I SWEAR IT WILL MAKE SENSE THIS TIME!!!!
It's only half past the point of no returnThe tip of the iceberg, the sun before the burn
The thunder before lightning, the breath before the phrase- Pink, Glitter In The Air -----------------------------------------------------------------
In the midst of a dark beach, a wide panning shot focuses on a long angular beachhouse. Formed of concrete and steel, at least two walls are cascading sheets of glass. The building is a fusion of stark modern design and sleek Japanese furnishings. Along a far wall, is a gleaming white surfboard, with the initials "LK" written in elaborate script across the surface. A smaller, deep red board, with ornate cherry blossoms stenciled onto it sits beside it. Sparsely appointed, with wide open spaces, very little of the living space is secluded.A simple folding screen guards the sleeping area, and a slight alcove seems to contain the facilities and utility room.
The sound of waves crashing and breaking lull in the background, drumming a dim pulse to the peaceful venue. Soft light, drifting ambiently from the moon filters in the space as the view moves into the area behind the screen. A traditional futon on a wooden frame, well stuffed and finely stitched is on the far left, nearest the wall. Nestled beside it, on the floor, is a simple futon mattress with Lisa, legs akimbo, sleeping soundly in her new getup.
[This is where I should have cut & run last time.So here we go- onto the action.]
The outfit is the same as we left her in last time- thigh high black leather platform boots, black bikini panties, black lacy bra and leather choker with a padlock keeping it shut. The sun rises, and Lisa wakes up and heads off to what appears to be the bathroom. She comes out, definitely puzzled.
Lisa spends the majority of the day in the house, doing chores- washing windows, doing dishes, doing laundry, dusting and so forth. Mid afternoon hits and Lisa puts on some board shorts and a tee shirt over her strange getup and heads to the beach to watch some waves. Evening arrives, and Lisa heads back to the beach house. The house is still empty, and Lisa seems out of sorts. She makes a phone call after listening to a message on the machine, and seems more confused. [She has just discovered that 'Nani did not go to work at all that day.] She heads out of the house on foot, wearing her tee shirt, board shorts & go-go boots.
Ja'Kel and a couple others [I can't remember who, sorry- It's been well over 2 weeks] are patrolling the city. Ja'Kel/Jumpshot sees a flash off in the distance, towards the mountain. He has no idea what it is, so he calls the remainder of the Ultras to see if they can investigate. There have been enough blind-sided shenanigans that he doesn't want to go into anything alone. Most of the group heads up to the mountain, where they find an abandoned car on the side of the road. The driver's side door is open, and the flash Ja'kel saw was the window reflecting the moonlight off of it as it opened.
Ja'kel and the others investigate around the car as Lisa is wandering the city, trying to trace 'Nani's tracks- with no luck. Ja'kel calls [or texts, I'm not sure-I just know that cell phones are working again] Lisa to alert her to something strange up the mountain. Lisa says she's on her way, and she changes direction.
At some point Agent Williams was called, and the make & model of the abandoned car was sent over to him via cell. Williams reveals that the car is registered to Adnani Liu, and Jumpshot makes his brain roll to gather that is probably the same person as 'Nani- who he has met once, but doesn't appear to know is Lisa's girlfriend. Jumpshot calls Lisa to ask if she recognizes this car:
 |
| The car is grey & black, with brushed nickel trim (not red) |
Lisa's response is something along the lines of "F**k" -- and she heads up to the mountain at a much quicker pace- or tries to. She discovers that she's significantly slower, and the boots aren't really all that good for running. She's not entirely stupid (despite being a blonde from California) and starts to make some guesses as to what's going on. She decides the boots are a hindrance, and finds a park bench. She tentatively rests her foot on it (and it holds just fine) and tries to remove the boots. No dice- they simply won't unzip and seem pretty unmovable. She shakes her head in resignation, and heads up the mountain as quick as she can.
She finally arrives and all the rest of the Ultras have been investigating the area. They've found where a set of small footprints comes away from the car onto the side of the road into a gravel shoulder, and another, much larger set meets the small set. The two pairs of footprints just vanish at a small 'wavy line' (like a curtain or a snake moved through the gravel) and there's no further sign of the two people.
Steel Warrior, with his weird, mystical life sense ability, has been looking around and has found what is best described as a ley line. It's not visible by normal folks (or any of the other Ultras), but it's very powerful and leads towards the top of the mountain into a culdera. As he's looking at the line, he finds another. The two are not apparently connected, parallel or anything else- they seem to go in different general directions, but they both converge at the top of the mountain on the culdera. He decides to head up to the top of the mountain to check it out.
While the mystical wuji talking is going on, Lisa is checking out the car. It was 'Nani's birthday present, and 'Nani made it VERY clear that she liked the car quite a lot. Lisa looks inside for the keys- and finds them on the passenger side floorboard. Lisa gets IN the car, closes the door, turns on the radio (LOUD) and looks around for a clutch, purse, or anything else of 'Nani's. She finds a clutch in the console, and opens it up.
Inside the clutch are 'Nani's cell phone and a few other odds and ends- as well as a note, in Japanese. The note reads:
The payment may be more than you are willing to pay. If you are still certain, simply write "yes" on the line below.
---------------YES----------------
A look through the phone directory shows 3 calls of note. One is an unknown number, another is to the legal firm in Japan where Lisa's settlement was reached (by 'Nani), and one is to a law firm in California. Given the outfit Lisa's wearing (which was a gift from 'Nani) and these things all put together, Lisa begins to believe 'Nani spirited herself away in exchange for a more 'normal' life for Lisa.
Jumpshot gets Lisa out of the car, and Freestyle has been checking out the car's structure to be sure it wasn't crushed by Lisa sitting in it. There's a little more talking with Freestyle and Jumpshot trying to figure out what exactly is going on. Lisa's reticent to say anything- she'd rather not "out" 'Nani as gay, and she's ambivilent to whether she wants to betray 'Nani's wishes. Additionally, Lisa is having a hard time deciding whether she likes being an Ultra, or 'normal' more.
Lisa finally lets on that 'Nani is a very important person to her, and that she'll do whatever it takes to find 'Nani. Jumpshot then offer's Lisa a "ride" up the mountain to where the leylines are being investigated more fully, and they all poke and prod a steam vent, which seems to be the central focus of EIGHT of the suckers.
Jerry Riggs, who has some awesome scanning stuff, notices a "cold spot" in the steam vent, and starts directing Steel Warrior towards it. Some hijinks involving getting damaged and missing the proverbial needle in a haystack ensue for a while. Steel Warrior gets very close to "grabbing" the cold spot, and then it dissapears. Just after this occurs, a piece of paper comes fluttering out of the vent.
It's a note, written in Japanese. It reads something like (paraphrasing 'cause I lost the paper!):
The payment is due
That one for you
Enjoy your weight loss
With a WEIRD, WUJI symbol/signature on it.
Then things started to wrap up (not completely but this is where things take a turn for the slow down) and some more talking, and Lisa drives home in the Porsche. Jumpstart follows her home to make sure she makes it safely. And Lisa invents space travel. [that last sentence is a joke for the GM, folks.]
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