[Date: November 3rd, 2015. Time: 12 noon CST] [It's indian summer down in Mexico City. It's sweaty and sweltering and the atmosphere just makes it worse. The city's particularly stinking today, but that doesn't get you out of work. Currently there's a car to be working on. And Ryan is underneath it.] [Intro start] * Ryan grumbles irritably as he works on the car. Damn breaks just won't work. * Ryan wipes some sweat from his brow, reaches back for a wrench, and decides that Spanish doesn't have enough curse words. [Someone peeks his head in from a room on the side. He's a hispanic man with a black curly mustache, which must mean he's evil. All men with black curly mustaches are evil. But this one also happens to be your boss, Miguel Romero. Which just goes to make him even more evil.] * MysteryMan is now known as Miguel * Miguel speaks in a thick accent, trying to mimic very poor english. "Joo done yet, paleface?" * Ryan grimaces and looks over at Miguel. "I'm sorry," he says in Spanish, "What did you say?" * Miguel scowls and throws a wrench at Ryan's head. It's a very small one, so it's more for the look of it than to cause any actual damage. He switches to Spanish. "Damn deaf kid. What made me hire you in the first place anyhow?" * Ryan barely manages to avoid the wrench. Barely. He keeps his eyes on Miguel. "I'm the best mechanic you could find," he says dryly. No. You're the cheapist gimp I could find, gringo. * Miguel points to the car with his other hand. "It's been taking forever. They're not gonna wait all day." * Ryan scowls. "Going to do something besides insult me? And if you really want it done fast, why don't you help?" * Miguel lets out a small grin. You can almost see him resisting the urge to curl his mustache between his fingers. "Because I'm a supervisor. You're the lowly underpaid worker. You should know how this works by now." * Miguel turns around and walks back into his office. * Ryan glares daggers at Miguel, but unfortunately they don't appear and stab him in the back. * Ryan goes back to work. Stupid breaks. [Just as Ryan gets back to work, the phone rings! Miguel seems too cheap to afford tables so it's currently on a board sitting on a stack of tires.] * Ryan tries ignoring the phone. Maybe Miguel will get off his lazy ass and answer it. * Miguel calls out from the office VERY loudly. "Yo, paleface. Answer that wouldja?" * Ryan yells back, "What? I can't hear you!" * Ryan gets out from under the car and answers the phone, though. "Romero's Automotive Repair. How can I help you?" [On the phone is a female voice, very soft spoken.] ..is this Ryan McIntyre? * Ryan blinks, then removes the phone and places a hand to his ear. He puts the phone back. "You want Ryan McIntyre?" * Phone is silent for a few seconds. * Phone speaks up louder, but still a bit in a harsh whisper. '...get out of there. Now." * Ryan freezes. He glances around the garage. * Phone clicks. * Ryan drops the phone, not bothering putting it back on its hook, and runs for the exit. What'd they want? Get out of here, Romero! * Miguel scowls and opens the window to his office, setting his hands on the pane. "Hey, paleface. You're not done yet!" * Ryan yells back, "Come and get me!" [Ryan, unbelievably enough, hears a slow steady whistle coming from outside.] * Ryan tries getting out of the building to see the source of the whistling. * Miguel comes running after Ryan, trying to tackle him. "Didn't you hear me? I'll make sure you're arrested or something for ditching your work like that!" [Ryan indeed manages to get out of the building! Outside he turns towards the sources of the whistle. It seems to be getting closer..and louder.] [Ryan doesn't notice anything except a glint of light on the horizon. At the same time, Miguel's arms wrap around his waist and tackle him to the dirt road outside the shop.] Jesus fuck, Romero! Get off! You...you cheapskate gringo. Tryin' to run out on my business. I'll fucking kill you man... [The whistling's still getting louder, from the same direction as that light.] * Ryan tries squirming out of Miguel's grasp. "Get off of me, or we're both gonna be dead!" Dead? What'choo talking about, paleface? * Miguel does seem to be letting up a little though. * Ryan manages to get one arm free and grabs Miguel by the head, forcing him to look in the direction of the whistle. * Miguel looks over...and pales. "Shit." He gets off Ryan immediately and hauls serious ass. * Ryan scrambles to his feet and does the same, secretly amazed that Romero can move that fast. [As you run away, you're probably not looking back behind you. There's the sound of tearing of the cheap sheetmetal walls of the garage and splintered fragments. At the same time there's a big explosion that even Ryan can hear.] * Ryan covers his ears, but