Side Story Tomorrow Never Lies

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Ver said:
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"Aha, no, I'm sorry. It almost feels like you're going through all of this trouble for my sake," Akane responded to Umi with a strained, yet light-hearted chuckle. Even after all this time, even the young woman herself could hardly remember that she was the Deputy Secretary-General, or in other words, the "second in command" of the United Universes if one wanted to simplify it. And with Robin tending to other, more pressing matters, Akane felt like she was left in charge to hold down the fort here, so to speak.

Perhaps it was exactly that she didn't look the type to be able to hold such a daunting occupation that also played a part in the negative public perception of the organization.

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"Hmph. You're sharper than you look, Mr. Schott," Ginoza responded to Winn meanwhile, pocketing his hands. Despite the... disappointing nature of their visit, to put it in a word, the man seemed strangely self-satisfied, unbecoming of him. At least, as self-satisfied as someone like Ginoza -- who rarely seemed to be spotted without a perpetual scowl of some sort -- could possibly look.

"Why don't we have some lunch? It's on me. We can further discuss this... case away from prying eyes," he eventually answered, looking back at an eavesdropping security camera watching them outside.

"Eeh? That's awfully generous of you, Ginoza," Akane responded, seemingly oblivious to whatever Winn was talking about.

"I know of a ramen stand that just opened up. You will all join me, won't you?" Ginoza asked everyone. His voice seemed courteous, but his eyes looked deathly serious, contrasting against his otherwise relaxed demeanor.

@Yun Lee @Takumi @Lucky @Minerva​
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"Sure thing, I don't think I've even ate breakfast." Toboe spoke up, picking up on Ginoza's odd behavior with a tilt of his head, though didn't say anything about it due to Winn's comments about the cameras.

@Ver @Lucky @Yun Lee @Minerva
 
With a simple nod of acknowledgement, Ginoza wordlessly walked off with that, leading the group away from the "Tomorrow" warehouse with that. Like the others, Akane was equally perplexed by Ginoza's supposed change in behavior, as though out of the loop with her own subordinate. She didn't relish that thought; not knowing what was going on in the head of someone she trusted as much as she did, but it was precisely to that end that she'd just have to wait to see what he was talking about.


"Thanks for the meal," Akane said as the cook at the ramen stand wordlessly slid her bowl in front of her, clapping her hands together as though in prayer for a brief second. A custom from her home world, her country. Ginoza did the same, before beginning to dig into his order.

The walk to the ramen stand was a fairly short one; while Ginoza had mentioned it had just opened up, one might have thought it was interesting that this was the first time everyone would have seen it, considering it was just about in the middle of one of the markets of the Secretariat.

They ate in silence for a brief moment, before Akane finally broke the ice, letting out a drawn out sigh as she hung her head back.

"Jeez, this is not where I expected to be when I woke up today," she bemoaned, pouting in exasperation. "I feel like at any moment, someone's gonna recognize me or Ginoza and start a riot or something..."

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"We haven't quite gotten there just yet, and I assure you, we won't," Ginoza reassured Akane, and by conjunction, the rest of the group.

"What makes you so sure about that?"

"I called in someone who... let's say, is more adept in espionage than I am. Pardon the deception, but I couldn't be sure what either party would yield. Covering all bases, so to speak. And it was a gambit that paid off," he began to explain.

"What do you mean?" Akane asked, still perplexed.

"I'll let them explain," Ginoza said, gesturing toward the nondescript ramen stand runner.

@Jeremi

@Takumi @Lucky @Yun Lee @Minerva​
 
The ramen stand runner. A portly man with a friendly smile turned to face the group. There wasn’t as Ginoza said much else to the man. No one would have looked at him twice going through a crowd. “You want something more to eat?”

