tushanshu | Radio | Special Task Force

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Radio | Special Task Force

You all managed to not destroy the city while I was away. Aside from that magical mishap at the end, that is, but it seems there was little lasting harm.

[Her voice is strong, but pleasant. Valdis is back and ready to take charge again.]

I'll admit that I've been a bit distracted as of late, but I am back and there is a problem I would like to address. The Cultists have had free reign to do as they please and we are lucky that they haven't struck as hard as I believe they are capable of.

[What with having Milyn's knowledge and skills as well as Daseng's, if he was as clever and intelligent as Milyn claimed.]

To counter this problem, I am creating a special task force within the Police Department that will focus solely on the Cultists and their plans.

[This is in no way just a personal vendetta, the cultists are a threat, but she has the power to do it, so she might as well.]

If anyone had any information that may prove useful to the task force, or wishes to join it, please let me know.

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[Pepper is so glad to have Valdis back. So glad. Being an adult is hard enough when you aren't trying to start a government and run a police force and losing a bunch of friends all in the same month.]

Happy to have you back in the saddle, Chief. [It's definitely not a pun, no, absolutely not.] Got a roster in mind yet?

[It had been rough, and she was still hurting, but she was glad to be back too]

Chat Noir, Desmond, Ladybug and myself so far.

[She had to include herself, even though she wasn't exactly inconspicuous these days.]

Small and stealthy is the game here.

Smart. I think Ladybug and Chat are from the same world, they'll totally work together well. [Not that Desmond wouldn't, but prior bonds helped with teamwork.] We should probably talk details off the radio. You know. Just in case.

[They were technically hackable, and when you're effectively declaring war on the cultists there's no harm in being extra careful.]

I'll head to my office shortly, I have about an hour before I'm due at the Dojo.

[What was sleep?]

I'll meet you there, see you in a bit.

[Pepper is already spending most of her time at headquarters anyway, so she's nearby. Once she gets there, she heads straight for Valdis' office to see if the hellhound has already arrived, and if she hasn't then she'll wait.

They can argue about needing to sleep if there's still time before Valdis needs to go to the Dojo.]

[Valdis is sitting at her desk when Pepper arrives, a small smile on her face as she looks over some paperwork.]

That was fast.

I was around the corner. Sort of.

[She was close enough, anyway. Pepper flops down into a chair across from Valdis.]

So, what's the plan? You must have at least one, probably three.

Well...

[Valdis looks up and sits back in the chair. Part one.]

I'm hoping that the Cultists will be so busy looking over their shoulders for a black cat and a ladybug that they don't notice the young boy and girl looking for information on them.

[Part two.]

Desmond can take care of himself and I doubt they'd see him coming even if they were looking for him.

[Part Three]

And I always have a few tricks up my sleeve.

[She opens a drawer and pulls out a small spectacle, holding it out to Pepper.]

This little item allows me to see souls that have in in an area in the last hour. If I can see a soul, then I can track it and if it is a cultist and I can memorize the soul...well I can sense when that soul is nearby.

[The allowable distance grew greater the stronger the bond, or knowledge, was, that was how she knew Dante had left, and Wan...and Anton.]

So, it's a misdirect. Tell them you're coming one way and then come in three others. [Pepper nods. It's not a bad plan. There were risks but there were always going to be risks where cultists were involved.

She leans forward, examining the spectacle more closely.]

Huh. That's kind of nifty. Now we just need to find some cultists, I guess. They're probably not going to like a public declaration that we're going after them, which I get is like half the point, but we should probably put some backup plans in place. Or, like, emergency response plans, if it's something really bad.

[She sighs and puts the spectacle away again after Pepper is finished examining it]

It's not like I haven't threatened them before. They either don't care, or they're already planning something.

That last one is definitely worse, but neither of those things is particularly good. [If they don't care about being threatened, they really aren't taking the threats seriously.] Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Are you thinking about getting into the Palace ruins at all? I keep hearing the cultists are in the sewers or whatever.

I've considered it.

[She leans forward again to open a drawer and pull out a ring of keys.]

I got these from Xuiyu. They will get me into the Palace ruins. I have a plan in motion for the cultists, but if you'd like to join me on the palace excursion when I go?

[Pepper has had her fair share of experiences with freaky old ruins. Most of those went pretty okay, eventually, but it was still a great way to tempt a heart attack. Then again, she didn't have the armor for most of them. Or her ka]

Hm. Well, I'm definitely on board with the cultist-catching, I'm just not a big fan of creepy places that might involve near-death experiences. But if you need an adventuring party with some firepower, yeah, I can do that. Or if you need someone who can become invisible, that's also my thing.

Fair enough.

[She had promised to take Raine with her anyway.]

It's been two years, but death like that tends to linger...

Yeeeeeeah. [Pepper pauses, and, despite knowing that Valdis is basically impossible to kill, says:] Just be careful down there. And, you know, in general. Cultists mean bad things, pretty much always.

[Valdis smiles in such a way that denotes she is holding back laughter.]

I'll be careful.

[It's not like Raine would let her get into too much trouble anyway.]

Good. I kind of like it when my friends don't get maimed and-or haunted to death. Gimme a heads up when you're going down there in case you need some extra help.

Ah, yes, I am not a fan of getting maimed and-or haunted to death. That doesn't sound like much fun.

[still smiling.]

Don't worry, we'll take a radio with us.

All right. Just, you know, keep me posted on things. I'll keep the force on cultist alert until there's a reason to be less concerned about them.

[Which might be a while, but no harm in keeping people focused.]

I will...and thank you.

[Her smile shifts to one that is half amused and half serious.]

Are you sure that you are only a teenager?

[Pepper gives Valdis a sort of bemused look.]

Well, if you'd asked me that question a month ago the answer might be no, since I was getting a sneak preview into being twenty-five, but, uh, yeah. This is kind of what I do. Why?

You act so much older...more mature.

[the smile fades completely]

I'm sorry you have to take on so much responsibility at such a young age.

Are you kidding? I love doing this stuff. Why do you think I was getting people deported in the eighth grade and trying to arrest people since I was ten and hacking into FBI files to help my dad on cases all the time? [Pepper grins then, a counterpoint to the smile that seems to have evaporated from Valdis' face] I wouldn't have ended up a superhero if I didn't want to be one.

Teenagers shouldn't have the weight of the world on their shoulders.

[Her smile reappears, but it is a small one.]

But at least the world can trust your shoulders.

Hey, I've got teammates. If it were all on me I'd probably go a little nuts. [Pepper resolutely tries not to blush at Valdis' compliment. It does mean a lot, that the people she cares about and who are in positions of authority believe in her abilities.] But you're right, I'm pretty fantastic, aren't I?

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redlightgreenlight - 2016-09-06 00:31 (UTC) - Expand

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