tushanshu | ⊰ one

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⊰ one | audio

[audio; a british woman’s voice, sounding firm and businesslike:] Quite unlikely, but if anyone of the “SSR” is here, this is Agent Thirteen, and we should speak immediately.

[Reconnaissance? Reconnaissance. And potential regrouping and collective meeting, even if she doesn't really expect familiarity; regardless of whether this is a land of the dead or something else entirely]

[She falls silent in a brief pause]

There were mutterings of gang wars and unrest, but the kedan I’ve spoken with weren’t very forthcoming about it all. Is there anything I should know in particular about it? I understand some sectors are more prone to gang violence than others. Anything shared will be appreciated.

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[Steve hears her voice on the console from where he's sitting in Agent Barton's residence and the shock of it for a moment makes him wonder if he's imagining it, daydreaming her voice announcing organization and alias over a radio broadcast. A dream come true.

Another one.

Then she says kedan, sector, and he makes a strangled sound and throws himself to his feet, scrambling for the console and trying to make himself stop long enough to think of something to say.

Something to say.

Anything to say.

It's not entirely unlike staring down the phone as he reads through the summary of her service and general statistics - but now he's not trying to isolate himself. Now, there's no punishment or guilt or anger. Now his hands are shaking and it's like Bucky's face appearing on the screen a week ago, a voice he'd know anywhere and in any time, matter-of-fact.

Young.]

Ag- [He stops and takes a slow breath. Steady, Rogers. Steady.] Agent Thirteen, this is... It's me.

Edited 2012-08-26 01:53 (UTC)

[Peggy prides herself on her ability to keep calm, the personification of the propaganda poster she'd seen plastered all over at home.]

[But the audio, the voice on the other end -- her stomach drops. She stares at her console, feels her limbs tense. Her hand ball into a fist and she raises it to her mouth, pressing her fingers against her lips.]

[A trick? Voice alteration. A million other possibilities.]

[His voice, last heard with an abrupt cut-off that still replayed over and over in her mind. His voice, she knows it is, because she knows him and it absolutely is.]

Captain?

[Dead -- maybe she really did die, of something unexpected.]

[Steph has no idea what the SSR is, but the "Agent" says a lot, as does Peggy's tone. It's not too tricky to pick people in the armed forces, and anything with a S in it usually means Special. Which could make Peggy a potential ally, someone who knows what the hell they're doing. Because as much as Steph isn't, well, Bruce, she's slightly concerned with how blase some other people have been on the network, like all the kids being open about the fact they're superheroes.

Unfortuantely, she can't say much as Steph Brown, because Steph wouldn't pay attention to this sort of thing, but Batgirl does. For one of the very few times in her life, she puts in the effort to use capitals and proper punctuation, to distinguish this from her normal typing style.]

Fire, Earth and Metal sectors have had the highest unrest regarding the new arrivals and aren't considered safe. Gang violence seems restricted to those areas. That might be related.

There was an attempted execution of two new arrivals by the Kedan, the official police force was quick to respond, but excessive force may have been used and they haven't made any official statement about what happened. It's put everyone on edge, which may make return hostilities more likely.

[She reads it over, carefully filing it all away.]

It sounds more like they are related.

Is the motivation behind the attempted executions known? I suspect it relates to their status as "new arrivals."

I'm not 100% sure of the intended purpose. I've been hesitant to ask the people involved, since the executioners were killed in front of them and I don't want to force them to remember too much of that.

[especially with how Yue sounded, talking about it]

If I had to guess, I'd say it was an attempt to scare us into not making any trouble. Which was stupid, most people don't take kindly to being attacked.

[He remembers himself long enough to protect their communications, at least a little. Beyond that he's sitting at the console with dead air stretching between them.

In the end he manages two familiar words.]

I'm here.

No SSR that I've encountered, sorry. [It's half sincere.]

Good rule of thumb if you don't want trouble, stick close to the Water Sector. I don't think they could pick a fight to save their lives.

Were you not here for it? How long ago did it happen?

Scare tactic seems apt. You're right that it doesn't always work like planned, though. How much support did the attempted executions garner? I only ask because I still received a fairly warm welcome upon my pull from the water.

I didn't attend the festival that the city put on.

[A lie, but a necessary one, she doesn't want Peggy to be able to narrow down the possible suspects of who Steph could be]

There was a riot, which suggests the attempted executioners had friends waiting in the wings. Or people just got spurred on by violence. There's also been a kidnapping, with the plan being to ransom off the captured foreigners, but the only attempt I've heard of was unsuccesful.

Are you a soldier, Agent Thirteen?

[she's curious]

[Two words that hit her like a ton of bricks, only double the weight]

Here. You're here.