Then the man got another look in his eyes as he turned to face Akane. “Or maybe you’re looking for something…sweet.” He’d do a kissy face towards the agent waiting to see the reactions of the others before busting out laughing. “Aaaand, scene!” With surprising agility for a man that shape and size they’d slide over the counter and perfectly sit down on the free seat next to Ginoza, “How was that. I know you said nothing to ‘dramatic’ like ugh, fine. I had to improvise and it think it was really good. But I tell you, you were all robbed of a performance of a lifetime as I pull out a birth certificate and reveal myself as her long lost father. Ah, maybe if I get a bonus from this job I’ll give you a personal viewing but,”

They twirled around in their seat their shape-changing to that of some sort of lanky and tall lizard type humanoid. “I know I probably did but might as well ask honey,

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Am I hired?”

@Ver @Jeremi @Takumi @Lucky @Yun Lee @Minerva
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To say this whole turn of events made sense would be like saying the plaid patterns in the sky were lovely this time of year. First Ginoza treats them all to lunch, then said lunch turns out to be where Ginoza's...what were they, his friend? Contact? And for such a spirited person to be Ginoza's ally...this was all so much!

"Um..." Umi tried to think up something worthwhile to say. "So...you had them do a side investigation, is that right...?" Mostly she was trying to clarify this all for herself, to make sure she understood everything that was going on.

@Ver @Jeremi @Takumi @Lucky @Minerva​
 
Winn Schott

" I certainly think that having someone of your skill would be valuable at facing someone like Carver. He probably has people he is close too and you seemed to flawlessly mimick things to a T. I would like to know what the results of the side investigation was though."

@Jeremi @Ver @Takumi @Minerva @Yun Lee
 
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"You're hired. Maybe I'll even offer a nice tip if you continue to perform for our little troupe," Ginoza responded to the surprise collaborator in front of the entire group. Turning to the others, he gave a curt nod to them.

"A side investigation... Yes, I suppose that's one way to put it," he said to Umi, folding his arms. "Everyone, meet Double Trouble, or simply Trouble for short. An apt nomenclature, considering what they've mentioned to gather about Carver and his company."

"What do you mean by that?" Akane questioned, just as taken aback as everyone else.

"I'll let our new friend answer that," Ginoza said, gesturing toward Double Trouble. "If you like the limelight so much, I'll let you take it from here," he continued, encouraging them to show the goods, so to speak.

@Jeremi @Lucky @Minerva @Yun Lee @Takumi​
 
“Oh, darling let’s take it away!” They jumped up onto the chair as their shaped changed into that of a security guard. “So there I was infiltrating a tacky old warehouse. I’m just saying just because you’re being shady and hide stuff, liven up the place, you know? Anyway, as I got into character as Clive, this is Clive, stayed in sick because for some reason he was stuck in the bathroom all day. A mystery for the ages. So obviously, I, a friendly Samaritan took his place so that he wouldn’t get in trouble.”

They twirled on the chair again, changed back to their original shape, and sat down. “Bunch of grumpy scary guys guarding the place. Can someone say discriminatory? I got in without a hitch and had a look around.” They removed a bunch of photos from their costume and put them on the table. Most of them were selfies of varying degrees of quality but then…a picture of a few crates. “You told me to keep my eyes open and…” He pointed to the logo on the crates. “And this seemed like something you were looking for, am I right? Do I get that bonus now?”


@Ver @Lucky @Minerva @Yun Lee @Takumi
 
A shapeshifting spy...man, now Umi had seen everything! But after Carver had treated them so shamefully, she was glad for Trouble's help. Nice to finally have what felt like some ground to stand on. Though she leaned over to get a look at the pictures. "...what logo is that?"

@Ver @Jeremi @Takumi @Lucky @Minerva​
 
“Oh I remember what they were called! I was just holding off for that dramatic flair!” Double Trouble replied pointing down on the photo again. “That honey is the logo of the infamous…Raven Christ.” They looked up with a smug smirk on their face at Ginoza. “…No wait that doesn’t sound right. Oh it was something like that! What I do know is that your boss, and the man who pays my bills, thinks they're bad news!”