doesn't stop running. [There's a tinkle tinkle as fragments of the shop land in a heap all around.] [Ironically enough, the receiver of the phone lands next to Ryan. It's all that's left of the phone.] * Ryan ... slows, then stops. He just as slowly removes his hands from his ears, picking up the phone. * Ryan looks down at the reciever, then over to the shop. [Well, Ryan looks at what was a shop. Now it's just a bunch of twisted metal. And half of that is on fire too.] * Ryan blinks at that, then down at the phone. He runs over to the nearest place with a phone. A fire like that'll spread fast in a city like this. [There's a phonebooth nearby! Lucky Ryan. But just before he can pick up to call, that phone rings.] * Ryan looks at the phone like it's about to bite him, but picks up anyway. "Yes?" [On the phone is the same voice as from the shop. Bet you weren't expecting that, huh?] (Sure I wasn't. Uh huh.) I'll be there to pick you up in a bit. Everything alright? * Ryan laughs a little. What a day. You mean besides the shop exploding? Great. You're alive, aren't you? Like I said, great. Don't call the cops or the fire department..that's what they want. * Phone clicks again. * Ryan tightens his grip, then forces himself to hang up the phone. He hesitates, then steps out of the booth. [A few people come out to gawk at the fire. Miguel seems to have far hightailed it.] * Ryan tosses the broken reciever on the ground. There's gawkers; someone else can call. [A few moments later a motorcycle pulls up. It's a red and grey one, fairly nice. On it, the rider is wearing a matching suit, obviously female. She has no helmet on but sunglasses are blocking her eyes. Her hair is blond, curly and windswept.] * Phone is now known as Woman * Woman turns to look right at Ryan for a little while, staring him down. * Ryan blinks and looks right back at her. Two people have tried to kill him today, why not go for a third? * Woman speaks softspoken, with the same tone as the one on the phone. "Get on." * Ryan does as she says. "Why're you doing this?" [She's also speaking English, btw.] * Ryan is speaking in English too, then. So there! * Woman pulls out her glasses, revealing bright green eyes. "Because I'm Genevieve's daughter, that's why." * Ryan nods at that. "Good enough for me." * Woman starts up the motorcycle and grins over her shoulder. "Though she never told me you were so cute." * Ryan laughs at that, some of the delerious tone lost by now. "Yeah, well. I think I'm a little young for her, y'know?" * Woman rides away from the scene. "Not too young for me I hope? I'm only 17..." * Ryan glances back at the wreckage. "Nah. Not too young." * Woman winks. "Was hoping you'd say that." She frowns and concentrates on the road. "She called me the other day. Said something about a V company. That they'd caught the scent. She said you'd understand. I have no idea what it meant. She also said to warn you." * Ryan blinks. I'm sorry, what? I can't hear you. * Woman turns around and stops the motorcycle at the outskirts of town. "Well, I guess we can't all be perfect..." * Woman turns around and her eyes widen. "Oh shit..." * Ryan taps at his ear. "Afraid we ca-" He blinks at her words and looks in that direction. * Woman starts up the motorcycle again. It almost pops a wheelie before taking off at near top speed. * Ryan hangs on. [Behind the motorcycle seems to be an Apache, flying low. And it's after them.] [It's still a ways back but close enough to recognize.] * Ryan glances back, then starts cursing. Who cares what language? He curses. (Probably in all of them at once) (Yes, let's pick the top three nastiest curses of each one... :P) * Woman leans down as much as she can to be aerodynamic, wheeving the bike in and out around the cars as quickly as possible. * Ryan does the same, though more clinging for his life and less driving. This is bad. [Yes it is bad. Especially since the helicopter doesn't seem to have any qualms about firing a missile on a crowded road. One hovers in the air just below the chopper before rocketting towards the bike.] * Woman swerves off the road just before the missile hits, leaving a small crater and shooting a car up in the air. She weaves back into traffic two cars ahead to hide herself. * Woman yells over her shoulder, turning her head just slightly so she can still watch the road but her lips are easier to read, still she shouts as loud as she can. "Keep your eyes out for a tunnel!" * Ryan watches her lips and nods, doing just as she ordered. [Unfortunately, the plains seem pretty-wide spread, with only a few mesas on way. The road splits left and right soon coming up.] * Ryan tries looking down each of the branches. [A LOOONG ways down the right bend of the road, you can just barely make out a sign that reads. "El Gato Tunnel. 