[Dangan] Free Association: Part One. Day 6: "Graduation Day"

[Florien]

No questions then? Good. Though, knowing you people, I'm sure you'll come up with something the moment I close them. Your contact in the force is waiting for you down in the Catkin. I'll let her introduce herself on her own time, so go there when you're ready. The CSI reports for the C.L.K. case should be with her today, your addresses are not currently registered with the department, you see. If you ask her nicely, she might tell you a few things about this region. Insider information.

The Spymaster seems to be wrapping up, when suddenly, the Spymaster speaks again.

Oh, and mind, there are more hazards out here than just your fellow consultants. Some might be fatal. We don't want to see you dying in some horrible household accident, accidental death is certainly a possibility, so try to not do that. Thank you, you may go about your business now.

With that, your earpieces turn off. You're free to go do your "job" now, and free to associate with whomsoever you choose.

[FORMERLY] Active Agents in Territory:

Lindsey Clipton: [DEAD: "YOU ONLY DIE ONCE. NOT TWICE."]

French Terezi Pyrope: [MIA]

Snap: [DEAD. "STRAIGHT UP BONKED."]

Wario: [DEAD. "Trent Reznor, the Boss, Shot Wario."]

Sariel Elakha: [DEAD: "NAILED FOR CRIMES."]

Scott Cameron: [DEAD: "I'VE FALLEN! AND I CAN'T GET UP!"]

Kaikoku Onigasaki: [MIA]

B Sha: [DEAD: "BACKTRACKED OVER"]

Squid Ink Cookie: [DEAD: INSERT:[Calamari_Joke]]

Anaheim: [DEAD. "SEEN VENTING."]

Wood Man: [DEAD. "CLEANED UP."]

Runner 5: [MIA]

Evil Jay Leno: [DEAD. "NOT CHICKEN."]

7: [MIA]

Mathra-19-150-M: [DEAD. "BLASTED OFF."]

Dr Fischer: [DEAD: GRADUATED. "SEWER CATS! (Hell yeah)."]

Lynne: [DEAD: "METHOD ACTING"]

Clara Corey Meitner: [DEAD: "ALL COP is BASTARD and DEAD"]

The Man in Green: [DEAD: "PICKED OUT AND OFF."]

Peter Romero: [DEAD: "COULDN'T TANK THE HIT."]

[Guma]

Geez Louise . . . Kamek better be doing a good job covering for me!

[TenOfSwords13]

A cat in a lab coat carefully sizes up the others, having understood her instructions.

Bloody hell past me, do I really need to prove myself this way...

[Despair's Archon of Memes]

A bulky robot lined with tree bark emerges out of the shadows...

... this better be quick.

[wingedcatgirl]

"You apparently thought so," the scale-faced person says to the cat.

And, without waiting for a response, Sariel sets off to find their contact.

[Dookie]

A…chalk drawing emerges from the floor.

”Oh…where'd I get the dumb idea to become a spy?”

[TenOfSwords13]

I mean, obviously...

Fischer also tags along with the other one to find the contact.

[Kennifer]

A young alien with gray skin, pointy horns, red shades and a beret grins at the others. Is she being friendly or creepy?

W3LL 1T 1S 4 GOOD TH1NG 1 4M US3D TO BOTH D4NG3R 4ND TR34CH3RY M3S CH3RS >:]

She looks around at the others with that same weird grin for a while, before pulling a croissant seemingly out of nowhere and taking a bite out of it.

[Guma]

The hulking turtle-demon-thing remembers his mission and attempts to speak into his intercom.

Hey, Spy Guy! Where the heck is this Catkin Lane Killer anyway? I want at ‘em!

[MadameButterflyKnife]

As the group talks, a short, pink haired humanoid with butterfly wings and antennae floats around maniacally. DO NOT GET YOUR HOPES UP, PUNY TESTUDINE! I, MATHRA-19-150-M WILL EASILY DISPLOSE OF THIS FOOLISH EARTHLING! STAND BACK!

She shoots up harmless sparkles at the sky, laughing like a villain.

[Florien]

Well, that's for you to find out. You signed up for this. I've narrowed their location to somewhere in these nine blocks. Find them yourselves.

Meanwhile...

Sariel and Dr. Fischer arrive at Block Seven, a miserable tangle of streets perpetually shrouded in smog, to find an "active" crime scene, and a single TCPD officer in full riot gear setting up crime scene tape alone.

A corpse lies on the pavement next to her. The officer waves as you arrive.

You, you're the new consultants, right? I don't have C.S.I. reports, whatever you were told. I have the C.M.E.'s reports, but C.S.I. doesn't come out here anymore. "Too dangerous" they say. Ah, besides the point. I'm Officer Meitner, but my friends call me Seko. You can be my friends today, seeing as the rest of the department in the area is too busy in their little fortress on three to do anything. Won't come down here to clear out the scum.

She passes out a stack of folders.

The C.M.E. gave me these. So be careful with them, and give them to the other... fourteen or however many there are of you. travelling out of here is a pain, and I don't want to have to get more copies. One body every night for the past month, and no meaningful progress. It's an embarrassment, that's what it is.

