End of the Line [Night: Bad Girl Cadet Mission]

Nothing good ever happened after midnight. The businesswoman didn't belong here, then again no one did. An empty subway platform in the middle of the night, only society's freaks and outcasts would gather in such a wicked place. Poor unfortunate souls and hoodlums. It wasn't a place for someone such as herself. The flickering buzz of the florescent lights gave her no comfort in their dismal shadow nor did the ghosts of squealing tracks down the line. It was a stomping ground for the wretched and misplaced and the most likely location to find Serah Wilson. There was little doubt in Susan's mind that this was the place, she would find her here. She had to. So much was riding on this one choice to be here at this very moment in time with her very intentions. Her favor with the Queen. Her esteem within the Cadets. Her reputation, her redemption and most importantly the promises she made. She had promised Samantha that they would find Serah. She had promised Prince Julius that she would not fail him. Tonight would go just as planned, no other option existed.

A forlorn businesswoman would stand toward one end of the terminal, a silver briefcase in hand with a combination lock, inside of which rested her firearm and magazine vest. Susan had learned from her previous mistakes and happened to be wearing a much cheaper suit jacket and running shoes, much better equipment with which to both blend in and dive into whatever action presented itself.
The woman could feel a force tighten around her neck, it felt like breathing through a straw. The presence she had become accustomed to was thrashing about in the back of her mind again but it wasn't safely locked away there. She began to take labored, shaking breaths as her throat closed in on itself. The bruises on her trachea gradually appeared as if from nowhere. With a pained expression she would search through her pockets for her pills, popping one into her mouth. It was a struggle to swallow while being choked but Susan won this round.

She would quickly dismiss the internal threat Seshat presented but not forget it, the tears trickling down her face as she rubbed her sore throat. But there were more important things to deal with at the moment. Susan scanned the platform with a bored expression while behind her uninterested facade her mind raced to form plans, options, deductions, data points, backup plans, and consolidated what she knew about the suspect as cleanly as possible. She had contacted who she knew about this endeavor but would go it alone if she must, Susan had already done all she could.


Serah Wilson would be found and she would be brought to justice if applicable, with violence if necessary. No other option existed.

Weakness:

Impact:

He was very quiet when entering the subway just as he was being stoic. It was his first real Cadet mission, nothing like the bothersome patrols of the earlier evenings nor like the snivelling little bitch from the morning. Joseph commonly used the local subways to get to school when he was short on time. But at this night, it was funny how it felt so vastly different from the day. It gave him the creeps. But now wasn't the ideal time for cold feet. There was status and renown to grab hold here. Find a truant dumb cunt and bring her back to the Big Boss Man. How much harder could it get?


The recruit walked here for a reason and it appeared there was another who shared it with him. He stepped to the side as if craning his neck to look over something before pausing and then continuing his stroll until reaching normal speaking distance. "Good to see you're here. Is anyone else coming?"

Jackie's made his way trough the streets of Endymion, still wearing his sunglasses, despite the fact it was night. After considering all the facts, Jackie came to the conclusion that Serah might be at the Metro Station. Or at the very least, he hoped there would be some kind of clue where she was. Still, he didn't want to go back with no results. His hands were thrust deeply into his pockets, as he glanced around behind the lenses of his glasses. He was keeping an eye out for anything out of place. When he finally entered the subway, he wasn't surprised to see two of the others from earlier in the day was already there. "O-Oh! Looks like, great minds think alike, I guess." He decided, rubbing at one of his arms. In his hands, he held a black bag, studded and adorned with gold. While deceptively simple, it was his Soulbound weapon, and he felt more comfortable walking around with it at night. It wasn't obviously a weapon, and it was better to be prepared than walk around...open. "Either of you seen anything suspicious down here, yet...?"

It was starting to become just another routine. Achieve success, find cause for doubt, achieve success, find cause for doubt... Something always found a way to feed into the uncertainty that she usually crushed beneath her hubris. While some found doubt valuable in its own way to Cecilia it was the ultimate symptom of a weakness that she could no longer afford to ignore. Yet perhaps paradoxically, acknowledging its existence on any level only made the condition worsen, especially when she was in a leadership position like today. She had understood Maria's sentiments about duty before, but now it was even more apparent to her, even more evident how stressful leading the charge could be. And yet, unsurprisingly, her determination did not wane. After all, that was why Cecilia joined the Cadets in the first place: to suffer so that others would not, to bear the burdens that would fall to the innocent in her stead, to be the unyielding and implacable shield of Endymion City.