5 miles.] (Meow meow meow meow o/~) * Ryan yells, "Right! Go right!" * Woman nods and swerves into the right lane, just as another missile hits, throwing pavement up everywhere. [The cars all swerve to avoid the hit. One of them swerves into the bike, scraping the side of it hard and throwing it off balance.] * Woman grits her teeth and slows down a bit, trying to regain control of the bike. * Ryan looks back at the chopper. * Woman turns her head again. "Don't suppose you know how to shoot through the windows of an Apache, do you?" [The chopper is trying to readjust its shot too. The cars swerving made you a harder target and it's trying to recapture its aim.] Nae. Doesn't mean I can't try. * Woman nods. "Should I stop or are you going to try while I'm still driving?" * Ryan smiles thinly as he pulls out a pistol. "Keep goin'. Lucky shot's a lucky shot." * Woman nods again and guns the throttle, taking off as fast as she can to the right. * Ryan aims at the chopper as best he can and pulls the trigger, sending a quick prayer to God. [No lucky shots for Ryan this time. The bullet whizzes past and the chopper doesn't even need to move. It's also warming up its machinegun.] * Ryan tries not to freeze and fires again. [The machine bullets fall short of the cycle as it takes off around more traffic.] [Ryan's next bullet is even FURTHER off the mark.] * Ryan decides that God isn't listening and curses him out instead. He fires *again*. [God is just as deaf as Ryan! No luck.] (God needs a hearing aid.) [The helicopter does seem to be dropping back a little though. It wasn't expecting resistance, even if said resistance keeps missing.] * Ryan goes for four. That's right, run from the might of the pistol, Mr. Apache! * Woman calls back without remembering to turn this time. "Almost there!" * Ryan doesn't react. Imagine that. One more time. [The bullet ricochets instead off a car. You're supposed to be aiming for the chopper, Ryan!] (Aww, but the car was shiny.) [After that last shot, the weapon just clicks.] * Ryan expected that. He puts the pistol away and goes back to paying attention to where they're going. [The helicopter seems to be drawing back anyways though. And everything's going dark. Ah, that's because you're in a tunnel.] * Woman pulls the bike slowly over to the side of the road and parks it in the middle of the tunnel. "How long before they give up, you think?" * Ryan looks back the way they came, since reading lips isn't going to help him here. "Cannae tell ye." He coughs. "Contrary to popular belief, I'm not used to runnin' from helicopters." * Woman smiles just a bit. "Cute accent. I'm Melody by the way." * Ryan nods, turning his attention back to her. At least, what he can see of her. He holds out his hand. "I'm Ryan, but ye already knew that." Glad you like the accent. I try to hide it, though. * Melody shakes the hand. "Right. So how do you know my mother and why would someone be trying to kill you?" * Ryan reaches a hand up to one of his ears, adjusting the aid, then does the same for the other. "What did she tell you?" * Melody shakes her head, though you can barely see it in the lighting. "Not much. She just said to warn you. I had no idea what I was warning you about until I pulled up with the motorcycle. Mother was acting...odd when she called me." But I figured it was pretty serious...especially seeing a flaming wreckage like that. * Ryan breathes out a long sigh. "If anyone tells you, it should probably be your mum." And yeah, it is serious. She also mentioned a name...Sean Ardente. Do you know it? * Ryan shakes his head. "Doesn't ring a bell." Hmm...well, she gave me a number for you to call...it's a bit odd though... * Ryan frowns now. What's the number? And how's it odd? Well...Sean doesn't sound like a Japanese name, does it? But the number to call is definitely based in northern Japan.. * Ryan nods slowly. "Yeah. That's plenty odd." * Melody shrugs and reaches into her jumpsuit, pulling out a small piece of paper. "Anyway... here's..." * Melody pulls the paper back and grins to herself, putting the paper on the seat of her cycle and taking out a pen. * Ryan raises an eyebrow. * Melody stands up suddenly and smiles happily, handing him the paper. "Here's the number... and...that's mine right below it. You'll call me, right?" * Ryan takes the paper, giving both numbers a cursory glance. What countries are they from? [There's not enough light in here to read the paper. You'll have to look at it outside.] * Ryan stuffs the paper in his pocket. "Aye. Though time zones might be a mess depending on where I end up." He smiles crookedly. * Melody nods happily. "Can I give you a ride anywhere, Ryan?" * Ryan laughs. "Think the chopper's gone now?" * Melody stops for a second. "...I'd forgotten about that..." * Ryan shakes his head and snickers. * Melody sighs and leans against the rock. "So..I guess we're stuck here." * Ryan nods, doing the same. "Looks like. Might as well take some time to learn somethin' about my rescuer, eh?" * Melody grins up at Ryan. "Is not so bad." * Melody blushes slightly. "Oh my.." * Ryan chuckles. Um...well...um... * Melody scuffles her foot on the ground. 