<Snipped quote by Host>
*I soften the barrier where they are pressing, reducing the rigidity and toughness, making it feel more like a cushion than a wall*
Those who steal, so that they can be wealthy. Those who kill for fun, and those who cause pain for pleasure. The scum of the earth, whether they be rich, poor or inbetween. Those who treat people like cattle, and lives like chaff. Those who I think should die, the children, the animals, they are the only pure things.

*Tilts my head with furrowed brows*
You want to die?

<Snipped quote by Extra>

Fine by me.
*Waves my hands fervently and the more skittish of the creatures run off, and I hop back on the ATV and throw on my helmet*

*gets on mine*
That was nice.

<Snipped quote by Memory>

*gets on mine*
That was nice.

We can just drive these home. I'll take them back later.
*Snaps together the helmet chin straps*
Hope you got your mind off things.

<Snipped quote by Extra>

We can just drive these home. I'll take them back later.
*Snaps together the helmet chin straps*
Hope you got your mind off things.

It definitely helped, but I still got a long ways to get where I would be comfortable.
*gears up*
I still have some drawing of animals for you to do as well.

<Snipped quote by Memory>

It definitely helped, but I still got a long ways to get where I would be comfortable.
*gears up*
I still have some drawing of animals for you to do as well.

You do.
*Nods and then revs the ATV before peeling out and spraying mud behind me, narrowly missing you*

<Snipped quote by Extra>

You do.
*Nods and then revs the ATV before peeling out and spraying mud behind me, narrowly missing you*

*Shakes my head as I follow you*

<Snipped quote by Memory>

*Shakes my head as I follow you*

*Keeps the gas handle floored as I rocket through the town and back home, while a few of the aging townsfolks watch with a grin*

<Snipped quote by Extra>

*Keeps the gas handle floored as I rocket through the town and back home, while a few of the aging townsfolks watch with a grin*

*slows a bit as I maneuver around and waves at the townsfolk as we pass*

<Snipped quote by Memory>

*slows a bit as I maneuver around and waves at the townsfolk as we pass*

*They give you an unfamiliar curious look, but wave back with friendly gestures*

<Snipped quote by Extra>

*They give you an unfamiliar curious look, but wave back with friendly gestures*

*lags behind as I am cautious through the ride compared to your speed*

<Snipped quote by Memory>

*lags behind as I am cautious through the ride compared to your speed*

*Turns a tight corner around a tree at one point and the ATV lifts onto two wheels for a second and a half*

<Snipped quote by Extra>

*Turns a tight corner around a tree at one point and the ATV lifts onto two wheels for a second and a half*

*slowly weaves around the trees*

<Snipped quote by Memory>

*slowly weaves around the trees*

*Hops off as soon the vehicle slows, but before I stop*
Heeey! Dad and dad's friends, we're back!

<Snipped quote by TruckKun>

*Tilts my head with furrowed brows*
You want to die?

Most people don’t want to die, and normally not an exception, though there are times where I wonder if the world would be better off without me. *Cocks head to the left slightly* Why do you ask?

<Snipped quote by Host>

Most people don’t want to die, and normally not an exception, though there are times where I wonder if the world would be better off without me. *Cocks head to the left slightly* Why do you ask?

*Shrugs*
...
*Leans forward and tastes the shadow barrier*

<Snipped quote by TruckKun>

*Shrugs*
...
*Leans forward and tastes the shadow barrier*

“Understandable thing to try”
*It doesn’t seem to have a taste*

<Snipped quote by Host>
“Understandable thing to try”
*It doesn’t seem to have a taste*

How is it made?
*Raps my knuckles against the shadow with surprisingly high force*

<Snipped quote by Tank O The Lake>

*Stands up and stretches with a smile*
Simple enough! Lead the way, Naomi.

*Naomi leads the group out through exit security, then out of the spaceport and straight into urban Hong Kong. It's urbanized enormously over the last few centuries; the spaceport is located a good ways out into the ocean, with the space between it and the actual landmass made up by blocks upon blocks of mixed-use districts set atop reclaimed land. With the way the sun hangs low in the west, it should be getting towards dinnertime in this time zone, but all the shops that ought to be open are boarded up; some have bars over their windows. Naomi frowns.*

NAOMI: Something's caused a stir. Looks like riot protection.

*As if on cue, there echoes out a PA announcement over the city streets, carried by a twin-rotor helicopter as it buzzes overhead. It blares out a message in Chinese, then:*

PA: Please be advised that the Pearl River Delta District Administration has set forth a curfew from 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM. Repeat, curfew begins in one hour. Violators of the curfew will be detained and identified. Thank you.