@Ver @Lucky @Minerva @Yun Lee @Takumi
 
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"The Revanchist," Ginoza corrected Double Trouble, furrowing his brow as it seemed his earlier, unsaid suspicions had been confirmed. And yet, one could say that there was a sense of validation -- vindication, even -- in the notion of their enemies being agents of the Revanchist, if one judged Ginoza by his unusual manner earlier.

Crossing his arms, the man continued. "Remember, Carver was tight-lipped about where he got information that was never released to the public -- that is, the public of worlds aware of the multiverse like this one," he explained. "The triple espionage of Revolver Ocelot, the managing of the Coalition Civil War... Only an insider could have known about what he'd written, probably leaked by Ocelot himself even."

Pointing a finger to the pictured logo, Ginoza went on.

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"So now, we have our own deck to play with. They don't have nearly as much ground as they think they do, now that we know their secret."

"The Revanchist..." Akane mumbled to herself, holding her hands together. "But... How exactly does the evidence by itself help us? Pictures and videos can easily be forged these days, so even if we spread this around, people might just believe it's purely in bad faith, given that we're at odds with each other."

"That's why I propose we'll be returning to the Tomorrow warehouse... after hours. With a warrant provided by the Deputy Secretary-General, of course," Ginoza shrewdly suggested.

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"E-Eh? M-Me?!" The mousy young woman exclaimed, once again nearly forgetting that she was -- for all intents and purposes -- the supposed second in command of the United Universes.

"Not only to gather even more evidence, but also to see and ascertain what their goal is here. There has to be a deeper endgame than just smearing our name. Any dissent or questions?"

With a somewhat discomforted breath, almost like she felt like she was being strong-armed by her own subordinate, Akane relented, interlocking her own fingers together. "That does sound like grounds for reasonable cause, all things considered..." She sighed, giving a sheepish laugh as she turned toward Umi. "Umi-chan... What was it, you're an intern? Or just here for a Summer job? It sounds like you've managed to find yourself in a conspiracy, but you don't have to come along for this part if you think it's too much! The papers would just have more ammo against us if we got a minor in trouble," she laughed uneasily.

"As for you..." Ginoza said, turning toward Double Trouble. "If you stick around for this extra assignment, I'll throw in a generous tip to your pay. How does that sound?"

@Yun Lee @Jeremi @Takumi @Lucky @Minerva​
 
"Miss Tsunemori..." Even at a time like this, she would be concerned for her? Honestly, that made Umi's decision far easier. "It's true I wound up here completely by mistake...but even so! You're good people, and for Mr. Carver to treat you all like this so smugly...it's wrong. And I can't just sit by and let that happen. So...so I can help." She lost a bit of her confidence at that last part, as if realizing what she was getting herself into. Ugh, why didn't she just stay home and help her parents...

@Ver @Jeremi @Takumi @Lucky @Minerva​
 
Ver said:
View attachment 4843

"The Revanchist," Ginoza corrected Double Trouble, furrowing his brow as it seemed his earlier, unsaid suspicions had been confirmed. And yet, one could say that there was a sense of validation -- vindication, even -- in the notion of their enemies being agents of the Revanchist, if one judged Ginoza by his unusual manner earlier.

Crossing his arms, the man continued. "Remember, Carver was tight-lipped about where he got information that was never released to the public -- that is, the public of worlds aware of the multiverse like this one," he explained. "The triple espionage of Revolver Ocelot, the managing of the Coalition Civil War... Only an insider could have known about what he'd written, probably leaked by Ocelot himself even."

Pointing a finger to the pictured logo, Ginoza went on.

View attachment 4842

"So now, we have our own deck to play with. They don't have nearly as much ground as they think they do, now that we know their secret."

"The Revanchist..." Akane mumbled to herself, holding her hands together. "But... How exactly does the evidence by itself help us? Pictures and videos can easily be forged these days, so even if we spread this around, people might just believe it's purely in bad faith, given that we're at odds with each other."