Part of her wanted to come clad in her usual flashy armor. Admittedly (and unashamedly) she loved showing it off, but if the situation took a turn for the worse then it also brought the benefit of some extra protection. Still, it wasn't worth it. Even if it could potentially pass for cosplay it'd still serve little purpose for a mission like this other than drawing unnecessary attention to the group. If they weren't going to be diving into domains right this second then it was better to toss on her usual casual clothes and walk among the masses.

Turning to Susan and pulling her hood down, she'd flash a cocky smile which normally came to her more naturally. "I'm guessing you're Miss Groves? I'm Class 2 Cadet Cecilia Hunt. It's a pleasure to meet you." Offering a quick handshake, she'd turn her attention toward the rest of the subway following the introduction and give the area a quick look-over from afar while contemplating the case notes in her head. "We've got two more coming, but if they don't show up soon then we should proceed anyway. Finding Serah takes precedence above all else obviously."

At that moment, Takeru showed up.
"Hey guys." he said in a far more somber tone than usual.
He had been crying while writing his story earlier, anand though he had calmed down, his eyes were still puffy, a fact hidden by his glasses.

"My name is Takeru Kagemaru. I'm a classless cadet. Pleased to meet you all." he said.

His morning had been busy enough, but thankfully his afternoon was chilled giving him much needed time to try and catch up on the happenings around the city, but more importantly his job as a Cadet. He had passed the time pouring over documents he had access to, paying particular attention to the newest case that involved a missing girl and mysterious app that supposedly started it all. He was quite curious about the case, but with his hands literally tied all morning with his job as an idol, the young man could attend the interrogation. Probably a good thing too.

From what he read, the source had been questioned by a handful of Cadets versus just one or two. He wasn’t sure what that was all about, but at least they seemed to get the job done so he wouldn’t complain. In any case, in the middle of reading all the information he could he did get a ping about a mission and after carefully considering it, he would decide to accept it. Besides….perhaps it was best he showed his face after what had happened in the past. The idol would sigh inwardly about that one. He honestly wasn’t too proud of his track record so far when it came to his job as Cadet, but even so he wasn’t about to lie down and quit either. No matter what chinks he may have had due to his choices, he still had to walk forward one step at a time.

And so with the goal to get things back on track and genuine curiosity in his mind, the idol would head towards the meeting spot finding quite the collection of faces there and interestingly enough faces he knew. As he approached, the group at a casual pace he would give a nod to Jackie and Joseph quite happy to see the pair before his eyes turned to Takeru and whatever warmth had been there would sort of drain. He didn’t hate the guy, but the idol's look was stern as he gave the guy a small nod of acknowledgement still unsure what to think of him after the last time they were together.

After dealing with the familiar, his eyes would turned to the new. His expression was calm as his mismatched eyes studied the new woman for a few moments before he spoke. “To those of who know me, it is good to see you again. And for those of you who don’t, my name is Hatsuharu, a Class 3 Cadet. I hope we can all get along.” He would give the group a very faint yet friendly smile before his eyes landed on Celica, his serious expression turning to one of slight amusement. “It’s been while Ms. Hunt, but its always pleasure to meet familiar faces again. Hope things have been well for you.” He would remain pleasant and casual enough despite being before a commanding officer. Regardless of where that went, the Cadet would eventually blink as he became serious again as his eyes drifted to take in the station around them. He didn't seemed to be at all phased by the fact this was the subway at night....but then again maybe it was because he had gotten over that fear a while ago thanks to having to take late trains at times. Anyway... “Shall we go?” he would ask his strange eyes drifting towards Cecila since she was leader after all.

Weakness (For those not used to him):

It was a quiet gathering for the Cadets, foreboding in its own way with how empty it seemed in the middle of the night. It was evident the trains were still functioning as the overhead displays continued to announce the next stops. For some, this was going to be their first real mission and that was enough for any initiates to begin questioning their own abilities. The silence was thick and it seemed as if nothing could actually cut through it, save for the footsteps of more newcomers entering the scene as well. For a number of the Cadets present, they had reason to have hope they will succeed.


"I'm glad you're all here," Maria said as she hefted her weapon near her. The coffin wasn't with her this time as she was in full combat regalia like in the previous missions. But what was with her was the ill-tempered Princess at her side. She didn't seem very pleased at their presence, nor was she pleased on having Maria join in. For the veterans, there was little doubt she wanted to take it on her own, but someone surely talked her down against the idea recently. "Security just reported of a suspicious individual on the premises. She was last seen heading to restricted personnel areas. We'll need to find her there. Are all of you ready?"