C.M.E.'s report

Victim #21, Jane Doe (Note: Her Actual Name) Occupation: Unemployed.

COD: Point-Blank GSW (buckshot) to chest.

Other Injuries: Pre-mortem stab-wound below GSW.

Other Notes: No Further information, CSI will not get back to me when I call them. Give the CSI reports to the consultants.

-C.M.E. Mccastle

[Dookie]

“Huh. I really did? Oy Caroy….”

Snap is skeptical, but willing to go along.

[MadameButterflyKnife]

Mathra grabs the files with intense confidence. THANK YOU, MY SUBMISSIVE ASSOCIATE! TRUST ME, I CAN TAKE THIS BLOCK SINGLEHANDEDLY! IT'S A LARVAE'S PLAY TO DO SO! NOW, FROM MY SUPERIOR MOTHRIMONI ANALYSIS, I CAN CONFIRM.....VICTIM #21 WAS OBVIOUSLY SHOT TO DEATH. YOU'RE WELCOME.

[TenOfSwords13]

Fischer looks through the report

Interesting... I'm certain that we might be of use, Meitner. Do you have anything else to say that I may need to be aware of?

[Kennifer]

N'41 P4S P3UR 1 SH4LL SN1FF TH3M OUT 1N TH3 N4M3 OF JUST1C3 >:]

[Dookie]

Snap looks at the case file and gets out a big-ass-magnifying-glass from his pocket.

“Hmmm…seems to me like someone had it out for poor Jane.”

[Despair's Archon of Memes]

Wood Man glances at the report...

now where would I find a gun...

Wood Man proceeds to... >go to Block 4

[MadameButterflyKnife]

Mathra looks to Snap, rolling her eyes.. PFFT. OBVIOUSLY! SHE WAS STABBED AND THEN SHOT BY YOUR WEAK EARTH WEAPONS. NOW, WE OBVIOUSLY NEED TO FIND THIS SERIAL KILLER. I VOLUNTEER ALL OF YOU AS POTENTIAL BAIT.

[Kennifer]

Terezi just has the report like... RIGHT up to her face.

Sniffing sounds can be heard.

[PointMaid]

A woman in running attire shows up, takes in the scene, then... Hey! She starts jogging after Wood Man.

Do you know something the rest of us don't?

>Look around along the way as you're running. Do you see a gun or a knife?

[Dookie]

Mathra looks to Snap, rolling her eyes.. PFFT. OBVIOUSLY! SHE WAS STABBED AND THEN SHOT BY YOUR WEAK EARTH WEAPONS. NOW, WE OBVIOUSLY NEED TO FIND THIS SERIAL KILLER. I VOLUNTEER ALL OF YOU AS POTENTIAL BAIT.

“Well excuse me, you were the one who thought that she was shot!”

“And I'm not even from Earth!”

Snap blows a raspberry towards Mathra's direction.

[Florien]

Well, that's a good question Doctor. First, do NOT try the free potato skins in that bar over there. I'm sure they're dosing them with something. Second, north are some arms dealers. We haven't brought the tank in, against my repeated requests, so don't deal with them. East of here is the warehouse district's edge, a couple warehouses, nothing much. And cattycorner is the park. No offence meant, Doctor. Oh, and the construction site on nine, I hear it's a dump site for bodies and weapons, buried somewhere in the concrete, though I've never seen evidence of that myself. Don't trust the workers for a minute, they're probably scum. Anyway, I'll be heading back to three, to yell at CSI. They've refused to come to this block the whole time, it's them holding up the case. Though if I had my way, I'd burn the whole block down.

Meanwhile, on Block 4:

Wood Man sees some very blatant arms dealers, obviously selling weapons of dubiously legal provenance on some tables outside an old factory. A makeshift billboard hanging from the stained wall by chains advertises the services of "King's Pawnshop, for your non-firearm non-perishable needs." Clearly, it was made by someone inexperienced at advertising. The arms dealers grumble as you get close, but don't seem hostile to potential money.

We take cash, credit, and debit. We don't take crypto, so don't even try.

Runner Five takes a look at the selection of weapons on hand on the way while following Wood Man. Nothing immediately comes to sight in the apartment, the rooms are quite bare. There's no automatic weapons on the outdoor tables on block four. It looks to be mostly semiautomatic pistols, and some revolvers. There's a small display case of combat knives, with decorative leather grip options. The whole operation is surprisingly professional, for an obviously illegal business.

[TenOfSwords13]

Fischer sighs. This is going to be a long few days, isn't it, with all these... charming personalities.

What to do next... warehouses should be a good a place as any...

... should we not introduce ourselves? I figure that communication will be easier once we have names to put to faces.

[wingedcatgirl]

"Sariel Elakha," they say to the doctor with a perfunctory nod.

Be nice, Sariel...

These people have been tasked to kill us or die trying, Finch.

[TenOfSwords13]

Fischer nods in response

Dr Fischer. Don't expect medical help though, I haven't had to stich a wound in years.