"That's why I propose we'll be returning to the Tomorrow warehouse... after hours. With a warrant provided by the Deputy Secretary-General, of course," Ginoza shrewdly suggested.

View attachment 4844

"E-Eh? M-Me?!" The mousy young woman exclaimed, once again nearly forgetting that she was -- for all intents and purposes -- the supposed second in command of the United Universes.

"Not only to gather even more evidence, but also to see and ascertain what their goal is here. There has to be a deeper endgame than just smearing our name. Any dissent or questions?"

With a somewhat discomforted breath, almost like she felt like she was being strong-armed by her own subordinate, Akane relented, interlocking her own fingers together. "That does sound like grounds for reasonable cause, all things considered..." She sighed, giving a sheepish laugh as she turned toward Umi. "Umi-chan... What was it, you're an intern? Or just here for a Summer job? It sounds like you've managed to find yourself in a conspiracy, but you don't have to come along for this part if you think it's too much! The papers would just have more ammo against us if we got a minor in trouble," she laughed uneasily.

"As for you..." Ginoza said, turning toward Double Trouble. "If you stick around for this extra assignment, I'll throw in a generous tip to your pay. How does that sound?"

@Yun Lee @Jeremi @Takumi @Lucky @Minerva​
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Double Trouble leaned back in their chair with a grin on their lips. “Honey, you had me at generous tip.“

@Yun Lee @Jeremi @Takumi @Lucky @Minerva
 
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"Aha... Guess that's that then," Akane said with a somewhat uneasy, yet still genuine chuckle. Even if everyone else said that they'd keep going of their own volition, Akane still couldn't help but feel responsible for them all. After all, she was the most senior officer here of the United Universes, even if she certainly didn't act like it, letting Ginoza take the reins of the mission instead. For Ginoza, it was a force of habit from when both of them were back in their home world, but that was a story for another day.

"Alright. We'll reconvene later tonight, and make our way to the Tomorrow warehouse again," Ginoza said. He gave a sudden pause for a brief moment, looking around the crowded square, as though trying to spot out any potential eavesdroppers like he was an old-fashioned spy, before clearing his throat as he directed his attention back to the group. "... I'll message you all the details later today. Don't be late," he said sternly, as though to counterbalance Akane's more light-hearted nature.

And with that, the waiting game began.

Later that night, soon after the warehouse had closed for the night, presumably deserted for the time being, the group reconvened outside the building. At this hour, the streets were practically deserted. As this world at large served as the base of operations for at least one branch of the United Universes, there was no open criminal element in this world, though it might have been difficult for some like even Akane to be unable to shake off the uneasy feeling of strolling through the night.

"Alright, are we all here?" Akane asked, looking around to make sure everyone was in place. "I guess there's no time like the present, if so..."

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"First things first," Ginoza said breezily. "Do all of you have something to protect yourselves with, in the event that we... you know," He began to say, looking everyone right in the eye as he suddenly pulled a revolver out of his pocket, spinning the wheel idly, "... run into some trouble?"

@Minerva @Lucky @Takumi @Jeremi @Yun Lee​
 
Ver said:
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"Aha... Guess that's that then," Akane said with a somewhat uneasy, yet still genuine chuckle. Even if everyone else said that they'd keep going of their own volition, Akane still couldn't help but feel responsible for them all. After all, she was the most senior officer here of the United Universes, even if she certainly didn't act like it, letting Ginoza take the reins of the mission instead. For Ginoza, it was a force of habit from when both of them were back in their home world, but that was a story for another day.

"Alright. We'll reconvene later tonight, and make our way to the Tomorrow warehouse again," Ginoza said. He gave a sudden pause for a brief moment, looking around the crowded square, as though trying to spot out any potential eavesdroppers like he was an old-fashioned spy, before clearing his throat as he directed his attention back to the group. "... I'll message you all the details later today. Don't be late," he said sternly, as though to counterbalance Akane's more light-hearted nature.