'Course, if y'don't want to talk, that's fine. Well, I don't..really... Really? * Melody puts her index fingers together and inches her hands in and out, looking at the floor. "I'm not sure what to talk about..." * Ryan laughs. "Well, you've got to do somethin' other than ride around saving mechanics all day." Well...I go to school..and...um..I like..sunsets. And beaches..and..um... * Melody 's moving her hands even more nervously now. * Ryan shakes his head, still smiling to himself. "It's okay." He pulls out a penlight and the paper, unfolding it so he can get a look. * Melody inches slightly away from Ryan, glad to no longer be on the spot. [On the paper is, as she said, a Japanese number. The area code is very distinct. Melody's number underneath it is definitely American.] [Both have names written next to them. The top one is written in a different handwriting which you recognize as Gennivieve's. The bottom is curly and cute and has a few loops on the bottom of the y.] * Ryan whistles. "Northern Japan it is." He looks back to where they came in. [Ryan sees sirens. It's the fuzz!] Chopper probably ran by now. * Melody nods. "So where do you want to go?" * Ryan pauses. "I'd say my place, but hell if I'm goin' there." You want to call that number? I've got a cell phone on me..it'd be expensive but..." * Melody blushes a little and looks away. Yeah? Think we'll get reception in this tunnel? I meant head outside of the tunnel first. * Ryan shakes his head. "I'll pay you back." Sounds good. * Melody hops on her motorcycle again and puts back her shades, kicking it into high gear. * Ryan gets on, too. Go cycle go! [Cycle goes vroom!] [The motorcycle cruises out of the other end of the tunnel. And you have Melody's cell phone in your hands if you want to call.] * Ryan dials the number! To Japan! [The phone dials. It rings for some time. Then it picks up. On the other hand is a very irritable voice.] Who is this? And it better be important calling at 4 in the morning... * Ryan switches to Japanese, "I'm sorry about that. Is this Sean Ardente?" * Phone pauses for a few moments before responding. "..yes. Who is this?" Ryan McIntyre. You wouldn't know a lady named Genivieve, would you?" * Phone pauses again and switches to English. "I might." * Ryan does the same, not skipping a beat. "She told me to call you." She did... * Phone pauses again, this time for longer. "You need protection then?" * Ryan glances back the way he came. "Considering my workplace just exploded? Yes." She mentioned something about getting her friends into this..I had no idea...where are you? Mexico City. * Phone lets out a low whistle. "Far flight. Can you afford to come to Japan? She set up a little money in case this would happen...not much I admit..but probably a decent recompensation. * Ryan does a little mental calculation. "This last minute would run me about... yeah, I can manage. I was gonna catch a flight out of this country, anyway." Have a pen and paper handy? Yeah, but no hands. We'll just see how good my memory is. Your choice. * Phone rattles off two addresses. One you can stay at the night after you land and one to come to at first opportunity. Got that? * Ryan repeats the addresses back to Sean. You're actually planning on taking them out? It's not going to be easy. But I owe Gen a favor. Taking them out? Huh. You know. The ones who prompted you to call. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. Genivieve wouldn't have someone call me if everything was all sunshine and happiness. * Ryan considers this, then smiles, almost viciously. "Wasn't plannin' on it, but it's more than worth a try." Right. When you come to the front, I'll make sure the door'll open for you. Talk to a girl named Keyoumi Seneda. She'll fill you in. Sounds good. What's she look like? And...if you see Genivieve again, tell her I said hi.. Purple hair, wears a navy blue business suit, she's rather a pretty girl, if not somewhat naive. Purple hair, got it. Thanks. Good luck. * Phone hangs up on the other end. * Melody looks over her shoulder. "So how'd it go?" * Ryan turns off the phone. He watches Melody's lips, then responds, "All right. Next and last stop's the airport." * Melody lets out a nod and turns back to the road. [And so Ryan made his way to the airport to catch the first flight to Japan, on the whims of mysterious warnings and cute motorcycle chicks.] [Ryan intro end.]