Right. He nodded. He needed to catch up with those who came the same time as him.
"Then let's get this started." he said, pulling out the distinctive whip he had.
Antenor simply watched, fascinated by his host's cold demeanor.
Had he perhaps grown..?

"Oh, hello Officer Hunt...Officer Yoshima...Officer Kagemaru." Wow that had come out...incredibly forced. Jackie hadn't meant for that to happen, but...no, Jackie wasn't happy at all with Kagemaru. The fact he'd be there that night worried him, since apparently Kagemaru could think for a second that bribing Demons to go away while on patrol to kill Demons was a good idea. He was happy with everyone else there that night though. Kerrigan had showed himself more than able to handle himself, during all the work they had done together. While he'd only worked with Yoshima once, he had decided he seemed to know a few things...plus, he was a superior. Respect came without question. And really, he just personally liked Hunt and Groves. Hunt had been nice enough when he first met her, and Groves had handled the investigation very well, as far as Jackie was concerned.

Then the other two arrived. He didn't recognize them, but they seemed to bring new info, so hey, Jackie didn't mind. So...somebody actual was in the subways? Well, at least they'd be able to arrest a trespasser, at worst..."Bullets loaded, and ready to go." Jackie nodded.

It would appear that Susan did not have to wait long for other Cadets to join her stakeout. It would appear that way, but the meek woman had already been waiting for 45 minutes. Serah Wilson didn't have a set appointed time she would try to enact her hair-brained scheme so it was better to be safe than sorry.
"Goo- *ahem* ...good evening Officer Kerrigan. It is good to see you two." she would croak, rubbing her sore throat. Susan would pull her collar higher to somewhat mask the bruising, she didn't want anyone distracted by it. Frankly it was embarrassing and shameful that she could not control Seshat, that little tidbit was best kept secret.
"I would hope that they are. The Prince delivered a missive and I sent an email of relevance to the other members of our interrogation but no one replied." Susan would deliver this line just a tad on the curt side. It ticked her off when people didn't respond to her emails but she wasn't about to accuse or bring it up. She normally wasn't an unpleasant person in any case but her nerves were starting to get to her.

The other member she was quite familiar with, Officer Jackie, appeared shortly afterward. Susan briefly wondered if Jackie was his first or last name, she hadn't brought that up during the questioning because it would have been unprofessional to do so.
"Good evening Officer Jackie. No, I have not seen anything suspicious relating to our missing person." A fairly standard business reply, almost too close to the point. She had in fact seen suspicious things, in the near hour she had been waiting Susan was convinced that she witnessed a drug deal. She did not intervene that time in the off-chance that it would scare away Serah Wilson. Susan was unaware of their goal for that evening considering the facts: did they want to prevent an attack or catch the perpetrator? On the one hand they would keep the public safe but a terrorist would run free to wreak havoc the next day, on the other they would be apprehending a suspect where the public was at risk. Susan would prefer the former but she wasn't in a position to make decisions.

The pink-haired girl was next to arrive, another Cadet. Susan thought she looked a little too young to be out here doing the work that they do but that was another decision she did not get to make. She was sure there must be a reason to enlist children into the ranks, as Prince Julius has said himself Personas are not well understood. If anything age may have a correlation with such, as she's noticed. Most other Cadets were younger, high school students and young adults, while she was fairly older and had problems controlling hers. ...Susan tentatively shook Officer Hunt's hand after a long pause, she had forgotten how to interact with others while lost in her head.
"...Y-yes, you are correct. It is nice to meet you, Miss Hunt." Unlike Cecilia the businesswoman would not smile like she normally would. They were about to face a potentially dangerous situation and to be honest she was frightened at what could happen. Not to mention the vexing of the naming conventions. Were she to call the others Officer or by formal title? It was concerning but perhaps only to Susan, there were other more important things to worry about this evening. She happened to agree that finding their missing person took top priority but Susan was convinced that this would be more than that from her written report sent earlier that day. Only time would tell.

"...Good evening, Takeru. It is nice to see you," she chimed in a slightly higher tone. Well, she knew he was a Cadet after all... but it was still quite the surprise to see him here along with everyone. Unlike the others her greeting was a bit more friendly, the dropped formal title a sign of familiarity rather than disrespect. She would similarly drop the formal title for the next man to appear for different reasons.