And with that, the waiting game began.

Later that night, soon after the warehouse had closed for the night, presumably deserted for the time being, the group reconvened outside the building. At this hour, the streets were practically deserted. As this world at large served as the base of operations for at least one branch of the United Universes, there was no open criminal element in this world, though it might have been difficult for some like even Akane to be unable to shake off the uneasy feeling of strolling through the night.

"Alright, are we all here?" Akane asked, looking around to make sure everyone was in place. "I guess there's no time like the present, if so..."

View attachment 6266

"First things first," Ginoza said breezily. "Do all of you have something to protect yourselves with, in the event that we... you know," He began to say, looking everyone right in the eye as he suddenly pulled a revolver out of his pocket, spinning the wheel idly, "... run into some trouble?"

@Minerva @Lucky @Takumi @Jeremi @Yun Lee​
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"I can use hand to hand, or my teeth and claws, I'm okay with just that." Toboe informed, crossing arms as he spoke. It'd helped him plenty against people who've shot at him and his pack plenty of times before, so he was sure it wouldn't be a problem here. If he did run into any trouble then if they thought to underestimate him, it'd help to prove them wrong with his natural strength being better than that of an average human.

It also helped that his hearing was the best among his old pack mates, though he would of preferred if at least Hige was around, as he had the best sense of smell. Oh well, they had quite a few in their group who weren't an average human too. Even so, a part of him deep down was worried for a few the others' overall safety in the case of any trouble.

@Ver @Yun Lee @Lucky @Minerva @Jeremi
 
Ver said:
View attachment 6265

"Aha... Guess that's that then," Akane said with a somewhat uneasy, yet still genuine chuckle. Even if everyone else said that they'd keep going of their own volition, Akane still couldn't help but feel responsible for them all. After all, she was the most senior officer here of the United Universes, even if she certainly didn't act like it, letting Ginoza take the reins of the mission instead. For Ginoza, it was a force of habit from when both of them were back in their home world, but that was a story for another day.

"Alright. We'll reconvene later tonight, and make our way to the Tomorrow warehouse again," Ginoza said. He gave a sudden pause for a brief moment, looking around the crowded square, as though trying to spot out any potential eavesdroppers like he was an old-fashioned spy, before clearing his throat as he directed his attention back to the group. "... I'll message you all the details later today. Don't be late," he said sternly, as though to counterbalance Akane's more light-hearted nature.

And with that, the waiting game began.

Later that night, soon after the warehouse had closed for the night, presumably deserted for the time being, the group reconvened outside the building. At this hour, the streets were practically deserted. As this world at large served as the base of operations for at least one branch of the United Universes, there was no open criminal element in this world, though it might have been difficult for some like even Akane to be unable to shake off the uneasy feeling of strolling through the night.

"Alright, are we all here?" Akane asked, looking around to make sure everyone was in place. "I guess there's no time like the present, if so..."

View attachment 6266

"First things first," Ginoza said breezily. "Do all of you have something to protect yourselves with, in the event that we... you know," He began to say, looking everyone right in the eye as he suddenly pulled a revolver out of his pocket, spinning the wheel idly, "... run into some trouble?"

@Minerva @Lucky @Takumi @Jeremi @Yun Lee​
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Double Trouble gave Ginoza a knowing smirk. "Oh don't worry..." They did a twirl and changed shape between the different forms of the group in rapid succession before changing back to their default. "When the going gets tough I'll, probably change shape to one of the guards and hide among them until the coast is clear. No sweat."

They winked at Ginoza. "But I'm sure you'll be able to keep us safe now won't you boss?"