NAOMI: Definitely a riot. Let's get a move on; we can get to the place before curfew.

*She continues to lead them on down the streets towards the nearest metro station with a connection to the East Pearl River District. Along the way, they catch their first glimpse of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The soldiers are told apart by their armbands, which each bear a golden symbol, a crossed hammer and torch within a gear, over a field of black. It's the same color scheme as the Cooperative's flag. The men are wearing CBRN gear and gas masks, marching in lockstep down the sidewalk with carbines in their gloved hands. One of them holds up their hand to signal the group to stop, saying something in Chinese.*

NAOMI: Eh... bàoqiàn, xiānsheng, wǒshuōyīngyǔ.

*The MIA officer nods.*

MIA OFFICER: Identification papers, please.

NAOMI: Oh! Of course, sir.

*She looks back at the group while rifling through her pockets. Let me do the talking, she says with her eyes.*

<Snipped quote by Etcetera>

*Naomi leads the group out through exit security, then out of the spaceport and straight into urban Hong Kong. It's urbanized enormously over the last few centuries; the spaceport is located a good ways out into the ocean, with the space between it and the actual landmass made up by blocks upon blocks of mixed-use districts set atop reclaimed land. With the way the sun hangs low in the west, it should be getting towards dinnertime in this time zone, but all the shops that ought to be open are boarded up; some have bars over their windows. Naomi frowns.*

NAOMI: Something's caused a stir. Looks like riot protection.

*As if on cue, there echoes out a PA announcement over the city streets, carried by a twin-rotor helicopter as it buzzes overhead. It blares out a message in Chinese, then:*

PA: Please be advised that the Pearl River Delta District Administration has set forth a curfew from 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM. Repeat, curfew begins in one hour. Violators of the curfew will be detained and identified. Thank you.

NAOMI: Definitely a riot. Let's get a move on; we can get to the place before curfew.

*She continues to lead them on down the streets towards the nearest metro station with a connection to the East Pearl River District. Along the way, they catch their first glimpse of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The soldiers are told apart by their armbands, which each bear a golden symbol, a crossed hammer and torch within a gear, over a field of black. It's the same color scheme as the Cooperative's flag. The men are wearing CBRN gear and gas masks, marching in lockstep down the sidewalk with carbines in their gloved hands. One of them holds up their hand to signal the group to stop, saying something in Chinese.*

NAOMI: Eh... bàoqiàn, xiānsheng, wǒshuōyīngyǔ.

*The MIA officer nods.*

MIA OFFICER: Identification papers, please.

NAOMI: Oh! Of course, sir.

*She looks back at the group while rifling through her pockets. Let me do the talking, she says with her eyes.*

*Flashes a quiet smile and shuffles through my jacket pockets, while saying absolutely nothing*
...

<Snipped quote by Tank O The Lake>

*Flashes a quiet smile and shuffles through my jacket pockets, while saying absolutely nothing*
...

*Naomi collects the ID cards and hands them over. The officer goes through them, occasionally looking up at the three, then hands them back with a nod.*

MIA OFFICER: Your Chinese is good, Ms. Lovelace, but you must work on your accent. Enjoy your stay in Hong Kong, ma'am.

NAOMI: Of course, sir. Thank you, sir.

*They hurry off towards the metro and board; Naomi looks a little shaky after what just happened, and it's too crowded in here to dare talk about the job. It's only when they get out and towards the deserted city limits that she starts talking again.*

NAOMI: We're going to be hitting the onshore loading dock in order to get to the place. The blacksite itself is an underwater complex; it's only got one entrance we could hope to use, a maintenance tunnel setup that runs under the seabed. The doors automatically lock if they detect unidentified persons around them, and we wouldn't even get close enough to trigger that if the place is guarded as heavily as it normally is, so Mr. Lucy's gotten in touch with some buddies in the local resistance, and they've made arrangements. Once we're in position, they're going to make a distraction, and part of that'll be detonating a low-power EMP bomb near the complex. It won't take out the power entirely, but it'll knock out anything sensitive, communications, surveillance systems, all that. It'll stop the doors from locking, too, since they'll go into a failsafe mode without their linked cameras. Once we're in, we'll make a beeline for their data analysis cluster and grab Drive 24C; it's a black storage drive, shaped like a book, about yea big, probably stored in a cryofreeze briefcase sorta thing.

*She holds out her hands about twenty centimeters apart.*

NAOMI: The second the drive is disconnected from the main network, every alarm in the complex will go off, so we'll set another EMP inside the complex, blow it, and go out the way we came once the lights are out. We'll have to run like hell, but we can make it.

*She chuckles sardonically.*

NAOMI: I'm gonna take the biggest fuckin' nap of my life after this.