"H-hello Hatsu... Hatsuhara. I-I'm Susan, I-I'm a Cadet..."
And just like that the words began to fail her. Susan happened to be familiar with Hatsuhara as well, but not him with her, and even that may not be totally accurate. She knew him as Faces. In truth she was a big fan of his, it was a guilty pleasure of hers. No one really asked and she had never had a reason to bring it up, but going to his concerts or plays was something that actually got her to leave her house at night and go enjoy herself, alone even. ...honestly she probably knew enough about him for it to be a little creepy but she would do her best to control herself. M-maybe she should ask for an autograph after the mission... o-or his phone number...!

Weakness:

The Impact:

Susan was violently knocked out of her fangirling when her friend Maria also approached with another girl she did not recognize. Her appearance may not have been such a shock in and of itself save for her... interesting attire, tattoos, and sheer hulking size of her weapon. Susan had so many questions and a few confirmations made but those could wait until a more opportune time.


The woman gasped breathlessly as she broke away from imaginary hand-holding with Faces and tried her best to become serious again.
"J-just a moment..." Susan clicked open her briefcase to reveal her FN P90 nestled on top of her tactical vest. She would began to speak while zipping up her equipment and pulling the cable lock hidden away underneath the vest through a nearby bench. It wouldn't do to have her briefcase stolen nor was it appropriate to bring with her.
"*ahem* ...y-yes this is just as I suspected and included in my after-action report. I believe that our suspect Serah Wilson is planning to hijack and crash a train, for what purpose I am unaware. Many witness reports also place her at the scenes of arson and I do not doubt that she will have that intention or the means to do so today, she may be carrying improvised incendiary weapons or possess a supernatural ability to create flames. M-my suggestion for the immediate future is to send an evacuation notice to all stations, perhaps lock down the tracks somehow, and to treat Serah Wilson as an armed threat until proven otherwise. Samantha Williams may also be used as emotional leverage in the case of negotiation but our suspect possesses a radical philosophy and is unlikely to turn herself in willingly."

As Susan finished her explanation she went to load her firearm and fumbled the magazine to the floor.
"Ha, ha ha... m-my hands won't stop shaking..." she laughed nervously, stooping down to pick up the dropped magazine. This was like a living nightmare. She was going to stare down a potential killer while her favorite performer, a personal friend, and several teenagers that were better suited to take care of this than she would watched her struggle to keep up. If she weren't already committed to this Susan may have just walked away, but a promise was a promise. She would not fail.
"...b-but I'll be fine. I-I am prepared."

Deadass. What a pain in the ass. All these Cadets were just strolling in one after another. First he had to bend his ass to this cotton-haired cunt. He wanted to bury his fist into her face. But then came two-thirds of the Three Stooges: Jackie and Takeru. It's probably a little too cruel to lump the former with the pretentious limp-dicked latter. But who cares? Susan was busy fangirling the pretty boy like some awkward shut-in with severe lack of social skills. Then came some weird cosplay fetishist with a fuckass-sized piece that would ruin the anuses of many demons and Psyche-Terrorists alike. And finally, there was this sailor-fuku or whatever bitch strolling in like she had a stick up her ass. Seriously, what the fuck is with this team composition?

This was interesting to say the least. As he was waiting to see what they were going to do he took notice of the interactions of this rather large group. For the most part he would find no qualm with Jackie, Joseph, or Cecilia. He had worked briefly with each, but from what he could gauge they more or less pulled their weight when things got tough. His behavior towards these three was calm and respectful enough due to this knowledge. Takeru….that one was a question mark in his book and only gained his and Jackie’s rather cold reception due to how he behaved once before in a battle situation. While the Cadet hadn’t put him in the basket of hell just yet, the young man had a lot to prove before this idol would respect him or see him as someone to be not be strict around. It was harsh perhaps, but at the same time needed in the idol’s mind. Nothing grew without hard work and hard work was never done when someone pampered folks that had fallen and then were practically being carried by others.

His sternness towards Takeru would melt slightly being replaced by a rather mixed bag of emotions as he observed the one known as Susan Graves. He took note of where formality was given and where it wasn’t, but even more so he took notice how she reacted to him….and that. That is where things kind of became a very shaky hill. Hatsuharu was not a asshole per se, but he certainly could come off as an uncaring cold-hearted bastard due to simply to the way his mind worked. On stage and in front of fans, yeah he could sweep anyone off their feet if he tried hard enough. That is pretty much what he was trained to do - entertain and whoo the crowds; however, when he was off stage he was a total different person typically quiet and too himself. And when he was on a job, the face he wore was different again. In a business situation, the young man was focus and to the point, so coming against what appeared to be either A) a nervous wreck or B) a fan girl or C) both in this situation made the idol a bit uneasy; however the idol wouldn’t show it as his face remained calm as he raised an eyebrow at the woman.

