited the risks.]

[evasives]

Unless they wanted to see what we might do, beyond those that genuinely volunteered. Given how much we have done with the intent to help rather than harm this world, they probably did not necessarily expect an attack. Perhaps they wanted to know what our interests are as much as we want to know theirs.

[ and at least it mostly comes down to monsters in this case. ]

It is good we have all this confirmation, and even with your banishment, we will still have access to New Beijing.

[realists]

We've stormed UN facilities for less, they might have thought we'd do the same for idiot volunteers.

[ which jyn would, for marcos. can't yell at him if he is kidnapped! ]

Get to see us in action without setting us on a warpath against them, that sort of thing. Maybe they overestimated our consideration.

[impede]

A fair enough point—on both your parts. It's possible that they wanted to put a name to a power, too. In that, I believe Ren may have made a mistake. If we were caught on surveillance within the base, they may now have a way to tie him to both.

[His gaze flickers over to the other boy.]

But it's not substantial enough to really do us harm. They'll know not to try to use us more directly in the future, especially since we weren't there to "rescue" our own, or uselessly stand around and guard the others there.

[The "guarding" is the ridiculous part to him, too. But Akechi is happy to judge all levels of the ordeal.

Because he's Akechi.]

[variate]

[ there's just a little nod. ]

Possible. I've used it before. [ where people could see them using it. ] But my power isn't easy to pin down. Unless they found someway to do that.

[ that makes him nervous. they don't exactly know how much Riverstone knows, but certainly more than they first thought. ]

Speaking of that, they knew all this. It took them this long to use it. That person that Meredith Ling has a grudge against—we need to find them first.