[It's half question, half confirmation. To herself, mostly, as a thousand different things run through her mind at once.]

Tu Vishan. [More confirmation, even if the tone of her voice is miles away. They're both here. Dead or not.]

I -- I don't -- [She stops. Pauses] Where?

It's not particularly well known. I'm not surprised.

I've been told the Fire, Metal, and Earth are the most prone to violence.

[It's the wording of the answer that causes Peggy pause; it's a roundabout reply, suggesting the direct answer is too revealing for comfort]

Definitely planned then, on some level. It sounds like there's a division among the kedan, at least, or we wouldn't be greeted so well upon arrival by some.

I am. Why do you ask?

And for now the goverment seems in our favour. I hope it holds out.

[if it doesn't, they're kind of screwed]

Curiosity. You seem like you know what you're talking about, but the title "Agent" could mean a number of things.

The one run by the Emperor, correct? Most of my questions on the cart ride were diverted as being "the Emperor's business."

It certainly can. I assume the anonymity is to protect your own identity, but is there something you'd be willing to share along those lines?

That would be the one. The Emperor hosts an audience with the general public, though I haven't attended one and don't know how informative she is.

[Steph gives that second question some consideration; she could come out with the vigilante thing, but she's not ready to operate as Batgirl too openly, and talking about it on the network definitely counts as openly.]

I work in law enforcement. I've been finding out what information I can in the hope I can help protect the other new arrivals.

[That's vague, while still giving Peggy enough to hopefully reassure that Steph is on the right side. Plus she's pretty sure she knows enough to bluff her way through pretending to be a cop]

Edited 2012-08-26 04:50 (UTC)

Do you know how often these audiences occur?

[It's hard to tell from text how honest someone is being, but Peggy's questions have been answered with apparent accuracy, and though not here long, she's seen nothing to really counteract the information given. The fact that it's being offered so willingly lends backup to the statement of law enforcement, at least of some kind.]

I see. The information is much appreciated on my end, and doubtless others I'm sure, as it seems most arrive in the same boat. So to speak.

I was told once a month by one of the kedan, and I don't see why they'd have reason to lie about it. The last one was about a week ago, so you'll have to wait a while before you get a chance to talk to her.

I'm happy to share what I can. The general consensus on everyone's part seems to be that we need to stick together. I'm inclined to agree.

[He hesitates. And then decides he's not going to hide from her, and might as well get the shock out.

... although he did catch the surprise on her voice when she heard Steve. Interesting.]

Yeah, on the SSR. And the gang war - mostly in Fire sector - started when the chief of police executed the head of the most powerful organization. Publicly. Which he did because the kedan had captured two of the non-kedan - two of the guests - and was planning to execute them.

Generally, Fire sector is not the safest place, right now.

How's it been, Agent Thirteen?

[he can be helpful, all right? Also Bucky is still not good with encryptions, so he doesn't know she's been briefed. Yet.]

I've just missed it then. But good to know, thank you.

I'm also inclined to agree. Situations like these often force team ups that might not have been viable otherwise, but the collective is quite important.

It is. Us vs Them attitudes might not be the healthiest, but they'll keep people alive.

[Lessons learned from life.

There's something else Steph wants to ask, but she's not sure if it's too much of a risk, or if it would require revealing too much. After some consideration, she decides to just go for it and see]

What do you know about "superheroes"? There are few self-proclaimed ones here.

[There's a flash of surprise, but she masks it up carefully enough. Takes a deep breath.]

Sergeant Barnes. [First Steve, now Barnes. Maybe she really did die.]

Noted, and the quick debrief is appreciated. How -- how long have you been here?

[Another pause] I could ask the same of you, I suppose.

It is a rather unfortunate attitude. I tend not to see things in quite so black and white, even if situation forces that.

They're a bit uncommon back home, save for the ones on stage.

Earth sector. I'm not- the building is- Three-A I think, right? [The 'right' is directed at Clint, though Steve doesn't give him time enough to answer, which prompts fresh aggravation from the man whose space Steve's invaded.] But where are you?

[His turn. His turn to run to someone, his turn to stand pounding on their door. He holds his breath.]

[Steph has... a lot of opinions on that topic, but this isn't really the place for them]

Unfortunately I don't know if we'll get the luxury to deal with shades of grey.

You might be in for a bit of a culture shock, then. Some of them have interesting power sets, and might not be human by the standard defintion.

[Like Clark and Kon, even though they're a lot more human looking than the kedan]

_{( So whenever Steve books it out the door, Clint will reclaim his console and reply, since this is an interesting development and he is curious and all those good things.

But considering the amount of static in Steve and Peggy's conversation that he contributed to, this is a bit awkward. )}

So. You just made his day.

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