“Good evening, Ms. Groves. Hanging in there?” he would respond back to her in a polite fashion as he gave her a small smile. Honestly, he was a bit leery about how she would perform with him there. She already appeared to be quite nervous and now this. That aside, his eyes would drift to the last two that arrived on the scene. The first he looked towards was Lisa giving her a respectful nod before his eyes turned to Maria as a genuine smirk crossed his face. Ah so they got to work together again, eh? How lovely. While he would give her an approving nod, quite glad for the familiarity here, the idol would become serious once more as everyone more or less seemed ready to get on with this. Well almost everyone….

His eyes would shift to Ms. Groves as she fumbled about and dropped things. He considered how to handle this as he kept his hands in his pocket of his long white jacket not bothering to pull out any weapons and such like the others. She was a nervous wreck for various reasons, but…”It is a good idea to take a deep breath to steady yourself, Ms. Groves. If you fumble like that in a battle. It could cost your life,” he would say his tone calm and without comfort. It was a stern fact and his unreadable and serious expression would only add weight to the words. He wasn’t trying to be cruel, but he needed the woman to push away whatever was making her behave this way and focus. If she didn’t well…..He’d cross that bridge when and if he needed to. That aside, he would look towards the ones in command this round. “Let’s go.”  

sheepy sheepy talkie talkie
azami azami end fucking life-y

"Thank you, Cadet Susan. I've already given the alert to them. They'll be working on it, and it shouldn't be too hard, it's past midnight already. Everyone seemed to be ready to go. But first, Maria quietly listened to what Susan had to report. Whatever the woman said, the Cadet found her line of thought reasonable. Judging by the files that was shared with the rest of the Cadets, it seemed to line up with the conclusions that the new recruit came up with. She gave a silent nod of approval and agreement with Susan and then to Haru for keeping the newbies ready. Everything seemed ready to go. "Follow me, move out."

She gestured all of them to follow along while beginning to run at a considerable speed despite the hulking size and massive weight of the weapon. It seemed almost effortless. Maria began to lead them towards the back of the station before opening a door that led them into a much more enclosed space leading to somewhere else. It was relatively dark, but dim. Pipes seemed to crawl along the walls and ceiling. Chain-link fences kept the majority of them divided from each other with warning signs. The intermittent stairs drew them deeper below. There was no Serah Wilson anywhere. But the more they dug into the depths, a familiar and forbidding sensation began to rise for those who entered the Dragon's Maw nights ago. It seemed as if it was beginning to leak out a door that was nearby.

"Be careful. This may get difficult quick," Maria said while grasping the door. She seemed colder than ever. Even Lisa seemed a little unnerved by her expression. The nun gave a nod to the rest of them and sprung the door open before viciously shuffling out of the exit. She hissed through her teeth at the sight that greeted her and the rest of the Cadets.

Green. A verdant miasma spread across the railroad. In the midst of it all was a young girl. Alone without a face, it peered towards the intruding Cadets with what appeared to be a leering smirk.

"Right, treat Wilson as a threat until we have proof otherwise...personally I hope this isn't supernatural, but..." Jackie's voice trailed off. "If it is though, let's be cautious...this may all be tied to that website. If possible, we should try and keep her conscious so we can question her!" Jackie decided. "...your summery seems pretty accurate, Officer Groves." He gave a nod. He undid the latches on the bag he was holding.



"Ready to go!" Jackie followed the blue haired girl, showing no signs of being slowed down by his large weapon. He mostly walked in silence, not allowing himself to be distracted. This was serious. If Wilson was planning something like that, she needed to be stopped as soon as possible. He refused to let a threat that big hang around! He had been created to stop people harming Endymion, and it seemed like this would be his first real test. And then they found...green. And ahead of them was her. Jackie wouldn't admit it, nor would he show it, but he felt unnerved. He wasn't sure what TO say, though he kept his finger away from the trigger. If he was of a higher Rank in the cadets, he would've tried placing her under arrest...as it stood, all he did was cautiously watch the girl. Something was very, very off about her, and he did NOT like it.