@Ver @Minerva @Lucky @Takumi @Jeremi @Yun Lee
 
"U-Um...will it really get that dangerous...?" Umi tried to laugh to not sound so nervous, but it gave her away far too easily. No, she didn't have any weapons! Why would she need something like that in a place like this?! If anything, she could just...stick close to the others, right? She didn't want to go home, but...maybe she was in over her head, here.

@Ver @Jeremi @Takumi @Lucky​
 
Yun Lee said:
"U-Um...will it really get that dangerous...?" Umi tried to laugh to not sound so nervous, but it gave her away far too easily. No, she didn't have any weapons! Why would she need something like that in a place like this?! If anything, she could just...stick close to the others, right? She didn't want to go home, but...maybe she was in over her head, here.

@Ver @Jeremi @Takumi @Lucky​
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"You can stick with me if you want." Toboe offered, hoping to put her at ease if even just a little in the face of potential danger. So far she seemed to be the least equipped in case she found herself in a situation that could lead to bodily harm.

@Ver @Yun Lee @Lucky @Jeremi
 
Winn Schott

" I actually do have something for once," he replied, pulling out a ring and placing it on his finger. He would change into a blue costume with a mask. " According to Kara who sent this from Mon-El who sent it to me, this can harness dream energy," he replied moving his hand and making a whip shaped item.

@Ver @Yun Lee @Jeremi @Takumi
 
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"I'm just a normal human, but I can pull my own weight, and I'll be expecting you to do the same to earn your pay," Ginoza flatly said, Double Trouble's attempts at playful banter seeming to bounce off the man like a brick wall. He didn't seem in the mood for humor, but then, Akane could attest that he never was.

To Winn and Toboe, he gave a nod of acknowledgement. "Good to know. Let's just hope you'll be willing to answer aggression with aggression if needed. These will be normal people we'll be up against, if we do run into trouble," he warned sternly.

To Umi, Akane meanwhile attempted to give a comforting smile.

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"It's okay to be nervous, Umi, but I won't let any harm come to you!" Akane assured her.

"Since she's the greenest one here, maybe she needs this more than me," Ginoza uttered, beginning to hold out his revolver to her suddenly, only to be met with a pointed glare from the shorter woman.

"Ginoza!" She exclaimed in a hushed manner.

"That was a joke," the man only said with his usual stern tone, pulling his arm back, before looking to the building now. "In any case... Let's get a move on then."

With that, Ginoza began to lead the group behind the back of the building. It was easy enough to remain undetected; there were no guards outside, and there only seemed to be one or two cameras that were easily bypassed in the shadows of the night. As they reached the back of the building and approached the back door, GInoza swiftly pulled out what looked like a small, sophisticated looking device that fit comfortably in the palm of his hand. He held it up against the keypad on the door, and as the device let out a mechanical whirring sound, the keypad suddenly beeped softly and the back door opened by itself, unlocked by Ginoza's device.

Pocketing the device again, Ginoza gestured for everyone to keep following him and with that, they had managed to get inside the warehouse once more. As one might have expected, the interior was much darker than it was before. Since it was supposed to be closed, the lights were all off save for some dim backup lights on the walls that only barely illuminated the way, just enough to show a short stairway to a platform.

Silently gesturing everyone to keep close like a soldier commanding his squad, Ginoza led everyone up the stairs to the platform, which in turn led only to another door. Ginoza carefully and slowly opened it, and as he and everyone dashed inside, they would be led into a small office room. The room was a bit cramped and even claustrophobic; file cabinets littered the sides of the walls, while in the center of the room was a desk with an computer, presumably belonging to Carver himself.

Turning to Winn, Ginoza held up the device he'd used earlier to unlock the back door and handed it to the other man suddenly. "Here. Use this to hack into the computer and see if you can find any files of note, Schott. I'll keep watch in the meantime for any patrols," he instructed, standing at the door and twirling his revolver. It almost seemed too easy that they'd managed to reach the main office this easily, and Ginoza didn't believe in silver linings himself, after all.

@Lucky @Takumi @Jeremi @Yun Lee​
 
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